1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
4 Translation of GIT committish: FILL-IN-HEAD-COMMITTISH
6 When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the
7 version that you are working on. See TRANSLATION for details.
15 Negative numbers are allowed:
16 > Are you sure? The following works well
18 > first-page-number = -2
20 > and prints page number -1 on the second page, for example.
23 In 5.2.1 the @refbugs (line 495 in spacing.itely on master) it
26 "@code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between
30 Could we add a sentence:
31 "Use instead the pair fontSize = #@var{N}
32 \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep
34 inside the Staff context to change the size of the font and the
36 staff lines accordingly."
38 Actually I found, that the @internalsref{StaffSymbol} at line 481
39 sends to an uncomplete
40 documentation. The property staff-space is not explained here. I
41 thought Y-extent might be of
42 help, but it is in turn explained by x-space which again is
43 missing from the list. Who has the
44 knowledge to fix this?
48 http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=68
54 @chapter Spacing issues
56 The global paper layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the
57 line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The
58 choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set.
59 This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how
60 many pages a piece of music takes.
62 Globally speaking, this procedure happens in four steps: first,
63 flexible distances (@q{springs}) are chosen, based on durations. All
64 possible line breaking combinations are tried, and a @q{badness} score
65 is calculated for each. Then the height of each possible system is
66 estimated. Finally, a page breaking and line breaking combination is chosen
67 so that neither the horizontal nor the vertical spacing is too cramped
70 Settings which influence layout may be placed in two blocks.
71 The @code{\paper @{...@}} block is placed outside any
72 @code{\score @{...@}} blocks and contains settings that
73 relate to the entire document. The @code{\layout @{...@}}
74 block is placed within a @code{\score @{...@}} block and
75 contains settings for that particular score. If you have
76 only one @code{\score @{...@}} block the two have the same
77 effect. In general the commands shown in this chapter can
85 * Horizontal spacing::
86 * Fitting music onto fewer pages::
91 @section Paper and pages
93 This section deals with the boundaries that define the area
94 within which music can be printed.
103 @subsection Paper size
108 Two functions are available for changing the paper size:
109 @code{set-default-paper-size} and @code{set-paper-size}.
110 @code{set-default-paper-size} must be placed in the toplevel
111 scope, and @code{set-paper-size} must be placed in a @code{\paper}
115 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
120 #(set-paper-size "a4")
125 @code{set-default-paper-size} sets the size of all pages, whereas
126 @code{set-paper-size} only sets the size of the pages that the
127 @code{\paper} block applies to. For example, if the @code{\paper}
128 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply the paper size
129 to all pages. If the @code{\paper} block is inside a
130 @code{\book}, then the paper size will only apply to that book.
132 Common paper sizes are available, including @code{a4},
133 @code{letter}, @code{legal}, and @code{11x17} (also known as
134 tabloid). Many more paper sizes are supported by default. For
135 details, see @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, and search for the
136 definition of @code{paper-alist}.
138 @c TODO add a new appendix for paper sizes (auto-generated) -pm
140 @warning{The default paper size is @code{a4}.}
142 Extra sizes may be added by editing the definition of
143 @code{paper-alist} in the initialization file
144 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, however they will be overridden on a
150 If the symbol @code{'landscape} is supplied as an argument to
151 @code{set-default-paper-size}, pages will be rotated by 90
152 degrees, and wider line widths will be set accordingly.
155 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
158 Setting the paper size will adjust a number of @code{\paper}
159 variables, such as margins. To use a particular paper size with
160 altered @code{\paper} variables, set the paper size before setting
166 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}.
172 @node Page formatting
173 @subsection Page formatting
175 Margins, headers, and footers and other layout variables are
176 automatically set according to the paper size.
178 Default margin values are accessible in
179 @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/-init@/.ly}. They apply to the default
180 paper size (a4, unless specified differently) and are scaled
181 accordingly for other paper sizes.
183 This section lists and describes a number of paper variables that
187 * Vertical dimensions::
188 * Horizontal dimensions::
189 * Other layout variables::
193 @node Vertical dimensions
194 @unnumberedsubsubsec Vertical dimensions
196 These variables are used to set different vertical dimensions on a
203 @item after-title-spacing
204 @funindex after-title-spacing
206 Specifies how to calculate the space between a title (or top-level markup)
207 and the system that follows it. This is an associative list with five
210 @item @var{space} -- the amount of stretchable space between the baseline
211 of a title and the center of the staff that follows it;
212 @item @var{padding} -- the minimum amount of whitespace that must be
213 present between a title and the staff that follows it;
214 @item @var{stretchability} -- the ease with which the stretchable
215 space increases when a page is stretched.
216 If this is zero, the distance to the next staff will not stretch at all;
217 @item @var{minimum-distance} -- the minimum distance to place between
218 the baseline of a title and the center of the staff that follows it. This differs
219 from @var{padding} in that the height of a staff has no effect on
220 the application of @var{minimum-distance} (whereas the height of a
221 staff is crucial for @var{padding}).
224 If a page has a ragged bottom, @var{space} is not stretched. In particular, the
225 resulting distance on such a page is the largest of
228 @item @var{minimum-distance}, and
229 @item @var{padding} plus the smallest distance necessary to eliminate overlap.
232 @item before-title-spacing
233 @funindex before-title-spacing
235 Specifies the spacing between a system and the title (or top-level markup) that
237 The distances are measured from the center of the last staff in the system to
238 the baseline of the title that follows it. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
240 @item between-scores-system-spacing
241 @funindex between-scores-system-spacing
243 Specifies the spacing between two systems if they are in different scores, but
244 there is no title between them. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
246 @item between-system-spacing
247 @funindex between-system-spacing
249 Specifies the spacing between the center of the bottom staff of one system
250 and the center of the top staff of the following system. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
252 @item between-title-spacing
253 @funindex between-title-spacing
255 Specifies the spacing between two titles (or top-level markups).
256 The distances are measured from the baseline of the first title to the baseline
257 of the second. See @var{after-title-spacing}.
260 @funindex bottom-margin
262 The margin between footer and bottom of the page. Default:
265 @item bottom-system-spacing
266 @funindex bottom-system-spacing
268 Specifies the spacing from the center of the last staff (or the
269 baseline of the last top-level markup) to the bottom of the
270 printable area (ie. the top of the bottom margin).
271 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
273 @item foot-separation
274 @funindex foot-separation
276 Distance between the bottom-most music system and the page
277 footer. Default: @code{4\mm}.
279 @item top-title-spacing
280 @funindex top-title-spacing
282 Specifies the spacing from the top of the printable area (ie.
283 the bottom of the top margin) to the baseline of the title.
284 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
286 @item top-system-spacing
287 @funindex top-system-spacing
289 Specifies the spacing from the top of the printable area (ie.
290 the bottom of the top margin) to the center of the first staff.
291 This only takes effect if there is no title at the top of the
292 page (in which case @var{top-title-spacing} is used instead).
293 See @var{after-title-spacing}.
296 @funindex paper-height
298 The height of the page. Default: the height of the current paper
299 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
304 The margin between header and top of the page. Default:
312 The header and footer are created by the functions make-footer and
313 make-header, defined in \paper. The default implementations are in
314 ly/paper-defaults.ly and ly/titling-init.ly.
316 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the \paper block,
317 page-music-height and page-make-stencil. The former tells the
318 line-breaking algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the
319 latter creates the actual page given the system to put on it.
321 You can define paper block values in Scheme. In that case mm, in, pt,
322 and cm are variables defined in paper-defaults.ly with values in
323 millimeters. That is why the value 2 cm must be multiplied in the
328 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
340 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
344 This second example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page.
348 print-page-number = ##t
349 print-first-page-number = ##t
350 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
351 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
352 oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
353 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
354 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
355 evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
356 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
357 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
361 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
362 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
363 @file{paper@/-defaults@/-init@/.ly} with values in millimeters. That is why the
364 value must be multiplied in the example
368 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
372 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
373 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
374 implementations are in @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/-init@/.ly} and
375 @file{ly/@/titling@/-init@/.ly}.
377 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
378 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
379 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
380 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
381 page given the system to put on it.
386 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
392 @node Horizontal dimensions
393 @unnumberedsubsubsec Horizontal dimensions
396 There are a few variables that determine the horizontal dimensions
402 @funindex binding-offset
404 The amount @code{inner-margin} is increased
405 to make sure nothing will be hidden by the binding.
406 Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true. Default:
409 @item horizontal-shift
410 @funindex horizontal-shift
412 The amount that all systems (including titles and system
413 separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0}.
418 The level of indentation for the first system in a score.
419 Default: @code{15\mm}.
422 @funindex inner-margin
424 The margin all pages have at the inner side if they are part
425 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
426 Default: @code{10\mm}.
429 @funindex left-margin
431 The margin between the left edge of the page and the beginning of
432 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
437 The width of music systems. Default: @code{paper-width} minus
438 @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin}.
441 @funindex outer-margin
443 The margin all pages have at the outer side if they are part
444 of a book. Works only with @code{two-sided} set to true.
445 Default: @code{20\mm}.
448 @funindex paper-width
450 The width of the page. Default: the width of the current paper
451 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
454 @funindex right-margin
456 The margin between the right edge of the page and the beginning of
457 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}.
460 @funindex short-indent
462 The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the
463 first system. Default: @code{0}.
467 If some values are not set, defaults will be taken. Their exact
468 value is adjusted, depending on the paper size specified. Currently,
469 the following values are affected by this scaling:
472 @item @var{left-margin}
473 @item @var{right-margin}
474 @item @var{top-margin}
475 @item @var{bottom-margin}
476 @item @var{head-separation}
477 @item @var{foot-separation}
479 @item @var{short-indent}
482 The settings for @code{line-width}, @code{left-margin},
483 @code{right-margin} and @code{paper-width} depend on
484 each other, but they do not have to be specified
493 In this example, only @code{left-margin} is set. The value for
494 @code{right-margin} will remain default, @code{line-width} is
495 calculated automatically.
503 Here @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin} will be set
504 to the same value. Therefore, @code{line-width} is subtracted
505 from @code{paper-width} and divided by two. That means systems
506 are centered on the page, if only @code{line-width} is
509 Some checks occur to ensure the values are set correctly.
510 If the values do not match or systems would run off the page,
511 a warning is printed and default values are set.
522 These checks can be avoided by setting @code{check-consistency}
530 check-consistency = ##f
534 @warning{If @code{paper-width} is manually set, @code{line-width},
535 @code{left-margin}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} may
536 have to be adjusted as well.}
544 @node Other layout variables
545 @unnumberedsubsubsec Other layout variables
547 These variables can be used to adjust page layout in general.
551 @item auto-first-page-number
552 @funindex auto-first-page-number
554 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number
555 being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm
556 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This
557 will result in the first page number remaining as is or being
558 increased by one. Default: @code{##f}.
562 FIXME: this variable is used, but I don't know what it does. -pm
563 @item blank-after-score-page-force
564 @funindex blank-after-score-page-force
570 @item blank-last-page-force
571 @funindex blank-last-page-force
573 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
576 @item blank-page-force
577 @funindex blank-page-force
579 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
580 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
581 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default:
584 @item check-consistency
585 @funindex check-consistency
587 If set to true, check whether @code{left-margin}, @code{right-margin} and
588 @code{line-width} fit each other. Also make sure that their combination
589 does not exceed the available @code{paper-width}. Default: @code{##t}.
591 @item first-page-number
592 @funindex first-page-number
594 The value of the page number on the first page. Default:
597 @item max-systems-per-page
598 The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
599 is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
602 @item min-systems-per-page
603 The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
604 may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is
605 currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
608 @item page-breaking-between-system-padding
609 @funindex page-breaking-between-system-padding
611 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
612 @code{between-system-padding} is set to something different than
613 it really is. For example, if this variable is set to something
614 substantially larger than @code{between-system-padding}, then the
615 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
620 The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset.
622 @item page-limit-inter-system-space
623 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space
625 If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot
626 of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see
627 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
629 @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
630 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
632 The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default:
633 @code{1.4}. For details, see
634 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
636 @item page-spacing-weight
637 @funindex page-spacing-weight
639 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
640 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
641 important. Default: @code{#10}.
643 @item print-all-headers
644 @funindex print-all-headers
646 If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the
647 output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are
648 printed. Default: @code{##f}.
650 @item print-first-page-number
651 @funindex print-first-page-number
653 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
656 @item print-page-number
657 @funindex print-page-number
659 If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default:
663 @funindex ragged-bottom
665 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the
666 page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}.
668 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
669 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
672 @funindex ragged-last
674 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
675 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
676 horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}.
678 @item ragged-last-bottom
679 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
681 If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last
682 page. Default: @code{##t}.
684 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
687 It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created
688 with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
691 @funindex ragged-right
693 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
694 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
697 If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}.
699 @item system-separator-markup
700 @funindex system-separator-markup
702 A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often
703 used for orchestral scores. Default: unset.
705 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
708 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
709 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
712 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
715 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
721 @funindex system-count
723 The number of systems to be used for a score.
726 @item systems-per-page
727 @funindex systems-per-page
729 The number of systems that should be placed on each page.
730 This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
736 If set to true, use @code{inner-margin}, @code{outer-margin} and
737 @code{binding-offset} to determine margins depending on whether
738 the page number is odd or even. This overrides @code{left-margin}
739 and @code{right-margin}. Default: @code{##f}.
751 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
752 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
754 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
755 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
756 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
760 @section Music layout
763 * Setting the staff size::
768 @node Setting the staff size
769 @subsection Setting the staff size
771 @cindex font size, setting
772 @cindex staff size, setting
773 @funindex layout file
775 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
776 This may be changed in two ways:
778 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
779 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
782 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
786 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
789 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
794 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
799 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
800 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
801 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
802 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
805 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
808 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
809 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
851 @c modern rental material?
856 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
857 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
858 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
859 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
864 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
872 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
877 @subsection Score layout
881 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
882 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
889 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
892 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
893 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
901 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
913 * Optimal page breaking::
914 * Optimal page turning::
915 * Minimal page breaking::
917 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
922 @subsection Line breaking
925 @cindex breaking lines
927 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
928 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
929 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
930 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
931 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
932 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
933 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
934 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
935 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
936 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
937 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
939 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
940 bar line where it is inserted.
942 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
943 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
944 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
945 lengths of the lines.
947 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
948 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
949 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
950 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
953 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
955 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
956 but affects only the last line of the piece.
968 @cindex regular line breaks
969 @cindex four bar music.
971 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
972 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
973 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
974 every 4 measures, and only there:
977 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
978 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
979 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
980 @emph{the real music}
985 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file
986 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
987 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
988 complicated. More details are available in
1001 Internals Reference:
1002 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
1010 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
1011 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
1013 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1014 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing
1015 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
1016 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
1020 This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}.
1021 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
1024 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1026 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
1028 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed
1033 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
1034 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
1035 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}.
1039 @subsection Page breaking
1041 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
1042 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
1043 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
1044 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
1045 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
1048 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
1049 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
1051 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
1052 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
1053 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
1054 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
1055 respectively will not be justified vertically.
1057 For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1059 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
1060 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
1061 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
1062 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
1063 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
1067 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
1073 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
1074 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
1075 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
1076 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
1077 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
1083 subtitle = "Preface"
1086 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
1087 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be prefered
1088 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1090 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
1094 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
1095 %% page breaking function is used.
1097 subtitle = "First movement"
1099 \score @{ @dots{} @}
1106 @funindex \pageBreak
1108 @funindex \noPageBreak
1109 @code{\noPageBreak}.
1118 @node Optimal page breaking
1119 @subsection Optimal page breaking
1121 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
1123 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
1124 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
1125 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
1126 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1134 @node Optimal page turning
1135 @subsection Optimal page turning
1137 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1139 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1140 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1141 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1142 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1143 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1144 in specified places.
1146 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1147 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1148 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1151 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1152 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1153 input file at the appropriate places.
1155 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1156 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1157 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1158 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1159 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1160 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1161 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1162 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1163 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1166 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1167 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1168 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1169 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1170 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1171 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1174 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1177 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1179 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1180 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1182 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1187 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1188 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1189 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1190 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1191 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1192 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1193 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1195 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1196 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1203 @funindex \noPageTurn
1205 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1206 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1217 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1218 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1221 @node Minimal page breaking
1222 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1224 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1226 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1227 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1228 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1229 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1230 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1234 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1244 @node Explicit breaks
1245 @subsection Explicit breaks
1247 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1248 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1251 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1252 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1255 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1256 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1257 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1258 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1260 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1269 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1270 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1273 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1274 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1275 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1276 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
1277 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1278 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1279 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1280 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
1292 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1293 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1295 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1300 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1302 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1307 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1308 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1309 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1310 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1311 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1312 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1313 breaking layout information.
1315 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1325 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1326 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1327 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1328 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1334 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1335 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1336 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1338 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1343 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1344 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1347 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1348 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1351 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1352 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1355 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1356 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1360 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1361 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1362 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1363 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1372 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1378 @node Vertical spacing
1379 @section Vertical spacing
1381 @cindex vertical spacing
1382 @cindex spacing, vertical
1384 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1385 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1386 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1387 staves inside a system.
1390 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1391 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1392 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1393 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1397 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1398 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1400 @cindex distance between staves
1401 @cindex staff distance
1402 @cindex space between staves
1403 @cindex space inside systems
1405 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
1406 staves from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
1407 By changing these, you can put staves closer together. This
1408 reduces the amount of space each system requires, and may result
1409 in having more systems per page.
1411 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
1412 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
1413 property @code{minimum-Y-extent}. When applied to a
1414 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup}, it controls the size of a horizontal
1415 line, such as a staff or a line of lyrics. @code{minimum-Y-extent}
1416 takes a pair of numbers, so
1417 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)}
1421 \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-3 . 3)
1425 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
1426 either side of the center staff line. The value @code{(-3 . 3)} is
1427 interpreted as an interval, where the center line is the 0, so the
1428 first number is generally negative. The numbers need not match;
1429 for example, the staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting
1430 it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
1433 FIXME: update this section
1435 After page breaks are determined, the vertical spacing within each
1436 system is reevaluated in order to fill the page more evenly; if a page
1437 has space left over, systems are stretched in order to fill that space.
1438 The amount of stretching can be configured though the @code{max-stretch}
1439 property of the @rinternals{VerticalAlignment} grob. By default,
1440 @code{max-stretch} is set to zero, disabling stretching. To enable
1441 stretching, a sane value for @code{max-stretch}
1442 is @code{ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch}.
1444 In some situations, you may want to stretch most of a system while
1445 leaving some parts fixed. For example, if a piano part occurs in the
1446 middle of an orchestral score, you may want to leave the piano staves
1447 close to each other while stretching the rest of the score. The
1448 @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} property of
1449 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup} can be used to achieve this. When set
1450 to @code{##t}, this property keeps its staff (or line of lyrics) from
1451 moving relative to the one directly above it. In the example above,
1452 you would override @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} to @code{##t} in
1453 the second piano staff:
1456 #(set-default-paper-size "a6")
1457 #(set-global-staff-size 14.0)
1461 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
1466 \override VerticalAlignment #'max-stretch = #ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch
1473 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1474 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1475 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1480 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1482 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'keep-fixed-while-stretching = ##t
1489 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1490 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1498 Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
1499 @code{VerticalAlignment} object. The context parameters
1500 specifying the vertical extent are described in connection with
1501 the @code{Axis_group_engraver}.
1508 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1509 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1511 Internals Reference:
1512 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1513 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1516 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1517 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1519 Space between systems are controlled by four @code{\paper} variables,
1523 between-system-space = 1.5\cm
1524 between-system-padding = #1
1526 ragged-last-bottom=##f
1530 When only a couple of flat systems are placed on a page, the resulting
1531 vertical spacing may be non-elegant: one system at the top of the page,
1532 and the other at the bottom, with a huge gap between them. To avoid this
1533 situation, the space added between the systems can be limited. This
1534 feature is activated by setting to @code{#t} the
1535 @code{page-limit-inter-system-space} variable in the @code{\paper}
1536 block. The paper variable @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor}
1537 determines how much the space can be increased: for instance, the value
1538 @code{1.3} means that the space can be 30% larger than what it would be
1539 on a ragged-bottom page.
1541 In the following example, if the inter system space were not limited,
1542 the second system of page 1 would be placed at the page bottom. By
1543 activating the space limitation, the second system is placed closer to
1544 the first one. By setting @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor} to
1545 @code{1}, the spacing would the same as on a ragged-bottom page, like
1549 #(set-default-paper-size "a6")
1552 page-limit-inter-system-space = ##t
1553 page-limit-inter-system-space-factor = 1.3
1555 oddFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom"
1556 evenFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom"
1557 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line {
1558 "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string }
1559 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line {
1560 "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string }
1562 \new Staff << \repeat unfold 4 { g'4 g' g' g' \break }
1563 { s1*2 \pageBreak } >>
1573 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1574 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1576 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1577 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1578 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1579 different staves and systems running down the page.
1581 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1582 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1583 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1584 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1585 vertical positions on the page.
1587 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1588 list of five different settings:
1591 @item @code{X-offset}
1592 @item @code{Y-offset}
1593 @item @code{alignment-offsets}
1594 @item @code{alignment-extra-space}
1595 @item @code{fixed-alignment-extra-space}
1598 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1599 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1602 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1603 @item in a @code{\context} block
1604 @item in the @code{\with} block
1607 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1608 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1609 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1610 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1611 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1612 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1613 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1616 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1617 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1619 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1620 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1622 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1623 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1625 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1626 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1628 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1629 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1630 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1633 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1634 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1636 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1637 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1640 \header { tagline = ##f }
1641 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1651 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1654 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1661 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1662 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1663 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1664 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1666 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1667 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1668 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1669 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1670 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1673 \header { tagline = ##f }
1674 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1680 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1681 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1683 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1684 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1686 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1687 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1690 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1693 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1700 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1701 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1702 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1703 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1705 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1706 explicitly, we can also set the vertical startpoint of each staff
1707 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-offsets}
1708 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1711 \header { tagline = ##f }
1712 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1718 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1719 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1720 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1722 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1723 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1724 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1726 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1727 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1728 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1731 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1734 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1741 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1742 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1743 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1744 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1745 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1746 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1747 @code{alignment-offsets} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1748 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-offsets}
1749 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1752 \header { tagline = ##f }
1753 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1759 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1760 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1761 (alignment-offsets . (0 -30 -40)))
1763 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1764 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1765 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -20)))
1767 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1768 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1769 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -40)))
1772 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1775 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1776 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1783 Some points to consider:
1786 @item When using @code{alignment-offsets}, lyrics count as a staff.
1788 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1789 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-offsets} are interpreted as multiples
1790 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1791 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1793 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1794 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1795 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1796 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1797 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1806 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1807 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1809 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1810 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1811 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1813 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1814 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1815 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1816 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1817 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1818 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1819 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1822 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1823 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1824 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1825 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1828 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1829 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1830 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1831 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1832 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1833 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1834 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1837 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1840 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1841 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1843 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1844 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1845 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1846 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1847 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1850 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1851 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1852 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1854 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1855 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1856 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1857 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1858 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1859 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1863 By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid
1864 a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This
1865 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1866 other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staffs can
1867 also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved.
1868 Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1869 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1872 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1873 % the markup is too close to the following note
1877 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1879 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
1891 @node Horizontal spacing
1892 @section Horizontal spacing
1894 @cindex horizontal spacing
1895 @cindex spacing, horizontal
1898 * Horizontal spacing overview::
1899 * New spacing area::
1900 * Changing horizontal spacing::
1902 * Proportional notation::
1906 @node Horizontal spacing overview
1907 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
1909 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
1910 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
1911 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
1912 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
1913 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
1914 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
1915 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
1916 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
1918 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
1919 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
1920 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
1922 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
1923 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
1927 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
1928 approximately the width of a note head, and
1929 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
1930 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
1931 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
1932 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
1933 followed by one NHW of space.
1935 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
1936 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
1937 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
1938 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
1939 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
1940 the one which occurs most frequently.
1943 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
1944 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
1945 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
1946 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
1947 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
1948 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
1950 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
1951 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
1952 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
1953 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
1955 @funindex common-shortest-duration
1956 @funindex base-shortest-duration
1957 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
1960 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
1961 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
1962 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
1963 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
1965 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
1966 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
1972 @c (see @rlearning{Engraving}),
1973 it was explained that stem
1974 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
1975 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
1976 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
1977 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
1978 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same property
1979 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
1980 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
1981 exaggerated corrections:
1983 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1987 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1988 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1994 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
2001 Internals Reference:
2002 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
2003 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
2004 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
2005 @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}.
2010 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
2011 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score,
2012 adjusting the padding value as necessary.
2014 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10
2017 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
2020 @node New spacing area
2021 @subsection New spacing area
2023 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
2024 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
2025 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
2027 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
2028 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
2030 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
2033 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
2039 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
2040 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
2041 may be used in that location.
2048 Internals Reference:
2049 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
2052 @node Changing horizontal spacing
2053 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
2055 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
2056 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
2057 we compare the same music; once without altering
2058 the property, and then altered. Larger values
2059 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
2060 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
2061 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
2064 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2067 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2068 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2069 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2070 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2075 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2078 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2079 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2080 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2081 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2086 \override SpacingSpanner
2087 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2096 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2097 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2098 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2099 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2100 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2102 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2104 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2121 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2122 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2124 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2125 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2126 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2136 @subsection Line length
2139 @cindex breaking pages
2142 @funindex line-width
2143 @funindex ragged-right
2144 @funindex ragged-last
2146 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2147 @c block, to get page layout right.
2148 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2150 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2151 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2152 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2153 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2156 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2157 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2158 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2159 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2160 The normal default setting is false, but if the score has only one
2161 system the default value is true.
2164 @cindex vertical spacing
2166 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2167 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2168 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2169 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2170 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2171 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2172 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2173 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2189 @node Proportional notation
2190 @subsection Proportional notation
2192 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2193 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2194 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2195 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2196 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2197 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2198 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2200 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2201 which may be used together or alone:
2204 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2205 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2206 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2207 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2208 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2211 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2212 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2214 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2215 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2217 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2219 \new RhythmicStaff {
2223 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2229 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2230 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2231 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2232 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2233 horizontal space of the measure.
2235 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2236 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2237 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2239 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2240 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2241 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2244 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2246 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2248 \new RhythmicStaff {
2252 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2258 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2259 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2260 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2263 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting that
2264 lives in @code{Score}. Recall that context settings appear in one of
2265 three locations in our input file -- in a @code{\with} block, in a
2266 @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry
2267 preceded by the @code{\set} command. As with all
2268 context settings, users can pick which of the three different
2269 locations they would like to set @code{proportionalNotationDuration}.
2271 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2272 which is the reference duration against which all music will be
2273 spaced. The LilyPond Scheme function make-moment takes two arguments
2274 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2275 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces a
2276 reference duration of a twentieth note. The values
2277 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2278 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2280 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2281 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial and error,
2282 beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest) duration
2283 in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely; larger
2284 reference durations space music tightly.
2286 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2288 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2290 \new RhythmicStaff {
2294 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2300 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2302 \new RhythmicStaff {
2306 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2312 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2314 \new RhythmicStaff {
2318 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2324 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2325 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2326 Note also that proportional notation in general takes up more
2327 horizontal space that does classical spacing. Proportional spacing
2328 provides rhythmic clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2330 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2332 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2333 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2336 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2338 \new RhythmicStaff {
2342 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2345 \new RhythmicStaff {
2347 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2353 The spacing is bad because the evenly notes of the bottom staff do not
2354 stretch uniformly. Classical engraving includes very few complex
2355 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2356 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} remedies this
2357 situation considerably.
2359 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2361 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2363 \new RhythmicStaff {
2367 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2370 \new RhythmicStaff {
2372 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2378 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2379 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than do the notes
2380 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2381 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2382 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2384 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2386 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2387 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2389 \new RhythmicStaff {
2393 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2396 \new RhythmicStaff {
2398 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2404 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2405 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2406 timeline or graphic if we want.
2408 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2409 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2410 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2411 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2412 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2413 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2416 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2417 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2418 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2419 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2420 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2422 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2423 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2424 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2425 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2426 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2427 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2429 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2430 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2431 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2432 just before the first note in each system.
2434 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2447 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2448 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2449 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2450 reduces this space to zero.
2452 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2458 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2466 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2467 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2468 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2469 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2470 problems differently.
2472 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2473 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2474 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2475 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2476 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2477 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2478 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2480 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2481 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2482 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2484 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2486 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2496 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2497 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2507 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2508 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2509 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2510 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2511 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2512 part in the spacing algorithm.
2514 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2515 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2518 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2519 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2520 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2521 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2522 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2523 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2526 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2527 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2528 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2529 for these related settings.
2534 @ref{New spacing area}.
2540 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2541 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2543 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2544 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2545 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2546 of room left on those.
2548 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2549 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2550 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2551 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2554 * Displaying spacing::
2555 * Changing spacing::
2559 @node Displaying spacing
2560 @subsection Displaying spacing
2562 @funindex annotate-spacing
2563 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2565 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2566 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2567 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2569 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2570 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2571 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2574 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2580 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless
2581 of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2582 In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75
2583 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the
2584 default value). Note that:
2586 @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm}
2589 @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm
2592 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts
2594 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm
2599 In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to
2600 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75
2601 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height
2602 of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs
2603 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower
2604 edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
2609 @ref{Setting the staff size}.
2615 @node Changing spacing
2616 @subsection Changing spacing
2618 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2619 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2620 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2622 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2626 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2627 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2628 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2632 between-system-padding = #0.1
2633 between-system-space = #0.1
2634 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2640 Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just
2641 setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems
2642 being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to
2643 be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed,
2644 giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual
2645 reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For
2646 example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following
2647 assignment will force a layout with 10 systems.
2656 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2657 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2658 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2659 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2660 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2661 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2663 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2665 \override DynamicText #'extra-offset = #'( -2.2 . 2.0)
2670 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2671 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2672 example illustrates the default spacing:
2674 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2687 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2688 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2689 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2690 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2692 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2704 \override SpacingSpanner
2705 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2712 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2713 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2714 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2721 @ref{Page formatting},
2722 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.