1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
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13 @node General input and output
14 @chapter General input and output
16 This section deals with general LilyPond input and output issues,
17 rather than specific notation.
21 * Titles and headers::
22 * Working with input files::
23 * Controlling output::
29 @section Input structure
31 The main format of input for LilyPond are text files. By convention,
32 these files end with @file{.ly}.
35 * Structure of a score::
36 * Multiple scores in a book::
37 * Multiple output files from one input file::
43 @node Structure of a score
44 @subsection Structure of a score
48 A @code{\score} block must contain a single music expression
49 delimited by curly brackets:
57 @warning{There must be @strong{only one} outer music expression in
58 a @code{\score} block, and it @strong{must} be surrounded by
61 This single music expression may be of any size, and may contain
62 other music expressions to any complexity. All of these examples
63 are music expressions:
69 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
76 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
78 \new Staff { c'4 c' c' c' }
79 \new Staff { d'4 d' d' d' }
87 \new Staff @{ \flute @}
88 \new Staff @{ \oboe @}
91 \new Staff @{ \violinI @}
92 \new Staff @{ \violinII @}
98 Comments are one exception to this general rule. (For others see
99 @ref{File structure}.) Both single-line comments and comments
100 delimited by @code{%@{ .. %@}} may be placed anywhere within an
101 input file. They may be placed inside or outside a @code{\score}
102 block, and inside or outside the single music expression within a
105 Remember that even in a file containing only a @code{\score} block, it
106 is implicitly enclosed in a \book block. A \book block in a source
107 file produces at least one output file, and by default the name of the
108 output file produced is derived from the name of the input file, so
109 @file{fandangoforelephants.ly} will produce
110 @file{fandangoforelephants.pdf}.
112 (For more details about @code{\book} blocks, see
113 @ref{Multiple scores in a book},
114 @ref{Multiple output files from one input file} @ref{File structure}.)
118 @rlearning{Working on input files},
119 @rlearning{Music expressions explained},
120 @rlearning{Score is a (single) compound musical expression}.
123 @node Multiple scores in a book
124 @subsection Multiple scores in a book
127 @cindex movements, multiple
129 A document may contain multiple pieces of music and text. Examples
130 of these are an etude book, or an orchestral part with multiple
131 movements. Each movement is entered with a @code{\score} block,
139 and texts are entered with a @code{\markup} block,
149 All the movements and texts which appear in the same @file{.ly} file
150 will normally be typeset in the form of a single output file.
164 One important exception is within lilypond-book documents,
165 where you explicitly have to add a @code{\book} block, otherwise only
166 the first @code{\score} or @code{\markup} will appear in the output.
168 The header for each piece of music can be put inside the @code{\score}
169 block. The @code{piece} name from the header will be printed before
170 each movement. The title for the entire book can be put inside the
171 @code{\book}, but if it is not present, the @code{\header} which is at
172 the top of the file is inserted.
176 title = "Eight miniatures"
177 composer = "Igor Stravinsky"
181 \header @{ piece = "Romanze" @}
184 ..text of second verse..
187 ..text of third verse..
191 \header @{ piece = "Menuetto" @}
197 Pieces of music may be grouped into book parts using @code{\bookpart}
198 blocks. Book parts are separated by a page break, and can start with a
199 title, like the book itself, by specifying a @code{\header} block.
205 subtitle = "First part"
212 subtitle = "Second part"
219 @node Multiple output files from one input file
220 @subsection Multiple output files from one input file
222 If you want multiple output files from the same @file{.ly} file,
223 then you can add multiple @code{\book} blocks, where each
224 such \book block will result in a separate output file.
225 If you do not specify any @code{\book} block in the
226 input file, LilyPond will implicitly treat the whole
227 file as a single \book block, see
228 @ref{File structure}.
230 When producing multiple files from a single source file, Lilypond
231 ensures that none of the output files from any @code{\book} block
232 overwrites the output file produced by a preceding @code{\book} from
235 It does this by adding a suffix to the output name for each
236 @code{\book} which uses the default output file name derived from the
239 The default behaviour is to append a version-number suffix for each
240 name which may clash, so
245 \layout @{ @dots{} @}
249 \layout @{ @dots{} @}
253 \layout @{ @dots{} @}
257 in source file @file{eightminiatures.ly}
262 @file{eightminiatures.pdf},
264 @file{eightminiatures-1.pdf} and
266 @file{eightminiatures-2.pdf}.
269 @node Output file names
270 @subsection Output file names
272 @funindex \bookOutputSuffix
273 @funindex \bookOutputName
275 Lilypond provides facilities to allow you to control what file names
276 are used by the various back-ends when producing output files.
278 In the previous section, we saw how Lilypond prevents name-clashes when
279 producing several ouputs from a single source file. You also have the
280 ability to specify your own suffixes for each @code{\book} block, so
281 for example you can produce files called
282 @file{eightminiatures-Romanze.pdf}, @file{eightminiatures-Menuetto.pdf}
283 and @file{eightminiatures-Nocturne.pdf} by adding a
284 @code{\bookOutputSuffix} declaration inside each @code{\book} block.
288 \bookOutputSuffix "Romanze"
290 \layout @{ @dots{} @}
293 \bookOutputSuffix "Menuetto"
295 \layout @{ @dots{} @}
298 \bookOutputSuffix "Nocturne"
300 \layout @{ @dots{} @}
304 You can also specify a different output filename for @code{book} block,
305 by using @code{\bookOutputName} declarations
309 \bookOutputName "Romanze"
311 \layout @{ @dots{} @}
314 \bookOutputName "Menuetto"
316 \layout @{ @dots{} @}
319 \bookOutputName "Nocturne"
321 \layout @{ @dots{} @}
325 The file above will produce these output files:
331 @file{Menuetto.pdf} and
338 @subsection File structure
348 A @file{.ly} file may contain any number of toplevel expressions, where a
349 toplevel expression is one of the following:
353 An output definition, such as @code{\paper}, @code{\midi}, and
354 @code{\layout}. Such a definition at the toplevel changes the default
355 book-wide settings. If more than one such definition of
356 the same type is entered at the top level any definitions in the later
357 expressions have precedence.
360 A direct scheme expression, such as
361 @code{#(set-default-paper-size "a7" 'landscape)} or
362 @code{#(ly:set-option 'point-and-click #f)}.
365 A @code{\header} block. This sets the global header block. This
366 is the block containing the definitions for book-wide settings, like
367 composer, title, etc.
370 A @code{\score} block. This score will be collected with other
371 toplevel scores, and combined as a single @code{\book}.
372 This behavior can be changed by setting the variable
373 @code{toplevel-score-handler} at toplevel. The default handler is
374 defined in the init file @file{../scm/lily.scm}.
377 A @code{\book} block logically combines multiple movements
378 (i.e., multiple @code{\score} blocks) in one document. If there
379 are a number of @code{\score}s, one output file will be created
380 for each @code{\book} block, in which all corresponding movements
381 are concatenated. The only reason to explicitly specify
382 @code{\book} blocks in a @file{.ly} file is if you wish to create
383 multiple output files from a single input file. One exception is
384 within lilypond-book documents, where you explicitly have to add
385 a @code{\book} block if you want more than a single @code{\score}
386 or @code{\markup} in the same example. This behavior can be
387 changed by setting the variable @code{toplevel-book-handler} at
388 toplevel. The default handler is defined in the init file
389 @file{../scm/lily.scm}.
392 A @code{\bookpart} block. A book may be divided into several parts,
393 using @code{\bookpart} blocks, in order to ease the page breaking,
394 or to use different @code{\paper} settings in different parts.
397 A compound music expression, such as
402 This will add the piece in a @code{\score} and format it in a
403 single book together with all other toplevel @code{\score}s and music
404 expressions. In other words, a file containing only the above
405 music expression will be translated into
421 This behavior can be changed by setting the variable
422 @code{toplevel-music-handler} at toplevel. The default handler is
423 defined in the init file @file{../scm/lily.scm}.
426 A markup text, a verse for example
429 2. The first line verse two.
433 Markup texts are rendered above, between or below the scores or music
434 expressions, wherever they appear.
444 This can be used later on in the file by entering @code{\foo}. The
445 name of a variable should have alphabetic characters only; no
446 numbers, underscores or dashes.
450 The following example shows three things that may be entered at
455 % Don't justify the output
467 At any point in a file, any of the following lexical instructions can
471 @item @code{\version}
472 @item @code{\include}
473 @item @code{\sourcefilename}
474 @item @code{\sourcefileline}
476 A single-line comment, introduced by a leading @code{%} sign.
479 A multi-line comment delimited by @code{%@{ .. %@}}.
485 Whitespace between items in the input stream is generally ignored,
486 and may be freely omitted or extended to enhance readability.
487 However, whitespace should always be used in the following
488 circumstances to avoid errors:
491 @item Around every opening and closing curly bracket.
492 @item After every command or variable, i.e. every item that
493 begins with a @code{\} sign.
494 @item After every item that is to be interpreted as a Scheme
495 expression, i.e. every item that begins with a @code{#} sign.
496 @item To separate all elements of a Scheme expression.
497 @item In @code{lyricmode} to separate all the terms in both
498 @code{\override} and @code{\set} commands. In particular, spaces
499 must be used around the dot and the equals sign in commands like
500 @code{\override Score . LyricText #'font-size = #5} and before and
501 after the entire command.
508 @rlearning{How LilyPond input files work}.
511 @node Titles and headers
512 @section Titles and headers
514 Almost all printed music includes a title and the composer's name;
515 some pieces include a lot more information.
519 * Custom headers footers and titles::
520 * Reference to page numbers::
521 * Table of contents::
525 @node Creating titles
526 @subsection Creating titles
528 Titles are created for each @code{\score} block, as well as for the full
529 input file (or @code{\book} block) and book parts (created by
530 @code{\bookpart} blocks).
532 The contents of the titles are taken from the @code{\header} blocks.
533 The header block for a book supports the following
539 The dedicatee of the music, centered at the top of the first page.
543 The title of the music, centered just below the dedication.
547 Subtitle, centered below the title.
549 @funindex subsubtitle
551 Subsubtitle, centered below the subtitle.
555 Name of the poet, flush-left below the subsubtitle.
559 Name of the instrument, centered below the subsubtitle. Also
560 centered at the top of pages (other than the first page).
564 Name of the composer, flush-right below the subsubtitle.
568 Meter string, flush-left below the poet.
572 Name of the arranger, flush-right below the composer.
576 Name of the piece, flush-left below the meter.
580 Name of the opus, flush-right below the arranger.
582 @cindex page breaks, forcing
583 @funindex breakbefore
585 This forces the title to start on a new page (set to ##t or ##f).
589 Copyright notice, centered at the bottom of the first page. To
590 insert the copyright symbol, see @ref{Text encoding}.
594 Centered at the bottom of the last page.
598 Here is a demonstration of the fields available. Note that you
599 may use any @ref{Formatting text}, commands in the header.
601 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,line-width=11.0\cm]
604 paper-height = 10.0\cm
609 dedication = "dedicated to me"
610 title = \markup \center-column { "Title first line" "Title second line,
612 subtitle = "the subtitle,"
613 subsubtitle = #(string-append "subsubtitle LilyPond version "
616 composer = \markup \center-column { "composer" \small "(1847-1973)" }
617 texttranslator = "Text Translator"
618 meter = \markup { \teeny "m" \tiny "e" \normalsize "t" \large "e" \huge
620 arranger = \markup { \fontsize #8.5 "a" \fontsize #2.5 "r" \fontsize
621 #-2.5 "r" \fontsize #-5.3 "a" \fontsize #7.5 "nger" }
622 instrument = \markup \bold \italic "instrument"
646 As demonstrated before, you can use multiple @code{\header} blocks.
647 When same fields appear in different blocks, the latter is used.
648 Here is a short example.
652 composer = "Composer"
660 piece = "New piece" % overwrite previous one
665 If you define the @code{\header} inside the @code{\score} block, then
666 normally only the @code{piece} and @code{opus} headers will be printed.
667 Note that the music expression must come before the @code{\header}.
669 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,line-width=11.0\cm]
673 title = "title" % not printed
680 @funindex print-all-headers
682 You may change this behavior (and print all the headers when defining
683 @code{\header} inside @code{\score}) by using
687 print-all-headers = ##t
694 The default footer is empty, except for the first page, where the
695 @code{copyright} field from @code{\header} is inserted, and the last
696 page, where @code{tagline} from @code{\header} is added. The default
697 tagline is @qq{Music engraving by LilyPond (@var{version})}.@footnote{Nicely
698 printed parts are good PR for us, so please leave the tagline if you
701 Headers may be completely removed by setting them to false.
711 @node Custom headers footers and titles
712 @subsection Custom headers, footers, and titles
714 A more advanced option is to change the definitions of the following
715 variables in the @code{\paper} block. The init file
716 @file{../ly/titling-init.ly} lists the default layout.
719 @funindex bookTitleMarkup
720 @item bookTitleMarkup
721 This is the title added at the top of the entire output document.
722 Typically, it has the composer and the title of the piece
724 @funindex scoreTitleMarkup
725 @item scoreTitleMarkup
726 This is the title put over a @code{\score} block. Typically, it has
727 the name of the movement (@code{piece} field).
729 @funindex oddHeaderMarkup
730 @item oddHeaderMarkup
731 This is the page header for odd-numbered pages.
733 @funindex evenHeaderMarkup
734 @item evenHeaderMarkup
735 This is the page header for even-numbered pages. If unspecified,
736 the odd header is used instead.
738 By default, headers are defined such that the page number is on the
739 outside edge, and the instrument is centered.
741 @funindex oddFooterMarkup
742 @item oddFooterMarkup
743 This is the page footer for odd-numbered pages.
745 @funindex evenFooterMarkup
746 @item evenFooterMarkup
747 This is the page footer for even-numbered pages. If unspecified,
748 the odd header is used instead.
750 By default, the footer has the copyright notice on the first, and
751 the tagline on the last page.
761 The following definition will put the title flush left, and the
762 composer flush right on a single line.
766 bookTitleMarkup = \markup @{
768 \fromproperty #'header:title
769 \fromproperty #'header:composer
775 The header and footer are created by the functions
776 @code{make-header} and @code{make-footer}, defined in
777 @code{\paper}. The default implementations are in
778 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly} and
779 @file{ly/titling-init.ly}.
781 This example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page.
785 print-page-number = ##t
786 print-first-page-number = ##t
787 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
788 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
789 oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{
792 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
793 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string
796 evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{
799 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
800 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string
807 @node Reference to page numbers
808 @subsection Reference to page numbers
810 A particular place of a score can be marked using the @code{\label}
811 command, either at top-level or inside music. This label can then be
812 referred to in a markup, to get the number of the page where the marked
813 point is placed, using the @code{\page-ref} markup command.
815 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=11.0\cm]
816 \header { tagline = ##f }
822 \pageBreak \mark A \label #'markA
827 \markup { The first score begins on page \page-ref #'firstScore "0" "?" }
828 \markup { Mark A is on page \page-ref #'markA "0" "?" }
832 The @code{\page-ref} markup command takes three arguments:
834 @item the label, a scheme symbol, eg. @code{#'firstScore};
835 @item a markup that will be used as a gauge to estimate the dimensions
837 @item a markup that will be used in place of the page number if the label
841 The reason why a gauge is needed is that, at the time markups are
842 interpreted, the page breaking has not yet occurred, so the page numbers
843 are not yet known. To work around this issue, the actual markup
844 interpretation is delayed to a later time; however, the dimensions of
845 the markup have to be known before, so a gauge is used to decide these
846 dimensions. If the book has between 10 and 99 pages, it may be "00",
847 ie. a two digit number.
858 @node Table of contents
859 @subsection Table of contents
860 A table of contents is included using the @code{\markuplines \table-of-contents}
861 command. The elements which should appear in the table of contents are
862 entered with the @code{\tocItem} command, which may be used either at
863 top-level, or inside a music expression.
866 \markuplines \table-of-contents
869 \tocItem \markup "First score"
873 \tocItem \markup "Some particular point in the first score"
878 \tocItem \markup "Second score"
886 The markups which are used to format the table of contents are defined
887 in the @code{\paper} block. The default ones are @code{tocTitleMarkup},
888 for formatting the title of the table, and @code{tocItemMarkup}, for
889 formatting the toc elements, composed of the element title and page
890 number. These variables may be changed by the user:
894 %% Translate the toc title into French:
895 tocTitleMarkup = \markup \huge \column {
896 \fill-line { \null "Table des matières" \null }
899 %% use larger font size
900 tocItemMarkup = \markup \large \fill-line {
901 \fromproperty #'toc:text \fromproperty #'toc:page
906 Note how the toc element text and page number are referred to in
907 the @code{tocItemMarkup} definition.
909 New commands and markups may also be defined to build more elaborated
912 @item first, define a new markup variable in the @code{\paper} block
913 @item then, define a music function which aims at adding a toc element
914 using this markup paper variable.
917 In the following example, a new style is defined for entering act names
918 in the table of contents of an opera:
922 tocActMarkup = \markup \large \column {
924 \fill-line { \null \italic \fromproperty #'toc:text \null }
930 #(define-music-function (parser location text) (markup?)
931 (add-toc-item! 'tocActMarkup text))
934 @lilypond[line-width=11.0\cm]
935 \header { tagline = ##f }
937 tocActMarkup = \markup \large \column {
939 \fill-line { \null \italic \fromproperty #'toc:text \null }
945 #(define-music-function (parser location text) (markup?)
946 (add-toc-item! 'tocActMarkup text))
949 \markuplines \table-of-contents
950 \tocAct \markup { Atto Primo }
951 \tocItem \markup { Coro. Viva il nostro Alcide }
952 \tocItem \markup { Cesare. Presti omai l'Egizzia terra }
953 \tocAct \markup { Atto Secondo }
954 \tocItem \markup { Sinfonia }
955 \tocItem \markup { Cleopatra. V'adoro, pupille, saette d'Amore }
962 Init files: @file{../ly/toc-init.ly}.
966 @funindex \table-of-contents
967 @code{\table-of-contents},
973 @node Working with input files
974 @section Working with input files
977 * Including LilyPond files::
978 * Different editions from one source::
980 * Displaying LilyPond notation::
984 @node Including LilyPond files
985 @subsection Including LilyPond files
988 @cindex including files
990 A large project may be split up into separate files. To refer to
994 \include "otherfile.ly"
997 The line @code{\include "otherfile.ly"} is equivalent to pasting the
998 contents of @file{otherfile.ly} into the current file at the place
999 where the @code{\include} appears. For example, in a large
1000 project you might write separate files for each instrument part
1001 and create a @qq{full score} file which brings together the
1002 individual instrument files. Normally the included file will
1003 define a number of variables which then become available
1004 for use in the full score file. Tagged sections can be
1005 marked in included files to assist in making them usable in
1006 different places in a score, see @ref{Different editions from
1009 Files in the current working directory may be referenced by
1010 specifying just the file name after the @code{\include} command.
1011 Files in other locations may be included by giving either a full
1012 path reference or a relative path reference (but use the UNIX
1013 forward slash, /, rather than the DOS/Windows back slash, \, as the
1014 directory separator.) For example, if @file{stuff.ly} is located
1015 one directory higher than the current working directory, use
1018 \include "../stuff.ly"
1022 or if the included orchestral parts files are all located in a
1023 subdirectory called @file{parts} within the current directory, use
1026 \include "parts/VI.ly"
1027 \include "parts/VII.ly"
1031 Files which are to be included can also contain @code{\include}
1032 statements of their own. By default, these second-level
1033 @code{\include} statements are not interpreted until they have
1034 been brought into the main file, so the file names they specify
1035 must all be relative to the directory containing the main file,
1036 not the directory containing the included file. However,
1037 this behavior can be changed by passing the option
1038 @code{-drelative-includes} option at the command line
1039 (or by adding @code{#(ly:set-option 'relative-includes #t)}
1040 at the top of the main input file). With @code{relative-includes}
1041 set, the path for each @code{\include} command will be taken
1042 relative to the file containing that command. This behavior is
1043 recommended and it will become the default behavior in a future
1044 version of lilypond.
1046 Files can also be included from a directory in a search path
1047 specified as an option when invoking LilyPond from the command
1048 line. The included files are then specified using just their
1049 file name. For example, to compile @file{main.ly} which includes
1050 files located in a subdirectory called @file{parts} by this method,
1051 cd to the directory containing @file{main.ly} and enter
1054 lilypond --include=parts main.ly
1057 and in main.ly write
1065 Files which are to be included in many scores may be placed in
1066 the LilyPond directory @file{../ly}. (The location of this
1067 directory is installation-dependent - see
1068 @rlearning{Other sources of information}). These files can then
1069 be included simply by naming them on an @code{\include} statement.
1070 This is how the language-dependent files like @file{english.ly} are
1073 LilyPond includes a number of files by default when you start
1074 the program. These includes are not apparent to the user, but the
1075 files may be identified by running @code{lilypond --verbose} from
1076 the command line. This will display a list of paths and files that
1077 LilyPond uses, along with much other information. Alternatively,
1078 the more important of these files are discussed in
1079 @rlearning{Other sources of information}. These files may be
1080 edited, but changes to them will be lost on installing a new
1081 version of LilyPond.
1083 Some simple examples of using @code{\include} are shown in
1084 @rlearning{Scores and parts}.
1089 @rlearning{Other sources of information},
1090 @rlearning{Scores and parts}.
1095 If an included file is given a name which is the same as one in
1096 LilyPond's installation files, LilyPond's file from the
1097 installation files takes precedence.
1101 @node Different editions from one source
1102 @subsection Different editions from one source
1104 Several mechanisms are available to facilitate the generation
1105 of different versions of a score from the same music source.
1106 Variables are perhaps most useful for combining lengthy sections
1107 of music and/or annotation in various ways, while tags are more
1108 useful for selecting one from several alternative shorter sections
1109 of music. Whichever method is used, separating the notation from
1110 the structure of the score will make it easier to change the
1111 structure while leaving the notation untouched.
1118 @node Using variables
1119 @unnumberedsubsubsec Using variables
1121 @cindex variables, use of
1123 If sections of the music are defined in variables they can be
1124 reused in different parts of the score, see @rlearning{Organizing
1125 pieces with variables}. For example, an @notation{a cappella}
1126 vocal score frequently includes a piano reduction of the parts
1127 for rehearsal purposes which is identical to the vocal music, so
1128 the music need be entered only once. Music from two variables
1129 may be combined on one staff, see @ref{Automatic part combining}.
1132 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
1133 sopranoMusic = \relative c'' { a4 b c b8( a) }
1134 altoMusic = \relative g' { e4 e e f }
1135 tenorMusic = \relative c' { c4 b e d8( c) }
1136 bassMusic = \relative c' { a4 gis a d, }
1137 allLyrics = \lyricmode {King of glo -- ry }
1139 \new Staff = "Soprano" \sopranoMusic
1140 \new Lyrics \allLyrics
1141 \new Staff = "Alto" \altoMusic
1142 \new Lyrics \allLyrics
1143 \new Staff = "Tenor" {
1147 \new Lyrics \allLyrics
1148 \new Staff = "Bass" {
1152 \new Lyrics \allLyrics
1155 \set Staff.printPartCombineTexts = ##f
1161 \set Staff.printPartCombineTexts = ##f
1171 Separate scores showing just the vocal parts or just the piano
1172 part can be produced by changing just the structural statements,
1173 leaving the musical notation unchanged.
1175 For lengthy scores, the variable definitions may be placed in
1176 separate files which are then included, see @ref{Including
1180 @unnumberedsubsubsec Using tags
1183 @funindex \keepWithTag
1184 @funindex \removeWithTag
1186 @cindex keep tagged music
1187 @cindex remove tagged music
1189 The @code{\tag #'@var{partA}} command marks a music expression
1190 with the name @var{partA}.
1191 Expressions tagged in this way can be selected or filtered out by
1192 name later, using either @code{\keepWithTag #'@var{name}} or
1193 @code{\removeWithTag #'@var{name}}. The result of applying these filters
1194 to tagged music is as follows:
1195 @multitable @columnfractions .5 .5
1199 Tagged music preceded by @code{\keepWithTag #'@var{name}}
1200 @tab Untagged music and music tagged with @var{name} is included;
1201 music tagged with any other tag name is excluded.
1203 Tagged music preceded by @code{\removeWithTag #'@var{name}}
1204 @tab Untagged music and music tagged with any tag name other than
1205 @var{name} is included; music tagged with @var{name} is
1208 Tagged music not preceded by either @code{\keepWithTag} or
1209 @code{\removeWithTag}
1210 @tab All tagged and untagged music is included.
1213 The arguments of the @code{\tag}, @code{\keepWithTag} and
1214 @code{\removeWithTag} commands should be a symbol
1215 (such as @code{#'score} or @code{#'part}), followed
1216 by a music expression.
1218 In the following example, we see two versions of a piece of music,
1219 one showing trills with the usual notation, and one with trills
1220 explicitly expanded:
1222 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
1223 music = \relative g' {
1225 \tag #'trills { d8.\trill }
1226 \tag #'expand { \repeat unfold 3 { e32 d } }
1231 \keepWithTag #'trills \music
1234 \keepWithTag #'expand \music
1239 Alternatively, it is sometimes easier to exclude sections of music:
1241 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
1242 music = \relative g' {
1244 \tag #'trills { d8.\trill }
1245 \tag #'expand {\repeat unfold 3 { e32 d } }
1250 \removeWithTag #'expand
1254 \removeWithTag #'trills
1259 Tagged filtering can be applied to articulations, texts, etc. by
1263 -\tag #'@var{your-tag}
1266 to an articulation. For example, this would define a note with a
1267 conditional fingering indication and a note with a conditional
1272 c1-\tag #'warn ^"Watch!"
1275 Multiple tags may be placed on expressions with multiple
1276 @code{\tag} entries:
1278 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1279 music = \relative c'' {
1280 \tag #'a \tag #'both { a4 a a a }
1281 \tag #'b \tag #'both { b4 b b b }
1284 \keepWithTag #'a \music
1285 \keepWithTag #'b \music
1286 \keepWithTag #'both \music
1290 Multiple @code{\removeWithTag} filters may be applied to a single
1291 music expression to remove several differently named tagged sections:
1293 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
1294 music = \relative c'' {
1295 \tag #'A { a4 a a a }
1296 \tag #'B { b4 b b b }
1297 \tag #'C { c4 c c c }
1298 \tag #'D { d4 d d d }
1307 Two or more @code{\keepWithTag} filters applied to a single music
1308 expression will cause @emph{all} tagged sections to be removed, as
1309 the first filter will remove all tagged sections except the one
1310 named, and the second filter will remove even that tagged section.
1315 @rlearning{Organizing pieces with variables}.
1318 @ref{Automatic part combining},
1319 @ref{Including LilyPond files}.
1323 @c This warning is more general than this placement implies.
1324 @c Rests are not merged whether or not they come from tagged sections.
1325 @c Should be deleted? -td
1329 Multiple rests are not merged if you create a score with more
1330 than one tagged section at the same place.
1335 @subsection Text encoding
1339 @cindex non-ASCII characters
1341 LilyPond uses the character repertoire defined by the Unicode
1342 consortium and ISO/IEC 10646. This defines a unique name and
1343 code point for the character sets used in virtually all modern
1344 languages and many others too. Unicode can be implemented using
1345 several different encodings. LilyPond uses the UTF-8 encoding
1346 (UTF stands for Unicode Transformation Format) which represents
1347 all common Latin characters in one byte, and represents other
1348 characters using a variable length format of up to four bytes.
1350 The actual appearance of the characters is determined by the
1351 glyphs defined in the particular fonts available - a font defines
1352 the mapping of a subset of the Unicode code points to glyphs.
1353 LilyPond uses the Pango library to layout and render multi-lingual
1356 LilyPond does not perform any input-encoding conversions. This
1357 means that any text, be it title, lyric text, or musical
1358 instruction containing non-ASCII characters, must be encoded in
1359 UTF-8. The easiest way to enter such text is by using a
1360 Unicode-aware editor and saving the file with UTF-8 encoding. Most
1361 popular modern editors have UTF-8 support, for example, vim, Emacs,
1362 jEdit, and GEdit do. All MS Windows systems later than NT use
1363 Unicode as their native character encoding, so even Notepad can
1364 edit and save a file in UTF-8 format. A more functional
1365 alternative for Windows is BabelPad.
1367 If a LilyPond input file containing a non-ASCII character is not
1368 saved in UTF-8 format the error message
1371 FT_Get_Glyph_Name () error: invalid argument
1376 Here is an example showing Cyrillic, Hebrew and Portuguese
1380 %c No verbatim here as the code does not display correctly in PDF
1382 bulgarian = \lyricmode {
1383 Жълтата дюля беше щастлива, че пухът, който цъфна, замръзна като гьон.
1387 hebrew = \lyricmode {
1388 זה כיף סתם לשמוע איך תנצח קרפד עץ טוב בגן.
1392 portuguese = \lyricmode {
1393 à vo -- cê uma can -- ção legal
1399 \addlyrics { \bulgarian }
1400 \addlyrics { \hebrew }
1401 \addlyrics { \portuguese }
1404 To enter a single character for which the Unicode code point is
1405 known but which is not available in the editor being used, use
1406 either @code{\char ##xhhhh} or @code{\char #dddd} within a
1407 @code{\markup} block, where @code{hhhh} is the hexadecimal code for
1408 the character required and @code{dddd} is the corresponding decimal
1409 value. Leading zeroes may be omitted, but it is usual to specify
1410 all four characters in the hexadecimal representation. (Note that
1411 the UTF-8 encoding of the code point should @emph{not} be used
1412 after @code{\char}, as UTF-8 encodings contain extra bits indicating
1413 the number of octets.) Unicode code charts and a character name
1414 index giving the code point in hexadecimal for any character can be
1415 found on the Unicode Consortium website,
1416 @uref{http://www.unicode.org/}.
1418 For example, @code{\char ##x03BE} and @code{\char #958} would both
1419 enter the Unicode U+03BE character, which has the Unicode name
1420 @qq{Greek Small Letter Xi}.
1422 Any Unicode code point may be entered in this way and if all special
1423 characters are entered in this format it is not necessary to save
1424 the input file in UTF-8 format. Of course, a font containing all
1425 such encoded characters must be installed and available to LilyPond.
1427 The following example shows Unicode hexadecimal values being entered
1428 in four places -- in a rehearsal mark, as articulation text, in
1429 lyrics and as stand-alone text below the score:
1431 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1434 c1 \mark \markup { \char ##x03EE }
1435 c1_\markup { \tiny { \char ##x03B1 " to " \char ##x03C9 } }
1437 \addlyrics { O \markup { \concat { Ph \char ##x0153 be! } } }
1439 \markup { "Copyright 2008--2011" \char ##x00A9 }
1442 @cindex copyright sign
1444 To enter the copyright sign in the copyright notice use:
1448 copyright = \markup @{ \char ##x00A9 "2008" @}
1452 @node Displaying LilyPond notation
1453 @subsection Displaying LilyPond notation
1455 @funindex \displayLilyMusic
1456 Displaying a music expression in LilyPond notation can be
1457 done with the music function @code{\displayLilyMusic} but only when
1458 using the command line. For example,
1462 \displayLilyMusic \transpose c a, @{ c4 e g a bes @}
1469 @{ a,4 cis e fis g @}
1472 By default, LilyPond will print these messages to the console
1473 along with all the other LilyPond compilation messages. To split
1474 up these messages and save the results of @code{\display@{STUFF@}},
1475 redirect the output to a file.
1478 lilypond file.ly >display.txt
1483 @node Controlling output
1484 @section Controlling output
1487 * Extracting fragments of music::
1488 * Skipping corrected music::
1489 * Alternative output formats::
1490 * Replacing the notation font::
1493 @node Extracting fragments of music
1494 @subsection Extracting fragments of music
1496 It is possible to quote small fragments of a large score directly from
1497 the output. This can be compared to clipping a piece of a paper score
1500 This is done by defining the measures that need to be cut out
1501 separately. For example, including the following definition
1509 (make-rhythmic-location 5 1 2)
1510 (make-rhythmic-location 7 3 4)))
1515 will extract a fragment starting halfway the fifth measure, ending in
1516 the seventh measure. The meaning of @code{5 1 2} is: after a 1/2 note
1517 in measure 5, and @code{7 3 4} after 3 quarter notes in measure 7.
1519 More clip regions can be defined by adding more pairs of
1520 rhythmic-locations to the list.
1522 In order to use this feature, LilyPond must be invoked with
1523 @code{-dclip-systems}. The clips are output as EPS files, and are
1524 converted to PDF and PNG if these formats are switched on as well.
1526 For more information on output formats, see @rprogram{Invoking lilypond}.
1528 @node Skipping corrected music
1529 @subsection Skipping corrected music
1532 @funindex skipTypesetting
1533 @funindex showFirstLength
1534 @funindex showLastLength
1536 When entering or copying music, usually only the music near the end (where
1538 are adding notes) is interesting to view and correct. To speed up
1539 this correction process, it is possible to skip typesetting of all but
1540 the last few measures. This is achieved by putting
1543 showLastLength = R1*5
1548 in your source file. This will render only the last 5 measures
1549 (assuming 4/4 time signature) of every @code{\score} in the input
1550 file. For longer pieces, rendering only a small part is often an order
1551 of magnitude quicker than rendering it completely. When working on the
1552 beginning of a score you have already typeset (e.g. to add a new part),
1553 the @code{showFirstLength} property may be useful as well.
1555 Skipping parts of a score can be controlled in a more fine-grained
1556 fashion with the property @code{Score.skipTypesetting}. When it is
1557 set, no typesetting is performed at all.
1559 This property is also used to control output to the MIDI file. Note that
1560 it skips all events, including tempo and instrument changes. You have
1563 @lilypond[quote,relative=2,ragged-right,verbatim]
1565 \set Score.skipTypesetting = ##t
1567 \set Score.skipTypesetting = ##f
1571 In polyphonic music, @code{Score.skipTypesetting} will affect all
1572 voices and staves, saving even more time.
1574 @node Alternative output formats
1575 @subsection Alternative output formats
1577 @cindex scalable vector graphics output
1579 @cindex encapsulated postscript output
1582 The default output formats for the printed score are Portable
1583 Document Format (PDF) and PostScript (PS). Scalable Vector
1584 Graphics (SVG), Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) and Portable
1585 Network Graphics (PNG) output formats are also available through
1586 command line options, see @rprogram{Command line options for
1590 @node Replacing the notation font
1591 @subsection Replacing the notation font
1593 Gonville is an alternative to the Feta font used in LilyPond and can
1596 @uref{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/gonville/ ,http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/gonville/}
1599 Here are a few sample bars of music set in Gonville:
1601 @c NOTE: these images are a bit big, but that's important
1602 @c for the font comparison. -gp
1603 @sourceimage{Gonville_after,,,}
1605 Here are a few sample bars of music set in LilyPond's Feta font:
1607 @sourceimage{Gonville_before,,,}
1609 @subsubheading Installation Instructions for MacOS
1611 Download and extract the zip file. Copy the @code{lilyfonts}
1612 directory to @file{@var{SHARE_DIR}/lilypond/current}; for more
1613 information, see @rlearning{Other sources of information}.
1614 Move the existing @code{fonts} directory to @code{fonts_orig} and
1615 move the @code{lilyfonts} directory to @code{fonts}. Simply move
1616 @code{fonts_orig} back to @code{fonts} to revert back to Feta.
1619 Learning Manual: @rlearning{Other sources of information}.
1623 Gonville cannot be used to typeset @q{Ancient Music} notation. Please
1624 refer to the author's website for more information on this and other
1625 specifics including licensing of Gonville.
1629 @section MIDI output
1634 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a standard for
1635 connecting and controlling digital instruments. A MIDI file is a
1636 series of notes in a number of tracks. It is not an actual
1637 sound file; you need special software to translate between the
1638 series of notes and actual sounds.
1640 Pieces of music can be converted to MIDI files, so you can listen to
1641 what was entered. This is convenient for checking the music; octaves
1642 that are off or accidentals that were mistyped stand out very much
1643 when listening to the MIDI output.
1646 The midi output allocates a channel for each staff, and one for global
1647 settings. Therefore the midi file should not have more than 15 staves
1648 (or 14 if you do not use drums). Other staves will remain silent.
1651 * Creating MIDI files::
1653 * What goes into the MIDI output?::
1655 * Controlling MIDI dynamics::
1656 * Percussion in MIDI::
1659 @node Creating MIDI files
1660 @subsection Creating MIDI files
1662 To create a MIDI output file from a LilyPond input file, add a
1663 @code{\midi} block to a score, for example,
1672 If there is a @code{\midi} block in a @code{\score} with no
1673 @code{\layout} block, only MIDI output will be produced. When
1674 notation is needed too, a @code{\layout} block must also be
1685 Pitches, rhythms, ties, dynamics, and tempo changes are interpreted
1686 and translated correctly to the MIDI output. Dynamic marks,
1687 crescendi and decrescendi translate into MIDI volume levels.
1688 Dynamic marks translate to a fixed fraction of the available MIDI
1689 volume range. Crescendi and decrescendi make the volume vary
1690 linearly between their two extremes. The effect of dynamic markings
1691 on the MIDI output can be removed completely, see @ref{MIDI block}.
1693 The initial tempo and later tempo changes can be specified
1694 with the @code{\tempo} command within the music notation. These
1695 are reflected in tempo changes in the MIDI output. This command
1696 will normally result in the metronome mark being printed, but this
1697 can be suppressed, see @ref{Metronome marks}. An alternative way
1698 of specifying the initial or overall MIDI tempo is described below,
1699 see @ref{MIDI block}.
1701 Due to some limitations on Windows, the default extension for
1702 MIDI files on Windows is @code{.mid}. Other operating systems still
1703 use the extension @code{.midi}. If a different extension is preferred,
1704 insert the following line at the top-level of the input file,
1705 before the start of any @code{\book}, @code{\bookpart} or @code{\score} blocks:
1708 #(ly:set-option 'midi-extension "midi")
1711 The line above will set the default extension for MIDI files to
1714 Alternatively, this option can also be supplied on the command line:
1717 lilypond … -dmidi-extension=midi lilyFile.ly
1721 @unnumberedsubsubsec Instrument names
1723 @cindex instrument names
1724 @funindex Staff.midiInstrument
1726 The MIDI instrument to be used is specified by setting the
1727 @code{Staff.midiInstrument} property to the instrument name.
1728 The name should be chosen from the list in @ref{MIDI instruments}.
1732 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"glockenspiel"
1738 \new Staff \with @{midiInstrument = #"cello"@} @{
1743 If the selected instrument does not exactly match an instrument from
1744 the list of MIDI instruments, the Grand Piano (@code{"acoustic grand"})
1750 @lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,ragged-right,texidoc,doctitle]
1751 {changing-midi-output-to-one-channel-per-voice.ly}
1755 @c In 2.11 the following no longer seems to be a problem -td
1757 Unterminated (de)crescendos will not render properly in the midi file,
1758 resulting in silent passages of music. The workaround is to explicitly
1759 terminate the (de)crescendo. For example,
1766 will not work properly but
1769 @{ a4\< b c d\!\f @}
1776 Changes in the MIDI volume take place only on starting a note, so
1777 crescendi and decrescendi cannot affect the volume of a
1780 Not all midi players correctly handle tempo changes in the midi
1781 output. Players that are known to work include MS Windows Media
1782 Player and @uref{http://@/timidity@/.sourceforge@/.net/,timidity}.
1785 @subsection MIDI block
1788 A @code{\midi} block must appear within a score block if MIDI output
1789 is required. It is analogous to the layout block, but somewhat
1790 simpler. Often, the @code{\midi} block is left empty, but it
1791 can contain context rearrangements, new context definitions or code
1792 to set the values of properties. For example, the following will
1793 set the initial tempo exported to a MIDI file without causing a tempo
1794 indication to be printed:
1802 tempoWholesPerMinute = #(ly:make-moment 72 4)
1808 In this example the tempo is set to 72 quarter note
1809 beats per minute. This kind of tempo specification cannot take
1810 a dotted note length as an argument. If one is required, break
1811 the dotted note into smaller units. For example, a tempo of 90
1812 dotted quarter notes per minute can be specified as 270 eighth
1816 tempoWholesPerMinute = #(ly:make-moment 270 8)
1819 @cindex MIDI context definitions
1821 Context definitions follow precisely the same syntax as those
1822 within a @code{\layout} block. Translation modules for sound are
1823 called performers. The contexts for MIDI output are defined in
1824 @file{../ly/performer-init.ly},
1825 see @rlearning{Other sources of information}.
1826 For example, to remove the effect of dynamics
1827 from the MIDI output, insert the following lines in the
1828 @code{\midi@{ @}} block.
1835 \remove "Dynamic_performer"
1840 MIDI output is created only when a @code{\midi} block is included
1841 within a score block defined with a @code{\score} command.
1845 @{ @dots{}notes@dots{} @}
1850 @node What goes into the MIDI output?
1851 @subsection What goes into the MIDI output?
1853 @c TODO Check grace notes - timing is suspect?
1855 @unnumberedsubsubsec Supported in MIDI
1857 @cindex Pitches in MIDI
1858 @cindex MIDI, Pitches
1859 @cindex Quarter tones in MIDI
1860 @cindex MIDI, quarter tones
1861 @cindex Microtones in MIDI
1862 @cindex MIDI, microtones
1863 @cindex Chord names in MIDI
1864 @cindex MIDI, chord names
1865 @cindex Rhythms in MIDI
1866 @cindex MIDI, Rhythms
1869 The following items of notation are reflected in the MIDI output:
1873 @item Microtones (See @ref{Accidentals}. Rendering needs a
1874 player that supports pitch bend.)
1875 @item Chords entered as chord names
1876 @item Rhythms entered as note durations, including tuplets
1877 @item Tremolos entered without @q{@code{:}[@var{number}]}
1880 @item Crescendi, decrescendi over multiple notes
1881 @item Tempo changes entered with a tempo marking
1885 @unnumberedsubsubsec Unsupported in MIDI
1887 @c TODO index as above
1889 The following items of notation have no effect on the MIDI output:
1892 @item Rhythms entered as annotations, e.g. swing
1893 @item Tempo changes entered as annotations with no tempo marking
1894 @item Staccato and other articulations and ornamentations
1895 @item Slurs and Phrasing slurs
1896 @item Crescendi, decrescendi over a single note
1897 @item Tremolos entered with @q{@code{:}[@var{number}]}
1899 @item Microtonal chords
1903 @node Repeats in MIDI
1904 @subsection Repeats in MIDI
1906 @cindex repeats in MIDI
1907 @funindex \unfoldRepeats
1909 With a few minor additions, all types of repeats can be represented
1910 in the MIDI output. This is achieved by applying the
1911 @code{\unfoldRepeats} music function. This function changes all
1912 repeats to unfold repeats.
1914 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1916 \repeat tremolo 8 { c'32 e' }
1917 \repeat percent 2 { c''8 d'' }
1918 \repeat volta 2 { c'4 d' e' f' }
1927 When creating a score file using @code{\unfoldRepeats} for MIDI,
1928 it is necessary to make two @code{\score} blocks: one for MIDI
1929 (with unfolded repeats) and one for notation (with volta, tremolo,
1930 and percent repeats). For example,
1938 \unfoldRepeats @var{..music..}
1943 @node Controlling MIDI dynamics
1944 @subsection Controlling MIDI dynamics
1946 MIDI dynamics are implemented by the Dynamic_performer which lives
1947 by default in the Voice context. It is possible to control the
1948 overall MIDI volume, the relative volume of dynamic markings and
1949 the relative volume of different instruments.
1951 @unnumberedsubsubsec Dynamic marks
1953 Dynamic marks are translated to a fixed fraction of the available
1954 MIDI volume range. The default fractions range from 0.25 for
1955 @notation{ppppp} to 0.95 for @notation{fffff}. The set of dynamic
1956 marks and the associated fractions can be seen in
1957 @file{../scm/midi.scm}, see @rlearning{Other sources of information}.
1958 This set of fractions may be changed or extended by providing a
1959 function which takes a dynamic mark as its argument and returns the
1960 required fraction, and setting
1961 @code{Score.dynamicAbsoluteVolumeFunction} to this function.
1963 For example, if a @notation{rinforzando} dynamic marking,
1964 @code{\rfz}, is required, this will not by default
1965 have any effect on the MIDI volume, as this dynamic marking is not
1966 included in the default set. Similarly, if a new dynamic marking
1967 has been defined with @code{make-dynamic-script} that too will not
1968 be included in the default set. The following example shows how the
1969 MIDI volume for such dynamic markings might be added. The Scheme
1970 function sets the fraction to 0.9 if a dynamic mark of rfz is
1971 found, or calls the default function otherwise.
1973 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
1974 #(define (myDynamics dynamic)
1975 (if (equal? dynamic "rfz")
1977 (default-dynamic-absolute-volume dynamic)))
1981 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"cello"
1982 \set Score.dynamicAbsoluteVolumeFunction = #myDynamics
1994 Alternatively, if the whole table of fractions needs to be
1995 redefined, it would be better to use the
1996 @notation{default-dynamic-absolute-volume} procedure in
1997 @file{../scm/midi.scm} and the associated table as a model.
1998 The final example in this section shows how this might be done.
2000 @unnumberedsubsubsec Overall MIDI volume
2002 The minimum and maximum overall volume of MIDI dynamic markings is
2003 controlled by setting the properties @code{midiMinimumVolume} and
2004 @code{midiMaximumVolume} at the @code{Score} level. These
2005 properties have an effect only on dynamic marks, so if they
2006 are to apply from the start of the score a dynamic mark must be
2007 placed there. The fraction corresponding to each dynamic mark is
2008 modified with this formula
2011 midiMinimumVolume + (midiMaximumVolume - midiMinimumVolume) * fraction
2014 In the following example the dynamic range of the overall MIDI
2015 volume is limited to the range 0.2 - 0.5.
2017 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2023 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"flute"
2024 \new Voice \relative c''' {
2032 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet"
2033 \new Voice \relative c'' {
2044 tempoWholesPerMinute = #(ly:make-moment 72 2)
2045 midiMinimumVolume = #0.2
2046 midiMaximumVolume = #0.5
2052 @unnumberedsubsubsec Equalizing different instruments (i)
2054 If the minimum and maximum MIDI volume properties are set in
2055 the @code{Staff} context the relative volumes of the MIDI
2056 instruments can be controlled. This gives a basic instrument
2057 equalizer, which can enhance the quality of the MIDI output
2060 In this example the volume of the clarinet is reduced relative
2061 to the volume of the flute. There must be a dynamic
2062 mark on the first note of each instrument for this to work
2065 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2071 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"flute"
2072 \set Staff.midiMinimumVolume = #0.7
2073 \set Staff.midiMaximumVolume = #0.9
2074 \new Voice \relative c''' {
2082 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet"
2083 \set Staff.midiMinimumVolume = #0.3
2084 \set Staff.midiMaximumVolume = #0.6
2085 \new Voice \relative c'' {
2096 tempoWholesPerMinute = #(ly:make-moment 72 2)
2102 @unnumberedsubsubsec Equalizing different instruments (ii)
2104 If the MIDI minimum and maximum volume properties are not set
2105 LilyPond will, by default, apply a small degree of equalization
2106 to a few instruments. The instruments and the equalization
2107 applied are shown in the table @notation{instrument-equalizer-alist}
2108 in @file{../scm/midi.scm}.
2110 This basic default equalizer can be replaced by setting
2111 @code{instrumentEqualizer} in the @code{Score} context to a new
2112 Scheme procedure which accepts a MIDI instrument name as its only
2113 argument and returns a pair of fractions giving the minimum and
2114 maximum volumes to be applied to that instrument. This replacement
2115 is done in the same way as shown for resetting the
2116 @code{dynamicAbsoluteVolumeFunction} at the start of this section.
2117 The default equalizer, @notation{default-instrument-equalizer}, in
2118 @file{../scm/midi.scm} shows how such a procedure might be written.
2120 The following example sets the relative flute and clarinet volumes
2121 to the same values as the previous example.
2123 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2124 #(define my-instrument-equalizer-alist '())
2126 #(set! my-instrument-equalizer-alist
2129 ("flute" . (0.7 . 0.9))
2130 ("clarinet" . (0.3 . 0.6)))
2131 my-instrument-equalizer-alist))
2133 #(define (my-instrument-equalizer s)
2134 (let ((entry (assoc s my-instrument-equalizer-alist)))
2143 \set Score.instrumentEqualizer = #my-instrument-equalizer
2144 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"flute"
2145 \new Voice \relative c''' {
2153 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet"
2154 \new Voice \relative c'' {
2165 tempoWholesPerMinute = #(ly:make-moment 72 2)
2172 @c Delete when satisfied this is adequately covered elsewhere -td
2174 @n ode Microtones in MIDI
2175 @s ubsection Microtones in MIDI
2177 @cindex microtones in MIDI
2179 Microtones consisting of half sharps and half flats are exported
2180 to the MIDI file and render correctly in MIDI players which support
2181 pitch bending. See @ref{Note names in other languages}. Here is
2182 an example showing all the half sharps and half flats. It can be
2183 copied out and compiled to test microtones in your MIDI player.
2185 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2202 @node Percussion in MIDI
2203 @subsection Percussion in MIDI
2205 Percussion instruments are generally notated in a @code{DrumStaff}
2206 context and when notated in this way they are outputted correctly
2207 to MIDI channel@tie{}10, but some pitched percussion instruments,
2208 like the xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, timpani, etc., are
2209 treated like @qq{normal} instruments and music for these instruments
2210 should be entered in a normal @code{Staff} context, not a
2211 @code{DrumStaff} context, to obtain the correct MIDI output.
2213 Some non-pitched percussion sounds included in the general MIDI
2214 standard, like melodic tom, taiko drum, synth drum, etc., cannot
2215 be reached via MIDI channel@tie{}10, so the notation for such
2216 instruments should also be entered in a normal @code{Staff}
2217 context, using suitable normal pitches.
2219 Many percussion instruments are not included in the general MIDI
2220 standard, e.g. castanets. The easiest, although unsatisfactory,
2221 method of producing some MIDI output when writing for such
2222 instruments is to substitute the nearest sound from the standard
2225 @c TODO Expand with examples, and any other issues
2229 Because the general MIDI standard does not contain rim shots, the
2230 sidestick is used for this purpose instead.