1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
2 @c This file is part of lilypond.tely
4 Translation of GIT committish: FILL-IN-HEAD-COMMITTISH
6 When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the
7 version that you are working on. See TRANSLATION for details.
15 Negative numbers are allowed:
16 > Are you sure? The following works well
18 > first-page-number = -2
20 > and prints page number -1 on the second page, for example.
23 In 5.2.1 the @refbugs (line 495 in spacing.itely on master) it
26 "@code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between
30 Could we add a sentence:
31 "Use instead the pair fontSize = #@var{N}
32 \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep
34 inside the Staff context to change the size of the font and the
36 staff lines accordingly."
38 Actually I found, that the @internalsref{StaffSymbol} at line 481
39 sends to an uncomplete
40 documentation. The property staff-space is not explained here. I
41 thought Y-extent might be of
42 help, but it is in turn explained by x-space which again is
43 missing from the list. Who has the
44 knowledge to fix this?
48 http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=68
54 @chapter Spacing issues
56 The global paper layout is determined by three factors: the page layout, the
57 line breaks, and the spacing. These all influence each other. The
58 choice of spacing determines how densely each system of music is set.
59 This influences where line breaks are chosen, and thus ultimately, how
60 many pages a piece of music takes.
62 Globally speaking, this procedure happens in four steps: first,
63 flexible distances (@q{springs}) are chosen, based on durations. All
64 possible line breaking combinations are tried, and a @q{badness} score
65 is calculated for each. Then the height of each possible system is
66 estimated. Finally, a page breaking and line breaking combination is chosen
67 so that neither the horizontal nor the vertical spacing is too cramped
70 Settings which influence layout may be placed in two blocks.
71 The @code{\paper @{...@}} block is placed outside any
72 @code{\score @{...@}} blocks and contains settings that
73 relate to the entire document. The @code{\layout @{...@}}
74 block is placed within a @code{\score @{...@}} block and
75 contains settings for that particular score. If you have
76 only one @code{\score @{...@}} block the two have the same
77 effect. In general the commands shown in this chapter can
85 * Horizontal spacing::
86 * Fitting music onto fewer pages::
91 @section Paper and pages
93 This section deals with the boundaries that define the area
94 within which music can be printed.
103 @subsection Paper size
108 Two functions are available for changing the paper size:
109 @code{set-default-paper-size} and @code{set-paper-size}.
110 @code{set-default-paper-size} must be placed in the toplevel
111 scope, and @code{set-paper-size} must be placed in a @code{\paper}
115 #(set-default-paper-size "a4")
120 #(set-paper-size "a4")
125 @code{set-default-paper-size} sets the size of all pages, whereas
126 @code{set-paper-size} only sets the size of the pages that the
127 @code{\paper} block applies to. For example, if the @code{\paper}
128 block is at the top of the file, then it will apply the paper size
129 to all pages. If the @code{\paper} block is inside a
130 @code{\book}, then the paper size will only apply to that book.
132 Common paper sizes are available, including @code{a4},
133 @code{letter}, @code{legal}, and @code{11x17} (also known as
134 tabloid). Many more paper sizes are supported by default. For
135 details, see @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, and search for the
136 definition of @code{paper-alist}.
138 @c TODO add a new appendix for paper sizes (auto-generated) -pm
140 @warning{The default paper size is @code{a4}.}
142 Extra sizes may be added by editing the definition of
143 @code{paper-alist} in the initialization file
144 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}, however they will be overridden on a
150 If the symbol @code{'landscape} is supplied as an argument to
151 @code{set-default-paper-size}, pages will be rotated by 90
152 degrees, and wider line widths will be set accordingly.
155 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
158 Setting the paper size will adjust a number of @code{\paper}
159 variables, such as margins. To use a particular paper size with
160 altered @code{\paper} variables, set the paper size before setting
167 @file{scm/@/paper@/.scm}.
173 @node Page formatting
174 @subsection Page formatting
176 Margins, headers, and footers and other layout variables are
177 automatically set according to the paper size.
179 This section lists and describes a number of paper variables that
183 * Vertical dimensions::
184 * Horizontal dimensions::
185 * Other layout variables::
189 @node Vertical dimensions
190 @unnumberedsubsubsec Vertical dimensions
192 These variables are used to set different vertical dimensions on a
199 @item after-title-space
200 @funindex after-title-space
202 The amount of space between the title and the first system.
203 Default: @code{5\mm}.
205 @item before-title-space
206 @funindex before-title-space
208 Amount of space between the last system of the previous piece and the
209 title of the next. Default: @code{10\mm}.
211 @item between-system-padding
212 @funindex between-system-padding
214 The minimum amount of white space that will always be present
215 between the bottom-most symbol of one system, and the top-most of
216 the next system. Default: @code{4\mm}.
218 Increasing this will put systems whose bounding boxes almost touch
221 @item between-system-space
222 @funindex between-system-space
224 The distance between systems. It is the ideal distance between
225 the center of the bottom staff of one system and the center of the
226 top staff of the next system. Default: @code{20\mm}.
228 Increasing this value will provide a more even appearance of the
229 page at the cost of using more vertical space.
231 @item between-title-space
232 @funindex between-title-space
234 Amount of space between consecutive titles (e.g., the title of the
235 book and the title of a piece). Default: @code{2\mm}.
238 @funindex bottom-margin
240 The margin between footer and bottom of the page. Default:
243 @item foot-separation
244 @funindex foot-separation
246 Distance between the bottom-most music system and the page
247 footer. Default: @code{4\mm}.
249 @item head-separation
250 @funindex head-separation
252 Distance between the top-most music system and the page header.
253 Default: @code{4\mm}.
256 @funindex page-top-space
258 Distance from the top of the printable area to the center of the
259 first staff. This only works for staves that are vertically
260 small. Big staves are set with the top of their bounding box
261 aligned to the top of the printable area. Default: @code{12\mm}.
264 @funindex paper-height
266 The height of the page. Default: the height of the current paper
267 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
272 The margin between header and top of the page. Default:
280 The header and footer are created by the functions make-footer and
281 make-header, defined in \paper. The default implementations are in
282 ly/paper-defaults.ly and ly/titling-init.ly.
284 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the \paper block,
285 page-music-height and page-make-stencil. The former tells the
286 line-breaking algorithm how much space can be spent on a page, the
287 latter creates the actual page given the system to put on it.
289 You can define paper block values in Scheme. In that case mm, in, pt,
290 and cm are variables defined in paper-defaults.ly with values in
291 millimeters. That is why the value 2 cm must be multiplied in the
296 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
308 ragged-last-bottom = ##t
312 This second example centers page numbers at the bottom of every page.
316 print-page-number = ##t
317 print-first-page-number = ##t
318 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
319 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line @{ " " @}
320 oddFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
321 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
322 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
323 evenFooterMarkup = \markup @{ \fill-line @{
324 \bold \fontsize #3 \on-the-fly #print-page-number-check-first
325 \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string @} @}
329 You can also define these values in Scheme. In that case @code{mm},
330 @code{in}, @code{pt}, and @code{cm} are variables defined in
331 @file{paper-defaults.ly} with values in millimeters. That is why the
332 value must be multiplied in the example
336 #(define bottom-margin (* 2 cm))
340 The header and footer are created by the functions @code{make-footer}
341 and @code{make-header}, defined in @code{\paper}. The default
342 implementations are in @file{ly/@/paper@/-defaults@/.ly} and
343 @file{ly/@/titling@/-init@/.ly}.
345 The page layout itself is done by two functions in the
346 @code{\paper} block, @code{page-music-height} and
347 @code{page-make-stencil}. The former tells the line-breaking algorithm
348 how much space can be spent on a page, the latter creates the actual
349 page given the system to put on it.
355 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
361 @node Horizontal dimensions
362 @unnumberedsubsubsec Horizontal dimensions
364 @warning{If @code{paper-width} is manually set, @code{line-width},
365 @code{left-margin}, @code{indent}, and @code{short-indent} may
366 have to be adjusted as well.}
368 There are a few variables that determine the horizontal dimensions
373 @item horizontal-shift
374 @funindex horizontal-shift
376 The amount that all systems (including titles and system
377 separators) are shifted to the right. Default: @code{0.0}.
382 The level of indentation for the first system in a score.
383 Default: @code{paper-width} divided by @code{14}, as determined by
384 @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}.
387 @funindex left-margin
389 The margin between the left edge of the page and the beginning of
390 each system. Default: @code{10\mm}, as determined by
391 @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}.
396 The width of music systems. Default: @code{paper-width} minus
397 @code{20\mm}, as determined by @code{set-default-paper-size} or
398 @code{set-paper-size}.
401 @funindex paper-width
403 The width of the page. Default: the width of the current paper
404 size. For details, see @ref{Paper size}.
407 @funindex short-indent
409 The level of indentation for all systems in a score besides the
410 first system. Default: @code{0}, as determined by
411 @code{set-default-paper-size} or @code{set-paper-size}.
424 The option @code{right-margin} is defined but doesn't set the
425 right margin yet. The value for the right margin has to be
426 defined by adjusting the values of @code{left-margin} and
430 @node Other layout variables
431 @unnumberedsubsubsec Other layout variables
433 These variables can be used to adjust page layout in general.
437 @item auto-first-page-number
438 @funindex auto-first-page-number
440 The page breaking algorithm is affected by the first page number
441 being odd or even. If set to true, the page breaking algorithm
442 will decide whether to start with an odd or even number. This
443 will result in the first page number remaining as is or being
444 increased by one. Default: @code{##f}.
448 FIXME: this variable is used, but I don't know what it does. -pm
449 @item blank-after-score-page-force
450 @funindex blank-after-score-page-force
456 @item blank-last-page-force
457 @funindex blank-last-page-force
459 The penalty for ending the score on an odd-numbered page.
462 @item blank-page-force
463 @funindex blank-page-force
465 The penalty for having a blank page in the middle of a
466 score. This is not used by @code{ly:optimal-breaking} since it will
467 never consider blank pages in the middle of a score. Default:
470 @item first-page-number
471 @funindex first-page-number
473 The value of the page number on the first page. Default:
476 @item page-breaking-between-system-padding
477 @funindex page-breaking-between-system-padding
479 Tricks the page breaker into thinking that
480 @code{between-system-padding} is set to something different than
481 it really is. For example, if this variable is set to something
482 substantially larger than @code{between-system-padding}, then the
483 page-breaker will put fewer systems on each page. Default: unset.
488 The number of pages to be used for a score. Default: unset.
490 @item page-limit-inter-system-space
491 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space
493 If set to true, limits space between systems on a page with a lot
494 of space left. Default: @code{##f}. For details, see
495 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
497 @item page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
498 @funindex page-limit-inter-system-space-factor
500 The factor used by @code{page-limit-inter-system-space}. Default:
501 @code{1.4}. For details, see
502 @ref{Vertical spacing between systems}.
504 @item page-spacing-weight
505 @funindex page-spacing-weight
507 The relative importance of page (vertical) spacing and line
508 (horizontal) spacing. High values will make page spacing more
509 important. Default: @code{#10}.
511 @item print-all-headers
512 @funindex print-all-headers
514 If set to true, this will print all headers for each \score in the
515 output. Normally only the piece and opus header variables are
516 printed. Default: @code{##f}.
518 @item print-first-page-number
519 @funindex print-first-page-number
521 If set to true, a page number is printed on the first page.
524 @item print-page-number
525 @funindex print-page-number
527 If set to false, page numbers are not printed. Default:
531 @funindex ragged-bottom
533 If set to true, systems will not spread vertically across the
534 page. This does not affect the last page. Default: @code{##f}.
536 This should be set to true for pieces that have only two or three
537 systems per page, for example orchestral scores.
540 @funindex ragged-last
542 If set to true, the last system in the score will not fill the
543 line width. Instead the last system ends at its natural
544 horizontal length. Default: @code{##f}.
546 @item ragged-last-bottom
547 @funindex ragged-last-bottom
549 If set to false, systems will spread vertically across the last
550 page. Default: @code{##t}.
552 Pieces that amply fill two pages or more should have this set to
555 It also affects the last page of book parts, ie parts of a book created
556 with @code{\bookpart} blocks.
559 @funindex ragged-right
561 If set to true, systems will not fill the line width. Instead,
562 systems end at their natural horizontal length. Default:
565 If the score has only one system, the default value is @code{##t}.
567 @item system-separator-markup
568 @funindex system-separator-markup
570 A markup object that is inserted between systems. This is often
571 used for orchestral scores. Default: unset.
573 The markup command @code{\slashSeparator} is provided as a sensible
576 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
577 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
580 \relative { c1 \break c1 }
583 system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator
589 @funindex system-count
591 The number of systems to be used for a score.
605 The default page header puts the page number and the @code{instrument}
606 field from the @code{\header} block on a line.
608 The titles (from the @code{\header@{@}} section) are treated as a
609 system, so @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom} will
610 add space between the titles and the first system of the score.
614 @section Music layout
617 * Setting the staff size::
622 @node Setting the staff size
623 @subsection Setting the staff size
625 @cindex font size, setting
626 @cindex staff size, setting
627 @funindex layout file
629 The default @strong{staff size} is set to 20 points.
630 This may be changed in two ways:
632 To set the staff size globally for all scores in a file (or
633 in a @code{book} block, to be precise), use @code{set-global-staff-size}.
636 #(set-global-staff-size 14)
640 This sets the global default size to 14pt staff height and scales all
643 To set the staff size individually for each score, use
648 #(layout-set-staff-size 15)
653 The Feta font provides musical symbols at eight different
654 sizes. Each font is tuned for a different staff size: at a smaller size
655 the font becomes heavier, to match the relatively heavier staff lines.
656 The recommended font sizes are listed in the following table:
659 @multitable @columnfractions .15 .2 .22 .2
662 @tab @b{staff height (pt)}
663 @tab @b{staff height (mm)}
705 @c modern rental material?
710 These fonts are available in any sizes. The context property
711 @code{fontSize} and the layout property @code{staff-space} (in
712 @rinternals{StaffSymbol}) can be used to tune the size for individual
713 staves. The sizes of individual staves are relative to the global size.
723 @ref{Selecting notation font size}.
731 @code{layout-set-staff-size} does not change the distance between the
736 @subsection Score layout
740 While @code{\paper} contains settings that relate to the page formatting
741 of the whole document, @code{\layout} contains settings for score-specific
748 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-6 . 6)
751 \override TextScript #'padding = #1.0
752 \override Glissando #'thickness = #3
761 @ref{Changing context default settings}.
773 * Optimal page breaking::
774 * Optimal page turning::
775 * Minimal page breaking::
777 * Using an extra voice for breaks::
782 @subsection Line breaking
785 @cindex breaking lines
787 Line breaks are normally determined automatically. They are chosen
788 so that lines look neither cramped nor loose, and consecutive
789 lines have similar density. Occasionally you might want to
790 override the automatic breaks; you can do this by specifying
791 @code{\break}. This will force a line break at this point. However,
792 line breaks can only occur at the end of @q{complete} bars, i.e.,
793 where there are no notes or tuplets left @q{hanging} over the bar
794 line. If you want to have a line break where there is no bar line,
795 you can force an invisible bar line by entering @code{\bar ""},
796 although again there must be no notes left hanging over in any of
797 the staves at this point, or it will be ignored.
799 The opposite command, @code{\noBreak}, forbids a line break at the
800 bar line where it is inserted.
802 The most basic settings influencing line spacing are @code{indent}
803 and @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block.
804 They control the indentation of the first line of music, and the
805 lengths of the lines.
807 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block,
808 then systems end at their natural horizontal length, instead of
809 being spread horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful
810 for short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural
813 @c TODO Check and add para on default for ragged-right
815 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right},
816 but affects only the last line of the piece.
828 @cindex regular line breaks
829 @cindex four bar music.
831 For line breaks at regular intervals use @code{\break} separated by
832 skips and repeated with @code{\repeat}. For example, this would
833 cause the following 28 measures (assuming 4/4 time) to be broken
834 every 4 measures, and only there:
837 << \repeat unfold 7 @{
838 s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
839 s1 \noBreak s1 \break @}
840 @emph{the real music}
845 A linebreaking configuration can be saved as a @code{.ly} file
846 automatically. This allows vertical alignments to be stretched to
847 fit pages in a second formatting run. This is fairly new and
848 complicated. More details are available in
863 @rinternals{LineBreakEvent}.
871 Line breaks can only occur if there is a @q{proper} bar line. A note
872 which is hanging over a bar line is not proper, such as
874 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
875 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % this does nothing
876 c2 c4 | % a break here would work
877 c4 c2 c4 ~ \break % as does this break
881 This can be avoided by removing the @code{Forbid_line_break_engraver}.
882 Note that manually forced line breaks have to be added in parallel
885 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,verbatim]
887 \remove Forbid_line_break_engraver
889 c4 c2 << c2 {s4 \break } >> % now the break is allowed
894 Similarly, line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar
895 lines. This behavior can be changed by setting
896 @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}.
900 @subsection Page breaking
902 The default page breaking may be overridden by inserting
903 @code{\pageBreak} or @code{\noPageBreak} commands. These commands are
904 analogous to @code{\break} and @code{\noBreak}. They should be
905 inserted at a bar line. These commands force and forbid a page-break
906 from happening. Of course, the @code{\pageBreak} command also forces
909 The @code{\pageBreak} and @code{\noPageBreak} commands may also be
910 inserted at top-level, between scores and top-level markups.
912 There are also analogous settings to @code{ragged-right} and
913 @code{ragged-last} which have the same effect on vertical spacing:
914 @code{ragged-bottom} and @code{ragged-last-bottom}. If set to
915 @code{##t} the systems on all pages or just the last page
916 respectively will not be justified vertically.
918 For more details see @ref{Vertical spacing}.
920 Page breaks are computed by the @code{page-breaking} function. LilyPond
921 provides three algorithms for computing page breaks,
922 @code{ly:optimal-breaking}, @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} and
923 @code{ly:minimal-breaking}. The default is @code{ly:optimal-breaking},
924 but the value can be changed in the @code{\paper} block:
928 #(define page-breaking ly:page-turn-breaking)
932 @c TODO Check this -td
933 The old page breaking algorithm is called
934 @code{optimal-page-breaks}. If you are having trouble with the new page
935 breakers, you can enable the old one as a workaround.
939 When a book has many scores and pages, the page breaking problem may be
940 difficult to solve, requiring large processing time and memory. To ease
941 the page breaking process, @code{\bookpart} blocks are used to divide
942 the book into several parts: the page breaking occurs separately on each
943 part. Different page breaking functions may also be used in different
952 %% In a part consisting mostly of text,
953 %% ly:minimal-breaking may be prefered
954 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
956 \markup @{ @dots{} @}
960 %% In this part, consisting of music, the default optimal
961 %% page breaking function is used.
963 subtitle = "First movement"
974 @funindex \noPageBreak
985 @node Optimal page breaking
986 @subsection Optimal page breaking
988 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
990 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
991 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
992 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
993 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1002 @node Optimal page turning
1003 @subsection Optimal page turning
1005 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1007 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1008 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1009 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1010 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1011 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1012 in specified places.
1014 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1015 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1016 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1019 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1020 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1021 input file at the appropriate places.
1023 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1024 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1025 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1026 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1027 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1028 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1029 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1030 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1031 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1034 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1035 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1036 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1037 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1038 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1039 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1042 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1045 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1047 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1048 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1050 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1055 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1056 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1057 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1058 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1059 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1060 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1061 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1063 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1064 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1071 @funindex \noPageTurn
1073 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1074 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1086 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1087 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1090 @node Minimal page breaking
1091 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1093 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1095 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1096 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1097 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1098 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1099 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1103 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1114 @node Explicit breaks
1115 @subsection Explicit breaks
1117 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1118 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1121 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1122 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1125 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1126 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1127 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1128 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1130 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1139 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1140 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1143 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1144 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1145 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1146 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
1147 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1148 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1149 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1150 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
1163 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1164 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1166 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1171 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1173 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1178 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1179 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1180 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1181 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1182 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1183 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1184 breaking layout information.
1186 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1196 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1197 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1198 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1199 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1205 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1206 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1207 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1209 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1214 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1215 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1218 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1219 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1222 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1223 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1226 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1227 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1231 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1232 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1233 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1234 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1244 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1250 @node Vertical spacing
1251 @section Vertical spacing
1253 @cindex vertical spacing
1254 @cindex spacing, vertical
1256 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1257 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1258 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1259 staves inside a system.
1262 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1263 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1264 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1265 * Two-pass vertical spacing::
1266 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1270 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1271 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1273 @cindex distance between staves
1274 @cindex staff distance
1275 @cindex space between staves
1276 @cindex space inside systems
1278 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
1279 staves from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
1280 By changing these, you can put staves closer together. This
1281 reduces the amount of space each system requires, and may result
1282 in having more systems per page.
1284 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
1285 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
1286 property @code{minimum-Y-extent}. When applied to a
1287 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup}, it controls the size of a horizontal
1288 line, such as a staff or a line of lyrics. @code{minimum-Y-extent}
1289 takes a pair of numbers, so
1290 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)}
1294 \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-3 . 3)
1298 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
1299 either side of the center staff line. The value @code{(-3 . 3)} is
1300 interpreted as an interval, where the center line is the 0, so the
1301 first number is generally negative. The numbers need not match;
1302 for example, the staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting
1303 it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
1305 After page breaks are determined, the vertical spacing within each
1306 system is reevaluated in order to fill the page more evenly; if a page
1307 has space left over, systems are stretched in order to fill that space.
1308 The amount of stretching can be configured though the @code{max-stretch}
1309 property of the @rinternals{VerticalAlignment} grob. By default,
1310 @code{max-stretch} is set to zero, disabling stretching. To enable
1311 stretching, a sane value for @code{max-stretch}
1312 is @code{ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch}.
1314 In some situations, you may want to stretch most of a system while
1315 leaving some parts fixed. For example, if a piano part occurs in the
1316 middle of an orchestral score, you may want to leave the piano staves
1317 close to each other while stretching the rest of the score. The
1318 @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} property of
1319 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup} can be used to achieve this. When set
1320 to @code{##t}, this property keeps its staff (or line of lyrics) from
1321 moving relative to the one directly above it. In the example above,
1322 you would override @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} to @code{##t} in
1323 the second piano staff:
1326 #(set-default-paper-size "a6")
1327 #(set-global-staff-size 14.0)
1331 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
1336 \override VerticalAlignment #'max-stretch = #ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch
1343 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1344 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1345 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1350 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1352 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'keep-fixed-while-stretching = ##t
1359 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1360 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1367 Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
1368 @code{VerticalAlignment} object. The context parameters
1369 specifying the vertical extent are described in connection with
1370 the @code{Axis_group_engraver}.
1378 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1379 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1381 Internals Reference:
1382 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1383 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1386 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1387 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1389 Space between systems are controlled by four @code{\paper} variables,
1393 between-system-space = 1.5\cm
1394 between-system-padding = #1
1396 ragged-last-bottom=##f
1400 When only a couple of flat systems are placed on a page, the resulting
1401 vertical spacing may be non-elegant: one system at the top of the page,
1402 and the other at the bottom, with a huge gap between them. To avoid this
1403 situation, the space added between the systems can be limited. This
1404 feature is activated by setting to @code{#t} the
1405 @code{page-limit-inter-system-space} variable in the @code{\paper}
1406 block. The paper variable @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor}
1407 determines how much the space can be increased: for instance, the value
1408 @code{1.3} means that the space can be 30% larger than what it would be
1409 on a ragged-bottom page.
1411 In the following example, if the inter system space were not limited,
1412 the second system of page 1 would be placed at the page bottom. By
1413 activating the space limitation, the second system is placed closer to
1414 the first one. By setting @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor} to
1415 @code{1}, the spacing would the same as on a ragged-bottom page, like
1419 #(set-default-paper-size "a6")
1422 page-limit-inter-system-space = ##t
1423 page-limit-inter-system-space-factor = 1.3
1425 oddFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom"
1426 evenFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom"
1427 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line {
1428 "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string }
1429 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line {
1430 "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string }
1432 \new Staff << \repeat unfold 4 { g'4 g' g' g' \break }
1433 { s1*2 \pageBreak } >>
1444 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1445 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1447 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1448 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1449 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1450 different staves and systems running down the page.
1452 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1453 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1454 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1455 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1456 vertical positions on the page.
1458 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1459 list of five different settings:
1462 @item @code{X-offset}
1463 @item @code{Y-offset}
1464 @item @code{alignment-offsets}
1465 @item @code{alignment-extra-space}
1466 @item @code{fixed-alignment-extra-space}
1469 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1470 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1473 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1474 @item in a @code{\context} block
1475 @item in the @code{\with} block
1478 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1479 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1480 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1481 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1482 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1483 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1484 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1487 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1488 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1490 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1491 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1493 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1494 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1496 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn
1497 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1499 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn
1500 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1501 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1504 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1505 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1507 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1508 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1511 \header { tagline = ##f }
1512 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1522 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1525 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1532 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1533 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1534 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1535 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1537 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1538 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1539 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1540 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1541 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1544 \header { tagline = ##f }
1545 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1551 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1552 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1554 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1555 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1557 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1558 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1561 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1564 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1571 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1572 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1573 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1574 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1576 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1577 explicitly, we can also set the vertical startpoint of each staff
1578 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-offsets}
1579 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1582 \header { tagline = ##f }
1583 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1589 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1590 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1591 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1593 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1594 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1595 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1597 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1598 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1599 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1602 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1605 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1612 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1613 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1614 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1615 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1616 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1617 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1618 @code{alignment-offsets} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1619 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-offsets}
1620 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1623 \header { tagline = ##f }
1624 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1630 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1631 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1632 (alignment-offsets . (0 -30 -40)))
1634 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1635 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1636 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -20)))
1638 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1639 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1640 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -40)))
1643 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1646 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1647 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1654 Some points to consider:
1657 @item When using @code{alignment-offsets}, lyrics count as a staff.
1659 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1660 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-offsets} are interpreted as multiples
1661 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1662 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1664 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1665 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1666 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1667 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1668 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1678 @node Two-pass vertical spacing
1679 @subsection Two-pass vertical spacing
1681 @warning{Two-pass vertical spacing is deprecated and will be removed in
1682 a future version of LilyPond. Systems are now stretched automatically
1683 in a single pass. See @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}.}
1685 In order to automatically stretch systems so that they should fill the
1686 space left on a page, a two-pass technique can be used:
1689 @item In the first pass, the amount of vertical space used to increase
1690 the height of each system is computed and dumped to a file.
1691 @item In the second pass, spacing inside the systems are
1692 stretched according to the data in the page layout file.
1695 The @code{ragged-bottom} property adds space between systems, while
1696 the two-pass technique adds space between staves inside a system.
1698 To allow this behavior, a @code{tweak-key} variable has to be set in
1699 each score @code{\layout} block, and the tweaks included in each score
1700 music, using the @code{\scoreTweak} music function.
1704 %% include the generated page layout file:
1705 \includePageLayoutFile
1710 %% Include this score tweaks:
1711 \scoreTweak "scoreA"
1712 { \clef french c''1 \break c''1 }
1714 \new Staff { \clef soprano g'1 g'1 }
1715 \new Staff { \clef mezzosoprano e'1 e'1 }
1716 \new Staff { \clef alto g1 g1 }
1717 \new Staff { \clef bass c1 c1 }
1720 piece = "Score with tweaks"
1722 %% Define how to name the tweaks for this score:
1723 \layout { #(define tweak-key "scoreA") }
1728 For the first pass, the @code{dump-tweaks} option should be set to
1729 generate the page layout file.
1732 lilypond -dbackend=null -d dump-tweaks <file>.ly
1743 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1744 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1746 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1747 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1748 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1750 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1751 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1752 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1753 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1754 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1755 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1756 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1759 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1760 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1761 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1762 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1765 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1766 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1767 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1768 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1769 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1770 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1771 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1774 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1777 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1778 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1780 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1781 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1782 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1783 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1784 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1787 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1788 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1789 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1791 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1792 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1793 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1794 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1795 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1796 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1799 TODO: this example doesn't work any more ?
1801 By default, outside-staff objects are placed without regard to
1802 their horizontal distance from the previously-positioned grobs. This
1803 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1804 other horizontally. Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1805 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1808 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1809 % the markup is too close to the following note
1812 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1814 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
1826 @node Horizontal spacing
1827 @section Horizontal spacing
1829 @cindex horizontal spacing
1830 @cindex spacing, horizontal
1833 * Horizontal spacing overview::
1834 * New spacing area::
1835 * Changing horizontal spacing::
1837 * Proportional notation::
1841 @node Horizontal spacing overview
1842 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
1844 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
1845 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
1846 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
1847 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
1848 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
1849 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
1850 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
1851 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
1853 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
1854 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
1855 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
1857 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
1858 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
1862 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
1863 approximately the width of a note head, and
1864 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
1865 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
1866 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
1867 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
1868 followed by one NHW of space.
1870 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
1871 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
1872 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
1873 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
1874 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
1875 the one which occurs most frequently.
1878 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
1879 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
1880 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
1881 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
1882 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
1883 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
1885 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
1886 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
1887 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
1888 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
1890 @funindex common-shortest-duration
1891 @funindex base-shortest-duration
1892 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
1895 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
1896 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
1897 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
1898 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
1900 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
1901 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
1905 In the introduction (see @rlearning{Engraving}), it was explained that stem
1906 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
1907 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
1908 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
1909 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
1910 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same property
1911 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
1912 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
1913 exaggerated corrections:
1915 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1919 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1920 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1926 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
1934 Internals Reference:
1935 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
1936 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
1937 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
1938 @rinternals{SeparationItem}.
1943 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
1944 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score.
1946 \once \override Score.SeparationItem #'padding = #1
1949 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
1952 @node New spacing area
1953 @subsection New spacing area
1955 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
1956 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
1957 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
1959 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
1960 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
1962 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
1965 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
1971 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
1972 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
1973 may be used in that location.
1981 Internals Reference:
1982 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
1985 @node Changing horizontal spacing
1986 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
1988 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
1989 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
1990 we compare the same music; once without altering
1991 the property, and then altered. Larger values
1992 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
1993 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
1994 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
1997 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2000 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2001 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2002 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2003 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2008 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2011 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2012 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2013 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2014 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2019 \override SpacingSpanner
2020 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2029 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2030 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2031 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2032 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2033 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2035 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2037 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2054 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2055 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2057 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2058 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2059 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2070 @subsection Line length
2073 @cindex breaking pages
2076 @funindex line-width
2077 @funindex ragged-right
2078 @funindex ragged-last
2080 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2081 @c block, to get page layout right.
2082 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2084 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2085 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2086 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2087 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2090 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2091 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2092 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2093 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2096 @cindex vertical spacing
2098 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2099 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2100 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2101 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2102 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2103 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2104 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2105 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2122 @node Proportional notation
2123 @subsection Proportional notation
2125 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2126 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2127 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2128 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2129 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2130 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2131 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2133 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2134 which may be used together or alone:
2137 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2138 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2139 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2140 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2141 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2144 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2145 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2147 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2148 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2150 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2152 \new RhythmicStaff {
2156 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2162 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2163 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2164 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2165 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2166 horizontal space of the measure.
2168 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2169 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2170 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2172 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2173 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2174 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2177 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2179 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2181 \new RhythmicStaff {
2185 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2191 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2192 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2193 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2196 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting that
2197 lives in @code{Score}. Recall that context settings appear in one of
2198 three locations in our input file -- in a @code{\with} block, in a
2199 @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry
2200 preceded by the @code{\set} command. As with all
2201 context settings, users can pick which of the three different
2202 locations they would like to set @code{proportionalNotationDuration}.
2204 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2205 which is the reference duration against which all music will be
2206 spaced. The LilyPond Scheme function make-moment takes two arguments
2207 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2208 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces a
2209 reference duration of a twentieth note. The values
2210 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2211 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2213 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2214 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial and error,
2215 beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest) duration
2216 in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely; larger
2217 reference durations space music tightly.
2219 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2221 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2223 \new RhythmicStaff {
2227 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2233 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2235 \new RhythmicStaff {
2239 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2245 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2247 \new RhythmicStaff {
2251 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2257 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2258 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2259 Note also that proportional notation in general takes up more
2260 horizontal space that does classical spacing. Proportional spacing
2261 provides rhythmic clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2263 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2265 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2266 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2269 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2271 \new RhythmicStaff {
2275 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2278 \new RhythmicStaff {
2280 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2286 The spacing is bad because the evenly notes of the bottom staff do not
2287 stretch uniformly. Classical engraving includes very few complex
2288 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2289 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} remedies this
2290 situation considerably.
2292 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2294 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2296 \new RhythmicStaff {
2300 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2303 \new RhythmicStaff {
2305 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2311 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2312 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than do the notes
2313 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2314 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2315 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2317 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2319 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2320 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2322 \new RhythmicStaff {
2326 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2329 \new RhythmicStaff {
2331 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2337 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2338 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2339 timeline or graphic if we want.
2341 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2342 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2343 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2344 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2345 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2346 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2349 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2350 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2351 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2352 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2353 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2355 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2356 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2357 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2358 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2359 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2360 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2362 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2363 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2364 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2365 just before the first note in each system.
2367 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2380 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2381 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2382 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2383 reduces this space to zero.
2385 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2391 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2399 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2400 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2401 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2402 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2403 problems differently.
2405 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2406 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2407 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2408 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2409 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2410 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2411 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2413 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2414 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2415 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2417 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2419 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2429 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2430 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2440 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2441 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2442 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2443 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2444 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2445 part in the spacing algorithm.
2447 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2448 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2451 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2452 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2453 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2454 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2455 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2456 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2459 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2460 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2461 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2462 for these related settings.
2468 @ref{New spacing area}.
2474 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2475 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2477 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2478 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2479 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2480 of room left on those.
2482 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2483 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2484 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2485 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2488 * Displaying spacing::
2489 * Changing spacing::
2493 @node Displaying spacing
2494 @subsection Displaying spacing
2496 @funindex annotate-spacing
2497 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2499 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2500 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2501 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2503 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2504 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2505 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2508 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2513 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff spaces, regardless of
2514 the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2515 For example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75 staff
2516 spaces, using the default staff size of 20 points, which is
2517 equivalent to 148 millimeters, the height of @code{a6} paper in
2518 landscape orientation. The pairs (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals,
2519 where @var{a} is the lower edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the
2529 @node Changing spacing
2530 @subsection Changing spacing
2532 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2533 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2534 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2536 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2540 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2541 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2542 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2546 between-system-padding = #0.1
2547 between-system-space = #0.1
2548 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2554 Force the number of systems. For example, if the default layout
2555 has 11 systems, the following assignment will force a layout with
2565 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2566 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2567 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2568 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2569 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2570 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2572 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2574 \override DynamicText #'extra-offset = #'( -2.2 . 2.0)
2579 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2580 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2581 example illustrates the default spacing:
2583 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2596 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2597 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2598 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2599 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2601 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2613 \override SpacingSpanner
2614 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2621 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2622 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2623 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2631 @ref{Page formatting},
2632 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.