@c introduce illustrating aspects of engraving, spacing...
In spacing, the distribution of space should reflect the durations
between notes. However, many modern scores adhere to the durations
-with mathematical precision, which leads to poor results. In the
-next example a motive is printed twice. It is printed once using
-exact mathematical spacing, and once with corrections. Can you
-spot which fragment is which?
+with mathematical precision, which leads to poor results. In the next
+example a motive is printed twice : once using exact mathematical
+spacing, and once with corrections. Can you spot which fragment is
+which?
@cindex optical spacing
@c file spacing-optical.
@cindex regular rhythms
@cindex regular spacing
-Each bar in the fragment only uses notes that are played in a
-constant rhythm. The spacing should reflect that. Unfortunately, the
-eye deceives us a little; not only does it notice the distance between
+Each bar in the fragment only uses notes that are played in a constant
+rhythm. The spacing should reflect that. Unfortunately, the eye
+deceives us a little; not only does it notice the distance between
note heads, it also takes into account the distance between
consecutive stems. As a result, the notes of an up-stem/@/down-stem
combination should be put farther apart, and the notes of a
-down-stem/@/up-stem
-combination should be put closer together, all depending on the
-combined vertical positions of the notes. The upper two measures are
-printed with this correction, the lower two measures without, forming
-down-stem/@/up-stem clumps of notes.
+down-stem/@/up-stem combination should be put closer together, all
+depending on the combined vertical positions of the notes. The upper
+two measures are printed with this correction, the lower two measures
+without, forming down-stem/@/up-stem clumps of notes.
@cindex typography
Musicians are usually more absorbed with performing than with studying
-the looks of a piece of music, so nitpicking about typographical details
-may seem academical. But it is not. In larger pieces with monotonous
-rhythms, spacing corrections lead to subtle variations in the layout
-of every line, giving each one a distinct visual signature. Without
-this signature all lines would look the same, and they become like a
-labyrinth. If a musician looks away once or has a lapse in
+the looks of a piece of music, so nitpicking about typographical
+details may seem academical. But it is not. In larger pieces with
+monotonous rhythms, spacing corrections lead to subtle variations in
+the layout of every line, giving each one a distinct visual signature.
+Without this signature all lines would look the same, and they become
+like a labyrinth. If a musician looks away once or has a lapse in
concentration, the lines might lose their place on the page.
Similarly, the strong visual look of bold symbols on heavy staff lines
-stands out better when the music is far away from the reader, for example,
-if it is on a music stand. A careful distribution of white space allows
-music to be set very tightly without cluttering symbols together. The
-result minimizes the number of page turns, which is a great advantage.
+stands out better when the music is far away from the reader, for
+example, if it is on a music stand. A careful distribution of white
+space allows music to be set very tightly without cluttering symbols
+together. The result minimizes the number of page turns, which is a
+great advantage.
This is a common characteristic of typography. Layout should be
pretty, not only for its own sake, but especially because it helps the
-reader in her task. For performance material like sheet music, this is
-of double importance: musicians have a limited amount of attention. The
-less attention they need for reading, the more they can focus on
-playing the music. In other words, better typography translates to better
-performances.
+reader in her task. For performance material like sheet music, this
+is of double importance: musicians have a limited amount of attention.
+The less attention they need for reading, the more they can focus on
+playing the music. In other words, better typography translates to
+better performances.
These examples demonstrate that music typography is an art that is
subtle and complex, and that producing it requires considerable
containing procedures. These procedures perform the actual
formatting, and by substituting different ones, we can change the
appearance of objects. In the following example, the rule which note
-head objects are used to produce their symbol is changed during the music
-fragment.
+head objects are used to produce their symbol is changed during the
+music fragment.
@lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
#(set-global-staff-size 30)
@cindex engraving
@cindex typography
-The formatting process decides where to place
-symbols. However, this can only be done once it is decided @emph{what}
-symbols should be printed, in other words what notation to use.
+The formatting process decides where to place symbols. However, this
+can only be done once it is decided @emph{what} symbols should be
+printed, in other words what notation to use.
Common music notation is a system of recording music that has evolved
over the past 1000 years. The form that is now in common use dates
-from the early renaissance. Although the basic form (i.e., note heads on a
-5-line staff) has not changed, the details still evolve to express the
-innovations of contemporary notation. Hence, it encompasses some 500
-years of music. Its applications range from monophonic melodies to
-monstrous counterpoints for large orchestras.
+from the early renaissance. Although the basic form (i.e., note heads
+on a 5-line staff) has not changed, the details still evolve to
+express the innovations of contemporary notation. Hence, it
+encompasses some 500 years of music. Its applications range from
+monophonic melodies to monstrous counterpoints for large orchestras.
How can we get a grip on such a many-headed beast, and force it into
the confines of a computer program? Our solution is to break up the
digestible and programmable chunks: every type of symbol is handled by
a separate module, a so-called plug-in. Each plug-in is completely
modular and independent, so each can be developed and improved
-separately. Such plug-ins are called @code{engraver}s, by analogy with
-craftsmen who translate musical ideas to graphic symbols.
+separately. Such plug-ins are called @code{engraver}s, by analogy
+with craftsmen who translate musical ideas to graphic symbols.
In the following example, we see how we start out with a plug-in for
-note heads, the @code{Note_heads_engraver}.
+note heads, the @code{Note_heads_engraver}:
@lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
\include "engraver-example.ily"
@end lilypond
@noindent
-and the @code{Stem_engraver} adds stems.
+and the @code{Stem_engraver} adds stems:
@lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
\include "engraver-example.ily"
In this situation, the accidentals and staff are shared, but the stems,
slurs, beams, etc., are private to each voice. Hence, engravers should
be grouped. The engravers for note heads, stems, slurs, etc., go into a
-group called `Voice context,' while the engravers for key, accidental,
-bar, etc., go into a group called `Staff context.' In the case of
+group called `Voice context', while the engravers for key, accidental,
+bar, etc., go into a group called `Staff context'. In the case of
polyphony, a single Staff context contains more than one Voice context.
Similarly, multiple Staff contexts can be put into a single Score
context. The Score context is the top level notation context.
We have written LilyPond as an experiment of how to condense the art
of music engraving into a computer program. Thanks to all that hard
work, the program can now be used to perform useful tasks. The
-simplest application is printing notes.
+simplest application is printing notes:
@lilypond[quote,relative=1,fragment]
\time 2/4 c4 c g'4 g a4 a g2
@end lilypond
@noindent
-By adding chord names and lyrics we obtain a lead sheet.
+By adding chord names and lyrics we obtain a lead sheet:
@lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
<<
@end lilypond
Polyphonic notation and piano music can also be printed. The following
-example combines some more exotic constructs.
+example combines some more exotic constructs:
@lilypondfile[quote,ragged-right]{screech-boink.ly}
This manual also shows an application: the input format is text, and
can therefore be easily embedded in other text-based formats such as
-La@TeX{}, HTML, or in the case of this manual, Texinfo. By means of a
+@LaTeX{}, HTML, or in the case of this manual, Texinfo. By means of a
special program, the input fragments can be replaced by music images
in the resulting PDF or HTML output files. This makes it easy
to mix music and text in documents.
@item
@emph{@ref{Running LilyPond}}
-shows how to run LilyPond and its helper
-programs. In addition, this section explains how to upgrade input
-files from previous versions of LilyPond.
+shows how to run LilyPond and its helper programs. In addition, this
+section explains how to upgrade input files from previous versions of
+LilyPond.
@item
@emph{@ref{LilyPond-book}} explains the details behind creating
@item
@emph{@ref{Converting from other formats}}
-explains how to run the conversion programs. These programs
-are supplied with the LilyPond package, and convert a variety of music
+explains how to run the conversion programs. These programs are
+supplied with the LilyPond package, and convert a variety of music
formats to the @code{.ly} format.
@item
@item
The
@emph{@ref{Scheme tutorial}}
-presents a short introduction to scheme, the programming
+presents a short introduction to Scheme, the programming
language that music functions use.
@item
available directly to the user. For example, all variables that
control thickness values, distances, etc., can be changed in input
files. There are a huge number of formatting options, and all of them
-are described in this document. Each section of the
-notation manual has a @b{See also} subsection, which refers to the
-generated documentation. In the HTML document, these subsections
-have clickable links.
+are described in this document. Each section of the notation manual
+has a @b{See also} subsection, which refers to the generated
+documentation. In the HTML document, these subsections have clickable
+links.
@cindex snippets
@item
projects / lilypond.git / commitdiff