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14 @chapter Tweaking output
16 This chapter discusses how to modify output. LilyPond is extremely
17 configurable; virtually every fragment of output may be changed.
22 * The Internals Reference manual::
23 * Appearance of objects::
24 * Placement of objects::
25 * Collisions of objects::
30 @section Tweaking basics
33 * Introduction to tweaks::
34 * Objects and interfaces::
35 * Naming conventions of objects and properties::
39 @node Introduction to tweaks
40 @subsection Introduction to tweaks
42 @q{Tweaking} is a LilyPond term for the various methods available
43 to the user for modifying the actions taken during interpretation
44 of the input file and modifying the appearance of the printed
45 output. Some tweaks are very easy to use; others are more
46 complex. But taken together the methods available for tweaking
47 permit almost any desired appearance of the printed music to be
50 In this section we cover the basic concepts required to understand
51 tweaking. Later we give a variety of ready-made commands which can
52 simply be copied to obtain the same effect in your own scores, and
53 at the same time we show how these commands may be constructed so
54 that you may learn how to develop your own tweaks.
56 Before starting on this Chapter you may wish to review the section
57 @ref{Contexts and engravers}, as Contexts, Engravers, and the
58 Properties contained within them are fundamental to understanding
59 and constructing Tweaks.
61 @node Objects and interfaces
62 @subsection Objects and interfaces
68 @cindex properties, object
69 @cindex object properties
71 @cindex object, layout
74 Tweaking involves modifying the internal operation and structures
75 of the LilyPond program, so we must first introduce some terms
76 which are used to describe those internal operations and
79 The term @q{Object} is a generic term used to refer to the
80 multitude of internal structures built by LilyPond during the
81 processing of an input file. So when a command like @code{\new
82 Staff} is encountered a new object of type @code{Staff} is
83 constructed. That @code{Staff} object then holds all the
84 properties associated with that particular staff, for example, its
85 name and its key signature, together with details of the engravers
86 which have been assigned to operate within that staff's context.
87 Similarly, there are objects to hold the properties of all other
88 contexts, such as @code{Voice} objects, @code{Score} objects,
89 @code{Lyrics} objects, as well as objects to represent all
90 notational elements such as bar lines,
91 note heads, ties, dynamics, etc. Every object has its own set of
94 Some types of object are given special names. Objects which represent
95 items of notation on the printed output such as note heads, stems,
96 slurs, ties, fingering, clefs, etc are called @q{Layout objects},
97 often known as @q{Graphical Objects}, or @q{Grobs} for short. These
98 are still objects in the generic sense above, and so they too all have
99 properties associated with them, such as their position, size, color,
102 Some layout objects are still more specialized. Phrasing slurs,
103 crescendo hairpins, ottava marks, and many other grobs are not
104 localized in a single place -- they have a starting point, an
105 ending point, and maybe other properties concerned with their
106 shape. Objects with an extended shape like these are called
109 It remains to explain what @q{Interfaces} are. Many objects, even
110 though they are quite different, share common features which need to
111 be processed in the same way. For example, all grobs have a color, a
112 size, a position, etc, and all these properties are processed in the
113 same way during LilyPond's interpretation of the input file. To
114 simplify these internal operations these common actions and properties
115 are grouped together in an object called a @code{grob-interface}.
116 There are many other groupings of common properties like this, each
117 one given a name ending in @code{interface}. In total there are over
118 100 such interfaces. We shall see later why this is of interest and
121 These, then, are the main terms relating to objects which we
122 shall use in this chapter.
124 @node Naming conventions of objects and properties
125 @subsection Naming conventions of objects and properties
127 @cindex naming conventions for objects
128 @cindex naming conventions for properties
129 @cindex objects, naming conventions
130 @cindex properties, naming conventions
132 We met some object naming conventions previously, in
133 @ref{Contexts and engravers}. Here for reference is a list
134 of the most common object and property types together with
135 the conventions for naming them and a couple of examples of
136 some real names. We have used @q{A} to stand for any capitalized
137 alphabetic character and @q{aaa} to stand for any number of
138 lower-case alphabetic characters. Other characters are used
141 @multitable @columnfractions .33 .33 .33
142 @headitem Object/property type
143 @tab Naming convention
146 @tab Aaaa or AaaaAaaaAaaa
147 @tab Staff, GrandStaff
149 @tab Aaaa or AaaaAaaaAaaa
152 @tab Aaaa_aaa_engraver
153 @tab Clef_engraver, Note_heads_engraver
155 @tab aaa-aaa-interface
156 @tab grob-interface, break-aligned-interface
157 @item Context Properties
158 @tab aaa or aaaAaaaAaaa
159 @tab alignAboveContext, skipBars
160 @item Layout Object Properties
161 @tab aaa or aaa-aaa-aaa
162 @tab direction, beam-thickness
165 As we shall see shortly, the properties of different types of object are
166 modified by different commands, so it is useful to be able to recognize
167 the types of objects and properties from their names.
170 @node Tweaking methods
171 @subsection Tweaking methods
173 @cindex tweaking methods
176 * The \override command::
177 * The \revert command::
179 * The \overrideProperty command::
180 * The \tweak command::
183 @node The \override command
184 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{\override} command
186 @cindex override command
187 @cindex override syntax
192 We have already met the commands @code{\set} and @code{\with}, used to
193 change the properties of @strong{contexts} and to remove and add
194 @strong{engravers}, in @ref{Modifying context properties}, and
195 @ref{Adding and removing engravers}. We must now introduce some more
198 The command to change the properties of @strong{layout objects} is
199 @code{\override}. Because this command has to modify
200 internal properties deep within LilyPond its syntax is not
201 as simple as the commands you have used so far. It needs to
202 know precisely which property of which object in which context
203 has to be modified, and what its new value is to be. Let's see
206 The general syntax of this command is:
209 \override @var{Context}.@var{LayoutObject}.@var{layout-property} = #@var{value}
213 This will set the property with the name @var{layout-property} of the
214 layout object with the name @var{LayoutObject}, which is a member of
215 the @var{Context} context, to the value @var{value}.
217 The @var{Context} may be omitted (and usually is) when the
218 required context is unambiguously implied and is one of lowest
219 level contexts, i.e., @code{Voice}, @code{ChordNames} or
220 @code{Lyrics}, and we shall omit it in many of the following
221 examples. We shall see later when it must be specified.
223 Later sections deal comprehensively with properties and their
224 values, see @ref{Types of properties}. But in this section we shall
225 use just a few simple properties and values which are easily
226 understood in order to illustrate the format and use of these
229 LilyPond's primary expressions are musical items like notes,
230 durations, and markups. More basic expressions like numbers,
231 strings, and lists are processed in @q{Scheme mode}, which is
232 invoked by prefixing the value with @samp{#}. Although the
233 values may sometimes have a valid representation in LilyPond's
234 musical mode, this manual will always use @samp{#} for their
235 entry for the sake of consistency. For more information about
236 Scheme mode, see @rextend{LilyPond Scheme syntax}.
238 @code{\override} is the most common command used in tweaking, and
239 most of the rest of this chapter will be directed to presenting
240 examples of how it is used. Here is a simple example to change the
241 color of the note head:
243 @cindex color property, example
244 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
246 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
248 \override NoteHead.color = #red
250 \override NoteHead.color = #green
255 @node The \revert command
256 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{\revert} command
258 @cindex revert command
263 Once overridden, the property retains its new value until it is
264 overridden again or a @code{\revert} command is encountered.
265 The @code{\revert} command has the following syntax and causes
266 the value of the property to revert to its original default
267 value; note, not its previous value if several @code{\override}
268 commands have been issued.
271 \revert @var{Context}.@var{LayoutObject}.@var{layout-property}
274 Again, just like @var{Context} in the @code{\override} command,
275 @var{Context} is often not needed. It will be omitted
276 in many of the following examples. Here we revert the color
277 of the note head to the default value for the final two notes:
279 @cindex color property, example
280 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
282 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
284 \override NoteHead.color = #red
286 \override NoteHead.color = #green
288 \revert NoteHead.color
293 @node The \once prefix
294 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{\once} prefix
299 Both the @code{\override} and the @code{\set} commands may be prefixed
300 by @code{\once}. This causes the following @code{\override} or
301 @code{\set} command to be effective only during the current musical
302 moment before the property reverts back to its previous value (this can
303 be different from the default if another @code{\override} is still in
304 effect). Using the same example, we can change the color of a single
307 @cindex color property, example
308 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
310 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=1]
312 \override NoteHead.color = #red
314 \once \override NoteHead.color = #green
316 \revert NoteHead.color
320 The @code{\once} prefix may also be used in front of many
321 predefined commands to limit their effect to one musical moment:
323 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=1]
332 However, predefined commands of the form @code{\...Neutral},
333 @code{\...Off} and @code{\un...} use @code{\revert} internally rather
334 than @code{\override} so prefixing these with @code{\once} has no
338 @node The \overrideProperty command
339 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{\overrideProperty} command
341 @cindex overrideProperty command
343 @funindex \overrideProperty
344 @funindex overrideProperty
346 There is another form of the override command,
347 @code{\overrideProperty}, which is occasionally required.
348 We mention it here for completeness, but for details see
349 @rextend{Difficult tweaks}.
350 @c Maybe explain in a later iteration -td
353 @node The \tweak command
354 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{\tweak} command
356 @cindex tweak command
361 The final tweaking command which is available is @code{\tweak}. This
362 should be used when several objects occur at the same musical moment,
363 but you only want to change the properties of selected ones, such as a
364 single note within a chord. Using @code{\override} would affect all the
365 notes within a chord, whereas @code{\tweak} affects just the following
366 item in the input stream.
368 Here's an example. Suppose we wish to change the size of the
369 middle note head (the E) in a C major chord. Let's first see what
370 @code{\once \override} would do:
372 @cindex font-size property, example
373 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
375 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
377 \once \override NoteHead.font-size = #-3
382 We see the override affects @emph{all} the note heads in the chord.
383 This is because all the notes of a chord occur at the same
384 @emph{musical moment}, and the action of @code{\once} is to
385 apply the override to all layout objects of the type specified
386 which occur at the same musical moment as the @code{\override}
389 The @code{\tweak} command operates in a different way. It acts on
390 the immediately following item in the input stream. In its simplest
391 form, it is effective only on objects which are created directly
392 from the following item, essentially note heads and articulations.
394 So to return to our example, the size of the middle note of
395 a chord would be changed in this way:
397 @cindex font-size property, example
398 @cindex @code{\tweak}, example
400 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
402 <c \tweak font-size #-3 e g>4
405 Note that the syntax of @code{\tweak} is different from that of the
406 @code{\override} command. The context should not be specified; in
407 fact, it would generate an error to do so. Both context and layout
408 object are implied by the following item in the input stream. Note
409 also that an equals sign should not be present. So the simple form
410 of the @code{\tweak} command is
413 \tweak @var{layout-property} #@var{value}
416 A @code{\tweak} command can also be used to modify just one in
417 a series of articulations, as shown here:
419 @cindex color property, example
420 @cindex @code{\tweak}, example
422 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
424 -\tweak color #red ^"Red"
425 -\tweak color #green _"Green"
429 Note that the @code{\tweak} command must be preceded by an articulation
430 mark since the tweaked expression needs to be applied as an articulation
431 itself. In case of multiple direction overrides (@code{^} or @code{_}),
432 the leftmost override wins since it is applied last.
434 @cindex @code{\tweak}, Accidental
435 @cindex @code{\tweak}, specific layout object
437 Objects such as stems and accidentals are created later, and not
438 directly from the following event. It is still possible to use
439 @code{\tweak} on such indirectly created objects by explicitly naming
440 the layout object, provided that LilyPond can trace its origin back to
443 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
444 <\tweak Accidental.color #red cis4
445 \tweak Accidental.color #green es
449 This long form of the @code{\tweak} command can be described as
452 \tweak @var{layout-object}.@var{layout-property} @var{value}
455 @cindex tuplets, nested
456 @cindex triplets, nested
457 @cindex bracket, tuplet
458 @cindex bracket, triplet
459 @cindex tuplet bracket
460 @cindex triplet bracket
462 @funindex TupletBracket
464 The @code{\tweak} command must also be used to change the
465 appearance of one of a set of nested tuplets which begin at the
466 same musical moment. In the following example, the long tuplet
467 bracket and the first of the three short brackets begin at the
468 same musical moment, so any @code{\override} command would apply
469 to both of them. In the example, @code{\tweak} is used to
470 distinguish between them. The first @code{\tweak} command
471 specifies that the long tuplet bracket is to be placed above the
472 notes and the second one specifies that the tuplet number is to be
473 printed in red on the first short tuplet bracket.
475 @cindex @code{\tweak}, example
476 @cindex direction property, example
477 @cindex color property, example
479 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim,fragment,relative=2]
483 \tuplet 3/2 { c8[ c c] }
484 \tuplet 3/2 { c8[ c c] }
485 \tuplet 3/2 { c8[ c c] }
489 If nested tuplets do not begin at the same moment, their
490 appearance may be modified in the usual way with
491 @code{\override} commands:
493 @cindex text property, example
494 @cindex tuplet-number function, example
495 @cindex transparent property, example
496 @cindex TupletNumber, example of overriding
498 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim,fragment,relative=1]
499 \tuplet 3/2 { c8[ c c] }
500 \once \override TupletNumber.text = #tuplet-number::calc-fraction-text
504 \once \override TupletNumber.transparent = ##t
505 \tuplet 3/2 { c8[ c c] }
506 \tuplet 3/2 { c8[ c c] }
513 @ruser{The tweak command}.
516 @node The Internals Reference manual
517 @section The Internals Reference manual
519 @cindex Internals Reference
522 * Properties of layout objects::
523 * Properties found in interfaces::
524 * Types of properties::
527 @node Properties of layout objects
528 @subsection Properties of layout objects
530 @cindex properties of layout objects
531 @cindex properties of grobs
532 @cindex grobs, properties of
533 @cindex layout objects, properties of
534 @cindex Internals Reference manual
536 Suppose you have a slur in a score which, to your mind,
537 appears too thin and you'd like to draw it a little heavier.
538 How do you go about doing this? You know from the statements
539 earlier about the flexibility of LilyPond that such a thing
540 should be possible, and you would probably guess that an
541 @code{\override} command would be needed. But is there a
542 heaviness property for a slur, and if there is, how might it
543 be modified? This is where the Internals Reference manual
544 comes in. It contains all the information you might need to
545 construct this and all other @code{\override} commands.
547 Before we look at the Internals Reference a word of warning.
548 This is a @strong{reference} document, which means there is
549 little or no explanation contained within it: its purpose is
550 to present information precisely and concisely. This
551 means it might look daunting at first sight. Don't worry!
552 The guidance and explanation presented here will enable you
553 to extract the information from the Internals Reference for
554 yourself with just a little practice.
556 @cindex override example
557 @cindex Internals Reference, example of using
558 @cindex @code{\addlyrics} example
560 Let's use a concrete example with a simple fragment of real
563 @c Mozart, Die Zauberflöte Nr.7 Duett
565 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
570 r4 bes8 bes[( g]) g |
571 g8[( es]) es d[( f]) as |
575 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
580 Suppose now that we decide we would like the slurs to be a
581 little heavier. Is this possible? The slur is certainly a
582 layout object, so the question is, @q{Is there a property
583 belonging to a slur which controls the heaviness?} To answer
584 this we must look in the Internals Reference, or IR for short.
586 The IR for the version of LilyPond you are using may be found
587 on the LilyPond website at @uref{http://lilypond.org}. Go to the
588 documentation page and click on the Internals Reference link.
589 For learning purposes you should use the standard HTML version,
590 not the @q{one big page} or the PDF. For the next few
591 paragraphs to make sense you will need to actually do this
594 Under the heading @strong{Top} you will see five links. Select
595 the link to the @emph{Backend}, which is where information about
596 layout objects is to be found. There, under the heading
597 @strong{Backend}, select the link to @emph{All layout objects}.
598 The page that appears lists all the layout objects used in your
599 version of LilyPond, in alphabetic order. Select the link to
600 Slur, and the properties of Slurs are listed.
602 An alternative way of finding this page is from the Notation
603 Reference. On one of the pages that deals with slurs you may find a
604 link to the Internals Reference. This link will take you directly to
605 this page, but if you have an idea about the name of the layout object
606 to be tweaked, it is easier to go straight to the IR and search there.
608 This Slur page in the IR tells us first that Slur objects are created
609 by the Slur_engraver. Then it lists the standard settings. Browse
610 through them looking for a property that might control the heaviness of
611 slurs, and you should find
614 @code{thickness} (number)
616 Line thickness, generally measured in @code{line-thickness}
619 This looks a good bet to change the heaviness. It tells us that
620 the value of @code{thickness} is a simple @emph{number},
621 that the default value is 1.2, and that the units are
622 in another property called @code{line-thickness}.
624 As we said earlier, there are few to no explanations in the IR,
625 but we already have enough information to try changing the
626 slur thickness. We see that the name of the layout object
627 is @code{Slur}, that the name of the property to change is
628 @code{thickness} and that the new value should be a number
629 somewhat larger than 1.2 if we are to make slurs thicker.
631 We can now construct the @code{\override} command by simply
632 substituting the values we have found for the names, omitting
633 the context. Let's use a very large value for the thickness
634 at first, so we can be sure the command is working. We get:
637 \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
640 Don't forget the@tie{}@code{#} preceding the new value!
642 The final question is, @q{Where should this command be
643 placed?} While you are unsure and learning, the best
644 answer is, @q{Within the music, before the first slur and
645 close to it.} Let's do that:
647 @cindex Slur example of overriding
648 @cindex thickness property, example
650 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
655 % Increase thickness of all following slurs from 1.2 to 5.0
656 \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
657 r4 bes8 bes[( g]) g |
658 g8[( es]) es d[( f]) as |
662 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
668 and we see that the slur is indeed heavier.
670 So this is the basic way of constructing @code{\override}
671 commands. There are a few more complications that we
672 shall meet in later sections, but you now know all the
673 essentials required to make up your own -- but you will
674 still need some practice. This is provided in the examples
677 @subsubsubheading Finding the context
679 @cindex context, finding
680 @cindex context, identifying correct
682 But first, what if we had needed to specify the Context?
683 What should it be? We could guess that slurs are in
684 the Voice context, as they are clearly closely associated
685 with individual lines of music, but can we be sure? To
686 find out, go back to the top of the IR page describing the
687 Slur, where it says @q{Slur objects are created by: Slur
688 engraver}. So slurs will be created in whichever context
689 the @code{Slur_engraver} is in. Follow the link to the
690 @code{Slur_engraver} page. At the very bottom it tells
691 us that @code{Slur_engraver} is part of seven Voice contexts,
692 including the standard voice context, @code{Voice}, so our
693 guess was correct. And because @code{Voice} is one of the
694 lowest level contexts which is implied unambiguously by
695 the fact that we are entering notes, we can omit it in this
698 @subsubsubheading Overriding once only
700 @cindex overriding once only
701 @cindex once override
706 As you can see, @emph{all} the slurs are thicker in the final example
707 above. But what if we wanted just the first slur to be thicker? This
708 is achieved with the @code{\once} command. Placed immediately before
709 the @code{\override} command it causes it to change only the slur
710 which begins on the @strong{immediately following} note. If the
711 immediately following note does not begin a slur the command has no
712 effect at all -- it is not remembered until a slur is encountered, it
713 is simply discarded. So the command with @code{\once} must be
714 repositioned as follows:
716 @cindex Slur, example of overriding
717 @cindex thickness property, example
719 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
725 % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
726 \once \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
728 g8[( es]) es d[( f]) as |
732 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
738 Now only the first slur is made heavier.
740 The @code{\once} command can also be used before the @code{\set}
743 @subsubsubheading Reverting
746 @cindex default properties, reverting to
751 Finally, what if we wanted just the first two slurs to be
752 heavier? Well, we could use two commands, each preceded by
753 @code{\once} placed immediately before each of the notes where
756 @cindex Slur, example of overriding
757 @cindex thickness property, example
759 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
765 % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
766 \once \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
768 % Increase thickness of immediately following slur only
769 \once \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
770 g8[( es]) es d[( f]) as |
774 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
780 or we could omit the @code{\once} command and use the @code{\revert}
781 command to return the @code{thickness} property to its default value
782 after the second slur:
784 @cindex Slur, example of overriding
785 @cindex thickness property, example
787 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
793 % Increase thickness of all following slurs from 1.2 to 5.0
794 \override Slur.thickness = #5.0
797 % Revert thickness of all following slurs to default of 1.2
798 \revert Slur.thickness
803 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
809 The @code{\revert} command can be used to return any property
810 changed with @code{\override} back to its default value.
811 You may use whichever method best suits what you want to do.
813 That concludes our introduction to the IR, and the basic
814 method of tweaking. Several examples follow in the later
815 sections of this Chapter, partly to introduce you to some of the
816 additional features of the IR, and partly to give you more
817 practice in extracting information from it. These examples will
818 contain progressively fewer words of guidance and explanation.
821 @node Properties found in interfaces
822 @subsection Properties found in interfaces
825 @cindex interface properties
826 @cindex properties in interfaces
828 Suppose now that we wish to print the lyrics in italics. What form of
829 @code{\override} command do we need to do this? We first look in the
830 IR page listing @q{All layout objects}, as before, and look for an
831 object that might control lyrics. We find @code{LyricText}, which
832 looks right. Clicking on this shows the settable properties for lyric
833 text. These include the @code{font-series} and @code{font-size}, but
834 nothing that might give an italic shape. This is because the shape
835 property is one that is common to all font objects, so, rather than
836 including it in every layout object, it is grouped together with other
837 similar common properties and placed in an @strong{Interface}, the
838 @code{font-interface}.
840 So now we need to learn how to find the properties of interfaces,
841 and to discover what objects use these interface properties.
843 Look again at the IR page which describes LyricText. At the bottom of
844 the page is a list of clickable interfaces which LyricText supports.
845 The list has several items, including @code{font-interface}. Clicking
846 on this brings up the properties associated with this interface, which
847 are also properties of all the objects which support it, including
850 Now we see all the user-settable properties which control fonts,
851 including @code{font-shape(symbol)}, where @code{symbol} can be
852 set to @code{upright}, @code{italics} or @code{caps}.
854 You will notice that @code{font-series} and @code{font-size} are also
855 listed there. This immediately raises the question: Why are the
856 common font properties @code{font-series} and @code{font-size} listed
857 under @code{LyricText} as well as under the interface
858 @code{font-interface} but @code{font-shape} is not? The answer is
859 that @code{font-series} and @code{font-size} are changed from their
860 global default values when a @code{LyricText} object is created, but
861 @code{font-shape} is not. The entries in @code{LyricText} then tell
862 you the values for those two properties which apply to
863 @code{LyricText}. Other objects which support @code{font-interface}
864 will set these properties differently when they are created.
866 Let's see if we can now construct the @code{\override} command
867 to change the lyrics to italics. The object is @code{LyricText},
868 the property is @code{font-shape} and the value is
869 @code{italic}. As before, we'll omit the context.
871 As an aside, although it is an important one, note that some
872 properties take values that are symbols, like @code{italic}, and
873 must be preceded by an apostrophe, @code{'}. Symbols are then
874 read internally by LilyPond. Note the distinction from arbitrary
875 text strings, which would appear as @code{"a text string"}; for
876 more details about symbols and strings, see @rextend{Scheme tutorial}.
878 So we see that the @code{\override} command needed to print the lyrics
882 \override LyricText.font-shape = #'italic
886 This should be placed just in front of the lyrics we wish to affect,
889 @cindex font-shape property, example
890 @cindex italic, example
891 @cindex LyricText, example of overriding
892 @cindex @code{\addlyrics}, example
894 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
899 r4 bes8 bes[( g]) g |
900 g8[( es]) es d[( f]) as |
904 \override LyricText.font-shape = #'italic
905 The man who | feels love's sweet e -- | mo -- tion
911 and the lyrics are all printed in italics.
913 @warning{In lyrics always leave whitespace between the final
914 syllable and the terminating brace.}
918 Extending: @rextend{Scheme tutorial}.
921 @node Types of properties
922 @subsection Types of properties
924 @cindex property types
926 So far we have seen two types of property: @code{number} and
927 @code{symbol}. To be valid, the value given to a property
928 must be of the correct type and obey the rules for that type.
929 The type of property is always shown in brackets after the
930 property name in the IR. Here is a list of the types you may
931 need, together with the rules for that type, and some examples.
932 You must always add a hash symbol, @code{#}, of course,
933 to the front of these values when they are entered in the
934 @code{\override} command, even if the value itself already
935 starts with@tie{}@code{#}. We only give examples for constants
936 here: if you want to compute a value using Scheme, see
937 @rextend{Calculations in Scheme}.
939 @multitable @columnfractions .2 .45 .35
940 @headitem Property type
944 @tab Either True or False, represented by #t or #f
945 @tab @code{#t}, @code{#f}
946 @item Dimension (in staff space)
947 @tab A decimal number (in units of staff space)
948 @tab @code{2.5}, @code{0.34}
950 @tab A valid direction constant or its numerical equivalent
951 (@code{0} or @code{CENTER} indicate a neutral direction)
952 @tab @code{LEFT}, @code{CENTER}, @code{UP},
953 @code{1}, @w{@code{-1}}
956 @tab @code{3}, @code{-1}
958 @tab A sequence of constants or symbols separated by spaces, enclosed
960 and preceded by an apostrophe (quote mark)
961 @tab @code{'(left-edge staff-bar)}, @code{'(1)}, @code{'()},
962 @code{'(1.0 0.25 0.5)}
964 @tab Any valid markup
965 @tab @code{\markup @{ \italic "cresc." @}}, @code{"bagpipe"}
967 @tab A fraction of a whole note constructed with the
969 @tab @code{(ly:make-moment 1/4)},
970 @code{(ly:make-moment 3/8)}
972 @tab Any positive or negative, possibly decimal, value
973 @tab @code{3}, @w{@code{-2.45}}
974 @item Pair (of numbers)
975 @tab Two numbers separated by a @q{space . space} and enclosed
976 in brackets preceded by an apostrophe
977 @tab @code{'(2 . 3.5)}, @code{'(0.1 . -3.2)}
979 @tab Any of the set of permitted symbols for that property,
980 preceded by an apostrophe
981 @tab @code{'italic}, @code{'inside}
983 @tab A procedure, or @code{#f} to cause no action
984 @tab @code{bend::print}, @code{ly:text-interface::print},
988 enclosed in @code{#(}@dots{}@code{)}.
989 @tab @code{#(#t #t #f)}
994 Extending: @rextend{Scheme tutorial}.
997 @node Appearance of objects
998 @section Appearance of objects
1000 Let us now put what we have learned into practice with a few
1001 examples which show how tweaks may be used to change the
1002 appearance of the printed music.
1005 * Visibility and color of objects::
1007 * Length and thickness of objects::
1010 @node Visibility and color of objects
1011 @subsection Visibility and color of objects
1013 In the educational use of music we might wish to print a score
1014 with certain elements omitted as an exercise for the student,
1015 who is required to supply them. As a simple example,
1016 let us suppose the exercise is to supply the missing bar lines
1017 in a piece of music. But the bar lines are normally inserted
1018 automatically. How do we prevent them printing?
1020 Before we tackle this, let us remember that object properties are
1021 grouped in what are called @emph{interfaces} -- see @ref{Properties
1022 found in interfaces}. This is simply to group together those
1023 properties that may be used together to tweak a graphical object -- if
1024 one of them is allowed for an object, so are the others. Some objects
1025 then use the properties in some interfaces, others use them from other
1026 interfaces. The interfaces which contain the properties used by a
1027 particular grob are listed in the IR at the bottom of the page
1028 describing that grob, and those properties may be viewed by looking at
1031 We explained how to find information about grobs in @ref{Properties of
1032 layout objects}. Using the same approach, we go to the IR to find the
1033 layout object which prints bar lines. Going via @emph{Backend} and
1034 @emph{All layout objects} we find there is a layout object called
1035 @code{BarLine}. Its properties include two that control its
1036 visibility: @code{break-visibility} and @code{stencil}. Barline also
1037 supports a number of interfaces, including the @code{grob-interface},
1038 where we find the @code{transparent} and the @code{color} properties.
1039 All of these can affect the visibility of bar lines (and, of course,
1040 by extension, many other layout objects too.) Let's consider each of
1044 * The stencil property::
1045 * The break-visibility property::
1046 * The transparent property::
1047 * The color property::
1050 @node The stencil property
1051 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{stencil} property
1053 @cindex stencil property
1055 This property controls the appearance of the bar lines by specifying
1056 the symbol (glyph) which should be printed. In common
1057 with many other properties, it can be set to print nothing by
1058 setting its value to @code{#f}. Let's try it, as before, omitting
1059 the implied Context, @code{Voice}:
1061 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1062 @cindex stencil property, example
1064 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1067 \override BarLine.stencil = ##f
1069 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1074 The bar lines are still printed. What is wrong? Go back to the IR
1075 and look again at the page giving the properties of BarLine. At the
1076 top of the page it says @qq{Barline objects are created by:
1077 Bar_engraver}. Go to the @code{Bar_engraver} page. At the bottom it
1078 gives a list of Contexts in which the bar engraver operates. All of
1079 them are of the type @code{Staff}, so the reason the @code{\override}
1080 command failed to work as expected is because @code{Barline} is not in
1081 the default @code{Voice} context. If the context is specified
1082 incorrectly, the command simply does not work. No error message is
1083 produced, and nothing is logged in the log file. Let's try correcting
1084 it by adding the correct context:
1086 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1087 @cindex stencil property, example
1089 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1092 \override Staff.BarLine.stencil = ##f
1094 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1099 Now the bar lines have vanished. Setting the @code{stencil}
1100 property to @code{#f} is such a frequent operation that there is a
1101 shorthand for it called @code{\omit}:
1104 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1109 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1114 Note, though, that setting the @code{stencil} property to @code{#f}
1115 will cause errors when the dimensions of the object are required for
1116 correct processing. For example, errors will be generated if the
1117 @code{stencil} property of the @code{NoteHead} object is set to
1118 @code{#f}. If this is the case, you can instead use the
1119 @code{point-stencil} function, which sets the stencil to a object
1122 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
1125 \once \override NoteHead.stencil = #point-stencil
1130 @node The break-visibility property
1131 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{break-visibility} property
1133 @cindex break-visibility property
1135 We see from the @code{BarLine} properties in the IR that the
1136 @code{break-visibility} property requires a vector of three booleans.
1137 These control respectively whether bar lines are printed at the end of
1138 a line, in the middle of lines, and at the beginning of lines. For
1139 our example we want all bar lines to be suppressed, so the value we
1140 need is @code{#(#f #f #f)} (also available
1141 under the name @code{all-invisible}). Let's try that, remembering to include
1142 the @code{Staff} context. Note also that in writing this value we
1143 have @code{##} before the opening parenthesis. One @code{#} is required
1144 as part of vector constant syntax, and the first@tie{}@code{#} is
1145 required, as always, to precede the value itself in the
1146 @code{\override} command.
1148 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1149 @cindex break-visibility property, example
1151 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1154 \override Staff.BarLine.break-visibility = ##(#f #f #f)
1156 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1161 And we see this too removes all the bar lines.
1163 @node The transparent property
1164 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{transparent} property
1166 @cindex transparent property
1167 @cindex transparency
1169 We see from the properties specified in the @code{grob-interface} page
1170 in the IR that the @code{transparent} property is a boolean. This
1171 should be set to @code{#t} to make the grob transparent. In this next
1172 example let us make the time signature invisible rather than the bar
1173 lines. To do this we need to find the grob name for the time
1174 signature. Back to the @q{All layout objects} page in the IR to find
1175 the properties of the @code{TimeSignature} layout object. This is
1176 produced by the @code{Time_signature_engraver} which you can check
1177 also lives in the @code{Staff} context and also supports the
1178 @code{grob-interface}. So the command to make the time signature
1181 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1182 @cindex transparent property, example
1184 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1187 \override Staff.TimeSignature.transparent = ##t
1189 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1195 Again, setting the @code{transparent} property is a rather
1196 frequent operation, so we have a shorthand for it called
1200 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1203 \hide Staff.TimeSignature
1205 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1211 In either case, the time signature is gone, but this command
1213 the time signature should be. Maybe this is what is wanted for
1214 an exercise for the student to fill it in, but in other
1215 circumstances a gap might be undesirable. To remove it, the
1216 stencil for the time signature should be set to @code{#f}
1219 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1220 @cindex stencil property, example
1222 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1225 \omit Staff.TimeSignature
1227 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1233 and the difference is obvious: setting the stencil to @code{#f}
1234 (possibly via @code{\omit})
1235 removes the object entirely; making the object @code{transparent}
1236 (which can be done using @code{\hide})
1237 leaves it where it is, but makes it invisible.
1239 @node The color property
1240 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{color} property
1242 @cindex color property
1244 Finally let us try making the bar lines invisible by coloring
1245 them white. (There is a difficulty with this in that the
1246 white bar line may or may not blank out the staff lines where
1247 they cross. You may see in some of the examples below that this
1248 happens unpredictably. The details of why this is so and how to
1249 control it are covered in @ruser{Painting objects white}. But at
1250 the moment we are learning about color, so please just accept this
1251 limitation for now.)
1253 The @code{grob-interface} specifies that the
1254 color property value is a list, but there is no
1255 explanation of what that list should be. The list it
1256 requires is actually a list of values in internal units,
1257 but, to avoid having to know what these are, several ways
1258 are provided to specify colors. The first way is to use one
1259 of the @q{normal} colors listed in the first table in
1260 @ruser{List of colors}. To set the bar lines to white
1263 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1264 @cindex color property, example
1266 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1269 \override Staff.BarLine.color = #white
1271 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1277 and again, we see the bar lines are not visible. Note that
1278 @emph{white} is not preceded by an apostrophe -- it is not
1279 a symbol, but a @emph{variable}. When evaluated, it provides
1280 the list of internal values required to set the color to
1281 white. The other colors in the normal list are variables
1282 too. To convince yourself this is working you might like
1283 to change the color to one of the other variables in the
1291 The second way of changing the color is to use the list of
1292 X11 color names in the second list in @ruser{List of colors}.
1293 However, these are mapped to the actual values by the function
1294 @code{x11-color} which
1295 converts X11 color symbols into the list of internal values like this:
1297 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1298 @cindex color property, example
1300 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1303 \override Staff.BarLine.color = #(x11-color 'white)
1305 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1311 Note that in this case the function @code{x11-color} takes
1312 a symbol as an argument, so the symbol must be preceded by
1313 an apostrophe to keep it from being evaluated as a variable, and
1314 the whole function call has to be enclosed in parentheses.
1321 There is another function, one which converts RGB values into
1322 internal colors -- the @code{rgb-color} function. This takes
1323 three arguments giving the intensities of the red, green and
1324 blue colors. These take values in the range 0 to 1. So to
1325 set the color to red the value should be @code{(rgb-color 1 0 0)}
1326 and to white it should be @code{(rgb-color 1 1 1)}:
1328 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1329 @cindex color property, example
1331 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1334 \override Staff.BarLine.color = #(rgb-color 1 1 1)
1336 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1341 Finally, there is also a grey scale available as part of the
1342 X11 set of colors. These range from black, @code{'grey0},
1343 to white, @code{'grey100}, in steps of 1. Let's illustrate
1344 this by setting all the layout objects in our example to
1345 various shades of grey:
1347 @cindex StaffSymbol, example of overriding
1348 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1349 @cindex Clef, example of overriding
1350 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
1351 @cindex Stem, example of overriding
1352 @cindex BarLine, example of overriding
1353 @cindex color property, example
1354 @cindex x11-color, example of using
1356 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1359 \override Staff.StaffSymbol.color = #(x11-color 'grey30)
1360 \override Staff.TimeSignature.color = #(x11-color 'grey60)
1361 \override Staff.Clef.color = #(x11-color 'grey60)
1362 \override Voice.NoteHead.color = #(x11-color 'grey85)
1363 \override Voice.Stem.color = #(x11-color 'grey85)
1364 \override Staff.BarLine.color = #(x11-color 'grey10)
1366 g,8 a16 b8 c d4 e16 |
1372 Note the contexts associated with each of the layout objects.
1373 It is important to get these right, or the commands will not
1374 work! Remember, the context is the one in which the appropriate
1375 engraver is placed. The default context for engravers can be
1376 found by starting from the layout object, going from there to
1377 the engraver which produces it, and on the engraver page in the
1378 IR it tells you in which context the engraver will normally be
1382 @node Size of objects
1383 @subsection Size of objects
1385 @cindex changing size of objects
1386 @cindex size of objects
1387 @cindex objects, size of
1388 @cindex objects, changing size of
1390 Let us begin by looking again at the earlier example
1391 (see @ref{Nesting music expressions}) which showed
1392 how to introduce a new temporary staff, as in an @rglos{ossia}.
1394 @cindex alignAboveContext property, example
1395 @cindex @code{\with}, example
1397 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1398 \new Staff ="main" {
1405 alignAboveContext = #"main" }
1413 Ossia are normally written without clef and time signature, and
1414 are usually printed slightly smaller than the main staff. We
1415 already know now how to remove the clef and time signature --
1416 we simply set the stencil of each to @code{#f}, as follows:
1418 @cindex alignAboveContext property, example
1419 @cindex @code{\with}, example
1421 @cindex Clef, example of overriding
1422 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1424 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1425 \new Staff ="main" {
1432 alignAboveContext = #"main"
1436 \omit Staff.TimeSignature
1446 where the extra pair of braces after the @code{\with} clause are
1447 required to ensure the enclosed overrides and music are applied
1450 But what is the difference between modifying the staff context by
1451 using @code{\with} and modifying the stencils of the clef and the
1452 time signature with @code{\override}, or in this case
1454 The main difference is that
1455 changes made in a @code{\with} clause are made at the time the
1456 context is created, and remain in force as the @strong{default}
1457 values for the duration of that context, whereas
1458 @code{\set} or @code{\override} commands embedded in the
1459 music are dynamic -- they make changes synchronized with
1460 a particular point in the music. If changes are unset or
1461 reverted using @code{\unset} or @code{\revert} they return to
1462 their default values, which will be the ones set in the
1463 @code{\with} clause, or if none have been set there, the normal
1466 Some context properties can be modified only in @code{\with} clauses.
1467 These are those properties which cannot sensibly be changed after the
1468 context has been created. @code{alignAboveContext} and its partner,
1469 @code{alignBelowContext}, are two such properties -- once the staff
1470 has been created its alignment is decided and it would make no sense
1471 to try to change it later.
1473 The default values of layout object properties can also be set
1474 in @code{\with} clauses. Simply use the normal @code{\override}
1475 command leaving out the context name, since this is unambiguously
1476 defined as the context which the @code{\with} clause is modifying.
1477 If fact, an error will be generated if a context is specified
1480 So we could replace the example above with
1482 @cindex alignAboveContext property, example
1483 @cindex @code{\with}, example
1484 @cindex Clef, example of overriding
1485 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1487 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1488 \new Staff ="main" {
1495 alignAboveContext = #"main"
1496 % Don't print clefs in this staff
1497 \override Clef.stencil = ##f
1498 % Don't print time signatures in this staff
1499 \override TimeSignature.stencil = ##f
1508 It turns out that we can also employ the shorthands @code{\hide}
1509 and @code{\omit} for setting the @code{transparent} property and
1510 clearing the @code{stencil} here, leading to the result
1512 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1513 \new Staff ="main" {
1520 alignAboveContext = #"main"
1521 % Don't print clefs in this staff
1523 % Don't print time signatures in this staff
1533 Finally we come to changing the size of layout objects.
1535 Some layout objects are created as glyphs selected from a typeface
1536 font. These include note heads, accidentals, markup, clefs, time
1537 signatures, dynamics and lyrics. Their size is changed by modifying
1538 the @code{font-size} property, as we shall shortly see. Other layout
1539 objects such as slurs and ties -- in general, spanner objects -- are
1540 drawn individually, so there is no @code{font-size} associated with
1541 them. These objects generally derive their size from the objects to
1542 which they are attached, so usually there is no need to change their
1543 size manually. Still other properties such as the length of stems and
1544 bar lines, thickness of beams and other lines, and the separation of
1545 staff lines all need to be modified in special ways.
1547 Returning to the ossia example, let us first change the font-size.
1548 We can do this in two ways. We can either change the size of the
1549 fonts of each object type, like @code{NoteHead}s with commands
1553 \override NoteHead.font-size = #-2
1556 or we can change the size of all fonts by setting a special
1557 property, @code{fontSize}, using @code{\set}, or by including
1558 it in a @code{\with} clause (but without the @code{\set}).
1564 Both of these statements would cause the font size to be reduced
1565 by 2 steps from its previous value, where each
1566 step reduces or increases the size by approximately 12%.
1568 Let's try it in our ossia example:
1570 @cindex alignAboveContext property, example
1571 @cindex @code{\with}, example
1572 @cindex Clef, example of overriding
1573 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1574 @cindex fontSize property, example
1576 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1577 \new Staff ="main" {
1584 alignAboveContext = #"main"
1587 % Reduce all font sizes by ~24%
1597 This is still not quite right. The note heads and flags are
1598 smaller, but the stems are too long in proportion and the
1599 staff lines are spaced too widely apart. These need to be
1600 scaled down in proportion to the font reduction. The next
1601 sub-section discusses how this is done.
1603 @node Length and thickness of objects
1604 @subsection Length and thickness of objects
1610 @cindex size, changing
1611 @cindex stem length, changing
1612 @cindex staff line spacing, changing
1614 Distances and lengths in LilyPond are generally measured in
1615 staff-spaces, the distance between adjacent lines in the staff,
1616 (or occasionally half staff spaces) while most @code{thickness}
1617 properties are measured in units of an internal property called
1618 @code{line-thickness.} For example, by default, the lines of
1619 hairpins are given a thickness of 1 unit of @code{line-thickness},
1620 while the @code{thickness} of a note stem is 1.3. Note, though,
1621 that some thickness properties are different; for example, the
1622 thickness of beams is controlled by the value of the
1623 @code{beam-thickness} property, which is measured in staff-spaces.
1625 So how are lengths to be scaled in proportion to the font size?
1626 This can be done with the help of a special function called
1627 @code{magstep} provided for exactly this purpose. It takes
1628 one argument, the change in font size (#-2 in the example above)
1629 and returns a scaling factor suitable for reducing other
1630 objects in proportion. It is used like this:
1632 @cindex alignAboveContext property, example
1633 @cindex @code{\with}, example
1634 @cindex Clef, example of overriding
1635 @cindex TimeSignature, example of overriding
1636 @cindex fontSize property, example
1637 @cindex StaffSymbol, example of overriding
1638 @cindex magstep function, example of using
1639 @cindex staff-space property, example
1640 @cindex stencil property, example
1642 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1643 \new Staff ="main" {
1650 alignAboveContext = #"main"
1654 % Reduce stem length and line spacing to match
1655 \override StaffSymbol.staff-space = #(magstep -2)
1665 Since the length of stems and many other length-related properties are
1666 always calculated relative to the value of the @code{staff-space}
1667 property these are automatically scaled down in length too. Note that
1668 this affects only the vertical scale of the ossia -- the horizontal
1669 scale is determined by the layout of the main music in order to remain
1670 synchronized with it, so it is not affected by any of these changes in
1671 size. Of course, if the scale of all the main music were changed in
1672 this way then the horizontal spacing would be affected. This is
1673 discussed later in the layout section.
1675 This, then, completes the creation of an ossia. The sizes and
1676 lengths of all other objects may be modified in analogous ways.
1678 For small changes in scale, as in the example above, the
1679 thickness of the various drawn lines such as bar lines,
1680 beams, hairpins, slurs, etc does not usually require global
1681 adjustment. If the thickness of any particular layout object
1682 needs to be adjusted this can be best achieved by overriding its
1683 @code{thickness} property. An example of changing the thickness
1684 of slurs was shown above in @ref{Properties of layout objects}.
1685 The thickness of all drawn objects (i.e., those not produced
1686 from a font) may be changed in the same way.
1689 @node Placement of objects
1690 @section Placement of objects
1693 * Automatic behavior::
1694 * Within-staff objects::
1695 * Outside-staff objects::
1699 @node Automatic behavior
1700 @subsection Automatic behavior
1702 @cindex within-staff objects
1703 @cindex outside-staff objects
1704 @cindex objects, within-staff
1705 @cindex objects, outside-staff
1707 There are some objects in musical notation that belong to
1708 the staff and there are other objects that should be
1709 placed outside the staff. These are called within-staff
1710 objects and outside-staff objects respectively.
1712 Within-staff objects are those that are located on the staff
1713 -- note heads, stems, accidentals, etc. The positions of
1714 these are usually fixed by the music itself -- they are
1715 vertically positioned on specific lines of the staff or are
1716 tied to other objects that are so positioned. Collisions of
1717 note heads, stems and accidentals in closely set chords are
1718 normally avoided automatically. There are commands and
1719 overrides which can modify this automatic behavior, as we
1722 Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1723 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings. LilyPond's rule for
1724 the vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them
1725 as close to the staff as possible but not so close that they
1726 collide with any other object. LilyPond uses the
1727 @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine the order in
1728 which the objects should be placed, as follows.
1730 First, LilyPond places all the within-staff objects.
1731 Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1732 @code{outside-staff-priority}. The outside-staff objects are
1733 taken one by one, beginning with the object with the lowest
1734 @code{outside-staff-priority}, and placed so that they do not
1735 collide with any objects that have already been placed. That is,
1736 if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the
1737 one with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed
1738 closer to the staff. If two objects have the same
1739 @code{outside-staff-priority} the one encountered first will be
1740 placed closer to the staff.
1742 In the following example all the markup texts have the same
1743 priority (since it is not explicitly set). Note that @q{Text3}
1744 is automatically positioned close to the staff again, nestling
1747 @cindex markup example
1749 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1756 Staves are also positioned, by default, as closely together as
1757 possible (subject to a minimum separation). If notes project
1758 a long way towards an adjacent staff they will force the
1759 staves further apart only if an overlap of the notation
1760 would otherwise occur. The following example demonstrates
1761 this @q{nestling} of the notes on adjacent staves:
1763 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
1766 \relative c' { c4 a, }
1769 \relative c'''' { c4 a, }
1775 @node Within-staff objects
1776 @subsection Within-staff objects
1778 We have already seen how the commands @code{\voiceXXX} affect the
1779 direction of slurs, ties, fingering and everything else which depends on
1780 the direction of the stems -- see @ref{Explicitly instantiating voices}.
1781 These commands are essential when writing polyphonic music to permit
1782 interweaving melodic lines to be distinguished. But occasionally it may
1783 be necessary to override this automatic behavior. This can be done for
1784 whole sections of music or even for an individual note. The property
1785 which controls this behavior is the @code{direction} property of each
1786 layout object. We first explain what this does, and then introduce a
1787 number of ready-made commands which avoid your having to code explicit
1788 overrides for the more common modifications.
1790 Some layout objects like slurs and ties curve, bend or point
1791 either up or down; others like stems and flags also move to
1792 right or left when they point up or down. This is controlled
1793 automatically when @code{direction} is set.
1796 * The direction property::
1800 @node The direction property
1801 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{direction} property
1808 The following example shows in bar 1 the default behavior of stems,
1809 with those on high notes pointing down and those on low notes pointing
1810 up, followed by four notes with all stems forced down, four notes with
1811 all stems forced up, and finally four notes reverted back to the
1814 @cindex Stem, example of overriding
1815 @cindex direction property, example
1817 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
1819 \override Stem.direction = #DOWN
1821 \override Stem.direction = #UP
1823 \revert Stem.direction
1827 Here we use the constants @code{DOWN} and @code{UP}.
1828 These have the values @w{@code{-1}} and @code{+1} respectively, and
1829 these numerical values may be used instead. The value @code{0}
1830 may also be used in some cases. It is simply treated as meaning
1831 @code{UP} for stems, but for some objects it means @q{center}.
1832 There is a constant, @code{CENTER} which has the value @code{0}.
1834 However, these explicit overrides are not usually used, as there are
1835 simpler equivalent predefined commands available. Here is a table of
1836 the commonest. The meaning of each is stated where it is not obvious.
1838 @multitable @columnfractions .2 .2 .25 .35
1843 @item @code{\arpeggioArrowDown}
1844 @tab @code{\arpeggioArrowUp}
1845 @tab @code{\arpeggioNormal}
1846 @tab Arrow is at bottom, at top, or no arrow
1847 @item @code{\dotsDown}
1849 @tab @code{\dotsNeutral}
1850 @tab Direction of movement to avoid staff lines
1851 @item @code{\dynamicDown}
1852 @tab @code{\dynamicUp}
1853 @tab @code{\dynamicNeutral}
1855 @item @code{\phrasingSlurDown}
1856 @tab @code{\phrasingSlurUp}
1857 @tab @code{\phrasingSlurNeutral}
1858 @tab Note: distinct from slur commands
1859 @item @code{\slurDown}
1861 @tab @code{\slurNeutral}
1863 @item @code{\stemDown}
1865 @tab @code{\stemNeutral}
1867 @item @code{\textSpannerDown}
1868 @tab @code{\textSpannerUp}
1869 @tab @code{\textSpannerNeutral}
1870 @tab Text entered as spanner is below/above staff
1871 @item @code{\tieDown}
1873 @tab @code{\tieNeutral}
1875 @item @code{\tupletDown}
1876 @tab @code{\tupletUp}
1877 @tab @code{\tupletNeutral}
1878 @tab Tuplets are below/above notes
1881 The neutral/normal variants of these commands are implemented
1882 using @code{\revert} and may @strong{not} be
1883 preceded by @code{\once}. If you wish to limit the
1884 effect of the other commands (which are implemented using
1885 @code{\override}) to a single timestep, you can precede them with
1886 @code{\once} like you would do with explicit overrides.
1889 @unnumberedsubsubsec Fingering
1891 @cindex fingering, placement
1892 @cindex fingering, chords
1894 The placement of fingering on single notes can also be controlled
1895 by the @code{direction} property, but changing @code{direction}
1896 has no effect on chords. As we shall see, there are special
1897 commands which allow the fingering of individual notes
1898 of chords to be controlled, with the fingering being placed
1899 above, below, to the left or to the right of each note.
1901 First, here's the effect of @code{direction} on the fingering
1902 attached to single notes. The first bar shows the default
1903 behaviour, and the following two bars shows the effect of
1904 specifying @code{DOWN} and @code{UP}:
1906 @cindex Fingering, example of overriding
1907 @cindex direction property, example
1909 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
1911 \override Fingering.direction = #DOWN
1913 \override Fingering.direction = #UP
1917 However, overriding the @code{direction} property is not the
1918 easiest way of manually setting the fingering above or below
1919 the notes; using @code{_} or @code{^} instead of @code{-} before
1920 the fingering number is usually preferable. Here is the previous
1921 example using this method:
1923 @cindex fingering example
1925 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
1931 The @code{direction} property is ignored for chords, but the
1932 directional prefixes, @code{_} and @code{^} do work. By default,
1933 the fingering is automatically placed both above and below the
1934 notes of a chord, as shown:
1936 @cindex fingering example
1938 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
1945 but this may be overridden to manually force all or any of the
1946 individual fingering numbers above or below:
1948 @cindex fingering example
1950 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
1956 Even greater control over the placement of fingering of the
1957 individual notes in a chord is possible by using the
1958 @code{\set fingeringOrientations} command. The format of this
1962 @code{\set fingeringOrientations = #'([up] [left/right] [down])}
1966 @code{\set} is used because @code{fingeringOrientations} is a
1967 property of the @code{Voice} context, created and used by the
1968 @code{New_fingering_engraver}.
1970 The property may be set to a list of one to three values.
1971 It controls whether fingerings may be placed above (if
1972 @code{up} appears in the list), below (if @code{down} appears),
1973 to the left (if @code{left} appears, or to the right
1974 (if @code{right} appears). Conversely, if a location is not
1975 listed, no fingering is placed there. LilyPond takes these
1976 constraints and works out the best placement for the fingering
1977 of the notes of the following chords. Note that @code{left} and
1978 @code{right} are mutually exclusive -- fingering may be placed
1979 only on one side or the other, not both.
1981 @warning{To control the placement of the fingering of a single
1982 note using this command it is necessary to write it as a single
1983 note chord by placing angle brackets round it.}
1985 Here are a few examples:
1987 @cindex fingering example
1988 @cindex @code{\set}, example of using
1989 @cindex fingeringOrientations property, example
1991 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
1992 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1995 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
1997 <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>4 |
1998 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left down)
2001 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left)
2003 <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>4 |
2004 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(right)
2010 If the fingering seems a little crowded the @code{font-size}
2011 could be reduced. The default value can be seen from the
2012 @code{Fingering} object in the IR to be @w{@code{-5}}, so let's
2015 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
2016 \override Fingering.font-size = #-7
2017 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
2020 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left)
2022 <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>4 |
2023 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left down)
2026 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up left)
2028 <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>4 |
2029 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(right)
2034 @node Outside-staff objects
2035 @subsection Outside-staff objects
2037 Outside-staff objects are automatically placed to avoid collisions.
2038 There are several ways to override the automatic placement if the
2039 positioning is not optimum.
2042 * The outside-staff-priority property::
2043 * The \textLengthOn command::
2044 * Dynamics placement::
2049 @node The outside-staff-priority property
2050 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{outside-staff-priority} property
2052 Objects with the lower value of the @code{outside-staff-priority}
2053 property are placed nearer to the staff, and other outside-staff
2054 objects are then raised as far as necessary to avoid collisions.
2055 The @code{outside-staff-priority} is defined in the
2056 @code{grob-interface} and so is a property of all layout objects.
2057 By default it is set to @code{#f} for all within-staff objects,
2058 and to a numerical value appropriate to each outside-staff object
2059 when the object is created. The following table shows the default
2060 numerical values for some of the commonest outside-staff objects.
2064 Note the unusual names for some of the objects: spanner objects
2065 are automatically created to control the vertical positioning of
2066 grobs which (might) start and end at different musical moments, so
2067 changing the @code{outside-staff-priority} of the underlying grob
2068 will have no effect. For example, changing
2069 @code{outside-staff-priority} of the @code{Hairpin} object will
2070 have no effect on the vertical positioning of hairpins -- you must
2071 change @code{outside-staff-priority} of the associated
2072 @code{DynamicLineSpanner} object instead. This override must be
2073 placed at the start of the spanner, which might include several
2074 linked hairpins and dynamics.
2076 @multitable @columnfractions .3 .3 .3
2077 @headitem Layout Object
2079 @tab Controls position of:
2080 @item @code{RehearsalMark}
2082 @tab Rehearsal marks
2083 @item @code{MetronomeMark}
2085 @tab Metronome marks
2086 @item @code{VoltaBracketSpanner}
2089 @item @code{TextScript}
2092 @item @code{MultiMeasureRestText}
2094 @tab Markup text over full-bar rests
2095 @item @code{OttavaBracket}
2097 @tab Ottava brackets
2098 @item @code{TextSpanner}
2101 @item @code{DynamicLineSpanner}
2103 @tab All dynamic markings
2104 @item @code{BarNumber}
2107 @item @code{TrillSpanner}
2109 @tab Spanning trills
2112 Here is an example showing the default placement of some of
2115 @cindex text spanner
2116 @cindex ottava bracket
2118 @funindex \startTextSpan
2119 @funindex startTextSpan
2120 @funindex \stopTextSpan
2121 @funindex stopTextSpan
2123 @cindex TextSpanner, example of overriding
2124 @cindex bound-details property, example
2126 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
2127 % Set details for later Text Spanner
2128 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text
2129 = \markup { \small \bold Slower }
2130 % Place dynamics above staff
2132 % Start Ottava Bracket
2135 % Add Dynamic Text and hairpin
2141 % Add Dynamic Text and terminate hairpin
2142 c4\ff c \stopTextSpan |
2143 % Stop Ottava Bracket
2148 This example also shows how to create Text Spanners --
2149 text with extender lines above a section of music. The
2150 spanner extends from the @code{\startTextSpan} command to
2151 the @code{\stopTextSpan} command, and the format of the
2152 text is defined by the @code{\override TextSpanner} command.
2153 For more details see @ruser{Text spanners}.
2155 It also shows how ottava brackets are created.
2157 @cindex tweaking bar number placement
2158 @cindex bar numbers, tweaking placement
2159 @cindex tweaking metronome mark placement
2160 @cindex metronome mark, tweaking placement
2161 @cindex tweaking rehearsal mark placement
2162 @cindex rehearsal marks, tweaking placement
2164 If the default values of @code{outside-staff-priority} do not give you
2165 the placing you want, the priority of any of the objects may be
2166 overridden. Suppose we would like the ottava bracket to be placed
2167 below the text spanner in the example above. All we need to do is to
2168 look up the priority of @code{OttavaBracket} in the IR or in the
2169 tables above, and reduce it to a value lower than that of a
2170 @code{TextSpanner}, remembering that @code{OttavaBracket} is created
2171 in the @code{Staff} context:
2173 @cindex TextSpanner, example of overriding
2174 @cindex bound-details property, example
2176 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
2177 % Set details for later Text Spanner
2178 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text
2179 = \markup { \small \bold Slower }
2180 % Place dynamics above staff
2182 % Place following Ottava Bracket below Text Spanners
2183 \once \override Staff.OttavaBracket.outside-staff-priority = #340
2184 % Start Ottava Bracket
2189 % Add Dynamic Line Spanner
2195 c4\ff c \stopTextSpan |
2196 % Stop Ottava Bracket
2201 Note that some of these objects, in particular bar numbers,
2202 metronome marks and rehearsal marks, live by default in the
2203 @code{Score} context, so be sure to use the correct context
2204 when these are being overriden.
2206 @cindex slurs and outside-staff-priority
2207 @cindex slurs and articulations
2208 @cindex articulations and slurs
2210 Slurs by default are classed as within-staff objects, but
2211 they often appear above the staff if the notes to
2212 which they are attached are high on the staff. This can push
2213 outside-staff objects such as articulations too high, as the slur
2214 will be placed first. The @code{avoid-slur} property of the
2215 articulation can be set to @code{'inside} to bring the articulation
2216 inside the slur, but the @code{avoid-slur} property is effective
2217 only if the @code{outside-staff-priority} is also set to @code{#f}.
2218 Alternatively, the @code{outside-staff-priority} of the slur
2219 can be set to a numerical value to cause it to be placed along with
2220 other outside-staff objects according to that value. Here's an
2221 example showing the effect of the two methods:
2223 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
2224 c4( c^\markup { \tiny \sharp } d4.) c8 |
2226 \once \override TextScript.avoid-slur = #'inside
2227 \once \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = ##f
2228 c4^\markup { \tiny \sharp } d4.) c8 |
2229 \once \override Slur.outside-staff-priority = #500
2230 c4( c^\markup { \tiny \sharp } d4.) c8 |
2233 Changing the @code{outside-staff-priority} can also be used to
2234 control the vertical placement of individual objects, although
2235 the results may not always be desirable. Suppose we would
2236 like @qq{Text3} to be placed above @qq{Text4} in the example
2237 under Automatic behavior, above (see @ref{Automatic behavior}).
2238 All we need to do is to look up the priority of @code{TextScript}
2239 in the IR or in the tables above, and increase the priority of
2240 @qq{Text3} to a higher value:
2242 @cindex TextScript, example of overriding
2243 @cindex outside-staff-priority property, example
2245 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2248 \once \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = #500
2253 This certainly lifts @qq{Text3} above @qq{Text4} but it also lifts it
2254 above @qq{Text2}, and @qq{Text4} now drops down. Perhaps this is not
2255 so good. What we would really like to do is to position all the
2256 annotation at the same distance above the staff. To do this, we
2257 clearly will need to space the notes out horizontally to make more
2258 room for the text. This is done using the @code{textLengthOn}
2261 @node The \textLengthOn command
2262 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{\textLengthOn} command
2264 @cindex notes, spreading out with text
2266 @funindex \textLengthOn
2267 @funindex textLengthOn
2268 @funindex \textLengthOff
2269 @funindex textLengthOff
2271 By default, text produced by markup takes up no horizontal space
2272 as far as laying out the music is concerned. The @code{\textLengthOn}
2273 command reverses this behavior, causing the notes to be spaced
2274 out as far as is necessary to accommodate the text:
2276 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2277 \textLengthOn % Cause notes to space out to accommodate text
2284 The command to revert to the default behavior is
2285 @code{\textLengthOff}. Alternatively, @code{\once} may be used
2286 with @code{\textLengthOn} if the effect is to be limited to just a
2287 single musical moment.
2288 The corresponding spacing behavior for rehearsal marks and tempo
2289 indications is independently controlled with the commands
2290 @code{\markLengthOn} and @code{\markLengthOff}.
2292 @cindex markup text, allowing collisions
2294 Markup text will also avoid notes which project above the staff.
2295 If this is not desired, the automatic displacement upwards may
2296 be turned off by setting the priority to @code{#f}. Here's an
2297 example to show how markup text interacts with such notes.
2299 @cindex TextScript, example of overriding
2300 @cindex outside-staff-priority property, example
2302 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2303 % This markup is short enough to fit without collision
2307 % This is too long to fit, so it is displaced upwards
2311 % Turn off collision avoidance
2312 \once \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = ##f
2313 c,,2^"Long Text " c'' |
2316 % Turn off collision avoidance
2317 \once \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = ##f
2318 \textLengthOn % and turn on textLengthOn
2319 c,,2^"Long Text " % Spaces at end are honored
2323 @node Dynamics placement
2324 @unnumberedsubsubsec Dynamics placement
2326 @cindex tweaking dynamics placement
2327 @cindex dynamics, tweaking placement
2329 Dynamic markings will normally be positioned beneath the
2330 staff, but may be positioned above with the @code{\dynamicUp}
2331 command. They will be positioned vertically relative to the
2332 note to which they are attached, and will float below (or above)
2333 all within-staff objects such as phrasing slurs and bar numbers.
2334 This can give quite acceptable results, as this example
2337 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
2342 bes4.~\f\< \( bes4 bes8 des4\ff\> c16 bes\! |
2343 ees,2.~\)\mf ees4 r8 |
2346 However, if the notes and attached dynamics are close
2347 together the automatic placement will avoid collisions
2348 by displacing later dynamic markings further away, but this may
2349 not be the optimum placement, as this rather artificial example
2352 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2358 Should a similar situation arise in @q{real} music, it may be
2359 preferable to space out the notes a little further, so the dynamic
2360 markings can all fit at the same vertical distance from the staff. We
2361 were able to do this for markup text by using the @code{\textLengthOn}
2362 command, but there is no equivalent command for dynamic marks. So we
2363 shall have to work out how to do this using @code{\override} commands.
2366 @unnumberedsubsubsec Grob sizing
2369 @cindex sizing grobs
2371 First we must learn how grobs are sized. All grobs have a
2372 reference point defined within them which is used to position
2373 them relative to their parent object. This point in the grob
2374 is then positioned at a horizontal distance, @code{X-offset},
2375 and at a vertical distance, @code{Y-offset}, from its parent.
2376 The horizontal extent of the object is given by a pair of
2377 numbers, @code{X-extent}, which say where the left and right
2378 edges are relative to the reference point. The vertical extent
2379 is similarly defined by a pair of numbers, @code{Y-extent}.
2380 These are properties of all grobs which support the
2381 @code{grob-interface}.
2383 @cindex @code{extra-spacing-width}
2385 By default, outside-staff objects are given a width of zero so
2386 that they may overlap in the horizontal direction. This is done
2387 by the trick of adding infinity to the leftmost extent and
2388 minus infinity to the rightmost extent by setting the
2389 @code{extra-spacing-width} to @code{'(+inf.0 . -inf.0)}. So
2390 to ensure they do not overlap in the horizontal direction we
2391 must override this value of @code{extra-spacing-width} to
2392 @code{'(0 . 0)} so the true width shines through. This is
2393 the command to do this for dynamic text:
2396 \override DynamicText.extra-spacing-width = #'(0 . 0)
2400 Let's see if this works in our previous example:
2402 @cindex DynamicText, example of overriding
2403 @cindex extra-spacing-width property, example
2405 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2407 \override DynamicText.extra-spacing-width = #'(0 . 0)
2408 a4\f b\mf c\mp b\p |
2412 Well, it has certainly stopped the dynamic marks being
2413 displaced, but two problems remain. The marks should be
2414 spaced a little further apart and it would be better
2415 if they were all the same distance from the staff.
2416 We can solve the first problem easily. Instead of making
2417 the @code{extra-spacing-width} zero we could add a little
2418 more to it. The units are the space between two staff
2419 lines, so moving the left edge half a unit to the left and the
2420 right edge half a unit to the right should do it:
2422 @cindex DynamicText, example of overriding
2423 @cindex extra-spacing-width property, example
2425 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2427 % Extend width by 1 staff space
2428 \override DynamicText.extra-spacing-width = #'(-0.5 . 0.5)
2433 This looks better, but maybe we would prefer the dynamic marks
2434 to be aligned along the same baseline rather than going up and
2435 down with the notes. The property to do this is
2436 @code{staff-padding} which is covered in the following section.
2439 @node Collisions of objects
2440 @section Collisions of objects
2444 * Fixing overlapping notation::
2445 * Real music example::
2448 @node Moving objects
2449 @subsection Moving objects
2451 @cindex moving overlapping objects
2452 @cindex moving colliding objects
2453 @cindex moving colliding grobs
2454 @cindex objects, moving colliding
2455 @cindex grobs, moving colliding
2457 This may come as a surprise, but LilyPond is not perfect. Some
2458 notation elements can overlap. This is unfortunate, but in fact
2459 rather rare. Usually the need to move objects is for clarity or
2460 aesthetic reasons -- they would look better with a little more
2461 or a little less space around them.
2463 There are three main approaches to resolving overlapping
2464 notation. They should be considered in the following order:
2468 The @strong{direction} of one of the overlapping objects may
2469 be changed using the predefined commands listed above for
2470 within-staff objects (see @ref{Within-staff objects}).
2471 Stems, slurs, beams, ties, dynamics, text and tuplets may be
2472 repositioned easily in this way. The limitation is that you
2473 have a choice of only two positions, and neither may be
2477 The @strong{object properties}, which LilyPond uses when positioning
2478 layout objects, may be modified using @code{\override}. The
2479 advantages of making changes to this type of property are (a) that
2480 some other objects will be moved automatically if necessary to make
2481 room and (b) the single override can apply to all instances of the
2482 same type of object. Such properties include:
2489 This has already been covered in some detail -- see
2490 @ref{Within-staff objects}.
2493 @code{padding}, @code{right-padding}, @code{staff-padding}
2496 @cindex padding property
2497 @cindex right-padding property
2498 @cindex staff-padding property
2500 As an object is being positioned the value of its @code{padding}
2501 property specifies the gap that must be left between itself and the
2502 nearest edge of the object against which it is being positioned. Note
2503 that it is the @code{padding} value of the object @strong{being
2504 placed} that is used; the @code{padding} value of the object which is
2505 already placed is ignored. Gaps specified by @code{padding} can be
2506 applied to all objects which support the
2507 @code{side-position-interface}.
2509 Instead of @code{padding}, the placement of groups of accidentals
2510 is controlled by @code{right-padding}. This property is to be found
2511 in the @code{AccidentalPlacement} object which, note, lives in the
2512 @strong{Staff} context. In the typesetting process the note heads
2513 are typeset first and then the accidentals, if any, are added to the
2514 left of the note heads using the @code{right-padding} property to determine
2515 the separation from the note heads and between individual accidentals.
2516 So only the @code{right-padding} property of the @code{AccidentalPlacement}
2517 object has any effect on the placement of the accidentals.
2519 The @code{staff-padding} property is closely related to the
2520 @code{padding} property: @code{padding} controls the minimum amount of
2521 space between any object which supports the
2522 @code{side-position-interface} and the nearest other object (generally
2523 the note or the staff lines); @code{staff-padding} applies only to
2524 those objects which are always set outside the staff -- it controls
2525 the minimum amount of space that should be inserted between that
2526 object and the staff. Note that @code{staff-padding} has no effect on
2527 objects which are positioned relative to the note rather than the
2528 staff, even though it may be overridden without error for such objects
2529 -- it is simply ignored.
2531 To discover which padding property is required for the object you wish
2532 to reposition, you need to return to the IR and look up the object's
2533 properties. Be aware that the padding properties might not be located
2534 in the obvious object, so look in objects that appear to be related.
2536 All padding values are measured in staff spaces. For most
2537 objects, this value is set by default to be around 1.0 or less
2538 (it varies with each object). It may be overridden if a larger
2539 (or smaller) gap is required.
2542 @code{self-alignment-X}
2544 @cindex self-alignment-X property
2546 This property can be used to align the object to the left, to
2547 the right, or to center it with respect to the parent object's
2548 reference point. It may be used with all objects which support
2549 the @code{self-alignment-interface}. In general these are objects
2550 that contain text. The values are @code{LEFT}, @code{RIGHT}
2551 or @code{CENTER}. Alternatively, a numerical value between
2552 @w{@code{-1}} and @code{+1} may be specified, where @w{@code{-1}} is
2553 left-aligned, @code{+1} is right-aligned, and numbers in between
2554 move the text progressively from left-aligned to right-aligned.
2555 Numerical values greater than @code{1} may be specified to move
2556 the text even further to the left, or less than @w{@code{-1}} to
2557 move the text even further to the right. A change of @code{1}
2558 in the value corresponds to a movement of half the text's length.
2561 @code{extra-spacing-width}
2563 @cindex extra-spacing-width property
2565 This property is available for all objects which support the
2566 @code{item-interface}. It takes two numbers, the first is added
2567 to the leftmost extent and the second is added to the rightmost
2568 extent. Negative numbers move the edge to the left, positive to
2569 the right, so to widen an object the first number must be negative,
2570 the second positive. Note that not all objects honor both
2571 numbers. For example, the @code{Accidental} object only takes
2572 notice of the first (left edge) number.
2575 @code{staff-position}
2577 @cindex staff-position property
2579 @code{staff-position} is a property of the
2580 @code{staff-symbol-referencer-interface}, which is supported by
2581 objects which are positioned relative to the staff. It specifies
2582 the vertical position of the object relative to the center line
2583 of the staff in half staff-spaces. It is useful in resolving
2584 collisions between layout objects like multi-measure rests, ties
2585 and notes in different voices.
2590 @cindex force-hshift property
2592 Closely spaced notes in a chord, or notes occurring at the same
2593 time in different voices, are arranged in two, occasionally more,
2594 columns to prevent the note heads overlapping. These are called
2595 note columns, and an object called @code{NoteColumn} is created
2596 to lay out the notes in that column.
2598 The @code{force-hshift} property is a property of a @code{NoteColumn}
2599 (actually of the @code{note-column-interface}). Changing it permits a
2600 note column to be moved in units appropriate to a note column,
2601 viz. the note head width of the first voice note. It should be used
2602 in complex situations where the normal @code{\shiftOn} commands (see
2603 @ref{Explicitly instantiating voices}) do not resolve the note
2604 conflict. It is preferable to the @code{extra-offset} property for
2605 this purpose as there is no need to work out the distance in
2606 staff-spaces, and moving the notes into or out of a @code{NoteColumn}
2607 affects other actions such as merging note heads.
2612 Finally, when all else fails, objects may be manually repositioned
2613 relative to the staff center line vertically, or by displacing them by
2614 any distance to a new position. The disadvantages are that the
2615 correct values for the repositioning have to be worked out, often by
2616 trial and error, for every object individually, and, because the
2617 movement is done after LilyPond has placed all other objects, the user
2618 is responsible for avoiding any collisions that might ensue. But the
2619 main difficulty with this approach is that the repositioning values
2620 may need to be reworked if the music is later modified. The
2621 properties that can be used for this type of manual repositioning are:
2626 @cindex extra-offset property
2628 This property applies to any layout object supporting the
2629 @code{grob-interface}. It takes a pair of numbers which specify the
2630 extra displacement in the horizontal and vertical directions.
2631 Negative numbers move the object to the left or down. The units are
2632 staff-spaces. The extra displacement is made after the typesetting of
2633 objects is finished, so an object may be repositioned anywhere without
2634 affecting anything else.
2638 @cindex positions property
2640 This is most useful for manually adjusting the slope and height
2641 of beams, slurs, and tuplets. It takes a pair of numbers
2642 giving the position of the left and right ends of the beam, slur,
2643 etc. relative to the center line of the staff. Units are
2644 staff-spaces. Note, though, that slurs and phrasing slurs cannot
2645 be repositioned by arbitrarily large amounts. LilyPond first
2646 generates a list of possible positions for the slur and by default
2647 finds the slur that @qq{looks best}. If the @code{positions}
2648 property has been overridden the slur that is closest to the
2649 requested positions is selected from the list.
2654 A particular object may not have all of these properties.
2655 It is necessary to go to the IR to look up which properties
2656 are available for the object in question.
2658 Here is a list of the objects which are most likely to be
2659 involved in collisions, together with the name of the object which
2660 should be looked up in the IR in order to discover which properties
2661 should be used to move them.
2663 @multitable @columnfractions .5 .5
2664 @headitem Object type @tab Object name
2665 @item Articulations @tab @code{Script}
2666 @item Beams @tab @code{Beam}
2667 @item Dynamics (vertically) @tab @code{DynamicLineSpanner}
2668 @item Dynamics (horizontally) @tab @code{DynamicText}
2669 @item Fingerings @tab @code{Fingering}
2670 @item Rehearsal / Text marks @tab @code{RehearsalMark}
2671 @item Slurs @tab @code{Slur}
2672 @item Text e.g. @code{^"text"} @tab @code{TextScript}
2673 @item Ties @tab @code{Tie}
2674 @item Tuplets @tab @code{TupletBracket}
2678 @node Fixing overlapping notation
2679 @subsection Fixing overlapping notation
2681 Let's now see how the properties in the previous section can
2682 help to resolve overlapping notation.
2685 * The padding property::
2686 * The right-padding property::
2687 * The staff-padding property::
2688 * The self-alignment-X property::
2689 * The staff-position property::
2690 * The extra-offset property::
2691 * The positions property::
2692 * The force-hshift property::
2695 @node The padding property
2696 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{padding} property
2699 @cindex fixing overlapping notation
2700 @cindex overlapping notation
2702 The @code{padding} property can be set to increase
2703 (or decrease) the distance between symbols that are printed
2704 above or below notes.
2706 @cindex Script, example of overriding
2707 @cindex padding property, example
2709 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2711 \override Script.padding = #3
2715 @cindex MetronomeMark, example of overriding
2716 @cindex padding property, example
2718 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2719 % This will not work, see below
2720 \override MetronomeMark.padding = #3
2724 \override Score.MetronomeMark.padding = #3
2729 Note in the second example how important it is to figure out what
2730 context handles a certain object. Since the @code{MetronomeMark}
2731 object is handled in the @code{Score} context, property changes in the
2732 @code{Voice} context will not be noticed. For more details, see
2733 @ruser{Modifying properties}.
2735 If the @code{padding} property of an object is increased when that
2736 object is in a stack of objects being positioned according to
2737 their @code{outside-staff-priority}, then that object and all
2738 objects outside it are moved.
2741 @node The right-padding property
2742 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{right-padding} property
2744 @cindex right-padding property
2746 The @code{right-padding} property affects the spacing between the
2747 accidental and the note to which it applies. It is not often
2748 required, but the default spacing may be wrong for certain special
2749 accidental glyphs or combination of glyphs used in some microtonal
2750 music. These have to be entered by overriding the accidental
2751 stencil with a markup containing the desired symbol(s), like this:
2753 @cindex Accidental, example of overriding
2754 @cindex text property, example
2755 @cindex stencil property, example
2756 @cindex AccidentalPlacement, example of overriding
2757 @cindex right-padding property, example
2759 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
2760 sesquisharp = \markup { \sesquisharp }
2763 % This prints a sesquisharp but the spacing is too small
2764 \once \override Accidental.stencil = #ly:text-interface::print
2765 \once \override Accidental.text = #sesquisharp
2767 % This improves the spacing
2768 \once \override Score.AccidentalPlacement.right-padding = #0.6
2769 \once \override Accidental.stencil = #ly:text-interface::print
2770 \once \override Accidental.text = #sesquisharp
2776 This necessarily uses an override for the accidental stencil which
2777 will not be covered until later. The stencil type must be a
2778 procedure, here changed to print the contents of the @code{text}
2779 property of @code{Accidental}, which itself is set to be a
2780 sesquisharp sign. This sign is then moved further away from the
2781 note head by overriding @code{right-padding}.
2785 @node The staff-padding property
2786 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{staff-padding} property
2788 @cindex aligning objects on a baseline
2789 @cindex objects, aligning on a baseline
2791 @code{staff-padding} can be used to align objects such as dynamics
2792 along a baseline at a fixed height above the staff, rather than at a
2793 height dependent on the position of the note to which they are
2794 attached. It is not a property of @code{DynamicText} but of
2795 @code{DynamicLineSpanner}. This is because the baseline should apply
2796 equally to @strong{all} dynamics, including those created as extended
2797 spanners. So this is the way to align the dynamic marks in the
2798 example taken from the previous section:
2800 @cindex DynamicText, example of overriding
2801 @cindex extra-spacing-width property, example
2802 @cindex DynamicLineSpanner, example of overriding
2803 @cindex staff-padding property, example
2805 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=2]
2807 % Extend width by 1 unit
2808 \override DynamicText.extra-spacing-width = #'(-0.5 . 0.5)
2809 % Align dynamics to a base line 2 units above staff
2810 \override DynamicLineSpanner.staff-padding = #2
2815 @node The self-alignment-X property
2816 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{self-alignment-X} property
2818 The following example shows how this can resolve the collision
2819 of a string fingering object with a note's stem by aligning the
2820 right edge with the reference point of the parent note:
2822 @cindex StringNumber, example of overriding
2823 @cindex self-alignment-X property, example
2825 @lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=3]
2828 \once \override StringNumber.self-alignment-X = #RIGHT
2832 @node The staff-position property
2833 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{staff-position} property
2835 @cindex object collision within a staff
2837 Multimeasure rests in one voice can collide with notes in another.
2838 Since these rests are typeset centered between the bar lines, it
2839 would require significant effort for LilyPond to figure out which
2840 other notes might collide with it, since all the current collision
2841 handling between notes and between notes and rests is done only
2842 for notes and rests that occur at the same time. Here's an
2843 example of a collision of this type:
2845 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right, relative=1]
2846 << { c4 c c c } \\ { R1 } >>
2849 The best solution here is to move the multimeasure rest down, since
2850 the rest is in voice two. The default in @code{\voiceTwo} (i.e. in
2851 the second voice of a @code{<<@{...@} \\ @{...@}>>} construct) is that
2852 @code{staff-position} is set to -4 for MultiMeasureRest, so we need to
2853 move it, say, four half-staff spaces down to @w{@code{-8}}.
2855 @cindex MultiMeasureRest, example of overriding
2856 @cindex staff-position property, example
2858 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right, relative=1]
2862 \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = #-8
2867 This is better than using, for example, @code{extra-offset},
2868 because the ledger line above the rest is inserted automatically.
2870 @node The extra-offset property
2871 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{extra-offset} property
2873 @cindex positioning objects
2874 @cindex positioning grobs
2875 @cindex objects, positioning
2876 @cindex grobs, positioning
2878 The @code{extra-offset} property provides complete control over the
2879 positioning of an object both horizontally and vertically.
2881 In the following example, the second fingering is moved a little to
2882 the left, and 1.8 staff space downwards:
2884 @cindex Fingering, example of overriding
2885 @cindex extra-offset property, example
2887 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=1,verbatim]
2890 \once \override Fingering.extra-offset = #'(-0.3 . -1.8)
2895 @node The positions property
2896 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{positions} property
2898 @cindex controlling tuplets, slurs, phrasing slurs, and beams manually
2899 @cindex manually controlling tuplets, slurs, phrasing slurs, and beams
2900 @cindex tuplet beams, controlling manually
2901 @cindex slurs, controlling manually
2902 @cindex phrasing slurs, controlling manually
2903 @cindex beams, controlling manually
2905 The @code{positions} property allows the vertical position and hence
2906 the slope of tuplets, slurs, phrasing slurs and beams to be controlled
2909 Here's an example in which the phrasing slur and slur collide:
2911 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right,relative=2]
2915 @cindex PhrasingSlur, example of overriding
2916 @cindex positions property, example
2919 One possibility would be to move the two ends of the phrasing slur
2920 higher. We can try setting the left end to 2.5 staff-spaces above the
2921 centre line and the right end to 4.5 above, and LilyPond will
2922 select the phrasing slur from the candidates it has found with its
2923 end points closest to these:
2925 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right,relative=2]
2926 \once \override PhrasingSlur.positions = #'(2.5 . 4.5)
2930 This is an improvement, but why not lower the right end of the slur
2931 a little? If you try it you'll find it can't be done in this way.
2932 That's because there are no candidate slurs lower than the one
2933 already selected, and in this case the @code{positions} property has
2934 no effect. However, ties, slurs and phrasing slurs @emph{can} be
2935 positioned and shaped very precisely when necessary. To learn how to
2936 do this, see @ruser{Modifying ties and slurs}.
2938 Here's a further example. We see that the beams
2939 collide with the ties:
2941 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2945 { c'1 ~ c'2. e'8 f' }
2947 { e''8 e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' f''2 g'' }
2950 { c'1 ~ c'2. e'8 f' }
2952 { e''8 e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' f''2 g'' }
2958 This can be resolved by manually moving both ends of the beam
2959 up from their position at 1.81 staff-spaces below the center line to,
2962 @cindex Beam, example of overriding
2963 @cindex positions property, example
2965 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2969 { c'1 ~ c'2. e'8 f' }
2972 \override Beam.positions = #'(-1 . -1)
2973 e''8 e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' f''2 g''
2977 { c'1 ~ c'2. e'8 f' }
2979 { e''8 e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' e'' f''2 g'' }
2985 Note that the override continues to apply in the first voice of
2986 the second measure of eighth notes, but not to any of the beams in the
2989 @node The force-hshift property
2990 @unnumberedsubsubsec The @code{force-hshift} property
2992 We can now see how to apply the final corrections to the Chopin
2993 example introduced at the end of @ref{I'm hearing Voices}, which
2994 was left looking like this:
2996 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
2997 \new Staff \relative c'' {
3012 The inner note of the first chord (i.e. the A-flat in the fourth
3013 Voice) need not be shifted away from the note column of the higher
3014 note. To correct this we set @code{force-hshift}, which is a property
3015 of @code{NoteColumn}, of this note to zero.
3017 In the second chord we prefer the F to line up with the A-flat and the
3018 lowest note to be positioned slightly right to avoid a collision of
3019 stems. We achieve this by setting @code{force-hshift} in the
3020 @code{NoteColumn} of the low D-flat to move it to the right by half
3023 Here's the final result:
3025 @cindex NoteColumn, example of overriding
3026 @cindex force-hshift property, example
3028 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,fragment,ragged-right]
3029 \new Staff \relative c'' {
3036 \once \override NoteColumn.force-hshift = #0.5
3042 \override NoteColumn.force-hshift = #0
3051 @node Real music example
3052 @subsection Real music example
3054 We end this section on Tweaks by showing the steps to be taken to
3055 deal with a tricky example which needs several tweaks to produce
3056 the desired output. The example has been deliberately chosen to
3057 illustrate the use of the Notation Reference to resolve unusual
3058 problems with notation. It is not representative of the more usual
3059 engraving process, so please do not let these difficulties put
3060 you off! Fortunately, difficulties like these are not very common!
3062 The example is from Chopin's Première Ballade, Op. 23, bars 6 to
3063 9, the transition from the opening Lento to Moderato.
3064 Here, first, is what we want the output to look like, but to avoid
3065 over-complicating the example too much we have left out the
3066 dynamics, fingering and pedalling.
3068 @c The following should appear as music without code
3069 @c This example should not be indexed
3070 @c line-width ensures no break
3071 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3072 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3075 \once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5
3079 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOn
3080 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOn
3081 bes2.^\markup { \bold "Moderato" } r8
3087 % Reposition the c2 to the right of the merged note
3088 \once \override NoteColumn.force-hshift = #1.0
3089 % Move the c2 out of the main note column
3090 % so the merge will work
3097 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
3099 % Stem on the d2 should be invisible
3100 \tweak Stem.transparent ##t
3101 \tweak Flag.transparent ##t
3109 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOff
3110 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOff
3115 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3117 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
3124 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3128 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3137 We note first that the right hand part in the third bar
3138 requires four voices. These are the five beamed eighth notes,
3139 the tied C, the half-note D which is merged with the eighth note
3140 D, and the dotted quarter note F-sharp, which is also merged with
3141 the eighth note at the same pitch. Everything else is in a single
3142 voice, so the easiest way is to introduce these extra three voices
3143 temporarily at the time they are needed. If you have forgotten
3144 how to do this, look at @ref{I'm hearing Voices} and @ref{Explicitly
3145 instantiating voices}. Here we choose to use explicitly instantiated
3146 voices for the polyphonic passage, as LilyPond is better able to
3147 avoid collisions if all voices are instantiated explicitly in this
3150 So let us begin by entering the notes as two variables, setting up
3151 the staff structure in a score block, and seeing what LilyPond
3152 produces by default:
3154 @c line-width ensures no break
3155 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3156 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3162 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3164 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3178 g2. % continuation of main voice
3182 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3191 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3195 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3204 All the notes are right, but the appearance is far from
3205 satisfactory. The tie collides with the change in time signature,
3206 some notes are not merged together, and several notation elements
3207 are missing. Let's first deal with the easier things. We can
3208 easily add the left hand slur and the right hand phrasing slur,
3209 since these were all covered in the Tutorial. Doing this gives:
3211 @c line-width ensures no break
3212 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3213 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3219 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3221 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3235 g2.\) % continuation of main voice
3239 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3248 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3252 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3261 The first bar is now correct. The second bar contains an arpeggio and
3262 is terminated by a double bar line. How do we do these, as they have
3263 not been mentioned in this Learning Manual? This is where we need to
3264 turn to the Notation Reference. Looking up @q{arpeggio} and @q{bar
3265 line} in the index quickly shows us that an arpeggio is produced by
3266 appending @code{\arpeggio} to a chord, and a double bar line is
3267 produced by the @code{\bar "||"} command. That's easily done. We
3268 next need to correct the collision of the tie with the time signature.
3269 This is best done by moving the tie upwards. Moving objects was
3270 covered earlier in @ref{Moving objects}, which says that objects
3271 positioned relative to the staff can be moved vertically by overriding
3272 their @code{staff-position} property, which is specified in half staff
3273 spaces relative to the center line of the staff. So the following
3274 override placed just before the first tied note would move the tie up
3275 to 3.5 half staff spaces above the center line:
3277 @code{\once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5}
3279 This completes bar two, giving:
3281 @c line-width ensures no break
3282 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3283 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3286 \once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5
3291 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3293 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3307 g2.\) % continuation of main voice
3311 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3313 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
3320 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3324 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3333 On to bar three and the start of the Moderato section. The tutorial
3334 showed how to add bold text with the @code{\markup} command, so
3335 adding @qq{Moderato} in bold is easy. But how do we merge notes in
3336 different voices together? This is where we need to turn again to
3337 the Notation Reference for help. A search for @qq{merge} in the
3338 Notation Reference index quickly leads us to the commands for merging
3339 differently headed and differently dotted notes in
3340 @ruser{Collision resolution}. In our example we need to merge both
3341 types of note for the duration of the polyphonic section in bar 3,
3342 so using the information we find in the Notation Reference we add
3345 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOn
3346 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOn
3350 to the start of that section and
3353 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOff
3354 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOff
3360 @c line-width ensures no break
3361 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3362 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3365 \once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5
3369 bes2.^\markup { \bold "Moderato" } r8
3370 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOn
3371 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOn
3372 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3374 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3388 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOff
3389 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOff
3390 g2.\) % continuation of main voice
3394 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3396 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
3403 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3407 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3416 These overrides have merged the two F-sharp notes, but not the two
3417 on D. Why not? The answer is there in the same section in the
3418 Notation Reference -- notes being merged must have stems in
3419 opposite directions and two notes cannot be merged successfully if
3420 there is a third note in the same note column. Here the two D's
3421 both have upward stems and there is a third note -- the C. We know
3422 how to change the stem direction using @code{\stemDown}, and
3423 the Notation Reference also says how to move the C -- apply a shift
3424 using one of the @code{\shift} commands. But which one?
3425 The C is in voice two which has shift off, and the two D's are in
3426 voices one and three, which have shift off and shift on,
3427 respectively. So we have to shift the C a further level still
3428 using @code{\shiftOnn} to avoid it interfering with the two D's.
3429 Applying these changes gives:
3431 @cindex Tie, example of overriding
3432 @cindex staff-position property, example
3434 @c line-width ensures no break
3435 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3436 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3439 \once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5
3443 bes2.^\markup { \bold "Moderato" } r8
3444 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOn
3445 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOn
3446 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3448 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3451 % Move the c2 out of the main note column
3452 % so the merge will work
3457 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
3465 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOff
3466 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOff
3467 g2.\) % continuation of main voice
3471 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3473 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
3480 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3484 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3493 Nearly there. Only two problems remain: The downward stem on the
3494 merged D should not be there, and the C would be better positioned
3495 to the right of the D's. We know how to do both of these from the
3496 earlier tweaks: we make the stem transparent, and move the C with
3497 the @code{force-hshift} property. Here's the final result:
3499 @cindex NoteColumn, example of overriding
3500 @cindex force-hshift property, example
3501 @cindex Stem, example of overriding
3502 @cindex transparent property, example
3504 @c line-width ensures no break
3505 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right,line-width=6\in]
3506 rhMusic = \relative c'' {
3509 \once \override Tie.staff-position = #3.5
3513 bes2.^\markup { \bold "Moderato" } r8
3514 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOn
3515 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOn
3516 % Start polyphonic section of four voices
3518 { c,8 d fis bes a } % continuation of main voice
3522 % Reposition the c2 to the right of the merged note
3523 \once \override NoteColumn.force-hshift = #1.0
3524 % Move the c2 out of the main note column
3525 % so the merge will work
3532 % Stem on the d2 must be down to permit merging
3534 % Stem on the d2 should be invisible
3535 \tweak Stem.transparent ##t
3536 \tweak Flag.transparent ##t
3544 \mergeDifferentlyHeadedOff
3545 \mergeDifferentlyDottedOff
3546 g2.\) % continuation of main voice
3550 lhMusic = \relative c' {
3552 <d g, d>1)\arpeggio |
3559 \new Staff = "RH" <<
3563 \new Staff = "LH" <<
3573 @node Further tweaking
3574 @section Further tweaking
3577 * Other uses for tweaks::
3578 * Using variables for layout adjustments::
3580 * Other sources of information::
3581 * Advanced tweaks with Scheme::
3584 @node Other uses for tweaks
3585 @subsection Other uses for tweaks
3588 * Tying notes across voices::
3589 * Simulating a fermata in MIDI::
3592 @cindex transparent property, use of
3593 @cindex objects, making invisible
3594 @cindex removing objects
3595 @cindex objects, removing
3596 @cindex hiding objects
3597 @cindex objects, hiding
3598 @cindex invisible objects
3599 @cindex objects, invisible
3601 @node Tying notes across voices
3602 @unnumberedsubsubsec Tying notes across voices
3604 @cindex tying notes across voices
3606 The following example demonstrates how to connect notes in
3607 different voices using ties. Normally, only two notes in the
3608 same voice can be connected with ties. By using two voices,
3609 with the tied notes in one of them
3611 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2]
3612 << { b8~ b\noBeam } \\ { b8[ g] } >>
3616 and blanking the first up-stem in that voice, the tie appears to
3619 @cindex Stem, example of overriding
3620 @cindex transparent property, example
3622 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
3625 \tweak Stem.transparent ##t
3626 \tweak Flag.transparent ##t
3634 To make sure that the just-blanked stem doesn't squeeze the tie
3635 too much, we can lengthen the stem by setting the
3636 @code{length} to @code{8},
3638 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
3641 \tweak Stem.transparent ##t
3642 \tweak Flag.transparent ##t
3643 \tweak Stem.length #8
3652 @cindex tweak, generated from override
3653 Now for @emph{overriding} the transparency of a graphical object,
3654 we could have used the shorthand @code{\hide} as explained above.
3655 Tweaking is a different operation, affecting only properties
3656 generated from a single music expression. It turns out that we
3657 can convert overrides into tweaks using @code{\single}, making it
3658 possible to rewrite the above example as
3660 @lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
3665 \tweak Stem.length #8
3673 In this particular case, the difference to @code{\once \hide} is
3674 not apparent. It is important when there are several objects at
3675 the same point in musical time (like noteheads in a chord). In
3676 that case, @code{\once} will affect all of those objects while
3677 @code{\single} will only affect a single one, the one generated by
3678 the immediately following music expression.
3680 @node Simulating a fermata in MIDI
3681 @unnumberedsubsubsec Simulating a fermata in MIDI
3683 @cindex stencil property, use of
3684 @cindex fermata, implementing in MIDI
3686 For outside-staff objects it is usually better to override the
3687 object's @code{stencil} property rather than its @code{transparent}
3688 property when you wish to remove it from the printed output.
3689 Setting the @code{stencil} property of an object to @code{#f} will
3690 remove that object entirely from the printed output. This means it
3691 has no effect on the placement of other objects placed relative to
3694 For example, if we wished to change the metronome setting in order
3695 to simulate a fermata in the MIDI output we would not want the
3696 metronome markings to appear in the printed output, and we would
3697 not want it to influence the spacing between the two systems or
3698 the positions of adjacent annotations on the staff. So setting
3699 its @code{stencil} property to @code{#f} would be the best way.
3700 We show here the effect of the two methods:
3702 @cindex MetronomeMark, example of overriding
3703 @cindex transparent property, example
3705 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3708 % Visible tempo marking
3711 \once \hide Score.MetronomeMark
3712 % Invisible tempo marking to lengthen fermata in MIDI
3715 % New tempo for next section
3724 @cindex MetronomeMark, example of overriding
3725 @cindex stencil property, example
3727 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3730 % Visible tempo marking
3733 \once \omit Score.MetronomeMark
3734 % Invisible tempo marking to lengthen fermata in MIDI
3737 % New tempo for next section
3747 Both methods remove the metronome mark which lengthens the fermata
3748 from the printed output, and both affect the MIDI timing as
3749 required, but the transparent metronome mark in the first line
3750 forces the following tempo indication too high while the
3751 second (with the stencil removed) does not.
3757 @node Using variables for layout adjustments
3758 @subsection Using variables for layout adjustments
3760 @cindex variables, using for overrides
3761 @cindex overrides, using variables for
3762 @cindex adjustments, using variables for
3763 @cindex layout adjustments, using variables for
3765 Override commands are often long and tedious to type, and they
3766 have to be absolutely correct. If the same overrides are to be
3767 used many times it may be worth defining variables to hold them.
3769 Suppose we wish to emphasize certain words in lyrics by printing
3770 them in bold italics. The @code{\italic} and @code{\bold}
3771 commands only work within lyrics if they are embedded, together with
3772 the word or words to be modified, within a @code{\markup} block,
3773 which makes them tedious to enter. The need to embed the words
3774 themselves prevents their use in simple variables. As an
3775 alternative can we use @code{\override} and @code{\revert} commands?
3778 @code{\override Lyrics.LyricText.font-shape = #'italic}
3779 @code{\override Lyrics.LyricText.font-series = #'bold}
3781 @code{\revert Lyrics.LyricText.font-shape}
3782 @code{\revert Lyrics.LyricText.font-series}
3785 These would also be extremely tedious to enter if there were many
3786 words requiring emphasis. But we @emph{can} define these as two
3787 variables and use those to bracket the words to be emphasized.
3788 Another advantage of using variables for these overrides is that
3789 the spaces around the dot are not necessary, since they are not
3790 being interpreted in @code{\lyricmode} directly. Here's an example
3791 of this, although in practice we would choose shorter names
3792 for the variables to make them quicker to type:
3794 @cindex LyricText, example of overriding
3795 @cindex font-shape property, example
3796 @cindex font-series property, example
3798 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
3800 \override Lyrics.LyricText.font-shape = #'italic
3801 \override Lyrics.LyricText.font-series = #'bold
3805 \revert Lyrics.LyricText.font-shape
3806 \revert Lyrics.LyricText.font-series
3809 global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 \partial 4 }
3811 SopranoMusic = \relative c' { c4 | e4. e8 g4 g | a4 a g }
3812 AltoMusic = \relative c' { c4 | c4. c8 e4 e | f4 f e }
3813 TenorMusic = \relative c { e4 | g4. g8 c4. b8 | a8 b c d e4 }
3814 BassMusic = \relative c { c4 | c4. c8 c4 c | f8 g a b c4 }
3816 VerseOne = \lyrics {
3817 E -- | ter -- nal \emphasize Fa -- ther, | \normal strong to save,
3820 VerseTwo = \lyricmode {
3821 O | \once \emphasize Christ, whose voice the | wa -- ters heard,
3824 VerseThree = \lyricmode {
3825 O | \emphasize Ho -- ly Spi -- rit, | \normal who didst brood
3828 VerseFour = \lyricmode {
3829 O | \emphasize Tri -- ni -- ty \normal of | love and pow'r
3836 \new Voice = "Soprano" { \voiceOne \global \SopranoMusic }
3837 \new Voice = "Alto" { \voiceTwo \AltoMusic }
3838 \new Lyrics \lyricsto "Soprano" { \VerseOne }
3839 \new Lyrics \lyricsto "Soprano" { \VerseTwo }
3840 \new Lyrics \lyricsto "Soprano" { \VerseThree }
3841 \new Lyrics \lyricsto "Soprano" { \VerseFour }
3845 \new Voice = "Tenor" { \voiceOne \TenorMusic }
3846 \new Voice = "Bass" { \voiceTwo \BassMusic }
3854 @subsection Style sheets
3856 The output that LilyPond produces can be heavily modified; see
3857 @ref{Tweaking output}, for details. But what if you have many
3858 input files that you want to apply your tweaks to? Or what if you
3859 simply want to separate your tweaks from the actual music? This
3860 is quite easy to do.
3862 Let's look at an example. Don't worry if you don't understand
3863 the parts with all the @code{#()}. This is explained in
3864 @ref{Advanced tweaks with Scheme}.
3866 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
3868 #(make-dynamic-script
3869 #{ \markup { \hspace #0
3870 \translate #'(5 . 0)
3871 \line { \dynamic "mp"
3872 \text \italic "dolce" } }
3876 #(define-music-function
3877 (parser location string)
3879 #{ <>^\markup \bold \box #string #})
3883 a4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
3887 g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
3891 Let's do something about the @code{mpdolce} and @code{inst} definitions.
3892 They produce the output we desire, but we might want to use them in
3893 another piece. We could simply copy-and-paste them at the top of every
3894 file, but that's an annoyance. It also leaves those definitions in our
3895 input files, and I personally find all the @code{#()} somewhat ugly.
3896 Let's hide them in another file:
3899 %%% save this to a file called "definitions.ily"
3901 #(make-dynamic-script
3902 #@{ \markup @{ \hspace #0
3903 \translate #'(5 . 0)
3904 \line @{ \dynamic "mp"
3905 \text \italic "dolce" @} @}
3909 #(define-music-function
3910 (parser location string)
3912 #@{ <>^\markup \bold \box #string #@})
3915 We will refer to this file using the @code{\include} command near
3916 the top of the music file. (The extension @file{.ily} is used to
3917 distinguish this included file, which is not meant to be compiled
3918 on its own, from the main file.)
3919 Now let's modify our music (let's save this file as @file{music.ly}).
3921 @c We have to do this awkward example/lilypond-non-verbatim
3922 @c because we can't do the \include stuff in the manual.
3925 \include "definitions.ily"
3929 a4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
3933 g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
3937 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
3939 #(make-dynamic-script
3940 #{ \markup { \hspace #0
3941 \translate #'(5 . 0)
3942 \line { \dynamic "mp"
3943 \text \italic "dolce" } }
3947 #(define-music-function
3948 (parser location string)
3950 #{ <>^\markup \bold \box #string #})
3954 a4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
3958 g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
3962 That looks better, but let's make a few changes. The glissando is hard
3963 to see, so let's make it thicker and closer to the note heads. Let's
3964 put the metronome marking above the clef, instead of over the first
3965 note. And finally, my composition professor hates @q{C} time signatures,
3966 so we'd better make that @q{4/4} instead.
3968 Don't change @file{music.ly}, though. Replace our @file{definitions.ily}
3974 #(make-dynamic-script
3975 #@{ \markup @{ \hspace #0
3976 \translate #'(5 . 0)
3977 \line @{ \dynamic "mp"
3978 \text \italic "dolce" @} @}
3982 #(define-music-function
3983 (parser location string)
3985 #@{ <>^\markup \bold \box #string #@})
3990 \override MetronomeMark.extra-offset = #'(-5 . 0)
3991 \override MetronomeMark.padding = #'3
3995 \override TimeSignature.style = #'numbered
3999 \override Glissando.thickness = #3
4000 \override Glissando.gap = #0.1
4005 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
4007 #(make-dynamic-script
4008 #{ \markup { \hspace #0
4009 \translate #'(5 . 0)
4010 \line { \dynamic "mp"
4011 \text \italic "dolce" } }
4015 #(define-music-function
4016 (parser location string)
4018 #{ <>^\markup \bold \box #string #})
4023 \override MetronomeMark.extra-offset = #'(-5 . 0)
4024 \override MetronomeMark.padding = #'3
4028 \override TimeSignature.style = #'numbered
4032 \override Glissando.thickness = #3
4033 \override Glissando.gap = #0.1
4039 a4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
4043 g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
4047 That looks nicer! But now suppose that I want to publish this
4048 piece. My composition professor doesn't like @q{C} time
4049 signatures, but I'm somewhat fond of them. Let's copy the
4050 current @file{definitions.ily} to @file{web-publish.ily} and
4051 modify that. Since this music is aimed at producing a pdf which
4052 will be displayed on the screen, we'll also increase the
4053 overall size of the output.
4058 #(make-dynamic-script
4059 #@{ \markup @{ \hspace #0
4060 \translate #'(5 . 0)
4061 \line @{ \dynamic "mp"
4062 \text \italic "dolce" @} @}
4066 #(define-music-function
4067 (parser location string)
4069 #@{ <>^\markup \bold \box #string #@})
4071 #(set-global-staff-size 23)
4076 \override MetronomeMark.extra-offset = #'(-5 . 0)
4077 \override MetronomeMark.padding = #'3
4084 \override Glissando.thickness = #3
4085 \override Glissando.gap = #0.1
4090 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
4092 #(make-dynamic-script
4093 #{ \markup { \hspace #0
4094 \translate #'(5 . 0)
4095 \line { \dynamic "mp"
4096 \text \italic "dolce" } }
4100 #(define-music-function
4101 (parser location string)
4103 #{ <>^\markup \bold \box #string #})
4105 #(set-global-staff-size 23)
4109 \override MetronomeMark.extra-offset = #'(-5 . 0)
4110 \override MetronomeMark.padding = #'3
4113 \override Glissando.thickness = #3
4114 \override Glissando.gap = #0.1
4120 a4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
4124 g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
4128 Now in our music, I simply replace
4129 @code{\include "definitions.ily"} with
4130 @code{\include "web-publish.ily"}. Of course, we could make this
4131 even more convenient. We could make a @file{definitions.ily} file which
4132 contains only the definitions of @code{mpdolce} and @code{inst}, a
4133 @file{web-publish.ily} file which contains only the @code{\layout}
4134 section listed above, and a @file{university.ily} file which
4135 contains only the tweaks to produce the output that my professor
4136 prefers. The top of @file{music.ly} would then look like this:
4139 \include "definitions.ily"
4141 %%% Only uncomment one of these two lines!
4142 \include "web-publish.ily"
4143 %\include "university.ily"
4146 This approach can be useful even if you are only producing
4147 one set of parts. I use half a dozen different
4148 @q{style sheet} files for my projects. I begin every music
4149 file with @code{\include "../global.ily"}, which contains
4153 \version @w{"@version{}"}
4155 #(ly:set-option 'point-and-click #f)
4157 \include "../init/init-defs.ly"
4158 \include "../init/init-layout.ly"
4159 \include "../init/init-headers.ly"
4160 \include "../init/init-paper.ly"
4164 @node Other sources of information
4165 @subsection Other sources of information
4167 The Internals Reference documentation contains a lot of information
4168 about LilyPond, but even more information can be gathered by
4169 looking at the internal LilyPond files. To explore these, you must
4170 first find the directory appropriate to your system. The location
4171 of this directory depends (a) on whether you obtained LilyPond
4172 by downloading a precompiled binary from lilypond.org
4173 or whether you installed it from a package manager (i.e.
4174 distributed with GNU/Linux, or installed under fink or cygwin) or
4175 compiled it from source, and (b) on which operating system it is
4178 @subsubsubheading Downloaded from lilypond.org
4185 @file{@var{INSTALLDIR}/lilypond/usr/@/share/lilypond/current/}
4192 @file{@var{INSTALLDIR}/LilyPond.app/Contents/@/Resources/share/lilypond/current/}
4195 by either @code{cd}-ing into this directory from the
4196 Terminal, or control-clicking on the LilyPond application and
4197 selecting @q{Show Package Contents}.
4201 Using Windows Explorer, navigate to
4203 @file{@var{INSTALLDIR}/LilyPond/usr/@/share/lilypond/current/}
4208 @subsubsubheading Installed from a package manager or compiled from source
4211 @file{@var{PREFIX}/share/lilypond/@var{X.Y.Z}/}, where
4212 @var{PREFIX} is set by your package manager or @code{configure}
4213 script, and @var{X.Y.Z} is the LilyPond version number.
4217 Within this directory the two interesting subdirectories are
4220 @item @file{ly/} - contains files in LilyPond format
4221 @item @file{scm/} - contains files in Scheme format
4224 Let's begin by looking at some files in @file{ly/}.
4225 Open @file{ly/property-init.ly} in a text editor. The one
4226 you normally use for @code{.ly} files will be fine. This file
4227 contains the definitions of all the standard LilyPond predefined
4228 commands, such as @code{\stemUp} and @code{\slurDotted}. You will
4229 see that these are nothing more than definitions of variables
4230 containing one or a group of @code{\override} commands. For
4231 example, @code{/tieDotted} is defined to be:
4235 \override Tie.dash-period = #0.75
4236 \override Tie.dash-fraction = #0.1
4240 If you do not like the default values these predefined commands can
4241 be redefined easily, just like any other variable, at the
4242 head of your input file.
4244 The following are the most useful files to be found in
4247 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .6
4250 @item @file{ly/engraver-init.ly}
4251 @tab Definitions of engraver Contexts
4252 @item @file{ly/paper-defaults-init.ly}
4253 @tab Specifications of paper-related defaults
4254 @item @file{ly/performer-init.ly}
4255 @tab Definitions of performer Contexts
4256 @item @file{ly/property-init.ly}
4257 @tab Definitions of all common predefined commands
4258 @item @file{ly/spanner-init.ly}
4259 @tab Definitions of spanner-related predefined commands
4262 Other settings (such as the definitions of markup commands) are
4263 stored as @file{.scm} (Scheme) files. The Scheme programming
4264 language is used to provide a programmable interface into
4265 LilyPond internal operation. Further explanation of these files
4266 is currently outside the scope of this manual, as a knowledge of
4267 the Scheme language is required. Users should be warned that
4268 a substantial amount of technical knowledge or time is required
4269 to understand Scheme and these files (see @rextend{Scheme tutorial}).
4271 If you have this knowledge, the Scheme files which may be of
4274 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .6
4277 @item @file{scm/auto-beam.scm}
4278 @tab Sub-beaming defaults
4279 @item @file{scm/define-grobs.scm}
4280 @tab Default settings for grob properties
4281 @item @file{scm/define-markup-commands.scm}
4282 @tab Specify all markup commands
4283 @item @file{scm/midi.scm}
4284 @tab Default settings for MIDI output
4285 @item @file{scm/output-lib.scm}
4286 @tab Settings that affect appearance of frets, colors,
4287 accidentals, bar lines, etc
4288 @item @file{scm/parser-clef.scm}
4289 @tab Definitions of supported clefs
4290 @item @file{scm/script.scm}
4291 @tab Default settings for articulations
4295 @node Advanced tweaks with Scheme
4296 @subsection Advanced tweaks with Scheme
4298 Although many things are possible with the @code{\override} and
4299 @code{\tweak} commands, an even more powerful way of modifying
4300 the action of LilyPond is available through a programmable
4301 interface to the LilyPond internal operation. Code written in
4302 the Scheme programming language can be incorporated directly in
4303 the internal operation of LilyPond. Of course, at least a basic
4304 knowledge of programming in Scheme is required to do this, and an
4305 introduction is provided in the @rextend{Scheme tutorial}.
4307 As an illustration of one of the many possibilities, instead of
4308 setting a property to a constant it can be set to a Scheme
4309 procedure which is then called whenever that property is accessed
4310 by LilyPond. The property can then be set dynamically to a value
4311 determined by the procedure at the time it is called. In this
4312 example we color the note head in accordance with its position on
4315 @cindex x11-color function, example of using
4316 @cindex NoteHead, example of overriding
4317 @cindex color property, setting to Scheme procedure
4319 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
4320 #(define (color-notehead grob)
4321 "Color the notehead according to its position on the staff."
4322 (let ((mod-position (modulo (ly:grob-property grob 'staff-position)
4325 ;; Return rainbow colors
4326 ((1) (x11-color 'red )) ; for C
4327 ((2) (x11-color 'orange )) ; for D
4328 ((3) (x11-color 'yellow )) ; for E
4329 ((4) (x11-color 'green )) ; for F
4330 ((5) (x11-color 'blue )) ; for G
4331 ((6) (x11-color 'purple )) ; for A
4332 ((0) (x11-color 'violet )) ; for B
4336 % Arrange to obtain color from color-notehead procedure
4337 \override NoteHead.color = #color-notehead
4338 a2 b | c2 d | e2 f | g2 a |
4342 Further examples showing the use of these programmable interfaces
4343 can be found in @rextend{Callback functions}.