Arrow notation and transposition for quarter tones
If you use arrow notation for quarter tones, and distinguish a raised natural from a lowered sharp, you can define extra note-names to enter notes with these distinct alterations.
You list all the pitch-changes that your notation distinguishes, and then choose what symbols to use for each pitch pitch-change. Transposition uses your defined pitches: \transpose bes, c \music takes the difference between your pitch bes and your pitch c and shifts every pitch in \music by that amount. If the resulting pitches have an alteration with an entry in the glyph-name-alist, that symbol is printed. A missing entry generates a warning. You can put as many alterations in glyph-name-alist as you like.
\version "2.24.0"
%% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=784
% Define the alterations as fraction of the equal-tempered whole tone.
% We use an alteration of 0.2 rather than 0.25 of a tone, so that the
% raised natural is a slightly different pitch than the lowered sharp.
#(define-public DOUBLE-SHARP 10/10)
#(define-public SHARP-RAISE 7/10)
#(define-public SHARP 5/10)
#(define-public SHARP-LOWER 3/10)
#(define-public NATURAL-RAISE 2/10)
#(define-public NATURAL-LOWER -2/10)
#(define-public FLAT-RAISE -3/10)
#(define-public FLAT -5/10)
#(define-public FLAT-LOWER -7/10)
#(define-public DOUBLE-FLAT -10/10)
% Note names can now be defined to represent these pitches in our
% Lilypond input. We extend the list of Dutch note names:
arrowedPitchNames = #`(
(ceses . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 0 DOUBLE-FLAT))
(ceseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 0 FLAT-LOWER))
(ces . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 0 FLAT))
(cesih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 0 FLAT-RAISE))
(ceh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 0 NATURAL-LOWER))
(c . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 0 NATURAL))
(cih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 0 NATURAL-RAISE))
(ciseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 0 SHARP-LOWER))
(cis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 0 SHARP))
(cisih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 0 SHARP-RAISE))
(cisis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 0 DOUBLE-SHARP))
(deses . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 1 DOUBLE-FLAT))
(deseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 1 FLAT-LOWER))
(des . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 1 FLAT))
(desih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 1 FLAT-RAISE))
(deh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 1 NATURAL-LOWER))
(d . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 1 NATURAL))
(dih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 1 NATURAL-RAISE))
(diseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 1 SHARP-LOWER))
(dis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 1 SHARP))
(disih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 1 SHARP-RAISE))
(disis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 1 DOUBLE-SHARP))
(eeses . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 DOUBLE-FLAT))
(eses . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 DOUBLE-FLAT))
(eeseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 FLAT-LOWER))
(eseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 FLAT-LOWER))
(ees . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 FLAT))
(es . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 FLAT))
(eesih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 FLAT-RAISE))
(esih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 FLAT-RAISE))
(eeh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 NATURAL-LOWER))
(e . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 NATURAL))
(eih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 NATURAL-RAISE))
(eiseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 SHARP-LOWER))
(eis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 SHARP))
(eisih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 SHARP-RAISE))
(eisis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 2 DOUBLE-SHARP))
(feses . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 3 DOUBLE-FLAT))
(feseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 3 FLAT-LOWER))
(fes . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 3 FLAT))
(fesih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 3 FLAT-RAISE))
(feh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 3 NATURAL-LOWER))
(f . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 3 NATURAL))
(fih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 3 NATURAL-RAISE))
(fiseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 3 SHARP-LOWER))
(fis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 3 SHARP))
(fisih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 3 SHARP-RAISE))
(fisis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 3 DOUBLE-SHARP))
(geses . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 4 DOUBLE-FLAT))
(geseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 4 FLAT-LOWER))
(ges . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 4 FLAT))
(gesih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 4 FLAT-RAISE))
(geh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 4 NATURAL-LOWER))
(g . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 4 NATURAL))
(gih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 4 NATURAL-RAISE))
(giseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 4 SHARP-LOWER))
(gis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 4 SHARP))
(gisih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 4 SHARP-RAISE))
(gisis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 4 DOUBLE-SHARP))
(aeses . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 DOUBLE-FLAT))
(ases . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 DOUBLE-FLAT))
(aeseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 FLAT-LOWER))
(aseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 FLAT-LOWER))
(aes . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 FLAT))
(as . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 FLAT))
(aesih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 FLAT-RAISE))
(asih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 FLAT-RAISE))
(aeh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 NATURAL-LOWER))
(a . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 NATURAL))
(aih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 NATURAL-RAISE))
(aiseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 SHARP-LOWER))
(ais . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 SHARP))
(aisih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 SHARP-RAISE))
(aisis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 5 DOUBLE-SHARP))
(beses . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 6 DOUBLE-FLAT))
(beseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 6 FLAT-LOWER))
(bes . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 6 FLAT))
(besih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 6 FLAT-RAISE))
(beh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 6 NATURAL-LOWER))
(b . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 6 NATURAL))
(bih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 6 NATURAL-RAISE))
(biseh . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 6 SHARP-LOWER))
(bis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 6 SHARP))
(bisih . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 6 SHARP-RAISE))
(bisis . ,(ly:make-pitch -1 6 DOUBLE-SHARP))
)
pitchnames = \arrowedPitchNames
#(ly:parser-set-note-names pitchnames)
% The symbols for each alteration
arrowGlyphs = #`(
(,DOUBLE-SHARP . "accidentals.doublesharp")
(,(+ SHARP SHARP-LOWER) . "accidentals.sharp.arrowup")
(,SHARP-RAISE . "accidentals.sharp.arrowup")
(,SHARP . "accidentals.sharp")
(,SHARP-LOWER . "accidentals.sharp.arrowdown")
(,NATURAL-RAISE . "accidentals.natural.arrowup")
( 0 . "accidentals.natural")
(,NATURAL-LOWER . "accidentals.natural.arrowdown")
(,FLAT-RAISE . "accidentals.flat.arrowup")
(,FLAT . "accidentals.flat")
(,FLAT-LOWER . "accidentals.flat.arrowdown")
(,(+ FLAT FLAT-RAISE) . "accidentals.flat.arrowdown")
(,DOUBLE-FLAT . "accidentals.flatflat")
)
% Transposition could generate pitches with alterations
% double-sharp-lower (8/10) or double-flat-raise (-8/10)
% but there are no such symbols in the font, so we substituted
% the most appropriate symbols.
% If some pitch in your score has no symbol, LilyPond gives a warning.
% The glyph-list needs to be loaded into each object that
% draws accidentals.
\layout {
\context {
\Score
\override KeySignature.alteration-glyph-name-alist = \arrowGlyphs
\override Accidental.alteration-glyph-name-alist = \arrowGlyphs
\override AccidentalCautionary.alteration-glyph-name-alist = \arrowGlyphs
\override TrillPitchAccidental.alteration-glyph-name-alist = \arrowGlyphs
\override AmbitusAccidental.alteration-glyph-name-alist = \arrowGlyphs
}
}
% MIDI implements microtones as a pitch bend, with one bend per channel.
% These lines below assign one channel to each Voice, in case there are
% multiple voices on a staff, so that each voice can have its correct
% pitch bend.
\midi {
\context {
\Staff
\remove "Staff_performer"
}
\context {
\Voice
\consists "Staff_performer"
}
}
%% A short example tune
notes = \relative c''' {
\key d\major
b8 fis eiseh fis b g e cis |
\set Staff.extraNatural = ##f % avoid bug 1701
g b d feh g2
}
\score { <<
\new Staff \with {
instrumentName = "Violin"
midiInstrument = "violin"
} \notes
\new Staff \with {
instrumentName =
\markup\center-column {"Clarinet" \concat{"in B"\flat}}
midiInstrument = "clarinet"
} {
\transposition bes
\transpose bes c \notes
}
>>
\layout{}
\midi{}}
