1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
2 @c This file is part of lilypond.tely
4 Translation of GIT committish: FILL-IN-HEAD-COMMITTISH
6 When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the
7 version that you are working on. See TRANSLATION for details.
10 @c A menu is needed before every deeper *section nesting of @node's; run
11 @c M-x texinfo-all-menus-update
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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
36 * Horizontal spacing::
37 * Displaying spacing::
38 * Vertical collision avoidance::
43 @section Paper and pages
45 This section deals with the boundaries that define the area
46 that music can be printed inside.
55 @subsection Paper size
61 To change the paper size, there are two commands,
63 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
65 #(set-paper-size "a4")
69 The first command sets the size of all pages. The second command sets the
71 of the pages that the @code{\paper} block applies to -- if the @code{\paper}
72 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply to all pages. If the
73 @code{\paper} block is inside a @code{\book}, then the paper size will only
76 Support for the following paper sizes are included by default,
77 @code{a6}, @code{a5}, @code{a4}, @code{a3}, @code{legal}, @code{letter},
78 @code{11x17} (also known as tabloid).
80 Extra sizes may be added by editing the definition for
81 @code{paper-alist} in the initialization file @file{scm/paper.scm}.
86 If the symbol @code{landscape} is supplied as an argument to
87 @code{set-default-paper-size}, the pages will be rotated by 90 degrees,
88 and wider line widths will be set correspondingly.
91 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
94 Setting the paper size will adjust a number of @code{\paper} variables
95 (such as margins). To use a particular paper size with altered
96 @code{\paper} variables, set the paper size before setting the variables.
100 @subsection Page formatting
102 @cindex page formatting
107 LilyPond will do page layout, set margins, and add headers and
108 footers to each page.
110 The default layout responds to the following settings in the
117 @funindex first-page-number
118 @item first-page-number
119 The value of the page number of the first page. Default is@tie{}1.
121 @funindex print-first-page-number
122 @item print-first-page-number
123 If set to true, will print the page number in the first page. Default is
126 @funindex print-page-number
127 @item print-page-number
128 If set to false, page numbers will not be printed. Default is true.
130 @funindex paper-width
132 The width of the page. The default is taken from the current paper size,
133 see @ref{Paper size}.
135 @funindex paper-height
137 The height of the page. The default is taken from the current paper size,
138 see @ref{Paper size}.
142 Margin between header and top of the page. Default is@tie{}5mm.
144 @funindex bottom-margin
146 Margin between footer and bottom of the page. Default is@tie{}6mm.
148 @funindex left-margin
150 Margin between the left side of the page and the beginning of the
151 music. Unset by default, which means that the margins is determined
152 based on the @code{paper-width} and @code{line-width} to center the
157 The length of the systems. Default is @code{paper-width} minus @tie{}20mm.
159 @funindex head-separation
160 @item head-separation
161 Distance between the top-most music system and the page header. Default
164 @funindex foot-separation
165 @item foot-separation
166 Distance between the bottom-most music system and the page
167 footer. Default is@tie{}4mm.
169 @funindex page-top-space
171 Distance from the top of the printable area to the center of the first
172 staff. This only works for staves which are vertically small. Big staves
173 are set with the top of their bounding box aligned to the top of the
174 printable area. Default is@tie{}12mm.
176 @funindex ragged-bottom
178 If set to true, systems will not be spread vertically across the page. This
179 does not affect the last page. Default is false.
181 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
182 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
184 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
185 @item ragged-last-bottom
186 If set to false, systems will be spread vertically to fill the last
187 page. Default is true.
189 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
192 @funindex system-count
194 This variable, if set, specifies into how many lines a score should be
195 broken. Unset by default.
197 @funindex between-system-space
198 @item between-system-space
199 This dimensions determines the distance between systems. It is the
200 ideal distance between the center of the bottom staff of one system
201 and the center of the top staff of the next system. Default is@tie{}20mm.
203 Increasing this will provide a more even appearance of the page at the
204 cost of using more vertical space.
206 @funindex between-system-padding
207 @item between-system-padding
208 This dimension is the minimum amount of white space that will always
209 be present between the bottom-most symbol of one system, and the
210 top-most of the next system. Default is@tie{}4mm.
212 Increasing this will put systems whose bounding boxes almost touch
216 @funindex horizontal-shift
217 @item horizontal-shift
218 All systems (including titles and system separators) are shifted by
219 this amount to the right. Page markup, such as headers and footers are
220 not affected by this. The purpose of this variable is to make space
221 for instrument names at the left. Default is@tie{}0.
223 @funindex after-title-space
224 @item after-title-space
225 Amount of space between the title and the first system. Default is@tie{}5mm.
227 @funindex before-title-space
228 @item before-title-space
229 Amount of space between the last system of the previous piece and the
230 title of the next. Default is@tie{}10mm.
232 @funindex between-title-space
233 @item between-title-space
234 Amount of space between consecutive titles (e.g., the title of the
235 book and the title of a piece). Default is@tie{}2mm.
237 @funindex printallheaders
238 @item printallheaders
239 Setting this to #t will print all headers for each \score in the
240 output. Normally only the piece and opus \headers are printed.
242 @funindex systemSeparatorMarkup
243 @item systemSeparatorMarkup
244 This contains a markup object, which will be inserted between
245 systems. This is often used for orchestral scores. Unset by default.
247 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
250 @lilypond[ragged-right]
251 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
254 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
257 systemSeparatorMarkup = \slashSeparator
262 @funindex blank-page-force
263 @item blank-page-force
264 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
265 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
266 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default value
269 @funindex blank-last-page-force
270 @item blank-last-page-force
271 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
274 @funindex page-spacing-weight
275 @item page-spacing-weight
276 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line (horizontal)
277 spacing. High values will make page spacing more important. Default
280 @funindex auto-first-page-number
281 @item auto-first-page-number
282 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number being
283 odd or even. If this variable is set to #t, the page breaking algorithm
284 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This will
285 result in the first page number remaining as is or being increased by one.
297 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
301 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
302 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
303 @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters. That is why the
304 value must be multiplied in the example
308 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
312 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
313 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
314 implementations are in @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/.ly} and
315 @file{ly/@/titling@/-init@/.ly}.
317 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
318 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
319 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
320 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
321 page given the system to put on it.
326 The option right-margin is defined but doesn't set the right margin
327 yet. The value for the right margin has to be defined adjusting the
328 values of @code{left-margin} and @code{line-width}.
330 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
331 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
333 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
334 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
335 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
339 @section Music layout
342 * Setting the staff size::
347 @node Setting the staff size
348 @subsection Setting the staff size
350 @cindex font size, setting
351 @cindex staff size, setting
352 @funindex layout file
354 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
355 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
358 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
362 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
365 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
370 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
375 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
376 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
377 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
378 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
381 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
384 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
385 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
427 @c modern rental material?
432 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
433 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
434 @internalsref{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
435 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
443 This manual: @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
447 @subsection Score layout
451 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
452 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
459 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
462 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
463 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
471 This manual: @ref{Changing context default settings}
480 * Optimal page breaking::
481 * Optimal page turning::
483 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
487 @subsection Line breaking
490 @cindex breaking lines
492 Line breaks are normally computed automatically. They are chosen so
493 that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and that consecutive lines
494 have similar density.
496 Occasionally you might want to override the automatic breaks; you can
497 do this by specifying @code{\break}. This will force a line break at
498 this point. Line breaks can only occur at places where there are bar
499 lines. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
500 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar
501 ""}. Similarly, @code{\noBreak} forbids a line break at a
505 @cindex regular line breaks
506 @cindex four bar music.
508 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
509 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}:
511 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
512 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
513 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
514 @emph{the real music}
519 This makes the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) be broken every
520 4 measures, and only there.
524 @code{\break}, and @code{\noBreak}.
530 Internals: @internalsref{LineBreakEvent}.
532 A linebreaking configuration can now be saved as a @code{.ly} file
533 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
534 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
535 complicated. More details are available in
541 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
542 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
544 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
545 c4 c2 c2 \break % this does nothing
546 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
547 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
551 To allow line breaks on such bar lines, the
552 @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver} can be removed from @code{Voice}
556 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
558 \remove "Forbid_line_break_engraver"
560 c4 c2 c2 \break % now the break is allowed
568 @subsection Page breaking
570 The default page breaking may be overriden by inserting
571 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
572 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
573 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
574 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
577 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function.
578 LilyPond provides two algorithms for computing page
579 breaks, @code{ly:optimal-breaking} and @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}. The
580 default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, but the value can be changed in
581 the @code{\paper} block:
585 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
589 The old page breaking algorithm is called
590 @code{optimal-page-breaks}. If you are having trouble with the new page
591 breakers, you can enable the old one as a workaround.
597 @funindex \noPageBreak
601 @node Optimal page breaking
602 @subsection Optimal page breaking
604 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
606 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
607 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
608 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
609 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
612 @node Optimal page turning
613 @subsection Optimal page turning
615 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
617 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
618 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
619 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
620 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
621 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
624 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you must
625 enable it in the @code{\paper} block. Then, you must tell the function
626 where you would like to allow page breaks.
628 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
629 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
630 input file at the appropriate places.
632 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
633 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
634 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
635 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
636 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
637 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
638 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final barline in that section, unless
639 there is a @q{special} barline (such as a double bar), in which case the
640 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} barline in
643 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
644 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
645 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
646 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
647 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
648 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
651 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
654 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
656 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
657 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
659 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
664 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
665 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
666 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
667 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
668 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
669 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
670 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
674 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
675 than one, they will interfere with each other.
678 @node Explicit breaks
679 @subsection Explicit breaks
681 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
682 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
685 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
686 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
689 When @code{line-break-permission} is overriden to false, Lily will insert
690 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
691 @code{page-break-permission} is overriden to false, Lily will insert
692 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
694 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
703 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
704 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
707 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
708 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
709 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
710 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
711 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
712 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
713 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
714 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
721 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
722 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
724 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
729 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
731 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
736 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
737 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
738 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
739 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
740 contain the breaks. This extra voice
741 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
742 breaking layout information.
744 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
754 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
755 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
756 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
757 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
763 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
764 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
765 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
767 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
772 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
773 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
776 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
777 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
780 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
781 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
784 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
785 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
789 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
790 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
791 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
792 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
799 @node Vertical spacing
800 @section Vertical spacing
802 @cindex vertical spacing
803 @cindex spacing, vertical
805 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
806 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
807 space between systems, and the amount of space between
808 staves inside a system.
811 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
812 * Vertical spacing between systems::
813 * Controlling spacing of individual systems::
814 * Two-pass vertical spacing::
818 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
819 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
821 @cindex distance between staves
822 @cindex staff distance
823 @cindex space between staves
824 @cindex space inside systems
826 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
827 staves from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
828 By changing these, you can put staves closer together. This
829 reduces the amount of space each system requires, and may result
830 in having more systems per page.
832 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
833 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
834 property @code{minimum-Y-extent}. When applied to a
835 @internalsref{VerticalAxisGroup}, it controls the size of a horizontal
836 line, such as a staff or a line of lyrics. @code{minimum-Y-extent}
837 takes a pair of numbers, so
838 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)}
842 \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-3 . 3)
846 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
847 either side of the center staff line. The value @code{(-3 . 3)} is
848 interpreted as an interval, where the center line is the 0, so the
849 first number is generally negative. The numbers need not match;
850 for example, the staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting
851 it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
856 Internals: Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
857 @internalsref{VerticalAlignment} object. The context parameters
858 specifying the vertical extent are described in connection with
859 the @internalsref{Axis_group_engraver}.
861 Example files: @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
862 @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
865 @node Vertical spacing between systems
866 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
868 Space between systems are controlled by four @code{\paper} variables,
872 between-system-space = 1.5\cm
873 between-system-padding = #1
875 ragged-last-bottom=##f
880 @node Controlling spacing of individual systems
881 @subsection Controlling spacing of individual systems
883 It is also possible to change the distance between for each system
884 individually. This is done by including the command
888 #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
889 #'line-break-system-details
890 #'((fixed-alignment-extra-space . 15))
894 at the line break before the system to be changed. The distance
895 @code{15} is distributed over all staves that have a fixed distance
896 alignment. For example,
898 @lilypond[ragged-right, fragment, relative=2, staffsize=13]
904 #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
905 #'line-break-system-details
906 #'((fixed-alignment-extra-space . 15))
914 The distance for @code{fixed-alignment-extra-space} may also be
918 @node Two-pass vertical spacing
919 @subsection Two-pass vertical spacing
921 In order to automatically stretch systems so that they should fill the
922 space left on a page, a two-pass technique can be used:
925 @item In the first pass, the amount of vertical space used to increase
926 the height of each system is computed and dumped to a file.
927 @item In the second pass, spacing inside the systems are
928 stretched according to the data in the page layout file.
931 The @code{ragged-bottom} property adds space between systems, while
932 the two-pass technique adds space between staffs inside a system.
934 To allow this behaviour, a @code{tweak-key} variable has to be set in
935 each score @code{\layout} block, and the tweaks included in each score
936 music, using the @code{\scoreTweak} music function.
940 %% include the generated page layout file:
941 \includePageLayoutFile
946 %% Include this score tweaks:
948 { \clef french c''1 \break c''1 }
950 \new Staff { \clef soprano g'1 g'1 }
951 \new Staff { \clef mezzosoprano e'1 e'1 }
952 \new Staff { \clef alto g1 g1 }
953 \new Staff { \clef bass c1 c1 }
956 piece = "Score with tweaks"
958 %% Define how to name the tweaks for this score:
959 \layout { #(define tweak-key "scoreA") }
964 For the first pass, the @code{dump-tweaks} option should be set to
965 generate the page layout file.
968 lilypond -dbackend=null -d dump-tweaks <file>.ly
972 @node Horizontal spacing
973 @section Horizontal Spacing
975 @cindex horizontal spacing
976 @cindex spacing, horizontal
979 * Horizontal spacing overview::
981 * Changing horizontal spacing::
986 @node Horizontal spacing overview
987 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
989 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
990 distances (@q{springs}) of differring lengths. Longer durations get
991 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
992 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
993 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}
994 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
995 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
996 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
998 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
999 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
1000 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
1002 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
1003 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
1007 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
1008 approximately the width of a note head, and
1009 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
1010 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
1011 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
1012 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
1013 followed by one NHW of space.
1015 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
1016 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
1017 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
1018 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
1019 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
1020 the one which occurs most frequently.
1023 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
1024 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
1025 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
1026 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
1027 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
1028 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
1030 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
1031 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, then
1032 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
1033 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
1035 @funindex common-shortest-duration
1036 @funindex base-shortest-duration
1037 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
1040 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
1041 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
1042 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
1043 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
1045 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
1046 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
1050 In the introduction (see @ref{Engraving}), it was explained that stem
1051 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
1052 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
1053 @internalsref{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
1054 @internalsref{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
1055 (generated in @internalsref{Staff} context) contains the same property
1056 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
1057 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
1058 exaggerated corrections:
1060 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1064 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1065 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1071 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
1076 Internals: @internalsref{SpacingSpanner}, @internalsref{NoteSpacing},
1077 @internalsref{StaffSpacing}, @internalsref{SeparationItem}, and
1078 @internalsref{SeparatingGroupSpanner}.
1083 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
1084 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score.
1086 \once \override Score.SeparationItem #'padding = #1
1089 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
1092 @node New spacing area
1093 @subsection New spacing area
1095 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
1096 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
1097 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
1099 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
1100 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
1102 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
1105 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
1112 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
1113 @internalsref{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
1114 may be used in that location.
1117 @node Changing horizontal spacing
1118 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
1120 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
1121 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
1122 we compare the same music; once without altering
1123 the property, and then altered. Larger values
1124 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
1125 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
1126 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
1129 @lilypond[relative,verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
1132 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
1133 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1134 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
1135 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1140 @lilypond[relative,verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
1143 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
1144 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1145 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
1146 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
1151 \override SpacingSpanner
1152 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
1161 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
1162 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
1163 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
1164 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
1165 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
1167 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1169 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
1187 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
1188 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
1190 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1191 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
1192 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
1197 @subsection Line length
1200 @cindex breaking pages
1203 @funindex line-width
1204 @funindex ragged-right
1205 @funindex ragged-last
1207 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
1208 @c block, to get page layout right.
1209 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
1211 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
1212 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
1213 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
1214 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
1217 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
1218 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
1219 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
1220 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
1223 @cindex vertical spacing
1225 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
1226 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
1227 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
1228 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
1229 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
1230 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
1231 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
1232 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
1243 @node Displaying spacing
1244 @section Displaying spacing
1246 @funindex annotate-spacing
1247 @cindex Spacing, display of properties
1249 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical properties that may
1250 be altered for page formatting, set @code{annotate-spacing} in the
1251 @code{\paper} block, like this
1255 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
1259 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
1263 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
1266 @c FIXME: really bad vagueness due to bug in annotate-spacing. -gp
1267 Some unit dimensions are measured in staff spaces, while others
1268 are measured in millimeters.
1270 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower edge and
1271 @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
1274 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1275 @section Vertical collision avoidance
1277 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1278 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1279 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1281 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1282 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1283 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1284 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1285 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1286 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1287 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1290 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1291 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1292 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1293 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1296 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1297 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1298 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1299 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1300 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1301 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1302 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1305 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1308 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1309 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1311 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number, we
1312 % disable the automatic collision avoidance
1313 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1314 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1315 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1318 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1319 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1320 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1322 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1323 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1324 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1325 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1326 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1327 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1330 By default, outside-staff objects are placed without regard to
1331 their horizontal distance from the previously-posititioned grobs. This
1332 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1333 other horizontally. Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1334 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1337 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1338 % the markup is too close to the following note
1341 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1343 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1