Re: why Kieren is a \relative evangelist [was “Re: Nested transposition"]

[Paul Scott]

> 3. The *single* serious argument against absolute music — that it requires 
> extra typing [of apostrophes and commas] — is essentially eliminated by using 
> an IDE like Frescobaldi: using MIDI input means I avoid typing note code 
> (including octavation symbols) almost entirely, and the transposition 
> functions let me instantaneously re-octavate large sections of code if that’s 
> ever required (which it basically never is). I believe we should be 
> encouraging users to use tools like Frescobaldi — because I believe their 
> coding lives would be made easier in *so* many ways — and the “crutch” of 
> \relative means there’s less incentive to do so in the early stages of the 
> learning curve (which is exactly when habits, good or bad, tend to be formed).

I am a copyist, not a composer.  I currently don’t have a MIDI keyboard. I 
enter everything through Emacs without a mouse for pitch, therefore haven’t 
considered tools like Frescobaldi so far.
I have been using \relative for many years and am aware of the problems.

Because of this discussion I have just started using \absolute for bass clef 
parts and I just noticed \fixed which I will start experimenting with.  Any 
other suggestions for my situation as described above?  

I will consider getting a small MIDI keyboard which would probably lead to 
experimenting with Frescobaldi.

Thanks for any other thoughts.

> 
> Making other people’s (especially newbies’) lives easier *is* ultimately what 
> I’m trying to do.

Agreed! 

Paul