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6 When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the
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15 @chapter Spacing issues
17 The global paper layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the
18 line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The
19 choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set.
20 This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how
21 many pages a piece of music takes.
23 Globally speaking, this procedure happens in four steps: first,
24 flexible distances (@q{springs}) are chosen, based on durations. All
25 possible line breaking combinations are tried, and a @q{badness} score
26 is calculated for each. Then the height of each possible system is
27 estimated. Finally, a page breaking and line breaking combination is chosen
28 so that neither the horizontal nor the vertical spacing is too cramped
34 * Displaying spacing::
37 * Horizontal spacing::
42 @section Paper and pages
44 This section deals with the boundaries that define the area
45 that music can be printed inside.
54 @subsection Paper size
60 To change the paper size, there are two commands,
62 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
64 #(set-paper-size "a4")
68 The first command sets the size of all pages. The second command sets the
70 of the pages that the @code{\paper} block applies to -- if the @code{\paper}
71 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply to all pages. If the
72 @code{\paper} block is inside a @code{\book}, then the paper size will only
75 Support for the following paper sizes are included by default,
76 @code{a6}, @code{a5}, @code{a4}, @code{a3}, @code{legal}, @code{letter},
77 @code{11x17} (also known as tabloid).
79 Extra sizes may be added by editing the definition for
80 @code{paper-alist} in the initialization file @file{scm/paper.scm}.
85 If the symbol @code{landscape} is supplied as an argument to
86 @code{set-default-paper-size}, the pages will be rotated by 90 degrees,
87 and wider line widths will be set correspondingly.
90 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
93 Setting the paper size will adjust a number of @code{\paper} variables
94 (such as margins). To use a particular paper size with altered
95 @code{\paper} variables, set the paper size before setting the variables.
99 @subsection Page formatting
101 @cindex page formatting
106 LilyPond will do page layout, set margins, and add headers and
107 footers to each page.
109 The default layout responds to the following settings in the
116 @funindex first-page-number
117 @item first-page-number
118 The value of the page number of the first page. Default is@tie{}1.
120 @funindex print-first-page-number
121 @item print-first-page-number
122 If set to true, will print the page number in the first page. Default is
125 @funindex print-page-number
126 @item print-page-number
127 If set to false, page numbers will not be printed. Default is true.
129 @funindex paper-width
131 The width of the page. The default is taken from the current paper size,
132 see @ref{Paper size}.
134 @funindex paper-height
136 The height of the page. The default is taken from the current paper size,
137 see @ref{Paper size}.
141 Margin between header and top of the page. Default is@tie{}5mm.
143 @funindex bottom-margin
145 Margin between footer and bottom of the page. Default is@tie{}6mm.
147 @funindex left-margin
149 Margin between the left side of the page and the beginning of the
150 music. Unset by default, which means that the margins is determined
151 based on the @code{paper-width} and @code{line-width} to center the
156 The length of the systems. Default is @code{paper-width} minus @tie{}20mm.
158 @funindex head-separation
159 @item head-separation
160 Distance between the top-most music system and the page header. Default
163 @funindex foot-separation
164 @item foot-separation
165 Distance between the bottom-most music system and the page
166 footer. Default is@tie{}4mm.
168 @funindex page-top-space
170 Distance from the top of the printable area to the center of the first
171 staff. This only works for staves which are vertically small. Big staves
172 are set with the top of their bounding box aligned to the top of the
173 printable area. Default is@tie{}12mm.
175 @funindex ragged-bottom
177 If set to true, systems will not be spread vertically across the page. This
178 does not affect the last page. Default is false.
180 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
181 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
183 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
184 @item ragged-last-bottom
185 If set to false, systems will be spread vertically to fill the last
186 page. Default is true.
188 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
191 @funindex system-count
193 This variable, if set, specifies into how many lines a score should be
194 broken. Unset by default.
196 @funindex between-system-space
197 @item between-system-space
198 This dimensions determines the distance between systems. It is the
199 ideal distance between the center of the bottom staff of one system
200 and the center of the top staff of the next system. Default is@tie{}20mm.
202 Increasing this will provide a more even appearance of the page at the
203 cost of using more vertical space.
205 @funindex between-system-padding
206 @item between-system-padding
207 This dimension is the minimum amount of white space that will always
208 be present between the bottom-most symbol of one system, and the
209 top-most of the next system. Default is@tie{}4mm.
211 Increasing this will put systems whose bounding boxes almost touch
215 @funindex horizontal-shift
216 @item horizontal-shift
217 All systems (including titles and system separators) are shifted by
218 this amount to the right. Page markup, such as headers and footers are
219 not affected by this. The purpose of this variable is to make space
220 for instrument names at the left. Default is@tie{}0.
222 @funindex after-title-space
223 @item after-title-space
224 Amount of space between the title and the first system. Default is@tie{}5mm.
226 @funindex before-title-space
227 @item before-title-space
228 Amount of space between the last system of the previous piece and the
229 title of the next. Default is@tie{}10mm.
231 @funindex between-title-space
232 @item between-title-space
233 Amount of space between consecutive titles (e.g., the title of the
234 book and the title of a piece). Default is@tie{}2mm.
236 @funindex printallheaders
237 @item printallheaders
238 Setting this to #t will print all headers for each \score in the
239 output. Normally only the piece and opus \headers are printed.
241 @funindex systemSeparatorMarkup
242 @item systemSeparatorMarkup
243 This contains a markup object, which will be inserted between
244 systems. This is often used for orchestral scores. Unset by default.
246 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
249 @lilypond[ragged-right]
250 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
253 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
256 systemSeparatorMarkup = \slashSeparator
261 @funindex blank-page-force
262 @item blank-page-force
263 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
264 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
265 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default value
268 @funindex blank-last-page-force
269 @item blank-last-page-force
270 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
273 @funindex page-spacing-weight
274 @item page-spacing-weight
275 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line (horizontal)
276 spacing. High values will make page spacing more important. Default
279 @funindex auto-first-page-number
280 @item auto-first-page-number
281 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number being
282 odd or even. If this variable is set to #t, the page breaking algorithm
283 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This will
284 result in the first page number remaining as is or being increased by one.
296 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
300 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
301 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
302 @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters. That is why the
303 value must be multiplied in the example
307 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
311 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
312 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
313 implementations are in @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/.ly} and
314 @file{ly/@/titling@/-init@/.ly}.
316 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
317 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
318 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
319 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
320 page given the system to put on it.
325 The option right-margin is defined but doesn't set the right margin
326 yet. The value for the right margin has to be defined adjusting the
327 values of @code{left-margin} and @code{line-width}.
329 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
330 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
332 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
333 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
334 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
338 @section Music layout
341 * Setting the staff size::
346 @node Setting the staff size
347 @subsection Setting the staff size
349 @cindex font size, setting
350 @cindex staff size, setting
351 @funindex layout file
353 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
354 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
357 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
361 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
364 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
369 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
374 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
375 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
376 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
377 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
380 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
383 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
384 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
426 @c modern rental material?
431 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
432 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
433 @internalsref{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
434 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
442 This manual: @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
446 @subsection Score layout
450 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
451 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
458 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
461 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
462 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
470 This manual: @ref{Changing context default settings}
473 @node Displaying spacing
474 @section Displaying spacing
476 @funindex annotate-spacing
477 @cindex Spacing, display of properties
479 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical properties that may
480 be altered for page formatting, set @code{annotate-spacing} in the
481 @code{\paper} block, like this
485 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
489 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
493 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
496 @c FIXME: really bad vagueness due to bug in annotate-spacing. -gp
497 Some unit dimensions are measured in staff spaces, while others
498 are measured in millimeters.
500 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower edge and
501 @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
510 * Optimal page breaking::
511 * Optimal page turning::
513 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
517 @subsection Line breaking
520 @cindex breaking lines
522 Line breaks are normally computed automatically. They are chosen so
523 that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and that consecutive lines
524 have similar density.
526 Occasionally you might want to override the automatic breaks; you can
527 do this by specifying @code{\break}. This will force a line break at
528 this point. Line breaks can only occur at places where there are bar
529 lines. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
530 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar
531 ""}. Similarly, @code{\noBreak} forbids a line break at a
535 @cindex regular line breaks
536 @cindex four bar music.
538 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
539 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}:
541 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
542 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
543 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
544 @emph{the real music}
549 This makes the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) be broken every
550 4 measures, and only there.
554 @code{\break}, and @code{\noBreak}.
560 Internals: @internalsref{LineBreakEvent}.
562 A linebreaking configuration can now be saved as a @code{.ly} file
563 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
564 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
565 complicated. More details are available in
571 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
572 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
574 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
575 c4 c2 c2 \break % this does nothing
576 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
577 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
581 To allow line breaks on such bar lines, the
582 @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver} can be removed from @code{Voice}
586 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
588 \remove "Forbid_line_break_engraver"
590 c4 c2 c2 \break % now the break is allowed
598 @subsection Page breaking
600 The default page breaking may be overriden by inserting
601 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
602 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
603 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
604 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
607 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function.
608 LilyPond provides two algorithms for computing page
609 breaks, @code{ly:optimal-breaking} and @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}. The
610 default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, but the value can be changed in
611 the @code{\paper} block:
615 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
619 The old page breaking algorithm is called
620 @code{optimal-page-breaks}. If you are having trouble with the new page
621 breakers, you can enable the old one as a workaround.
627 @funindex \noPageBreak
631 @node Optimal page breaking
632 @subsection Optimal page breaking
634 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
636 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
637 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
638 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
639 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
642 @node Optimal page turning
643 @subsection Optimal page turning
645 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
647 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
648 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
649 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
650 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
651 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
654 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you must
655 enable it in the @code{\paper} block. Then, you must tell the function
656 where you would like to allow page breaks.
658 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
659 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
660 input file at the appropriate places.
662 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
663 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
664 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
665 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
666 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
667 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
668 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final barline in that section, unless
669 there is a @q{special} barline (such as a double bar), in which case the
670 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} barline in
673 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
674 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
675 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
676 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
677 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
678 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
681 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
684 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
686 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
687 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
689 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
694 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
695 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
696 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
697 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
698 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
699 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
700 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
704 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
705 than one, they will interfere with each other.
708 @node Explicit breaks
709 @subsection Explicit breaks
711 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
712 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
715 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
716 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
719 When @code{line-break-permission} is overriden to false, Lily will insert
720 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
721 @code{page-break-permission} is overriden to false, Lily will insert
722 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
724 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
733 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
734 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
737 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
738 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
739 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
740 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
741 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
742 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
743 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
744 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
751 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
752 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
754 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
759 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
761 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
766 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
767 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
768 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
769 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
770 contain the breaks. This extra voice
771 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
772 breaking layout information.
774 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
784 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
785 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
786 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
787 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
793 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
794 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
795 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
797 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
802 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
803 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
806 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
807 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
810 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
811 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
814 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
815 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
819 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
820 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
821 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
822 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
829 @node Vertical spacing
830 @section Vertical spacing
832 @cindex vertical spacing
833 @cindex spacing, vertical
835 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
836 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
837 space between systems, and the amount of space between
838 staves inside a system.
841 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
842 * Vertical spacing between systems::
843 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
844 * Two-pass vertical spacing::
845 * Vertical collision avoidance::
849 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
850 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
852 @cindex distance between staves
853 @cindex staff distance
854 @cindex space between staves
855 @cindex space inside systems
857 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
858 staves from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
859 By changing these, you can put staves closer together. This
860 reduces the amount of space each system requires, and may result
861 in having more systems per page.
863 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
864 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
865 property @code{minimum-Y-extent}. When applied to a
866 @internalsref{VerticalAxisGroup}, it controls the size of a horizontal
867 line, such as a staff or a line of lyrics. @code{minimum-Y-extent}
868 takes a pair of numbers, so
869 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)}
873 \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-3 . 3)
877 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
878 either side of the center staff line. The value @code{(-3 . 3)} is
879 interpreted as an interval, where the center line is the 0, so the
880 first number is generally negative. The numbers need not match;
881 for example, the staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting
882 it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
887 Internals: Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
888 @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} object. The context parameters
889 specifying the vertical extent are described in connection with
890 the @internalsref{Axis_group_engraver}.
892 Example files: @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
893 @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
896 @node Vertical spacing between systems
897 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
899 Space between systems are controlled by four @code{\paper} variables,
903 between-system-space = 1.5\cm
904 between-system-padding = #1
906 ragged-last-bottom=##f
911 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
912 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
914 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
915 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
916 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
917 different staves and systems running down the page.
919 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
920 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
921 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
922 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
923 vertical positions on the page.
925 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
926 list of five different settings:
929 @item @code{X-offset}
930 @item @code{Y-offset}
931 @item @code{alignment-offsets}
932 @item @code{alignment-extra-space}
933 @item @code{fixed-alignment-extra-space}
936 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
937 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
940 @item in the middle of note entry directly
941 @item in a @code{\context} block
942 @item in the @code{\with} block
945 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
946 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
947 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
948 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
949 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
950 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
951 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
954 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
955 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
957 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
958 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
960 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
961 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
963 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn
964 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
966 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn
967 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
968 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
971 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
972 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
974 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
982 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 18 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } }
985 \repeat unfold 18 { d'4 d'4 d'4 d'4 }
990 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
991 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
992 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
993 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
995 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
996 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
997 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
998 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
999 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1001 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1005 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1006 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1008 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1009 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1011 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1012 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1015 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 18 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } }
1018 \repeat unfold 18 { d'4 d'4 d'4 d'4 }
1023 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1024 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1025 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1026 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1028 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1029 explicitly, we can also set the vertical startpoint of each staff
1030 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-offsets}
1031 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1033 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1037 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1038 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1039 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1041 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1042 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1043 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1045 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1046 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1047 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1050 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 18 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } }
1053 \repeat unfold 18 { d'4 d'4 d'4 d'4 }
1058 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1059 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1060 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1061 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1062 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1063 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1064 @code{alignment-offsets} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1065 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-offsets}
1066 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1068 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1072 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1073 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1074 (alignment-offsets . (0 -30 -40)))
1076 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1077 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1078 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -20)))
1080 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1081 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1082 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10, -40)))
1085 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 18 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } }
1089 \repeat unfold 18 { d'4 d'4 d'4 d'4 }
1092 \repeat unfold 18 { e'4 e'4 e'4 e'4 }
1098 Some points to consider:
1101 @item When using @code{alignment-offsets}, lyrics count as a staff.
1103 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1104 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-offsets} are interpreted as multiples
1105 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1106 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1108 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1109 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1110 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1111 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1112 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1116 @node Two-pass vertical spacing
1117 @subsection Two-pass vertical spacing
1119 In order to automatically stretch systems so that they should fill the
1120 space left on a page, a two-pass technique can be used:
1123 @item In the first pass, the amount of vertical space used to increase
1124 the height of each system is computed and dumped to a file.
1125 @item In the second pass, spacing inside the systems are
1126 stretched according to the data in the page layout file.
1129 The @code{ragged-bottom} property adds space between systems, while
1130 the two-pass technique adds space between staves inside a system.
1132 To allow this behaviour, a @code{tweak-key} variable has to be set in
1133 each score @code{\layout} block, and the tweaks included in each score
1134 music, using the @code{\scoreTweak} music function.
1138 %% include the generated page layout file:
1139 \includePageLayoutFile
1144 %% Include this score tweaks:
1145 \scoreTweak "scoreA"
1146 { \clef french c''1 \break c''1 }
1148 \new Staff { \clef soprano g'1 g'1 }
1149 \new Staff { \clef mezzosoprano e'1 e'1 }
1150 \new Staff { \clef alto g1 g1 }
1151 \new Staff { \clef bass c1 c1 }
1154 piece = "Score with tweaks"
1156 %% Define how to name the tweaks for this score:
1157 \layout { #(define tweak-key "scoreA") }
1162 For the first pass, the @code{dump-tweaks} option should be set to
1163 generate the page layout file.
1166 lilypond -dbackend=null -d dump-tweaks <file>.ly
1171 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1172 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1174 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1175 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1176 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1178 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1179 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1180 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1181 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1182 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1183 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1184 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1187 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1188 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1189 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1190 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1193 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1194 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1195 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1196 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1197 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1198 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1199 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1202 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1205 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1206 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1208 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number, we
1209 % disable the automatic collision avoidance
1210 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1211 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1212 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1215 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1216 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1217 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1219 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1220 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1221 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1222 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1223 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1224 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1227 By default, outside-staff objects are placed without regard to
1228 their horizontal distance from the previously-posititioned grobs. This
1229 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1230 other horizontally. Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1231 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1234 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1235 % the markup is too close to the following note
1238 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1240 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
1247 @node Horizontal spacing
1248 @section Horizontal Spacing
1250 @cindex horizontal spacing
1251 @cindex spacing, horizontal
1254 * Horizontal spacing overview::
1255 * New spacing area::
1256 * Changing horizontal spacing::
1258 * Proportional notation::
1262 @node Horizontal spacing overview
1263 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
1265 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
1266 distances (@q{springs}) of differring lengths. Longer durations get
1267 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
1268 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
1269 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}
1270 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
1271 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
1272 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
1274 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
1275 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
1276 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
1278 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
1279 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
1283 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
1284 approximately the width of a note head, and
1285 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
1286 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
1287 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
1288 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
1289 followed by one NHW of space.
1291 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
1292 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
1293 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
1294 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
1295 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
1296 the one which occurs most frequently.
1299 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
1300 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
1301 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
1302 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
1303 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
1304 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
1306 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
1307 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, then
1308 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
1309 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
1311 @funindex common-shortest-duration
1312 @funindex base-shortest-duration
1313 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
1316 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
1317 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
1318 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
1319 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
1321 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
1322 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
1326 In the introduction (see @ref{Engraving}), it was explained that stem
1327 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
1328 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
1329 @internalsref{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
1330 @internalsref{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
1331 (generated in @internalsref{Staff} context) contains the same property
1332 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
1333 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
1334 exaggerated corrections:
1336 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1340 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1341 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1347 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
1352 Internals: @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, @internalsref{NoteSpacing},
1353 @internalsref{StaffSpacing}, @internalsref{SeparationItem}, and
1354 @internalsref{SeparatingGroupSpanner}.
1359 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
1360 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score.
1362 \once \override Score.SeparationItem #'padding = #1
1365 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
1368 @node New spacing area
1369 @subsection New spacing area
1371 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
1372 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
1373 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
1375 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
1376 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
1378 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
1381 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
1388 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
1389 @internalsref{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
1390 may be used in that location.
1393 @node Changing horizontal spacing
1394 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
1396 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
1397 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
1398 we compare the same music; once without altering
1399 the property, and then altered. Larger values
1400 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
1401 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
1402 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
1405 @lilypond[relative,verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
1408 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
1409 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1410 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
1411 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1416 @lilypond[relative,verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
1419 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
1420 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1421 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
1422 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1427 \override SpacingSpanner
1428 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
1437 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
1438 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
1439 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
1440 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
1441 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
1443 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1445 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
1463 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
1464 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
1466 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1467 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
1468 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
1473 @subsection Line length
1476 @cindex breaking pages
1479 @funindex line-width
1480 @funindex ragged-right
1481 @funindex ragged-last
1483 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
1484 @c block, to get page layout right.
1485 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
1487 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
1488 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
1489 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
1490 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
1493 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
1494 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
1495 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
1496 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
1499 @cindex vertical spacing
1501 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
1502 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
1503 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
1504 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
1505 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
1506 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
1507 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
1508 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
1519 @node Proportional notation
1520 @subsection Proportional notation
1522 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
1523 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
1524 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
1525 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
1526 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
1527 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to faciliate the placement
1528 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
1530 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
1531 which may be used together or alone:
1534 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
1535 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
1536 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
1537 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
1538 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
1541 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
1542 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
1544 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
1545 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
1547 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1549 \new RhythmicStaff {
1553 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1559 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
1560 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
1561 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
1562 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
1563 horizontal space of the measure.
1565 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
1566 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
1567 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
1569 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
1570 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
1571 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
1574 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1576 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
1578 \new RhythmicStaff {
1582 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1588 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
1589 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
1590 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
1593 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting that
1594 lives in @context{Score}. Recall that context settings appear in one of
1595 three locations in our input file -- in a @code{\with} block, in a
1596 @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry
1597 preceeded by the @code{\set} command. As with all
1598 context settings, users can pick which of the three different
1599 locations they would like to set @code{proportionalNotationDuration}.
1601 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
1602 which is the reference duration against which all music will be
1603 spaced. The LilyPond Scheme function make-moment takes two arguments
1604 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
1605 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces a
1606 reference duration of a twentieth note. The values
1607 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
1608 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
1610 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
1611 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial and error,
1612 beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest) duration
1613 in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely; larger
1614 reference durations space music tightly.
1616 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1618 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
1620 \new RhythmicStaff {
1624 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1630 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
1632 \new RhythmicStaff {
1636 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1642 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
1644 \new RhythmicStaff {
1648 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1654 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
1655 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause notehead collisions.
1656 Note also that proportional notation in general takes up more
1657 horizontal space that does classical spacing. Proportional spacing
1658 provides rhythmic clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
1660 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
1662 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
1663 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
1666 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1668 \new RhythmicStaff {
1672 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1675 \new RhythmicStaff {
1677 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
1683 The spacing is bad because the evenly notes of the bottom staff do not
1684 stretch uniformly. Classical engraving includes very few complex
1685 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
1686 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} remedies this
1687 situation considerably.
1689 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1691 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
1693 \new RhythmicStaff {
1697 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1700 \new RhythmicStaff {
1702 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
1708 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
1709 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than do the notes
1710 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
1711 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
1712 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
1714 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1716 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
1717 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
1719 \new RhythmicStaff {
1723 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1726 \new RhythmicStaff {
1728 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
1734 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic relationships
1735 are visually clear, and we can include a measured timeline or graphic
1738 The @code{SpacingSpanner} is an abstract grob that lives in the
1739 @context{Score} context. As with our settings of
1740 @code{proportionalNotationDuration},
1741 overrides to the @code{SpacingSpanner} can occur in any of three different
1742 places in our input file -- in the Score @code{\with} block, in a
1743 Score @code{\context} block, or in note entry directly.
1745 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
1746 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
1747 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
1748 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
1749 different places in the score. We do this with the command
1750 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area} for more info.
1752 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
1753 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
1754 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
1755 just before the first note in each system.
1757 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1770 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
1771 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
1772 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
1773 reduces this space to zero.
1775 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1781 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
1789 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
1790 accidentals are problemmatic in proportional notation. None of these
1791 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
1792 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
1793 problems differently.
1795 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
1796 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
1797 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
1798 of time signatures, especially for those scores
1799 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
1800 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
1801 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
1803 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
1804 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
1805 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
1807 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1809 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
1819 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
1820 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
1830 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score is
1831 too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second score
1832 remains strict, however, because @code{strict-note-spacing} is turned
1833 on. Turning on @code{strict-note-spacing} causes the width of time
1834 signatures, key signatures and clefs to play no part in the spacing
1835 algorithm. Accidentals are a different matter, however. By default, all
1836 accidentals consume a little extra space, as the following pair of
1839 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1841 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
1853 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
1865 Both scores are proportional but the second score exhibits spacing
1866 irregularities due to accidentals. Turning on @code{strict-note-spacing}
1867 does not work for accidentals. Instead,
1868 we override the @code{X-extent} of all accidentals to zero and then move the
1869 accidentals to the left of the notes they modify.
1871 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1873 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
1874 \override Accidental #'X-extent = #'(0 . 0)
1875 \override Accidental #'extra-offset = #'(-1 . 0)
1887 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings that
1888 frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
1891 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
1892 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
1893 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
1894 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
1895 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
1896 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
1899 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
1900 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
1901 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
1902 for these related settings.