Melisma and text editor

[EddieCG]

I am trying to enter lyrics using a text editor. In the Users Guide it talks about the melisma (2x-). I am trying to enter a 2 syllable word to cover 3 notes 'ro-ses', where the 'ro' is to cover 2 notes, and 'ses' 1 note. If I enter ro-- ses, this covers just 2 notes, and then everything else is out of line. In the Composer's lyrics editor, the only way I can get what I want is to enter a single hyphen for the middle note e.g. ro-- - ses.

Am I missing something??

[Sherry C]

Hi Eddie,

Rather than enter the second hyphen and get "ro-- - ses", you can just select the "ses" lyric and shift it over a note. To do that (1) click on the lyric and (2) either click the "Shift lyric right" button on the palette toolbar or hold the "Shift" key on your keyboard and press the Right arrow key.

If that's not what you need, let us know, or post your file here and I'll take a look at it.

ttfn,
Sherry

[EddieCG]

Thank you for your reply. But what I am trying to do is to learn how I can enter the lyrics in a text editor so that I can then copy and paste that into Notation. I am trying to reduce the amount of editing that i have to do, as I have a whole choir program to input! It would seem that as each note has to have a text box (of some kind) associated with it, the only way I can 'automate' the process is to put in the extra hyphen? The melisma does not tell Notation to stretch the syllable to the next note?

[Sherry C]

Hi Eddie,

While using a text editor will indeed minimize the amount of editing you do in Composer, you will most likely still need to do some adjusting. As you've suggested, Composer does associate one "lyric box" per note - that's my most-often needed adjustment when I use a text editor myself to enter lyrics (and I, too, have done a lot of that!)

ttfn,
Sherry

[dj]

Hi, Eddie and Sherry:

I use the underscore character (shifted hyphen). Usually two or three are sufficient to stretch the lyric, as in: ro- __- ses.

That, combined with a slur in the notation, should do it for you.

David

P.S. Pushing a foot of new snow near Ottawa right now, Sherry. How's the tip of the thumb of Michigan doing?

[Sherry C]

re. snow - it's hard to tell how much new snow we have. It's been snowing near-whiteout since last night, with wind that's high even for out here. We've got some places scoured nearly clean of snow, but 6-8 foot drifts in a lot of places. I don't think I'll do my usual cross-country ski trek around the field today.

ttfn,
Sherry

[EddieCG]

Thank you for your help - I am now getting the hang of what to do to achieve the resuts I want!!