"Soli" & "Tutti" Fonts for DORICO

Dorico
#1

Hi,

Please find below a sample PDF file using my newest NorMusicSMFL a music notation font which I developed since last summer, an elegant engraver music font, yet more robust than some other music fonts, but more accurately representing the look of an old (vintage?) smooth engraved music. The font looks a little light but a thick version could be generated as well. For the moment the font contains only about 400 glyphs. Will try to expand it more and more when the time will allow it. I hope you like my modest design!

NorMusicSMFL- DORICOverture.pdf

Cheers
—Nor Eddine Bahha
p.s: The text font comes from my “NorB TypeWriter” typeface. NorMusicSMFL © of NorFonts.ma

#2

Another example with resized note heads and tweaked dynamics:

#3

Her’s a light version of NorMusicSMFL (Light)

1 Like
#4

I’m about to release a font I’ve been working on, so perhaps I shouldn’t cast the first stone, but the time sig numerals are much too large. The f dynamics doesn’t match the rest: the crossbar should be at the top of the body height.

I much prefer the lighter version.

But well done!

4 Likes
#5

I really like this light version.

One minor quibble: for your expressive text and dedication in the light version PDF, you’re using an oblique font style, which doesn’t look good. It would be much better to use a true italic. I suspect you’re using a font that doesn’t have a true italic, and oblique is the workaround.

1 Like
#6

Don’t worry, I did cast the first stone earlier — see the changes in the C clef and how m and f are more apart now. But your insight is totally valid, and I must say I can’t wait to see your font when it’s done ! It really looks very elegant and legible.

1 Like
#7

Very nice and elegant. Agree with Benwiggy about the time signatures. I have no problem with the uneven dynamics, I like that kind of quirkiness. The combination with the Bodoni-like text font gives it a nice nineteenth-century vibe.
I think you should check some spacing parameters and above all the baseline settings: all noteheads appear slightly too low and a tiny bit too much to the left. This is especially apparent in grace notes.
I think the clefs in clef changes are too small. They seem 50% now. Gould recommends (or prescribes) 2/3.

2 Likes
#8

Thank you very much for your feedbacks. This is my first attempt to develop an engraver music font only from an old scanned music book I got from a piano teacher at the conservatory of Rabat here in Morocco. The size of Time Signature was set to 22pnts instead of 20pnts that’s why they look a bit larger. I need to fix the side-bearings of the note-heads, it seems like the stems are still not well connected as close as possible.

I will keep you tuned about my progress. In parallel, I’m still making my other jazz fonts LeadSheet and NorPen to become SMuFL compliant.

#9

Hi,

I tried to tweak more my NorMusicSMFL Light font, now the dynamics are (I hope) more balanced. I also tried to resize the small clefs. The note-heads are now better centered horizontally and vertically. Time Signatures were a little thick now they look normal. I’m still struggling with the flags to make them connect smoothly to the stem. Overall, I made some little progress which I hope you like. Below are my updated PDF samples: ( All remarks are welcome to share)

1 Like
#10

Really nice. I love the ff!

I would suggest reducing the space size of the piano part to rastral size 4, and reducing the note spacing to 3 3/4.

1 Like
#11

I actually redrawn several glyphs in FL7 using the bezier tool… Piano part: Ooops! I just exported all the parts on the fly to pdf :smiley: Sure I will resize the note spacing. Thank you Dankreider

#12

I understand you are trying to emulate an existing publication, but the upper loop of the treble clef seems very unbalanced to me. It sort of feels like its going to fall forward or something. I would consider making it a bit smaller, unless that’s a look of the original that you are committed to preserving.

#13

Just my opinion-

The staccato dot could be larger. The weight/thickness of the accent and tenuto could be greater.
Screen Shot 2021-01-26 at 9.50.23 AM

1 Like
#14

I will take your remark in consideration notesetter. Thanks!

#15

Hi,

Please have a look at this large score, I tried to tweak more the treble clef look, especially the upper part that was a bit hollowed. I also resized the small clefs:

Any comment or remark is welcome! I actually like the light version my NorMusicSMFL even many friends still like the thick version, well it will be so a question to produce two font versions anyway.

#16

Congratulations! This is a remarkable achievement. In my book the original engraving of most of the Mahler Symphonies is exemplary. I find the small clefs too small. I have sent you a pm with some of the errrors, in case you are interested in fixing them.

David

1 Like
#17

Thank you David, yes you can pome the errors.

#18

Another thing I have difficulkty with are the flat signs: I find the stems a little too short – or maybe its that the flat (and natural) signs are slightly too small.

David

1 Like
#19

Oh! I see, I will try to resize them too. I noticed that too. Thanks!

1 Like
#20

Good morning,

I made a little progress again with my NorMusicSMFL Light, I tried to enlarge a bit the accidentals, tremolo line now connect smoothly. The font is being expanded to about 500 glyphs, and I’m still redrawing many glyphs from scratch…a have task indeed.

Here’s another large score featuring my last changes:

Any comment is welcome.

On my next posts I will try to generate a thick version of NorMusicSMFL and let you compare in between the two weights: Light and Thick. Or maybe will generate 3 weights: Light, Medium and Thick.