1 @c -*- coding: latin-1; 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 is a placeholder until I can write a nice intro for this chapter.
21 @section Global layout
23 The global layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the
24 line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The
25 choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set.
26 This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how
27 many pages a piece of music takes.
29 Globally spoken, this procedure happens in three steps: first,
30 flexible distances (``springs'') are chosen, based on durations. All
31 possible line breaking combinations are tried, and the one with the
32 best results -- a layout that has uniform density and requires as
33 little stretching or cramping as possible -- is chosen.
35 After spacing and linebreaking, the systems are distributed across
36 pages, taking into account the size of the page, and the size of the
42 * Setting global staff size::
46 * Vertical spacing of piano staves::
47 * Horizontal spacing::
51 * Multiple movements::
56 @node Setting global staff size
57 @subsection Setting global staff size
59 @cindex font size, setting
60 @cindex staff size, setting
61 @cindex @code{layout} file
63 To set the global staff size, use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
66 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
70 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
73 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
74 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
75 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
76 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
79 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
82 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
83 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
125 @c modern rental material?
130 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
131 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
132 @internalsref{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
133 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
141 This manual: @ref{Selecting font sizes}.
145 @subsection Paper size
149 @cindex @code{papersize}
151 To change the paper size, there are two equal commands,
153 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
155 #(set-paper-size "a4")
159 The first command sets the size of all pages. The second command sets the size
160 of the pages that the @code{\paper} block applies to -- if the @code{\paper}
161 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply to all pages. If the
162 @code{\paper} block is inside a @code{\score}, then the paper size will only
165 The following paper sizes are supported: @code{a6}, @code{a5}, @code{a4},
166 @code{a3}, @code{legal}, @code{letter}, @code{tabloid}.
171 If the symbol @code{landscape} is supplied as an argument to
172 @code{set-default-paper-size}, the pages will be rotated by 90 degrees,
173 and wider line widths will be set correspondingly.
176 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
181 @subsection Page layout
188 LilyPond will do page layout, set margins, and add headers and
189 footers to each page.
191 The default layout responds to the following settings in the
198 @item firstpagenumber
199 The value of the page number of the first page. Default is@tie{}1.
201 @item printfirstpagenumber
202 If set to true, will print the page number in the first page. Default is
206 The width of the page.
209 The height of the page.
212 Margin between header and top of the page.
215 Margin between footer and bottom of the page.
218 Margin between the left side of the page and the beginning of the music.
221 The length of the systems.
224 Distance between the top-most music system and the page header.
227 Distance between the bottom-most music system and the page footer.
230 If set to true, systems will not be spread across the page.
232 This should be set false for pieces that have only two or three
233 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
235 @item raggedlastbottom
236 If set to false, systems will be spread to fill the last page.
238 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
241 @item betweensystemspace
242 This dimensions determines the distance between systems. It is the
243 ideal distance between the center of the bottom staff of one system
244 and the center of the top staff of the next system.
246 Increasing this will provide a more even appearance of the page at the
247 cost of using more vertical space.
249 @item betweensystempadding
250 This dimension is the minimum amount of white space that will always
251 be present between the bottom-most symbol of one system, and the
252 top-most of the next system.
254 Increasing this will put systems whose bounding boxes almost touch
257 @item aftertitlespace
258 Amount of space between the title and the first system.
260 @item beforetitlespace
261 Amount of space between the last system of the previous piece and the
264 @item betweentitlespace
265 Amount of space between consecutive titles (e.g., the title of the
266 book and the title of a piece).
268 @item systemSeparatorMarkup
269 This contains a markup object, which will be inserted between
270 systems. This is often used for orchestral scores.
272 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
275 @lilypond[raggedright]
277 systemSeparatorMarkup = \slashSeparator
280 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
294 raggedlastbottom = ##t
298 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
299 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
300 @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters. That's why the
301 value has to be multiplied in the example
305 #(define bottommargin (* 2 cm))
312 The default footer is empty, except for the first page, where the
313 @code{copyright} field from @code{\header} is inserted, and the last
314 page, where @code{tagline} from @code{\header} is added. The default
315 tagline is ``Music engraving by LilyPond (@var{version})''.@footnote{Nicely
316 printed parts are good PR for us, so please leave the tagline if you
319 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
320 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
321 implementations are in @file{scm/@/page@/-layout@/.scm}.
323 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
324 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
325 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
326 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
327 page given the system to put on it.
332 The option rightmargin is defined but doesn't set the right margin
333 yet. The value for the right margin has to be defined adjusting the
334 values of the leftmargin and linewidth.
336 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
337 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
340 @node Vertical spacing
341 @subsection Vertical spacing
343 @cindex vertical spacing
344 @cindex distance between staves
345 @cindex staff distance
346 @cindex between staves, distance
347 @cindex staves per page
348 @cindex space between staves
350 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
351 systems from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
352 By changing these, you can put staves closer together, and thus put
353 more systems onto one page.
355 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
356 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
357 property @code{minimumVerticalExtent}. It takes a pair of numbers, so
358 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)},
362 \set Staff.minimumVerticalExtent = #'(-3 . 3)
366 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
367 either side of the center staff line. The argument of
368 @code{minimumVerticalExtent} is interpreted as an interval, where the
369 center line is the 0, so the first number is generally negative. The
370 staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
372 To change the amount of space between systems, use
373 @code{betweensystemspace}. A score with only one staff is still
374 considered to have systems, so setting @code{betweensystemspace}
375 will be much more useful than changing @code{minimumVerticalExtent}.
379 betweensystemspace = 10\mm
386 Internals: Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
387 @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} object.
391 @code{minimumVerticalExtent} is syntactic sugar for setting
392 @code{minimum-Y-extent} of the @internalsref{VerticalAxisGroup} of the
393 current context. It can only be changed score wide.
398 @node Vertical spacing of piano staves
399 @subsection Vertical spacing of piano staves
401 The distance between staves of a @internalsref{PianoStaff} cannot be
402 computed during formatting. Rather, to make cross-staff beaming work
403 correctly, that distance has to be fixed beforehand.
405 The distance of staves in a @code{PianoStaff} is set with the
406 @code{forced-distance} property of the
407 @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} object, created in
408 @internalsref{PianoStaff}.
410 It can be adjusted as follows
412 \new PianoStaff \with @{
413 \override VerticalAlignment #'forced-distance = #7
420 This would bring the staves together at a distance of 7 staff spaces,
421 measured from the center line of each staff.
423 The difference is demonstrated in the following example,
424 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
426 \new PianoStaff \with {
427 \override VerticalAlignment #'forced-distance = #7
443 @code{forced-distance} cannot be changed per system.
446 @node Horizontal spacing
447 @subsection Horizontal Spacing
449 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into
450 stretchable distances (``springs'') of differring lengths. Longer
451 durations get more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest
452 durations get a fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
453 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @internalsref{SpacingSpanner} object).
454 The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
455 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
456 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
458 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
459 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
460 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
462 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
463 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
467 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
468 approximately the width of a note head, and
469 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
470 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
471 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
472 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
473 followed by one NHW of space.
475 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
476 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
477 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
478 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
479 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
480 the one which occurs most frequently.
483 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
484 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
485 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
486 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
487 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
488 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
490 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
491 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, then
492 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
493 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
495 @cindex @code{common-shortest-duration}
496 @cindex @code{base-shortest-duration}
497 @cindex @code{stem-spacing-correction}
498 @cindex @code{spacing}
500 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
501 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
502 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
503 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
505 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
506 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
510 In the introduction (see @ref{Engraving}), it was explained that stem
511 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
512 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
513 @internalsref{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
514 @internalsref{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
515 (generated in @internalsref{Staff} context) contains the same property
516 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
517 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
518 exaggerated corrections:
520 @lilypond[quote,raggedright]
524 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
525 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
534 Internals: @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, @internalsref{NoteSpacing},
535 @internalsref{StaffSpacing}, @internalsref{SeparationItem}, and
536 @internalsref{SeparatingGroupSpanner}.
540 Spacing is determined on a score wide basis. If you have a score that
541 changes its character (measured in durations) halfway during the
542 score, the part containing the longer durations will be spaced too
545 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
546 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score.
548 \once \override Score.SeparationItem #'padding = #1
551 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
554 @subsection Line length
557 @cindex breaking pages
559 @cindex @code{indent}
560 @cindex @code{linewidth}
562 @c Although linewidth can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
563 @c block, to get page layout right.
564 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
566 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
567 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
568 @code{linewidth}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
569 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
572 If @code{raggedright} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
573 the lines are justified at their natural length. This is useful for
574 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
577 @cindex vertical spacing
579 The option @code{raggedlast} is similar to @code{raggedright}, but
580 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
581 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
582 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural length.
583 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
584 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
585 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
586 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
589 @subsection Line breaking
592 @cindex breaking lines
594 Line breaks are normally computed automatically. They are chosen so
595 that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and that consecutive lines
596 have similar density.
598 Occasionally you might want to override the automatic breaks; you can
599 do this by specifying @code{\break}. This will force a line break at
600 this point. Line breaks can only occur at places where there are bar
601 lines. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
602 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar
603 ""}. Similarly, @code{\noBreak} forbids a line break at a
607 @cindex regular line breaks
608 @cindex four bar music.
610 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
611 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}:
613 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
614 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
615 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
616 @emph{the real music}
621 This makes the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) be broken every
622 4 measures, and only there.
626 @code{\break}, and @code{\noBreak}.
627 @cindex @code{\break}
628 @cindex @code{\noBreak}
632 Internals: @internalsref{BreakEvent}.
636 @subsection Page breaking
638 The default page breaking may be overriden by inserting
639 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
640 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
641 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
642 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
645 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function in the
650 @cindex @code{\pageBreak}
652 @cindex @code{\noPageBreak}
656 @node Multiple movements
657 @subsection Multiple movements
659 @cindex bibliographic information
662 @cindex Music engraiving by LilyPond
664 A document may contain multiple pieces of music and texts. Examples
665 of these are an etude book, or an orchestral part with multiple
666 movements. Each movement is entered with a @code{\score} block,
674 and texts are entered with a @code{\markup} block,
682 The movements and texts are combined together in a @code{\book} block,
700 The header for each piece of music can be put inside the @code{\score}
701 block. The @code{piece} name from the header will be printed before
702 each movement. The title for the entire book can be put inside the
703 @code{\book}, but if it is not present, the @code{\header} which is at
704 the top of the file is inserted.
706 @cindex Engraved by LilyPond
707 @cindex signature line
712 title = "Eight miniatures"
713 composer = "Igor Stravinsky"
717 \header @{ piece = "Romanze" @}
720 ..text of second verse..
723 ..text of third verse..
727 \header @{ piece = "Menuetto" @}
733 @node Creating titles
734 @subsection Creating titles
736 Titles are created for each @code{\score} block, and over a
739 The contents of the titles are taken from the @code{\header} blocks.
740 The header block for a book supports the following
743 The title of the music. Centered on top of the first page.
746 Subtitle, centered below the title.
749 Subsubtitle, centered below the subtitle.
752 Name of the poet, flush-left below the subtitle.
755 Name of the composer, flush-right below the subtitle.
758 Meter string, flush-left below the poet.
761 Name of the opus, flush-right below the composer.
764 Name of the arranger, flush-right below the opus.
767 Name of the instrument, centered below the arranger.
770 To whom the piece is dedicated.
773 Name of the piece, flush-left below the instrument.
775 @cindex page breaks, forcing
777 This forces the title to start on a new page.
780 Here is a demonstration of the fields available,
782 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,linewidth=11.0\cm]
791 subtitle = "the subtitle,"
792 subsubtitle = "and the sub sub title"
794 composer = "Composer"
795 texttranslator = "Text Translator"
797 arranger = "Arranger"
798 instrument = "Instrument"
822 Different fonts may be selected for each element by using
823 @code{\markup}, e.g.,
827 title = \markup @{ \italic @{ The italic title @} @}
831 A more advanced option is to change the definitions of the following
832 variables in the @code{\paper} block. The init file
833 @file{ly/titling-init.ly} lists the default layout.
836 @item bookTitleMarkup
837 This is the title put over an entire @code{\book} block. Typically,
838 it has the composer and the title of the piece
840 @item scoreTitleMarkup
841 This is the title put over a @code{\score} block within a
842 @code{\book}. Typically, it has the name of the movement (@code{piece}
845 @item oddHeaderMarkup
846 This is the page header for odd-numbered pages.
848 @item evenHeaderMarkup
849 This is the page header for even-numbered pages. If unspecified,
850 the odd header is used instead.
852 By default, headers are defined such that the page number is on the
853 outside edge, and the instrument is centered.
855 @item oddFooterMarkup
856 This is the page footer for odd-numbered pages.
858 @item evenFooterMarkup
859 This is the page footer for even-numbered pages. If unspecified,
860 the odd header is used instead.
862 By default, the footer has the copyright notice on the first, and
863 the tagline on the last page.
873 The following definition will put the title flush left, and the
874 composer flush right on a single line.
878 bookTitleMarkup = \markup {
880 \fromproperty #'header:title
881 \fromproperty #'header:composer
890 @section File structure
892 The major part of this manual is concerned with entering various
893 forms of music in LilyPond. However, many music expressions are not
894 valid input on their own, for example, a @code{.ly} file containing
901 will result in a parsing error. Instead, music should be inside other
902 expressions, which may be put in a file by themselves. Such
903 expressions are called toplevel expressions. This section enumerates
906 A @code{.ly} file contains any number of toplevel expressions, where a
907 toplevel expression is one of the following
911 An output definition, such as @code{\paper}, @code{\midi}, and
912 @code{\layout}. Such a definition at the toplevel changes the default
913 settings for the block entered.
916 A @code{\header} block. This sets the global header block. This
917 is the block containing the definitions for book-wide settings, like
918 composer, title, etc.
921 An @code{\addquote} statement. See @ref{Quoting other voices}
922 for more information.
925 A @code{\score} block. This score will be collected with other
926 toplevel scores, and combined as a single @code{\book}.
928 This behavior can be changed by setting the variable
929 @code{toplevel-score-handler} at toplevel. The default handler is
930 defined in the init file @file{scm/@/lily@/.scm}.
933 A @code{\book} block logically combines multiple movements
934 (i.e., multiple @code{\score} blocks) in one document. A number of
935 @code{\scores} creates a single output file, where all movement are
938 This behavior can be changed by setting the variable
939 @code{toplevel-book-handler} at toplevel. The default handler is
940 defined in the init file @file{scm/@/lily@/.scm}.
942 @item A compound music expression, such as
947 This will add the piece in a @code{\score} and format it in a
948 single book together with all other toplevel @code{\score}s and music
951 This behavior can be changed by setting the variable
952 @code{toplevel-music-handler} at toplevel. The default handler is
953 defined in the init file @file{scm/@/lily@/.scm}.
955 @item A markup text, a verse for example
958 2. The first line verse two.
962 Markup texts are rendered above, between or below the scores or music
963 expressions, wherever they appear.
965 @item An indentifier, such as
970 This can be used later on in the file by entering @code{\foo}.
974 The following example shows three things that may be entered at
979 % movements are non-justified by default
991 At any point in a file, any of the following lexical instructions can
995 @item @code{\version}
996 @item @code{\include}
997 @item @code{\renameinput}
1007 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a standard for
1008 connecting and controlling digital instruments. A MIDI file is a
1009 series of notes in a number of tracks. It is not an actual
1010 sound file; you need special software to translate between the
1011 series of notes and actual sounds.
1013 Pieces of music can be converted to MIDI files, so you can listen to
1014 what was entered. This is convenient for checking the music; octaves
1015 that are off or accidentals that were mistyped stand out very much
1016 when listening to the MIDI output.
1020 Many musically interesting effects, such as swing, articulation,
1021 slurring, etc., are not translated to midi.
1023 The midi output allocates a channel for each staff, and one for global
1024 settings. Therefore the midi file should not have more than 15 staves
1025 (or 14 if you do not use drums). Other staves will remain silent.
1027 Not all midi players correctly handle tempo changes in the midi
1028 output. Players that are known to work include
1029 @uref{http://@/timidity@/.sourceforge@/.net/,timidity}.
1032 * Creating MIDI files::
1034 * MIDI instrument names::
1037 @node Creating MIDI files
1038 @subsection Creating MIDI files
1040 To create a MIDI from a music piece of music, add a @code{\midi} block
1041 to a score, for example,
1046 \midi @{ \tempo 4=72 @}
1050 The tempo is specified using the @code{\tempo} command. In this
1051 example the tempo of quarter notes is set to 72 beats per minute.
1054 If there is a @code{\midi} command in a @code{\score}, only MIDI will
1055 be produced. When notation is needed too, a @code{\layout} block must
1061 \midi @{ \tempo 4=72 @}
1065 @cindex layout block
1069 Ties, dynamics, and tempo changes are interpreted. Dynamic marks,
1070 crescendi and decrescendi translate into MIDI volume levels. Dynamic
1071 marks translate to a fixed fraction of the available MIDI volume
1072 range, crescendi and decrescendi make the volume vary linearly between
1073 their two extremes. The fractions can be adjusted by
1074 @code{dynamicAbsoluteVolumeFunction} in @internalsref{Voice} context.
1075 For each type of MIDI instrument, a volume range can be defined. This
1076 gives a basic equalizer control, which can enhance the quality of
1077 the MIDI output remarkably. The equalizer can be controlled by
1078 setting @code{instrumentEqualizer}.
1082 @subsection MIDI block
1086 The MIDI block is analogous to the layout block, but it is somewhat
1087 simpler. The @code{\midi} block can contain
1091 @item a @code{\tempo} definition, and
1092 @item context definitions.
1095 A number followed by a period is interpreted as a real number, so
1096 for setting the tempo for dotted notes, an extra space should be
1097 inserted, for example
1100 \midi @{ \tempo 4 . = 120 @}
1104 @cindex context definition
1106 Context definitions follow precisely the same syntax as within the
1107 \layout block. Translation modules for sound are called performers.
1108 The contexts for MIDI output are defined in @file{ly/@/performer@/-init@/.ly}.
1111 @node MIDI instrument names
1112 @subsection MIDI instrument names
1114 @cindex instrument names
1115 @cindex @code{Staff.midiInstrument}
1117 The MIDI instrument name is set by the @code{Staff.midiInstrument}
1118 property. The instrument name should be chosen from the list in
1119 @ref{MIDI instruments}.
1122 \set Staff.midiInstrument = "glockenspiel"
1126 If the selected instrument does not exactly match an instrument from
1127 the list of MIDI instruments, the Grand Piano (@code{"acoustic grand"})