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. See TRANSLATION for details.
15 Negative numbers are allowed:
16 > Are you sure? The following works well
18 > first-page-number = -2
20 > and prints page number -1 on the second page, for example.
23 In 5.2.1 the @refbugs (line 495 in spacing.itely on master) it
26 "@code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between
30 Could we add a sentence:
31 "Use instead the pair fontSize = #@var{N}
32 \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep
34 inside the Staff context to change the size of the font and the
36 staff lines accordingly."
38 Actually I found, that the @internalsref{StaffSymbol} at line 481
39 sends to an uncomplete
40 documentation. The property staff-space is not explained here. I
41 thought Y-extent might be of
42 help, but it is in turn explained by x-space which again is
43 missing from the list. Who has the
44 knowledge to fix this?
48 http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=68
54 @chapter Spacing issues
56 The global paper layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the
57 line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The
58 choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set.
59 This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how
60 many pages a piece of music takes.
62 Globally speaking, this procedure happens in four steps: first,
63 flexible distances (@q{springs}) are chosen, based on durations. All
64 possible line breaking combinations are tried, and a @q{badness} score
65 is calculated for each. Then the height of each possible system is
66 estimated. Finally, a page breaking and line breaking combination is chosen
67 so that neither the horizontal nor the vertical spacing is too cramped
70 Settings which influence layout may be placed in two blocks.
71 The @code{\paper @{...@}} block is placed outside any
72 @code{\score @{...@}} blocks and contains settings that
73 relate to the entire document. The @code{\layout @{...@}}
74 block is placed within a @code{\score @{...@}} block and
75 contains settings for that particular score. If you have
76 only one @code{\score @{...@}} block the two have the same
77 effect. In general the commands shown in this chapter can
85 * Horizontal spacing::
86 * Fitting music onto fewer pages::
91 @section Paper and pages
93 This section deals with the boundaries that define the area
94 within which music can be printed.
103 @subsection Paper size
108 Two functions are available for changing the paper size:
109 @code{set-default-paper-size} and @code{set-paper-size}.
110 @code{set-default-paper-size} must be placed in the toplevel
111 scope, and @code{set-paper-size} must be placed in a @code{\paper}
115 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
120 #(set-paper-size "a4")
125 @code{set-default-paper-size} sets the size of all pages, whereas
126 @code{set-paper-size} only sets the size of the pages that the
127 @code{\paper} block applies to. For example, if the @code{\paper}
128 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply the paper size
129 to all pages. If the @code{\paper} block is inside a
130 @code{\book}, then the paper size will only apply to that book.
132 Common paper sizes are available, including @code{a4},
133 @code{letter}, @code{legal}, and @code{11x17} (also known as
134 tabloid). Many more paper sizes are supported by default. For
135 details, see @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, and search for the
136 definition of @code{paper-alist}.
138 @c TODO add a new appendix for paper sizes (auto-generated) -pm
140 @warning{The default paper size is @code{a4}.}
142 Extra sizes may be added by editing the definition of
143 @code{paper-alist} in the initialization file
144 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, however they will be overridden on a
150 If the symbol @code{'landscape} is supplied as an argument to
151 @code{set-default-paper-size}, pages will be rotated by 90
152 degrees, and wider line widths will be set accordingly.
155 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
158 Setting the paper size will adjust a number of @code{\paper}
159 variables, such as margins. To use a particular paper size with
160 altered @code{\paper} variables, set the paper size before setting
166 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}.
172 @node Page formatting
173 @subsection Page formatting
175 Margins, headers, and footers and other layout variables are
176 automatically set according to the paper size.
178 This section lists and describes a number of paper variables that
182 * Vertical dimensions::
183 * Horizontal dimensions::
184 * Other layout variables::
188 @node Vertical dimensions
189 @unnumberedsubsubsec Vertical dimensions
191 These variables are used to set different vertical dimensions on a
198 @item after-title-spacing
199 @funindex after-title-spacing
201 Specifies how to calculate the space between a title (or top-level markup)
202 and the system that follows it. This is an associative list with five
205 @item @var{space} -- the amount of stretchable space between the baseline
206 of a title and the center of the staff that follows it;
207 @item @var{padding} -- the minimum amount of whitespace that must be
208 present between a title and the staff that follows it;
209 @item @var{stretchability} -- the ease with which the stretchable
210 space increases when a page is stretched.
211 If this is zero, the distance to the next staff will not stretch at all;
212 @item @var{minimum-distance} -- the minimum distance to place between
213 the baseline of a title and the center of the staff that follows it. This differs
214 from @var{padding} in that the height of a staff has no effect on
215 the application of @var{minimum-distance} (whereas the height of a
216 staff is crucial for @var{padding}).
219 If a page has a ragged bottom, @var{space} is not stretched. In particular, the
220 resulting distance on such a page is the largest of
223 @item @var{minimum-distance}, and
224 @item @var{padding} plus the smallest distance necessary to eliminate overlap.
227 @item before-title-spacing
228 @funindex before-title-spacing
230 Specifies the spacing between a system and the title (or top-level markup) that
232 The distances are measured from the center of the last staff in the system to
233 the baseline of the title that follows it. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
235 @item between-scores-system-spacing
236 @funindex between-scores-system-spacing
238 Specifies the spacing between two systems if they are in different scores, but
239 there is no title between them. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
241 @item between-system-spacing
242 @funindex between-system-spacing
244 Specifies the spacing between the center of the bottom staff of one system
245 and the center of the top staff of the following system. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
247 @item between-title-spacing
248 @funindex between-title-spacing
250 Specifies the spacing between two titles (or top-level markups).
251 The distances are measured from the baseline of the first title to the baseline
252 of the second. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
255 @funindex bottom-margin
257 The margin between footer and bottom of the page. Default:
260 @item bottom-system-spacing
261 @funindex bottom-system-spacing
263 Specifies the spacing from the center of the last staff (or the
264 baseline of the last top-level markup) to the bottom of the
265 printable area (ie. the top of the bottom margin).
266 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
268 @item foot-separation
269 @funindex foot-separation
271 Distance between the bottom-most music system and the page
272 footer. Default: @code{4\mm}.
274 @item top-title-spacing
275 @funindex top-title-spacing
277 Specifies the spacing from the top of the printable area (ie.
278 the bottom of the top margin) to the baseline of the title.
279 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
281 @item top-system-spacing
282 @funindex top-system-spacing
284 Specifies the spacing from the top of the printable area (ie.
285 the bottom of the top margin) to the center of the first staff.
286 This only takes effect if there is no title at the top of the
287 page (in which case @var{top-title-spacing} is used instead).
288 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
291 @funindex paper-height
293 The height of the page. Default: the height of the current paper
294 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
299 The margin between header and top of the page. Default:
307 The header and footer are created by the functions make-footer and
308 make-header, defined in \paper. The default implementations are in
309 ly/paper-defaults.ly and ly/titling-init.ly.
311 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the \paper block,
312 page-music-height and page-make-stencil. The former tells the
313 line-breaking algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the
314 latter creates the actual page given the system to put on it.
316 You can define paper block values in Scheme. In that case mm, in, pt,
317 and cm are variables defined in paper-defaults.ly with values in
318 millimeters. That is why the value 2 cm must be multiplied in the
323 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
335 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
339 This second example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page.
343 print-page-number = ##t
344 print-first-page-number = ##t
345 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
346 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
347 oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
348 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
349 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
350 evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
351 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
352 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
356 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
357 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
358 @file{paper@/-defaults@/.ly} with values in millimeters. That is why the
359 value must be multiplied in the example
363 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
367 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
368 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
369 implementations are in @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/.ly} and
370 @file{ly/@/titling@/-init@/.ly}.
372 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
373 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
374 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
375 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
376 page given the system to put on it.
381 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
387 @node Horizontal dimensions
388 @unnumberedsubsubsec Horizontal dimensions
390 @warning{If @code{paper-width} is manually set, @code{line-width},
391 @code{left-margin}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} may
392 have to be adjusted as well.}
394 There are a few variables that determine the horizontal dimensions
399 @item horizontal-shift
400 @funindex horizontal-shift
402 The amount that all systems (including titles and system
403 separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0}.
408 The level of indentation for the first system in a score.
409 Default: @code{paper-width} divided by @code{14}, as determined by
410 @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}.
413 @funindex left-margin
415 The margin between the left edge of the page and the beginning of
416 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}, as determined by
417 @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}.
422 The width of music systems. Default: @code{paper-width} minus
423 @code{20\mm}, as determined by @code{set-default-paper-size} or
424 @code{set-paper-size}.
427 @funindex paper-width
429 The width of the page. Default: the width of the current paper
430 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
433 @funindex short-indent
435 The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the
436 first system. Default: @code{0}, as determined by
437 @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}.
449 The option @code{right-margin} is defined but doesn't set the
450 right margin yet. The value for the right margin has to be
451 defined by adjusting the values of @code{left-margin} and
455 @node Other layout variables
456 @unnumberedsubsubsec Other layout variables
458 These variables can be used to adjust page layout in general.
462 @item auto-first-page-number
463 @funindex auto-first-page-number
465 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number
466 being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm
467 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This
468 will result in the first page number remaining as is or being
469 increased by one. Default: @code{##f}.
473 FIXME: this variable is used, but I don't know what it does. -pm
474 @item blank-after-score-page-force
475 @funindex blank-after-score-page-force
481 @item blank-last-page-force
482 @funindex blank-last-page-force
484 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
487 @item blank-page-force
488 @funindex blank-page-force
490 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
491 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
492 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default:
495 @item first-page-number
496 @funindex first-page-number
498 The value of the page number on the first page. Default:
501 @item max-systems-per-page
502 The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
503 is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
506 @item min-systems-per-page
507 The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
508 may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is
509 currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
512 @item page-breaking-between-system-padding
513 @funindex page-breaking-between-system-padding
515 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
516 @code{between-system-padding} is set to something different than
517 it really is. For example, if this variable is set to something
518 substantially larger than @code{between-system-padding}, then the
519 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
524 The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset.
526 @item page-limit-inter-system-space
527 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space
529 If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot
530 of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see
531 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
533 @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
534 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
536 The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default:
537 @code{1.4}. For details, see
538 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
540 @item page-spacing-weight
541 @funindex page-spacing-weight
543 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
544 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
545 important. Default: @code{#10}.
547 @item print-all-headers
548 @funindex print-all-headers
550 If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the
551 output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are
552 printed. Default: @code{##f}.
554 @item print-first-page-number
555 @funindex print-first-page-number
557 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
560 @item print-page-number
561 @funindex print-page-number
563 If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default:
567 @funindex ragged-bottom
569 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the
570 page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}.
572 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
573 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
576 @funindex ragged-last
578 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
579 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
580 horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}.
582 @item ragged-last-bottom
583 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
585 If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last
586 page. Default: @code{##t}.
588 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
591 It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created
592 with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
595 @funindex ragged-right
597 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
598 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
601 If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}.
603 @item system-separator-markup
604 @funindex system-separator-markup
606 A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often
607 used for orchestral scores. Default: unset.
609 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
612 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
613 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
616 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
619 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
625 @funindex system-count
627 The number of systems to be used for a score.
630 @item systems-per-page
631 @funindex systems-per-page
633 The number of systems that should be placed on each page.
634 This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
647 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
648 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
650 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
651 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
652 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
656 @section Music layout
659 * Setting the staff size::
664 @node Setting the staff size
665 @subsection Setting the staff size
667 @cindex font size, setting
668 @cindex staff size, setting
669 @funindex layout file
671 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
672 This may be changed in two ways:
674 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
675 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
678 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
682 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
685 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
690 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
695 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
696 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
697 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
698 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
701 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
704 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
705 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
747 @c modern rental material?
752 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
753 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
754 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
755 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
760 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
768 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
773 @subsection Score layout
777 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
778 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
785 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
788 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
789 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
797 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
809 * Optimal page breaking::
810 * Optimal page turning::
811 * Minimal page breaking::
813 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
818 @subsection Line breaking
821 @cindex breaking lines
823 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
824 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
825 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
826 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
827 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
828 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
829 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
830 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
831 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
832 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
833 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
835 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
836 bar line where it is inserted.
838 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
839 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
840 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
841 lengths of the lines.
843 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
844 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
845 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
846 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
849 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
851 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
852 but affects only the last line of the piece.
864 @cindex regular line breaks
865 @cindex four bar music.
867 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
868 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
869 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
870 every 4 measures, and only there:
873 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
874 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
875 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
876 @emph{the real music}
881 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file
882 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
883 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
884 complicated. More details are available in
898 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
906 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
907 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
909 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
910 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing
911 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
912 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
916 This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}.
917 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
920 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
922 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
924 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed
929 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
930 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
931 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}.
935 @subsection Page breaking
937 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
938 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
939 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
940 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
941 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
944 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
945 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
947 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
948 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
949 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
950 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
951 respectively will not be justified vertically.
953 For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}.
955 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
956 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
957 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
958 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
959 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
963 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
969 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
970 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
971 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
972 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
973 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
982 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
983 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be prefered
984 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
986 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
990 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
991 %% page breaking function is used.
993 subtitle = "First movement"
1002 @funindex \pageBreak
1004 @funindex \noPageBreak
1005 @code{\noPageBreak}.
1014 @node Optimal page breaking
1015 @subsection Optimal page breaking
1017 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
1019 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
1020 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
1021 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
1022 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1030 @node Optimal page turning
1031 @subsection Optimal page turning
1033 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1035 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1036 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1037 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1038 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1039 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1040 in specified places.
1042 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1043 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1044 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1047 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1048 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1049 input file at the appropriate places.
1051 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1052 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1053 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1054 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1055 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1056 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1057 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1058 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1059 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1062 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1063 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1064 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1065 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1066 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1067 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1070 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1073 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1075 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1076 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1078 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1083 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1084 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1085 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1086 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1087 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1088 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1089 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1091 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1092 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1099 @funindex \noPageTurn
1101 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1102 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1113 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1114 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1117 @node Minimal page breaking
1118 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1120 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1122 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1123 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1124 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1125 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1126 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1130 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1140 @node Explicit breaks
1141 @subsection Explicit breaks
1143 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1144 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1147 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1148 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1151 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1152 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1153 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1154 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1156 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1165 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1166 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1169 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1170 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1171 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1172 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
1173 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1174 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1175 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1176 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
1188 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1189 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1191 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1196 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1198 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1203 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1204 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1205 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1206 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1207 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1208 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1209 breaking layout information.
1211 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1221 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1222 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1223 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1224 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1230 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1231 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1232 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1234 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1239 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1240 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1243 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1244 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1247 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1248 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1251 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1252 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1256 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1257 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1258 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1259 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1268 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1274 @node Vertical spacing
1275 @section Vertical spacing
1277 @cindex vertical spacing
1278 @cindex spacing, vertical
1280 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1281 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1282 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1283 staves inside a system.
1286 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1287 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1288 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1289 * Two-pass vertical spacing::
1290 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1294 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1295 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1297 @cindex distance between staves
1298 @cindex staff distance
1299 @cindex space between staves
1300 @cindex space inside systems
1302 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
1303 staves from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
1304 By changing these, you can put staves closer together. This
1305 reduces the amount of space each system requires, and may result
1306 in having more systems per page.
1308 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
1309 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
1310 property @code{minimum-Y-extent}. When applied to a
1311 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup}, it controls the size of a horizontal
1312 line, such as a staff or a line of lyrics. @code{minimum-Y-extent}
1313 takes a pair of numbers, so
1314 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)}
1318 \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-3 . 3)
1322 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
1323 either side of the center staff line. The value @code{(-3 . 3)} is
1324 interpreted as an interval, where the center line is the 0, so the
1325 first number is generally negative. The numbers need not match;
1326 for example, the staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting
1327 it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
1330 FIXME: update this section
1332 After page breaks are determined, the vertical spacing within each
1333 system is reevaluated in order to fill the page more evenly; if a page
1334 has space left over, systems are stretched in order to fill that space.
1335 The amount of stretching can be configured though the @code{max-stretch}
1336 property of the @rinternals{VerticalAlignment} grob. By default,
1337 @code{max-stretch} is set to zero, disabling stretching. To enable
1338 stretching, a sane value for @code{max-stretch}
1339 is @code{ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch}.
1341 In some situations, you may want to stretch most of a system while
1342 leaving some parts fixed. For example, if a piano part occurs in the
1343 middle of an orchestral score, you may want to leave the piano staves
1344 close to each other while stretching the rest of the score. The
1345 @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} property of
1346 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup} can be used to achieve this. When set
1347 to @code{##t}, this property keeps its staff (or line of lyrics) from
1348 moving relative to the one directly above it. In the example above,
1349 you would override @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} to @code{##t} in
1350 the second piano staff:
1353 #(set-default-paper-size "a6")
1354 #(set-global-staff-size 14.0)
1358 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
1363 \override VerticalAlignment #'max-stretch = #ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch
1370 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1371 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1372 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1377 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1379 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'keep-fixed-while-stretching = ##t
1386 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1387 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1395 Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
1396 @code{VerticalAlignment} object. The context parameters
1397 specifying the vertical extent are described in connection with
1398 the @code{Axis_group_engraver}.
1405 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1406 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1408 Internals Reference:
1409 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1410 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1413 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1414 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1416 Space between systems are controlled by four @code{\paper} variables,
1420 between-system-space = 1.5\cm
1421 between-system-padding = #1
1423 ragged-last-bottom=##f
1427 When only a couple of flat systems are placed on a page, the resulting
1428 vertical spacing may be non-elegant: one system at the top of the page,
1429 and the other at the bottom, with a huge gap between them. To avoid this
1430 situation, the space added between the systems can be limited. This
1431 feature is activated by setting to @code{#t} the
1432 @code{page-limit-inter-system-space} variable in the @code{\paper}
1433 block. The paper variable @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor}
1434 determines how much the space can be increased: for instance, the value
1435 @code{1.3} means that the space can be 30% larger than what it would be
1436 on a ragged-bottom page.
1438 In the following example, if the inter system space were not limited,
1439 the second system of page 1 would be placed at the page bottom. By
1440 activating the space limitation, the second system is placed closer to
1441 the first one. By setting @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor} to
1442 @code{1}, the spacing would the same as on a ragged-bottom page, like
1446 #(set-default-paper-size "a6")
1449 page-limit-inter-system-space = ##t
1450 page-limit-inter-system-space-factor = 1.3
1452 oddFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom"
1453 evenFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom"
1454 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line {
1455 "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string }
1456 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line {
1457 "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string }
1459 \new Staff << \repeat unfold 4 { g'4 g' g' g' \break }
1460 { s1*2 \pageBreak } >>
1470 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1471 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1473 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1474 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1475 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1476 different staves and systems running down the page.
1478 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1479 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1480 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1481 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1482 vertical positions on the page.
1484 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1485 list of five different settings:
1488 @item @code{X-offset}
1489 @item @code{Y-offset}
1490 @item @code{alignment-offsets}
1491 @item @code{alignment-extra-space}
1492 @item @code{fixed-alignment-extra-space}
1495 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1496 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1499 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1500 @item in a @code{\context} block
1501 @item in the @code{\with} block
1504 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1505 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1506 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1507 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1508 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1509 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1510 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1513 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1514 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1516 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1517 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1519 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1520 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1522 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1523 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1525 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1526 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1527 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1530 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1531 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1533 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1534 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1537 \header { tagline = ##f }
1538 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1548 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1551 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1558 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1559 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1560 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1561 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1563 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1564 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1565 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1566 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1567 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1570 \header { tagline = ##f }
1571 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1577 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1578 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1580 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1581 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1583 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1584 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1587 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1590 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1597 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1598 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1599 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1600 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1602 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1603 explicitly, we can also set the vertical startpoint of each staff
1604 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-offsets}
1605 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1608 \header { tagline = ##f }
1609 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1615 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1616 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1617 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1619 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1620 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1621 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1623 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1624 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1625 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1628 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1631 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1638 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1639 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1640 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1641 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1642 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1643 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1644 @code{alignment-offsets} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1645 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-offsets}
1646 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1649 \header { tagline = ##f }
1650 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1656 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1657 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1658 (alignment-offsets . (0 -30 -40)))
1660 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1661 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1662 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -20)))
1664 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1665 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1666 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -40)))
1669 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1672 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1673 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1680 Some points to consider:
1683 @item When using @code{alignment-offsets}, lyrics count as a staff.
1685 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1686 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-offsets} are interpreted as multiples
1687 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1688 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1690 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1691 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1692 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1693 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1694 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1703 @node Two-pass vertical spacing
1704 @subsection Two-pass vertical spacing
1706 @warning{Two-pass vertical spacing is deprecated and will be removed in
1707 a future version of LilyPond. Systems are now stretched automatically
1708 in a single pass. See @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}.}
1710 In order to automatically stretch systems so that they should fill the
1711 space left on a page, a two-pass technique can be used:
1714 @item In the first pass, the amount of vertical space used to increase
1715 the height of each system is computed and dumped to a file.
1716 @item In the second pass, spacing inside the systems are
1717 stretched according to the data in the page layout file.
1720 The @code{ragged-bottom} property adds space between systems, while
1721 the two-pass technique adds space between staves inside a system.
1723 To allow this behavior, a @code{tweak-key} variable has to be set in
1724 each score @code{\layout} block, and the tweaks included in each score
1725 music, using the @code{\scoreTweak} music function.
1729 %% include the generated page layout file:
1730 \includePageLayoutFile
1735 %% Include this score tweaks:
1736 \scoreTweak "scoreA"
1737 { \clef french c''1 \break c''1 }
1739 \new Staff { \clef soprano g'1 g'1 }
1740 \new Staff { \clef mezzosoprano e'1 e'1 }
1741 \new Staff { \clef alto g1 g1 }
1742 \new Staff { \clef bass c1 c1 }
1745 piece = "Score with tweaks"
1747 %% Define how to name the tweaks for this score:
1748 \layout { #(define tweak-key "scoreA") }
1753 For the first pass, the @code{dump-tweaks} option should be set to
1754 generate the page layout file.
1757 lilypond -dbackend=null -d dump-tweaks <file>.ly
1767 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1768 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1770 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1771 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1772 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1774 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1775 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1776 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1777 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1778 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1779 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1780 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1783 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1784 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1785 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1786 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1789 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1790 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1791 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1792 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1793 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1794 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1795 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1798 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1801 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1802 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1804 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1805 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1806 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1807 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1808 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1811 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1812 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1813 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1815 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1816 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1817 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1818 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1819 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1820 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1824 By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid
1825 a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This
1826 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1827 other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staffs can
1828 also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved.
1829 Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1830 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1833 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1834 % the markup is too close to the following note
1838 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1840 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
1852 @node Horizontal spacing
1853 @section Horizontal spacing
1855 @cindex horizontal spacing
1856 @cindex spacing, horizontal
1859 * Horizontal spacing overview::
1860 * New spacing area::
1861 * Changing horizontal spacing::
1863 * Proportional notation::
1867 @node Horizontal spacing overview
1868 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
1870 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
1871 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
1872 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
1873 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
1874 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
1875 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
1876 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
1877 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
1879 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
1880 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
1881 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
1883 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
1884 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
1888 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
1889 approximately the width of a note head, and
1890 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
1891 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
1892 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
1893 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
1894 followed by one NHW of space.
1896 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
1897 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
1898 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
1899 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
1900 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
1901 the one which occurs most frequently.
1904 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
1905 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
1906 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
1907 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
1908 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
1909 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
1911 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
1912 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
1913 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
1914 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
1916 @funindex common-shortest-duration
1917 @funindex base-shortest-duration
1918 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
1921 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
1922 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
1923 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
1924 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
1926 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
1927 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
1933 @c (see @rlearning{Engraving}),
1934 it was explained that stem
1935 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
1936 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
1937 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
1938 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
1939 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same property
1940 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
1941 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
1942 exaggerated corrections:
1944 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1948 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1949 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1955 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
1962 Internals Reference:
1963 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
1964 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
1965 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
1966 @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}.
1971 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
1972 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score,
1973 adjusting the padding value as necessary.
1975 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10
1978 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
1981 @node New spacing area
1982 @subsection New spacing area
1984 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
1985 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
1986 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
1988 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
1989 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
1991 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
1994 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
2000 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
2001 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
2002 may be used in that location.
2009 Internals Reference:
2010 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
2013 @node Changing horizontal spacing
2014 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
2016 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
2017 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
2018 we compare the same music; once without altering
2019 the property, and then altered. Larger values
2020 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
2021 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
2022 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
2025 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2028 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2029 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2030 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2031 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2036 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2039 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2040 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2041 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2042 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2047 \override SpacingSpanner
2048 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2057 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2058 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2059 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2060 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2061 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2063 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2065 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2082 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2083 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2085 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2086 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2087 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2097 @subsection Line length
2100 @cindex breaking pages
2103 @funindex line-width
2104 @funindex ragged-right
2105 @funindex ragged-last
2107 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2108 @c block, to get page layout right.
2109 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2111 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2112 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2113 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2114 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2117 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2118 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2119 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2120 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2121 The normal default setting is false, but if the score has only one
2122 system the default value is true.
2125 @cindex vertical spacing
2127 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2128 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2129 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2130 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2131 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2132 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2133 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2134 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2150 @node Proportional notation
2151 @subsection Proportional notation
2153 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2154 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2155 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2156 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2157 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2158 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2159 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2161 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2162 which may be used together or alone:
2165 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2166 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2167 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2168 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2169 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2172 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2173 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2175 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2176 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2178 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2180 \new RhythmicStaff {
2184 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2190 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2191 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2192 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2193 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2194 horizontal space of the measure.
2196 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2197 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2198 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2200 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2201 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2202 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2205 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2207 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2209 \new RhythmicStaff {
2213 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2219 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2220 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2221 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2224 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting that
2225 lives in @code{Score}. Recall that context settings appear in one of
2226 three locations in our input file -- in a @code{\with} block, in a
2227 @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry
2228 preceded by the @code{\set} command. As with all
2229 context settings, users can pick which of the three different
2230 locations they would like to set @code{proportionalNotationDuration}.
2232 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2233 which is the reference duration against which all music will be
2234 spaced. The LilyPond Scheme function make-moment takes two arguments
2235 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2236 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces a
2237 reference duration of a twentieth note. The values
2238 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2239 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2241 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2242 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial and error,
2243 beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest) duration
2244 in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely; larger
2245 reference durations space music tightly.
2247 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2249 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2251 \new RhythmicStaff {
2255 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2261 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2263 \new RhythmicStaff {
2267 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2273 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2275 \new RhythmicStaff {
2279 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2285 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2286 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2287 Note also that proportional notation in general takes up more
2288 horizontal space that does classical spacing. Proportional spacing
2289 provides rhythmic clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2291 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2293 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2294 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2297 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2299 \new RhythmicStaff {
2303 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2306 \new RhythmicStaff {
2308 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2314 The spacing is bad because the evenly notes of the bottom staff do not
2315 stretch uniformly. Classical engraving includes very few complex
2316 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2317 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} remedies this
2318 situation considerably.
2320 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2322 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2324 \new RhythmicStaff {
2328 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2331 \new RhythmicStaff {
2333 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2339 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2340 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than do the notes
2341 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2342 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2343 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2345 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2347 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2348 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2350 \new RhythmicStaff {
2354 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2357 \new RhythmicStaff {
2359 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2365 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2366 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2367 timeline or graphic if we want.
2369 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2370 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2371 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2372 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2373 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2374 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2377 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2378 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2379 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2380 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2381 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2383 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2384 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2385 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2386 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2387 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2388 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2390 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2391 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2392 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2393 just before the first note in each system.
2395 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2408 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2409 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2410 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2411 reduces this space to zero.
2413 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2419 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2427 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2428 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2429 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2430 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2431 problems differently.
2433 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2434 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2435 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2436 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2437 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2438 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2439 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2441 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2442 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2443 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2445 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2447 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2457 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2458 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2468 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2469 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2470 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2471 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2472 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2473 part in the spacing algorithm.
2475 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2476 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2479 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2480 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2481 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2482 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2483 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2484 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2487 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2488 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2489 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2490 for these related settings.
2495 @ref{New spacing area}.
2501 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2502 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2504 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2505 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2506 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2507 of room left on those.
2509 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2510 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2511 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2512 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2515 * Displaying spacing::
2516 * Changing spacing::
2520 @node Displaying spacing
2521 @subsection Displaying spacing
2523 @funindex annotate-spacing
2524 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2526 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2527 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2528 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2530 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2531 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2532 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2535 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2541 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless
2542 of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2543 In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75
2544 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the
2545 default value). Note that:
2547 @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm}
2550 @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm
2553 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts
2555 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm
2560 In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to
2561 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75
2562 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height
2563 of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs
2564 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower
2565 edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
2570 @ref{Setting the staff size}.
2576 @node Changing spacing
2577 @subsection Changing spacing
2579 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2580 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2581 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2583 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2587 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2588 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2589 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2593 between-system-padding = #0.1
2594 between-system-space = #0.1
2595 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2601 Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just
2602 setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems
2603 being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to
2604 be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed,
2605 giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual
2606 reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For
2607 example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following
2608 assignment will force a layout with 10 systems.
2617 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2618 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2619 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2620 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2621 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2622 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2624 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2626 \override DynamicText #'extra-offset = #'( -2.2 . 2.0)
2631 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2632 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2633 example illustrates the default spacing:
2635 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2648 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2649 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2650 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2651 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2653 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2665 \override SpacingSpanner
2666 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2673 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2674 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2675 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2682 @ref{Page formatting},
2683 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.