Request for (developing) a fontset for "rudimental drumming".

• Jan 4, 2018 - 14:07

Dear all

"Rudimental drumming" is a style of drumming practiced around the world. Nevertheless, there is no program, that really adresses the proper notation of that style.

During the recent years we developed therefore an True Type Font that let's you write down those notes using Word, OpenOffice etc. The font ist available here: http://www.trommelfont.ch/trommelfont/2006Trommelfont.zip

There have now been some activities using Finale, Sibelius etc. to depict those notes. Unfortunately, These programs are not widely spread in the "Rudimental Drumming" scene. So what I am looking for is to build up a freely available library with notes based on "Trommelfont" that are working with MuseScore.

I gave it a try some time ago, which could help as a starting point: https://musescore.com/ugehrig/scores/1051116

One of the advantages would be, that we can provide sheets combining fife and drum scores and eliminate timing errors, give a standardized look&feel and provide a tool for a large amount of composers and arrangers.

What I would need is someone, that could implement drumming notes to MuseScore that look more or less like the notes depicted in Trommelfont (see link above).

With kindest regards, Urs

Attachment Size
fife-and-ropedrum-sample.pdf 133.94 KB

Comments

Hi,

Your score is private. Nobody can access it.

Regarding the notation, it's the first time that I hear about it. As a start, it would be good to make a list of symbols that are not present in SMuFL (https://smufl.org). MuseScore (and many other notation software) uses this standard for font glyph layout. When you have such a list, explain each symbols, potentially groups them and submit an issue to https://github.com/w3c/smufl/issues

In reply to by [DELETED] 5

Hello, thank you for your reply. I have changed the score (which is just a draft version) to public. Attached there is a prior version depicted in the manual pages (see PDF).

Some of the main differences to any existing drum set or other drum notation are abbreviated notes such as Flam or Doublé and Rolls with ghost notes that are written within the rolls; every roll is having a number giving the amount of strokes to be done.

This notation has been developed over decades and is well established. But - there is no structured way of noting such drum scores within a tool like MuseScore. Backing up a font with a soundfile would be step xy; but we could certainly provide or create sound samples.

Attachment Size
2013-Trommelfont.pdf 437.43 KB

My (subjective) two cents, and I don't have really knowledge about this issue:

I'm not sure, if using external fonts will be able soon with MuseScore.

The main purpose of development you'll find here:https://musescore.org/en/handbook/musescore-roadmap

Above if you wish, your feature should be implemented have in mind:

  • It should be a common and worldwide traditional accepted form of notation. After a short (!) research I've found only a few resources, mostly in German language. As far as I understood the "Trommel font" is an implementation of the "Berger font" and "Zündstoff font". Maybe you've some other resources.

  • It should be accepted as feature request for implementation from the MuseScore developers. I could imagine (without being a developer), when a custom font implementation isn't in sight, it could be a section of the master palette. In my understanding therefore it's important and necessary that's discussed and implemented in SMUFL before (see the comments of lasconic !!)

  • After that: You've have to find someone to create a pull request (https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/pulls). Maybe there's someone from the actual developers of MuseScore, or you've someone with the same interests (for example ask/contact the creators of the "Trommel font" or the developer of http://www.tambedit.ch/ (if it's the same))
    (Maybe as you know there's a minority of users, for which it's interesting - on the other hand: I don't know the numbers of lute players or bagpipe players, and there are implementations inside MuseScore.

Correct me (other too), if and where I'm wrong.

In reply to by kuwitt

Dear all

1) Catching up

Thank you for your well argued inputs. I has taken a while to structure the issues. I have written some tunes using MuseScore that represent Fife tunes and Drum solos in a complete score. Attached please find an example page of such a tune, called "Bethania". The upper line represents a fife score and the lower line the snare drum score (for rope tensioned snare drums).

2) Compromize

All the notes and articulations used were based on the standard Bravura font. The main drawbacks so far are, that the noteheads created are not configurable into a custom palette - and - since we work with grace notes too, the sound files do not represent them.

3) Shaping the future

We made a step forward; nevertheless there are a few simple elements that we want to place a request on GitHub. Please find attached our document, in which we explain how during the decades the notation for snare drums has evolved (generalized in Version 1, 2 and 3). Between each version are approx. 50 to 75 years. Version 3 has been established nearly 30 years ago and is well accepted. If we would have those few elements as standardized notes in a font like Bravura, we could really shape the future and make a step forward in the digital age.

4) Detailed information

The request has been split up in specifying four sub-requests concerning:
a) an abbreviated flam notation (picture Request-1-4-... .png),
b) a grace note having that abbreviated flam available (picture Request-2-4-... .png),
c) a grace note with given tremolo as an 1/8 (picture Request-3-4-... .png) and
d) a "Doublé" (picture Request-4-4-... .png), which is another typical abbreviation of a flam having another grace note on the other hand (see Versions 1 and 2).

This post is meant to receive some feedback before posting the request on GitHub.

Thank you in advance, Urs

My comment is coming 4 years late, but perhaps it will be of help. It is my understanding that Trommelfont uses the Berger style of drum notation (right stick above the single-staff line and left stick below) plus a lot of additional fonts. This is beyond my understanding, but I was interested in simply using the Berger notation in musescore. I found it relatively easy to create the Berger notation using the standard musescore features. The trick was with the playback. Essentially, the two positions on the staff line need to play the same instrument sound file. I was able to accomplish this by creating a customized instrument file.

I am new to musescore and drumming in general, so I won't be surprised if there is a better way to create Berger-style scores and accurate playback in musescore. But if this is something that would be of value to others, I am willing to document and share.

In reply to by dgendron12

Thank you for your comment. Berger is the foundation for Trommelfont. I documented the reasoning for the introduction of the relevant glyphs in SMuFL here: https://github.com/w3c/smufl/issues/118. As the relevant glyphs are now part of SMuFL 1.4, the next step is to provide means in notation tools to provide those glyphs e.g. as noteheads in a palette. With that, noteheads can be predefined on the specific line and combined with soundfonts. Yet some steps to go; a request for the first step has been already placed at the core team of MuseScore and is currently ongoing: https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/pull/9000/commits/ca0fd112f6842b…. The glyphs are already available with Bravura also in MuseScore; as soon as the "Fix #321771: Adding new SMuFL glyphs to MuseScore notehead library." is committed, it should be possible to achieve the above mentioned goals.

[Edited: Referring to https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/pull/9805, as mentioned by JoJo]

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