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2 @c This file is part of lilypond-learning.tely
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11 @chapter Tweaking output
13 This chapter discusses how to modify output. LilyPond is extremely
14 configurable; virtually every fragment of output may be changed.
19 * The Internals Reference manual::
20 * Appearance of objects::
21 * Placement of objects::
22 * Collisions of objects::
27 @section Tweaking basics
30 * Introduction to tweaks::
31 * Objects and interfaces::
32 * Naming conventions of objects and properties::
36 @node Introduction to tweaks
37 @subsection Introduction to tweaks
39 @q{Tweaking} is a LilyPond term for the various methods available
40 to the user for modifying the actions taken during interpretation
41 of the input file and modifying the appearance of the printed
42 output. Some tweaks are very easy to use; others are more
43 complex. But taken together the methods available for tweaking
44 permit almost any desired appearance of the printed music to be
47 In this section we cover the basic concepts required to understand
48 tweaking. Later we give a variety of ready-made commands which can
49 simply be copied to obtain the same effect in your own scores, and
50 at the same time we show how these commands may be constructed so
51 that you may learn how to develop your own tweaks.
53 Before starting on this Chapter you may wish to review the section
54 @ref{Contexts and engravers}, as Contexts, Engravers, and the
55 Properties contained within them are fundamental to understanding
56 and constructing Tweaks.
58 @node Objects and interfaces
59 @subsection Objects and interfaces
66 Tweaking involves modifying the internal operation and structures
67 of the LilyPond program, so we must first introduce some terms
68 which are used to describe those internal operations and
71 The term @q{Object} is a generic term used to refer to the
72 multitude of internal structures built by LilyPond during the
73 processing of an input file. So when a command like @code{\new
74 Staff} is encountered a new object of type @code{Staff} is
75 constructed. That @code{Staff} object then holds all the
76 properties associated with that particular staff, for example, its
77 name and its key signature, together with details of the engravers
78 which have been assigned to operate within that staff's context.
79 Similarly, there are objects to hold the properties of all other
80 contexts, such as @code{Voice} objects, @code{Score} objects,
81 @code{Lyrics} objects, as well as objects to represent all
82 notational elements such as bar lines,
83 note heads, ties, dynamics, etc. Every object has its own set of
86 Some types of object are given special names. Objects which
87 represent items of notation on the printed output such as
88 note heads, stems, slurs, ties, fingering, clefs, etc are called
89 @q{Layout objects}, often known as @q{Graphical Objects}, or
90 @q{Grobs} for short. These are still objects in the generic sense
91 above, and so they too all have properties associated with them,
92 such as their position, size, color, etc.
94 Some layout objects are still more specialised. Phrasing slurs,
95 crescendo hairpins, ottavo marks, and many other grobs are not
96 localised in a single place -- they have a starting point, an
97 ending point, and maybe other properties concerned with their
98 shape. Objects with an extended shape like these are called
101 It remains to explain what @q{Interfaces} are. Many objects,
102 even though they are quite different, share common features
103 which need to be processed in the same way.
104 For example, all grobs have a color, a size, a position, etc,
105 and all these properties are processed in the same way during
107 interpretation of the input file. To simplify these internal
108 operations these common actions and properties are grouped
109 together in an object called a @code{grob-interface}. There
110 are many other groupings of common properties like this, each
111 one given a name ending in @code{-interface}. In total there
112 are over 100 such interfaces. We shall see later why this is
113 of interest and use to the user.
115 These, then, are the main terms relating to objects which we
116 shall use in this chapter.
118 @node Naming conventions of objects and properties
119 @subsection Naming conventions of objects and properties
121 We met some object naming conventions previously, in
122 @ref{Contexts and engravers}. Here for reference is a list
123 of the most common object and property types together with
124 the conventions for naming them and a couple of examples of
125 some real names. We have used A to stand for any capitalised
126 alphabetic character and aaa to stand for any number of
127 lower-case alphabetic characters. Other characters are used
130 @multitable @columnfractions .33 .33 .33
131 @headitem Object/property type
132 @tab Naming convention
135 @tab Aaaa or AaaaAaaaAaaa
136 @tab Staff, GrandStaff
138 @tab Aaaa or AaaaAaaaAaaa
141 @tab Aaaa_aaa_engraver
142 @tab Clef_engraver, Note_heads_engraver
144 @tab aaa-aaa-interface
145 @tab grob-interface, break-aligned-interface
146 @item Context Properties
147 @tab aaa or aaaAaaaAaaa
148 @tab alignAboveContext, skipBars
149 @item Layout Object Properties
150 @tab aaa or aaa-aaa-aaa
151 @tab direction, beam-thickness
154 As we shall see shortly, the properties of different types of
155 object are modified by different commands, so it is useful to
156 be able to recognise the type of object from the names of its
160 @node Tweaking methods
161 @subsection Tweaking methods
163 We have already met the commands @code{\set} and @code{\with},
164 used to change the properties of @strong{contexts} and to remove
165 and add @strong{engravers}, in
166 @ref{Modifying context properties} and @ref{Adding
167 and removing engravers}. We now must meet one more command.
169 The command to change the properties of @strong{layout objects} is
170 @code{\override}. Because this command has to modify
171 internal properties deep within LilyPond its syntax is not
172 as simple as the commands you have met so far. It needs to
173 know precisely which property of which object in which context
174 has to be modified, and what its new value is to be. Let's see
177 The general syntax of this command is:
180 \override @emph{context}.@emph{layout_object} #'@emph{layout_property} = #@emph{value}
184 This will set the property with the name @emph{layout_property}
185 of the layout object with the name
186 @emph{layout_object}, which is a member of the @emph{context}
187 context, to the value @emph{value}.
189 The @emph{context} can be omitted (and usually is) when the
190 required context is unambiguously implied and is one of lowest
191 level contexts, i.e., @code{Voice}, @code{ChordNames} or
192 @code{Lyrics}, and we shall omit it in many of the following
193 examples. We shall see later when it must be specified.
195 For now, don't worry about the @code{#'}, which must precede the
196 layout property, and the @code{#}, which must precede the value.
197 These must always be present in exactly this form. This is the
198 most common command used in tweaking, and most of the rest of
199 this chapter will be directed to presenting examples of how it is
202 Once overridden, the property retains its new value until it is
203 overridden again or a @code{\revert} command is encountered.
204 The @code{\revert} command has the following syntax and causes
205 the value of the property to revert to its original default
206 value; note, not its previous value if several @code{\override}
207 commands have been issued.
210 \revert @emph{context}.@emph{layout_object} #'@emph{layout_property}
213 Again, just like @emph{context} in the @code{\override} command,
214 @emph{context} is often not needed. It will be omitted
215 in many of the following examples.
217 There is another form of the override command,
218 @code{\overrideProperty}, which is occasionally required.
219 We mention it here for completeness, but for details see
220 @ruser{Difficult tweaks}.
221 @c Maybe explain in a later iteration -td
223 The final tweaking command which is available is @code{\tweak}.
224 This should be used to change the properties of objects which
225 occur at the same musical moment, such as the notes within a
226 chord. Using @code{\override} would affect all the notes
227 within a chord, whereas @code{\tweak} affects just the following
228 item in the input stream. You may find the details in
229 @ruser{Objects connected to the input}.
231 @node The Internals Reference manual
232 @section The Internals Reference manual
234 @cindex Internals Reference
237 * Properties of layout objects::
238 * Properties found in interfaces::
239 * Types of properties::
242 @node Properties of layout objects
243 @subsection Properties of layout objects
245 @cindex properties of layout objects
246 @cindex properties of grobs
247 @cindex grobs, properties of
248 @cindex layout objects, properties of
250 Suppose you have a slur in a score which, to your mind,
251 appears too thin and you'd like to draw it a little heavier.
252 How do you go about doing this? You know from the statements
253 earlier about the flexibility of LilyPond that such a thing
254 should be possible, and you would probably guess that an
255 @code{\override} command would be needed. But is there a
256 heaviness property for a slur, and if there is, how might it
257 be modified? This is where the Internals Reference manual
258 comes in. It contains all the information you might need to
259 construct this and all other @code{\override} commands.
261 Before we look at the Internals Reference a word of warning.
262 This is a @strong{reference} document, which means there is
263 little or no explanation contained within it: its purpose is
264 to present information precisely and concisely. This
265 means it might look daunting at first sight. Don't worry!
266 The guidance and explanation presented here will enable you
267 to extract the information from the Internals Reference for
268 yourself with just a little practice.
270 @cindex override example
271 @cindex Internals Reference, example of using
273 Let's use a concrete example with a simple fragment of real
276 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
281 g[( e]) e d[( f]) a |
285 The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion
290 Suppose now that we decide we would like the slurs to be a
291 little heavier. Is this possible? The slur is certainly a
292 layout object, so the question is, @q{Is there a property
293 belonging to a slur which controls the heaviness?} To answer
294 this we must look in the Internals Reference, or IR for short.
296 The IR for the version of LilyPond you are using may be found
297 on the LilyPond website at @uref{http://lilypond.org}. Go to the
298 documentation page and click on the Internals Reference link.
299 For learning purposes you should use the standard html version,
300 not the @q{one big page} or the PDF. For the next few
301 paragraphs to make sense you will need to actually do this
304 Under the heading @strong{Top} you will see five links. Select
305 the link to the @emph{Backend}, which is where information about
306 layout objects is to be found. There, under the heading
307 @strong{Backend}, select the link to @emph{All layout objects}.
308 The page that appears lists all the layout objects used in your
309 version of LilyPond, in alphabetic order. Select the link to
310 Slur, and the properties of Slurs are listed.
312 (An alternative way of finding this page is from the Notation
313 Reference. On one of the pages that deals with slurs you may
314 find a link to the Internals Reference. This link will
315 take you directly to this page, but often it is easier to go
316 straight to the IR and search there.)
318 This Slur page in the IR tells us first that Slur objects are
320 Slur_engraver. Then it lists the standard settings. Note
321 these are @strong{not} in alphabetic order. Browse down
322 them looking for a property that might control the heaviness
323 of slurs, and you should find
326 @code{thickness} (number)
328 Line thickness, generally measured in @code{line-thickness}
331 This looks a good bet to change the heaviness. It tells us that
332 the value of @code{thickness} is a simple @emph{number},
333 that the default value is 1.2, and that the units are
334 in another property called @code{line-thickness}.
336 As we said earlier, there are few to no explanations in the IR,
337 but we already have enough information to try changing the
338 slur thickness. We see that the name of the layout object
339 is @code{Slur}, that the name of the property to change is
340 @code{thickness} and that the new value should be a number
341 somewhat larger than 1.2 if we are to make slurs thicker.
343 We can now construct the @code{\override} command by simply
344 substituting the values we have found for the names, omitting
345 the context. Let's use a very large value for the thickness
346 at first, so we can be sure the command is working. We get:
349 \override Slur #'thickness = #5.0
352 Don't forget the @code{#'} preceding the
353 property name and and @code{#} preceding the new value!
355 The final question is, @q{Where should this command be
356 placed?} While you are unsure and learning, the best
357 answer is, @q{Within the music, before the first slur and
358 close to it.} Let's do that:
360 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
364 % Increase thickness of all following slurs from 1.2 to 5.0
365 \override Slur #'thickness = #5.0
367 g[( e]) e d[( f]) a |
371 The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion
377 and we see that the slur is indeed heavier.
379 So this is the basic way of constructing @code{\override}
380 commands. There are a few more complications that we
381 shall meet in later sections, but you now know all the
382 essentials required to make up your own -- but you will
383 still need some practice. This is provided in the examples
386 @subheading Finding the context
387 @cindex context, finding
389 But first, what if we had needed to specify the Context?
390 What should it be? We could guess that slurs are in
391 the Voice context, as they are clearly closely associated
392 with individual lines of music, but can we be sure? To
393 find out, go back to the top of the IR page describing the
394 Slur, where it says @q{Slur objects are created by: Slur
395 engraver}. So slurs will be created in whichever context
396 the @code{Slur_engraver} is in. Follow the link to the
397 @code{Slur_engraver} page. At the very bottom it tells
398 us that @code{Slur_engraver} is part of five Voice contexts,
399 including the standard voice context, @code{Voice}, so our
400 guess was correct. And because @code{Voice} is one of the
401 lowest level contexts which is implied unambiguously by
402 the fact that we are entering notes, we can omit it in this
405 @subheading Overriding once only
407 @cindex overriding once only
408 @cindex once override
411 As you can see, @emph{all} the slurs are thicker in the
412 final example above. But what if we
413 wanted just the first slur to be thicker? This is achieved
414 with the @code{\once} command. Placed immediately before
415 the @code{\override} command it causes it to change only the
416 slur which begins on the @strong{immediately following} note.
418 immediately following note does not begin a slur the command
419 has no effect at all -- it is not remembered until a slur
420 is encountered, it is simply discarded. So the command with
422 repositioned as follows:
424 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
429 % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
430 \once \override Slur #'thickness = #5.0
432 g[( e]) e d[( f]) a |
436 The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion
442 Now only the first slur is made heavier.
444 The @code{\once} command can also be used before @code{\set}
445 and @code{\unset}, and before the command to be introduced
446 in the following section -- @code{revert}.
448 @subheading Reverting
451 @cindex default properties, reverting
454 Finally, what if we wanted just the first two slurs to be
455 heavier? Well, we could use two commands, each preceded by
456 @code{\once} placed immediately before each of the notes where
459 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
464 % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
465 \once \override Slur #'thickness = #5.0
467 % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
468 \once \override Slur #'thickness = #5.0
469 g[( e]) e d[( f]) a |
473 The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion
479 or we could omit the @code{\once} command and use the
480 @code{\revert} command
481 to return the @code{thickness} property to its default value
482 after the second slur:
484 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
489 % Increase thickness of all following slurs from 1.2 to 5.0
490 \override Slur #'thickness = #5.0
493 % Revert thickness of all following slurs to default of 1.2
494 \revert Slur #'thickness
499 The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion
505 The @code{\revert} command can be used to return any property
506 changed with @code{\override} back to its default value.
507 You may use whichever method best suits what you want to do.
509 That concludes our introduction to the IR, and the basic
510 method of tweaking. Several examples follow in the later
511 sections of this Chapter, partly to introduce you to some of the
512 additional features of the IR, and partly to give you more
513 practice in extracting information from it. These examples will
514 contain progressively fewer words of guidance and explanation.
516 @node Properties found in interfaces
517 @subsection Properties found in interfaces
519 @cindex interface properties
520 @cindex properties in interfaces
522 Suppose now that we wish to print the lyrics in italics. What
523 form of @code{\override} command do we need to do this?
524 We first look in the IR page listing @q{All layout objects}, as
525 before, and look for an object that might control lyrics. We
526 find @code{LyricText}, which looks right. Clicking on this shows
527 the settable properties for lyric text. These include the
528 @code{font-series} and @code{font-size}, but nothing that might
529 give an italic shape.
530 This is because the shape property is one that is common to all
531 font objects, so, rather than including it in every layout
532 object, it is grouped together with other similar common
533 properties and placed in an @strong{Interface}, the
534 @code{font-interface}.
536 So now we need to learn how to find the properties of interfaces,
537 and to discover what objects use these interface properties.
539 Look again at the IR page which describes LyricText. At the
540 bottom of the page is a list of clickable (in the html versions
541 of the IR) interfaces which LyricText supports. The list has
542 seven items, including @code{font-interface}.
543 Clicking on this brings up the properties associated
544 with this interface, which are also properties of all the objects
545 which support it, including LyricText.
547 Now we see all the user-settable properties which control fonts,
548 including @code{font-shape(symbol)}, where @code{symbol} can be
549 set to @code{upright}, @code{italics} or @code{caps}.
551 You will notice that that @code{font-series} and @code{font-size}
552 are also listed there.
553 This immediately raises the question: Why are the common font
554 properties @code{font-series} and @code{font-size} listed under
555 @code{LyricText} as well as under the interface
556 @code{font-interface} but @code{font-shape} is not? The answer
557 is that @code{font-series} and @code{font-size} are changed
558 from their global default values when a @code{LyricText} object
559 is created, but @code{font-shape} is not. The entries in
560 @code{LyricText} then tell you the values for those two
561 properties which apply to @code{LyricText}. Other objects
562 which support @code{font-interface} will set these
563 properties diferently when they are created.
565 Let's see if we can now construct the @code{\override} command
566 to change the lyrics to italics. The object is @code{LyricText},
567 the property is @code{font-shape} and the value is
568 @code{italic}. As before, we'll omit the context.
570 As an aside, although it is an important one, note that because
572 @code{font-shape} are symbols they must be introduced with a
573 single apostrophe, @code{'}. That is why apostrophes
574 are needed before @code{thickness} in the earlier example
575 and @code{font-shape}. These are both symbols too.
576 Symbols are special names which are known internally to
577 LilyPond. Some of them are the names of properties,
578 like @code{thickness} or @code{font-shape}, others are in
579 effect special values that can be given to properties, like
580 @code{italic}. Note the distinction from arbitary
581 text strings, which would appear as @code{"a text string"}.
583 Ok, so the @code{\override} command we need to print the lyrics
587 \override LyricText #'font-shape = #'italic
591 and this should be placed just in front of and close to the
592 lyrics which it should affect, like this:
594 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
599 g[( e]) e d[( f]) a |
603 \override LyricText #'font-shape = #'italic
604 The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion
610 and the lyrics are all printed in italics.
612 @subheading Specifying context in lyric mode
613 @cindex context, specifying in lyric mode
615 In the case of lyrics, if you try specifying the context in the
616 format given earlier the command will fail. A syllable
617 entered in lyricmode is terminated by either a space,
618 a newline or a digit. All other characters are included
619 as part of the syllable. For this reason a space or newline
620 must appear before the terminating @code{@}} to prevent it being
621 included as part of the final syllable. Similarly,
622 spaces must be inserted before and after the
623 period or dot, @q{.}, separating the context name from the
624 object name, as otherwise the two names are run together and
625 the interpreter cannot recognise them. So the command should be:
628 \override Lyrics . LyricText #'font-shape = #'italic
631 @warning{In lyrics always leave whitespace between the final
632 syllable and the terminating brace.}
634 @warning{In overrides in lyrics always place spaces around
635 the dot between the context name and the object name.}
637 @node Types of properties
638 @subsection Types of properties
640 @cindex Property types
642 So far we have seen two types of property: @code{number} and
643 @code{symbol}. To be valid, the value given to a property
644 must be of the correct type and obey the rules for that type.
645 The type of property is always shown in brackets after the
646 property name in the IR. Here is a list of the types you may
647 need, together with the rules for that type, and some examples.
648 You must always add a hash symbol, @code{#}, of course,
649 to the front of these values when they are entered in the
650 @code{\override} command.
652 @multitable @columnfractions .2 .45 .35
653 @headitem Property type
657 @tab Either True or False, represented by #t or #f
658 @tab @code{#t}, @code{#f}
659 @item Dimension (in staff space)
660 @tab A positive decimal number (in units of staff space)
661 @tab @code{2.5}, @code{0.34}
663 @tab A valid direction constant or its numerical equivalent
664 @tab @code{#LEFT}, @code{#CENTER}, @code{#UP},
667 @tab A positive whole number
668 @tab @code{3}, @code{1}
670 @tab A bracketed set of items separated by spaces,
671 preceded by an apostrophe
672 @tab @code{'(left-edge staff-bar)}, @code{'(1)},
673 @code{'(1.0 0.25 0.5)}
675 @tab Any valid markup
676 @tab @code{\markup @{ \italic "cresc." @}}
678 @tab A fraction of a whole note constructed with the
680 @tab @code{(ly:make-moment 1 4)},
681 @code{(ly:make-moment 3 8)}
683 @tab Any positive or negative decimal value
684 @tab @code{3.5}, @code{-2.45}
685 @item Pair (of numbers)
686 @tab Two numbers separated by a @q{space . space} and enclosed
687 in brackets preceded by an apostrophe
688 @tab @code{'(2 . 3.5)}, @code{'(0.1 . -3.2)}
690 @tab Any of the set of permitted symbols for that property,
691 preceded by an apostrophe
692 @tab @code{'italic}, @code{'inside}
694 @tab A procedure or @code{#f} (to cause no action)
695 @tab @code{bend::print}, @code{ly:text-interface::print},
698 @tab A list of three items enclosed in brackets and preceded
699 by a hash sign, @code{#}.
700 @tab @code{#(#t #t #f)}
703 @node Appearance of objects
704 @section Appearance of objects
706 Let us now put what we have learnt into practice with a few
707 examples which show how tweaks may be used to change the
708 appearance of the printed music.
711 * Visibility and color of objects::
713 * Length and thickness of objects::
716 @node Visibility and color of objects
717 @subsection Visibility and color of objects
719 In the educational use of music we might wish to print a score
720 with certain elements omitted as an exercise for the student,
721 who is required to supply them. As a simple example,
722 let us suppose the exercise is to supply the missing bar lines
723 in a piece of music. But the bar lines are normally inserted
724 automatically. How do we prevent them printing?
726 Before we tackle this, let us remember that object properties
727 are grouped in what are called @emph{interfaces} -- see
728 @ref{Properties found in interfaces}. This is simply to
729 group together those properties that are commonly required
730 together -- if one of them is required for an object, so are
731 the others. Some objects then need the properties in some
732 interfaces, others need them from other interfaces. The
733 interfaces which contain the properties required by a
734 particular grob are listed in the IR at the bottom of the
735 page describing that grob, and those properties may be
736 viewed by looking at those interfaces.
738 We explained how to find information about grobs in
739 @ref{Properties of layout objects}. Using the same approach,
740 we go to the IR to find the layout object which prints
741 bar lines. Going via @emph{Backend} and @emph{All layout objects}
743 is a layout object called @code{BarLine}. Its properties include
744 two that control its visibility: @code{break-visibility} and
745 @code{stencil}. Barline also supports a number of interfaces,
746 including the @code{grob-interface}, where we find the
747 @code{transparent} and the @code{color} properties. All
748 of these can affect the visibility of bar lines (and, of course,
749 by extension, many other layout objects too.) Let's consider
750 each of these in turn.
753 @cindex stencil property
755 This property controls the appearance of the bar lines by specifying
756 the symbol (glyph) which should be printed. In common
757 with many other properties, it can be set to print nothing by
758 setting its value to @code{#f}. Let's try it, as before, omitting
759 the implied Context, @code{Voice}:
761 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
764 \override BarLine #'stencil = ##f
771 The bar lines are still printed. What is wrong? Go back to the
772 IR and look again at the page giving the properties of BarLine.
773 At the top of the page it says @qq{Barline objects are created
774 by: Bar_engraver}. Go to the @code{Bar_engraver} page.
776 it gives a list of Contexts in which the bar engraver operates.
777 All of them are of the type @code{Staff}, so the reason the
778 @code{\override} command failed to work as expected is because
779 @code{Barline} is not in the default @code{Voice} context.
781 is specified wrongly, the command simply does not work. No
782 error message is produced, and nothing is logged in the log
783 file. Let's try correcting it by adding the correct context:
785 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
788 \override Staff.BarLine #'stencil = ##f
795 Now the bar lines have vanished.
797 @subheading break-visibility
799 @cindex break-visibility property
801 We see from the @code{BarLine} properties in the IR that the
802 @code{break-visibility} property requires a vector of three
804 These control respectively whether bar lines are printed at
805 the end of a line, in the middle of lines, and at the beginning
806 of lines. For our example we want all bar lines to be suppressed,
807 so the value we need is @code{#(#f #f #f)}.
808 Let's try that, remembering
809 to include the @code{Staff} context. Note also that in writing
810 this value we have two hash signs before the opening bracket.
811 One is required as part of the value to introduce a vector,
812 and one is required, as always, to precede the value itself in
813 the @code{\override} command.
815 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
818 \override Staff.BarLine #'break-visibility = ##(#f #f #f)
825 And we see this too removes all the bar lines.
827 @subheading transparent
828 @cindex transparent property
830 We see from the properties specified in the @code{grob-interface}
831 page in the IR that the @code{transparent} property is a boolean.
833 should be set to @code{#t} to make the grob transparent.
834 In this next example let us make the time signature invisible
835 rather than the bar lines.
836 To do this we need to find the grob name for the time signature.
838 the @q{All layout objects} page in the IR to find the properties
839 of the @code{TimeSignature} layout object. This is produced by
840 the @code{Time_signature_engraver} which you can check also lives
841 in the @code{Staff} context and also supports the
842 @code{grob-interface}. So the command to make the time signature
845 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
848 \override Staff.TimeSignature #'transparent = ##t
856 The time signature is gone, but this command leaves a gap where
857 the time signature should be. Maybe this is what is wanted for
858 an exercise for the student to fill it in, but in other
859 circumstances a gap might be undesirable. To remove it, the
860 stencil for the time signature should be set to @code{#f}
863 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
866 \override Staff.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
874 and the difference is obvious: setting the stencil to @code{#f}
875 removes the object entirely; making the object @code{transparent}
876 leaves it where it is, but makes it invisible.
879 @cindex color property
881 Finally we could make the bar lines invisible by coloring
882 them white. The @code{grob-interface} specifies that the
883 color property value is a list, but there is no
884 explanation of what that list should be. The list it
885 requires is actually a list of values in internal units,
886 but, to avoid having to know what these are, several ways
887 are provided to specify colors. The first way is to use one
888 of the @q{normal} colours listed in the first table in
889 @ruser{List of colors}. To set the bar lines to white
892 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
895 \override Staff.BarLine #'color = #white
903 and again, we see the bar lines are not visible. Note that
904 @emph{white} is not preceded by an apostrophe -- it is not
905 a symbol, but a @emph{function}. When called, it provides
906 the list of internal values required to set the color to
907 white. The other colors in the normal list are functions
908 too. To convince yourself this is working you might like
909 to change the color to one of the other functions in the
915 The second way of changing the color is to use the list of
916 X11 color names in the second list in @ruser{List of colors}.
917 However, these must be preceded by another function, which
918 converts X11 color names into the list of internal values,
919 @code{x11-color}, like this:
921 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
924 \override Staff.BarLine #'color = #(x11-color 'white)
932 Note that in this case the function @code{x11-color} takes
933 a symbol as an argument, so the symbol must be preceded by
934 an apostrophe and the two enclosed in brackets.
939 There is yet a third function, one which converts RGB values into
940 internal colors -- the @code{rgb-color} function. This takes
941 three arguments giving the intensities of the red, green and
942 blue colors. These take values in the range 0 to 1. So to
943 set the color to red the value should be @code{(rgb-color 1 0 0)}
944 and to white it should be @code{(rgb-color 1 1 1)}:
946 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
949 \override Staff.BarLine #'color = #(rgb-color 1 1 1)
956 Finally, there is also a grey scale available as part of the
957 X11 set of colors. These range from black, @code{'grey0'},
958 to white, @code{'grey100}, in steps of 1. Let's illustrate
959 this by setting all the layout objects in our example to
960 various shades of grey:
962 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
965 \override Staff.StaffSymbol #'color = #(x11-color 'grey30)
966 \override Staff.TimeSignature #'color = #(x11-color 'grey60)
967 \override Staff.Clef #'color = #(x11-color 'grey60)
968 \override Voice.NoteHead #'color = #(x11-color 'grey85)
969 \override Voice.Stem #'color = #(x11-color 'grey85)
970 \override Staff.BarLine #'color = #(x11-color 'grey10)
978 Note the contexts associated with each of the layout objects.
979 It is important to get these right, or the commands will not
980 work! Remember, the context is the one in which the appropriate
981 engraver is placed. The default context for engravers can be
982 found by starting from the layout object, going from there to
983 the engraver which produces it, and on the engraver page in the
984 IR it tells you in which context the engraver will normally be
988 @node Size of objects
989 @subsection Size of objects
991 Let us begin by looking again at the earlier example
992 see @ref{Nesting music expressions}) which showed
993 how to introduce a new temporary staff, as in an @rglos{ossia}.
995 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1003 alignAboveContext = "main" }
1011 Ossia are normally written without clef and time signature, and
1012 are usually printed slightly smaller than the main staff. We
1013 already know now how to remove the clef and time signature --
1014 we simply set the stencil of each to @code{#f}, as follows:
1016 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1017 \new Staff ="main" {
1024 alignAboveContext = "main"
1027 \override Staff.Clef #'stencil = ##f
1028 \override Staff.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
1038 where the extra pair of braces after the @code{\with} clause are
1039 required to ensure the enclosed overrrides and music are applied
1042 But what is the difference between modifying the staff context by
1043 using @code{\with} and modifying the stencils of the clef and the
1044 time signature with \override? The main difference is that
1045 changes made in a @code{\with} clause are made at the time the
1046 context is created, and remain in force as the @strong{default}
1047 values for the duration of that context, whereas
1048 @code{\set} or @code{\override} commands embedded in the
1049 music are dynamic -- they make changes synchronised with
1050 a particular point in the music. If changes are unset or
1051 reverted using @code{\unset} or @code{\revert} they return to
1052 their default values, which will be the ones set in the
1053 @code{\with} clause, or if none have been set there, the normal
1056 Some context properties
1057 can be modified only in @code{\with} clauses. These are those
1058 properties which cannot sensibly be changed after the context
1059 has been created. @code{alignAboveContext} and its partner,
1060 @code{alignBelowContext}, are two such properties -- once the
1061 staff has been created its alignment is decided and it would
1062 make no sense to try to change it later.
1064 The default values of layout object properties can also be set
1065 in @code{\with} clauses. Simply use the normal @code{\override}
1066 command leaving out the context name, since this is unambiguously
1067 defined as the context which the @code{\with} clause is modifying.
1068 If fact, an error will be generated if a context is specified
1071 So we could replace the example above with
1073 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1074 \new Staff ="main" {
1081 alignAboveContext = "main"
1082 % Don't print clefs in this staff
1083 \override Clef #'stencil = ##f
1084 % Don't print time signatures in this staff
1085 \override TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
1094 Finally we come to changing the size of layout objects.
1096 Some layout objects are created as glyphs selected from
1097 a typeface font. These include note heads, accidentals, markup,
1098 clefs, time signatures, dynamics and lyrics.
1099 Their size is changed by modifying the
1100 @code{font-size} property, as we shall shortly see. Other
1101 layout objects such as slurs and ties -- in general, spanner
1102 objects -- are drawn individually, so there is no
1104 associated with them. These objects generally derive their
1105 size from the objects to which they are attached, so usually
1106 there is no need to change their size manually. Still other
1107 properties such as the length of stems and bar lines, thickness
1108 of beams and other lines, and the separation of staff lines all
1109 need to be modified in special ways.
1111 Returning to the ossia example, let us first change the font-size.
1112 We can do this in two ways. We can either change the size of the
1113 fonts of each object type, like @code{NoteHead}s with commands
1117 \override NoteHead #'font-size = #-2
1120 or we can change the size of all fonts by setting a special
1121 property, @code{fontSize}, using @code{\set}, or by including
1122 it in a @code{\with} clause (but without the @code{\set}).
1128 Both of these statements would cause the font size to be reduced
1129 by 2 steps from its previous value, where each
1130 step reduces or increases the size by approximately 12%.
1132 Let's try it in our ossia example:
1134 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1135 \new Staff ="main" {
1142 alignAboveContext = "main"
1143 \override Clef #'stencil = ##f
1144 \override TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
1145 % Reduce all font sizes by ~24%
1155 This is still not quite right. The note heads and flags are
1156 smaller, but the stems are too long in proportion and the
1157 staff lines are spaced too widely apart. These need to be
1158 scaled down in proportion to the font reduction. The next
1159 sub-section discusses how this is done.
1161 @node Length and thickness of objects
1162 @subsection Length and thickness of objects
1168 @cindex size, changing
1169 @cindex stem length, changing
1170 @cindex staff line spacing, changing
1172 Distances and lengths in LilyPond are generally measured in
1173 staff-spaces, the distance between adjacent lines in the staff,
1174 (or occasionally half staff spaces) while most @code{thickness}
1175 properties are measured in units of an internal property called
1176 @code{line-thickness.} For example, by default, the lines of
1177 hairpins are given a thickness of 1 unit of @code{line-thickness},
1178 while the @code{thickness} of a note stem is 1.3. Note, though,
1179 that some thickness properties are different; for example, the
1180 thickness of beams is measured in staff-spaces.
1182 So how are lengths to be scaled in proportion to the font size?
1183 This can be done with the help of a special function called
1184 @code{magstep} provided for exactly this purpose. It takes
1185 one argument, the change in font size (#-2 in the example above)
1186 and returns a scaling factor suitable for reducing other
1187 objects in proportion. It is used like this:
1189 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1190 \new Staff ="main" {
1197 alignAboveContext = "main"
1198 \override Clef #'stencil = ##f
1199 \override TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
1201 % Reduce stem length and line spacing to match
1202 \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep -2)
1212 Since the length of stems and many other length-related properties
1213 are always calculated relative to the
1214 value of the @code{staff-space} property these are automatically
1215 scaled down in length too. Note that this affects only the
1216 vertical scale of the ossia -- the horizontal scale is determined
1217 by the layout of the main music in order to remain synchronised
1218 with it, so it is not affected by any of these changes in size.
1219 Of course, if the scale of all the main music were changed in this
1220 way then the horizontal spacing would be affected. This is
1221 discussed later in the layout section.
1223 This, then, completes the creation of an ossia. The sizes and
1224 lengths of all other objects may be modified in analogous ways.
1226 For small changes in scale, as in the example above, the
1227 thickness of the various drawn lines such as bar lines,
1228 beams, hairpins, slurs, etc does not usually require global
1229 adjustment. If the thickness of any particular layout object
1230 needs to be adjusted this can be best achieved by overriding its
1231 @code{thickness} property. An example of changing the thickness
1232 of slurs was shown above in @ref{Properties of layout objects}.
1233 The thickness of all drawn objects (i.e., those not produced
1234 from a font) may be changed in the same way.
1237 @node Placement of objects
1238 @section Placement of objects
1241 * Automatic behaviour::
1242 * Within-staff objects::
1243 * Outside staff objects::
1247 @node Automatic behaviour
1248 @subsection Automatic behaviour
1250 There are some objects in musical notation that belong to
1251 the staff and there are other objects that should be
1252 placed outside the staff. These are called within-staff
1253 objects and outside-staff objects respectively.
1255 Within-staff objects are those that are located on the staff
1256 -- note heads, stems, accidentals, etc. The positions of
1257 these are usually fixed by the music itself -- they are
1258 vertically positioned on specific lines of the staff or are
1259 tied to other objects that are so positioned. Collisions of
1260 note heads, stems and accidentals in closely set chords are
1261 normally avoided automatically. There are commands and
1262 overrides which can modify this automatic behaviour, as we
1265 Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1266 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings. LilyPond's rule for
1267 the vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them
1268 as close to the staff as possible but not so close that they
1269 collide with any other object. LilyPond uses the
1270 @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine the order in
1271 which the objects should be placed, as follows.
1273 First, LilyPond places all the within-staff objects.
1274 Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1275 @code{outside-staff-priority}. The outside-staff objects are
1276 taken one by one, beginning with the object with the lowest
1277 @code{outside-staff-priority}, and placed so that they do not
1278 collide with any objects that have already been placed. That is,
1279 if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the
1280 one with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed
1281 closer to the staff. If two objects have the same
1282 @code{outside-staff-priority} the one encountered first will be
1283 placed closer to the staff.
1285 In the following example all the markup texts have the same
1286 priority (since it is not explicity set). Note that @q{Text3}
1287 is automatically positioned close to the staff again, nestling
1290 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1297 Staves are also positioned, by default, as closely together as
1298 possible (subject to a minimum separation). If notes project
1299 a long way towards an adjacent staff they will force the
1300 staves further apart only if an overlap of the notation
1301 would otherwise occur. The following example demonstrates
1302 this @q{nestling} of the notes on adjacent staves:
1304 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1307 \relative c' { c a, }
1310 \relative c'''' { c a, }
1316 @node Within-staff objects
1317 @subsection Within-staff objects
1319 We have already seen how the commands @code{\voiceXXX} affect
1320 the direction of slurs, ties, fingering and
1321 everything else which depends on the direction of the stems.
1322 These commands are essential when writing polyphonic music to
1323 permit interweaving melodic lines to be distinguished.
1324 But occasionally it may be necessary to override this automatic
1325 behaviour. This can be done for whole sections of music or even
1326 for an individual note. The property which controls this
1327 behaviour is the @code{direction} property of each layout object.
1328 We first explain what this does, and then introduce a number of
1329 ready-made commands which avoid your having to code explicit
1330 overrides for the more common modifications.
1332 Some layout objects like slurs and ties curve, bend or point
1333 either up or down; others like stems and flags also move to
1334 right or left when they point up or down. This is controlled
1335 automatically when @code{direction} is set.
1337 The following example shows in bar 1 the default behaviour of
1339 with those on high notes pointing down and those on low notes
1340 pointing up, followed by four notes with all stems forced down,
1341 four notes with all stems forced up, and finally four notes
1342 reverted back to the default behaviour.
1344 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1346 \override Stem #'direction = #DOWN
1348 \override Stem #'direction = #UP
1350 \revert Stem #'direction
1354 Here we use the constants @code{DOWN} and @code{UP}.
1355 These have the values @code{-1} and @code{+1} respectively, and
1356 these numerical values may be used instead. The value @code{0}
1357 may also be used in some cases. It is simply treated as meaning
1358 @code{UP} for stems, but for some objects it means @q{center}.
1359 There is a constant, @code{CENTER} which has the value @code{0}.
1361 However, these explicit overrides are not usually used, as there
1362 are simpler equivalent predefined commands available.
1363 Here is a table of the commonest. The meaning of each is stated
1364 where it is not obvious.
1366 @multitable @columnfractions .2 .2 .2 .4
1371 @item @code{\arpeggioDown}
1372 @tab @code{\arpeggioUp}
1373 @tab @code{\arpeggioNeutral}
1374 @tab Arrow is at bottom, at top, or no arrow
1375 @item @code{\dotsDown}
1377 @tab @code{\dotsNeutral}
1378 @tab Direction of movement to avoid staff lines
1379 @item @code{\dynamicDown}
1380 @tab @code{\dynamicUp}
1381 @tab @code{\dynamicNeutral}
1383 @item @code{\phrasingSlurDown}
1384 @tab @code{\phrasingSlurUp}
1385 @tab @code{\phrasingSlurNeutral}
1386 @tab Note: distinct from slur commands
1387 @item @code{\slurDown}
1389 @tab @code{\slurNeutral}
1391 @item @code{\stemDown}
1393 @tab @code{\stemNeutral}
1395 @item @code{\textSpannerDown}
1396 @tab @code{\textSpannerUp}
1397 @tab @code{\textSpannerNeutral}
1398 @tab Text entered as spanner is below/above staff
1399 @item @code{\tieDown}
1401 @tab @code{\tieNeutral}
1403 @item @code{\tupletDown}
1404 @tab @code{\tupletUp}
1405 @tab @code{\tupletNeutral}
1406 @tab Tuplets are below/above notes
1409 Note that these predefined commands may @strong{not} be
1410 preceded by @code{\once}. If you wish to limit the
1411 effect to a single note you must either use the equivalent
1412 @code{\once \override} command or use the predefined command
1413 followed after the affected note by the corresponding
1414 @code{\xxxNeutral} command.
1416 @subheading Fingering
1417 @cindex fingering, placement
1419 The placement of fingering is also affected by the value
1420 of its @code{direction} property, but there are special
1421 commands which allow the fingering of individual notes
1422 of chords to be controlled, with the fingering being placed
1423 above, below, to the left or to the right of each note.
1425 First, here's the effect of @code{direction} on fingering,
1426 the first bar shows the default, then the effect of specifying
1427 @code{DOWN} and @code{UP}:
1429 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1431 \override Fingering #'direction = #DOWN
1433 \override Fingering #'direction = #UP
1437 This is how to control fingering on single notes, but the
1439 property is ignored for chords. Instead, by default, the
1440 fingering is automatically placed both above and below the
1441 notes of a chord, as shown:
1443 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1449 Greater control over the placement of fingering of the
1450 individual notes in a chord is possible by using
1451 the @code{\set fingeringOrientations} command. The format of
1455 @code{\set fingeringOrientations = #'([up] [left/right] [down])}
1459 @code{\set} is used because @code{fingeringOrientations} is a
1460 property of the @code{Voice} context, created and used by the
1461 @code{New_fingering_engraver}.
1463 The property may be set to a list of one to three values.
1464 It controls whether fingerings may be placed above (if
1465 @code{up} appears in the list), below (if @code{down} appears),
1466 to the left (if @code{left} appears, or to the right
1467 (if @code{right} appears). Conversely, if a location is not
1468 listed, no fingering is placed there. LilyPond takes these
1469 contraints and works out the best placement for the fingering
1470 of the notes of the following chords. Note that @code{left} and
1471 @code{right} are mutually exclusive -- fingering may be placed
1472 only on one side or the other, not both.
1474 To control the placement of the fingering of a single note
1475 using this command it is necessary to write it as a single
1476 note chord by placing angle brackets round it.
1478 Here are a few examples:
1480 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1481 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1483 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1484 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1486 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1487 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left down)
1489 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1490 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left)
1492 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1493 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(right)
1495 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1499 If the fingering seems a little crowded the @code{font-size}
1500 could be reduced. The default value can be seen from the
1501 @code{Fingering} object in the IR to be @code{-5}, so let's
1504 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1505 \override Fingering #'font-size = #-7
1506 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1508 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1509 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1511 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1512 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left down)
1514 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1515 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left)
1517 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1518 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(right)
1520 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1523 @node Outside staff objects
1524 @subsection Outside staff objects
1526 Outside-staff objects are automatically placed to avoid collisions.
1527 Objects with the lower value of the @code{outside-staff-priority}
1528 property are placed nearer to the staff, and other outside-staff
1529 objects are then raised as far as necessary to avoid collisions.
1530 The @code{outside-staff-priority} is defined in the
1531 @code{grob-interface} and so is a property of all layout objects.
1532 By default it is set to @code{#f} for all within-staff objects,
1533 and to a numerical value appropriate to each outside-staff object
1534 when the object is created. The following table shows
1535 the default numerical values for some of the commonest
1536 outside-staff objects which are, by default, placed in the
1537 @code{Staff} or @code{Voice} contexts.
1539 @multitable @columnfractions .3 .3 .3
1540 @headitem Layout Object
1542 @tab Controls position of:
1543 @item @code{MultiMeasureRestText}
1545 @tab Text over full-bar rests
1546 @item @code{TextScript}
1549 @item @code{OttavaBracket}
1551 @tab Ottava brackets
1552 @item @code{TextSpanner}
1555 @item @code{DynamicLineSpanner}
1557 @tab All dynamic markings
1558 @item @code{VoltaBracketSpanner}
1561 @item @code{TrillSpanner}
1563 @tab Spanning trills
1566 Here is an example showing the default placement of some of
1569 @cindex text spanner
1570 @funindex \startTextSpan
1571 @funindex \stopTextSpan
1572 @cindex ottava bracket
1574 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1575 % Set details for later Text Spanner
1576 \override TextSpanner #'bound-details #'left #'text
1577 = \markup { \small \bold Slower }
1578 % Place dynamics above staff
1580 % Start Ottava Bracket
1585 % Add Dynamic Line Spanner
1591 c\ff c \stopTextSpan
1592 % Stop Ottava Bracket
1597 This example also shows how to create Text Spanners --
1598 text with extender lines above a section of music. The
1599 spanner extends from the @code{\startTextSpan} command to
1600 the @code{\stopTextSpan} command, and the format of the
1601 text is defined by the @code{\override TextSpanner} command.
1602 For more details see @ruser{Text spanners}.
1604 It also shows how ottava brackets are created.
1606 Note that bar numbers, metronome marks and rehearsal marks
1607 are not shown. By default these are created in the
1608 @code{Score} context and their @code{outside-staff-priority}
1609 is ignored relative to the layout objects which are created
1610 in the @code{Staff} context.
1611 If you wish to place bar numbers, metronome marks or rehearsal
1612 marks in accordance with the value of their
1613 @code{outside-staff-priority} the @code{Bar_number_engraver},
1614 @code{Metronome_mark_engraver} or @code{Mark_engraver} respectively
1615 should be removed from the @code{Score} context and placed in the
1616 top @code{Staff} context. If this is done, these marks will be
1617 given the following default @code{outside-staff-priority} values:
1619 @multitable @columnfractions .3 .3
1620 @headitem Layout Object @tab Priority
1621 @item @code{RehearsalMark} @tab @code{1500}
1622 @item @code{MetronomeMark} @tab @code{1000}
1623 @item @code{BarNumber} @tab @code{ 100}
1626 If the default values of @code{outside-staff-priority} does not
1627 give you the placing you want, the priority of any of the objects
1628 may be overridden. Suppose we would
1629 like the ottava bracket to be placed below the text spanner in the
1630 example above. All we need to do is to look up the priority of
1631 @code{OttavaBracket} in the IR or in the tables above, and reduce
1632 it to a value lower than that of a @code{TextSpanner}, remembering
1633 that @code{OttavaBracket} is created in the @code{Staff} context:
1635 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1636 % Set details for later Text Spanner
1637 \override TextSpanner #'bound-details #'left #'text
1638 = \markup { \small \bold Slower }
1639 % Place dynamics above staff
1641 %Place following Ottava Bracket below Text Spanners
1642 \once \override Staff.OttavaBracket #'outside-staff-priority = #340
1643 % Start Ottava Bracket
1648 % Add Dynamic Line Spanner
1654 c\ff c \stopTextSpan
1655 % Stop Ottava Bracket
1660 Changing the @code{outside-staff-priority} can also be used to
1661 control the vertical placement of individual objects, although
1662 the results may not always be desirable. Suppose we would
1663 like @qq{Text3} to be placed above @qq{Text4} in the example
1664 under Automatic behaviour, above (see @ref{Automatic behaviour}).
1665 All we need to do is to look up the priority of @code{TextScript}
1666 in the IR or in the tables above, and increase the priority of
1667 @qq{Text3} to a higher value:
1669 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1672 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #500
1677 This certainly lifts @qq{Text3} above @qq{Text4} but it also
1678 lifts it above @qq{Text2}, and @qq{Text4} now drops down.
1679 Perhaps this is not so good. What we would really like to do
1680 is to position all the annotation at the same distance above
1681 the staff? To do this, we clearly
1682 will need to space the notes out horizontally to make more
1683 room for the text. This is done using the @code{textLengthOn}
1686 @subheading \textLengthOn
1688 @funindex \textLengthOn
1689 @cindex notes, spreading out with text
1691 By default, text produced by markup takes up no horizontal space
1692 as far as laying out the music is concerned. The @code{\textLengthOn}
1693 command reverses this behaviour, causing the notes to be spaced
1694 out as far as is necessary to accommodate the text:
1696 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1697 \textLengthOn % Cause notes to space out to accommodate text
1704 The command to revert to the default behaviour is
1705 @code{\textLengthOff}. Remember @code{\once} only works with
1706 @code{\override}, @code{\set}, @code{\revert} or @code{unset},
1707 so cannot be used with @code{\textLengthOn}.
1709 Markup text will also avoid notes which project above the staff.
1710 If this is not desired, the automatic displacement upwards may
1711 be turned off by setting the priority to @code{#f}. Here's an
1712 example to show how markup text interacts with such notes.
1714 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1715 % This markup is short enough to fit without collision
1719 % This is too long to fit, so it is displaced upwards
1723 % Turn off collision avoidance
1724 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1728 % Turn off collision avoidance
1729 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1730 \textLengthOn % and turn on textLengthOn
1731 c,,2^"Long Text " % Spaces at end are honoured
1736 @subheading Dynamics
1738 Dynamic markings will normally be positioned beneath the
1739 staff, but may be positioned above with the @code{dynamicUp}
1740 command. They will be positioned vertically relative to the
1741 note to which they are attached, and will float below (or above)
1742 all within-staff objects such as phrasing slurs and bar numbers.
1743 This can give quite acceptable results, as this example
1746 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1751 bes4.~\f\< \( bes4 bes8 des4\ff\> c16 bes\! |
1752 ees,2.~\)\mf ees4 r8 |
1755 However, if the notes and attached dynamics are close
1756 together the automatic placement will avoid collisions
1757 by displacing later dynamic markings further away, but this may
1758 not be the optimum placement, as this rather artificial example
1761 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1767 Should a similar situation arise in @q{real} music, it may
1768 be preferable to space out the notes
1769 a little further, so the dynamic markings can all fit at the
1770 same vertical distance from the staff. We were able to do this
1771 for markup text by using the @code{\textLengthOn} command, but there
1772 is no equivalent command for dynamic marks. So we shall have to
1773 work out how to do this using @code{\override} commands.
1775 @subheading Grob sizing
1778 @cindex sizing grobs
1779 @cindex @code{X-offset}
1780 @cindex @code{Y-offset}
1781 @cindex @code{X-extent}
1782 @cindex @code{Y-extent}
1784 First we must learn how grobs are sized. All grobs have a
1785 reference point defined within them which is used to position
1786 them relative to their parent object. This point in the grob
1787 is then positioned at a horizontal distance, @code{X-offset},
1788 and at a vertical distance, @code{Y-offset}, from its parent.
1789 The horizontal extent of the object is given by a pair of
1790 numbers, @code{X-extent}, which say where the left and right
1791 edges are relative to the reference point. The vertical extent
1792 is similarly defined by a pair of numbers, @code{Y-extent}.
1793 These are properties of all grobs which support the
1794 @code{grob-interface}.
1796 @cindex @code{extra-spacing-width}
1798 By default, outside-staff objects are given a width of zero so
1799 that they may overlap in the horizontal direction. This is done
1800 by the trick of adding infinity to the leftmost extent and
1801 minus infinity to the rightmost extent by setting the
1802 @code{extra-spacing-width} to @code{'(+inf.0 . -inf.0)}. So
1803 to ensure they do not overlap in the horizontal direction we
1804 must override this value of @code{extra-spacing-width} to
1805 @code{'(0 . 0)} so the true width shines through. This is
1806 the command to do this for dynamic text:
1809 \override DynamicText #'extra-spacing-width = #'(0 . 0)
1813 Let's see if this works in our previous example:
1815 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1817 \override DynamicText #'extra-spacing-width = #'(0 . 0)
1822 Well, it has certainly stopped the dynamic marks being
1823 displaced, but two problems remain. The marks should be
1824 spaced a little further apart and it would be better
1825 if they were all the same distance from the staff.
1826 We can solve the first problem easily. Instead of making
1827 the @code{extra-spacing-width} zero we could add a little
1828 more to it. The units are the space between two staff
1829 lines, so moving the left edge half a unit to the left and the
1830 right edge half a unit to the right should do it:
1832 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1834 % Extend width by 1 staff space
1835 \override DynamicText #'extra-spacing-width = #'(-0.5 . 0.5)
1840 This looks better, but maybe we would prefer the dynamic marks
1841 to be aligned along the same baseline rather than going up and
1842 down with the notes. The property to do this is
1843 @code{staff-padding} which is covered in the following section.
1846 @node Collisions of objects
1847 @section Collisions of objects
1851 * Fixing overlapping notation::
1852 * Real music example::
1855 @node Moving objects
1856 @subsection Moving objects
1858 This may come as a surprise, but LilyPond is not perfect. Some
1859 notation elements can overlap. This is unfortunate, but in fact
1860 rather rare. Usually the need to move objects is for clarity or
1861 aesthetic reasons -- they would look better with a little more
1862 or a little less space around them.
1864 There are three main main approaches to resolving overlapping
1865 notation. They should be considered in the following order:
1869 The @strong{direction} of one of the overlapping objects may
1870 be changed using the predefined commands listed above for
1871 within-staff objects (see @ref{Within-staff objects}).
1872 Stems, slurs, beams, ties, dynamics, text and tuplets may be
1873 repositioned easily in this way. The limitation is that you
1874 have a choice of only two positions, and neither may be
1878 The @strong{object properties}, which LilyPond uses
1879 when positioning layout objects, may be modified using
1880 @code{\override}. The advantages
1881 of making changes to this type of property are (a) that some
1882 other objects will be moved automatically if necessary to make
1883 room and (b) the single override can apply to all instances of
1884 the same type of object. Such properties include:
1890 This has already been covered in some detail -- see
1891 @ref{Within-staff objects}.
1894 @code{padding}, @code{left-padding},
1895 @code{right-padding}, @code{staff-padding}
1897 @cindex left-padding property
1898 @cindex padding property
1899 @cindex right-padding property
1900 @cindex staff-padding property
1901 As an object is being positioned the value of its @code{padding}
1902 property specifies the gap that must be left between itself and
1903 the nearest edge of the object against which it is being
1904 positioned. Note that it is the @code{padding} value of the object
1905 @strong{being placed} that is used;
1906 the @code{padding} value of the object which is already placed is
1907 ignored. Gaps specified by @code{padding} can be applied
1908 to all objects which support the @code{side-position-interface}.
1910 Instead of @code{padding}, the placement of groups of accidentals
1911 is controlled by @code{left-padding} and @code{right-padding}.
1912 These properties are to be found in the @code{AccidentalPlacement}
1913 object which, note, lives in the @strong{staff} context. Because
1914 accidentals are always positioned after and to the left of
1915 note heads only the @code{right-padding} property has any effect.
1917 The @code{staff-padding} property is closely related to the
1918 @code{padding} property: @code{padding}
1919 controls the minimum amount of space between any object which
1920 supports the @code{side-position-interface} and the nearest
1921 other object (generally the note or the staff lines);
1922 @code{staff-padding} applies only to those objects which are always
1923 set outside the staff -- it controls the minimum amount of space
1924 that should be inserted between that object and the staff. Note
1925 that @code{staff-padding} has no effect on objects which are
1926 positioned relative to the note rather than the staff, even though
1927 it may be overridden without error for such objects -- it is simply
1930 To discover which padding property is required for the object
1931 you wish to reposition, you
1932 need to return to the IR and look up the object's properties.
1933 Be aware that the padding properties might not be located in the
1934 obvious object, so look in objects that appear to be related.
1936 All padding values are measured in staff spaces. For most
1937 objects, this value is set by default to be around 1.0 or less
1938 (it varies with each object). It may be overridden if a larger
1939 (or smaller) gap is required.
1942 @code{self-alignment-X}
1944 @cindex self-alignment-X property
1945 This property can be used to align the object to the left, to
1946 the right, or to center it with respect to the parent object's
1947 reference point. It may be used with all objects which support
1948 the @code{self-alignment-interface}. In general these are objects
1949 that contain text. The values are @code{LEFT}, @code{RIGHT}
1950 or @code{CENTER}. Alternatively, a numerical value between
1951 @code{-1} and @code{+1} may be specified, where @code{-1} is
1952 left-aligned, @code{+1} is right-aligned, and numbers in between
1953 move the text progressively from left-aligned to right-aligned.
1954 Numerical values greater than @code{1} may be specified to move
1955 the text even further to the left, or less than @code{-1} to
1956 move the text even further to the right. A change of @code{1}
1957 in the value corresponds to a movement of half the text's length.
1960 @code{extra-spacing-width}
1962 @cindex extra-spacing-width property
1963 This property is available for all objects which support the
1964 @code{item-interface}. It takes two numbers, the first is added
1965 to the leftmost extent and the second is added to the rightmost
1966 extent. Negative numbers move the edge to the left, positive to
1967 the right, so to widen an object the first number must be negative,
1968 the second positive. Note that not all objects honour both
1969 numbers. For example, the @code{Accidental} object only takes
1970 notice of the first (left edge) number.
1973 @code{staff-position}
1975 @cindex staff-position property
1976 @code{staff-position} is a property of the
1977 @code{staff-symbol-referencer-interface}, which is supported by
1978 objects which are positioned relative to the staff. It specifies
1979 the vertical position of the object relative to the center line
1980 of the staff in half staff-spaces. It is useful in resolving
1981 collisions between layout objects like multi-measure rests, ties
1982 and notes in different voices.
1987 @cindex force-hshift property
1989 Closely spaced notes in a chord, or notes occuring at the same
1990 time in different voices, are arranged in two, occasionally more,
1991 columns to prevent the note heads overlapping. These are called
1992 note columns, and an object called @code{NoteColumn} is created
1993 to lay out the notes in that column.
1995 The @code{force-hshift}
1996 property is a property of a @code{NoteColumn} (actually of the
1997 @code{note-column-interface}). Changing it permits a note column
1998 to be moved in units appropriate to a note column, viz. the note
1999 head width of the first voice note. It should be used in
2000 complex situations where the normal @code{\shiftOn} commands (see
2001 @ref{Explicitly instantiating voices}) do
2002 not resolve the note conflict. It is preferable to the
2003 @code{extra-offset} property for this purpose as there is no need
2004 to work out the distance in staff-spaces, and moving the notes
2005 into or out of a @code{NoteColumn} affects other actions such as
2010 Objects do not all have all of these properties in general.
2011 It is necessary to go to the IR to look up which properties
2012 are available for the object in question.
2015 Finally, when all else fails, objects may be manually repositioned
2016 relative to the staff center line verically, or by
2017 displacing them by any distance to a new position. The
2018 disadvantages are that the correct values for the repositioning
2019 have to be worked out, often by trial and error, for every object
2020 individually, and, because the movement is done after LilyPond has
2021 placed all other objects, the user is responsible for avoiding any
2022 collisions that might ensue. But the main difficulty with this
2023 approach is that the repositioning values may need to be reworked
2024 if the music is later modified. The properties that can be used
2025 for this type of manual repositioning are:
2029 @cindex extra-offset property
2030 This property applies to any layout object
2031 supporting the @code{grob-interface}. It takes a pair of
2032 numbers which specify the extra displacement in the horizontal and
2033 vertical directions. Negative numbers move the object to
2034 the left or down. The units are staff-spaces. The extra
2035 displacement is made after the typesetting of objects is
2036 finished, so an object may be repositioned anywhere without
2037 affecting anything else.
2040 @cindex positions property
2041 This is most useful for manually adjusting the slope and height
2042 of beams, slurs, and tuplets. It takes a pair of numbers
2043 giving the position of the left and right ends of the beam, slur,
2044 etc. relative to the center line of the staff. Units are
2045 staff-spaces. Note, though, that slurs and phrasing slurs cannot
2046 be repositioned by arbitrarily large amounts. LilyPond first
2047 generates a list of possible positions for the slur and by default
2048 finds the slur that @qq{looks best}. If the @code{positions}
2049 property has been overridden the slur that is closest to the
2050 requested positions is selected from the list.
2053 Objects do not all have all of these properties in general.
2054 It is necessary to go to the IR to look up which properties
2055 are available for the object in question.
2059 Here is a list of the objects which are most likely to be
2060 involved in collisions, together with the name of the object which
2061 should be looked up in the IR in order to discover which properties
2062 should be used to move them.
2064 @multitable @columnfractions .5 .5
2065 @headitem Object type @tab Object name
2066 @item Articulations @tab @code{Script}
2067 @item Beams @tab @code{Beam}
2068 @item Dynamics (vertically) @tab @code{DynamicLineSpanner}
2069 @item Dynamics (horizontally) @tab @code{DynamicText}
2070 @item Fingerings @tab @code{Fingering}
2071 @item Rehearsal / Text marks @tab @code{RehearsalMark}
2072 @item Slurs @tab @code{Slur}
2073 @item Text e.g. @code{^"text"} @tab @code{TextScript}
2074 @item Ties @tab @code{Tie}
2075 @item Tuplets @tab @code{TupletBracket}
2079 @node Fixing overlapping notation
2080 @subsection Fixing overlapping notation
2082 Let's now see how the properties in the previous section can
2083 help to resolve overlapping notation.
2085 @c FIXME: formatting
2086 @subheading @code{padding}
2087 @cindex padding property
2089 The @code{padding} property can be set to increase
2090 (or decrease) the distance between symbols that are printed
2091 above or below notes.
2093 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2095 \override Script #'padding = #3
2099 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2100 % This will not work, see below:
2101 \override MetronomeMark #'padding = #3
2105 \override Score.MetronomeMark #'padding = #3
2110 Note in the second example how important it is to figure out what
2111 context handles a certain object. Since the @code{MetronomeMark}
2113 is handled in the @code{Score} context, property changes in the
2114 @code{Voice} context will not be noticed. For more details, see
2115 @ruser{Constructing a tweak}.
2117 If the @code{padding} property of an object is increased when that
2118 object is in a stack of objects being positioned according to
2119 their @code{outside-staff-priority}, then that object and all
2120 objects outside it are moved.
2123 @subheading @code{left-padding} and @code{right-padding}
2124 @cindex left-padding property
2125 @cindex right-padding property
2127 TODO Example showing the utility of these properties -td
2129 @subheading staff-padding property
2130 @cindex staff-padding property
2132 @code{staff-padding} can be used to align objects such as dynamics
2133 along a baseline at a fixed height above the staff, rather than
2134 at a height dependent on the position of the note to which they
2135 are attached. It is not a property of
2136 @code{DynamicText} but of @code{DynamicLineSpanner}.
2137 This is because the baseline should apply equally to @strong{all}
2138 dynamics, including those created as extended spanners.
2139 So this is the way to align the dynamic marks in the example
2140 taken from the previous section:
2142 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2144 % Extend width by 1 unit
2145 \override DynamicText #'extra-spacing-width = #'(-0.5 . 0.5)
2146 % Align dynamics to a base line 2 units above staff
2147 \override DynamicLineSpanner #'staff-padding = #2
2152 @subheading self-alignment-X property
2153 @cindex self-alignment-X property
2155 The following example shows how this can resolve the collision
2156 of a string fingering object with a note's stem by aligning the
2157 right edge with the reference point of the parent note:
2159 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=3]
2162 \once \override StringNumber #'self-alignment-X = #RIGHT
2166 @subheading staff-position property
2167 @cindex staff-position property
2169 Multimeasure rests in one voice can collide with notes in another.
2170 Since these rests are typeset centered between the bar lines, it
2171 would require significant effort for LilyPond to figure out which
2172 other notes might collide with it, since all the current collision
2173 handling between notes and between notes and rests is done only
2174 for notes and rests that occur at the same time. Here's an
2175 example of a collision of this type:
2177 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right, relative=1]
2178 << {c c c c} \\ {R1} >>
2181 The best solution here is to move the multimeasure rest down,
2182 since the rest is in voice two.
2183 The default in @code{\voiceTwo} (i.e. in the second voice of a
2184 @code{<<@{...@} \\ @{...@}>>} construct)
2185 is that @code{staff-position} is set to -4 for MultiMeasureRest,
2186 so we need to move it, say, four half-staff spaces down to
2189 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right, relative=1]
2193 \override MultiMeasureRest #'staff-position = #-8
2198 This is better than using, for example, @code{extra-offset},
2199 because the ledger line above the rest is inserted automatically.
2201 @subheading extra-offset property
2202 @cindex extra-offset property
2204 The @code{extra-offset} property provides complete control over the
2205 positioning of an object both horizontally and vertically.
2207 In the following example, the second fingering is moved a little to
2208 the left, and 1.8 staff space downwards:
2210 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2213 \once \override Fingering
2214 #'extra-offset = #'(-0.3 . -1.8)
2219 @subheading force-hshift property
2220 @cindex force-hshift property
2221 @c FIXME: formatting stuff (ie not important right now IMO)
2222 @c @a nchor Chopin finally corrected TODOgp
2224 We can now see how to apply the final corrections to the Chopin
2225 example introduced at the end of @ref{I'm hearing Voices}, which
2226 was left looking like this:
2228 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2229 \new Staff \relative c'' {
2232 { c2 aes4. bes8 } \\
2244 The lower two notes of the first chord (i.e,
2245 those in the third voice) should not be shifted away from the
2246 note column of the higher two notes. To correct this we set
2247 @code{force-hshift}, which is a property of
2248 @code{NoteColumn}, of these notes to zero.
2249 The lower note of the second chord is best placed just to the
2250 right of the higher notes. We achieve this by setting
2251 @code{force-hshift} of this note to 0.5, ie half a note head's
2252 width to the right of the note column of the higher notes.
2254 Here's the final result:
2256 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2257 \new Staff \relative c'' {
2260 { c2 aes4. bes8 } \\
2263 \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = #0 <ees c>2
2264 \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = #0.5 des2
2272 @subheading positions property
2273 @cindex positions property
2275 The @code{positions} property allows the position and slope of
2276 tuplets, slurs, phrasing slurs and beams to be controlled
2277 manually. Here's an example which has an ugly phrasing slur
2278 due to its trying to avoid the slur on the acciaccatura.
2280 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right,relative=1]
2281 r4 \acciaccatura e8\( d8 c ~c d c d\)
2285 We could simply move the phrasing slur above the notes, and this
2286 would be the preferred solution:
2288 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right,relative=1]
2291 \acciaccatura e8\( d8 c ~c d c d\)
2295 but if there were some reason why this could not be done the
2296 other alternative would be to move the left end of the phrasing
2297 slur down a little using the @code{positions} property. This
2298 also resolves the rather nasty shape.
2300 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right,relative=1]
2302 \once \override PhrasingSlur #'positions = #'(-4 . -3)
2304 e8\( d8 c ~c d c d\)
2307 Here's a further example taken from the opening of the left-hand
2308 staff of Chopin's Prelude Op 28 No. 2. We see that the beam
2309 collides with the upper notes:
2311 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2314 << {b,8 ais, b, g,} \\ {e, g e, g} >>
2315 << {b,8 ais, b, g,} \\ {e, g e, g} >>
2320 This can only be resolved by manually moving both ends of the beam
2321 up from their position at 2 staff-spaces above the center line to,
2324 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2328 \override Beam #'positions = #'(3 . 3)
2333 << {b,8 ais, b, g,} \\ {e, g e, g} >>
2338 Note that the override continues to apply in the first voice of
2339 the second block of quavers, but not to any of the beams in the
2342 @node Real music example
2343 @subsection Real music example
2345 We end this section on Tweaks by showing the steps to be taken to
2346 deal with a tricky example which needs several tweaks to produce
2347 the desired output. The example has been deliberately chosen to
2348 illustrate the use of the Notation Reference to resolve unusual
2349 problems with notation. It is not representative of more usual
2350 engraving process, so please do not let these difficulties put
2351 you off! Fortunately, difficulties like these are not very common!
2353 The example is from Chopin's Première Ballade, Op. 23, bars 6 to
2354 9, the transition from the opening Lento to Moderato.
2355 Here, first, is what we want the output to look like, but to avoid
2356 over-complicating the example too much we have left out the
2357 dynamics, fingering and pedalling.
2359 @c The following should appear as music without code
2360 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
2361 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2364 \once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5
2368 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed = ##t
2369 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted = ##t
2370 bes2.^\markup {\bold "Moderato"} r8
2372 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2374 % Reposition the c2 to the right of the merged note
2375 {c,8~ \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = #1.0
2376 % Move the c2 out of the main note column so the merge will work
2379 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
2380 {s8 \stemDown \once \override Stem #'transparent = ##t d2}
2384 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed
2385 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted
2389 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2391 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
2398 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2402 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2411 We note first that the right hand part in the third bar
2412 requires four voices. These are the five beamed eighth notes,
2413 the tied C, the half-note D which is merged with the eighth note
2414 D, and the dotted quarter note F-sharp, which is also merged with
2415 the eighth note at the same pitch. Everything else is in a single
2416 voice, so the easiest way is to introduce these four voices
2417 temporarily at the time they are needed. If you have forgotten
2418 how to do this, look at @ref{I'm hearing Voices}. Let us begin
2419 by entering the notes as two variables and setting up the staff
2420 structure in a score block, and see what LilyPond produces by
2423 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2424 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2429 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
2431 {c,8 d fis bes a | }
2442 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2451 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2455 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2464 All the notes are right, but the appearance is far from
2465 satisfactory. The tie clashes with the change in time signature,
2466 the beaming in the third bar is wrong, the notes are not
2467 merged together, and several notation elements are missing.
2468 Let's first deal with the easier things.
2469 We can correct the beaming by inserting a beam
2470 manually, and we can easily add the left hand slur and the right
2471 hand phrasing slur, since these were all covered in the Tutorial.
2474 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2475 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2480 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
2482 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2493 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2502 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2506 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2515 The first bar is now correct. The second bar contains an arpeggio
2516 and is terminated by a double bar line. How do we do these, as they
2517 have not been mentioned in this Learning Manual? This is where
2518 we need to turn to the Notation Reference. Looking up @q{arpeggio}
2519 and @q{bar line} in the
2520 index quickly shows us that an arpeggio is produced by appending
2521 @code{\arpeggio} to a chord, and a double bar line is produced by
2522 the @code{\bar "||"} command. That's easily done. We next need
2523 to correct the collision of the tie with the time signature. This
2524 is best done by moving the tie upwards. Moving objects was covered
2525 earlier in @ref{Moving objects}, which says that objects positioned
2526 relative to the staff can be moved by overriding their
2527 @code{staff-position} property, which is specified in half staff
2528 spaces relative to the center line of the staff. So the following
2529 override placed just before the first tied note would move the tie
2530 up to 3.5 half staff spaces above the center line:
2532 @code{\once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5}
2534 This completes bar two, giving:
2536 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2537 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2539 \once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5
2544 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
2546 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2557 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2559 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
2566 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2570 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2579 On to bar three and the start of the Moderato section. The
2580 tutorial showed how to add embolded text with the
2581 @code{\markup} command, so adding @q{Moderato} in bold is easy.
2582 But how do we merge notes in different voices together? The
2583 index in the Notation Reference does not mention merging,
2584 but a search of the text for @q{merge} quickly leads us to
2585 the overrides for merging differently headed and differently
2586 dotted notes in @ruser{Collision Resolution}. In our
2587 example we need to merge both types of note for the duration
2588 of the polyphonic section in bar 3, so using the information
2589 in the Notation Reference we add
2592 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed = ##t
2593 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted = ##t
2597 to the start of that section and
2600 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed
2601 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted
2607 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2608 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2610 \once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5
2614 bes2.^\markup {\bold "Moderato"} r8
2615 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed = ##t
2616 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted = ##t
2617 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
2619 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2627 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed
2628 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted
2632 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2634 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
2641 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2645 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2654 These overrides have merged the two F-sharp notes, but not the two
2655 on D. Why not? The answer is there in the same section in the
2656 Notation Reference -- notes being merged must have stems in
2657 opposite directions and two notes cannot be merged successfully if
2658 there is a third note in the same note column. Here the two D's
2659 both have upward stems and there is a third note -- the C. We know
2660 how to change the stem direction using @code{\stemDown}, and
2661 the Notation Reference also says how to move the C -- apply a shift
2662 using one of the @code{\shift} commands. But which one?
2663 The C is in voice two which has shift off, and the two D's are in
2664 voices one and three, which have shift off and shift on,
2665 respectively. So we have to shift the C a further level still
2666 using @code{\shiftOnn} to avoid it interferring with the two D's.
2667 Applying these changes gives:
2669 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2670 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2672 \once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5
2676 bes2.^\markup {\bold "Moderato"} r8
2677 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed = ##t
2678 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted = ##t
2679 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
2681 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2683 % Move the c2 out of the main note column so the merge will work
2684 {c,8~ \shiftOnn c2 | }
2686 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
2687 {s8 \stemDown d2 | }
2691 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed
2692 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted
2696 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2698 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
2705 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2709 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2718 Nearly there. Only two problems remain: The downward stem on the
2719 merged D should not be there, and the C would be better positioned
2720 to the right of the D's. We know how to do both of these from the
2721 earlier tweaks: we make the stem transparent, and move the C with
2722 the @code{force-hshift} property. Here's the final result:
2724 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2725 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2728 \once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5
2732 bes2.^\markup {\bold "Moderato"} r8
2733 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed = ##t
2734 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted = ##t
2736 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2738 % Reposition the c2 to the right of the merged note
2739 {c,8~ \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = #1.0
2740 % Move the c2 out of the main note column so the merge will work
2743 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
2744 {s8 \stemDown \once \override Stem #'transparent = ##t d2}
2748 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed
2749 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted
2753 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2755 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
2762 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2766 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2776 @node Further tweaking
2777 @section Further tweaking
2780 * Other uses for tweaks::
2781 * Using variables for tweaks::
2782 * Other sources of information::
2783 * Advanced tweaks with Scheme::
2784 * Avoiding tweaks with slower processing::
2787 @node Other uses for tweaks
2788 @subsection Other uses for tweaks
2792 @cindex transparent property
2793 @cindex objects, making invisible
2794 @cindex removing objects
2795 @cindex objects, removing
2796 @cindex hiding objects
2797 @cindex invisible objects
2800 Setting the @code{transparent} property will cause an object
2801 to be printed in @q{invisible ink}: the object is not printed,
2802 but all its other behavior is retained. The object still takes
2803 up space, it takes part in collisions, and slurs, ties, and beams
2804 can be attached to it.
2806 The following example demonstrates how to connect different voices
2807 using ties. Normally, ties only connect two notes in the same
2808 voice. By introducing a tie in a different voice,
2810 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2]
2819 and blanking the first up-stem in that voice, the tie appears to cross
2822 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
2824 \once \override Stem #'transparent = ##t
2831 To make sure that the just-blanked stem doesn't squeeze the tie too much,
2832 we also lengthen the stem, by setting the @code{length} to
2835 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
2837 \once \override Stem #'transparent = ##t
2838 \once \override Stem #'length = #8
2845 @cindex stencil property
2848 For outside-staff objects it is usually better to override the
2849 object's @code{stencil} property rather than its @code{transparent}
2850 property when you wish to remove it from the printed output.
2851 Setting the @code{stencil} property of an object to @code{#f} will
2852 remove that object entirely from the printed output. This means it
2853 has no effect on the placement of other objects placed relative to
2856 For example, if we wished to change the metronome setting in order
2857 to simulate a fermata in the MIDI output we would not want the
2858 metronome marking to appear in the printed output, and we would
2859 not want it to influence the spacing between the two systems or
2860 the spacing of the notes on the staff. So setting its
2861 @code{stencil} property to @code{#f} would be the best way.
2862 We show here the effect of the two methods:
2864 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
2867 % Visible tempo marking
2870 \once \override Score.MetronomeMark #'transparent = ##t
2871 % Invisible tempo marking to lengthen fermata note in MIDI
2874 \once \override Score.MetronomeMark #'stencil = ##f
2875 % Invisible tempo marking to restore tempo in MIDI
2884 Both methods remove the metronome mark from the printed output,
2885 and both affect the MIDI timing as required, but the first
2886 (transparent) metronome mark still influences the note spacing
2887 while the second (with no stencil) does not.
2891 @node Using variables for tweaks
2892 @subsection Using variables for tweaks
2896 @node Other sources of information
2897 @subsection Other sources of information
2899 The Internals Reference documentation contains a lot of information
2900 about LilyPond, but even more information can be gathered from
2901 looking at the internal LilyPond files.
2903 TODO Show example, then explain where to find ly/propert-ly.
2905 Some default settings (such as the definitions for
2906 @code{\header@{@}}s) are stored as @code{.ly} files. Other
2907 settings (such as the definitions of markup commands) are
2908 stored as @code{.scm} (Scheme) files. Further explanation is
2909 outside the scope of this manual; users should be warned that
2910 a substantial amount of technical knowledge or time is required
2911 to understand these files.
2915 @item Linux: @file{@var{installdir}/lilypond/usr/share/lilypond/current/}
2918 @file{@var{installdir}/LilyPond.app/Contents/Resources/share/lilypond/current/}.
2919 To access this, either @code{cd} into this directory from the
2920 Terminal, or control-click on the LilyPond application and select
2921 @q{Show Package Contents}.
2923 @item Windows: @file{@var{installdir}/LilyPond/usr/share/lilypond/current/}
2927 The @file{ly/} and @file{scm/} directories will be of
2928 particular interest. Files such as @file{ly/property-init.ly} and
2929 @file{ly/declarations-init.ly} define all the common tweaks.
2932 @node Advanced tweaks with Scheme
2933 @subsection Advanced tweaks with Scheme
2935 We have seen how LilyPond output can be heavily modified using
2937 @code{\override TextScript #'extra-offset = ( 1 . -1)}. But
2938 we have even more power if we use Scheme. For a full explantion
2939 of this, see the @ref{Scheme tutorial}, and
2940 @ruser{Interfaces for programmers}.
2942 We can use Scheme to simply @code{\override} commands,
2944 TODO Check this is a valid example with skylining
2946 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2947 padText = #(define-music-function (parser location padding) (number?)
2949 \once \override TextScript #'padding = #$padding
2953 c4^"piu mosso" b a b
2955 c4^"piu mosso" d e f
2957 c4^"piu mosso" fis a g
2961 We can use it to create new commands,
2963 TODO Check this is a valid example with skylining
2965 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2966 tempoMark = #(define-music-function (parser location padding marktext)
2969 \once \override Score . RehearsalMark #'padding = $padding
2970 \once \override Score . RehearsalMark #'extra-spacing-width = #'(+inf.0 . -inf.0)
2971 \mark \markup { \bold $marktext }
2976 \tempoMark #3.0 #"Allegro"
2981 Even music expressions can be passed in.
2983 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2984 pattern = #(define-music-function (parser location x y) (ly:music? ly:music?)
2991 \pattern {d16 dis} { ais16-> b\p }
2996 @node Avoiding tweaks with slower processing
2997 @subsection Avoiding tweaks with slower processing
2999 LilyPond can perform extra checks while it processes files. These
3000 commands will take extra time, but the result may require fewer
3004 %% makes sure text scripts and lyrics are within the paper margins
3005 \override Score.PaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t
3006 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t
3009 In some cases (see issue 246), this must be done before
3010 @code{\override} commands can be processed.
3014 \override PaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t
3015 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t