More work from Trevor Daniels.

[lilypond.git] / Documentation / user / tweaks.itely

@c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
@c This file is part of lilypond-learning.tely
@ignore
    Translation of GIT committish: FILL-IN-HEAD-COMMITTISH

    When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the
    version that you are working on.  See TRANSLATION for details.
@end ignore

@node Tweaking output
@chapter Tweaking output

This chapter discusses how to modify output.  LilyPond is extremely
configurable; virtually every fragment of output may be changed.

NB: This chapter is still under development and this version is
somewhat experimental; nothing is fixed.  Don't translate yet!



@menu
* Tweaking basics::             
* The Internals Reference manual::  
* Common tweaks::               
* TODO other name::             
@end menu

@node Tweaking basics
@section Tweaking basics

@q{Tweaking} is a LilyPond term for the various methods available
to the user for modifying the actions taken during interpretation
of the input file and modifying the appearance of the printed 
output.  Some tweaks are very easy to use; others are more 
complex.  But taken together the methods available for tweaking 
permit almost any desired appearance of the printed music to be achieved.

In this section we cover the basic concepts required to understand
tweaking.  Later we give a variety of potted commands which can
simply be copied to obtain the same effect in your own scores, and
at the same time we show how these commands may be constructed so 
that you may learn how to develop your own tweaks.

Before starting on this Chapter you may wish to review the section
@ref{Contexts and engravers}, as Contexts, Engravers and the 
Properties contained within them are fundamental to understanding
and constructing Tweaks.

@menu
* Objects and interfaces::      
* Naming conventions of objects and properties::  
* Tweaking methods::            
@end menu

@node Objects and interfaces
@subsection Objects and interfaces

@cindex Objects
@cindex Grobs
@cindex Spanners
@cindex Interfaces

Tweaking involves modifying the internal operation and structures
of the LilyPond program, so we must first introduce some terms
which are used to describe those internal operations and 
structures.

The term @q{Object} is a generic term used to refer to the
multitude of internal structures built by LilyPond during the
processing of an input file.  So when a command like @code{\new
Staff} is encountered a new object of type @code{Staff} is
constructed.  That @code{Staff} object then holds all the
properties associated with that particular staff, for example, its
name and its key signature, together with details of the engravers
which have been assigned to operate within that staff's context.
Similarly, there are @code{Voice} objects, @code{Score} objects,
@code{Lyric} objects, and objects to represent barlines,
noteheads, ties, dynamics, etc, each with their own set of
properties.

Some types of object are given special names.  Objects which
represent items of notation on the printed output such as
noteheads, stems, slurs, ties, fingering, clefs, etc are called
@q{Layout objects}, often known as @q{Graphical Objects}, or
@q{Grobs} for short.  These are still objects in the generic sense
above, and so they too all have properties associated with them,
such as their position, size, color, etc.

Some layout objects are still more specialised.  Phrasing slurs,
crescendo hairpins, ottavo marks, and many other grobs are not
localised in a single place -- they have a starting point, an
ending point, and maybe other properties concerned with their
shape.  Objects with an extended shape like these are called
@q{Spanners}.

It remains to explain what @q{Interfaces} are.  Many objects,
even though they are quite different, share common features 
which need to be processed in the same way.
For example, all grobs have a color, a size, a position, etc,
and all these properties are processed in the same way during
LilyPond's
interpretation of the input file.  To simplify these internal
operations these common actions and properties are grouped 
together in an object called a @code{grob-interface}.  There
are many other groupings of common properties like this, each 
one given a name ending in @code{-interface}.  In total there
are over 100 such interfaces.  We shall see later why this is
of interest and use to the user.

These, then, are the main terms relating to objects which we 
shall use in this chapter.

@node Naming conventions of objects and properties
@subsection Naming conventions of objects and properties

We met some object naming conventions previously, in 
@ref{Contexts and engravers}.  Here for reference is a list
of the most common object types together with the conventions
for naming them and a couple of examples of some real names.

@multitable @columnfractions .33 .33 .33
@headitem Object type           
  @tab Naming convention
  @tab Example
@item Contexts, Layout Objects     
  @tab Aaaa or AaaaAaaaAaaa
  @tab Staff, GrandStaff, 
@item Engravers
  @tab Aaaa_aaa_engraver
  @tab Clef_engraver, Note_heads_engraver
@item Interfaces
  @tab aaa-aaa-interface
  @tab grob-interface, break-aligned-interface 
@item Context Properties
  @tab aaa or aaaAaaaAaaa
  @tab alignAboveContext, skipBars
@item Layout Object Properties
  @tab aaa or aaa-aaa-aaa
  @tab direction, beam-thickness
@end multitable

As we shall see shortly, the properties of different types of 
object are modified by different commands, so it is useful to
be able to recognise the type of object from the names of its
properties.


@node Tweaking methods
@subsection Tweaking methods

We have already met the commands @code{\set} and @code{\with},
used to change the properties of @strong{contexts} and to remove
and add
engravers, in @ref{Modifying context properties} and @ref{Adding
and removing engravers}.  We now must meet one more command.

The command to change the properties of @strong{layout objects} is
@code{\override}.  Because this command has to modify
internal properties deep within LilyPond its syntax is not
as simple as the commands you have met so far.  It needs to
know precisely which property of which object in which context
has to be modified, and what its new value is to be.  Let's see
how this is done.

The general syntax of this command is:

@example
\override @emph{context}.@emph{layout_object} #'@emph{layout_property} = #@emph{value}
@end example

@noindent
This will set the property with the name @emph{layout_property}
of the layout object with the name 
@emph{layout_object}, which is a member of the @emph{context}
context, to the value @emph{value}.

For now, don't worry about the @code{#'}, which must precede the
layout property, and the @code{#}, which must precede the value.
These must always be present in exactly this form.  This is the
most common command used in tweaking, and most of the rest of
this chapter will be directed to presenting examples of how it is
used.

Once overridden, the property retains its new value until it is
overridden again or a @code{\revert} command is encountered.
The @code{\revert} command has the following syntax and causes
the value of the property to revert to its original default
value; note, not its previous value if several @code{\override}
commands have been issued.

@example
\revert @emph{context}.@emph{layout_object} #'@emph{layout_property}
@end example

There is another form of the override command, 
@code{\overrideProperty}, which is occasionally required.  
We mention it here for completeness, but for details see 
@ruser{Difficult tweaks}.

The final tweaking command which is available is @code{\tweak}.
It is not really a new command but a shorthand for an 
@code{\override} command which may be used in a few special 
circumstances.  Again, we shall not discuss or 
use it here.  You may find the details in 
@ruser{Objects connected to the input}.

@node The Internals Reference manual
@section The Internals Reference manual

@cindex Internals Reference

@menu
* Properties of layout objects::  
* Properties found in interfaces::  
@end menu

@node Properties of layout objects
@subsection Properties of layout objects

@cindex properties of layout objects
@cindex properties of grobs
@cindex grobs, properties of
@cindex layout objects, properties of

Suppose you have a slur in a score which, to your mind,
appears too thin and you'd like to draw it a little thicker.
How do you go about doing this?  You know from the statements
earlier about the flexibility of LilyPond that such a thing
should be possible, and you would probably guess that an
@code{\override} command would be needed.  But is there a
thickness property for a slur, and if there is, how might it 
be modified?  This is where the Internals Reference manual
comes in.  It contains all the information you might need to
construct this and all other @code{\override} commands.

Before we look at the Internals Reference a word of warning.
This is a @strong{reference} document, which means there is
little or no explanation contained within it: its purpose is
to present information precisely and concisely.  This
might mean it looks daunting at first sight.  Don't worry!
The guidance and explanation presented here will enable you
to extract the information from the Internals Reference for
yourself with just a little practice.

@cindex override example
@cindex Internals Reference, example of using

Let's use a concrete example with a simple fragment of real
music:

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
{
  \time 6/8
  { r4 b8 b[( g]) g | g[( e]) e d[( f]) a | a g }
  \addlyrics { The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion }
}
@end lilypond 

Suppose now that we decide we would like the slurs to be a
little heavier.  Is this possible?  The slur is certainly a
layout object, so the question is, @q{Is there a property
belonging to a slur which controls the heaviness?}  To answer
this we must look in the Internals Reference, or IR for short.

The IR for the version of LilyPond you are using may be found
on the LilyPond website at http://lilypond.org.  Go to the
documentation page and click on the Internals Reference link.
For learning purposes you should use the standard html version,
not the @q{one big page} or the PDF.  For the next few
paragraphs to make sense you will need to actually do this
as you read.

Under the heading @strong{Top} you will see five links.  Select
the link to the @emph{Backend}, which is where information about
layout objects is to be found.  There, under the heading 
@strong{Backend}, select the link to @emph{All layout objects}.
The page that appears lists all the layout objects used in your
version of LilyPond, in alphabetic order.  Select the link to
Slur, and the properties of Slurs are listed.

(An alternative way of finding this page is from the Notation
Reference.  On one of the pages that deals with slurs you may
find a link to the Internals Reference.  This link will
take you directly to this page, but often it is easier to go
straight to the IR and search there.)

This Slur page in the IR tells us first that Slur objects are 
created by the 
Slur_engraver.  Then it lists the standard settings.  Note
these are @strong{not} in alphabetic order.  Browse down
them looking for a property that might control the heaviness
of slurs, and you should find

@example
@code{thickness} (number)
     @code{1.2}
     Line thickness, generally measured in @code{line-thickness}
@end example

This tells us first that there @emph{is} a property that
controls thickness, that its value is a simple @emph{number},
that the default value is 1.2, and that the units are
in another property called @code{line-thickness}.  This looks
a good bet to change the heaviness.

As we said earlier, there are few to no explanations in the IR,
but we already have enough information to try changing the
slur thickness.  We see that the name of the layout object 
is @code{Slur}, that the name of the property to change is
@code{thickness} and that the new value should be a number
somewhat larger than 1.2 if we are to make slurs thicker.

But what is the Context?  We could guess that slurs are in
the Voice context, as they are clearly closely associated
with individual lines of music, but can we be sure?  To
find out, go back to the top of the IR page describing the
Slur, where it says @q{Slur objects are created by: Slur
engraver}.  So slurs will be created in whichever context
the @code{Slur_engraver} is in.  Follow the link to the
@code{Slur_engraver} page.  At the very bottom it tells
us that @code{Slur_engraver} is part of five Voice contexts,
including the standard voice context, @code{Voice}, so our 
guess was correct.

We can now construct the @code{\override} command by simply
substituting the values we have found for the names.  Let's
use a very large value for the thickness at first, so we
can be sure the command is working.  We get:

@example
  \override Voice.Slur #'thickness = #5.0
@end example 

Don't forget the @code{#'} preceding the
property name and and @code{#} preceding the new value!

The final question is, @q{Where should this command be
placed?}  While you are unsure and learning, the best 
answer is, @q{Within the music, before the first slur and 
close to it.}  Let's do that:

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
{
  \time 6/8
  { 
    % Increase thickness of all following slurs from 1.2 to 5.0
    \override Voice.Slur #'thickness = #5.0
    r4 b8 b[( g]) g | g[( e]) e d[( f]) a | a g
  }
  \addlyrics { The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion }
}
@end lilypond 

@cindex overriding once only
@cindex once override
@funindex \once

As you can see, all the slurs are thicker.  But, what if we
wanted just the first slur to be thicker?  This is achieved
with the @code{\once} command.  Placed immediately before
the @code{\override} command it causes it to affect only the
slur on the @strong{immediately following} note.  If the
immediately following note does not have a slur the command
has no effect.  So the command must be repositioned as follows:

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
{
  \time 6/8
  { 
    r4 b8
    % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
    \once \override Voice.Slur #'thickness = #5.0
    b[( g]) g | g[( e]) e d[( f]) a | a g 
  }
  \addlyrics { The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion }
}
@end lilypond 
 
Finally, what if we wanted just the first two slurs to be
heavier?  Well, we could use two commands, each preceded by
@code{\once} placed immediately before each of the notes where
the slurs begin:

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
{
  \time 6/8
  {
    r4 b8
    % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
    \once \override Voice.Slur #'thickness = #5.0
    b[( g]) g |
    % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
    \once \override Voice.Slur #'thickness = #5.0
    g[( e]) e d[( f]) a | a g
  }
  \addlyrics { The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion }
}
@end lilypond 

@cindex revert
@funindex \revert

@noindent
or we could omit the @code{\once} command and use the 
@code{\revert} command
to return the @code{thickness} property to its default value:

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
{
  \time 6/8
  {
    r4 b8
    % Increase thickness of all following slurs from 1.2 to 5.0
    \override Voice.Slur #'thickness = #5.0
    b[( g]) g |
    g[( e]) 
    % Revert thickness of all following slurs to default of 1.2
    \revert Voice.Slur #'thickness
    e d[( f]) a | a g
  }
  \addlyrics { The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion }
}
@end lilypond

@noindent
The @code{\revert} command can be used to return any property
changed with @code{\override} back to its default value.
You may use whichever method best suits what you want to do.

That concludes our introduction to the IR, and the basic
method of tweaking.  Several examples follow in the later
sections of this Chapter, but with progressively fewer words
of guidance and explanation. 

@node Properties found in interfaces
@subsection Properties found in interfaces

@cindex interface properties
@cindex properties in interfaces

Suppose now that we wish to color a slur red.  We would go
to the properties on Slurs in the IR as described in the
previous section, and look in vain, because there is nothing
there that looks like it might change the color.  This is
because the color property is one that is common to all
layout objects, so, rather than including it in every layout
object, it is grouped together with other similar common
properties and placed in an @strong{Interface}, the 
@code{grob-interface}.  (Remember, grob is short for 
@q{graphical object}, itself another name for a layout object.)

So now we need to learn how to find the properties of interfaces,
and to discover what objects use these interface properties.

Look again at the IR page which describes the Slur.  At the
bottom of the page is a list of clickable (in the html versions
of the IT) interfaces which the Slur supports.  The list has 
three items: @code{spanner-interface}, @code{slur-interface}
and @code{grob-interface}.

The @code{spanner-interface} holds properties common to 
spanners -- objects which extend over several notes --
as do Slurs.

The @code{slur-interface} holds properties common to ordinary
slurs and phrasing slurs.

The @code{grob-interface} holds properties common to all
layout objects, and it is here that you will find the 
@code{color} property, which appears as

@example
color(list)
     The color of this grob
@end example

... to be continued

@ignore
@c The rest of this section is rubbish and will need to be rewritten  -td
 
The value then is described as a @emph{list}?  Why do we need
a list to specify a color?  Well, we don't, but there are
several ways to specify a color and some of them do need a list.
See the Notation Reference @ruser{List of colors}.  This shows
the @q{Normal colors} and the longer list of @q{X color names}.
The normal colors are written as a one-member list, which can
be written simply as @code{red}.  But the X color names must be 
written as a two-member list:

@example
(x11-color 'LimeGreen)
@end example

@noindent
where the first item in the list is always @q{x11-color} to
indicate this is a color from the longer list of X11 colors,
and the second item is the name of the color from the list
of X11 colors in the Notation Reference.

@cindex properties as lists
@cindex properties as text strings

This introduces two new concepts.  

First the brackets round
this property value are required to form the two items into
a list, as required by the color property.  Brackets would 
generate an error if placed around a @q{normal color}, though,
because these are shorthand names known to LilyPond which
generate the appropriate list automatically.  

Second, because the second
item is a text string it needs to be introduced with a
single apostrophe, @code{'}.  This is why these apostrophes
are needed before @code{'thickness} and @code{'color'}.
These are both text strings too.

So, putting this into practice, we can change the second
slur to the normal color magenta and the third slur
to the X11 color, DarkOrange, where we have made all the 
slurs thicker to show the colors better, as follows:

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
{
  \time 6/8
  {
    \override Voice.Slur #'thickness = #5.0
    r4 b8
    b[( g]) g |
    \once \override Voice.Slur #'color = #magenta
    g[( e]) e
    \once \override Voice.Slur #'color = #(x11-color 'DarkOrange)
    d[( f]) a | a g
  }
  \addlyrics { The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion }
}
@end lilypond

@end ignore
 

@c Old stuff follows  -td

@node Common tweaks
@section Common tweaks

blah blah

@menu
* Moving objects::              
* Fixing overlapping notation::  
* Other common tweaks::         
* Fitting music onto fewer pages::  
@end menu

@node Moving objects
@subsection Moving objects

This may come as a surprise, but LilyPond is not perfect.  Some notation
elements can overlap.  This is unfortunate, but (in most cases) is easily
solved.

TODO: with the new spacing features in 2.12, these specific examples are no
longer relevant.  However, they still demonstrate powerful features
of lilypond, so they remain until somebody creates some better examples.

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
  % temporary code to break this example:
  \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
e4^\markup{ \italic ritenuto } g b e
@end lilypond

@cindex padding

The easiest solution is to increase the distance between the object
(in this case text, but it could easily be fingerings or dynamics
instead) and the note.  In LilyPond, this is called the
@code{padding} property; it is measured in staff spaces.  For most
objects, this value is around 1.0 or less (it varies with each
object).  We want to increase it, so let's try 1.5

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
  % temporary code to break this example:
  \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
\once \override TextScript #'padding = #1.5
e4^\markup{ \italic ritenuto } g b e
@end lilypond

That looks better, but it isn't quite big enough.  After experimenting
with a few values, we think 2.3 is the best number in this case.  However,
this number is merely the result of experimentation and my personal
taste in notation.  Try the above example with 2.3... but also try higher
(and lower) numbers.  Which do you think looks the best?

The @code{staff-padding} property is closely related.  @code{padding}
controls the minimum amount of space between an object and the nearest
other object (generally the note or the staff lines);
@code{staff-padding} controls the minimum amount of space between an
object and the staff.  This is a subtle difference, but you can see
the behavior here.

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
  % temporary code to break this example:
  \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
c4^"piu mosso" b a b
\once \override TextScript #'padding = #4.6
c4^"piu mosso" d e f
\once \override TextScript #'staff-padding = #4.6
c4^"piu mosso" fis a g
\break
c'4^"piu mosso" b a b
\once \override TextScript #'padding = #4.6
c4^"piu mosso" d e f
\once \override TextScript #'staff-padding = #4.6
c4^"piu mosso" fis a g
@end lilypond

@cindex extra-offset

Another solution gives us complete control over placing the object -- we
can move it horizontally or vertically.  This is done with the
@code{extra-offset} property.  It is slightly more complicated and can
cause other problems.  When we move objects with @code{extra-offset},
the movement is done after LilyPond has placed all other objects.  This
means
that the result can overlap with other objects.

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
  % temporary code to break this example:
  \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
\once \override TextScript #'extra-offset = #'( 1.0 . -1.0 )
e4^\markup{ \italic ritenuto } g b e
@end lilypond

With @code{extra-offset}, the first number controls the horizontal
movement (left is negative); the second number controls the vertical
movement (up is positive).  After a bit of experimenting, we decided
that these values look good

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
  % temporary code to break this example:
  \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
\once \override TextScript #'extra-offset = #'( -1.6 . 1.0 )
e4^\markup{ \italic ritenuto } g b e
@end lilypond

@noindent
Again, these numbers are simply the result of a few experiments and
looking at the output.  You might prefer the text to be slightly higher,
or to the left, or whatever.  Try it and look at the result!

One final warning: in this section, we used

@example
\once \override TextScript @dots{}
@end example

This tweaks the display of text for the next note.  If the note has
no text, this tweak does nothing (and does @strong{not} wait until
the next bit of text).  To change the behavior of everything after
the command, omit the @code{\once}.  To stop this tweak, use a
@code{\revert}.  This is explained in depth in
@ruser{The \override command}.

@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=3]
  % temporary code to break this example:
  \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
c4^"piu mosso" b
\once \override TextScript #'padding = #4.6
  a4 b
c4^"piu mosso" d e f
\once \override TextScript #'padding = #4.6
c4^"piu mosso" d e f
c4^"piu mosso" d e f
\break
\override TextScript #'padding = #4.6
c4^"piu mosso" d e f
c4^"piu mosso" d e f
\revert TextScript #'padding
c4^"piu mosso" d e f
@end lilypond

@seealso

This manual: @ruser{The \override command}, @ref{Common tweaks}.


@node Fixing overlapping notation
@subsection Fixing overlapping notation

In @ref{Moving objects}, we saw how to move a @code{TextScript}
object.  The same mechanism can be used to move other types of
objects; simply replace @code{TextScript} with the name of
another object.

To find the object name, look at the @q{@strong{see also}} at
bottom of the relevant documentation page.  For example, at
the bottom of @ruser{Dynamics}, we see

@quotation
@seealso

Internals Reference: @internalsref{DynamicText}, @internalsref{Hairpin}.
Vertical positioning of these symbols is handled by
@internalsref{DynamicLineSpanner}.
@end quotation

@noindent
So to move dynamics around vertically, we use

@example
\override DynamicLineSpanner #'padding = #2.0
@end example

We cannot list every object, but here is a list of the most
common objects.

@multitable @columnfractions .33 .66
@headitem Object type           @tab Object name
@item Dynamics (vertically)     @tab @code{DynamicLineSpanner}
@item Dynamics (horizontally)   @tab @code{DynamicText}
@item Ties                      @tab @code{Tie}
@item Slurs                     @tab @code{Slur}
@item Articulations             @tab @code{Script}
@item Fingerings                @tab @code{Fingering}
@item Text e.g. @code{^"text"}  @tab @code{TextScript}
@item Rehearsal / Text marks    @tab @code{RehearsalMark}
@end multitable


@node Other common tweaks
@subsection Other common tweaks

Some overrides are so common that predefined commands are provided as
short-cuts, such as @code{\slurUp} and @code{\stemDown}.  These
commands are described in the Notation Reference under the appropriate
sections.

The complete list of modifications available for each type of
object (like slurs or beams) are documented in the Program
Reference.  However, many layout objects share properties which can be
used to apply generic tweaks.

@itemize

@cindex padding

@item
The @code{padding} property can be set to increase
(or decrease) the distance between symbols that are printed
above or below notes.  This applies to all objects with
@code{side-position-interface}.

@lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
c2\fermata
\override Script #'padding = #3
b2\fermata
@end lilypond

@lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
% This will not work, see below:
\override MetronomeMark #'padding = #3
\tempo 4=120
c1
% This works:
\override Score.MetronomeMark #'padding = #3
\tempo 4=80
d1
@end lilypond

Note in the second example how important it is to figure out what
context handles a certain object.  Since the @code{MetronomeMark} object
is handled in the @code{Score} context, property changes in the
@code{Voice} context will not be noticed.  For more details, see
@ruser{Constructing a tweak}.

@cindex extra-offset

@item
The @code{extra-offset} property moves objects around
in the output; it requires a pair of numbers.  The first number
controls horizontal movement; a positive number will
move the object to the right.  The second number controls vertical
movement; a positive number will move it higher.  The
@code{extra-offset} property is a low-level feature: the
formatting engine is completely oblivious to these offsets.

In the following example, the second fingering is moved a little to
the left, and 1.8 staff space downwards:

@lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
\stemUp
f-5
\once \override Fingering
    #'extra-offset = #'(-0.3 . -1.8)
f-5
@end lilypond

@item
Setting the @code{transparent} property will cause an object to be printed
in @q{invisible ink}: the object is not printed, but all its other
behavior is retained.  The object still takes up space, it takes part in
collisions, and slurs, ties, and beams can be attached to it.

@cindex transparent objects
@cindex removing objects
@cindex hiding objects
@cindex invisible objects
The following example demonstrates how to connect different voices
using ties.  Normally, ties only connect two notes in the same
voice.  By introducing a tie in a different voice,

@lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2]
<< {
  b8~ b8\noBeam
} \\ {
  b[ g8]
} >>
@end lilypond

@noindent
and blanking the first up-stem in that voice, the tie appears to cross
voices:


@lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
<< {
  \once \override Stem #'transparent = ##t
  b8~ b8\noBeam
} \\ {
  b[ g8]
} >>
@end lilypond

To make sure that the just-blanked stem doesn't squeeze the tie too much,
we also lengthen the stem, by setting the @code{length} to
@code{8},

@lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
<< {
  \once \override Stem #'transparent = ##t
  \once \override Stem #'length = #8
  b8~ b8\noBeam
} \\ {
  b[ g8]
} >>
@end lilypond

@end itemize

@cindex Tweaks, distances
@cindex Distances

Distances in LilyPond are measured in staff-spaces, while most
thickness properties are measured in line-thickness.  Some
properties are different; for example, the thickness of beams
are measured in staff-spaces.  For more information, see the
relevant portion of the program reference.


@node Fitting music onto fewer pages
@subsection Fitting music onto fewer pages

Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
(or third, or fourth...) page.  This is annoying, especially
if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
of room left on those.

When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is
an invaluable tool.  This command prints the values of various
layout spacing commands; see @ruser{Displaying spacing}, for more
details.  From the output of @code{annotate-spacing}, we can
see which margins we may wish to alter.

Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:

@itemize
@item
You may tell LilyPond to place systems as close together as
possible (to fit as many systems as possible onto a page), but
then to space those systems out so that there is no blank
space at the bottom of the page.

@example
\paper @{
  between-system-padding = #0.1
  between-system-space = #0.1
  ragged-last-bottom = ##f
  ragged-bottom = ##f
@}
@end example

@item
You may force the number of systems (i.e., if LilyPond wants
to typeset some music with 11 systems, you could force it to
use 10).

@example
\paper @{
  system-count = #10
@}
@end example

@item
Avoid (or reduce) objects which increase the vertical size of
a system.  For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats)
require extra space.  If these repeats are spread over two
systems, they will take up more space than one system with
the volta repeats and another system without.

Another example is moving dynamics which @q{stick out} of
a system.

@lilypond[verbatim,quote,fragment]
\relative c' {
  e4 c g\f c
  \override DynamicLineSpanner #'padding = #-1.8
  \override DynamicText #'extra-offset = #'( -2.1 . 0)
  e4 c g\f c
}
@end lilypond

@item
Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}.  See
@ruser{Changing horizontal spacing}, for more details.

@lilypond[verbatim,quote]
\score {
  \relative c'' {
    g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
    g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
    d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
    g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
  }
  \layout {
    \context {
      \Score
      \override SpacingSpanner
                #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 4)
    }
  }
}
@end lilypond

@end itemize


@node TODO other name
@section TODO other name

@menu
* Predefined tweaks::           
* Advanced tweaks with Scheme::  
* Avoiding tweaks with slower processing::  
* The three methods of tweaking::  
@end menu

@node Predefined tweaks
@subsection Predefined tweaks

TODO: Some tweaks are really common, blah blah.

for example \slurUp, \fatText.

Show example, then explain where to find ly/propert-ly.


The Internals Reference documentation contains a lot of information
about LilyPond, but even more information can be gathered from
looking at the internal LilyPond files.

Some default settings (such as the definitions for
@code{\header@{@}}s) are stored as @code{.ly} files.  Other
settings (such as the definitions of markup commands) are
stored as @code{.scm} (Scheme) files.  Further explanation is
outside the scope of this manual; users should be warned that
a substantial amount of technical knowledge or time is required
to understand these files.

@itemize

@item Linux: @file{@var{installdir}/lilypond/usr/share/lilypond/current/}

@item OSX:
@file{@var{installdir}/LilyPond.app/Contents/Resources/share/lilypond/current/}.
To access this, either @code{cd} into this directory from the
Terminal, or control-click on the LilyPond application and select
@q{Show Package Contents}.

@item Windows: @file{@var{installdir}/LilyPond/usr/share/lilypond/current/}

@end itemize

The @file{ly/} and @file{scm/} directories will be of
particular interest.  Files such as @file{ly/property-init.ly} and
@file{ly/declarations-init.ly} define all the common tweaks.


@node Advanced tweaks with Scheme
@subsection Advanced tweaks with Scheme

We have seen how LilyPond output can be heavily modified using
commands like
@code{\override TextScript #'extra-offset = ( 1 . -1)}.  But
we have even more power if we use Scheme.  For a full explantion
of this, see the @ref{Scheme tutorial}, and
@ruser{Interfaces for programmers}.

We can use Scheme to simply @code{\override} commands,

@lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
padText = #(define-music-function (parser location padding) (number?)
#{
  \once \override TextScript #'padding = #$padding
#})

\relative c''' {
  c4^"piu mosso" b a b
  \padText #1.8
  c4^"piu mosso" d e f
  \padText #2.6
  c4^"piu mosso" fis a g
}
@end lilypond

We can use it to create new commands,

@lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
tempoMark = #(define-music-function (parser location padding marktext)
                                    (number? string?)
#{
  \once \override Score . RehearsalMark #'padding = $padding
  \once \override Score . RehearsalMark #'extra-spacing-width = #'(+inf.0 . -inf.0)
  \mark \markup { \bold $marktext }
#})

\relative c'' {
  c2 e
  \tempoMark #3.0 #"Allegro"
  g c
}
@end lilypond

Even music expressions can be passed in.

@lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
pattern = #(define-music-function (parser location x y) (ly:music? ly:music?)
#{
  $x e8 a b $y b a e
#})

\relative c''{
  \pattern c8 c8\f
  \pattern {d16 dis} { ais16-> b\p }
}
@end lilypond


@node Avoiding tweaks with slower processing
@subsection Avoiding tweaks with slower processing

LilyPond can perform extra checks while it processes files.  These
commands will take extra time, but the result may require fewer
manual tweaks.

@example
%%  makes sure text scripts and lyrics are within the paper margins
\override Score.PaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t 
\override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t
@end example

In some cases (see issue 246), this must be done before
@code{\override} commands can be processed.

@verbatim
\new Score \with {
    \override PaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t 
    \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'keep-inside-line = ##t
  } {
   ..
}
@end verbatim


@node The three methods of tweaking
@subsection The three methods of tweaking

FIXME write this.

@verbatim
\override
@end verbatim

@verbatim
\with {

}
@end verbatim

@verbatim
\layout{ \context

}}
@end verbatim



FIXME discuss \tweak



FIXME: Move the following words and example into Tweaks or
somewhere more suitable, leaving just a ref here. -td

Ways of correcting horizontal placings are described fully 
in the Notation Reference.  
We introduce just one here, the @code{force-hshift} property of 
@code{NoteColumn}.  The lower two notes of the first chord (i.e,
those in the third voice) should not be shifted away from the
note column of the higher two notes.  To correct this we set
@code{force-hshift} of these notes to zero.  
The lower note of the second chord is best placed just to the 
right of the higher notes.  We achieve this by setting
@code{force-hshift} of this note to 0.5, ie half a notehead's 
width to the right of the note column of the higher notes.

Here's the final result:
    
@lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
\new Staff \relative c'' {
  \key aes \major
  << 
    { c2 aes4. bes8 } \\ 
    { aes2 f4 fes   } \\ 
    { \voiceFour
      \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = #0 <ees c>2
      \once \override NoteColumn #'force-hshift = #0.5 des2 
    }
  >> |
  <c ees aes c>1 |
}
@end lilypond




FIXME:
- There is a section in the manual on \set vs \override (3.3.7),
which is incomplete.  First it doesn't mention \overrideProperty,
nor does it mention properties which are not capitalized at all.
And it should explain that \override should be used to set
properties with hyphenated names, like auto-knee-gap.  (I had to
experiment to find out how to do this.)


FIXME: moved from fundamental, dumped here at random.

@lilypond[verbatim,quote,ragged-right]
\new Staff = "main" {
  \relative g' {
    r4 g8 g c4 c8 d |
    e4
    <<  % Start main and ossia in parallel
      { r8 f c c }  % Main music
      \new Staff \with {  % Start ossia staff
        \remove "Clef_engraver"
        \remove "Time_signature_engraver"
        % Reduce size of notes and staff
        fontSize = #-2
        \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep -2)
        alignAboveContext = "main"  % Place above main staff
      }
      { s8 f f c }  % Ossia music
    >>  % End parallel music
    r4 |
  }
}
@end lilypond