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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
214 @funindex page-breaking-between-system-padding
215 @item between-system-padding
216 This variable, if set, tricks the page breaker into thinking that
217 @code{between-system-padding} is set to something different than it
218 really is. For example, if this variable is set to something substantially
219 larger than @code{between-system-padding}, then the page-breaker will put
220 fewer systems on each page.
222 @funindex horizontal-shift
223 @item horizontal-shift
224 All systems (including titles and system separators) are shifted by
225 this amount to the right. Page markup, such as headers and footers are
226 not affected by this. The purpose of this variable is to make space
227 for instrument names at the left. Default is@tie{}0.
229 @funindex after-title-space
230 @item after-title-space
231 Amount of space between the title and the first system. Default is@tie{}5mm.
233 @funindex before-title-space
234 @item before-title-space
235 Amount of space between the last system of the previous piece and the
236 title of the next. Default is@tie{}10mm.
238 @funindex between-title-space
239 @item between-title-space
240 Amount of space between consecutive titles (e.g., the title of the
241 book and the title of a piece). Default is@tie{}2mm.
243 @funindex printallheaders
244 @item printallheaders
245 Setting this to #t will print all headers for each \score in the
246 output. Normally only the piece and opus \headers are printed.
248 @funindex systemSeparatorMarkup
249 @item systemSeparatorMarkup
250 This contains a markup object, which will be inserted between
251 systems. This is often used for orchestral scores. Unset by default.
253 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
256 @lilypond[ragged-right]
257 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
260 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
263 systemSeparatorMarkup = \slashSeparator
268 @funindex blank-page-force
269 @item blank-page-force
270 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
271 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
272 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default value
275 @funindex blank-last-page-force
276 @item blank-last-page-force
277 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
280 @funindex page-spacing-weight
281 @item page-spacing-weight
282 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line (horizontal)
283 spacing. High values will make page spacing more important. Default
286 @funindex auto-first-page-number
287 @item auto-first-page-number
288 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number being
289 odd or even. If this variable is set to #t, the page breaking algorithm
290 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This will
291 result in the first page number remaining as is or being increased by one.
303 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
307 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
308 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
309 @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters. That is why the
310 value must be multiplied in the example
314 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
318 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
319 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
320 implementations are in @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/.ly} and
321 @file{ly/@/titling@/-init@/.ly}.
323 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
324 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
325 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
326 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
327 page given the system to put on it.
332 The option right-margin is defined but doesn't set the right margin
333 yet. The value for the right margin has to be defined adjusting the
334 values of @code{left-margin} and @code{line-width}.
336 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
337 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
339 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
340 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
341 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
345 @section Music layout
348 * Setting the staff size::
353 @node Setting the staff size
354 @subsection Setting the staff size
356 @cindex font size, setting
357 @cindex staff size, setting
358 @funindex layout file
360 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
361 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
364 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
368 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
371 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
376 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
381 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
382 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
383 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
384 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
387 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
390 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
391 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
433 @c modern rental material?
438 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
439 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
440 @internalsref{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
441 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
449 This manual: @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
453 @subsection Score layout
457 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
458 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
465 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
468 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
469 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
477 This manual: @ref{Changing context default settings}
480 @node Displaying spacing
481 @section Displaying spacing
483 @funindex annotate-spacing
484 @cindex Spacing, display of properties
486 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical properties that may
487 be altered for page formatting, set @code{annotate-spacing} in the
488 @code{\paper} block, like this
492 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
496 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
500 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
503 @c FIXME: really bad vagueness due to bug in annotate-spacing. -gp
504 Some unit dimensions are measured in staff spaces, while others
505 are measured in millimeters.
507 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower edge and
508 @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
517 * Optimal page breaking::
518 * Optimal page turning::
520 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
524 @subsection Line breaking
527 @cindex breaking lines
529 Line breaks are normally computed automatically. They are chosen so
530 that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and that consecutive lines
531 have similar density.
533 Occasionally you might want to override the automatic breaks; you can
534 do this by specifying @code{\break}. This will force a line break at
535 this point. Line breaks can only occur at places where there are bar
536 lines. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
537 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar
538 ""}. Similarly, @code{\noBreak} forbids a line break at a
542 @cindex regular line breaks
543 @cindex four bar music.
545 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
546 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}:
548 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
549 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
550 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
551 @emph{the real music}
556 This makes the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) be broken every
557 4 measures, and only there.
561 @code{\break}, and @code{\noBreak}.
567 Internals: @internalsref{LineBreakEvent}.
572 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
573 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
575 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
576 c4 c2 c2 \break % this does nothing
577 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
578 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
582 To allow line breaks on such bar lines, the
583 @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver} can be removed from @code{Voice}
587 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
589 \remove "Forbid_line_break_engraver"
591 c4 c2 c2 \break % now the break is allowed
599 @subsection Page breaking
601 The default page breaking may be overriden by inserting
602 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
603 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
604 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
605 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
608 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function.
609 LilyPond provides two algorithms for computing page
610 breaks, @code{ly:optimal-breaking} and @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}. The
611 default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, but the value can be changed in
612 the @code{\paper} block:
616 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
620 The old page breaking algorithm is called
621 @code{optimal-page-breaks}. If you are having trouble with the new page
622 breakers, you can enable the old one as a workaround.
628 @funindex \noPageBreak
632 @node Optimal page breaking
633 @subsection Optimal page breaking
635 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
637 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
638 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
639 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
640 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
643 @node Optimal page turning
644 @subsection Optimal page turning
646 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
648 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
649 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
650 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
651 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
652 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
655 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you must
656 enable it in the @code{\paper} block. Then, you must tell the function
657 where you would like to allow page breaks.
659 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
660 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
661 input file at the appropriate places.
663 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
664 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
665 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
666 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
667 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
668 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
669 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final barline in that section, unless
670 there is a @q{special} barline (such as a double bar), in which case the
671 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} barline in
674 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
675 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
676 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
677 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
678 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
679 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
682 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
685 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
687 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
688 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
690 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
695 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
696 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
697 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
698 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
699 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
700 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
701 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
705 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
706 than one, they will interfere with each other.
709 @node Explicit breaks
710 @subsection Explicit breaks
712 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
713 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
716 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
717 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
720 When @code{line-break-permission} is overriden to false, Lily will insert
721 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
722 @code{page-break-permission} is overriden to false, Lily will insert
723 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
725 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
734 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
735 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
738 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
739 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
740 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
741 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
742 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
743 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
744 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
745 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
752 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
753 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
755 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
760 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
762 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
767 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
768 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
769 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
770 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
771 contain the breaks. This extra voice
772 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
773 breaking layout information.
775 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
785 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
786 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
787 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
788 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
794 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
795 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
796 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
798 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
803 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
804 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
807 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
808 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
811 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
812 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
815 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
816 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
820 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
821 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
822 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
823 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
830 @node Vertical spacing
831 @section Vertical spacing
833 @cindex vertical spacing
834 @cindex spacing, vertical
836 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
837 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
838 space between systems, and the amount of space between
839 staves inside a system.
842 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
843 * Vertical spacing between systems::
844 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
845 * Two-pass vertical spacing::
846 * Vertical collision avoidance::
850 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
851 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
853 @cindex distance between staves
854 @cindex staff distance
855 @cindex space between staves
856 @cindex space inside systems
858 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
859 staves from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
860 By changing these, you can put staves closer together. This
861 reduces the amount of space each system requires, and may result
862 in having more systems per page.
864 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
865 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
866 property @code{minimum-Y-extent}. When applied to a
867 @internalsref{VerticalAxisGroup}, it controls the size of a horizontal
868 line, such as a staff or a line of lyrics. @code{minimum-Y-extent}
869 takes a pair of numbers, so
870 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)}
874 \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-3 . 3)
878 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
879 either side of the center staff line. The value @code{(-3 . 3)} is
880 interpreted as an interval, where the center line is the 0, so the
881 first number is generally negative. The numbers need not match;
882 for example, the staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting
883 it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
885 After page breaks are determined, the vertical spacing within each
886 system is reevaluated in order to fill the page more evenly; if a page
887 has space left over, systems are stretched in order to fill that space.
888 The amount of stretching can be configured though the @code{max-stretch}
889 property of the @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} grob. To disable this
890 stretching entirely, set @code{max-stretch} to zero.
892 In some situations, you may want to stretch most of a system while
893 leaving some parts fixed. For example, if a piano part occurs in the
894 middle of an orchestral score, you may want to leave the piano staves
895 close to each other while stretching the rest of the score. The
896 @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} property of
897 @internalsref{VerticalAxisGroup} can be used to achieve this. When set
898 to @code{##t}, this property keeps its staff (or line of lyrics) from
899 moving relative to the one directly above it. In the example above,
900 you would override @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} to @code{##t} in
901 the second piano staff:
905 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
912 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
913 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
914 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
919 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
921 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'keep-fixed-while-stretching = ##t
928 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
929 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
936 Internals: Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
937 @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} object. The context parameters
938 specifying the vertical extent are described in connection with
939 the @internalsref{Axis_group_engraver}.
941 Example files: @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
942 @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
945 @node Vertical spacing between systems
946 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
948 Space between systems are controlled by four @code{\paper} variables,
952 between-system-space = 1.5\cm
953 between-system-padding = #1
955 ragged-last-bottom=##f
960 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
961 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
963 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
964 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
965 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
966 different staves and systems running down the page.
968 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
969 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
970 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
971 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
972 vertical positions on the page.
974 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
975 list of five different settings:
978 @item @code{X-offset}
979 @item @code{Y-offset}
980 @item @code{alignment-offsets}
981 @item @code{alignment-extra-space}
982 @item @code{fixed-alignment-extra-space}
985 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
986 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
989 @item in the middle of note entry directly
990 @item in a @code{\context} block
991 @item in the @code{\with} block
994 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
995 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
996 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
997 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
998 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
999 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1000 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1003 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1004 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1006 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1007 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1009 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1010 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1012 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn
1013 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1015 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn
1016 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1017 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1020 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1021 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1023 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1031 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 18 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } }
1034 \repeat unfold 18 { d'4 d'4 d'4 d'4 }
1039 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1040 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1041 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1042 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1044 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1045 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1046 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1047 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1048 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1050 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1054 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1055 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1057 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1058 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1060 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1061 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1064 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 18 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } }
1067 \repeat unfold 18 { d'4 d'4 d'4 d'4 }
1072 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1073 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1074 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1075 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1077 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1078 explicitly, we can also set the vertical startpoint of each staff
1079 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-offsets}
1080 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1082 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1086 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1087 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1088 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1090 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1091 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1092 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1094 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1095 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1096 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1099 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 18 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } }
1102 \repeat unfold 18 { d'4 d'4 d'4 d'4 }
1107 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1108 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1109 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1110 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1111 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1112 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1113 @code{alignment-offsets} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1114 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-offsets}
1115 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1117 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1121 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1122 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1123 (alignment-offsets . (0 -30 -40)))
1125 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1126 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1127 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -20)))
1129 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1130 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1131 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10, -40)))
1134 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 18 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } }
1138 \repeat unfold 18 { d'4 d'4 d'4 d'4 }
1141 \repeat unfold 18 { e'4 e'4 e'4 e'4 }
1147 Some points to consider:
1150 @item When using @code{alignment-offsets}, lyrics count as a staff.
1152 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1153 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-offsets} are interpreted as multiples
1154 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1155 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1157 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1158 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1159 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1160 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1161 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1164 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1165 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1167 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1168 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1169 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1171 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1172 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1173 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1174 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1175 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1176 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1177 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1180 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1181 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1182 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1183 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1186 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1187 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1188 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1189 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1190 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1191 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1192 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1195 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1198 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1199 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1201 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number, we
1202 % disable the automatic collision avoidance
1203 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1204 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1205 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1208 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1209 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1210 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1212 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1213 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1214 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1215 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1216 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1217 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1220 By default, outside-staff objects are placed without regard to
1221 their horizontal distance from the previously-posititioned grobs. This
1222 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1223 other horizontally. Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1224 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1227 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1228 % the markup is too close to the following note
1231 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1233 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
1240 @node Horizontal spacing
1241 @section Horizontal Spacing
1243 @cindex horizontal spacing
1244 @cindex spacing, horizontal
1247 * Horizontal spacing overview::
1248 * New spacing area::
1249 * Changing horizontal spacing::
1251 * Proportional notation::
1255 @node Horizontal spacing overview
1256 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
1258 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
1259 distances (@q{springs}) of differring lengths. Longer durations get
1260 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
1261 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
1262 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}
1263 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
1264 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
1265 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
1267 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
1268 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
1269 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
1271 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
1272 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
1276 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
1277 approximately the width of a note head, and
1278 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
1279 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
1280 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
1281 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
1282 followed by one NHW of space.
1284 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
1285 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
1286 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
1287 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
1288 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
1289 the one which occurs most frequently.
1292 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
1293 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
1294 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
1295 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
1296 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
1297 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
1299 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
1300 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, then
1301 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
1302 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
1304 @funindex common-shortest-duration
1305 @funindex base-shortest-duration
1306 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
1309 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
1310 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
1311 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
1312 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
1314 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
1315 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
1319 In the introduction (see @ref{Engraving}), it was explained that stem
1320 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
1321 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
1322 @internalsref{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
1323 @internalsref{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
1324 (generated in @internalsref{Staff} context) contains the same property
1325 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
1326 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
1327 exaggerated corrections:
1329 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1333 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1334 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1340 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
1345 Internals: @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, @internalsref{NoteSpacing},
1346 @internalsref{StaffSpacing}, @internalsref{SeparationItem}, and
1347 @internalsref{SeparatingGroupSpanner}.
1352 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
1353 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score.
1355 \once \override Score.SeparationItem #'padding = #1
1358 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
1361 @node New spacing area
1362 @subsection New spacing area
1364 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
1365 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
1366 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
1368 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
1369 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
1371 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
1374 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
1381 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
1382 @internalsref{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
1383 may be used in that location.
1386 @node Changing horizontal spacing
1387 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
1389 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
1390 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
1391 we compare the same music; once without altering
1392 the property, and then altered. Larger values
1393 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
1394 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
1395 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
1398 @lilypond[relative,verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
1401 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
1402 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1403 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
1404 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1409 @lilypond[relative,verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
1412 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
1413 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1414 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
1415 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1420 \override SpacingSpanner
1421 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
1430 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
1431 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
1432 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
1433 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
1434 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
1436 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1438 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
1456 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
1457 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
1459 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1460 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
1461 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
1466 @subsection Line length
1469 @cindex breaking pages
1472 @funindex line-width
1473 @funindex ragged-right
1474 @funindex ragged-last
1476 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
1477 @c block, to get page layout right.
1478 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
1480 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
1481 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
1482 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
1483 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
1486 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
1487 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
1488 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
1489 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
1492 @cindex vertical spacing
1494 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
1495 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
1496 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
1497 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
1498 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
1499 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
1500 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
1501 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
1512 @node Proportional notation
1513 @subsection Proportional notation
1515 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
1516 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
1517 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
1518 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
1519 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
1520 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to faciliate the placement
1521 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
1523 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
1524 which may be used together or alone:
1527 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
1528 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
1529 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
1530 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
1531 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
1534 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
1535 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
1537 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
1538 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
1540 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1542 \new RhythmicStaff {
1546 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1552 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
1553 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
1554 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
1555 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
1556 horizontal space of the measure.
1558 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
1559 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
1560 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
1562 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
1563 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
1564 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
1567 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1569 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
1571 \new RhythmicStaff {
1575 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1581 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
1582 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
1583 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
1586 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting that
1587 lives in @context{Score}. Recall that context settings appear in one of
1588 three locations in our input file -- in a @code{\with} block, in a
1589 @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry
1590 preceeded by the @code{\set} command. As with all
1591 context settings, users can pick which of the three different
1592 locations they would like to set @code{proportionalNotationDuration}.
1594 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
1595 which is the reference duration against which all music will be
1596 spaced. The LilyPond Scheme function make-moment takes two arguments
1597 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
1598 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces a
1599 reference duration of a twentieth note. The values
1600 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
1601 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
1603 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
1604 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial and error,
1605 beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest) duration
1606 in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely; larger
1607 reference durations space music tightly.
1609 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1611 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
1613 \new RhythmicStaff {
1617 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1623 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
1625 \new RhythmicStaff {
1629 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1635 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
1637 \new RhythmicStaff {
1641 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1647 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
1648 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause notehead collisions.
1649 Note also that proportional notation in general takes up more
1650 horizontal space that does classical spacing. Proportional spacing
1651 provides rhythmic clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
1653 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
1655 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
1656 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
1659 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1661 \new RhythmicStaff {
1665 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1668 \new RhythmicStaff {
1670 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
1676 The spacing is bad because the evenly notes of the bottom staff do not
1677 stretch uniformly. Classical engraving includes very few complex
1678 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
1679 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} remedies this
1680 situation considerably.
1682 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1684 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
1686 \new RhythmicStaff {
1690 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1693 \new RhythmicStaff {
1695 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
1701 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
1702 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than do the notes
1703 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
1704 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
1705 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
1707 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1709 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
1710 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
1712 \new RhythmicStaff {
1716 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
1719 \new RhythmicStaff {
1721 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
1727 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic relationships
1728 are visually clear, and we can include a measured timeline or graphic
1731 The @code{SpacingSpanner} is an abstract grob that lives in the
1732 @context{Score} context. As with our settings of
1733 @code{proportionalNotationDuration},
1734 overrides to the @code{SpacingSpanner} can occur in any of three different
1735 places in our input file -- in the Score @code{\with} block, in a
1736 Score @code{\context} block, or in note entry directly.
1738 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
1739 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
1740 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
1741 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
1742 different places in the score. We do this with the command
1743 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area} for more info.
1745 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
1746 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
1747 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
1748 just before the first note in each system.
1750 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1763 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
1764 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
1765 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
1766 reduces this space to zero.
1768 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1774 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
1782 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
1783 accidentals are problemmatic in proportional notation. None of these
1784 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
1785 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
1786 problems differently.
1788 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
1789 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
1790 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
1791 of time signatures, especially for those scores
1792 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
1793 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
1794 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
1796 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
1797 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
1798 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
1800 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1802 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
1812 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
1813 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
1823 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score is
1824 too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second score
1825 remains strict, however, because @code{strict-note-spacing} is turned
1826 on. Turning on @code{strict-note-spacing} causes the width of time
1827 signatures, key signatures and clefs to play no part in the spacing
1828 algorithm. Accidentals are a different matter, however. By default, all
1829 accidentals consume a little extra space, as the following pair of
1832 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1834 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
1846 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
1858 Both scores are proportional but the second score exhibits spacing
1859 irregularities due to accidentals. Turning on @code{strict-note-spacing}
1860 does not work for accidentals. Instead,
1861 we override the @code{X-extent} of all accidentals to zero and then move the
1862 accidentals to the left of the notes they modify.
1864 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
1866 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
1867 \override Accidental #'X-extent = #'(0 . 0)
1868 \override Accidental #'extra-offset = #'(-1 . 0)
1880 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings that
1881 frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
1884 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
1885 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
1886 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
1887 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
1888 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
1889 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
1892 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
1893 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
1894 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
1895 for these related settings.