1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
4 Translation of GIT committish: FILL-IN-HEAD-COMMITTISH
6 When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the
7 version that you are working on. For details, see the Contributors'
8 Guide, node Updating translation committishes..
16 Negative numbers are allowed:
17 > Are you sure? The following works well
19 > first-page-number = -2
21 > and prints page number -1 on the second page, for example.
24 In 5.2.1 the @refbugs (line 495 in spacing.itely on master) it
27 "@code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between
31 Could we add a sentence:
32 "Use instead the pair fontSize = #@var{N}
33 \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep
35 inside the Staff context to change the size of the font and the
37 staff lines accordingly."
39 Actually I found, that the @internalsref{StaffSymbol} at line 481
40 sends to an incomplete
41 documentation. The property staff-space is not explained here. I
42 thought Y-extent might be of
43 help, but it is in turn explained by x-space which again is
44 missing from the list. Who has the
45 knowledge to fix this?
49 http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=68
55 @chapter Spacing issues
57 The global paper layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the
58 line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The
59 choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set.
60 This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how
61 many pages a piece of music takes.
63 Globally speaking, this procedure happens in four steps: first,
64 flexible distances (@q{springs}) are chosen, based on durations. All
65 possible line breaking combinations are tried, and a @q{badness} score
66 is calculated for each. Then the height of each possible system is
67 estimated. Finally, a page breaking and line breaking combination is chosen
68 so that neither the horizontal nor the vertical spacing is too cramped
71 Settings which influence layout may be placed in two blocks.
72 The @code{\paper @{...@}} block is placed outside any
73 @code{\score @{...@}} blocks and contains settings that
74 relate to the entire document. The @code{\layout @{...@}}
75 block is placed within a @code{\score @{...@}} block and
76 contains settings for that particular score. If you have
77 only one @code{\score @{...@}} block the two have the same
78 effect. In general the commands shown in this chapter can
86 * Horizontal spacing::
87 * Fitting music onto fewer pages::
92 @section Paper and pages
94 This section deals with the boundaries that define the area
95 within which music can be printed.
104 @subsection Paper size
109 Two functions are available for changing the paper size:
110 @code{set-default-paper-size} and @code{set-paper-size}.
111 @code{set-default-paper-size} must be placed in the toplevel
112 scope, and @code{set-paper-size} must be placed in a @code{\paper}
116 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
121 #(set-paper-size "a4")
126 @code{set-default-paper-size} sets the size of all pages, whereas
127 @code{set-paper-size} only sets the size of the pages that the
128 @code{\paper} block applies to. For example, if the @code{\paper}
129 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply the paper size
130 to all pages. If the @code{\paper} block is inside a
131 @code{\book}, then the paper size will only apply to that book.
133 Common paper sizes are available, including @code{a4},
134 @code{letter}, @code{legal}, and @code{11x17} (also known as
135 tabloid). Many more paper sizes are supported by default. For
136 details, see @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, and search for the
137 definition of @code{paper-alist}.
139 @c TODO add a new appendix for paper sizes (auto-generated) -pm
141 @warning{The default paper size is @code{a4}.}
143 Extra sizes may be added by editing the definition of
144 @code{paper-alist} in the initialization file
145 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, however they will be overridden on a
151 If the symbol @code{'landscape} is supplied as an argument to
152 @code{set-default-paper-size}, pages will be rotated by 90
153 degrees, and wider line widths will be set accordingly.
156 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
159 Setting the paper size will adjust a number of @code{\paper}
160 variables, such as margins. To use a particular paper size with
161 altered @code{\paper} variables, set the paper size before setting
167 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}.
173 @node Page formatting
174 @subsection Page formatting
178 Margins, headers, and footers and other layout variables are
179 automatically set according to the paper size.
181 Default margin values are accessible in
182 @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/-init@/.ly}. They apply to the default
183 paper size (a4, unless specified differently) and are scaled
184 accordingly for other paper sizes.
186 This section lists and describes a number of paper variables that
190 * Vertical dimensions::
191 * Horizontal dimensions::
192 * Other layout variables::
196 @node Vertical dimensions
197 @unnumberedsubsubsec Vertical dimensions
200 @subsubheading Fixed vertical dimensions
204 @funindex paper-height
206 The height of the page. Default: the height of the current paper
207 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
212 The margin between the top of the page and the top of the
213 printable area. Default: @code{5\mm}.
216 @funindex bottom-margin
218 The margin between the bottom of the printable area and the bottom
219 of the page. Default: @code{6\mm}.
224 @subsubheading Flexible vertical dimensions
226 In most cases, it is preferable for the vertical distances between
227 certain items (such as margins, titles, systems, and separate
228 scores) to be flexible, so that they stretch and compress nicely
229 according to each situation. A number of @code{\paper} variables
230 (listed below) are available to fine-tune the stretching behavior
233 Each of these variables is an associative list containing four
237 @item @code{padding} -- the minimum required amount of
238 unobstructed vertical whitespace between two items. This can be
239 thought of as the minimum height of an unobstructed (invisible)
240 rectangle that extends from the leftmost to the rightmost point of
243 @item @code{space} -- the default vertical distance between the
244 @emph{reference points} of the two items, when no collisions would
245 result, and no stretching or compressing is in effect. The
246 reference point of a title or markup is its highest point, and the
247 reference point of a system is the middle line of the nearest
248 staff. Values for @code{space} that are less than either
249 @code{padding} or @code{minimum-distance} are not meaningful,
250 since the resulting space will never be less than either
251 @code{padding} or @code{minimum-distance}.
253 @item @code{minimum-distance} -- the minimum required vertical
254 distance between the reference points of the two items, when
255 compressing is in effect. Values for @code{minimum-distance} that
256 are less than @code{padding} are not meaningful, since the
257 resulting space will never be less than @code{padding.}
259 @item @code{stretchability} -- the stretchable space's propensity
260 to stretch. If zero, the space will not stretch (unless
261 collisions would result). When positive, the significance of a
262 particular dimension's @code{stretchability} value lies only in
263 its relation to the @code{stretchability} values of the other
264 dimensions. For example, if one dimension has twice the
265 @code{stretchability} of another, it will stretch twice as easily.
266 Values should be non-negative and finite. The value @code{+inf.0}
267 triggers a @code{programming_error} and is ignored, but
268 @code{1.0e7} can be used for an almost infinitely stretchable
269 spring. If unset, the default value is set to @code{space}. Note
270 that the stretchable space's propensity to @emph{compress} cannot
271 be directly set by the user and is equal to
272 (@code{space}@tie{}@minus{}@tie{}@code{minimum-distance}).
276 If a page has a ragged bottom, the resulting distance is the
281 @item @code{minimum-distance}, and
282 @item @code{padding} plus the smallest distance necessary to
283 eliminate collisions.
286 A single key for a flexible vertical dimension variable can be set
291 after-title-spacing #'space = #5
295 Multiple keys for a single variable can be set simultaneously like
300 bottom-system-spacing =
303 (minimum-distance . 0)
304 (stretchability . 5))
308 The flexible vertical dimension variables are:
312 @item after-title-spacing
313 @funindex after-title-spacing
315 the space between a title (or top-level markup) and the system
318 @item before-title-spacing
319 @funindex before-title-spacing
321 the space between a system and the title (or top-level markup)
324 @item between-scores-system-spacing
325 @funindex between-scores-system-spacing
327 the space between two systems if they are in different scores,
328 with no title between them.
330 @item between-system-spacing
331 @funindex between-system-spacing
333 the space between two systems in the same score.
335 @item between-title-spacing
336 @funindex between-title-spacing
338 the space between two titles (or top-level markups).
340 @item bottom-system-spacing
341 @funindex bottom-system-spacing
343 the space from the last system (or the last top-level markup) to
344 the bottom of the printable area (ie. the top of the bottom
347 @item top-system-spacing
348 @funindex top-system-spacing
350 the space from the top of the printable area (ie. the bottom of
351 the top margin) to the first system. This only takes effect if
352 there is no title at the top of the page (in which case
353 @code{top-title-spacing} is used instead).
355 @item top-title-spacing
356 @funindex top-title-spacing
358 the space from the top of the printable area (ie. the bottom of
359 the top margin) to the title.
366 The header and footer are created by the functions
367 @code{make-footer} and @code{make-header}, defined in
368 @code{\paper}. The default implementations are in
369 @file{ly/paper-defaults.ly} and @file{ly/titling-init.ly}.
371 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
372 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
373 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking
374 algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the latter
375 creates the actual page given the system to put on it.
377 You can define @code{\paper} block values in Scheme. In that case
378 @code{mm}, @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables
379 defined in @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters.
380 That is why the value @w{@code{2 cm}} must be multiplied in the
385 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
397 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
401 This second example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page.
405 print-page-number = ##t
406 print-first-page-number = ##t
407 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
408 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
409 oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
410 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
411 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
412 evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
413 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
414 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
420 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
426 @node Horizontal dimensions
427 @unnumberedsubsubsec Horizontal dimensions
430 There are a few variables that determine the horizontal dimensions
436 @funindex binding-offset
438 The amount @code{inner-margin} is increased
439 to make sure nothing will be hidden by the binding.
440 Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true. Default:
443 @item horizontal-shift
444 @funindex horizontal-shift
446 The amount that all systems (including titles and system
447 separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0}.
452 The level of indentation for the first system in a score.
453 Default: @code{15\mm}.
456 @funindex inner-margin
458 The margin all pages have at the inner side if they are part
459 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
460 Default: @code{10\mm}.
463 @funindex left-margin
465 The margin between the left edge of the page and the beginning of
466 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
471 The width of music systems. Default: @code{paper-width} minus
472 @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin}.
475 @funindex outer-margin
477 The margin all pages have at the outer side if they are part
478 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
479 Default: @code{20\mm}.
482 @funindex paper-width
484 The width of the page. Default: the width of the current paper
485 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
488 @funindex right-margin
490 The margin between the right edge of the page and the end of
491 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
494 @funindex short-indent
496 The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the
497 first system. Default: @code{0}.
501 If some values are not set, defaults will be taken. Their exact
502 value is adjusted, depending on the paper size specified. Currently,
503 the following values are affected by this scaling:
506 @item @var{left-margin}
507 @item @var{right-margin}
508 @item @var{top-margin}
509 @item @var{bottom-margin}
510 @item @var{head-separation}
511 @item @var{foot-separation}
513 @item @var{short-indent}
516 The settings for @code{line-width}, @code{left-margin},
517 @code{right-margin} and @code{paper-width} depend on
518 each other, but they do not have to be specified
527 In this example, only @code{left-margin} is set. The value for
528 @code{right-margin} will remain default, @code{line-width} is
529 calculated automatically.
537 Here @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin} will be set
538 to the same value. Therefore, @code{line-width} is subtracted
539 from @code{paper-width} and divided by two. That means systems
540 are centered on the page, if only @code{line-width} is
543 Some checks occur to ensure the values are set correctly.
544 If the values do not match or systems would run off the page,
545 a warning is printed and default values are set.
556 These checks can be avoided by setting @code{check-consistency}
564 check-consistency = ##f
568 @warning{If @code{paper-width} is manually set, @code{line-width},
569 @code{left-margin}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} may
570 have to be adjusted as well.}
578 @node Other layout variables
579 @unnumberedsubsubsec Other layout variables
581 These variables can be used to adjust page layout in general.
585 @item auto-first-page-number
586 @funindex auto-first-page-number
588 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number
589 being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm
590 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This
591 will result in the first page number remaining as is or being
592 increased by one. Default: @code{##f}.
596 TODO: this variable is used, but I don't know what it does. -pm
597 @item blank-after-score-page-force
598 @funindex blank-after-score-page-force
604 @item blank-last-page-force
605 @funindex blank-last-page-force
607 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
610 @item blank-page-force
611 @funindex blank-page-force
613 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
614 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
615 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default:
618 @item check-consistency
619 @funindex check-consistency
621 If set to true, check whether @code{left-margin}, @code{right-margin} and
622 @code{line-width} fit each other. Also make sure that their combination
623 does not exceed the available @code{paper-width}. Default: @code{##t}.
625 @item first-page-number
626 @funindex first-page-number
628 The value of the page number on the first page. Default:
631 @item max-systems-per-page
632 @funindex max-systems-per-page
634 The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
635 is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
638 @item min-systems-per-page
639 @funindex min-systems-per-page
641 The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
642 may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is
643 currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
646 @item page-breaking-between-system-spacing
647 @funindex page-breaking-between-system-spacing
649 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
650 @code{between-system-spacing} is set to something different than
651 it really is. For example, if
652 @code{page-breaking-between-system-spacing #'padding} is set to something
653 substantially larger than @code{between-system-spacing #'padding}, then the
654 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
659 The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset.
661 @item page-limit-inter-system-space
662 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space
664 If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot
665 of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see
666 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
668 @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
669 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
671 The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default:
672 @code{1.4}. For details, see
673 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
675 @item page-spacing-weight
676 @funindex page-spacing-weight
678 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
679 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
680 important. Default: @code{#10}.
682 @item print-all-headers
683 @funindex print-all-headers
685 If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the
686 output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are
687 printed. Default: @code{##f}.
689 @item print-first-page-number
690 @funindex print-first-page-number
692 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
695 @item print-page-number
696 @funindex print-page-number
698 If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default:
702 @funindex ragged-bottom
704 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the
705 page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}.
707 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
708 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
711 @funindex ragged-last
713 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
714 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
715 horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}.
717 @item ragged-last-bottom
718 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
720 If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last
721 page. Default: @code{##t}.
723 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
726 It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created
727 with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
730 @funindex ragged-right
732 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
733 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
736 If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}.
738 @item system-separator-markup
739 @funindex system-separator-markup
741 A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often
742 used for orchestral scores. Default: unset.
744 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
747 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
748 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
751 \relative c' { c1 \break c1 }
754 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
760 @funindex system-count
762 The number of systems to be used for a score.
765 @item systems-per-page
766 @funindex systems-per-page
768 The number of systems that should be placed on each page.
769 This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
776 @cindex binding gutter
778 If set to true, use @code{inner-margin}, @code{outer-margin} and
779 @code{binding-offset} to determine margins depending on whether
780 the page number is odd or even. This overrides @code{left-margin}
781 and @code{right-margin}. Default: @code{##f}.
793 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
794 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
796 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
797 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
798 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
802 @section Music layout
805 * Setting the staff size::
810 @node Setting the staff size
811 @subsection Setting the staff size
813 @cindex font size, setting
814 @cindex staff size, setting
815 @funindex layout file
817 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
818 This may be changed in two ways:
820 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
821 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
824 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
828 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
831 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
836 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
841 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
842 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
843 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
844 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
847 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
850 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
851 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
893 @c modern rental material?
898 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
899 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
900 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
901 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
906 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
914 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
919 @subsection Score layout
923 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
924 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
931 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
934 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
935 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
943 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
955 * Optimal page breaking::
956 * Optimal page turning::
957 * Minimal page breaking::
959 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
964 @subsection Line breaking
967 @cindex breaking lines
969 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
970 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
971 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
972 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
973 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
974 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
975 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
976 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
977 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
978 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
979 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
981 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
982 bar line where it is inserted.
984 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
985 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
986 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
987 lengths of the lines.
989 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
990 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
991 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
992 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
995 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
997 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
998 but affects only the last line of the piece.
1010 @cindex regular line breaks
1011 @cindex four bar music.
1013 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
1014 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
1015 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
1016 every 4 measures, and only there:
1019 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
1020 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
1021 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
1022 @emph{the real music}
1027 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file
1028 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
1029 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
1030 complicated. More details are available in
1043 Internals Reference:
1044 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
1052 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
1053 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
1055 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1056 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing
1057 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
1058 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
1062 This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}.
1063 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
1066 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1068 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
1070 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed
1075 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
1076 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
1077 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}.
1081 @subsection Page breaking
1083 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
1084 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
1085 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
1086 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
1087 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
1090 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
1091 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
1093 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
1094 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
1095 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
1096 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
1097 respectively will not be justified vertically.
1099 For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1101 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
1102 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
1103 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
1104 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
1105 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
1109 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
1115 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
1116 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
1117 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
1118 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
1119 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
1125 subtitle = "Preface"
1128 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
1129 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be preferred
1130 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1132 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
1136 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
1137 %% page breaking function is used.
1139 subtitle = "First movement"
1141 \score @{ @dots{} @}
1148 @funindex \pageBreak
1150 @funindex \noPageBreak
1151 @code{\noPageBreak}.
1160 @node Optimal page breaking
1161 @subsection Optimal page breaking
1163 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
1165 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
1166 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
1167 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
1168 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1176 @node Optimal page turning
1177 @subsection Optimal page turning
1179 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1181 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1182 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1183 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1184 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1185 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1186 in specified places.
1188 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1189 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1190 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1193 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1194 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1195 input file at the appropriate places.
1197 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1198 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1199 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1200 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1201 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1202 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1203 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1204 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1205 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1208 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1209 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1210 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1211 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1212 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1213 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1216 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1219 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1221 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1222 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1224 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1229 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1230 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1231 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1232 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1233 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1234 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1235 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1237 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1238 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1245 @funindex \noPageTurn
1247 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1248 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1259 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1260 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1263 @node Minimal page breaking
1264 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1266 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1268 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1269 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1270 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1271 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1272 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1276 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1286 @node Explicit breaks
1287 @subsection Explicit breaks
1289 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1290 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1293 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1294 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1297 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1298 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1299 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1300 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1302 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1311 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1312 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1313 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1314 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
1315 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1316 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1317 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1318 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
1323 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1324 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1336 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1337 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1339 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1344 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1346 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1351 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1352 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1353 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1354 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1355 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1356 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1357 breaking layout information.
1359 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1369 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1370 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1371 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1372 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1378 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1379 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1380 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1382 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1386 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1387 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1390 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1391 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1394 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1395 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1398 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1399 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1403 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1404 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1405 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1406 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1415 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1421 @node Vertical spacing
1422 @section Vertical spacing
1424 @cindex vertical spacing
1425 @cindex spacing, vertical
1427 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1428 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1429 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1430 staves inside a system.
1433 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1434 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1435 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1436 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1440 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1441 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1443 @cindex distance between staves
1444 @cindex staff distance
1445 @cindex space between staves
1446 @cindex space inside systems
1448 The height of each system is determined in two steps. First, all of the
1449 staves are spaced according to the amount of space available. Then, the
1450 non-staff lines (eg. lyrics or chords) are distributed between the
1453 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing between staves
1454 Spacing between staves is controlled by the @var{next-staff-spacing}
1455 property of the @var{VerticalAxisGroup} grob. This property is an alist
1456 with four elements: @var{space}, @var{minimum-distance}, @var{padding}
1457 and @var{stretchability}:
1460 @var{space} is the size of the stretchable space between the center line
1461 of one staff to the center line of the next staff.
1464 @var{minimum-distance} provides a lower bound on the final distance
1465 between the center line of one staff to the center line of the next
1466 staff. That is, if a page has many systems and needs to be compressed,
1467 the distance from this staff to the next will never be compressed to
1468 less than @var{minimum-distance}.
1471 @var{padding} is the amount of whitespace that must be present between
1472 the bottom of one staff and the top of the next. It differs from
1473 @var{minimum-distance} in that the effect of @var{padding} depends on
1474 the height of objects in the staff. For example, @var{padding} is more
1475 likely to come into effect for staves with notes that are far below the
1479 @var{stretchability} controls the stretchable space's propensity to
1480 stretch when the system is stretched. Large values will cause a
1481 system to stretch more, while a value of zero will prevent the
1482 space from stretching at all. If unset, @var{stretchability}
1483 defaults to @code{space - minimum-distance}.
1487 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1489 % Since space is small and there is no minimum-distance, the distance
1490 % between this staff and the next will be determined by padding.
1492 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1493 #'((space . 1) (padding . 1))
1496 % Since space is small and nothing sticks out very far, the distance
1497 % between this staff and the next will be determined by minimum-distance.
1499 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1500 #'((space . 1) (minimum-distance . 12))
1503 % By setting padding to a negative value, staves can be made to collide.
1505 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1506 #'((space . 4) (padding . -10))
1509 \new Staff { \clef bass c, }
1514 In orchestral and other large scores, it is common to place staves in
1515 groups. The space between groups is typically larger than the space
1516 between staves of the same group. This spacing can be tweaked with the
1517 @var{StaffGrouper} grob: the default value of @var{next-staff-spacing}
1518 for @var{VerticalAxisGroup} is a callback function which operates by
1519 searching for a @var{StaffGrouper} grob containing the staff. If it
1520 finds a @var{StaffGrouper} grob and the staff in question is in the
1521 middle of a group, it reads the @var{between-staff-spacing} property of
1522 @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the staff in question is the last
1523 staff of a group, the callback reads the @var{after-last-staff-spacing}
1524 property of @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the callback did not
1525 find a @var{StaffGrouper} grob, it reads
1526 @var{default-next-staff-spacing} from its @var{VerticalAxisGroup} and
1530 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1532 \new PianoStaff \with {
1533 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1534 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1535 \override StaffGrouper #'after-last-staff-spacing #'space = #20
1542 \new StaffGroup \with {
1543 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1544 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1554 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing of non-staff lines
1556 After the positions of the staves are determined, the non-staff lines
1557 are distributed between the staves. Each of these lines has a
1558 @var{staff-affinity} property which controls its vertical alignment.
1562 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1565 @noindent creates a lyrics context that will be placed close to the
1566 staff below it. Setting @var{staff-affinity} to something which is not
1567 a number (@code{#f}, for example) will cause that line to be treated
1568 like a staff. Conversely, setting @var{staff-affinity} for a staff will
1569 cause it to be treated like a non-staff.
1571 Non-staff lines admit three properties to control their spacing. Each
1572 of the these properties is an alist of the same format as
1573 @var{next-staff-spacing}, above.
1576 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a staff
1577 then @var{inter-staff-spacing} gives the spacing between the non-staff
1578 and the staff. If @var{staff-affinity} is @code{CENTER}, then
1579 @var{inter-staff-spacing} is used for both directions.
1582 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a non-staff
1583 then @var{inter-loose-line-spacing} gives the spacing between the two
1587 If the nearest line in the opposite direction to @var{staff-affinity} is
1588 a staff then @var{non-affinity-spacing} gives the spacing between the
1589 non-staff and the staff. This can be used, for example, to require
1590 a minimum amount of padding between a Lyrics line and the staff
1591 to which it does not belong.
1595 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1599 % By default, Lyrics are placed close together. Here, we allow them to
1600 % be stretched more widely.
1601 \override VerticalAxisGroup
1602 #'inter-loose-line-spacing #'stretchability = #1000
1609 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing = #'((space . 30)) }
1612 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP }
1615 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #CENTER }
1616 \lyricmode { center }
1618 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN }
1629 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1630 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1632 Internals Reference:
1633 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup},
1634 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1635 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1638 Adjacent non-staff lines should have non-increasing
1639 @var{staff-affinity} from top-to-bottom. For example, the behavior of
1643 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1644 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP @}
1650 A non-staff line at the bottom of a system should have
1651 @var{staff-affinity} set to @code{UP}. Similarly, a non-staff
1652 line at the top of a system should have @var{staff-affinity} set
1655 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1656 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1658 The mechanisms that control spacing between systems are similar to those
1659 that control spacing between staves within a system (see
1660 @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}). The main difference is that
1661 the variables to control spacing between systems are set in the
1662 @code{\paper} block, rather than as grob properties. These paper block
1663 variables are @var{between-system-spacing},
1664 @var{between-scores-system-spacing}, @var{after-title-spacing},
1665 @var{before-title-spacing}, @var{between-title-spacing},
1666 @var{top-system-spacing}, @var{top-title-spacing} and
1667 @var{bottom-system-spacing}. Note that these variables ignore non-staff
1668 lines. For example, @var{between-system-spacing} controls the spacing
1669 from the middle staff line of the bottom staff from one system to
1670 the middle staff line of the top staff of the next system, whether
1671 or not there are lyrics below the upper system.
1672 See @ref{Vertical dimensions} for a description of each of these
1675 There are two more @code{\paper} block variables that affect vertical
1676 spacing: if @var{ragged-bottom} is set to @code{##t} then no pages will
1677 be stretched (which means that neither the space between systems nor the
1678 space within systems will be stretched). If @var{ragged-last-bottom}
1679 is set to @code{##t} then the last page will not be stretched.
1686 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1687 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1689 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1690 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1691 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1692 different staves and systems running down the page.
1694 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1695 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1696 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1697 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1698 vertical positions on the page.
1700 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1701 list of three different settings:
1704 @item @code{X-offset}
1705 @item @code{Y-offset}
1706 @item @code{alignment-distances}
1709 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1710 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1713 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1714 @item in a @code{\context} block
1715 @item in the @code{\with} block
1718 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1719 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1720 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1721 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1722 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1723 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1724 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1727 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1728 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1730 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1731 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1733 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1734 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1736 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1737 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-distances . (15)))
1739 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1740 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1741 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1744 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1745 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1747 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1748 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1751 \header { tagline = ##f }
1752 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1762 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1765 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1772 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1773 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1774 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1775 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1777 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1778 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1779 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1780 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1781 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1784 \header { tagline = ##f }
1785 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1791 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1792 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1794 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1795 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1797 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1798 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1801 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1804 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1811 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1812 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1813 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1814 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1816 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1817 explicitly, we can also set the vertical distances between staves
1818 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-distances}
1819 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1822 \header { tagline = ##f }
1823 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1829 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1830 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1831 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1833 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1834 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1835 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1837 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1838 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1839 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1842 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1845 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1852 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1853 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1854 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1855 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1856 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1857 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1858 @code{alignment-distances} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1859 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-distances}
1860 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1863 \header { tagline = ##f }
1864 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1870 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1871 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1872 (alignment-distances . (30 10)))
1874 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1875 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1876 (alignment-distances . (10 10)))
1878 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1879 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1880 (alignment-distances . (10 30)))
1883 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1886 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1887 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1894 Some points to consider:
1897 @item When using @code{alignment-distances}, lyrics and other non-staff lines
1898 do not count as a staff.
1900 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1901 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-distances} are interpreted as multiples
1902 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1903 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1905 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1906 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1907 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1908 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1909 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1918 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1919 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1921 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1922 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1923 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1925 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1926 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1927 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1928 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1929 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1930 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1931 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1934 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1935 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1936 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1937 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1940 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1941 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1942 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1943 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1944 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1945 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1946 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1949 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1952 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1953 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1955 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1956 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1957 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1958 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1959 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1962 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1963 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1964 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1966 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1967 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1968 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1969 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1970 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1971 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1975 By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid
1976 a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This
1977 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1978 other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staffs can
1979 also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved.
1980 Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1981 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1984 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1985 % the markup is too close to the following note
1989 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1991 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
2003 @node Horizontal spacing
2004 @section Horizontal spacing
2006 @cindex horizontal spacing
2007 @cindex spacing, horizontal
2010 * Horizontal spacing overview::
2011 * New spacing area::
2012 * Changing horizontal spacing::
2014 * Proportional notation::
2018 @node Horizontal spacing overview
2019 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
2021 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
2022 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
2023 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
2024 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
2025 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
2026 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
2027 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
2028 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
2030 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
2031 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
2032 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
2034 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
2035 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
2039 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
2040 approximately the width of a note head, and
2041 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
2042 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
2043 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
2044 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
2045 followed by one NHW of space.
2047 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
2048 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
2049 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
2050 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
2051 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
2052 the one which occurs most frequently.
2055 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
2056 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
2057 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
2058 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
2059 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
2060 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
2062 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
2063 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
2064 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
2065 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
2067 @funindex common-shortest-duration
2068 @funindex base-shortest-duration
2069 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
2072 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
2073 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
2074 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
2075 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
2077 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
2078 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
2082 In the @emph{Essay on automated music engraving}, it was explained
2083 that stem directions influence spacing (see @ressay{Optical
2084 spacing}). This is controlled with the
2085 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
2086 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
2087 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
2088 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same
2089 property for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following
2090 example shows these corrections, once with default settings, and
2091 once with exaggerated corrections:
2093 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
2097 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2098 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2104 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
2111 Internals Reference:
2112 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
2113 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
2114 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
2115 @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}.
2120 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
2121 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score,
2122 adjusting the padding value as necessary.
2124 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10
2127 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
2130 @node New spacing area
2131 @subsection New spacing area
2133 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
2134 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
2135 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
2137 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
2138 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
2140 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
2143 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
2149 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
2150 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
2151 may be used in that location.
2158 Internals Reference:
2159 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
2162 @node Changing horizontal spacing
2163 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
2165 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
2166 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
2167 we compare the same music; once without altering
2168 the property, and then altered. Larger values
2169 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
2170 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
2171 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
2174 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2177 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2178 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2179 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2180 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2185 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2188 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2189 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2190 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2191 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2196 \override SpacingSpanner
2197 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2206 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2207 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2208 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2209 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2210 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2212 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
2231 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2237 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2238 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2240 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2241 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2242 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2252 @subsection Line length
2255 @cindex breaking pages
2258 @funindex line-width
2259 @funindex ragged-right
2260 @funindex ragged-last
2262 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2263 @c block, to get page layout right.
2264 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2266 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2267 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2268 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2269 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2272 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2273 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2274 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2275 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2276 The normal default setting is false, but if the score has only one
2277 system the default value is true.
2280 @cindex vertical spacing
2282 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2283 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2284 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2285 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2286 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2287 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2288 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2289 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2305 @node Proportional notation
2306 @subsection Proportional notation
2308 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2309 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2310 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2311 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2312 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2313 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2314 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2316 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2317 which may be used together or alone:
2320 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2321 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2322 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2323 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2324 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2327 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2328 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2330 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2331 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2333 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2336 \new RhythmicStaff {
2340 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2347 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2348 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2349 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2350 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2351 horizontal space of the measure.
2353 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2354 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2355 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2357 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2358 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2359 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2362 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2365 \new RhythmicStaff {
2369 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2376 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2382 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2383 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2384 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2387 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting
2388 that lives in @code{Score}. Remember that context settings can appear
2389 in one of three locations within our input file -- in a @code{\with}
2390 block, in a @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry preceded
2391 by the @code{\set} command. As with all context settings, users can
2392 pick which of the three different locations they would like to
2393 set @code{proportionalNotationDuration} in to.
2395 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2396 which is the reference duration against that all music will be spaced.
2397 The LilyPond Scheme function @code{make-moment} takes two arguments
2398 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2399 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces
2400 a reference duration of a twentieth note. Values such as
2401 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2402 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2404 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2405 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial
2406 and error, beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest)
2407 duration in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely;
2408 larger reference durations space music tightly.
2410 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2413 \new RhythmicStaff {
2417 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2424 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2431 \new RhythmicStaff {
2435 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2442 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2449 \new RhythmicStaff {
2453 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2460 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2466 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2467 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2468 Also that proportional notation in general takes up more horizontal
2469 space than classical spacing. Proportional spacing provides rhythmic
2470 clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2472 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2474 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2475 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2478 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2481 \new RhythmicStaff {
2485 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2488 \new RhythmicStaff {
2490 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2497 The spacing is bad because the evenly spaced notes of the bottom staff
2498 do not stretch uniformly. Classical engravings include very few complex
2499 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2500 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} fixes this.
2502 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2505 \new RhythmicStaff {
2509 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2512 \new RhythmicStaff {
2514 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2521 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2527 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2528 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than the notes
2529 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2530 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2531 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2533 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2536 \new RhythmicStaff {
2540 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2543 \new RhythmicStaff {
2545 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2552 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2553 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2559 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2560 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2561 timeline or graphic if we want.
2563 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2564 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2565 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2566 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2567 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2568 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2571 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2572 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2573 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2574 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2575 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2577 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2578 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2579 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2580 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2581 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2582 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2584 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2585 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2586 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2587 just before the first note in each system.
2589 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2602 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2603 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2604 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2605 reduces this space to zero.
2607 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2613 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2621 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2622 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2623 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2624 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2625 problems differently.
2627 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2628 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2629 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2630 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2631 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2632 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2633 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2635 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2636 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2637 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2639 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2641 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2651 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2652 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2662 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2663 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2664 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2665 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2666 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2667 part in the spacing algorithm.
2669 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2670 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2673 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2674 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2675 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2676 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2677 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2678 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2681 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2682 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2683 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2684 for these related settings.
2689 @ref{New spacing area}.
2695 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2696 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2698 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2699 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2700 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2701 of room left on those.
2703 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2704 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2705 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2706 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2709 * Displaying spacing::
2710 * Changing spacing::
2714 @node Displaying spacing
2715 @subsection Displaying spacing
2717 @funindex annotate-spacing
2718 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2720 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2721 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2722 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2724 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2725 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2726 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2729 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2735 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless
2736 of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2737 In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75
2738 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the
2739 default value). Note that:
2741 @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm}
2744 @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm
2747 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts
2749 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm
2754 In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to
2755 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75
2756 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height
2757 of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs
2758 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower
2759 edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
2764 @ref{Setting the staff size}.
2770 @node Changing spacing
2771 @subsection Changing spacing
2773 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2774 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2775 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2777 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2781 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2782 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2783 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2787 between-system-spacing = #'((padding . 0) (space . 0.1))
2788 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2794 Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just
2795 setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems
2796 being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to
2797 be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed,
2798 giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual
2799 reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For
2800 example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following
2801 assignment will force a layout with 10 systems.
2810 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2811 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2812 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2813 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2814 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2815 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2817 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2819 e4 c g-\tweak #'X-offset #-2.7 -\tweak #'Y-offset #2.5 \f c
2823 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2824 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2825 example illustrates the default spacing:
2827 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2840 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2841 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2842 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2843 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2845 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2857 \override SpacingSpanner
2858 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2865 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2866 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2867 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2874 @ref{Page formatting},
2875 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.