@c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*- @c This file is part of lilypond.tely @ignore Translation of GIT committish: FILL-IN-HEAD-COMMITTISH When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the version that you are working on. See TRANSLATION for details. @end ignore @c \version "2.12.0" @ignore GDP TODO list Negative numbers are allowed: > Are you sure? The following works well > \paper{ > first-page-number = -2 > } > and prints page number -1 on the second page, for example. In 5.2.1 the @refbugs (line 495 in spacing.itely on master) it states: "@code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the staff lines." Could we add a sentence: "Use instead the pair fontSize = #@var{N} \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep @var{N}) inside the Staff context to change the size of the font and the distance between staff lines accordingly." Actually I found, that the @internalsref{StaffSymbol} at line 481 sends to an uncomplete documentation. The property staff-space is not explained here. I thought Y-extent might be of help, but it is in turn explained by x-space which again is missing from the list. Who has the knowledge to fix this? Clarify http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=68 @end ignore @node Spacing issues @chapter Spacing issues The global paper layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set. This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how many pages a piece of music takes. Globally speaking, this procedure happens in four steps: first, flexible distances (@q{springs}) are chosen, based on durations. All possible line breaking combinations are tried, and a @q{badness} score is calculated for each. Then the height of each possible system is estimated. Finally, a page breaking and line breaking combination is chosen so that neither the horizontal nor the vertical spacing is too cramped or stretched. Settings which influence layout may be placed in two blocks. The @code{\paper @{...@}} block is placed outside any @code{\score @{...@}} blocks and contains settings that relate to the entire document. The @code{\layout @{...@}} block is placed within a @code{\score @{...@}} block and contains settings for that particular score. If you have only one @code{\score @{...@}} block the two have the same effect. In general the commands shown in this chapter can be placed in either. @menu * Paper and pages:: * Music layout:: * Breaks:: * Vertical spacing:: * Horizontal spacing:: * Fitting music onto fewer pages:: @end menu @node Paper and pages @section Paper and pages This section deals with the boundaries that define the area within which music can be printed. @menu * Paper size:: * Page formatting:: @end menu @node Paper size @subsection Paper size @cindex paper size @cindex page size Two functions are available for changing the paper size: @code{set-default-paper-size} and @code{set-paper-size}. @code{set-default-paper-size} must be placed in the toplevel scope, and @code{set-paper-size} must be placed in a @code{\paper} block: @example #(set-default-paper-size "a4") @end example @example \paper @{ #(set-paper-size "a4") @} @end example @noindent @code{set-default-paper-size} sets the size of all pages, whereas @code{set-paper-size} only sets the size of the pages that the @code{\paper} block applies to. For example, if the @code{\paper} block is at the top of the file, then it will apply the paper size to all pages. If the @code{\paper} block is inside a @code{\book}, then the paper size will only apply to that book. Common paper sizes are available, including @code{a4}, @code{letter}, @code{legal}, and @code{11x17} (also known as tabloid). Many more paper sizes are supported by default. For details, see @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, and search for the definition of @code{paper-alist}. @c TODO add a new appendix for paper sizes (auto-generated) -pm @warning{The default paper size is @code{a4}.} Extra sizes may be added by editing the definition of @code{paper-alist} in the initialization file @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, however they will be overridden on a subsequent install. @cindex orientation @cindex landscape If the symbol @code{'landscape} is supplied as an argument to @code{set-default-paper-size}, pages will be rotated by 90 degrees, and wider line widths will be set accordingly. @example #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape) @end example Setting the paper size will adjust a number of @code{\paper} variables, such as margins. To use a particular paper size with altered @code{\paper} variables, set the paper size before setting the variables. @seealso Installed Files: @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}. Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Page formatting @subsection Page formatting Margins, headers, and footers and other layout variables are automatically set according to the paper size. This section lists and describes a number of paper variables that may be altered. @menu * Vertical dimensions:: * Horizontal dimensions:: * Other layout variables:: @end menu @node Vertical dimensions @unnumberedsubsubsec Vertical dimensions These variables are used to set different vertical dimensions on a page: @funindex \paper @table @code @item after-title-space @funindex after-title-space The amount of space between the title and the first system. Default: @code{5\mm}. @item before-title-space @funindex before-title-space Amount of space between the last system of the previous piece and the title of the next. Default: @code{10\mm}. @item between-system-padding @funindex between-system-padding The minimum amount of white space that will always be present between the bottom-most symbol of one system, and the top-most of the next system. Default: @code{4\mm}. Increasing this will put systems whose bounding boxes almost touch farther apart. @item between-system-space @funindex between-system-space The distance between systems. It is the ideal distance between the center of the bottom staff of one system and the center of the top staff of the next system. Default: @code{20\mm}. Increasing this value will provide a more even appearance of the page at the cost of using more vertical space. @item between-title-space @funindex between-title-space Amount of space between consecutive titles (e.g., the title of the book and the title of a piece). Default: @code{2\mm}. @item bottom-margin @funindex bottom-margin The margin between footer and bottom of the page. Default: @code{6\mm}. @item foot-separation @funindex foot-separation Distance between the bottom-most music system and the page footer. Default: @code{4\mm}. @item head-separation @funindex head-separation Distance between the top-most music system and the page header. Default: @code{4\mm}. @item page-top-space @funindex page-top-space Distance from the top of the printable area to the center of the first staff. This only works for staves that are vertically small. Big staves are set with the top of their bounding box aligned to the top of the printable area. Default: @code{12\mm}. @item paper-height @funindex paper-height The height of the page. Default: the height of the current paper size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}. @item top-margin @funindex top-margin The margin between header and top of the page. Default: @code{5\mm}. @end table @snippets The header and footer are created by the functions make-footer and make-header, defined in \paper. The default implementations are in ly/paper-defaults.ly and ly/titling-init.ly. The page layout itself is done by two functions in the \paper block, page-music-height and page-make-stencil. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual page given the system to put on it. You can define paper block values in Scheme. In that case mm, in, pt, and cm are variables defined in paper-defaults.ly with values in millimeters. That is why the value 2 cm must be multiplied in the example @example \paper @{ #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm)) @} @end example Example: @example \paper@{ paper-width = 2\cm top-margin = 3\cm bottom-margin = 3\cm ragged-last-bottom = ##t @} @end example This second example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page. @example \paper @{ print-page-number = ##t print-first-page-number = ##t oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @} evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @} oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{ \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @} evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{ \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @} @} @end example You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm}, @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters. That is why the value must be multiplied in the example @example \paper @{ #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm)) @} @end example The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer} and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default implementations are in @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/.ly} and @file{ly/@/titling@/-init@/.ly}. The page layout itself is done by two functions in the @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual page given the system to put on it. @seealso Notation Reference: @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}. Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Horizontal dimensions @unnumberedsubsubsec Horizontal dimensions @warning{If @code{paper-width} is manually set, @code{line-width}, @code{left-margin}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} may have to be adjusted as well.} There are a few variables that determine the horizontal dimensions on a page: @table @code @item horizontal-shift @funindex horizontal-shift The amount that all systems (including titles and system separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0}. @item indent @funindex indent The level of indentation for the first system in a score. Default: @code{paper-width} divided by @code{14}, as determined by @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}. @item left-margin @funindex left-margin The margin between the left edge of the page and the beginning of each system. Default: @code{10\mm}, as determined by @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}. @item line-width @funindex line-width The width of music systems. Default: @code{paper-width} minus @code{20\mm}, as determined by @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}. @item paper-width @funindex paper-width The width of the page. Default: the width of the current paper size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}. @item short-indent @funindex short-indent The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the first system. Default: @code{0}, as determined by @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}. @end table @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @knownissues The option @code{right-margin} is defined but doesn't set the right margin yet. The value for the right margin has to be defined by adjusting the values of @code{left-margin} and @code{line-width}. @node Other layout variables @unnumberedsubsubsec Other layout variables These variables can be used to adjust page layout in general. @table @code @item auto-first-page-number @funindex auto-first-page-number The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This will result in the first page number remaining as is or being increased by one. Default: @code{##f}. @ignore FIXME: this variable is used, but I don't know what it does. -pm @item blank-after-score-page-force @funindex blank-after-score-page-force Default: @code{2}. @end ignore @item blank-last-page-force @funindex blank-last-page-force The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page. Default: @code{0}. @item blank-page-force @funindex blank-page-force The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default: @code{5}. @item first-page-number @funindex first-page-number The value of the page number on the first page. Default: @code{#1}. @item max-systems-per-page The maximum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm. Default: unset. @item min-systems-per-page The minimum number of systems that will be placed on a page. This may cause pages to be overfilled if it is made too large. This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm. Default: unset. @item page-breaking-between-system-padding @funindex page-breaking-between-system-padding Tricks the page breaker into thinking that @code{between-system-padding} is set to something different than it really is. For example, if this variable is set to something substantially larger than @code{between-system-padding}, then the page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset. @item page-count @funindex page-count The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset. @item page-limit-inter-system-space @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}. @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default: @code{1.4}. For details, see @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}. @item page-spacing-weight @funindex page-spacing-weight The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more important. Default: @code{#10}. @item print-all-headers @funindex print-all-headers If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are printed. Default: @code{##f}. @item print-first-page-number @funindex print-first-page-number If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page. Default: @code{##f}. @item print-page-number @funindex print-page-number If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default: @code{##t}. @item ragged-bottom @funindex ragged-bottom If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}. This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three systems per page, for example orchestral scores. @item ragged-last @funindex ragged-last If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}. @item ragged-last-bottom @funindex ragged-last-bottom If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last page. Default: @code{##t}. Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to true. It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created with @code{\bookpart} blocks. @item ragged-right @funindex ragged-right If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead, systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}. If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}. @item system-separator-markup @funindex system-separator-markup A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often used for orchestral scores. Default: unset. The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible default, for example @lilypond[quote,ragged-right] #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape) \book { \score { \relative { c1 \break c1 } } \paper { system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator } } @end lilypond @item system-count @funindex system-count The number of systems to be used for a score. Default: unset. @item systems-per-page @funindex systems-per-page The number of systems that should be placed on each page. This is currently supported only by the @code{ly:optimal-breaking} algorithm. Default: unset. @end table @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @knownissues The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument} field from the @code{\header} block on a line. The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will add space between the titles and the first system of the score. @node Music layout @section Music layout @menu * Setting the staff size:: * Score layout:: @end menu @node Setting the staff size @subsection Setting the staff size @cindex font size, setting @cindex staff size, setting @funindex layout file The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points. This may be changed in two ways: To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}. @example #(set-global-staff-size 14) @end example @noindent This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all fonts accordingly. To set the staff size individually for each score, use @example \score@{ ... \layout@{ #(layout-set-staff-size 15) @} @} @end example The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines. The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table: @quotation @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2 @item @b{font name} @tab @b{staff height (pt)} @tab @b{staff height (mm)} @tab @b{use} @item feta11 @tab 11.22 @tab 3.9 @tab pocket scores @item feta13 @tab 12.60 @tab 4.4 @tab @item feta14 @tab 14.14 @tab 5.0 @tab @item feta16 @tab 15.87 @tab 5.6 @tab @item feta18 @tab 17.82 @tab 6.3 @tab song books @item feta20 @tab 20 @tab 7.0 @tab standard parts @item feta23 @tab 22.45 @tab 7.9 @tab @item feta26 @tab 25.2 @tab 8.9 @tab @c modern rental material? @end multitable @end quotation These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size. @seealso Notation Reference: @ref{Selecting notation font size}. Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @knownissues @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the staff lines. @node Score layout @subsection Score layout @funindex \layout While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific layout. @example \layout @{ indent = 2.0\cm \context @{ \Staff \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6) @} \context @{ \Voice \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3 @} @} @end example @seealso Notation Reference: @ref{Changing context default settings}. Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Breaks @section Breaks @menu * Line breaking:: * Page breaking:: * Optimal page breaking:: * Optimal page turning:: * Minimal page breaking:: * Explicit breaks:: * Using an extra voice for breaks:: @end menu @node Line breaking @subsection Line breaking @cindex line breaks @cindex breaking lines Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However, line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e., where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line, you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""}, although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of the staves at this point, or it will be ignored. The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the bar line where it is inserted. The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent} and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of the lines. If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is. @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but affects only the last line of the piece. @example \layout @{ indent = #0 line-width = #150 ragged-last = ##t @} @end example @cindex regular line breaks @cindex four bar music. For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken every 4 measures, and only there: @example << \repeat unfold 7 @{ s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak s1 \break @} @emph{the real music} >> @end example @c TODO Check this A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and complicated. More details are available in @rlsr{Spacing}. @predefined @funindex \break @code{\break}, @funindex \noBreak @code{\noBreak}. @endpredefined @seealso Internals Reference: @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}. Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @knownissues Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim] c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing c2 c4 | % a break here would work c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break c4 c2 c4 @end lilypond This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}. Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel with the music. @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim] \new Voice \with { \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver } { c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed c2 c4 } @end lilypond Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar lines. This behavior can be changed by setting @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}. @node Page breaking @subsection Page breaking The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces a line break. The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups. There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing: @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page respectively will not be justified vertically. For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}. Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond provides three algorithms for computing page breaks, @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block: @example \paper@{ #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking) @} @end example @c TODO Check this -td The old page breaking algorithm is called @code{optimal-page-breaks}. If you are having trouble with the new page breakers, you can enable the old one as a workaround. @funindex \bookpart When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different book parts. @example \bookpart @{ \header @{ subtitle = "Preface" @} \paper @{ %% In a part consisting mostly of text, %% ly:minimal-breaking may be prefered #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking) @} \markup @{ @dots{} @} @dots{} @} \bookpart @{ %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal %% page breaking function is used. \header @{ subtitle = "First movement" @} \score @{ @dots{} @} @dots{} @} @end example @predefined @funindex \pageBreak @code{\pageBreak}, @funindex \noPageBreak @code{\noPageBreak}. @endpredefined @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Optimal page breaking @subsection Optimal page breaking @funindex ly:optimal-breaking The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns. @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Optimal page turning @subsection Optimal page turning @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns in specified places. There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow page breaks. There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your input file at the appropriate places. If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in the section. @funindex minimumPageTurnLength The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must be before a page turn is considered. The default value for @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large. @example \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @} @{ a4 b c d | R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here a4 b c d | \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2) R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here a4 b r2 | R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here a1 @} @end example @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value. The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and top-level markups. @predefined @funindex \pageTurn @code{\pageTurn}, @funindex \noPageTurn @code{\noPageTurn}, @funindex \allowPageTurn @code{\allowPageTurn}. @endpredefined @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @knownissues There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more than one, they will interfere with each other. @node Minimal page breaking @subsection Minimal page breaking @funindex ly:minimal-breaking The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using: @example \paper @{ #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking) @} @end example @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Explicit breaks @subsection Explicit breaks Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands. There are two commands to override this behavior: @example \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f @end example When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else. @lilypond[quote,verbatim] \paper { indent = #0 ragged-right = ##t ragged-bottom = ##t } \score { \new Score \with { \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f } { \new Staff { \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } } } } @end lilypond @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Using an extra voice for breaks @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly. @example \new Score @{ \new Staff @{ \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @} \break \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @} @} @} @end example This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to contain the breaks. This extra voice contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other breaking layout information. @lilypond[quote,verbatim] \new Score { \new Staff << \new Voice { s1 * 2 \break s1 * 3 \break s1 * 6 \break s1 * 5 \break } \new Voice { \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } } >> } @end lilypond This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}. @lilypond[quote,verbatim] \new Score { \new Staff << \new Voice { \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)) s1 * 2 \break \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35)) s1 * 3 \break \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70)) s1 * 6 \break \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105)) s1 * 5 \break } \new Voice { \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 } } >> } @end lilypond @seealso Notation Reference: @ref{Vertical spacing}. Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Vertical spacing @section Vertical spacing @cindex vertical spacing @cindex spacing, vertical Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of space between systems, and the amount of space between staves inside a system. @menu * Vertical spacing inside a system:: * Vertical spacing between systems:: * Explicit staff and system positioning:: * Two-pass vertical spacing:: * Vertical collision avoidance:: @end menu @node Vertical spacing inside a system @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system @cindex distance between staves @cindex staff distance @cindex space between staves @cindex space inside systems The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent staves from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set. By changing these, you can put staves closer together. This reduces the amount of space each system requires, and may result in having more systems per page. Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the property @code{minimum-Y-extent}. When applied to a @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup}, it controls the size of a horizontal line, such as a staff or a line of lyrics. @code{minimum-Y-extent} takes a pair of numbers, so if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)} then you could set @example \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-3 . 3) @end example @noindent This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on either side of the center staff line. The value @code{(-3 . 3)} is interpreted as an interval, where the center line is the 0, so the first number is generally negative. The numbers need not match; for example, the staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting it to @code{(-6 . 4)}. After page breaks are determined, the vertical spacing within each system is reevaluated in order to fill the page more evenly; if a page has space left over, systems are stretched in order to fill that space. The amount of stretching can be configured though the @code{max-stretch} property of the @rinternals{VerticalAlignment} grob. By default, @code{max-stretch} is set to zero, disabling stretching. To enable stretching, a sane value for @code{max-stretch} is @code{ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch}. In some situations, you may want to stretch most of a system while leaving some parts fixed. For example, if a piano part occurs in the middle of an orchestral score, you may want to leave the piano staves close to each other while stretching the rest of the score. The @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} property of @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup} can be used to achieve this. When set to @code{##t}, this property keeps its staff (or line of lyrics) from moving relative to the one directly above it. In the example above, you would override @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} to @code{##t} in the second piano staff: @lilypond[verbatim] #(set-default-paper-size "a6") #(set-global-staff-size 14.0) \book { \paper { ragged-last-bottom = ##f } \new Score \with { \override VerticalAlignment #'max-stretch = #ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch } { \new GrandStaff << \new StaffGroup << \new Staff {c' d' e' f'} \new Staff {c' d' e' f'} \new Staff {c' d' e' f'} >> \new PianoStaff << \new Staff {c' d' e' f'} \new Staff \with { \override VerticalAxisGroup #'keep-fixed-while-stretching = ##t } {c' d' e' f'} >> \new StaffGroup << \new Staff {c' d' e' f'} \new Staff {c' d' e' f'} >> >> } } @end lilypond Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the @code{VerticalAlignment} object. The context parameters specifying the vertical extent are described in connection with the @code{Axis_group_engraver}. @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly}, @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}. Internals Reference: @rinternals{VerticalAlignment}, @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}. @node Vertical spacing between systems @subsection Vertical spacing between systems Space between systems are controlled by four @code{\paper} variables, @example \paper @{ between-system-space = 1.5\cm between-system-padding = #1 ragged-bottom=##f ragged-last-bottom=##f @} @end example When only a couple of flat systems are placed on a page, the resulting vertical spacing may be non-elegant: one system at the top of the page, and the other at the bottom, with a huge gap between them. To avoid this situation, the space added between the systems can be limited. This feature is activated by setting to @code{#t} the @code{page-limit-inter-system-space} variable in the @code{\paper} block. The paper variable @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor} determines how much the space can be increased: for instance, the value @code{1.3} means that the space can be 30% larger than what it would be on a ragged-bottom page. In the following example, if the inter system space were not limited, the second system of page 1 would be placed at the page bottom. By activating the space limitation, the second system is placed closer to the first one. By setting @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor} to @code{1}, the spacing would the same as on a ragged-bottom page, like the last one. @lilypond[verbatim] #(set-default-paper-size "a6") \book { \paper { page-limit-inter-system-space = ##t page-limit-inter-system-space-factor = 1.3 oddFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom" evenFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom" oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line { "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string } evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line { "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string } } \new Staff << \repeat unfold 4 { g'4 g' g' g' \break } { s1*2 \pageBreak } >> } @end lilypond @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Explicit staff and system positioning @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding different staves and systems running down the page. It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding, @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact vertical positions on the page. @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative list of five different settings: @itemize @item @code{X-offset} @item @code{Y-offset} @item @code{alignment-offsets} @item @code{alignment-extra-space} @item @code{fixed-alignment-extra-space} @end itemize Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file: @itemize @item in the middle of note entry directly @item in a @code{\context} block @item in the @code{\with} block @end itemize When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry, use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special @code{\overrideProperty} command: @example \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20)) \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40)) \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)) \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-offsets . (0 -15))) \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40) (alignment-offsets . (0 -15))) @end example To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all. @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np @lilypond[quote] \header { tagline = ##f } \paper { left-margin = 0\mm } \book { \score { << \new Staff << \new Voice { s1*5 \break s1*5 \break s1*5 \break } \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } } >> \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } } >> } } @end lilypond This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated. See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}. Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob: @lilypond[quote] \header { tagline = ##f } \paper { left-margin = 0\mm } \book { \score { << \new Staff << \new Voice { \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)) s1*5 \break \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40)) s1*5 \break \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80)) s1*5 \break } \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } } >> \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } } >> } } @end lilypond Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note, too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical position on the page at which each new system will render. Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can also set the vertical startpoint of each staff within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-offsets} subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}. @lilypond[quote] \header { tagline = ##f } \paper { left-margin = 0\mm } \book { \score { << \new Staff << \new Voice { \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20) (alignment-offsets . (0 -15))) s1*5 \break \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60) (alignment-offsets . (0 -15))) s1*5 \break \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100) (alignment-offsets . (0 -15))) s1*5 \break } \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } } >> \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } } >> } } @end lilypond Note that here we assign two different values to the @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-offsets} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-offsets} specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups. @lilypond[quote] \header { tagline = ##f } \paper { left-margin = 0\mm } \book { \score { << \new Staff << \new Voice { \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0) (alignment-offsets . (0 -30 -40))) s1*5 \break \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60) (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -20))) s1*5 \break \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn" #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100) (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -40))) s1*5 \break } \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } } >> \new StaffGroup << \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } } \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } } >> >> } } @end lilypond Some points to consider: @itemize @item When using @code{alignment-offsets}, lyrics count as a staff. @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset}, @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-offsets} are interpreted as multiples of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down. @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values passed to these different settings will avoid this. @end itemize @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Two-pass vertical spacing @subsection Two-pass vertical spacing @warning{Two-pass vertical spacing is deprecated and will be removed in a future version of LilyPond. Systems are now stretched automatically in a single pass. See @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}.} In order to automatically stretch systems so that they should fill the space left on a page, a two-pass technique can be used: @enumerate @item In the first pass, the amount of vertical space used to increase the height of each system is computed and dumped to a file. @item In the second pass, spacing inside the systems are stretched according to the data in the page layout file. @end enumerate The @code{ragged-bottom} property adds space between systems, while the two-pass technique adds space between staves inside a system. To allow this behavior, a @code{tweak-key} variable has to be set in each score @code{\layout} block, and the tweaks included in each score music, using the @code{\scoreTweak} music function. @quotation @verbatim %% include the generated page layout file: \includePageLayoutFile \score { \new StaffGroup << \new Staff << %% Include this score tweaks: \scoreTweak "scoreA" { \clef french c''1 \break c''1 } >> \new Staff { \clef soprano g'1 g'1 } \new Staff { \clef mezzosoprano e'1 e'1 } \new Staff { \clef alto g1 g1 } \new Staff { \clef bass c1 c1 } >> \header { piece = "Score with tweaks" } %% Define how to name the tweaks for this score: \layout { #(define tweak-key "scoreA") } } @end verbatim @end quotation For the first pass, the @code{dump-tweaks} option should be set to generate the page layout file. @example lilypond -dbackend=null -d dump-tweaks .ly lilypond .ly @end example @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Vertical collision avoidance @subsection Vertical collision avoidance @funindex outside-staff-priority @funindex outside-staff-padding @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with another object. LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority} is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition, @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects should be placed. First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to the staff. @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim] c4_"Text"\pp r2. \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff r2. % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number, % we disable the automatic collision avoidance \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide @end lilypond The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with @code{outside-staff-padding}. @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim] \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note" \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text" c^"This text is placed close to the previous text" @end lilypond By default, outside-staff objects are placed only to avoid a horizontal collision with previously-positioned grobs. This can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each other horizontally. The vertical spacing between staffs can also be set so that outside staff objects are interleaved. Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding} causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation doesn't occur. @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim] % the markup is too close to the following note c4^"Text" c4 c''2 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this R1 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1 c,,4^"Text" c4 c''2 @end lilypond @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Horizontal spacing @section Horizontal spacing @cindex horizontal spacing @cindex spacing, horizontal @menu * Horizontal spacing overview:: * New spacing area:: * Changing horizontal spacing:: * Line length:: * Proportional notation:: @end menu @node Horizontal spacing overview @subsection Horizontal spacing overview The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a fixed amount of space (which is controlled by @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner} object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note. For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW). The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc. @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1] c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4 @end lilypond Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is approximately the width of a note head, and @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally followed by one NHW of space. If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd, thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather the one which occurs most frequently. The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option. These durations may also be customized. If you set the @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}. @funindex common-shortest-duration @funindex base-shortest-duration @funindex stem-spacing-correction @funindex spacing Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW: @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2] c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4 @end lilypond In the introduction (see @rlearning{Engraving}), it was explained that stem directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same property for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows these corrections, once with default settings, and once with exaggerated corrections: @lilypond[quote,ragged-right] { c'4 e''4 e'4 b'4 | b'4 e''4 b'4 e''4| \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5 c'4 e''4 e'4 b'4 | b'4 e''4 b'4 e''4| } @end lilypond Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}. @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. Internals Reference: @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, @rinternals{StaffSpacing}, @rinternals{NonMusicalPaperColumn}. @knownissues There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score, adjusting the padding value as necessary. @example \override Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn #'padding = #10 @end example No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space. @node New spacing area @subsection New spacing area New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are sections with a different notions of long and short notes. In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider. @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote] \time 2/4 c4 c8 c c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4 \newSpacingSection \time 4/16 c16[ c c8] @end lilypond The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s may be used in that location. @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. Internals Reference: @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}. @node Changing horizontal spacing @subsection Changing horizontal spacing Horizontal spacing may be altered with the @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here we compare the same music; once without altering the property, and then altered. Larger values of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration than @code{1 16}. @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm] \score { \relative c'' { g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 | g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 | d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 | g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 | } } @end lilypond @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm] \score { \relative c'' { g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 | g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 | d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 | g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 | } \layout { \context { \Score \override SpacingSpanner #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16) } } } @end lilypond @snippets By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This property can only be changed at the beginning of a score, @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim] \new Score \with { \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t } << \new Staff{ \times 4/5 { c8 c8 c8 c8 c8 } c8 c8 c8 c8 } \new Staff{ c8 c8 c8 c8 \times 4/5 { c8 c8 c8 c8 c8 } } >> @end lilypond When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes, @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim] \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] } @end lilypond @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Line length @subsection Line length @cindex page breaks @cindex breaking pages @funindex indent @funindex line-width @funindex ragged-right @funindex ragged-last @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper @c block, to get page layout right. @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works. @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples? The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of the lines. If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is. @cindex page layout @cindex vertical spacing The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length. @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line. @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to @c interpolate between both these solutions. @example \layout @{ indent = #0 line-width = #150 ragged-last = ##t @} @end example @seealso Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Proportional notation @subsection Proportional notation LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement of timelines or other graphics directly in the score. LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation, which may be used together or alone: @itemize @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration} @item @code{uniform-stretching} @item @code{strict-note-spacing} @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver} @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t} @end itemize In the examples that follow, we explore these five different proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact. We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical spacing with ragged-right turned on. @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right] \new Score << \new RhythmicStaff { c'2 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 \times 4/5 { c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 } } >> @end lilypond Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes) which end the measure together take up far more than half the horizontal space of the measure. In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve horizontal space across the measure as a whole. On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration setting. @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right] \new Score \with { proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20) } << \new RhythmicStaff { c'2 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 \times 4/5 { c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 } } >> @end lilypond The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below this example. The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting that lives in @code{Score}. Recall that context settings appear in one of three locations in our input file -- in a @code{\with} block, in a @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry preceded by the @code{\set} command. As with all context settings, users can pick which of the three different locations they would like to set @code{proportionalNotationDuration}. The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument, which is the reference duration against which all music will be spaced. The LilyPond Scheme function make-moment takes two arguments -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces a reference duration of a twentieth note. The values @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well. How do we select the right reference duration to pass to @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial and error, beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest) duration in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely; larger reference durations space music tightly. @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right] \new Score \with { proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8) } << \new RhythmicStaff { c'2 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 \times 4/5 { c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 } } >> \new Score \with { proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16) } << \new RhythmicStaff { c'2 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 \times 4/5 { c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 } } >> \new Score \with { proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32) } << \new RhythmicStaff { c'2 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 \times 4/5 { c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 } } >> @end lilypond Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note, above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions. Note also that proportional notation in general takes up more horizontal space that does classical spacing. Proportional spacing provides rhythmic clarity at the expense of horizontal space. Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets. We start by examining what happens to our original example, with classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of tuplet. @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right] \new Score << \new RhythmicStaff { c'2 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 \times 4/5 { c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 } } \new RhythmicStaff { \times 8/9 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } } >> @end lilypond The spacing is bad because the evenly notes of the bottom staff do not stretch uniformly. Classical engraving includes very few complex triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} remedies this situation considerably. @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right] \new Score \with { proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20) } << \new RhythmicStaff { c'2 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 \times 4/5 { c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 } } \new RhythmicStaff { \times 8/9 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } } >> @end lilypond But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than do the notes of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right] \new Score \with { proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20) \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t } << \new RhythmicStaff { c'2 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 \times 4/5 { c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 } } \new RhythmicStaff { \times 8/9 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } } >> @end lilypond Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured timeline or graphic if we want. Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal space. The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration, overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in a Score \context block, or in note entry directly. There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however, override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at different places in the score. We do this with the command @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info. Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space just before the first note in each system. @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right] \paper { indent = #0 } \new Staff { c'1 \break c'1 } @end lilypond The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} reduces this space to zero. @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right] \paper { indent = #0 } \new Staff \with { \remove Separating_line_group_engraver } { c'1 \break c'1 } @end lilypond Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these problems differently. It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true of time signatures, especially for those scores that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential. So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing} property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below: @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right] \new Staff { \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16) c''8 c''8 c''8 \clef alto d'8 d'2 } \new Staff { \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16) \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t c''8 c''8 c''8 \clef alto d'8 d'2 } @end lilypond Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no part in the spacing algorithm. In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include: @itemize @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t} @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t} @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t} @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t} @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t} @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context} @end itemize These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual for these related settings. @seealso Notation Reference: @ref{New spacing area}. Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Fitting music onto fewer pages @section Fitting music onto fewer pages Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty of room left on those. When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout spacing variables; for more details see the following section, @ref{Displaying spacing}. @menu * Displaying spacing:: * Changing spacing:: @end menu @node Displaying spacing @subsection Displaying spacing @funindex annotate-spacing @cindex spacing, display of layout To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables that may be altered for page formatting, set @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block: @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn @lilypond[verbatim,quote] #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape) \book { \score { { c4 } } \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t } } @end lilypond @noindent All layout dimensions are displayed in staff-spaces, regardless of the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block. In the above example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75 @code{staff-spaces}, and the @code{staff-size} is 20 points (the default value). Note that: @multitable {1 staff-space} {staff-size)/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm} @item 1 point @tab = (25.4/72.27) mm @item 1 staff-space @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 pts @item @tab = (@code{staff-size})/4 * (25.4/72.27) mm @end multitable @noindent In this case, one @code{staff-space} is approximately equal to 1.757mm. Thus the @code{paper-height} measurement of 59.75 @code{staff-spaces} is equivalent to 105 millimeters, the height of @code{a6} paper in landscape orientation. The pairs (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals, where @var{a} is the lower edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the interval. @seealso @ref{Setting the staff size} Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}. @node Changing spacing @subsection Changing spacing The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}. Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space: @itemize @item Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that there is no blank space at the bottom of the page. @example \paper @{ between-system-padding = #0.1 between-system-space = #0.1 ragged-last-bottom = ##f ragged-bottom = ##f @} @end example @item Force the number of systems. This can help in two ways. Just setting a value, even the same value as the number of systems being typeset by default, will sometimes cause more systems to be fitted onto each page, as an estimation step is then bypassed, giving a more accurate fit to each page. Also, forcing an actual reduction in the number of systems may save a further page. For example, if the default layout has 11 systems, the following assignment will force a layout with 10 systems. @example \paper @{ system-count = #10 @} @end example @item Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of a system can be moved closer to the staff: @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1] e4 c g\f c \override DynamicText #'extra-offset = #'( -2.2 . 2.0) e4 c g\f c @end lilypond @item Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following example illustrates the default spacing: @lilypond[verbatim,quote] \score { \relative c'' { g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 | g4 e e2 | } } @end lilypond @noindent The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs: @lilypond[verbatim,quote] \score { \relative c'' { g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 | g4 e e2 | } \layout { \context { \Score \override SpacingSpanner #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2) } } } @end lilypond @noindent The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context} block so that it applies to the whole score. @end itemize @seealso Notation Reference: @ref{Page formatting}, @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. Snippets: @rlsr{Spacing}.