8.3.4 Formatting cue notes

The previous section deals with inserting notes from another voice. There is a more advanced music function called \cueDuring, which makes formatting cue notes easier.

The syntax is

  \cueDuring #name #updown music

This will insert notes from the part name into a Voice called cue. This happens simultaneously with music, which usually is a rest. When the cue notes start, the staff in effect becomes polyphonic for a moment. The argument updown determines whether the cue notes should be notated as a first or second voice.

smaller = {
  \set fontSize = #-2
  \override Stem #'length-fraction = #0.8
  \override Beam #'thickness = #0.384
  \override Beam #'length-fraction = #0.8
}

\addquote clarinet \relative {
  R1*20
  r2 r8 c f f
}

\new Staff \relative  <<

  % setup a context for  cue  notes.
  \new Voice = "cue" { \smaller \skip 1*21 }

  \set Score.skipBars = ##t

  \new Voice {
    R1*20
    \cueDuring #"clarinet" #1 {
      R1
    }
    g4 g2.
  }
>>

Here are a couple of hints for successful cue notes

• Cue notes have smaller font sizes.
• the cued part is marked with the instrument playing the cue.
• when the original part takes over again, this should be marked with the name of the original instrument.

  Any other changes introduced by the cued part should also be undone. For example, if the cued instrument plays in a different clef, the original clef should be stated once again.

The macro \transposedCueDuring is useful to add cues to instruments which use a completely different octave range (for example, having a cue of a piccolo flute within a contra bassoon part).

     
     picc = \relative c''' {
       \clef "treble^8"
       R1 |
       c8 c c e g2 |
       a4 g g2 |
     }
     \addquote "picc" { \picc }
     
     cbsn = \relative c, {
       \clef "bass_8"
       c4 r g r
       \transposedCueDuring #"picc" #UP c,, { R1 } |
       c4 r g r |
     }
     
     <<
       \context Staff = "picc" \picc
       \context Staff = "cbsn" \cbsn
     >>