1 New features in 2.18 since 2.16
2 *******************************
4 * There is now a new context type called `NullVoice' which, while not
5 appearing in the printed output, can be used to align lyrics.
6 This can be particularly convenient when used in parallel with a
7 `\partcombine' construct.
9 soprano = \relative c' { c e g c }
10 alto = \relative c' { a c e g }
11 verse = \lyricmode { This is my song }
15 \partcombine \soprano \alto
16 \new NullVoice = "aligner" \soprano
17 \new Lyrics \lyricsto "aligner" \verse
24 * Several articulations can be put into a single variable or
25 returned from an event function:
27 sempreStacc = -. ^\markup \italic sempre
28 \relative { c''4\sempreStacc c c c }
32 * The baseline of score markups is now taken from the reference
33 point (usually the middle of the staff) of the first bottom system
34 rather than the top of the bounding rectangle. The following
37 violin: \score { \new Staff { <g d' a' e''>1 }
38 \layout { indent=0 } } ,
39 cello: \score { \new Staff { \clef "bass" <c, g, d a> }
40 \layout { indent=0 } }
45 previously looked like
50 without a reliable way to get both scores to line up.
52 * LilyPond no longer automatically infers a `\defaultchild' context
53 in a context definition with `\accepts' clauses. Any context
54 definition without an explicit or inherited `\defaultchild'
55 definition counts as a `Bottom' context and will be eligible for
56 rhythmic events and overrides without causing the implicit
57 creation of other contexts. Be sure to specify a `\defaultchild'
58 for non-`Bottom' contexts when defining them from scratch.
60 * There is now extensive support for both discant and bass accordion
61 register symbols in the `scm accreg' module, see *note Accordion
62 Registers: (lilypond-notation)Accordion Registers.
64 #(use-modules (scm accreg))
68 { \clef "treble" \discant "10"
69 r8 s32 f'[ bes f] s e[ a e] s d[ g d] s16 e32[ a]
71 << { r16 <f bes> r <e a> r <d g> } \\
72 { d r a r bes r } >> |
76 { \clef "treble" \freeBass "1"
77 r8 d'32 s16. c32 s16. bes32 s16. a32[ cis] s16
78 \clef "bass" \stdBass "Master"
79 << { r16 <f, bes d>^"b" r <e a c>^"am" r <d g bes>^"gm" |
81 { d8_"D" c_"C" bes_"B" | a1_"A" }
88 * New commands `markLengthOn' and `markLengthOff' control the
89 allowance of horizontal space for tempo and rehearsal marks.
94 * Rehearsal marks at the beginning of a line are now placed to the
95 right of the clef and key signature by default. As in previous
96 versions, the `break-alignable-interface' controls the behavior.
101 * Decimal numbers can now be written directly in music, without a
102 hash sign. Together with the previous change in the way object
103 properties are specified, the code to change the length of stems
104 has changed from this:
105 \override Stem #'length = #5.6
108 \override Stem.length = 5.6
111 One has to write a digit on both sides of the dot - values like
112 `4.' or `-.3' are not allowed.
114 Decimal fractions are also not accepted in `\chordmode'.
116 * A number of shorthands like `(', `)', `|', `[', `]', `~', `\(',
117 `\)' and others can now freely be redefined like normal commands.
127 c8 \{ d e f \} % slurred
128 g ( a b c ) % no slur, but with melisma
131 \addlyrics { Li -- ly -- pond. }
136 * The articulation shorthand for `\staccatissimo' has been renamed
139 * Tempo change ranges are now written as `\tempo 4 = 60 - 68' rather
140 than `\tempo 4 = 60 ~ 68'.
142 * Grob `OctavateEight' was renamed to `ClefModifier'. Related
143 context properties were renamed from `xxxOctavationyyy' to
144 `xxxTranspositionyyy'.
146 * There is a new `\absolute' command explicitly marking music as
147 being entered in absolute pitch. While this has been the default
148 previously, an explicit `\absolute' also prevents reinterpretation
149 when the passage is placed inside of `\relative':
151 \relative c { c'4 \absolute { f'' g'' } c }
155 * When `\relative' is used without an explicit reference pitch, the
156 reference pitch now is the middle of the first octave, making the
157 first entered pitch indistinguishable from absolute pitch.
158 Previously, omitting the reference pitch would have lead to a
159 default of `c''. Since that choice was somewhat arbitrary,
160 recommended usage was to always specify the reference pitch.
162 * A new command `\single' can be used for converting a property
163 override into a tweak to be applied on a single music expression:
165 <a \single\voiceTwoStyle e' a>1
169 * Two ways of letting graphical objects not appear in the output are
170 overriding its `transparent' property with `#t' (retaining the
171 original spacing) or overriding its `stencil' property with `#f'
172 (not using any space at all). Those two operations now have the
173 shorthands `\hide' and `\omit', respectively. They can either be
174 given a music expression to tweak, or the name of a graphical
175 object for which an override should be created (for specifying
176 both, use `\single' on the override form):
178 \new Staff \with { \omit Clef }
179 \relative c'' <a e' \hide a>1
183 * A new command `\temporary' can be applied to overrides in order to
184 not have them replace previous property settings. If a `\revert'
185 is applied to the same property subsequently, the previous setting
188 \override NoteHead.color = #red c4
189 \override NoteHead.color = #green d
190 \revert NoteHead.color e2
191 \override NoteHead.color = #red c4
192 \temporary\override NoteHead.color = #green d
193 \revert NoteHead.color e
194 \revert NoteHead.color c
198 This is mainly useful for writing music functions that need to
199 have some property changed just for the duration of the function.
201 * `\tag', `\removeWithTag', and `\keepWithTag' can now accept a list
202 of symbols rather than just a single symbol for marking, removing,
203 and keeping music with any of multiple tags. This is particularly
204 important for `\keepWithTag' since one cannot achieve the same
205 effect by using multiple consecutive `\keepWithTag' commands.
207 * The `-d old-relative' option has been removed. Not actually
208 accessible from the command line any more, its remaining use was
209 for interpretating `\relative' in LilyPond files converted
210 automatically from version 1.8 or older. It is unclear how much
211 of this was actually still operative.
213 * The meaning of `instrumentTransposition' has been reversed. After
214 \set instrumentTransposition = #{ b #}
215 a written `c'' now sounds like `b'. Previously, this would have
216 been the other way round. This and the following change should
217 make dealing with transposing instruments more straightforward.
219 * The music generated by `\set' and `\override' commands is no
220 longer affected by `\transpose'. The main consequence is that
221 `\transpose' will transpose audible/concert pitch and printed
222 pitch by the same amount even when the transposed music contains
223 `\transposition'. Previously,
224 \transpose c' f' \transposition bes'
225 was equivalent to `\transposition f''. Now it stays equivalent to
226 `\transposition bes''.
228 * When checking for collisions, LilyPond no longer treats objects as
229 rectangles. Instead, the actual shape of objects is approximated
230 using an integral-like approach. This generally results in more
231 even and snug positioning of objects and systems:
235 Previously, the above snippet looked like this:
239 Affected objects include `Accidentals', `Beams', `Clefs',
240 `Dynamics', `FiguredBass', `Flags', `Glissandos', `Lyrics',
241 `MetronomeMarks', `OttavaBrackets', `Pedals', `RehearsalMarks',
242 `Rests', `Scripts', `TextScripts', `Ties', `Tuplets' and
245 * Tuplets are now created with the `\tuplet' command, which takes a
246 fraction `T/N' to specify that T notes are played in the time
247 usually allowed for N. One `\tuplet' command can create several
248 tuplet groups if their duration is typed after the fraction.
250 \tuplet 3/2 { c8 d e } \tuplet 3/2 { f e d } c2
251 \tuplet 3/2 4 { c8 d e f e d } c2
255 The `\times' command with its inverted fraction order `N/T' is
258 * Introducing two new markup-commands; `\draw-dashed-line' and
261 The dashed-line extends to the whole length given by DEST, if
262 `full-length' is set to `#t' (this is the default) without any
263 space at the beginning or end. `off' will then be altered to fit.
264 To insist on the given (or default) values of `on', `off' use
265 `\override #'(full-length . #f)'. Manual settings for `on', `off'
266 and `phase' are possible.
268 The dotted-line always extends to the whole length given by DEST,
269 without any space at the beginning or end. Manual settings for
270 `off' are possible to get larger or smaller space between the dots.
271 The given (or default) value of `off' will be altered to fit the
275 \draw-dashed-line #'(5.1 . 2.3)
276 \override #'(on . 0.3)
277 \override #'(off . 0.5)
278 \draw-dashed-line #'(5.1 . 2.3)
279 \draw-dotted-line #'(5.1 . 2.3)
280 \override #'(thickness . 2)
281 \override #'(off . 0.2)
282 \draw-dotted-line #'(5.1 . 2.3)
287 * Starting with version 2.17.10, error messages or the `textedit'
288 URI used for point-and-click functionality specify column numbers
289 starting with 1 rather than 0. The byte offset (also part of
290 `textedit' URIs) still starts at 0.
292 * The `\clef' command supports optional transposition:
301 * The LilyPond syntax of dot-separated words `Voice.Accidental' has
302 been made interchangeable with `#'(Voice Accidental)', a Scheme
303 list of symbols. As one result, code like
304 \override Voice.TextSpanner #'(bound-details left text) = "rit."
306 \override Voice.TextSpanner bound-details.left.text = "rit."
308 \override #'(Voice TextSpanner) bound-details.left.text = "rit."
310 * Grob and grob property path no longer need to be specified as two
311 separate arguments to commands like `\override' and `\revert',
312 allowing for the syntax
313 \override Voice.TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = "rit."
314 Since complementary music functions like `\overrideProperty'
315 cannot support forms with and without separating space at the same
316 time, using a single dotted path is now the preferred form.
317 Specifying grob path and grob property path separately, currently
318 still supported with `\override' and `\revert' for compatibility
319 reasons, is deprecated.
321 * Due to words now being accepted as symbol function arguments, the
322 interfaces of `\accidentalStyle', `\alterBroken', `\footnote' and
323 `\tweak' had to be redesigned where optional symbol arguments were
324 involved. Please check the respective music function
325 documentation for details.
327 * Several commands now accept symbol lists (conveniently entered as
328 dot-separated words) for various kinds of arguments. These
329 include `\accidentalStyle', `\alterBroken', `\footnote', `\hide',
330 `\omit', `\overrideProperty', `\shape', and `\tweak'.
332 * The bar line user interface has changed. Bar glyphs now resemble
333 the appearance of the bar line, so a left repeat sign has to be
334 coded as `.|:'. The command `\defineBarLine' provides an easy way
335 to define additional bar line styles.
337 * Accidentals in the key signature may be printed in octaves other
338 than their traditional positions, or in multiple octaves.