Half-note (Minim) notehead shape
Posted: 22 Aug 2022, 09:23
Following on from recent discussions about the shape of the half-note's notehead, I thought I'd start a new thread specifically on that subject.
I've compared some other fonts I have. Here is Partita, which I think was a direct scan of SCORE glyphs (hence the blocky edges); Wess's Vintage GHMA, which is based on old Henle forms; Vienna (which is also SCORE-based, I think); Stockholm plate, and Oslo: all from Georges at MuseGraph.
All but Partita and Oslo have minims that are larger than the black noteheads. The SCORE-based forms have a more rectangular hole, rather than an ellipse.
Oslo, to me, looks more like something that would suit a handwritten font. It's much more 'two sweeping pen strokes'.
The width measurements are all in font units (1000ths of an em), where 250 is 1 space. So 315 units is 1.26 spaces; 330 units is 1.32 spaces; 345 is 1.38 spaces.
Here's Bravura, Finale Maestro, Finale Engraver, Leland, and Sebastian.
Interestingly, Finale Maestro is the only one here that's larger than the black notehead. Engraver is a monster, coming in at 358 units (1.43 spaces). Sebastian and Engraver both have slight 'peaks' in the middle of the outer curves, which I'm not entirely wedded to. Leland once again shows that any 'inspiration' from SCORE has been subsequently revised.
The angle of the 'hole' is too elevated in Sebastian, currently. I need to make it shallower with the horizon, and make the hole's shape straighter at the sides for longer.
I've compared some other fonts I have. Here is Partita, which I think was a direct scan of SCORE glyphs (hence the blocky edges); Wess's Vintage GHMA, which is based on old Henle forms; Vienna (which is also SCORE-based, I think); Stockholm plate, and Oslo: all from Georges at MuseGraph.
All but Partita and Oslo have minims that are larger than the black noteheads. The SCORE-based forms have a more rectangular hole, rather than an ellipse.
Oslo, to me, looks more like something that would suit a handwritten font. It's much more 'two sweeping pen strokes'.
The width measurements are all in font units (1000ths of an em), where 250 is 1 space. So 315 units is 1.26 spaces; 330 units is 1.32 spaces; 345 is 1.38 spaces.
Here's Bravura, Finale Maestro, Finale Engraver, Leland, and Sebastian.
Interestingly, Finale Maestro is the only one here that's larger than the black notehead. Engraver is a monster, coming in at 358 units (1.43 spaces). Sebastian and Engraver both have slight 'peaks' in the middle of the outer curves, which I'm not entirely wedded to. Leland once again shows that any 'inspiration' from SCORE has been subsequently revised.
The angle of the 'hole' is too elevated in Sebastian, currently. I need to make it shallower with the horizon, and make the hole's shape straighter at the sides for longer.