1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
4 Translation of GIT committish: FILL-IN-HEAD-COMMITTISH
6 When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the
7 version that you are working on. For details, see the Contributors'
8 Guide, node Updating translation committishes..
16 Negative numbers are allowed:
17 > Are you sure? The following works well
19 > first-page-number = -2
21 > and prints page number -1 on the second page, for example.
24 In 5.2.1 the @refbugs (line 495 in spacing.itely on master) it
27 "@code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between
31 Could we add a sentence:
32 "Use instead the pair fontSize = #@var{N}
33 \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep
35 inside the Staff context to change the size of the font and the
37 staff lines accordingly."
39 Actually I found, that the @internalsref{StaffSymbol} at line 481
40 sends to an incomplete
41 documentation. The property staff-space is not explained here. I
42 thought Y-extent might be of
43 help, but it is in turn explained by x-space which again is
44 missing from the list. Who has the
45 knowledge to fix this?
49 http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=68
55 @chapter Spacing issues
57 The global paper layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the
58 line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The
59 choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set.
60 This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how
61 many pages a piece of music takes.
63 Globally speaking, this procedure happens in four steps: first,
64 flexible distances (@q{springs}) are chosen, based on durations. All
65 possible line breaking combinations are tried, and a @q{badness} score
66 is calculated for each. Then the height of each possible system is
67 estimated. Finally, a page breaking and line breaking combination is chosen
68 so that neither the horizontal nor the vertical spacing is too cramped
71 Settings which influence layout may be placed in two blocks.
72 The @code{\paper @{...@}} block is placed outside any
73 @code{\score @{...@}} blocks and contains settings that
74 relate to the entire document. The @code{\layout @{...@}}
75 block is placed within a @code{\score @{...@}} block and
76 contains settings for that particular score. If you have
77 only one @code{\score @{...@}} block the two have the same
78 effect. In general the commands shown in this chapter can
86 * Horizontal spacing::
87 * Fitting music onto fewer pages::
92 @section Paper and pages
94 This section deals with the boundaries that define the area
95 within which music can be printed.
104 @subsection Paper size
109 Two functions are available for changing the paper size:
110 @code{set-default-paper-size} and @code{set-paper-size}.
111 @code{set-default-paper-size} must be placed in the toplevel
112 scope, and @code{set-paper-size} must be placed in a @code{\paper}
116 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
121 #(set-paper-size "a4")
126 @code{set-default-paper-size} sets the size of all pages, whereas
127 @code{set-paper-size} only sets the size of the pages that the
128 @code{\paper} block applies to. For example, if the @code{\paper}
129 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply the paper size
130 to all pages. If the @code{\paper} block is inside a
131 @code{\book}, then the paper size will only apply to that book.
133 Common paper sizes are available, including @code{a4},
134 @code{letter}, @code{legal}, and @code{11x17} (also known as
135 tabloid). Many more paper sizes are supported by default. For
136 details, see @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, and search for the
137 definition of @code{paper-alist}.
139 @c TODO add a new appendix for paper sizes (auto-generated) -pm
141 @warning{The default paper size is @code{a4}.}
143 Extra sizes may be added by editing the definition of
144 @code{paper-alist} in the initialization file
145 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, however they will be overridden on a
151 If the symbol @code{'landscape} is supplied as an argument to
152 @code{set-default-paper-size}, pages will be rotated by 90
153 degrees, and wider line widths will be set accordingly.
156 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
159 Setting the paper size will adjust a number of @code{\paper}
160 variables, such as margins. To use a particular paper size with
161 altered @code{\paper} variables, set the paper size before setting
167 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}.
173 @node Page formatting
174 @subsection Page formatting
178 Margins, headers, and footers and other layout variables are
179 automatically set according to the paper size.
181 Default margin values are accessible in
182 @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/-init@/.ly}. They apply to the default
183 paper size (a4, unless specified differently) and are scaled
184 accordingly for other paper sizes.
186 This section lists and describes a number of paper variables that
190 * Fixed vertical dimensions::
191 * Flexible vertical dimensions::
192 * Horizontal dimensions::
193 * Other layout variables::
197 @node Fixed vertical dimensions
198 @unnumberedsubsubsec Fixed vertical dimensions
202 @funindex paper-height
204 The height of the page. Default: the height of the current paper
205 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
210 The margin between the top of the page and the top of the
211 printable area. Default: @code{5\mm}.
214 @funindex bottom-margin
216 The margin between the bottom of the printable area and the bottom
217 of the page. Default: @code{6\mm}.
221 @node Flexible vertical dimensions
222 @unnumberedsubsubsec Flexible vertical dimensions
224 In most cases, it is preferable for the vertical distances between
225 certain items (such as margins, titles, systems, and separate
226 scores) to be flexible, so that they stretch and compress nicely
227 according to each situation. A number of @code{\paper} variables
228 (listed below) are available to fine-tune the stretching behavior
231 Note that the @code{\paper} variables discussed in this section do
232 not control the spacing of staves within individual systems.
233 Inter-system spacing is controlled by grob properties, with
234 settings typically entered inside a @code{\score} block, and not
235 inside a @code{\paper} block. See
236 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
239 @subsubheading Structure of spacing alists for @code{\paper} variables
241 Each of these variables is an alist (associative list) containing
245 @item @code{padding} -- the minimum required amount of
246 unobstructed vertical whitespace between two items, measured in
247 staff-spaces. This can be thought of as the minimum height of an
248 unobstructed (invisible) rectangle that extends from the leftmost
249 to the rightmost point of the combined items.
251 @item @code{space} -- the default vertical distance, measured in
252 staff-spaces, between the @emph{reference points} of the two
253 items, when no collisions would result, and no stretching or
254 compressing is in effect. The reference point of a (title or
255 top-level) markup is its highest point, and the reference point of
256 a system is the middle line of the nearest staff. Values for
257 @code{space} that are less than either @code{padding} or
258 @code{minimum-distance} are not meaningful, since the resulting
259 distance will never be less than either @code{padding} or
260 @code{minimum-distance}.
262 @item @code{minimum-distance} -- the minimum required vertical
263 distance, measured in staff-spaces, between the reference points
264 of the two items, when compressing is in effect. Values for
265 @code{minimum-distance} that are less than @code{padding} are not
266 meaningful, since the resulting distance will never be less than
269 @item @code{stretchability} -- a unitless measure of the
270 dimension's relative propensity to stretch. If zero, the distance
271 will not stretch (unless collisions would result). When positive,
272 the significance of a particular dimension's @code{stretchability}
273 value lies only in its relation to the @code{stretchability}
274 values of the other dimensions. For example, if one dimension has
275 twice the @code{stretchability} of another, it will stretch twice
276 as easily. Values should be non-negative and finite. The value
277 @code{+inf.0} triggers a @code{programming_error} and is ignored,
278 but @code{1.0e7} can be used for an almost infinitely stretchable
279 spring. If unset, the default value is set to @code{space}. Note
280 that the dimension's propensity to @emph{compress} cannot be
281 directly set by the user and is equal to
282 (@code{space}@tie{}@minus{}@tie{}@code{minimum-distance}).
285 If a page has a ragged bottom, the resulting distance is the
290 @item @code{minimum-distance}, and
291 @item @code{padding} plus the smallest distance necessary to
292 eliminate collisions.
295 Specific methods for modifying alists are discussed in
296 @ref{Modifying alists}. The flexible vertical @code{\paper}
297 dimensions variables can only be set within a @code{\paper} block.
298 The following example demonstrates the two ways these alists can
303 % updating one key-value individually
304 system-system-spacing #'space = #8
306 % completely re-defining a variable
307 score-system-spacing =
310 (minimum-distance . 6)
311 (stretchability . 12))
315 The initialized default settings for these variables are defined
316 in @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
319 @subsubheading Flexible vertical dimension @code{\paper} variables
321 The names of these variables follow the format
322 @code{@var{upper}-@var{lower}-spacing}, where @code{@var{upper}}
323 and @code{@var{lower}} are the items to be spaced. Each distance
324 is measured between the reference points of the two items: the
325 reference point of a (title or top-level) markup is its highest
326 point, and the reference point of a system is the middle line of
327 the nearest staff. Note that in these variable names, the term
328 @q{@code{markup}} refers to both @emph{title markups}
329 (@code{bookTitleMarkup} or @code{scoreTitleMarkup}) and
330 @emph{top-level markups} (see @ref{File structure}).
333 @item markup-system-spacing
334 @funindex markup-system-spacing
336 the distance between a (title or top-level) markup and the system
339 @item score-markup-spacing
340 @funindex score-markup-spacing
342 the distance between the last system of a score and the (title or
343 top-level) markup that follows it.
345 @item score-system-spacing
346 @funindex score-system-spacing
348 the distance between the last system of a score and the first
349 system of the score that follows it, when no (title or top-level)
350 markup exists between them.
352 @item system-system-spacing
353 @funindex system-system-spacing
355 the distance between two systems in the same score.
357 @item markup-markup-spacing
358 @funindex markup-markup-spacing
360 the distance between two (title or top-level) markups.
362 @item last-bottom-spacing
363 @funindex last-bottom-spacing
365 the distance from the last system or top-level markup on a page to
366 the bottom of the printable area (i.e. the top of the bottom
369 @item top-system-spacing
370 @funindex top-system-spacing
372 the distance from the top of the printable area (i.e. the bottom
373 of the top margin) to the first system on a page, when there is no
374 (title or top-level) markup between the two.
376 @item top-markup-spacing
377 @funindex top-markup-spacing
379 the distance from the top of the printable area (i.e. the bottom
380 of the top margin) to the first (title or top-level) markup on a
381 page, when there is no system between the two.
387 The header and footer are created by the functions
388 @code{make-footer} and @code{make-header}, defined in
389 @code{\paper}. The default implementations are in
390 @file{ly/paper-defaults.ly} and @file{ly/titling-init.ly}.
392 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
393 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
394 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking
395 algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the latter
396 creates the actual page given the system to put on it.
398 You can define @code{\paper} block values in Scheme. In that case
399 @code{mm}, @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables
400 defined in @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters.
401 That is why the value @w{@code{2 cm}} must be multiplied in the
406 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
418 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
422 This second example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page.
426 print-page-number = ##t
427 print-first-page-number = ##t
428 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
429 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
430 oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
431 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
432 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
433 evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
434 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
435 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
441 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
447 @node Horizontal dimensions
448 @unnumberedsubsubsec Horizontal dimensions
451 There are a few variables that determine the horizontal dimensions
457 @funindex binding-offset
459 The amount @code{inner-margin} is increased
460 to make sure nothing will be hidden by the binding.
461 Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true. Default:
464 @item horizontal-shift
465 @funindex horizontal-shift
467 The amount that all systems (including titles and system
468 separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0}.
473 The level of indentation for the first system in a score.
474 Default: @code{15\mm}.
477 @funindex inner-margin
479 The margin all pages have at the inner side if they are part
480 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
481 Default: @code{10\mm}.
484 @funindex left-margin
486 The margin between the left edge of the page and the beginning of
487 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
492 The width of music systems. Default: @code{paper-width} minus
493 @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin}.
496 @funindex outer-margin
498 The margin all pages have at the outer side if they are part
499 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
500 Default: @code{20\mm}.
503 @funindex paper-width
505 The width of the page. Default: the width of the current paper
506 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
509 @funindex right-margin
511 The margin between the right edge of the page and the end of
512 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
515 @funindex short-indent
517 The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the
518 first system. Default: @code{0}.
522 If some values are not set, defaults will be taken. Their exact
523 value is adjusted, depending on the paper size specified. Currently,
524 the following values are affected by this scaling:
527 @item @var{left-margin}
528 @item @var{right-margin}
529 @item @var{top-margin}
530 @item @var{bottom-margin}
531 @item @var{head-separation}
532 @item @var{foot-separation}
534 @item @var{short-indent}
537 The settings for @code{line-width}, @code{left-margin},
538 @code{right-margin} and @code{paper-width} depend on
539 each other, but they do not have to be specified
548 In this example, only @code{left-margin} is set. The value for
549 @code{right-margin} will remain default, @code{line-width} is
550 calculated automatically.
558 Here @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin} will be set
559 to the same value. Therefore, @code{line-width} is subtracted
560 from @code{paper-width} and divided by two. That means systems
561 are centered on the page, if only @code{line-width} is
564 Some checks occur to ensure the values are set correctly.
565 If the values do not match or systems would run off the page,
566 a warning is printed and default values are set.
577 These checks can be avoided by setting @code{check-consistency}
585 check-consistency = ##f
589 @warning{If @code{paper-width} is manually set, @code{line-width},
590 @code{left-margin}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} may
591 have to be adjusted as well.}
599 @node Other layout variables
600 @unnumberedsubsubsec Other layout variables
602 These variables can be used to adjust page layout in general.
606 @item auto-first-page-number
607 @funindex auto-first-page-number
609 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number
610 being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm
611 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This
612 will result in the first page number remaining as is or being
613 increased by one. Default: @code{##f}.
617 TODO: this variable is used, but I don't know what it does. -pm
618 @item blank-after-score-page-force
619 @funindex blank-after-score-page-force
625 @item blank-last-page-force
626 @funindex blank-last-page-force
628 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
631 @item blank-page-force
632 @funindex blank-page-force
634 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
635 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
636 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default:
639 @item check-consistency
640 @funindex check-consistency
642 If set to true, check whether @code{left-margin}, @code{right-margin} and
643 @code{line-width} fit each other. Also make sure that their combination
644 does not exceed the available @code{paper-width}. Default: @code{##t}.
646 @item first-page-number
647 @funindex first-page-number
649 The value of the page number on the first page. Default:
652 @item max-systems-per-page
653 @funindex max-systems-per-page
655 The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
656 is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
659 @item min-systems-per-page
660 @funindex min-systems-per-page
662 The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
663 may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is
664 currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
667 @item page-breaking-system-system-spacing
668 @funindex page-breaking-system-system-spacing
670 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
671 @code{system-system-spacing} is set to something different than
672 it really is. For example, if
673 @code{page-breaking-system-system-spacing #'padding} is set to something
674 substantially larger than @code{system-system-spacing #'padding}, then the
675 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
680 The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset.
682 @item page-limit-inter-system-space
683 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space
685 If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot
686 of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see
687 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
689 @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
690 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
692 The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default:
693 @code{1.4}. For details, see
694 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
696 @item page-spacing-weight
697 @funindex page-spacing-weight
699 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
700 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
701 important. Default: @code{#10}.
703 @item print-all-headers
704 @funindex print-all-headers
706 If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the
707 output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are
708 printed. Default: @code{##f}.
710 @item print-first-page-number
711 @funindex print-first-page-number
713 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
716 @item print-page-number
717 @funindex print-page-number
719 If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default:
723 @funindex ragged-bottom
725 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the
726 page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}.
728 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
729 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
732 @funindex ragged-last
734 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
735 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
736 horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}.
738 @item ragged-last-bottom
739 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
741 If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last
742 page. Default: @code{##t}.
744 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
747 It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created
748 with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
751 @funindex ragged-right
753 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
754 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
757 If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}.
759 @item system-separator-markup
760 @funindex system-separator-markup
762 A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often
763 used for orchestral scores. Default: unset.
765 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
768 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
769 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
772 \relative c' { c1 \break c1 }
775 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
781 @funindex system-count
783 The number of systems to be used for a score.
786 @item systems-per-page
787 @funindex systems-per-page
789 The number of systems that should be placed on each page.
790 This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
797 @cindex binding gutter
799 If set to true, use @code{inner-margin}, @code{outer-margin} and
800 @code{binding-offset} to determine margins depending on whether
801 the page number is odd or even. This overrides @code{left-margin}
802 and @code{right-margin}. Default: @code{##f}.
814 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
815 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
817 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
818 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
819 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
823 @section Music layout
826 * Setting the staff size::
831 @node Setting the staff size
832 @subsection Setting the staff size
834 @cindex font size, setting
835 @cindex staff size, setting
836 @funindex layout file
838 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
839 This may be changed in two ways:
841 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
842 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
845 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
849 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
852 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
857 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
862 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
863 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
864 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
865 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
868 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
871 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
872 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
914 @c modern rental material?
919 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
920 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
921 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
922 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
927 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
935 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
940 @subsection Score layout
944 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
945 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
952 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
955 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
956 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
964 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
976 * Optimal page breaking::
977 * Optimal page turning::
978 * Minimal page breaking::
980 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
985 @subsection Line breaking
988 @cindex breaking lines
990 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
991 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
992 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
993 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
994 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
995 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
996 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
997 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
998 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
999 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
1000 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
1002 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
1003 bar line where it is inserted.
1005 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
1006 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
1007 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
1008 lengths of the lines.
1010 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
1011 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
1012 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
1013 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
1016 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
1018 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
1019 but affects only the last line of the piece.
1031 @cindex regular line breaks
1032 @cindex four bar music.
1034 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
1035 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
1036 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
1037 every 4 measures, and only there:
1040 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
1041 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
1042 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
1043 @emph{the real music}
1048 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file
1049 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
1050 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
1051 complicated. More details are available in
1064 Internals Reference:
1065 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
1073 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
1074 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
1076 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
1077 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing
1078 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
1079 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
1083 This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}.
1084 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
1087 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1089 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
1091 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed
1096 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
1097 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
1098 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}.
1102 @subsection Page breaking
1104 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
1105 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
1106 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
1107 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
1108 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
1111 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
1112 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
1114 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
1115 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
1116 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
1117 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
1118 respectively will not be justified vertically.
1120 For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1122 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
1123 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
1124 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
1125 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
1126 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
1130 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
1136 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
1137 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
1138 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
1139 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
1140 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
1146 subtitle = "Preface"
1149 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
1150 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be preferred
1151 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1153 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
1157 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
1158 %% page breaking function is used.
1160 subtitle = "First movement"
1162 \score @{ @dots{} @}
1169 @funindex \pageBreak
1171 @funindex \noPageBreak
1172 @code{\noPageBreak}.
1181 @node Optimal page breaking
1182 @subsection Optimal page breaking
1184 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
1186 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
1187 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
1188 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
1189 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1197 @node Optimal page turning
1198 @subsection Optimal page turning
1200 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1202 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1203 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1204 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1205 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1206 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1207 in specified places.
1209 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1210 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1211 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1214 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1215 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1216 input file at the appropriate places.
1218 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1219 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1220 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1221 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1222 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1223 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1224 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1225 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1226 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1229 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1230 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1231 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1232 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1233 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1234 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1237 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1240 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1242 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1243 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1245 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1250 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1251 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1252 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1253 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1254 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1255 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1256 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1258 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1259 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1266 @funindex \noPageTurn
1268 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1269 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1280 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1281 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1284 @node Minimal page breaking
1285 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1287 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1289 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1290 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1291 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1292 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1293 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1297 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1307 @node Explicit breaks
1308 @subsection Explicit breaks
1310 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1311 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1314 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1315 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1318 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1319 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1320 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1321 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1323 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1332 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1333 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1334 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1335 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
1336 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1337 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1338 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1339 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
1344 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1345 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1357 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1358 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1360 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1365 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1367 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1372 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1373 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1374 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1375 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1376 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1377 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1378 breaking layout information.
1380 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1390 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1391 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1392 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1393 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1399 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1400 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1401 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1403 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1407 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1408 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1411 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1412 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1415 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1416 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1419 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1420 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1424 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1425 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1426 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1427 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1436 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1442 @node Vertical spacing
1443 @section Vertical spacing
1445 @cindex vertical spacing
1446 @cindex spacing, vertical
1448 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1449 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1450 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1451 staves inside a system.
1454 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1455 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1456 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1457 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1461 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1462 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1464 @cindex distance between staves
1465 @cindex staff distance
1466 @cindex space between staves
1467 @cindex space inside systems
1469 The height of each system is determined in two steps. First, all of the
1470 staves are spaced according to the amount of space available. Then, the
1471 non-staff lines (eg. lyrics or chords) are distributed between the
1474 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing between staves
1475 Spacing between staves is controlled by the @var{next-staff-spacing}
1476 property of the @var{VerticalAxisGroup} grob. This property is an alist
1477 with four elements: @var{space}, @var{minimum-distance}, @var{padding}
1478 and @var{stretchability}:
1481 @var{space} is the size of the stretchable space between the center line
1482 of one staff to the center line of the next staff.
1485 @var{minimum-distance} provides a lower bound on the final distance
1486 between the center line of one staff to the center line of the next
1487 staff. That is, if a page has many systems and needs to be compressed,
1488 the distance from this staff to the next will never be compressed to
1489 less than @var{minimum-distance}.
1492 @var{padding} is the amount of whitespace that must be present between
1493 the bottom of one staff and the top of the next. It differs from
1494 @var{minimum-distance} in that the effect of @var{padding} depends on
1495 the height of objects in the staff. For example, @var{padding} is more
1496 likely to come into effect for staves with notes that are far below the
1500 @var{stretchability} controls the stretchable space's propensity to
1501 stretch when the system is stretched. Large values will cause a
1502 system to stretch more, while a value of zero will prevent the
1503 space from stretching at all. If unset, @var{stretchability}
1504 defaults to @code{space - minimum-distance}.
1508 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1510 % Since space is small and there is no minimum-distance, the distance
1511 % between this staff and the next will be determined by padding.
1513 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1514 #'((space . 1) (padding . 1))
1517 % Since space is small and nothing sticks out very far, the distance
1518 % between this staff and the next will be determined by minimum-distance.
1520 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1521 #'((space . 1) (minimum-distance . 12))
1524 % By setting padding to a negative value, staves can be made to collide.
1526 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing =
1527 #'((space . 4) (padding . -10))
1530 \new Staff { \clef bass c, }
1535 In orchestral and other large scores, it is common to place staves in
1536 groups. The space between groups is typically larger than the space
1537 between staves of the same group. This spacing can be tweaked with the
1538 @var{StaffGrouper} grob: the default value of @var{next-staff-spacing}
1539 for @var{VerticalAxisGroup} is a callback function which operates by
1540 searching for a @var{StaffGrouper} grob containing the staff. If it
1541 finds a @var{StaffGrouper} grob and the staff in question is in the
1542 middle of a group, it reads the @var{between-staff-spacing} property of
1543 @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the staff in question is the last
1544 staff of a group, the callback reads the @var{after-last-staff-spacing}
1545 property of @var{StaffGrouper} and returns it. If the callback did not
1546 find a @var{StaffGrouper} grob, it reads
1547 @var{default-next-staff-spacing} from its @var{VerticalAxisGroup} and
1551 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1553 \new PianoStaff \with {
1554 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1555 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1556 \override StaffGrouper #'after-last-staff-spacing #'space = #20
1563 \new StaffGroup \with {
1564 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'space = #1
1565 \override StaffGrouper #'between-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
1575 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing of non-staff lines
1577 After the positions of the staves are determined, the non-staff lines
1578 are distributed between the staves. Each of these lines has a
1579 @var{staff-affinity} property which controls its vertical alignment.
1583 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1586 @noindent creates a lyrics context that will be placed close to the
1587 staff below it. Setting @var{staff-affinity} to something which is not
1588 a number (@code{#f}, for example) will cause that line to be treated
1589 like a staff. Conversely, setting @var{staff-affinity} for a staff will
1590 cause it to be treated like a non-staff.
1592 Non-staff lines admit three properties to control their spacing. Each
1593 of the these properties is an alist of the same format as
1594 @var{next-staff-spacing}, above.
1597 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a staff
1598 then @var{inter-staff-spacing} gives the spacing between the non-staff
1599 and the staff. If @var{staff-affinity} is @code{CENTER}, then
1600 @var{inter-staff-spacing} is used for both directions.
1603 If the nearest line in the @var{staff-affinity} direction is a non-staff
1604 then @var{inter-loose-line-spacing} gives the spacing between the two
1608 If the nearest line in the opposite direction to @var{staff-affinity} is
1609 a staff then @var{non-affinity-spacing} gives the spacing between the
1610 non-staff and the staff. This can be used, for example, to require
1611 a minimum amount of padding between a Lyrics line and the staff
1612 to which it does not belong.
1616 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
1620 % By default, Lyrics are placed close together. Here, we allow them to
1621 % be stretched more widely.
1622 \override VerticalAxisGroup
1623 #'inter-loose-line-spacing #'stretchability = #1000
1630 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'next-staff-spacing = #'((space . 30)) }
1633 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP }
1636 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #CENTER }
1637 \lyricmode { center }
1639 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN }
1650 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1651 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1653 Internals Reference:
1654 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup},
1655 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1656 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1659 Adjacent non-staff lines should have non-increasing
1660 @var{staff-affinity} from top-to-bottom. For example, the behavior of
1664 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN @}
1665 \new Lyrics \with @{ \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP @}
1671 A non-staff line at the bottom of a system should have
1672 @var{staff-affinity} set to @code{UP}. Similarly, a non-staff
1673 line at the top of a system should have @var{staff-affinity} set
1676 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1677 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1679 The mechanisms that control spacing between systems are similar to those
1680 that control spacing between staves within a system (see
1681 @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}). The main difference is that
1682 the variables to control spacing between systems are set in the
1683 @code{\paper} block, rather than as grob properties. These paper block
1684 variables are @var{system-system-spacing},
1685 @var{score-system-spacing}, @var{markup-system-spacing},
1686 @var{score-markup-spacing}, @var{markup-markup-spacing},
1687 @var{top-system-spacing}, @var{top-markup-spacing} and
1688 @var{last-bottom-spacing}. Note that these variables ignore non-staff
1689 lines. For example, @var{system-system-spacing} controls the spacing
1690 from the middle staff line of the bottom staff from one system to
1691 the middle staff line of the top staff of the next system, whether
1692 or not there are lyrics below the upper system.
1693 See @ref{Flexible vertical dimensions} for a description of each
1696 There are two more @code{\paper} block variables that affect vertical
1697 spacing: if @var{ragged-bottom} is set to @code{##t} then no pages will
1698 be stretched (which means that neither the space between systems nor the
1699 space within systems will be stretched). If @var{ragged-last-bottom}
1700 is set to @code{##t} then the last page will not be stretched.
1707 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1708 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1710 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1711 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1712 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1713 different staves and systems running down the page.
1715 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1716 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1717 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1718 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1719 vertical positions on the page.
1721 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1722 list of three different settings:
1725 @item @code{X-offset}
1726 @item @code{Y-offset}
1727 @item @code{alignment-distances}
1730 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1731 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1734 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1735 @item in a @code{\context} block
1736 @item in the @code{\with} block
1739 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1740 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1741 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1742 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1743 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1744 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1745 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1748 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1749 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1751 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1752 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1754 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1755 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1757 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1758 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-distances . (15)))
1760 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1761 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1762 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1765 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1766 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1768 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1769 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1772 \header { tagline = ##f }
1773 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1783 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1786 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1793 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1794 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1795 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1796 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1798 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1799 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1800 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1801 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1802 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1805 \header { tagline = ##f }
1806 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1812 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1813 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1815 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1816 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1818 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1819 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1822 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1825 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1832 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1833 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1834 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1835 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1837 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1838 explicitly, we can also set the vertical distances between staves
1839 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-distances}
1840 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1843 \header { tagline = ##f }
1844 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1850 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1851 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1852 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1854 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1855 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1856 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1858 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1859 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1860 (alignment-distances . (15)))
1863 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1866 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1873 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1874 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1875 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1876 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1877 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1878 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1879 @code{alignment-distances} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1880 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-distances}
1881 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1884 \header { tagline = ##f }
1885 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1891 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1892 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1893 (alignment-distances . (30 10)))
1895 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1896 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1897 (alignment-distances . (10 10)))
1899 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1900 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1901 (alignment-distances . (10 30)))
1904 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1907 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1908 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1915 Some points to consider:
1918 @item When using @code{alignment-distances}, lyrics and other non-staff lines
1919 do not count as a staff.
1921 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1922 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-distances} are interpreted as multiples
1923 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1924 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1926 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1927 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1928 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1929 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1930 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1939 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1940 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1942 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1943 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1944 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1946 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1947 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1948 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1949 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1950 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1951 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1952 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1955 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1956 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1957 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1958 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1961 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1962 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1963 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1964 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1965 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1966 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1967 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1970 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
1973 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1974 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1976 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1977 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1978 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1979 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1980 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1983 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1984 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1985 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1987 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
1988 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1989 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1990 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1991 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1992 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1996 By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid
1997 a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This
1998 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1999 other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staves can
2000 also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved.
2001 Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
2002 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
2005 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
2006 % the markup is too close to the following note
2010 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
2012 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
2024 @node Horizontal spacing
2025 @section Horizontal spacing
2027 @cindex horizontal spacing
2028 @cindex spacing, horizontal
2031 * Horizontal spacing overview::
2032 * New spacing area::
2033 * Changing horizontal spacing::
2035 * Proportional notation::
2039 @node Horizontal spacing overview
2040 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
2042 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
2043 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
2044 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
2045 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
2046 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
2047 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
2048 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
2049 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
2051 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
2052 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
2053 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
2055 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=1]
2056 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
2060 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
2061 approximately the width of a note head, and
2062 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
2063 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
2064 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
2065 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
2066 followed by one NHW of space.
2068 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
2069 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
2070 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
2071 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
2072 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
2073 the one which occurs most frequently.
2076 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
2077 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
2078 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
2079 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
2080 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
2081 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
2083 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
2084 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
2085 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
2086 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
2088 @funindex common-shortest-duration
2089 @funindex base-shortest-duration
2090 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
2093 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
2094 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
2095 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
2096 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
2098 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
2099 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
2103 In the @emph{Essay on automated music engraving}, it was explained
2104 that stem directions influence spacing (see @ressay{Optical
2105 spacing}). This is controlled with the
2106 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
2107 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
2108 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
2109 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same
2110 property for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following
2111 example shows these corrections, once with default settings, and
2112 once with exaggerated corrections:
2114 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
2118 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2119 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2125 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
2132 Internals Reference:
2133 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
2134 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
2135 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
2136 @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}.
2141 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
2142 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score,
2143 adjusting the padding value as necessary.
2145 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10
2148 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
2151 @node New spacing area
2152 @subsection New spacing area
2154 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
2155 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
2156 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
2158 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
2159 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
2161 @lilypond[relative=1,verbatim,quote]
2164 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
2170 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
2171 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
2172 may be used in that location.
2179 Internals Reference:
2180 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
2183 @node Changing horizontal spacing
2184 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
2186 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
2187 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
2188 we compare the same music; once without altering
2189 the property, and then altered. Larger values
2190 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
2191 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
2192 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
2195 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2198 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2199 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2200 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2201 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2206 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2209 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2210 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2211 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2212 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2217 \override SpacingSpanner
2218 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2227 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2228 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2229 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2230 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2231 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2233 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
2252 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2258 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2259 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2261 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
2262 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2263 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2273 @subsection Line length
2276 @cindex breaking pages
2279 @funindex line-width
2280 @funindex ragged-right
2281 @funindex ragged-last
2283 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2284 @c block, to get page layout right.
2285 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2287 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2288 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2289 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2290 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2293 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2294 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2295 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2296 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2297 The normal default setting is false, but if the score has only one
2298 system the default value is true.
2301 @cindex vertical spacing
2303 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2304 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2305 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2306 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2307 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2308 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2309 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2310 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2326 @node Proportional notation
2327 @subsection Proportional notation
2329 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2330 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2331 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2332 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2333 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2334 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2335 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2337 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2338 which may be used together or alone:
2341 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2342 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2343 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2344 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2345 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2348 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2349 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2351 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2352 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2354 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2357 \new RhythmicStaff {
2361 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2368 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2369 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2370 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2371 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2372 horizontal space of the measure.
2374 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2375 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2376 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2378 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2379 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2380 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2383 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2386 \new RhythmicStaff {
2390 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2397 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2403 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2404 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2405 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2408 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting
2409 that lives in @code{Score}. Remember that context settings can appear
2410 in one of three locations within our input file -- in a @code{\with}
2411 block, in a @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry preceded
2412 by the @code{\set} command. As with all context settings, users can
2413 pick which of the three different locations they would like to
2414 set @code{proportionalNotationDuration} in to.
2416 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2417 which is the reference duration against that all music will be spaced.
2418 The LilyPond Scheme function @code{make-moment} takes two arguments
2419 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2420 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces
2421 a reference duration of a twentieth note. Values such as
2422 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2423 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2425 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2426 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial
2427 and error, beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest)
2428 duration in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely;
2429 larger reference durations space music tightly.
2431 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2434 \new RhythmicStaff {
2438 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2445 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2452 \new RhythmicStaff {
2456 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2463 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2470 \new RhythmicStaff {
2474 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2481 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2487 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2488 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2489 Also that proportional notation in general takes up more horizontal
2490 space than classical spacing. Proportional spacing provides rhythmic
2491 clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2493 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2495 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2496 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2499 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2502 \new RhythmicStaff {
2506 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2509 \new RhythmicStaff {
2511 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2518 The spacing is bad because the evenly spaced notes of the bottom staff
2519 do not stretch uniformly. Classical engravings include very few complex
2520 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2521 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} fixes this.
2523 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2526 \new RhythmicStaff {
2530 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2533 \new RhythmicStaff {
2535 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2542 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2548 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2549 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than the notes
2550 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2551 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2552 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2554 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2557 \new RhythmicStaff {
2561 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2564 \new RhythmicStaff {
2566 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2573 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2574 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2580 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2581 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2582 timeline or graphic if we want.
2584 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2585 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2586 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2587 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2588 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2589 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2592 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2593 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2594 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2595 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2596 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2598 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2599 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2600 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2601 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2602 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2603 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2605 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2606 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2607 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2608 just before the first note in each system.
2610 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2623 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2624 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2625 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2626 reduces this space to zero.
2628 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2634 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2642 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2643 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2644 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2645 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2646 problems differently.
2648 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2649 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2650 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2651 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2652 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2653 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2654 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2656 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2657 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2658 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2660 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2662 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2672 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2673 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2683 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2684 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2685 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2686 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2687 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2688 part in the spacing algorithm.
2690 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2691 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2694 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2695 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2696 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2697 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2698 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2699 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2702 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2703 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2704 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2705 for these related settings.
2710 @ref{New spacing area}.
2716 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2717 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2719 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2720 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2721 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2722 of room left on those.
2724 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2725 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2726 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2727 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2730 * Displaying spacing::
2731 * Changing spacing::
2735 @node Displaying spacing
2736 @subsection Displaying spacing
2738 @funindex annotate-spacing
2739 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2741 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2742 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2743 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2745 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2746 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2747 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2750 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2756 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless
2757 of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2758 In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75
2759 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the
2760 default value). Note that:
2762 @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm}
2765 @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm
2768 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts
2770 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm
2775 In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to
2776 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75
2777 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height
2778 of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs
2779 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower
2780 edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
2785 @ref{Setting the staff size}.
2791 @node Changing spacing
2792 @subsection Changing spacing
2794 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2795 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2796 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2798 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2802 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2803 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2804 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2808 system-system-spacing = #'((padding . 0) (space . 0.1))
2809 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2815 Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just
2816 setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems
2817 being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to
2818 be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed,
2819 giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual
2820 reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For
2821 example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following
2822 assignment will force a layout with 10 systems.
2831 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2832 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2833 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2834 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2835 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2836 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2838 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2840 e4 c g-\tweak #'X-offset #-2.7 -\tweak #'Y-offset #2.5 \f c
2844 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2845 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2846 example illustrates the default spacing:
2848 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2861 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2862 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2863 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2864 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2866 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2878 \override SpacingSpanner
2879 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2886 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2887 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2888 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2895 @ref{Page formatting},
2896 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.