1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
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.
16 TODO: This chapter is still under development and this version is
17 not yet complete. Don't translate yet!
23 * The Internals Reference manual::
24 * Appearance of objects::
25 * Placement of objects::
26 * Collisions of objects::
32 @section Tweaking basics
35 * Introduction to tweaks::
36 * Objects and interfaces::
37 * Naming conventions of objects and properties::
41 @node Introduction to tweaks
42 @subsection Introduction to tweaks
44 @q{Tweaking} is a LilyPond term for the various methods available
45 to the user for modifying the actions taken during interpretation
46 of the input file and modifying the appearance of the printed
47 output. Some tweaks are very easy to use; others are more
48 complex. But taken together the methods available for tweaking
49 permit almost any desired appearance of the printed music to be
52 In this section we cover the basic concepts required to understand
53 tweaking. Later we give a variety of potted commands which can
54 simply be copied to obtain the same effect in your own scores, and
55 at the same time we show how these commands may be constructed so
56 that you may learn how to develop your own tweaks.
58 Before starting on this Chapter you may wish to review the section
59 @ref{Contexts and engravers}, as Contexts, Engravers, and the
60 Properties contained within them are fundamental to understanding
61 and constructing Tweaks.
63 @node Objects and interfaces
64 @subsection Objects and interfaces
71 Tweaking involves modifying the internal operation and structures
72 of the LilyPond program, so we must first introduce some terms
73 which are used to describe those internal operations and
76 The term @q{Object} is a generic term used to refer to the
77 multitude of internal structures built by LilyPond during the
78 processing of an input file. So when a command like @code{\new
79 Staff} is encountered a new object of type @code{Staff} is
80 constructed. That @code{Staff} object then holds all the
81 properties associated with that particular staff, for example, its
82 name and its key signature, together with details of the engravers
83 which have been assigned to operate within that staff's context.
84 Similarly, there are @code{Voice} objects, @code{Score} objects,
85 @code{Lyric} objects, and objects to represent bar lines,
86 note heads, ties, dynamics, etc, each with their own set of
89 Some types of object are given special names. Objects which
90 represent items of notation on the printed output such as
91 note heads, stems, slurs, ties, fingering, clefs, etc are called
92 @q{Layout objects}, often known as @q{Graphical Objects}, or
93 @q{Grobs} for short. These are still objects in the generic sense
94 above, and so they too all have properties associated with them,
95 such as their position, size, color, etc.
97 Some layout objects are still more specialised. Phrasing slurs,
98 crescendo hairpins, ottavo marks, and many other grobs are not
99 localised in a single place -- they have a starting point, an
100 ending point, and maybe other properties concerned with their
101 shape. Objects with an extended shape like these are called
104 It remains to explain what @q{Interfaces} are. Many objects,
105 even though they are quite different, share common features
106 which need to be processed in the same way.
107 For example, all grobs have a color, a size, a position, etc,
108 and all these properties are processed in the same way during
110 interpretation of the input file. To simplify these internal
111 operations these common actions and properties are grouped
112 together in an object called a @code{grob-interface}. There
113 are many other groupings of common properties like this, each
114 one given a name ending in @code{-interface}. In total there
115 are over 100 such interfaces. We shall see later why this is
116 of interest and use to the user.
118 These, then, are the main terms relating to objects which we
119 shall use in this chapter.
121 @node Naming conventions of objects and properties
122 @subsection Naming conventions of objects and properties
124 We met some object naming conventions previously, in
125 @ref{Contexts and engravers}. Here for reference is a list
126 of the most common object and property types together with
127 the conventions for naming them and a couple of examples of
128 some real names. We have used A to stand for any capitalised
129 alphabetic character and aaa to stand for any number of
130 lower-case alphabetic characters. Other characters are used
133 @multitable @columnfractions .33 .33 .33
134 @headitem Object/property type
135 @tab Naming convention
137 @item Contexts, Layout Objects
138 @tab Aaaa or AaaaAaaaAaaa
139 @tab Staff, GrandStaff,
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 It is not really a new command but a shorthand for an
225 @code{\override} command which must be used in a few special
226 circumstances. Again, we shall not discuss or use it here.
227 You may find the details in
228 @ruser{Objects connected to the input}.
229 @c Maybe explain in a later iteration -td
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 As before, we go to the IR to find the layout object which prints
727 bar lines. Going via @emph{Backend} and @emph{All layout objects}
729 is a layout object called @code{BarLine}. Its properties include
730 two that control its visibility: @code{break-visibility} and
731 @code{stencil}. Barline also supports a number of interfaces,
732 including the @code{grob-interface}, where we find the
733 @code{transparent} and the @code{color} properties. All
734 of these can affect the visibility of bar lines (and, of course,
735 by extension, many other layout objects too.) Let's consider
736 each of these in turn.
739 @cindex stencil property
741 This property controls the appearance of the bar lines by specifying
742 the symbol (glyph) which should be printed. In common
743 with many other properties, it can be set to print nothing by
744 setting its value to @code{#f}. Let's try it, as before, omitting
745 the implied Context, @code{Voice}:
747 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
750 \override BarLine #'stencil = ##f
757 The bar lines are still printed. What is wrong? Go back to the
758 IR and look again at the page giving the properties of BarLine.
759 At the top of the page it says @qq{Barline objects are created
760 by: Bar_engraver}. Go to the @code{Bar_engraver} page.
762 it gives a list of Contexts in which the bar engraver operates.
763 All of them are of the type @code{Staff}, so the reason the
764 @code{\override} command failed to work as expected is because
765 @code{Barline} is not in the default @code{Voice} context.
767 is specified wrongly, the command simply does not work. No
768 error message is produced, and nothing is logged in the log
769 file. Let's try correcting it by adding the correct context:
771 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
774 \override Staff.BarLine #'stencil = ##f
781 Now the bar lines have vanished.
783 @subheading break-visibility
785 @cindex break-visibility property
787 We see from the @code{BarLine} properties in the IR that the
788 @code{break-visibility} property requires a vector of three
790 These control respectively whether bar lines are printed at
791 the end of a line, in the middle of lines, and at the beginning
792 of lines. For our example we want all bar lines to be suppressed,
793 so the value we need is @code{#(#f #f #f)}.
794 Let's try that, remembering
795 to include the @code{Staff} context. Note also that in writing
796 this value we have two hash signs before the opening bracket.
797 One is required as part of the value to introduce a vector,
798 and one is required, as always, to precede the value itself in
799 the @code{\override} command.
801 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
804 \override Staff.BarLine #'break-visibility = ##(#f #f #f)
811 And we see this too removes all the bar lines.
813 @subheading transparent
814 @cindex transparent property
816 We see from the properties specified in the @code{grob-interface}
817 page in the IR that the @code{transparent} property is a boolean.
819 should be set to @code{#t} to make the grob transparent.
820 In this next example let us make the time signature invisible
821 rather than the bar lines.
822 To do this we need to find the grob name for the time signature.
824 the @q{All layout objects} page in the IR to find the properties
825 of the @code{TimeSignature} layout object. This is produced by
826 the @code{Time_signature_engraver} which you can check also lives
827 in the @code{Staff} context and also supports the
828 @code{grob-interface}. So the command to make the time signature
831 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
834 \override Staff.TimeSignature #'transparent = ##t
842 The time signature is gone, but this command leaves a gap where
843 the time signature should be. Maybe this is what is wanted for
844 an exercise for the student to fill it in, but in other
845 circumstances a gap might be undesirable. To remove it, the
846 stencil for the time signature should be set to @code{#f}
849 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
852 \override Staff.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
860 and the difference is obvious: setting the stencil to @code{#f}
861 removes the object entirely; making the object @code{transparent}
862 leaves it where it is, but makes it invisible.
865 @cindex color property
867 Finally we could make the bar lines invisible by coloring
868 them white. The @code{grob-interface} specifies that the
869 color property value is a list, but there is no
870 explanation of what that list should be. The list it
871 requires is actually a list of values in internal units,
872 but, to avoid having to know what these are, several ways
873 are provided to specify colors. The first way is to use one
874 of the @q{normal} colours listed in the first table in
875 @ruser{List of colors}. To set the bar lines to white
878 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
881 \override Staff.BarLine #'color = #white
889 and again, we see the bar lines are not visible. Note that
890 @emph{white} is not preceded by an apostrophe -- it is not
891 a symbol, but a @emph{function}. When called, it provides
892 the list of internal values required to set the color to
893 white. The other colors in the normal list are functions
894 too. To convince yourself this is working you might like
895 to change the color to one of the other functions in the
901 The second way of changing the color is to use the list of
902 X11 color names in the second list in @ruser{List of colors}.
903 However, these must be preceded by another function, which
904 converts X11 color names into the list of internal values,
905 @code{x11-color}, like this:
907 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
910 \override Staff.BarLine #'color = #(x11-color 'white)
918 Note that in this case the function @code{x11-color} takes
919 a symbol as an argument, so the symbol must be preceded by
920 an apostrophe and the two enclosed in brackets.
925 There is yet a third function, one which converts RGB values into
926 internal colors -- the @code{rgb-color} function. This takes
927 three arguments giving the intensities of the red, green and
928 blue colors. These take values in the range 0 to 1. So to
929 set the color to red the value should be @code{(rgb-color 1 0 0)}
930 and to white it should be @code{(rgb-color 1 1 1)}:
932 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
935 \override Staff.BarLine #'color = #(rgb-color 1 1 1)
942 Finally, there is also a grey scale available as part of the
943 X11 set of colors. These range from black, @code{'grey0'},
944 to white, @code{'grey100}, in steps of 1. Let's illustrate
945 this by setting all the layout objects in our example to
946 various shades of grey:
948 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
951 \override Staff.StaffSymbol #'color = #(x11-color 'grey30)
952 \override Staff.TimeSignature #'color = #(x11-color 'grey60)
953 \override Staff.Clef #'color = #(x11-color 'grey60)
954 \override Voice.NoteHead #'color = #(x11-color 'grey85)
955 \override Voice.Stem #'color = #(x11-color 'grey85)
956 \override Staff.BarLine #'color = #(x11-color 'grey10)
964 Note the contexts associated with each of the layout objects.
965 It is important to get these right, or the commands will not
966 work! Remember, the context is the one in which the appropriate
967 engraver is placed. The default context for engravers can be
968 found by starting from the layout object, going from there to
969 the engraver which produces it, and on the engraver page in the
970 IR it tells you in which context the engraver will normally be
974 @node Size of objects
975 @subsection Size of objects
977 Let us begin by looking again at the earlier example
978 see @ref{Nesting music expressions}) which showed
979 how to introduce a new temporary staff, as in an @rglos{ossia}.
981 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
989 alignAboveContext = "main" }
997 Ossia are normally written without clef and time signature, and
998 are usually printed slightly smaller than the main staff. We
999 already know now how to remove the clef and time signature --
1000 we simply set the stencil of each to @code{#f}, as follows:
1002 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1003 \new Staff ="main" {
1010 alignAboveContext = "main"
1013 \override Staff.Clef #'stencil = ##f
1014 \override Staff.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
1024 where the extra pair of braces after the @code{\with} clause are
1025 required to ensure the enclosed overrrides and music are applied
1028 But what is the difference between modifying the staff context by
1029 using @code{\with} and modifying the stencils of the clef and the
1030 time signature with \override? The main difference is that
1031 changes made in a @code{\with} clause are made at the time the
1032 context is created, and remain in force as the @strong{default}
1033 values for the duration of that context, whereas
1034 @code{\set} or @code{\override} commands embedded in the
1035 music are dynamic -- they make changes synchronised with
1036 a particular point in the music. If changes are unset or
1037 reverted using @code{\unset} or @code{\revert} they return to
1038 their default values, which will be the ones set in the
1039 @code{\with} clause, or if none have been set there, the normal
1042 Some context properties
1043 can be modified only in @code{\with} clauses. These are those
1044 properties which cannot sensibly be changed after the context
1045 has been created. @code{alignAboveContext} and its partner,
1046 @code{alignBelowContext}, are two such properties -- once the
1047 staff has been created its alignment is decided and it would
1048 make no sense to try to change it later.
1050 The default values of layout object properties can also be set
1051 in @code{\with} clauses. Simply use the normal @code{\override}
1052 command leaving out the context name, since this is unambiguously
1053 defined as the context which the @code{\with} clause is modifying.
1054 If fact, an error will be generated if a context is specified
1057 So we could replace the example above with
1059 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1060 \new Staff ="main" {
1067 alignAboveContext = "main"
1068 % Don't print clefs in this staff
1069 \override Clef #'stencil = ##f
1070 % Don't print time signatures in this staff
1071 \override TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
1080 Finally we come to changing the size of layout objects.
1082 Some layout objects are created as glyphs selected from
1083 a typeface font. These include note heads, accidentals, markup,
1084 clefs, time signatures, dynamics and lyrics.
1085 Their size is changed by modifying the
1086 @code{font-size} property, as we shall shortly see. Other
1087 layout objects such as slurs and ties -- in general, spanner
1088 objects -- are drawn individually, so there is no
1090 associated with them. These objects generally derive their
1091 size from the objects to which they are attached, so usually
1092 there is no need to change their size manually. Still other
1093 properties such as the length of stems and bar lines, thickness
1094 of beams and other lines, and the separation of staff lines all
1095 need to be modified in special ways.
1097 Returning to the ossia example, let us first change the font-size.
1098 We can do this in two ways. We can either change the size of the
1099 fonts of each object type, like @code{NoteHead}s with commands
1103 \override NoteHead #'font-size = #-2
1106 or we can change the size of all fonts by setting a special
1107 property, @code{fontSize}, using @code{\set}, or by including
1108 it in a @code{\with} clause (but without the @code{\set}).
1114 Both of these statements would cause the font size to be reduced
1115 by 2 steps from its previous value, where each
1116 step reduces or increases the size by approximately 12%.
1118 Let's try it in our ossia example:
1120 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1121 \new Staff ="main" {
1128 alignAboveContext = "main"
1129 \override Clef #'stencil = ##f
1130 \override TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
1131 % Reduce all font sizes by ~24%
1141 This is still not quite right. The note heads and flags are
1142 smaller, but the stems are too long in proportion and the
1143 staff lines are spaced too widely apart. These need to be
1144 scaled down in proportion to the font reduction. The next
1145 sub-section discusses how this is done.
1147 @node Length and thickness of objects
1148 @subsection Length and thickness of objects
1154 @cindex size, changing
1155 @cindex stem length, changing
1156 @cindex staff line spacing, changing
1158 Distances and lengths in LilyPond are generally measured in
1159 staff-spaces, the distance between adjacent lines in the staff,
1160 (or occasionally half staff spaces) while most @code{thickness}
1161 properties are measured in units of an internal property called
1162 @code{line-thickness.} For example, by default, the lines of
1163 hairpins are given a thickness of 1 unit of @code{line-thickness},
1164 while the @code{thickness} of a note stem is 1.3. Note, though,
1165 that some thickness properties are different; for example, the
1166 thickness of beams is measured in staff-spaces.
1168 So how are lengths to be scaled in proportion to the font size?
1169 This can be done with the help of a special function called
1170 @code{magstep} provided for exactly this purpose. It takes
1171 one argument, the change in font size (#-2 in the example above)
1172 and returns a scaling factor suitable for reducing other
1173 objects in proportion. It is used like this:
1175 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1176 \new Staff ="main" {
1183 alignAboveContext = "main"
1184 \override Clef #'stencil = ##f
1185 \override TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
1187 % Reduce stem length and line spacing to match
1188 \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep -2)
1198 Since the length of stems and many other length-related properties
1199 are always calculated relative to the
1200 value of the @code{staff-space} property these are automatically
1201 scaled down in length too. Note that this affects only the
1202 vertical scale of the ossia -- the horizontal scale is determined
1203 by the layout of the main music in order to remain synchronised
1204 with it, so it is not affected by any of these changes in size.
1205 Of course, if the scale of all the main music were changed in this
1206 way then the horizontal spacing would be affected. This is
1207 discussed later in the layout section.
1209 This, then, completes the creation of an ossia. The sizes and
1210 lengths of all other objects may be modified in analogous ways.
1212 For small changes in scale, as in the example above, the
1213 thickness of the various drawn lines such as bar lines,
1214 beams, hairpins, slurs, etc does not usually require global
1215 adjustment. If the thickness of any particular layout object
1216 needs to be adjusted this can be best achieved by overriding its
1217 @code{thickness} property. An example of changing the thickness
1218 of slurs was shown above in @ref{Properties of layout objects}.
1219 The thickness of all drawn objects (i.e., those not produced
1220 from a font) may be changed in the same way.
1223 @node Placement of objects
1224 @section Placement of objects
1227 * Automatic behaviour::
1228 * Within-staff objects::
1229 * Outside staff objects::
1233 @node Automatic behaviour
1234 @subsection Automatic behaviour
1236 There are some objects in musical notation that belong to
1237 the staff and there are other objects that should be
1238 placed outside the staff. These are called within-staff
1239 objects and outside-staff objects respectively.
1241 Within-staff objects are those that are located on the staff
1242 -- note heads, stems, accidentals, etc. The positions of
1243 these are usually fixed by the music itself -- they are
1244 vertically positioned on specific lines of the staff or are
1245 tied to other objects that are so positioned. Collisions of
1246 note heads, stems and accidentals in closely set chords are
1247 normally avoided automatically. There are commands and
1248 overrides which can modify this automatic behaviour, as we
1251 Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1252 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings. LilyPond's rule for
1253 the vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them
1254 as close to the staff as possible but not so close that they
1255 collide with any other object. LilyPond uses the
1256 @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine the order in
1257 which the objects should be placed, as follows.
1259 First, LilyPond places all the within-staff objects.
1260 Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1261 @code{outside-staff-priority}. The outside-staff objects are
1262 taken one by one, beginning with the object with the lowest
1263 @code{outside-staff-priority}, and placed so that they do not
1264 collide with any objects that have already been placed. That is,
1265 if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the
1266 one with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed
1267 closer to the staff. If two objects have the same
1268 @code{outside-staff-priority} the one encountered first will be
1269 placed closer to the staff.
1271 In the following example all the markup texts have the same
1272 priority (since it is not explicity set). Note that @q{Text3}
1273 is automatically positioned close to the staff again, nestling
1276 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1283 Staves are also positioned, by default, as closely together as
1284 possible (subject to a minimum separation). If notes project
1285 a long way towards an adjacent staff they will force the
1286 staves further apart only if an overlap of the notation
1287 would otherwise occur. The following example demonstrates
1288 this @q{nestling} of the notes on adjacent staves:
1290 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1293 \relative c' { c a, }
1296 \relative c'''' { c a, }
1302 @node Within-staff objects
1303 @subsection Within-staff objects
1305 We have already seen how the commands @code{\voiceXXX} affect
1306 the direction of slurs, ties, fingering and
1307 everything else which depends on the direction of the stems.
1308 These commands are essential when writing polyphonic music to
1309 permit interweaving melodic lines to be distinguished.
1310 But occasionally it may be necessary to override this automatic
1311 behaviour. This can be done for whole sections of music or even
1312 for an individual note. The property which controls this
1313 behaviour is the @code{direction} property of each layout object.
1314 We first explain what this does, and then introduce a number of
1315 ready-made commands which avoid your having to code explicit
1316 overrides for the more common modifications.
1318 Some layout objects like slurs and ties curve, bend or point
1319 either up or down; others like stems and flags also move to
1320 right or left when they point up or down. This is controlled
1321 automatically when @code{direction} is set.
1323 The following example shows in bar 1 the default behaviour of
1325 with those on high notes pointing down and those on low notes
1326 pointing up, followed by four notes with all stems forced down,
1327 four notes with all stems forced up, and finally four notes
1328 reverted back to the default behaviour.
1330 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1332 \override Stem #'direction = #DOWN
1334 \override Stem #'direction = #UP
1336 \revert Stem #'direction
1340 Here we use the constants @code{DOWN} and @code{UP}.
1341 These have the values @code{-1} and @code{+1} respectively, and
1342 these numerical values may be used instead. The value @code{0}
1343 may also be used in some cases. It is simply treated as meaning
1344 @code{UP} for stems, but for some objects it means @q{center}.
1345 There is a constant, @code{CENTER} which has the value @code{0}.
1347 However, these explicit overrides are not usually used, as there
1348 are simpler equivalent predefined commands available.
1349 Here is a table of the commonest. The meaning of each is stated
1350 where it is not obvious.
1352 @multitable @columnfractions .2 .2 .2 .4
1357 @item @code{\arpeggioDown}
1358 @tab @code{\arpeggioUp}
1359 @tab @code{\arpeggioNeutral}
1360 @tab Arrow is at bottom, at top, or no arrow
1361 @item @code{\dotsDown}
1363 @tab @code{\dotsNeutral}
1364 @tab Direction of movement to avoid staff lines
1365 @item @code{\dynamicDown}
1366 @tab @code{\dynamicUp}
1367 @tab @code{\dynamicNeutral}
1369 @item @code{\phrasingSlurDown}
1370 @tab @code{\phrasingSlurUp}
1371 @tab @code{\phrasingSlurNeutral}
1372 @tab Note: distinct from slur commands
1373 @item @code{\slurDown}
1375 @tab @code{\slurNeutral}
1377 @item @code{\stemDown}
1379 @tab @code{\stemNeutral}
1381 @item @code{\textSpannerDown}
1382 @tab @code{\textSpannerUp}
1383 @tab @code{\textSpannerNeutral}
1384 @tab Text entered as spanner is below/above staff
1385 @item @code{\tieDown}
1387 @tab @code{\tieNeutral}
1389 @item @code{\tupletDown}
1390 @tab @code{\tupletUp}
1391 @tab @code{\tupletNeutral}
1392 @tab Tuplets are below/above notes
1395 Note that these predefined commands may @strong{not} be
1396 preceded by @code{\once}. If you wish to limit the
1397 effect to a single note you must either use the equivalent
1398 @code{\once \override} command or use the predefined command
1399 followed after the affected note by the corresponding
1400 @code{\xxxNeutral} command.
1402 @subheading Fingering
1403 @cindex fingering, placement
1405 The placement of fingering is also affected by the value
1406 of its @code{direction} property, but there are special
1407 commands which allow the fingering of individual notes
1408 of chords to be controlled, with the fingering being placed
1409 above, below, to the left or to the right of each note.
1411 First, here's the effect of @code{direction} on fingering,
1412 the first bar shows the default, then the effect of specifying
1413 @code{DOWN} and @code{UP}:
1415 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1417 \override Fingering #'direction = #DOWN
1419 \override Fingering #'direction = #UP
1423 This is how to control fingering on single notes, but the
1425 property is ignored for chords. Instead, by default, the
1426 fingering is automatically placed both above and below the
1427 notes of a chord, as shown:
1429 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1435 Greater control over the placement of fingering of the
1436 individual notes in a chord is possible by using
1437 the @code{\set fingeringOrientations} command. The format of
1441 @code{\set fingeringOrientations = #'([up] [left/right] [down])}
1445 @code{\set} is used because @code{fingeringOrientations} is a
1446 property of the @code{Voice} context, created and used by the
1447 @code{New_fingering_engraver}.
1449 The property may be set to a list of one to three values.
1450 It controls whether fingerings may be placed above (if
1451 @code{up} appears in the list), below (if @code{down} appears),
1452 to the left (if @code{left} appears, or to the right
1453 (if @code{right} appears). Conversely, if a location is not
1454 listed, no fingering is placed there. LilyPond takes these
1455 contraints and works out the best placement for the fingering
1456 of the notes of the following chords. Note that @code{left} and
1457 @code{right} are mutually exclusive -- fingering may be placed
1458 only on one side or the other, not both.
1460 To control the placement of the fingering of a single note
1461 using this command it is necessary to write it as a single
1462 note chord by placing angle brackets round it.
1464 Here are a few examples:
1466 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1467 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1469 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1470 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1472 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1473 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left down)
1475 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1476 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left)
1478 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1479 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(right)
1481 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1485 If the fingering seems a little crowded the @code{font-size}
1486 could be reduced. The default value can be seen from the
1487 @code{Fingering} object in the IR to be @code{-5}, so let's
1490 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1491 \override Fingering #'font-size = #-7
1492 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1494 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1495 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1497 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1498 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left down)
1500 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1501 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left)
1503 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1504 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(right)
1506 < c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5 > 4
1509 @node Outside staff objects
1510 @subsection Outside staff objects
1512 Outside-staff objects are automatically placed to avoid collisions.
1513 Objects with the lower value of the @code{outside-staff-priority}
1514 property are placed nearer to the staff, and other outside-staff
1515 objects are then raised as far as necessary to avoid collisions.
1516 The @code{outside-staff-priority} is defined in the
1517 @code{grob-interface} and so is a property of all layout objects.
1518 By default it is set to @code{#f} for all within-staff objects,
1519 and to a numerical value appropriate to each outside-staff object
1520 when the object is created. The following table shows
1521 the default numerical values for some of the commonest
1522 outside-staff objects which are, by default, placed in the
1523 @code{Staff} Context.
1525 @multitable @columnfractions .3 .3
1526 @headitem Layout Object @tab Priority
1527 @item @code{DynamicLineSpanner} @tab @code{ 250}
1528 @item @code{DynamicText} @tab @code{ 250}
1529 @item @code{OttavaBracket} @tab @code{ 400}
1530 @item @code{TextScript} @tab @code{ 450}
1531 @item @code{TextSpanner} @tab @code{ 350}
1534 Here is an example showing the default placement of these.
1536 @cindex text spanner
1537 @funindex \startTextSpan
1538 @funindex \stopTextSpan
1539 @cindex ottava bracket
1541 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1542 % Set details for later Text Spanner
1543 \override TextSpanner #'bound-details #'left #'text
1544 = \markup { \small \bold Slower }
1545 % Place dynamics above staff
1547 % Start Ottava Bracket
1552 % Add Dynamic Line Spanner
1558 c\ff c \stopTextSpan
1559 % Stop Ottava Bracket
1564 This example also shows how to create Text Spanners --
1565 text with extender lines above a section of music. The
1566 spanner extends from the @code{\startTextSpan} command to
1567 the @code{\stopTextSpan} command, and the format of the
1568 text is defined by the @code{\override TextSpanner} command.
1569 For more details see @ruser{Text spanners}.
1571 It also shows how ottava brackets are created.
1573 Note that bar numbers, metronome marks and rehearsal marks
1574 are not shown. By default these are created in the
1575 @code{Score} context and their @code{outside-staff-priority}
1576 is ignored relative to the layout objects which are created
1577 in the @code{Staff} context.
1578 If you wish to place bar numbers, metronome marks or rehearsal
1579 marks in accordance with the value of their
1580 @code{outside-staff-priority} the @code{Bar_number_engraver},
1581 @code{Metronome_mark_engraver} or @code{Mark_engraver} respectively
1582 should be removed from the @code{Score} context and placed in the
1583 top @code{Staff} context. If this is done, these marks will be
1584 given the following default @code{outside-staff-priority} values:
1586 @multitable @columnfractions .3 .3
1587 @headitem Layout Object @tab Priority
1588 @item @code{BarNumber} @tab @code{ 100}
1589 @item @code{MetronomeMark} @tab @code{1000}
1590 @item @code{RehearsalMark} @tab @code{1500}
1593 If the default values of @code{outside-staff-priority} does not
1594 give you the placing you want, the priority of any of the objects
1595 may be overridden. Suppose we would
1596 like the ottava bracket to be placed below the text spanner in the
1597 example above. All we need to do is to look up the priority of
1598 @code{OttavaBracket} in the IR or in the tables above, and reduce
1599 it to a value lower than that of a @code{TextSpanner}:
1601 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1602 % Set details for later Text Spanner
1603 \override TextSpanner #'bound-details #'left #'text
1604 = \markup { \small \bold Slower }
1605 % Place dynamics above staff
1607 %Place following Ottava Bracket below Text Spanners
1608 \once \override OttavaBracket #'outside-staff-priority = #340
1609 % Start Ottava Bracket
1614 % Add Dynamic Line Spanner
1620 c\ff c \stopTextSpan
1621 % Stop Ottava Bracket
1626 Changing the @code{outside-staff-priority} can also be used to
1627 control the vertical placement of individual objects, although
1628 the results may not always be desirable. Suppose we would
1629 like @qq{Text3} to be placed above @qq{Text4} in the example
1630 under Automatic behaviour, above (see @ref{Automatic behaviour}).
1631 All we need to do is to look up the priority of @code{TextScript}
1632 in the IR or in the tables above, and increase the priority of
1633 @qq{Text3} to a higher value:
1635 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1638 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #500
1643 This certainly lifts @qq{Text3} above @qq{Text4} but it also
1644 lifts it above @qq{Text2}, and @qq{Text4} now drops down.
1645 Perhaps this is not so good. What we would really like to do
1646 is to position all the annotation at the same distance above
1647 the staff? To do this, we clearly
1648 will need to space the notes out horizontally to make more
1649 room for the text. This is done using the @code{textLengthOn}
1652 @subheading \textLengthOn
1654 @funindex \textLengthOn
1655 @cindex notes, spreading out with text
1657 By default, text produced by markup takes up no horizontal space
1658 as far as laying out the music is concerned. The @code{\textLengthOn}
1659 command reverses this behaviour, causing the notes to be spaced
1660 out as far as is necessary to accommodate the text:
1662 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1663 \textLengthOn % Cause notes to space out to accommodate text
1670 The command to revert to the default behaviour is
1671 @code{\textLengthOff}. Remember @code{\once} only works with
1672 @code{\override}, @code{\set}, @code{\revert} or @code{unset},
1673 so cannot be used with @code{\textLengthOn}.
1675 Markup text will also avoid notes which project above the staff.
1676 If this is not desired, the automatic displacement upwards may
1677 be turned off by setting the priority to @code{#f}. Here's an
1678 example to show how markup text interacts with such notes.
1680 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1681 % This markup is short enough to fit without collision
1685 % This is too long to fit, so it is displaced upwards
1689 % Turn off collision avoidance
1690 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1694 % Turn off collision avoidance
1695 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1696 \textLengthOn % and turn on textLengthOn
1697 c,,2^"Long Text " % Spaces at end are honoured
1702 @subheading Dynamics
1704 Dynamic markings will normally be positioned beneath the
1705 staff, but may be positioned above with the @code{dynamicUp}
1706 command. They will be positioned vertically relative to the
1707 note to which they are attached, and will float below (or above)
1708 all within-staff objects such as phrasing slurs and bar numbers.
1709 This can give quite acceptable results, as this example
1712 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1717 bes4.~\f\< \( bes4 bes8 des4\ff\> c16 bes\! |
1718 ees,2.~\)\mf ees4 r8 |
1721 However, if the notes and attached dynamics are close
1722 together the automatic placement will avoid collisions
1723 by displacing later dynamic markings further away, but this may
1724 not be the optimum placement, as this rather artificial example
1727 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1733 Should a similar situation arise in @q{real} music, it may
1734 be preferable to space out the notes
1735 a little further, so the dynamic markings can all fit at the
1736 same vertical distance from the staff. We were able to do this
1737 for markup text by using the @code{\textLengthOn} command, but there
1738 is no equivalent command for dynamic marks. So we shall have to
1739 work out how to do this using @code{\override} commands.
1741 @subheading Grob sizing
1744 @cindex sizing grobs
1745 @cindex @code{X-offset}
1746 @cindex @code{Y-offset}
1747 @cindex @code{X-extent}
1748 @cindex @code{Y-extent}
1750 First we must learn how grobs are sized. All grobs have a
1751 reference point defined within them which is used to position
1752 them relative to their parent object. This point in the grob
1753 is then positioned at a horizontal distance, @code{X-offset},
1754 and at a vertical distance, @code{Y-offset}, from its parent.
1755 The horizontal extent of the object is given by a pair of
1756 numbers, @code{X-extent}, which say where the left and right
1757 edges are relative to the reference point. The vertical extent
1758 is similarly defined by a pair of numbers, @code{Y-extent}.
1759 These are properties of all grobs which support the
1760 @code{grob-interface}.
1762 @cindex @code{extra-spacing-width}
1764 By default, outside-staff objects are given a width of zero so
1765 that they may overlap in the horizontal direction. This is done
1766 by by the trick of adding infinity to the leftmost extent and
1767 minus infinity to the rightmost extent by setting the
1768 @code{extra-spacing-width} to @code{'(+inf.0 . -inf.0)}. So
1769 to ensure they do not overlap in the horizontal direction we
1770 must override this value of @code{extra-spacing-width} to
1771 @code{'(0 . 0)} so the true width shines through. This is
1772 the command to do this for dynamic text:
1775 \override DynamicText #'extra-spacing-width = #'(0 . 0)
1779 Let's see if this works in our previous example:
1781 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1783 \override DynamicText #'extra-spacing-width = #'(0 . 0)
1788 Well, it has certainly stopped the dynamic marks being
1789 displaced, but two problems remain. The marks should be
1790 spaced a little further apart and it would be better
1791 if they were all the same distance from the staff.
1792 We can solve the first problem easily. Instead of making
1793 the @code{extra-spacing-width} zero we could add a little
1794 more to it. The units are the space between two staff
1795 lines, so moving the left edge half a unit to the left and the
1796 right edge half a unit to the right should do it:
1798 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1800 % Extend width by 1 staff space
1801 \override DynamicText #'extra-spacing-width = #'(-0.5 . 0.5)
1806 This looks better, but maybe we would prefer the dynamic marks
1807 to be aligned along the same baseline rather than going up and
1808 down with the notes. The property to do this is
1809 @code{staff-padding} which is covered in the following section.
1812 @node Collisions of objects
1813 @section Collisions of objects
1817 * Fixing overlapping notation::
1818 * Real music example::
1821 @node Moving objects
1822 @subsection Moving objects
1824 This may come as a surprise, but LilyPond is not perfect. Some
1825 notation elements can overlap. This is unfortunate, but in fact
1826 rather rare. Usually the need to move objects is for clarity or
1827 aesthetic reasons -- they would look better with a little more
1828 or a little less space around them.
1830 There are three main main approaches to resolving overlapping
1831 notation. They should be considered in the following order:
1835 The @strong{direction} of one of the overlapping objects may
1836 be changed using the predefined commands listed above for
1837 within-staff objects (see @ref{Within-staff objects}).
1838 Stems, slurs, beams, ties, dynamics, text and tuplets may be
1839 repositioned easily in this way. The limitation is that you
1840 have a choice of only two positions, and neither may be
1844 The @strong{object properties}, which LilyPond uses
1845 when positioning layout objects, may be modified using
1846 @code{\override}. The advantages
1847 of making changes to this type of property are (a) that some
1848 other objects will be moved automatically if necessary to make
1849 room and (b) the single override can apply to all instances of
1850 the same type of object. Such properties include:
1856 This has already been covered in some detail -- see
1857 @ref{Within-staff objects}.
1860 @code{padding}, @code{left-padding},
1861 @code{right-padding}, @code{staff-padding}
1863 @cindex left-padding property
1864 @cindex padding property
1865 @cindex right-padding property
1866 @cindex staff-padding property
1867 As an object is being positioned the value of its @code{padding}
1868 property specifies the gap that must be left between itself and
1869 the nearest edge of the object against which it is being
1870 positioned. Note that it is the @code{padding} value of the object
1871 @strong{being placed} that is used;
1872 the @code{padding} value of the object which is already placed is
1873 ignored. Gaps specified by @code{padding} can be applied
1874 to all objects which support the @code{side-position-interface}.
1876 Instead of @code{padding}, the placement of groups of accidentals
1877 is controlled by @code{left-padding} and @code{right-padding}.
1878 These properties are to be found in the @code{AccidentalPlacement}
1879 object which, note, lives in the @strong{staff} context. Because
1880 accidentals are always positioned after and to the left of
1881 note heads only the @code{right-padding} property has any effect.
1883 The @code{staff-padding} property is closely related to the
1884 @code{padding} property: @code{padding}
1885 controls the minimum amount of space between any object which
1886 supports the @code{side-position-interface} and the nearest
1887 other object (generally the note or the staff lines);
1888 @code{staff-padding} applies only to those objects which are always
1889 set outside the staff -- it controls the minimum amount of space
1890 that should be inserted between that object and the staff. Note
1891 that @code{staff-padding} has no effect on objects which are
1892 positioned relative to the note rather than the staff, even though
1893 it may be overridden without error for such objects -- it is simply
1896 To discover which padding property is required for the object
1897 you wish to reposition, you
1898 need to return to the IR and look up the object's properties.
1899 Be aware that the padding properties might not be located in the
1900 obvious object, so look in objects that appear to be related.
1902 All padding values are measured in staff spaces. For most
1903 objects, this value is set by default to be around 1.0 or less
1904 (it varies with each object). It may be overridden if a larger
1905 (or smaller) gap is required.
1908 @code{self-alignment-X}
1910 @cindex self-alignment-X property
1911 This property aligns the object to the left, to the right, or
1912 centers it with respect to the parent object's reference point.
1913 It may be used with all objects which support the
1914 @code{self-alignment-interface}. In general these are objects
1915 that contain text. The values are @code{LEFT}, @code{RIGHT}
1916 or @code{CENTER}. The movement is limited by the length of the
1917 object. Any numerical value between @code{-1} and @code{+1} may
1918 also be specified, where @code{-1} is left-aligned, @code{+1}
1919 is right-aligned, and numbers in between move the text
1920 progressively from left-aligned to right-aligned.
1923 @code{extra-spacing-width}
1925 @cindex extra-spacing-width property
1926 This property is available for all objects which support the
1927 @code{item-interface}. It takes two numbers, the first is added
1928 to the leftmost extent and the second is added to the rightmost
1929 extent. Negative numbers move the edge to the left, positive to
1930 the right, so to widen an object the first number must be negative,
1931 the second positive. Note that not all objects honour both
1932 numbers. For example, the @code{Accidental} object only takes
1933 notice of the first (left edge) number.
1936 @code{staff-position}
1938 @cindex staff-position property
1939 @code{staff-position} is a property of the
1940 @code{staff-symbol-referencer-interface}, which is supported by
1941 objects which are positioned relative to the staff. It specifies
1942 the vertical position of the object relative to the center line
1943 of the staff in half staff-spaces. It is useful in resolving
1944 collisions between layout objects like multi-measure rests, ties
1945 and notes in different voices.
1950 @cindex force-hshift property
1952 Closely spaced notes in a chord, or notes occuring at the same
1953 time in different voices, are arranged in two, occasionally more,
1954 columns to prevent the note heads overlapping. These are called
1955 note columns, and an object called @code{NoteColumn} is created
1956 to lay out the notes in that column.
1958 The @code{force-hshift}
1959 property is a property of a @code{NoteColumn} (actually of the
1960 @code{note-column-interface}). Changing it permits a note column
1961 to be moved in units appropriate to a note column, viz. the note
1962 head width of the first voice note. It should be used in
1963 complex situations where the normal @code{\shiftOn} commands (see
1964 @ref{Explicitly instantiating voices}) do
1965 not resolve the note conflict. It is preferable to the
1966 @code{extra-offset} property for this purpose as there is no need
1967 to work out the distance in staff-spaces, and moving the notes
1968 into or out of a @code{NoteColumn} affects other actions such as
1973 Objects do not all have all of these properties in general.
1974 It is necessary to go to the IR to look up which properties
1975 are available for the object in question.
1978 Finally, when all else fails, objects may be manually repositioned
1979 relative to the staff center line verically, or by
1980 displacing them by any distance to a new position. The
1981 disadvantages are that the correct values for the repositioning
1982 have to be worked out, often by trial and error, for every object
1983 individually, and, because the movement is done after LilyPond has
1984 placed all other objects, the user is responsible for avoiding any
1985 collisions that might ensue. But the main difficulty with this
1986 approach is that the repositioning values may need to be reworked
1987 if the music is later modified. The properties that can be used
1988 for this type of manual repositioning are:
1992 @cindex extra-offset property
1993 This property applies to any layout object
1994 supporting the @code{grob-interface}. It takes a pair of
1995 numbers which specify the extra displacement in the horizontal and
1996 vertical directions. Negative numbers move the object to
1997 the left or down. The units are staff-spaces. The extra
1998 displacement is made after the typesetting of objects is
1999 finished, so an object may be repositioned anywhere without
2000 affecting anything else.
2003 @cindex positions property
2004 This is most useful for manually adjusting the slope and height
2005 of beams, slurs, and tuplets. It takes a pair of numbers
2006 giving the position of the left and right ends of the beam, slur,
2007 etc. relative to the center line of the staff. Units are
2011 Objects do not all have all of these properties in general.
2012 It is necessary to go to the IR to look up which properties
2013 are available for the object in question.
2017 Here is a list of the objects which are most likely to be
2018 involved in collisions, together with the name of the object which
2019 should be looked up in the IR in order to discover which properties
2020 should be used to move them.
2022 @multitable @columnfractions .5 .5
2023 @headitem Object type @tab Object name
2024 @item Articulations @tab @code{Script}
2025 @item Beams @tab @code{Beam}
2026 @item Dynamics (vertically) @tab @code{DynamicLineSpanner}
2027 @item Dynamics (horizontally) @tab @code{DynamicText}
2028 @item Fingerings @tab @code{Fingering}
2029 @item Rehearsal / Text marks @tab @code{RehearsalMark}
2030 @item Slurs @tab @code{Slur}
2031 @item Text e.g. @code{^"text"} @tab @code{TextScript}
2032 @item Ties @tab @code{Tie}
2033 @item Tuplets @tab @code{TupletBracket}
2037 @node Fixing overlapping notation
2038 @subsection Fixing overlapping notation
2040 Let's now see how the properties in the previous section can
2041 help to resolve overlapping notation.
2043 @subheading padding property
2044 @cindex padding property
2046 The @code{padding} property can be set to increase
2047 (or decrease) the distance between symbols that are printed
2048 above or below notes.
2050 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2052 \override Script #'padding = #3
2056 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2057 % This will not work, see below:
2058 \override MetronomeMark #'padding = #3
2062 \override Score.MetronomeMark #'padding = #3
2067 Note in the second example how important it is to figure out what
2068 context handles a certain object. Since the @code{MetronomeMark} object
2069 is handled in the @code{Score} context, property changes in the
2070 @code{Voice} context will not be noticed. For more details, see
2071 @ruser{Constructing a tweak}.
2073 @subheading left-padding and right-padding properties
2074 @cindex left-padding property
2075 @cindex right-padding property
2077 TODO Example showing the utility of these properties -td
2079 @subheading staff-padding property
2080 @cindex staff-padding property
2082 @code{staff-padding} can be used to align objects such as dynamics
2083 along a baseline at a fixed height above the staff, rather than
2084 at a height dependent on the position of the note to which they
2085 are attached. It is not a property of
2086 @code{DynamicText} but of @code{DynamicLineSpanner}.
2087 This is because the baseline should apply equally to @strong{all}
2088 dynamics, including those created as extended spanners.
2089 So this is the way to align the dynamic marks in the example
2090 taken from the previous section:
2092 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2094 % Extend width by 1 unit
2095 \override DynamicText #'extra-spacing-width = #'(-0.5 . 0.5)
2096 % Align dynamics to a base line 2 units above staff
2097 \override DynamicLineSpanner #'staff-padding = #2
2102 @subheading self-alignment-X property
2103 @cindex self-alignment-X property
2105 The following example shows how this can resolve the collision
2106 of a string fingering object with a note's stem by aligning the
2107 right edge with the reference point of the parent note:
2109 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=3]
2112 \once \override StringNumber #'self-alignment-X = #RIGHT
2116 @subheading staff-position property
2117 @cindex staff-position property
2119 Multimeasure rests in one voice can collide with notes in another.
2120 Since these rests are typeset centered between the bar lines, it
2121 would require significant effort for LilyPond to figure out which
2122 other notes might collide with it, since all the current collision
2123 handling between notes and between notes and rests is done only
2124 for notes and rests that occur at the same time. Here's an
2125 example of a collision of this type:
2127 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right, relative=1]
2128 << {c c c c} \\ {R1} >>
2131 The best solution here is to move the multimeasure rest down,
2132 since the rest is in voice two.
2133 The default in @code{\voiceTwo} (i.e. in the second voice of a
2134 @code{<<@{...@} \\ @{...@}>>} construct)
2135 is that @code{staff-position} is set to -4 for MultiMeasureRest,
2136 so we need to move it, say, four half-staff spaces down to
2139 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right, relative=1]
2143 \override MultiMeasureRest #'staff-position = #-8
2148 This is better than using, for example, @code{extra-offset},
2149 because the ledger line above the rest is inserted automatically.
2151 @subheading extra-offset property
2152 @cindex extra-offset property
2154 The @code{extra-offset} property provides complete control over the
2155 positioning of an object both horizontally and vertically.
2157 In the following example, the second fingering is moved a little to
2158 the left, and 1.8 staff space downwards:
2160 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2163 \once \override Fingering
2164 #'extra-offset = #'(-0.3 . -1.8)
2169 @subheading force-hshift property
2170 @cindex force-hshift property
2171 @c FIXME: formatting stuff (ie not important right now IMO)
2172 @c @a nchor Chopin finally corrected TODOgp
2174 We can now see how to apply the final corrections to the Chopin
2175 example introduced at the end of @ref{I'm hearing Voices}, which
2176 was left looking like this:
2178 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2179 \new Staff \relative c'' {
2182 { c2 aes4. bes8 } \\
2194 The lower two notes of the first chord (i.e,
2195 those in the third voice) should not be shifted away from the
2196 note column of the higher two notes. To correct this we set
2197 @code{force-hshift}, which is a property of
2198 @code{NoteColumn}, of these notes to zero.
2199 The lower note of the second chord is best placed just to the
2200 right of the higher notes. We achieve this by setting
2201 @code{force-hshift} of this note to 0.5, ie half a note head's
2202 width to the right of the note column of the higher notes.
2204 Here's the final result:
2206 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2207 \new Staff \relative c'' {
2210 { c2 aes4. bes8 } \\
2213 \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = #0 <ees c>2
2214 \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = #0.5 des2
2222 @subheading positions property
2223 @cindex positions property
2225 The @code{positions} property allows the position and slope of
2226 tuplets, slurs, phrasing slurs and beams to be controlled
2227 manually. Here's an example which has an ugly phrasing slur
2228 due to its trying to avoid the slur on the acciaccatura.
2230 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right,relative=1]
2231 r4 \acciaccatura e8\( d8 c ~c d c d\)
2235 We could simply move the phrasing slur above the notes, and this
2236 would be the preferred solution:
2238 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right,relative=1]
2241 \acciaccatura e8\( d8 c ~c d c d\)
2245 but if there were some reason why this could not be done the
2246 other alternative would be to move the left end of the phrasing
2247 slur down a little using the @code{positions} property. This
2248 also resolves the rather nasty shape.
2250 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right,relative=1]
2252 \once \override PhrasingSlur #'positions = #'(-4 . -3)
2254 e8\( d8 c ~c d c d\)
2257 Here's a further example taken from the opening of the left-hand
2258 staff of Chopin's Prelude Op 28 No. 2. We see that the beam
2259 collides with the upper notes:
2261 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2264 << {b,8 ais, b, g,} \\ {e, g e, g} >>
2265 << {b,8 ais, b, g,} \\ {e, g e, g} >>
2270 This can only be resolved by manually moving both ends of the beam
2271 up from their position at 2 staff-spaces above the center line to,
2274 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2278 \override Beam #'positions = #'(3 . 3)
2283 << {b,8 ais, b, g,} \\ {e, g e, g} >>
2288 Note that the override continues to apply in the first voice of
2289 the second block of quavers, but not to any of the beams in the
2292 @node Real music example
2293 @subsection Real music example
2295 We end this section on Tweaks by showing the steps to be taken to
2296 deal with a tricky example which needs several tweaks to produce
2297 the desired output. The example has been deliberately chosen to
2298 illustrate the use of the Notation Reference to resolve unusual
2299 problems with notation. It is not representative of more usual
2300 engraving process, so please do not let these difficulties put
2301 you off! Fortunately, difficulties like these are not very common!
2303 The example is from Chopin's Première Ballade, Op. 23, bars 6 to
2304 9, the transition from the opening Lento to Moderato.
2305 Here, first, is what we want the output to look like, but to avoid
2306 over-complicating the example too much we have left out the
2307 dynamics, fingering and pedalling.
2309 @c The following should appear as music without code
2310 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
2311 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2314 \once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5
2318 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed = ##t
2319 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted = ##t
2320 bes2.^\markup {\bold "Moderato"} r8
2322 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2324 % Reposition the c2 to the right of the merged note
2325 {c,8~ \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = #1.0
2326 % Move the c2 out of the main note column so the merge will work
2329 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
2330 {s8 \stemDown \once \override Stem #'transparent = ##t d2}
2334 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed
2335 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted
2339 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2341 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
2348 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2352 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2361 We note first that the right hand part in the third bar
2362 requires four voices. These are the five beamed eighth notes,
2363 the tied C, the half-note D which is merged with the eighth note
2364 D, and the dotted quarter note F-sharp, which is also merged with
2365 the eighth note at the same pitch. Everything else is in a single
2366 voice, so the easiest way is to introduce these four voices
2367 temporarily at the time they are needed. If you have forgotten
2368 how to do this, look at @ref{I'm hearing Voices}. Let us begin
2369 by entering the notes as two variables and setting up the staff
2370 structure in a score block, and see what LilyPond produces by
2373 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2374 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2379 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
2381 {c,8 d fis bes a | }
2392 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2401 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2405 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2414 All the notes are right, but the appearance is far from
2415 satisfactory. The tie clashes with the change in time signature,
2416 the beaming in the third bar is wrong, the notes are not
2417 merged together, and several notation elements are missing.
2418 Let's first deal with the easier things.
2419 We can correct the beaming by inserting a beam
2420 manually, and we can easily add the left hand slur and the right
2421 hand phrasing slur, since these were all covered in the Tutorial.
2424 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2425 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2430 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
2432 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2443 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2452 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2456 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2465 The first bar is now correct. The second bar contains an arpeggio
2466 and is terminated by a double bar line. How do we do these, as they
2467 have not been mentioned in this Learning Manual? This is where
2468 we need to turn to the Notation Reference. Looking up @q{arpeggio}
2469 and @q{bar line} in the
2470 index quickly shows us that an arpeggio is produced by appending
2471 @code{\arpeggio} to a chord, and a double bar line is produced by
2472 the @code{\bar "||"} command. That's easily done. We next need
2473 to correct the collision of the tie with the time signature. This
2474 is best done by moving the tie upwards. Moving objects was covered
2475 earlier in @ref{Moving objects}, which says that objects positioned
2476 relative to the staff can be moved by overriding their
2477 @code{staff-position} property, which is specified in half staff
2478 spaces relative to the center line of the staff. So the following
2479 override placed just before the first tied note would move the tie
2480 up to 3.5 half staff spaces above the center line:
2482 @code{\once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5}
2484 This completes bar two, giving:
2486 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2487 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2489 \once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5
2494 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
2496 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2507 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2509 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
2516 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2520 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2529 On to bar three and the start of the Moderato section. The
2530 tutorial showed how to add embolded text with the
2531 @code{\markup} command, so adding @q{Moderato} in bold is easy.
2532 But how do we merge notes in different voices together? The
2533 index in the Notation Reference does not mention merging,
2534 but a search of the text for @q{merge} quickly leads us to
2535 the overrides for merging differently headed and differently
2536 dotted notes in @ruser{Collision Resolution}. In our
2537 example we need to merge both types of note for the duration
2538 of the polyphonic section in bar 3, so using the information
2539 in the Notation Reference we add
2542 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed = ##t
2543 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted = ##t
2547 to the start of that section and
2550 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed
2551 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted
2557 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2558 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2560 \once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5
2564 bes2.^\markup {\bold "Moderato"} r8
2565 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed = ##t
2566 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted = ##t
2567 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
2569 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2577 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed
2578 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted
2582 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2584 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
2591 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2595 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2604 These overrides have merged the two F-sharp notes, but not the two
2605 on D. Why not? The answer is there in the same section in the
2606 Notation Reference -- notes being merged must have stems in
2607 opposite directions and two notes cannot be merged successfully if
2608 there is a third note in the same note column. Here the two D's
2609 both have upward stems and there is a third note -- the C. We know
2610 how to change the stem direction using @code{\stemDown}, and
2611 the Notation Reference also says how to move the C -- apply a shift
2612 using one of the @code{\shift} commands. But which one?
2613 The C is in voice two which has shift off, and the two D's are in
2614 voices one and three, which have shift off and shift on,
2615 respectively. So we have to shift the C a further level still
2616 using @code{\shiftOnn} to avoid it interferring with the two D's.
2617 Applying these changes gives:
2619 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2620 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2622 \once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5
2626 bes2.^\markup {\bold "Moderato"} r8
2627 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed = ##t
2628 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted = ##t
2629 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
2631 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2633 % Move the c2 out of the main note column so the merge will work
2634 {c,8~ \shiftOnn c2 | }
2636 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
2637 {s8 \stemDown d2 | }
2641 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed
2642 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted
2646 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2648 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
2655 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2659 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2668 Nearly there. Only two problems remain: The downward stem on the
2669 merged D should not be there, and the C would be better positioned
2670 to the right of the D's. We know how to do both of these from the
2671 earlier tweaks: we make the stem transparent, and move the C with
2672 the @code{force-hshift} property. Here's the final result:
2674 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2675 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
2678 \once \override Tie #'staff-position = #3.5
2682 bes2.^\markup {\bold "Moderato"} r8
2683 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed = ##t
2684 \override Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted = ##t
2686 {c,8[ d fis bes a] | }
2688 % Reposition the c2 to the right of the merged note
2689 {c,8~ \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = #1.0
2690 % Move the c2 out of the main note column so the merge will work
2693 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
2694 {s8 \stemDown \once \override Stem #'transparent = ##t d2}
2698 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-headed
2699 \revert Staff.NoteCollision #'merge-differently-dotted
2703 lhMusic = \relative c' {
2705 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
2712 \new Staff = "RH" <<
2716 \new Staff = "LH" <<
2727 @section Page layout
2730 * Introduction to layout::
2734 * Fitting music onto fewer pages::
2737 @node Introduction to layout
2738 @subsection Introduction to layout
2740 The global paper layout is determined by three factors:
2741 the page layout, the line breaks, and the spacing. These all
2742 influence each other. The choice of spacing determines how
2743 densely each system of music is set. This influences where line
2744 breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how many pages a piece
2747 Settings which influence layout may be placed in two blocks.
2748 The @code{\paper @{...@}} block is placed outside any
2749 @code{\score @{...@}} blocks and contains settings that
2750 relate to the entire document. The @code{\layout @{...@}}
2751 block is placed within a @code{\score @{...@}} block and
2752 contains settings for that particular score. If you have
2753 only one @code{\score @{...@}} block the two have the same
2754 effect. In general the commands shown in this section can
2755 be placed in either.
2757 Much more detail on the options for tweaking the laying out
2758 of music are contained in @ruser{Spacing issues}.
2761 @subsection Global sizes
2763 TODO Check all these examples
2765 The default @strong{paper size} which LilyPond assumes in laying
2766 out the music is A4. This may be changed in two ways:
2769 #(set-default-paper-size "a6")
2772 #(set-paper-size "letter")
2777 The first command sets the size of all pages. The second command
2778 sets the size of the pages to which the \paper block applies -- if
2779 the \paper block is at the top of the file, then it will apply
2780 to all pages. Support for the following paper sizes is available:
2781 a6, a5, a4, a3, legal, letter, 11x17 (also known as tabloid).
2782 Setting the paper size automatically sets suitable margins and
2785 If the symbol @code{landscape} is supplied as an argument to
2786 @code{set-default-paper-size}, the pages will be rotated by 90
2787 degrees, and wider line widths will be set correspondingly, e.g.
2790 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2793 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
2794 This may be changed in two ways:
2797 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
2800 #(set-global-staff-size 16)
2805 The first command sets the size in all pages. The second command
2806 sets the size in the pages to which the \paper block applies -
\96 if
2807 the \paper block is at the top of the file, then it will apply
2808 to all pages. All the fonts are automatically scaled to suit
2809 the new value of the staff size.
2812 @subsection Line breaks
2814 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
2815 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
2816 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
2817 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
2818 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
2819 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
2820 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
2821 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
2822 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
2823 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
2824 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
2826 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
2827 bar line where it is inserted.
2829 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
2830 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
2831 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
2832 lengths of the lines.
2834 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
2835 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
2836 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
2837 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
2840 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
2841 but affects only the last line of the piece.
2852 @subsection Page breaks
2854 The default page breaking may be overriden by inserting
2855 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands.
2856 These commands are analogous to the @code{\break} and
2857 @code{\noBreak} commands discused above and force or forbid
2858 a page-break at the point where they are inserted.
2859 Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces a line break.
2860 Like @code{\break}, the @code{\pageBreak} command is effective only
2861 at the end of a @q{complete} bar as defined above. For more
2862 details see @ruser{Page breaking} and following sections.
2864 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
2865 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
2866 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
2867 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
2868 respectively will not be justified vertically.
2870 For more details see @ruser{Vertical spacing}.
2872 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2873 @subsection Fitting music onto fewer pages
2875 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2876 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2877 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2878 of room left on those.
2880 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is
2881 an invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various
2882 layout spacing commands; see @ruser{Displaying spacing}, for more
2883 details. From the output of @code{annotate-spacing}, we can
2884 see which margins we may wish to alter.
2886 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2890 You may tell LilyPond to place systems as close together as
2891 possible (to fit as many systems as possible onto a page), but
2892 then to space those systems out so that there is no blank
2893 space at the bottom of the page.
2897 between-system-padding = #0.1
2898 between-system-space = #0.1
2899 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2905 You may force the number of systems (i.e., if LilyPond wants
2906 to typeset some music with 11 systems, you could force it to
2916 Avoid (or reduce) objects which increase the vertical size of
2917 a system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats)
2918 require extra space. If these repeats are spread over two
2919 systems, they will take up more space than one system with
2920 the volta repeats and another system without.
2922 Another example is moving dynamics which @q{stick out} of
2923 a system, as in the second bar here:
2925 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,fragment,ragged-right,relative=1]
2927 \override DynamicText #'extra-offset = #'( -2.2 . 2.0)
2932 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. See
2933 @ruser{Changing horizontal spacing}, for more details. Here's
2934 an example first showing the default behaviour:
2936 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,ragged-right]
2949 and now with @code{common-shortest-duration} increased from the
2950 value of @code{1/4} (a quarter note is the most common in this
2951 example) to @code{1/2}:
2953 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,ragged-right]
2965 \override SpacingSpanner
2966 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2973 Note that this override cannot be modified dynamically, so it must
2974 always be placed in a @code{\context@{..@}} block so that it applies
2977 TODO Add description of using \context in this way earlier if it is
2978 not already anywhere -td
2983 @node Further tweaking
2984 @section Further tweaking
2987 * Other uses for tweaks::
2988 * Other sources of information::
2989 * Advanced tweaks with Scheme::
2990 * Avoiding tweaks with slower processing::
2993 @node Other uses for tweaks
2994 @subsection Other uses for tweaks
2998 @cindex transparent property
2999 @cindex objects, making invisible
3000 @cindex removing objects
3001 @cindex objects, removing
3002 @cindex hiding objects
3003 @cindex invisible objects
3006 Setting the @code{transparent} property will cause an object
3007 to be printed in @q{invisible ink}: the object is not printed,
3008 but all its other behavior is retained. The object still takes
3009 up space, it takes part in collisions, and slurs, ties, and beams
3010 can be attached to it.
3012 The following example demonstrates how to connect different voices
3013 using ties. Normally, ties only connect two notes in the same
3014 voice. By introducing a tie in a different voice,
3016 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2]
3025 and blanking the first up-stem in that voice, the tie appears to cross
3028 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
3030 \once \override Stem #'transparent = ##t
3037 To make sure that the just-blanked stem doesn't squeeze the tie too much,
3038 we also lengthen the stem, by setting the @code{length} to
3041 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
3043 \once \override Stem #'transparent = ##t
3044 \once \override Stem #'length = #8
3051 @cindex stencil property
3054 For outside-staff objects it is usually better to override the
3055 object's @code{stencil} property rather than its @code{transparent}
3056 property when you wish to remove it from the printed output.
3057 Setting the @code{stencil} property of an object to @code{#f} will
3058 remove that object entirely from the printed output. This means it
3059 has no effect on the placement of other objects placed relative to
3062 For example, if we wished to change the metronome setting in order
3063 to simulate a fermata in the MIDI output we would not want the
3064 metronome marking to appear in the printed output, and we would
3065 not want it to influence the spacing between the two systems or
3066 the spacing of the notes on the staff. So setting its
3067 @code{stencil} property to @code{#f} would be the best way.
3068 We show here the effect of the two methods:
3070 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
3073 % Visible tempo marking
3076 \once \override Score.MetronomeMark #'transparent = ##t
3077 % Invisible tempo marking to lengthen fermata note in MIDI
3080 \once \override Score.MetronomeMark #'stencil = ##f
3081 % Invisible tempo marking to restore tempo in MIDI
3090 Both methods remove the metronome mark from the printed output,
3091 and both affect the MIDI timing as required, but the first
3092 (transparent) metronome mark still influences the note spacing
3093 while the second (with no stencil) does not.
3098 @node Other sources of information
3099 @subsection Other sources of information
3101 The Internals Reference documentation contains a lot of information
3102 about LilyPond, but even more information can be gathered from
3103 looking at the internal LilyPond files.
3105 TODO Show example, then explain where to find ly/propert-ly.
3107 Some default settings (such as the definitions for
3108 @code{\header@{@}}s) are stored as @code{.ly} files. Other
3109 settings (such as the definitions of markup commands) are
3110 stored as @code{.scm} (Scheme) files. Further explanation is
3111 outside the scope of this manual; users should be warned that
3112 a substantial amount of technical knowledge or time is required
3113 to understand these files.
3117 @item Linux: @file{@var{installdir}/lilypond/usr/share/lilypond/current/}
3120 @file{@var{installdir}/LilyPond.app/Contents/Resources/share/lilypond/current/}.
3121 To access this, either @code{cd} into this directory from the
3122 Terminal, or control-click on the LilyPond application and select
3123 @q{Show Package Contents}.
3125 @item Windows: @file{@var{installdir}/LilyPond/usr/share/lilypond/current/}
3129 The @file{ly/} and @file{scm/} directories will be of
3130 particular interest. Files such as @file{ly/property-init.ly} and
3131 @file{ly/declarations-init.ly} define all the common tweaks.
3134 @node Advanced tweaks with Scheme
3135 @subsection Advanced tweaks with Scheme
3137 We have seen how LilyPond output can be heavily modified using
3139 @code{\override TextScript #'extra-offset = ( 1 . -1)}. But
3140 we have even more power if we use Scheme. For a full explantion
3141 of this, see the @ref{Scheme tutorial}, and
3142 @ruser{Interfaces for programmers}.
3144 We can use Scheme to simply @code{\override} commands,
3146 TODO Check this is a valid example with skylining
3148 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3149 padText = #(define-music-function (parser location padding) (number?)
3151 \once \override TextScript #'padding = #$padding
3155 c4^"piu mosso" b a b
3157 c4^"piu mosso" d e f
3159 c4^"piu mosso" fis a g
3163 We can use it to create new commands,
3165 TODO Check this is a valid example with skylining
3167 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3168 tempoMark = #(define-music-function (parser location padding marktext)
3171 \once \override Score . RehearsalMark #'padding = $padding
3172 \once \override Score . RehearsalMark #'extra-spacing-width = #'(+inf.0 . -inf.0)
3173 \mark \markup { \bold $marktext }
3178 \tempoMark #3.0 #"Allegro"
3183 Even music expressions can be passed in.
3185 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3186 pattern = #(define-music-function (parser location x y) (ly:music? ly:music?)
3193 \pattern {d16 dis} { ais16-> b\p }
3198 @node Avoiding tweaks with slower processing
3199 @subsection Avoiding tweaks with slower processing
3201 LilyPond can perform extra checks while it processes files. These
3202 commands will take extra time, but the result may require fewer
3206 %% makes sure text scripts and lyrics are within the paper margins
3207 \override Score.PaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t
3208 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t
3211 In some cases (see issue 246), this must be done before
3212 @code{\override} commands can be processed.
3216 \override PaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t
3217 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t