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}.
223 @subsubheading Flexible vertical dimensions
225 In most cases, it is preferable for the vertical distances between
226 certain items (such as margins, titles, systems, and separate
227 scores) to be flexible, so that they stretch and compress nicely
228 according to each situation. A number of @code{\paper} variables
229 (listed below) are available to fine-tune the stretching behavior
232 Each of these variables is an associative list containing four
236 @item @code{padding} -- the minimum required amount of
237 unobstructed vertical whitespace between two items, measured in
238 staff-spaces. This can be thought of as the minimum height of an
239 unobstructed (invisible) rectangle that extends from the leftmost
240 to the rightmost point of the combined items.
242 @item @code{space} -- the default vertical distance, measured in
243 staff-spaces, between the @emph{reference points} of the two
244 items, when no collisions would result, and no stretching or
245 compressing is in effect. The reference point of a (title or
246 top-level) markup is its highest point, and the reference point of
247 a system is the middle line of the nearest staff. Values for
248 @code{space} that are less than either @code{padding} or
249 @code{minimum-distance} are not meaningful, since the resulting
250 distance will never be less than either @code{padding} or
251 @code{minimum-distance}.
253 @item @code{minimum-distance} -- the minimum required vertical
254 distance, measured in staff-spaces, between the reference points
255 of the two items, when compressing is in effect. Values for
256 @code{minimum-distance} that are less than @code{padding} are not
257 meaningful, since the resulting distance will never be less than
260 @item @code{stretchability} -- a unitless measure of the
261 dimension's relative propensity to stretch. If zero, the distance
262 will not stretch (unless collisions would result). When positive,
263 the significance of a particular dimension's @code{stretchability}
264 value lies only in its relation to the @code{stretchability}
265 values of the other dimensions. For example, if one dimension has
266 twice the @code{stretchability} of another, it will stretch twice
267 as easily. Values should be non-negative and finite. The value
268 @code{+inf.0} triggers a @code{programming_error} and is ignored,
269 but @code{1.0e7} can be used for an almost infinitely stretchable
270 spring. If unset, the default value is set to @code{space}. Note
271 that the dimension's propensity to @emph{compress} cannot be
272 directly set by the user and is equal to
273 (@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 To set or modify a single key for a dimension variable, use a
291 system-system-spacing #'space = #10
295 This will update the specified key without altering any other keys
296 already set for the same variable. To completely re-define a
297 variable with one declaration, define it as an alist:
301 system-system-spacing =
304 (minimum-distance . 8)
305 (stretchability . 12))
309 However, note that any keys not listed in an alist definition will
310 still be overwritten; they will be reset to zero (except
311 @code{stretchability}, which takes the value of @code{space}).
312 Thus the following two declarations are equivalent:
315 system-system-spacing =
318 system-system-spacing =
321 (minimum-distance . 0)
322 (stretchability . 10))
325 One possibly unintended consequence of the above example is the
326 removal of the default values for @code{padding} and
327 @code{minimum-distance}. Defining a variable as an alist (of any
328 size) will always reset all its default key-values. Default
329 settings for the flexible vertical @code{\paper} dimensions are
330 defined in @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
332 The names of these variables follow the format
333 @code{@var{upper}-@var{lower}-spacing}, where @code{@var{upper}}
334 and @code{@var{lower}} are the items to be spaced. Each distance
335 is measured between the reference points of the two items: the
336 reference point of a (title or top-level) markup is its highest
337 point, and the reference point of a system is the middle line of
338 the nearest staff. Note that in these variable names, the term
339 @q{@code{markup}} refers to both @emph{title markups}
340 (@code{bookTitleMarkup} or @code{scoreTitleMarkup}) and
341 @emph{top-level markups} (see @ref{File structure}).
343 The flexible vertical dimension @code{\paper} variables are:
346 @item markup-system-spacing
347 @funindex markup-system-spacing
349 the distance between a (title or top-level) markup and the system
352 @item score-markup-spacing
353 @funindex score-markup-spacing
355 the distance between the last system of a score and the (title or
356 top-level) markup that follows it.
358 @item score-system-spacing
359 @funindex score-system-spacing
361 the distance between the last system of a score and the first
362 system of the score that follows it, when no (title or top-level)
363 markup exists between them.
365 @item system-system-spacing
366 @funindex system-system-spacing
368 the distance between two systems in the same score.
370 @item markup-markup-spacing
371 @funindex markup-markup-spacing
373 the distance between two (title or top-level) markups.
375 @item last-bottom-spacing
376 @funindex last-bottom-spacing
378 the distance from the last system or top-level markup on a page to
379 the bottom of the printable area (i.e. the top of the bottom
382 @item top-system-spacing
383 @funindex top-system-spacing
385 the distance from the top of the printable area (i.e. the bottom
386 of the top margin) to the first system on a page, when there is no
387 (title or top-level) markup between the two.
389 @item top-markup-spacing
390 @funindex top-markup-spacing
392 the distance from the top of the printable area (i.e. the bottom
393 of the top margin) to the first (title or top-level) markup on a
394 page, when there is no system between the two.
400 The header and footer are created by the functions
401 @code{make-footer} and @code{make-header}, defined in
402 @code{\paper}. The default implementations are in
403 @file{ly/paper-defaults.ly} and @file{ly/titling-init.ly}.
405 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
406 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
407 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking
408 algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the latter
409 creates the actual page given the system to put on it.
411 You can define @code{\paper} block values in Scheme. In that case
412 @code{mm}, @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables
413 defined in @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters.
414 That is why the value @w{@code{2 cm}} must be multiplied in the
419 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
431 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
435 This second example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page.
439 print-page-number = ##t
440 print-first-page-number = ##t
441 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
442 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
443 oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
444 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
445 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
446 evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
447 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
448 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
454 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
460 @node Horizontal dimensions
461 @unnumberedsubsubsec Horizontal dimensions
464 There are a few variables that determine the horizontal dimensions
470 @funindex binding-offset
472 The amount @code{inner-margin} is increased
473 to make sure nothing will be hidden by the binding.
474 Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true. Default:
477 @item horizontal-shift
478 @funindex horizontal-shift
480 The amount that all systems (including titles and system
481 separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0}.
486 The level of indentation for the first system in a score.
487 Default: @code{15\mm}.
490 @funindex inner-margin
492 The margin all pages have at the inner side if they are part
493 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
494 Default: @code{10\mm}.
497 @funindex left-margin
499 The margin between the left edge of the page and the beginning of
500 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
505 The width of music systems. Default: @code{paper-width} minus
506 @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin}.
509 @funindex outer-margin
511 The margin all pages have at the outer side if they are part
512 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
513 Default: @code{20\mm}.
516 @funindex paper-width
518 The width of the page. Default: the width of the current paper
519 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
522 @funindex right-margin
524 The margin between the right edge of the page and the end of
525 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
528 @funindex short-indent
530 The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the
531 first system. Default: @code{0}.
535 If some values are not set, defaults will be taken. Their exact
536 value is adjusted, depending on the paper size specified. Currently,
537 the following values are affected by this scaling:
540 @item @var{left-margin}
541 @item @var{right-margin}
542 @item @var{top-margin}
543 @item @var{bottom-margin}
544 @item @var{head-separation}
545 @item @var{foot-separation}
547 @item @var{short-indent}
550 The settings for @code{line-width}, @code{left-margin},
551 @code{right-margin} and @code{paper-width} depend on
552 each other, but they do not have to be specified
561 In this example, only @code{left-margin} is set. The value for
562 @code{right-margin} will remain default, @code{line-width} is
563 calculated automatically.
571 Here @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin} will be set
572 to the same value. Therefore, @code{line-width} is subtracted
573 from @code{paper-width} and divided by two. That means systems
574 are centered on the page, if only @code{line-width} is
577 Some checks occur to ensure the values are set correctly.
578 If the values do not match or systems would run off the page,
579 a warning is printed and default values are set.
590 These checks can be avoided by setting @code{check-consistency}
598 check-consistency = ##f
602 @warning{If @code{paper-width} is manually set, @code{line-width},
603 @code{left-margin}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} may
604 have to be adjusted as well.}
612 @node Other layout variables
613 @unnumberedsubsubsec Other layout variables
615 These variables can be used to adjust page layout in general.
619 @item auto-first-page-number
620 @funindex auto-first-page-number
622 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number
623 being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm
624 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This
625 will result in the first page number remaining as is or being
626 increased by one. Default: @code{##f}.
630 TODO: this variable is used, but I don't know what it does. -pm
631 @item blank-after-score-page-force
632 @funindex blank-after-score-page-force
638 @item blank-last-page-force
639 @funindex blank-last-page-force
641 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
644 @item blank-page-force
645 @funindex blank-page-force
647 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
648 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
649 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default:
652 @item check-consistency
653 @funindex check-consistency
655 If set to true, check whether @code{left-margin}, @code{right-margin} and
656 @code{line-width} fit each other. Also make sure that their combination
657 does not exceed the available @code{paper-width}. Default: @code{##t}.
659 @item first-page-number
660 @funindex first-page-number
662 The value of the page number on the first page. Default:
665 @item max-systems-per-page
666 @funindex max-systems-per-page
668 The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
669 is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
672 @item min-systems-per-page
673 @funindex min-systems-per-page
675 The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
676 may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is
677 currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
680 @item page-breaking-system-system-spacing
681 @funindex page-breaking-system-system-spacing
683 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
684 @code{system-system-spacing} is set to something different than
685 it really is. For example, if
686 @code{page-breaking-system-system-spacing #'padding} is set to something
687 substantially larger than @code{system-system-spacing #'padding}, then the
688 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
693 The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset.
695 @item page-limit-inter-system-space
696 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space
698 If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot
699 of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see
700 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
702 @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
703 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
705 The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default:
706 @code{1.4}. For details, see
707 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
709 @item page-spacing-weight
710 @funindex page-spacing-weight
712 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
713 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
714 important. Default: @code{#10}.
716 @item print-all-headers
717 @funindex print-all-headers
719 If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the
720 output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are
721 printed. Default: @code{##f}.
723 @item print-first-page-number
724 @funindex print-first-page-number
726 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
729 @item print-page-number
730 @funindex print-page-number
732 If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default:
736 @funindex ragged-bottom
738 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the
739 page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}.
741 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
742 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
745 @funindex ragged-last
747 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
748 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
749 horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}.
751 @item ragged-last-bottom
752 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
754 If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last
755 page. Default: @code{##t}.
757 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
760 It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created
761 with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
764 @funindex ragged-right
766 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
767 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
770 If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}.
772 @item system-separator-markup
773 @funindex system-separator-markup
775 A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often
776 used for orchestral scores. Default: unset.
778 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
781 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
782 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
785 \relative c' { c1 \break c1 }
788 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
794 @funindex system-count
796 The number of systems to be used for a score.
799 @item systems-per-page
800 @funindex systems-per-page
802 The number of systems that should be placed on each page.
803 This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
810 @cindex binding gutter
812 If set to true, use @code{inner-margin}, @code{outer-margin} and
813 @code{binding-offset} to determine margins depending on whether
814 the page number is odd or even. This overrides @code{left-margin}
815 and @code{right-margin}. Default: @code{##f}.
827 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
828 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
830 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
831 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
832 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
836 @section Music layout
839 * Setting the staff size::
844 @node Setting the staff size
845 @subsection Setting the staff size
847 @cindex font size, setting
848 @cindex staff size, setting
849 @funindex layout file
851 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
852 This may be changed in two ways:
854 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
855 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
858 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
862 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
865 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
870 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
875 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
876 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
877 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
878 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
881 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
884 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
885 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
927 @c modern rental material?
932 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
933 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
934 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
935 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
940 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
948 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
953 @subsection Score layout
957 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
958 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
965 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
968 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
969 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
977 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
989 * Optimal page breaking::
990 * Optimal page turning::
991 * Minimal page breaking::
993 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
998 @subsection Line breaking
1001 @cindex breaking lines
1003 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
1004 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
1005 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
1006 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
1007 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
1008 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
1009 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
1010 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
1011 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
1012 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
1013 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
1015 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
1016 bar line where it is inserted.
1018 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
1019 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
1020 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
1021 lengths of the lines.
1023 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
1024 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
1025 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
1026 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
1029 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
1031 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
1032 but affects only the last line of the piece.
1044 @cindex regular line breaks
1045 @cindex four bar music.
1047 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
1048 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
1049 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
1050 every 4 measures, and only there:
1053 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
1054 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
1055 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
1056 @emph{the real music}
1061 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file
1062 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
1063 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
1064 complicated. More details are available in
1077 Internals Reference:
1078 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
1086 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
1087 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
1089 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1090 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing
1091 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
1092 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
1096 This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}.
1097 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
1100 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1102 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
1104 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed
1109 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
1110 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
1111 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}.
1115 @subsection Page breaking
1117 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
1118 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
1119 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
1120 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
1121 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
1124 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
1125 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
1127 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
1128 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
1129 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
1130 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
1131 respectively will not be justified vertically.
1133 For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1135 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
1136 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
1137 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
1138 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
1139 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
1143 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
1149 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
1150 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
1151 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
1152 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
1153 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
1159 subtitle = "Preface"
1162 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
1163 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be preferred
1164 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1166 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
1170 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
1171 %% page breaking function is used.
1173 subtitle = "First movement"
1175 \score @{ @dots{} @}
1182 @funindex \pageBreak
1184 @funindex \noPageBreak
1185 @code{\noPageBreak}.
1194 @node Optimal page breaking
1195 @subsection Optimal page breaking
1197 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
1199 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
1200 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
1201 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
1202 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1210 @node Optimal page turning
1211 @subsection Optimal page turning
1213 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1215 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1216 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1217 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1218 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1219 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1220 in specified places.
1222 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1223 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1224 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1227 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1228 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1229 input file at the appropriate places.
1231 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1232 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1233 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1234 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1235 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1236 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1237 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1238 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1239 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1242 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1243 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1244 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1245 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1246 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1247 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1250 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1253 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1255 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1256 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1258 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1263 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1264 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1265 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1266 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1267 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1268 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1269 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1271 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1272 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1279 @funindex \noPageTurn
1281 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1282 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1293 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1294 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1297 @node Minimal page breaking
1298 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1300 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1302 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1303 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1304 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1305 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1306 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1310 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1320 @node Explicit breaks
1321 @subsection Explicit breaks
1323 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1324 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1327 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1328 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1331 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1332 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1333 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1334 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1336 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1345 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1346 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1347 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1348 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
1349 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1350 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1351 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1352 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
1357 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1358 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1370 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1371 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1373 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1378 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1380 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1385 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1386 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1387 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1388 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1389 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1390 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1391 breaking layout information.
1393 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
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 }
1412 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1413 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1414 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1416 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1420 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1421 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1424 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1425 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1428 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1429 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1432 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1433 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1437 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1438 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1439 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1440 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1449 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1455 @node Vertical spacing
1456 @section Vertical spacing
1458 @cindex vertical spacing
1459 @cindex spacing, vertical
1461 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1462 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1463 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1464 staves inside a system.
1467 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1468 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1469 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1470 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1474 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1475 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1477 @cindex distance between staves
1478 @cindex staff distance
1479 @cindex space between staves
1480 @cindex space inside systems
1482 The height of each system is determined in two steps. First, all of the
1483 staves are spaced according to the amount of space available. Then, the
1484 non-staff lines (eg. lyrics or chords) are distributed between the
1487 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing between staves
1488 Spacing between staves is controlled by the @var{next-staff-spacing}
1489 property of the @var{VerticalAxisGroup} grob. This property is an alist
1490 with four elements: @var{space}, @var{minimum-distance}, @var{padding}
1491 and @var{stretchability}:
1494 @var{space} is the size of the stretchable space between the center line
1495 of one staff to the center line of the next staff.
1498 @var{minimum-distance} provides a lower bound on the final distance
1499 between the center line of one staff to the center line of the next
1500 staff. That is, if a page has many systems and needs to be compressed,
1501 the distance from this staff to the next will never be compressed to
1502 less than @var{minimum-distance}.
1505 @var{padding} is the amount of whitespace that must be present between
1506 the bottom of one staff and the top of the next. It differs from
1507 @var{minimum-distance} in that the effect of @var{padding} depends on
1508 the height of objects in the staff. For example, @var{padding} is more
1509 likely to come into effect for staves with notes that are far below the
1513 @var{stretchability} controls the stretchable space's propensity to
1514 stretch when the system is stretched. Large values will cause a
1515 system to stretch more, while a value of zero will prevent the
1516 space from stretching at all. If unset, @var{stretchability}
1517 defaults to @code{space - minimum-distance}.
1521 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1523 % Since space is small and there is no minimum-distance, the distance
1524 % between this staff and the next will be determined by padding.
1526 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1527 #'((space . 1) (padding . 1))
1530 % Since space is small and nothing sticks out very far, the distance
1531 % between this staff and the next will be determined by minimum-distance.
1533 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1534 #'((space . 1) (minimum-distance . 12))
1537 % By setting padding to a negative value, staves can be made to collide.
1539 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1540 #'((space . 4) (padding . -10))
1543 \new Staff { \clef bass c, }
1548 In orchestral and other large scores, it is common to place staves in
1549 groups. The space between groups is typically larger than the space
1550 between staves of the same group. This spacing can be tweaked with the
1551 @var{StaffGrouper} grob: the default value of @var{next-staff-spacing}
1552 for @var{VerticalAxisGroup} is a callback function which operates by
1553 searching for a @var{StaffGrouper} grob containing the staff. If it
1554 finds a @var{StaffGrouper} grob and the staff in question is in the
1555 middle of a group, it reads the @var{between-staff-spacing} property of
1556 @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the staff in question is the last
1557 staff of a group, the callback reads the @var{after-last-staff-spacing}
1558 property of @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the callback did not
1559 find a @var{StaffGrouper} grob, it reads
1560 @var{default-next-staff-spacing} from its @var{VerticalAxisGroup} and
1564 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1566 \new PianoStaff \with {
1567 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1568 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1569 \override StaffGrouper #'after-last-staff-spacing #'space = #20
1576 \new StaffGroup \with {
1577 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1578 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1588 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing of non-staff lines
1590 After the positions of the staves are determined, the non-staff lines
1591 are distributed between the staves. Each of these lines has a
1592 @var{staff-affinity} property which controls its vertical alignment.
1596 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1599 @noindent creates a lyrics context that will be placed close to the
1600 staff below it. Setting @var{staff-affinity} to something which is not
1601 a number (@code{#f}, for example) will cause that line to be treated
1602 like a staff. Conversely, setting @var{staff-affinity} for a staff will
1603 cause it to be treated like a non-staff.
1605 Non-staff lines admit three properties to control their spacing. Each
1606 of the these properties is an alist of the same format as
1607 @var{next-staff-spacing}, above.
1610 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a staff
1611 then @var{inter-staff-spacing} gives the spacing between the non-staff
1612 and the staff. If @var{staff-affinity} is @code{CENTER}, then
1613 @var{inter-staff-spacing} is used for both directions.
1616 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a non-staff
1617 then @var{inter-loose-line-spacing} gives the spacing between the two
1621 If the nearest line in the opposite direction to @var{staff-affinity} is
1622 a staff then @var{non-affinity-spacing} gives the spacing between the
1623 non-staff and the staff. This can be used, for example, to require
1624 a minimum amount of padding between a Lyrics line and the staff
1625 to which it does not belong.
1629 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1633 % By default, Lyrics are placed close together. Here, we allow them to
1634 % be stretched more widely.
1635 \override VerticalAxisGroup
1636 #'inter-loose-line-spacing #'stretchability = #1000
1643 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing = #'((space . 30)) }
1646 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP }
1649 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #CENTER }
1650 \lyricmode { center }
1652 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN }
1663 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1664 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1666 Internals Reference:
1667 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup},
1668 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1669 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1672 Adjacent non-staff lines should have non-increasing
1673 @var{staff-affinity} from top-to-bottom. For example, the behavior of
1677 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1678 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP @}
1684 A non-staff line at the bottom of a system should have
1685 @var{staff-affinity} set to @code{UP}. Similarly, a non-staff
1686 line at the top of a system should have @var{staff-affinity} set
1689 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1690 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1692 The mechanisms that control spacing between systems are similar to those
1693 that control spacing between staves within a system (see
1694 @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}). The main difference is that
1695 the variables to control spacing between systems are set in the
1696 @code{\paper} block, rather than as grob properties. These paper block
1697 variables are @var{system-system-spacing},
1698 @var{score-system-spacing}, @var{markup-system-spacing},
1699 @var{score-markup-spacing}, @var{markup-markup-spacing},
1700 @var{top-system-spacing}, @var{top-markup-spacing} and
1701 @var{last-bottom-spacing}. Note that these variables ignore non-staff
1702 lines. For example, @var{system-system-spacing} controls the spacing
1703 from the middle staff line of the bottom staff from one system to
1704 the middle staff line of the top staff of the next system, whether
1705 or not there are lyrics below the upper system.
1706 See @ref{Vertical dimensions} for a description of each of these
1709 There are two more @code{\paper} block variables that affect vertical
1710 spacing: if @var{ragged-bottom} is set to @code{##t} then no pages will
1711 be stretched (which means that neither the space between systems nor the
1712 space within systems will be stretched). If @var{ragged-last-bottom}
1713 is set to @code{##t} then the last page will not be stretched.
1720 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1721 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1723 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1724 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1725 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1726 different staves and systems running down the page.
1728 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1729 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1730 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1731 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1732 vertical positions on the page.
1734 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1735 list of three different settings:
1738 @item @code{X-offset}
1739 @item @code{Y-offset}
1740 @item @code{alignment-distances}
1743 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1744 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1747 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1748 @item in a @code{\context} block
1749 @item in the @code{\with} block
1752 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1753 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1754 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1755 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1756 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1757 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1758 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1761 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1762 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1764 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1765 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1767 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1768 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1770 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1771 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-distances . (15)))
1773 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1774 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1775 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1778 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1779 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1781 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1782 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1785 \header { tagline = ##f }
1786 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1796 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1799 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1806 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1807 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1808 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1809 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1811 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1812 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1813 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1814 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1815 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1818 \header { tagline = ##f }
1819 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1825 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1826 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1828 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1829 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1831 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1832 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1835 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1838 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1845 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1846 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1847 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1848 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1850 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1851 explicitly, we can also set the vertical distances between staves
1852 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-distances}
1853 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1856 \header { tagline = ##f }
1857 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1863 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1864 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1865 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1867 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1868 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1869 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1871 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1872 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1873 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1876 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1879 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1886 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1887 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1888 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1889 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1890 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1891 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1892 @code{alignment-distances} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1893 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-distances}
1894 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1897 \header { tagline = ##f }
1898 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1904 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1905 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1906 (alignment-distances . (30 10)))
1908 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1909 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1910 (alignment-distances . (10 10)))
1912 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1913 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1914 (alignment-distances . (10 30)))
1917 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1920 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1921 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1928 Some points to consider:
1931 @item When using @code{alignment-distances}, lyrics and other non-staff lines
1932 do not count as a staff.
1934 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1935 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-distances} are interpreted as multiples
1936 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1937 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1939 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1940 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1941 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1942 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1943 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1952 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1953 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1955 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1956 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1957 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1959 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1960 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1961 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1962 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1963 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1964 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1965 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1968 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1969 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1970 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1971 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1974 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1975 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1976 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1977 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1978 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1979 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1980 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1983 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1986 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1987 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1989 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1990 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1991 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1992 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1993 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1996 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1997 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1998 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
2000 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2001 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
2002 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
2003 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
2004 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
2005 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
2009 By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid
2010 a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This
2011 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
2012 other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staves can
2013 also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved.
2014 Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
2015 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
2018 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2019 % the markup is too close to the following note
2023 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
2025 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
2037 @node Horizontal spacing
2038 @section Horizontal spacing
2040 @cindex horizontal spacing
2041 @cindex spacing, horizontal
2044 * Horizontal spacing overview::
2045 * New spacing area::
2046 * Changing horizontal spacing::
2048 * Proportional notation::
2052 @node Horizontal spacing overview
2053 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
2055 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
2056 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
2057 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
2058 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
2059 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
2060 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
2061 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
2062 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
2064 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
2065 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
2066 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
2068 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
2069 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
2073 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
2074 approximately the width of a note head, and
2075 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
2076 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
2077 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
2078 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
2079 followed by one NHW of space.
2081 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
2082 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
2083 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
2084 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
2085 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
2086 the one which occurs most frequently.
2089 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
2090 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
2091 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
2092 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
2093 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
2094 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
2096 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
2097 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
2098 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
2099 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
2101 @funindex common-shortest-duration
2102 @funindex base-shortest-duration
2103 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
2106 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
2107 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
2108 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
2109 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
2111 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
2112 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
2116 In the @emph{Essay on automated music engraving}, it was explained
2117 that stem directions influence spacing (see @ressay{Optical
2118 spacing}). This is controlled with the
2119 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
2120 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
2121 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
2122 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same
2123 property for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following
2124 example shows these corrections, once with default settings, and
2125 once with exaggerated corrections:
2127 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
2131 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2132 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2138 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
2145 Internals Reference:
2146 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
2147 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
2148 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
2149 @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}.
2154 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
2155 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score,
2156 adjusting the padding value as necessary.
2158 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10
2161 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
2164 @node New spacing area
2165 @subsection New spacing area
2167 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
2168 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
2169 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
2171 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
2172 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
2174 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
2177 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
2183 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
2184 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
2185 may be used in that location.
2192 Internals Reference:
2193 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
2196 @node Changing horizontal spacing
2197 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
2199 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
2200 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
2201 we compare the same music; once without altering
2202 the property, and then altered. Larger values
2203 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
2204 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
2205 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
2208 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2211 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2212 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2213 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2214 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2219 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2222 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2223 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2224 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2225 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2230 \override SpacingSpanner
2231 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2240 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2241 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2242 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2243 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2244 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2246 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
2265 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2271 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2272 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2274 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2275 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2276 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2286 @subsection Line length
2289 @cindex breaking pages
2292 @funindex line-width
2293 @funindex ragged-right
2294 @funindex ragged-last
2296 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2297 @c block, to get page layout right.
2298 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2300 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2301 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2302 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2303 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2306 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2307 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2308 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2309 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2310 The normal default setting is false, but if the score has only one
2311 system the default value is true.
2314 @cindex vertical spacing
2316 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2317 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2318 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2319 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2320 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2321 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2322 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2323 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2339 @node Proportional notation
2340 @subsection Proportional notation
2342 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2343 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2344 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2345 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2346 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2347 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2348 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2350 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2351 which may be used together or alone:
2354 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2355 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2356 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2357 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2358 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2361 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2362 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2364 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2365 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2367 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2370 \new RhythmicStaff {
2374 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2381 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2382 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2383 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2384 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2385 horizontal space of the measure.
2387 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2388 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2389 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2391 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2392 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2393 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2396 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2399 \new RhythmicStaff {
2403 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2410 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2416 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2417 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2418 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2421 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting
2422 that lives in @code{Score}. Remember that context settings can appear
2423 in one of three locations within our input file -- in a @code{\with}
2424 block, in a @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry preceded
2425 by the @code{\set} command. As with all context settings, users can
2426 pick which of the three different locations they would like to
2427 set @code{proportionalNotationDuration} in to.
2429 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2430 which is the reference duration against that all music will be spaced.
2431 The LilyPond Scheme function @code{make-moment} takes two arguments
2432 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2433 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces
2434 a reference duration of a twentieth note. Values such as
2435 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2436 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2438 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2439 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial
2440 and error, beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest)
2441 duration in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely;
2442 larger reference durations space music tightly.
2444 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2447 \new RhythmicStaff {
2451 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2458 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2465 \new RhythmicStaff {
2469 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2476 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2483 \new RhythmicStaff {
2487 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2494 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2500 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2501 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2502 Also that proportional notation in general takes up more horizontal
2503 space than classical spacing. Proportional spacing provides rhythmic
2504 clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2506 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2508 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2509 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2512 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2515 \new RhythmicStaff {
2519 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2522 \new RhythmicStaff {
2524 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2531 The spacing is bad because the evenly spaced notes of the bottom staff
2532 do not stretch uniformly. Classical engravings include very few complex
2533 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2534 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} fixes this.
2536 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2539 \new RhythmicStaff {
2543 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2546 \new RhythmicStaff {
2548 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2555 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2561 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2562 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than the notes
2563 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2564 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2565 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2567 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2570 \new RhythmicStaff {
2574 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2577 \new RhythmicStaff {
2579 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2586 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2587 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2593 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2594 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2595 timeline or graphic if we want.
2597 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2598 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2599 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2600 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2601 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2602 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2605 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2606 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2607 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2608 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2609 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2611 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2612 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2613 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2614 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2615 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2616 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2618 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2619 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2620 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2621 just before the first note in each system.
2623 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2636 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2637 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2638 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2639 reduces this space to zero.
2641 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2647 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2655 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2656 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2657 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2658 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2659 problems differently.
2661 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2662 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2663 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2664 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2665 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2666 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2667 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2669 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2670 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2671 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2673 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2675 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2685 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2686 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2696 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2697 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2698 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2699 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2700 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2701 part in the spacing algorithm.
2703 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2704 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2707 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2708 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2709 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2710 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2711 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2712 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2715 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2716 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2717 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2718 for these related settings.
2723 @ref{New spacing area}.
2729 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2730 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2732 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2733 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2734 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2735 of room left on those.
2737 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2738 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2739 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2740 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2743 * Displaying spacing::
2744 * Changing spacing::
2748 @node Displaying spacing
2749 @subsection Displaying spacing
2751 @funindex annotate-spacing
2752 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2754 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2755 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2756 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2758 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2759 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2760 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2763 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2769 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless
2770 of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2771 In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75
2772 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the
2773 default value). Note that:
2775 @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm}
2778 @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm
2781 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts
2783 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm
2788 In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to
2789 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75
2790 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height
2791 of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs
2792 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower
2793 edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
2798 @ref{Setting the staff size}.
2804 @node Changing spacing
2805 @subsection Changing spacing
2807 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2808 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2809 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2811 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2815 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2816 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2817 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2821 system-system-spacing = #'((padding . 0) (space . 0.1))
2822 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2828 Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just
2829 setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems
2830 being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to
2831 be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed,
2832 giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual
2833 reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For
2834 example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following
2835 assignment will force a layout with 10 systems.
2844 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2845 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2846 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2847 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2848 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2849 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2851 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2853 e4 c g-\tweak #'X-offset #-2.7 -\tweak #'Y-offset #2.5 \f c
2857 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2858 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2859 example illustrates the default spacing:
2861 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2874 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2875 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2876 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2877 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2879 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2891 \override SpacingSpanner
2892 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2899 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2900 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2901 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2908 @ref{Page formatting},
2909 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.