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
9 @chapter Output formats
11 This is a placeholder until I can write a nice intro for this chapter.
22 The global paper layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the
23 line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The
24 choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set.
25 This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how
26 many pages a piece of music takes.
28 Globally spoken, this procedure happens in three steps: first,
29 flexible distances (``springs'') are chosen, based on durations. All
30 possible line breaking combinations are tried, and the one with the
31 best results -- a layout that has uniform density and requires as
32 little stretching or cramping as possible -- is chosen.
34 After spacing and linebreaking, the systems are distributed across
35 pages, taking into account the size of the page, and the size of the
41 * Setting global staff size::
45 * Vertical spacing of piano staves::
46 * Horizontal spacing::
50 * Multiple movements::
55 @node Setting global staff size
56 @subsection Setting global staff size
58 @cindex font size, setting
59 @cindex staff size, setting
60 @cindex @code{layout} file
62 To set the global staff size, use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
65 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
69 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
72 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
73 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
74 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
75 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
78 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
81 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
82 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
124 @c modern rental material?
129 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
130 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
131 @internalsref{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
132 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
140 This manual: @ref{Selecting font sizes}.
144 @subsection Paper size
148 @cindex @code{papersize}
150 To change the paper size, there are two commands,
152 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
154 #(set-paper-size "a4")
158 The first command sets the size of all pages. The second command sets the size
159 of the pages that the @code{\paper} block applies to -- if the @code{\paper}
160 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply to all pages. If the
161 @code{\paper} block is inside a @code{\score}, then the paper size will only
164 The following paper sizes are supported: @code{a6}, @code{a5}, @code{a4},
165 @code{a3}, @code{legal}, @code{letter}, @code{tabloid}.
170 If the symbol @code{landscape} is supplied as an argument to
171 @code{set-default-paper-size}, the pages will be rotated by 90 degrees,
172 and wider line widths will be set correspondingly.
175 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
180 @subsection Page layout
187 LilyPond will do page layout, set margins, and add headers and
188 footers to each page.
190 The default layout responds to the following settings in the
197 @item firstpagenumber
198 The value of the page number of the first page. Default is@tie{}1.
200 @item printfirstpagenumber
201 If set to true, will print the page number in the first page. Default is
205 The width of the page.
208 The height of the page.
211 Margin between header and top of the page.
214 Margin between footer and bottom of the page.
217 Margin between the left side of the page and the beginning of the music.
220 The length of the systems.
223 Distance between the top-most music system and the page header.
226 Distance between the bottom-most music system and the page footer.
229 If set to true, systems will not be spread across the page.
231 This should be set false for pieces that have only two or three
232 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
234 @item raggedlastbottom
235 If set to false, systems will be spread to fill the last page.
237 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
240 @item betweensystemspace
241 This dimensions determines the distance between systems. It is the
242 ideal distance between the center of the bottom staff of one system
243 and the center of the top staff of the next system.
245 Increasing this will provide a more even appearance of the page at the
246 cost of using more vertical space.
248 @item betweensystempadding
249 This dimension is the minimum amount of white space that will always
250 be present between the bottom-most symbol of one system, and the
251 top-most of the next system.
253 Increasing this will put systems whose bounding boxes almost touch
256 @item aftertitlespace
257 Amount of space between the title and the first system.
259 @item beforetitlespace
260 Amount of space between the last system of the previous piece and the
263 @item betweentitlespace
264 Amount of space between consecutive titles (e.g., the title of the
265 book and the title of a piece).
267 @item systemSeparatorMarkup
268 This contains a markup object, which will be inserted between
269 systems. This is often used for orchestral scores.
271 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
274 @lilypond[raggedright]
276 systemSeparatorMarkup = \slashSeparator
279 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
293 raggedlastbottom = ##t
297 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
298 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
299 @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters. That's why the
300 value has to be multiplied in the example
304 #(define bottommargin (* 2 cm))
311 The default footer is empty, except for the first page, where the
312 @code{copyright} field from @code{\header} is inserted, and the last
313 page, where @code{tagline} from @code{\header} is added. The default
314 tagline is ``Music engraving by LilyPond (@var{version})''.@footnote{Nicely
315 printed parts are good PR for us, so please leave the tagline if you
318 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
319 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
320 implementations are in @file{scm/@/page@/-layout@/.scm}.
322 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
323 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
324 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
325 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
326 page given the system to put on it.
331 The option rightmargin is defined but doesn't set the right margin
332 yet. The value for the right margin has to be defined adjusting the
333 values of the leftmargin and linewidth.
335 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
336 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
339 @node Vertical spacing
340 @subsection Vertical spacing
342 @cindex vertical spacing
343 @cindex distance between staves
344 @cindex staff distance
345 @cindex between staves, distance
346 @cindex staves per page
347 @cindex space between staves
349 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
350 systems from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
351 By changing these, you can put staves closer together, and thus put
352 more systems onto one page.
354 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
355 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
356 property @code{minimumVerticalExtent}. It takes a pair of numbers, so
357 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)},
361 \set Staff.minimumVerticalExtent = #'(-3 . 3)
365 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
366 either side of the center staff line. The argument of
367 @code{minimumVerticalExtent} is interpreted as an interval, where the
368 center line is the 0, so the first number is generally negative. The
369 staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
371 To change the amount of space between systems, use
372 @code{betweensystemspace}. A score with only one staff is still
373 considered to have systems, so setting @code{betweensystemspace}
374 will be much more useful than changing @code{minimumVerticalExtent}.
378 betweensystemspace = 10\mm
385 Internals: Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
386 @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} object.
390 @code{minimumVerticalExtent} is syntactic sugar for setting
391 @code{minimum-Y-extent} of the @internalsref{VerticalAxisGroup} of the
392 current context. It can only be changed score wide.
397 @node Vertical spacing of piano staves
398 @subsection Vertical spacing of piano staves
400 The distance between staves of a @internalsref{PianoStaff} cannot be
401 computed during formatting. Rather, to make cross-staff beaming work
402 correctly, that distance has to be fixed beforehand.
404 The distance of staves in a @code{PianoStaff} is set with the
405 @code{forced-distance} property of the
406 @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} object, created in
407 @internalsref{PianoStaff}.
409 It can be adjusted as follows
411 \new PianoStaff \with @{
412 \override VerticalAlignment #'forced-distance = #7
419 This would bring the staves together at a distance of 7 staff spaces,
420 measured from the center line of each staff.
422 The difference is demonstrated in the following example,
423 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
425 \new PianoStaff \with {
426 \override VerticalAlignment #'forced-distance = #7
442 @code{forced-distance} cannot be changed per system.
445 @node Horizontal spacing
446 @subsection Horizontal Spacing
448 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into
449 stretchable distances (``springs'') of differring lengths. Longer
450 durations get more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest
451 durations get a fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
452 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @internalsref{SpacingSpanner} object).
453 The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
454 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
455 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
457 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
458 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
459 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
461 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
462 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
466 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
467 approximately the width of a note head, and
468 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
469 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
470 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
471 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
472 followed by one NHW of space.
474 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
475 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
476 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
477 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
478 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
479 the one which occurs most frequently.
482 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
483 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
484 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
485 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
486 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
487 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
489 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
490 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, then
491 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
492 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
494 @cindex @code{common-shortest-duration}
495 @cindex @code{base-shortest-duration}
496 @cindex @code{stem-spacing-correction}
497 @cindex @code{spacing}
499 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
500 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
501 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
502 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
504 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
505 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
509 In the introduction (see @ref{Engraving}), it was explained that stem
510 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
511 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
512 @internalsref{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
513 @internalsref{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
514 (generated in @internalsref{Staff} context) contains the same property
515 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
516 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
517 exaggerated corrections:
519 @lilypond[quote,raggedright]
523 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
524 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
533 Internals: @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, @internalsref{NoteSpacing},
534 @internalsref{StaffSpacing}, @internalsref{SeparationItem}, and
535 @internalsref{SeparatingGroupSpanner}.
539 Spacing is determined on a score wide basis. If you have a score that
540 changes its character (measured in durations) halfway during the
541 score, the part containing the longer durations will be spaced too
544 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
545 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score.
547 \once \override Score.SeparationItem #'padding = #1
550 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
553 @subsection Line length
556 @cindex breaking pages
558 @cindex @code{indent}
559 @cindex @code{linewidth}
561 @c Although linewidth can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
562 @c block, to get page layout right.
563 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
565 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
566 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
567 @code{linewidth}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
568 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
571 If @code{raggedright} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
572 the lines are justified at their natural length. This is useful for
573 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
576 @cindex vertical spacing
578 The option @code{raggedlast} is similar to @code{raggedright}, but
579 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
580 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
581 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural length.
582 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
583 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
584 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
585 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
588 @subsection Line breaking
591 @cindex breaking lines
593 Line breaks are normally computed automatically. They are chosen so
594 that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and that consecutive lines
595 have similar density.
597 Occasionally you might want to override the automatic breaks; you can
598 do this by specifying @code{\break}. This will force a line break at
599 this point. Line breaks can only occur at places where there are bar
600 lines. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
601 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar
602 ""}. Similarly, @code{\noBreak} forbids a line break at a
606 @cindex regular line breaks
607 @cindex four bar music.
609 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
610 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}:
612 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
613 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
614 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
615 @emph{the real music}
620 This makes the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) be broken every
621 4 measures, and only there.
625 @code{\break}, and @code{\noBreak}.
626 @cindex @code{\break}
627 @cindex @code{\noBreak}
631 Internals: @internalsref{BreakEvent}.
635 @subsection Page breaking
637 The default page breaking may be overriden by inserting
638 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
639 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
640 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
641 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
644 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function in the
647 To force a new page for a new piece (in a collection of pieces or a
648 piece in several movements), use @code{breakbefore} in the header.
658 @cindex @code{\pageBreak}
660 @cindex @code{\noPageBreak}
664 @node Multiple movements
665 @subsection Multiple movements
667 @cindex bibliographic information
670 @cindex Music engraiving by LilyPond
672 A document may contain multiple pieces of music and texts. Examples
673 of these are an etude book, or an orchestral part with multiple
674 movements. Each movement is entered with a @code{\score} block,
682 and texts are entered with a @code{\markup} block,
692 The movements and texts are combined together in a @code{\book} block,
710 The header for each piece of music can be put inside the @code{\score}
711 block. The @code{piece} name from the header will be printed before
712 each movement. The title for the entire book can be put inside the
713 @code{\book}, but if it is not present, the @code{\header} which is at
714 the top of the file is inserted.
716 @cindex Engraved by LilyPond
717 @cindex signature line
722 title = "Eight miniatures"
723 composer = "Igor Stravinsky"
727 \header @{ piece = "Romanze" @}
730 ..text of second verse..
733 ..text of third verse..
737 \header @{ piece = "Menuetto" @}
743 @node Creating titles
744 @subsection Creating titles
746 Titles are created for each @code{\score} block, and over a
749 The contents of the titles are taken from the @code{\header} blocks.
750 The header block for a book supports the following
753 The dedicatee of the music, centered at the top of the first page.
756 The title of the music, centered just below the dedication.
759 Subtitle, centered below the title.
762 Subsubtitle, centered below the subtitle.
765 Name of the poet, flush-left below the subtitle.
768 Name of the composer, flush-right below the subtitle.
771 Meter string, flush-left below the poet.
774 Name of the opus, flush-right below the composer.
777 Name of the arranger, flush-right below the opus.
780 Name of the instrument, centered below the arranger.
783 To whom the piece is dedicated.
786 Name of the piece, flush-left below the instrument.
788 @cindex page breaks, forcing
790 This forces the title to start on a new page (set to ##t or ##f).
793 Here is a demonstration of the fields available. Note that you
794 may use any @ref{Text markup} commands in the header.
796 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,linewidth=11.0\cm]
804 dedication = "dedicated to me"
805 title = \markup \center-align { "Title first line" "Title second line, longer" }
806 subtitle = "the subtitle,"
807 subsubtitle = #(string-append "subsubtitle LilyPond version " (lilypond-version))
809 composer = \markup \center-align { "composer" \small "(1847-1973)" }
810 texttranslator = "Text Translator"
811 meter = \markup { \teeny "m" \tiny "e" \normalsize "t" \large "e" \huge "r" }
812 arranger = "Arranger"
813 opus = \markup { \fontsize #8.5 "o" \fontsize #2.5 "p" \fontsize #-2.5 "u" \fontsize #-5.3 "s" \fontsize #7.5 " " }
814 instrument = \markup \bold \italic "instrument"
838 A more advanced option is to change the definitions of the following
839 variables in the @code{\paper} block. The init file
840 @file{ly/titling-init.ly} lists the default layout.
843 @item bookTitleMarkup
844 This is the title put over an entire @code{\book} block. Typically,
845 it has the composer and the title of the piece
847 @item scoreTitleMarkup
848 This is the title put over a @code{\score} block within a
849 @code{\book}. Typically, it has the name of the movement (@code{piece}
852 @item oddHeaderMarkup
853 This is the page header for odd-numbered pages.
855 @item evenHeaderMarkup
856 This is the page header for even-numbered pages. If unspecified,
857 the odd header is used instead.
859 By default, headers are defined such that the page number is on the
860 outside edge, and the instrument is centered.
862 @item oddFooterMarkup
863 This is the page footer for odd-numbered pages.
865 @item evenFooterMarkup
866 This is the page footer for even-numbered pages. If unspecified,
867 the odd header is used instead.
869 By default, the footer has the copyright notice on the first, and
870 the tagline on the last page.
880 The following definition will put the title flush left, and the
881 composer flush right on a single line.
885 bookTitleMarkup = \markup {
887 \fromproperty #'header:title
888 \fromproperty #'header:composer
897 @section Sound output
902 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a standard for
903 connecting and controlling digital instruments. A MIDI file is a
904 series of notes in a number of tracks. It is not an actual
905 sound file; you need special software to translate between the
906 series of notes and actual sounds.
908 Pieces of music can be converted to MIDI files, so you can listen to
909 what was entered. This is convenient for checking the music; octaves
910 that are off or accidentals that were mistyped stand out very much
911 when listening to the MIDI output.
915 Many musically interesting effects, such as swing, articulation,
916 slurring, etc., are not translated to midi.
918 The midi output allocates a channel for each staff, and one for global
919 settings. Therefore the midi file should not have more than 15 staves
920 (or 14 if you do not use drums). Other staves will remain silent.
922 Not all midi players correctly handle tempo changes in the midi
923 output. Players that are known to work include
924 @uref{http://@/timidity@/.sourceforge@/.net/,timidity}.
927 * Creating MIDI files::
929 * MIDI instrument names::
932 @node Creating MIDI files
933 @subsection Creating MIDI files
935 To create a MIDI from a music piece of music, add a @code{\midi} block
936 to a score, for example,
941 \midi @{ \tempo 4=72 @}
945 The tempo is specified using the @code{\tempo} command. In this
946 example the tempo of quarter notes is set to 72 beats per minute.
949 If there is a @code{\midi} command in a @code{\score}, only MIDI will
950 be produced. When notation is needed too, a @code{\layout} block must
956 \midi @{ \tempo 4=72 @}
964 Ties, dynamics, and tempo changes are interpreted. Dynamic marks,
965 crescendi and decrescendi translate into MIDI volume levels. Dynamic
966 marks translate to a fixed fraction of the available MIDI volume
967 range, crescendi and decrescendi make the volume vary linearly between
968 their two extremes. The fractions can be adjusted by
969 @code{dynamicAbsoluteVolumeFunction} in @internalsref{Voice} context.
970 For each type of MIDI instrument, a volume range can be defined. This
971 gives a basic equalizer control, which can enhance the quality of
972 the MIDI output remarkably. The equalizer can be controlled by
973 setting @code{instrumentEqualizer}.
977 @subsection MIDI block
981 The MIDI block is analogous to the layout block, but it is somewhat
982 simpler. The @code{\midi} block can contain
986 @item a @code{\tempo} definition, and
987 @item context definitions.
990 A number followed by a period is interpreted as a real number, so
991 for setting the tempo for dotted notes, an extra space should be
992 inserted, for example
995 \midi @{ \tempo 4 . = 120 @}
999 @cindex context definition
1001 Context definitions follow precisely the same syntax as within the
1002 \layout block. Translation modules for sound are called performers.
1003 The contexts for MIDI output are defined in @file{ly/@/performer@/-init@/.ly}.
1006 @node MIDI instrument names
1007 @subsection MIDI instrument names
1009 @cindex instrument names
1010 @cindex @code{Staff.midiInstrument}
1012 The MIDI instrument name is set by the @code{Staff.midiInstrument}
1013 property. The instrument name should be chosen from the list in
1014 @ref{MIDI instruments}.
1017 \set Staff.midiInstrument = "glockenspiel"
1021 If the selected instrument does not exactly match an instrument from
1022 the list of MIDI instruments, the Grand Piano (@code{"acoustic grand"})