1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
4 Translation of GIT committish: FILL-IN-HEAD-COMMITTISH
6 When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the
7 version that you are working on. See TRANSLATION for details.
15 Negative numbers are allowed:
16 > Are you sure? The following works well
18 > first-page-number = -2
20 > and prints page number -1 on the second page, for example.
23 In 5.2.1 the @refbugs (line 495 in spacing.itely on master) it
26 "@code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between
30 Could we add a sentence:
31 "Use instead the pair fontSize = #@var{N}
32 \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep
34 inside the Staff context to change the size of the font and the
36 staff lines accordingly."
38 Actually I found, that the @internalsref{StaffSymbol} at line 481
39 sends to an uncomplete
40 documentation. The property staff-space is not explained here. I
41 thought Y-extent might be of
42 help, but it is in turn explained by x-space which again is
43 missing from the list. Who has the
44 knowledge to fix this?
48 http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=68
54 @chapter Spacing issues
56 The global paper layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the
57 line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The
58 choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set.
59 This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how
60 many pages a piece of music takes.
62 Globally speaking, this procedure happens in four steps: first,
63 flexible distances (@q{springs}) are chosen, based on durations. All
64 possible line breaking combinations are tried, and a @q{badness} score
65 is calculated for each. Then the height of each possible system is
66 estimated. Finally, a page breaking and line breaking combination is chosen
67 so that neither the horizontal nor the vertical spacing is too cramped
70 Settings which influence layout may be placed in two blocks.
71 The @code{\paper @{...@}} block is placed outside any
72 @code{\score @{...@}} blocks and contains settings that
73 relate to the entire document. The @code{\layout @{...@}}
74 block is placed within a @code{\score @{...@}} block and
75 contains settings for that particular score. If you have
76 only one @code{\score @{...@}} block the two have the same
77 effect. In general the commands shown in this chapter can
85 * Horizontal spacing::
86 * Fitting music onto fewer pages::
91 @section Paper and pages
93 This section deals with the boundaries that define the area
94 within which music can be printed.
103 @subsection Paper size
108 Two functions are available for changing the paper size:
109 @code{set-default-paper-size} and @code{set-paper-size}.
110 @code{set-default-paper-size} must be placed in the toplevel
111 scope, and @code{set-paper-size} must be placed in a @code{\paper}
115 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
120 #(set-paper-size "a4")
125 @code{set-default-paper-size} sets the size of all pages, whereas
126 @code{set-paper-size} only sets the size of the pages that the
127 @code{\paper} block applies to. For example, if the @code{\paper}
128 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply the paper size
129 to all pages. If the @code{\paper} block is inside a
130 @code{\book}, then the paper size will only apply to that book.
132 Common paper sizes are available, including @code{a4},
133 @code{letter}, @code{legal}, and @code{11x17} (also known as
134 tabloid). Many more paper sizes are supported by default. For
135 details, see @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, and search for the
136 definition of @code{paper-alist}.
138 @c TODO add a new appendix for paper sizes (auto-generated) -pm
140 @warning{The default paper size is @code{a4}.}
142 Extra sizes may be added by editing the definition of
143 @code{paper-alist} in the initialization file
144 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, however they will be overridden on a
150 If the symbol @code{'landscape} is supplied as an argument to
151 @code{set-default-paper-size}, pages will be rotated by 90
152 degrees, and wider line widths will be set accordingly.
155 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
158 Setting the paper size will adjust a number of @code{\paper}
159 variables, such as margins. To use a particular paper size with
160 altered @code{\paper} variables, set the paper size before setting
166 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}.
172 @node Page formatting
173 @subsection Page formatting
175 Margins, headers, and footers and other layout variables are
176 automatically set according to the paper size.
178 This section lists and describes a number of paper variables that
182 * Vertical dimensions::
183 * Horizontal dimensions::
184 * Other layout variables::
188 @node Vertical dimensions
189 @unnumberedsubsubsec Vertical dimensions
191 These variables are used to set different vertical dimensions on a
198 @item after-title-spacing
199 @funindex after-title-spacing
201 Specifies how to calculate the space between a title (or top-level markup)
202 and the system that follows it. This is an associative list with five
205 @item @var{space} -- the amount of stretchable space between the baseline
206 of a title and the center of the staff that follows it;
207 @item @var{padding} -- the minimum amount of whitespace that must be
208 present between a title and the staff that follows it;
209 @item @var{stretchability} -- the ease with which the stretchable
210 space increases when a page is stretched.
211 If this is zero, the distance to the next staff will not stretch at all;
212 @item @var{minimum-distance} -- the minimum distance to place between
213 the baseline of a title and the center of the staff that follows it. This differs
214 from @var{padding} in that the height of a staff has no effect on
215 the application of @var{minimum-distance} (whereas the height of a
216 staff is crucial for @var{padding}).
219 If a page has a ragged bottom, @var{space} is not stretched. In particular, the
220 resulting distance on such a page is the largest of
223 @item @var{minimum-distance}, and
224 @item @var{padding} plus the smallest distance necessary to eliminate overlap.
227 @item before-title-spacing
228 @funindex before-title-spacing
230 Specifies the spacing between a system and the title (or top-level markup) that
232 The distances are measured from the center of the last staff in the system to
233 the baseline of the title that follows it. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
235 @item between-system-spacing
236 @funindex between-system-spacing
238 Specifies the spacing between the center of the bottom staff of one system
239 and the center of the top staff of the following system. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
241 @item between-title-spacing
242 @funindex between-title-spacing
244 Specifies the spacing between two titles (or top-level markups).
245 The distances are measured from the baseline of the first title to the baseline
246 of the second. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
249 @funindex bottom-margin
251 The margin between footer and bottom of the page. Default:
254 @item bottom-system-spacing
255 @funindex bottom-system-spacing
257 Specifies the spacing from the center of the last staff (or the
258 baseline of the last top-level markup) to the bottom of the
259 printable area (ie. the top of the bottom margin).
260 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
262 @item foot-separation
263 @funindex foot-separation
265 Distance between the bottom-most music system and the page
266 footer. Default: @code{4\mm}.
268 @item top-title-spacing
269 @funindex top-title-spacing
271 Specifies the spacing from the top of the printable area (ie.
272 the bottom of the top margin) to the baseline of the title.
273 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
275 @item top-system-spacing
276 @funindex top-system-spacing
278 Specifies the spacing from the top of the printable area (ie.
279 the bottom of the top margin) to the center of the first staff.
280 This only takes effect if there is no title at the top of the
281 page (in which case @var{top-title-spacing} is used instead).
282 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
285 @funindex paper-height
287 The height of the page. Default: the height of the current paper
288 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
293 The margin between header and top of the page. Default:
301 The header and footer are created by the functions make-footer and
302 make-header, defined in \paper. The default implementations are in
303 ly/paper-defaults.ly and ly/titling-init.ly.
305 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the \paper block,
306 page-music-height and page-make-stencil. The former tells the
307 line-breaking algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the
308 latter creates the actual page given the system to put on it.
310 You can define paper block values in Scheme. In that case mm, in, pt,
311 and cm are variables defined in paper-defaults.ly with values in
312 millimeters. That is why the value 2 cm must be multiplied in the
317 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
329 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
333 This second example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page.
337 print-page-number = ##t
338 print-first-page-number = ##t
339 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
340 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
341 oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
342 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
343 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
344 evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
345 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
346 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
350 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
351 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
352 @file{paper@/-defaults@/.ly} with values in millimeters. That is why the
353 value must be multiplied in the example
357 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
361 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
362 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
363 implementations are in @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/.ly} and
364 @file{ly/@/titling@/-init@/.ly}.
366 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
367 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
368 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
369 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
370 page given the system to put on it.
375 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
381 @node Horizontal dimensions
382 @unnumberedsubsubsec Horizontal dimensions
384 @warning{If @code{paper-width} is manually set, @code{line-width},
385 @code{left-margin}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} may
386 have to be adjusted as well.}
388 There are a few variables that determine the horizontal dimensions
393 @item horizontal-shift
394 @funindex horizontal-shift
396 The amount that all systems (including titles and system
397 separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0}.
402 The level of indentation for the first system in a score.
403 Default: @code{paper-width} divided by @code{14}, as determined by
404 @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}.
407 @funindex left-margin
409 The margin between the left edge of the page and the beginning of
410 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}, as determined by
411 @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}.
416 The width of music systems. Default: @code{paper-width} minus
417 @code{20\mm}, as determined by @code{set-default-paper-size} or
418 @code{set-paper-size}.
421 @funindex paper-width
423 The width of the page. Default: the width of the current paper
424 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
427 @funindex short-indent
429 The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the
430 first system. Default: @code{0}, as determined by
431 @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}.
443 The option @code{right-margin} is defined but doesn't set the
444 right margin yet. The value for the right margin has to be
445 defined by adjusting the values of @code{left-margin} and
449 @node Other layout variables
450 @unnumberedsubsubsec Other layout variables
452 These variables can be used to adjust page layout in general.
456 @item auto-first-page-number
457 @funindex auto-first-page-number
459 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number
460 being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm
461 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This
462 will result in the first page number remaining as is or being
463 increased by one. Default: @code{##f}.
467 FIXME: this variable is used, but I don't know what it does. -pm
468 @item blank-after-score-page-force
469 @funindex blank-after-score-page-force
475 @item blank-last-page-force
476 @funindex blank-last-page-force
478 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
481 @item blank-page-force
482 @funindex blank-page-force
484 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
485 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
486 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default:
489 @item first-page-number
490 @funindex first-page-number
492 The value of the page number on the first page. Default:
495 @item max-systems-per-page
496 The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
497 is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
500 @item min-systems-per-page
501 The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
502 may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is
503 currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
506 @item page-breaking-between-system-padding
507 @funindex page-breaking-between-system-padding
509 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
510 @code{between-system-padding} is set to something different than
511 it really is. For example, if this variable is set to something
512 substantially larger than @code{between-system-padding}, then the
513 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
518 The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset.
520 @item page-limit-inter-system-space
521 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space
523 If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot
524 of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see
525 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
527 @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
528 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
530 The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default:
531 @code{1.4}. For details, see
532 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
534 @item page-spacing-weight
535 @funindex page-spacing-weight
537 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
538 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
539 important. Default: @code{#10}.
541 @item print-all-headers
542 @funindex print-all-headers
544 If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the
545 output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are
546 printed. Default: @code{##f}.
548 @item print-first-page-number
549 @funindex print-first-page-number
551 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
554 @item print-page-number
555 @funindex print-page-number
557 If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default:
561 @funindex ragged-bottom
563 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the
564 page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}.
566 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
567 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
570 @funindex ragged-last
572 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
573 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
574 horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}.
576 @item ragged-last-bottom
577 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
579 If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last
580 page. Default: @code{##t}.
582 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
585 It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created
586 with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
589 @funindex ragged-right
591 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
592 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
595 If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}.
597 @item system-separator-markup
598 @funindex system-separator-markup
600 A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often
601 used for orchestral scores. Default: unset.
603 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
606 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
607 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
610 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
613 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
619 @funindex system-count
621 The number of systems to be used for a score.
624 @item systems-per-page
625 @funindex systems-per-page
627 The number of systems that should be placed on each page.
628 This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
641 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
642 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
644 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
645 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
646 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
650 @section Music layout
653 * Setting the staff size::
658 @node Setting the staff size
659 @subsection Setting the staff size
661 @cindex font size, setting
662 @cindex staff size, setting
663 @funindex layout file
665 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
666 This may be changed in two ways:
668 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
669 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
672 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
676 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
679 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
684 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
689 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
690 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
691 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
692 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
695 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
698 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
699 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
741 @c modern rental material?
746 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
747 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
748 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
749 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
754 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
762 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
767 @subsection Score layout
771 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
772 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
779 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
782 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
783 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
791 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
803 * Optimal page breaking::
804 * Optimal page turning::
805 * Minimal page breaking::
807 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
812 @subsection Line breaking
815 @cindex breaking lines
817 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
818 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
819 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
820 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
821 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
822 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
823 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
824 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
825 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
826 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
827 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
829 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
830 bar line where it is inserted.
832 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
833 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
834 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
835 lengths of the lines.
837 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
838 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
839 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
840 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
843 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
845 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
846 but affects only the last line of the piece.
858 @cindex regular line breaks
859 @cindex four bar music.
861 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
862 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
863 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
864 every 4 measures, and only there:
867 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
868 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
869 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
870 @emph{the real music}
875 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file
876 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
877 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
878 complicated. More details are available in
892 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
900 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
901 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
903 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
904 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing
905 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
906 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
910 This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}.
911 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
914 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
916 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
918 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed
923 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
924 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
925 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}.
929 @subsection Page breaking
931 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
932 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
933 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
934 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
935 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
938 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
939 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
941 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
942 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
943 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
944 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
945 respectively will not be justified vertically.
947 For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}.
949 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
950 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
951 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
952 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
953 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
957 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
963 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
964 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
965 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
966 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
967 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
976 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
977 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be prefered
978 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
980 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
984 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
985 %% page breaking function is used.
987 subtitle = "First movement"
998 @funindex \noPageBreak
1008 @node Optimal page breaking
1009 @subsection Optimal page breaking
1011 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
1013 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
1014 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
1015 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
1016 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1024 @node Optimal page turning
1025 @subsection Optimal page turning
1027 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1029 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1030 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1031 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1032 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1033 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1034 in specified places.
1036 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1037 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1038 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1041 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1042 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1043 input file at the appropriate places.
1045 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1046 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1047 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1048 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1049 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1050 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1051 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1052 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1053 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1056 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1057 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1058 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1059 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1060 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1061 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1064 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1067 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1069 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1070 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1072 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1077 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1078 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1079 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1080 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1081 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1082 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1083 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1085 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1086 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1093 @funindex \noPageTurn
1095 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1096 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1107 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1108 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1111 @node Minimal page breaking
1112 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1114 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1116 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1117 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1118 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1119 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1120 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1124 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1134 @node Explicit breaks
1135 @subsection Explicit breaks
1137 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1138 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1141 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1142 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1145 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1146 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1147 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1148 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1150 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1159 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1160 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1163 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1164 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1165 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1166 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
1167 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1168 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1169 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1170 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
1182 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1183 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1185 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1190 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1192 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1197 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1198 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1199 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1200 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1201 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1202 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1203 breaking layout information.
1205 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1215 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1216 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1217 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1218 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1224 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1225 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1226 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1228 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1233 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1234 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1237 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1238 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1241 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1242 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1245 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1246 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1250 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1251 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1252 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1253 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1262 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1268 @node Vertical spacing
1269 @section Vertical spacing
1271 @cindex vertical spacing
1272 @cindex spacing, vertical
1274 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1275 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1276 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1277 staves inside a system.
1280 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1281 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1282 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1283 * Two-pass vertical spacing::
1284 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1288 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1289 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1291 @cindex distance between staves
1292 @cindex staff distance
1293 @cindex space between staves
1294 @cindex space inside systems
1296 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
1297 staves from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
1298 By changing these, you can put staves closer together. This
1299 reduces the amount of space each system requires, and may result
1300 in having more systems per page.
1302 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
1303 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
1304 property @code{minimum-Y-extent}. When applied to a
1305 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup}, it controls the size of a horizontal
1306 line, such as a staff or a line of lyrics. @code{minimum-Y-extent}
1307 takes a pair of numbers, so
1308 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)}
1312 \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-3 . 3)
1316 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
1317 either side of the center staff line. The value @code{(-3 . 3)} is
1318 interpreted as an interval, where the center line is the 0, so the
1319 first number is generally negative. The numbers need not match;
1320 for example, the staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting
1321 it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
1324 FIXME: update this section
1326 After page breaks are determined, the vertical spacing within each
1327 system is reevaluated in order to fill the page more evenly; if a page
1328 has space left over, systems are stretched in order to fill that space.
1329 The amount of stretching can be configured though the @code{max-stretch}
1330 property of the @rinternals{VerticalAlignment} grob. By default,
1331 @code{max-stretch} is set to zero, disabling stretching. To enable
1332 stretching, a sane value for @code{max-stretch}
1333 is @code{ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch}.
1335 In some situations, you may want to stretch most of a system while
1336 leaving some parts fixed. For example, if a piano part occurs in the
1337 middle of an orchestral score, you may want to leave the piano staves
1338 close to each other while stretching the rest of the score. The
1339 @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} property of
1340 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup} can be used to achieve this. When set
1341 to @code{##t}, this property keeps its staff (or line of lyrics) from
1342 moving relative to the one directly above it. In the example above,
1343 you would override @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} to @code{##t} in
1344 the second piano staff:
1347 #(set-default-paper-size "a6")
1348 #(set-global-staff-size 14.0)
1352 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
1357 \override VerticalAlignment #'max-stretch = #ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch
1364 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1365 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1366 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1371 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1373 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'keep-fixed-while-stretching = ##t
1380 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1381 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1389 Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
1390 @code{VerticalAlignment} object. The context parameters
1391 specifying the vertical extent are described in connection with
1392 the @code{Axis_group_engraver}.
1399 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1400 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1402 Internals Reference:
1403 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1404 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1407 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1408 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1410 Space between systems are controlled by four @code{\paper} variables,
1414 between-system-space = 1.5\cm
1415 between-system-padding = #1
1417 ragged-last-bottom=##f
1421 When only a couple of flat systems are placed on a page, the resulting
1422 vertical spacing may be non-elegant: one system at the top of the page,
1423 and the other at the bottom, with a huge gap between them. To avoid this
1424 situation, the space added between the systems can be limited. This
1425 feature is activated by setting to @code{#t} the
1426 @code{page-limit-inter-system-space} variable in the @code{\paper}
1427 block. The paper variable @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor}
1428 determines how much the space can be increased: for instance, the value
1429 @code{1.3} means that the space can be 30% larger than what it would be
1430 on a ragged-bottom page.
1432 In the following example, if the inter system space were not limited,
1433 the second system of page 1 would be placed at the page bottom. By
1434 activating the space limitation, the second system is placed closer to
1435 the first one. By setting @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor} to
1436 @code{1}, the spacing would the same as on a ragged-bottom page, like
1440 #(set-default-paper-size "a6")
1443 page-limit-inter-system-space = ##t
1444 page-limit-inter-system-space-factor = 1.3
1446 oddFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom"
1447 evenFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom"
1448 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line {
1449 "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string }
1450 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line {
1451 "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string }
1453 \new Staff << \repeat unfold 4 { g'4 g' g' g' \break }
1454 { s1*2 \pageBreak } >>
1464 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1465 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1467 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1468 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1469 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1470 different staves and systems running down the page.
1472 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1473 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1474 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1475 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1476 vertical positions on the page.
1478 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1479 list of five different settings:
1482 @item @code{X-offset}
1483 @item @code{Y-offset}
1484 @item @code{alignment-offsets}
1485 @item @code{alignment-extra-space}
1486 @item @code{fixed-alignment-extra-space}
1489 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1490 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1493 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1494 @item in a @code{\context} block
1495 @item in the @code{\with} block
1498 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1499 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1500 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1501 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1502 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1503 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1504 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1507 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1508 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1510 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1511 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1513 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1514 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1516 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1517 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1519 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1520 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1521 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1524 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1525 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1527 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1528 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1531 \header { tagline = ##f }
1532 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1542 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1545 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1552 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1553 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1554 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1555 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1557 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1558 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1559 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1560 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1561 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1564 \header { tagline = ##f }
1565 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1571 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1572 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1574 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1575 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1577 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1578 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1581 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1584 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1591 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1592 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1593 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1594 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1596 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1597 explicitly, we can also set the vertical startpoint of each staff
1598 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-offsets}
1599 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1602 \header { tagline = ##f }
1603 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1609 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1610 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1611 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1613 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1614 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1615 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1617 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1618 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1619 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1622 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1625 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1632 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1633 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1634 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1635 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1636 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1637 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1638 @code{alignment-offsets} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1639 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-offsets}
1640 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1643 \header { tagline = ##f }
1644 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1650 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1651 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1652 (alignment-offsets . (0 -30 -40)))
1654 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1655 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1656 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -20)))
1658 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1659 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1660 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -40)))
1663 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1666 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1667 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1674 Some points to consider:
1677 @item When using @code{alignment-offsets}, lyrics count as a staff.
1679 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1680 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-offsets} are interpreted as multiples
1681 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1682 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1684 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1685 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1686 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1687 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1688 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1697 @node Two-pass vertical spacing
1698 @subsection Two-pass vertical spacing
1700 @warning{Two-pass vertical spacing is deprecated and will be removed in
1701 a future version of LilyPond. Systems are now stretched automatically
1702 in a single pass. See @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}.}
1704 In order to automatically stretch systems so that they should fill the
1705 space left on a page, a two-pass technique can be used:
1708 @item In the first pass, the amount of vertical space used to increase
1709 the height of each system is computed and dumped to a file.
1710 @item In the second pass, spacing inside the systems are
1711 stretched according to the data in the page layout file.
1714 The @code{ragged-bottom} property adds space between systems, while
1715 the two-pass technique adds space between staves inside a system.
1717 To allow this behavior, a @code{tweak-key} variable has to be set in
1718 each score @code{\layout} block, and the tweaks included in each score
1719 music, using the @code{\scoreTweak} music function.
1723 %% include the generated page layout file:
1724 \includePageLayoutFile
1729 %% Include this score tweaks:
1730 \scoreTweak "scoreA"
1731 { \clef french c''1 \break c''1 }
1733 \new Staff { \clef soprano g'1 g'1 }
1734 \new Staff { \clef mezzosoprano e'1 e'1 }
1735 \new Staff { \clef alto g1 g1 }
1736 \new Staff { \clef bass c1 c1 }
1739 piece = "Score with tweaks"
1741 %% Define how to name the tweaks for this score:
1742 \layout { #(define tweak-key "scoreA") }
1747 For the first pass, the @code{dump-tweaks} option should be set to
1748 generate the page layout file.
1751 lilypond -dbackend=null -d dump-tweaks <file>.ly
1761 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1762 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1764 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1765 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1766 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1768 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1769 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1770 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1771 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1772 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1773 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1774 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1777 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1778 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1779 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1780 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1783 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1784 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1785 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1786 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1787 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1788 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1789 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1792 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1795 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1796 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1798 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1799 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1800 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1801 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1802 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1805 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1806 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1807 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1809 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1810 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1811 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1812 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1813 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1814 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1818 By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid
1819 a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This
1820 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1821 other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staffs can
1822 also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved.
1823 Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1824 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1827 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1828 % the markup is too close to the following note
1832 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1834 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
1846 @node Horizontal spacing
1847 @section Horizontal spacing
1849 @cindex horizontal spacing
1850 @cindex spacing, horizontal
1853 * Horizontal spacing overview::
1854 * New spacing area::
1855 * Changing horizontal spacing::
1857 * Proportional notation::
1861 @node Horizontal spacing overview
1862 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
1864 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
1865 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
1866 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
1867 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
1868 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
1869 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
1870 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
1871 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
1873 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
1874 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
1875 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
1877 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
1878 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
1882 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
1883 approximately the width of a note head, and
1884 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
1885 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
1886 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
1887 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
1888 followed by one NHW of space.
1890 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
1891 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
1892 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
1893 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
1894 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
1895 the one which occurs most frequently.
1898 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
1899 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
1900 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
1901 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
1902 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
1903 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
1905 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
1906 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
1907 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
1908 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
1910 @funindex common-shortest-duration
1911 @funindex base-shortest-duration
1912 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
1915 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
1916 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
1917 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
1918 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
1920 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
1921 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
1927 @c (see @rlearning{Engraving}),
1928 it was explained that stem
1929 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
1930 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
1931 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
1932 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
1933 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same property
1934 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
1935 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
1936 exaggerated corrections:
1938 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1942 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1943 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1949 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
1956 Internals Reference:
1957 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
1958 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
1959 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
1960 @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}.
1965 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
1966 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score,
1967 adjusting the padding value as necessary.
1969 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10
1972 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
1975 @node New spacing area
1976 @subsection New spacing area
1978 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
1979 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
1980 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
1982 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
1983 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
1985 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
1988 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
1994 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
1995 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
1996 may be used in that location.
2003 Internals Reference:
2004 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
2007 @node Changing horizontal spacing
2008 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
2010 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
2011 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
2012 we compare the same music; once without altering
2013 the property, and then altered. Larger values
2014 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
2015 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
2016 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
2019 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2022 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2023 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2024 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2025 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2030 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2033 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2034 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2035 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2036 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2041 \override SpacingSpanner
2042 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2051 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2052 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2053 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2054 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2055 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2057 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2059 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2076 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2077 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2079 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2080 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2081 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2091 @subsection Line length
2094 @cindex breaking pages
2097 @funindex line-width
2098 @funindex ragged-right
2099 @funindex ragged-last
2101 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2102 @c block, to get page layout right.
2103 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2105 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2106 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2107 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2108 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2111 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2112 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2113 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2114 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2115 The normal default setting is false, but if the score has only one
2116 system the default value is true.
2119 @cindex vertical spacing
2121 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2122 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2123 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2124 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2125 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2126 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2127 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2128 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2144 @node Proportional notation
2145 @subsection Proportional notation
2147 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2148 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2149 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2150 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2151 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2152 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2153 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2155 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2156 which may be used together or alone:
2159 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2160 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2161 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2162 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2163 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2166 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2167 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2169 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2170 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2172 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2174 \new RhythmicStaff {
2178 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2184 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2185 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2186 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2187 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2188 horizontal space of the measure.
2190 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2191 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2192 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2194 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2195 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2196 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2199 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2201 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2203 \new RhythmicStaff {
2207 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2213 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2214 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2215 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2218 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting that
2219 lives in @code{Score}. Recall that context settings appear in one of
2220 three locations in our input file -- in a @code{\with} block, in a
2221 @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry
2222 preceded by the @code{\set} command. As with all
2223 context settings, users can pick which of the three different
2224 locations they would like to set @code{proportionalNotationDuration}.
2226 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2227 which is the reference duration against which all music will be
2228 spaced. The LilyPond Scheme function make-moment takes two arguments
2229 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2230 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces a
2231 reference duration of a twentieth note. The values
2232 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2233 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2235 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2236 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial and error,
2237 beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest) duration
2238 in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely; larger
2239 reference durations space music tightly.
2241 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2243 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2245 \new RhythmicStaff {
2249 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2255 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2257 \new RhythmicStaff {
2261 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2267 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2269 \new RhythmicStaff {
2273 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2279 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2280 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2281 Note also that proportional notation in general takes up more
2282 horizontal space that does classical spacing. Proportional spacing
2283 provides rhythmic clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2285 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2287 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2288 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2291 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2293 \new RhythmicStaff {
2297 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2300 \new RhythmicStaff {
2302 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2308 The spacing is bad because the evenly notes of the bottom staff do not
2309 stretch uniformly. Classical engraving includes very few complex
2310 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2311 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} remedies this
2312 situation considerably.
2314 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2316 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2318 \new RhythmicStaff {
2322 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2325 \new RhythmicStaff {
2327 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2333 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2334 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than do the notes
2335 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2336 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2337 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2339 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2341 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2342 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2344 \new RhythmicStaff {
2348 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2351 \new RhythmicStaff {
2353 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2359 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2360 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2361 timeline or graphic if we want.
2363 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2364 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2365 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2366 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2367 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2368 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2371 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2372 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2373 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2374 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2375 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2377 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2378 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2379 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2380 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2381 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2382 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2384 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2385 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2386 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2387 just before the first note in each system.
2389 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2402 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2403 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2404 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2405 reduces this space to zero.
2407 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2413 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2421 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2422 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2423 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2424 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2425 problems differently.
2427 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2428 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2429 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2430 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2431 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2432 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2433 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2435 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2436 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2437 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2439 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2441 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2451 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2452 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2462 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2463 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2464 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2465 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2466 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2467 part in the spacing algorithm.
2469 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2470 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2473 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2474 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2475 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2476 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2477 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2478 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2481 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2482 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2483 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2484 for these related settings.
2489 @ref{New spacing area}.
2495 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2496 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2498 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2499 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2500 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2501 of room left on those.
2503 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2504 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2505 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2506 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2509 * Displaying spacing::
2510 * Changing spacing::
2514 @node Displaying spacing
2515 @subsection Displaying spacing
2517 @funindex annotate-spacing
2518 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2520 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2521 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2522 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2524 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2525 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2526 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2529 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2535 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless
2536 of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2537 In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75
2538 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the
2539 default value). Note that:
2541 @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm}
2544 @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm
2547 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts
2549 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm
2554 In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to
2555 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75
2556 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height
2557 of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs
2558 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower
2559 edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
2564 @ref{Setting the staff size}.
2570 @node Changing spacing
2571 @subsection Changing spacing
2573 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2574 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2575 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2577 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2581 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2582 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2583 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2587 between-system-padding = #0.1
2588 between-system-space = #0.1
2589 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2595 Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just
2596 setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems
2597 being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to
2598 be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed,
2599 giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual
2600 reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For
2601 example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following
2602 assignment will force a layout with 10 systems.
2611 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2612 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2613 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2614 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2615 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2616 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2618 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2620 \override DynamicText #'extra-offset = #'( -2.2 . 2.0)
2625 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2626 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2627 example illustrates the default spacing:
2629 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2642 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2643 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2644 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2645 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2647 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2659 \override SpacingSpanner
2660 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2667 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2668 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2669 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2676 @ref{Page formatting},
2677 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.