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
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::
42 * Selecting notation font size::
47 * Vertical spacing of piano staves::
48 * Horizontal spacing::
52 * Multiple movements::
57 @node Setting global staff size
58 @subsection Setting global staff size
60 @cindex font size, setting
61 @cindex staff size, setting
62 @cindex @code{layout} file
64 To set the global staff size, use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
67 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
71 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
74 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
75 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
76 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
77 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
80 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
83 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
84 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
126 @c modern rental material?
131 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
132 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
133 @internalsref{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
134 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
142 This manual: @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
145 @node Selecting notation font size
146 @subsection Selecting notation font size
148 The easiest method of setting the font size of any context, is by
149 setting the @code{fontSize} property.
151 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
160 It does not change the size of variable symbols, such as beams or
163 Internally, the @code{fontSize} context property will cause the
164 @code{font-size} property to be set in all layout objects. The value
165 of @code{font-size} is a number indicating the size relative to the
166 standard size for the current staff height. Each step up is an
167 increase of approximately 12% of the font size. Six steps is exactly a
168 factor two. The Scheme function @code{magstep} converts a
169 @code{font-size} number to a scaling factor.
171 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
173 \override NoteHead #'font-size = #-4
175 \override NoteHead #'font-size = #3
179 LilyPond has fonts in different design sizes. The music fonts for
180 smaller sizes are chubbier, while the text fonts are relatively wider.
181 Font size changes are achieved by scaling the design size that is
182 closest to the desired size. The standard font size (for
183 @code{font-size} equals 0), depends on the standard staff height. For
184 a 20pt staff, a 10pt font is selected.
186 The @code{font-size} property can only be set on layout objects that
187 use fonts. These are the ones supporting the
188 @internalsref{font-interface} layout interface.
192 The following commands set @code{fontSize} for the current voice:
196 @cindex @code{\small}
198 @cindex @code{\normalsize}
203 @subsection Paper size
207 @cindex @code{papersize}
209 To change the paper size, there are two commands,
211 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
213 #(set-paper-size "a4")
217 The first command sets the size of all pages. The second command sets the size
218 of the pages that the @code{\paper} block applies to -- if the @code{\paper}
219 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply to all pages. If the
220 @code{\paper} block is inside a @code{\book}, then the paper size will only
223 Support for the following paper sizes are included by default,
224 @code{a6}, @code{a5}, @code{a4}, @code{a3}, @code{legal}, @code{letter},
225 @code{11x17} (also known as tabloid).
227 Extra sizes may be added by editing the definition for
228 @code{paper-alist} in the initialization file @file{scm/paper.scm}.
233 If the symbol @code{landscape} is supplied as an argument to
234 @code{set-default-paper-size}, the pages will be rotated by 90 degrees,
235 and wider line widths will be set correspondingly.
238 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
242 @node Page formatting
243 @subsection Page formatting
245 @cindex page formatting
250 LilyPond will do page layout, set margins, and add headers and
251 footers to each page.
253 The default layout responds to the following settings in the
256 @cindex @code{\paper}
260 @cindex @code{firstpagenumber}
261 @item firstpagenumber
262 The value of the page number of the first page. Default is@tie{}1.
264 @cindex @code{printfirstpagenumber}
265 @item printfirstpagenumber
266 If set to true, will print the page number in the first page. Default is
269 @cindex @code{printpagenumber}
270 @item printpagenumber
271 If set to false, page numbers will not be printed.
275 The width of the page.
279 The height of the page.
281 @cindex @code{topmargin}
283 Margin between header and top of the page.
285 @cindex @code{bottommargin}
287 Margin between footer and bottom of the page.
289 @cindex @code{leftmargin}
291 Margin between the left side of the page and the beginning of the music.
293 @cindex @code{linewidth}
295 The length of the systems.
297 @cindex @code{headsep}
299 Distance between the top-most music system and the page header.
301 @cindex @code{footsep}
303 Distance between the bottom-most music system and the page footer.
305 @cindex @code{pagetopspace}
306 Distance from the top of the printable area to the center of the first
307 staff. This only works for staves which are vertically small. Big staves
308 are set with the top of their bounding box aligned to the top of the
311 @cindex @code{raggedbottom}
313 If set to true, systems will not be spread across the page.
315 This should be set false for pieces that have only two or three
316 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
318 @cindex @code{raggedlastbottom}
319 @item raggedlastbottom
320 If set to false, systems will be spread to fill the last page.
322 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
325 @cindex @code{betweensystemspace}
326 @item betweensystemspace
327 This dimensions determines the distance between systems. It is the
328 ideal distance between the center of the bottom staff of one system
329 and the center of the top staff of the next system.
331 Increasing this will provide a more even appearance of the page at the
332 cost of using more vertical space.
334 @cindex @code{betweensystempadding}
335 @item betweensystempadding
336 This dimension is the minimum amount of white space that will always
337 be present between the bottom-most symbol of one system, and the
338 top-most of the next system.
340 Increasing this will put systems whose bounding boxes almost touch
344 @cindex @code{horizontalshift}
345 @item horizontalshift
346 All systems (including titles and system separators) are shifted by
347 this amount to the right. Page markup, such as headers and footers are
348 not affected by this. The purpose of this variable is to make space
349 for instrument names at the left.
351 @cindex @code{aftertitlespace}
352 @item aftertitlespace
353 Amount of space between the title and the first system.
355 @cindex @code{aftertitlespace}
356 @item beforetitlespace
357 Amount of space between the last system of the previous piece and the
360 @cindex @code{betweentitlespace}
361 @item betweentitlespace
362 Amount of space between consecutive titles (e.g., the title of the
363 book and the title of a piece).
365 @cindex @code{printallheaders}
366 @item printallheaders
367 Setting this to #t will print all headers for each \score in a
368 \book. Normally only the piece and opus \headers are printed.
370 @cindex @code{systemSeparatorMarkup}
371 @item systemSeparatorMarkup
372 This contains a markup object, which will be inserted between
373 systems. This is often used for orchestral scores.
375 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
378 @lilypond[raggedright]
380 systemSeparatorMarkup = \slashSeparator
383 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
397 raggedlastbottom = ##t
401 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
402 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
403 @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters. That's why the
404 value has to be multiplied in the example
408 #(define bottommargin (* 2 cm))
415 The default footer is empty, except for the first page, where the
416 @code{copyright} field from @code{\header} is inserted, and the last
417 page, where @code{tagline} from @code{\header} is added. The default
418 tagline is ``Music engraving by LilyPond (@var{version})''.@footnote{Nicely
419 printed parts are good PR for us, so please leave the tagline if you
422 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
423 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
424 implementations are in @file{scm/@/page@/-layout@/.scm}.
426 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
427 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
428 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
429 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
430 page given the system to put on it.
435 The option rightmargin is defined but doesn't set the right margin
436 yet. The value for the right margin has to be defined adjusting the
437 values of the leftmargin and linewidth.
439 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
440 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
444 @subsection Score layout
446 @cindex @code{\layout}
448 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
449 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
456 minimumVerticalExtent = #'(-6 . 6
459 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
460 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
468 This manual: @ref{Changing context default settings}
471 @node Vertical spacing
472 @subsection Vertical spacing
474 @cindex vertical spacing
475 @cindex distance between staves
476 @cindex staff distance
477 @cindex between staves, distance
478 @cindex staves per page
479 @cindex space between staves
481 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
482 systems from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
483 By changing these, you can put staves closer together, and thus put
484 more systems onto one page.
486 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
487 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
488 property @code{minimumVerticalExtent}. It takes a pair of numbers, so
489 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)},
493 \set Staff.minimumVerticalExtent = #'(-3 . 3)
497 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
498 either side of the center staff line. The argument of
499 @code{minimumVerticalExtent} is interpreted as an interval, where the
500 center line is the 0, so the first number is generally negative. The
501 staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
503 To change the amount of space between systems, use
504 @code{betweensystemspace}. A score with only one staff is still
505 considered to have systems, so setting @code{betweensystemspace}
506 will be much more useful than changing @code{minimumVerticalExtent}.
510 betweensystemspace = 10\mm
514 If you simply want to tell LilyPond ``fit as much as possible onto
515 these pages, then expand to fill any available space on the pages,''
516 then use the following
520 betweensystempadding = #1
527 @c let's wait for a some comments before writing more.
529 The vertical spacing on a page can also be changed for each system individually.
530 Some examples are found in the example file
531 @inputfileref{input/regression/,page-spacing.ly}.
533 When setting @code{annotatespacing} in the @code{\paper} block LilyPond
534 will graphically indicate the dimensions of properties that may be set
538 \paper { annotatespacing = ##t }
546 Internals: Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
547 @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} object. The context parameters
548 specifying the vertical extent are described in connection with
549 the @internalsref{Axis_group_engraver}.
551 Example files: @inputfileref{input/regression/,page-spacing.ly}.
556 @code{minimumVerticalExtent} is syntactic sugar for setting
557 @code{minimum-Y-extent} of the @internalsref{VerticalAxisGroup} of the
558 current context. It can only be changed score wide.
563 @node Vertical spacing of piano staves
564 @subsection Vertical spacing of piano staves
566 The distance between staves of a @internalsref{PianoStaff} cannot be
567 computed during formatting. Rather, to make cross-staff beaming work
568 correctly, that distance has to be fixed beforehand.
570 The distance of staves in a @code{PianoStaff} is set with the
571 @code{forced-distance} property of the
572 @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} object, created in
573 @internalsref{PianoStaff}.
575 It can be adjusted as follows
577 \new PianoStaff \with @{
578 \override VerticalAlignment #'forced-distance = #7
585 This would bring the staves together at a distance of 7 staff spaces,
586 measured from the center line of each staff.
588 The difference is demonstrated in the following example,
589 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
591 \new PianoStaff \with {
592 \override VerticalAlignment #'forced-distance = #7
608 @code{forced-distance} cannot be changed per system.
610 @node Horizontal spacing
611 @subsection Horizontal Spacing
613 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
614 distances (``springs'') of differring lengths. Longer durations get
615 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
616 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
617 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}
618 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
619 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
620 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
622 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
623 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
624 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
626 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
627 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
631 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
632 approximately the width of a note head, and
633 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
634 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
635 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
636 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
637 followed by one NHW of space.
639 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
640 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
641 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
642 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
643 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
644 the one which occurs most frequently.
647 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
648 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
649 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
650 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
651 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
652 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
654 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
655 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, then
656 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
657 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
659 @cindex @code{common-shortest-duration}
660 @cindex @code{base-shortest-duration}
661 @cindex @code{stem-spacing-correction}
662 @cindex @code{spacing}
664 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
665 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
666 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
667 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
669 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
670 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
674 In the introduction (see @ref{Engraving}), it was explained that stem
675 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
676 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
677 @internalsref{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
678 @internalsref{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
679 (generated in @internalsref{Staff} context) contains the same property
680 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
681 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
682 exaggerated corrections:
684 @lilypond[quote,raggedright]
688 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
689 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
698 Internals: @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, @internalsref{NoteSpacing},
699 @internalsref{StaffSpacing}, @internalsref{SeparationItem}, and
700 @internalsref{SeparatingGroupSpanner}.
704 Spacing is determined on a score wide basis. If you have a score that
705 changes its character (measured in durations) halfway during the
706 score, the part containing the longer durations will be spaced too
709 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
710 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score.
712 \once \override Score.SeparationItem #'padding = #1
715 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
719 @subsection Line length
722 @cindex breaking pages
724 @cindex @code{indent}
725 @cindex @code{linewidth}
726 @cindex @code{raggedright}
728 @c Although linewidth can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
729 @c block, to get page layout right.
730 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
732 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
733 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
734 @code{linewidth}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
735 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
738 If @code{raggedright} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
739 the lines are justified at their natural length. This is useful for
740 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
743 @cindex vertical spacing
745 The option @code{raggedlast} is similar to @code{raggedright}, but
746 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
747 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
748 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural length.
749 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
750 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
751 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
752 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
756 @subsection Line breaking
759 @cindex breaking lines
761 Line breaks are normally computed automatically. They are chosen so
762 that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and that consecutive lines
763 have similar density.
765 Occasionally you might want to override the automatic breaks; you can
766 do this by specifying @code{\break}. This will force a line break at
767 this point. Line breaks can only occur at places where there are bar
768 lines. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
769 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar
770 ""}. Similarly, @code{\noBreak} forbids a line break at a
774 @cindex regular line breaks
775 @cindex four bar music.
777 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
778 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}:
780 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
781 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
782 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
783 @emph{the real music}
788 This makes the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) be broken every
789 4 measures, and only there.
793 @code{\break}, and @code{\noBreak}.
794 @cindex @code{\break}
795 @cindex @code{\noBreak}
799 Internals: @internalsref{BreakEvent}.
803 @subsection Page breaking
805 The default page breaking may be overriden by inserting
806 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
807 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
808 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
809 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
812 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function in the
815 To force a new page for a new piece (in a collection of pieces or a
816 piece in several movements), use @code{breakbefore} in the header.
826 @cindex @code{\pageBreak}
828 @cindex @code{\noPageBreak}
832 @node Multiple movements
833 @subsection Multiple movements
835 @cindex bibliographic information
838 @cindex Music engraving by LilyPond
840 A document may contain multiple pieces of music and texts. Examples
841 of these are an etude book, or an orchestral part with multiple
842 movements. Each movement is entered with a @code{\score} block,
850 and texts are entered with a @code{\markup} block,
860 The movements and texts are combined together in a @code{\book} block,
878 The header for each piece of music can be put inside the @code{\score}
879 block. The @code{piece} name from the header will be printed before
880 each movement. The title for the entire book can be put inside the
881 @code{\book}, but if it is not present, the @code{\header} which is at
882 the top of the file is inserted.
884 @cindex Engraved by LilyPond
885 @cindex signature line
890 title = "Eight miniatures"
891 composer = "Igor Stravinsky"
895 \header @{ piece = "Romanze" @}
898 ..text of second verse..
901 ..text of third verse..
905 \header @{ piece = "Menuetto" @}
911 @node Creating titles
912 @subsection Creating titles
914 Titles are created for each @code{\score} block, and over a
917 The contents of the titles are taken from the @code{\header} blocks.
918 The header block for a book supports the following
921 The dedicatee of the music, centered at the top of the first page.
924 The title of the music, centered just below the dedication.
927 Subtitle, centered below the title.
930 Subsubtitle, centered below the subtitle.
933 Name of the poet, flush-left below the subtitle.
936 Name of the composer, flush-right below the subtitle.
939 Meter string, flush-left below the poet.
942 Name of the opus, flush-right below the composer.
945 Name of the arranger, flush-right below the opus.
948 Name of the instrument, centered below the arranger. Also
949 centered at the top of pages (other than the first page).
952 Name of the piece, flush-left below the instrument.
954 @cindex page breaks, forcing
956 This forces the title to start on a new page (set to ##t or ##f).
959 Copyright notice, centered at the bottom of the first page. To
960 insert the copyright symbol, see @ref{Text encoding}.
963 Centered at the bottom of the last page.
967 Here is a demonstration of the fields available. Note that you
968 may use any @ref{Text markup} commands in the header.
970 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,linewidth=11.0\cm]
978 dedication = "dedicated to me"
979 title = \markup \center-align { "Title first line" "Title second line, longer" }
980 subtitle = "the subtitle,"
981 subsubtitle = #(string-append "subsubtitle LilyPond version " (lilypond-version))
983 composer = \markup \center-align { "composer" \small "(1847-1973)" }
984 texttranslator = "Text Translator"
985 meter = \markup { \teeny "m" \tiny "e" \normalsize "t" \large "e" \huge "r" }
986 arranger = \markup { \fontsize #8.5 "a" \fontsize #2.5 "r" \fontsize #-2.5 "r" \fontsize #-5.3 "a" \fontsize #7.5 "nger" }
987 instrument = \markup \bold \italic "instrument"
1011 As demonstrated before, you can use multiple @code{\header} blocks.
1012 When same fields appear in different blocks, the latter is used.
1013 Here is a short example.
1017 composer = "Composer"
1023 \new Staff @{ c'4 @}
1025 title = "New title" % overwrite previous one
1030 If you define the @code{\header} inside the @code{\score} block, then
1031 normally only the @code{piece} and @code{opus} headers will be printed.
1033 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,linewidth=11.0\cm]
1037 title = "title" % not printed
1044 @cindex @code{printallheaders}
1046 You may change this behavior (and print all the headers when defining
1047 @code{\header} inside @code{\score}) by using
1058 A more advanced option is to change the definitions of the following
1059 variables in the @code{\paper} block. The init file
1060 @file{ly/titling-init.ly} lists the default layout.
1063 @cindex @code{bookTitleMarkup}
1064 @item bookTitleMarkup
1065 This is the title put over an entire @code{\book} block. Typically,
1066 it has the composer and the title of the piece
1068 @cindex @code{scoreTitleMarkup}
1069 @item scoreTitleMarkup
1070 This is the title put over a @code{\score} block within a
1071 @code{\book}. Typically, it has the name of the movement (@code{piece}
1074 @cindex @code{oddHeaderMarkup}
1075 @item oddHeaderMarkup
1076 This is the page header for odd-numbered pages.
1078 @cindex @code{evenHeaderMarkup}
1079 @item evenHeaderMarkup
1080 This is the page header for even-numbered pages. If unspecified,
1081 the odd header is used instead.
1083 By default, headers are defined such that the page number is on the
1084 outside edge, and the instrument is centered.
1086 @cindex @code{oddFooterMarkup}
1087 @item oddFooterMarkup
1088 This is the page footer for odd-numbered pages.
1090 @cindex @code{evenFotterMarkup}
1091 @item evenFooterMarkup
1092 This is the page footer for even-numbered pages. If unspecified,
1093 the odd header is used instead.
1095 By default, the footer has the copyright notice on the first, and
1096 the tagline on the last page.
1106 The following definition will put the title flush left, and the
1107 composer flush right on a single line.
1111 bookTitleMarkup = \markup {
1113 \fromproperty #'header:title
1114 \fromproperty #'header:composer
1123 @section Sound output
1128 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a standard for
1129 connecting and controlling digital instruments. A MIDI file is a
1130 series of notes in a number of tracks. It is not an actual
1131 sound file; you need special software to translate between the
1132 series of notes and actual sounds.
1134 Pieces of music can be converted to MIDI files, so you can listen to
1135 what was entered. This is convenient for checking the music; octaves
1136 that are off or accidentals that were mistyped stand out very much
1137 when listening to the MIDI output.
1141 Many musically interesting effects, such as swing, articulation,
1142 slurring, etc., are not translated to midi.
1144 The midi output allocates a channel for each staff, and one for global
1145 settings. Therefore the midi file should not have more than 15 staves
1146 (or 14 if you do not use drums). Other staves will remain silent.
1148 Not all midi players correctly handle tempo changes in the midi
1149 output. Players that are known to work include
1150 @uref{http://@/timidity@/.sourceforge@/.net/,timidity}.
1153 * Creating MIDI files::
1155 * MIDI instrument names::
1158 @node Creating MIDI files
1159 @subsection Creating MIDI files
1161 To create a MIDI from a music piece of music, add a @code{\midi} block
1162 to a score, for example,
1167 \midi @{ \tempo 4=72 @}
1171 The tempo is specified using the @code{\tempo} command. In this
1172 example the tempo of quarter notes is set to 72 beats per minute.
1175 If there is a @code{\midi} command in a @code{\score}, only MIDI will
1176 be produced. When notation is needed too, a @code{\layout} block must
1182 \midi @{ \tempo 4=72 @}
1186 @cindex layout block
1190 Ties, dynamics, and tempo changes are interpreted. Dynamic marks,
1191 crescendi and decrescendi translate into MIDI volume levels. Dynamic
1192 marks translate to a fixed fraction of the available MIDI volume
1193 range, crescendi and decrescendi make the volume vary linearly between
1194 their two extremes. The fractions can be adjusted by
1195 @code{dynamicAbsoluteVolumeFunction} in @internalsref{Voice} context.
1196 For each type of MIDI instrument, a volume range can be defined. This
1197 gives a basic equalizer control, which can enhance the quality of
1198 the MIDI output remarkably. The equalizer can be controlled by
1199 setting @code{instrumentEqualizer}.
1203 @subsection MIDI block
1207 The MIDI block is analogous to the layout block, but it is somewhat
1208 simpler. The @code{\midi} block can contain
1212 @item a @code{\tempo} definition, and
1213 @item context definitions.
1216 A number followed by a period is interpreted as a real number, so
1217 for setting the tempo for dotted notes, an extra space should be
1218 inserted, for example
1221 \midi @{ \tempo 4 . = 120 @}
1225 @cindex context definition
1227 Context definitions follow precisely the same syntax as within the
1228 \layout block. Translation modules for sound are called performers.
1229 The contexts for MIDI output are defined in @file{ly/@/performer@/-init@/.ly}.
1232 @node MIDI instrument names
1233 @subsection MIDI instrument names
1235 @cindex instrument names
1236 @cindex @code{Staff.midiInstrument}
1238 The MIDI instrument name is set by the @code{Staff.midiInstrument}
1239 property. The instrument name should be chosen from the list in
1240 @ref{MIDI instruments}.
1243 \set Staff.midiInstrument = "glockenspiel"
1247 If the selected instrument does not exactly match an instrument from
1248 the list of MIDI instruments, the Grand Piano (@code{"acoustic grand"})