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, measured in staff-spaces. 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, measured in staff-spaces, 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 top-level) 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 distance will never be less than either
251 @code{padding} or @code{minimum-distance}.
253 @item @code{minimum-distance} -- the minimum required vertical
254 distance, measured in staff-spaces, 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 distance will never be less than @code{padding.}
259 @item @code{stretchability} -- a unitless measure of the dimension's relative propensity
260 to stretch. If zero, the distance 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 dimension'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 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
333 format @code{@var{upper}-@var{lower}-spacing}, where
334 @code{@var{upper}} and @code{@var{lower}} are the items to be
335 spaced. Each distance is measured between the reference points of
336 the two items: the reference point of a (title or top-level) markup is its
337 highest point, and the reference point of a system is the middle
338 line of the nearest staff. Note that in these variable names, the
339 term @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:
348 @item markup-system-spacing
349 @funindex markup-system-spacing
351 the distance between a (title or top-level) markup and the system
354 @item score-markup-spacing
355 @funindex score-markup-spacing
357 the distance between the last system of a score and the (title or
358 top-level) markup that follows it.
360 @item score-system-spacing
361 @funindex score-system-spacing
363 the distance between the last system of a score and the first
364 system of the score that follows it, when no (title or top-level)
365 markup exists between them.
367 @item system-system-spacing
368 @funindex system-system-spacing
370 the distance between two systems in the same score.
372 @item markup-markup-spacing
373 @funindex markup-markup-spacing
375 the distance between two (title or top-level) markups.
377 @item last-bottom-spacing
378 @funindex last-bottom-spacing
380 the distance from the last system or top-level markup on a page to
381 the bottom of the printable area (i.e. the top of the bottom
384 @item top-system-spacing
385 @funindex top-system-spacing
387 the distance from the top of the printable area (i.e. the bottom
388 of the top margin) to the first system on a page, when there is no
389 (title or top-level) markup between the two.
391 @item top-markup-spacing
392 @funindex top-markup-spacing
394 the distance from the top of the printable area (i.e. the bottom
395 of the top margin) to the first (title or top-level) markup on a
396 page, when there is no system between the two.
403 The header and footer are created by the functions
404 @code{make-footer} and @code{make-header}, defined in
405 @code{\paper}. The default implementations are in
406 @file{ly/paper-defaults.ly} and @file{ly/titling-init.ly}.
408 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
409 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
410 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking
411 algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the latter
412 creates the actual page given the system to put on it.
414 You can define @code{\paper} block values in Scheme. In that case
415 @code{mm}, @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables
416 defined in @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters.
417 That is why the value @w{@code{2 cm}} must be multiplied in the
422 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
434 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
438 This second example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page.
442 print-page-number = ##t
443 print-first-page-number = ##t
444 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
445 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
446 oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
447 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
448 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
449 evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
450 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
451 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
457 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
463 @node Horizontal dimensions
464 @unnumberedsubsubsec Horizontal dimensions
467 There are a few variables that determine the horizontal dimensions
473 @funindex binding-offset
475 The amount @code{inner-margin} is increased
476 to make sure nothing will be hidden by the binding.
477 Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true. Default:
480 @item horizontal-shift
481 @funindex horizontal-shift
483 The amount that all systems (including titles and system
484 separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0}.
489 The level of indentation for the first system in a score.
490 Default: @code{15\mm}.
493 @funindex inner-margin
495 The margin all pages have at the inner side if they are part
496 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
497 Default: @code{10\mm}.
500 @funindex left-margin
502 The margin between the left edge of the page and the beginning of
503 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
508 The width of music systems. Default: @code{paper-width} minus
509 @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin}.
512 @funindex outer-margin
514 The margin all pages have at the outer side if they are part
515 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
516 Default: @code{20\mm}.
519 @funindex paper-width
521 The width of the page. Default: the width of the current paper
522 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
525 @funindex right-margin
527 The margin between the right edge of the page and the end of
528 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
531 @funindex short-indent
533 The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the
534 first system. Default: @code{0}.
538 If some values are not set, defaults will be taken. Their exact
539 value is adjusted, depending on the paper size specified. Currently,
540 the following values are affected by this scaling:
543 @item @var{left-margin}
544 @item @var{right-margin}
545 @item @var{top-margin}
546 @item @var{bottom-margin}
547 @item @var{head-separation}
548 @item @var{foot-separation}
550 @item @var{short-indent}
553 The settings for @code{line-width}, @code{left-margin},
554 @code{right-margin} and @code{paper-width} depend on
555 each other, but they do not have to be specified
564 In this example, only @code{left-margin} is set. The value for
565 @code{right-margin} will remain default, @code{line-width} is
566 calculated automatically.
574 Here @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin} will be set
575 to the same value. Therefore, @code{line-width} is subtracted
576 from @code{paper-width} and divided by two. That means systems
577 are centered on the page, if only @code{line-width} is
580 Some checks occur to ensure the values are set correctly.
581 If the values do not match or systems would run off the page,
582 a warning is printed and default values are set.
593 These checks can be avoided by setting @code{check-consistency}
601 check-consistency = ##f
605 @warning{If @code{paper-width} is manually set, @code{line-width},
606 @code{left-margin}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} may
607 have to be adjusted as well.}
615 @node Other layout variables
616 @unnumberedsubsubsec Other layout variables
618 These variables can be used to adjust page layout in general.
622 @item auto-first-page-number
623 @funindex auto-first-page-number
625 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number
626 being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm
627 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This
628 will result in the first page number remaining as is or being
629 increased by one. Default: @code{##f}.
633 TODO: this variable is used, but I don't know what it does. -pm
634 @item blank-after-score-page-force
635 @funindex blank-after-score-page-force
641 @item blank-last-page-force
642 @funindex blank-last-page-force
644 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
647 @item blank-page-force
648 @funindex blank-page-force
650 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
651 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
652 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default:
655 @item check-consistency
656 @funindex check-consistency
658 If set to true, check whether @code{left-margin}, @code{right-margin} and
659 @code{line-width} fit each other. Also make sure that their combination
660 does not exceed the available @code{paper-width}. Default: @code{##t}.
662 @item first-page-number
663 @funindex first-page-number
665 The value of the page number on the first page. Default:
668 @item max-systems-per-page
669 @funindex max-systems-per-page
671 The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
672 is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
675 @item min-systems-per-page
676 @funindex min-systems-per-page
678 The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
679 may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is
680 currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
683 @item page-breaking-system-system-spacing
684 @funindex page-breaking-system-system-spacing
686 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
687 @code{system-system-spacing} is set to something different than
688 it really is. For example, if
689 @code{page-breaking-system-system-spacing #'padding} is set to something
690 substantially larger than @code{system-system-spacing #'padding}, then the
691 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
696 The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset.
698 @item page-limit-inter-system-space
699 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space
701 If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot
702 of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see
703 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
705 @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
706 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
708 The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default:
709 @code{1.4}. For details, see
710 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
712 @item page-spacing-weight
713 @funindex page-spacing-weight
715 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
716 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
717 important. Default: @code{#10}.
719 @item print-all-headers
720 @funindex print-all-headers
722 If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the
723 output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are
724 printed. Default: @code{##f}.
726 @item print-first-page-number
727 @funindex print-first-page-number
729 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
732 @item print-page-number
733 @funindex print-page-number
735 If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default:
739 @funindex ragged-bottom
741 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the
742 page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}.
744 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
745 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
748 @funindex ragged-last
750 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
751 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
752 horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}.
754 @item ragged-last-bottom
755 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
757 If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last
758 page. Default: @code{##t}.
760 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
763 It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created
764 with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
767 @funindex ragged-right
769 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
770 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
773 If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}.
775 @item system-separator-markup
776 @funindex system-separator-markup
778 A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often
779 used for orchestral scores. Default: unset.
781 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
784 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
785 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
788 \relative c' { c1 \break c1 }
791 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
797 @funindex system-count
799 The number of systems to be used for a score.
802 @item systems-per-page
803 @funindex systems-per-page
805 The number of systems that should be placed on each page.
806 This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
813 @cindex binding gutter
815 If set to true, use @code{inner-margin}, @code{outer-margin} and
816 @code{binding-offset} to determine margins depending on whether
817 the page number is odd or even. This overrides @code{left-margin}
818 and @code{right-margin}. Default: @code{##f}.
830 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
831 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
833 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
834 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
835 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
839 @section Music layout
842 * Setting the staff size::
847 @node Setting the staff size
848 @subsection Setting the staff size
850 @cindex font size, setting
851 @cindex staff size, setting
852 @funindex layout file
854 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
855 This may be changed in two ways:
857 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
858 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
861 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
865 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
868 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
873 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
878 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
879 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
880 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
881 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
884 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
887 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
888 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
930 @c modern rental material?
935 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
936 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
937 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
938 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
943 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
951 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
956 @subsection Score layout
960 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
961 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
968 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
971 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
972 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
980 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
992 * Optimal page breaking::
993 * Optimal page turning::
994 * Minimal page breaking::
996 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
1001 @subsection Line breaking
1004 @cindex breaking lines
1006 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
1007 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
1008 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
1009 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
1010 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
1011 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
1012 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
1013 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
1014 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
1015 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
1016 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
1018 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
1019 bar line where it is inserted.
1021 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
1022 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
1023 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
1024 lengths of the lines.
1026 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
1027 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
1028 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
1029 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
1032 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
1034 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
1035 but affects only the last line of the piece.
1047 @cindex regular line breaks
1048 @cindex four bar music.
1050 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
1051 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
1052 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
1053 every 4 measures, and only there:
1056 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
1057 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
1058 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
1059 @emph{the real music}
1064 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file
1065 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
1066 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
1067 complicated. More details are available in
1080 Internals Reference:
1081 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
1089 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
1090 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
1092 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1093 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing
1094 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
1095 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
1099 This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}.
1100 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
1103 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1105 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
1107 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed
1112 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
1113 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
1114 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}.
1118 @subsection Page breaking
1120 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
1121 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
1122 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
1123 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
1124 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
1127 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
1128 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
1130 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
1131 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
1132 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
1133 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
1134 respectively will not be justified vertically.
1136 For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1138 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
1139 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
1140 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
1141 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
1142 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
1146 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
1152 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
1153 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
1154 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
1155 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
1156 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
1162 subtitle = "Preface"
1165 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
1166 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be preferred
1167 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1169 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
1173 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
1174 %% page breaking function is used.
1176 subtitle = "First movement"
1178 \score @{ @dots{} @}
1185 @funindex \pageBreak
1187 @funindex \noPageBreak
1188 @code{\noPageBreak}.
1197 @node Optimal page breaking
1198 @subsection Optimal page breaking
1200 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
1202 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
1203 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
1204 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
1205 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1213 @node Optimal page turning
1214 @subsection Optimal page turning
1216 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1218 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1219 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1220 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1221 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1222 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1223 in specified places.
1225 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1226 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1227 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1230 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1231 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1232 input file at the appropriate places.
1234 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1235 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1236 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1237 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1238 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1239 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1240 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1241 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1242 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1245 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1246 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1247 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1248 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1249 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1250 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1253 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1256 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1258 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1259 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1261 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1266 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1267 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1268 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1269 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1270 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1271 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1272 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1274 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1275 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1282 @funindex \noPageTurn
1284 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1285 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1296 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1297 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1300 @node Minimal page breaking
1301 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1303 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1305 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1306 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1307 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1308 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1309 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1313 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1323 @node Explicit breaks
1324 @subsection Explicit breaks
1326 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1327 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1330 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1331 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1334 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1335 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1336 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1337 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1339 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1348 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1349 \repeat unfold 4 { 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 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
1352 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1353 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1354 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1355 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
1360 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1361 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1373 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1374 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1376 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1381 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1383 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1388 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1389 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1390 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1391 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1392 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1393 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1394 breaking layout information.
1396 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1406 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1407 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1408 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1409 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1415 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1416 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1417 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1419 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1423 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1424 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1427 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1428 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1431 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1432 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1435 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1436 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1440 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1441 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1442 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1443 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1452 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1458 @node Vertical spacing
1459 @section Vertical spacing
1461 @cindex vertical spacing
1462 @cindex spacing, vertical
1464 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1465 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1466 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1467 staves inside a system.
1470 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1471 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1472 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1473 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1477 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1478 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1480 @cindex distance between staves
1481 @cindex staff distance
1482 @cindex space between staves
1483 @cindex space inside systems
1485 The height of each system is determined in two steps. First, all of the
1486 staves are spaced according to the amount of space available. Then, the
1487 non-staff lines (eg. lyrics or chords) are distributed between the
1490 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing between staves
1491 Spacing between staves is controlled by the @var{next-staff-spacing}
1492 property of the @var{VerticalAxisGroup} grob. This property is an alist
1493 with four elements: @var{space}, @var{minimum-distance}, @var{padding}
1494 and @var{stretchability}:
1497 @var{space} is the size of the stretchable space between the center line
1498 of one staff to the center line of the next staff.
1501 @var{minimum-distance} provides a lower bound on the final distance
1502 between the center line of one staff to the center line of the next
1503 staff. That is, if a page has many systems and needs to be compressed,
1504 the distance from this staff to the next will never be compressed to
1505 less than @var{minimum-distance}.
1508 @var{padding} is the amount of whitespace that must be present between
1509 the bottom of one staff and the top of the next. It differs from
1510 @var{minimum-distance} in that the effect of @var{padding} depends on
1511 the height of objects in the staff. For example, @var{padding} is more
1512 likely to come into effect for staves with notes that are far below the
1516 @var{stretchability} controls the stretchable space's propensity to
1517 stretch when the system is stretched. Large values will cause a
1518 system to stretch more, while a value of zero will prevent the
1519 space from stretching at all. If unset, @var{stretchability}
1520 defaults to @code{space - minimum-distance}.
1524 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1526 % Since space is small and there is no minimum-distance, the distance
1527 % between this staff and the next will be determined by padding.
1529 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1530 #'((space . 1) (padding . 1))
1533 % Since space is small and nothing sticks out very far, the distance
1534 % between this staff and the next will be determined by minimum-distance.
1536 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1537 #'((space . 1) (minimum-distance . 12))
1540 % By setting padding to a negative value, staves can be made to collide.
1542 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1543 #'((space . 4) (padding . -10))
1546 \new Staff { \clef bass c, }
1551 In orchestral and other large scores, it is common to place staves in
1552 groups. The space between groups is typically larger than the space
1553 between staves of the same group. This spacing can be tweaked with the
1554 @var{StaffGrouper} grob: the default value of @var{next-staff-spacing}
1555 for @var{VerticalAxisGroup} is a callback function which operates by
1556 searching for a @var{StaffGrouper} grob containing the staff. If it
1557 finds a @var{StaffGrouper} grob and the staff in question is in the
1558 middle of a group, it reads the @var{between-staff-spacing} property of
1559 @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the staff in question is the last
1560 staff of a group, the callback reads the @var{after-last-staff-spacing}
1561 property of @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the callback did not
1562 find a @var{StaffGrouper} grob, it reads
1563 @var{default-next-staff-spacing} from its @var{VerticalAxisGroup} and
1567 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1569 \new PianoStaff \with {
1570 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1571 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1572 \override StaffGrouper #'after-last-staff-spacing #'space = #20
1579 \new StaffGroup \with {
1580 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1581 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1591 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing of non-staff lines
1593 After the positions of the staves are determined, the non-staff lines
1594 are distributed between the staves. Each of these lines has a
1595 @var{staff-affinity} property which controls its vertical alignment.
1599 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1602 @noindent creates a lyrics context that will be placed close to the
1603 staff below it. Setting @var{staff-affinity} to something which is not
1604 a number (@code{#f}, for example) will cause that line to be treated
1605 like a staff. Conversely, setting @var{staff-affinity} for a staff will
1606 cause it to be treated like a non-staff.
1608 Non-staff lines admit three properties to control their spacing. Each
1609 of the these properties is an alist of the same format as
1610 @var{next-staff-spacing}, above.
1613 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a staff
1614 then @var{inter-staff-spacing} gives the spacing between the non-staff
1615 and the staff. If @var{staff-affinity} is @code{CENTER}, then
1616 @var{inter-staff-spacing} is used for both directions.
1619 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a non-staff
1620 then @var{inter-loose-line-spacing} gives the spacing between the two
1624 If the nearest line in the opposite direction to @var{staff-affinity} is
1625 a staff then @var{non-affinity-spacing} gives the spacing between the
1626 non-staff and the staff. This can be used, for example, to require
1627 a minimum amount of padding between a Lyrics line and the staff
1628 to which it does not belong.
1632 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1636 % By default, Lyrics are placed close together. Here, we allow them to
1637 % be stretched more widely.
1638 \override VerticalAxisGroup
1639 #'inter-loose-line-spacing #'stretchability = #1000
1646 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing = #'((space . 30)) }
1649 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP }
1652 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #CENTER }
1653 \lyricmode { center }
1655 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN }
1666 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1667 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1669 Internals Reference:
1670 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup},
1671 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1672 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1675 Adjacent non-staff lines should have non-increasing
1676 @var{staff-affinity} from top-to-bottom. For example, the behavior of
1680 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1681 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP @}
1687 A non-staff line at the bottom of a system should have
1688 @var{staff-affinity} set to @code{UP}. Similarly, a non-staff
1689 line at the top of a system should have @var{staff-affinity} set
1692 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1693 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1695 The mechanisms that control spacing between systems are similar to those
1696 that control spacing between staves within a system (see
1697 @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}). The main difference is that
1698 the variables to control spacing between systems are set in the
1699 @code{\paper} block, rather than as grob properties. These paper block
1700 variables are @var{system-system-spacing},
1701 @var{score-system-spacing}, @var{markup-system-spacing},
1702 @var{score-markup-spacing}, @var{markup-markup-spacing},
1703 @var{top-system-spacing}, @var{top-markup-spacing} and
1704 @var{last-bottom-spacing}. Note that these variables ignore non-staff
1705 lines. For example, @var{system-system-spacing} controls the spacing
1706 from the middle staff line of the bottom staff from one system to
1707 the middle staff line of the top staff of the next system, whether
1708 or not there are lyrics below the upper system.
1709 See @ref{Vertical dimensions} for a description of each of these
1712 There are two more @code{\paper} block variables that affect vertical
1713 spacing: if @var{ragged-bottom} is set to @code{##t} then no pages will
1714 be stretched (which means that neither the space between systems nor the
1715 space within systems will be stretched). If @var{ragged-last-bottom}
1716 is set to @code{##t} then the last page will not be stretched.
1723 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1724 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1726 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1727 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1728 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1729 different staves and systems running down the page.
1731 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1732 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1733 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1734 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1735 vertical positions on the page.
1737 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1738 list of three different settings:
1741 @item @code{X-offset}
1742 @item @code{Y-offset}
1743 @item @code{alignment-distances}
1746 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1747 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1750 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1751 @item in a @code{\context} block
1752 @item in the @code{\with} block
1755 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1756 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1757 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1758 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1759 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1760 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1761 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1764 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1765 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1767 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1768 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1770 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1771 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1773 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1774 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-distances . (15)))
1776 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1777 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1778 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1781 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1782 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1784 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1785 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1788 \header { tagline = ##f }
1789 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1799 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1802 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1809 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1810 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1811 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1812 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1814 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1815 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1816 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1817 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1818 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1821 \header { tagline = ##f }
1822 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1828 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1829 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1831 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1832 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1834 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1835 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1838 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1841 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1848 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1849 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1850 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1851 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1853 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1854 explicitly, we can also set the vertical distances between staves
1855 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-distances}
1856 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1859 \header { tagline = ##f }
1860 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1866 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1867 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1868 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1870 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1871 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1872 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1874 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1875 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1876 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1879 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1882 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1889 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1890 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1891 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1892 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1893 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1894 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1895 @code{alignment-distances} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1896 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-distances}
1897 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1900 \header { tagline = ##f }
1901 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1907 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1908 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1909 (alignment-distances . (30 10)))
1911 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1912 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1913 (alignment-distances . (10 10)))
1915 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1916 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1917 (alignment-distances . (10 30)))
1920 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1923 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1924 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1931 Some points to consider:
1934 @item When using @code{alignment-distances}, lyrics and other non-staff lines
1935 do not count as a staff.
1937 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1938 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-distances} are interpreted as multiples
1939 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1940 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1942 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1943 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1944 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1945 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1946 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1955 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1956 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1958 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1959 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1960 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1962 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1963 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1964 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1965 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1966 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1967 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1968 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1971 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1972 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1973 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1974 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1977 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1978 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1979 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1980 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1981 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1982 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1983 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1986 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1989 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1990 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1992 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1993 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1994 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1995 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1996 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1999 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
2000 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
2001 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
2003 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2004 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
2005 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
2006 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
2007 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
2008 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
2012 By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid
2013 a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This
2014 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
2015 other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staves can
2016 also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved.
2017 Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
2018 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
2021 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2022 % the markup is too close to the following note
2026 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
2028 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
2040 @node Horizontal spacing
2041 @section Horizontal spacing
2043 @cindex horizontal spacing
2044 @cindex spacing, horizontal
2047 * Horizontal spacing overview::
2048 * New spacing area::
2049 * Changing horizontal spacing::
2051 * Proportional notation::
2055 @node Horizontal spacing overview
2056 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
2058 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
2059 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
2060 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
2061 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
2062 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
2063 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
2064 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
2065 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
2067 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
2068 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
2069 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
2071 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
2072 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
2076 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
2077 approximately the width of a note head, and
2078 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
2079 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
2080 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
2081 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
2082 followed by one NHW of space.
2084 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
2085 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
2086 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
2087 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
2088 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
2089 the one which occurs most frequently.
2092 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
2093 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
2094 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
2095 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
2096 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
2097 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
2099 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
2100 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
2101 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
2102 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
2104 @funindex common-shortest-duration
2105 @funindex base-shortest-duration
2106 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
2109 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
2110 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
2111 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
2112 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
2114 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
2115 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
2119 In the @emph{Essay on automated music engraving}, it was explained
2120 that stem directions influence spacing (see @ressay{Optical
2121 spacing}). This is controlled with the
2122 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
2123 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
2124 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
2125 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same
2126 property for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following
2127 example shows these corrections, once with default settings, and
2128 once with exaggerated corrections:
2130 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
2134 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2135 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2141 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
2148 Internals Reference:
2149 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
2150 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
2151 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
2152 @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}.
2157 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
2158 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score,
2159 adjusting the padding value as necessary.
2161 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10
2164 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
2167 @node New spacing area
2168 @subsection New spacing area
2170 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
2171 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
2172 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
2174 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
2175 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
2177 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
2180 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
2186 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
2187 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
2188 may be used in that location.
2195 Internals Reference:
2196 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
2199 @node Changing horizontal spacing
2200 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
2202 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
2203 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
2204 we compare the same music; once without altering
2205 the property, and then altered. Larger values
2206 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
2207 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
2208 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
2211 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2214 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2215 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2216 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2217 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2222 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2225 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2226 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2227 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2228 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2233 \override SpacingSpanner
2234 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2243 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2244 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2245 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2246 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2247 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2249 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
2268 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2274 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2275 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2277 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2278 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2279 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2289 @subsection Line length
2292 @cindex breaking pages
2295 @funindex line-width
2296 @funindex ragged-right
2297 @funindex ragged-last
2299 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2300 @c block, to get page layout right.
2301 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2303 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2304 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2305 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2306 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2309 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2310 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2311 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2312 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2313 The normal default setting is false, but if the score has only one
2314 system the default value is true.
2317 @cindex vertical spacing
2319 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2320 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2321 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2322 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2323 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2324 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2325 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2326 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2342 @node Proportional notation
2343 @subsection Proportional notation
2345 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2346 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2347 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2348 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2349 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2350 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2351 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2353 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2354 which may be used together or alone:
2357 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2358 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2359 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2360 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2361 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2364 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2365 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2367 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2368 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2370 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2373 \new RhythmicStaff {
2377 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2384 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2385 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2386 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2387 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2388 horizontal space of the measure.
2390 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2391 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2392 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2394 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2395 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2396 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2399 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2402 \new RhythmicStaff {
2406 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2413 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2419 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2420 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2421 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2424 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting
2425 that lives in @code{Score}. Remember that context settings can appear
2426 in one of three locations within our input file -- in a @code{\with}
2427 block, in a @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry preceded
2428 by the @code{\set} command. As with all context settings, users can
2429 pick which of the three different locations they would like to
2430 set @code{proportionalNotationDuration} in to.
2432 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2433 which is the reference duration against that all music will be spaced.
2434 The LilyPond Scheme function @code{make-moment} takes two arguments
2435 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2436 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces
2437 a reference duration of a twentieth note. Values such as
2438 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2439 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2441 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2442 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial
2443 and error, beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest)
2444 duration in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely;
2445 larger reference durations space music tightly.
2447 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2450 \new RhythmicStaff {
2454 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2461 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2468 \new RhythmicStaff {
2472 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2479 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2486 \new RhythmicStaff {
2490 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2497 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2503 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2504 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2505 Also that proportional notation in general takes up more horizontal
2506 space than classical spacing. Proportional spacing provides rhythmic
2507 clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2509 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2511 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2512 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2515 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2518 \new RhythmicStaff {
2522 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2525 \new RhythmicStaff {
2527 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2534 The spacing is bad because the evenly spaced notes of the bottom staff
2535 do not stretch uniformly. Classical engravings include very few complex
2536 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2537 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} fixes this.
2539 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2542 \new RhythmicStaff {
2546 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2549 \new RhythmicStaff {
2551 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2558 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2564 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2565 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than the notes
2566 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2567 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2568 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2570 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2573 \new RhythmicStaff {
2577 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2580 \new RhythmicStaff {
2582 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2589 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2590 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2596 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2597 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2598 timeline or graphic if we want.
2600 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2601 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2602 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2603 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2604 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2605 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2608 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2609 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2610 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2611 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2612 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2614 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2615 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2616 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2617 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2618 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2619 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2621 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2622 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2623 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2624 just before the first note in each system.
2626 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2639 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2640 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2641 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2642 reduces this space to zero.
2644 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2650 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2658 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2659 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2660 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2661 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2662 problems differently.
2664 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2665 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2666 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2667 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2668 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2669 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2670 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2672 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2673 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2674 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2676 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2678 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2688 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2689 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2699 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2700 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2701 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2702 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2703 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2704 part in the spacing algorithm.
2706 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2707 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2710 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2711 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2712 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2713 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2714 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2715 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2718 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2719 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2720 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2721 for these related settings.
2726 @ref{New spacing area}.
2732 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2733 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2735 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2736 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2737 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2738 of room left on those.
2740 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2741 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2742 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2743 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2746 * Displaying spacing::
2747 * Changing spacing::
2751 @node Displaying spacing
2752 @subsection Displaying spacing
2754 @funindex annotate-spacing
2755 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2757 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2758 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2759 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2761 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2762 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2763 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2766 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2772 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless
2773 of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2774 In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75
2775 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the
2776 default value). Note that:
2778 @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm}
2781 @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm
2784 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts
2786 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm
2791 In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to
2792 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75
2793 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height
2794 of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs
2795 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower
2796 edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
2801 @ref{Setting the staff size}.
2807 @node Changing spacing
2808 @subsection Changing spacing
2810 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2811 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2812 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2814 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2818 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2819 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2820 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2824 system-system-spacing = #'((padding . 0) (space . 0.1))
2825 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2831 Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just
2832 setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems
2833 being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to
2834 be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed,
2835 giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual
2836 reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For
2837 example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following
2838 assignment will force a layout with 10 systems.
2847 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2848 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2849 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2850 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2851 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2852 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2854 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2856 e4 c g-\tweak #'X-offset #-2.7 -\tweak #'Y-offset #2.5 \f c
2860 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2861 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2862 example illustrates the default spacing:
2864 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2877 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2878 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2879 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2880 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2882 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2894 \override SpacingSpanner
2895 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2902 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2903 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2904 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2911 @ref{Page formatting},
2912 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.