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14 @chapter Tweaking output
16 This chapter discusses how to modify output. LilyPond is extremely
17 configurable; virtually every fragment of output may be changed.
22 * The Internals Reference manual::
23 * Appearance of objects::
24 * Placement of objects::
25 * Collisions of objects::
30 @section Tweaking basics
33 * Introduction to tweaks::
34 * Objects and interfaces::
35 * Naming conventions of objects and properties::
39 @node Introduction to tweaks
40 @subsection Introduction to tweaks
42 @q{Tweaking} is a LilyPond term for the various methods available
43 to the user for modifying the actions taken during interpretation
44 of the input file and modifying the appearance of the printed
45 output. Some tweaks are very easy to use; others are more
46 complex. But taken together the methods available for tweaking
47 permit almost any desired appearance of the printed music to be
50 In this section we cover the basic concepts required to understand
51 tweaking. Later we give a variety of ready-made commands which can
52 simply be copied to obtain the same effect in your own scores, and
53 at the same time we show how these commands may be constructed so
54 that you may learn how to develop your own tweaks.
56 Before starting on this Chapter you may wish to review the section
57 @ref{Contexts and engravers}, as Contexts, Engravers, and the
58 Properties contained within them are fundamental to understanding
59 and constructing Tweaks.
61 @node Objects and interfaces
62 @subsection Objects and interfaces
68 @cindex properties, object
69 @cindex object properties
71 @cindex object, layout
74 Tweaking involves modifying the internal operation and structures
75 of the LilyPond program, so we must first introduce some terms
76 which are used to describe those internal operations and
79 The term @q{Object} is a generic term used to refer to the
80 multitude of internal structures built by LilyPond during the
81 processing of an input file. So when a command like @code{\new
82 Staff} is encountered a new object of type @code{Staff} is
83 constructed. That @code{Staff} object then holds all the
84 properties associated with that particular staff, for example, its
85 name and its key signature, together with details of the engravers
86 which have been assigned to operate within that staff's context.
87 Similarly, there are objects to hold the properties of all other
88 contexts, such as @code{Voice} objects, @code{Score} objects,
89 @code{Lyrics} objects, as well as objects to represent all
90 notational elements such as bar lines,
91 note heads, ties, dynamics, etc. Every object has its own set of
94 Some types of object are given special names. Objects which represent
95 items of notation on the printed output such as note heads, stems,
96 slurs, ties, fingering, clefs, etc are called @q{Layout objects},
97 often known as @q{Graphical Objects}, or @q{Grobs} for short. These
98 are still objects in the generic sense above, and so they too all have
99 properties associated with them, such as their position, size, color,
102 Some layout objects are still more specialized. Phrasing slurs,
103 crescendo hairpins, ottava marks, and many other grobs are not
104 localized in a single place -- they have a starting point, an
105 ending point, and maybe other properties concerned with their
106 shape. Objects with an extended shape like these are called
109 It remains to explain what @q{Interfaces} are. Many objects, even
110 though they are quite different, share common features which need to
111 be processed in the same way. For example, all grobs have a color, a
112 size, a position, etc, and all these properties are processed in the
113 same way during LilyPond's interpretation of the input file. To
114 simplify these internal operations these common actions and properties
115 are grouped together in an object called a @code{grob-interface}.
116 There are many other groupings of common properties like this, each
117 one given a name ending in @code{interface}. In total there are over
118 100 such interfaces. We shall see later why this is of interest and
121 These, then, are the main terms relating to objects which we
122 shall use in this chapter.
124 @node Naming conventions of objects and properties
125 @subsection Naming conventions of objects and properties
127 @cindex naming conventions for objects
128 @cindex naming conventions for properties
129 @cindex objects, naming conventions
130 @cindex properties, naming conventions
132 We met some object naming conventions previously, in
133 @ref{Contexts and engravers}. Here for reference is a list
134 of the most common object and property types together with
135 the conventions for naming them and a couple of examples of
136 some real names. We have used @q{A} to stand for any capitalized
137 alphabetic character and @q{aaa} to stand for any number of
138 lower-case alphabetic characters. Other characters are used
141 @multitable @columnfractions .33 .33 .33
142 @headitem Object/property type
143 @tab Naming convention
146 @tab Aaaa or AaaaAaaaAaaa
147 @tab Staff, GrandStaff
149 @tab Aaaa or AaaaAaaaAaaa
152 @tab Aaaa_aaa_engraver
153 @tab Clef_engraver, Note_heads_engraver
155 @tab aaa-aaa-interface
156 @tab grob-interface, break-aligned-interface
157 @item Context Properties
158 @tab aaa or aaaAaaaAaaa
159 @tab alignAboveContext, skipBars
160 @item Layout Object Properties
161 @tab aaa or aaa-aaa-aaa
162 @tab direction, beam-thickness
165 As we shall see shortly, the properties of different types of object are
166 modified by different commands, so it is useful to be able to recognize
167 the types of objects and properties from their names.
170 @node Tweaking methods
171 @subsection Tweaking methods
173 @cindex tweaking methods
175 @strong{\override command}
177 @cindex override command
178 @cindex override syntax
183 We have already met the commands @code{\set} and @code{\with}, used to
184 change the properties of @strong{contexts} and to remove and add
185 @strong{engravers}, in @ref{Modifying context properties}, and
186 @ref{Adding and removing engravers}. We must now introduce some more
189 The command to change the properties of @strong{layout objects} is
190 @code{\override}. Because this command has to modify
191 internal properties deep within LilyPond its syntax is not
192 as simple as the commands you have used so far. It needs to
193 know precisely which property of which object in which context
194 has to be modified, and what its new value is to be. Let's see
197 The general syntax of this command is:
200 \override @var{Context}.@var{LayoutObject}.@var{layout-property} = #@var{value}
204 This will set the property with the name @var{layout-property} of the
205 layout object with the name @var{LayoutObject}, which is a member of
206 the @var{Context} context, to the value @var{value}.
208 The @var{Context} may be omitted (and usually is) when the
209 required context is unambiguously implied and is one of lowest
210 level contexts, i.e., @code{Voice}, @code{ChordNames} or
211 @code{Lyrics}, and we shall omit it in many of the following
212 examples. We shall see later when it must be specified.
214 Later sections deal comprehensively with properties and their
215 values, see @ref{Types of properties}. But in this section we shall
216 use just a few simple properties and values which are easily
217 understood in order to illustrate the format and use of these
220 LilyPond's primary expressions are musical items like notes,
221 durations, and markups. More basic expressions like numbers,
222 strings, and lists are processed in @q{Scheme mode}, which is
223 invoked by prefixing the value with @samp{#}. Although the
224 values may sometimes have a valid representation in LilyPond's
225 musical mode, this manual will always use @samp{#} for their
226 entry for the sake of consistency. For more information about
227 Scheme mode, see @rextend{LilyPond Scheme syntax}.
229 @code{\override} is the most common command used in tweaking, and
230 most of the rest of this chapter will be directed to presenting
231 examples of how it is used. Here is a simple example to change the
232 color of the note head:
234 @cindex color property, example
235 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
237 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
239 \override NoteHead.color = #red
241 \override NoteHead.color = #green
245 @strong{\revert command}
247 @cindex revert command
252 Once overridden, the property retains its new value until it is
253 overridden again or a @code{\revert} command is encountered.
254 The @code{\revert} command has the following syntax and causes
255 the value of the property to revert to its original default
256 value; note, not its previous value if several @code{\override}
257 commands have been issued.
260 \revert @var{Context}.@var{LayoutObject}.@var{layout-property}
263 Again, just like @var{Context} in the @code{\override} command,
264 @var{Context} is often not needed. It will be omitted
265 in many of the following examples. Here we revert the color
266 of the note head to the default value for the final two notes:
268 @cindex color property, example
269 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
271 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
273 \override NoteHead.color = #red
275 \override NoteHead.color = #green
277 \revert NoteHead.color
281 @strong{\once prefix}
286 Both the @code{\override} and the @code{\set} commands may be prefixed
287 by @code{\once}. This causes the following @code{\override} or
288 @code{\set} command to be effective only during the current musical
289 moment before the property reverts back to its previous value (this can
290 be different from the default if another @code{\override} is still in
291 effect). Using the same example, we can change the color of a single
294 @cindex color property, example
295 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
297 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
299 \override NoteHead.color = #red
301 \once \override NoteHead.color = #green
303 \revert NoteHead.color
307 @strong{\overrideProperty command}
309 @cindex overrideProperty command
311 @funindex \overrideProperty
312 @funindex overrideProperty
314 There is another form of the override command,
315 @code{\overrideProperty}, which is occasionally required.
316 We mention it here for completeness, but for details see
317 @rextend{Difficult tweaks}.
318 @c Maybe explain in a later iteration -td
320 @strong{\tweak command}
322 @cindex tweak command
327 The final tweaking command which is available is @code{\tweak}. This
328 should be used when several objects occur at the same musical moment,
329 but you only want to change the properties of selected ones, such as a
330 single note within a chord. Using @code{\override} would affect all the
331 notes within a chord, whereas @code{\tweak} affects just the following
332 item in the input stream.
334 Here's an example. Suppose we wish to change the size of the
335 middle note head (the E) in a C major chord. Let's first see what
336 @code{\once \override} would do:
338 @cindex font-size property, example
339 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
341 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
343 \once \override NoteHead.font-size = #-3
348 We see the override affects @emph{all} the note heads in the chord.
349 This is because all the notes of a chord occur at the same
350 @emph{musical moment}, and the action of @code{\once} is to
351 apply the override to all layout objects of the type specified
352 which occur at the same musical moment as the @code{\override}
355 The @code{\tweak} command operates in a different way. It acts on
356 the immediately following item in the input stream. In its simplest
357 form, it is effective only on objects which are created directly
358 from the following item, essentially note heads and articulations.
360 So to return to our example, the size of the middle note of
361 a chord would be changed in this way:
363 @cindex font-size property, example
364 @cindex @code{\tweak}, example
366 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
368 <c \tweak font-size #-3 e g>4
371 Note that the syntax of @code{\tweak} is different from that of the
372 @code{\override} command. The context should not be specified; in
373 fact, it would generate an error to do so. Both context and layout
374 object are implied by the following item in the input stream. Note
375 also that an equals sign should not be present. So the simple form
376 of the @code{\tweak} command is
379 \tweak @var{layout-property} #@var{value}
382 A @code{\tweak} command can also be used to modify just one in
383 a series of articulations, as shown here:
385 @cindex color property, example
386 @cindex @code{\tweak}, example
388 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
390 -\tweak color #red ^"Red"
391 -\tweak color #green _"Green"
395 Note that the @code{\tweak} command must be preceded by an articulation
396 mark since the tweaked expression needs to be applied as an articulation
397 itself. In case of multiple direction overrides (@code{^} or @code{_}),
398 the leftmost override wins since it is applied last.
400 @cindex @code{\tweak}, Accidental
401 @cindex @code{\tweak}, specific layout object
403 Objects such as stems and accidentals are created later, and not
404 directly from the following event. It is still possible to use
405 @code{\tweak} on such indirectly created objects by explicitly naming
406 the layout object, provided that LilyPond can trace its origin back to
409 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
410 <\tweak Accidental.color #red cis4
411 \tweak Accidental.color #green es
415 This long form of the @code{\tweak} command can be described as
418 \tweak @var{layout-object}.@var{layout-property} @var{value}
421 @cindex tuplets, nested
422 @cindex triplets, nested
423 @cindex bracket, tuplet
424 @cindex bracket, triplet
425 @cindex tuplet bracket
426 @cindex triplet bracket
428 @funindex TupletBracket
430 The @code{\tweak} command must also be used to change the
431 appearance of one of a set of nested tuplets which begin at the
432 same musical moment. In the following example, the long tuplet
433 bracket and the first of the three short brackets begin at the
434 same musical moment, so any @code{\override} command would apply
435 to both of them. In the example, @code{\tweak} is used to
436 distinguish between them. The first @code{\tweak} command
437 specifies that the long tuplet bracket is to be placed above the
438 notes and the second one specifies that the tuplet number is to be
439 printed in red on the first short tuplet bracket.
441 @cindex @code{\tweak}, example
442 @cindex direction property, example
443 @cindex color property, example
445 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim,fragment,relative=2]
449 \times 2/3 { c8[ c c] }
450 \times 2/3 { c8[ c c] }
451 \times 2/3 { c8[ c c] }
455 If nested tuplets do not begin at the same moment, their
456 appearance may be modified in the usual way with
457 @code{\override} commands:
459 @cindex text property, example
460 @cindex tuplet-number function, example
461 @cindex transparent property, example
462 @cindex TupletNumber, example of overriding
464 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim,fragment,relative=1]
465 \times 2/3 { c8[ c c] }
466 \once \override TupletNumber.text = #tuplet-number::calc-fraction-text
470 \once \override TupletNumber.transparent = ##t
471 \times 2/3 { c8[ c c] }
472 \times 2/3 { c8[ c c] }
479 @ruser{The tweak command}.
482 @node The Internals Reference manual
483 @section The Internals Reference manual
485 @cindex Internals Reference
488 * Properties of layout objects::
489 * Properties found in interfaces::
490 * Types of properties::
493 @node Properties of layout objects
494 @subsection Properties of layout objects
496 @cindex properties of layout objects
497 @cindex properties of grobs
498 @cindex grobs, properties of
499 @cindex layout objects, properties of
500 @cindex Internals Reference manual
502 Suppose you have a slur in a score which, to your mind,
503 appears too thin and you'd like to draw it a little heavier.
504 How do you go about doing this? You know from the statements
505 earlier about the flexibility of LilyPond that such a thing
506 should be possible, and you would probably guess that an
507 @code{\override} command would be needed. But is there a
508 heaviness property for a slur, and if there is, how might it
509 be modified? This is where the Internals Reference manual
510 comes in. It contains all the information you might need to
511 construct this and all other @code{\override} commands.
513 Before we look at the Internals Reference a word of warning.
514 This is a @strong{reference} document, which means there is
515 little or no explanation contained within it: its purpose is
516 to present information precisely and concisely. This
517 means it might look daunting at first sight. Don't worry!
518 The guidance and explanation presented here will enable you
519 to extract the information from the Internals Reference for
520 yourself with just a little practice.
522 @cindex override example
523 @cindex Internals Reference, example of using
524 @cindex @code{\addlyrics} example
526 Let's use a concrete example with a simple fragment of real
529 @c Mozart, Die Zauberflöte Nr.7 Duett
531 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
536 r4 bes8 bes[( g]) g |
537 g8[( es]) es d[( f]) as |
541 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
546 Suppose now that we decide we would like the slurs to be a
547 little heavier. Is this possible? The slur is certainly a
548 layout object, so the question is, @q{Is there a property
549 belonging to a slur which controls the heaviness?} To answer
550 this we must look in the Internals Reference, or IR for short.
552 The IR for the version of LilyPond you are using may be found
553 on the LilyPond website at @uref{http://lilypond.org}. Go to the
554 documentation page and click on the Internals Reference link.
555 For learning purposes you should use the standard HTML version,
556 not the @q{one big page} or the PDF. For the next few
557 paragraphs to make sense you will need to actually do this
560 Under the heading @strong{Top} you will see five links. Select
561 the link to the @emph{Backend}, which is where information about
562 layout objects is to be found. There, under the heading
563 @strong{Backend}, select the link to @emph{All layout objects}.
564 The page that appears lists all the layout objects used in your
565 version of LilyPond, in alphabetic order. Select the link to
566 Slur, and the properties of Slurs are listed.
568 An alternative way of finding this page is from the Notation
569 Reference. On one of the pages that deals with slurs you may find a
570 link to the Internals Reference. This link will take you directly to
571 this page, but if you have an idea about the name of the layout object
572 to be tweaked, it is easier to go straight to the IR and search there.
574 This Slur page in the IR tells us first that Slur objects are created
575 by the Slur_engraver. Then it lists the standard settings. Browse
576 through them looking for a property that might control the heaviness of
577 slurs, and you should find
580 @code{thickness} (number)
582 Line thickness, generally measured in @code{line-thickness}
585 This looks a good bet to change the heaviness. It tells us that
586 the value of @code{thickness} is a simple @emph{number},
587 that the default value is 1.2, and that the units are
588 in another property called @code{line-thickness}.
590 As we said earlier, there are few to no explanations in the IR,
591 but we already have enough information to try changing the
592 slur thickness. We see that the name of the layout object
593 is @code{Slur}, that the name of the property to change is
594 @code{thickness} and that the new value should be a number
595 somewhat larger than 1.2 if we are to make slurs thicker.
597 We can now construct the @code{\override} command by simply
598 substituting the values we have found for the names, omitting
599 the context. Let's use a very large value for the thickness
600 at first, so we can be sure the command is working. We get:
603 \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
606 Don't forget the@tie{}@code{#} preceding the new value!
608 The final question is, @q{Where should this command be
609 placed?} While you are unsure and learning, the best
610 answer is, @q{Within the music, before the first slur and
611 close to it.} Let's do that:
613 @cindex Slur example of overriding
614 @cindex thickness property, example
616 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
621 % Increase thickness of all following slurs from 1.2 to 5.0
622 \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
623 r4 bes8 bes[( g]) g |
624 g8[( es]) es d[( f]) as |
628 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
634 and we see that the slur is indeed heavier.
636 So this is the basic way of constructing @code{\override}
637 commands. There are a few more complications that we
638 shall meet in later sections, but you now know all the
639 essentials required to make up your own -- but you will
640 still need some practice. This is provided in the examples
643 @subheading Finding the context
645 @cindex context, finding
646 @cindex context, identifying correct
648 But first, what if we had needed to specify the Context?
649 What should it be? We could guess that slurs are in
650 the Voice context, as they are clearly closely associated
651 with individual lines of music, but can we be sure? To
652 find out, go back to the top of the IR page describing the
653 Slur, where it says @q{Slur objects are created by: Slur
654 engraver}. So slurs will be created in whichever context
655 the @code{Slur_engraver} is in. Follow the link to the
656 @code{Slur_engraver} page. At the very bottom it tells
657 us that @code{Slur_engraver} is part of seven Voice contexts,
658 including the standard voice context, @code{Voice}, so our
659 guess was correct. And because @code{Voice} is one of the
660 lowest level contexts which is implied unambiguously by
661 the fact that we are entering notes, we can omit it in this
664 @subheading Overriding once only
666 @cindex overriding once only
667 @cindex once override
672 As you can see, @emph{all} the slurs are thicker in the final example
673 above. But what if we wanted just the first slur to be thicker? This
674 is achieved with the @code{\once} command. Placed immediately before
675 the @code{\override} command it causes it to change only the slur
676 which begins on the @strong{immediately following} note. If the
677 immediately following note does not begin a slur the command has no
678 effect at all -- it is not remembered until a slur is encountered, it
679 is simply discarded. So the command with @code{\once} must be
680 repositioned as follows:
682 @cindex Slur, example of overriding
683 @cindex thickness property, example
685 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
691 % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
692 \once \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
694 g8[( es]) es d[( f]) as |
698 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
704 Now only the first slur is made heavier.
706 The @code{\once} command can also be used before the @code{\set}
709 @subheading Reverting
712 @cindex default properties, reverting to
717 Finally, what if we wanted just the first two slurs to be
718 heavier? Well, we could use two commands, each preceded by
719 @code{\once} placed immediately before each of the notes where
722 @cindex Slur, example of overriding
723 @cindex thickness property, example
725 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
731 % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
732 \once \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
734 % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
735 \once \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
736 g8[( es]) es d[( f]) as |
740 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
746 or we could omit the @code{\once} command and use the @code{\revert}
747 command to return the @code{thickness} property to its default value
748 after the second slur:
750 @cindex Slur, example of overriding
751 @cindex thickness property, example
753 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
759 % Increase thickness of all following slurs from 1.2 to 5.0
760 \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
763 % Revert thickness of all following slurs to default of 1.2
764 \revert Slur.thickness
769 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
775 The @code{\revert} command can be used to return any property
776 changed with @code{\override} back to its default value.
777 You may use whichever method best suits what you want to do.
779 That concludes our introduction to the IR, and the basic
780 method of tweaking. Several examples follow in the later
781 sections of this Chapter, partly to introduce you to some of the
782 additional features of the IR, and partly to give you more
783 practice in extracting information from it. These examples will
784 contain progressively fewer words of guidance and explanation.
787 @node Properties found in interfaces
788 @subsection Properties found in interfaces
791 @cindex interface properties
792 @cindex properties in interfaces
794 Suppose now that we wish to print the lyrics in italics. What form of
795 @code{\override} command do we need to do this? We first look in the
796 IR page listing @q{All layout objects}, as before, and look for an
797 object that might control lyrics. We find @code{LyricText}, which
798 looks right. Clicking on this shows the settable properties for lyric
799 text. These include the @code{font-series} and @code{font-size}, but
800 nothing that might give an italic shape. This is because the shape
801 property is one that is common to all font objects, so, rather than
802 including it in every layout object, it is grouped together with other
803 similar common properties and placed in an @strong{Interface}, the
804 @code{font-interface}.
806 So now we need to learn how to find the properties of interfaces,
807 and to discover what objects use these interface properties.
809 Look again at the IR page which describes LyricText. At the bottom of
810 the page is a list of clickable interfaces which LyricText supports.
811 The list has several items, including @code{font-interface}. Clicking
812 on this brings up the properties associated with this interface, which
813 are also properties of all the objects which support it, including
816 Now we see all the user-settable properties which control fonts,
817 including @code{font-shape(symbol)}, where @code{symbol} can be
818 set to @code{upright}, @code{italics} or @code{caps}.
820 You will notice that @code{font-series} and @code{font-size} are also
821 listed there. This immediately raises the question: Why are the
822 common font properties @code{font-series} and @code{font-size} listed
823 under @code{LyricText} as well as under the interface
824 @code{font-interface} but @code{font-shape} is not? The answer is
825 that @code{font-series} and @code{font-size} are changed from their
826 global default values when a @code{LyricText} object is created, but
827 @code{font-shape} is not. The entries in @code{LyricText} then tell
828 you the values for those two properties which apply to
829 @code{LyricText}. Other objects which support @code{font-interface}
830 will set these properties differently when they are created.
832 Let's see if we can now construct the @code{\override} command
833 to change the lyrics to italics. The object is @code{LyricText},
834 the property is @code{font-shape} and the value is
835 @code{italic}. As before, we'll omit the context.
837 As an aside, although it is an important one, note that some
838 properties take values that are symbols, like @code{italic}, and
839 must be preceded by an apostrophe, @code{'}. Symbols are then
840 read internally by LilyPond. Note the distinction from arbitrary
841 text strings, which would appear as @code{"a text string"}; for
842 more details about symbols and strings, see @rextend{Scheme tutorial}.
844 So we see that the @code{\override} command needed to print the lyrics
848 \override LyricText.font-shape = #'italic
852 This should be placed just in front of the lyrics we wish to affect,
855 @cindex font-shape property, example
856 @cindex italic, example
857 @cindex LyricText, example of overriding
858 @cindex @code{\addlyrics}, example
860 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
865 r4 bes8 bes[( g]) g |
866 g8[( es]) es d[( f]) as |
870 \override LyricText.font-shape = #'italic
871 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
877 and the lyrics are all printed in italics.
879 @warning{In lyrics always leave whitespace between the final
880 syllable and the terminating brace.}
884 Extending: @rextend{Scheme tutorial}.
887 @node Types of properties
888 @subsection Types of properties
890 @cindex property types
892 So far we have seen two types of property: @code{number} and
893 @code{symbol}. To be valid, the value given to a property
894 must be of the correct type and obey the rules for that type.
895 The type of property is always shown in brackets after the
896 property name in the IR. Here is a list of the types you may
897 need, together with the rules for that type, and some examples.
898 You must always add a hash symbol, @code{#}, of course,
899 to the front of these values when they are entered in the
900 @code{\override} command.
902 @multitable @columnfractions .2 .45 .35
903 @headitem Property type
907 @tab Either True or False, represented by #t or #f
908 @tab @code{#t}, @code{#f}
909 @item Dimension (in staff space)
910 @tab A positive decimal number (in units of staff space)
911 @tab @code{2.5}, @code{0.34}
913 @tab A valid direction constant or its numerical equivalent (decimal
914 values between -1 and 1 are allowed)
915 @tab @code{LEFT}, @code{CENTER}, @code{UP},
916 @code{1}, @w{@code{-1}}
918 @tab A positive whole number
919 @tab @code{3}, @code{1}
921 @tab A set of values separated by spaces, enclosed in parentheses
922 and preceded by an apostrophe
923 @tab @code{'(left-edge staff-bar)}, @code{'(1)},
924 @code{'(1.0 0.25 0.5)}
926 @tab Any valid markup
927 @tab @code{\markup @{ \italic "cresc." @}}
929 @tab A fraction of a whole note constructed with the
931 @tab @code{(ly:make-moment 1 4)},
932 @code{(ly:make-moment 3 8)}
934 @tab Any positive or negative decimal value
935 @tab @code{3.5}, @w{@code{-2.45}}
936 @item Pair (of numbers)
937 @tab Two numbers separated by a @q{space . space} and enclosed
938 in brackets preceded by an apostrophe
939 @tab @code{'(2 . 3.5)}, @code{'(0.1 . -3.2)}
941 @tab Any of the set of permitted symbols for that property,
942 preceded by an apostrophe
943 @tab @code{'italic}, @code{'inside}
945 @tab A procedure, or @code{#f} to cause no action
946 @tab @code{bend::print}, @code{ly:text-interface::print},
949 @tab A list of three items enclosed in parentheses and preceded
950 by apostrophe-hash, @code{'#}.
951 @tab @code{'#(#t #t #f)}
956 Extending: @rextend{Scheme tutorial}.
959 @node Appearance of objects
960 @section Appearance of objects
962 Let us now put what we have learned into practice with a few
963 examples which show how tweaks may be used to change the
964 appearance of the printed music.
967 * Visibility and color of objects::
969 * Length and thickness of objects::
972 @node Visibility and color of objects
973 @subsection Visibility and color of objects
975 In the educational use of music we might wish to print a score
976 with certain elements omitted as an exercise for the student,
977 who is required to supply them. As a simple example,
978 let us suppose the exercise is to supply the missing bar lines
979 in a piece of music. But the bar lines are normally inserted
980 automatically. How do we prevent them printing?
982 Before we tackle this, let us remember that object properties are
983 grouped in what are called @emph{interfaces} -- see @ref{Properties
984 found in interfaces}. This is simply to group together those
985 properties that may be used together to tweak a graphical object -- if
986 one of them is allowed for an object, so are the others. Some objects
987 then use the properties in some interfaces, others use them from other
988 interfaces. The interfaces which contain the properties used by a
989 particular grob are listed in the IR at the bottom of the page
990 describing that grob, and those properties may be viewed by looking at
993 We explained how to find information about grobs in @ref{Properties of
994 layout objects}. Using the same approach, we go to the IR to find the
995 layout object which prints bar lines. Going via @emph{Backend} and
996 @emph{All layout objects} we find there is a layout object called
997 @code{BarLine}. Its properties include two that control its
998 visibility: @code{break-visibility} and @code{stencil}. Barline also
999 supports a number of interfaces, including the @code{grob-interface},
1000 where we find the @code{transparent} and the @code{color} properties.
1001 All of these can affect the visibility of bar lines (and, of course,
1002 by extension, many other layout objects too.) Let's consider each of
1007 @cindex stencil property
1009 This property controls the appearance of the bar lines by specifying
1010 the symbol (glyph) which should be printed. In common
1011 with many other properties, it can be set to print nothing by
1012 setting its value to @code{#f}. Let's try it, as before, omitting
1013 the implied Context, @code{Voice}:
1015 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1016 @cindex stencil property, example
1018 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1021 \override BarLine.stencil = ##f
1023 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1028 The bar lines are still printed. What is wrong? Go back to the IR
1029 and look again at the page giving the properties of BarLine. At the
1030 top of the page it says @qq{Barline objects are created by:
1031 Bar_engraver}. Go to the @code{Bar_engraver} page. At the bottom it
1032 gives a list of Contexts in which the bar engraver operates. All of
1033 them are of the type @code{Staff}, so the reason the @code{\override}
1034 command failed to work as expected is because @code{Barline} is not in
1035 the default @code{Voice} context. If the context is specified
1036 incorrectly, the command simply does not work. No error message is
1037 produced, and nothing is logged in the log file. Let's try correcting
1038 it by adding the correct context:
1040 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1041 @cindex stencil property, example
1043 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1046 \override Staff.BarLine.stencil = ##f
1048 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1053 Now the bar lines have vanished.
1055 Note, though, that setting the @code{stencil} property to @code{#f}
1056 will cause errors when the dimensions of the object are required for
1057 correct processing. For example, errors will be generated if the
1058 @code{stencil} property of the @code{NoteHead} object is set to
1059 @code{#f}. If this is the case, you can instead use the
1060 @code{point-stencil} function, which sets the stencil to a object
1063 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
1066 \once \override NoteHead.stencil = #point-stencil
1071 @subheading break-visibility
1073 @cindex break-visibility property
1075 We see from the @code{BarLine} properties in the IR that the
1076 @code{break-visibility} property requires a vector of three booleans.
1077 These control respectively whether bar lines are printed at the end of
1078 a line, in the middle of lines, and at the beginning of lines. For
1079 our example we want all bar lines to be suppressed, so the value we
1080 need is @code{'#(#f #f #f)}. Let's try that, remembering to include
1081 the @code{Staff} context. Note also that in writing this value we
1082 have @code{#'#} before the opening bracket. The @code{'#} is required
1083 as part of the value to introduce a vector, and the first@tie{}@code{#} is
1084 required, as always, to precede the value itself in the
1085 @code{\override} command.
1087 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1088 @cindex break-visibility property, example
1090 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1093 \override Staff.BarLine.break-visibility = #'#(#f #f #f)
1095 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1100 And we see this too removes all the bar lines.
1102 @subheading transparent
1104 @cindex transparent property
1105 @cindex transparency
1107 We see from the properties specified in the @code{grob-interface} page
1108 in the IR that the @code{transparent} property is a boolean. This
1109 should be set to @code{#t} to make the grob transparent. In this next
1110 example let us make the time signature invisible rather than the bar
1111 lines. To do this we need to find the grob name for the time
1112 signature. Back to the @q{All layout objects} page in the IR to find
1113 the properties of the @code{TimeSignature} layout object. This is
1114 produced by the @code{Time_signature_engraver} which you can check
1115 also lives in the @code{Staff} context and also supports the
1116 @code{grob-interface}. So the command to make the time signature
1119 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1120 @cindex transparent property, example
1122 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1125 \override Staff.TimeSignature.transparent = ##t
1127 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1133 The time signature is gone, but this command leaves a gap where
1134 the time signature should be. Maybe this is what is wanted for
1135 an exercise for the student to fill it in, but in other
1136 circumstances a gap might be undesirable. To remove it, the
1137 stencil for the time signature should be set to @code{#f}
1140 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1141 @cindex stencil property, example
1143 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1146 \override Staff.TimeSignature.stencil = ##f
1148 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1154 and the difference is obvious: setting the stencil to @code{#f}
1155 removes the object entirely; making the object @code{transparent}
1156 leaves it where it is, but makes it invisible.
1160 @cindex color property
1162 Finally let us try making the bar lines invisible by coloring
1163 them white. (There is a difficulty with this in that the
1164 white bar line may or may not blank out the staff lines where
1165 they cross. You may see in some of the examples below that this
1166 happens unpredictably. The details of why this is so and how to
1167 control it are covered in @ruser{Painting objects white}. But at
1168 the moment we are learning about color, so please just accept this
1169 limitation for now.)
1171 The @code{grob-interface} specifies that the
1172 color property value is a list, but there is no
1173 explanation of what that list should be. The list it
1174 requires is actually a list of values in internal units,
1175 but, to avoid having to know what these are, several ways
1176 are provided to specify colors. The first way is to use one
1177 of the @q{normal} colors listed in the first table in
1178 @ruser{List of colors}. To set the bar lines to white
1181 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1182 @cindex color property, example
1184 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1187 \override Staff.BarLine.color = #white
1189 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1195 and again, we see the bar lines are not visible. Note that
1196 @emph{white} is not preceded by an apostrophe -- it is not
1197 a symbol, but a @emph{function}. When called, it provides
1198 the list of internal values required to set the color to
1199 white. The other colors in the normal list are functions
1200 too. To convince yourself this is working you might like
1201 to change the color to one of the other functions in the
1209 The second way of changing the color is to use the list of
1210 X11 color names in the second list in @ruser{List of colors}.
1211 However, these must be preceded by another function, which
1212 converts X11 color names into the list of internal values,
1213 @code{x11-color}, like this:
1215 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1216 @cindex color property, example
1218 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1221 \override Staff.BarLine.color = #(x11-color 'white)
1223 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1229 Note that in this case the function @code{x11-color} takes
1230 a symbol as an argument, so the symbol must be preceded by
1231 an apostrophe and the two enclosed in brackets.
1238 There is yet a third function, one which converts RGB values into
1239 internal colors -- the @code{rgb-color} function. This takes
1240 three arguments giving the intensities of the red, green and
1241 blue colors. These take values in the range 0 to 1. So to
1242 set the color to red the value should be @code{(rgb-color 1 0 0)}
1243 and to white it should be @code{(rgb-color 1 1 1)}:
1245 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1246 @cindex color property, example
1248 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1251 \override Staff.BarLine.color = #(rgb-color 1 1 1)
1253 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1258 Finally, there is also a grey scale available as part of the
1259 X11 set of colors. These range from black, @code{'grey0},
1260 to white, @code{'grey100}, in steps of 1. Let's illustrate
1261 this by setting all the layout objects in our example to
1262 various shades of grey:
1264 @cindex StaffSymbol, example of overriding
1265 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1266 @cindex Clef, example of overriding
1267 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
1268 @cindex Stem, example of overriding
1269 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1270 @cindex color property, example
1271 @cindex x11-color, example of using
1273 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1276 \override Staff.StaffSymbol.color = #(x11-color 'grey30)
1277 \override Staff.TimeSignature.color = #(x11-color 'grey60)
1278 \override Staff.Clef.color = #(x11-color 'grey60)
1279 \override Voice.NoteHead.color = #(x11-color 'grey85)
1280 \override Voice.Stem.color = #(x11-color 'grey85)
1281 \override Staff.BarLine.color = #(x11-color 'grey10)
1283 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1289 Note the contexts associated with each of the layout objects.
1290 It is important to get these right, or the commands will not
1291 work! Remember, the context is the one in which the appropriate
1292 engraver is placed. The default context for engravers can be
1293 found by starting from the layout object, going from there to
1294 the engraver which produces it, and on the engraver page in the
1295 IR it tells you in which context the engraver will normally be
1299 @node Size of objects
1300 @subsection Size of objects
1302 @cindex changing size of objects
1303 @cindex size of objects
1304 @cindex objects, size of
1305 @cindex objects, changing size of
1307 Let us begin by looking again at the earlier example
1308 (see @ref{Nesting music expressions}) which showed
1309 how to introduce a new temporary staff, as in an @rglos{ossia}.
1311 @cindex alignAboveContext property, example
1312 @cindex @code{\with}, example
1314 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1315 \new Staff ="main" {
1322 alignAboveContext = #"main" }
1330 Ossia are normally written without clef and time signature, and
1331 are usually printed slightly smaller than the main staff. We
1332 already know now how to remove the clef and time signature --
1333 we simply set the stencil of each to @code{#f}, as follows:
1335 @cindex alignAboveContext property, example
1336 @cindex @code{\with}, example
1337 @cindex stencil property, example
1338 @cindex Clef, example of overriding
1339 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1341 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1342 \new Staff ="main" {
1349 alignAboveContext = #"main"
1352 \override Staff.Clef.stencil = ##f
1353 \override Staff.TimeSignature.stencil = ##f
1363 where the extra pair of braces after the @code{\with} clause are
1364 required to ensure the enclosed overrides and music are applied
1367 But what is the difference between modifying the staff context by
1368 using @code{\with} and modifying the stencils of the clef and the
1369 time signature with \override? The main difference is that
1370 changes made in a @code{\with} clause are made at the time the
1371 context is created, and remain in force as the @strong{default}
1372 values for the duration of that context, whereas
1373 @code{\set} or @code{\override} commands embedded in the
1374 music are dynamic -- they make changes synchronized with
1375 a particular point in the music. If changes are unset or
1376 reverted using @code{\unset} or @code{\revert} they return to
1377 their default values, which will be the ones set in the
1378 @code{\with} clause, or if none have been set there, the normal
1381 Some context properties can be modified only in @code{\with} clauses.
1382 These are those properties which cannot sensibly be changed after the
1383 context has been created. @code{alignAboveContext} and its partner,
1384 @code{alignBelowContext}, are two such properties -- once the staff
1385 has been created its alignment is decided and it would make no sense
1386 to try to change it later.
1388 The default values of layout object properties can also be set
1389 in @code{\with} clauses. Simply use the normal @code{\override}
1390 command leaving out the context name, since this is unambiguously
1391 defined as the context which the @code{\with} clause is modifying.
1392 If fact, an error will be generated if a context is specified
1395 So we could replace the example above with
1397 @cindex alignAboveContext property, example
1398 @cindex @code{\with}, example
1399 @cindex Clef, example of overriding
1400 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1402 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1403 \new Staff ="main" {
1410 alignAboveContext = #"main"
1411 % Don't print clefs in this staff
1412 \override Clef.stencil = ##f
1413 % Don't print time signatures in this staff
1414 \override TimeSignature.stencil = ##f
1423 Finally we come to changing the size of layout objects.
1425 Some layout objects are created as glyphs selected from a typeface
1426 font. These include note heads, accidentals, markup, clefs, time
1427 signatures, dynamics and lyrics. Their size is changed by modifying
1428 the @code{font-size} property, as we shall shortly see. Other layout
1429 objects such as slurs and ties -- in general, spanner objects -- are
1430 drawn individually, so there is no @code{font-size} associated with
1431 them. These objects generally derive their size from the objects to
1432 which they are attached, so usually there is no need to change their
1433 size manually. Still other properties such as the length of stems and
1434 bar lines, thickness of beams and other lines, and the separation of
1435 staff lines all need to be modified in special ways.
1437 Returning to the ossia example, let us first change the font-size.
1438 We can do this in two ways. We can either change the size of the
1439 fonts of each object type, like @code{NoteHead}s with commands
1443 \override NoteHead.font-size = #-2
1446 or we can change the size of all fonts by setting a special
1447 property, @code{fontSize}, using @code{\set}, or by including
1448 it in a @code{\with} clause (but without the @code{\set}).
1454 Both of these statements would cause the font size to be reduced
1455 by 2 steps from its previous value, where each
1456 step reduces or increases the size by approximately 12%.
1458 Let's try it in our ossia example:
1460 @cindex alignAboveContext property, example
1461 @cindex @code{\with}, example
1462 @cindex Clef, example of overriding
1463 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1464 @cindex fontSize property, example
1466 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1467 \new Staff ="main" {
1474 alignAboveContext = #"main"
1475 \override Clef.stencil = ##f
1476 \override TimeSignature.stencil = ##f
1477 % Reduce all font sizes by ~24%
1487 This is still not quite right. The note heads and flags are
1488 smaller, but the stems are too long in proportion and the
1489 staff lines are spaced too widely apart. These need to be
1490 scaled down in proportion to the font reduction. The next
1491 sub-section discusses how this is done.
1493 @node Length and thickness of objects
1494 @subsection Length and thickness of objects
1500 @cindex size, changing
1501 @cindex stem length, changing
1502 @cindex staff line spacing, changing
1504 Distances and lengths in LilyPond are generally measured in
1505 staff-spaces, the distance between adjacent lines in the staff,
1506 (or occasionally half staff spaces) while most @code{thickness}
1507 properties are measured in units of an internal property called
1508 @code{line-thickness.} For example, by default, the lines of
1509 hairpins are given a thickness of 1 unit of @code{line-thickness},
1510 while the @code{thickness} of a note stem is 1.3. Note, though,
1511 that some thickness properties are different; for example, the
1512 thickness of beams is controlled by the value of the
1513 @code{beam-thickness} property, which is measured in staff-spaces.
1515 So how are lengths to be scaled in proportion to the font size?
1516 This can be done with the help of a special function called
1517 @code{magstep} provided for exactly this purpose. It takes
1518 one argument, the change in font size (#-2 in the example above)
1519 and returns a scaling factor suitable for reducing other
1520 objects in proportion. It is used like this:
1522 @cindex alignAboveContext property, example
1523 @cindex @code{\with}, example
1524 @cindex Clef, example of overriding
1525 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1526 @cindex fontSize property, example
1527 @cindex StaffSymbol, example of overriding
1528 @cindex magstep function, example of using
1529 @cindex staff-space property, example
1530 @cindex stencil property, example
1532 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1533 \new Staff ="main" {
1540 alignAboveContext = #"main"
1541 \override Clef.stencil = ##f
1542 \override TimeSignature.stencil = ##f
1544 % Reduce stem length and line spacing to match
1545 \override StaffSymbol.staff-space = #(magstep -2)
1555 Since the length of stems and many other length-related properties are
1556 always calculated relative to the value of the @code{staff-space}
1557 property these are automatically scaled down in length too. Note that
1558 this affects only the vertical scale of the ossia -- the horizontal
1559 scale is determined by the layout of the main music in order to remain
1560 synchronized with it, so it is not affected by any of these changes in
1561 size. Of course, if the scale of all the main music were changed in
1562 this way then the horizontal spacing would be affected. This is
1563 discussed later in the layout section.
1565 This, then, completes the creation of an ossia. The sizes and
1566 lengths of all other objects may be modified in analogous ways.
1568 For small changes in scale, as in the example above, the
1569 thickness of the various drawn lines such as bar lines,
1570 beams, hairpins, slurs, etc does not usually require global
1571 adjustment. If the thickness of any particular layout object
1572 needs to be adjusted this can be best achieved by overriding its
1573 @code{thickness} property. An example of changing the thickness
1574 of slurs was shown above in @ref{Properties of layout objects}.
1575 The thickness of all drawn objects (i.e., those not produced
1576 from a font) may be changed in the same way.
1579 @node Placement of objects
1580 @section Placement of objects
1583 * Automatic behavior::
1584 * Within-staff objects::
1585 * Outside-staff objects::
1589 @node Automatic behavior
1590 @subsection Automatic behavior
1592 @cindex within-staff objects
1593 @cindex outside-staff objects
1594 @cindex objects, within-staff
1595 @cindex objects, outside-staff
1597 There are some objects in musical notation that belong to
1598 the staff and there are other objects that should be
1599 placed outside the staff. These are called within-staff
1600 objects and outside-staff objects respectively.
1602 Within-staff objects are those that are located on the staff
1603 -- note heads, stems, accidentals, etc. The positions of
1604 these are usually fixed by the music itself -- they are
1605 vertically positioned on specific lines of the staff or are
1606 tied to other objects that are so positioned. Collisions of
1607 note heads, stems and accidentals in closely set chords are
1608 normally avoided automatically. There are commands and
1609 overrides which can modify this automatic behavior, as we
1612 Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1613 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings. LilyPond's rule for
1614 the vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them
1615 as close to the staff as possible but not so close that they
1616 collide with any other object. LilyPond uses the
1617 @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine the order in
1618 which the objects should be placed, as follows.
1620 First, LilyPond places all the within-staff objects.
1621 Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1622 @code{outside-staff-priority}. The outside-staff objects are
1623 taken one by one, beginning with the object with the lowest
1624 @code{outside-staff-priority}, and placed so that they do not
1625 collide with any objects that have already been placed. That is,
1626 if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the
1627 one with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed
1628 closer to the staff. If two objects have the same
1629 @code{outside-staff-priority} the one encountered first will be
1630 placed closer to the staff.
1632 In the following example all the markup texts have the same
1633 priority (since it is not explicitly set). Note that @q{Text3}
1634 is automatically positioned close to the staff again, nestling
1637 @cindex markup example
1639 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1646 Staves are also positioned, by default, as closely together as
1647 possible (subject to a minimum separation). If notes project
1648 a long way towards an adjacent staff they will force the
1649 staves further apart only if an overlap of the notation
1650 would otherwise occur. The following example demonstrates
1651 this @q{nestling} of the notes on adjacent staves:
1653 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1656 \relative c' { c4 a, }
1659 \relative c'''' { c4 a, }
1665 @node Within-staff objects
1666 @subsection Within-staff objects
1668 We have already seen how the commands @code{\voiceXXX} affect the
1669 direction of slurs, ties, fingering and everything else which depends on
1670 the direction of the stems -- see @ref{Explicitly instantiating voices}.
1671 These commands are essential when writing polyphonic music to permit
1672 interweaving melodic lines to be distinguished. But occasionally it may
1673 be necessary to override this automatic behavior. This can be done for
1674 whole sections of music or even for an individual note. The property
1675 which controls this behavior is the @code{direction} property of each
1676 layout object. We first explain what this does, and then introduce a
1677 number of ready-made commands which avoid your having to code explicit
1678 overrides for the more common modifications.
1680 Some layout objects like slurs and ties curve, bend or point
1681 either up or down; others like stems and flags also move to
1682 right or left when they point up or down. This is controlled
1683 automatically when @code{direction} is set.
1690 The following example shows in bar 1 the default behavior of stems,
1691 with those on high notes pointing down and those on low notes pointing
1692 up, followed by four notes with all stems forced down, four notes with
1693 all stems forced up, and finally four notes reverted back to the
1696 @cindex Stem, example of overriding
1697 @cindex direction property, example
1699 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1701 \override Stem.direction = #DOWN
1703 \override Stem.direction = #UP
1705 \revert Stem.direction
1709 Here we use the constants @code{DOWN} and @code{UP}.
1710 These have the values @w{@code{-1}} and @code{+1} respectively, and
1711 these numerical values may be used instead. The value @code{0}
1712 may also be used in some cases. It is simply treated as meaning
1713 @code{UP} for stems, but for some objects it means @q{center}.
1714 There is a constant, @code{CENTER} which has the value @code{0}.
1716 However, these explicit overrides are not usually used, as there are
1717 simpler equivalent predefined commands available. Here is a table of
1718 the commonest. The meaning of each is stated where it is not obvious.
1720 @multitable @columnfractions .2 .2 .25 .35
1725 @item @code{\arpeggioArrowDown}
1726 @tab @code{\arpeggioArrowUp}
1727 @tab @code{\arpeggioNormal}
1728 @tab Arrow is at bottom, at top, or no arrow
1729 @item @code{\dotsDown}
1731 @tab @code{\dotsNeutral}
1732 @tab Direction of movement to avoid staff lines
1733 @item @code{\dynamicDown}
1734 @tab @code{\dynamicUp}
1735 @tab @code{\dynamicNeutral}
1737 @item @code{\phrasingSlurDown}
1738 @tab @code{\phrasingSlurUp}
1739 @tab @code{\phrasingSlurNeutral}
1740 @tab Note: distinct from slur commands
1741 @item @code{\slurDown}
1743 @tab @code{\slurNeutral}
1745 @item @code{\stemDown}
1747 @tab @code{\stemNeutral}
1749 @item @code{\textSpannerDown}
1750 @tab @code{\textSpannerUp}
1751 @tab @code{\textSpannerNeutral}
1752 @tab Text entered as spanner is below/above staff
1753 @item @code{\tieDown}
1755 @tab @code{\tieNeutral}
1757 @item @code{\tupletDown}
1758 @tab @code{\tupletUp}
1759 @tab @code{\tupletNeutral}
1760 @tab Tuplets are below/above notes
1763 Note that these predefined commands may @strong{not} be
1764 preceded by @code{\once}. If you wish to limit the
1765 effect to a single note you must either use the equivalent
1766 @code{\once \override} command or use the predefined command
1767 followed after the affected note by the corresponding
1768 @code{\xxxNeutral} command.
1770 @unnumberedsubsubsec Fingering
1772 @cindex fingering, placement
1773 @cindex fingering, chords
1775 The placement of fingering on single notes can also be controlled
1776 by the @code{direction} property, but changing @code{direction}
1777 has no effect on chords. As we shall see, there are special
1778 commands which allow the fingering of individual notes
1779 of chords to be controlled, with the fingering being placed
1780 above, below, to the left or to the right of each note.
1782 First, here's the effect of @code{direction} on the fingering
1783 attached to single notes. The first bar shows the default
1784 behaviour, and the following two bars shows the effect of
1785 specifying @code{DOWN} and @code{UP}:
1787 @cindex Fingering, example of overriding
1788 @cindex direction property, example
1790 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
1792 \override Fingering.direction = #DOWN
1794 \override Fingering.direction = #UP
1798 However, overriding the @code{direction} property is not the
1799 easiest way of manually setting the fingering above or below
1800 the notes; using @code{_} or @code{^} instead of @code{-} before
1801 the fingering number is usually preferable. Here is the previous
1802 example using this method:
1804 @cindex fingering example
1806 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
1812 The @code{direction} property is ignored for chords, but the
1813 directional prefixes, @code{_} and @code{^} do work. By default,
1814 the fingering is automatically placed both above and below the
1815 notes of a chord, as shown:
1817 @cindex fingering example
1819 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
1826 but this may be overridden to manually force all or any of the
1827 individual fingering numbers above or below:
1829 @cindex fingering example
1831 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
1837 Even greater control over the placement of fingering of the
1838 individual notes in a chord is possible by using the
1839 @code{\set fingeringOrientations} command. The format of this
1843 @code{\set fingeringOrientations = #'([up] [left/right] [down])}
1847 @code{\set} is used because @code{fingeringOrientations} is a
1848 property of the @code{Voice} context, created and used by the
1849 @code{New_fingering_engraver}.
1851 The property may be set to a list of one to three values.
1852 It controls whether fingerings may be placed above (if
1853 @code{up} appears in the list), below (if @code{down} appears),
1854 to the left (if @code{left} appears, or to the right
1855 (if @code{right} appears). Conversely, if a location is not
1856 listed, no fingering is placed there. LilyPond takes these
1857 constraints and works out the best placement for the fingering
1858 of the notes of the following chords. Note that @code{left} and
1859 @code{right} are mutually exclusive -- fingering may be placed
1860 only on one side or the other, not both.
1862 @warning{To control the placement of the fingering of a single
1863 note using this command it is necessary to write it as a single
1864 note chord by placing angle brackets round it.}
1866 Here are a few examples:
1868 @cindex fingering example
1869 @cindex @code{\set}, example of using
1870 @cindex fingeringOrientations property, example
1872 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1873 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1876 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1878 <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>4 |
1879 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left down)
1882 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left)
1884 <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>4 |
1885 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(right)
1891 If the fingering seems a little crowded the @code{font-size}
1892 could be reduced. The default value can be seen from the
1893 @code{Fingering} object in the IR to be @w{@code{-5}}, so let's
1896 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1897 \override Fingering.font-size = #-7
1898 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1901 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1903 <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>4 |
1904 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left down)
1907 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left)
1909 <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>4 |
1910 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(right)
1915 @node Outside-staff objects
1916 @subsection Outside-staff objects
1918 Outside-staff objects are automatically placed to avoid collisions.
1919 Objects with the lower value of the @code{outside-staff-priority}
1920 property are placed nearer to the staff, and other outside-staff
1921 objects are then raised as far as necessary to avoid collisions.
1922 The @code{outside-staff-priority} is defined in the
1923 @code{grob-interface} and so is a property of all layout objects.
1924 By default it is set to @code{#f} for all within-staff objects,
1925 and to a numerical value appropriate to each outside-staff object
1926 when the object is created. The following table shows the default
1927 numerical values for some of the commonest outside-staff objects.
1931 Note the unusual names for some of the objects: spanner objects
1932 are automatically created to control the vertical positioning of
1933 grobs which (might) start and end at different musical moments, so
1934 changing the @code{outside-staff-priority} of the underlying grob
1935 will have no effect. For example, changing
1936 @code{outside-staff-priority} of the @code{Hairpin} object will
1937 have no effect on the vertical positioning of hairpins -- you must
1938 change @code{outside-staff-priority} of the associated
1939 @code{DynamicLineSpanner} object instead. This override must be
1940 placed at the start of the spanner, which might include several
1941 linked hairpins and dynamics.
1943 @multitable @columnfractions .3 .3 .3
1944 @headitem Layout Object
1946 @tab Controls position of:
1947 @item @code{RehearsalMark}
1949 @tab Rehearsal marks
1950 @item @code{MetronomeMark}
1952 @tab Metronome marks
1953 @item @code{VoltaBracketSpanner}
1956 @item @code{TextScript}
1959 @item @code{MultiMeasureRestText}
1961 @tab Markup text over full-bar rests
1962 @item @code{OttavaBracket}
1964 @tab Ottava brackets
1965 @item @code{TextSpanner}
1968 @item @code{DynamicLineSpanner}
1970 @tab All dynamic markings
1971 @item @code{BarNumber}
1974 @item @code{TrillSpanner}
1976 @tab Spanning trills
1979 Here is an example showing the default placement of some of
1982 @cindex text spanner
1983 @cindex ottava bracket
1985 @funindex \startTextSpan
1986 @funindex startTextSpan
1987 @funindex \stopTextSpan
1988 @funindex stopTextSpan
1990 @cindex TextSpanner, example of overriding
1991 @cindex bound-details property, example
1993 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1994 % Set details for later Text Spanner
1995 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text
1996 = \markup { \small \bold Slower }
1997 % Place dynamics above staff
1999 % Start Ottava Bracket
2002 % Add Dynamic Text and hairpin
2008 % Add Dynamic Text and terminate hairpin
2009 c4\ff c \stopTextSpan |
2010 % Stop Ottava Bracket
2015 This example also shows how to create Text Spanners --
2016 text with extender lines above a section of music. The
2017 spanner extends from the @code{\startTextSpan} command to
2018 the @code{\stopTextSpan} command, and the format of the
2019 text is defined by the @code{\override TextSpanner} command.
2020 For more details see @ruser{Text spanners}.
2022 It also shows how ottava brackets are created.
2024 @cindex tweaking bar number placement
2025 @cindex bar numbers, tweaking placement
2026 @cindex tweaking metronome mark placement
2027 @cindex metronome mark, tweaking placement
2028 @cindex tweaking rehearsal mark placement
2029 @cindex rehearsal marks, tweaking placement
2031 If the default values of @code{outside-staff-priority} do not give you
2032 the placing you want, the priority of any of the objects may be
2033 overridden. Suppose we would like the ottava bracket to be placed
2034 below the text spanner in the example above. All we need to do is to
2035 look up the priority of @code{OttavaBracket} in the IR or in the
2036 tables above, and reduce it to a value lower than that of a
2037 @code{TextSpanner}, remembering that @code{OttavaBracket} is created
2038 in the @code{Staff} context:
2040 @cindex TextSpanner, example of overriding
2041 @cindex bound-details property, example
2043 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
2044 % Set details for later Text Spanner
2045 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text
2046 = \markup { \small \bold Slower }
2047 % Place dynamics above staff
2049 % Place following Ottava Bracket below Text Spanners
2050 \once \override Staff.OttavaBracket.outside-staff-priority = #340
2051 % Start Ottava Bracket
2056 % Add Dynamic Line Spanner
2062 c4\ff c \stopTextSpan |
2063 % Stop Ottava Bracket
2068 Note that some of these objects, in particular bar numbers,
2069 metronome marks and rehearsal marks, live by default in the
2070 @code{Score} context, so be sure to use the correct context
2071 when these are being overriden.
2073 @cindex slurs and outside-staff-priority
2074 @cindex slurs and articulations
2075 @cindex articulations and slurs
2077 Slurs by default are classed as within-staff objects, but
2078 they often appear above the staff if the notes to
2079 which they are attached are high on the staff. This can push
2080 outside-staff objects such as articulations too high, as the slur
2081 will be placed first. The @code{avoid-slur} property of the
2082 articulation can be set to @code{'inside} to bring the articulation
2083 inside the slur, but the @code{avoid-slur} property is effective
2084 only if the @code{outside-staff-priority} is also set to @code{#f}.
2085 Alternatively, the @code{outside-staff-priority} of the slur
2086 can be set to a numerical value to cause it to be placed along with
2087 other outside-staff objects according to that value. Here's an
2088 example showing the effect of the two methods:
2090 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
2091 c4( c^\markup { \tiny \sharp } d4.) c8 |
2093 \once \override TextScript.avoid-slur = #'inside
2094 \once \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = ##f
2095 c4^\markup { \tiny \sharp } d4.) c8 |
2096 \once \override Slur.outside-staff-priority = #500
2097 c4( c^\markup { \tiny \sharp } d4.) c8 |
2100 Changing the @code{outside-staff-priority} can also be used to
2101 control the vertical placement of individual objects, although
2102 the results may not always be desirable. Suppose we would
2103 like @qq{Text3} to be placed above @qq{Text4} in the example
2104 under Automatic behavior, above (see @ref{Automatic behavior}).
2105 All we need to do is to look up the priority of @code{TextScript}
2106 in the IR or in the tables above, and increase the priority of
2107 @qq{Text3} to a higher value:
2109 @cindex TextScript, example of overriding
2110 @cindex outside-staff-priority property, example
2112 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2115 \once \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = #500
2120 This certainly lifts @qq{Text3} above @qq{Text4} but it also lifts it
2121 above @qq{Text2}, and @qq{Text4} now drops down. Perhaps this is not
2122 so good. What we would really like to do is to position all the
2123 annotation at the same distance above the staff. To do this, we
2124 clearly will need to space the notes out horizontally to make more
2125 room for the text. This is done using the @code{textLengthOn}
2128 @subheading \textLengthOn
2130 @cindex notes, spreading out with text
2132 @funindex \textLengthOn
2133 @funindex textLengthOn
2134 @funindex \textLengthOff
2135 @funindex textLengthOff
2137 By default, text produced by markup takes up no horizontal space
2138 as far as laying out the music is concerned. The @code{\textLengthOn}
2139 command reverses this behavior, causing the notes to be spaced
2140 out as far as is necessary to accommodate the text:
2142 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2143 \textLengthOn % Cause notes to space out to accommodate text
2150 The command to revert to the default behavior is
2151 @code{\textLengthOff}. Remember @code{\once} only works with
2152 @code{\override}, @code{\set}, @code{\revert} or @code{\unset},
2153 so cannot be used with @code{\textLengthOn}.
2155 @cindex markup text, allowing collisions
2157 Markup text will also avoid notes which project above the staff.
2158 If this is not desired, the automatic displacement upwards may
2159 be turned off by setting the priority to @code{#f}. Here's an
2160 example to show how markup text interacts with such notes.
2162 @cindex TextScript, example of overriding
2163 @cindex outside-staff-priority property, example
2165 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2166 % This markup is short enough to fit without collision
2170 % This is too long to fit, so it is displaced upwards
2174 % Turn off collision avoidance
2175 \once \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = ##f
2176 c,,2^"Long Text " c'' |
2179 % Turn off collision avoidance
2180 \once \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = ##f
2181 \textLengthOn % and turn on textLengthOn
2182 c,,2^"Long Text " % Spaces at end are honored
2187 @subheading Dynamics
2189 @cindex tweaking dynamics placement
2190 @cindex dynamics, tweaking placement
2192 Dynamic markings will normally be positioned beneath the
2193 staff, but may be positioned above with the @code{\dynamicUp}
2194 command. They will be positioned vertically relative to the
2195 note to which they are attached, and will float below (or above)
2196 all within-staff objects such as phrasing slurs and bar numbers.
2197 This can give quite acceptable results, as this example
2200 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
2205 bes4.~\f\< \( bes4 bes8 des4\ff\> c16 bes\! |
2206 ees,2.~\)\mf ees4 r8 |
2209 However, if the notes and attached dynamics are close
2210 together the automatic placement will avoid collisions
2211 by displacing later dynamic markings further away, but this may
2212 not be the optimum placement, as this rather artificial example
2215 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2221 Should a similar situation arise in @q{real} music, it may be
2222 preferable to space out the notes a little further, so the dynamic
2223 markings can all fit at the same vertical distance from the staff. We
2224 were able to do this for markup text by using the @code{\textLengthOn}
2225 command, but there is no equivalent command for dynamic marks. So we
2226 shall have to work out how to do this using @code{\override} commands.
2228 @subheading Grob sizing
2231 @cindex sizing grobs
2233 First we must learn how grobs are sized. All grobs have a
2234 reference point defined within them which is used to position
2235 them relative to their parent object. This point in the grob
2236 is then positioned at a horizontal distance, @code{X-offset},
2237 and at a vertical distance, @code{Y-offset}, from its parent.
2238 The horizontal extent of the object is given by a pair of
2239 numbers, @code{X-extent}, which say where the left and right
2240 edges are relative to the reference point. The vertical extent
2241 is similarly defined by a pair of numbers, @code{Y-extent}.
2242 These are properties of all grobs which support the
2243 @code{grob-interface}.
2245 @cindex @code{extra-spacing-width}
2247 By default, outside-staff objects are given a width of zero so
2248 that they may overlap in the horizontal direction. This is done
2249 by the trick of adding infinity to the leftmost extent and
2250 minus infinity to the rightmost extent by setting the
2251 @code{extra-spacing-width} to @code{'(+inf.0 . -inf.0)}. So
2252 to ensure they do not overlap in the horizontal direction we
2253 must override this value of @code{extra-spacing-width} to
2254 @code{'(0 . 0)} so the true width shines through. This is
2255 the command to do this for dynamic text:
2258 \override DynamicText.extra-spacing-width = #'(0 . 0)
2262 Let's see if this works in our previous example:
2264 @cindex DynamicText, example of overriding
2265 @cindex extra-spacing-width property, example
2267 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2269 \override DynamicText.extra-spacing-width = #'(0 . 0)
2270 a4\f b\mf c\mp b\p |
2274 Well, it has certainly stopped the dynamic marks being
2275 displaced, but two problems remain. The marks should be
2276 spaced a little further apart and it would be better
2277 if they were all the same distance from the staff.
2278 We can solve the first problem easily. Instead of making
2279 the @code{extra-spacing-width} zero we could add a little
2280 more to it. The units are the space between two staff
2281 lines, so moving the left edge half a unit to the left and the
2282 right edge half a unit to the right should do it:
2284 @cindex DynamicText, example of overriding
2285 @cindex extra-spacing-width property, example
2287 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2289 % Extend width by 1 staff space
2290 \override DynamicText.extra-spacing-width = #'(-0.5 . 0.5)
2295 This looks better, but maybe we would prefer the dynamic marks
2296 to be aligned along the same baseline rather than going up and
2297 down with the notes. The property to do this is
2298 @code{staff-padding} which is covered in the following section.
2301 @node Collisions of objects
2302 @section Collisions of objects
2306 * Fixing overlapping notation::
2307 * Real music example::
2310 @node Moving objects
2311 @subsection Moving objects
2313 @cindex moving overlapping objects
2314 @cindex moving colliding objects
2315 @cindex moving colliding grobs
2316 @cindex objects, moving colliding
2317 @cindex grobs, moving colliding
2319 This may come as a surprise, but LilyPond is not perfect. Some
2320 notation elements can overlap. This is unfortunate, but in fact
2321 rather rare. Usually the need to move objects is for clarity or
2322 aesthetic reasons -- they would look better with a little more
2323 or a little less space around them.
2325 There are three main approaches to resolving overlapping
2326 notation. They should be considered in the following order:
2330 The @strong{direction} of one of the overlapping objects may
2331 be changed using the predefined commands listed above for
2332 within-staff objects (see @ref{Within-staff objects}).
2333 Stems, slurs, beams, ties, dynamics, text and tuplets may be
2334 repositioned easily in this way. The limitation is that you
2335 have a choice of only two positions, and neither may be
2339 The @strong{object properties}, which LilyPond uses when positioning
2340 layout objects, may be modified using @code{\override}. The
2341 advantages of making changes to this type of property are (a) that
2342 some other objects will be moved automatically if necessary to make
2343 room and (b) the single override can apply to all instances of the
2344 same type of object. Such properties include:
2351 This has already been covered in some detail -- see
2352 @ref{Within-staff objects}.
2355 @code{padding}, @code{right-padding}, @code{staff-padding}
2358 @cindex padding property
2359 @cindex right-padding property
2360 @cindex staff-padding property
2362 As an object is being positioned the value of its @code{padding}
2363 property specifies the gap that must be left between itself and the
2364 nearest edge of the object against which it is being positioned. Note
2365 that it is the @code{padding} value of the object @strong{being
2366 placed} that is used; the @code{padding} value of the object which is
2367 already placed is ignored. Gaps specified by @code{padding} can be
2368 applied to all objects which support the
2369 @code{side-position-interface}.
2371 Instead of @code{padding}, the placement of groups of accidentals
2372 is controlled by @code{right-padding}. This property is to be found
2373 in the @code{AccidentalPlacement} object which, note, lives in the
2374 @strong{Staff} context. In the typesetting process the note heads
2375 are typeset first and then the accidentals, if any, are added to the
2376 left of the note heads using the @code{right-padding} property to determine
2377 the separation from the note heads and between individual accidentals.
2378 So only the @code{right-padding} property of the @code{AccidentalPlacement}
2379 object has any effect on the placement of the accidentals.
2381 The @code{staff-padding} property is closely related to the
2382 @code{padding} property: @code{padding} controls the minimum amount of
2383 space between any object which supports the
2384 @code{side-position-interface} and the nearest other object (generally
2385 the note or the staff lines); @code{staff-padding} applies only to
2386 those objects which are always set outside the staff -- it controls
2387 the minimum amount of space that should be inserted between that
2388 object and the staff. Note that @code{staff-padding} has no effect on
2389 objects which are positioned relative to the note rather than the
2390 staff, even though it may be overridden without error for such objects
2391 -- it is simply ignored.
2393 To discover which padding property is required for the object you wish
2394 to reposition, you need to return to the IR and look up the object's
2395 properties. Be aware that the padding properties might not be located
2396 in the obvious object, so look in objects that appear to be related.
2398 All padding values are measured in staff spaces. For most
2399 objects, this value is set by default to be around 1.0 or less
2400 (it varies with each object). It may be overridden if a larger
2401 (or smaller) gap is required.
2404 @code{self-alignment-X}
2406 @cindex self-alignment-X property
2408 This property can be used to align the object to the left, to
2409 the right, or to center it with respect to the parent object's
2410 reference point. It may be used with all objects which support
2411 the @code{self-alignment-interface}. In general these are objects
2412 that contain text. The values are @code{LEFT}, @code{RIGHT}
2413 or @code{CENTER}. Alternatively, a numerical value between
2414 @w{@code{-1}} and @code{+1} may be specified, where @w{@code{-1}} is
2415 left-aligned, @code{+1} is right-aligned, and numbers in between
2416 move the text progressively from left-aligned to right-aligned.
2417 Numerical values greater than @code{1} may be specified to move
2418 the text even further to the left, or less than @w{@code{-1}} to
2419 move the text even further to the right. A change of @code{1}
2420 in the value corresponds to a movement of half the text's length.
2423 @code{extra-spacing-width}
2425 @cindex extra-spacing-width property
2427 This property is available for all objects which support the
2428 @code{item-interface}. It takes two numbers, the first is added
2429 to the leftmost extent and the second is added to the rightmost
2430 extent. Negative numbers move the edge to the left, positive to
2431 the right, so to widen an object the first number must be negative,
2432 the second positive. Note that not all objects honor both
2433 numbers. For example, the @code{Accidental} object only takes
2434 notice of the first (left edge) number.
2437 @code{staff-position}
2439 @cindex staff-position property
2441 @code{staff-position} is a property of the
2442 @code{staff-symbol-referencer-interface}, which is supported by
2443 objects which are positioned relative to the staff. It specifies
2444 the vertical position of the object relative to the center line
2445 of the staff in half staff-spaces. It is useful in resolving
2446 collisions between layout objects like multi-measure rests, ties
2447 and notes in different voices.
2452 @cindex force-hshift property
2454 Closely spaced notes in a chord, or notes occurring at the same
2455 time in different voices, are arranged in two, occasionally more,
2456 columns to prevent the note heads overlapping. These are called
2457 note columns, and an object called @code{NoteColumn} is created
2458 to lay out the notes in that column.
2460 The @code{force-hshift} property is a property of a @code{NoteColumn}
2461 (actually of the @code{note-column-interface}). Changing it permits a
2462 note column to be moved in units appropriate to a note column,
2463 viz. the note head width of the first voice note. It should be used
2464 in complex situations where the normal @code{\shiftOn} commands (see
2465 @ref{Explicitly instantiating voices}) do not resolve the note
2466 conflict. It is preferable to the @code{extra-offset} property for
2467 this purpose as there is no need to work out the distance in
2468 staff-spaces, and moving the notes into or out of a @code{NoteColumn}
2469 affects other actions such as merging note heads.
2474 Finally, when all else fails, objects may be manually repositioned
2475 relative to the staff center line vertically, or by displacing them by
2476 any distance to a new position. The disadvantages are that the
2477 correct values for the repositioning have to be worked out, often by
2478 trial and error, for every object individually, and, because the
2479 movement is done after LilyPond has placed all other objects, the user
2480 is responsible for avoiding any collisions that might ensue. But the
2481 main difficulty with this approach is that the repositioning values
2482 may need to be reworked if the music is later modified. The
2483 properties that can be used for this type of manual repositioning are:
2488 @cindex extra-offset property
2490 This property applies to any layout object supporting the
2491 @code{grob-interface}. It takes a pair of numbers which specify the
2492 extra displacement in the horizontal and vertical directions.
2493 Negative numbers move the object to the left or down. The units are
2494 staff-spaces. The extra displacement is made after the typesetting of
2495 objects is finished, so an object may be repositioned anywhere without
2496 affecting anything else.
2500 @cindex positions property
2502 This is most useful for manually adjusting the slope and height
2503 of beams, slurs, and tuplets. It takes a pair of numbers
2504 giving the position of the left and right ends of the beam, slur,
2505 etc. relative to the center line of the staff. Units are
2506 staff-spaces. Note, though, that slurs and phrasing slurs cannot
2507 be repositioned by arbitrarily large amounts. LilyPond first
2508 generates a list of possible positions for the slur and by default
2509 finds the slur that @qq{looks best}. If the @code{positions}
2510 property has been overridden the slur that is closest to the
2511 requested positions is selected from the list.
2516 A particular object may not have all of these properties.
2517 It is necessary to go to the IR to look up which properties
2518 are available for the object in question.
2520 Here is a list of the objects which are most likely to be
2521 involved in collisions, together with the name of the object which
2522 should be looked up in the IR in order to discover which properties
2523 should be used to move them.
2525 @multitable @columnfractions .5 .5
2526 @headitem Object type @tab Object name
2527 @item Articulations @tab @code{Script}
2528 @item Beams @tab @code{Beam}
2529 @item Dynamics (vertically) @tab @code{DynamicLineSpanner}
2530 @item Dynamics (horizontally) @tab @code{DynamicText}
2531 @item Fingerings @tab @code{Fingering}
2532 @item Rehearsal / Text marks @tab @code{RehearsalMark}
2533 @item Slurs @tab @code{Slur}
2534 @item Text e.g. @code{^"text"} @tab @code{TextScript}
2535 @item Ties @tab @code{Tie}
2536 @item Tuplets @tab @code{TupletBracket}
2540 @node Fixing overlapping notation
2541 @subsection Fixing overlapping notation
2543 Let's now see how the properties in the previous section can
2544 help to resolve overlapping notation.
2546 @subheading padding property
2549 @cindex fixing overlapping notation
2550 @cindex overlapping notation
2552 The @code{padding} property can be set to increase
2553 (or decrease) the distance between symbols that are printed
2554 above or below notes.
2556 @cindex Script, example of overriding
2557 @cindex padding property, example
2559 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2561 \override Script.padding = #3
2565 @cindex MetronomeMark, example of overriding
2566 @cindex padding property, example
2568 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2569 % This will not work, see below
2570 \override MetronomeMark.padding = #3
2574 \override Score.MetronomeMark.padding = #3
2579 Note in the second example how important it is to figure out what
2580 context handles a certain object. Since the @code{MetronomeMark}
2581 object is handled in the @code{Score} context, property changes in the
2582 @code{Voice} context will not be noticed. For more details, see
2583 @ruser{Modifying properties}.
2585 If the @code{padding} property of an object is increased when that
2586 object is in a stack of objects being positioned according to
2587 their @code{outside-staff-priority}, then that object and all
2588 objects outside it are moved.
2591 @subheading right-padding
2593 @cindex right-padding property
2595 The @code{right-padding} property affects the spacing between the
2596 accidental and the note to which it applies. It is not often
2597 required, but the default spacing may be wrong for certain special
2598 accidental glyphs or combination of glyphs used in some microtonal
2599 music. These have to be entered by overriding the accidental
2600 stencil with a markup containing the desired symbol(s), like this:
2602 @cindex Accidental, example of overriding
2603 @cindex text property, example
2604 @cindex stencil property, example
2605 @cindex AccidentalPlacement, example of overriding
2606 @cindex right-padding property, example
2608 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
2609 sesquisharp = \markup { \sesquisharp }
2612 % This prints a sesquisharp but the spacing is too small
2613 \once \override Accidental.stencil = #ly:text-interface::print
2614 \once \override Accidental.text = #sesquisharp
2616 % This improves the spacing
2617 \once \override Score.AccidentalPlacement.right-padding = #0.6
2618 \once \override Accidental.stencil = #ly:text-interface::print
2619 \once \override Accidental.text = #sesquisharp
2625 This necessarily uses an override for the accidental stencil which
2626 will not be covered until later. The stencil type must be a
2627 procedure, here changed to print the contents of the @code{text}
2628 property of @code{Accidental}, which itself is set to be a
2629 sesquisharp sign. This sign is then moved further away from the
2630 note head by overriding @code{right-padding}.
2634 @subheading staff-padding property
2636 @cindex aligning objects on a baseline
2637 @cindex objects, aligning on a baseline
2639 @code{staff-padding} can be used to align objects such as dynamics
2640 along a baseline at a fixed height above the staff, rather than at a
2641 height dependent on the position of the note to which they are
2642 attached. It is not a property of @code{DynamicText} but of
2643 @code{DynamicLineSpanner}. This is because the baseline should apply
2644 equally to @strong{all} dynamics, including those created as extended
2645 spanners. So this is the way to align the dynamic marks in the
2646 example taken from the previous section:
2648 @cindex DynamicText, example of overriding
2649 @cindex extra-spacing-width property, example
2650 @cindex DynamicLineSpanner, example of overriding
2651 @cindex staff-padding property, example
2653 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2655 % Extend width by 1 unit
2656 \override DynamicText.extra-spacing-width = #'(-0.5 . 0.5)
2657 % Align dynamics to a base line 2 units above staff
2658 \override DynamicLineSpanner.staff-padding = #2
2663 @subheading self-alignment-X property
2665 The following example shows how this can resolve the collision
2666 of a string fingering object with a note's stem by aligning the
2667 right edge with the reference point of the parent note:
2669 @cindex StringNumber, example of overriding
2670 @cindex self-alignment-X property, example
2672 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=3]
2675 \once \override StringNumber.self-alignment-X = #RIGHT
2679 @subheading staff-position property
2681 @cindex object collision within a staff
2683 Multimeasure rests in one voice can collide with notes in another.
2684 Since these rests are typeset centered between the bar lines, it
2685 would require significant effort for LilyPond to figure out which
2686 other notes might collide with it, since all the current collision
2687 handling between notes and between notes and rests is done only
2688 for notes and rests that occur at the same time. Here's an
2689 example of a collision of this type:
2691 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right, relative=1]
2692 << { c4 c c c } \\ { R1 } >>
2695 The best solution here is to move the multimeasure rest down, since
2696 the rest is in voice two. The default in @code{\voiceTwo} (i.e. in
2697 the second voice of a @code{<<@{...@} \\ @{...@}>>} construct) is that
2698 @code{staff-position} is set to -4 for MultiMeasureRest, so we need to
2699 move it, say, four half-staff spaces down to @w{@code{-8}}.
2701 @cindex MultiMeasureRest, example of overriding
2702 @cindex staff-position property, example
2704 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right, relative=1]
2708 \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = #-8
2713 This is better than using, for example, @code{extra-offset},
2714 because the ledger line above the rest is inserted automatically.
2716 @subheading extra-offset property
2718 @cindex positioning objects
2719 @cindex positioning grobs
2720 @cindex objects, positioning
2721 @cindex grobs, positioning
2723 The @code{extra-offset} property provides complete control over the
2724 positioning of an object both horizontally and vertically.
2726 In the following example, the second fingering is moved a little to
2727 the left, and 1.8 staff space downwards:
2729 @cindex Fingering, example of overriding
2730 @cindex extra-offset property, example
2732 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2735 \once \override Fingering.extra-offset = #'(-0.3 . -1.8)
2740 @subheading positions property
2742 @cindex controlling tuplets, slurs, phrasing slurs, and beams manually
2743 @cindex manually controlling tuplets, slurs, phrasing slurs, and beams
2744 @cindex tuplet beams, controlling manually
2745 @cindex slurs, controlling manually
2746 @cindex phrasing slurs, controlling manually
2747 @cindex beams, controlling manually
2749 The @code{positions} property allows the position and slope of
2750 tuplets, slurs, phrasing slurs and beams to be controlled manually.
2751 Here's an example which has an ugly phrasing slur due to its trying to
2752 avoid the slur on the acciaccatura.
2754 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right,relative=1]
2755 r4 \acciaccatura e8\( d8 c~ c d c d\)
2759 We could simply move the phrasing slur above the notes, and this
2760 would be the preferred solution:
2762 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right,relative=1]
2765 \acciaccatura e8\( d8 c~ c d c d\)
2769 But if there were some reason why this could not be done the
2770 other alternative would be to move the left end of the phrasing
2771 slur down a little using the @code{positions} property. This
2772 also resolves the rather nasty shape.
2774 @cindex PhrasingSlur, example of overriding
2775 @cindex positions property, example
2777 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right,relative=1]
2779 \once \override PhrasingSlur.positions = #'(-4 . -3)
2780 \acciaccatura e8\( d8 c~ c d c d\)
2783 Here's a further example. We see that the beams
2784 collide with the ties:
2786 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2790 { c'1 ~ c'2. e'8 f' }
2792 { e''8 e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' f''2 g'' }
2795 { c'1 ~ c'2. e'8 f' }
2797 { e''8 e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' f''2 g'' }
2803 This can be resolved by manually moving both ends of the beam
2804 up from their position at 1.81 staff-spaces below the center line to,
2807 @cindex Beam, example of overriding
2808 @cindex positions property, example
2810 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2814 { c'1 ~ c'2. e'8 f' }
2817 \override Beam.positions = #'(-1 . -1)
2818 e''8 e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' f''2 g''
2822 { c'1 ~ c'2. e'8 f' }
2824 { e''8 e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' f''2 g'' }
2830 Note that the override continues to apply in the first voice of
2831 the second measure of eighth notes, but not to any of the beams in the
2834 @subheading force-hshift property
2836 We can now see how to apply the final corrections to the Chopin
2837 example introduced at the end of @ref{I'm hearing Voices}, which
2838 was left looking like this:
2840 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2841 \new Staff \relative c'' {
2856 The inner note of the first chord (i.e. the A-flat in the fourth
2857 Voice) need not be shifted away from the note column of the higher
2858 note. To correct this we set @code{force-hshift}, which is a property
2859 of @code{NoteColumn}, of this note to zero.
2861 In the second chord we prefer the F to line up with the A-flat and the
2862 lowest note to be positioned slightly right to avoid a collision of
2863 stems. We achieve this by setting @code{force-hshift} in the
2864 @code{NoteColumn} of the low D-flat to move it to the right by half
2867 Here's the final result:
2869 @cindex NoteColumn, example of overriding
2870 @cindex force-hshift property, example
2872 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2873 \new Staff \relative c'' {
2880 \once \override NoteColumn.force-hshift = #0.5
2886 \override NoteColumn.force-hshift = #0
2895 @node Real music example
2896 @subsection Real music example
2898 We end this section on Tweaks by showing the steps to be taken to
2899 deal with a tricky example which needs several tweaks to produce
2900 the desired output. The example has been deliberately chosen to
2901 illustrate the use of the Notation Reference to resolve unusual
2902 problems with notation. It is not representative of the more usual
2903 engraving process, so please do not let these difficulties put
2904 you off! Fortunately, difficulties like these are not very common!
2906 The example is from Chopin's Première Ballade, Op. 23, bars 6 to
2907 9, the transition from the opening Lento to Moderato.
2908 Here, first, is what we want the output to look like, but to avoid
2909 over-complicating the example too much we have left out the
2910 dynamics, fingering and pedalling.
2912 @c The following should appear as music without code
2913 @c This example should not be indexed
2914 @c line-width ensures no break
2915 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
2916 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2919 \once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5
2923 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOn
2924 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOn
2925 bes2.^\markup { \bold "Moderato" } r8
2931 % Reposition the c2 to the right of the merged note
2932 \once \override NoteColumn.force-hshift = #1.0
2933 % Move the c2 out of the main note column
2934 % so the merge will work
2941 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
2943 % Stem on the d2 should be invisible
2944 \tweak Stem.transparent ##t
2945 \tweak Flag.transparent ##t
2953 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOff
2954 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOff
2959 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2961 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
2968 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2972 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2981 We note first that the right hand part in the third bar
2982 requires four voices. These are the five beamed eighth notes,
2983 the tied C, the half-note D which is merged with the eighth note
2984 D, and the dotted quarter note F-sharp, which is also merged with
2985 the eighth note at the same pitch. Everything else is in a single
2986 voice, so the easiest way is to introduce these extra three voices
2987 temporarily at the time they are needed. If you have forgotten
2988 how to do this, look at @ref{I'm hearing Voices} and @ref{Explicitly
2989 instantiating voices}. Here we choose to use explicitly instantiated
2990 voices for the polyphonic passage, as LilyPond is better able to
2991 avoid collisions if all voices are instantiated explicitly in this
2994 So let us begin by entering the notes as two variables, setting up
2995 the staff structure in a score block, and seeing what LilyPond
2996 produces by default:
2998 @c line-width ensures no break
2999 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3000 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3006 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3008 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3022 g2. % continuation of main voice
3026 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3035 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3039 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3048 All the notes are right, but the appearance is far from
3049 satisfactory. The tie collides with the change in time signature,
3050 some notes are not merged together, and several notation elements
3051 are missing. Let's first deal with the easier things. We can
3052 easily add the left hand slur and the right hand phrasing slur,
3053 since these were all covered in the Tutorial. Doing this gives:
3055 @c line-width ensures no break
3056 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3057 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3063 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3065 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3079 g2.\) % continuation of main voice
3083 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3092 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3096 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3105 The first bar is now correct. The second bar contains an arpeggio and
3106 is terminated by a double bar line. How do we do these, as they have
3107 not been mentioned in this Learning Manual? This is where we need to
3108 turn to the Notation Reference. Looking up @q{arpeggio} and @q{bar
3109 line} in the index quickly shows us that an arpeggio is produced by
3110 appending @code{\arpeggio} to a chord, and a double bar line is
3111 produced by the @code{\bar "||"} command. That's easily done. We
3112 next need to correct the collision of the tie with the time signature.
3113 This is best done by moving the tie upwards. Moving objects was
3114 covered earlier in @ref{Moving objects}, which says that objects
3115 positioned relative to the staff can be moved vertically by overriding
3116 their @code{staff-position} property, which is specified in half staff
3117 spaces relative to the center line of the staff. So the following
3118 override placed just before the first tied note would move the tie up
3119 to 3.5 half staff spaces above the center line:
3121 @code{\once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5}
3123 This completes bar two, giving:
3125 @c line-width ensures no break
3126 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3127 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3130 \once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5
3135 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3137 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3151 g2.\) % continuation of main voice
3155 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3157 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
3164 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3168 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3177 On to bar three and the start of the Moderato section. The tutorial
3178 showed how to add bold text with the @code{\markup} command, so
3179 adding @qq{Moderato} in bold is easy. But how do we merge notes in
3180 different voices together? This is where we need to turn again to
3181 the Notation Reference for help. A search for @qq{merge} in the
3182 Notation Reference index quickly leads us to the commands for merging
3183 differently headed and differently dotted notes in
3184 @ruser{Collision resolution}. In our example we need to merge both
3185 types of note for the duration of the polyphonic section in bar 3,
3186 so using the information we find in the Notation Reference we add
3189 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOn
3190 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOn
3194 to the start of that section and
3197 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOff
3198 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOff
3204 @c line-width ensures no break
3205 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3206 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3209 \once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5
3213 bes2.^\markup { \bold "Moderato" } r8
3214 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOn
3215 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOn
3216 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3218 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3232 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOff
3233 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOff
3234 g2.\) % continuation of main voice
3238 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3240 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
3247 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3251 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3260 These overrides have merged the two F-sharp notes, but not the two
3261 on D. Why not? The answer is there in the same section in the
3262 Notation Reference -- notes being merged must have stems in
3263 opposite directions and two notes cannot be merged successfully if
3264 there is a third note in the same note column. Here the two D's
3265 both have upward stems and there is a third note -- the C. We know
3266 how to change the stem direction using @code{\stemDown}, and
3267 the Notation Reference also says how to move the C -- apply a shift
3268 using one of the @code{\shift} commands. But which one?
3269 The C is in voice two which has shift off, and the two D's are in
3270 voices one and three, which have shift off and shift on,
3271 respectively. So we have to shift the C a further level still
3272 using @code{\shiftOnn} to avoid it interfering with the two D's.
3273 Applying these changes gives:
3275 @cindex Tie, example of overriding
3276 @cindex staff-position property, example
3278 @c line-width ensures no break
3279 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3280 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3283 \once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5
3287 bes2.^\markup { \bold "Moderato" } r8
3288 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOn
3289 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOn
3290 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3292 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3295 % Move the c2 out of the main note column
3296 % so the merge will work
3301 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
3309 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOff
3310 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOff
3311 g2.\) % continuation of main voice
3315 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3317 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
3324 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3328 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3337 Nearly there. Only two problems remain: The downward stem on the
3338 merged D should not be there, and the C would be better positioned
3339 to the right of the D's. We know how to do both of these from the
3340 earlier tweaks: we make the stem transparent, and move the C with
3341 the @code{force-hshift} property. Here's the final result:
3343 @cindex NoteColumn, example of overriding
3344 @cindex force-hshift property, example
3345 @cindex Stem, example of overriding
3346 @cindex transparent property, example
3348 @c line-width ensures no break
3349 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3350 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3353 \once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5
3357 bes2.^\markup { \bold "Moderato" } r8
3358 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOn
3359 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOn
3360 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3362 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3366 % Reposition the c2 to the right of the merged note
3367 \once \override NoteColumn.force-hshift = #1.0
3368 % Move the c2 out of the main note column
3369 % so the merge will work
3376 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
3378 % Stem on the d2 should be invisible
3379 \tweak Stem.transparent ##t
3380 \tweak Flag.transparent ##t
3388 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOff
3389 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOff
3390 g2.\) % continuation of main voice
3394 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3396 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
3403 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3407 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3417 @node Further tweaking
3418 @section Further tweaking
3421 * Other uses for tweaks::
3422 * Using variables for tweaks::
3424 * Other sources of information::
3425 * Advanced tweaks with Scheme::
3428 @node Other uses for tweaks
3429 @subsection Other uses for tweaks
3431 @cindex transparent property, use of
3432 @cindex objects, making invisible
3433 @cindex removing objects
3434 @cindex objects, removing
3435 @cindex hiding objects
3436 @cindex objects, hiding
3437 @cindex invisible objects
3438 @cindex objects, invisible
3439 @cindex tying notes across voices
3441 @subheading Tying notes across voices
3443 The following example demonstrates how to connect notes in
3444 different voices using ties. Normally, only two notes in the
3445 same voice can be connected with ties. By using two voices,
3446 with the tied notes in one of them
3448 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2]
3449 << { b8~ b\noBeam } \\ { b8[ g] } >>
3453 and blanking the first up-stem in that voice, the tie appears to
3456 @cindex Stem, example of overriding
3457 @cindex transparent property, example
3459 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
3462 \tweak Stem.transparent ##t
3463 \tweak Flag.transparent ##t
3471 To make sure that the just-blanked stem doesn't squeeze the tie
3472 too much, we can lengthen the stem by setting the
3473 @code{length} to @code{8},
3475 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
3478 \tweak Stem.transparent ##t
3479 \tweak Flag.transparent ##t
3480 \tweak Stem.length #8
3488 @subheading Simulating a fermata in MIDI
3490 @cindex stencil property, use of
3491 @cindex fermata, implementing in MIDI
3493 For outside-staff objects it is usually better to override the
3494 object's @code{stencil} property rather than its @code{transparent}
3495 property when you wish to remove it from the printed output.
3496 Setting the @code{stencil} property of an object to @code{#f} will
3497 remove that object entirely from the printed output. This means it
3498 has no effect on the placement of other objects placed relative to
3501 For example, if we wished to change the metronome setting in order
3502 to simulate a fermata in the MIDI output we would not want the
3503 metronome markings to appear in the printed output, and we would
3504 not want it to influence the spacing between the two systems or
3505 the positions of adjacent annotations on the staff. So setting
3506 its @code{stencil} property to @code{#f} would be the best way.
3507 We show here the effect of the two methods:
3509 @cindex MetronomeMark, example of overriding
3510 @cindex transparent property, example
3512 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3515 % Visible tempo marking
3518 \once \override Score.MetronomeMark.transparent = ##t
3519 % Invisible tempo marking to lengthen fermata in MIDI
3522 % New tempo for next section
3531 @cindex MetronomeMark, example of overriding
3532 @cindex stencil property, example
3534 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3537 % Visible tempo marking
3540 \once \override Score.MetronomeMark.stencil = ##f
3541 % Invisible tempo marking to lengthen fermata in MIDI
3544 % New tempo for next section
3554 Both methods remove the metronome mark which lengthens the fermata
3555 from the printed output, and both affect the MIDI timing as
3556 required, but the transparent metronome mark in the first line
3557 forces the following tempo indication too high while the
3558 second (with the stencil removed) does not.
3564 @node Using variables for tweaks
3565 @subsection Using variables for tweaks
3567 @cindex variables, using for tweaks
3568 @cindex using variables for tweaks
3569 @cindex tweaks, using variables for
3571 Override commands are often long and tedious to type, and they
3572 have to be absolutely correct. If the same overrides are to be
3573 used many times it may be worth defining variables to hold them.
3575 Suppose we wish to emphasize certain words in lyrics by printing
3576 them in bold italics. The @code{\italic} and @code{\bold}
3577 commands only work within lyrics if they are embedded, together with
3578 the word or words to be modified, within a @code{\markup} block,
3579 which makes them tedious to enter. The need to embed the words
3580 themselves prevents their use in simple variables. As an
3581 alternative can we use @code{\override} and @code{\revert} commands?
3584 @code{\override Lyrics.LyricText.font-shape = #'italic}
3585 @code{\override Lyrics.LyricText.font-series = #'bold}
3587 @code{\revert Lyrics.LyricText.font-shape}
3588 @code{\revert Lyrics.LyricText.font-series}
3591 These would also be extremely tedious to enter if there were many
3592 words requiring emphasis. But we @emph{can} define these as two
3593 variables and use those to bracket the words to be emphasized.
3594 Another advantage of using variables for these overrides is that
3595 the spaces around the dot are not necessary, since they are not
3596 being interpreted in @code{\lyricmode} directly. Here's an example
3597 of this, although in practice we would choose shorter names
3598 for the variables to make them quicker to type:
3600 @cindex LyricText, example of overriding
3601 @cindex font-shape property, example
3602 @cindex font-series property, example
3604 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
3606 \override Lyrics.LyricText.font-shape = #'italic
3607 \override Lyrics.LyricText.font-series = #'bold
3611 \revert Lyrics.LyricText.font-shape
3612 \revert Lyrics.LyricText.font-series
3615 global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 \partial 4 }
3617 SopranoMusic = \relative c' { c4 | e4. e8 g4 g | a4 a g }
3618 AltoMusic = \relative c' { c4 | c4. c8 e4 e | f4 f e }
3619 TenorMusic = \relative c { e4 | g4. g8 c4. b8 | a8 b c d e4 }
3620 BassMusic = \relative c { c4 | c4. c8 c4 c | f8 g a b c4 }
3622 VerseOne = \lyrics {
3623 E -- | ter -- nal \emphasize Fa -- ther, | \normal strong to save,
3626 VerseTwo = \lyricmode {
3627 O | \once \emphasize Christ, whose voice the | wa -- ters heard,
3630 VerseThree = \lyricmode {
3631 O | \emphasize Ho -- ly Spi -- rit, | \normal who didst brood
3634 VerseFour = \lyricmode {
3635 O | \emphasize Tri -- ni -- ty \normal of | love and pow'r
3642 \new Voice = "Soprano" { \voiceOne \global \SopranoMusic }
3643 \new Voice = "Alto" { \voiceTwo \AltoMusic }
3644 \new Lyrics \lyricsto "Soprano" { \VerseOne }
3645 \new Lyrics \lyricsto "Soprano" { \VerseTwo }
3646 \new Lyrics \lyricsto "Soprano" { \VerseThree }
3647 \new Lyrics \lyricsto "Soprano" { \VerseFour }
3651 \new Voice = "Tenor" { \voiceOne \TenorMusic }
3652 \new Voice = "Bass" { \voiceTwo \BassMusic }
3660 @subsection Style sheets
3662 The output that LilyPond produces can be heavily modified; see
3663 @ref{Tweaking output}, for details. But what if you have many
3664 input files that you want to apply your tweaks to? Or what if you
3665 simply want to separate your tweaks from the actual music? This
3666 is quite easy to do.
3668 Let's look at an example. Don't worry if you don't understand
3669 the parts with all the @code{#()}. This is explained in
3670 @ref{Advanced tweaks with Scheme}.
3672 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3674 #(make-dynamic-script
3675 #{ \markup { \hspace #0
3676 \translate #'(5 . 0)
3677 \line { \dynamic "mp"
3678 \text \italic "dolce" } }
3682 #(define-music-function
3683 (parser location string)
3685 #{ ^\markup \bold \box #string #})
3689 a4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
3693 g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
3697 Let's do something about the @code{mpdolce} and @code{inst} definitions.
3698 They produce the output we desire, but we might want to use them in
3699 another piece. We could simply copy-and-paste them at the top of every
3700 file, but that's an annoyance. It also leaves those definitions in our
3701 input files, and I personally find all the @code{#()} somewhat ugly.
3702 Let's hide them in another file:
3705 %%% save this to a file called "definitions.ily"
3707 #(make-dynamic-script
3708 #@{ \markup @{ \hspace #0
3709 \translate #'(5 . 0)
3710 \line @{ \dynamic "mp"
3711 \text \italic "dolce" @} @}
3715 #(define-music-function
3716 (parser location string)
3718 #@{ ^\markup \bold \box #string #@})
3721 We will refer to this file using the @code{\include} command near
3722 the top of the music file. (The extension @file{.ily} is used to
3723 distinguish this included file, which is not meant to be compiled
3724 on its own, from the main file.)
3725 Now let's modify our music (let's save this file as @file{music.ly}).
3727 @c We have to do this awkward example/lilypond-non-verbatim
3728 @c because we can't do the \include stuff in the manual.
3731 \include "definitions.ily"
3735 a4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
3739 g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
3743 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
3745 #(make-dynamic-script
3746 #{ \markup { \hspace #0
3747 \translate #'(5 . 0)
3748 \line { \dynamic "mp"
3749 \text \italic "dolce" } }
3753 #(define-music-function
3754 (parser location string)
3756 #{ ^\markup \bold \box #string #})
3760 a4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
3764 g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
3768 That looks better, but let's make a few changes. The glissando is hard
3769 to see, so let's make it thicker and closer to the note heads. Let's
3770 put the metronome marking above the clef, instead of over the first
3771 note. And finally, my composition professor hates @q{C} time signatures,
3772 so we'd better make that @q{4/4} instead.
3774 Don't change @file{music.ly}, though. Replace our @file{definitions.ily}
3780 #(make-dynamic-script
3781 #@{ \markup @{ \hspace #0
3782 \translate #'(5 . 0)
3783 \line @{ \dynamic "mp"
3784 \text \italic "dolce" @} @}
3788 #(define-music-function
3789 (parser location string)
3791 #@{ ^\markup \bold \box #string #@})
3796 \override MetronomeMark.extra-offset = #'(-9 . 0)
3797 \override MetronomeMark.padding = #'3
3801 \override TimeSignature.style = #'numbered
3805 \override Glissando.thickness = #3
3806 \override Glissando.gap = #0.1
3811 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
3813 #(make-dynamic-script
3814 #{ \markup { \hspace #0
3815 \translate #'(5 . 0)
3816 \line { \dynamic "mp"
3817 \text \italic "dolce" } }
3821 #(define-music-function
3822 (parser location string)
3824 #{ ^\markup \bold \box #string #})
3829 \override MetronomeMark.extra-offset = #'(-9 . 0)
3830 \override MetronomeMark.padding = #'3
3834 \override TimeSignature.style = #'numbered
3838 \override Glissando.thickness = #3
3839 \override Glissando.gap = #0.1
3845 a4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
3849 g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
3853 That looks nicer! But now suppose that I want to publish this
3854 piece. My composition professor doesn't like @q{C} time
3855 signatures, but I'm somewhat fond of them. Let's copy the
3856 current @file{definitions.ily} to @file{web-publish.ily} and
3857 modify that. Since this music is aimed at producing a pdf which
3858 will be displayed on the screen, we'll also increase the
3859 overall size of the output.
3864 #(make-dynamic-script
3865 #@{ \markup @{ \hspace #0
3866 \translate #'(5 . 0)
3867 \line @{ \dynamic "mp"
3868 \text \italic "dolce" @} @}
3872 #(define-music-function
3873 (parser location string)
3875 #@{ ^\markup \bold \box #string #@})
3877 #(set-global-staff-size 23)
3882 \override MetronomeMark.extra-offset = #'(-9 . 0)
3883 \override MetronomeMark.padding = #'3
3890 \override Glissando.thickness = #3
3891 \override Glissando.gap = #0.1
3896 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
3898 #(make-dynamic-script
3899 #{ \markup { \hspace #0
3900 \translate #'(5 . 0)
3901 \line { \dynamic "mp"
3902 \text \italic "dolce" } }
3906 #(define-music-function
3907 (parser location string)
3909 #{ ^\markup \bold \box #string #})
3911 #(set-global-staff-size 23)
3915 \override MetronomeMark.extra-offset = #'(-9 . 0)
3916 \override MetronomeMark.padding = #'3
3919 \override Glissando.thickness = #3
3920 \override Glissando.gap = #0.1
3926 a4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
3930 g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
3934 Now in our music, I simply replace
3935 @code{\include "definitions.ily"} with
3936 @code{\include "web-publish.ily"}. Of course, we could make this
3937 even more convenient. We could make a @file{definitions.ily} file which
3938 contains only the definitions of @code{mpdolce} and @code{inst}, a
3939 @file{web-publish.ily} file which contains only the @code{\layout}
3940 section listed above, and a @file{university.ily} file which
3941 contains only the tweaks to produce the output that my professor
3942 prefers. The top of @file{music.ly} would then look like this:
3945 \include "definitions.ily"
3947 %%% Only uncomment one of these two lines!
3948 \include "web-publish.ily"
3949 %\include "university.ily"
3952 This approach can be useful even if you are only producing
3953 one set of parts. I use half a dozen different
3954 @q{style sheet} files for my projects. I begin every music
3955 file with @code{\include "../global.ily"}, which contains
3959 \version @w{"@version{}"}
3961 #(ly:set-option 'point-and-click #f)
3963 \include "../init/init-defs.ly"
3964 \include "../init/init-layout.ly"
3965 \include "../init/init-headers.ly"
3966 \include "../init/init-paper.ly"
3970 @node Other sources of information
3971 @subsection Other sources of information
3973 The Internals Reference documentation contains a lot of information
3974 about LilyPond, but even more information can be gathered by
3975 looking at the internal LilyPond files. To explore these, you must
3976 first find the directory appropriate to your system. The location
3977 of this directory depends (a) on whether you obtained LilyPond
3978 by downloading a precompiled binary from lilypond.org
3979 or whether you installed it from a package manager (i.e.
3980 distributed with GNU/Linux, or installed under fink or cygwin) or
3981 compiled it from source, and (b) on which operating system it is
3984 @strong{Downloaded from lilypond.org}
3991 @file{@var{INSTALLDIR}/lilypond/usr/@/share/lilypond/current/}
3998 @file{@var{INSTALLDIR}/LilyPond.app/Contents/@/Resources/share/lilypond/current/}
4001 by either @code{cd}-ing into this directory from the
4002 Terminal, or control-clicking on the LilyPond application and
4003 selecting @q{Show Package Contents}.
4007 Using Windows Explorer, navigate to
4009 @file{@var{INSTALLDIR}/LilyPond/usr/@/share/lilypond/current/}
4014 @strong{Installed from a package manager or compiled from source}
4017 @file{@var{PREFIX}/share/lilypond/@var{X.Y.Z}/}, where
4018 @var{PREFIX} is set by your package manager or @code{configure}
4019 script, and @var{X.Y.Z} is the LilyPond version number.
4023 Within this directory the two interesting subdirectories are
4026 @item @file{ly/} - contains files in LilyPond format
4027 @item @file{scm/} - contains files in Scheme format
4030 Let's begin by looking at some files in @file{ly/}.
4031 Open @file{ly/property-init.ly} in a text editor. The one
4032 you normally use for @code{.ly} files will be fine. This file
4033 contains the definitions of all the standard LilyPond predefined
4034 commands, such as @code{\stemUp} and @code{\slurDotted}. You will
4035 see that these are nothing more than definitions of variables
4036 containing one or a group of @code{\override} commands. For
4037 example, @code{/tieDotted} is defined to be:
4041 \override Tie.dash-period = #0.75
4042 \override Tie.dash-fraction = #0.1
4046 If you do not like the default values these predefined commands can
4047 be redefined easily, just like any other variable, at the
4048 head of your input file.
4050 The following are the most useful files to be found in
4053 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .6
4056 @item @file{ly/engraver-init.ly}
4057 @tab Definitions of engraver Contexts
4058 @item @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}
4059 @tab Specifications of paper-related defaults
4060 @item @file{ly/performer-init.ly}
4061 @tab Definitions of performer Contexts
4062 @item @file{ly/property-init.ly}
4063 @tab Definitions of all common predefined commands
4064 @item @file{ly/spanner-init.ly}
4065 @tab Definitions of spanner-related predefined commands
4068 Other settings (such as the definitions of markup commands) are
4069 stored as @file{.scm} (Scheme) files. The Scheme programming
4070 language is used to provide a programmable interface into
4071 LilyPond internal operation. Further explanation of these files
4072 is currently outside the scope of this manual, as a knowledge of
4073 the Scheme language is required. Users should be warned that
4074 a substantial amount of technical knowledge or time is required
4075 to understand Scheme and these files (see @rextend{Scheme tutorial}).
4077 If you have this knowledge, the Scheme files which may be of
4080 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .6
4083 @item @file{scm/auto-beam.scm}
4084 @tab Sub-beaming defaults
4085 @item @file{scm/define-grobs.scm}
4086 @tab Default settings for grob properties
4087 @item @file{scm/define-markup-commands.scm}
4088 @tab Specify all markup commands
4089 @item @file{scm/midi.scm}
4090 @tab Default settings for MIDI output
4091 @item @file{scm/output-lib.scm}
4092 @tab Settings that affect appearance of frets, colors,
4093 accidentals, bar lines, etc
4094 @item @file{scm/parser-clef.scm}
4095 @tab Definitions of supported clefs
4096 @item @file{scm/script.scm}
4097 @tab Default settings for articulations
4101 @node Advanced tweaks with Scheme
4102 @subsection Advanced tweaks with Scheme
4104 Although many things are possible with the @code{\override} and
4105 @code{\tweak} commands, an even more powerful way of modifying
4106 the action of LilyPond is available through a programmable
4107 interface to the LilyPond internal operation. Code written in
4108 the Scheme programming language can be incorporated directly in
4109 the internal operation of LilyPond. Of course, at least a basic
4110 knowledge of programming in Scheme is required to do this, and an
4111 introduction is provided in the @rextend{Scheme tutorial}.
4113 As an illustration of one of the many possibilities, instead of
4114 setting a property to a constant it can be set to a Scheme
4115 procedure which is then called whenever that property is accessed
4116 by LilyPond. The property can then be set dynamically to a value
4117 determined by the procedure at the time it is called. In this
4118 example we color the note head in accordance with its position on
4121 @cindex x11-color function, example of using
4122 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
4123 @cindex color property, setting to Scheme procedure
4125 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
4126 #(define (color-notehead grob)
4127 "Color the notehead according to its position on the staff."
4128 (let ((mod-position (modulo (ly:grob-property grob 'staff-position)
4131 ;; Return rainbow colors
4132 ((1) (x11-color 'red )) ; for C
4133 ((2) (x11-color 'orange )) ; for D
4134 ((3) (x11-color 'yellow )) ; for E
4135 ((4) (x11-color 'green )) ; for F
4136 ((5) (x11-color 'blue )) ; for G
4137 ((6) (x11-color 'purple )) ; for A
4138 ((0) (x11-color 'violet )) ; for B
4142 % Arrange to obtain color from color-notehead procedure
4143 \override NoteHead.color = #color-notehead
4144 a2 b | c2 d | e2 f | g2 a |
4148 Further examples showing the use of these programmable interfaces
4149 can be found in @rextend{Callback functions}.