Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [engraving]

For questions about the engraving of scores and how to achieve intended notational effects. Questions regarding the meaning of specific notation are best served with the notation tag. For questions discussing a particular engraving software, the software should also be tagged.

See also the discussion at What is the relationship between the notation and engraving tags?

184 questions
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How to notate time signature switching consistently every measure

It seems my musical journey's always pushing me into left field territory when it comes to notation ... So this time I'd like to know what would be a good way to notate a consistent switching of time signature every measure. The piece I'm writing…
Creynders
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How do I notate a staccato on a unison note?

If there is a stem on either side of a note, or the stems are DOWN below ledger lines, where does the dot indicating staccato go?
Wendy
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16
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5 answers

How to notate this two-voice syncopation in 12/8 time?

Currently working on this composition which is in 12/8 time. I want the rhythm in the left hand to be like this: But the notation looks difficult to read. Also tried this: But the C octave chord is a bit too short (I want it to be sustained the…
Pineapple
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15
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2 answers

LilyPond - how to write a basic makefile

During the last years I tought myself to write scores using LilyPond and furthermore to make file handling easier by using Bash scripts. Recently I started a project a little bigger than only one or two pages and once again I came across the article…
nath
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3 answers

Why use 5 or more ledger lines below the bass clef instead of ottava bassa lines for piano sheet music?

One thing that has bothered me when listening to classical music with the sheet music also scrolling by is its persistent use of 5 or more ledger lines for low enough bass clef parts instead of ottava bassa lines. Examples (all pulled from public…
Dekkadeci
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12
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Which note goes on which side of the stem?

When writing music in sheet music form, I know that when writing harmonic intervals of a second, one of the two notes is on the opposite side of the notehead. My trouble is determining which note to put on the opposite side of the stem. What are the…
user45266
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12
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3 answers

Arbitrary length full-measure rests in Lilypond

In Lilypond one can make long full-measure rests with: \compressFullBarRests R1*12 which outputs: Is there an engraver I can turn off, or some other way to remove the number from above the rest (for a multi-measure rest of arbitrary…
Sam Whited
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8 answers

Writing music by hand?

How do you write music by hand -- without using a ruler -- and not make it look like ugly chickenscratch? Are there exercises for writing note heads, stems and beams while making them look relatively consistent and nice but still relatively…
luser droog
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3 answers

Multiple staccato dots on minim with tremolo repeat in Lilypond

I'm writing a piano reduction of Gustav Mahler's 4th Symphony (to help study the score and practice music notation, but mainly just for kicks 'n' grins) using GNU LilyPond. (Yes, I know, I'm totally a Mahler Fanboy. So sue me.) ;-) I'm trying to…
pr1268
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3 answers

How to increase LilyPond horizontal spacing?

I'm trying to create some very simple music note worksheets with LilyPond. I'm afraid I'm still not familiar with the language itself, but here is what I'm looking for: \version "2.20.0" \relative c' { c d e f g a b c } This generates: I'd…
pominom
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When should the last ending bracket(volta) be closed and when should it be open?

I have a question about the last volta (ultima volta, last ending bracket). When should it be closed and when should it be open? I have found a document about that topic, which can be found here on page 20:…
Schnotzer
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How to write a score that begins with a pickup note and repeats

I'm writing a song as a score for piano and vocal. The verses begin with a pickup note on 4. So, after the chorus I end on 4 and then pickup up into the next verse with a repeat sign. The question is: Where do I write the pickup notes and lyrics…
Rob
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10
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How does 8va work on a staff with multiple voices?

I am writing a piano score and at one point I have a bar with multiple voices, one of which is quite high above the staff. I would like to write the top voice with 8va to make it more readable, but I'm not sure if it would apply to the lower voice…
Sam
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Standard format for jazz chord symbols

In jazz, certain chords can be written in many formats. Like for minor 7ths you can do: Cm7 Cmi7 Cmin7 C-7 And for major 7ths: CM7 Cma7 Cmaj7 CΔ7 Have publishers of big band music settled on a standard practice? -- EDIT -- OK, it seems the…
Sam Kauffman
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10
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5 answers

slur options in sheet music

In sheet music, composers use a slur to put together consecutive notes. There seem to be two kinds of slurs: one with a solid line and the other broken. My question is: when does a composer use a solid line slur, when do they use a broken line…
Nachmen
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