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
984 @node Optimal page breaking
985 @subsection Optimal page breaking
987 @funindex ly:optimal-breaking
989 The @code{ly:optimal-breaking} function is LilyPond's default method of
990 determining page breaks. It attempts to find a page breaking that minimizes
991 cramping and stretching, both horizontally and vertically. Unlike
992 @code{ly:page-turn-breaking}, it has no concept of page turns.
1001 @node Optimal page turning
1002 @subsection Optimal page turning
1004 @funindex ly:page-turn-breaking
1006 Often it is necessary to find a page breaking configuration so that there is
1007 a rest at the end of every second page. This way, the musician can turn the
1008 page without having to miss notes. The @code{ly:page-turn-breaking} function
1009 attempts to find a page breaking minimizing cramping and stretching, but with
1010 the additional restriction that it is only allowed to introduce page turns
1011 in specified places.
1013 There are two steps to using this page breaking function. First, you
1014 must enable it in the @code{\paper} block, as explained in @ref{Page
1015 breaking}. Then you must tell the function where you would like to allow
1018 There are two ways to achieve the second step. First, you can specify each
1019 potential page turn manually, by inserting @code{\allowPageTurn} into your
1020 input file at the appropriate places.
1022 If this is too tedious, you can add a @code{Page_turn_engraver} to a Staff or
1023 Voice context. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} will scan the context for
1024 sections without notes (note that it does not scan for rests; it scans for
1025 the absence of notes. This is so that single-staff polyphony with rests in one
1026 of the parts does not throw off the @code{Page_turn_engraver}). When it finds
1027 a sufficiently long section without notes, the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1028 insert an @code{\allowPageTurn} at the final bar line in that section, unless
1029 there is a @q{special} bar line (such as a double bar), in which case the
1030 @code{\allowPageTurn} will be inserted at the final @q{special} bar line in
1033 @funindex minimumPageTurnLength
1034 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} reads the context property
1035 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} to determine how long a note-free section must
1036 be before a page turn is considered. The default value for
1037 @code{minimumPageTurnLength} is @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 1)}. If you want
1038 to disable page turns, you can set it to something very large.
1041 \new Staff \with @{ \consists "Page_turn_engraver" @}
1044 R1 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1046 \set Staff.minimumPageTurnLength = #(ly:make-moment 5 2)
1047 R1 | % a page turn will not be allowed here
1049 R1*2 | % a page turn will be allowed here
1054 @funindex minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn
1055 The @code{Page_turn_engraver} detects volta repeats. It will only allow a page
1056 turn during the repeat if there is enough time at the beginning and end of the
1057 repeat to turn the page back. The @code{Page_turn_engraver} can also disable
1058 page turns if the repeat is very short. If you set the context property
1059 @code{minimumRepeatLengthForPageTurn} then the @code{Page_turn_engraver} will
1060 only allow turns in repeats whose duration is longer than this value.
1062 The page turning commands, @code{\pageTurn}, @code{\noPageTurn} and
1063 @code{\allowPageTurn}, may also be used at top-level, between scores and
1071 @funindex \noPageTurn
1073 @funindex \allowPageTurn
1074 @code{\allowPageTurn}.
1085 There should only be one @code{Page_turn_engraver} in a score. If there is more
1086 than one, they will interfere with each other.
1089 @node Minimal page breaking
1090 @subsection Minimal page breaking
1092 @funindex ly:minimal-breaking
1094 The @code{ly:minimal-breaking} function performs minimal computations to
1095 calculate the page breaking: it fills a page with as many systems as
1096 possible before moving to the next one. Thus, it may be preferred for
1097 scores with many pages, where the other page breaking functions could be
1098 too slow or memory demanding, or a lot of texts. It is enabled using:
1102 #(define page-breaking ly:minimal-breaking)
1113 @node Explicit breaks
1114 @subsection Explicit breaks
1116 Lily sometimes rejects explicit @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak}
1117 commands. There are two commands to override this behavior:
1120 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1121 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1124 When @code{line-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1125 line breaks at explicit @code{\break} commands and nowhere else. When
1126 @code{page-break-permission} is overridden to false, Lily will insert
1127 page breaks at explicit @code{\pageBreak} commands and nowhere else.
1129 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1138 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-permission = ##f
1139 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn #'page-break-permission = ##f
1142 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1143 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1144 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1145 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \pageBreak
1146 \repeat unfold 8 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1147 \repeat unfold 6 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1148 \repeat unfold 4 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 } \break
1149 \repeat unfold 2 { c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 }
1162 @node Using an extra voice for breaks
1163 @subsection Using an extra voice for breaks
1165 Line- and page-breaking information usually appears within note entry directly.
1170 \repeat unfold 2 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1172 \repeat unfold 3 @{ c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 @}
1177 This makes @code{\break} and @code{\pageBreak} commands easy to enter but mixes
1178 music entry with information that specifies how music should lay out
1179 on the page. You can keep music entry and line- and page-breaking
1180 information in two separate places by introducing an extra voice to
1181 contain the breaks. This extra voice
1182 contains only skips together with @code{\break}, @code{pageBreak} and other
1183 breaking layout information.
1185 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1195 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1196 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1197 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1198 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1204 This pattern becomes especially helpful when overriding
1205 @code{line-break-system-details} and the other useful but long properties of
1206 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumnGrob}, as explained in @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1208 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
1213 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1214 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1217 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1218 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 35))
1221 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1222 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 70))
1225 \overrideProperty "Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1226 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 105))
1230 \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1231 \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1232 \repeat unfold 6 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1233 \repeat unfold 5 { c'4 c'4 c'4 c'4 }
1243 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
1249 @node Vertical spacing
1250 @section Vertical spacing
1252 @cindex vertical spacing
1253 @cindex spacing, vertical
1255 Vertical spacing is controlled by three things: the amount of
1256 space available (i.e., paper size and margins), the amount of
1257 space between systems, and the amount of space between
1258 staves inside a system.
1261 * Vertical spacing inside a system::
1262 * Vertical spacing between systems::
1263 * Explicit staff and system positioning::
1264 * Two-pass vertical spacing::
1265 * Vertical collision avoidance::
1269 @node Vertical spacing inside a system
1270 @subsection Vertical spacing inside a system
1272 @cindex distance between staves
1273 @cindex staff distance
1274 @cindex space between staves
1275 @cindex space inside systems
1277 The height of each system is determined automatically. To prevent
1278 staves from bumping into each other, some minimum distances are set.
1279 By changing these, you can put staves closer together. This
1280 reduces the amount of space each system requires, and may result
1281 in having more systems per page.
1283 Normally staves are stacked vertically. To make staves maintain a
1284 distance, their vertical size is padded. This is done with the
1285 property @code{minimum-Y-extent}. When applied to a
1286 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup}, it controls the size of a horizontal
1287 line, such as a staff or a line of lyrics. @code{minimum-Y-extent}
1288 takes a pair of numbers, so
1289 if you want to make it smaller than its default @code{#'(-4 . 4)}
1293 \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup #'minimum-Y-extent = #'(-3 . 3)
1297 This sets the vertical size of the current staff to 3 staff spaces on
1298 either side of the center staff line. The value @code{(-3 . 3)} is
1299 interpreted as an interval, where the center line is the 0, so the
1300 first number is generally negative. The numbers need not match;
1301 for example, the staff can be made larger at the bottom by setting
1302 it to @code{(-6 . 4)}.
1304 After page breaks are determined, the vertical spacing within each
1305 system is reevaluated in order to fill the page more evenly; if a page
1306 has space left over, systems are stretched in order to fill that space.
1307 The amount of stretching can be configured though the @code{max-stretch}
1308 property of the @rinternals{VerticalAlignment} grob. By default,
1309 @code{max-stretch} is set to zero, disabling stretching. To enable
1310 stretching, a sane value for @code{max-stretch}
1311 is @code{ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch}.
1313 In some situations, you may want to stretch most of a system while
1314 leaving some parts fixed. For example, if a piano part occurs in the
1315 middle of an orchestral score, you may want to leave the piano staves
1316 close to each other while stretching the rest of the score. The
1317 @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} property of
1318 @rinternals{VerticalAxisGroup} can be used to achieve this. When set
1319 to @code{##t}, this property keeps its staff (or line of lyrics) from
1320 moving relative to the one directly above it. In the example above,
1321 you would override @code{keep-fixed-while-stretching} to @code{##t} in
1322 the second piano staff:
1325 #(set-default-paper-size "a6")
1326 #(set-global-staff-size 14.0)
1330 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
1335 \override VerticalAlignment #'max-stretch = #ly:align-interface::calc-max-stretch
1342 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1343 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1344 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1349 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1351 \override VerticalAxisGroup #'keep-fixed-while-stretching = ##t
1358 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1359 \new Staff {c' d' e' f'}
1366 Vertical alignment of staves is handled by the
1367 @code{VerticalAlignment} object. The context parameters
1368 specifying the vertical extent are described in connection with
1369 the @code{Axis_group_engraver}.
1377 @c @lsr{spacing,page-spacing.ly},
1378 @c @lsr{spacing,alignment-vertical-spacing.ly}.
1380 Internals Reference:
1381 @rinternals{VerticalAlignment},
1382 @rinternals{Axis_group_engraver}.
1385 @node Vertical spacing between systems
1386 @subsection Vertical spacing between systems
1388 Space between systems are controlled by four @code{\paper} variables,
1392 between-system-space = 1.5\cm
1393 between-system-padding = #1
1395 ragged-last-bottom=##f
1399 When only a couple of flat systems are placed on a page, the resulting
1400 vertical spacing may be non-elegant: one system at the top of the page,
1401 and the other at the bottom, with a huge gap between them. To avoid this
1402 situation, the space added between the systems can be limited. This
1403 feature is activated by setting to @code{#t} the
1404 @code{page-limit-inter-system-space} variable in the @code{\paper}
1405 block. The paper variable @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor}
1406 determines how much the space can be increased: for instance, the value
1407 @code{1.3} means that the space can be 30% larger than what it would be
1408 on a ragged-bottom page.
1410 In the following example, if the inter system space were not limited,
1411 the second system of page 1 would be placed at the page bottom. By
1412 activating the space limitation, the second system is placed closer to
1413 the first one. By setting @code{page-limit-inter-system-space-factor} to
1414 @code{1}, the spacing would the same as on a ragged-bottom page, like
1418 #(set-default-paper-size "a6")
1421 page-limit-inter-system-space = ##t
1422 page-limit-inter-system-space-factor = 1.3
1424 oddFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom"
1425 evenFooterMarkup = \markup "page bottom"
1426 oddHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line {
1427 "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string }
1428 evenHeaderMarkup = \markup \fill-line {
1429 "page top" \fromproperty #'page:page-number-string }
1431 \new Staff << \repeat unfold 4 { g'4 g' g' g' \break }
1432 { s1*2 \pageBreak } >>
1443 @node Explicit staff and system positioning
1444 @subsection Explicit staff and system positioning
1446 One way to understand the @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper}
1447 settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
1448 different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
1449 different staves and systems running down the page.
1451 It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
1452 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}. Where
1453 @code{VerticalAxisGroup} and @code{\paper} settings specify vertical padding,
1454 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} specifies exact
1455 vertical positions on the page.
1457 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details} accepts an associative
1458 list of five different settings:
1461 @item @code{X-offset}
1462 @item @code{Y-offset}
1463 @item @code{alignment-offsets}
1464 @item @code{alignment-extra-space}
1465 @item @code{fixed-alignment-extra-space}
1468 Grob overrides, including the overrides for @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}
1469 below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
1472 @item in the middle of note entry directly
1473 @item in a @code{\context} block
1474 @item in the @code{\with} block
1477 When we override @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn}, we use the usual
1478 @code{\override} command in @code{\context} blocks and in the
1479 @code{\with} block. On the other hand, when we override
1480 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} in the middle of note entry,
1481 use the special @code{\overrideProperty} command. Here are some
1482 example @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} overrides with the special
1483 @code{\overrideProperty} command:
1486 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1487 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
1489 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1490 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1492 \overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
1493 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
1495 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn
1496 #'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1498 \override NonMusicalPaperColumn
1499 #'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
1500 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1503 To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
1504 by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
1506 @c \book { } is required in these examples to ensure the spacing
1507 @c overrides can be seen between systems. -np
1510 \header { tagline = ##f }
1511 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1521 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1524 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1531 This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
1532 voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
1533 separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
1534 See @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks}.
1536 Explicit @code{\breaks} evenly divide the music into six measures per
1537 line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond's defaults. To set
1538 the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
1539 the @code{Y-offset} pair in the @code{line-break-system-details}
1540 attribute of the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob:
1543 \header { tagline = ##f }
1544 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1550 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1551 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0))
1553 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1554 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
1556 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1557 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 80))
1560 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1563 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1570 Note that @code{line-break-system-details} takes an associative list of
1571 potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
1572 too, that the @code{Y-offset} property here determines the exact vertical
1573 position on the page at which each new system will render.
1575 Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
1576 explicitly, we can also set the vertical startpoint of each staff
1577 within each system manually. We do this using the @code{alignment-offsets}
1578 subproperty of @code{line-break-system-details}.
1581 \header { tagline = ##f }
1582 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1588 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1589 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 20)
1590 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1592 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1593 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1594 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1596 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1597 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1598 (alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
1601 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1604 \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' }
1611 Note that here we assign two different values to the
1612 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute of the
1613 @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn} grob. Though the
1614 @code{line-break-system-details} attribute alist accepts many
1615 additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
1616 @code{X-offset} pair), we need only set the @code{Y-offset} and
1617 @code{alignment-offsets} pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
1618 every system and every staff. Finally, note that @code{alignment-offsets}
1619 specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
1622 \header { tagline = ##f }
1623 \paper { left-margin = 0\mm }
1629 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1630 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 0)
1631 (alignment-offsets . (0 -30 -40)))
1633 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1634 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 60)
1635 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -20)))
1637 \overrideProperty #"Score.NonMusicalPaperColumn"
1638 #'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 100)
1639 (alignment-offsets . (0 -10 -40)))
1642 \new Voice { \repeat unfold 15 { c'4 c' c' c' } }
1645 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { d'4 d' d' d' } }
1646 \new Staff { \repeat unfold 15 { e'4 e' e' e' } }
1653 Some points to consider:
1656 @item When using @code{alignment-offsets}, lyrics count as a staff.
1658 @item The units of the numbers passed to @code{X-offset},
1659 @code{Y-offset} and @code{alignment-offsets} are interpreted as multiples
1660 of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
1661 and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
1663 @item Because the @code{NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details}
1664 settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
1665 on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
1666 to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
1667 passed to these different settings will avoid this.
1677 @node Two-pass vertical spacing
1678 @subsection Two-pass vertical spacing
1680 @warning{Two-pass vertical spacing is deprecated and will be removed in
1681 a future version of LilyPond. Systems are now stretched automatically
1682 in a single pass. See @ref{Vertical spacing inside a system}.}
1684 In order to automatically stretch systems so that they should fill the
1685 space left on a page, a two-pass technique can be used:
1688 @item In the first pass, the amount of vertical space used to increase
1689 the height of each system is computed and dumped to a file.
1690 @item In the second pass, spacing inside the systems are
1691 stretched according to the data in the page layout file.
1694 The @code{ragged-bottom} property adds space between systems, while
1695 the two-pass technique adds space between staves inside a system.
1697 To allow this behavior, a @code{tweak-key} variable has to be set in
1698 each score @code{\layout} block, and the tweaks included in each score
1699 music, using the @code{\scoreTweak} music function.
1703 %% include the generated page layout file:
1704 \includePageLayoutFile
1709 %% Include this score tweaks:
1710 \scoreTweak "scoreA"
1711 { \clef french c''1 \break c''1 }
1713 \new Staff { \clef soprano g'1 g'1 }
1714 \new Staff { \clef mezzosoprano e'1 e'1 }
1715 \new Staff { \clef alto g1 g1 }
1716 \new Staff { \clef bass c1 c1 }
1719 piece = "Score with tweaks"
1721 %% Define how to name the tweaks for this score:
1722 \layout { #(define tweak-key "scoreA") }
1727 For the first pass, the @code{dump-tweaks} option should be set to
1728 generate the page layout file.
1731 lilypond -dbackend=null -d dump-tweaks <file>.ly
1742 @node Vertical collision avoidance
1743 @subsection Vertical collision avoidance
1745 @funindex outside-staff-priority
1746 @funindex outside-staff-padding
1747 @funindex outside-staff-horizontal-padding
1749 Intuitively, there are some objects in musical notation that belong
1750 to the staff and there are other objects that should be placed outside
1751 the staff. Objects belonging outside the staff include things such as
1752 rehearsal marks, text and dynamic markings (from now on, these will
1753 be called outside-staff objects). LilyPond's rule for the
1754 vertical placement of outside-staff objects is to place them as close
1755 to the staff as possible but not so close that they collide with
1758 LilyPond uses the @code{outside-staff-priority} property to determine
1759 whether a grob is an outside-staff object: if @code{outside-staff-priority}
1760 is a number, the grob is an outside-staff object. In addition,
1761 @code{outside-staff-priority} tells LilyPond in which order the objects
1764 First, LilyPond places all the objects that do not belong outside
1765 the staff. Then it sorts the outside-staff objects according to their
1766 @code{outside-staff-priority} (in increasing order). One by one, LilyPond
1767 takes the outside-staff objects and places them so that they do
1768 not collide with any objects that have already been placed. That
1769 is, if two outside-staff grobs are competing for the same space, the one
1770 with the lower @code{outside-staff-priority} will be placed closer to
1773 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1776 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = #1
1777 c4_"Text"\pp % this time the text will be closer to the staff
1779 % by setting outside-staff-priority to a non-number,
1780 % we disable the automatic collision avoidance
1781 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1782 \once \override DynamicLineSpanner #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
1783 c4_"Text"\pp % now they will collide
1786 The vertical padding between an outside-staff object and the
1787 previously-positioned grobs can be controlled with
1788 @code{outside-staff-padding}.
1790 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1791 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #0
1792 a'^"This text is placed very close to the note"
1793 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-padding = #3
1794 c^"This text is padded away from the previous text"
1795 c^"This text is placed close to the previous text"
1798 TODO: this example doesn't work any more ?
1800 By default, outside-staff objects are placed without regard to
1801 their horizontal distance from the previously-positioned grobs. This
1802 can lead to situations in which objects are placed very close to each
1803 other horizontally. Setting @code{outside-staff-horizontal-padding}
1804 causes an object to be offset vertically so that such a situation
1807 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
1808 % the markup is too close to the following note
1811 % setting outside-staff-horizontal-padding fixes this
1813 \once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-horizontal-padding = #1
1825 @node Horizontal spacing
1826 @section Horizontal spacing
1828 @cindex horizontal spacing
1829 @cindex spacing, horizontal
1832 * Horizontal spacing overview::
1833 * New spacing area::
1834 * Changing horizontal spacing::
1836 * Proportional notation::
1840 @node Horizontal spacing overview
1841 @subsection Horizontal spacing overview
1843 The spacing engine translates differences in durations into stretchable
1844 distances (@q{springs}) of differing lengths. Longer durations get
1845 more space, shorter durations get less. The shortest durations get a
1846 fixed amount of space (which is controlled by
1847 @code{shortest-duration-space} in the @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}
1848 object). The longer the duration, the more space it gets: doubling a
1849 duration adds a fixed amount (this amount is controlled by
1850 @code{spacing-increment}) of space to the note.
1852 For example, the following piece contains lots of half, quarter, and
1853 8th notes; the eighth note is followed by 1 note head width (NHW).
1854 The quarter note is followed by 2 NHW, the half by 3 NHW, etc.
1856 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=1]
1857 c2 c4. c8 c4. c8 c4. c8 c8
1861 Normally, @code{spacing-increment} is set to 1.2 staff space, which is
1862 approximately the width of a note head, and
1863 @code{shortest-duration-space} is set to 2.0, meaning that the
1864 shortest note gets 2.4 staff space (2.0 times the
1865 @code{spacing-increment}) of horizontal space. This space is counted
1866 from the left edge of the symbol, so the shortest notes are generally
1867 followed by one NHW of space.
1869 If one would follow the above procedure exactly, then adding a single
1870 32nd note to a score that uses 8th and 16th notes, would widen up the
1871 entire score a lot. The shortest note is no longer a 16th, but a 32nd,
1872 thus adding 1 NHW to every note. To prevent this, the shortest
1873 duration for spacing is not the shortest note in the score, but rather
1874 the one which occurs most frequently.
1877 The most common shortest duration is determined as follows: in every
1878 measure, the shortest duration is determined. The most common shortest
1879 duration is taken as the basis for the spacing, with the stipulation
1880 that this shortest duration should always be equal to or shorter than
1881 an 8th note. The shortest duration is printed when you run
1882 @code{lilypond} with the @code{--verbose} option.
1884 These durations may also be customized. If you set the
1885 @code{common-shortest-duration} in @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}, then
1886 this sets the base duration for spacing. The maximum duration for this
1887 base (normally an 8th), is set through @code{base-shortest-duration}.
1889 @funindex common-shortest-duration
1890 @funindex base-shortest-duration
1891 @funindex stem-spacing-correction
1894 Notes that are even shorter than the common shortest note are
1895 followed by a space that is proportional to their duration relative to
1896 the common shortest note. So if we were to add only a few 16th notes
1897 to the example above, they would be followed by half a NHW:
1899 @lilypond[quote,fragment,verbatim,relative=2]
1900 c2 c4. c8 c4. c16[ c] c4. c8 c8 c8 c4 c4 c4
1904 In the introduction (see @rlearning{Engraving}), it was explained that stem
1905 directions influence spacing. This is controlled with the
1906 @code{stem-spacing-correction} property in the
1907 @rinternals{NoteSpacing}, object. These are generated for every
1908 @rinternals{Voice} context. The @code{StaffSpacing} object
1909 (generated in @rinternals{Staff} context) contains the same property
1910 for controlling the stem/bar line spacing. The following example shows
1911 these corrections, once with default settings, and once with
1912 exaggerated corrections:
1914 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right]
1918 \override Staff.NoteSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1919 \override Staff.StaffSpacing #'stem-spacing-correction = #1.5
1925 Proportional notation is supported; see @ref{Proportional notation}.
1933 Internals Reference:
1934 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner},
1935 @rinternals{NoteSpacing},
1936 @rinternals{StaffSpacing},
1937 @rinternals{SeparationItem}.
1942 There is no convenient mechanism to manually override spacing. The
1943 following work-around may be used to insert extra space into a score.
1945 \once \override Score.SeparationItem #'padding = #1
1948 No work-around exists for decreasing the amount of space.
1951 @node New spacing area
1952 @subsection New spacing area
1954 New sections with different spacing parameters can be started with
1955 @code{newSpacingSection}. This is useful when there are
1956 sections with a different notions of long and short notes.
1958 In the following example, the time signature change introduces a new
1959 section, and hence the 16ths notes are spaced wider.
1961 @lilypond[relative,fragment,verbatim,quote]
1964 c8 c c4 c16[ c c8] c4
1970 The @code{\newSpacingSection} command creates a new
1971 @code{SpacingSpanner} object, and hence new @code{\override}s
1972 may be used in that location.
1980 Internals Reference:
1981 @rinternals{SpacingSpanner}.
1984 @node Changing horizontal spacing
1985 @subsection Changing horizontal spacing
1987 Horizontal spacing may be altered with the
1988 @code{base-shortest-duration} property. Here
1989 we compare the same music; once without altering
1990 the property, and then altered. Larger values
1991 of @code{ly:make-moment} will produce smaller
1992 music. Note that @code{ly:make-moment} constructs
1993 a duration, so @code{1 4} is a longer duration
1996 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
1999 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2000 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2001 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2002 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2007 @lilypond[verbatim,line-width=12\cm]
2010 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 d e f | g4 g g2 |
2011 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2012 d4 d d d | d4 e f2 | e4 e e e | e4 f g2 |
2013 g4 e e2 | f4 d d2 | c4 e g g | c,1 |
2018 \override SpacingSpanner
2019 #'base-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2028 By default, spacing in tuplets depends on various non-duration
2029 factors (such as accidentals, clef changes, etc). To disregard
2030 such symbols and force uniform equal-duration spacing, use
2031 @code{Score.SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching}. This
2032 property can only be changed at the beginning of a score,
2034 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2036 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2053 When @code{strict-note-spacing} is set, notes are spaced without
2054 regard for clefs, bar lines, and grace notes,
2056 @lilypond[quote,ragged-right,relative=2,fragment,verbatim]
2057 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2058 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c \grace { c16[ c] } c8 c c] c32[ c32] }
2069 @subsection Line length
2072 @cindex breaking pages
2075 @funindex line-width
2076 @funindex ragged-right
2077 @funindex ragged-last
2079 @c Although line-width can be set in \layout, it should be set in paper
2080 @c block, to get page layout right.
2081 @c Setting indent in \paper block makes not much sense, but it works.
2083 @c Bit verbose and vague, use examples?
2084 The most basic settings influencing the spacing are @code{indent} and
2085 @code{line-width}. They are set in the @code{\layout} block. They
2086 control the indentation of the first line of music, and the lengths of
2089 If @code{ragged-right} is set to true in the @code{\layout} block, then
2090 systems ends at their natural horizontal length, instead of being spread
2091 horizontally to fill the whole line. This is useful for
2092 short fragments, and for checking how tight the natural spacing is.
2095 @cindex vertical spacing
2097 The option @code{ragged-last} is similar to @code{ragged-right}, but
2098 only affects the last line of the piece. No restrictions are put on
2099 that line. The result is similar to formatting text paragraphs. In a
2100 paragraph, the last line simply takes its natural horizontal length.
2101 @c Note that for text there are several options for the last line.
2102 @c While Knuth TeX uses natural length, lead typesetters use the same
2103 @c stretch as the previous line. eTeX uses \lastlinefit to
2104 @c interpolate between both these solutions.
2121 @node Proportional notation
2122 @subsection Proportional notation
2124 LilyPond supports proportional notation, a type of horizontal spacing
2125 in which each note consumes an amount of horizontal space exactly
2126 equivalent to its rhythmic duration. This type of proportional spacing
2127 is comparable to horizontal spacing on top of graph paper. Some late
2128 20th- and early 21st-century scores use proportional notation to
2129 clarify complex rhythmic relationships or to facilitate the placement
2130 of timelines or other graphics directly in the score.
2132 LilyPond supports five different settings for proportional notation,
2133 which may be used together or alone:
2136 @item @code{proportionalNotationDuration}
2137 @item @code{uniform-stretching}
2138 @item @code{strict-note-spacing}
2139 @item @code{\remove Separating_line_group_engraver}
2140 @item @code{\override PaperColumn #'used = ##t}
2143 In the examples that follow, we explore these five different
2144 proportional notation settings and examine how these settings interact.
2146 We start with the following one-measure example, which uses classical
2147 spacing with ragged-right turned on.
2149 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2151 \new RhythmicStaff {
2155 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2161 Notice that the half note which begins the measure takes up far less
2162 than half of the horizontal space of the measure. Likewise, the
2163 sixteenth notes and sixteenth-note quintuplets (or twentieth notes)
2164 which end the measure together take up far more than half the
2165 horizontal space of the measure.
2167 In classical engraving, this spacing may be exactly what we want
2168 because we can borrow horizontal space from the half note and conserve
2169 horizontal space across the measure as a whole.
2171 On the other hand, if we want to insert a measured timeline or other
2172 graphic above or below our score, we need proportional notation. We
2173 turn proportional notation on with the proportionalNotationDuration
2176 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2178 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2180 \new RhythmicStaff {
2184 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2190 The half note at the beginning of the measure and the faster notes in
2191 the second half of the measure now occupy equal amounts of horizontal
2192 space. We could place a measured timeline or graphic above or below
2195 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting is a context setting that
2196 lives in @code{Score}. Recall that context settings appear in one of
2197 three locations in our input file -- in a @code{\with} block, in a
2198 @code{\context} block, or directly in music entry
2199 preceded by the @code{\set} command. As with all
2200 context settings, users can pick which of the three different
2201 locations they would like to set @code{proportionalNotationDuration}.
2203 The @code{proportionalNotationDuration} setting takes a single argument,
2204 which is the reference duration against which all music will be
2205 spaced. The LilyPond Scheme function make-moment takes two arguments
2206 -- a numerator and denominator which together express some fraction of
2207 a whole note. The call @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 20)} therefore produces a
2208 reference duration of a twentieth note. The values
2209 @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 16)}, @code{#(ly:make-moment 1 8)}, and
2210 @code{#(ly:make-moment 3 97)} are all possible as well.
2212 How do we select the right reference duration to pass to
2213 @code{proportionalNotationDuration}? Usually by a process of trial and error,
2214 beginning with a duration close to the fastest (or smallest) duration
2215 in the piece. Smaller reference durations space music loosely; larger
2216 reference durations space music tightly.
2218 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2220 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 8)
2222 \new RhythmicStaff {
2226 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2232 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2234 \new RhythmicStaff {
2238 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2244 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 32)
2246 \new RhythmicStaff {
2250 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2256 Note that too large a reference duration -- such as the eighth note,
2257 above -- spaces music too tightly and can cause note head collisions.
2258 Note also that proportional notation in general takes up more
2259 horizontal space that does classical spacing. Proportional spacing
2260 provides rhythmic clarity at the expense of horizontal space.
2262 Next we examine how to optimally space overlapping tuplets.
2264 We start by examining what happens to our original example, with
2265 classical spacing, when we add a second staff with a different type of
2268 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2270 \new RhythmicStaff {
2274 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2277 \new RhythmicStaff {
2279 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2285 The spacing is bad because the evenly notes of the bottom staff do not
2286 stretch uniformly. Classical engraving includes very few complex
2287 triplets and so classical engraving rules can generate this type of
2288 result. Setting @code{proportionalNotationDuration} remedies this
2289 situation considerably.
2291 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2293 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2295 \new RhythmicStaff {
2299 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2302 \new RhythmicStaff {
2304 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2310 But if we look very carefully we can see that notes of the second half
2311 of the 9-tuplet space ever so slightly more widely than do the notes
2312 of the first half of the 9-tuplet. To ensure uniform stretching, we
2313 turn on @code{uniform-stretching}, which is a property of
2314 @code{SpacingSpanner}.
2316 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2318 proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 20)
2319 \override SpacingSpanner #'uniform-stretching = ##t
2321 \new RhythmicStaff {
2325 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16 c'16
2328 \new RhythmicStaff {
2330 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8 c'8
2336 Our two-staff example now spaces exactly, our rhythmic
2337 relationships are visually clear, and we can include a measured
2338 timeline or graphic if we want.
2340 Note that the LilyPond's proportional notation package expects
2341 that all proportional scores set the SpacingSpanner's
2342 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t. Setting
2343 proportionalNotationDuration without also setting the
2344 SpacingSpanner's 'uniform-stretching attribute to ##t will, for
2345 example, cause Skips to consume an incorrect amount of horizontal
2348 The SpacingSpanner is an abstract grob that lives in the Score
2349 context. As with our settings of proportionalNotationDuration,
2350 overrides to the SpacingSpanner can occur in any of three
2351 different places in our input file – in the Score \with block, in
2352 a Score \context block, or in note entry directly.
2354 There is by default only one @code{SpacingSpanner} per @code{Score}. This
2355 means that, by default, @code{uniform-stretching} is either turned on for the
2356 entire score or turned off for the entire score. We can, however,
2357 override this behavior and turn on different spacing features at
2358 different places in the score. We do this with the command
2359 @code{\newSpacingSection}. See @ref{New spacing area}, for more info.
2361 Next we examine the effects of the @code{Separating_line_group_engraver} and
2362 see why proportional scores frequently remove this engraver. The following
2363 example shows that there is a small amount of @qq{preferatory} space
2364 just before the first note in each system.
2366 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2379 The amount of this preferatory space is the same whether after a time
2380 signature, a key signature or a clef. @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2381 is responsible for this space. Removing @code{Separating_line_group_engraver}
2382 reduces this space to zero.
2384 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2390 \remove Separating_line_group_engraver
2398 Nonmusical elements like time signatures, key signatures, clefs and
2399 accidentals are problematic in proportional notation. None of these
2400 elements has rhythmic duration. But all of these elements consume
2401 horizontal space. Different proportional scores approach these
2402 problems differently.
2404 It may be possible to avoid spacing problems with key signatures
2405 simply by not having any. This is a valid option since most
2406 proportional scores are contemporary music. The same may be true
2407 of time signatures, especially for those scores
2408 that include a measured timeline or other graphic. But these scores
2409 are exceptional and most proportional scores include at least some
2410 time signatures. Clefs and accidentals are even more essential.
2412 So what strategies exist for spacing nonmusical elements in a
2413 proportional context? One good option is the @code{strict-note-spacing}
2414 property of @code{SpacingSpanner}. Compare the two scores below:
2416 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
2418 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2428 \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 16)
2429 \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'strict-note-spacing = ##t
2439 Both scores are proportional, but the spacing in the first score
2440 is too loose because of the clef change. The spacing of the second
2441 score remains strict, however, because strict-note-spacing is
2442 turned on. Turning on strict-note-spacing causes the width of
2443 time signatures, key signatures, clefs and accidentals to play no
2444 part in the spacing algorithm.
2446 In addition to the settings given here, there are other settings
2447 that frequently appear in proportional scores. These include:
2450 @item @code{\override SpacingSpanner #'strict-grace-spacing = ##t}
2451 @item @code{tupletFullLength = ##t}
2452 @item @code{\override Beam #'breakable = ##t}
2453 @item @code{\override Glissando #'breakable = ##t}
2454 @item @code{\override TextSpanner #'breakable = ##t}
2455 @item @code{\remove Forbid_line_break_engraver in the Voice context}
2458 These settings space grace notes strictly, extend tuplet brackets to
2459 mark both rhythmic start- and stop-points, and allow spanning elements
2460 to break across systems and pages. See the respective parts of the manual
2461 for these related settings.
2467 @ref{New spacing area}.
2473 @node Fitting music onto fewer pages
2474 @section Fitting music onto fewer pages
2476 Sometimes you can end up with one or two staves on a second
2477 (or third, or fourth...) page. This is annoying, especially
2478 if you look at previous pages and it looks like there is plenty
2479 of room left on those.
2481 When investigating layout issues, @code{annotate-spacing} is an
2482 invaluable tool. This command prints the values of various layout
2483 spacing variables; for more details see the following section,
2484 @ref{Displaying spacing}.
2487 * Displaying spacing::
2488 * Changing spacing::
2492 @node Displaying spacing
2493 @subsection Displaying spacing
2495 @funindex annotate-spacing
2496 @cindex spacing, display of layout
2498 To graphically display the dimensions of vertical layout variables
2499 that may be altered for page formatting, set
2500 @code{annotate-spacing} in the @code{\paper} block:
2502 @c need to have \book{} otherwise we get the separate systems. -hwn
2503 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2504 #(set-default-paper-size "a6" 'landscape)
2507 \paper { annotate-spacing = ##t }
2512 All layout dimensions are displayed in staff spaces, regardless of
2513 the units specified in the @code{\paper} or @code{\layout} block.
2514 For example, @code{paper-height} has a value of 59.75 staff
2515 spaces, using the default staff size of 20 points, which is
2516 equivalent to 148 millimeters, the height of @code{a6} paper in
2517 landscape orientation. The pairs (@var{a},@var{b}) are intervals,
2518 where @var{a} is the lower edge and @var{b} the upper edge of the
2528 @node Changing spacing
2529 @subsection Changing spacing
2531 The output of @code{annotate-spacing} reveals vertical dimensions
2532 in great detail. For details about modifying margins and other
2533 layout variables, see @ref{Page formatting}.
2535 Other than margins, there are a few other options to save space:
2539 Force systems to move as close together as possible (to fit as
2540 many systems as possible onto a page) while being spaced so that
2541 there is no blank space at the bottom of the page.
2545 between-system-padding = #0.1
2546 between-system-space = #0.1
2547 ragged-last-bottom = ##f
2553 Force the number of systems. For example, if the default layout
2554 has 11 systems, the following assignment will force a layout with
2564 Avoid (or reduce) objects that increase the vertical size of a
2565 system. For example, volta repeats (or alternate repeats) require
2566 extra space. If these repeats are spread over two systems, they
2567 will take up more space than one system with the volta repeats and
2568 another system without. For example, dynamics that @q{stick out} of
2569 a system can be moved closer to the staff:
2571 @lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
2573 \override DynamicText #'extra-offset = #'( -2.2 . 2.0)
2578 Alter the horizontal spacing via @code{SpacingSpanner}. For more
2579 details, see @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}. The following
2580 example illustrates the default spacing:
2582 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2595 The next example modifies @code{common-shortest-duration} from a
2596 value of @code{1/4} to @code{1/2}. The quarter note is the most
2597 common and shortest duration in this example, so by making this
2598 duration longer, a @q{squeezing} effect occurs:
2600 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
2612 \override SpacingSpanner
2613 #'common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2)
2620 The @code{common-shortest-duration} property cannot be modified
2621 dynamically, so it must always be placed in a @code{\context}
2622 block so that it applies to the whole score.
2630 @ref{Page formatting},
2631 @ref{Changing horizontal spacing}.