@end html
This document describes GNU LilyPond and its input format. The last
-revision of this document was made for LilyPond 1.4.1. It supposes a
-passing familiarity with how LilyPond input works. New users are
-encouraged to study the tutorial first.
+revision of this document was made for LilyPond 1.6.2. It assumes
+that you already know a little bit about LilyPond input (how to
+make an input file, how to create sheet music from that input file,
+etc). New users are encouraged to study the tutorial before reading
+this manual.
@menu
@section Note entry
@cindex Note entry
-Notes constitute the most basic form of music, but they do not form
-valid input on their own. Yet for the sake of brevity and simplicity,
-we'll generally omit @code{\score} blocks and @code{\paper} declarations.
+Notes constitute the most basic elements of LilyPond input, but they do
+not form valid input on their own without a @code{\score} block. However,
+for the sake of brevity and simplicity we will generally omit
+@code{\score} blocks and @code{\paper} declarations in this manual.
@menu
@subsection Notes
-A note is printed by specifying its pitch, and then its duration.
+A note is printed by specifying its pitch and then its duration.
@lilypond[fragment,verbatim]
cis'4 d'8 e'16 c'16
@end lilypond
\pitch @var{scmpitch}
@end example
-@var{scmpitch} is a pitch scheme object.
+where @var{scmpitch} is a pitch scheme object.
In Note and Chord mode, pitches may be designated by names. The default
names are the Dutch note names. The notes are specified by the letters
-@code{a} through @code{g} (where the octave is formed by notes ranging
-from @code{c} to @code{b}). The pitch @code{c} is an octave below
-middle C and the letters span the octave above that C.
+@code{a} through @code{g}, while the octave is formed with notes ranging
+from @code{c} to @code{b}. The pitch @code{c} is an octave below
+middle C and the letters span the octave above that C. Here's an example
+which should make things more clear:
+
+@lilypond[fragment,verbatim]
+\clef bass
+ a,4 b, c d e f g a b c' d' e' \clef treble f' g' a' b' c''
+@end lilypond
@cindex note names, Dutch
In Dutch, a sharp is formed by adding @code{-is} to the end of a pitch
-name and a flat is formed by adding @code{-es}. Double sharps and double
+name and a flat is formed by adding @code{-es}. Double sharps and double
flats are obtained by adding @code{-isis} or @code{-eses}. @code{aes}
and @code{ees} are contracted to @code{as} and @code{es} in Dutch, but
both forms are accepted.
@node Chromatic alterations
@subsection Chromatic alterations
-Normally, accidentals are automatically printed, but you may force
-them in the following ways: a reminder accidental
+Normally accidentals are printed automatically, but you may also
+print them manually. A reminder accidental
@cindex reminder accidental
-@cindex @code{?}
-can be forced by adding an exclamation mark @code{!} after the pitch. A
-cautionary accidental,
+@cindex @code{?} can be forced by adding an exclamation mark @code{!}
+after the pitch. A cautionary accidental
@cindex cautionary accidental
@cindex parenthesized accidental
-i.e., an accidental within parentheses can be obtained by adding the
+(an accidental within parentheses) can be obtained by adding the
question mark `@code{?}' after the pitch.
+@lilypond[fragment,verbatim]
+ cis' cis' cis'! cis'?
+@end lilypond
+
+
The automatic production of accidentals can be tuned in many
ways. For more information, refer to @ref{Accidentals}.
@subsection Rests
@cindex Rests
-Rests are entered like notes, with an `@code{r}' note name:
+Rests are entered like notes, with a ``note name'' of `@code{r}':
@lilypond[singleline,verbatim]
r1 r2 r4 r8
@end lilypond
-Whole bar rests, centered in the bar, are specified using @code{R}, see
-@ref{Multi measure rests}. See also @seeinternals{Rest}.
+Whole bar rests, centered in middle of the bar, are specified using
+@code{R} (capital R); see @ref{Multi measure rests}. See also
+@seeinternals{Rest}.
-For polyphonic music, it can be convenient to explicitly specify the rest's
-vertical position. This can be achieved by entering a note, with the @code{\rest}
+For some music, you may wish to explicitly specify the rest's vertical
+position. This can be achieved by entering a note with the @code{\rest}
keyword appended. Rest collision testing will leave these rests alone.
@lilypond[singleline,verbatim]
@cindex Invisible rest
@cindex Space note
-An invisible rest, or skip, can be entered like a note with note name
-@code{s}, or with @code{\skip @var{duration}}:
+An invisible rest (also called a `skip') can be entered like a note
+with note name `@code{s}' or with @code{\skip @var{duration}}:
@lilypond[singleline,verbatim]
a2 s4 a4 \skip 1 a4
>
@end lilypond
-Note that the @code{s} syntax is only available in Note mode and Chord
-mode. In other situations, you should use the @code{\skip} command, which
-also works outside of those two modes:
+Note that the @code{s} syntax is only available in Note mode and Chord
+mode. In other situations, you should use the @code{\skip} command,
+which will work outside of those two modes:
@lilypond[singleline,verbatim]
\score {
}
@end lilypond
-The skip command is merely an empty musical placeholder. It doesn't
+The skip command is merely an empty musical placeholder. It doesn't
produce any output, not even transparent output.
In Note, Chord, and Lyrics mode, durations are designated by numbers
-and dots: durations are entered as their reciprocal values. For notes
+and dots: durations are entered as their reciprocal values. For example,
+a quarter note is entered using a @code{4} (since it's a 1/4 note), while
+a half note is entered using a @code{2} (since it's a 1/2 note). For notes
longer than a whole you must use identifiers.
+@c FIXME: what's an identifier? I don't think it's been introduced yet.
+@c and if it has, I obviously skipped that part. - Graham
@example
c'\breve
@cindex @code{.}
@lilypond[fragment,verbatim,center]
- a'4. b'4.. c'8.
+ a' b' c''8 b' a'4 a'4. b'4.. c'8.
@end lilypond
@cindex @code{r}
@cindex @code{s}
appending `@code{*}@var{N/M}' (or `@code{*}@var{N}' if @var{M=1}). This
won't affect the appearance of the notes or rests produced.
+@lilypond[fragment,verbatim]
+ a'2*2 b'4*2 a'8*4 a'4*3/2 gis'4*3/2 a'4*3/2 a'4
+@end lilypond
+
Durations can also be produced through GUILE extension mechanism.
@lilypond[verbatim,fragment]
- c\duration #(make-duration 2 1)
+ c'\duration #(make-duration 2 1)
@end lilypond
@cindex @code{~}
A tie connects two adjacent note heads of the same pitch. The tie in
-effect extends the length of a note. Ties should not be confused with
-slurs, which indicate articulation, and phrasing slurs, which indicate
-musical phrasing. A tie is entered using the tilde symbol `@code{~}'.
+effect extends the length of a note. Ties should not be confused with
+slurs, which indicate articulation, or phrasing slurs, which indicate
+musical phrasing. A tie is entered using the tilde symbol `@code{~}'.
@lilypond[fragment,verbatim,center]
e' ~ e' <c' e' g'> ~ <c' e' g'>
@end lilypond
-When a tie is applied to a chord, all note heads, whose pitches match, are
+When a tie is applied to a chord, all note heads (whose pitches match) are
connected. If you try to tie together chords that have no common pitches,
no ties will be created.
@lilypond[fragment, singleline]
\time 3/4 c'2. c'2 ~ c'4
@end lilypond
-And if you need to tie notes over bars, it may be easier to use
+If you need to tie notes over bars, it may be easier to use
@ref{Automatic note splitting}.
-See also @seeinternals{Tie}.
+See also @seeinternals{Tie}.
@refbugs
@subsection Automatic note splitting
@c FIXME: This subsection doesn't belong in @ref{Note entry}.
-There is a facility for automatically converting long notes to tied
-notes. This is done by replacing the @code{Note_heads_engraver} by the
+LilyPond can automatically converting long notes to tied notes. This
+is done by replacing the @code{Note_heads_engraver} by the
@code{Completion_heads_engraver}.
@lilypond[verbatim,noindent,noquote]
@end lilypond
This engraver splits all running notes at the bar line, and inserts
-ties. One of its uses is to debug complex scores: if the measures are
+ties. One of its uses is to debug complex scores: if the measures are
not entirely filled, then the ties exactly show how much each measure
is off.
@end example
The duration of @var{musicexpr} will be multiplied by the fraction.
-In print, the fraction's denominator will be printed over the notes,
-optionally with a bracket. The most common tuplet is the triplet in
-which 3 notes have the length of 2, so the notes are 2/3 of
-their written length:
+In the sheet music, the fraction's denominator will be printed over
+the notes, optionally with a bracket. The most common tuplet is the
+triplet in which 3 notes have the length of 2, so the notes are 2/3
+of their written length:
@lilypond[fragment,verbatim,center]
g'4 \times 2/3 {c'4 c' c'} d'4 d'4
The property @code{tupletSpannerDuration} specifies how long each bracket
should last. With this, you can make lots of tuplets while typing
-@code{\times} only once, thus saving typing work.
+@code{\times} only once, saving you lots of typing.
@lilypond[fragment, relative, singleline, verbatim]
\property Voice.tupletSpannerDuration = #(make-moment 1 4)
@end lilypond
The format of the number is determined by the property
-@code{tupletNumberFormatFunction}. The default prints only the
+@code{tupletNumberFormatFunction}. The default prints only the
denominator, but if you set it to the Scheme function
@code{fraction-tuplet-formatter}, Lilypond will print @var{num}:@var{den}
instead.
@refbugs
-Nested tuplets are not formatted automatically. In this case, outer
+Nested tuplets are not formatted automatically. In this case, outer
tuplet brackets should be moved automatically.
@node Easy Notation note heads
A entirely different type of note head is the "easyplay" note head: a
note head that includes a note name. It is used in some publications by
-Hal-Leonard Inc. music publishers.
+Hal-Leonard Inc. music publishers.
@lilypond[singleline,verbatim,26pt]
\score {
@end lilypond
Note that @code{EasyNotation} overrides a @internalsref{Score} context. You
-probably will want to print it with magnification or a large font size to make it more
-readable.
+probably will want to print it with magnification or a large font size to
+make it more readable. To print with magnification, you must create a dvi
+(with @file{ly2dvi}) and then enlarge it with something like @file{dvips -x
+2000 file.dvi}. See @file{man dvips} for details. To print with a larger
+font, see @ref{Font Size}.
@cindex Xdvi
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