1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
4 Translation of GIT committish: FILL-IN-HEAD-COMMITTISH
6 When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the
7 version that you are working on. For details, see the Contributors'
8 Guide, node Updating translation committishes..
16 Negative numbers are allowed:
17 > Are you sure? The following works well
19 > first-page-number = -2
21 > and prints page number -1 on the second page, for example.
24 In 5.2.1 the @refbugs (line 495 in spacing.itely on master) it
27 "@code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between
31 Could we add a sentence:
32 "Use instead the pair fontSize = #@var{N}
33 \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep
35 inside the Staff context to change the size of the font and the
37 staff lines accordingly."
39 Actually I found, that the @internalsref{StaffSymbol} at line 481
40 sends to an incomplete
41 documentation. The property staff-space is not explained here. I
42 thought Y-extent might be of
43 help, but it is in turn explained by x-space which again is
44 missing from the list. Who has the
45 knowledge to fix this?
49 http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=68
55 @chapter Spacing issues
57 The global paper layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the
58 line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The
59 choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set.
60 This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how
61 many pages a piece of music takes.
63 Globally speaking, this procedure happens in four steps: first,
64 flexible distances (@q{springs}) are chosen, based on durations. All
65 possible line breaking combinations are tried, and a @q{badness} score
66 is calculated for each. Then the height of each possible system is
67 estimated. Finally, a page breaking and line breaking combination is chosen
68 so that neither the horizontal nor the vertical spacing is too cramped
71 Two types of blocks can contain layout settings:
72 @code{\paper @{@dots{}@}} and @code{\layout @{@dots{}@}}. The
73 @code{\paper} block contains page layout settings that are
74 expected to be the same for all scores in a book, such as the
75 paper height, or whether to print page numbers, etc. See
76 @ref{Page layout}. The @code{\layout} block contains score layout
77 settings, such as the number of systems to use, or the space
78 between staff-groups, etc. See @ref{Score layout}.
85 * Horizontal spacing::
86 * Fitting music onto fewer pages::
93 This section discusses page layout options for the @code{\paper}
98 * Paper size and automatic scaling::
99 * Fixed vertical spacing \paper variables::
100 * Flexible vertical spacing \paper variables::
101 * Horizontal spacing \paper variables::
102 * Other \paper variables::
106 @node The \paper block
107 @subsection The @code{\paper} block
109 The @code{\paper} block can appear within a @code{\book} block,
110 but not within a @code{\score} block. Settings in a @code{\paper}
111 block apply to the entire book, which may include multiple scores.
112 Settings that can appear in a @code{\paper} block include:
117 the @code{set-paper-size} scheme function,
120 @code{\paper} variables used for customizing page layout, and
123 markup definitions used for customizing the layout of headers,
128 The @code{set-paper-size} function is discussed in the next
129 section, @ref{Paper size and automatic scaling}. The
130 @code{\paper} variables that deal with page layout are discussed
131 in later sections. The markup definitions that deal with headers,
132 footers, and titles are discussed in
133 @ref{Custom headers footers and titles}.
135 Most @code{\paper} variables will only work in a @code{\paper}
136 block. The few that will also work in a @code{\layout} block are
137 listed in @ref{The \layout block}.
139 Except when specified otherwise, all @code{\paper} variables that
140 correspond to distances on the page are measured in millimeters,
141 unless a different unit is specified by the user. For example,
142 the following declaration sets @code{top-margin} to ten
151 To set it to @code{0.5} inches, use the @code{\in} unit suffix:
159 The available unit suffixes are @code{\mm}, @code{\cm},
160 @code{\in}, and @code{\pt}. These units are simple values for
161 converting from millimeters; they are defined in
162 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}. For the sake of clarity, when
163 using millimeters, the @code{\mm} is typically included in the
164 code, even though it is not technically necessary.
166 It is also possible to define @code{\paper} values using Scheme.
167 The Scheme equivalent of the above example is:
171 #(define top-margin (* 0.5 in))
177 @ref{Paper size and automatic scaling},
178 @ref{Custom headers footers and titles},
179 @ref{The \layout block}.
182 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
185 @node Paper size and automatic scaling
186 @subsection Paper size and automatic scaling
194 * Setting the paper size::
195 * Automatic scaling to paper size::
199 @node Setting the paper size
200 @unnumberedsubsubsec Setting the paper size
202 @q{A4} is the default value when no explicit paper size is set. However,
203 there are two functions that can be used to change it
204 @code{set-default-paper-size},
207 #(set-default-paper-size "quarto")
210 which must always be placed at the toplevel scope. and
211 @code{set-paper-size},
215 #(set-paper-size "tabloid")
219 which must always be placed in a @code{\paper} block.
221 If the @code{set-default-paper-size} function is used in the toplevel
222 scope, it must come before the any @code{\paper} block.
223 @code{set-default-paper-size} sets the paper size for all pages,
224 whereas @code{set-paper-size} only sets the paper size for the pages
225 that the @code{\paper} block applies to. For example, if the
226 @code{\paper} block is at the top of the file, then it will apply the
227 paper size to all pages. If the @code{\paper} block is inside a
228 @code{\book}, then the paper size will only apply to that book.
230 When the @code{set-paper-size} function is used, it must be
231 placed @emph{before} any other functions used within the same
232 @code{\paper} block. See @ref{Automatic scaling to paper size}.
234 Paper sizes are defined in @file{scm/paper.scm}, and while it is
235 possible to add custom sizes, they will be overwritten on subsequent
236 software updates. The available paper sizes are listed in
237 @ref{Predefined paper sizes}.
239 @c An appendix entry exists for paper sizes but is not auto-generated
241 The following command can be used in the file to add a custom paper size
242 which can then be used with @code{set-default-paper-size} or
243 @code{set-paper-size} as appropriate,
246 #(set! paper-alist (cons '("my size" . (cons (* 15 in) (* 3 in))) paper-alist))
249 #(set-paper-size "my size")
253 The units @code{in} (inches), @code{cm} (centimeters) and @code{mm}
254 (millimeters) can all be used.
256 @cindex paper size, orientation
257 @cindex page, orientation
258 @cindex paper size, landscape
260 If the symbol @code{'landscape} is added to the paper size function,
261 pages will be rotated by 90 degrees, and wider line widths will be set
265 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
268 The music output will @emph{not} be rotated, just the paper size.
272 @ref{Automatic scaling to paper size},
273 @ref{Predefined paper sizes}.
276 @file{scm/paper.scm}.
279 @node Automatic scaling to paper size
280 @unnumberedsubsubsec Automatic scaling to paper size
282 If the paper size is changed with one of the scheme functions
283 (@code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}), the
284 values of several @code{\paper} variables are automatically scaled
285 to the new size. To bypass the automatic scaling for a particular
286 variable, set the variable after setting the paper size. Note
287 that the automatic scaling is not triggered by setting the
288 @code{paper-height} or @code{paper-width} variables, even though
289 @code{paper-width} can influence other values (this is separate
290 from scaling and is discussed below). The
291 @code{set-default-paper-size} and @code{set-paper-size} functions
292 are described in @ref{Setting the paper size}.
294 The vertical dimensions affected by automatic scaling are
295 @code{top-margin} and @code{bottom-margin} (see
296 @ref{Fixed vertical spacing \paper variables}). The horizontal
297 dimensions affected by automatic scaling are @code{left-margin},
298 @code{right-margin}, @code{inner-margin}, @code{outer-margin},
299 @code{binding-offset}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} (see
300 @ref{Horizontal spacing \paper variables}).
302 The default values for these dimensions are set in
303 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}, using internal variables named
304 @code{top-margin-default}, @code{bottom-margin-default}, etc.
305 These are the values that result at the default paper size
306 @code{a4}. For reference, with @code{a4} paper the
307 @code{paper-height} is @code{297\mm} and the @code{paper-width} is
312 @ref{Fixed vertical spacing \paper variables},
313 @ref{Horizontal spacing \paper variables}.
316 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly},
317 @file{scm/paper.scm}.
320 @node Fixed vertical spacing \paper variables
321 @subsection Fixed vertical spacing @code{\paper} variables
323 @warning{Some @code{@bs{}paper} dimensions are automatically
324 scaled to the paper size, which may lead to unexpected behavior.
325 See @ref{Automatic scaling to paper size}.}
327 Default values (before scaling) are defined in
328 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
332 @funindex paper-height
334 The height of the page, unset by default. Note that the automatic
335 scaling of some vertical dimensions is not affected by this.
340 The margin between the top of the page and the top of the
341 printable area. If the paper size is modified, this dimension's
342 default value is scaled accordingly.
345 @funindex bottom-margin
347 The margin between the bottom of the printable area and the bottom
348 of the page. If the paper size is modified, this dimension's
349 default value is scaled accordingly.
352 @funindex ragged-bottom
354 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically down the page.
355 This does not affect the last page. This should be set to true
356 for pieces that have only two or three systems per page, for
357 example orchestral scores.
359 @item ragged-last-bottom
360 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
362 If set to false, systems will spread vertically down the last
363 page. Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this
364 set to false. It also affects the last page of book parts, i.e.
365 parts of a book created with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
371 @ref{Automatic scaling to paper size}.
374 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
380 The titles (from the @code{\header} block) are treated as a
381 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
382 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
384 Explicitly defined paper-sizes will override any user-defined top or
385 bottom margin settings.
388 @node Flexible vertical spacing \paper variables
389 @subsection Flexible vertical spacing @code{\paper} variables
391 In most cases, it is preferable for the vertical distances between
392 certain items (such as margins, titles, systems, and separate
393 scores) to be flexible, so that they stretch and compress nicely
394 according to each situation. A number of @code{\paper} variables
395 (listed below) are available to fine-tune the stretching behavior
398 Note that the @code{\paper} variables discussed in this section do
399 not control the spacing of staves within individual systems.
400 Within-system spacing is controlled by grob properties, with
401 settings typically entered inside a @code{\score} or
402 @code{\layout} block, and not inside a @code{\paper} block. See
403 @ref{Flexible vertical spacing within systems}.
406 * Structure of flexible vertical spacing alists::
407 * List of flexible vertical spacing \paper variables::
411 @node Structure of flexible vertical spacing alists
412 @unnumberedsubsubsec Structure of flexible vertical spacing alists
414 Each of the flexible vertical spacing @code{\paper} variables is
415 an alist (association list) containing four @emph{keys}:
420 @code{basic-distance} -- the vertical distance, measured in
421 staff-spaces, between the @emph{reference points} of the two
422 items, when no collisions would result, and no stretching or
423 compressing is in effect. The reference point of a (title or
424 top-level) markup is its highest point, and the reference point of
425 a system is the vertical center of the nearest @code{StaffSymbol}
426 -- even if a non-staff line (such as a @code{Lyrics} context) is
427 in the way. Values for @code{basic-distance} that are less than
428 either @code{padding} or @code{minimum-distance} are not
429 meaningful, since the resulting distance will never be less than
430 either @code{padding} or @code{minimum-distance}.
433 @code{minimum-distance} -- the smallest allowable vertical
434 distance, measured in staff-spaces, between the reference points
435 of the two items, when compressing is in effect. Values for
436 @code{minimum-distance} that are less than @code{padding} are not
437 meaningful, since the resulting distance will never be less than
440 @c TODO: explain skylines somewhere and xref to it from here.
443 @code{padding} -- the minimum required amount of unobstructed
444 vertical whitespace between the bounding boxes (or skylines) of
445 the two items, measured in staff-spaces.
448 @code{stretchability} -- a unitless measure of the dimension's
449 relative propensity to stretch. If zero, the distance will not
450 stretch (unless collisions would result). When positive, the
451 significance of a particular dimension's @code{stretchability}
452 value lies only in its relation to the @code{stretchability}
453 values of the other dimensions. For example, if one dimension has
454 twice the @code{stretchability} of another, it will stretch twice
455 as easily. Values should be non-negative and finite. The value
456 @code{+inf.0} triggers a @code{programming_error} and is ignored,
457 but @code{1.0e7} can be used for an almost infinitely stretchable
458 spring. If unset, the default value is set to
459 @code{basic-distance}. Note that the dimension's propensity to
460 @emph{compress} cannot be directly set by the user and is equal to
461 (@code{basic-distance}@tie{}@minus{}@tie{}@code{minimum-distance}).
465 If a page has a ragged bottom, the resulting distance is the
471 @code{basic-distance},
474 @code{minimum-distance}, and
477 @code{padding} plus the smallest distance necessary to eliminate
482 For multi-page scores with a ragged bottom on the last page, the last
483 page uses the same spacing as the preceding page, provided there is
484 enough space for that.
486 Specific methods for modifying alists are discussed in
487 @ref{Modifying alists}. The following example demonstrates the
488 two ways these alists can be modified. The first declaration
489 updates one key-value individually, and the second completely
490 redefines the variable:
494 system-system-spacing #'basic-distance = #8
495 score-system-spacing =
496 #'((basic-distance . 12)
497 (minimum-distance . 6)
499 (stretchability . 12))
504 @node List of flexible vertical spacing \paper variables
505 @unnumberedsubsubsec List of flexible vertical spacing @code{\paper} variables
507 The names of these variables follow the format
508 @code{@var{upper}-@var{lower}-spacing}, where @code{@var{upper}}
509 and @code{@var{lower}} are the items to be spaced. Each distance
510 is measured between the reference points of the two items (see the
511 description of the alist structure above). Note that in these
512 variable names, the term @q{@code{markup}} refers to both
513 @emph{title markups} (@code{bookTitleMarkup} or
514 @code{scoreTitleMarkup}) and @emph{top-level markups} (see
515 @ref{File structure}). All distances are measured in
518 Default settings are defined in @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
520 @c TODO: Where do headers/footers fit in? -mp
523 @item markup-system-spacing
524 @funindex markup-system-spacing
526 the distance between a (title or top-level) markup and the system
529 @item score-markup-spacing
530 @funindex score-markup-spacing
532 the distance between the last system of a score and the (title or
533 top-level) markup that follows it.
535 @item score-system-spacing
536 @funindex score-system-spacing
538 the distance between the last system of a score and the first
539 system of the score that follows it, when no (title or top-level)
540 markup exists between them.
542 @item system-system-spacing
543 @funindex system-system-spacing
545 the distance between two systems in the same score.
547 @item markup-markup-spacing
548 @funindex markup-markup-spacing
550 the distance between two (title or top-level) markups.
552 @item last-bottom-spacing
553 @funindex last-bottom-spacing
555 the distance from the last system or top-level markup on a page to
556 the bottom of the printable area (i.e. the top of the bottom
559 @item top-system-spacing
560 @funindex top-system-spacing
562 the distance from the top of the printable area (i.e. the bottom
563 of the top margin) to the first system on a page, when there is no
564 (title or top-level) markup between the two.
566 @item top-markup-spacing
567 @funindex top-markup-spacing
569 the distance from the top of the printable area (i.e. the bottom
570 of the top margin) to the first (title or top-level) markup on a
571 page, when there is no system between the two.
576 @ref{Flexible vertical spacing within systems}.
579 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
585 @node Horizontal spacing \paper variables
586 @subsection Horizontal spacing @code{\paper} variables
588 @warning{Some @code{@bs{}paper} dimensions are automatically
589 scaled to the paper size, which may lead to unexpected behavior.
590 See @ref{Automatic scaling to paper size}.}
593 * \paper variables for widths and margins::
594 * \paper variables for two-sided mode::
595 * \paper variables for shifts and indents::
599 @node \paper variables for widths and margins
600 @unnumberedsubsubsec @code{\paper} variables for widths and margins
602 Default values (before scaling) that are not listed here are
603 defined in @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
608 @funindex paper-width
610 The width of the page, unset by default. While @code{paper-width}
611 has no effect on the automatic scaling of some horizontal
612 dimensions, it does influence the @code{line-width} variable. If
613 both @code{paper-width} and @code{line-width} are set, then
614 @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin} will also be updated.
615 Also see @code{check-consistency}.
620 The horizontal extent of the staff lines in unindented, non-ragged
622 @code{(paper-width@tie{}@minus{}@tie{}left-margin@tie{}@minus{}@tie{}right-margin)}
623 when unset. If @code{line-width} is set, and both
624 @code{left-margin} and @code{right-margin} are unset, then the
625 margins will be updated to center the systems on the page
626 automatically. Also see @code{check-consistency}. This variable
627 can also be set in a @code{\layout} block.
630 @funindex left-margin
632 The margin between the left edge of the page and the start of the
633 staff lines in unindented systems. If the paper size is modified,
634 this dimension's default value is scaled accordingly. If
635 @code{left-margin} is unset, and both @code{line-width} and
636 @code{right-margin} are set, then @code{left-margin} is set to
637 @code{(paper-width@tie{}@minus{}@tie{}line-width@tie{}@minus{}@tie{}right-margin)}.
638 If only @code{line-width} is set, then both margins are set to
639 @code{((paper-width@tie{}@minus{}@tie{}line-width)@tie{}/@tie{}2)},
640 and the systems are consequently centered on the page. Also see
641 @code{check-consistency}.
644 @funindex right-margin
646 The margin between the right edge of the page and the end of the
647 staff lines in non-ragged systems. If the paper size is modified,
648 this dimension's default value is scaled accordingly. If
649 @code{right-margin} is unset, and both @code{line-width} and
650 @code{left-margin} are set, then @code{right-margin} is set to
651 @code{(paper-width@tie{}@minus{}@tie{}line-width@tie{}@minus{}@tie{}left-margin)}.
652 If only @code{line-width} is set, then both margins are set to
653 @code{((paper-width@tie{}@minus{}@tie{}line-width)@tie{}/@tie{}2)},
654 and the systems are consequently centered on the page. Also see
655 @code{check-consistency}.
657 @item check-consistency
658 @funindex check-consistency
660 If set to true, print a warning if @code{left-margin},
661 @code{line-width}, and @code{right-margin} do not exactly add up
662 to @code{paper-width}, and replace each of these (except
663 @code{paper-width}) with its default value (scaled to the paper
664 size if necessary). If set to false, ignore any inconsistencies
665 and allow systems to run off the edge of the page.
668 @funindex ragged-right
670 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
671 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
672 @code{#t} for scores with only one system, and @code{#f} for
673 scores with two or more systems. This variable can also be set in
674 a @code{\layout} block.
677 @funindex ragged-last
679 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
680 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
681 horizontal length. Default: @code{#f}. This variable can also be
682 set in a @code{\layout} block.
688 @ref{Automatic scaling to paper size}.
691 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
694 Explicitly defined paper-sizes will override any user-defined left or
695 right margin settings.
698 @node \paper variables for two-sided mode
699 @unnumberedsubsubsec @code{\paper} variables for two-sided mode
701 Default values (before scaling) are defined in
702 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
710 @cindex binding gutter
712 If set to true, use @code{inner-margin}, @code{outer-margin} and
713 @code{binding-offset} to determine margins depending on whether
714 the page number is odd or even. This overrides @code{left-margin}
715 and @code{right-margin}.
718 @funindex inner-margin
720 The margin all pages have at the inner side if they are part of a
721 book. If the paper size is modified, this dimension's default
722 value is scaled accordingly. Works only with @code{two-sided} set
726 @funindex outer-margin
728 The margin all pages have at the outer side if they are part of a
729 book. If the paper size is modified, this dimension's default
730 value is scaled accordingly. Works only with @code{two-sided} set
734 @funindex binding-offset
736 The amount @code{inner-margin} is increased to make sure nothing
737 will be hidden by the binding. If the paper size is modified,
738 this dimension's default value is scaled accordingly. Works only
739 with @code{two-sided} set to true.
745 @ref{Automatic scaling to paper size}.
748 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
751 @node \paper variables for shifts and indents
752 @unnumberedsubsubsec @code{\paper} variables for shifts and indents
754 Default values (before scaling) that are not listed here are
755 defined in @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
759 @item horizontal-shift
760 @funindex horizontal-shift
762 @c This default value is buried in the middle of page.scm. -mp
764 The amount that all systems (including titles and system
765 separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0\mm}.
770 The level of indentation for the first system in a score. If the
771 paper size is modified, this dimension's default value is scaled
772 accordingly. This variable can also be set in a @code{\layout}
776 @funindex short-indent
778 The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the
779 first system. If the paper size is modified, this dimension's
780 default value is scaled accordingly. This variable can also be
781 set in a @code{\layout} block.
787 @ref{Automatic scaling to paper size}.
790 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
796 @node Other \paper variables
797 @subsection Other @code{\paper} variables
800 * \paper variables for line breaking::
801 * \paper variables for page breaking::
802 * \paper variables for page numbering::
803 * Miscellaneous \paper variables::
807 @node \paper variables for line breaking
808 @unnumberedsubsubsec @code{\paper} variables for line breaking
810 @c TODO: Mention that ly:optimal-breaking is on by default? -mp
814 @item max-systems-per-page
815 @funindex max-systems-per-page
817 The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
818 is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
821 @item min-systems-per-page
822 @funindex min-systems-per-page
824 The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This
825 may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is
826 currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
829 @item systems-per-page
830 @funindex systems-per-page
832 The number of systems that should be placed on each page.
833 This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm.
837 @funindex system-count
839 The number of systems to be used for a score. Default: unset.
840 This variable can also be set in a @code{\layout} block.
849 @node \paper variables for page breaking
850 @unnumberedsubsubsec @code{\paper} variables for page breaking
852 Default values not listed here are defined in
853 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}
857 @item blank-after-score-page-force
858 @funindex blank-after-score-page-force
860 The penalty for having a blank page after the end of one score and
861 before the next. By default, this is smaller than
862 @code{blank-page-force}, so that we prefer blank pages after
863 scores to blank pages within a score.
865 @item blank-last-page-force
866 @funindex blank-last-page-force
868 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
870 @item blank-page-force
871 @funindex blank-page-force
873 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
874 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
875 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score.
878 @funindex page-breaking
880 The page-breaking algorithm to use. Choices are
881 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, and
882 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}.
884 @item page-breaking-system-system-spacing
885 @funindex page-breaking-system-system-spacing
887 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
888 @code{system-system-spacing} is set to something different than
889 it really is. For example, if
890 @code{page-breaking-system-system-spacing #'padding} is set to something
891 substantially larger than @code{system-system-spacing #'padding}, then the
892 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
897 The number of pages to be used for a score, unset by default.
904 @ref{Optimal page breaking},
905 @ref{Optimal page turning},
906 @ref{Minimal page breaking}.
909 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
912 @node \paper variables for page numbering
913 @unnumberedsubsubsec @code{\paper} variables for page numbering
915 Default values not listed here are defined in
916 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}
920 @cindex page numbers, auto-numbering
921 @item auto-first-page-number
922 @funindex auto-first-page-number
924 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number
925 being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm
926 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This
927 will result in the first page number remaining as is or being
928 increased by one. Default: @code{#f}.
930 @cindex page numbers, specify the first
931 @item first-page-number
932 @funindex first-page-number
934 The value of the page number on the first page.
936 @item print-first-page-number
937 @funindex print-first-page-number
939 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
941 @cindex page numbers, suppress
942 @item print-page-number
943 @funindex print-page-number
945 If set to false, page numbers are not printed.
951 @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}.
954 Odd page numbers are always on the right. If you want the
955 music to start on page 1 there must be a blank page on the back
956 of the cover page so that page 1 is on the right hand side.
959 @node Miscellaneous \paper variables
960 @unnumberedsubsubsec Miscellaneous @code{\paper} variables
964 @item page-spacing-weight
965 @funindex page-spacing-weight
967 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
968 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
969 important. Default: @code{10}.
971 @item print-all-headers
972 @funindex print-all-headers
974 If set to true, this will print all headers for each @code{\score}
975 in the output. Normally only the @code{piece} and @code{opus}
976 header variables are printed. Default: @code{#f}.
978 @item system-separator-markup
979 @funindex system-separator-markup
981 A markup object that is inserted between systems, often used for
982 orchestral scores. Default: unset. The @code{\slashSeparator}
983 markup, defined in @file{ly/titling-init.ly}, is provided as a
984 sensible default, for example:
986 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,noragged-right,line-width=30\mm]
987 #(set-default-paper-size "a8")
991 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
997 \relative c'' { c1 \break c1 \break c1 }
1006 @file{ly/titling-init.ly}.
1012 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
1013 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
1017 @section Score layout
1019 This section discusses score layout options for the @code{\layout}
1023 * The \layout block::
1024 * Setting the staff size::
1028 @node The \layout block
1029 @subsection The @code{\layout} block
1033 While the @code{\paper} block contains settings that relate to the
1034 page formatting of the whole document, the @code{\layout} block
1035 contains settings for score-specific layout. To set score layout
1036 options globally, enter them in a toplevel @code{\layout} block.
1037 To set layout options for an individual score, enter them in a
1038 @code{\layout} block inside the @code{\score} block, after the
1039 music. Settings that can appear in a @code{\layout} block
1043 @item the @code{layout-set-staff-size} scheme function,
1044 @item context modifications in @code{\context} blocks, and
1045 @item @code{\paper} variables that affect score layout.
1048 The @code{layout-set-staff-size} function is discussed in the next
1049 section, @ref{Setting the staff size}. Context modifications are
1050 discussed in a separate chapter; see
1051 @ref{Modifying context plug-ins} and
1052 @ref{Changing context default settings}. The @code{\paper}
1053 variables that can appear in a @code{\layout} block are:
1058 @code{line-width}, @code{ragged-right} and @code{ragged-last}
1059 (see @ref{\paper variables for widths and margins})
1062 @code{indent} and @code{short-indent}
1063 (see @ref{\paper variables for shifts and indents})
1067 (see @ref{\paper variables for line breaking})
1071 Here is an example @code{\layout} block:
1078 \override StaffGrouper #'staff-staff-spacing #'basic-distance = #8
1082 \override TextScript #'padding = #1
1083 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
1088 Multiple @code{\layout} blocks can be entered as toplevel expressions.
1089 This can, for example, be useful if different settings are stored in
1090 separate files and included optionally. Internally, when
1091 a @code{\layout} block is evaluated, a copy of the current
1092 @code{\layout} configuration is made, then any changes defined within
1093 the block are applied and the result is saved as the new current
1094 configuration. From the user's perspective the @code{\layout} blocks
1095 are combined, but in conflicting situations (when the same property
1096 is changed in different blocks) the later definitions take precedence.
1098 For example, if this block:
1104 \override TextScript #'color = #magenta
1105 \override Glissando #'thickness = #1.5
1110 is placed after the one from the preceding example the @code{'padding}
1111 and @code{'color} overrides for @code{TextScript} are combined, but
1112 the later @code{'thickness} override for @code{Glissando} replaces
1113 (or hides) the earlier one.
1115 @code{\layout} blocks may be assigned to variables for reuse later,
1116 but the way this works is slightly but significantly different from
1117 writing them literally.
1119 If a variable is defined like this:
1122 layoutVariable = \layout @{
1125 \override NoteHead #'font-size = #4
1130 it will hold the current @code{\layout} configuration with the
1131 @code{NoteHead #'font-size} override added, but this combination
1132 is @emph{not} saved as the new current configuration. Be aware
1133 that the @q{current configuration} is read when the variable is
1134 defined and not when it is used, so the content of the variable
1135 is dependent on its position in the source.
1137 The variable can then be used inside another @code{\layout} block,
1145 \override NoteHead #'color = #red
1150 A @code{\layout} block containing a variable, as in the example above,
1151 does @emph{not} copy the current configuration but instead uses the
1152 content of @code{\layoutVariable} as the base configuration for the
1153 further additions. This means that any changes defined between the
1154 definition and the use of the variable are lost.
1156 If @code{layoutVariable} is defined (or @code{\include}d) immediately
1157 before being used, its content is just the current configuration plus
1158 the overrides defined within it. So in the example above showing the
1159 use of @code{\layoutVariable} the final @code{\layout} block would
1163 TextScript #'padding = #1
1164 TextScript #'color = #magenta
1165 Glissando #'thickness = #1.5
1166 NoteHead #' font-size = #4
1167 NoteHead #' color = #red
1170 plus the @code{indent} and the @code{StaffGrouper} overrides.
1172 But if the variable had already been defined before the first
1173 @code{\layout} block the current configuration would now contain
1177 NoteHead #' font-size= #4 % (written in the variable definition)
1178 NoteHead #' color = #red % (added after the use of the variable)
1181 If carefully planned, @code{\layout} variables can be a valuable tool
1182 to structure the layout design of sources, and also to reset the
1183 @code{\layout} configuration to a known state.
1187 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
1193 @node Setting the staff size
1194 @subsection Setting the staff size
1196 @cindex font size, setting
1197 @cindex staff size, setting
1198 @funindex layout file
1200 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
1201 This may be changed in two ways:
1203 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
1204 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
1207 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
1211 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
1214 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
1219 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
1224 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
1225 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
1226 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
1227 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
1230 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
1233 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
1234 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
1276 @c modern rental material?
1281 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
1282 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
1283 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
1284 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
1288 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
1294 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
1304 * Optimal page breaking::
1305 * Optimal page turning::
1306 * Minimal page breaking::
1308 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
1313 @subsection Line breaking
1316 @cindex breaking lines
1318 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
1319 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
1320 lines have similar density.
1322 To manually force a line break at a bar line, use the
1323 @code{\break} command:
1325 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
1330 By default, a @code{\break} in the middle of a measure is ignored,
1331 and a warning is printed. To force a line break in the middle of
1332 a measure, add an invisible bar line with @w{@samp{\bar ""}}:
1334 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
1341 A @code{\break} occurring at a bar line is also ignored if the
1342 previous measure ends in the middle of a note, such as when a
1343 tuplet begins and ends in different measures. To allow
1344 @code{\break} commands to work in these situations, remove the
1345 @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver} from the @code{Voice} context.
1346 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
1349 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1351 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
1354 { c2. \times 2/3 { c4 c c } c2. | }
1355 { s1 | \break s1 | }
1360 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
1361 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
1362 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}:
1364 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
1365 \override Beam #'breakable = ##t
1370 The @code{\noBreak} command forbids a line break at the bar line
1371 where it is inserted.
1373 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
1374 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
1375 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
1376 lengths of the lines.
1378 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
1379 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
1380 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
1381 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
1384 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
1386 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
1387 but affects only the last line of the piece.
1399 @cindex regular line breaks
1400 @cindex four bar music.
1402 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
1403 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
1404 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
1405 every 4 measures, and only there:
1410 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
1411 s1 \noBreak s1 \break
1413 @{ @var{the actual music@dots{}} @}
1418 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @file{.ly} file
1419 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
1420 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
1421 complicated. More details are available in
1434 @ref{\paper variables for line breaking}.
1439 Internals Reference:
1440 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
1444 @subsection Page breaking
1446 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
1447 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
1448 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
1449 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
1450 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
1453 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
1454 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
1456 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
1457 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
1458 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
1459 @code{#t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
1460 respectively will not be justified vertically. See
1461 @ref{Fixed vertical spacing \paper variables}.
1463 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
1464 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
1465 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
1466 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
1467 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
1471 page-breaking = #ly:page-turn-breaking
1477 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
1478 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
1479 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
1480 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
1481 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
1487 subtitle = "Preface"
1490 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
1491 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be preferred
1492 page-breaking = #ly:minimal-breaking
1494 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
1498 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
1499 %% page breaking function is used.
1501 subtitle = "First movement"
1503 \score @{ @dots{} @}
1510 @funindex \pageBreak
1512 @funindex \noPageBreak
1513 @code{\noPageBreak}.
1518 @ref{\paper variables for page breaking}.
1524 @node Optimal page breaking
1525 @subsection Optimal page breaking
1527 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
1529 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
1530 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
1531 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
1532 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1539 @node Optimal page turning
1540 @subsection Optimal page turning
1542 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1544 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1545 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1546 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1547 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1548 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1549 in specified places.
1551 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1552 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1553 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1556 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1557 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1558 input file at the appropriate places.
1560 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1561 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1562 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1563 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1564 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1565 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1566 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1567 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1568 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1571 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1572 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1573 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1574 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1575 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1576 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1579 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1582 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1584 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1585 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1587 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1592 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1593 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1594 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1595 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1596 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1597 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1598 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1600 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1601 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1607 @funindex \noPageTurn
1609 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1610 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1618 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1619 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1622 @node Minimal page breaking
1623 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1625 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1627 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1628 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1629 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1630 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1631 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1635 page-breaking = #ly:minimal-breaking
1644 @node Explicit breaks
1645 @subsection Explicit breaks
1647 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1648 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1651 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1652 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1655 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1656 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1657 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1658 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1660 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1667 music = \relative c'' { c8 c c c }
1671 \repeat unfold 2 { \music } \break
1672 \repeat unfold 4 { \music } \break
1673 \repeat unfold 6 { \music } \break
1674 \repeat unfold 8 { \music } \pageBreak
1675 \repeat unfold 8 { \music } \break
1676 \repeat unfold 6 { \music } \break
1677 \repeat unfold 4 { \music } \break
1678 \repeat unfold 2 { \music }
1683 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1684 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1695 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1696 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1698 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1701 music = \relative c'' @{ c4 c c c @}
1705 \repeat unfold 2 @{ \music @} \break
1706 \repeat unfold 3 @{ \music @}
1711 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1712 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1713 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1714 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1715 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1716 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1717 breaking layout information.
1719 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1720 music = \relative c'' { c4 c c c }
1731 \repeat unfold 2 { \music }
1732 \repeat unfold 3 { \music }
1733 \repeat unfold 6 { \music }
1734 \repeat unfold 5 { \music }
1740 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1741 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1742 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1744 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1745 music = \relative c'' { c4 c c c }
1750 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1751 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1754 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1755 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1758 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1759 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1762 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1763 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1767 \repeat unfold 2 { \music }
1768 \repeat unfold 3 { \music }
1769 \repeat unfold 6 { \music }
1770 \repeat unfold 5 { \music }
1778 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1784 @node Vertical spacing
1785 @section Vertical spacing
1787 @cindex vertical spacing
1788 @cindex spacing, vertical
1790 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1791 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1792 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1793 staves inside a system.
1796 * Flexible vertical spacing within systems::
1797 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1798 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1802 @node Flexible vertical spacing within systems
1803 @subsection Flexible vertical spacing within systems
1805 @cindex distance between staves
1806 @cindex staff distance
1807 @cindex space between staves
1808 @cindex space inside systems
1810 Three separate mechanisms control the flexible vertical spacing
1811 within systems, one for each of the following categories:
1816 @emph{ungrouped staves},
1819 @emph{grouped staves} (staves within a staff-group such as
1820 @code{ChoirStaff}, etc.), and
1823 @emph{non-staff lines} (such as @code{Lyrics}, @code{ChordNames},
1828 @c TODO: Clarify this. This almost implies that non-staff lines
1829 @c have NO effect on the spacing between staves. -mp
1831 The height of each system is determined in two steps. First, all
1832 of the staves are spaced according to the amount of space
1833 available. Then, the non-staff lines are distributed between the
1836 Note that the spacing mechanisms discussed in this section only
1837 control the vertical spacing of staves and non-staff lines within
1838 individual systems. The vertical spacing between separate
1839 systems, scores, markups, and margins is controlled by
1840 @code{\paper} variables, which are discussed in
1841 @ref{Flexible vertical spacing \paper variables}.
1844 * Within-system spacing properties::
1845 * Spacing of ungrouped staves::
1846 * Spacing of grouped staves::
1847 * Spacing of non-staff lines::
1851 @node Within-system spacing properties
1852 @unnumberedsubsubsec Within-system spacing properties
1854 @funindex staff-affinity
1855 @funindex staffgroup-staff-spacing
1856 @funindex staff-staff-spacing
1857 @funindex nonstaff-unrelatedstaff-spacing
1858 @funindex nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing
1859 @funindex nonstaff-nonstaff-spacing
1860 @funindex default-staff-staff-spacing
1861 @funindex minimum-Y-extent
1862 @funindex extra-offset
1863 @funindex self-alignment-X
1865 @funindex VerticalAxisGroup
1867 The within-system vertical spacing mechanisms are controlled by
1868 two sets of grob properties. The first set is associated with the
1869 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} grob, which is created by all staves and
1870 non-staff lines. The second set is associated with the
1871 @code{StaffGrouper} grob, which can be created by staff-groups,
1872 but only if explicitly called. These properties are described
1873 individually at the end of this section.
1875 The names of these properties (except for @code{staff-affinity})
1876 follow the format @code{@var{item1}-@var{item2}-spacing}, where
1877 @code{@var{item1}} and @code{@var{item2}} are the items to be
1878 spaced. Note that @code{@var{item2}} is not necessarily below
1879 @code{@var{item1}}; for example,
1880 @code{nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing} will measure upwards from the
1881 non-staff line if @code{staff-affinity} is @code{UP}.
1883 Each distance is measured between the @emph{reference points} of
1884 the two items. The reference point for a staff is the vertical
1885 center of its @code{StaffSymbol} (i.e. the middle line if
1886 @code{line-count} is odd; the middle space if @code{line-count} is
1887 even). The reference points for individual non-staff lines are
1888 given in the following table:
1890 @multitable {Non-staff line} {Reference point}
1891 @headitem Non-staff line @tab Reference point
1892 @item @code{ChordNames} @tab baseline
1893 @item @code{NoteNames} @tab baseline
1894 @item @code{Lyrics} @tab baseline
1895 @item @code{Dynamics} @tab vertical center
1896 @item @code{FiguredBass} @tab highest point
1897 @item @code{FretBoards} @tab top line
1900 In the following image, horizontal lines indicate the positions
1901 of these reference points:
1903 @lilypond[quote,noragged-right,line-width=110\mm]
1904 #(define zero-space '((padding . -inf.0) (basic-distance . 0)))
1906 alignToZero = \with {
1907 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing = #zero-space
1908 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'nonstaff-nonstaff-spacing = #zero-space
1910 lowerCaseChords = \with {
1911 chordNameLowercaseMinor = ##t
1913 staffAffinityDown = \with {
1914 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN
1917 #(define-music-function
1918 (parser location context)
1920 #{ s1*0^\markup { \typewriter #context } #})
1923 \context { \Dynamics \alignToZero }
1924 \context { \FiguredBass \alignToZero }
1925 \context { \Lyrics \alignToZero }
1926 \context { \NoteNames \alignToZero \staffAffinityDown }
1927 \context { \ChordNames \alignToZero
1930 \context { \FretBoards \alignToZero \staffAffinityDown }
1932 \override BarLine #'stencil = ##f
1933 \override DynamicText #'self-alignment-X = #-1
1934 \override FretBoard #'X-offset = #1.75
1935 \override InstrumentName #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-2 . 2)
1936 \override InstrumentName #'extra-offset = #'(0 . -0.5)
1937 \override TextScript #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-2 . 3)
1938 \override TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
1942 %% These contexts have reference points at the baseline:
1943 %% ChordNames, NoteNames, and Lyrics
1945 \new ChordNames { \chords { g1:m } }
1946 \new NoteNames { s1 | g1 | }
1947 \new RhythmicStaff {
1948 \set RhythmicStaff.instrumentName = #"baseline "
1950 \labelContext "ChordNames " s1 |
1951 \labelContext "NoteNames " s1 |
1952 \labelContext "Lyrics" s1 |
1954 \new Lyrics { \lyrics { \skip 1*2 | ghijk1 | } }
1957 %% The reference point for Dynamics is its vertical center
1959 \new RhythmicStaff {
1960 \set RhythmicStaff.instrumentName = #"vertical center "
1961 \labelContext "Dynamics" s1*3
1963 \new Dynamics { s1\mp s\fp }
1966 %% The reference point for FiguredBass is its highest point
1968 \new RhythmicStaff {
1969 \set RhythmicStaff.instrumentName = #"highest point "
1970 \labelContext "FiguredBass" s1
1972 \new FiguredBass { \figuremode { <6 5>1 } }
1975 %% The reference point for FretBoards is the top line
1976 \include "predefined-guitar-fretboards.ly"
1978 \new FretBoards { \chordmode { e1 } }
1979 \new RhythmicStaff {
1980 \set RhythmicStaff.instrumentName = #"top line "
1981 \labelContext "FretBoards " s1
1986 Each of the vertical spacing grob properties (except
1987 @code{staff-affinity}) uses the same alist structure as the
1988 @code{\paper} spacing variables discussed in
1989 @ref{Flexible vertical spacing \paper variables}. Specific methods
1990 for modifying alists are discussed in @ref{Modifying alists}.
1991 Grob properties should be adjusted with an @code{\override} inside
1992 a @code{\score} or @code{\layout} block, and not inside a
1993 @code{\paper} block.
1995 The following example demonstrates the two ways these alists can
1996 be modified. The first declaration updates one key-value
1997 individually, and the second completely re-defines the property:
2001 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'default-staff-staff-spacing
2002 #'basic-distance = #10
2006 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'default-staff-staff-spacing =
2007 #'((basic-distance . 10)
2008 (minimum-distance . 9)
2010 (stretchability . 10))
2014 To change any spacing settings globally, put them in the
2015 @code{\layout} block:
2021 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'default-staff-staff-spacing
2022 #'basic-distance = #10
2027 Standard settings for the vertical spacing grob properties are
2028 listed in @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup} and
2029 @rinternals{StaffGrouper}. Default overrides for specific types
2030 of non-staff lines are listed in the relevant context descriptions
2031 in @rinternals{Contexts}.
2034 @subsubheading Properties of the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} grob
2036 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} properties are typically adjusted with an
2037 @code{\override} at the @code{Staff} level (or equivalent).
2040 @item staff-staff-spacing
2042 Used to determine the distance between the current staff and the
2043 staff just below it in the same system, even if one or more
2044 non-staff lines (such as @code{Lyrics}) are placed between the two
2045 staves. Does not apply to the bottom staff of a system.
2047 Initially, the @code{staff-staff-spacing} of a
2048 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} is a Scheme function that applies the
2049 properties of the @code{StaffGrouper} if the staff is part of a
2050 group, or the @code{default-staff-staff-spacing} of the staff
2051 otherwise. This allows staves to be spaced differently when they
2052 are grouped. For uniform spacing regardless of grouping, this
2053 function may be replaced by a flexible-spacing alist, using the
2054 complete-redefinition form of override shown above.
2056 @item default-staff-staff-spacing
2057 A flexible-spacing alist defining the @code{staff-staff-spacing} used for
2058 ungrouped staves, unless @code{staff-staff-spacing} has been explicitly
2059 set with an @code{\override}.
2061 @item staff-affinity
2062 The direction of the staff to use for spacing the current
2063 non-staff line. Choices are @code{UP}, @code{DOWN}, and
2064 @code{CENTER}. If @code{CENTER}, the non-staff line will be
2065 placed equidistant between the two nearest staves on either side,
2066 unless collisions or other spacing constraints prevent this.
2067 Adjacent non-staff lines should have non-increasing
2068 @code{staff-affinity} from top to bottom, e.g. a non-staff line
2069 set to @code{UP} should not immediately follow one that is set to
2070 @code{DOWN}. Non-staff lines at the top of a system should use
2071 @code{DOWN}; those at the bottom should use @code{UP}. Setting
2072 @code{staff-affinity} for a staff causes it to be treated as a
2073 non-staff line. Setting @code{staff-affinity} to @code{#f} causes
2074 a non-staff line to be treated as a staff. Setting
2075 @code{staff-affinity} to @code{UP}, @code{CENTER}, or @code{DOWN}
2076 causes a staff to be spaced as a non-staff line.
2078 @item nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing
2079 The distance between the current non-staff line and the nearest
2080 staff in the direction of @code{staff-affinity}, if there are no
2081 non-staff lines between the two, and @code{staff-affinity} is
2082 either @code{UP} or @code{DOWN}. If @code{staff-affinity} is
2083 @code{CENTER}, then @code{nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing} is used
2084 for the nearest staves on @emph{both} sides, even if other
2085 non-staff lines appear between the current one and either of the
2086 staves. This means that the placement of a non-staff line depends
2087 on both the surrounding staves and the surrounding non-staff lines.
2088 Setting the @code{stretchability} of one of these types of spacing to
2089 a small value will make that spacing dominate. Setting the
2090 @code{stretchability} to a large value will make that spacing have
2093 @item nonstaff-nonstaff-spacing
2094 The distance between the current non-staff line and the next
2095 non-staff line in the direction of @code{staff-affinity}, if both
2096 are on the same side of the related staff, and
2097 @code{staff-affinity} is either @code{UP} or @code{DOWN}.
2099 @item nonstaff-unrelatedstaff-spacing
2100 The distance between the current non-staff line and the staff in
2101 the opposite direction from @code{staff-affinity}, if there are no
2102 other non-staff lines between the two, and @code{staff-affinity}
2103 is either @code{UP} or @code{DOWN}. This can be used, for
2104 example, to require a minimum amount of padding between a
2105 @code{Lyrics} line and the staff to which it does not belong.
2109 @subsubheading Properties of the @code{StaffGrouper} grob
2111 @code{StaffGrouper} properties are typically adjusted with an
2112 @code{\override} at the @code{StaffGroup} level (or equivalent).
2115 @item staff-staff-spacing
2116 The distance between consecutive staves within the current
2117 staff-group. The @code{staff-staff-spacing} property of an
2118 individual staff's @code{VerticalAxisGroup} grob can be
2119 overriden with different spacing settings for that staff.
2121 @item staffgroup-staff-spacing
2122 The distance between the last staff of the current staff-group and
2123 the staff just below it in the same system, even if one or more
2124 non-staff lines (such as @code{Lyrics}) exist between the two
2125 staves. Does not apply to the bottom staff of a system. The
2126 @code{staff-staff-spacing} property of an individual staff's
2127 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} grob can be overriden with different
2128 spacing settings for that staff.
2133 @ref{Flexible vertical spacing \paper variables},
2134 @ref{Modifying alists}.
2137 @file{ly/engraver-init.ly},
2138 @file{scm/define-grobs.scm}.
2140 Internals Reference:
2141 @rinternals{Contexts},
2142 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup},
2143 @rinternals{StaffGrouper}.
2146 @node Spacing of ungrouped staves
2147 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing of ungrouped staves
2149 @emph{Staves} (such as @code{Staff}, @code{DrumStaff},
2150 @code{TabStaff}, etc.) are contexts that can contain one or more
2151 voice contexts, but cannot contain any other staves.
2153 The following properties affect the spacing of @emph{ungrouped}
2157 @item @code{VerticalAxisGroup} properties:
2159 @item @code{default-staff-staff-spacing}
2160 @item @code{staff-staff-spacing}
2164 These grob properties are described individually above; see
2165 @ref{Within-system spacing properties}.
2167 Additional properties are involved for staves that are part of a
2168 staff-group; see @ref{Spacing of grouped staves}.
2170 The following example shows how the @code{default-staff-staff-spacing}
2171 property can affect the spacing of ungrouped staves.
2172 The same overrides applied to @code{staff-staff-spacing} would
2173 have the same effect, but would also apply in cases where the staves
2174 are combined in a group or groups.
2176 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,staffsize=16]
2180 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'default-staff-staff-spacing =
2181 #'((basic-distance . 8)
2182 (minimum-distance . 7)
2188 % The very low note here needs more room than 'basic-distance
2189 % can provide, so the distance between this staff and the next
2190 % is determined by 'padding.
2191 \new Staff { b,2 r | }
2193 % Here, 'basic-distance provides enough room, and there is no
2194 % need to compress the space (towards 'minimum-distance) to make
2195 % room for anything else on the page, so the distance between
2196 % this staff and the next is determined by 'basic-distance.
2197 \new Staff { \clef bass g2 r | }
2199 % By setting 'padding to a negative value, staves can be made to
2200 % collide. The lowest acceptable value for 'basic-distance is 0.
2202 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'default-staff-staff-spacing =
2203 #'((basic-distance . 3.5)
2205 } { \clef bass g2 r | }
2206 \new Staff { \clef bass g2 r | }
2212 @file{scm/define-grobs.scm}.
2217 Internals Reference:
2218 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup}.
2221 @node Spacing of grouped staves
2222 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing of grouped staves
2224 In orchestral and other large scores, it is common to place staves
2225 in groups. The space between groups is typically larger than the
2226 space between staves of the same group.
2228 @emph{Staff-groups} (such as @code{StaffGroup}, @code{ChoirStaff},
2229 etc.) are contexts that can contain one or more staves
2232 The following properties affect the spacing of staves inside
2236 @item @code{VerticalAxisGroup} properties:
2238 @item @code{staff-staff-spacing}
2240 @item @code{StaffGrouper} properties:
2242 @item @code{staff-staff-spacing}
2243 @item @code{staffgroup-staff-spacing}
2247 These grob properties are described individually above; see
2248 @ref{Within-system spacing properties}.
2250 The following example shows how properties of the
2251 @code{StaffGrouper} grob can affect the spacing of grouped staves:
2253 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,staffsize=16]
2257 \override StaffGrouper #'staff-staff-spacing #'padding = #0
2258 \override StaffGrouper #'staff-staff-spacing #'basic-distance = #1
2263 \new PianoStaff \with {
2264 \override StaffGrouper #'staffgroup-staff-spacing #'basic-distance = #20
2279 @file{scm/define-grobs.scm}.
2284 Internals Reference:
2285 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup},
2286 @rinternals{StaffGrouper}.
2289 @node Spacing of non-staff lines
2290 @unnumberedsubsubsec Spacing of non-staff lines
2292 @emph{Non-staff lines} (such as @code{Lyrics}, @code{ChordNames},
2293 etc.) are contexts whose layout objects are engraved like staves
2294 (i.e. in horizontal lines within systems). Specifically,
2295 non-staff lines are non-staff contexts that create the
2296 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} layout object.
2298 The following properties affect the spacing of non-staff lines:
2301 @item @code{VerticalAxisGroup} properties:
2303 @item @code{staff-affinity}
2304 @item @code{nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing}
2305 @item @code{nonstaff-nonstaff-spacing}
2306 @item @code{nonstaff-unrelatedstaff-spacing}
2310 These grob properties are described individually above; see
2311 @ref{Within-system spacing properties}.
2313 The following example shows how the
2314 @code{nonstaff-nonstaff-spacing} property can affect the spacing
2315 of consecutive non-staff lines. Here, by setting the
2316 @code{stretchability} key to a very high value, the lyrics are
2317 able to stretch much more than usual:
2319 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,staffsize=16]
2323 \override VerticalAxisGroup
2324 #'nonstaff-nonstaff-spacing #'stretchability = #1000
2331 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-staff-spacing = #'((basic-distance . 30))
2334 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #UP
2337 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #CENTER
2338 } \lyricmode { center }
2340 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN
2341 } \lyricmode { down }
2348 @file{ly/engraver-init.ly},
2349 @file{scm/define-grobs.scm}.
2354 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
2355 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
2357 Internals Reference:
2358 @rinternals{Contexts},
2359 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup}.
2362 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
2363 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
2365 One way to understand the flexible vertical spacing mechanisms
2366 explained above is as a collection of settings that control the
2367 amount of vertical padding between staves and systems.
2369 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way
2370 using @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}.
2371 While the flexible vertical spacing mechanisms specify vertical
2372 padding, @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
2373 can specify exact vertical positions on the page.
2375 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts
2376 an associative list of three different settings:
2379 @item @code{X-offset}
2380 @item @code{Y-offset}
2381 @item @code{alignment-distances}
2384 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
2385 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
2388 @item in the middle of note entry directly
2389 @item in a @code{\context} block
2390 @item in the @code{\with} block
2393 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
2394 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
2395 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
2396 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
2397 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
2398 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
2399 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
2402 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
2403 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
2405 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
2406 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
2408 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
2409 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20)
2412 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
2413 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-distances . (15)))
2415 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
2416 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20)
2418 (alignment-distances . (15)))
2421 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
2422 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
2424 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
2425 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
2427 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,staffsize=16]
2428 \header { tagline = ##f }
2429 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
2439 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
2442 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
2449 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
2450 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
2451 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
2452 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
2454 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
2455 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
2456 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
2457 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
2458 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
2460 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,staffsize=16]
2461 \header { tagline = ##f }
2462 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
2468 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
2469 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
2471 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
2472 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
2474 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
2475 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
2478 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
2481 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
2488 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
2489 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
2490 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
2491 position on the page at which each new system will render.
2493 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
2494 explicitly, we can also set the vertical distances between staves
2495 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-distances}
2496 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
2498 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,staffsize=16]
2499 \header { tagline = ##f }
2500 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
2506 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
2507 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
2508 (alignment-distances . (15)))
2510 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
2511 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
2512 (alignment-distances . (15)))
2514 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
2515 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
2516 (alignment-distances . (15)))
2519 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
2522 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
2529 Note that here we assign two different values to the
2530 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
2531 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
2532 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
2533 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
2534 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
2535 @code{alignment-distances} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
2536 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-distances}
2537 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
2539 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,staffsize=16]
2540 \header { tagline = ##f }
2541 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
2547 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
2548 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
2549 (alignment-distances . (30 10)))
2551 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
2552 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
2553 (alignment-distances . (10 10)))
2555 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
2556 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
2557 (alignment-distances . (10 30)))
2560 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
2563 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
2564 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
2571 Some points to consider:
2574 @item When using @code{alignment-distances}, lyrics and other non-staff lines
2575 do not count as a staff.
2577 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
2578 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-distances} are interpreted as multiples
2579 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
2580 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
2582 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
2583 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
2584 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
2585 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
2586 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
2594 @node Vertical collision avoidance
2595 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
2597 @funindex outside-staff-priority
2598 @funindex outside-staff-padding
2599 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
2601 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
2602 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
2603 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
2604 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
2605 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
2606 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
2607 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
2610 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
2611 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
2612 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
2613 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
2616 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
2617 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
2618 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
2619 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
2620 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
2621 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
2622 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
2625 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
2628 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
2629 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
2631 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
2632 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
2633 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
2634 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
2635 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
2638 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
2639 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
2640 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
2642 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
2643 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
2644 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
2645 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
2646 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
2647 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
2651 By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid
2652 a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This
2653 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
2654 other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staves can
2655 also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved.
2656 Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
2657 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
2660 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
2661 % the markup is too close to the following note
2665 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
2667 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
2678 @node Horizontal spacing
2679 @section Horizontal spacing
2681 @cindex horizontal spacing
2682 @cindex spacing, horizontal
2685 * Horizontal spacing overview::
2686 * New spacing area::
2687 * Changing horizontal spacing::
2689 * Proportional notation::
2693 @node Horizontal spacing overview
2694 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
2696 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
2697 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
2698 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
2699 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
2700 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
2701 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
2702 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
2703 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
2705 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
2706 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
2707 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
2709 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=1]
2710 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
2714 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
2715 approximately the width of a note head, and
2716 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
2717 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
2718 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
2719 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
2720 followed by one NHW of space.
2722 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
2723 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
2724 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
2725 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
2726 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
2727 the one which occurs most frequently.
2730 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
2731 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
2732 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
2733 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
2734 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
2735 @code{lilypond} with the @option{--verbose} option.
2737 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
2738 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
2739 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
2740 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
2742 @funindex common-shortest-duration
2743 @funindex base-shortest-duration
2744 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
2747 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
2748 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
2749 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
2750 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
2752 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
2753 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
2757 In the @emph{Essay on automated music engraving}, it was explained
2758 that stem directions influence spacing (see
2759 @ressay{Optical spacing}). This is controlled with the
2760 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
2761 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
2762 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
2763 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same
2764 property for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following
2765 example shows these corrections, once with default settings, and
2766 once with exaggerated corrections:
2768 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
2772 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2773 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
2779 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
2782 Essay on automated music engraving:
2783 @ressay{Optical spacing}.
2788 Internals Reference:
2789 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
2790 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
2791 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
2792 @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}.
2795 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
2796 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score,
2797 adjusting the padding value as necessary.
2800 \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10
2803 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
2806 @node New spacing area
2807 @subsection New spacing area
2809 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
2810 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
2811 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
2813 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
2814 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
2816 @lilypond[relative=1,verbatim,quote]
2819 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
2825 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
2826 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
2827 may be used in that location.
2833 Internals Reference:
2834 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
2837 @node Changing horizontal spacing
2838 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
2840 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
2841 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
2842 we compare the same music; once without altering
2843 the property, and then altered. Larger values
2844 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
2845 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
2846 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
2849 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2852 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2853 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2854 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2855 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2860 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2863 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2864 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2865 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2866 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2871 \override SpacingSpanner
2872 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2881 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2882 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2883 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2884 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2885 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2887 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
2906 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2912 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2913 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2915 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,verbatim]
2916 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2917 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2926 @subsection Line length
2929 @cindex breaking pages
2932 @funindex line-width
2933 @funindex ragged-right
2934 @funindex ragged-last
2936 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2937 @c block, to get page layout right.
2938 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2940 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2941 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2942 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2943 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2946 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2947 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2948 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2949 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2950 The normal default setting is false, but if the score has only one
2951 system the default value is true.
2954 @cindex vertical spacing
2956 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2957 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2958 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2959 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2960 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2961 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2962 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2963 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2978 @node Proportional notation
2979 @subsection Proportional notation
2981 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2982 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2983 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2984 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2985 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2986 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2987 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2989 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2990 which may be used together or alone:
2993 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2994 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2995 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2996 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2997 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
3000 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
3001 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
3003 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
3004 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
3006 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3009 \new RhythmicStaff {
3013 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
3020 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
3021 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
3022 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
3023 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
3024 horizontal space of the measure.
3026 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
3027 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
3028 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
3030 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
3031 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
3032 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
3035 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3038 \new RhythmicStaff {
3042 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
3049 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
3055 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
3056 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
3057 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
3060 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting
3061 that lives in @code{Score}. Remember that context settings can appear
3062 in one of three locations within our input file -- in a @code{\with}
3063 block, in a @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry preceded
3064 by the @code{\set} command. As with all context settings, users can
3065 pick which of the three different locations they would like to
3066 set @code{proportionalNotationDuration} in to.
3068 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
3069 which is the reference duration against that all music will be spaced.
3070 The LilyPond Scheme function @code{make-moment} takes two arguments
3071 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
3072 a whole note. The call @code{(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces
3073 a reference duration of a twentieth note. Values such as
3074 @code{(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
3075 @code{(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
3077 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
3078 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial
3079 and error, beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest)
3080 duration in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely;
3081 larger reference durations space music tightly.
3083 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3086 \new RhythmicStaff {
3090 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
3097 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
3104 \new RhythmicStaff {
3108 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
3115 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
3122 \new RhythmicStaff {
3126 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
3133 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
3139 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
3140 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
3141 Also that proportional notation in general takes up more horizontal
3142 space than classical spacing. Proportional spacing provides rhythmic
3143 clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
3145 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
3147 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
3148 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
3151 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3154 \new RhythmicStaff {
3158 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
3161 \new RhythmicStaff {
3163 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
3170 The spacing is bad because the evenly spaced notes of the bottom staff
3171 do not stretch uniformly. Classical engravings include very few complex
3172 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
3173 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} fixes this.
3175 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3178 \new RhythmicStaff {
3182 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
3185 \new RhythmicStaff {
3187 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
3194 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
3200 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
3201 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than the notes
3202 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
3203 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
3204 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
3206 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3209 \new RhythmicStaff {
3213 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
3216 \new RhythmicStaff {
3218 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
3225 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
3226 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
3232 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
3233 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
3234 timeline or graphic if we want.
3236 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
3237 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
3238 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
3239 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
3240 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
3241 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
3244 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
3245 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
3246 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
3247 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
3248 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
3250 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
3251 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
3252 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
3253 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
3254 different places in the score. We do this with the command
3255 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
3257 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
3258 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
3259 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{prefatory} space
3260 just before the first note in each system.
3262 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3275 The amount of this prefatory space is the same whether after a time
3276 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
3277 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
3278 reduces this space to zero.
3280 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3286 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
3294 non-musical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
3295 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
3296 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
3297 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
3298 problems differently.
3300 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
3301 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
3302 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
3303 of time signatures, especially for those scores
3304 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
3305 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
3306 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
3308 So what strategies exist for spacing non-musical elements in a
3309 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
3310 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
3312 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3314 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
3324 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
3325 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
3335 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
3336 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
3337 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
3338 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
3339 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
3340 part in the spacing algorithm.
3342 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
3343 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
3346 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
3347 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
3348 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
3349 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
3350 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
3351 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
3354 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
3355 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
3356 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
3357 for these related settings.
3361 @ref{New spacing area}.
3367 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
3368 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
3370 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
3371 (or third, or fourth@dots{}) page. This is annoying, especially
3372 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
3373 of room left on those.
3375 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
3376 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
3377 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
3378 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
3381 * Displaying spacing::
3382 * Changing spacing::
3386 @node Displaying spacing
3387 @subsection Displaying spacing
3389 @funindex annotate-spacing
3390 @cindex spacing, display of layout
3392 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
3393 that may be altered for page formatting, set
3394 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
3396 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
3397 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
3398 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
3401 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
3407 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless
3408 of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
3409 In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75
3410 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the
3411 default value). Note that:
3413 @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm}
3416 @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm
3419 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts
3421 @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm
3426 In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to
3427 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75
3428 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height
3429 of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs
3430 (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower
3431 edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval.
3435 @ref{Setting the staff size}.
3441 @node Changing spacing
3442 @subsection Changing spacing
3444 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
3445 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
3446 layout variables, see @ref{Page layout}.
3448 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
3452 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
3453 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
3454 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
3458 system-system-spacing = #'((basic-distance . 0.1) (padding . 0))
3459 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
3465 Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just
3466 setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems
3467 being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to
3468 be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed,
3469 giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual
3470 reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For
3471 example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following
3472 assignment will force a layout with 10 systems.
3481 Force the number of pages. For example, the following
3482 assignment will force a layout with 2 pages.
3491 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
3492 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
3493 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
3494 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
3495 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
3496 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
3498 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
3500 e4 c g-\tweak #'X-offset #-2.7 -\tweak #'Y-offset #2.5 \f c
3504 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
3505 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
3506 example illustrates the default spacing:
3508 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
3521 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
3522 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
3523 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
3524 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
3526 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
3538 \override SpacingSpanner
3539 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
3546 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
3547 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
3548 block so that it applies to the whole score.
3555 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.