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 @funindex max-systems-per-page
602 The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
603 is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
606 @item min-systems-per-page
607 @funindex min-systems-per-page
609 The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
610 may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is
611 currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
614 @item page-breaking-between-system-spacing
615 @funindex page-breaking-between-system-spacing
617 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
618 @code{between-system-spacing} is set to something different than
619 it really is. For example, if
620 @code{page-breaking-between-system-spacing #'padding} is set to something
621 substantially larger than @code{between-system-spacing #'padding}, then the
622 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
627 The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset.
629 @item page-limit-inter-system-space
630 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space
632 If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot
633 of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see
634 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
636 @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
637 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
639 The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default:
640 @code{1.4}. For details, see
641 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
643 @item page-spacing-weight
644 @funindex page-spacing-weight
646 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
647 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
648 important. Default: @code{#10}.
650 @item print-all-headers
651 @funindex print-all-headers
653 If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the
654 output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are
655 printed. Default: @code{##f}.
657 @item print-first-page-number
658 @funindex print-first-page-number
660 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
663 @item print-page-number
664 @funindex print-page-number
666 If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default:
670 @funindex ragged-bottom
672 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the
673 page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}.
675 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
676 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
679 @funindex ragged-last
681 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
682 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
683 horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}.
685 @item ragged-last-bottom
686 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
688 If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last
689 page. Default: @code{##t}.
691 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
694 It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created
695 with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
698 @funindex ragged-right
700 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
701 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
704 If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}.
706 @item system-separator-markup
707 @funindex system-separator-markup
709 A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often
710 used for orchestral scores. Default: unset.
712 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
715 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
716 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
719 \relative c' { c1 \break c1 }
722 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
728 @funindex system-count
730 The number of systems to be used for a score.
733 @item systems-per-page
734 @funindex systems-per-page
736 The number of systems that should be placed on each page.
737 This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
744 @cindex binding gutter
746 If set to true, use @code{inner-margin}, @code{outer-margin} and
747 @code{binding-offset} to determine margins depending on whether
748 the page number is odd or even. This overrides @code{left-margin}
749 and @code{right-margin}. Default: @code{##f}.
761 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
762 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
764 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
765 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
766 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
770 @section Music layout
773 * Setting the staff size::
778 @node Setting the staff size
779 @subsection Setting the staff size
781 @cindex font size, setting
782 @cindex staff size, setting
783 @funindex layout file
785 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
786 This may be changed in two ways:
788 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
789 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
792 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
796 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
799 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
804 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
809 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
810 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
811 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
812 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
815 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
818 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
819 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
861 @c modern rental material?
866 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
867 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
868 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
869 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
874 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
882 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
887 @subsection Score layout
891 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
892 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
899 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
902 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
903 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
911 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
923 * Optimal page breaking::
924 * Optimal page turning::
925 * Minimal page breaking::
927 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
932 @subsection Line breaking
935 @cindex breaking lines
937 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
938 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
939 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
940 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
941 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
942 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
943 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
944 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
945 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
946 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
947 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
949 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
950 bar line where it is inserted.
952 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
953 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
954 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
955 lengths of the lines.
957 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
958 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
959 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
960 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
963 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
965 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
966 but affects only the last line of the piece.
978 @cindex regular line breaks
979 @cindex four bar music.
981 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
982 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
983 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
984 every 4 measures, and only there:
987 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
988 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
989 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
990 @emph{the real music}
995 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file
996 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
997 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
998 complicated. More details are available in
1011 Internals Reference:
1012 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
1020 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
1021 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
1023 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1024 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing
1025 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
1026 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
1030 This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}.
1031 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
1034 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1036 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
1038 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed
1043 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
1044 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
1045 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}.
1049 @subsection Page breaking
1051 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
1052 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
1053 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
1054 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
1055 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
1058 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
1059 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
1061 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
1062 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
1063 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
1064 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
1065 respectively will not be justified vertically.
1067 For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1069 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
1070 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
1071 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
1072 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
1073 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
1077 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
1083 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
1084 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
1085 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
1086 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
1087 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
1093 subtitle = "Preface"
1096 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
1097 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be preferred
1098 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1100 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
1104 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
1105 %% page breaking function is used.
1107 subtitle = "First movement"
1109 \score @{ @dots{} @}
1116 @funindex \pageBreak
1118 @funindex \noPageBreak
1119 @code{\noPageBreak}.
1128 @node Optimal page breaking
1129 @subsection Optimal page breaking
1131 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
1133 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
1134 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
1135 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
1136 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1144 @node Optimal page turning
1145 @subsection Optimal page turning
1147 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1149 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1150 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1151 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1152 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1153 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1154 in specified places.
1156 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1157 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1158 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1161 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1162 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1163 input file at the appropriate places.
1165 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1166 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1167 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1168 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1169 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1170 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1171 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1172 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1173 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1176 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1177 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1178 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1179 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1180 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1181 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1184 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1187 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1189 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1190 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1192 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1197 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1198 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1199 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1200 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1201 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1202 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1203 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1205 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1206 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1213 @funindex \noPageTurn
1215 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1216 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1227 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1228 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1231 @node Minimal page breaking
1232 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1234 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1236 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1237 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1238 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1239 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1240 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1244 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1254 @node Explicit breaks
1255 @subsection Explicit breaks
1257 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1258 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1261 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1262 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1265 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1266 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1267 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1268 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1270 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
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 }
1291 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1292 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1304 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1305 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1307 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1312 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1314 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1319 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1320 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1321 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1322 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1323 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1324 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1325 breaking layout information.
1327 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1337 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1338 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1339 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1340 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1346 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1347 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1348 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1350 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1355 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1356 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1359 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1360 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1363 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1364 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1367 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1368 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1372 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1373 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1374 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1375 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1384 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1390 @node Vertical spacing
1391 @section Vertical spacing
1393 @cindex vertical spacing
1394 @cindex spacing, vertical
1396 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1397 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1398 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1399 staves inside a system.
1402 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1403 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1404 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1405 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1409 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1410 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1412 @cindex distance between staves
1413 @cindex staff distance
1414 @cindex space between staves
1415 @cindex space inside systems
1417 The height of each system is determined in two steps. First, all of the
1418 staves are spaced according to the amount of space available. Then, the
1419 non-staff lines (eg. lyrics or chords) are distributed between the
1422 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing between staves
1423 Spacing between staves is controlled by the @var{next-staff-spacing}
1424 property of the @var{VerticalAxisGroup} grob. This property is an alist
1425 with four elements: @var{space}, @var{minimum-distance}, @var{padding}
1426 and @var{stretchability}:
1429 @var{space} is the size of the stretchable space between the center line
1430 of one staff to the center line of the next staff.
1433 @var{minimum-distance} provides a lower bound on the final distance
1434 between the center line of one staff to the center line of the next
1435 staff. That is, if a page has many systems and needs to be compressed,
1436 the distance from this staff to the next will never be compressed to
1437 less than @var{minimum-distance}.
1440 @var{padding} is the amount of whitespace that must be present between
1441 the bottom of one staff and the top of the next. It differs from
1442 @var{minimum-distance} in that the effect of @var{padding} depends on
1443 the height of objects in the staff. For example, @var{padding} is more
1444 likely to come into effect for staves with notes that are far below the
1448 @var{stretchability} controls the stretchable space's propensity to
1449 stretch when the system is stretched. Large values will cause a
1450 system to stretch more, while a value of zero will prevent the
1451 space from stretching at all. If unset, @var{stretchability}
1452 defaults to @code{space - minimum-distance}.
1456 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1458 % Since space is small and there is no minimum-distance, the distance
1459 % between this staff and the next will be determined by padding.
1461 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1462 #'((space . 1) (padding . 1))
1465 % Since space is small and nothing sticks out very far, the distance
1466 % between this staff and the next will be determined by minimum-distance.
1468 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1469 #'((space . 1) (minimum-distance . 12))
1472 % By setting padding to a negative value, staves can be made to collide.
1474 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1475 #'((space . 4) (padding . -10))
1478 \new Staff { \clef bass c, }
1483 In orchestral and other large scores, it is common to place staves in
1484 groups. The space between groups is typically larger than the space
1485 between staves of the same group. This spacing can be tweaked with the
1486 @var{StaffGrouper} grob: the default value of @var{next-staff-spacing}
1487 for @var{VerticalAxisGroup} is a callback function which operates by
1488 searching for a @var{StaffGrouper} grob containing the staff. If it
1489 finds a @var{StaffGrouper} grob and the staff in question is in the
1490 middle of a group, it reads the @var{between-staff-spacing} property of
1491 @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the staff in question is the last
1492 staff of a group, the callback reads the @var{after-last-staff-spacing}
1493 property of @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the callback did not
1494 find a @var{StaffGrouper} grob, it reads
1495 @var{default-next-staff-spacing} from its @var{VerticalAxisGroup} and
1499 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1501 \new PianoStaff \with {
1502 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1503 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1504 \override StaffGrouper #'after-last-staff-spacing #'space = #20
1511 \new StaffGroup \with {
1512 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1513 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1523 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing of non-staff lines
1525 After the positions of the staves are determined, the non-staff lines
1526 are distributed between the staves. Each of these lines has a
1527 @var{staff-affinity} property which controls its vertical alignment.
1531 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1534 @noindent creates a lyrics context that will be placed close to the
1535 staff below it. Setting @var{staff-affinity} to something which is not
1536 a number (@code{#f}, for example) will cause that line to be treated
1537 like a staff. Conversely, setting @var{staff-affinity} for a staff will
1538 cause it to be treated like a non-staff.
1540 Non-staff lines admit three properties to control their spacing. Each
1541 of the these properties is an alist of the same format as
1542 @var{next-staff-spacing}, above.
1545 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a staff
1546 then @var{inter-staff-spacing} gives the spacing between the non-staff
1547 and the staff. If @var{staff-affinity} is @code{CENTER}, then
1548 @var{inter-staff-spacing} is used for both directions.
1551 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a non-staff
1552 then @var{inter-loose-line-spacing} gives the spacing between the two
1556 If the nearest line in the opposite direction to @var{staff-affinity} is
1557 a staff then @var{non-affinity-spacing} gives the spacing between the
1558 non-staff and the staff. This can be used, for example, to require
1559 a minimum amount of padding between a Lyrics line and the staff
1560 to which it does not belong.
1564 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1568 % By default, Lyrics are placed close together. Here, we allow them to
1569 % be stretched more widely.
1570 \override VerticalAxisGroup
1571 #'inter-loose-line-spacing #'stretchability = #1000
1578 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing = #'((space . 30)) }
1581 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP }
1584 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #CENTER }
1585 \lyricmode { center }
1587 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN }
1598 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1599 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1601 Internals Reference:
1602 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup},
1603 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1604 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1607 Adjacent non-staff lines should have non-increasing
1608 @var{staff-affinity} from top-to-bottom. For example, the behavior of
1612 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1613 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP @}
1619 A non-staff line at the bottom of a system should have
1620 @var{staff-affinity} set to @code{UP}. Similarly, a non-staff
1621 line at the top of a system should have @var{staff-affinity} set
1624 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1625 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1627 The mechanisms that control spacing between systems are similar to those
1628 that control spacing between staves within a system (see
1629 @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}). The main difference is that
1630 the variables to control spacing between systems are set in the
1631 @code{\paper} block, rather than as grob properties. These paper block
1632 variables are @var{between-system-spacing},
1633 @var{between-scores-system-spacing}, @var{after-title-spacing},
1634 @var{before-title-spacing}, @var{between-title-spacing},
1635 @var{top-system-spacing}, @var{top-title-spacing} and
1636 @var{bottom-system-spacing}. Note that these variables ignore non-staff
1637 lines. For example, @var{between-system-spacing} controls the spacing
1638 from the middle staff line of the bottom staff from one system to
1639 the middle staff line of the top staff of the next system, whether
1640 or not there are lyrics below the upper system.
1641 See @ref{Vertical dimensions} for a description of each of these
1644 There are two more @code{\paper} block variables that affect vertical
1645 spacing: if @var{ragged-bottom} is set to @code{##t} then no pages will
1646 be stretched (which means that neither the space between systems nor the
1647 space within systems will be stretched). If @var{ragged-last-bottom}
1648 is set to @code{##t} then the last page will not be stretched.
1655 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1656 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1658 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1659 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1660 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1661 different staves and systems running down the page.
1663 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1664 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1665 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1666 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1667 vertical positions on the page.
1669 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1670 list of three different settings:
1673 @item @code{X-offset}
1674 @item @code{Y-offset}
1675 @item @code{alignment-distances}
1678 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1679 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1682 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1683 @item in a @code{\context} block
1684 @item in the @code{\with} block
1687 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1688 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1689 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1690 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1691 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1692 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1693 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1696 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1697 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1699 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1700 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1702 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1703 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1705 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1706 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-distances . (15)))
1708 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1709 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1710 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1713 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1714 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1716 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1717 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1720 \header { tagline = ##f }
1721 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1731 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1734 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1741 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1742 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1743 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1744 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1746 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1747 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1748 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1749 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1750 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1753 \header { tagline = ##f }
1754 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1760 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1761 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1763 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1764 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1766 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1767 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1770 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1773 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1780 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1781 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1782 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1783 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1785 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1786 explicitly, we can also set the vertical distances between staves
1787 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-distances}
1788 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1791 \header { tagline = ##f }
1792 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1798 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1799 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1800 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1802 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1803 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1804 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1806 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1807 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1808 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1811 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1814 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1821 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1822 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1823 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1824 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1825 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1826 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1827 @code{alignment-distances} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1828 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-distances}
1829 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1832 \header { tagline = ##f }
1833 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1839 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1840 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1841 (alignment-distances . (30 10)))
1843 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1844 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1845 (alignment-distances . (10 10)))
1847 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1848 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1849 (alignment-distances . (10 30)))
1852 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1855 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1856 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1863 Some points to consider:
1866 @item When using @code{alignment-distances}, lyrics and other non-staff lines
1867 do not count as a staff.
1869 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1870 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-distances} are interpreted as multiples
1871 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1872 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1874 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1875 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1876 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1877 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1878 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1887 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1888 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1890 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1891 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1892 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1894 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1895 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1896 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1897 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1898 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1899 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1900 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1903 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1904 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1905 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1906 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1909 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1910 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1911 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1912 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1913 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1914 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1915 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1918 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1921 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1922 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1924 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1925 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1926 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1927 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1928 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1931 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1932 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1933 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1935 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1936 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1937 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1938 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1939 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1940 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1944 By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid
1945 a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This
1946 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1947 other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staffs can
1948 also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved.
1949 Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1950 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1953 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1954 % the markup is too close to the following note
1958 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1960 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
1972 @node Horizontal spacing
1973 @section Horizontal spacing
1975 @cindex horizontal spacing
1976 @cindex spacing, horizontal
1979 * Horizontal spacing overview::
1980 * New spacing area::
1981 * Changing horizontal spacing::
1983 * Proportional notation::
1987 @node Horizontal spacing overview
1988 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
1990 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
1991 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
1992 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
1993 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
1994 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
1995 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
1996 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
1997 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
1999 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
2000 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
2001 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
2003 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
2004 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
2008 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
2009 approximately the width of a note head, and
2010 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
2011 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
2012 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
2013 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
2014 followed by one NHW of space.
2016 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
2017 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
2018 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
2019 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
2020 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
2021 the one which occurs most frequently.
2024 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
2025 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
2026 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
2027 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
2028 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
2029 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
2031 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
2032 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
2033 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
2034 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
2036 @funindex common-shortest-duration
2037 @funindex base-shortest-duration
2038 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
2041 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
2042 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
2043 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
2044 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
2046 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
2047 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
2051 In the @emph{Essay on automated music engraving}, it was explained
2052 that stem directions influence spacing (see @ressay{Optical
2053 spacing}). This is controlled with the
2054 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
2055 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
2056 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
2057 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same
2058 property for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following
2059 example shows these corrections, once with default settings, and
2060 once with exaggerated corrections:
2062 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
2066 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2067 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2073 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
2080 Internals Reference:
2081 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
2082 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
2083 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
2084 @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}.
2089 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
2090 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score,
2091 adjusting the padding value as necessary.
2093 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10
2096 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
2099 @node New spacing area
2100 @subsection New spacing area
2102 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
2103 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
2104 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
2106 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
2107 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
2109 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
2112 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
2118 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
2119 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
2120 may be used in that location.
2127 Internals Reference:
2128 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
2131 @node Changing horizontal spacing
2132 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
2134 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
2135 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
2136 we compare the same music; once without altering
2137 the property, and then altered. Larger values
2138 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
2139 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
2140 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
2143 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2146 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2147 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2148 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2149 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2154 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2157 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2158 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2159 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2160 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2165 \override SpacingSpanner
2166 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2175 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2176 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2177 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2178 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2179 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2181 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2183 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2200 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2201 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2203 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2204 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2205 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2215 @subsection Line length
2218 @cindex breaking pages
2221 @funindex line-width
2222 @funindex ragged-right
2223 @funindex ragged-last
2225 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2226 @c block, to get page layout right.
2227 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2229 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2230 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2231 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2232 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2235 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2236 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2237 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2238 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2239 The normal default setting is false, but if the score has only one
2240 system the default value is true.
2243 @cindex vertical spacing
2245 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2246 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2247 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2248 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2249 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2250 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2251 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2252 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2268 @node Proportional notation
2269 @subsection Proportional notation
2271 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2272 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2273 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2274 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2275 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2276 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2277 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2279 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2280 which may be used together or alone:
2283 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2284 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2285 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2286 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2287 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2290 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2291 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2293 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2294 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2296 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2298 \new RhythmicStaff {
2302 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2308 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2309 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2310 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2311 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2312 horizontal space of the measure.
2314 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2315 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2316 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2318 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2319 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2320 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2323 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2325 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2327 \new RhythmicStaff {
2331 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2337 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2338 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2339 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2342 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting
2343 that lives in @code{Score}. Remember that context settings can appear
2344 in one of three locations within our input file -- in a @code{\with}
2345 block, in a @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry preceded
2346 by the @code{\set} command. As with all context settings, users can
2347 pick which of the three different locations they would like to
2348 set @code{proportionalNotationDuration} in to.
2350 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2351 which is the reference duration against that all music will be spaced.
2352 The LilyPond Scheme function @code{make-moment} takes two arguments
2353 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2354 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces
2355 a reference duration of a twentieth note. Values such as
2356 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2357 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2359 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2360 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial
2361 and error, beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest)
2362 duration in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely;
2363 larger reference durations space music tightly.
2365 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2368 \new RhythmicStaff {
2372 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2379 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2386 \new RhythmicStaff {
2390 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2397 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2404 \new RhythmicStaff {
2408 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2415 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2421 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2422 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2423 Also that proportional notation in general takes up more horizontal
2424 space than classical spacing. Proportional spacing provides rhythmic
2425 clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2427 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2429 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2430 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2433 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
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
2452 The spacing is bad because the evenly spaced notes of the bottom staff
2453 do not stretch uniformly. Classical engravings include very few complex
2454 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2455 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} fixes this.
2457 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2460 \new RhythmicStaff {
2464 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2467 \new RhythmicStaff {
2469 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2476 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2482 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2483 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than the notes
2484 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2485 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2486 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2488 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2491 \new RhythmicStaff {
2495 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2498 \new RhythmicStaff {
2500 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2507 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2508 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2514 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2515 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2516 timeline or graphic if we want.
2518 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2519 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2520 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2521 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2522 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2523 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2526 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2527 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2528 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2529 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2530 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2532 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2533 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2534 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2535 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2536 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2537 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2539 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2540 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2541 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2542 just before the first note in each system.
2544 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2557 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2558 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2559 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2560 reduces this space to zero.
2562 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2568 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2576 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2577 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2578 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2579 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2580 problems differently.
2582 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2583 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2584 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2585 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2586 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2587 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2588 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2590 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2591 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2592 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2594 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2596 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2606 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2607 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2617 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2618 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2619 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2620 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2621 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2622 part in the spacing algorithm.
2624 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2625 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2628 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2629 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2630 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2631 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2632 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2633 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2636 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2637 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2638 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2639 for these related settings.
2644 @ref{New spacing area}.
2650 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2651 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2653 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2654 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2655 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2656 of room left on those.
2658 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2659 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2660 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2661 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2664 * Displaying spacing::
2665 * Changing spacing::
2669 @node Displaying spacing
2670 @subsection Displaying spacing
2672 @funindex annotate-spacing
2673 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2675 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2676 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2677 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2679 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2680 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2681 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2684 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2690 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless
2691 of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2692 In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75
2693 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the
2694 default value). Note that:
2696 @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm}
2699 @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm
2702 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts
2704 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm
2709 In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to
2710 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75
2711 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height
2712 of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs
2713 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower
2714 edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
2719 @ref{Setting the staff size}.
2725 @node Changing spacing
2726 @subsection Changing spacing
2728 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2729 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2730 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2732 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2736 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2737 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2738 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2742 between-system-spacing = #'((padding . 0) (space . 0.1))
2743 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2749 Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just
2750 setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems
2751 being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to
2752 be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed,
2753 giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual
2754 reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For
2755 example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following
2756 assignment will force a layout with 10 systems.
2765 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2766 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2767 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2768 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2769 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2770 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2772 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2774 e4 c g-\tweak #'X-offset #-2.7 -\tweak #'Y-offset #2.5 \f c
2778 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2779 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2780 example illustrates the default spacing:
2782 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2795 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2796 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2797 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2798 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2800 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2812 \override SpacingSpanner
2813 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2820 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2821 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2822 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2829 @ref{Page formatting},
2830 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.