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
176 Margins, headers, and footers and other layout variables are
177 automatically set according to the paper size.
179 Default margin values are accessible in
180 @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/-init@/.ly}. They apply to the default
181 paper size (a4, unless specified differently) and are scaled
182 accordingly for other paper sizes.
184 This section lists and describes a number of paper variables that
188 * Vertical dimensions::
189 * Horizontal dimensions::
190 * Other layout variables::
194 @node Vertical dimensions
195 @unnumberedsubsubsec Vertical dimensions
197 These variables are used to set different vertical dimensions on a
204 @item after-title-spacing
205 @funindex after-title-spacing
207 Specifies how to calculate the space between a title (or top-level markup)
208 and the system that follows it. This is an associative list with five
211 @item @var{space} -- the amount of stretchable space between the baseline
212 of a title and the center of the staff that follows it;
213 @item @var{padding} -- the minimum amount of whitespace that must be
214 present between a title and the staff that follows it;
215 @item @var{stretchability} -- the ease with which the stretchable
216 space increases when a page is stretched.
217 If this is zero, the distance to the next staff will not stretch at all;
218 @item @var{minimum-distance} -- the minimum distance to place between
219 the baseline of a title and the center of the staff that follows it. This differs
220 from @var{padding} in that the height of a staff has no effect on
221 the application of @var{minimum-distance} (whereas the height of a
222 staff is crucial for @var{padding}).
225 For example, the default is:
228 after-title-spacing = #'((space . 2) (padding . 0.5))
232 If a page has a ragged bottom, @var{space} is not stretched. In particular, the
233 resulting distance on such a page is the largest of
236 @item @var{minimum-distance}, and
237 @item @var{padding} plus the smallest distance necessary to eliminate overlap.
240 @item before-title-spacing
241 @funindex before-title-spacing
243 Specifies the spacing between a system and the title (or top-level markup) that
245 The distances are measured from the center of the last staff in the system to
246 the baseline of the title that follows it. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
248 @item between-scores-system-spacing
249 @funindex between-scores-system-spacing
251 Specifies the spacing between two systems if they are in different scores, but
252 there is no title between them. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
254 @item between-system-spacing
255 @funindex between-system-spacing
257 Specifies the spacing between the center of the bottom staff of one system
258 and the center of the top staff of the following system. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
260 @item between-title-spacing
261 @funindex between-title-spacing
263 Specifies the spacing between two titles (or top-level markups).
264 The distances are measured from the baseline of the first title to the baseline
265 of the second. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
268 @funindex bottom-margin
270 The margin between footer and bottom of the page. Default:
273 @item bottom-system-spacing
274 @funindex bottom-system-spacing
276 Specifies the spacing from the center of the last staff (or the
277 baseline of the last top-level markup) to the bottom of the
278 printable area (ie. the top of the bottom margin).
279 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
281 @item top-title-spacing
282 @funindex top-title-spacing
284 Specifies the spacing from the top of the printable area (ie.
285 the bottom of the top margin) to the baseline of the title.
286 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
288 @item top-system-spacing
289 @funindex top-system-spacing
291 Specifies the spacing from the top of the printable area (ie.
292 the bottom of the top margin) to the center of the first staff.
293 This only takes effect if there is no title at the top of the
294 page (in which case @var{top-title-spacing} is used instead).
295 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
298 @funindex paper-height
300 The height of the page. Default: the height of the current paper
301 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
306 The margin between header and top of the page. Default:
314 The header and footer are created by the functions make-footer and
315 make-header, defined in \paper. The default implementations are in
316 ly/paper-defaults.ly and ly/titling-init.ly.
318 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the \paper block,
319 page-music-height and page-make-stencil. The former tells the
320 line-breaking algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the
321 latter creates the actual page given the system to put on it.
323 You can define paper block values in Scheme. In that case mm, in, pt,
324 and cm are variables defined in paper-defaults.ly with values in
325 millimeters. That is why the value 2 cm must be multiplied in the
330 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
342 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
346 This second example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page.
350 print-page-number = ##t
351 print-first-page-number = ##t
352 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
353 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
354 oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
355 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
356 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
357 evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
358 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
359 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
363 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
364 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
365 @file{paper@/-defaults@/-init@/.ly} with values in millimeters. That is why the
366 value must be multiplied in the example
370 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
374 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
375 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
376 implementations are in @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/-init@/.ly} and
377 @file{ly/@/titling@/-init@/.ly}.
379 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
380 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
381 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
382 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
383 page given the system to put on it.
388 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
394 @node Horizontal dimensions
395 @unnumberedsubsubsec Horizontal dimensions
398 There are a few variables that determine the horizontal dimensions
404 @funindex binding-offset
406 The amount @code{inner-margin} is increased
407 to make sure nothing will be hidden by the binding.
408 Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true. Default:
411 @item horizontal-shift
412 @funindex horizontal-shift
414 The amount that all systems (including titles and system
415 separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0}.
420 The level of indentation for the first system in a score.
421 Default: @code{15\mm}.
424 @funindex inner-margin
426 The margin all pages have at the inner side if they are part
427 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
428 Default: @code{10\mm}.
431 @funindex left-margin
433 The margin between the left edge of the page and the beginning of
434 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
439 The width of music systems. Default: @code{paper-width} minus
440 @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin}.
443 @funindex outer-margin
445 The margin all pages have at the outer side if they are part
446 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
447 Default: @code{20\mm}.
450 @funindex paper-width
452 The width of the page. Default: the width of the current paper
453 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
456 @funindex right-margin
458 The margin between the right edge of the page and the end of
459 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
462 @funindex short-indent
464 The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the
465 first system. Default: @code{0}.
469 If some values are not set, defaults will be taken. Their exact
470 value is adjusted, depending on the paper size specified. Currently,
471 the following values are affected by this scaling:
474 @item @var{left-margin}
475 @item @var{right-margin}
476 @item @var{top-margin}
477 @item @var{bottom-margin}
478 @item @var{head-separation}
479 @item @var{foot-separation}
481 @item @var{short-indent}
484 The settings for @code{line-width}, @code{left-margin},
485 @code{right-margin} and @code{paper-width} depend on
486 each other, but they do not have to be specified
495 In this example, only @code{left-margin} is set. The value for
496 @code{right-margin} will remain default, @code{line-width} is
497 calculated automatically.
505 Here @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin} will be set
506 to the same value. Therefore, @code{line-width} is subtracted
507 from @code{paper-width} and divided by two. That means systems
508 are centered on the page, if only @code{line-width} is
511 Some checks occur to ensure the values are set correctly.
512 If the values do not match or systems would run off the page,
513 a warning is printed and default values are set.
524 These checks can be avoided by setting @code{check-consistency}
532 check-consistency = ##f
536 @warning{If @code{paper-width} is manually set, @code{line-width},
537 @code{left-margin}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} may
538 have to be adjusted as well.}
546 @node Other layout variables
547 @unnumberedsubsubsec Other layout variables
549 These variables can be used to adjust page layout in general.
553 @item auto-first-page-number
554 @funindex auto-first-page-number
556 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number
557 being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm
558 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This
559 will result in the first page number remaining as is or being
560 increased by one. Default: @code{##f}.
564 TODO: this variable is used, but I don't know what it does. -pm
565 @item blank-after-score-page-force
566 @funindex blank-after-score-page-force
572 @item blank-last-page-force
573 @funindex blank-last-page-force
575 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
578 @item blank-page-force
579 @funindex blank-page-force
581 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
582 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
583 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default:
586 @item check-consistency
587 @funindex check-consistency
589 If set to true, check whether @code{left-margin}, @code{right-margin} and
590 @code{line-width} fit each other. Also make sure that their combination
591 does not exceed the available @code{paper-width}. Default: @code{##t}.
593 @item first-page-number
594 @funindex first-page-number
596 The value of the page number on the first page. Default:
599 @item max-systems-per-page
600 The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
601 is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
604 @item min-systems-per-page
605 The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
606 may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is
607 currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
610 @item page-breaking-between-system-spacing
611 @funindex page-breaking-between-system-spacing
613 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
614 @code{between-system-spacing} is set to something different than
615 it really is. For example, if
616 @code{page-breaking-between-system-spacing #'padding} is set to something
617 substantially larger than @code{between-system-spacing #'padding}, then the
618 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
623 The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset.
625 @item page-limit-inter-system-space
626 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space
628 If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot
629 of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see
630 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
632 @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
633 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
635 The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default:
636 @code{1.4}. For details, see
637 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
639 @item page-spacing-weight
640 @funindex page-spacing-weight
642 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
643 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
644 important. Default: @code{#10}.
646 @item print-all-headers
647 @funindex print-all-headers
649 If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the
650 output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are
651 printed. Default: @code{##f}.
653 @item print-first-page-number
654 @funindex print-first-page-number
656 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
659 @item print-page-number
660 @funindex print-page-number
662 If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default:
666 @funindex ragged-bottom
668 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the
669 page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}.
671 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
672 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
675 @funindex ragged-last
677 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
678 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
679 horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}.
681 @item ragged-last-bottom
682 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
684 If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last
685 page. Default: @code{##t}.
687 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
690 It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created
691 with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
694 @funindex ragged-right
696 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
697 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
700 If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}.
702 @item system-separator-markup
703 @funindex system-separator-markup
705 A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often
706 used for orchestral scores. Default: unset.
708 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
711 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
712 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
715 \relative c' { c1 \break c1 }
718 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
724 @funindex system-count
726 The number of systems to be used for a score.
729 @item systems-per-page
730 @funindex systems-per-page
732 The number of systems that should be placed on each page.
733 This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
740 @cindex binding gutter
742 If set to true, use @code{inner-margin}, @code{outer-margin} and
743 @code{binding-offset} to determine margins depending on whether
744 the page number is odd or even. This overrides @code{left-margin}
745 and @code{right-margin}. Default: @code{##f}.
757 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
758 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
760 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
761 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
762 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
766 @section Music layout
769 * Setting the staff size::
774 @node Setting the staff size
775 @subsection Setting the staff size
777 @cindex font size, setting
778 @cindex staff size, setting
779 @funindex layout file
781 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
782 This may be changed in two ways:
784 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
785 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
788 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
792 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
795 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
800 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
805 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
806 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
807 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
808 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
811 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
814 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
815 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
857 @c modern rental material?
862 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
863 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
864 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
865 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
870 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
878 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
883 @subsection Score layout
887 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
888 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
895 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
898 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
899 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
907 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
919 * Optimal page breaking::
920 * Optimal page turning::
921 * Minimal page breaking::
923 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
928 @subsection Line breaking
931 @cindex breaking lines
933 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
934 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
935 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
936 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
937 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
938 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
939 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
940 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
941 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
942 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
943 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
945 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
946 bar line where it is inserted.
948 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
949 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
950 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
951 lengths of the lines.
953 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
954 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
955 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
956 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
959 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
961 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
962 but affects only the last line of the piece.
974 @cindex regular line breaks
975 @cindex four bar music.
977 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
978 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
979 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
980 every 4 measures, and only there:
983 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
984 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
985 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
986 @emph{the real music}
991 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file
992 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
993 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
994 complicated. More details are available in
1007 Internals Reference:
1008 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
1016 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
1017 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
1019 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1020 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing
1021 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
1022 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
1026 This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}.
1027 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
1030 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1032 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
1034 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed
1039 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
1040 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
1041 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}.
1045 @subsection Page breaking
1047 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
1048 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
1049 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
1050 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
1051 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
1054 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
1055 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
1057 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
1058 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
1059 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
1060 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
1061 respectively will not be justified vertically.
1063 For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1065 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
1066 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
1067 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
1068 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
1069 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
1073 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
1079 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
1080 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
1081 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
1082 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
1083 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
1089 subtitle = "Preface"
1092 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
1093 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be preferred
1094 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1096 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
1100 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
1101 %% page breaking function is used.
1103 subtitle = "First movement"
1105 \score @{ @dots{} @}
1112 @funindex \pageBreak
1114 @funindex \noPageBreak
1115 @code{\noPageBreak}.
1124 @node Optimal page breaking
1125 @subsection Optimal page breaking
1127 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
1129 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
1130 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
1131 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
1132 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1140 @node Optimal page turning
1141 @subsection Optimal page turning
1143 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1145 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1146 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1147 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1148 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1149 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1150 in specified places.
1152 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1153 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1154 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1157 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1158 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1159 input file at the appropriate places.
1161 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1162 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1163 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1164 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1165 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1166 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1167 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1168 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1169 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1172 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1173 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1174 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1175 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1176 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1177 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1180 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1183 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1185 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1186 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1188 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1193 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1194 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1195 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1196 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1197 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1198 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1199 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1201 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1202 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1209 @funindex \noPageTurn
1211 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1212 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1223 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1224 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1227 @node Minimal page breaking
1228 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1230 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1232 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1233 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1234 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1235 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1236 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1240 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1250 @node Explicit breaks
1251 @subsection Explicit breaks
1253 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1254 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1257 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1258 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1261 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1262 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1263 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1264 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1266 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1275 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1276 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1279 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1280 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1281 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1282 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
1283 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1284 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1285 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1286 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
1298 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1299 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1301 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1306 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1308 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1313 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1314 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1315 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1316 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1317 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1318 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1319 breaking layout information.
1321 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1331 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1332 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1333 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1334 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1340 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1341 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1342 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1344 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1349 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1350 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1353 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1354 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1357 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1358 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1361 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1362 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1366 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1367 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1368 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1369 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1378 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1384 @node Vertical spacing
1385 @section Vertical spacing
1387 @cindex vertical spacing
1388 @cindex spacing, vertical
1390 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1391 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1392 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1393 staves inside a system.
1396 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1397 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1398 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1399 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1403 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1404 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1406 @cindex distance between staves
1407 @cindex staff distance
1408 @cindex space between staves
1409 @cindex space inside systems
1411 The height of each system is determined in two steps. First, all of the
1412 staves are spaced according to the amount of space available. Then, the
1413 non-staff lines (eg. lyrics or chords) are distributed between the
1416 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing between staves
1417 Spacing between staves is controlled by the @var{next-staff-spacing}
1418 property of the @var{VerticalAxisGroup} grob. This property is an alist
1419 with four elements: @var{space}, @var{minimum-distance}, @var{padding}
1420 and @var{stretchability}:
1423 @var{space} is the size of the stretchable space between the center line
1424 of one staff to the center line of the next staff.
1427 @var{minimum-distance} provides a lower bound on the final distance
1428 between the center line of one staff to the center line of the next
1429 staff. That is, if a page has many systems and needs to be compressed,
1430 the distance from this staff to the next will never be compressed to
1431 less than @var{minimum-distance}.
1434 @var{padding} is the amount of whitespace that must be present between
1435 the bottom of one staff and the top of the next. It differs from
1436 @var{minimum-distance} in that the effect of @var{padding} depends on
1437 the height of objects in the staff. For example, @var{padding} is more
1438 likely to come into effect for staves with notes that are far below the
1442 @var{stretchability} controls the stretchable space's propensity to
1443 stretch when the system is stretched. Large values will cause a
1444 system to stretch more, while a value of zero will prevent the
1445 space from stretching at all. If unset, @var{stretchability}
1446 defaults to @code{space - minimum-distance}.
1450 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1452 % Since space is small and there is no minimum-distance, the distance
1453 % between this staff and the next will be determined by padding.
1455 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1456 #'((space . 1) (padding . 1))
1459 % Since space is small and nothing sticks out very far, the distance
1460 % between this staff and the next will be determined by minimum-distance.
1462 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1463 #'((space . 1) (minimum-distance . 12))
1466 % By setting padding to a negative value, staves can be made to collide.
1468 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1469 #'((space . 4) (padding . -10))
1472 \new Staff { \clef bass c, }
1477 In orchestral and other large scores, it is common to place staves in
1478 groups. The space between groups is typically larger than the space
1479 between staves of the same group. This spacing can be tweaked with the
1480 @var{StaffGrouper} grob: the default value of @var{next-staff-spacing}
1481 for @var{VerticalAxisGroup} is a callback function which operates by
1482 searching for a @var{StaffGrouper} grob containing the staff. If it
1483 finds a @var{StaffGrouper} grob and the staff in question is in the
1484 middle of a group, it reads the @var{between-staff-spacing} property of
1485 @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the staff in question is the last
1486 staff of a group, the callback reads the @var{after-last-staff-spacing}
1487 property of @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the callback did not
1488 find a @var{StaffGrouper} grob, it reads
1489 @var{default-next-staff-spacing} from its @var{VerticalAxisGroup} and
1493 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1495 \new PianoStaff \with {
1496 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1497 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1498 \override StaffGrouper #'after-last-staff-spacing #'space = #20
1505 \new StaffGroup \with {
1506 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1507 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1517 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing of non-staff lines
1519 After the positions of the staves are determined, the non-staff lines
1520 are distributed between the staves. Each of these lines has a
1521 @var{staff-affinity} property which controls its vertical alignment.
1525 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1528 @noindent creates a lyrics context that will be placed close to the
1529 staff below it. Setting @var{staff-affinity} to something which is not
1530 a number (@code{#f}, for example) will cause that line to be treated
1531 like a staff. Conversely, setting @var{staff-affinity} for a staff will
1532 cause it to be treated like a non-staff.
1534 Non-staff lines admit three properties to control their spacing. Each
1535 of the these properties is an alist of the same format as
1536 @var{next-staff-spacing}, above.
1539 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a staff
1540 then @var{inter-staff-spacing} gives the spacing between the non-staff
1541 and the staff. If @var{staff-affinity} is @code{CENTER}, then
1542 @var{inter-staff-spacing} is used for both directions.
1545 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a non-staff
1546 then @var{inter-loose-line-spacing} gives the spacing between the two
1550 If the nearest line in the opposite direction to @var{staff-affinity} is
1551 a staff then @var{non-affinity-spacing} gives the spacing between the
1552 non-staff and the staff. This can be used, for example, to require
1553 a minimum amount of padding between a Lyrics line and the staff
1554 to which it does not belong.
1558 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1562 % By default, Lyrics are placed close together. Here, we allow them to
1563 % be stretched more widely.
1564 \override VerticalAxisGroup
1565 #'inter-loose-line-spacing #'stretchability = #1000
1572 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing = #'((space . 30)) }
1575 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP }
1578 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #CENTER }
1579 \lyricmode { center }
1581 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN }
1592 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1593 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1595 Internals Reference:
1596 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup},
1597 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1598 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1601 Adjacent non-staff lines should have non-increasing
1602 @var{staff-affinity} from top-to-bottom. For example, the behavior of
1606 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1607 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP @}
1613 A non-staff line at the bottom of a system should have
1614 @var{staff-affinity} set to @code{UP}. Similarly, a non-staff
1615 line at the top of a system should have @var{staff-affinity} set
1618 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1619 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1621 The mechanisms that control spacing between systems are similar to those
1622 that control spacing between staves within a system (see
1623 @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}). The main difference is that
1624 the variables to control spacing between systems are set in the
1625 @code{\paper} block, rather than as grob properties. These paper block
1626 variables are @var{between-system-spacing},
1627 @var{between-scores-system-spacing}, @var{after-title-spacing},
1628 @var{before-title-spacing}, @var{between-title-spacing},
1629 @var{top-system-spacing}, @var{top-title-spacing} and
1630 @var{bottom-system-spacing}. Note that these variables ignore non-staff
1631 lines. For example, @var{between-system-spacing} controls the spacing
1632 from the middle staff line of the bottom staff from one system to
1633 the middle staff line of the top staff of the next system, whether
1634 or not there are lyrics below the upper system.
1635 See @ref{Vertical dimensions} for a description of each of these
1638 There are two more @code{\paper} block variables that affect vertical
1639 spacing: if @var{ragged-bottom} is set to @code{##t} then no pages will
1640 be stretched (which means that neither the space between systems nor the
1641 space within systems will be stretched). If @var{ragged-last-bottom}
1642 is set to @code{##t} then the last page will not be stretched.
1649 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1650 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1652 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1653 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1654 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1655 different staves and systems running down the page.
1657 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1658 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1659 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1660 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1661 vertical positions on the page.
1663 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1664 list of three different settings:
1667 @item @code{X-offset}
1668 @item @code{Y-offset}
1669 @item @code{alignment-distances}
1672 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1673 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1676 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1677 @item in a @code{\context} block
1678 @item in the @code{\with} block
1681 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1682 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1683 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1684 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1685 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1686 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1687 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1690 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1691 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1693 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1694 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1696 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1697 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1699 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1700 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-distances . (15)))
1702 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1703 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1704 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1707 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1708 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1710 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1711 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1714 \header { tagline = ##f }
1715 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1725 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1728 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1735 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1736 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1737 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1738 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1740 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1741 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1742 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1743 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1744 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1747 \header { tagline = ##f }
1748 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1754 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1755 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1757 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1758 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1760 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1761 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1764 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1767 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1774 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1775 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1776 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1777 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1779 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1780 explicitly, we can also set the vertical distances between staves
1781 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-distances}
1782 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1785 \header { tagline = ##f }
1786 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1792 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1793 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1794 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1796 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1797 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1798 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1800 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1801 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1802 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1805 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1808 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1815 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1816 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1817 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1818 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1819 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1820 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1821 @code{alignment-distances} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1822 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-distances}
1823 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1826 \header { tagline = ##f }
1827 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1833 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1834 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1835 (alignment-distances . (30 10)))
1837 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1838 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1839 (alignment-distances . (10 10)))
1841 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1842 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1843 (alignment-distances . (10 30)))
1846 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1849 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1850 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1857 Some points to consider:
1860 @item When using @code{alignment-distances}, lyrics and other non-staff lines
1861 do not count as a staff.
1863 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1864 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-distances} are interpreted as multiples
1865 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1866 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1868 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1869 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1870 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1871 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1872 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1881 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1882 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1884 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1885 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1886 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1888 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1889 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1890 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1891 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1892 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1893 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1894 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1897 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1898 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1899 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1900 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1903 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1904 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1905 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1906 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1907 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1908 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1909 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1912 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1915 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1916 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1918 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1919 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1920 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1921 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1922 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1925 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1926 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1927 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1929 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1930 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1931 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1932 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1933 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1934 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1938 By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid
1939 a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This
1940 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1941 other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staffs can
1942 also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved.
1943 Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1944 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1947 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1948 % the markup is too close to the following note
1952 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1954 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
1966 @node Horizontal spacing
1967 @section Horizontal spacing
1969 @cindex horizontal spacing
1970 @cindex spacing, horizontal
1973 * Horizontal spacing overview::
1974 * New spacing area::
1975 * Changing horizontal spacing::
1977 * Proportional notation::
1981 @node Horizontal spacing overview
1982 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
1984 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
1985 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
1986 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
1987 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
1988 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
1989 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
1990 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
1991 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
1993 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
1994 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
1995 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
1997 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
1998 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
2002 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
2003 approximately the width of a note head, and
2004 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
2005 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
2006 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
2007 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
2008 followed by one NHW of space.
2010 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
2011 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
2012 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
2013 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
2014 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
2015 the one which occurs most frequently.
2018 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
2019 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
2020 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
2021 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
2022 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
2023 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
2025 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
2026 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
2027 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
2028 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
2030 @funindex common-shortest-duration
2031 @funindex base-shortest-duration
2032 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
2035 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
2036 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
2037 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
2038 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
2040 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
2041 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
2045 In the @emph{Essay on automated music engraving}, it was explained
2046 that stem directions influence spacing (see @ressay{Optical
2047 spacing}). This is controlled with the
2048 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
2049 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
2050 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
2051 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same
2052 property for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following
2053 example shows these corrections, once with default settings, and
2054 once with exaggerated corrections:
2056 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
2060 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2061 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2067 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
2074 Internals Reference:
2075 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
2076 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
2077 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
2078 @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}.
2083 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
2084 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score,
2085 adjusting the padding value as necessary.
2087 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10
2090 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
2093 @node New spacing area
2094 @subsection New spacing area
2096 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
2097 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
2098 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
2100 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
2101 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
2103 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
2106 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
2112 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
2113 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
2114 may be used in that location.
2121 Internals Reference:
2122 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
2125 @node Changing horizontal spacing
2126 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
2128 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
2129 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
2130 we compare the same music; once without altering
2131 the property, and then altered. Larger values
2132 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
2133 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
2134 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
2137 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2140 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2141 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2142 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2143 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2148 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2151 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2152 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2153 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2154 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2159 \override SpacingSpanner
2160 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2169 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2170 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2171 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2172 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2173 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2175 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2177 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2194 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2195 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2197 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2198 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2199 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2209 @subsection Line length
2212 @cindex breaking pages
2215 @funindex line-width
2216 @funindex ragged-right
2217 @funindex ragged-last
2219 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2220 @c block, to get page layout right.
2221 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2223 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2224 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2225 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2226 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2229 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2230 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2231 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2232 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2233 The normal default setting is false, but if the score has only one
2234 system the default value is true.
2237 @cindex vertical spacing
2239 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2240 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2241 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2242 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2243 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2244 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2245 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2246 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2262 @node Proportional notation
2263 @subsection Proportional notation
2265 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2266 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2267 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2268 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2269 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2270 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2271 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2273 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2274 which may be used together or alone:
2277 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2278 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2279 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2280 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2281 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2284 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2285 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2287 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2288 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2290 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2292 \new RhythmicStaff {
2296 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2302 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2303 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2304 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2305 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2306 horizontal space of the measure.
2308 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2309 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2310 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2312 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2313 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2314 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2317 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2319 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2321 \new RhythmicStaff {
2325 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2331 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2332 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2333 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2336 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting that
2337 lives in @code{Score}. Recall that context settings appear in one of
2338 three locations in our input file -- in a @code{\with} block, in a
2339 @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry
2340 preceded by the @code{\set} command. As with all
2341 context settings, users can pick which of the three different
2342 locations they would like to set @code{proportionalNotationDuration}.
2344 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2345 which is the reference duration against which all music will be
2346 spaced. The LilyPond Scheme function make-moment takes two arguments
2347 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2348 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces a
2349 reference duration of a twentieth note. The values
2350 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2351 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2353 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2354 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial and error,
2355 beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest) duration
2356 in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely; larger
2357 reference durations space music tightly.
2359 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2361 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2363 \new RhythmicStaff {
2367 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2373 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2375 \new RhythmicStaff {
2379 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2385 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2387 \new RhythmicStaff {
2391 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2397 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2398 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2399 Note also that proportional notation in general takes up more
2400 horizontal space that does classical spacing. Proportional spacing
2401 provides rhythmic clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2403 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2405 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2406 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2409 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2411 \new RhythmicStaff {
2415 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2418 \new RhythmicStaff {
2420 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2426 The spacing is bad because the evenly notes of the bottom staff do not
2427 stretch uniformly. Classical engraving includes very few complex
2428 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2429 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} remedies this
2430 situation considerably.
2432 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2434 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2436 \new RhythmicStaff {
2440 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2443 \new RhythmicStaff {
2445 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2451 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2452 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than do the notes
2453 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2454 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2455 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2457 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2459 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2460 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2462 \new RhythmicStaff {
2466 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2469 \new RhythmicStaff {
2471 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2477 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2478 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2479 timeline or graphic if we want.
2481 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2482 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2483 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2484 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2485 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2486 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2489 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2490 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2491 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2492 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2493 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2495 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2496 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2497 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2498 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2499 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2500 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2502 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2503 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2504 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2505 just before the first note in each system.
2507 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2520 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2521 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2522 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2523 reduces this space to zero.
2525 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2531 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2539 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2540 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2541 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2542 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2543 problems differently.
2545 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2546 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2547 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2548 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2549 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2550 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2551 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2553 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2554 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2555 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2557 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2559 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2569 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2570 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2580 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2581 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2582 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2583 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2584 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2585 part in the spacing algorithm.
2587 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2588 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2591 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2592 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2593 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2594 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2595 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2596 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2599 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2600 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2601 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2602 for these related settings.
2607 @ref{New spacing area}.
2613 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2614 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2616 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2617 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2618 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2619 of room left on those.
2621 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2622 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2623 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2624 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2627 * Displaying spacing::
2628 * Changing spacing::
2632 @node Displaying spacing
2633 @subsection Displaying spacing
2635 @funindex annotate-spacing
2636 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2638 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2639 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2640 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2642 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2643 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2644 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2647 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2653 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless
2654 of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2655 In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75
2656 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the
2657 default value). Note that:
2659 @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm}
2662 @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm
2665 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts
2667 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm
2672 In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to
2673 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75
2674 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height
2675 of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs
2676 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower
2677 edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
2682 @ref{Setting the staff size}.
2688 @node Changing spacing
2689 @subsection Changing spacing
2691 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2692 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2693 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2695 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2699 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2700 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2701 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2705 between-system-spacing = #'((padding . 0) (space . 0.1))
2706 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2712 Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just
2713 setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems
2714 being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to
2715 be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed,
2716 giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual
2717 reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For
2718 example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following
2719 assignment will force a layout with 10 systems.
2728 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2729 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2730 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2731 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2732 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2733 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2735 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2737 \override DynamicText #'extra-offset = #'( -2.2 . 2.0)
2742 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2743 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2744 example illustrates the default spacing:
2746 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2759 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2760 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2761 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2762 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2764 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2776 \override SpacingSpanner
2777 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2784 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2785 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2786 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2793 @ref{Page formatting},
2794 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.