1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
8 @chapter New features in 2.1 since 2.0
22 A more concise syntax for checking octaves was introduced. A note may
23 be followed by @code{=}@var{quotes} which indicates what its absolute
24 octave should be. In the following example,
27 \relative c'' @{ c='' b=' d,='' @}
31 the @code{d} will generate a warning, because a @code{d''} is
32 expected, but a @code{d'} is found.
34 @item There is a new mechanism for putting lyrics to melodies.
35 With this mechanism, @code{LyricVoice}s can be put melodies
36 individually, allowing for different melismatic sections in every
37 @code{LyricVoice}. See @file{input/regression/lyric-combine-new.ly}.
39 @item Formatting of ottava brackets has been improved.
41 @item Bar lines may now be dotted.
44 @item The documentation now has links to a wiki, where everyone can
45 add personal comments to the manual.
47 @item Contexts may now be changed locally for an isolated music
48 expression. For example,
52 \consists "Pitch_squash_engraver"
58 @item The syntax for changing staffs has changed. The keyword
59 @code{\change} should now be used, e.g.
65 @item Features of spanner contexts, like @code{Staff}, can now be changed
66 using @code{\property}, eg.
70 \property Staff.StaffSymbol \set #'line-count = #4
76 puts a quarter note C on a staff with 4 lines.
79 @item Multi measure rests are now truly centered between the
80 clefs/barlines of the staff, their position is independent of symbols
83 @item Collision resolution for dots in chords has been improved greatly.
86 Spacing following barlines was improved for widely stretched lines.
89 Lyric hyphens and extenders now conform to standard typesetting
93 Lyrics are now aligned under note heads conforming to engraving
94 standards. The responsible code has been rewritten, and is drastically
95 simpler from the previous version. To aid this rewrite, the syntactic
96 function of the extender line ( __ ) has been changed: it is now
97 attached to the lyric syllable.
100 When redefining a context, the associated identifier is also
101 updated. For example, after reading the following snippet,
108 the definition of @code{ScoreContext} is updated to include the changed
113 The weight of the stafflines is now heavier at smaller staff sizes.
114 The font has been modified to match this look: at smaller sizes, the
115 font is heavier and the note heads are more rounded.
117 @item Processing scores is now done while parsing the file. New
118 Scheme functions give more flexibility: for example, it is now possible
119 interpret a score, collecting synchronized musical events in a list, and
120 manipulate that information using inline Scheme. For an example, see
121 @file{input/no-notation/recording.ly}.
123 @item Font sizes can now truly be scaled continuously: the @code{font-size}
124 is similar to the old @code{font-relative-size}, but may be set to
125 fractional values; the closest design size will be scaled to achieve
126 the desired size. As a side-effect, there are now no longer
127 limitations in using smaller fonts (eg. grace notes) at small staff
130 @item The appearance of stem tips is now also engraved with rounded corners.
133 The placement of accidentals on chords and ledgered notes is improved.
138 @chapter New features in 2.0 since 1.8
143 Crescendos can now be drawn dotted or dashed.
146 Quarter tones are now supported. They are entered by suffixing
147 @code{ih} for a half-sharp and @code{eh} for a half-flat. Hence, the
148 following is an ascending list of pitches:
151 ceses ceseh ces ceh c cih cis cisih cisis
155 The following constructs have been removed from the syntax:
158 \duration #SCHEME-DURATION
160 \outputproperty @var{func} @var{symbol} = @var{value}
163 For @code{\outputproperty}, the following may be substituted:
166 \applyoutput #(outputproperty-compatibility @var{func}
167 @var{symbol} @var{value})
171 Clefs may now be transposed arbitrarily, for example
181 The syntax for chords and simultaneous music have changed.
182 Chords are entered as
188 while simultaneous music is entered as
191 <<@var{..music list..}>>
194 In effect, the meanings of both have been swapped relative to their 1.8
195 definition. The syntax for lists in @code{\markup} has changed
196 alongside, but figured bass mode was not changed, i.e.:
199 \markup @{ \center <@var{..list of markups..}> @}
200 \figure @{ <@var{figures}> @}
203 As chords the more often used than simultaneous music, this change will
207 Each music expression can now be tagged, to make different printed
208 versions from the same music expression. In the following example,
209 we see two versions of a piece of music, one for the full score, and
210 one with cue notes for the instrumental part:
214 @{ c4 f2 g4 @} % in the part, we have cue-notes
216 \tag #'score R1 % in the score: only a rest
220 The same can be applied to articulations, texts, etc.: they are
224 -\tag #@var{your-tags}
227 to an articulation, for example,
230 c4-\tag #'with-fingerings -4 -\tag #'with-strings \6
233 This defines a note, which has a conditional fingering and a
234 string-number indication.
237 The settings for chord-fingering are more flexible. You can specify a
238 list where fingerings may be placed, eg.
241 \property Voice.fingeringOrientations = #'(left down)
244 This will put the fingering for the lowest note below the chord, and the
248 The script previously known as @code{ly2dvi} has been renamed to
249 @code{lilypond}. The binary itself is now installed as
253 Markup text (ie. general text formatting) may now be used for lyrics too.
256 Two new commands for grace notes have been added, @code{\acciaccatura}
257 and @code{\appoggiatura},
264 Both reflect the traditional meanings of acciaccatura and appogiatura,
265 and both insert insert a slur from the first grace note to the main
269 Layout options for grace notes are now stored in a context property,
270 and may now be set separately from musical content.
273 The @code{\new} command will create a context with a unique
274 name automatically. Hence, for multi-staff scores, it is no longer
275 necessary to invent arbitrary context names. For example, a two-staff
276 score may be created by
280 \new Staff @{ @var{notes for 1st staff} @}
281 \new Staff @{ @var{notes for 2nd staff} @}
288 Octave checks make octave errors easier to correct.
295 This checks that @var{pitch} (without octave) yields @var{pitch} (with
296 octave) in \relative mode. If not, a warning is printed, and the
300 All articulations must now be entered postfix. For example,
307 is a pair of beamed slurred eighth notes.
310 The definition of @code{\relative} has been simplified. Octaves are
311 now always propagated in the order that music is entered. In the
316 \repeat "unfold" 3 BODY \alternative @{ ALT1 ALT2 @}
321 the octave of BODY is based on PRE, the starting octave of ALT1 on
322 BODY, the starting octave of ALT2 on ALT1, and the starting octave of
325 The same mechanism is used for all other music expressions, except the
326 chord. Backwards compatibility is retained through a special program option,
330 #(ly:set-option 'old-relative)
334 Windows users can double click a @code{.ly} file to process and view
335 it automagically through the new @code{lily-wins} frontend.
342 @chapter New features in 1.8 since 1.6
347 The chord entry code has been completely rewritten. It is now
348 cleaner and more flexible.
351 A new syntax has been added for text entry. This syntax is more
352 friendly than the old mechanism, and it is implemented in a more
353 robust and modular way. For more information, refer to the section on
354 "Text markup" in the notation manual.
357 The integration of the input language and Scheme has been made deeper:
358 you can now use LilyPond identifiers in Scheme, and use Scheme
359 expressions instead of LilyPond identifiers.
362 The internal representation of music has been cleaned up completely
363 and converted to Scheme data structures. The representation may be
367 A new uniform postfix syntax for articulation has been introduced.
368 A beamed slurred pair of eighth notes can be entered as
374 In version 2.0, postfix syntax will be the only syntax
375 available, and the dashes will become optional.
377 This will simplify the language: all articulations can be entered as
378 postfix, in any order.
381 A new syntax has been added for chords:
388 It is not necessary to update files to this syntax, but it will be for
389 using LilyPond version 2.0. In version 2.0, this syntax will be
399 \simultaneous @{ .. @}
402 for simultaneous music.
404 To convert your files from <PITCHES> to <<PITCHES>>, use the script
405 included in buildscripts/convert-new-chords.py
407 This change was introduced for the following reasons
411 It solves the "start score with chord" problem, where you have to
412 state \context Voice explicitly when a chord was the start of a
415 With the new syntax, it is possible to distinguish between
416 articulations (or fingerings) which are for a single chord note,
417 and which are for the entire chord. This allows for per-note
418 fingerings, and is more logical on the whole.
422 User code may now be executed during interpreting. The syntax for
426 \applycontext #SCHEME-FUNCTION
430 User code may now be executed on arbitrary grobs during interpreting.
431 The syntax for this feature is
434 \applyoutput #SCHEME-FUNCTION
438 SCHEME-FUNCTION takes a single argument, and is called for every grob
439 that is created in the current context.
442 New algorithms for chord-name formatting have been installed. They
443 can be tuned and have ergonomic syntax for entering exceptions.
446 Texts may now be put on multimeasure rests, e.g.
449 R1*20^\markup @{ "GP" @}
453 Ancient notation now prints ligatures in Gregorian square neumes
454 notation, roughly following the typographical style of the Liber
455 hymnarius of Solesmes, published in 1983. Ligatures are still printed
456 without the proper line breaking and horizontal spacing.
459 Glissandi can now be printed using the zigzag style.
462 LilyPond can now print clusters. The syntax is
465 \apply #notes-to-clusters @{ NOTE NOTE .. @}
469 For irregular meters, beat grouping marks can be printed. The
473 #(set-time-signature 7 8 '(3 2 2))
478 Nested horizontal brackets for music analysis can now be printed:
487 @item Ottava brackets are now fully supported as a feature. The syntax
495 @item Metronome markings are printed when a \tempo command is processed.
499 @item Fingerings can be put on chords horizontally.
503 @item The appearance of various glyphs has been fine-tuned.
507 @item Different types of percent style repeats may now be nested.
511 @item The emacs support has been extended.
515 The manual has been completely revised and extended.
519 @chapter New features in 1.6 since 1.4
525 Support for figured bass and tablature.
528 Completely rewritten beam formatting: provides much better output
533 Completely revised and improved music font.
537 Completely rewritten MIDI import support.
540 Completely rewritten grace note support. Practically speaking this
541 means that grace notes can be slurred to normal normal notes.
545 Improved accidental handling and formatting: styles for producing
546 cautionaries may vary, and complex collisions between accidentals of a
547 chord are handled much better.
550 Better spacing: both globally and locally. This includes subtle
551 details like optical stem spacing.
554 More support for ancient notation: mensural ligatures, ambitus
555 (pitch range) of voices, more shapes, etc.
558 More support for piano notation: bracket pedals, directed arpeggios,
562 Easier music polyphonic music entry.
565 More extensibility, many speedups and bugfixes
568 The manual has been thoroughly revised.
571 Development is now hosted at http://savannah.gnu.org, and sources
572 can be downloaded through anonymous CVS.
575 Support for windows: LilyPond is part of the cygwin distribution,
576 which comes with a user-friendly installer.