1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
2 @c This file is part of lilypond-learning.tely
4 Translation of GIT committish: FILL-IN-HEAD-COMMITTISH
6 When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the
7 version that you are working on. See TRANSLATION for details.
15 This chapter introduces readers to LilyPond and the
20 * About the documentation::
27 This section covers the overall goals and architecture of
32 * Automated engraving::
33 * What symbols to engrave?::
34 * Music representation::
35 * Example applications::
40 @unnumberedsubsec Engraving
42 The art of music typography is called @emph{(plate) engraving}. The
43 term derives from the traditional process of music printing. Just a
44 few decades ago, sheet music was made by cutting and stamping the
45 music into a zinc or pewter plate in mirror image. The plate would be
46 inked, the depressions caused by the cutting and stamping would hold
47 ink. An image was formed by pressing paper to the plate. The
48 stamping and cutting was completely done by hand. Making a correction
49 was cumbersome, if possible at all, so the engraving had to be perfect
50 in one go. Engraving was a highly specialized skill; a craftsman had
51 to complete around five years of training before earning the title of
52 master engraver, and another five years of experience were
53 necessary to become truly skilled.
55 Nowadays, all newly printed music is produced with computers. This
56 has obvious advantages; prints are cheaper to make, and editorial work
57 can be delivered by email. Unfortunately, the pervasive use of
58 computers has also decreased the graphical quality of scores.
59 Computer printouts have a bland, mechanical look, which makes them
60 unpleasant to play from.
63 @c introduce illustrating aspects of engraving, font...
64 The images below illustrate the difference between traditional
65 engraving and typical computer output, and the third picture shows how
66 LilyPond mimics the traditional look. The left picture shows a scan
67 of a flat symbol from an edition published in 2000. The center
68 depicts a symbol from a hand-engraved Bärenreiter edition of the
69 same music. The left scan illustrates typical flaws of computer
70 print: the staff lines are thin, the weight of the flat symbol matches
71 the light lines and it has a straight layout with sharp corners. By
72 contrast, the Bärenreiter flat has a bold, almost voluptuous
73 rounded look. Our flat symbol is designed after, among others, this
74 one. It is rounded, and its weight harmonizes with the thickness of
75 our staff lines, which are also much thicker than lines in the
78 @multitable @columnfractions .125 .25 .25 .25 .125
82 @image{henle-flat-gray,,4cm}
85 @image{henle-flat-gray,,,png}
90 @image{baer-flat-gray,,4cm}
93 @image{baer-flat-gray,,,png}
98 @image{lily-flat-bw,,4cm}
101 @image{lily-flat-bw,,,png}
105 @image{lilypond/henle-flat-bw,,,png} @image{lilypond/baer-flat-bw,,,png}
106 @image{lilypond/lily-flat-bw,,,png}
114 LilyPond Feta font (2003)
119 @cindex musical symbols
124 @c introduce illustrating aspects of engraving, spacing...
125 In spacing, the distribution of space should reflect the durations
126 between notes. However, many modern scores adhere to the durations
127 with mathematical precision, which leads to poor results. In the next
128 example a motive is printed twice: once using exact mathematical
129 spacing, and once with corrections. Can you spot which fragment is
132 @cindex optical spacing
133 @c file spacing-optical.
134 @c need to include it here, because we want two images.
155 \override NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #0.6
180 \override NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #0.0
181 \override NoteSpacing #'same-direction-correction = #0.0
182 \override StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #0.0
188 @cindex regular rhythms
189 @cindex regular spacing
191 Each bar in the fragment only uses notes that are played in a constant
192 rhythm. The spacing should reflect that. Unfortunately, the eye
193 deceives us a little; not only does it notice the distance between
194 note heads, it also takes into account the distance between
195 consecutive stems. As a result, the notes of an up-stem/@/down-stem
196 combination should be put farther apart, and the notes of a
197 down-stem/@/up-stem combination should be put closer together, all
198 depending on the combined vertical positions of the notes. The upper
199 two measures are printed with this correction, the lower two measures
200 without, forming down-stem/@/up-stem clumps of notes.
204 Musicians are usually more absorbed with performing than with studying
205 the looks of a piece of music, so nitpicking about typographical
206 details may seem academical. But it is not. In larger pieces with
207 monotonous rhythms, spacing corrections lead to subtle variations in
208 the layout of every line, giving each one a distinct visual signature.
209 Without this signature all lines would look the same, and they become
210 like a labyrinth. If a musician looks away once or has a lapse in
211 concentration, the lines might lose their place on the page.
213 Similarly, the strong visual look of bold symbols on heavy staff lines
214 stands out better when the music is far away from the reader, for
215 example, if it is on a music stand. A careful distribution of white
216 space allows music to be set very tightly without cluttering symbols
217 together. The result minimizes the number of page turns, which is a
220 This is a common characteristic of typography. Layout should be
221 pretty, not only for its own sake, but especially because it helps the
222 reader in her task. For performance material like sheet music, this
223 is of double importance: musicians have a limited amount of attention.
224 The less attention they need for reading, the more they can focus on
225 playing the music. In other words, better typography translates to
228 These examples demonstrate that music typography is an art that is
229 subtle and complex, and that producing it requires considerable
230 expertise, which musicians usually do not have. LilyPond is our
231 effort to bring the graphical excellence of hand-engraved music to the
232 computer age, and make it available to normal musicians. We have
233 tuned our algorithms, font-designs, and program settings to produce
234 prints that match the quality of the old editions we love to see and
240 @node Automated engraving
241 @unnumberedsubsec Automated engraving
243 How do we go about implementing typography? If craftsmen need over
244 ten years to become true masters, how could we simple hackers ever
245 write a program to take over their jobs?
247 The answer is: we cannot. Typography relies on human judgment of
248 appearance, so people cannot be replaced completely. However, much of
249 the dull work can be automated. If LilyPond solves most of the common
250 situations correctly, this will be a huge improvement over existing
251 software. The remaining cases can be tuned by hand. Over the course
252 of years, the software can be refined to do more and more things
253 automatically, so manual overrides are less and less necessary.
255 When we started, we wrote the LilyPond program entirely in the C++
256 programming language; the program's functionality was set in stone by
257 the developers. That proved to be unsatisfactory for a number of
261 @item When LilyPond makes mistakes,
262 users need to override formatting decisions. Therefore, the user must
263 have access to the formatting engine. Hence, rules and settings cannot
264 be fixed by us at compile-time but must be accessible for users at
267 @item Engraving is a matter of visual judgment, and therefore a matter of
268 taste. As knowledgeable as we are, users can disagree with our
269 personal decisions. Therefore, the definitions of typographical style
270 must also be accessible to the user.
272 @item Finally, we continually refine the formatting algorithms, so we
273 need a flexible approach to rules. The C++ language forces a certain
274 method of grouping rules that do not match well with how music
278 These problems have been addressed by integrating an interpreter for
279 the Scheme programming language and rewriting parts of LilyPond in
280 Scheme. The current formatting architecture is built around the
281 notion of graphical objects, described by Scheme variables and
282 functions. This architecture encompasses formatting rules,
283 typographical style and individual formatting decisions. The user has
284 direct access to most of these controls.
286 Scheme variables control layout decisions. For example, many
287 graphical objects have a direction variable that encodes the choice
288 between up and down (or left and right). Here you see two chords,
289 with accents and arpeggios. In the first chord, the graphical objects
290 have all directions down (or left). The second chord has all
291 directions up (right).
293 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
295 \override SpacingSpanner #'spacing-increment = #3
296 \override TimeSignature #'transparent = ##t
298 \stemDown <e g b>4_>-\arpeggio
299 \override Arpeggio #'direction = #RIGHT
300 \stemUp <e g b>4^>-\arpeggio
305 The process of formatting a score consists of reading and writing the
306 variables of graphical objects. Some variables have a preset value. For
307 example, the thickness of many lines -- a characteristic of typographical
308 style -- is a variable with a preset value. You are free to alter this
309 value, giving your score a different typographical impression.
311 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
314 c'4-~ c'16 as g f e16 g bes c' des'4
319 \override Beam #'thickness = #0.3
320 \override Stem #'thickness = #0.5
321 \override Bar #'thickness = #3.6
322 \override Tie #'thickness = #2.2
323 \override StaffSymbol #'thickness = #3.0
324 \override Tie #'extra-offset = #'(0 . 0.3)
330 Formatting rules are also preset variables: each object has variables
331 containing procedures. These procedures perform the actual
332 formatting, and by substituting different ones, we can change the
333 appearance of objects. In the following example, the rule which note
334 head objects are used to produce their symbol is changed during the
337 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
338 #(set-global-staff-size 30)
340 #(define (mc-squared grob orig current)
341 (let* ((interfaces (ly:grob-interfaces grob))
342 (pos (ly:grob-property grob 'staff-position)))
343 (if (memq 'note-head-interface interfaces)
345 (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'stencil ly:text-interface::print)
346 (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'font-family 'roman)
347 (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'text
348 (make-raise-markup -0.5
350 ((-5) (make-simple-markup "m"))
351 ((-3) (make-simple-markup "c "))
352 ((-2) (make-smaller-markup (make-bold-markup "2")))
353 (else (make-simple-markup "bla")))))))))
355 \new Voice \relative c' {
357 \set autoBeaming = ##f
360 \once \override NoteHead #'stencil = #ly:note-head::brew-ez-stencil
361 \once \override NoteHead #'font-size = #-7
362 \once \override NoteHead #'font-family = #'sans
363 \once \override NoteHead #'font-series = #'bold
365 \once \override NoteHead #'style = #'cross
367 \applyOutput #'Voice #mc-squared
370 { d8[ es-( fis^^ g] fis2-) }
371 \repeat unfold 5 { \applyOutput #'Voice #mc-squared s8 }
378 @node What symbols to engrave?
379 @unnumberedsubsec What symbols to engrave?
384 The formatting process decides where to place symbols. However, this
385 can only be done once it is decided @emph{what} symbols should be
386 printed, in other words what notation to use.
388 Common music notation is a system of recording music that has evolved
389 over the past 1000 years. The form that is now in common use dates
390 from the early renaissance. Although the basic form (i.e., note heads
391 on a 5-line staff) has not changed, the details still evolve to
392 express the innovations of contemporary notation. Hence, it
393 encompasses some 500 years of music. Its applications range from
394 monophonic melodies to monstrous counterpoints for large orchestras.
396 How can we get a grip on such a many-headed beast, and force it into
397 the confines of a computer program? Our solution is to break up the
398 problem of notation (as opposed to engraving, i.e., typography) into
399 digestible and programmable chunks: every type of symbol is handled by
400 a separate module, a so-called plug-in. Each plug-in is completely
401 modular and independent, so each can be developed and improved
402 separately. Such plug-ins are called @code{engraver}s, by analogy
403 with craftsmen who translate musical ideas to graphic symbols.
405 In the following example, we see how we start out with a plug-in for
406 note heads, the @code{Note_heads_engraver}.
408 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
409 \include "engraver-example.ily"
416 \remove "Stem_engraver"
417 \remove "Phrasing_slur_engraver"
418 \remove "Slur_engraver"
419 \remove "Script_engraver"
420 \remove "Beam_engraver"
421 \remove "Auto_beam_engraver"
425 \remove "Accidental_engraver"
426 \remove "Key_engraver"
427 \remove "Clef_engraver"
428 \remove "Bar_engraver"
429 \remove "Time_signature_engraver"
430 \remove "Staff_symbol_engraver"
431 \consists "Pitch_squash_engraver"
438 Then a @code{Staff_symbol_engraver} adds the staff
440 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
441 \include "engraver-example.ily"
448 \remove "Stem_engraver"
449 \remove "Phrasing_slur_engraver"
450 \remove "Slur_engraver"
451 \remove "Script_engraver"
452 \remove "Beam_engraver"
453 \remove "Auto_beam_engraver"
457 \remove "Accidental_engraver"
458 \remove "Key_engraver"
459 \remove "Clef_engraver"
460 \remove "Bar_engraver"
461 \consists "Pitch_squash_engraver"
462 \remove "Time_signature_engraver"
469 the @code{Clef_engraver} defines a reference point for the staff
471 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
472 \include "engraver-example.ily"
479 \remove "Stem_engraver"
480 \remove "Phrasing_slur_engraver"
481 \remove "Slur_engraver"
482 \remove "Script_engraver"
483 \remove "Beam_engraver"
484 \remove "Auto_beam_engraver"
488 \remove "Accidental_engraver"
489 \remove "Key_engraver"
490 \remove "Bar_engraver"
491 \remove "Time_signature_engraver"
498 and the @code{Stem_engraver} adds stems.
500 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
501 \include "engraver-example.ily"
508 \remove "Phrasing_slur_engraver"
509 \remove "Slur_engraver"
510 \remove "Script_engraver"
511 \remove "Beam_engraver"
512 \remove "Auto_beam_engraver"
516 \remove "Accidental_engraver"
517 \remove "Key_engraver"
518 \remove "Bar_engraver"
519 \remove "Time_signature_engraver"
526 The @code{Stem_engraver} is notified of any note head coming along.
527 Every time one (or more, for a chord) note head is seen, a stem
528 object is created and connected to the note head. By adding
529 engravers for beams, slurs, accents, accidentals, bar lines,
530 time signature, and key signature, we get a complete piece of
533 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
534 \include "engraver-example.ily"
538 This system works well for monophonic music, but what about
539 polyphony? In polyphonic notation, many voices can share a staff.
541 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
542 \include "engraver-example.ily"
543 \new Staff << \topVoice \\ \botVoice >>
546 In this situation, the accidentals and staff are shared, but the stems,
547 slurs, beams, etc., are private to each voice. Hence, engravers should
548 be grouped. The engravers for note heads, stems, slurs, etc., go into a
549 group called @q{Voice context,} while the engravers for key, accidental,
550 bar, etc., go into a group called @q{Staff context.} In the case of
551 polyphony, a single Staff context contains more than one Voice context.
552 Similarly, multiple Staff contexts can be put into a single Score
553 context. The Score context is the top level notation context.
557 Internals Reference: @rinternals{Contexts}.
559 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
560 \include "engraver-example.ily"
563 \new Staff << \topVoice \\ \botVoice >>
564 \new Staff << \pah \\ \hoom >>
569 @node Music representation
570 @unnumberedsubsec Music representation
572 Ideally, the input format for any high-level formatting system is an
573 abstract description of the content. In this case, that would be the
574 music itself. This poses a formidable problem: how can we define what
575 music really is? Instead of trying to find an answer, we have reversed
576 the question. We write a program capable of producing sheet music,
577 and adjust the format to be as lean as possible. When the format can
578 no longer be trimmed down, by definition we are left with content
579 itself. Our program serves as a formal definition of a music
582 The syntax is also the user-interface for LilyPond, hence it is easy
592 a quarter note C1 (middle C) and an eighth note D1 (D above middle C)
600 On a microscopic scale, such syntax is easy to use. On a larger
601 scale, syntax also needs structure. How else can you enter complex
602 pieces like symphonies and operas? The structure is formed by the
603 concept of music expressions: by combining small fragments of music
604 into larger ones, more complex music can be expressed. For example
606 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,relative=1]
611 Chords can be constructed with @code{<<} and @code{>>} enclosing the notes
613 @c < > is not a music expression,
614 @c so we use <<>> iso. <> to drive home the point of
615 @c expressions. Don't change this back --hwn.
617 @c FIXME: change this. I can explain it better. -gp
622 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1]
623 \new Voice { <<c4 d4 e>> }
627 This expression is put in sequence by enclosing it in curly braces
628 @code{@{@tie{}@dots{}@tie{}@}}
631 @{ f4 <<c4 d4 e4>> @}
634 @lilypond[quote,relative=1,fragment]
639 The above is also an expression, and so it may be combined
640 again with another simultaneous expression (a half note) using <<,
644 << g2 \\ @{ f4 <<c4 d4 e4>> @} >>
647 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2]
648 \new Voice { << g2 \\ { f4 <<c d e>> } >> }
651 Such recursive structures can be specified neatly and formally in a
652 context-free grammar. The parsing code is also generated from this
653 grammar. In other words, the syntax of LilyPond is clearly and
654 unambiguously defined.
656 User-interfaces and syntax are what people see and deal with
657 most. They are partly a matter of taste, and also subject of much
658 discussion. Although discussions on taste do have their merit, they
659 are not very productive. In the larger picture of LilyPond, the
660 importance of input syntax is small: inventing neat syntax is easy, while
661 writing decent formatting code is much harder. This is also
662 illustrated by the line-counts for the respective components: parsing
663 and representation take up less than 10% of the source code.
666 @node Example applications
667 @unnumberedsubsec Example applications
669 We have written LilyPond as an experiment of how to condense the art
670 of music engraving into a computer program. Thanks to all that hard
671 work, the program can now be used to perform useful tasks. The
672 simplest application is printing notes.
674 @lilypond[quote,relative=1]
682 By adding chord names and lyrics we obtain a lead sheet.
684 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
686 \chords { c2 c f2 c }
687 \new Staff \relative c' { \time 2/4 c4 c g'4 g a4 a g2 }
688 \new Lyrics \lyricmode { twin4 kle twin kle lit tle star2 }
692 Polyphonic notation and piano music can also be printed. The following
693 example combines some more exotic constructs.
695 @lilypondfile[quote,ragged-right]{screech-boink.ly}
697 The fragments shown above have all been written by hand, but that is
698 not a requirement. Since the formatting engine is mostly automatic, it
699 can serve as an output means for other programs that manipulate
700 music. For example, it can also be used to convert databases of
701 musical fragments to images for use on websites and multimedia
704 This manual also shows an application: the input format is text, and
705 can therefore be easily embedded in other text-based formats such as
706 @LaTeX{}, HTML, or in the case of this manual, Texinfo. By means of a
707 special program, the input fragments can be replaced by music images
708 in the resulting PDF or HTML output files. This makes it easy
709 to mix music and text in documents.
712 @node About the documentation
713 @section About the documentation
715 This section explains the different portions of the documentation.
717 @c leave these lines wrapping around. It's some texinfo 4.12 thing. -gp
719 * About the Learning Manual (LM):: this manual introduces LilyPond, giving in-depth explanations of how to create notation.
721 * About the Music Glossary (MG):: this manual explains musical terms and gives translations of terms in other languages.
723 * About the Notation Reference (NR):: this manual is the main portion of the documentation. It provides detailed information about creating notation. This book assumes that the reader knows basic material covered in the LM and is familiar with the English musical terms presented in the MG.
725 * About the Application Usage (AU):: this discusses the actual programs and operation system-specific issues.
727 * About the Snippet List (SL):: this is a collection of short LilyPond examples.
729 * About the Internals Reference (IR):: this document gives information about LilyPond internal programming information, which is required for constructing tweaks.
731 * Other documentation:: there are a few other portions of the documentation, such as News items and the mailist archives.
736 @node About the Learning Manual (LM)
737 @unnumberedsubsec About the Learning Manual (LM)
739 This book explains how to begin learning LilyPond, as well as
740 explaining some key concepts in easy terms. You should read these
741 chapters in a linear fashion.
746 @ref{Introduction}: explains the background and overall goal of
750 @ref{Tutorial}: gives a gentle introduction to typesetting music.
751 First time users should start here.
754 @ref{Fundamental concepts}: explains some general concepts about
755 the LilyPond file format. If you are not certain where to place a
756 command, read this chapter!
759 @ref{Tweaking output}: shows how to change the default engraving
760 that LilyPond produces.
763 @ref{Working on LilyPond projects}: discusses practical uses of
764 LilyPond and how to avoid some common problems. Read this before
765 undertaking large projects!
769 The LM also contains appendices which are not part of the
770 recommended linear reading. They may be useful for later
776 @ref{Templates}: shows ready-made templates of LilyPond pieces.
777 Just cut and paste a template into a file, add notes, and you're
781 @ref{Scheme tutorial}: presents a short introduction to Scheme,
782 the programming language that music functions use. This is
783 material for advanced tweaks; many users never touch Scheme at
789 @node About the Music Glossary (MG)
790 @unnumberedsubsec About the Music Glossary (MG)
795 @cindex foreign languages
798 @ref{Top,Music glossary,,music-glossary}:
799 this explains musical terms, and includes translations to various
800 languages. If you are not familiar with music notation or music
801 terminology (especially if you are a non-native English speaker),
802 it is highly advisable to consult the glossary.
805 @node About the Notation Reference (NR)
806 @unnumberedsubsec About the Notation Reference (NR)
808 This book explains all the LilyPond commands which produce
809 notation. It assumes that readers are familiar with the concepts
810 in the Learning manual.
815 @ruser{Musical notation}:
816 discusses topics grouped by notation construct. This section
817 gives details about basic notation that will be useful in almost
818 any notation project.
821 @ruser{Specialist notation}:
822 discusses topics grouped by notation construct. This section
823 gives details about special notation that will only be useful for
824 particular instrument (or vocal) groups.
827 @ruser{Input syntax}:
828 discusses general information about LilyPond files and controlling
832 @ruser{Spacing issues}:
833 discusses issues which affect the global output, such as selecting
834 paper size or specifying page breaks.
837 @ruser{Changing defaults}:
838 explains how to tweak LilyPond to produce exactly the notation you
842 @ruser{Interfaces for programmers}:
843 explains how to create music functions with scheme.
847 The NR also contains appendices with useful reference charts.
852 @ruser{Literature list}:
853 contains a set of useful reference books for those who wish to
854 know more on notation and engraving.
857 @ruser{Notation manual tables}:
858 are a set of tables showing the chord names, MIDI instruments, a
859 list of color names, and the Feta font.
863 is a handy reference of the most common LilyPond commands.
866 @ruser{LilyPond command index}:
867 an index of all LilyPond @code{\commands}.
870 @ruser{LilyPond index}:
876 @node About the Application Usage (AU)
877 @unnumberedsubsec About the Application Usage (AU)
879 This book explains how to execute the program and how to integrate
880 LilyPond notation with other programs.
886 explains how to install LilyPond (including compilation if
891 describes how to configure your computer for optimum LilyPond
892 usage, such as using special environments for certain text
896 @rprogram{Running LilyPond}:
897 shows how to run LilyPond and its helper programs. In addition,
898 this section explains how to upgrade input files from previous
899 versions of LilyPond.
902 @rprogram{LilyPond-book}:
903 explains the details behind creating documents with in-line music
904 examples, like this manual.
907 @rprogram{Converting from other formats}:
908 explains how to run the conversion programs. These programs are
909 supplied with the LilyPond package, and convert a variety of music
910 formats to the @code{.ly} format.
915 @node About the Snippet List (SL)
916 @unnumberedsubsec About the Snippet List (SL)
921 @c FIXME: check on kainhofer.
922 @ref{Top,LilyPond Snippet List,,lilypond-snippets}:
923 this shows a selected set of LilyPond snippets from the
924 @uref{http://lsr@/.dsi@/.unimi@/.it,LilyPond Snippet Repository}
925 (LSR). It is in the public domain.
927 Please note that this document is not an exact subset of LSR. LSR
928 is running a stable LilyPond version, so any snippet which
929 demonstrates new features of a development version must be added
930 separately. These are stored in @file{input/new/} in the LilyPond
933 The list of snippets for each subsection of the Notation Reference
934 (NR) are also linked from the @strong{See also} portion.
937 @node About the Internals Reference (IR)
938 @unnumberedsubsec About the Internals Reference (IR)
949 @ref{Top,Internals Reference,,lilypond-internals}
951 is a set of heavily cross linked HTML pages, which document the
952 nitty-gritty details of each and every LilyPond class, object, and
953 function. It is produced directly from the formatting definitions used.
955 Almost all formatting functionality that is used internally, is
956 available directly to the user. For example, all variables that control
957 thickness values, distances, etc., can be changed in input files. There
958 are a huge number of formatting options, and all of them are described
959 in this document. Each section of the notation manual has a @b{See
960 also} subsection, which refers to the generated documentation. In the
961 HTML document, these subsections have clickable links.
966 @node Other documentation
967 @unnumberedsubsec Other documentation
969 FIXME: most of this should go higher up. Discuss News, mailist
972 There are a number of other places which may be very valuable.
974 Once you are an experienced user, you can use the manual as reference:
975 there is an extensive index@footnote{If you are looking for something,
976 and you cannot find it in the manual, that is considered a bug. In
977 that case, please file a bug report.}, but the document is also
983 @uref{source/Documentation/user/lilypond-big-page.html, one big page},
985 which can be searched easily using the search facility of a web
989 In all HTML documents that have music fragments embedded, the LilyPond
990 input that was used to produce that image can be viewed by clicking
993 The location of the documentation files that are mentioned here can vary
994 from system to system. On occasion, this manual refers to
995 initialization and example files. Throughout this manual, we refer to
996 input files relative to the top-directory of the source archive. For
997 example, @file{input/@/lsr/@/dirname/@/bla@/.ly} may refer to the file
998 @file{lilypond@/2.x.y/@/input/@/lsr/@/dirname/@/bla@/.ly}. On binary
999 packages for the UNIX platform, the documentation and examples can
1000 typically be found somewhere below
1001 @file{/usr/@/share/@/doc/@/lilypond/}. Initialization files, for
1002 example @file{scm/@/lily@/.scm}, or @file{ly/@/engraver@/-init@/.ly},
1003 are usually found in the directory @file{/usr/@/share/@/lilypond/}.
1005 @cindex adjusting output
1008 @cindex lilypond-internals
1009 @cindex internal documentation
1011 @cindex extending LilyPond
1014 Finally, this and all other manuals, are available online both as PDF
1015 files and HTML from the web site, which can be found at
1016 @uref{http://@/www@/.lilypond@/.org/}.