Re: [tablatures] Power chords

[Patrick Schmidt <p.l.schmidt@xxxxxx>]

Am 12.09.2010 um 23:09 schrieb Carl Sorensen:

> On 9/12/10 2:21 PM, "Patrick Schmidt" <p.l.schmidt@xxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > here is a solution for typesetting power chords and their symbols.
> > The solution is not new and I didn't invent it but including the
> > little file makes life a tiny bit easier. Maybe these few lines of
> > code could become part of the lilypond bundle thus making it
> > unnecessary to have to include them in each and every file containing
> > power chords??? Where would they have to go?
>
> I think they could be added to ly/chord-modifiers-init.ly
Ah, right. Now I found that there is already a definition for 2- 
voiced power chords in ly/chord-modifiers-init.ly (Definition of  
partialJazzMusic)! For test purposes I "switched on"

partialJazzExceptions=
#(sequential-music-to-chord-exceptions partialJazzMusic #t)

and used

\set chordNameExceptions = #partialJazzExceptions

in my example. So why is partialJazzExceptions set to #f by default?  
While it might be historically correct to classify power chords as  
originating from jazz music it's not very user friendly. I'd think  
most people associate it intuitively with rock music. Would it be  
difficult to write commands like \powerChordsOn and \powerChordsOff?  
Or maybe just \powerChords would be enough as the chord name  
exceptions turn themselves off as soon as standard chords are used?

Meanwhile I could add the definition of 3-voiced power chords to the  
definition of partialJazzMusic.
> > The following example shows that there are quite a few ways of coding
> > power chords. Personally I like using for example c1:1.5 or c1:1.5.8
> > for two- and three-voiced power chords as it's short and shows
> > clearly which steps are in the chord.
>
> I concur with the c:1.5 and c:1.5.8  I prefer these to c:5^3 and c: 
> 5^3.8
>
> These should be added to Appendix A.2 Common chord modifiers.
Ok, I'll do that.
> > If no one objects I could offer
> > to add a few lines of text to the manual concerning power chords??!!
> > Is it worth adding this example to the snippet repository?
>
> Since this uses \set, it belongs in the manual in the form of a  
> snippet.
> Write the documentation right into the texidoc for the snippet, and  
> make
> sure it gets added to the LSR with a docs tag and a fretted strings  
> tag.
>
> Then, we'll need to modify the Selected Snippets section of NR  
> 2.4.2 to
> include your snippet.
I will do it but I won't have enough time for this before thursday/ 
the end of the week.
> Also, I'd recommend that we consider adding the power chords to
> ly/predefined-guitar-fretboards.ly.  Currently, the manual shows  
> how they
> could be added as alternate voicings of regular major chords.  But  
> now that
> you have specific chord modifier sequences for power chords, I  
> think it
> makes great sense to add them to the predefineds.  If we do that,  
> then we
> don't need to worry about adjusting minimumFret when transposing  
> (and the
> predefined fretboard will automatically be transferred to the  
> tablature).
Hm, I'm not too sure about this. This would mean to add five  
respectively four voicings for 2-voiced respectively 3-voiced power  
chords to ly/predefined-guitar-fretboards.ly. I remember vaguely that  
it's difficult (if not impossible) to add different fretboards for  
the same pitch name, e.g. a,:1.5.8 can be played in first position on  
the fifth string or in fifth position on the sixth string, etc.
Very often when I transpose chords I decide against the form that was  
just shifted up or down the fretboard that is if I have for example a  
c minor chord in third position I might prefer to see a chord in  
first position (instead of fifth position) after transposing it to d  
minor. For this reason I actually prefer the automatic calculation or  
define the chords individually.
So does that make sense to you?

Thanks,
patrick
> Thanks,
>
> Carl