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 Default margin values are accessible in
179 @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/-init@/.ly}. They apply to the default
180 paper size (a4, unless specified differently) and are scaled
181 accordingly for other paper sizes.
183 This section lists and describes a number of paper variables that
187 * Vertical dimensions::
188 * Horizontal dimensions::
189 * Other layout variables::
193 @node Vertical dimensions
194 @unnumberedsubsubsec Vertical dimensions
196 These variables are used to set different vertical dimensions on a
203 @item after-title-spacing
204 @funindex after-title-spacing
206 Specifies how to calculate the space between a title (or top-level markup)
207 and the system that follows it. This is an associative list with five
210 @item @var{space} -- the amount of stretchable space between the baseline
211 of a title and the center of the staff that follows it;
212 @item @var{padding} -- the minimum amount of whitespace that must be
213 present between a title and the staff that follows it;
214 @item @var{stretchability} -- the ease with which the stretchable
215 space increases when a page is stretched.
216 If this is zero, the distance to the next staff will not stretch at all;
217 @item @var{minimum-distance} -- the minimum distance to place between
218 the baseline of a title and the center of the staff that follows it. This differs
219 from @var{padding} in that the height of a staff has no effect on
220 the application of @var{minimum-distance} (whereas the height of a
221 staff is crucial for @var{padding}).
224 If a page has a ragged bottom, @var{space} is not stretched. In particular, the
225 resulting distance on such a page is the largest of
228 @item @var{minimum-distance}, and
229 @item @var{padding} plus the smallest distance necessary to eliminate overlap.
232 @item before-title-spacing
233 @funindex before-title-spacing
235 Specifies the spacing between a system and the title (or top-level markup) that
237 The distances are measured from the center of the last staff in the system to
238 the baseline of the title that follows it. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
240 @item between-scores-system-spacing
241 @funindex between-scores-system-spacing
243 Specifies the spacing between two systems if they are in different scores, but
244 there is no title between them. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
246 @item between-system-spacing
247 @funindex between-system-spacing
249 Specifies the spacing between the center of the bottom staff of one system
250 and the center of the top staff of the following system. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
252 @item between-title-spacing
253 @funindex between-title-spacing
255 Specifies the spacing between two titles (or top-level markups).
256 The distances are measured from the baseline of the first title to the baseline
257 of the second. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
260 @funindex bottom-margin
262 The margin between footer and bottom of the page. Default:
265 @item bottom-system-spacing
266 @funindex bottom-system-spacing
268 Specifies the spacing from the center of the last staff (or the
269 baseline of the last top-level markup) to the bottom of the
270 printable area (ie. the top of the bottom margin).
271 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
273 @item top-title-spacing
274 @funindex top-title-spacing
276 Specifies the spacing from the top of the printable area (ie.
277 the bottom of the top margin) to the baseline of the title.
278 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
280 @item top-system-spacing
281 @funindex top-system-spacing
283 Specifies the spacing from the top of the printable area (ie.
284 the bottom of the top margin) to the center of the first staff.
285 This only takes effect if there is no title at the top of the
286 page (in which case @var{top-title-spacing} is used instead).
287 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
290 @funindex paper-height
292 The height of the page. Default: the height of the current paper
293 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
298 The margin between header and top of the page. Default:
306 The header and footer are created by the functions make-footer and
307 make-header, defined in \paper. The default implementations are in
308 ly/paper-defaults.ly and ly/titling-init.ly.
310 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the \paper block,
311 page-music-height and page-make-stencil. The former tells the
312 line-breaking algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the
313 latter creates the actual page given the system to put on it.
315 You can define paper block values in Scheme. In that case mm, in, pt,
316 and cm are variables defined in paper-defaults.ly with values in
317 millimeters. That is why the value 2 cm must be multiplied in the
322 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
334 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
338 This second example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page.
342 print-page-number = ##t
343 print-first-page-number = ##t
344 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
345 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
346 oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
347 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
348 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
349 evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
350 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
351 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
355 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
356 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
357 @file{paper@/-defaults@/-init@/.ly} with values in millimeters. That is why the
358 value must be multiplied in the example
362 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
366 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
367 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
368 implementations are in @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/-init@/.ly} and
369 @file{ly/@/titling@/-init@/.ly}.
371 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
372 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
373 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
374 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
375 page given the system to put on it.
380 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
386 @node Horizontal dimensions
387 @unnumberedsubsubsec Horizontal dimensions
390 There are a few variables that determine the horizontal dimensions
396 @funindex binding-offset
398 The amount @code{inner-margin} is increased
399 to make sure nothing will be hidden by the binding.
400 Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true. Default:
403 @item horizontal-shift
404 @funindex horizontal-shift
406 The amount that all systems (including titles and system
407 separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0}.
412 The level of indentation for the first system in a score.
413 Default: @code{15\mm}.
416 @funindex inner-margin
418 The margin all pages have at the inner side if they are part
419 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
420 Default: @code{10\mm}.
423 @funindex left-margin
425 The margin between the left edge of the page and the beginning of
426 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
431 The width of music systems. Default: @code{paper-width} minus
432 @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin}.
435 @funindex outer-margin
437 The margin all pages have at the outer side if they are part
438 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
439 Default: @code{20\mm}.
442 @funindex paper-width
444 The width of the page. Default: the width of the current paper
445 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
448 @funindex right-margin
450 The margin between the right edge of the page and the end of
451 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
454 @funindex short-indent
456 The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the
457 first system. Default: @code{0}.
461 If some values are not set, defaults will be taken. Their exact
462 value is adjusted, depending on the paper size specified. Currently,
463 the following values are affected by this scaling:
466 @item @var{left-margin}
467 @item @var{right-margin}
468 @item @var{top-margin}
469 @item @var{bottom-margin}
470 @item @var{head-separation}
471 @item @var{foot-separation}
473 @item @var{short-indent}
476 The settings for @code{line-width}, @code{left-margin},
477 @code{right-margin} and @code{paper-width} depend on
478 each other, but they do not have to be specified
487 In this example, only @code{left-margin} is set. The value for
488 @code{right-margin} will remain default, @code{line-width} is
489 calculated automatically.
497 Here @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin} will be set
498 to the same value. Therefore, @code{line-width} is subtracted
499 from @code{paper-width} and divided by two. That means systems
500 are centered on the page, if only @code{line-width} is
503 Some checks occur to ensure the values are set correctly.
504 If the values do not match or systems would run off the page,
505 a warning is printed and default values are set.
516 These checks can be avoided by setting @code{check-consistency}
524 check-consistency = ##f
528 @warning{If @code{paper-width} is manually set, @code{line-width},
529 @code{left-margin}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} may
530 have to be adjusted as well.}
538 @node Other layout variables
539 @unnumberedsubsubsec Other layout variables
541 These variables can be used to adjust page layout in general.
545 @item auto-first-page-number
546 @funindex auto-first-page-number
548 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number
549 being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm
550 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This
551 will result in the first page number remaining as is or being
552 increased by one. Default: @code{##f}.
556 FIXME: this variable is used, but I don't know what it does. -pm
557 @item blank-after-score-page-force
558 @funindex blank-after-score-page-force
564 @item blank-last-page-force
565 @funindex blank-last-page-force
567 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
570 @item blank-page-force
571 @funindex blank-page-force
573 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
574 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
575 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default:
578 @item check-consistency
579 @funindex check-consistency
581 If set to true, check whether @code{left-margin}, @code{right-margin} and
582 @code{line-width} fit each other. Also make sure that their combination
583 does not exceed the available @code{paper-width}. Default: @code{##t}.
585 @item first-page-number
586 @funindex first-page-number
588 The value of the page number on the first page. Default:
591 @item max-systems-per-page
592 The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
593 is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
596 @item min-systems-per-page
597 The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
598 may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is
599 currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
602 @item page-breaking-between-system-padding
603 @funindex page-breaking-between-system-padding
605 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
606 @code{between-system-padding} is set to something different than
607 it really is. For example, if this variable is set to something
608 substantially larger than @code{between-system-padding}, then the
609 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
614 The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset.
616 @item page-limit-inter-system-space
617 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space
619 If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot
620 of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see
621 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
623 @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
624 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
626 The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default:
627 @code{1.4}. For details, see
628 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
630 @item page-spacing-weight
631 @funindex page-spacing-weight
633 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
634 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
635 important. Default: @code{#10}.
637 @item print-all-headers
638 @funindex print-all-headers
640 If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the
641 output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are
642 printed. Default: @code{##f}.
644 @item print-first-page-number
645 @funindex print-first-page-number
647 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
650 @item print-page-number
651 @funindex print-page-number
653 If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default:
657 @funindex ragged-bottom
659 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the
660 page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}.
662 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
663 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
666 @funindex ragged-last
668 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
669 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
670 horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}.
672 @item ragged-last-bottom
673 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
675 If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last
676 page. Default: @code{##t}.
678 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
681 It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created
682 with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
685 @funindex ragged-right
687 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
688 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
691 If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}.
693 @item system-separator-markup
694 @funindex system-separator-markup
696 A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often
697 used for orchestral scores. Default: unset.
699 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
702 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
703 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
706 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
709 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
715 @funindex system-count
717 The number of systems to be used for a score.
720 @item systems-per-page
721 @funindex systems-per-page
723 The number of systems that should be placed on each page.
724 This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
730 If set to true, use @code{inner-margin}, @code{outer-margin} and
731 @code{binding-offset} to determine margins depending on whether
732 the page number is odd or even. This overrides @code{left-margin}
733 and @code{right-margin}. Default: @code{##f}.
745 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
746 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
748 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
749 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
750 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
754 @section Music layout
757 * Setting the staff size::
762 @node Setting the staff size
763 @subsection Setting the staff size
765 @cindex font size, setting
766 @cindex staff size, setting
767 @funindex layout file
769 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
770 This may be changed in two ways:
772 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
773 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
776 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
780 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
783 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
788 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
793 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
794 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
795 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
796 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
799 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
802 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
803 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
845 @c modern rental material?
850 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
851 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
852 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
853 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
858 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
866 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
871 @subsection Score layout
875 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
876 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
883 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
886 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
887 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
895 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
907 * Optimal page breaking::
908 * Optimal page turning::
909 * Minimal page breaking::
911 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
916 @subsection Line breaking
919 @cindex breaking lines
921 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
922 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
923 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
924 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
925 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
926 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
927 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
928 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
929 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
930 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
931 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
933 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
934 bar line where it is inserted.
936 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
937 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
938 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
939 lengths of the lines.
941 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
942 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
943 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
944 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
947 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
949 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
950 but affects only the last line of the piece.
962 @cindex regular line breaks
963 @cindex four bar music.
965 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
966 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
967 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
968 every 4 measures, and only there:
971 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
972 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
973 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
974 @emph{the real music}
979 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file
980 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
981 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
982 complicated. More details are available in
996 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
1004 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
1005 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
1007 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1008 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing
1009 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
1010 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
1014 This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}.
1015 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
1018 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1020 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
1022 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed
1027 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
1028 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
1029 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}.
1033 @subsection Page breaking
1035 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
1036 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
1037 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
1038 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
1039 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
1042 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
1043 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
1045 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
1046 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
1047 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
1048 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
1049 respectively will not be justified vertically.
1051 For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1053 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
1054 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
1055 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
1056 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
1057 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
1061 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
1067 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
1068 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
1069 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
1070 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
1071 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
1077 subtitle = "Preface"
1080 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
1081 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be prefered
1082 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1084 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
1088 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
1089 %% page breaking function is used.
1091 subtitle = "First movement"
1093 \score @{ @dots{} @}
1100 @funindex \pageBreak
1102 @funindex \noPageBreak
1103 @code{\noPageBreak}.
1112 @node Optimal page breaking
1113 @subsection Optimal page breaking
1115 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
1117 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
1118 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
1119 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
1120 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1128 @node Optimal page turning
1129 @subsection Optimal page turning
1131 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1133 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1134 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1135 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1136 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1137 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1138 in specified places.
1140 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1141 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1142 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1145 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1146 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1147 input file at the appropriate places.
1149 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1150 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1151 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1152 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1153 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1154 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1155 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1156 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1157 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1160 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1161 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1162 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1163 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1164 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1165 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1168 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1171 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1173 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1174 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1176 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1181 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1182 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1183 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1184 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1185 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1186 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1187 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1189 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1190 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1197 @funindex \noPageTurn
1199 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1200 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1211 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1212 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1215 @node Minimal page breaking
1216 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1218 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1220 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1221 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1222 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1223 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1224 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1228 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1238 @node Explicit breaks
1239 @subsection Explicit breaks
1241 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1242 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1245 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1246 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1249 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1250 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1251 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1252 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1254 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1263 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1264 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1267 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1268 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1269 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1270 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
1271 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1272 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1273 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1274 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
1286 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1287 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1289 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1294 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1296 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1301 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1302 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1303 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1304 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1305 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1306 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1307 breaking layout information.
1309 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1319 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1320 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1321 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1322 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1328 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1329 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1330 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1332 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1337 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1338 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1341 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1342 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1345 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1346 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1349 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1350 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1354 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1355 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1356 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1357 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1366 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1372 @node Vertical spacing
1373 @section Vertical spacing
1375 @cindex vertical spacing
1376 @cindex spacing, vertical
1378 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1379 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1380 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1381 staves inside a system.
1384 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1385 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1386 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1387 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1391 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1392 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1394 @cindex distance between staves
1395 @cindex staff distance
1396 @cindex space between staves
1397 @cindex space inside systems
1399 The height of each system is determined in two steps. First, all of the
1400 staves are spaced according to the amount of space available. Then, the
1401 non-staff lines (eg. lyrics or chords) are distributed between the
1404 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing between staves
1405 Spacing between staves is controlled by the @var{next-staff-spacing}
1406 property of the @var{VerticalAxisGroup} grob. This property is an alist
1407 with four elements: @var{space}, @var{minimum-distance}, @var{padding}
1408 and @var{stretchability}:
1411 @var{space} is the size of the stretchable space between the center line
1412 of one staff to the center line of the next staff.
1415 @var{minimum-distance} provides a lower bound on the final distance
1416 between the center line of one staff to the center line of the next
1417 staff. That is, if a page has many systems and needs to be compressed,
1418 the distance from this staff to the next will never be compressed to
1419 less than @var{minimum-distance}.
1422 @var{padding} is the amount of whitespace that must be present between
1423 the bottom of one staff and the top of the next. It differs from
1424 @var{minimum-distance} in that the effect of @var{padding} depends on
1425 the height of objects in the staff. For example, @var{padding} is more
1426 likely to come into effect for staves with notes that are far below the
1430 @var{stretchability} controls the stretchable space's propensity to
1431 stretch when the system is stretched. Large values will cause a
1432 system to stretch more, while a value of zero will prevent the
1433 space from stretching at all. If unset, @var{stretchability}
1434 defaults to @code{space - minimum-distance}.
1438 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1440 % Since space is small and there is no minimum-distance, the distance
1441 % between this staff and the next will be determined by padding.
1443 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1444 #'((space . 1) (padding . 1))
1447 % Since space is small and nothing sticks out very far, the distance
1448 % between this staff and the next will be determined by minimum-distance.
1450 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1451 #'((space . 1) (minimum-distance . 12))
1454 % By setting padding to a negative value, staves can be made to collide.
1456 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1457 #'((space . 4) (padding . -10))
1460 \new Staff { \clef bass c, }
1465 In orchestral and other large scores, it is common to place staves in
1466 groups. The space between groups is typically larger than the space
1467 between staves of the same group. This spacing can be tweaked with the
1468 @var{StaffGrouper} grob: the default value of @var{next-staff-spacing}
1469 for @var{VerticalAxisGroup} is a callback function which operates by
1470 searching for a @var{StaffGrouper} grob containing the staff. If it
1471 finds a @var{StaffGrouper} grob and the staff in question is in the
1472 middle of a group, it reads the @var{between-staff-spacing} property of
1473 @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the staff in question is the last
1474 staff of a group, the callback reads the @var{after-last-staff-spacing}
1475 property of @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the callback did not
1476 find a @var{StaffGrouper} grob, it reads
1477 @var{default-next-staff-spacing} from its @var{VerticalAxisGroup} and
1481 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1483 \new PianoStaff \with {
1484 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1485 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1486 \override StaffGrouper #'after-last-staff-spacing #'space = #20
1493 \new StaffGroup \with {
1494 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1495 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1505 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing of non-staff lines
1507 After the positions of the staves are determined, the non-staff lines
1508 are distributed between the staves. Each of these lines has a
1509 @var{staff-affinity} property which controls its vertical alignment.
1513 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1516 @noindent creates a lyrics context that will be placed close to the
1517 staff below it. Setting @var{staff-affinity} to something which is not
1518 a number (@code{#f}, for example) will cause that line to be treated
1519 like a staff. Conversely, setting @var{staff-affinity} for a staff will
1520 cause it to be treated like a non-staff.
1522 Non-staff lines admit three properties to control their spacing. Each
1523 of the these properties is an alist of the same format as
1524 @var{next-staff-spacing}, above.
1527 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a staff
1528 then @var{inter-staff-spacing} gives the spacing between the non-staff
1529 and the staff. If @var{staff-affinity} is @code{CENTER}, then
1530 @var{inter-staff-spacing} is used for both directions.
1533 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a non-staff
1534 then @var{inter-loose-line-spacing} gives the spacing between the two
1538 If the nearest line in the opposite direction to @var{staff-affinity} is
1539 a staff then @var{non-affinity-spacing} gives the spacing between the
1540 non-staff and the staff. This can be used, for example, to require
1541 a minimum amount of padding between a Lyrics line and the staff
1542 to which it does not belong.
1546 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1550 % By default, Lyrics are placed close together. Here, we allow them to
1551 % be stretched more widely.
1552 \override VerticalAxisGroup
1553 #'inter-loose-line-spacing #'stretchability = #1000
1560 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing = #'((space . 30)) }
1563 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP }
1566 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #CENTER }
1567 \lyricmode { center }
1569 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN }
1580 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1581 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1583 Internals Reference:
1584 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup},
1585 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1586 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1589 Adjacent non-staff lines should have non-increasing
1590 @var{staff-affinity} from top-to-bottom. For example, the behavior of
1594 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1595 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP @}
1601 A non-staff line at the bottom of a system should have
1602 @var{staff-affinity} set to @code{UP}. Similarly, a non-staff
1603 line at the top of a system should have @var{staff-affinity} set
1606 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1607 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1609 The mechanisms that control spacing between systems are similar to those
1610 that control spacing between staves within a system (see
1611 @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}). The main difference is that
1612 the variables to control spacing between systems are set in the
1613 @code{\paper} block, rather than as grob properties. These paper block
1614 variables are @var{between-system-spacing},
1615 @var{between-scores-system-spacing}, @var{after-title-spacing},
1616 @var{before-title-spacing}, @var{between-title-spacing},
1617 @var{top-system-spacing}, @var{top-system-spacing},
1618 @var{top-title-spacing} and @var{bottom-system-spacing}. Note that
1619 these variables ignore non-staff lines. For example,
1620 @var{between-system-spacing} controls the spacing from the middle staff
1621 line of the bottom staff from one system to the middle staff line of the
1622 top staff of the next system, whether or not there are lyrics below the
1623 upper system. See @ref{Vertical dimensions} for a description of each
1626 There are two more @code{\paper} block variables that affect vertical
1627 spacing: if @var{ragged-bottom} is set to @code{##t} then no pages will
1628 be stretched (which means that neither the space between systems nor the
1629 space within systems will be stretched). If @var{ragged-last-bottom}
1630 is set to @code{##t} then the last page will not be stretched.
1637 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1638 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1640 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1641 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1642 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1643 different staves and systems running down the page.
1645 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1646 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1647 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1648 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1649 vertical positions on the page.
1651 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1652 list of three different settings:
1655 @item @code{X-offset}
1656 @item @code{Y-offset}
1657 @item @code{alignment-distances}
1660 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1661 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1664 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1665 @item in a @code{\context} block
1666 @item in the @code{\with} block
1669 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1670 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1671 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1672 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1673 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1674 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1675 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1678 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1679 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1681 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1682 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1684 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1685 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1687 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1688 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-distances . (15)))
1690 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1691 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1692 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1695 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1696 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1698 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1699 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1702 \header { tagline = ##f }
1703 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1713 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1716 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1723 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1724 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1725 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1726 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1728 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1729 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1730 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1731 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1732 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1735 \header { tagline = ##f }
1736 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1742 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1743 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1745 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1746 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1748 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1749 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1752 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1755 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1762 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1763 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1764 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1765 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1767 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1768 explicitly, we can also set the vertical distances between staves
1769 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-distances}
1770 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1773 \header { tagline = ##f }
1774 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1780 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1781 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1782 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1784 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1785 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1786 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1788 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1789 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1790 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1793 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1796 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1803 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1804 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1805 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1806 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1807 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1808 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1809 @code{alignment-distances} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1810 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-distances}
1811 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1814 \header { tagline = ##f }
1815 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1821 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1822 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1823 (alignment-distances . (30 10)))
1825 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1826 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1827 (alignment-distances . (10 10)))
1829 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1830 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1831 (alignment-distances . (10 30)))
1834 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1837 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1838 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1845 Some points to consider:
1848 @item When using @code{alignment-distances}, lyrics and other non-staff lines
1849 do not count as a staff.
1851 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1852 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-distances} are interpreted as multiples
1853 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1854 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1856 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1857 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1858 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1859 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1860 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1869 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1870 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1872 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1873 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1874 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1876 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1877 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1878 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1879 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1880 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1881 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1882 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1885 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1886 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1887 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1888 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1891 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1892 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1893 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1894 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1895 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1896 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1897 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1900 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1903 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1904 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1906 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1907 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1908 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1909 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1910 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1913 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1914 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1915 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1917 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1918 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1919 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1920 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1921 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1922 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1926 By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid
1927 a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This
1928 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1929 other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staffs can
1930 also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved.
1931 Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1932 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1935 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1936 % the markup is too close to the following note
1940 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1942 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
1954 @node Horizontal spacing
1955 @section Horizontal spacing
1957 @cindex horizontal spacing
1958 @cindex spacing, horizontal
1961 * Horizontal spacing overview::
1962 * New spacing area::
1963 * Changing horizontal spacing::
1965 * Proportional notation::
1969 @node Horizontal spacing overview
1970 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
1972 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
1973 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
1974 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
1975 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
1976 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
1977 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
1978 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
1979 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
1981 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
1982 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
1983 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
1985 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
1986 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
1990 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
1991 approximately the width of a note head, and
1992 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
1993 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
1994 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
1995 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
1996 followed by one NHW of space.
1998 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
1999 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
2000 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
2001 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
2002 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
2003 the one which occurs most frequently.
2006 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
2007 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
2008 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
2009 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
2010 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
2011 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
2013 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
2014 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
2015 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
2016 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
2018 @funindex common-shortest-duration
2019 @funindex base-shortest-duration
2020 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
2023 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
2024 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
2025 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
2026 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
2028 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
2029 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
2033 In the @emph{Essay on automated music engraving}, it was explained
2034 that stem directions influence spacing (see @ressay{Optical
2035 spacing}). This is controlled with the
2036 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
2037 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
2038 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
2039 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same
2040 property for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following
2041 example shows these corrections, once with default settings, and
2042 once with exaggerated corrections:
2044 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
2048 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2049 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2055 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
2062 Internals Reference:
2063 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
2064 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
2065 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
2066 @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}.
2071 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
2072 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score,
2073 adjusting the padding value as necessary.
2075 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10
2078 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
2081 @node New spacing area
2082 @subsection New spacing area
2084 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
2085 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
2086 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
2088 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
2089 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
2091 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
2094 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
2100 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
2101 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
2102 may be used in that location.
2109 Internals Reference:
2110 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
2113 @node Changing horizontal spacing
2114 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
2116 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
2117 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
2118 we compare the same music; once without altering
2119 the property, and then altered. Larger values
2120 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
2121 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
2122 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
2125 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2128 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2129 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2130 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2131 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2136 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2139 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2140 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2141 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2142 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2147 \override SpacingSpanner
2148 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2157 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2158 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2159 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2160 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2161 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2163 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2165 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2182 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2183 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2185 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2186 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2187 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2197 @subsection Line length
2200 @cindex breaking pages
2203 @funindex line-width
2204 @funindex ragged-right
2205 @funindex ragged-last
2207 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2208 @c block, to get page layout right.
2209 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2211 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2212 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2213 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2214 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2217 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2218 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2219 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2220 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2221 The normal default setting is false, but if the score has only one
2222 system the default value is true.
2225 @cindex vertical spacing
2227 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2228 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2229 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2230 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2231 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2232 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2233 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2234 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2250 @node Proportional notation
2251 @subsection Proportional notation
2253 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2254 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2255 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2256 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2257 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2258 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2259 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2261 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2262 which may be used together or alone:
2265 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2266 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2267 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2268 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2269 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2272 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2273 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2275 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2276 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2278 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2280 \new RhythmicStaff {
2284 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2290 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2291 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2292 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2293 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2294 horizontal space of the measure.
2296 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2297 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2298 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2300 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2301 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2302 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2305 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2307 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2309 \new RhythmicStaff {
2313 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2319 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2320 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2321 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2324 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting that
2325 lives in @code{Score}. Recall that context settings appear in one of
2326 three locations in our input file -- in a @code{\with} block, in a
2327 @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry
2328 preceded by the @code{\set} command. As with all
2329 context settings, users can pick which of the three different
2330 locations they would like to set @code{proportionalNotationDuration}.
2332 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2333 which is the reference duration against which all music will be
2334 spaced. The LilyPond Scheme function make-moment takes two arguments
2335 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2336 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces a
2337 reference duration of a twentieth note. The values
2338 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2339 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2341 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2342 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial and error,
2343 beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest) duration
2344 in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely; larger
2345 reference durations space music tightly.
2347 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2349 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2351 \new RhythmicStaff {
2355 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2361 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2363 \new RhythmicStaff {
2367 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2373 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2375 \new RhythmicStaff {
2379 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2385 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2386 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2387 Note also that proportional notation in general takes up more
2388 horizontal space that does classical spacing. Proportional spacing
2389 provides rhythmic clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2391 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2393 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2394 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2397 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2399 \new RhythmicStaff {
2403 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2406 \new RhythmicStaff {
2408 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2414 The spacing is bad because the evenly notes of the bottom staff do not
2415 stretch uniformly. Classical engraving includes very few complex
2416 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2417 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} remedies this
2418 situation considerably.
2420 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2422 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2424 \new RhythmicStaff {
2428 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2431 \new RhythmicStaff {
2433 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2439 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2440 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than do the notes
2441 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2442 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2443 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2445 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2447 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2448 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2450 \new RhythmicStaff {
2454 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2457 \new RhythmicStaff {
2459 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2465 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2466 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2467 timeline or graphic if we want.
2469 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2470 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2471 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2472 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2473 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2474 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2477 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2478 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2479 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2480 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2481 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2483 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2484 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2485 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2486 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2487 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2488 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2490 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2491 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2492 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2493 just before the first note in each system.
2495 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2508 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2509 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2510 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2511 reduces this space to zero.
2513 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2519 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2527 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2528 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2529 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2530 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2531 problems differently.
2533 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2534 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2535 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2536 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2537 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2538 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2539 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2541 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2542 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2543 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2545 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2547 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2557 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2558 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2568 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2569 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2570 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2571 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2572 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2573 part in the spacing algorithm.
2575 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2576 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2579 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2580 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2581 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2582 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2583 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2584 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2587 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2588 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2589 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2590 for these related settings.
2595 @ref{New spacing area}.
2601 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2602 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2604 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2605 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2606 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2607 of room left on those.
2609 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2610 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2611 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2612 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2615 * Displaying spacing::
2616 * Changing spacing::
2620 @node Displaying spacing
2621 @subsection Displaying spacing
2623 @funindex annotate-spacing
2624 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2626 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2627 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2628 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2630 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2631 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2632 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2635 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2641 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless
2642 of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2643 In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75
2644 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the
2645 default value). Note that:
2647 @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm}
2650 @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm
2653 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts
2655 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm
2660 In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to
2661 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75
2662 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height
2663 of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs
2664 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower
2665 edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
2670 @ref{Setting the staff size}.
2676 @node Changing spacing
2677 @subsection Changing spacing
2679 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2680 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2681 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2683 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2687 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2688 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2689 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2693 between-system-padding = #0.1
2694 between-system-space = #0.1
2695 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2701 Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just
2702 setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems
2703 being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to
2704 be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed,
2705 giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual
2706 reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For
2707 example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following
2708 assignment will force a layout with 10 systems.
2717 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2718 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2719 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2720 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2721 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2722 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2724 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2726 \override DynamicText #'extra-offset = #'( -2.2 . 2.0)
2731 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2732 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2733 example illustrates the default spacing:
2735 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2748 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2749 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2750 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2751 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2753 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2765 \override SpacingSpanner
2766 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2773 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2774 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2775 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2782 @ref{Page formatting},
2783 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.