[MEI-L] @trans.diat and @trans.semi

[Roland, Perry (pdr4h)]

Hello, all,

Sorry I dropped out of the conversation.  I was attending the MLA meeting in Dallas.

So, it seems my proposal to allow MEI to store either written or sounded pitch fell flat.  That's fine, it was just a straw man anyway.

We're agreed then that @trans.diat and @trans.semi indicate the amount of "correction" necessary to achieve the concert pitch from the written one.  I'll change the documentation to reflect this, something like:

trans.diat -- "records the amount of diatonic pitch shift, e.g., C to C♯ = 0, C to D♭ = 1, necessary to achieve the sounded pitch from the written one. Transposition requires both trans.diat and trans.semi attributes in order to distinguish the difference, for example, between a transposition from the key of C to C♯ and one from the key of C to D♭."

trans.semi -- "records the amount of pitch shift in semitones, C to C♯ = 1, C to D♭ = 1, to achieve the sounded pitch from the written one. Transposition requires both trans.diat and trans.semi attributes in order to distinguish the difference, for example, between a transposition from C to C♯ and one from C to D♭."

A statement that MEI always records the written pitch in pname will also be added to the description of the pname attribute.  And an example of transposition will be added to the guidelines.

To answer Raffaele's question, I can't say it's the "best way", but currently the way to record changes in transposition, say from B♭ to A clarinet, is by using <staffDef>.  The label and instrument definition for the staff are independent of the @trans attributes.  This makes it possible for the transposition to change while the label (say, "Player 1") and the MIDI instrument name (say, "Clarinet") remain unchanged.  Or vice versa. :-)

--
p.

__________________________
Perry Roland
Music Library
University of Virginia
P. O. Box 400175
Charlottesville, VA 22904
434-982-2702 (w)
pdr4h (at) virginia (dot) edu