Cadenzas - How to get small notes?

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Started by Adam Cuerden on 2006-01-09 08:55:56

What's This?

!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted|Pos:5
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted|Pos:3
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted|Pos:#1
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted|Pos:b0
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-2
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-1
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:0
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:-1
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-4
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:40|Pos:-7|Visibility:Never
|TempoVariance|Style:Fermata|Pause:0|Pos:8|Justify:Center|Placement:AtNextNote
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:-1
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:80|Pos:-7|Visibility:Never
|Rest|Dur:8th
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted|Pos:-2
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted|Pos:-4
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted|Pos:#-6
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted|Pos:b-7
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-9
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-8
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-7
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:-8
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-11
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:40|Pos:-7|Visibility:Never
|TempoVariance|Style:Fermata|Pause:0|Pos:-11|Justify:Center|Placement:AtNextNote
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:-8
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:80|Pos:-7|Visibility:Never
|Rest|Dur:8th
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

his is a cadenza from the Act I Finale of Country Girl. Cadenzas are, by their nature, not "in time" [I suspect that's the wrong term, but, ah well], so, except for the last note of the in-time section, it's simply placed under series of rests with fermatas over them, undivided into bars.

Now, here's the problem: This really ought to be printed in small notes, ideally with scaled-down fermatas. However, despite the wonderful ability to change note heads, we haven't been given the ability to have small note heads. Any suggestions?

[Also, I'd like to request small note heads as a feature in the next update, as it'd just be an extention of the grace note display]

Reply 1 by Adam CuerdenP.S. on 2006-01-09 08:59:07

P.S. Just putting it in as grace notes with hidden rests won't work: there's a chord that starts simultaniously with it that's meant to be played at the same time as the start [in a layered staff] and that's buggering up my attempts to get it to line up:

|Chord|Dur:8th,Accent|Pos:#8o,10o,12o|Opts:Stem=Up,StemLength=5,ArticulationsOnStem|Color:0|Visibility:Default

Reply 2 by Francis Beaumier on 2006-01-09 13:25:45

smaller note heads as a notehead option! now that's an idea. I wonder why I never thought of cues being connected to notehead options. (Probably because I've been on a considerable break from instruments and have instead been singing.) Coupled with NWC2's ability to change stem sizes, I see no reason why a small notehead option up there with X-head and shaped wouldn't give us exactly what we're looking in making cues. I second your suggestion.

Reply 3 by Warren Porter on 2006-01-09 14:37:32

Look at user tip #83 for an example of putting the cues as text using NoteWorthy's own font. The downside is they are not "notes" and have no beaming option.

Reply 4 by Adam Cuerden on 2006-01-09 23:37:48

If the Garac nite's small accidentals and small rests can be handed over as well, so much the better =)

Reply 5 by Adam Cuerden on 2006-01-09 23:40:34

*blink* Grace notes, not Garac nits.

If it can't be part of the official update, surely some sort of user tool could be made using blank noteheads?

Reply 6 by Rick G. on 2006-01-10 02:11:18

Using grace notes as cue notes sounds simple enough for a User Tool.

The problem is that you cannot align a grace note directly over a normal note. Unless this is changed, grace notes as cue notes will never have a general workaround. Sometimes they will work, but mostly they will not.

Reply 7 by David Palmquist on 2006-01-10 02:56:59

Try this as a workaround:

What's This?

!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted,Grace|Pos:5
|Rest|Dur:4th,Dotted|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted,Grace|Pos:3
|Rest|Dur:4th,Dotted|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted,Grace|Pos:#1
|Rest|Dur:4th,Dotted|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted,Grace|Pos:b0
|Rest|Dur:4th,Dotted|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:8th,Grace|Pos:-2
|Rest|Dur:8th|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:8th,Grace|Pos:-1
|Rest|Dur:8th|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:8th,Grace|Pos:0
|Rest|Dur:8th|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:4th,Grace|Pos:-1
|Rest|Dur:4th|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:8th,Grace|Pos:-4
|Rest|Dur:8th|Visibility:Never
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:40|Pos:-7|Visibility:Never
|TempoVariance|Style:Fermata|Pause:0|Pos:8|Justify:Center|Placement:AtNextNote
|Note|Dur:4th,Grace|Pos:-1
|Rest|Dur:4th|Visibility:Never
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:80|Pos:-7|Visibility:Never
|Rest|Dur:8th,Grace
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted,Grace|Pos:-2
|Rest|Dur:4th,Dotted|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted,Grace|Pos:-4
|Rest|Dur:4th,Dotted|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted,Grace|Pos:#-6
|Rest|Dur:4th,Dotted|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:4th,Dotted,Grace|Pos:b-7
|Rest|Dur:4th,Dotted|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:8th,Grace|Pos:-9
|Rest|Dur:8th|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:8th,Grace|Pos:-8
|Rest|Dur:8th|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:8th,Grace|Pos:-7
|Rest|Dur:8th|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:4th,Grace|Pos:-8
|Rest|Dur:4th|Visibility:Never
|Note|Dur:8th,Grace|Pos:-11
|Rest|Dur:8th|Visibility:Never
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:40|Pos:-7|Visibility:Never
|TempoVariance|Style:Fermata|Pause:0|Pos:-11|Justify:Center|Placement:AtNextNote
|Note|Dur:4th,Grace|Pos:-8
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:80|Pos:-7|Visibility:Never
|Rest|Dur:8th
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

Reply 8 by David Palmquist on 2006-01-10 03:03:44

Oops, should have re-read reply 2.

For playback, try placing your sustained note in another staff, and give it a tied grace note:

	What's This?
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single) \|Chord\|Dur:4th,Grace\|Pos:-2^,0^,2^\|Visibility:Never \|Chord\|Dur:Whole\|Pos:-2^,0^,2^\|Visibility:Never \|Chord\|Dur:Whole\|Pos:-2^,0^,2^\|Visibility:Never \|Chord\|Dur:Whole\|Pos:-2^,0^,2^\|Visibility:Never \|Chord\|Dur:Whole\|Pos:-2^,0^,2^\|Visibility:Never \|Chord\|Dur:Whole\|Pos:-2,0,2\|Visibility:Never !NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

That should fix your playback, I'm afraid I can't think of a fix for the vertical alignment.

Reply 9 by Rick G. on 2006-01-10 04:33:29

David, Why would anyone want to use grace notes for playback?
IMO, enhancing playback is not its forte.

80% of the time I have a grace note in a finished work it is muted.

Exceptions that come to mind are:
A one staff only cadenza where I am modifing the tempo. (See Scriabin's Poem that I put in the newsgroup).

These uses (all hidden);
Simulating trills, tremolos, and staccatissimo.
Suppressing accidentals and articulations.

Grace notes make possible a number of very nice visual effects.

Note: tremolos and trills need to be added to the spell checker.

Reply 10 by Adam Cuerden on 2006-01-10 04:59:38

And, of course, when you just want a grace note. ;)

Reply 11 by David Palmquist on 2006-01-11 04:48:15

Rick, Adam wanted to be able to write a cadenza. A cadenza should be heard. My workaround with grace notes seems to do that. You could certainly write it on another hidden staff to be used for playback, and mute the grace notes.

Keep in mind that grace notes are generally intended to be played, either as appoggiaturas or assiaccaturas (which NWC does not accommodate).

It is only by NWC's flexibility and the ingenuity of each user of NWC that we have developed ways to use them for other things.

Reply 12 by Adam Cuerden on 2006-01-15 08:02:57

Think I'm going to have to leave this one in big notes until someone works out a small-heads fix. Ach, weel.