1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
2 @c This file is part of lilypond.tely
4 @c A menu is needed before every deeper *section nesting of @node's; run
5 @c M-x texinfo-all-menus-update
6 @c to automatically fill in these menus before saving changes
11 This section deals with general lilypond issues, rather than
16 * A single music expression::
17 * Titles and headers::
20 * Multiple movements::
22 * Displaying LilyPond notation::
30 The main format of input for LilyPond are text files. By convention,
31 these files end with ``@code{.ly}''.
34 * File structure (introduction)::
36 * Including LilyPond files::
41 @node File structure (introduction)
42 @subsection File structure (introduction)
44 A basic example of a lilypond input file is
49 @{ @} % this is a single music expression;
50 % all the music goes in here.
58 There are many variations of this basic pattern, but this
59 example serves as a useful starting place.
61 The major part of this manual is concerned with entering various
62 forms of music in LilyPond. However, many music expressions are not
63 valid input on their own, for example, a @code{.ly} file containing
70 will result in a parsing error. Instead, music should be inside other
71 expressions, which may be put in a file by themselves. Such
72 expressions are called toplevel expressions. The next section enumerates
77 @subsection File structure
79 A @code{.ly} file contains any number of toplevel expressions, where a
80 toplevel expression is one of the following
84 An output definition, such as @code{\paper}, @code{\midi}, and
85 @code{\layout}. Such a definition at the toplevel changes the default
86 settings for the block entered.
89 A direct scheme expression, such as
90 @code{#(set-default-paper-size "a7" 'landscape)} or
91 @code{#(ly:set-option 'point-and-click #f)}.
94 A @code{\header} block. This sets the global header block. This
95 is the block containing the definitions for book-wide settings, like
99 An @code{\addquote} statement. See @ref{Quoting other voices}
100 for more information.
103 A @code{\score} block. This score will be collected with other
104 toplevel scores, and combined as a single @code{\book}.
106 This behavior can be changed by setting the variable
107 @code{toplevel-score-handler} at toplevel. The default handler is
108 defined in the init file @file{scm/@/lily@/.scm}.
110 The @code{\score} must begin with a music expression, and may
111 contain only one music expression.
114 A @code{\book} block logically combines multiple movements
115 (i.e., multiple @code{\score} blocks) in one document. If there are
116 a number of @code{\scores}, a single output file will be created
117 in which all movements are concatenated.
119 This behavior can be changed by setting the variable
120 @code{toplevel-book-handler} at toplevel. The default handler is
121 defined in the init file @file{scm/@/lily@/.scm}.
124 A compound music expression, such as
129 This will add the piece in a @code{\score} and format it in a
130 single book together with all other toplevel @code{\score}s and music
131 expressions. In other words, a file containing only the above
132 music expression will be translated into
148 This behavior can be changed by setting the variable
149 @code{toplevel-music-handler} at toplevel. The default handler is
150 defined in the init file @file{scm/@/lily@/.scm}.
153 A markup text, a verse for example
156 2. The first line verse two.
160 Markup texts are rendered above, between or below the scores or music
161 expressions, wherever they appear.
164 An identifier, such as
169 This can be used later on in the file by entering @code{\foo}. The
170 name of an identifier should have alphabetic characters only; no
171 numbers, underscores or dashes.
175 The following example shows three things that may be entered at
180 % movements are non-justified by default
192 At any point in a file, any of the following lexical instructions can
196 @item @code{\version}
197 @item @code{\include}
198 @item @code{\renameinput}
202 @node Including LilyPond files
203 @subsection Including LilyPond files
206 @cindex including files
208 A large project may be split up into separate files. To refer to another
212 \include "otherfile.ly"
215 The line @code{\include "file.ly"} is equivalent to pasting the contents
216 of file.ly into the current file at the place where you have the
217 \include. For example, for a large project you might write separate files
218 for each instrument part and create a ``full score'' file which brings
219 together the individual instrument files.
221 The initialization of LilyPond is done in a number of files that are
222 included by default when you start the program, normally transparent to the
223 user. Run lilypond --verbose to see a list of paths and files that Lily
226 Files placed in directory @file{PATH/TO/share/lilypond/VERSION/ly/} (where
227 VERSION is in the form ``2.6.1'') are on the path and available to
228 @code{\include}. Files in the
229 current working directory are available to \include, but a file of the same
230 name in LilyPond's installation takes precedence. Files are
231 available to \include from directories in the search path specified as an
232 option when invoking @code{lilypond --include=DIR} which adds DIR to the
235 The @code{\include} statement can use full path information, but with the Unix
236 convention @code{"/"} rather than the DOS/Windows @code{"\"}. For example,
237 if @file{stuff.ly} is located one directory higher than the current working
241 \include "../stuff.ly"
246 @subsection Text encoding
248 LilyPond uses the Pango library to format multi-lingual texts, and
249 does not perform any input-encoding conversions. This means that any
250 text, be it title, lyric text, or musical instruction containing
251 non-ASCII characters, must be utf-8. The easiest way to enter such text is
252 by using a Unicode-aware editor and saving the file with utf-8 encoding. Most
253 popular modern editors have utf-8 support, for example, vim, Emacs,
256 Depending on the fonts installed, the following fragment shows Hebrew
263 @lilypondfile[fontload]{utf-8.ly}
265 The @TeX{} backend does not handle encoding specially at all. Strings
266 in the input are put in the output as-is. Extents of text items in the
267 @TeX{} backend, are determined by reading a file created via the
268 @file{texstr} backend,
271 lilypond -b texstr input/les-nereides.ly
272 latex les-nereides.texstr
275 The last command produces @file{les-nereides.textmetrics}, which is
276 read when you execute
279 lilypond -b tex input/les-nereides.ly
282 Both @file{les-nereides.texstr} and @file{les-nereides.tex} need
283 suitable LaTeX wrappers to load appropriate La@TeX{} packages for
284 interpreting non-ASCII strings.
286 To use a Unicode escape sequence, use
289 #(ly:export (ly:wide-char->utf-8 #x2014))
295 @inputfileref{input/regression,utf-8.ly}
299 @node A single music expression
300 @section A single music expression
302 A @code{\score} must contain a single music expression. However,
303 this music expression may be of any size. Recall that music
304 expressions may be included inside other expressions to form
305 larger expressions. All of these examples are single music
306 expressions; note the curly braces @{ @} or angle brackets <<
307 >> at the beginning and ending of the music.
313 @lilypond[ragged-right,verbatim,quote]
320 @lilypond[ragged-right,verbatim,quote]
322 \new Staff { c'4 c' c' c' }
323 \new Staff { d'4 d' d' d' }
331 \new Staff @{ \flute @}
332 \new Staff @{ \oboe @}
335 \new Staff @{ \violinI @}
336 \new Staff @{ \violinII @}
343 @node Titles and headers
344 @section Titles and headers
346 Almost all printed music includes a title and the composer's name;
347 some pieces include a lot more information.
355 @node Creating titles
356 @subsection Creating titles
358 Titles are created for each @code{\score} block, and over a
361 The contents of the titles are taken from the @code{\header} blocks.
362 The header block for a book supports the following
365 The dedicatee of the music, centered at the top of the first page.
368 The title of the music, centered just below the dedication.
371 Subtitle, centered below the title.
374 Subsubtitle, centered below the subtitle.
377 Name of the poet, flush-left below the subtitle.
380 Name of the composer, flush-right below the subtitle.
383 Meter string, flush-left below the poet.
386 Name of the opus, flush-right below the composer.
389 Name of the arranger, flush-right below the opus.
392 Name of the instrument, centered below the arranger. Also
393 centered at the top of pages (other than the first page).
396 Name of the piece, flush-left below the instrument.
398 @cindex page breaks, forcing
400 This forces the title to start on a new page (set to ##t or ##f).
403 Copyright notice, centered at the bottom of the first page. To
404 insert the copyright symbol, see @ref{Text encoding}.
407 Centered at the bottom of the last page.
411 Here is a demonstration of the fields available. Note that you
412 may use any @ref{Text markup} commands in the header.
414 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,line-width=11.0\cm]
417 paper-height = 10.0\cm
422 dedication = "dedicated to me"
423 title = \markup \center-align { "Title first line" "Title second line,
425 subtitle = "the subtitle,"
426 subsubtitle = #(string-append "subsubtitle LilyPond version "
429 composer = \markup \center-align { "composer" \small "(1847-1973)" }
430 texttranslator = "Text Translator"
431 meter = \markup { \teeny "m" \tiny "e" \normalsize "t" \large "e" \huge
433 arranger = \markup { \fontsize #8.5 "a" \fontsize #2.5 "r" \fontsize
434 #-2.5 "r" \fontsize #-5.3 "a" \fontsize #7.5 "nger" }
435 instrument = \markup \bold \italic "instrument"
459 As demonstrated before, you can use multiple @code{\header} blocks.
460 When same fields appear in different blocks, the latter is used.
461 Here is a short example.
465 composer = "Composer"
473 piece = "New piece" % overwrite previous one
478 If you define the @code{\header} inside the @code{\score} block, then
479 normally only the @code{piece} and @code{opus} headers will be printed.
480 Note that the music expression must come before the @code{\header}.
482 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,line-width=11.0\cm]
486 title = "title" % not printed
493 @findex printallheaders
495 You may change this behavior (and print all the headers when defining
496 @code{\header} inside @code{\score}) by using
506 @subsection Custom titles
508 A more advanced option is to change the definitions of the following
509 variables in the @code{\paper} block. The init file
510 @file{ly/titling-init.ly} lists the default layout.
513 @findex bookTitleMarkup
514 @item bookTitleMarkup
515 This is the title put over an entire @code{\book} block. Typically,
516 it has the composer and the title of the piece
518 @findex scoreTitleMarkup
519 @item scoreTitleMarkup
520 This is the title put over a @code{\score} block within a
521 @code{\book}. Typically, it has the name of the movement (@code{piece}
524 @findex oddHeaderMarkup
525 @item oddHeaderMarkup
526 This is the page header for odd-numbered pages.
528 @findex evenHeaderMarkup
529 @item evenHeaderMarkup
530 This is the page header for even-numbered pages. If unspecified,
531 the odd header is used instead.
533 By default, headers are defined such that the page number is on the
534 outside edge, and the instrument is centered.
536 @findex oddFooterMarkup
537 @item oddFooterMarkup
538 This is the page footer for odd-numbered pages.
540 @findex evenFotterMarkup
541 @item evenFooterMarkup
542 This is the page footer for even-numbered pages. If unspecified,
543 the odd header is used instead.
545 By default, the footer has the copyright notice on the first, and
546 the tagline on the last page.
556 The following definition will put the title flush left, and the
557 composer flush right on a single line.
561 bookTitleMarkup = \markup {
563 \fromproperty #'header:title
564 \fromproperty #'header:composer
573 The @code{breakbefore=##t} header requires that there is a @code{piece}
574 header as well. It may be used as a normal header, or left blank
575 (@code{=""}) as in the example above, but it must be present.
579 @node Paper and pages
580 @section Paper and pages
582 This section deals with the display of music on physical paper.
591 @subsection Paper size
597 To change the paper size, there are two commands,
599 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
601 #(set-paper-size "a4")
605 The first command sets the size of all pages. The second command sets the
607 of the pages that the @code{\paper} block applies to -- if the @code{\paper}
608 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply to all pages. If the
609 @code{\paper} block is inside a @code{\book}, then the paper size will only
612 Support for the following paper sizes are included by default,
613 @code{a6}, @code{a5}, @code{a4}, @code{a3}, @code{legal}, @code{letter},
614 @code{11x17} (also known as tabloid).
616 Extra sizes may be added by editing the definition for
617 @code{paper-alist} in the initialization file @file{scm/paper.scm}.
622 If the symbol @code{landscape} is supplied as an argument to
623 @code{set-default-paper-size}, the pages will be rotated by 90 degrees,
624 and wider line widths will be set correspondingly.
627 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
630 Setting the paper size will adjust a number of @code{\paper} variables
631 (such as margins). To use a particular paper size with altered
632 @code{\paper} variables, set the paper size before setting the variables.
635 @node Page formatting
636 @subsection Page formatting
638 @cindex page formatting
643 LilyPond will do page layout, set margins, and add headers and
644 footers to each page.
646 @findex annotate-spacing
647 @cindex Spacing, display of properties
649 To graphically display the dimensions of properties that may
650 be altered for page formatting, use
654 annotate-spacing = ##t
659 All units dimensions are measured in staff spaces. The pairs
660 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower edge and
661 @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
663 The default layout responds to the following settings in the
670 @findex first-page-number
671 @item first-page-number
672 The value of the page number of the first page. Default is@tie{}1.
674 @findex printfirst-page-number
675 @item printfirst-page-number
676 If set to true, will print the page number in the first page. Default is
679 @findex print-page-number
680 @item print-page-number
681 If set to false, page numbers will not be printed.
685 The width of the page.
689 The height of the page.
693 Margin between header and top of the page.
695 @findex bottom-margin
697 Margin between footer and bottom of the page.
701 Margin between the left side of the page and the beginning of the music.
705 The length of the systems.
707 @findex head-separation
708 @item head-separation
709 Distance between the top-most music system and the page header.
711 @findex foot-separation
712 @item foot-separation
713 Distance between the bottom-most music system and the page footer.
715 @findex page-top-space
716 Distance from the top of the printable area to the center of the first
717 staff. This only works for staves which are vertically small. Big staves
718 are set with the top of their bounding box aligned to the top of the
721 @findex ragged-bottom
723 If set to true, systems will not be spread vertically across the page. This
724 does not affect the last page.
726 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
727 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
729 @findex ragged-last-bottom
730 @item ragged-last-bottom
731 If set to false, systems will be spread vertically to fill the last page.
733 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
738 This variable, if set, specifies into how many lines a score should be
741 @findex between-system-space
742 @item between-system-space
743 This dimensions determines the distance between systems. It is the
744 ideal distance between the center of the bottom staff of one system
745 and the center of the top staff of the next system.
747 Increasing this will provide a more even appearance of the page at the
748 cost of using more vertical space.
750 @findex between-system-padding
751 @item between-system-padding
752 This dimension is the minimum amount of white space that will always
753 be present between the bottom-most symbol of one system, and the
754 top-most of the next system.
756 Increasing this will put systems whose bounding boxes almost touch
760 @findex horizontal-shift
761 @item horizontal-shift
762 All systems (including titles and system separators) are shifted by
763 this amount to the right. Page markup, such as headers and footers are
764 not affected by this. The purpose of this variable is to make space
765 for instrument names at the left.
767 @findex after-title-space
768 @item after-title-space
769 Amount of space between the title and the first system.
771 @findex after-title-space
772 @item before-title-space
773 Amount of space between the last system of the previous piece and the
776 @findex between-title-space
777 @item between-title-space
778 Amount of space between consecutive titles (e.g., the title of the
779 book and the title of a piece).
781 @findex printallheaders
782 @item printallheaders
783 Setting this to #t will print all headers for each \score in a
784 \book. Normally only the piece and opus \headers are printed.
786 @findex systemSeparatorMarkup
787 @item systemSeparatorMarkup
788 This contains a markup object, which will be inserted between
789 systems. This is often used for orchestral scores.
791 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
794 @lilypond[ragged-right]
797 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
800 systemSeparatorMarkup = \slashSeparator
816 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
820 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
821 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
822 @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters. That's why the
823 value has to be multiplied in the example
827 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
834 The default footer is empty, except for the first page, where the
835 @code{copyright} field from @code{\header} is inserted, and the last
836 page, where @code{tagline} from @code{\header} is added. The default
837 tagline is ``Music engraving by LilyPond (@var{version})''.@footnote{Nicely
838 printed parts are good PR for us, so please leave the tagline if you
841 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
842 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
843 implementations are in @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/.ly} and
844 @file{ly/@/titling@/-init@/.ly}.
846 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
847 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
848 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
849 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
850 page given the system to put on it.
855 The option right-margin is defined but doesn't set the right margin
856 yet. The value for the right margin has to be defined adjusting the
857 values of @code{left-margin} and @code{line-width}.
859 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
860 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
862 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
863 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
864 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
868 @section Music layout
870 This section deals with the manner in which the music is printed
871 within the boundaries defined by the @code{\paper} block.
873 The global paper layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the
874 line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The
875 choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set.
876 This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how
877 many pages a piece of music takes.
879 Globally spoken, this procedure happens in three steps: first,
880 flexible distances (``springs'') are chosen, based on durations. All
881 possible line breaking combinations are tried, and the one with the
882 best results -- a layout that has uniform density and requires as
883 little stretching or cramping as possible -- is chosen.
885 After spacing and linebreaking, the systems are distributed across
886 pages, taking into account the size of the page, and the size of the
890 * Setting global staff size::
891 * Selecting notation font size::
894 * Vertical spacing of piano staves::
895 * Horizontal spacing::
902 @node Setting global staff size
903 @subsection Setting global staff size
905 @cindex font size, setting
906 @cindex staff size, setting
909 To set the global staff size, use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
912 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
916 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
919 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
920 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
921 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
922 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
925 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
928 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
929 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
971 @c modern rental material?
976 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
977 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
978 @internalsref{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
979 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
987 This manual: @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
990 @node Selecting notation font size
991 @subsection Selecting notation font size
993 The easiest method of setting the font size of any context, is by
994 setting the @code{fontSize} property.
996 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
1005 It does not change the size of variable symbols, such as beams or
1008 Internally, the @code{fontSize} context property will cause the
1009 @code{font-size} property to be set in all layout objects. The value
1010 of @code{font-size} is a number indicating the size relative to the
1011 standard size for the current staff height. Each step up is an
1012 increase of approximately 12% of the font size. Six steps is exactly a
1013 factor two. The Scheme function @code{magstep} converts a
1014 @code{font-size} number to a scaling factor.
1016 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
1018 \override NoteHead #'font-size = #-4
1020 \override NoteHead #'font-size = #3
1024 LilyPond has fonts in different design sizes. The music fonts for
1025 smaller sizes are chubbier, while the text fonts are relatively wider.
1026 Font size changes are achieved by scaling the design size that is
1027 closest to the desired size. The standard font size (for
1028 @code{font-size} equals 0), depends on the standard staff height. For
1029 a 20pt staff, a 10pt font is selected.
1031 The @code{font-size} property can only be set on layout objects that
1032 use fonts. These are the ones supporting the
1033 @internalsref{font-interface} layout interface.
1037 The following commands set @code{fontSize} for the current voice:
1048 @subsection Score layout
1052 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
1053 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
1060 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
1063 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
1064 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
1072 This manual: @ref{Changing context default settings}
1075 @node Vertical spacing
1076 @subsection Vertical spacing
1078 @cindex vertical spacing
1079 @cindex distance between staves
1080 @cindex staff distance
1081 @cindex between staves, distance
1082 @cindex staves per page
1083 @cindex space between staves
1085 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
1086 systems from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
1087 By changing these, you can put staves closer together, and thus put
1088 more systems onto one page.
1090 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
1091 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
1092 property @code{minimum-Y-extent}. When applied to a
1093 @internalsref{VerticalAxisGroup}, it controls the size of a horizontal
1094 line, such as a staff or a line of lyrics. @code{minimum-Y-extent}
1095 takes a pair of numbers, so
1096 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)}
1100 \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-3 . 3)
1104 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
1105 either side of the center staff line. The value @code{(-3 . 3)} is
1106 interpreted as an interval, where the center line is the 0, so the
1107 first number is generally negative. The staff can be made larger at
1108 the bottom by setting it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
1110 The spacing of staves in a system may also be tuned per system. This is
1111 done with the command
1115 #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1116 #'line-break-system-details
1117 #'((alignment-extra-space . 15))
1121 at the line break before the system to be changed. The distance
1122 @code{15} is distributed over all staves that have a fixed distance
1123 alignment. For example,
1125 @lilypond[ragged-right, fragment, relative=2, staffsize=13]
1131 #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1132 #'line-break-system-details
1133 #'((fixed-alignment-extra-space . 15))
1141 The distance for @code{alignment-extra-space} may also be negative.
1144 To change the amount of space between systems, use
1145 @code{between-system-space}. A score with only one staff is still
1146 considered to have systems, so setting @code{between-system-space} will
1147 be much more useful than changing @code{minimum-Y-extent} of a Staff
1152 between-system-space = 10\mm
1156 If you simply want to tell LilyPond ``fit as much as possible onto
1157 these pages, then expand to fill any available space on the pages,''
1158 then use the following
1162 between-system-padding = #1
1164 ragged-last-bottom=##f
1169 @c let's wait for a some comments before writing more.
1171 The vertical spacing on a page can also be changed for each system
1173 Some examples are found in the example file
1174 @inputfileref{input/regression/,page-spacing.ly}.
1176 When setting @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block LilyPond
1177 will graphically indicate the dimensions of properties that may be set
1181 #(set-default-paper-size "a7" 'landscape)
1182 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
1187 All units dimensions are measured in staff spaces. The pairs
1188 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower edge and
1189 @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
1193 Internals: Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
1194 @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} object. The context parameters
1195 specifying the vertical extent are described in connection with
1196 the @internalsref{Axis_group_engraver}.
1198 Example files: @inputfileref{input/regression/,page-spacing.ly},
1199 @inputfileref{input/regression/,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1204 @node Vertical spacing of piano staves
1205 @subsection Vertical spacing of piano staves
1207 The distance between staves of a @internalsref{PianoStaff} cannot be
1208 computed during formatting. Rather, to make cross-staff beaming work
1209 correctly, that distance has to be fixed beforehand.
1211 The distance of staves in a @code{PianoStaff} is set with the
1212 @code{forced-distance} property of the
1213 @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} object, created in
1214 @internalsref{PianoStaff}.
1216 It can be adjusted as follows
1218 \new PianoStaff \with @{
1219 \override VerticalAlignment #'forced-distance = #7
1226 This would bring the staves together at a distance of 7 staff spaces,
1227 measured from the center line of each staff.
1229 The difference is demonstrated in the following example,
1230 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1232 \new PianoStaff \with {
1233 \override VerticalAlignment #'forced-distance = #7
1246 It is also possible to change the distance between for each system
1247 individually. This is done by including the command
1251 #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1252 #'line-break-system-details
1253 #'((fixed-alignment-extra-space . 15))
1257 at the line break before the system to be changed. The distance
1258 @code{15} is distributed over all staves that have a fixed distance
1259 alignment. For example,
1261 @lilypond[ragged-right, fragment, relative=2, staffsize=13]
1267 #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1268 #'line-break-system-details
1269 #'((fixed-alignment-extra-space . 15))
1277 The distance for @code{fixed-alignment-extra-space} may also be
1282 Example files: @inputfileref{input/regression/,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1284 @node Horizontal spacing
1285 @subsection Horizontal Spacing
1287 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
1288 distances (``springs'') of differring lengths. Longer durations get
1289 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
1290 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
1291 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}
1292 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
1293 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
1294 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
1296 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
1297 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
1298 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
1300 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
1301 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
1305 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
1306 approximately the width of a note head, and
1307 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
1308 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
1309 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
1310 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
1311 followed by one NHW of space.
1313 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
1314 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
1315 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
1316 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
1317 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
1318 the one which occurs most frequently.
1321 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
1322 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
1323 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
1324 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
1325 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
1326 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
1328 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
1329 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, then
1330 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
1331 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
1333 @findex common-shortest-duration
1334 @findex base-shortest-duration
1335 @findex stem-spacing-correction
1338 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
1339 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
1340 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
1341 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
1343 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
1344 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
1348 In the introduction (see @ref{Engraving}), it was explained that stem
1349 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
1350 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
1351 @internalsref{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
1352 @internalsref{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
1353 (generated in @internalsref{Staff} context) contains the same property
1354 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
1355 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
1356 exaggerated corrections:
1358 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1362 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1363 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1369 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
1371 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
1372 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
1373 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
1374 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
1375 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
1377 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1379 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
1397 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
1398 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
1400 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1401 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
1402 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
1408 Internals: @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, @internalsref{NoteSpacing},
1409 @internalsref{StaffSpacing}, @internalsref{SeparationItem}, and
1410 @internalsref{SeparatingGroupSpanner}.
1414 Spacing is determined on a score wide basis. If you have a score that
1415 changes its character (measured in durations) halfway during the
1416 score, the part containing the longer durations will be spaced too
1419 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
1420 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score.
1422 \once \override Score.SeparationItem #'padding = #1
1425 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
1429 @subsection Line length
1432 @cindex breaking pages
1436 @findex ragged-right
1439 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
1440 @c block, to get page layout right.
1441 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
1443 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
1444 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
1445 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
1446 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
1449 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
1450 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
1451 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
1452 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
1455 @cindex vertical spacing
1457 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
1458 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
1459 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
1460 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
1461 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
1462 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
1463 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
1464 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
1476 @subsection Line breaking
1479 @cindex breaking lines
1481 Line breaks are normally computed automatically. They are chosen so
1482 that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and that consecutive lines
1483 have similar density.
1485 Occasionally you might want to override the automatic breaks; you can
1486 do this by specifying @code{\break}. This will force a line break at
1487 this point. Line breaks can only occur at places where there are bar
1488 lines. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
1489 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar
1490 ""}. Similarly, @code{\noBreak} forbids a line break at a
1494 @cindex regular line breaks
1495 @cindex four bar music.
1497 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
1498 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}:
1500 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
1501 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
1502 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
1503 @emph{the real music}
1508 This makes the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) be broken every
1509 4 measures, and only there.
1513 @code{\break}, and @code{\noBreak}.
1519 Internals: @internalsref{BreakEvent}.
1521 A linebreaking configuration can now be saved as a @code{.ly} file
1522 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
1523 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
1524 complicated; see @inputfileref{input/regression/,page-layout-twopass.ly}
1529 Line breaks can only occur if there is a ``proper'' bar line. A note
1530 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
1532 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1533 c4 c2 c2 \break % this does nothing
1534 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
1535 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
1541 @subsection Page breaking
1543 The default page breaking may be overriden by inserting
1544 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
1545 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
1546 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
1547 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
1550 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function in the
1551 @code{\paper} block.
1553 To force a new page for a new piece (in a collection of pieces or a
1554 piece in several movements), use @code{breakbefore} in the header.
1567 @findex \noPageBreak
1573 The @code{breakbefore=##t} header requires that there is a @code{piece}
1574 header as well. It may be used as a normal header, or left blank
1575 (@code{=""}) as in the example above, but it must be present.
1579 @node Multiple movements
1580 @section Multiple movements
1582 @cindex bibliographic information
1585 @cindex Music engraving by LilyPond
1587 A document may contain multiple pieces of music and texts. Examples
1588 of these are an etude book, or an orchestral part with multiple
1589 movements. Each movement is entered with a @code{\score} block,
1597 and texts are entered with a @code{\markup} block,
1607 The movements and texts are combined together in a @code{\book} block,
1625 The header for each piece of music can be put inside the @code{\score}
1626 block. The @code{piece} name from the header will be printed before
1627 each movement. The title for the entire book can be put inside the
1628 @code{\book}, but if it is not present, the @code{\header} which is at
1629 the top of the file is inserted.
1631 @cindex Engraved by LilyPond
1632 @cindex signature line
1637 title = "Eight miniatures"
1638 composer = "Igor Stravinsky"
1642 \header @{ piece = "Romanze" @}
1645 ..text of second verse..
1648 ..text of third verse..
1652 \header @{ piece = "Menuetto" @}
1660 @section MIDI output
1665 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a standard for
1666 connecting and controlling digital instruments. A MIDI file is a
1667 series of notes in a number of tracks. It is not an actual
1668 sound file; you need special software to translate between the
1669 series of notes and actual sounds.
1671 Pieces of music can be converted to MIDI files, so you can listen to
1672 what was entered. This is convenient for checking the music; octaves
1673 that are off or accidentals that were mistyped stand out very much
1674 when listening to the MIDI output.
1678 Many musically interesting effects, such as swing, articulation,
1679 slurring, etc., are not translated to midi.
1681 The midi output allocates a channel for each staff, and one for global
1682 settings. Therefore the midi file should not have more than 15 staves
1683 (or 14 if you do not use drums). Other staves will remain silent.
1685 Not all midi players correctly handle tempo changes in the midi
1686 output. Players that are known to work include
1687 @uref{http://@/timidity@/.sourceforge@/.net/,timidity}.
1690 * Creating MIDI files::
1692 * MIDI instrument names::
1695 @node Creating MIDI files
1696 @subsection Creating MIDI files
1698 To create a MIDI from a music piece of music, add a @code{\midi} block
1699 to a score, for example,
1704 \midi @{ \tempo 4=72 @}
1708 The tempo is specified using the @code{\tempo} command. In this
1709 example the tempo of quarter notes is set to 72 beats per minute.
1712 If there is a @code{\midi} command in a @code{\score}, only MIDI will
1713 be produced. When notation is needed too, a @code{\layout} block must
1719 \midi @{ \tempo 4=72 @}
1723 @cindex layout block
1727 Ties, dynamics, and tempo changes are interpreted. Dynamic marks,
1728 crescendi and decrescendi translate into MIDI volume levels. Dynamic
1729 marks translate to a fixed fraction of the available MIDI volume
1730 range, crescendi and decrescendi make the volume vary linearly between
1731 their two extremes. The fractions can be adjusted by
1732 @code{dynamicAbsoluteVolumeFunction} in @internalsref{Voice} context.
1733 For each type of MIDI instrument, a volume range can be defined. This
1734 gives a basic equalizer control, which can enhance the quality of
1735 the MIDI output remarkably. The equalizer can be controlled by
1736 setting @code{instrumentEqualizer}, or by setting
1739 \set Staff.midiMinimumVolume = #0.2
1740 \set Staff.midiMaximumVolume = #0.8
1743 To remove dynamics from the MIDI output, insert the following lines
1744 in the @code{\midi@{@}} section.
1751 \remove "Dynamic_performer"
1752 \remove "Span_dynamic_performer"
1760 Unterminated (de)crescendos will not render properly in the midi file,
1761 resulting in silent passages of music. The workaround is to explicitly
1762 terminate the (de)crescendo. For example,
1769 will not work properly but
1780 @subsection MIDI block
1784 The MIDI block is analogous to the layout block, but it is somewhat
1785 simpler. The @code{\midi} block can contain
1789 @item a @code{\tempo} definition, and
1790 @item context definitions.
1793 A number followed by a period is interpreted as a real number, so
1794 for setting the tempo for dotted notes, an extra space should be
1795 inserted, for example
1798 \midi @{ \tempo 4 . = 120 @}
1802 @cindex context definition
1804 Context definitions follow precisely the same syntax as within the
1805 \layout block. Translation modules for sound are called performers.
1806 The contexts for MIDI output are defined in @file{ly/@/performer@/-init@/.ly}.
1809 @node MIDI instrument names
1810 @subsection MIDI instrument names
1812 @cindex instrument names
1813 @findex Staff.midiInstrument
1815 The MIDI instrument name is set by the @code{Staff.midiInstrument}
1816 property. The instrument name should be chosen from the list in
1817 @ref{MIDI instruments}.
1820 \set Staff.midiInstrument = "glockenspiel"
1824 If the selected instrument does not exactly match an instrument from
1825 the list of MIDI instruments, the Grand Piano (@code{"acoustic grand"})
1829 @c Yes, this is a cop-out; this info doesn't belong in the Scheme
1830 @c chapter, but I'm not certain where to stick it.
1831 @c I think I'll eventually split this chapter into a "paper/layout"
1832 @c chapter and a "misc issues" chapter. -gp
1833 @node Displaying LilyPond notation
1834 @section Displaying LilyPond notation
1836 @findex \displayLilyMusc
1837 Displaying a music expression in LilyPond notation can be
1838 done using the music function @code{\displayLilyMusic}. For example,
1842 \displayLilyMusic \transpose c a, @{ c e g a bes @}
1849 @{ a, cis e fis g @}
1852 By default, LilyPond will print these messages to the console along
1853 with all the other messages. To split up these messages and save
1854 the results of @code{\display@{STUFF@}}, redirect the output to
1858 lilypond file.ly >display.txt
1865 @c FIXME: yeah, it really needs to be moved soon. -gp
1867 * Skipping corrected music::
1868 * Writing music in parallel::
1871 @node Skipping corrected music
1872 @subsection Skipping corrected music
1875 @findex skipTypesetting
1876 @findex showLastLength
1878 When entering or copying music, usually only the music near the end (where
1880 are adding notes) is interesting to view and correct. To speed up
1881 this correction process, it is possible to skip typesetting of all but
1882 the last few measures. This is achieved by putting
1885 showLastLength = R1*5
1890 in your source file. This will render only the last 5 measures
1891 (assuming 4/4 time signature) of every @code{\score} in the input
1892 file. For longer pieces, rendering only a small part is often an order
1893 of magnitude quicker than rendering it completely
1895 Skipping parts of a score can be controlled in a more fine-grained
1896 fashion with the property @code{Score.skipTypesetting}. When it is
1897 set, no typesetting is performed at all.
1899 This property is also used to control output to the MIDI file. Note that
1900 it skips all events, including tempo and instrument changes. You have
1903 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim]
1906 \set Score.skipTypesetting = ##t
1908 \set Score.skipTypesetting = ##f
1912 In polyphonic music, @code{Score.skipTypesetting} will affect all
1913 voices and staves, saving even more time.
1916 @node Writing music in parallel
1917 @subsection Writing music in parallel
1918 @cindex Writing music in parallel
1919 @cindex Interleaved music
1921 Music for multiple parts can be interleaved
1923 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim]
1924 \parallelMusic #'(voiceA voiceB) {
1925 r8 g'16[ c''] e''[ g' c'' e''] r8 g'16[ c''] e''[ g' c'' e''] |
1927 r8 a'16[ d''] f''[ a' d'' f''] r8 a'16[ d''] f''[ a' d'' f''] |
1931 \new Staff \new Voice \voiceA
1932 \new Staff \new Voice \voiceB