Re: [tablatures] Power chords

[ Thread Index | Date Index | More lilynet.net/tablatures Archives ] 


Am 13.09.2010 um 10:35 schrieb Patrick Schmidt:


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?
Or even better: engrave chord name x5 whenever x:1.5 or x:1.5.8 is 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

Mail converted by MHonArc 2.6.19+ http://listengine.tuxfamily.org/