Hi Aaron, > > My mind was a little blown by the result of changing that to > You and me both.
Well, that at least makes me feel a little better. #miserylovescompany > > Hence the ability to offset (e.g.) an OttavaBracket precisely X staff > > spaces while still [re-]engaging the spacing engine is neither an > > unreasonable request, nor something that Lilypond could (or even > > should!) try to manage automagically. > > I suppose my sticking point is the need to be so precise with positioning. As a deeply fussy engraver, I do a lot of grob-pushing in the final stages of the process. My workflow, equipment, and eye are attuned enough that I can easily estimate offsets with accuracy of 0.125 staff spaces at 100% page view. Given how long compiling can take with large scores, it’s really frustrating to try to offset a grob 0.5 spaces (through means other than extra-offset), recompile [and go get coffee], only to come back and find that because of some weird interaction or bug the grob only moved 0.125 spaces (or worse didn’t get moved at all). > I cannot envision any musical meaning for the exact vertical position of > an OttavaBracket. Rather, an engraver should simply desire it > positioned so the performer is able to notice it without distraction. > If it sits too close to other elements, then additional padding may be > necessary. And vice versa, perhaps the bracket needs to sit very > snuggly in some cases to look right. Yes. But if attempts to move it by X don’t actually move it by *precisely* X, the workflow gets slowed/interrupted. > Moving an offending bracket as mentioned above *should* be doable > with Y-offset or any one of the various padding properties. That would be great — I like to leave 'extra-offset for the last possible resort. > That said, I have noticed that slur-padding seems to have no effect on > OttavaBrackets. That is either > yet another bug or just a figment of my misunderstanding. I also wish that every grob had a separate padding parameter for above and below… but that’s a whole 'nother thing. Thanks, Kieren.