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LilyPond — Snippets
This document shows a selected set of LilyPond snippets from the LilyPond Snippet Repository (LSR). It is in the public domain. We would like to address many thanks to Sebastiano Vigna for maintaining LSR web site and database, and the University of Milano for hosting LSR. Please note that this document is not an exact subset of LSR: some
snippets come from the Documentation/snippets/new/ LilyPond sources
directory, and snippets from LSR are converted through Snippets are grouped by tags; tags listed in the table of contents match a section of LilyPond notation manual. Snippets may have several tags, and not all LSR tags may appear in this document. In the HTML version of this document, you can click on the file name or figure for each example to see the corresponding input file. |
Musical notation | ||
---|---|---|
Pitches | ||
Rhythms | ||
Expressive marks | ||
Repeats | ||
Simultaneous notes | ||
Staff notation | ||
Editorial annotations | ||
Text | ||
Specialist notation | ||
Vocal music | ||
Chords | ||
Keyboards | ||
Percussion | ||
Fretted strings | ||
Unfretted strings | ||
Winds | ||
Ancient notation | ||
World music | ||
Other collections | ||
Contexts and engravers | ||
Tweaks and overrides | ||
Paper and layout | ||
Titles | ||
Spacing | ||
MIDI | ||
Templates |
For more information about how this manual fits with the other documentation, or to read this manual in other formats, see Manuals. If you are missing any manuals, the complete documentation can be found at https://lilypond.org/. |
[ << Top ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Top ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Adding ambitus per voice > ] |
Pitches
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Pitches ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Adding an ottava marking to a single voice > ] |
Adding ambitus per voice
Ambitus can be added per voice. In this case, the ambitus must be moved manually to prevent collisions.
\new Staff << \new Voice \with { \consists "Ambitus_engraver" } \relative c'' { \override Ambitus.X-offset = 2.0 \voiceOne c4 a d e f1 } \new Voice \with { \consists "Ambitus_engraver" } \relative c' { \voiceTwo es4 f g as b1 } >>
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Adding ambitus per voice ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Aiken head thin variant noteheads > ] |
Adding an ottava marking to a single voice
If you have more than one voice on the staff, setting octavation in one
voice transposes the position of notes in all voices for the duration
of the ottava bracket. If the octavation is only intended to apply to
one voice, the Ottava_spanner_engraver
should be moved to
Voice
context.
\layout { \context { \Staff \remove Ottava_spanner_engraver } \context { \Voice \consists Ottava_spanner_engraver } } { \clef bass << { <g d'>1~ q2 <c' e'> } \\ { r2. \ottava -1 <b,,, b,,>4 ~ | q2 \ottava 0 <c e>2 } >> }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Adding an ottava marking to a single voice ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Altering the length of beamed stems > ] |
Aiken head thin variant noteheads
Aiken head white notes get harder to read at smaller staff sizes, especially with ledger lines. Losing interior white space makes them appear as quarter notes.
\score { { \aikenHeads c''2 a' c' a % Switch to thin-variant noteheads \set shapeNoteStyles = ##(doThin reThin miThin faThin sol laThin tiThin) c'' a' c' a } }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Aiken head thin variant noteheads ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Ambitus > ] |
Altering the length of beamed stems
Stem lengths on beamed notes can be varied by overriding the
beamed-lengths
property of the details
of the
Stem
. If a single value is used as an argument, the length
applies to all stems. When multiple arguments are used, the first
applies to eighth notes, the second to sixteenth notes and so on. The
final argument also applies to all notes shorter than the note length
of the final argument. Non-integer arguments may also be used.
\relative c'' { \override Stem.details.beamed-lengths = #'(2) a8[ a] a16[ a] a32[ a] \override Stem.details.beamed-lengths = #'(8 10 12) a8[ a] a16[ a] a32[ a] r8 \override Stem.details.beamed-lengths = #'(8) a8[ a] \override Stem.details.beamed-lengths = #'(8.5) a8[ a] \revert Stem.details.beamed-lengths a8[ a] a16[ a] a32[ a] r16 }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Altering the length of beamed stems ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Ambitus after key signature > ] |
Ambitus
Ambitus indicate pitch ranges for voices.
Accidentals only show up if they are not part of the key
signature. AmbitusNoteHead
grobs also have ledger lines.
\layout { \context { \Voice \consists "Ambitus_engraver" } } << \new Staff { \relative c' { \time 2/4 c4 f' } } \new Staff { \relative c' { \time 2/4 \key d \major cis4 as' } } >>
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Ambitus ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Ambitus with multiple voices > ] |
Ambitus after key signature
By default, ambitus are positioned at the left of the clef. The
\ambitusAfter
function allows for changing this
placement. Syntax is \ambitusAfter grob-interface
(see
Graphical
Object Interfaces for a list of possible values for
grob-interface
.)
A common use case is printing the ambitus between key signature and time signature.
\new Staff \with { \consists Ambitus_engraver } \relative { \ambitusAfter key-signature \key d \major es'8 g bes cis d2 }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Ambitus after key signature ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Applying note head styles depending on the step of the scale > ] |
Ambitus with multiple voices
Adding the Ambitus_engraver
to the Staff
context creates
a single ambitus per staff, even in the case of staves with multiple
voices.
\new Staff \with { \consists "Ambitus_engraver" } << \new Voice \relative c'' { \voiceOne c4 a d e f1 } \new Voice \relative c' { \voiceTwo es4 f g as b1 } >>
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Ambitus with multiple voices ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Automatically changing the stem direction of the middle note based on the melody > ] |
Applying note head styles depending on the step of the scale
The shapeNoteStyles
property can be used to define various note
head styles for each step of the scale (as set by the key signature or
the tonic
property).
This property requires a set of symbols, which can be purely arbitrary
(geometrical expressions such as triangle
, cross
, and
xcircle
are allowed) or based on old American engraving
tradition (some latin note names are also allowed).
That said, to imitate old American song books, there are several
predefined note head styles available through shortcut commands such as
\aikenHeads
or \sacredHarpHeads
.
This example shows different ways to obtain shape note heads, and demonstrates the ability to transpose a melody without losing the correspondence between harmonic functions and note head styles.
fragment = { \key c \major c2 d e2 f g2 a b2 c } \new Staff { \transpose c d \relative c' { \set shapeNoteStyles = ##(do re mi fa #f la ti) \fragment } \break \relative c' { \set shapeNoteStyles = ##(cross triangle fa #f mensural xcircle diamond) \fragment } }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Applying note head styles depending on the step of the scale ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Changing ottava text > ] |
Automatically changing the stem direction of the middle note based on the melody
LilyPond can alter the stem direction of the middle note on a staff so
that it follows the melody, by adding the Melody_engraver
to the
Voice
context.
The context property suspendMelodyDecisions
may be used to turn
off this behavior locally.
\relative c'' { \time 3/4 a8 b g f b g | \set suspendMelodyDecisions = ##t a b g f b g | \unset suspendMelodyDecisions c b d c b c | } \layout { \context { \Voice \consists "Melody_engraver" \autoBeamOff } }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Automatically changing the stem direction of the middle note based on the melody ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Changing the ambitus gap > ] |
Changing ottava text
Internally, \ottava
sets the properties ottavation
(for
example, to 8va
or 8vb
) and middleCPosition
. To
override the text of the bracket, set ottavation
after invoking
\ottava
.
Short text is especially useful when a brief ottava is used.
{ c'2 \ottava 1 \set Staff.ottavation = "8" c''2 \ottava 0 c'1 \ottava 1 \set Staff.ottavation = "Text" c''1 }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Changing ottava text ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Changing the interval of lines on the stave > ] |
Changing the ambitus gap
It is possible to change the default gap between the ambitus noteheads and the line joining them.
\layout { \context { \Voice \consists "Ambitus_engraver" } } \new Staff { \time 2/4 % Default setting c'4 g'' } \new Staff { \time 2/4 \override AmbitusLine.gap = 0 c'4 g'' } \new Staff { \time 2/4 \override AmbitusLine.gap = 1 c'4 g'' } \new Staff { \time 2/4 \override AmbitusLine.gap = 1.5 c'4 g'' } \paper { tagline = ##f }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Changing the ambitus gap ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Clefs can be transposed by arbitrary amounts > ] |
Changing the interval of lines on the stave
staffLineLayoutFunction
is used to change the position of notes.
This snippet shows setting its value to ly:pitch-semitones
in
order to produce a chromatic scale with the distance between each space
and line of the stave equal to one semitone.
scale = \relative c' { a4 ais b c cis4 d dis e f4 fis g gis a1 } \new Staff \with { \remove "Accidental_engraver" staffLineLayoutFunction = #ly:pitch-semitones } { << \scale \context NoteNames { \set printOctaveNames = ##f \scale } >> }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Changing the interval of lines on the stave ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Coloring notes depending on their pitch > ] |
Clefs can be transposed by arbitrary amounts
Clefs can be transposed by arbitrary amounts, not just by octaves.
\relative c' { \clef treble c4 c c c \clef "treble_8" c4 c c c \clef "treble_5" c4 c c c \clef "treble^3" c4 c c c }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Clefs can be transposed by arbitrary amounts ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Creating a sequence of notes on various pitches > ] |
Coloring notes depending on their pitch
It is possible to color note heads depending on their pitch and/or their names: the function used in this example even makes it possible to distinguish enharmonics.
%Association list of pitches to colors. #(define color-mapping (list (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 0 NATURAL) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 0 SHARP) (x11-color 'green)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 1 FLAT) (x11-color 'green)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 2 NATURAL) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 2 SHARP) (x11-color 'green)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 3 FLAT) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 3 NATURAL) (x11-color 'green)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 4 SHARP) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 5 NATURAL) (x11-color 'green)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 5 FLAT) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 6 SHARP) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 1 NATURAL) (x11-color 'blue)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 3 SHARP) (x11-color 'blue)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 4 FLAT) (x11-color 'blue)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 5 SHARP) (x11-color 'blue)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 6 FLAT) (x11-color 'blue)))) %Compare pitch and alteration (not octave). #(define (pitch-equals? p1 p2) (and (= (ly:pitch-alteration p1) (ly:pitch-alteration p2)) (= (ly:pitch-notename p1) (ly:pitch-notename p2)))) #(define (pitch-to-color pitch) (let ((color (assoc pitch color-mapping pitch-equals?))) (if color (cdr color)))) #(define (color-notehead grob) (pitch-to-color (ly:event-property (event-cause grob) 'pitch))) \score { \new Staff \relative c' { \override NoteHead.color = #color-notehead c8 b d dis ees f g aes } }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Coloring notes depending on their pitch ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Creating custom key signatures > ] |
Creating a sequence of notes on various pitches
In music that contains many occurrences of the same sequence of notes at different pitches, the following music function may prove useful. It takes a note, of which only the pitch is used.
This example creates the rhythm used throughout Mars, from Gustav Holst’s The Planets.
rhythm = #(define-music-function (p) (ly:pitch?) "Make the rhythm in Mars (the Planets) at the given pitch" #{ \tuplet 3/2 { $p 8 8 8 } 4 4 8 8 4 #}) \new Staff { \time 5/4 \rhythm c' \rhythm c'' \rhythm g }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Creating a sequence of notes on various pitches ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Direction of merged ’fa’ shape note heads > ] |
Creating custom key signatures
LilyPond supports custom key signatures. In this example, print for D minor with an extended range of printed flats.
\new Staff \with { \override StaffSymbol.line-count = #8 \override KeySignature.flat-positions = #'((-7 . 6)) \override KeyCancellation.flat-positions = #'((-7 . 6)) % presumably sharps are also printed in both octaves \override KeySignature.sharp-positions = #'((-6 . 7)) \override KeyCancellation.sharp-positions = #'((-6 . 7)) \override Clef.stencil = # (lambda (grob)(grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup\combine \musicglyph "clefs.C" \translate #'(-3 . -2) \musicglyph "clefs.F" #})) clefPosition = #3 middleCPosition = #3 middleCClefPosition = #3 } { \key d\minor f bes, f bes, }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Creating custom key signatures ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Force a cancellation natural before accidentals > ] |
Direction of merged ’fa’ shape note heads
Using property NoteCollision.fa-merge-direction
, the direction
of “fa” shape note heads (“fa”, “faThin”, etc.) can be controlled
independently of the stem direction if two voices with the same pitch
and different stem directions are merged. If this property is not set,
the “down” glyph variant is used.
{ \clef bass << { \aikenHeads f2 \override Staff.NoteCollision.fa-merge-direction = #UP f2 } \\ { \aikenHeads f2 f2 } >> }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Direction of merged ’fa’ shape note heads ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Forcing a clef symbol to be displayed > ] |
Force a cancellation natural before accidentals
The following example shows how to force a natural sign before an accidental.
\relative c' { \key es \major bes c des \tweak Accidental.restore-first ##t eis }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Force a cancellation natural before accidentals ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Generating random notes > ] |
Forcing a clef symbol to be displayed
When a clef sign has already been displayed and it has not been changed
to a different clef, then repeating the \clef
command will be
ignored by LilyPond, since it is not a change of clef. It is possible
to force the clef to be redisplayed using the command
\set Staff.forceClef = ##t
.
\relative c' { \clef treble c1 \clef treble c1 \set Staff.forceClef = ##t c1 \clef treble c1 }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Forcing a clef symbol to be displayed ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Hiding accidentals on tied notes at the start of a new system > ] |
Generating random notes
This Scheme-based snippet generates random notes. Use as
\randomNotes
n
from
to
dur
to generate n random notes between pitches from and to, with duration dur.
randomNotes = #(define-music-function (n from to dur) (integer? ly:pitch? ly:pitch? ly:duration?) (let ((from-step (ly:pitch-steps from)) (to-step (ly:pitch-steps to))) (make-sequential-music (map (lambda (_) (let* ((step (+ from-step (random (- to-step from-step)))) (pitch (ly:make-pitch 0 step 0))) #{ $pitch $dur #})) (iota n))))) \randomNotes 24 c' g'' 8
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Generating random notes ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Keep change clefs full sized > ] |
Hiding accidentals on tied notes at the start of a new system
This shows how to hide accidentals on tied notes at the start of a new system.
\relative c'' { \override Accidental.hide-tied-accidental-after-break = ##t cis1~ cis~ \break cis } \paper { tagline = ##f }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Hiding accidentals on tied notes at the start of a new system ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Makam example > ] |
Keep change clefs full sized
When a clef is changed, the clef sign displayed is smaller than the
initial clef. This can be overridden with full-size-change
.
\relative c' { \clef "treble" c1 \clef "bass" c1 \clef "treble" c1 \override Staff.Clef.full-size-change = ##t \clef "bass" c1 \clef "treble" c1 \revert Staff.Clef.full-size-change \clef "bass" c1 \clef "treble" c1 }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Keep change clefs full sized ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Modifying the Ottava spanner slope > ] |
Makam example
Makam is a type of melody from Turkey using 1/9th-tone microtonal alterations.
Consult the initialization file ‘ly/makam.ly’ for details of pitch names and alterations.
% Initialize makam settings \include "makam.ly" \relative c' { \set Staff.keyAlterations = #`((6 . ,(- KOMA)) (3 . ,BAKIYE)) c4 cc db fk gbm4 gfc gfb efk fk4 db cc c }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Makam example ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Non-traditional key signatures > ] |
Modifying the Ottava spanner slope
It is possible to change the slope of the Ottava spanner.
\relative c'' { \override Staff.OttavaBracket.stencil = #ly:line-spanner::print \override Staff.OttavaBracket.bound-details = #`((left . ((Y . 0) (attach-dir . ,LEFT) (padding . 0) (stencil-align-dir-y . ,CENTER))) (right . ((Y . 5.0) ; Change the number here (padding . 0) (attach-dir . ,RIGHT) (text . ,(make-draw-dashed-line-markup (cons 0 -1.2)))))) \override Staff.OttavaBracket.left-bound-info = #ly:horizontal-line-spanner::calc-left-bound-info-and-text \override Staff.OttavaBracket.right-bound-info = #ly:horizontal-line-spanner::calc-right-bound-info \ottava 1 c1 c'''1 }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Modifying the Ottava spanner slope ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Numbers as easy note heads > ] |
Non-traditional key signatures
The commonly used \key
command sets the keyAlterations
property, in the Staff
context.
To create non-standard key signatures, set this property directly. The format of this command is a list:
\set Staff.keyAlterations = #`(((octave . step) . alter) ((octave . step) . alter) ...)
where, for each element in the list, octave
specifies the octave
(0 being the octave from middle C to the B above), step
specifies the note within the octave (0 means C and 6 means B), and
alter
is ,SHARP ,FLAT ,DOUBLE-SHARP
etc.
Alternatively, using the more concise format for each item in the list
(step . alter)
specifies the same alteration holds in all
octaves.
For microtonal scales where a “sharp” is not 100 cents, alter
refers to the alteration as a proportion of a 200-cent whole tone.
\include "arabic.ly" \relative do' { \set Staff.keyAlterations = #`((0 . ,SEMI-FLAT) (1 . ,SEMI-FLAT) (2 . ,FLAT) (5 . ,FLAT) (6 . ,SEMI-FLAT)) %\set Staff.extraNatural = ##f re reb \dwn reb resd dod dob dosd \dwn dob | dobsb dodsd do do | }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Non-traditional key signatures ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Orchestra, choir and piano template > ] |
Numbers as easy note heads
Easy notation note heads use the note-names
property of the
NoteHead
object to determine what appears inside the note
head. By overriding this property, it is possible to print numbers
representing the scale-degree.
A simple engraver can be created to do this for every note head object it sees.
#(define Ez_numbers_engraver (make-engraver (acknowledgers ((note-head-interface engraver grob source-engraver) (let* ((context (ly:translator-context engraver)) (tonic-pitch (ly:context-property context 'tonic)) (tonic-name (ly:pitch-notename tonic-pitch)) (grob-pitch (ly:event-property (event-cause grob) 'pitch)) (grob-name (ly:pitch-notename grob-pitch)) (delta (modulo (- grob-name tonic-name) 7)) (note-names (make-vector 7 (number->string (1+ delta))))) (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'note-names note-names)))))) #(set-global-staff-size 26) \paper { tagline = ##f } \layout { ragged-right = ##t \context { \Voice \consists \Ez_numbers_engraver } } \relative c' { \easyHeadsOn c4 d e f g4 a b c \break \key a \major a,4 b cis d e4 fis gis a \break \key d \dorian d,4 e f g a4 b c d }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Numbers as easy note heads ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Preventing extra naturals from being automatically added > ] |
Orchestra, choir and piano template
This template demonstrates the use of nested StaffGroup
and
GrandStaff
contexts to sub-group instruments of the same type
together, and a way to use \transpose
so that variables hold
music for transposing instruments at concert pitch.
#(set-global-staff-size 17) \paper { indent = 3.0\cm % add space for instrumentName short-indent = 1.5\cm % add less space for shortInstrumentName } \header { tagline = ##f } fluteMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } % Pitches as written on a manuscript for Clarinet in A % are transposed to concert pitch. clarinetMusic = \transpose c' a \relative c'' { \key bes \major bes1 d } trumpetMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g''1 b } % Key signature is often omitted for horns hornMusic = \transpose c' f \relative c { d'1 fis } percussionMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g1 b } sopranoMusic = \relative c'' { \key g \major g'1 b } sopranoLyrics = \lyricmode { Lyr -- ics } altoIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } altoIIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } altoILyrics = \sopranoLyrics altoIILyrics = \lyricmode { Ah -- ah } tenorMusic = \relative c' { \clef "treble_8" \key g \major g1 b } tenorLyrics = \sopranoLyrics pianoRHMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g''1 b } pianoLHMusic = \relative c { \clef bass \key g \major g1 b } violinIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } violinIIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } violaMusic = \relative c { \clef alto \key g \major g'1 b } celloMusic = \relative c { \clef bass \key g \major g1 b } bassMusic = \relative c { \clef "bass_8" \key g \major g,1 b } \score { << \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_woodwinds" << \new Staff = "Staff_flute" \with { instrumentName = "Flute" } \fluteMusic \new Staff = "Staff_clarinet" \with { instrumentName = \markup { \concat { "Clarinet in B" \flat } } } % Declare that written Middle C in the music % to follow sounds a concert B flat, for % output using sounded pitches such as MIDI. %\transposition bes % Print music for a B-flat clarinet \transpose bes c' \clarinetMusic >> \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_brass" << \new Staff = "Staff_hornI" \with { instrumentName = "Horn in F" } % \transposition f \transpose f c' \hornMusic \new Staff = "Staff_trumpet" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet in C" } \trumpetMusic >> \new RhythmicStaff = "RhythmicStaff_percussion" \with { instrumentName = "Percussion" } << \percussionMusic >> \new PianoStaff \with { instrumentName = "Piano" } << \new Staff { \pianoRHMusic } \new Staff { \pianoLHMusic } >> \new ChoirStaff = "ChoirStaff_choir" << \new Staff = "Staff_soprano" \with { instrumentName = "Soprano" } \new Voice = "soprano" \sopranoMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" { \sopranoLyrics } \new GrandStaff = "GrandStaff_altos" \with { \accepts Lyrics } << \new Staff = "Staff_altoI" \with { instrumentName = "Alto I" } \new Voice = "altoI" \altoIMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altoI" { \altoILyrics } \new Staff = "Staff_altoII" \with { instrumentName = "Alto II" } \new Voice = "altoII" \altoIIMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altoII" { \altoIILyrics } >> \new Staff = "Staff_tenor" \with { instrumentName = "Tenor" } \new Voice = "tenor" \tenorMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "tenor" { \tenorLyrics } >> \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_strings" << \new GrandStaff = "GrandStaff_violins" << \new Staff = "Staff_violinI" \with { instrumentName = "Violin I" } \violinIMusic \new Staff = "Staff_violinII" \with { instrumentName = "Violin II" } \violinIIMusic >> \new Staff = "Staff_viola" \with { instrumentName = "Viola" } \violaMusic \new Staff = "Staff_cello" \with { instrumentName = "Cello" } \celloMusic \new Staff = "Staff_bass" \with { instrumentName = "Double Bass" } \bassMusic >> >> \layout { } }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Orchestra, choir and piano template ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Preventing natural signs from being printed when the key signature changes > ] |
Preventing extra naturals from being automatically added
In accordance with traditional typesetting rules, a natural sign is
printed before a sharp or flat if a previous double sharp or flat on
the same note is canceled. To change this behavior to contemporary
practice, set the extraNatural
property to f
in the
Staff
context.
\relative c'' { aeses4 aes ais a \set Staff.extraNatural = ##f aeses4 aes ais a }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Preventing extra naturals from being automatically added ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Quoting another voice with transposition > ] |
Preventing natural signs from being printed when the key signature changes
When the key signature changes, natural signs are automatically printed
to cancel any accidentals from previous key signatures. This may be
prevented by setting to f
the printKeyCancellation
property in the Staff
context.
\relative c' { \key d \major a4 b cis d \key g \minor a4 bes c d \set Staff.printKeyCancellation = ##f \key d \major a4 b cis d \key g \minor a4 bes c d }
Quoting another voice with transposition
Quotations take into account the transposition of both source and
target. In this example, all instruments play sounding middle C; the
target is an instrument in F. The target part may be transposed using
\transpose
. In this case, all the pitches (including the
quoted ones) are transposed.
\addQuote clarinet { \transposition bes \repeat unfold 8 { d'16 d' d'8 } } \addQuote sax { \transposition es' \repeat unfold 16 { a8 } } quoteTest = { % french horn \transposition f g'4 << \quoteDuring "clarinet" { \skip 4 } s4^"clar." >> << \quoteDuring "sax" { \skip 4 } s4^"sax." >> g'4 } { \new Staff \with { instrumentName = \markup { \column { Horn "in F" } } } \quoteTest \transpose c' d' << \quoteTest s4_"up a tone" >> }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Quoting another voice with transposition ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Transposing pitches with minimum accidentals ("Smart" transpose) > ] |
Separating key cancellations from key signature changes
By default, the accidentals used for key cancellations are placed
adjacent to those for key signature changes. This behavior can be
changed by overriding the break-align-orders
property of the
BreakAlignment
grob.
The value of break-align-orders
is a vector of length 3,
with quoted lists of breakable items as elements. Each list describes
the default order of prefatory matter at the end, in the middle, and at
the beginning of a line, respectively. We are only interested in
changing the behaviour in the middle of a line.
If you look up the definition of break-align-orders
in
LilyPond’s Internal Reference (see the
BreakAlignment
grob), you get the following order in the second element:
... staff-bar key-cancellation key-signature ...
We want to change that, moving key-cancellation
before
staff-bar
. To make this happen we use the
grob-transformer
function, which gives us access to the original
vector as the second argument of the lambda function, here called
orig (we don’t need the first argument,
grob). We return a new vector, with unchanged first and
last elements. For the middle element, we first remove
key-cancellation
from the list, then adding it again before
staff-bar
.
#(define (insert-before where what lst) (cond ((null? lst) ; If the list is empty, (list what)) ; return a single-element list. ((eq? where (car lst)) ; If we find symbol `where`, (cons what lst)) ; insert `what` before curr. position. (else ; Otherwise keep building the list by (cons (car lst) ; adding the current element and ; recursing with the next element. (insert-before where what (cdr lst)))))) cancellationFirst = \override Score.BreakAlignment.break-align-orders = #(grob-transformer 'break-align-orders (lambda (grob orig) (let* ((middle (vector-ref orig 1)) (middle (delq 'key-cancellation middle)) (middle (insert-before 'staff-bar 'key-cancellation middle))) (vector ;; end of line (vector-ref orig 0) ;; middle of line middle ;; beginning of line (vector-ref orig 2))))) music = { \key es \major d'1 \bar "||" \key a \major d'1 } { <>^\markup "default" \music } { <>^\markup "cancellation first" \cancellationFirst \music } \paper { tagline = ##f }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Separating key cancellations from key signature changes ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Turkish Makam example > ] |
Transposing pitches with minimum accidentals ("Smart" transpose)
This example uses some Scheme code to enforce enharmonic modifications for notes in order to have the minimum number of accidentals. In this case, the following rules apply:
Double accidentals should be removed
B sharp -> C
E sharp -> F
C flat -> B
F flat -> E
In this manner, the most natural enharmonic notes are chosen.
#(define (naturalize-pitch p) (let ((o (ly:pitch-octave p)) (a (* 4 (ly:pitch-alteration p))) ;; alteration, a, in quarter tone steps, ;; for historical reasons (n (ly:pitch-notename p))) (cond ((and (> a 1) (or (eqv? n 6) (eqv? n 2))) (set! a (- a 2)) (set! n (+ n 1))) ((and (< a -1) (or (eqv? n 0) (eqv? n 3))) (set! a (+ a 2)) (set! n (- n 1)))) (cond ((> a 2) (set! a (- a 4)) (set! n (+ n 1))) ((< a -2) (set! a (+ a 4)) (set! n (- n 1)))) (if (< n 0) (begin (set! o (- o 1)) (set! n (+ n 7)))) (if (> n 6) (begin (set! o (+ o 1)) (set! n (- n 7)))) (ly:make-pitch o n (/ a 4)))) #(define (naturalize music) (let ((es (ly:music-property music 'elements)) (e (ly:music-property music 'element)) (p (ly:music-property music 'pitch))) (if (pair? es) (ly:music-set-property! music 'elements (map naturalize es))) (if (ly:music? e) (ly:music-set-property! music 'element (naturalize e))) (if (ly:pitch? p) (begin (set! p (naturalize-pitch p)) (ly:music-set-property! music 'pitch p))) music)) naturalizeMusic = #(define-music-function (m) (ly:music?) (naturalize m)) music = \relative c' { c4 d e g } \score { \new Staff { \transpose c ais { \music } \naturalizeMusic \transpose c ais { \music } \transpose c deses { \music } \naturalizeMusic \transpose c deses { \music } } \layout { } }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Transposing pitches with minimum accidentals ("Smart" transpose) ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Tweaking clef properties > ] |
Turkish Makam example
This template uses the start of a well-known Turkish Saz Semai that is familiar in the repertoire in order to illustrate some of the elements of Turkish music notation.
\paper { tagline = ##f } % Initialize makam settings \include "turkish-makam.ly" \header { title = "Hüseyni Saz Semaisi" composer = "Lavtacı Andon" } \relative { \set Staff.extraNatural = ##f \set Staff.autoBeaming = ##f \key a \huseyni \time 10/8 a'4 g'16 [fb] e8. [d16] d [c d e] c [d c8] bfc | a16 [bfc a8] bfc c16 [d c8] d16 [e d8] e4 fb8 | d4 a'8 a16 [g fb e] fb8 [g] a8. [b16] a16 [g] | g4 g16 [fb] fb8. [e16] e [g fb e] e4 r8 | }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Rhythms >> ] |
[ < Turkish Makam example ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Using autochange with more than one voice > ] |
Tweaking clef properties
Changing the clef glyph, its position, or the ottavation does not
change the position of subsequent notes on the staff. To get key
signatures on their correct staff lines, middleCClefPosition
must also be specified, with positive or negative values moving
middle C up or down respectively, relative to the staff’s
center line.
For example, \clef "treble_8"
is equivalent to setting the
clefGlyph
, clefPosition
(the vertical position of the
clef itself on the staff), middleCPosition
, and
clefTransposition
. Note that when any of these properties
(except middleCPosition
) are changed a new clef symbol is
printed.
The following examples show the possibilities when setting these properties manually. On the first line, the manual changes preserve the standard relative positioning of clefs and notes, whereas on the second line, they do not.
{ % The default treble clef \key f \major c'1 % The standard bass clef \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.F" \set Staff.clefPosition = 2 \set Staff.middleCPosition = 6 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = 6 \key g \major c'1 % The baritone clef \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.C" \set Staff.clefPosition = 4 \set Staff.middleCPosition = 4 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = 4 \key f \major c'1 % The standard choral tenor clef \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.G" \set Staff.clefPosition = -2 \set Staff.clefTransposition = -7 \set Staff.middleCPosition = 1 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = 1 \key f \major c'1 % A non-standard clef \set Staff.clefPosition = 0 \set Staff.clefTransposition = 0 \set Staff.middleCPosition = -4 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = -4 \key g \major c'1 \break % The following clef changes do not preserve % the normal relationship between notes, key signatures % and clefs: \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.F" \set Staff.clefPosition = 2 c'1 \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.G" c'1 \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.C" c'1 \set Staff.clefTransposition = 7 c'1 \set Staff.clefTransposition = 0 \set Staff.clefPosition = 0 c'1 % Return to the normal clef: \set Staff.middleCPosition = 0 c'1 } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Tweaking clef properties ] | [ Up : Pitches ] | [ Rhythms > ] |
Using autochange with more than one voice
Using autochange
with more than one voice.
\score { \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "up" { << \set Timing.beamExceptions = #'() \set Timing.beatStructure = #'(4) \new Voice { \voiceOne \autoChange \relative c' { g8 a b c d e f g g,8 a b c d e f g } } \new Voice { \voiceTwo \autoChange \relative c' { g8 a b c d e f g g,,8 a b c d e f g } } >> } \new Staff = "down" { \clef bass } >> }
[ << Pitches ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Using autochange with more than one voice ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Adding beams, slurs, ties etc. when using tuplet and non-tuplet rhythms > ] |
Rhythms
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Rhythms ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Adding drum parts > ] |
Adding beams, slurs, ties etc. when using tuplet and non-tuplet rhythms
LilyPond syntax can involve many unusual placements for parentheses, brackets etc., which might sometimes have to be interleaved.
For example, when entering a manual beam, the left square bracket has to be placed after the starting note and its duration, not before. Similarly, the right square bracket should directly follow the note which is to be at the end of the requested beaming, even if this note happens to be inside a tuplet section.
This snippet demonstrates how to combine manual beaming, manual slurs, ties and phrasing slurs with tuplet sections (enclosed within curly braces).
{ r16[ g16 \tuplet 3/2 { r16 e'8] } g16( a \tuplet 3/2 { b d e') } g8[( a \tuplet 3/2 { b d') e'] ~ } \time 2/4 \tuplet 5/4 { e'32\( a b d' e' } a'4.\) }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Adding beams, slurs, ties etc. when using tuplet and non-tuplet rhythms ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Adjusting grace note spacing > ] |
Adding drum parts
Using the powerful pre-configured tools such as the \drummode
function and the DrumStaff
context, inputting drum parts is
quite easy: drums are placed at their own staff positions (with a
special clef symbol) and have note heads according to the drum.
Attaching an extra symbol to the drum or restricting the number of
lines is possible.
drh = \drummode { cymc4.^"crash" hhc16^"h.h." hh hhc8 hho hhc8 hh16 hh hhc4 r4 r2 } drl = \drummode { bd4 sn8 bd bd4 << bd ss >> bd8 tommh tommh bd toml toml bd tomfh16 tomfh } timb = \drummode { timh4 ssh timl8 ssh r timh r4 ssh8 timl r4 cb8 cb } \score { << \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = "timbales" drumStyleTable = #timbales-style \override StaffSymbol.line-count = #2 \override BarLine.bar-extent = #'(-1 . 1) } << \timb >> \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = "drums" } << \new DrumVoice { \stemUp \drh } \new DrumVoice { \stemDown \drl } >> >> \layout { } \midi { \tempo 4 = 120 } }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Adding drum parts ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Aligning bar numbers > ] |
Adjusting grace note spacing
The space given to grace notes can be adjusted using the
spacing-increment
property of Score.GraceSpacing
.
graceNotes = { \grace { c4 c8 c16 c32 } c8 } \relative c'' { c8 \graceNotes \override Score.GraceSpacing.spacing-increment = #2.0 \graceNotes \revert Score.GraceSpacing.spacing-increment \graceNotes }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Adjusting grace note spacing ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Alternative breve notes > ] |
Aligning bar numbers
Bar numbers by default are right-aligned to their parent object. This is usually the left edge of a line or, if numbers are printed within a line, the left hand side of a bar line. The numbers may also be positioned directly over the bar line or left-aligned to the bar line.
\relative c' { \set Score.currentBarNumber = 111 \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = #all-visible % Increase the size of the bar number by 2 \override Score.BarNumber.font-size = 2 % Print a bar number every second measure \set Score.barNumberVisibility = #(every-nth-bar-number-visible 2) c1 | c1 % Center-align bar numbers \override Score.BarNumber.self-alignment-X = #CENTER c1 | c1 % Left-align bar numbers \override Score.BarNumber.self-alignment-X = #LEFT c1 | c1 }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Aligning bar numbers ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Appoggiatura or grace note before a bar line > ] |
Alternative breve notes
Breve notes are also available with two vertical lines on each side of the notehead instead of one line and in baroque style.
\relative c'' { \time 4/2 c\breve | \override Staff.NoteHead.style = #'altdefault b\breve \override Staff.NoteHead.style = #'baroque b\breve \revert Staff.NoteHead.style a\breve }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Alternative breve notes ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Automatic beam subdivisions > ] |
Appoggiatura or grace note before a bar line
By default, appoggiaturas and grace notes that occur on the first beat of a measure are printed after the bar line. They can however be printed before, simply by adding an invisible BarLine and then the visible one, as demonstrated here.
{ R1 %% default \appoggiatura d''8 c''4 r2. %% cheated \appoggiatura { \bar "" d''8 \bar "|" } c''4 r2. }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Appoggiatura or grace note before a bar line ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Automatically change durations > ] |
Automatic beam subdivisions
Beams can be subdivided automatically. By setting the property
subdivideBeams
, beams are subdivided whenever possible. The
intervals and depth of subdivision can be limited with properties
minimumBeamSubdivisionInterval
and
maximumBeamSubdivisionInterval
respectively.
\new Staff { \relative c'' { << { \voiceOne \set subdivideBeams = ##t b32[ a g f c' b a g b32^"subdivide beams" a g f c' b a g] } \new Voice { \voiceTwo b32_"default"[ a g f c' b a g b32 a g f c' b a g] } >> \oneVoice \once \set minimumBeamSubdivisionInterval = \musicLength 8 b32^"minimumBeamSubdivisionInterval 1 8"[ a g f c' b a g] \once \set maximumBeamSubdivisionInterval = \musicLength 16 b32^"maximumBeamSubdivisionInterval 1 16"[ a g f c' b a g] } }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Automatic beam subdivisions ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Beam endings in Score context > ] |
Automatically change durations
shiftDurations
can be used to change the note lengths of a piece
of music.
It takes two arguments – the scaling factor as a power of two, and the number of dots to be added as a positive integer.
\paper { indent = 0 tagline = ##f } music = \relative c'' { a1 b2 c4 d8 r } { \time 4/2 \music \time 4/4 \shiftDurations 1 0 \music \time 2/4 \shiftDurations 2 0 \music \time 4/1 \shiftDurations -1 0 \music \time 8/1 \shiftDurations -2 0 \music \time 6/2 \shiftDurations 0 1 \music \time 7/2 \shiftDurations 0 2 \music }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Automatically change durations ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Beam nibs > ] |
Beam endings in Score context
Beam-ending rules specified in the Score
context apply to all
staves, but can be modified at both Staff
and Voice
levels:
\relative c'' { \time 5/4 % Set default beaming for all staves \set Score.beatBase = #1/8 \set Score.beatStructure = 3,4,3 << \new Staff { c8 c c c c c c c c c } \new Staff { % Modify beaming for just this staff \set Staff.beatStructure = 6,4 c8 c c c c c c c c c } \new Staff { % Inherit beaming from Score context << { \voiceOne c8 c c c c c c c c c } % Modify beaming for this voice only \new Voice { \voiceTwo \set Voice.beatStructure = 6,4 a8 a a a a a a a a a } >> } >> }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Beam endings in Score context ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Beams across line breaks > ] |
Beam nibs
Beam nibs at the start and end of beams together with beams attached to
solitary notes that look like flat flags are possible with a
combination of stemLeftBeamCount
, stemRightBeamCount
, and
paired []
beam indicators.
For imitating right-pointing flat flags on lone notes, use paired
[]
beam indicators and set stemLeftBeamCount
to
zero. For imitating left-pointing flat flags on lone notes, set
stemRightBeamCount
to zero instead (line one).
For right-pointing nibs at the end of a run of beamed notes, set
stemRightBeamCount
to a positive value. For left-pointing nibs
at the start of a run of beamed notes, set stemLeftBeamCount
instead (line two).
Sometimes it may make sense for a lone note surrounded by rests to
carry both a left- and right-pointing nib. Do this with paired
[]
beam indicators alone (line three).
Note that \set stemLeftBeamCount
is always equivalent to
\once \set
. In other words, the beam count settings are not
“sticky”, so the pair of nibs attached to the lone 16th note in the
last example has nothing to do with the \set
command for the
beam before.
\score { << \new RhythmicStaff { \set stemLeftBeamCount = 0 c16[] r8. r8. \set stemRightBeamCount = 0 16[] } \new RhythmicStaff { 16 16 \set stemRightBeamCount = 2 16 r r \set stemLeftBeamCount = 2 16 16 16 } \new RhythmicStaff { 16 16 \set stemRightBeamCount = 2 16 r16 16[] r16 \set stemLeftBeamCount = 2 16 16 } >> }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Beam nibs ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Changing beam knee gap > ] |
Beams across line breaks
Line breaks are normally forbidden when beams cross bar lines; this
behavior can be changed using enabling Beam.breakable
.
\relative c'' { \override Beam.breakable = ##t c8 c[ c] c[ c] c[ c] c[ \break c8] c[ c] c[ c] c[ c] c } \paper { tagline = ##f }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Beams across line breaks ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Changing form of multi-measure rests > ] |
Changing beam knee gap
Kneed beams are inserted automatically when a large gap is detected
between the note heads. This behavior can be tuned through the
auto-knee-gap
property. A kneed beam is drawn if the gap is
larger than the value of auto-knee-gap
plus the width of the
beam object (which depends on the duration of the notes and the slope
of the beam). By default auto-knee-gap
is set to 5.5 staff
spaces.
{ f8 f''8 f8 f''8 \override Beam.auto-knee-gap = 6 f8 f''8 f8 f''8 }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Changing beam knee gap ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Changing the number of augmentation dots per note > ] |
Changing form of multi-measure rests
If there are ten or fewer measures of rests, a series of longa and
breve rests (called in German “Kirchenpausen” - church rests) is
printed within the staff; otherwise a simple line is shown. This
default number of ten may be changed by overriding the
expand-limit
property.
\relative c'' { \compressMMRests { R1*2 | R1*5 | R1*9 \override MultiMeasureRest.expand-limit = 3 R1*2 | R1*5 | R1*9 } }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Changing form of multi-measure rests ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Changing the tempo without a metronome mark > ] |
Changing the number of augmentation dots per note
The number of augmentation dots on a single note can be changed independently of the dots placed after the note.
\relative c' { c4.. a16 r2 | \override Dots.dot-count = 4 c4.. a16 r2 | \override Dots.dot-count = 0 c4.. a16 r2 | \revert Dots.dot-count c4.. a16 r2 | }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Changing the number of augmentation dots per note ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Changing the tuplet number > ] |
Changing the tempo without a metronome mark
To change the tempo in MIDI output without printing anything, make the metronome mark invisible.
\score { \new Staff \relative c' { \tempo 4 = 160 c4 e g b c4 b d c \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 96 d,4 fis a cis d4 cis e d } \layout { } \midi { } }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Changing the tempo without a metronome mark ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Changing time signatures inside a polymetric section using \scaleDurations > ] |
Changing the tuplet number
By default, only the numerator of the tuplet number is printed over the
tuplet bracket, i.e., the numerator of the argument to the
\tuplet
command.
Alternatively, num:den of the tuplet number may be printed, or the tuplet number may be suppressed altogether.
\relative c'' { \tuplet 3/2 { c8 c c } \tuplet 3/2 { c8 c c } \override TupletNumber.text = #tuplet-number::calc-fraction-text \tuplet 3/2 { c8 c c } \omit TupletNumber \tuplet 3/2 { c8 c c } }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Changing the tuplet number ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Chant or psalms notation > ] |
Changing time signatures inside a polymetric section using \scaleDurations
The measureLength
property, together with
measurePosition
, determines when a bar line is needed. However,
when using \scaleDurations
, the scaling of durations makes it
difficult to change time signatures. In this case,
measureLength
should be set manually, using the
ly:make-moment
callback. The second argument must be the same
as the second argument of \scaleDurations
.
\layout { \context { \Score \remove "Timing_translator" } \context { \Staff \consists "Timing_translator" } } << \new Staff { \scaleDurations 8/5 { \time 6/8 \set Timing.measureLength = \musicLength 1*6/5 b8 b b b b b \time 2/4 \set Timing.measureLength = \musicLength 1*4/5 b4 b } } \new Staff { \clef bass \time 2/4 c2 d e f } >>
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Changing time signatures inside a polymetric section using \scaleDurations ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Compound time signatures > ] |
Chant or psalms notation
This form of notation is used for Psalm chant, where verses aren’t always the same length.
stemOff = \hide Staff.Stem stemOn = \undo \stemOff \score { \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } { \key g \minor \cadenzaOn \stemOff a'\breve bes'4 g'4 \stemOn a'2 \section \stemOff a'\breve g'4 a'4 \stemOn f'2 \section \stemOff a'\breve^\markup { \italic flexe } \stemOn g'2 \fine } }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Chant or psalms notation ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Conducting signs, measure grouping signs > ] |
Compound time signatures
Odd 20th century time signatures (such as “5/8”) can often be played as compound time signatures (e.g. “3/8 + 2/8”), which combine two or more inequal metrics.
LilyPond can make such music quite easy to read and play, by explicitly printing the compound time signatures and adapting the automatic beaming behavior.
\relative c' { \compoundMeter #'((2 8) (3 8)) c8 d e fis gis c8 fis, gis e d c8 d e4 gis8 }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Compound time signatures ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Consistently left-aligned bar numbers > ] |
Conducting signs, measure grouping signs
Context properties control the grouping of beats within a measure:
beatStructure
lists the length of each beat in units of
beatBase
. Default values are established in
scm/time-signature-settings.scm
. These properties may be
changed particularly with \set
.
Alternatively, \time
optionally accepts a beat structure to use
instead of the default. \time
applies to the Timing
context, so it does not reset values of properties that are set in
lower-level contexts such as Voice
.
If the Measure_grouping_engraver
is included in one of the
display contexts, measure grouping signs will be created. Such signs
ease reading rhythmically complex modern music. In the example, the 9/8
measure is grouped in two different patterns using the two different
methods, while the 5/8 measure is grouped according to the default
setting in scm/time-signature-settings.scm
. For the 4/4 measure
you have to explicitly set beatBase
to eighths so that the bar’s
irregular pattern gets displayed.
\score { \new Voice \relative c'' { \time 9/8 g8 g d d g g a( bes g) | \set Timing.beatStructure = 2,2,2,3 g8 g d d g g a( bes g) | \time 4,5 9/8 g8 g d d g g a( bes g) | \time 5/8 a4. g4 | \time 3,3,2 4/4 \set Timing.beatBase = #1/8 f4 d8 f4 d8 g4 } \layout { \context { \Staff \consists "Measure_grouping_engraver" } } }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Conducting signs, measure grouping signs ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Controlling tuplet bracket visibility > ] |
Consistently left-aligned bar numbers
When left-aligning bar numbers, overlapping problems may occur with staff brackets.
The snippet solves this by keeping the first bar number right-aligned that follows a line break.
consistentlyLeftAlignedBarNumbers = { \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = #end-of-line-invisible \override Score.BarNumber.self-alignment-X = #(lambda (grob) (let ((break-dir (ly:item-break-dir grob))) (if (= break-dir RIGHT) RIGHT LEFT))) } \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff { \relative c' { \set Score.barNumberVisibility = #(every-nth-bar-number-visible 3) \bar "" \consistentlyLeftAlignedBarNumbers \set Score.currentBarNumber = #112 \repeat unfold 8 { R1 } \break \repeat unfold 9 { R1 } \break \repeat unfold 7 { R1 } } } \new Staff { \relative c' { \repeat unfold 24 { R1 } } } >> \layout { indent = #0 ragged-right = ##t ragged-last = ##t } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Consistently left-aligned bar numbers ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Cow and ride bell example > ] |
Controlling tuplet bracket visibility
The default behavior of tuplet-bracket visibility is to print a bracket unless there is a beam of the same length as the tuplet.
To control the visibility of tuplet brackets, set the property
bracket-visibility
to either #t
(always print a bracket),
if-no-beam
(only print a bracket if there is no beam) or
#f
(never print a bracket). The latter is in fact equivalent to
omitting the TupletBracket
object altogether from the printed
output.
music = \relative c'' { \tuplet 3/2 { c16[ d e } f8] \tuplet 3/2 { c8 d e } \tuplet 3/2 { c4 d e } } \new Voice { \relative c' { \override Score.TextMark.non-musical = ##f \textMark "default" \music \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = #'if-no-beam \textMark \markup \typewriter "'if-no-beam" \music \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = ##t \textMark \markup \typewriter "#t" \music \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = ##f \textMark \markup \typewriter "#f" \music \omit TupletBracket \textMark \markup \typewriter "omit" \music } } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Controlling tuplet bracket visibility ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Creating metronome marks in markup mode > ] |
Cow and ride bell example
Two different bells, entered with ’cb’ (cowbell) and ’rb’ (ridebell).
\paper { tagline = ##f } #(define mydrums '((ridebell default #f 3) (cowbell default #f -2))) \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = #"Different Bells" } \drummode { \set DrumStaff.drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table mydrums) \set DrumStaff.clefPosition = 0.5 \override DrumStaff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'(-2 3) \override Staff.BarLine.bar-extent = #'(-1.0 . 1.5) \time 2/4 rb8 8 cb8 16 rb16-> ~ | 16 8 16 cb8 8 | }
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[ < Cow and ride bell example ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Engraving ties manually > ] |
Creating metronome marks in markup mode
New metronome marks can be created in markup mode, but they will not change the tempo in MIDI output.
\relative c' { \tempo \markup { \concat { ( \smaller \general-align #Y #DOWN \note { 16. } #UP " = " \smaller \general-align #Y #DOWN \note { 8 } #UP ) } } c1 c4 c' c,2 }
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[ < Creating metronome marks in markup mode ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Engraving tremolos with floating beams > ] |
Engraving ties manually
A single tie may be engraved manually by changing the
staff-position
property (an offset) of the Tie
grob; if
there are multiple ties at the same musical moment, they can be
adjusted manually by changing the tie-configuration
property (a
list of offset/direction pairs) of the TieColumn
object.
The offset indicates the distance from the center of the staff in half staff spaces, the direction can be either 1 (up) or -1 (down).
Note that LilyPond makes a distinction between exact and inexact values
for the offset. If using an exact value (i.e., either an integer or a
fraction like (/ 4 5)
), the value serves as a rough vertical
position that gets further tuned by LilyPond to make the tie avoid
staff lines. If using an inexact value like a floating point number,
it is taken as the precise vertical position without further
adjustments.
\relative c' { <>^"default" g'1 ^~ g <>^"0" \once \override Tie.staff-position = 0 g1 ^~ g <>^"0.0" \once \override Tie.staff-position = 0.0 g1 ^~ g <>^"reset" \revert Tie.staff-position g1 ^~ g } \relative c' { \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = ##f \override TextScript.padding = 0 <>^"default" <c e g>1~ <c e g> <>^"0, -2, -4" \override TieColumn.tie-configuration = #'((0 . 1) (-2 . 1) (-4 . 1)) <c e g>1~ <c e g> <>^"0.0, -2.0, -4.0" \override TieColumn.tie-configuration = #'((0.0 . 1) (-2.0 . 1) (-4.0 . 1)) <c e g>1~ <c e g> <>^"reset" \override TieColumn.tie-configuration = ##f <c e g>1~ <c e g> } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Engraving ties manually ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Entering several tuplets using only one \tuplet command > ] |
Engraving tremolos with floating beams
If a tremolo’s total duration is less than a quarter-note, or exactly a
half-note, or between a half-note and a whole-note, it is normally
typeset with all beams touching the stems. Certain engraving styles
typeset some of these beams as centered floating beams that do not
touch the stems. The number of floating beams in this type of tremolo
is controlled with the 'gap-count
property of the Beam
object, and the size of the gaps between beams and stems is set with
the 'gap
property.
\relative c'' { \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap-count = #1 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap-count = #2 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap-count = #3 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap-count = #3 \override Beam.gap = #1.33 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap = #1 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap = #0.67 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap = #0.33 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } }
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[ < Engraving tremolos with floating beams ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Forcing rehearsal marks to start from a given letter or number > ] |
Entering several tuplets using only one \tuplet command
The property tupletSpannerDuration
sets how long each of the
tuplets contained within the brackets after \tuplet
should
last. Many consecutive tuplets can then be placed within a single
\tuplet
expression, thus saving typing.
There are several ways to set tupletSpannerDuration
. The
command \tupletSpan
sets it to a given duration, and clears it
when instead of a duration \default
is specified. Another way
is to use an optional argument with \tuplet
.
\relative c' { \time 2/4 \tupletSpan 4 \tuplet 3/2 { c8^"\\tupletSpan 4" c c c c c } \tupletSpan \default \tuplet 3/2 { c8^"\\tupletSpan \\default" c c c c c } \tuplet 3/2 4 { c8^"\\tuplet 3/2 4 {...}" c c c c c } }
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[ < Entering several tuplets using only one \tuplet command ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Generating custom flags > ] |
Forcing rehearsal marks to start from a given letter or number
This snippet demonstrates how to obtain automatic ordered rehearsal marks, but from the letter or number desired.
\relative c'' { c1 \mark \default c1 \mark \default c1 \mark \default c1 \mark #14 c1 \mark \default c1 \mark \default c1 \mark \default c1 }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Forcing rehearsal marks to start from a given letter or number ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Guitar strum rhythms > ] |
Generating custom flags
The stencil
property of the Flag
grob can be set to a
custom scheme function to generate the glyph for the flag.
#(define-public (weight-flag grob) (let* ((stem-grob (ly:grob-parent grob X)) (log (- (ly:grob-property stem-grob 'duration-log) 2)) (is-up? (eqv? (ly:grob-property stem-grob 'direction) UP)) (yext (if is-up? (cons (* log -0.8) 0) (cons 0 (* log 0.8)))) (flag-stencil (make-filled-box-stencil '(-0.4 . 0.4) yext)) (stroke-style (ly:grob-property grob 'stroke-style)) (stroke-stencil (if (equal? stroke-style "grace") (make-line-stencil 0.2 -0.9 -0.4 0.9 -0.4) empty-stencil))) (ly:stencil-add flag-stencil stroke-stencil))) % Create a flag stencil by looking up the glyph from the font #(define (inverted-flag grob) (let* ((stem-grob (ly:grob-parent grob X)) (dir (if (eqv? (ly:grob-property stem-grob 'direction) UP) "d" "u")) (flag (retrieve-glyph-flag "" dir "" grob)) (line-thickness (ly:staff-symbol-line-thickness grob)) (stem-thickness (ly:grob-property stem-grob 'thickness)) (stem-width (* line-thickness stem-thickness)) (stroke-style (ly:grob-property grob 'stroke-style)) (stencil (if (null? stroke-style) flag (add-stroke-glyph flag stem-grob dir stroke-style ""))) (rotated-flag (ly:stencil-rotate-absolute stencil 180 0 0))) (ly:stencil-translate rotated-flag (cons (- (/ stem-width 2)) 0)))) snippetexamplenotes = { \autoBeamOff c'8 d'16 c'32 d'64 \acciaccatura {c'8} d'64 } { \time 1/4 \textMark "Normal flags" \snippetexamplenotes \textMark "Custom flag: inverted" \override Flag.stencil = #inverted-flag \snippetexamplenotes \textMark "Custom flag: weight" \override Flag.stencil = #weight-flag \snippetexamplenotes \textMark "Revert to normal" \revert Flag.stencil \snippetexamplenotes }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Generating custom flags ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Heavily customized polymetric time signatures > ] |
Guitar strum rhythms
For guitar music, it is possible to show strum rhythms, along with melody notes, chord names and fret diagrams.
\include "predefined-guitar-fretboards.ly" << \new ChordNames { \chordmode { c1 | f | g | c } } \new FretBoards { \chordmode { c1 | f | g | c } } \new Voice \with { \consists "Pitch_squash_engraver" } { \relative c'' { \improvisationOn c4 c8 c c4 c8 c f4 f8 f f4 f8 f g4 g8 g g4 g8 g c4 c8 c c4 c8 c } } \new Voice = "melody" { \relative c'' { c2 e4 e4 f2. r4 g2. a4 e4 c2. } } \new Lyrics { \lyricsto "melody" { This is my song. I like to sing. } } >>
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[ < Guitar strum rhythms ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ High and Low woodblock example > ] |
Heavily customized polymetric time signatures
Though the polymetric time signature shown was not the most essential item here, it has been included to show the beat of this piece (which is the template of a real Balkan song!).
melody = \relative c'' { \key g \major \compoundMeter #'((3 8) (2 8) (2 8) (3 8) (2 8) (2 8) (2 8) (2 8) (3 8) (2 8) (2 8)) c8 c c d4 c8 c b c b a4 g fis8 e d c b' c d e4-^ fis8 g \break c,4. d4 c4 d4. c4 d c2 d4. e4-^ d4 c4. d4 c4 d4. c4 d c2 d4. e4-^ d4 \break c4. d4 c4 d4. c4 d c2 d4. e4-^ d4 c4. d4 c4 d4. c4 d c2 d4. e4-^ d4 \break } drum = \new DrumStaff \drummode { \repeat volta 2 { bd4.^\markup { Drums } sn4 bd \bar ";" sn4. bd4 sn \bar ";" bd sn bd4. sn4 bd } } \new Staff \with { instrumentName = \markup { \concat { "B" \flat " Sop." } } } { \melody \drum } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Heavily customized polymetric time signatures ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Making an object invisible with the ’transparent property > ] |
High and Low woodblock example
Two Woodblocks, entered with ’wbh’ (high woodblock) and ’wbl’ (low woodblock). The length of the barline has been altered with an \override command otherwise it would be too short. The positions of the two stafflines also have to be explicitly defined.
\paper { tagline = ##f } % These lines define the position of the woodblocks in the stave; % if you like, you can change it or you can use special note heads % for the woodblocks. #(define mydrums '((hiwoodblock default #f 3) (lowoodblock default #f -2))) woodstaff = { % This defines a staff with only two lines. % It also defines the positions of the two lines. \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'(-2 3) % This is necessary; if not entered, % the barline would be too short! \override Staff.BarLine.bar-extent = #'(-1.0 . 1.5) % small correction for the clef: \set DrumStaff.clefPosition = 0.5 } \new DrumStaff { % with this you load your new drum style table \set DrumStaff.drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table mydrums) \woodstaff \drummode { \time 2/4 wbl8 16 16 8-> 8 | wbl8 16 16-> ~ 16 16 r8 | } }
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[ < High and Low woodblock example ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Making slurs with complex dash structure > ] |
Making an object invisible with the ’transparent property
Setting the transparent
property will cause an object to be
printed in “invisible ink”: the object is not printed, but all its
other behavior is retained. The object still takes up space, it takes
part in collisions, and slurs, ties and beams can be attached to it.
This snippet demonstrates how to connect different voices using ties. Normally, ties only connect two notes in the same voice. By introducing a tie in a different voice, and blanking the first up-stem in that voice, the tie appears to cross voices.
\relative { \time 2/4 << { \once \hide Stem \once \override Stem.length = #8 b'8 ~ 8\noBeam \once \hide Stem \once \override Stem.length = #8 g8 ~ 8\noBeam } \\ { b8 g g e } >> }
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[ < Making an object invisible with the ’transparent property ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Manually controlling beam positions > ] |
Making slurs with complex dash structure
Slurs can be made with complex dash patterns by defining the
dash-definition
property. dash-definition
is a list of
dash-elements
. A dash-element
is a list of parameters
defining the dash behavior for a segment of the slur.
The slur is defined in terms of the bezier parameter t which ranges
from 0 at the left end of the slur to 1 at the right end of the slur.
dash-element
is a list
(start-t stop-t dash-fraction dash-period)
. The region of the
slur from start-t
to stop-t
will have a fraction
dash-fraction
of each dash-period
black. dash-period
is defined in terms of staff
spaces. dash-fraction
is set to 1 for a solid slur.
\relative c' { \once \override Slur.dash-definition = #'((0 0.3 0.1 0.75) (0.3 0.6 1 1) (0.65 1.0 0.4 0.75)) c4( d e f) \once \override Slur.dash-definition = #'((0 0.25 1 1) (0.3 0.7 0.4 0.75) (0.75 1.0 1 1)) c4( d e f) }
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[ < Making slurs with complex dash structure ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Merging multi-measure rests in a polyphonic part > ] |
Manually controlling beam positions
Beam positions may be controlled manually, by overriding the
positions
setting of the Beam
grob.
\relative c' { \time 2/4 % from upper staff-line (position 2) to center (position 0) \override Beam.positions = #'(2 . 0) c8 c % from center to one above center (position 1) \override Beam.positions = #'(0 . 1) c8 c }
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[ < Manually controlling beam positions ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Modifying tuplet bracket length > ] |
Merging multi-measure rests in a polyphonic part
When using multi-measure rests in a polyphonic staff, the rests will be placed differently depending on the voice they belong to. However they can be printed on the same staff line, using the following setting.
normalPos = \revert MultiMeasureRest.direction { << { c''1 R1 c''1 \normalPos R1 } \\ { c'1 R1 c'1 \normalPos R1 } >> }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Merging multi-measure rests in a polyphonic part ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Moving dotted notes in polyphony > ] |
Modifying tuplet bracket length
Tuplet brackets can be made to run to prefatory matter or the next note. Default tuplet brackets end at the right edge of the final note of the tuplet; full-length tuplet brackets extend farther to the right, either to cover all the non-rhythmic notation up to the following note, or to cover only the whitespace before the next item of notation, be that a clef, time signature, key signature, or another note. The example shows how to switch tuplets to full length mode and how to modify what material they cover.
\new RhythmicStaff { % Set tuplets to be extendable... \set tupletFullLength = ##t % ...to cover all items up to the next note \set tupletFullLengthNote = ##t \time 2/4 \tuplet 3/2 { c4 4 4 } % ...or to cover just whitespace \set tupletFullLengthNote = ##f \time 4/4 \tuplet 5/4 { 4 1 } \time 3/4 2. }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Modifying tuplet bracket length ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Multi-measure rest length control > ] |
Moving dotted notes in polyphony
When a dotted note in the upper voice is moved to avoid a collision
with a note in another voice, the default is to move the upper note to
the right. This behaviour can be over-ridden by using the
prefer-dotted-right
property of NoteCollision
.
\new Staff \relative c' << { f2. f4 \override Staff.NoteCollision.prefer-dotted-right = ##f f2. f4 \override Staff.NoteCollision.prefer-dotted-right = ##t f2. f4 } \\ { e4 e e e e e e e e e e e } >>
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Moving dotted notes in polyphony ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Multi-measure rest markup > ] |
Multi-measure rest length control
Multi-measure rests have length according to their total duration which
is under the control of MultiMeasureRest.space-increment
. Note
that the default value is 2.0
.
\relative c' { \compressEmptyMeasures R1*2 R1*4 R1*64 R1*16 \override Staff.MultiMeasureRest.space-increment = 2.5 R1*2 R1*4 R1*64 R1*16 } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Multi-measure rest length control ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Non-default tuplet numbers > ] |
Multi-measure rest markup
Markups attached to a multi-measure rest will be centered above or below it. Long markups attached to multi-measure rests do not cause the measure to expand. To expand a multi-measure rest to fit the markup, use an empty chord with an attached markup before the multi-measure rest. Text attached to a spacer rest in this way is left-aligned to the position where the note would be placed in the measure, but if the measure length is determined by the length of the text, the text will appear to be centered.
\relative c' { \compressMMRests { \textLengthOn <>^\markup { [MAJOR GENERAL] } R1*19 <>_\markup { \italic { Cue: ... it is yours } } <>^\markup { A } R1*30^\markup { [MABEL] } \textLengthOff c4^\markup { CHORUS } d f c } }
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[ < Multi-measure rest markup ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Numbering single measure rests > ] |
Non-default tuplet numbers
LilyPond also provides formatting functions to print tuplet numbers different than the actual fraction, as well as to append a note value to the tuplet number or tuplet fraction.
\relative c'' { \once \override TupletNumber.text = #(tuplet-number::non-default-tuplet-denominator-text 7) \tuplet 3/2 { c4. c4. c4. c4. } \once \override TupletNumber.text = #(tuplet-number::non-default-tuplet-fraction-text 12 7) \tuplet 3/2 { c4. c4. c4. c4. } \once \override TupletNumber.text = #(tuplet-number::append-note-wrapper (tuplet-number::non-default-tuplet-fraction-text 12 7) (ly:make-duration 3 0)) \tuplet 3/2 { c4. c4. c4. c4. } \once \override TupletNumber.text = #(tuplet-number::append-note-wrapper tuplet-number::calc-denominator-text (ly:make-duration 2 0)) \tuplet 3/2 { c8 c8 c8 c8 c8 c8 } \once \override TupletNumber.text = #(tuplet-number::append-note-wrapper tuplet-number::calc-fraction-text (ly:make-duration 2 0)) \tuplet 3/2 { c8 c8 c8 c8 c8 c8 } \once \override TupletNumber.text = #(tuplet-number::fraction-with-notes (ly:make-duration 2 1) (ly:make-duration 3 0)) \tuplet 3/2 { c4. c4. c4. c4. } \once \override TupletNumber.text = #(tuplet-number::non-default-fraction-with-notes 12 (ly:make-duration 3 0) 4 (ly:make-duration 2 0)) \tuplet 3/2 { c4. c4. c4. c4. } }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Non-default tuplet numbers ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Partcombine and \autoBeamOff > ] |
Numbering single measure rests
Multi measure rests show their length by a number except for single
measures. This can be changed by setting restNumberThreshold
.
{ \compressEmptyMeasures R1 R1*10 R1*11 \bar "||" \set restNumberThreshold = 0 R1 R1*10 R1*11 \bar "||" \set restNumberThreshold = 10 R1 R1*10 R1*11 }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Numbering single measure rests ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Percussion example > ] |
Partcombine and \autoBeamOff
The function of \autoBeamOff
when used with
\partCombine
can be difficult to understand. It may be
preferable to use
\set Staff.autoBeaming = ##f
instead to ensure that auto-beaming is turned off for the entire staff. Use this at a spot in your score where no beam generated by the auto-beamer is still active.
Internally, \partCombine
works with four voices – stem up
single, stem down single, combined, and solo. In order to use
\autoBeamOff
to stop all auto-beaming when used with
\partCombine
, it is necessary to use four calls to
\autoBeamOff
.
{ % \set Staff.autoBeaming = ##f % turns off all auto-beaming \partCombine { \autoBeamOff % applies to split up-stems \repeat unfold 4 a'16 % \autoBeamOff % applies to combined stems \repeat unfold 4 a'8 \repeat unfold 4 a'16 % \autoBeamOff % applies to solo \repeat unfold 4 a'16 r4 } { % \autoBeamOff % applies to split down-stems \repeat unfold 4 f'8 \repeat unfold 8 f'16 | r4 \repeat unfold 4 a'16 } }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Partcombine and \autoBeamOff ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Permitting line breaks within beamed tuplets > ] |
Percussion example
A short example taken from Stravinsky’s L’histoire du Soldat.
#(define mydrums '((bassdrum default #f 4) (snare default #f -4) (tambourine default #f 0))) \paper { tagline = ##f } global = { \time 3/8 s4. \time 2/4 s2*2 \time 3/8 s4. \time 2/4 s2 } drumsA = { \context DrumVoice << { \global } { \drummode { \autoBeamOff \stemDown sn8 \stemUp tamb s8 | sn4 \stemDown sn4 | \stemUp tamb8 \stemDown sn8 \stemUp sn16 \stemDown sn \stemUp sn8 | \stemDown sn8 \stemUp tamb s8 | \stemUp sn4 s8 \stemUp tamb } } >> } drumsB = { \drummode { s4 bd8 s2*2 s4 bd8 s4 bd8 s8 } } \layout { indent = 40 \context { \DrumStaff drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table mydrums) } } \score { \new StaffGroup << \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = \markup \center-column { "Tambourine" "et" "caisse claire s. timbre" } } \drumsA \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = "Grosse Caisse" } \drumsB >> }
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[ < Percussion example ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Positioning grace note beams at the height of normal note beams > ] |
Permitting line breaks within beamed tuplets
This artificial example shows how both manual and automatic line breaks may be permitted to within a beamed tuplet. Note that such off-beat tuplets have to be beamed manually.
\paper { tagline = ##f } \layout { \context { \Voice % Permit line breaks within tuplets \remove "Forbid_line_break_engraver" % Allow beams to be broken at line breaks \override Beam.breakable = ##t } } \relative c'' { a8 \repeat unfold 5 { \tuplet 3/2 { c[ b a] } } % Insert a manual line break within a tuplet \tuplet 3/2 { c[ b \bar "" \break a] } \repeat unfold 5 { \tuplet 3/2 { c[ b a] } } c8 }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Permitting line breaks within beamed tuplets ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Positioning grace notes with floating space > ] |
Positioning grace note beams at the height of normal note beams
When notes are placed on ledger lines, their beams are usually centred on the stave. Grace notes beams are shorter and grace notes on ledger lines may well have beams outside the stave. You can override this beaming for grace notes.
\relative c { f8[ e] \grace { f8[ e] \override Stem.no-stem-extend = ##f f8[ e] \revert Stem.no-stem-extend } f8[ e] }
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[ < Positioning grace note beams at the height of normal note beams ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Positioning multi-measure rests > ] |
Positioning grace notes with floating space
Setting the property 'strict-grace-spacing
makes the musical
columns for grace notes ’floating’, i.e., decoupled from the non-grace
notes: first the normal notes are spaced, then the (musical columns of
the) graces are put left of the musical columns for the main notes.
\relative c'' { << \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-grace-spacing = ##t \new Staff \new Voice { \afterGrace c4 { c16[ c8 c16] } c8[ \grace { b16 d } c8] c4 r } \new Staff { c16 c c c c c c c c4 r } >> }
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[ < Positioning grace notes with floating space ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Positioning opposing fermatas on a bar line > ] |
Positioning multi-measure rests
Unlike ordinary rests, there is no predefined command to change the staff position of a multi-measure rest symbol of either form by attaching it to a note. However, in polyphonic music multi-measure rests in odd-numbered and even-numbered voices are vertically separated.
The positioning of multi-measure rests can be controlled as follows:
\relative c'' { % Multi-measure rests by default are set under the fourth line R1 % They can be moved using an override \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = -2 R1 \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = 0 R1 \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = 2 R1 \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = 3 R1 \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = 6 R1 \revert MultiMeasureRest.staff-position \break % In two Voices, odd-numbered voices are under the top line << { R1 } \\ { a1 } >> % Even-numbered voices are under the bottom line << { a1 } \\ { R1 } >> % Multi-measure rests in both voices remain separate << { R1 } \\ { R1 } >> % Separating multi-measure rests in more than two voices % requires an override << { R1 } \\ { R1 } \\ \once \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = 0 { R1 } >> % Using compressed bars in multiple voices requires another override % in all voices to avoid multiple instances being printed \compressMMRests << \revert MultiMeasureRest.direction { R1*3 } \\ \revert MultiMeasureRest.direction { R1*3 } >> }
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[ < Positioning multi-measure rests ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Preventing final mark from removing final tuplet > ] |
Positioning opposing fermatas on a bar line
This snippet demonstrates a command that prints fermatas both above and below a bar line. If there would not otherwise be a bar line, it adds a double bar line. Semantically, the command codes a longer-than-normal caesura, which might be considered misuse depending on the situation.
twoWayFermata = { \once \set Staff.caesuraType = #'((underlying-bar-line . "||")) \once \set Staff.caesuraTypeTransform = ##f \caesura ^\fermata _\fermata } music = { f'1 \twoWayFermata R1 f'2 \twoWayFermata f'2 R1 b'1 \twoWayFermata \fine } \new GrandStaff << \new Staff \music \new Staff \music >>
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[ < Positioning opposing fermatas on a bar line ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Printing bar numbers at regular intervals > ] |
Preventing final mark from removing final tuplet
The addition of a final mark
can result in the loss of a final
tuplet marking. This can be overcome by setting
TupletBracket.full-length-to-extent
to false
.
% due to issue 2362 a long mark such as % \textEndMark "Composed Feb 2007 - Feb 2008" % cannot be used here. \paper { tagline = ##f } \new Staff { \set tupletFullLength = ##t \time 1/8 \tuplet 3/2 8 { c'16 c' c' c' c' c' c' c' c' } \tweak direction #DOWN \textEndMark "1234" } \new Staff { \set tupletFullLength = ##t \override TupletBracket.full-length-to-extent = ##f \time 1/8 \tuplet 3/2 8 { c'16 c' c' c' c' c' c' c' c' } \tweak direction #DOWN \textEndMark "1234" }
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[ < Preventing final mark from removing final tuplet ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Printing bar numbers for broken measures > ] |
Printing bar numbers at regular intervals
By setting the barNumberVisibility
property, bar numbers can be
printed at regular intervals. Here the bar numbers are printed every
two measures except at the end of the line.
\relative c' { \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = #end-of-line-invisible \set Score.currentBarNumber = 11 % Print a bar number every second measure \set Score.barNumberVisibility = #(every-nth-bar-number-visible 2) c1 | c | c | c | c \break c1 | c | c | c | c } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Printing bar numbers at regular intervals ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Printing bar numbers inside boxes or circles > ] |
Printing bar numbers for broken measures
By default a BarNumber
of a broken measure is not repeated at
the beginning of the new line. Use
first-bar-number-invisible-save-broken-bars
for
barNumberVisibility
to get a parenthesized BarNumber
there.
\layout { \context { \Score barNumberVisibility = #first-bar-number-invisible-save-broken-bars \override BarNumber.break-visibility = ##(#f #t #t) } } \relative c' { c1 | d | e | f2 \bar "" \break fis | g1 | e2 \bar "" \break <>^"reenabled default" % back to default - % \unset Score.barNumberVisibility would do so as well \set Score.barNumberVisibility = #first-bar-number-invisible-and-no-parenthesized-bar-numbers es | d1 | c } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Printing bar numbers for broken measures ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Printing bar numbers using modulo-bar-number-visible > ] |
Printing bar numbers inside boxes or circles
Bar numbers can also be printed inside boxes or circles.
\relative c' { % Prevent bar numbers at the end of a line and permit them elsewhere \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = #end-of-line-invisible \set Score.barNumberVisibility = #(every-nth-bar-number-visible 4) % Increase the size of the bar number by 2 \override Score.BarNumber.font-size = 2 % Draw a box round the following bar number(s) \override Score.BarNumber.stencil = #(make-stencil-boxer 0.1 0.25 ly:text-interface::print) \repeat unfold 5 { c1 } % Draw a circle round the following bar number(s) \override Score.BarNumber.stencil = #(make-stencil-circler 0.1 0.25 ly:text-interface::print) \repeat unfold 4 { c1 } \bar "|." }
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[ < Printing bar numbers inside boxes or circles ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Printing bar numbers with changing regular intervals > ] |
Printing bar numbers using modulo-bar-number-visible
If the remainder of the division of the current BarNumber
by the
first argument of modulo-bar-number-visible
equals its second
argument print the BarNumber
.
Useful to print the BarNumber
at certain distances, p.e.:
-
(modulo-bar-number-visible 3 2)
-> prints 2,5,8 -
(modulo-bar-number-visible 4 2)
-> prints 2,6,10 -
(modulo-bar-number-visible 3 1)
-> prints 3,5,7 -
(modulo-bar-number-visible 5 2)
-> prints 2,7,12
\layout { \context { \Score \override BarNumber.break-visibility = ##(#f #t #t) barNumberVisibility = #(modulo-bar-number-visible 3 2) } } \relative c' { c1 | d | e | f \break g1 | e | d | c } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Printing bar numbers using modulo-bar-number-visible ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Printing metronome and rehearsal marks below the staff > ] |
Printing bar numbers with changing regular intervals
Using the set-bar-number-visibility
context function, bar number
intervals can be changed.
\relative c' { \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = #end-of-line-invisible \context Score \applyContext #(set-bar-number-visibility 4) \repeat unfold 10 c'1 \context Score \applyContext #(set-bar-number-visibility 2) \repeat unfold 10 c } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Printing bar numbers with changing regular intervals ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Printing music with different time signatures > ] |
Printing metronome and rehearsal marks below the staff
By default, metronome and rehearsal marks are printed above the
staff. To place them below the staff simply set the direction
property of MetronomeMark
or RehearsalMark
appropriately.
\layout { indent = 0 ragged-right = ##f } { % Metronome marks below the staff \override Score.MetronomeMark.direction = #DOWN \tempo 8. = 120 c''1 % Rehearsal marks below the staff \override Score.RehearsalMark.direction = #DOWN \mark \default c''1 }
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[ < Printing metronome and rehearsal marks below the staff ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Printing the bar number for the first measure > ] |
Printing music with different time signatures
In the following snippet, two parts have a completely different time signature, yet remain synchronized.
The bar lines can no longer be printed at the Score
level; to
allow independent bar lines in each part, the
Default_barline_engraver
and Timing_translator
are moved
from the Score
context to the Staff
context.
If bar numbers are required, the Bar_number_engraver
should also
be moved, since it relies on properties set by the
Timing_translator
; a \with
block can be used to add bar
numbers to the relevant staff.
\paper { indent = #0 ragged-right = ##t tagline = ##f } global = { \time 3/4 { s2.*3 } \bar "" \break { s2.*3 } } \layout { \context { \Score \remove "Timing_translator" \remove "Bar_number_engraver" \override SpacingSpanner.uniform-stretching = ##t \override SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t proportionalNotationDuration = \musicLength 64 } \context { \Staff \consists "Timing_translator" } \context { \Voice \remove "Forbid_line_break_engraver" tupletFullLength = ##t } } Bassklarinette = \new Staff \with { \consists "Bar_number_engraver" barNumberVisibility = #(every-nth-bar-number-visible 2) \override BarNumber.break-visibility = #end-of-line-invisible } << \global { \bar "|" \clef treble \time 3/8 d''4. \bar "|" \time 3/4 r8 des''2( c''8) \bar "|" \time 7/8 r4. ees''2 ~ \bar "|" \time 2/4 \tupletUp \tuplet 3/2 { ees''4 r4 d''4 ~ } \bar "|" \time 3/8 \tupletUp \tuplet 4/3 { d''4 r4 } \bar "|" \time 2/4 e''2 \bar "|" \time 3/8 es''4. \bar "|" \time 3/4 r8 d''2 r8 \bar "|" } >> Perkussion = \new StaffGroup << \new Staff << \global { \bar "|" \clef percussion \time 3/4 r4 c'2 ~ \bar "|" c'2. \bar "|" R2. \bar "|" r2 g'4 ~ \bar "|" g'2. ~ \bar "|" g'2. } >> \new Staff << \global { \bar "|" \clef percussion \time 3/4 R2. \bar "|" g'2. ~ \bar "|" g'2. \bar "|" r4 g'2 ~ \bar "|" g'2 r4 \bar "|" g'2. } >> >> \score { << \Bassklarinette \Perkussion >> }
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[ < Printing music with different time signatures ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Printing tuplet brackets on the note head side > ] |
Printing the bar number for the first measure
By default, the first bar number in a score is suppressed if it is less
than or equal to 1. By setting barNumberVisibility
to
all-bar-numbers-visible
, any bar number can be printed for the
first measure and all subsequent measures.
\layout { indent = 0 ragged-right = ##t } \relative c' { \set Score.barNumberVisibility = #all-bar-numbers-visible c1 | d | e | f \break g1 | e | d | c }
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[ < Printing the bar number for the first measure ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Redefining grace note global defaults > ] |
Printing tuplet brackets on the note head side
Whichever option you choose for controlling the tuplet bracket
visibility, it will show or hide the tuplet bracket irrespectively of
tuplet bracket placement (stem side or note head side). However, when
placing the tuplet bracket on the note head side some authors recommend
always printing the tuplet bracket. The option
visible-over-note-heads
can be used to achieve this.
music = \relative c'' { \tupletNeutral \tuplet 3/2 { c16[ d e } f8] \tupletUp \tuplet 3/2 { c8 d e } } \new Voice { \relative c' { \time 2/4 \override TupletBracket.visible-over-note-heads = ##t \override Score.TextMark.non-musical = ##f { \textMark \markup "default" \music } \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = #'if-no-beam { \textMark \markup \typewriter "'if-no-beam" \music } } }
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[ < Printing tuplet brackets on the note head side ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Removing bar numbers from a score > ] |
Redefining grace note global defaults
The global defaults for grace notes are stored in the following identifiers.
startGraceMusic stopGraceMusic startAcciaccaturaMusic stopAcciaccaturaMusic startAppoggiaturaMusic stopAppoggiaturaMusic
They are defined in file ly/grace-init.ly
. By redefining them
other effects may be obtained.
startAcciaccaturaMusic = { <>( \override Flag.stroke-style = "grace" \slurDashed } stopAcciaccaturaMusic = { \revert Flag.stroke-style \slurSolid <>) } \relative c'' { \acciaccatura d8 c1 }
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[ < Redefining grace note global defaults ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Removing connecting bar lines on StaffGroup, PianoStaff, or GrandStaff > ] |
Removing bar numbers from a score
Bar numbers can be removed entirely by removing the
Bar_number_engraver
from the Score
context.
\layout { \context { \Score \omit BarNumber % or: %\remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } \relative c'' { c4 c c c \break c4 c c c } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Removing bar numbers from a score ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Rest styles > ] |
Removing connecting bar lines on StaffGroup, PianoStaff, or GrandStaff
By default, bar lines in StaffGroup, PianoStaff, or GrandStaff groups are connected between the staves, i.e. a SpanBar is printed. This behaviour can be overridden on a staff-by-staff basis.
\relative c' { \new StaffGroup << \new Staff { e1 | e \once \override Staff.BarLine.allow-span-bar = ##f e1 | e | e } \new Staff { c1 | c | c \once \override Staff.BarLine.allow-span-bar = ##f c1 | c } \new Staff { a1 | a | a | a | a } >> }
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[ < Removing connecting bar lines on StaffGroup, PianoStaff, or GrandStaff ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Reverting default beam endings > ] |
Rest styles
Rests may be used in various styles.
restsA = { r\maxima r\longa r\breve r1 r2 r4 r8 r16 s32 s64 s128 s256 s512 s1024 s1024 } restsB = { r\maxima r\longa r\breve r1 r2 r4 r8 r16 r32 r64 r128 r256 r512 r1024 s1024 } \new Staff \relative c { \omit Score.TimeSignature \cadenzaOn \override Staff.Rest.style = #'mensural <>^\markup \typewriter { mensural } \restsA \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'neomensural <>^\markup \typewriter { neomensural } \restsA \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'classical <>^\markup \typewriter { classical } \restsB \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'z <>^\markup \typewriter { z-style } \restsB \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'default <>^\markup \typewriter { default } \restsB \bar "" \break } \paper { indent = 0 tagline = ##f }
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[ < Rest styles ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Rhythmic slashes > ] |
Reverting default beam endings
To typeset beams grouped 3-4-3-2
in 12/8 it is necessary first
to override the default beam endings in 12/8, and then to set up the
new beaming endings:
\relative c'' { \time 12/8 % Default beaming a8 a a a a a a a a a a a % Set new values for beam endings \set Score.beatStructure = 3,4,3,2 a8 a a a a a a a a a a a }
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[ < Reverting default beam endings ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Skips in lyric mode > ] |
Rhythmic slashes
In “simple” lead-sheets, sometimes no actual notes are written, instead only “rhythmic patterns” and chords above the measures are notated giving the structure of a song. Such a feature is for example useful while creating/transcribing the structure of a song and also when sharing lead sheets with guitarists or jazz musicians.
startPat = { \improvisationOn \omit Stem } stopPat = { \improvisationOff \undo \omit Stem } \new Voice \with { \consists Pitch_squash_engraver } { c'4 d' e' f' | \startPat 4 4 4 4 | \stopPat f'4 e' d' c' }
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[ < Rhythmic slashes ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Skips in lyric mode (2) > ] |
Skips in lyric mode
The s
syntax for skips is only available in note mode and chord
mode. In other situations, for example, when entering lyrics, using the
\skip
command is recommended.
<< \relative c'' { a1 | a } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { \skip 1 bla1 } >>
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[ < Skips in lyric mode ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Stemlets > ] |
Skips in lyric mode (2)
Although s
skips cannot be used in \lyricmode
(it is
taken to be a literal “s”, not a space), double quotes (""
) or
underscores (_
) are available.
So for example:
<< \relative c'' { a4 b c d } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { a4 "" _ gap } >>
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[ < Skips in lyric mode (2) ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Strict beat beaming > ] |
Stemlets
In some notational conventions beams are allowed to extend over rests. Depending on preference, these beams may drop ’stemlets’ to help the eye appreciate the rhythm better, and in some modern music the rest itself is omitted and only the stemlet remains.
This snippet shows a progression from traditional notation, to beams
over the rest, to stemlets over the rest, to stemlets alone. Stemlets
are generated by overriding the 'stemlet-length
property of
Stem
, while rests are hidden by setting
'transparent = ##t
.
Some \markup
elements are included in the source to highlight
the different notations.
\paper { ragged-right = ##f } { c'16^\markup { traditional } d' r f' g'16[^\markup { beams over rests } f' r d'] % N.B. use Score.Stem to set for the whole score. \override Staff.Stem.stemlet-length = #0.75 c'16[^\markup { stemlets over rests } d' r f'] g'16[^\markup { stemlets and no rests } f' \once \hide Rest r16 d'] }
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[ < Stemlets ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Subdividing beams > ] |
Strict beat beaming
Beamlets can be set to point in the direction of the beat to which they belong. The first beam avoids sticking out flags (the default); the second beam strictly follows the beat.
\relative c'' { \time 6/8 a8. a16 a a \set strictBeatBeaming = ##t a8. a16 a a }
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[ < Strict beat beaming ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Tam-tam example > ] |
Subdividing beams
The beams of consecutive 16th (or shorter) notes are, by default, not
subdivided. That is, the beams of more than two stems stretch unbroken
over entire groups of notes. This behavior can be modified to subdivide
the beams into sub-groups by setting the property subdivideBeams
to true (#t
). When set, a number of beamlets between two
consecutive stems are removed at intervals multiple beams will be
subdivided at intervals to match the metric value of the subdivision.
Properties minimumBeamSubdivisionInterval
and
maximumBeamSubdivisionInterval
allow configuring limits of
automatic beam subdivision: the minimum rhythmic interval at which to
subdivide beams and the number of beamlets removed depending on the
interval respectively. If the numerator of
maximumBeamSubdivisionInterval
is not a power of 2, the
smaller rhythmic intervals considered for subdivision are
maximumBeamSubdivisionInterval
divided by powers of 2 and
stay greater than or equal to minimumBeamSubdivisionInterval
. If
maximumBeamSubdivisionInterval
< minimumBeamSubdivisionInterval
,
then the depths of beam subdivision are limited to
maximumBeamSubdivisionInterval
, but not the frequency/intervals,
therefore possibly deviating from the correct expected metric value. If
respectIncompleteBeams
is set to true (##t
), the depth of the
subdivision (number of beams) reflects the longest possible subdivision interval
within the remaining length of the beam from the current stem. However, the
last two stems of the beam are exempt from this rule.
\relative c'' { c32[ c c c c c c c] \set subdivideBeams = ##t c32[ c c c c c c c] % Set minimum beam subdivision interval to 1/8 just for this beam \once \set minimumBeamSubdivisionInterval = \musicLength 8 c32[ c c c c c c c] % Set maximum beam subdivision interval to 1/16 just for this beam \once \set maximumBeamSubdivisionInterval = \musicLength 16 c32[ c c c c c c c] % Set maximum beam subdivision interval to 3/8 just for this beam \once \set maximumBeamSubdivisionInterval = \musicLength 8*3 [ \repeat unfold 16 c64 ] r2. % Set maximum beam subdivision interval to 1/64 to limit subdivision depth, % despite not being metrically correct \once \set minimumBeamSubdivisionInterval = \musicLength 32 \once \set maximumBeamSubdivisionInterval = \musicLength 64 [ \repeat unfold 32 c128 ] r2. % Shorten beam by 1/32 c32[ c c c c c c] r32 % Shorten beam by 3/32 c32[ c c c c] r16. % Respect the incomplete beams of the previous two examples \set respectIncompleteBeams = ##t c32[ c c c c c c] r32 % no visual change here as last two stems are exempt from this % special rule c32[ c c c c] r16. }
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[ < Subdividing beams ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Tambourine example > ] |
Tam-tam example
A tam-tam example, entered with ’tt’
#(define mydrums '((tamtam default #f 0))) \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = #"Tamtam" } \drummode { \set DrumStaff.drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table mydrums) \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'( 0 ) \override Staff.BarLine.bar-extent = #'(-1.5 . 1.5) tt 1 \pp \laissezVibrer } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Tam-tam example ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Three-sided box > ] |
Tambourine example
A tambourine example, entered ’tamb’
\paper { tagline = ##f } #(define mydrums '((tambourine default #f 0))) \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = #"Tambourine" } \drummode { \set DrumStaff.drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table mydrums) \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'( 0 ) \override Staff.BarLine.bar-extent = #'(-1.5 . 1.5) \time 6/8 tamb8. 16 8 8 8 8 | tamb4. 8 8 8 | % the trick with the scaled duration and the shorter rest % is neccessary for the correct ending of the trill-span! tamb2.*5/6 \startTrillSpan s8 \stopTrillSpan | }
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[ < Tambourine example ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Time signature in brackets > ] |
Three-sided box
This example shows how to add a markup command to get a three sided box around some text (or other markup).
% New command to add a three sided box, with sides north, west and south % Based on the box-stencil command defined in scm/stencil.scm % Note that ";;" is used to comment a line in Scheme #(define-public (NWS-box-stencil stencil thickness padding) "Add a box around STENCIL, producing a new stencil." (let* ((x-ext (interval-widen (ly:stencil-extent stencil X) padding)) (y-ext (interval-widen (ly:stencil-extent stencil Y) padding)) (y-rule (make-filled-box-stencil (cons 0 thickness) y-ext)) (x-rule (make-filled-box-stencil (interval-widen x-ext thickness) (cons 0 thickness)))) ;; (set! stencil (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge stencil X 1 y-rule padding)) (set! stencil (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge stencil X LEFT y-rule padding)) (set! stencil (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge stencil Y UP x-rule 0.0)) (set! stencil (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge stencil Y DOWN x-rule 0.0)) stencil)) % The corresponding markup command, based on the \box command defined % in scm/define-markup-commands.scm #(define-markup-command (NWS-box layout props arg) (markup?) #:properties ((thickness 0.1) (font-size 0) (box-padding 0.2)) "Draw a box round @var{arg}. Looks at @code{thickness}, @code{box-padding} and @code{font-size} properties to determine line thickness and padding around the markup." (let ((pad (* (magstep font-size) box-padding)) (m (interpret-markup layout props arg))) (NWS-box-stencil m thickness pad))) % Test it: \relative c' { c1^\markup { \NWS-box ABCD } c1^\markup { \NWS-box \note {4} #1.0 } }
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Time signature in brackets
The time signature can be enclosed within brackets.
\relative c'' { \override Staff.TimeSignature.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (bracketify-stencil (ly:time-signature::print grob) Y 0.1 0.2 0.1)) \time 2/4 a4 b8 c }
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[ < Time signature in brackets ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Time signature printing only the numerator as a number (instead of the fraction) > ] |
Time signature in parentheses
Enclose the time signature in parentheses.
\relative c'' { \override Staff.TimeSignature.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (parenthesize-stencil (ly:time-signature::print grob) 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.1)) \time 2/4 a4 b8 c }
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[ < Time signature in parentheses ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Tweaking grace layout within music > ] |
Time signature printing only the numerator as a number (instead of the fraction)
Sometimes, a time signature should not print the whole fraction (for
example, 7/4), but only the numerator (digit 7 in this case). This
can be easily done by using
\override Staff.TimeSignature.style = #'single-number
to change
the style permanently. By using
\revert Staff.TimeSignature.style
, this setting can be
reversed. To apply the single-number style to only one time signature,
use the \override
command and prefix it with a \once
.
\relative c'' { \time 3/4 c4 c c % Change the style permanently \override Staff.TimeSignature.style = #'single-number \time 2/4 c4 c \time 3/4 c4 c c % Revert to default style: \revert Staff.TimeSignature.style \time 2/4 c4 c % single-number style only for the next time signature \once \override Staff.TimeSignature.style = #'single-number \time 5/4 c4 c c c c \time 2/4 c4 c }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Time signature printing only the numerator as a number (instead of the fraction) ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ User defined time signatures > ] |
Tweaking grace layout within music
The layout of grace expressions can be changed throughout the music
using the functions add-grace-property
and
remove-grace-property
.
The following example undefines the Stem
direction for this
grace, so that stems do not always point up, and changes the default
note heads to crosses.
\relative c'' { \new Staff { $(remove-grace-property 'Voice 'Stem 'direction) $(add-grace-property 'Voice 'NoteHead 'style 'cross) \new Voice { \acciaccatura { f16 } g4 \grace { d16 e } f4 \appoggiatura { f,32 g a } e2 } } }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Tweaking grace layout within music ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Using alternative flag styles > ] |
User defined time signatures
New time signature styles can be defined. The time signature in the second measure should be upside down in both staves.
#(add-simple-time-signature-style 'topsy-turvy (lambda (fraction) (make-rotate-markup 180 (make-compound-meter-markup fraction)))) << \new Staff { \time 3/4 f'2. \override Score.TimeSignature.style = #'topsy-turvy \time 3/4 R2. \bar "|." } \new Staff { R2. e'' } >>
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < User defined time signatures ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Using grace note slashes with normal heads > ] |
Using alternative flag styles
Alternative shapes for flags on eighth and shorter notes can be displayed by
overriding the stencil
property of Flag
. LilyPond provides
the following functions: modern-straight-flag
,
old-straight-flag
, and flat-flag
. Use \revert
to
restore the default shape.
To get stacked (i.e., vertically more compact) flags, call the command
\flagStyleStacked
, which can be reset with
\flagStyleDefault
.
Overriding the Flag
stencil does not change how flag elements are
positioned vertically. This is especially noticeable for flat flags:
LilyPond doesn’t dynamically adjust the vertical gaps between flag elements
in the same way as it does for beams. A possible solution to harmonize the
appearance is to replace flat flags with half beams, as shown in the second
staff; however, this can’t be done automatically. In the code of this
snippet, such half beams are entered with @
as a prefix, for example
@c8
.
Be aware that half beams are not Flag
grobs. This means in
particular that modifying Flag
properties won’t have any effect on
them (you have to use Beam
properties instead), and properties for
their associated Stem
grob will also behave beam-like.
"@" = #(define-music-function (music) (ly:music?) #{ \set stemLeftBeamCount = 0 $music [] #}) testnotes = { \autoBeamOff c8 d16 e''32 f64 \acciaccatura { g,,,8 } a128 b } \relative c' { \override TextScript.staff-padding = 6 \time 1/4 <>^"default" \testnotes \override Flag.stencil = #modern-straight-flag <>_"modern straight" \testnotes \override Flag.stencil = #old-straight-flag <>^"old straight" \testnotes \override Flag.stencil = #flat-flag <>_"flat" \testnotes \revert Flag.stencil \flagStyleStacked <>^"stacked" \testnotes \flagStyleDefault <>_"default" \testnotes } \relative c' { \time 3/4 \override Flag.stencil = #flat-flag <>^"flat" c8 c[ c] d16 d[ d] e''32 e[ e] f64 f[ f] \acciaccatura { g,,,8 } a128 a[ a a a a] <>^"beam-like" @c8 c[ c] @d16 d[ d] @e''32 e[ e] @f64 f[ f] \acciaccatura { g,,,8 } @a128 a[ a a a a] } \layout { indent = 0 \context { \Score \override NonMusicalPaperColumn.line-break-permission = ##f } }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Using alternative flag styles ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Using ties with arpeggios > ] |
Using grace note slashes with normal heads
The slash through the stem found in acciaccaturas can be applied in other situations.
\relative c'' { \override Flag.stroke-style = "grace" c8( d2) e8( f4) }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Expressive marks >> ] |
[ < Using grace note slashes with normal heads ] | [ Up : Rhythms ] | [ Expressive marks > ] |
Using ties with arpeggios
Ties are sometimes used to write out arpeggios. In this case, two tied
notes need not be consecutive. This can be achieved by setting the
tieWaitForNote
property to #t
. The same feature is also
useful, for example, to tie a tremolo to a chord, but in principle, it
can also be used for ordinary consecutive notes.
\relative c' { \set tieWaitForNote = ##t \grace { c16[ ~ e ~ g] ~ } <c, e g>2 \repeat tremolo 8 { c32 ~ c' ~ } <c c,>1 e8 ~ c ~ a ~ f ~ <e' c a f>2 \tieUp c8 ~ a \tieDown \tieDotted g8 ~ c g2 }
[ << Rhythms ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Using ties with arpeggios ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Adding beams, slurs, ties etc. when using tuplet and non-tuplet rhythms > ] |
Expressive marks
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Expressive marks ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Adding parentheses around an expressive mark or chordal note > ] |
Adding beams, slurs, ties etc. when using tuplet and non-tuplet rhythms
LilyPond syntax can involve many unusual placements for parentheses, brackets etc., which might sometimes have to be interleaved.
For example, when entering a manual beam, the left square bracket has to be placed after the starting note and its duration, not before. Similarly, the right square bracket should directly follow the note which is to be at the end of the requested beaming, even if this note happens to be inside a tuplet section.
This snippet demonstrates how to combine manual beaming, manual slurs, ties and phrasing slurs with tuplet sections (enclosed within curly braces).
{ r16[ g16 \tuplet 3/2 { r16 e'8] } g16( a \tuplet 3/2 { b d e') } g8[( a \tuplet 3/2 { b d') e'] ~ } \time 2/4 \tuplet 5/4 { e'32\( a b d' e' } a'4.\) }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Adding beams, slurs, ties etc. when using tuplet and non-tuplet rhythms ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Adding timing marks to long glissandi > ] |
Adding parentheses around an expressive mark or chordal note
The \parenthesize
function is a special tweak that encloses
objects in parentheses. The associated grob is ParenthesesItem
.
\relative c' { c2-\parenthesize -> \override Parentheses.padding = #0.1 \override Parentheses.font-size = #-4 <d \parenthesize f a>2 }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Adding parentheses around an expressive mark or chordal note ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Adjusting slur positions vertically > ] |
Adding timing marks to long glissandi
Skipped beats in very long glissandi are sometimes indicated by timing marks, often consisting of stems without noteheads. Such stems can also be used to carry intermediate expression markings.
If the stems do not align well with the glissando, they may need to be repositioned slightly.
glissandoSkipOn = { \override NoteColumn.glissando-skip = ##t \hide NoteHead \override NoteHead.no-ledgers = ##t } glissandoSkipOff = { \revert NoteColumn.glissando-skip \undo \hide NoteHead \revert NoteHead.no-ledgers } \relative c'' { r8 f8\glissando \glissandoSkipOn f4 g a a8\noBeam \glissandoSkipOff a8 r8 f8\glissando \glissandoSkipOn g4 a8 \glissandoSkipOff a8 | r4 f\glissando \< \glissandoSkipOn a4\f \> \glissandoSkipOff b8\! r | }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Adding timing marks to long glissandi ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Adjusting the shape of falls and doits > ] |
Adjusting slur positions vertically
Using \override Slur.positions
it is possible to set the
vertical position of the start and end points of a slur to absolute
values (or rather, forcing LilyPond’s slur algorithm to consider these
values as desired). In many cases, this means a lot of trial and error
until good values are found. You probably have tried the
\offset
command next just to find out that it doesn’t work for
slurs, emitting a warning instead.
The code in this snippet allows you to tweak the vertical start and end
positions by specifying relative changes, similar to
\offset
.
Syntax: \offsetPositions #'(dy1 . dy2)
offsetPositions = #(define-music-function (offsets) (number-pair?) #{ \once \override Slur.control-points = #(lambda (grob) (match-let ((((_ . y1) _ _ (_ . y2)) (ly:slur::calc-control-points grob)) ((off1 . off2) offsets)) (set! (ly:grob-property grob 'positions) (cons (+ y1 off1) (+ y2 off2))) (ly:slur::calc-control-points grob))) #}) \relative c'' { c4(^"default" c, d2) \offsetPositions #'(0 . 1) c'4(^"(0 . 1)" c, d2) \offsetPositions #'(0 . 2) c'4(^"(0 . 2)" c, d2) \bar "||" g4(^"default" a d'2) \offsetPositions #'(1 . 0) g,,4(^"(1 . 0)" a d'2) \offsetPositions #'(2 . 0) g,,4(^"(2 . 0)" a d'2) }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Adjusting slur positions vertically ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Aligning the ends of hairpins to NoteColumn directions > ] |
Adjusting the shape of falls and doits
The shortest-duration-space
property may be tweaked to adjust
the shape of falls and doits.
\relative c'' { \override Score.SpacingSpanner.shortest-duration-space = 4.0 c2-\bendAfter 5 c2-\bendAfter -4.75 c2-\bendAfter 8.5 c2-\bendAfter -6 }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Adjusting the shape of falls and doits ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Alternative breve notes > ] |
Aligning the ends of hairpins to NoteColumn directions
The ends of hairpins may be aligned to the LEFT
, CENTER
or RIGHT
of NoteColumn
grobs by overriding the property
endpoint-alignments
, which is a pair of numbers representing the
left and right ends of the hairpin. endpoint-alignments
are
expected to be directions (either -1, 0 or 1). Other values will
be transformed with a warning. The right end of a hairpin terminating
at a rest is not affected, always ending at the left edge of the rest.
{ c'2\< <c' d'>\! | \override Hairpin.endpoint-alignments = #'(1 . -1) c'2\< <c' d'>\! | \override Hairpin.endpoint-alignments = #`(,LEFT . ,CENTER) c'2\< <c' d'>\! | }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Aligning the ends of hairpins to NoteColumn directions ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Asymmetric slurs > ] |
Alternative breve notes
Breve notes are also available with two vertical lines on each side of the notehead instead of one line and in baroque style.
\relative c'' { \time 4/2 c\breve | \override Staff.NoteHead.style = #'altdefault b\breve \override Staff.NoteHead.style = #'baroque b\breve \revert Staff.NoteHead.style a\breve }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Alternative breve notes ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Breathing signs > ] |
Asymmetric slurs
Slurs can be made asymmetric to match an asymmetric pattern of notes better.
slurNotes = { d,8( a' d f a f' d, a) } \relative c' { \stemDown \slurUp \slurNotes \once \override Slur.eccentricity = #3.0 \slurNotes }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Asymmetric slurs ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Broken Crescendo Hairpin > ] |
Breathing signs
Breathing signs are available in different tastes: commas (default), ticks, vees and “railroad tracks” (caesura).
\new Staff \relative c'' { \key es \major \time 3/4 % this bar contains no \breathe << { g4 as g } \\ { es4 bes es } >> | % Modern notation: % by default, \breathe uses the rcomma, just as if saying: % \override BreathingSign.text = % #(make-musicglyph-markup "scripts.rcomma") << { g4 as g } \\ { es4 \breathe bes es } >> | % rvarcomma and lvarcomma are variations of the default rcomma % and lcomma % N.B.: must use Staff context here, since we start a Voice below \override Staff.BreathingSign.text = \markup { \musicglyph "scripts.rvarcomma" } << { g4 as g } \\ { es4 \breathe bes es } >> | % raltcomma and laltcomma are alternative variations of the % default rcomma and lcomma \override Staff.BreathingSign.text = \markup { \musicglyph "scripts.raltcomma" } << { g4 as g } \\ { es4 \breathe bes es } >> | % vee \override BreathingSign.text = \markup { \musicglyph "scripts.uupbow" } es8[ d es f g] \breathe f | % caesura \override BreathingSign.text = \markup { \musicglyph "scripts.caesura.curved" } es8[ d] \breathe es[ f g f] | es2 r4 \bar "||" }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Breathing signs ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Caesura ("railtracks") with fermata > ] |
Broken Crescendo Hairpin
In order to make parts of a crescendo hairpin invisible, the following method is used: A white rectangle is drawn on top of the respective part of the crescendo hairpin, making it invisible. The rectangle is defined as postscript code within a text markup.
The markup command with-dimensions
tells LilyPond to consider
only the bottom edge of the rectangle when spacing it against the
hairpin. The property staff-padding
prevents the rectangle from
fitting between the hairpin and staff.
Make sure the hairpin is in a lower layer than the text markup to draw the rectangle over the hairpin.
\relative c' { << { \dynamicUp r2 r16 c'8.\pp r4 } \\ { \override DynamicLineSpanner.layer = #0 des,2\mf\< ~ \override TextScript.layer = #2 \once\override TextScript.staff-padding = #6 \once\override TextScript.vertical-skylines = #'() des16_\markup \with-dimensions #'(2 . 7) #'(0 . 0) \with-color #white \filled-box #'(2 . 7) #'(0 . 2) #0 r8. des4 ~ des16->\sff r8. } >> }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Broken Crescendo Hairpin ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Center text below hairpin dynamics > ] |
Caesura ("railtracks") with fermata
A caesura is sometimes denoted by a double “railtracks” breath mark with a fermata sign positioned above. This snippet shows an optically pleasing combination of railtracks and fermata.
\relative c'' { c2. % construct the symbol \override BreathingSign.text = \markup { \override #'(direction . 1) \override #'(baseline-skip . 1.8) \dir-column { \translate #'(0.155 . 0) \center-align \musicglyph "scripts.caesura.curved" \center-align \musicglyph "scripts.ufermata" } } \breathe c4 % set the breath mark back to normal \revert BreathingSign.text c2. \breathe c4 \bar "|." }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Caesura ("railtracks") with fermata ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Changing text and spanner styles for text dynamics > ] |
Center text below hairpin dynamics
This example provides a function to typeset a hairpin (de)crescendo with some additional text below it, such as “molto” or “poco”. The added text will change the direction according to the direction of the hairpin. The Hairpin is aligned to DynamicText.
The example also illustrates how to modify the way an object is normally printed, using some Scheme code.
\paper { tagline = ##f } hairpinWithCenteredText = #(define-music-function (text) (markup?) #{ \once \override Voice.Hairpin.after-line-breaking = #(lambda (grob) (let* ((stencil (ly:hairpin::print grob)) (par-y (ly:grob-parent grob Y)) (dir (ly:grob-property par-y 'direction)) (staff-line-thickness (ly:output-def-lookup (ly:grob-layout grob) 'line-thickness)) (new-stencil (ly:stencil-aligned-to (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge (ly:stencil-aligned-to stencil X CENTER) Y dir (ly:stencil-aligned-to (grob-interpret-markup grob (make-fontsize-markup (magnification->font-size (+ (ly:staff-symbol-staff-space grob) (/ staff-line-thickness 2))) text)) X CENTER)) X LEFT)) (staff-space (ly:output-def-lookup (ly:grob-layout grob) 'staff-space)) (par-x (ly:grob-parent grob X)) (dyn-text (grob::has-interface par-x 'dynamic-text-interface)) (dyn-text-stencil-x-length (if dyn-text (interval-length (ly:stencil-extent (ly:grob-property par-x 'stencil) X)) 0)) (x-shift (if dyn-text (- (+ staff-space dyn-text-stencil-x-length) (* 0.5 staff-line-thickness)) 0))) (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'Y-offset 0) (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'stencil (ly:stencil-translate-axis new-stencil x-shift X)))) #}) hairpinMolto = \hairpinWithCenteredText \markup { \italic molto } hairpinMore = \hairpinWithCenteredText \markup { \larger moltissimo } \layout { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c' { \hairpinMolto c2\< c\f \hairpinMore c2\ppppp\< c\f \break \hairpinMolto c2^\< c\f \hairpinMore c2\ppppp\< c\f }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Center text below hairpin dynamics ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Changing the appearance of a slur from solid to dotted or dashed > ] |
Changing text and spanner styles for text dynamics
The text used for crescendos and decrescendos can be
changed by modifying the context properties crescendoText
and
decrescendoText
.
The style of the spanner line can be changed by modifying the
'style
property of DynamicTextSpanner
. The default value
is 'dashed-line
, and other possible values include 'line
,
'dotted-line
and 'none
.
\relative c'' { \set crescendoText = \markup { \italic { cresc. poco } } \set crescendoSpanner = #'text \override DynamicTextSpanner.style = #'dotted-line a2\< a a2 a a2 a a2 a\mf }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Changing text and spanner styles for text dynamics ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Changing the breath mark symbol > ] |
Changing the appearance of a slur from solid to dotted or dashed
The appearance of slurs may be changed from solid to dotted or dashed.
\relative c' { c4( d e c) \slurDotted c4( d e c) \slurSolid c4( d e c) \slurDashed c4( d e c) \slurSolid c4( d e c) }
Changing the breath mark symbol
The glyph of the breath mark can be tuned by overriding the text
property of the BreathingSign
layout object with any markup
text.
\relative c'' { c2 \override BreathingSign.text = \markup { \musicglyph "scripts.rvarcomma" } \breathe d2 }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Changing the breath mark symbol ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Combining dynamics with markup texts > ] |
Changing the number of augmentation dots per note
The number of augmentation dots on a single note can be changed independently of the dots placed after the note.
\relative c' { c4.. a16 r2 | \override Dots.dot-count = 4 c4.. a16 r2 | \override Dots.dot-count = 0 c4.. a16 r2 | \revert Dots.dot-count c4.. a16 r2 | }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Changing the number of augmentation dots per note ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Contemporary glissando > ] |
Combining dynamics with markup texts
Some dynamics may involve text indications (such as “più forte” or
“piano subito”). These can be produced using a \markup
block.
piuF = \markup { \italic più \dynamic f } \layout { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c'' { c2\f c-\piuF }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Combining dynamics with markup texts ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Controlling spanner visibility after a line break > ] |
Contemporary glissando
A contemporary glissando without a final note can be typeset using a hidden note and cadenza timing.
\relative c'' { \time 3/4 \override Glissando.style = #'zigzag c4 c \cadenzaOn c4\glissando \hideNotes c,,4 \unHideNotes \cadenzaOff \bar "|" }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Contemporary glissando ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Controlling the vertical ordering of scripts > ] |
Controlling spanner visibility after a line break
The visibility of spanners which end on the first note following a line
break is controlled by the after-line-breaking
callback
ly:spanner::kill-zero-spanned-time
.
For objects such as glissandos and hairpins, the default behaviour is to hide the spanner after a break; disabling the callback will allow the left-broken span to be shown.
Conversely, spanners which are usually visible, such as text spans, can be hidden by enabling the callback.
\paper { ragged-right = ##t tagline = ##f } \relative c'' { \override Hairpin.to-barline = ##f \override Glissando.breakable = ##t % show hairpin \override Hairpin.after-line-breaking = ##t % hide text span \override TextSpanner.after-line-breaking = #ly:spanner::kill-zero-spanned-time e2\<\startTextSpan % show glissando \override Glissando.after-line-breaking = ##t f2\glissando \break f,1\!\stopTextSpan }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Controlling spanner visibility after a line break ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Creating a delayed turn > ] |
Controlling the vertical ordering of scripts
The vertical ordering of scripts is controlled with the
script-priority
property. The lower this number, the closer it will
be put to the note. In this example, the TextScript
(the
sharp symbol) first has the lowest priority, so it is put lowest in
the first example. In the second, the prall trill (the
Script
) has the lowest, so it is on the inside. When two objects
have the same priority, the order in which they are entered determines which
one comes first.
Note that for Fingering
, StringNumber
, and StrokeFinger
grobs, if used within a chord, the vertical order is also determined by the
vertical position of the associated note head, which is added to (or,
depending on the direction, subtracted from) the grob’s
script-priority
value. This ensures that for fingerings above a
chord the lower note is associated with the lower fingering (and vice versa
for the other direction); it doesn’t matter whether you input the notes in
the chord from top to bottom or from bottom to top.
By default, the least technical scripts are positioned closest to the note head; the rough order is articulation, flageolet, fingering, right-hand fingering, string number, fermata, bowing, and text script.
\relative c''' { \once \override TextScript.script-priority = -100 a2^\prall^\markup { \sharp } \once \override Script.script-priority = -100 a2^\prall^\markup { \sharp } \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up) <c-2 a-1>2 <a-1 c\tweak script-priority -100 -2>2 }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Controlling the vertical ordering of scripts ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Creating arpeggios across notes in different voices > ] |
Creating a delayed turn
Creating a delayed turn, where the lower note of the turn uses the
accidental, requires several overrides. The
outside-staff-priority
property must be set to #f
, as
otherwise this would take precedence over the avoid-slur
property. Changing the fractions 2/3
and 1/3
adjusts the
horizontal position.
\relative c'' { \after 2*2/3 \turn c2( d4) r | \after 4 \turn c4.( d8) \after 4 { \once \set suggestAccidentals = ##t \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.outside-staff-priority = ##f \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.avoid-slur = #'inside \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.font-size = -3 \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.script-priority = -1 \once \hideNotes cis8\turn \noBeam } d4.( e8) }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Creating a delayed turn ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Creating cross-staff arpeggios in a piano staff > ] |
Creating arpeggios across notes in different voices
An arpeggio can be drawn across notes in different voices on the
same staff if the Span_arpeggio_engraver
is added to the
Staff
context:
\new Staff \with { \consists "Span_arpeggio_engraver" } \relative c' { \set Staff.connectArpeggios = ##t << { <e' g>4\arpeggio <d f> <d f>2 } \\ { <d, f>2\arpeggio <g b>2 } >> }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Creating arpeggios across notes in different voices ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Creating cross-staff arpeggios in other contexts > ] |
Creating cross-staff arpeggios in a piano staff
In a PianoStaff
, it is possible to let an arpeggio cross
between the staves by setting the property
PianoStaff.connectArpeggios
.
\new PianoStaff \relative c'' << \set PianoStaff.connectArpeggios = ##t \new Staff { <c e g c>4\arpeggio <g c e g>4\arpeggio <e g c e>4\arpeggio <c e g c>4\arpeggio } \new Staff { \clef bass \repeat unfold 4 { <c,, e g c>4\arpeggio } } >>
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Creating cross-staff arpeggios in a piano staff ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Creating double-digit fingerings > ] |
Creating cross-staff arpeggios in other contexts
Cross-staff arpeggios can be created in contexts other than
GrandStaff
, PianoStaff
and StaffGroup
if the
Span_arpeggio_engraver
is included in the Score
context.
\score { \new ChoirStaff { \set Score.connectArpeggios = ##t << \new Voice \relative c' { <c e>2\arpeggio <d f>2\arpeggio <c e>1\arpeggio } \new Voice \relative c { \clef bass <c g'>2\arpeggio <b g'>2\arpeggio <c g'>1\arpeggio } >> } \layout { \context { \Score \consists "Span_arpeggio_engraver" } } }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Creating cross-staff arpeggios in other contexts ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Creating "real" parenthesized dynamics > ] |
Creating double-digit fingerings
Creating fingerings larger than 5 is possible.
\relative c' { c1-10 c1-50 c1-36 c1-29 }
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Creating "real" parenthesized dynamics
Although the easiest way to add parentheses to a dynamic mark is to use
a \markup
block, this method has a downside: the created
objects will behave like text markups, and not like dynamics.
However, it is possible to create a similar object using the equivalent
Scheme code (as described in the Notation Reference), combined with the
make-dynamic-script
function. This way, the markup will be
regarded as a dynamic, and therefore will remain compatible with
commands such as \dynamicUp
or \dynamicDown
.
paren = #(define-event-function (dyn) (ly:event?) (make-dynamic-script #{ \markup \concat { \normal-text \italic \fontsize #2 ( \pad-x #0.2 #(ly:music-property dyn 'text) \normal-text \italic \fontsize #2 ) } #})) \relative c'' { c4\paren\f c c \dynamicUp c\paren\p }
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[ < Creating "real" parenthesized dynamics ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Creating text spanners > ] |
Creating slurs across voices
In some situations, it may be necessary to create slurs between notes
from different voices. The solution is to add invisible notes to one of
the voices, using \hideNotes
.
This example is measure 235 of the Ciaconna from Bach’s 2nd Partita for solo violin, BWV 1004.
\relative c' { << { d16( a') s a s a[ s a] s a[ s a] } \\ { \slurUp bes,16[ s e]( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes f[( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes fis]( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes g[( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes gis]( \hideNotes a) } >> }
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[ < Creating slurs across voices ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Dynamics custom text spanner postfix > ] |
Creating text spanners
The \startTextSpan
and \stopTextSpan
commands allow the
creation of text spanners as easily as pedal indications or
octavations. Override some properties of the TextSpanner
object
to modify its output.
\paper { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c'' { \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = #"bla" \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.text = #"blu" a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan \override TextSpanner.style = #'line \once \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.stencil-align-dir-y = #CENTER a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan \override TextSpanner.style = #'dashed-line \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup { \draw-line #'(0 . 1) } \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.text = \markup { \draw-line #'(0 . -2) } \once \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.padding = #-2 a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan \set Staff.middleCPosition = #-13 \override TextSpanner.dash-period = #10 \override TextSpanner.dash-fraction = #0.5 \override TextSpanner.thickness = #10 a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan }
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Dynamics custom text spanner postfix
Postfix functions for custom crescendo text spanners. The spanners
should start on the first note of the measure. One has to use
-\mycresc
, otherwise the spanner start will rather be assigned
to the next note.
% Two functions for (de)crescendo spanners where you can explicitly % give the spanner text. mycresc = #(define-music-function (mymarkup) (markup?) (make-music 'CrescendoEvent 'span-direction START 'span-type 'text 'span-text mymarkup)) mydecresc = #(define-music-function (mymarkup) (markup?) (make-music 'DecrescendoEvent 'span-direction START 'span-type 'text 'span-text mymarkup)) \relative c' { c4-\mycresc "custom cresc" c4 c4 c4 | c4 c4 c4 c4 | c4-\mydecresc "custom decresc" c4 c4 c4 | c4 c4\! c4 c4 }
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[ < Dynamics custom text spanner postfix ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Glissandi can skip grobs > ] |
Dynamics text spanner postfix
Custom text spanners can be defined and used with hairpin and text
crescendos. \<
and \>
produce hairpins by default,
\cresc
etc. produce text spanners by default.
% Some sample text dynamic spanners, to be used as postfix operators crpoco = #(make-music 'CrescendoEvent 'span-direction START 'span-type 'text 'span-text "cresc. poco a poco") \relative c' { c4\cresc d4 e4 f4 | g4 a4\! b4\crpoco c4 | c4 d4 e4 f4 | g4 a4\! b4\< c4 | g4\dim a4 b4\decresc c4\! }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Dynamics text spanner postfix ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Hairpins with different line styles > ] |
Glissandi can skip grobs
NoteColumn
grobs can be skipped over by glissandi.
\relative c' { a2 \glissando \once \override NoteColumn.glissando-skip = ##t f''4 d, }
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[ < Glissandi can skip grobs ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Hiding the extender line for text dynamics > ] |
Hairpins with different line styles
Hairpins can take any style from line-interface
- dashed-line,
dotted-line, line, trill or zigzag.
\relative c' { c2\< c\! \override Hairpin.style = #'dashed-line c2\< c\! \override Hairpin.style = #'dotted-line c2\< c\! \override Hairpin.style = #'line c2\< c\! \override Hairpin.style = #'trill c2\< c\! \override Hairpin.style = #'zigzag c2\< c\! \revert Hairpin.style c2\< c\! }
Hiding the extender line for text dynamics
Text style dynamic changes (such as cresc. and dim.) are printed with a dashed line showing their extent. This line can be suppressed in the following way:
\relative c'' { \override DynamicTextSpanner.style = #'none \crescTextCresc c1\< | d | b | c\! }
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[ < Hiding the extender line for text dynamics ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Inserting a caesura > ] |
Horizontally aligning custom dynamics (e.g. "sempre pp", "piu f", "subito p")
Some dynamic expressions involve additional text, like “sempre pp”. Since dynamics are usually centered under the note, the \pp would be displayed way after the note it applies to.
To correctly align the “sempre pp” horizontally so that it is aligned as if it were only the \pp, there are several approaches:
- Simply use
\once\override DynamicText.X-offset = #-9.2
before the note with the dynamics to manually shift it to the correct position. Drawback: This has to be done manually each time you use that dynamic markup... - Add some padding (
#:hspace 7.1
) into the definition of your custom dynamic mark so that after LilyPond center-aligns it, it is already correctly aligned. Drawback: The padding really takes up that space and does not allow any other markup or dynamics to be shown in that position. - Shift the dynamic script
\once\override ... .X-offset = ...
. Drawback:\once\override
is needed for every invocation! - Set the dimensions of the additional text to 0 (using
#:with-dimensions '(0 . 0) '(0 . 0)
). Drawback: For LilyPond, “sempre” has no extent now. This means it might put other stuff there, causing collisions (which are not detected by LilyPond’s collision detection algorithm!). There also seems to be some spacing, so it is not exactly the same alignment as without the additional text. - Add an explicit shift directly inside the scheme function for the dynamic script.
- Set an explicit alignment inside the dynamic script. By default, this
won’t have any effect, only if one sets
X-offset
! Drawback: One needs to setDynamicText.X-offset
, which will apply to all dynamic texts! Also, it is aligned at the right edge of the additional text, not at the center of \pp.
\paper { ragged-right = ##f indent = 2.5\cm tagline = ##f } % Solution 1: Using a simple markup with a particular halign value % Drawback: It's a markup, not a dynamic command, so \dynamicDown % etc. will have no effect semppMarkup = \markup { \halign #1.4 \italic "sempre" \dynamic "pp" } % Solution 2: Using a dynamic script & shifting with % \once \override ...X-offset = .. % Drawback: \once \override needed for every invocation semppK = #(make-dynamic-script (markup #:line (#:normal-text #:italic "sempre" #:dynamic "pp"))) % Solution 3: Padding the dynamic script so the center-alignment % puts it at the correct position % Drawback: the padding really reserves the space, nothing else can be there semppT = #(make-dynamic-script (markup #:line (#:normal-text #:italic "sempre" #:dynamic "pp" #:hspace 7.1))) % Solution 4: Dynamic, setting the dimensions of the additional text to 0 % Drawback: To lilypond "sempre" has no extent, so it might put % other stuff there => collisions % Drawback: Also, there seems to be some spacing, so it's not exactly the % same alignment as without the additional text semppM = #(make-dynamic-script (markup #:line (#:with-dimensions '(0 . 0) '(0 . 0) #:right-align #:normal-text #:italic "sempre" #:dynamic "pp"))) % Solution 5: Dynamic with explicit shifting inside the scheme function semppG = #(make-dynamic-script (markup #:hspace 0 #:translate '(-18.85 . 0) #:line (#:normal-text #:italic "sempre" #:dynamic "pp"))) % Solution 6: Dynamic with explicit alignment. This has only effect % if one sets X-offset! % Drawback: One needs to set DynamicText.X-offset! % Drawback: Aligned at the right edge of the additional text, % not at the center of pp semppMII = #(make-dynamic-script (markup #:line (#:right-align #:normal-text #:italic "sempre" #:dynamic "pp"))) \new StaffGroup << \new Staff = "s" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Normal } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major c4\pp c\p c c | c\ff c c\pp c } >> \new Staff = "sMarkup" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Normal markup } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major c4-\semppMarkup c\p c c | c\ff c c-\semppMarkup c } >> \new Staff = "sK" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Explicit shifting } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major \once \override DynamicText.X-offset = #-9.2 c4\semppK c\p c c c4\ff c \once \override DynamicText.X-offset = #-9.2 c4\semppK c } >> \new Staff = "sT" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Right padding } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major c4\semppT c\p c c | c\ff c c\semppT c } >> \new Staff = "sM" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Set dimension "to zero" } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major c4\semppM c\p c c | c\ff c c\semppM c } >> \new Staff = "sG" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Shift inside dynamics} } << \relative c'' { \key es \major c4\semppG c\p c c | c\ff c c\semppG c } >> \new Staff = "sMII" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Alignment inside dynamics } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major % Setting to ##f (false) gives the same result \override DynamicText.X-offset = #0 c4\semppMII c\p c c | c\ff c c\semppMII c } >> >> \layout { \override Staff.InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #LEFT }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Horizontally aligning custom dynamics (e.g. "sempre pp", "piu f", "subito p") ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Laissez vibrer ties > ] |
Inserting a caesura
Caesura marks can be created by overriding the 'text
property of
the BreathingSign
object.
A curved caesura mark is also available.
\relative c'' { \override BreathingSign.text = \markup { \musicglyph "scripts.caesura.straight" } c8 e4. \breathe g8. e16 c4 \override BreathingSign.text = \markup { \musicglyph "scripts.caesura.curved" } g8 e'4. \breathe g8. e16 c4 }
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[ < Inserting a caesura ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Line arrows > ] |
Laissez vibrer ties
Laissez vibrer ties have a fixed size. Their formatting can be tuned
using 'tie-configuration
.
\relative c' { <c e g>4\laissezVibrer r <c f g>\laissezVibrer r <c d f g>4\laissezVibrer r <c d f g>4.\laissezVibrer r8 <c d e f>4\laissezVibrer r \override LaissezVibrerTieColumn.tie-configuration = #`((-7 . ,DOWN) (-5 . ,DOWN) (-3 . ,UP) (-1 . ,UP)) <c d e f>4\laissezVibrer r }
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[ < Laissez vibrer ties ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Making slurs with complex dash structure > ] |
Line arrows
Arrows can be applied to text-spanners and line-spanners (such as the Glissando).
\relative c'' { \override TextSpanner.bound-padding = #1.0 \override TextSpanner.style = #'line \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.arrow = ##t \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = #"fof" \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.text = #"gag" \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.padding = #0.6 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.stencil-align-dir-y = #CENTER \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.stencil-align-dir-y = #CENTER \override Glissando.bound-details.right.arrow = ##t \override Glissando.arrow-length = #0.5 \override Glissando.arrow-width = #0.25 a8\startTextSpan gis a4 b\glissando b, g'4 c\stopTextSpan c2 }
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[ < Line arrows ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Modifying default values for articulation shorthand notation > ] |
Making slurs with complex dash structure
Slurs can be made with complex dash patterns by defining the
dash-definition
property. dash-definition
is a list of
dash-elements
. A dash-element
is a list of parameters
defining the dash behavior for a segment of the slur.
The slur is defined in terms of the bezier parameter t which ranges
from 0 at the left end of the slur to 1 at the right end of the slur.
dash-element
is a list
(start-t stop-t dash-fraction dash-period)
. The region of the
slur from start-t
to stop-t
will have a fraction
dash-fraction
of each dash-period
black. dash-period
is defined in terms of staff
spaces. dash-fraction
is set to 1 for a solid slur.
\relative c' { \once \override Slur.dash-definition = #'((0 0.3 0.1 0.75) (0.3 0.6 1 1) (0.65 1.0 0.4 0.75)) c4( d e f) \once \override Slur.dash-definition = #'((0 0.25 1 1) (0.3 0.7 0.4 0.75) (0.75 1.0 1 1)) c4( d e f) }
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[ < Making slurs with complex dash structure ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Moving slur positions vertically > ] |
Modifying default values for articulation shorthand notation
The shorthands are defined in ‘ly/script-init.ly’, where the
variables dashHat
, dashPlus
, dashDash
,
dashBang
, dashLarger
, dashDot
, and
dashUnderscore
are assigned default values. The default values
for the shorthands can be modified. For example, to associate the
-+
(dashPlus
) shorthand with the trill symbol
instead of the default + symbol, assign the value \trill
to the variable dashPlus
:
\paper { tagline = ##f } \relative c'' { c1-+ } dashPlus = \trill \relative c'' { c1-+ }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Modifying default values for articulation shorthand notation ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Moving the ends of hairpins > ] |
Moving slur positions vertically
The vertical position of a slur can be adjusted using the
positions
property of Slur
. The property has 2
parameters, the first referring to the left end of the slur and the
second to the right. The values of the parameters are not used by
LilyPond to make an exact movement of the slur - instead it selects
what placement of the slur looks best, taking into account the
parameter values. Positive values move the slur up, and are
appropriate for notes with stems down. Negative values move downward
slurs further down.
\relative c' { \stemDown e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(1 . 1) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(2 . 2) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(3 . 3) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(4 . 4) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(5 . 5) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(0 . 5) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(5 . 0) e4( a) \stemUp \override Slur.positions = #'(-5 . -5) e4( a) \stemDown \revert Slur.positions e4( a) }
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[ < Moving slur positions vertically ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Positioning arpeggios > ] |
Moving the ends of hairpins
The ends of hairpins may be offset by setting the shorten-pair
property of the Hairpin
object. Positive values move endpoints
to the right, negative to the left. Unlike the minimum-length
property, this property only affects the appearance of the hairpin; it
does not adjust horizontal spacing (including the position of bounding
dynamics). This method is thus suitable for fine-tuning a hairpin
within its allotted space.
{ c'1~\< c'2~ c'\! \once \override Hairpin.shorten-pair = #'(2 . 2) c'1~\< c'2~ c'\! \once \override Hairpin.shorten-pair = #'(-2 . -2) c'1~\< c'2~ c'\! c'1~\p-\tweak shorten-pair #'(2 . 0)\< c'2~ c'\ffff }
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[ < Moving the ends of hairpins ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Positioning text markups inside slurs > ] |
Positioning arpeggios
If you need to extend or shorten an arpeggio, you can modify the upper and lower start positions independently.
\relative c' { <c e g b>1\arpeggio \once \override Arpeggio.positions = #'(-5 . 0) <c e g b>1\arpeggio \once \override Arpeggio.positions = #'(0 . 5) <c e g b>1\arpeggio \once \override Arpeggio.positions = #'(-5 . 5) <c e g b>1\arpeggio }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Positioning arpeggios ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Printing hairpins in various styles > ] |
Positioning text markups inside slurs
Text markups need to have the outside-staff-priority
property
set to false in order to be printed inside slurs.
\relative c'' { \override TextScript.avoid-slur = #'inside \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = ##f c2(^\markup { \halign #-10 \natural } d4.) c8 }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Positioning text markups inside slurs ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Printing hairpins using al niente notation > ] |
Printing hairpins in various styles
Hairpin dynamics may be created in a variety of styles.
\paper { tagline = ##f } \relative c'' { \override Hairpin.stencil = #flared-hairpin a4\< a a a\f a4\p\< a a a\ff a4\sfz\< a a a\! \override Hairpin.stencil = #constante-hairpin a4\< a a a\f a4\p\< a a a\ff a4\sfz\< a a a\! \override Hairpin.stencil = #flared-hairpin a4\> a a a\f a4\p\> a a a\ff a4\sfz\> a a a\! \override Hairpin.stencil = #constante-hairpin a4\> a a a\f a4\p\> a a a\ff a4\sfz\> a a a\! }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Printing hairpins in various styles ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Printing metronome and rehearsal marks below the staff > ] |
Printing hairpins using al niente notation
Hairpin dynamics may be printed with a circled tip (“al niente”
notation) by setting the circled-tip
property of the
Hairpin
object to #t
.
\relative c'' { \override Hairpin.circled-tip = ##t c2\< c\! c4\> c\< c2\! }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Printing hairpins using al niente notation ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Setting hairpin behavior at bar lines > ] |
Printing metronome and rehearsal marks below the staff
By default, metronome and rehearsal marks are printed above the
staff. To place them below the staff simply set the direction
property of MetronomeMark
or RehearsalMark
appropriately.
\layout { indent = 0 ragged-right = ##f } { % Metronome marks below the staff \override Score.MetronomeMark.direction = #DOWN \tempo 8. = 120 c''1 % Rehearsal marks below the staff \override Score.RehearsalMark.direction = #DOWN \mark \default c''1 }
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[ < Printing metronome and rehearsal marks below the staff ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Setting the minimum length of hairpins > ] |
Setting hairpin behavior at bar lines
If the note which ends a hairpin falls on a downbeat, the hairpin stops
at the bar line immediately preceding. This behavior can be controlled
by overriding the 'to-barline
property.
\relative c'' { e4\< e2. e1\! \override Hairpin.to-barline = ##f e4\< e2. e1\! }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Setting hairpin behavior at bar lines ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Showing the same articulation above and below a note or chord > ] |
Setting the minimum length of hairpins
If hairpins are too short, they can be lengthened by modifying the
minimum-length
property of the Hairpin
object.
<< { \after 4 \< \after 2 \> \after 2. \! f'1 \override Hairpin.minimum-length = 8 \after 4 \< \after 2 \> \after 2. \! f'1 } { \repeat unfold 8 c'4 } >>
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Setting the minimum length of hairpins ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Snap-pizzicato or Bartok pizzicato > ] |
Showing the same articulation above and below a note or chord
By default, LilyPond does not allow the same articulation (e.g., an
accent, a fermata, a flageolet, etc.) to be displayed above and below a
note. For example, c4_\fermata^\fermata
only shows a fermata
below. The fermata above gets simply ignored.
However, one can stick scripts (just like fingerings) inside a chord,
which means it is possible to have as many articulations as desired.
This approach has the advantage that it ignores the stem and positions
the articulation relative to the note head. This can be seen in the
case of the flageolets in the snippet. To mimic the behaviour of
scripts outside a chord, 'add-stem-support
would be required.
The solution is thus to write the note as a chord and add the
articulations inside of <...>
, using the direction modifiers
^
and _
as appropriate.
\relative c' { <>^"Wrong" c2_\fermata^\fermata % The second fermata is ignored! <e d'>2^\flageolet_\flageolet \stopStaff s1 \startStaff <>^"Works if written inside a chord" <e_\flageolet d'^\flageolet>2 <e_\flageolet d'^\flageolet>2 <e_\flageolet^\flageolet>2 <e_\fermata^\fermata>2 }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Showing the same articulation above and below a note or chord ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Using a tick as the breath mark symbol > ] |
Snap-pizzicato or Bartok pizzicato
A snap-pizzicato (also known as “Bartok pizzicato”) is a “strong pizzicato where the string is plucked vertically by snapping and rebounds off the fingerboard of the instrument” (Wikipedia). It is denoted by a circle with a vertical line going from the center upwards outside the circle.
\relative c' { c4\snappizzicato <c' e g>4\snappizzicato <c' e g>4^\snappizzicato <c, e g>4_\snappizzicato }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Snap-pizzicato or Bartok pizzicato ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Using arpeggioBracket to make divisi more visible > ] |
Using a tick as the breath mark symbol
Vocal and wind music frequently uses a tick mark as a breathing sign. This indicates a breath that subtracts a little time from the previous note rather than causing a short pause, which is indicated by the comma breath mark. The mark can be moved up a little to take it away from the stave.
\relative c'' { c2 \breathe d2 \override BreathingSign.Y-offset = #2.6 \override BreathingSign.text = \markup { \musicglyph "scripts.tickmark" } c2 \breathe d2 }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Using a tick as the breath mark symbol ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Using double slurs for legato chords > ] |
Using arpeggioBracket to make divisi more visible
The arpeggioBracket
can be used to indicate the division of
voices where there are no stems to provide the information. This is
often seen in choral music.
\include "english.ly" \score { \relative c'' { \key a \major \time 2/2 << \new Voice = "upper" << { \voiceOne \arpeggioBracket a2( b2 <b d>1\arpeggio) <cs e>\arpeggio ~ <cs e>4 } \addlyrics { \lyricmode { A -- men. } } >> \new Voice = "lower" { \voiceTwo a1 ~ a a ~ a4 \bar "|." } >> } \layout { ragged-right = ##t } }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Using arpeggioBracket to make divisi more visible ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Using the whiteout property > ] |
Using double slurs for legato chords
Some composers write two slurs when they want legato
chords. This can be achieved by setting doubleSlurs
.
\relative c' { \set doubleSlurs = ##t <c e>4( <d f> <c e> <d f>) }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Using double slurs for legato chords ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Vertical line as a baroque articulation mark > ] |
Using the whiteout property
Any graphical object can be printed over a white background to mask
parts of objects that lie beneath. This can be useful to improve the
appearance of collisions in complex situations when repositioning
objects is impractical. It is necessary to explicitly set the
layer
property to control which objects are masked by the white
background.
In this example the collision of the tie with the time signature is
improved by masking out the part of the tie that crosses the time
signature, setting the whiteout
property of
TimeSignature
. To do this, TimeSignature
is moved to a
layer above Tie
, which is left in the default layer 1, and
StaffSymbol
is moved to a layer above TimeSignature
so it
is not masked.
{ \override Score.StaffSymbol.layer = 4 \override Staff.TimeSignature.layer = 3 b'2 b'~ \once \override Staff.TimeSignature.whiteout = ##t \time 3/4 b' r4 }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Using the whiteout property ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Vertically aligning dynamics across multiple notes > ] |
Vertical line as a baroque articulation mark
This short vertical line placed above the note is commonly used in baroque music. Its meaning can vary, but generally indicates notes that should be played with more “weight”. The following example demonstrates how to achieve such a notation.
upline = \tweak stencil #(lambda (grob) (grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup \draw-line #'(0 . 1) #})) \stopped \relative c' { a'4^\upline a( c d')_\upline }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Repeats >> ] |
[ < Vertical line as a baroque articulation mark ] | [ Up : Expressive marks ] | [ Repeats > ] |
Vertically aligning dynamics across multiple notes
Dynamics that occur at, begin on, or end on the same note will be
vertically aligned. To ensure that dynamics are aligned when they do
not occur on the same note, increase the staff-padding
property
of the DynamicLineSpanner
object.
\relative c' { \override DynamicLineSpanner.staff-padding = #4 c2\p f\mf g2\< b4\> c\! }
[ << Expressive marks ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Vertically aligning dynamics across multiple notes ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Adding volta brackets to additional staves > ] |
Repeats
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Repeats ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Centered measure numbers > ] |
Adding volta brackets to additional staves
The Volta_engraver
by default resides in the Score
context, and brackets for the repeat are thus normally only printed
over the topmost staff. This can be adjusted by adding the
Volta_engraver
to the Staff
context where the brackets
should appear; see also the “Volta multi staff” snippet.
<< \new Staff { \repeat volta 2 { c'1 } \alternative { c' } } \new Staff { \repeat volta 2 { c'1 } \alternative { c' } } \new Staff \with { \consists "Volta_engraver" } { c'2 g' e' a' } \new Staff { \repeat volta 2 { c'1 } \alternative { c' } } >>
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Adding volta brackets to additional staves ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Changing the default bar lines > ] |
Centered measure numbers
Scores of large ensemble works often have bar numbers placed beneath
the system, centered horizontally on the measure’s extent. This
snippet shows how the Measure_counter_engraver
may be used to
simulate this notational practice. Here, the engraver has been added
to a Dynamics
context.
This snippet presents a legacy method: starting from LilyPond 2.23.3,
\set Score.centerBarNumbers = ##t
is enough.
\layout { \context { \Dynamics \consists #Measure_counter_engraver \override MeasureCounter.direction = #DOWN \override MeasureCounter.font-encoding = #'latin1 \override MeasureCounter.font-shape = #'italic % to control the distance of the Dynamics context from the staff: \override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing.padding = #2 } \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } pattern = \repeat unfold 7 { c'4 d' e' f' } \new StaffGroup << \new Staff { \pattern } \new Staff { \pattern } \new Dynamics { \startMeasureCount s1*7 \stopMeasureCount } >>
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Centered measure numbers ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Controlling the appearance of tremolo slashes > ] |
Changing the default bar lines
Default bar lines can be changed when re-defined in a score context.
% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=964 %%=> http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/2014-03/msg00126.html %%=> http://lilypond.1069038.n5.nabble.com/Changing-the-default-end-repeat-bracket-tc169357.html \layout { \context { \Score %% Changing the defaults from engraver-init.ly measureBarType = "!" startRepeatBarType = "[|:" endRepeatBarType = ":|]" doubleRepeatBarType = ":|][|:" } } %% example: { c'1 \repeat volta 2 { \repeat unfold 2 c' } \repeat volta 2 { \repeat unfold 2 c' } \alternative { { c' } { %% v2.18 workaround \once\override Score.VoltaBracket.shorten-pair = #'(1 . -1) c' } } \bar "|." }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Changing the default bar lines ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Cross-staff tremolos > ] |
Controlling the appearance of tremolo slashes
Using various properties of the StemTremolo
grob it is possible
to control the appearance of tremolo slashes.
- Property
slope
sets the slope for tremolo slashes. - Property
shape
determines whether tremolo slashes look like rectangles (valuerectangle
) or like very small beams (valuebeam-like
). - Property
style
sets both the slope and the shape depending on whether the note has flags, beams, or only a plain stem. This is in contrast to the previous two properties, which change the slope and shape unconditionally. There are two styles defined.-
default
: slashes for down-stem flags are longer and more sloped than slashes for up-stem flags; slashes on beamed notes have a rectangular shape and are parallel to the beam. -
constant
: all slashes are beam-like and have the same slope except for down-stem flags.
-
music = { a''4:32 a': e''8: \noBeam e': a'':[ a':] f':[ g':] d':[ d':] } \new Staff { <>^\markup "default" \music } \new Staff { <>^\markup \typewriter "style = #'constant" \override StemTremolo.style = #'constant \music } \new Staff { <>^\markup \typewriter "shape = #'rectangle" \override StemTremolo.shape = #'rectangle \music } \new Staff { <>^\markup \typewriter "shape = #'beam-like" \override StemTremolo.shape = #'beam-like \music } \new Staff { <>^\markup \typewriter "slope = -0.2" \override StemTremolo.slope = -0.2 \music } \paper { indent = 0 tagline = ##f }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Controlling the appearance of tremolo slashes ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Engraving tremolos with floating beams > ] |
Cross-staff tremolos
Since \repeat tremolo
expects exactly two musical arguments for
chord tremolos, the note or chord which changes staff within a
cross-staff tremolo should be placed inside curly braces together with
its \change Staff
command.
\new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "up" \relative c'' { \key a \major \time 3/8 s4. } \new Staff = "down" \relative c'' { \key a \major \time 3/8 \voiceOne \repeat tremolo 6 { <a e'>32 { \change Staff = "up" \voiceTwo <cis a' dis>32 } } } >>
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Cross-staff tremolos ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Isolated percent repeats > ] |
Engraving tremolos with floating beams
If a tremolo’s total duration is less than a quarter-note, or exactly a
half-note, or between a half-note and a whole-note, it is normally
typeset with all beams touching the stems. Certain engraving styles
typeset some of these beams as centered floating beams that do not
touch the stems. The number of floating beams in this type of tremolo
is controlled with the 'gap-count
property of the Beam
object, and the size of the gaps between beams and stems is set with
the 'gap
property.
\relative c'' { \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap-count = #1 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap-count = #2 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap-count = #3 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap-count = #3 \override Beam.gap = #1.33 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap = #1 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap = #0.67 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } \override Beam.gap = #0.33 \repeat tremolo 8 { a32 f } }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Engraving tremolos with floating beams ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Measure counter > ] |
Isolated percent repeats
Isolated percents can also be printed.
makePercent = #(define-music-function (note) (ly:music?) "Make a percent repeat the same length as NOTE." (make-music 'PercentEvent 'length (ly:music-length note))) \relative c'' { \makePercent s1 }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Isolated percent repeats ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Numbering groups of measures > ] |
Measure counter
This snippet provides a workaround for emitting measure counters using transparent percent repeats.
<< \context Voice = "foo" { \clef bass c4 r g r c4 r g r c4 r g r c4 r g r } \context Voice = "foo" { \set countPercentRepeats = ##t \hide PercentRepeat \override PercentRepeatCounter.staff-padding = #1 \repeat percent 4 { s1 } } >>
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Measure counter ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Percent repeat count visibility > ] |
Numbering groups of measures
This snippet demonstrates the use of the
Measure_counter_engraver
to number groups of successive
measures. Any stretch of measures may be numbered, whether consisting
of repetitions or not.
The engraver must be added to the appropriate context. Here, a
Staff
context is used; another possibility is a Dynamics
context.
The counter is begun with \startMeasureCount
and ended with
\stopMeasureCount
. Numbering will start by default
with 1, but this behavior may be modified by overriding the
count-from
property.
When a measure extends across a line break, the number will appear twice, the second time in parentheses.
\layout { \context { \Staff \consists #Measure_counter_engraver } } \new Staff { \startMeasureCount \repeat unfold 7 { c'4 d' e' f' } \stopMeasureCount \bar "||" g'4 f' e' d' \override Staff.MeasureCounter.count-from = #2 \startMeasureCount \repeat unfold 5 { g'4 f' e' d' } g'4 f' \bar "" \break e'4 d' \repeat unfold 7 { g'4 f' e' d' } \stopMeasureCount } \paper { tagline = ##f }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Numbering groups of measures ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Percent repeat counter > ] |
Percent repeat count visibility
Percent repeat counters can be shown at regular intervals by setting
the context property repeatCountVisibility
.
\relative c'' { \set countPercentRepeats = ##t \set repeatCountVisibility = #(every-nth-repeat-count-visible 5) \repeat percent 10 { c1 } \break \set repeatCountVisibility = #(every-nth-repeat-count-visible 2) \repeat percent 6 { c1 d1 } }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Percent repeat count visibility ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Positioning segno and coda (with line break) > ] |
Percent repeat counter
Measure repeats of more than two repeats can get a counter when the convenient property is switched, as shown in this example:
\relative c'' { \set countPercentRepeats = ##t \repeat percent 4 { c1 } }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Percent repeat counter ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Setting the double repeat default for volte > ] |
Positioning segno and coda (with line break)
If you want to place an exiting segno sign and add text like “D.S. al Coda” next to it where usually the staff lines are you can use this snippet. The coda will resume in a new line. There is a variation documented in this snippet, where the coda will remain on the same line.
%% Updating this snippet with convert-ly to 2.25. returns: %% %% "Not smart enough to convert music following \fine. %% %% Warning: \fine no longer enforces the end of the music. If your piece %% has music following \fine that you want to exclude when it is %% unfolded, use \volta to exclude it. %% Please refer to the manual for details, and update manually." %% %% Alas, the use of \fine here is not problematic here --harm { \relative c'' { c4 c c c c c c c c c c c \repeat segno 2 { c4 c c c c c c c \alternative { \volta 1 { c4 c c c c c c c c c c c % If you don't use \break at Coda, use \noBreak here % and after \bar "" below. \noBreak \section % double bar line \cadenzaOn % pause bar count \stopStaff % remove staff lines % Increasing the unfold counter will expand the staff-free space \repeat unfold 6 { s1 \bar "" } % Place JumpScript where the staff would normally be. \once \override Score.JumpScript.outside-staff-priority = ##f \once \override Score.JumpScript.Y-offset = 0 \startStaff % resume bar count \cadenzaOff % show staff lines again } } } \sectionLabel "Coda" % Show Coda on a new line \break \repeat unfold 8 { c4 c c c } \fine } } \paper { tagline = ##f }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Positioning segno and coda (with line break) ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Shortening volta brackets > ] |
Setting the double repeat default for volte
There are three different styles of double repeats for volte, that can
be set using doubleRepeatBarType
.
\relative c'' { \repeat volta 2 { c1 } \set Score.doubleRepeatBarType = ":..:" \repeat volta 2 { c1 } \set Score.doubleRepeatBarType = ":|.|:" \repeat volta 2 { c1 } \set Score.doubleRepeatBarType = ":|.:" \repeat volta 2 { c1 } }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Setting the double repeat default for volte ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Volta below chords > ] |
Shortening volta brackets
By default, the volta brackets will be drawn over all of the
alternative music, but it is possible to shorten them by setting
voltaSpannerDuration
. In the next example, the bracket only
lasts one measure, which is a duration of 3/4.
\relative c'' { \time 3/4 c4 c c \set Score.voltaSpannerDuration = \musicLength 2. \repeat volta 5 { d4 d d \alternative { \volta 1,2,3,4 { e4 e e f4 f f } \volta 5 { g4 g g } } } }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Shortening volta brackets ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Volta multi staff > ] |
Volta below chords
By adding the Volta_engraver
to the relevant staff, volte can be
put under chords.
\score { << \chords { c1 c1 } \new Staff \with { \consists "Volta_engraver" } { \repeat volta 2 { c'1 } \alternative { c' } } >> \layout { \context { \Score \remove "Volta_engraver" } } }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Volta below chords ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Volta text markup using repeatCommands > ] |
Volta multi staff
By adding the Volta_engraver
to the relevant staff, volte can be
put over staves other than the topmost one in a score.
voltaMusic = \relative c'' { \repeat volta 2 { c1 \alternative { \volta 1 { d1 } \volta 2 { e1 } } } } << \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \voltaMusic \new Staff \voltaMusic >> \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \with { \consists "Volta_engraver" } \voltaMusic \new Staff \voltaMusic >> >>
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Simultaneous notes >> ] |
[ < Volta multi staff ] | [ Up : Repeats ] | [ Simultaneous notes > ] |
Volta text markup using repeatCommands
Though volte are best specified using \repeat volta
, the
context property repeatCommands
must be used in cases where the
volta text needs more advanced formatting with \markup
.
Since repeatCommands
takes a list, the simplest method of
including markup is to use an identifier for the text and embed it in
the command list using the Scheme syntax
#(list (list 'volta textIdentifier))
. Start- and end-repeat
commands can be added as separate list elements:
voltaAdLib = \markup { \volta-number { 1. 2. 3... } \italic { ad lib. } } \relative c'' { c1 \set Score.repeatCommands = #(list (list 'volta voltaAdLib) 'start-repeat) c4 b d e \set Score.repeatCommands = #'((volta #f) (volta "4.") end-repeat) f1 \set Score.repeatCommands = #'((volta #f)) }
[ << Repeats ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Staff notation >> ] |
[ < Volta text markup using repeatCommands ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Additional voices to avoid collisions > ] |
Simultaneous notes
[ << Simultaneous notes ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Staff notation >> ] |
[ < Simultaneous notes ] | [ Up : Simultaneous notes ] | [ Changing \partCombine texts > ] |
Additional voices to avoid collisions
In some instances of complex polyphonic music, additional voices are
necessary to prevent collisions between notes. If more than four
parallel voices are needed, additional voices can be added by defining
a variable using the Scheme function context-spec-music
.
voiceFive = #(context-spec-music (make-voice-props-set 4) 'Voice) \relative c'' { \time 3/4 \key d \minor \partial 2 << \new Voice { \voiceOne a4. a8 e'4 e4. e8 f4 d4. c8 } \new Voice { \voiceTwo d,2 d4 cis2 d4 bes2 } \new Voice { \voiceThree f'2 bes4 a2 a4 s2 } \new Voice { \voiceFive s2 g4 g2 f4 f2 } >> }
[ << Simultaneous notes ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Staff notation >> ] |
[ < Additional voices to avoid collisions ] | [ Up : Simultaneous notes ] | [ Changing a single note’s size in a chord > ] |
Changing \partCombine texts
When using the automatic part combining feature, the printed text for the solo and unison sections may be changed.
\new Staff << \set Staff.soloText = "girl" \set Staff.soloIIText = "boy" \set Staff.aDueText = "together" \partCombine \relative c'' { g4 g r r a2 g } \relative c'' { r4 r a( b) a2 g } >>
[ << Simultaneous notes ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Staff notation >> ] |
[ < Changing \partCombine texts ] | [ Up : Simultaneous notes ] | [ Clusters > ] |
Changing a single note’s size in a chord
Individual note heads in a chord can be modified with the
\tweak
command inside a chord, by altering the font-size
property.
Inside the chord (within the brackets < >
), before the note to
be altered, place the \tweak
command, followed by
font-size
and define the proper size like #-2
(a tiny
note head).
\relative c' { <\tweak font-size #+2 c e g c \tweak font-size #-2 e>1 ^\markup { A tiny e }_\markup { A big c } }
[ << Simultaneous notes ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Staff notation >> ] |
[ < Changing a single note’s size in a chord ] | [ Up : Simultaneous notes ] | [ Combining two parts on the same staff > ] |
Clusters
Clusters are a device to denote that a complete range of notes is to be played.
fragment = \relative c' { c4 f <e d'>4 <g a>8 <e a> a4 c2 <d b>4 e2 c } << \new Staff \fragment \new Staff \makeClusters \fragment >>
[ << Simultaneous notes ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Staff notation >> ] |
[ < Clusters ] | [ Up : Simultaneous notes ] | [ Displaying complex chords > ] |
Combining two parts on the same staff
The part combiner tool (i.e., the \partCombine
command) allows
the combination of several different parts on the same staff. Text
directions such as “solo” or “a2” are added by default; to remove
them, simply set the property printPartCombineTexts
to
#f
.
For vocal scores (hymns), there is no need to add “solo/a2” texts, so they should be switched off. However, it might be better not to use them if there are any solos, as they won’t be indicated. In such cases, standard polyphonic notation may be preferable.
This snippet presents the three ways two parts can be printed on a same
staff: standard polyphony, \partCombine
without texts, and
\partCombine
with texts.
musicUp = \relative c'' { \time 4/4 a4 c4.( g8) a4 | g4 e' g,( a8 b) | c b a2. } musicDown = \relative c'' { g4 e4.( d8) c4 | r2 g'4( f8 e) | d2 \stemDown a } \score { << \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "standard polyphony" } << \musicUp \\ \musicDown >> \new Staff \with { instrumentName = \markup { \typewriter "\\partCombine" without text} printPartCombineTexts = ##f } \partCombine \musicUp \musicDown \new Staff \with { instrumentName = \markup { \typewriter "\\partCombine" with text} } \partCombine \musicUp \musicDown >> \layout { indent = 6.0\cm \context { \Score % Setting this to a large value avoids a bar line at the % beginning that would connect the three staves otherwise. \override SystemStartBar.collapse-height = 30 } } }
[ << Simultaneous notes ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Staff notation >> ] |
[ < Combining two parts on the same staff ] | [ Up : Simultaneous notes ] | [ Forcing horizontal shift of notes > ] |
Displaying complex chords
Here is a way to display a chord where the same note is played twice with different accidentals.
fixA = { \once \override Stem.length = #11 } fixB = { \once \override NoteHead.X-offset = #1.7 \once \override Stem.length = #7 \once \override Stem.rotation = #'(45 0 0) \once \override Stem.extra-offset = #'(-0.1 . -0.2) \once \override Flag.style = #'no-flag \once \override Accidental.extra-offset = #'(4 . -.1) } \relative c' { << { \fixA <b d!>8 } \\ { \voiceThree \fixB dis } >> s }
[ << Simultaneous notes ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Staff notation >> ] |
[ < Displaying complex chords ] | [ Up : Simultaneous notes ] | [ Making an object invisible with the ’transparent property > ] |
Forcing horizontal shift of notes
When the typesetting engine cannot cope, the following syntax can be used to override typesetting decisions. The units of measure used here are staff spaces.
\relative c' << { <d g>2 <d g> } \\ { <b f'>2 \once \override NoteColumn.force-hshift = 1.7 <b f'>2 } >>
[ << Simultaneous notes ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Staff notation >> ] |
[ < Forcing horizontal shift of notes ] | [ Up : Simultaneous notes ] | [ Moving dotted notes in polyphony > ] |
Making an object invisible with the ’transparent property
Setting the transparent
property will cause an object to be
printed in “invisible ink”: the object is not printed, but all its
other behavior is retained. The object still takes up space, it takes
part in collisions, and slurs, ties and beams can be attached to it.
This snippet demonstrates how to connect different voices using ties. Normally, ties only connect two notes in the same voice. By introducing a tie in a different voice, and blanking the first up-stem in that voice, the tie appears to cross voices.
\relative { \time 2/4 << { \once \hide Stem \once \override Stem.length = #8 b'8 ~ 8\noBeam \once \hide Stem \once \override Stem.length = #8 g8 ~ 8\noBeam } \\ { b8 g g e } >> }
Moving dotted notes in polyphony
When a dotted note in the upper voice is moved to avoid a collision
with a note in another voice, the default is to move the upper note to
the right. This behaviour can be over-ridden by using the
prefer-dotted-right
property of NoteCollision
.
\new Staff \relative c' << { f2. f4 \override Staff.NoteCollision.prefer-dotted-right = ##f f2. f4 \override Staff.NoteCollision.prefer-dotted-right = ##t f2. f4 } \\ { e4 e e e e e e e e e e e } >>
[ << Simultaneous notes ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Staff notation >> ] |
[ < Moving dotted notes in polyphony ] | [ Up : Simultaneous notes ] | [ Two \partCombine pairs on one staff > ] |
Suppressing warnings for clashing note columns
If notes from two voices with stems in the same direction are placed at
the same position, and both voices have no shift or the same shift
specified, the error message ‘warning: ignoring too many clashing
note columns’ will appear when compiling the LilyPond file. This
message can be suppressed by setting the 'ignore-collision
property of the NoteColumn
object to #t
. Please note that
this does not just suppress warnings but stops LilyPond trying to
resolve collisions at all and so may have unintended results unless
used with care.
ignore = \override NoteColumn.ignore-collision = ##t \relative c' { \new Staff << \new Voice { \ignore \stemDown f2 g } \new Voice { c2 \stemDown c, } >> }
[ << Simultaneous notes ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Staff notation >> ] |
[ < Suppressing warnings for clashing note columns ] | [ Up : Simultaneous notes ] | [ Staff notation > ] |
Two \partCombine pairs on one staff
The \partCombine
function takes two music expressions each
containing a part, and distributes them among four Voice
s named
“two”, “one”, “solo”, and “chords” depending on when and how
the parts are merged into a common voice. The voices output from
\partCombine
can have their layout properties adjusted in the
usual way. Here we define extensions of \partCombine
to make
it easier to put four voices on a staff.
soprano = { d'4 | cis' b e' d'8 cis' | cis'2 b } alto = { fis4 | e8 fis gis ais b4 b | b ais fis2 } tenor = { a8 b | cis' dis' e'4 b8 cis' d'4 | gis cis' dis'2 } bass = { fis8 gis | a4 gis g fis | eis fis b,2 } \new Staff << \key b\minor \clef alto \partial 4 \transpose b b' \partCombineUp \soprano \alto \partCombineDown \tenor \bass >>
\layout { \context { \Staff \accepts "VoiceBox" } \context { \name "VoiceBox" \type "Engraver_group" \defaultchild "Voice" \accepts "Voice" \accepts "NullVoice" } } customPartCombineUp = #(define-music-function (partOne partTwo) (ly:music? ly:music?) "Take the music in @var{partOne} and @var{partTwo} and return a @code{VoiceBox} named @q{Up} containing @code{Voice}s that contain @var{partOne} and @var{partTwo} merged into one voice where feasible. This variant sets the default voicing in the output to use upward stems." #{ \new VoiceBox = "Up" << \context Voice = "one" { \voiceOne } \context Voice = "two" { \voiceThree } \context Voice = "shared" { \voiceOne } \context Voice = "solo" { \voiceOne } \context NullVoice = "null" {} \partCombine #partOne #partTwo >> #}) customPartCombineDown = # (define-music-function (partOne partTwo) (ly:music? ly:music?) "Take the music in @var{partOne} and @var{partTwo} and return a @code{VoiceBox} named @q{Down} containing @code{Voice}s that contain @var{partOne} and @var{partTwo} merged into one voice where feasible. This variant sets the default voicing in the output to use downward stems." #{ \new VoiceBox = "Down" << \set VoiceBox.soloText = #"Solo III" \set VoiceBox.soloIIText = #"Solo IV" \context Voice ="one" { \voiceFour } \context Voice ="two" { \voiceTwo } \context Voice ="shared" { \voiceFour } \context Voice ="solo" { \voiceFour } \context NullVoice = "null" {} \partCombine #partOne #partTwo >> #}) soprano = { d'4 | cis' b e' d'8 cis' | cis'2 b } alto = { fis4 | e8 fis gis ais b4 b | b ais fis2 } tenor = { a8 b | cis' dis' e'4 b8 cis' d'4 | gis cis' dis'2 } bass = { fis8 gis | a4 gis g fis | eis fis b,2 } \new Staff << \key b\minor \clef alto \partial 4 \transpose b b' \customPartCombineUp \soprano \alto \customPartCombineDown \tenor \bass >>
[ << Simultaneous notes ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Editorial annotations >> ] |
[ < Two \partCombine pairs on one staff ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Adding ambitus per voice > ] |
Staff notation
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[ < Staff notation ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Adding an extra staff > ] |
Adding ambitus per voice
Ambitus can be added per voice. In this case, the ambitus must be moved manually to prevent collisions.
\new Staff << \new Voice \with { \consists "Ambitus_engraver" } \relative c'' { \override Ambitus.X-offset = 2.0 \voiceOne c4 a d e f1 } \new Voice \with { \consists "Ambitus_engraver" } \relative c' { \voiceTwo es4 f g as b1 } >>
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[ < Adding ambitus per voice ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Adding an extra staff at a line break > ] |
Adding an extra staff
An extra staff can be added (possibly temporarily) after the start of a piece.
\score { << \new Staff \relative c'' { c1 | c | c | c | c } \new StaffGroup \relative c'' { \new Staff { c1 | c << { c1 | d } \new Staff { \once \omit Staff.TimeSignature c1 | b } >> c1 } } >> }
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[ < Adding an extra staff ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Adding indicators to staves which get split after a break > ] |
Adding an extra staff at a line break
When adding a new staff at a line break, some extra space is
unfortunately added at the end of the line before the break (to fit in
a key signature change, which will never be printed anyway). The
workaround is to add a setting of
Staff.explicitKeySignatureVisibility
as is shown in the example.
\paper { tagline = ##f } \score { \new StaffGroup \relative c'' { \new Staff \key f \major c1 c^"Unwanted extra space" \break << { c1 | c } \new Staff { \key f \major \once \omit Staff.TimeSignature c1 | c } >> c1 | c^"Fixed here" \break << { c1 | c } \new Staff { \once \set Staff.explicitKeySignatureVisibility = #end-of-line-invisible \key f \major \once \omit Staff.TimeSignature c1 | c } >> } }
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[ < Adding an extra staff at a line break ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Adding orchestral cues to a vocal score > ] |
Adding indicators to staves which get split after a break
This snippet defines the commands \splitStaffBarLine
,
\convUpStaffBarLine
, and \convDownStaffBarLine
. These
add arrows at a bar line to denote that several voices sharing a staff
will each continue on a staff of their own in the next system, or that
voices split in this way recombine.
#(define-markup-command (arrow-at-angle layout props angle-deg length fill) (number? number? boolean?) (let* ( (PI-OVER-180 (/ (atan 1 1) 34)) (degrees->radians (lambda (degrees) (* degrees PI-OVER-180))) (angle-rad (degrees->radians angle-deg)) (target-x (* length (cos angle-rad))) (target-y (* length (sin angle-rad)))) (interpret-markup layout props (markup #:translate (cons (/ target-x 2) (/ target-y 2)) #:rotate angle-deg #:translate (cons (/ length -2) 0) #:concat (#:draw-line (cons length 0) #:arrow-head X RIGHT fill))))) splitStaffBarLineMarkup = \markup \with-dimensions #'(0 . 0) #'(0 . 0) { \combine \arrow-at-angle #45 #(sqrt 8) ##t \arrow-at-angle #-45 #(sqrt 8) ##t } splitStaffBarLine = { \once \override Staff.BarLine.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge (ly:bar-line::print grob) X RIGHT (grob-interpret-markup grob splitStaffBarLineMarkup) 0)) \break } convDownStaffBarLine = { \once \override Staff.BarLine.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge (ly:bar-line::print grob) X RIGHT (grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup\with-dimensions #'(0 . 0) #'(0 . 0) { \translate #'(0 . -.13)\arrow-at-angle #-45 #(sqrt 8) ##t }#}) 0)) \break } convUpStaffBarLine = { \once \override Staff.BarLine.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge (ly:bar-line::print grob) X RIGHT (grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup\with-dimensions #'(0 . 0) #'(0 . 0) { \translate #'(0 . .14)\arrow-at-angle #45 #(sqrt 8) ##t }#}) 0)) \break } \header { tagline = ##f } \paper { ragged-right = ##t short-indent = 10\mm } separateSopranos = { \set Staff.instrumentName = "AI AII" \set Staff.shortInstrumentName = "AI AII" \splitStaffBarLine \change Staff = "up" } convSopranos = { \convDownStaffBarLine \change Staff = "shared" \set Staff.instrumentName = "S A" \set Staff.shortInstrumentName = "S A" } sI = { \voiceOne \repeat unfold 4 f''2 \separateSopranos \repeat unfold 4 g''2 \convSopranos \repeat unfold 4 c''2 } sII = { s1*2 \voiceTwo \change Staff = "up" \repeat unfold 4 d''2 } aI = { \voiceTwo \repeat unfold 4 a'2 \voiceOne \repeat unfold 4 b'2 \convUpStaffBarLine \voiceTwo \repeat unfold 4 g'2 } aII = { s1*2 \voiceTwo \repeat unfold 4 g'2 } ten = { \voiceOne \repeat unfold 4 c'2 \repeat unfold 4 d'2 \repeat unfold 4 c'2 } bas = { \voiceTwo \repeat unfold 4 f2 \repeat unfold 4 g2 \repeat unfold 4 c2 } \score { << \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff = up \with { instrumentName = "SI SII" shortInstrumentName = "SI SII" } { s1*4 } \new Staff = shared \with { instrumentName = "S A" shortInstrumentName = "S A" } << \new Voice = sopI \sI \new Voice = sopII \sII \new Voice = altI \aI \new Voice = altII \aII >> \new Lyrics \with { alignBelowContext = up } \lyricsto sopII { e f g h } \new Lyrics \lyricsto altI { a b c d e f g h i j k l } \new Staff = men \with { instrumentName = "T B" shortInstrumentName = "T B" } << \clef F \new Voice = ten \ten \new Voice = bas \bas >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto bas { a b c d e f g h i j k l } >> >> \layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-first = ##t } } }
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[ < Adding indicators to staves which get split after a break ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Adding timing marks to long glissandi > ] |
Adding orchestral cues to a vocal score
This shows one approach to simplify adding many orchestral cues to the
piano reduction in a vocal score. The music function \cueWhile
takes four arguments: the music from which the cue is to be taken, as
defined by \addQuote
, the name to be inserted before the cue
notes, then either #UP
or #DOWN
to specify either
\voiceOne
with the name above the staff or \voiceTwo
with the name below the staff, and finally the piano music in parallel
with which the cue notes are to appear. The name of the cued
instrument is positioned to the left of the cued notes. Many passages
can be cued, but they cannot overlap each other in time.
cueWhile = #(define-music-function (instrument name dir music) (string? string? ly:dir? ly:music?) #{ \cueDuring $instrument #dir { \once \override TextScript.self-alignment-X = #RIGHT \once \override TextScript.direction = $dir <>-\markup { \tiny #name } $music } #}) flute = \relative c'' { \transposition c' s4 s4 e g } \addQuote "flute" { \flute } clarinet = \relative c' { \transposition bes fis4 d d c } \addQuote "clarinet" { \clarinet } singer = \relative c'' { c4. g8 g4 bes4 } words = \lyricmode { here's the lyr -- ics } pianoRH = \relative c'' { \transposition c' \cueWhile "clarinet" "Clar." #DOWN { c4. g8 } \cueWhile "flute" "Flute" #UP { g4 bes4 } } pianoLH = \relative c { c4 <c' e> e, <g c> } \score { << \new Staff { \new Voice = "singer" { \singer } } \new Lyrics { \lyricsto "singer" \words } \new PianoStaff << \new Staff { \new Voice { \pianoRH } } \new Staff { \clef "bass" \pianoLH } >> >> }
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[ < Adding orchestral cues to a vocal score ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Alternative bar numbering > ] |
Adding timing marks to long glissandi
Skipped beats in very long glissandi are sometimes indicated by timing marks, often consisting of stems without noteheads. Such stems can also be used to carry intermediate expression markings.
If the stems do not align well with the glissando, they may need to be repositioned slightly.
glissandoSkipOn = { \override NoteColumn.glissando-skip = ##t \hide NoteHead \override NoteHead.no-ledgers = ##t } glissandoSkipOff = { \revert NoteColumn.glissando-skip \undo \hide NoteHead \revert NoteHead.no-ledgers } \relative c'' { r8 f8\glissando \glissandoSkipOn f4 g a a8\noBeam \glissandoSkipOff a8 r8 f8\glissando \glissandoSkipOn g4 a8 \glissandoSkipOff a8 | r4 f\glissando \< \glissandoSkipOn a4\f \> \glissandoSkipOff b8\! r | }
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[ < Adding timing marks to long glissandi ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Ambitus after key signature > ] |
Alternative bar numbering
Two alternative methods for bar numbering can be set, especially for when using repeated music.
music = \relative c' { \repeat volta 3 { c4 d e f | \alternative { \volta 1 { c4 d e f | c2 d \break } \volta 2 { f4 g a b | f4 g a b | f2 a | \break } \volta 3 { c4 d e f | c2 d } } } c1 \bar "|." } \markup "default" { \music } \markup \typewriter "'numbers" { \set Score.alternativeNumberingStyle = #'numbers \music } \markup \typewriter "'numbers-with-letters" { \set Score.alternativeNumberingStyle = #'numbers-with-letters \music } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Alternative bar numbering ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Centered measure numbers > ] |
Ambitus after key signature
By default, ambitus are positioned at the left of the clef. The
\ambitusAfter
function allows for changing this
placement. Syntax is \ambitusAfter grob-interface
(see
Graphical
Object Interfaces for a list of possible values for
grob-interface
.)
A common use case is printing the ambitus between key signature and time signature.
\new Staff \with { \consists Ambitus_engraver } \relative { \ambitusAfter key-signature \key d \major es'8 g bes cis d2 }
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[ < Ambitus after key signature ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Changing the default bar lines > ] |
Centered measure numbers
Scores of large ensemble works often have bar numbers placed beneath
the system, centered horizontally on the measure’s extent. This
snippet shows how the Measure_counter_engraver
may be used to
simulate this notational practice. Here, the engraver has been added
to a Dynamics
context.
This snippet presents a legacy method: starting from LilyPond 2.23.3,
\set Score.centerBarNumbers = ##t
is enough.
\layout { \context { \Dynamics \consists #Measure_counter_engraver \override MeasureCounter.direction = #DOWN \override MeasureCounter.font-encoding = #'latin1 \override MeasureCounter.font-shape = #'italic % to control the distance of the Dynamics context from the staff: \override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing.padding = #2 } \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } pattern = \repeat unfold 7 { c'4 d' e' f' } \new StaffGroup << \new Staff { \pattern } \new Staff { \pattern } \new Dynamics { \startMeasureCount s1*7 \stopMeasureCount } >>
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[ < Centered measure numbers ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Changing the number of lines in a staff > ] |
Changing the default bar lines
Default bar lines can be changed when re-defined in a score context.
% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=964 %%=> http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/2014-03/msg00126.html %%=> http://lilypond.1069038.n5.nabble.com/Changing-the-default-end-repeat-bracket-tc169357.html \layout { \context { \Score %% Changing the defaults from engraver-init.ly measureBarType = "!" startRepeatBarType = "[|:" endRepeatBarType = ":|]" doubleRepeatBarType = ":|][|:" } } %% example: { c'1 \repeat volta 2 { \repeat unfold 2 c' } \repeat volta 2 { \repeat unfold 2 c' } \alternative { { c' } { %% v2.18 workaround \once\override Score.VoltaBracket.shorten-pair = #'(1 . -1) c' } } \bar "|." }
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[ < Changing the default bar lines ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Changing the staff size > ] |
Changing the number of lines in a staff
The number of lines in a staff may changed by overriding the
StaffSymbol
property line-count
.
upper = \relative c'' { c4 d e f } lower = \relative c { \clef bass c4 b a g } \score { \context PianoStaff << \new Staff { \upper } \new Staff { \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-count = #4 \lower } >> }
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[ < Changing the number of lines in a staff ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Creating blank staves > ] |
Changing the staff size
Though the simplest way to resize staves is to use
#(set-global-staff-size xx)
, an individual staff’s size can be
changed by scaling the properties 'staff-space
and
fontSize
.
<< \new Staff { \relative c'' { \dynamicDown c8\ff c c c c c c c } } \new Staff \with { fontSize = #-3 \override StaffSymbol.staff-space = #(magstep -3) } { \clef bass c8 c c c c\f c c c } >>
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[ < Changing the staff size ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Creating custom key signatures > ] |
Creating blank staves
To create blank staves, generate empty measures then remove the
Bar_number_engraver
from the Score
context, and the
Time_signature_engraver
, Clef_engraver
and
Bar_engraver
from the Staff
context.
#(set-global-staff-size 20) \score { { \repeat unfold 12 { s1 \break } } \layout { indent = 0\in \context { \Staff \remove "Time_signature_engraver" \remove "Clef_engraver" \remove "Bar_engraver" } \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } } % uncomment these lines for "letter" size %{ \paper { #(set-paper-size "letter") ragged-last-bottom = ##f line-width = 7.5\in left-margin = 0.5\in bottom-margin = 0.25\in top-margin = 0.25\in } %} % uncomment these lines for "A4" size %{ \paper { #(set-paper-size "a4") ragged-last-bottom = ##f line-width = 180 left-margin = 15 bottom-margin = 10 top-margin = 10 } %}
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[ < Creating blank staves ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Creating double-digit fingerings > ] |
Creating custom key signatures
LilyPond supports custom key signatures. In this example, print for D minor with an extended range of printed flats.
\new Staff \with { \override StaffSymbol.line-count = #8 \override KeySignature.flat-positions = #'((-7 . 6)) \override KeyCancellation.flat-positions = #'((-7 . 6)) % presumably sharps are also printed in both octaves \override KeySignature.sharp-positions = #'((-6 . 7)) \override KeyCancellation.sharp-positions = #'((-6 . 7)) \override Clef.stencil = # (lambda (grob)(grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup\combine \musicglyph "clefs.C" \translate #'(-3 . -2) \musicglyph "clefs.F" #})) clefPosition = #3 middleCPosition = #3 middleCClefPosition = #3 } { \key d\minor f bes, f bes, }
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[ < Creating custom key signatures ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Cross-staff stems > ] |
Creating double-digit fingerings
Creating fingerings larger than 5 is possible.
\relative c' { c1-10 c1-50 c1-36 c1-29 }
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[ < Creating double-digit fingerings ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Display bracket with only one staff in a system > ] |
Cross-staff stems
This snippet shows how to use Span_stem_engraver
and
\crossStaff
to connect stems across staves automatically.
The stem lengths need not be specified, as the variable distance between
noteheads and staves is calculated automatically. However, it is
important that \crossStaff
is applied to the correct voice or
staff (i.e., on the opposite side of where a beam is or would be
positioned) to get the desired effect.
\layout { \context { \PianoStaff \consists "Span_stem_engraver" } } \new PianoStaff << \new Staff { <b d'>4 r d'16\> e'8. g8 r\! | e'8 f' g'4 \voiceTwo % Down to lower staff \crossStaff { e'8 e'8 } e'4 | } \new Staff { \clef bass \voiceOne % Up to upper staff \crossStaff { <e g>4 e, g16 a8. c8 } d | g8 f g4 \voiceTwo g8 g g4 | } >>
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[ < Cross-staff stems ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Extending a TrillSpanner > ] |
Display bracket with only one staff in a system
If there is only one staff in one of the staff types ChoirStaff
or StaffGroup
, by default the bracket and the starting bar line
will not be displayed. This can be changed by overriding
collapse-height
to set its value to be less than the number of
staff lines in the staff.
Note that in contexts such as PianoStaff
and GrandStaff
where the systems begin with a brace instead of a bracket, another
property has to be set, as shown on the second system in the example.
\score { \new StaffGroup << % Must be lower than the actual number of staff lines \override StaffGroup.SystemStartBracket.collapse-height = 4 \override Score.SystemStartBar.collapse-height = 4 \new Staff { c'1 } >> } \score { \new PianoStaff << \override PianoStaff.SystemStartBrace.collapse-height = 4 \override Score.SystemStartBar.collapse-height = 4 \new Staff { c'1 } >> } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Display bracket with only one staff in a system ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Extending glissandi across repeats > ] |
Extending a TrillSpanner
For TrillSpanner
, the minimum-length
property becomes
effective only if the set-spacing-rods
procedure is called
explicitly.
To do this, the springs-and-rods
property should be set to
ly:spanner::set-spacing-rods
.
\relative c' { \key c\minor \time 2/4 c16( as') c,-. des-. \once\override TrillSpanner.minimum-length = #15 \once\override TrillSpanner.springs-and-rods = #ly:spanner::set-spacing-rods \afterGrace es4 \startTrillSpan { d16[( \stopTrillSpan es)] } c( c' g es c g' es d \hideNotes c8) }
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[ < Extending a TrillSpanner ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Flat Ties > ] |
Extending glissandi across repeats
A glissando which extends into several \alternative
blocks can
be simulated by adding a hidden grace note with a glissando at the
start of each \alternative
block. The grace note should be at
the same pitch as the note which starts the initial glissando. This is
implemented here with a music function which takes the pitch of the
grace note as its argument.
Note that in polyphonic music the grace note must be matched with corresponding grace notes in all other voices.
repeatGliss = #(define-music-function (grace) (ly:pitch?) #{ % the next two lines ensure the glissando is long enough % to be visible \once \override Glissando.springs-and-rods = #ly:spanner::set-spacing-rods \once \override Glissando.minimum-length = 3.5 \once \hideNotes \grace $grace \glissando #}) \score { \relative c'' { \repeat volta 3 { c4 d e f\glissando } \alternative { { g2 d } { \repeatGliss f g2 e } { \repeatGliss f e2 d } } } } music = \relative c' { \voiceOne \repeat volta 2 { g a b c\glissando } \alternative { { d1 } { \repeatGliss c \once \omit StringNumber e1\2 } } } \score { \new StaffGroup << \new Staff << \new Voice { \clef "G_8" \music } >> \new TabStaff << \new TabVoice { \clef "moderntab" \music } >> >> } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Extending glissandi across repeats ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Forcing measure width to adapt to MetronomeMark’s width > ] |
Flat Ties
The function takes the default Tie.stencil
as an argument,
calculating the result relying on the extents of this default.
Further tweaking is possible by overriding
Tie.details.height-limit
or with \shape
. It’s also
possible to change the custom-definition on the fly.
%% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=1031 #(define ((flared-tie coords) grob) (define (pair-to-list pair) (list (car pair) (cdr pair))) (define (normalize-coords goods x y dir) (map (lambda (coord) ;(coord-scale coord (cons x (* y dir))) (cons (* x (car coord)) (* y dir (cdr coord)))) goods)) (define (my-c-p-s points thick) (make-connected-path-stencil points thick 1.0 1.0 #f #f)) ;; outer let to trigger suicide (let ((sten (ly:tie::print grob))) (if (grob::is-live? grob) (let* ((layout (ly:grob-layout grob)) (line-thickness (ly:output-def-lookup layout 'line-thickness)) (thickness (ly:grob-property grob 'thickness 0.1)) (used-thick (* line-thickness thickness)) (dir (ly:grob-property grob 'direction)) (xex (ly:stencil-extent sten X)) (yex (ly:stencil-extent sten Y)) (lenx (interval-length xex)) (leny (interval-length yex)) (xtrans (car xex)) (ytrans (if (> dir 0)(car yex) (cdr yex))) (uplist (map pair-to-list (normalize-coords coords lenx (* leny 2) dir)))) (ly:stencil-translate (my-c-p-s uplist used-thick) (cons xtrans ytrans))) '()))) #(define flare-tie (flared-tie '((0 . 0)(0.1 . 0.2) (0.9 . 0.2) (1.0 . 0.0)))) \layout { \context { \Voice \override Tie.stencil = #flare-tie } } \paper { ragged-right = ##f tagline = ##f } \relative c' { a4~a \override Tie.height-limit = 4 a'4~a a'4~a <a,, c e a c e a c e>~ q \break a'4~a \once \override Tie.details.height-limit = 14 a4~a \break a4~a \once \override Tie.details.height-limit = 0.5 a4~a \break a4~a \shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . 0.4) (0 . 0.4) (0 . 0)) Tie a4~a \break a4~a \once \override Tie.stencil = #(flared-tie '((0 . 0)(0.1 . 0.4) (0.9 . 0.4) (1.0 . 0.0))) a4~a a4~a \once \override Tie.stencil = #(flared-tie '((0 . 0)(0.06 . 0.1) (0.94 . 0.1) (1.0 . 0.0))) a4~a }
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[ < Flat Ties ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Glissandi can skip grobs > ] |
Forcing measure width to adapt to MetronomeMark’s width
By default, metronome marks do not influence horizontal spacing.
This can be solved through a simple override, as shown in the second half of the example.
example = { \tempo "Allegro" R1*6 \tempo "Rall." R1*2 \tempo "A tempo" R1*8 } { \compressMMRests { \example R1 R1 \override Score.MetronomeMark.extra-spacing-width = #'(-3 . 0) \example } }
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[ < Forcing measure width to adapt to MetronomeMark’s width ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Incipit > ] |
Glissandi can skip grobs
NoteColumn
grobs can be skipped over by glissandi.
\relative c' { a2 \glissando \once \override NoteColumn.glissando-skip = ##t f''4 d, }
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[ < Glissandi can skip grobs ] | [ Up : Staff notation ] | [ Inserting score fragments above a staff, as markups > ] |
Incipit
When transcribing mensural music, an incipit at the beginning of the piece is useful to indicate the original key and tempo. While today musicians are used to bar lines in order to faster recognize rhythmic patterns, bar lines were not yet invented during the period of mensural music; in fact, the meter often changed after every few notes. As a compromise, bar lines are often printed between the staves rather than on the staves.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % A short excerpt from the Jubilate Deo by Orlande de Lassus %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% \header { tagline = ##f } global = { \set Score.skipBars = ##t \key g \major \time 4/4 % the actual music \skip 1*8 % let finis bar go through all staves \override Staff.BarLine.transparent = ##f % finis bar \bar "|." } discantusIncipit = { \clef "neomensural-c1" \key f \major \time 2/2 c''1. } discantusNotes = { \transpose c' c'' { \clef "treble" d'2. d'4 | b e' d'2 | c'4 e'4.( d'8 c' b | a4) b a2 | b4.( c'8 d'4) c'4 | \once \hide NoteHead c'1 | b\breve | } } discantusLyrics = \lyricmode { Ju -- bi -- la -- te De -- o, om -- nis ter -- ra, __ om- "..." -us. } altusIncipit = { \clef "neomensural-c3" \key f \major \time 2/2 r1 f'1. } altusNotes = { \transpose c' c'' { \clef "treble" r2 g2. e4 fis g | a2 g4 e | fis g4.( fis16 e fis4) | g1 | \once \hide NoteHead g1 | g\breve | } } altusLyrics = \lyricmode { Ju -- bi -- la -- te De -- o, om -- nis ter -- ra, "..." -us. } tenorIncipit = { \clef "neomensural-c4" \key f \major \time 2/2 r\longa r\breve r1 c'1. } tenorNotes = { \transpose c' c' { \clef "treble_8" R1 | R1 | R1 | % two measures r2 d'2. d'4 b e' | \once \hide NoteHead e'1 | d'\breve | } } tenorLyrics = \lyricmode { Ju -- bi -- la -- te "..." -us. } bassusIncipit = { \clef "mensural-f" \key f \major \time 2/2 r\maxima f1. } bassusNotes = { \transpose c' c' { \clef "bass" R1 | R1 | R1 | R1 | g2. e4 | \once \hide NoteHead e1 | g\breve | } } bassusLyrics = \lyricmode { Ju -- bi- "..." -us. } \score { << \new StaffGroup = choirStaff << \new Voice = "discantusNotes" << \set Staff.instrumentName = "Discantus" \incipit \discantusIncipit \global \discantusNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto discantusNotes { \discantusLyrics } \new Voice = "altusNotes" << \set Staff.instrumentName = "Altus" \global \incipit \altusIncipit \altusNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto altusNotes { \altusLyrics } \new Voice = "tenorNotes" << \set Staff.instrumentName = "Tenor" \global \incipit \tenorIncipit \tenorNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto tenorNotes { \tenorLyrics } \new Voice = "bassusNotes" << \set Staff.instrumentName = "Bassus" \global \incipit \bassusIncipit \bassusNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto bassusNotes { \bassusLyrics } >> >> \layout { \context { \Score %% no bar lines in staves or lyrics \hide BarLine } %% the next two instructions keep the lyrics between the bar lines \context { \Lyrics \consists "Bar_engraver" \consists "Separating_line_group_engraver" } \context { \Voice %% no slurs \hide Slur %% Comment in the below "\remove" command to allow line %% breaking also at those bar lines where a note overlaps %% into the next measure. The command is commented out in this %% short example score, but especially for large scores, you %% will typically yield better line breaking and thus improve %% overall spacing if you comment in the following command. %%\remove "Forbid_line_break_engraver" } indent = 6\cm incipit-width = 4\cm } }
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Inserting score fragments above a staff, as markups
The \markup
command is quite versatile. In this snippet, it
contains a \score
block instead of texts or marks.
tuning = \markup { \score { \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } { \clef bass <c, g, d g>1 } \layout { ragged-right = ##t indent = 0\cm } } } \header { title = "Solo Cello Suites" subtitle = "Suite IV" subsubtitle = \markup { Originalstimmung: \raise #0.5 \tuning } tagline = ##f } \layout { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c'' { \time 4/8 \tuplet 3/2 { c8 d e } \tuplet 3/2 { c d e } \tuplet 3/2 { c8 d e } \tuplet 3/2 { c d e } g8 a g a g8 a g a }
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Let TabStaff print the topmost string at bottom
In tablatures usually the first string is printed topmost. If you want
to have it at the bottom change the
stringOneTopmost
-context-property. For a context-wide setting
this could be done in layout
as well.
%\layout { % \context { % \Score % stringOneTopmost = ##f % } % \context { % \TabStaff % tablatureFormat = #fret-letter-tablature-format % } %} m = { \cadenzaOn e, b, e gis! b e' \bar "||" } << \new Staff { \clef "G_8" <>_"default" \m <>_"italian (historic)"\m } \new TabStaff { \m \set Score.stringOneTopmost = ##f \set TabStaff.tablatureFormat = #fret-letter-tablature-format \m } >>
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Letter tablature formatting
Tablature can be formatted using letters instead of numbers.
music = \relative c { c4 d e f g4 a b c d4 e f g } << \new Staff { \clef "G_8" \music } \new TabStaff \with { tablatureFormat = #fret-letter-tablature-format } { \music } >>
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Making glissandi breakable
Setting the breakable
property to #t
in combination with
after-line-breaking
allows a glissando to break if it occurs at
a line break:
\paper { tagline = ##f } glissandoSkipOn = { \override NoteColumn.glissando-skip = ##t \hide NoteHead \override NoteHead.no-ledgers = ##t } \relative c'' { \override Glissando.breakable = ##t \override Glissando.after-line-breaking = ##t f1\glissando | \break a4 r2. | f1\glissando \once \glissandoSkipOn \break a2 a4 r4 | }
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Making some staff lines thicker than the others
For educational purposes, a staff line can be thickened (e.g., the
middle line, or to emphasize the line of the G clef). This can be
achieved by adding extra lines very close to the line that should be
emphasized, using the line-positions
property of the
StaffSymbol
object.
{ \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'(-4 -2 -0.2 0 0.2 2 4) d'4 e' f' g' }
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Measure counter
This snippet provides a workaround for emitting measure counters using transparent percent repeats.
<< \context Voice = "foo" { \clef bass c4 r g r c4 r g r c4 r g r c4 r g r } \context Voice = "foo" { \set countPercentRepeats = ##t \hide PercentRepeat \override PercentRepeatCounter.staff-padding = #1 \repeat percent 4 { s1 } } >>
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Mensurstriche layout (bar lines between the staves)
Mensurstriche, bar lines between but not through staves, can be
printed by setting measureBarType
to "-span|"
and using a
grouping context that allows span bars, such as StaffGroup
.
\layout { \context { \Staff measureBarType = "-span|" } } music = \fixed c'' { c1 d2 \section e2 f1 \fine } \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \music \new Staff \music >>
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Modifying the Ottava spanner slope
It is possible to change the slope of the Ottava spanner.
\relative c'' { \override Staff.OttavaBracket.stencil = #ly:line-spanner::print \override Staff.OttavaBracket.bound-details = #`((left . ((Y . 0) (attach-dir . ,LEFT) (padding . 0) (stencil-align-dir-y . ,CENTER))) (right . ((Y . 5.0) ; Change the number here (padding . 0) (attach-dir . ,RIGHT) (text . ,(make-draw-dashed-line-markup (cons 0 -1.2)))))) \override Staff.OttavaBracket.left-bound-info = #ly:horizontal-line-spanner::calc-left-bound-info-and-text \override Staff.OttavaBracket.right-bound-info = #ly:horizontal-line-spanner::calc-right-bound-info \ottava 1 c1 c'''1 }
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Nesting staves
The property systemStartDelimiterHierarchy
can be used to make
more complex nested staff groups. The command
\set StaffGroup.systemStartDelimiterHierarchy
takes an
alphabetical list of the number of staves produced. Before each staff a
system start delimiter can be given. It has to be enclosed in brackets
and takes as much staves as the brackets enclose. Elements in the list
can be omitted, but the first bracket takes always the complete number
of staves. The possibilities are SystemStartBar
,
SystemStartBracket
, SystemStartBrace
, and
SystemStartSquare
.
\new StaffGroup \relative c'' << \override StaffGroup.SystemStartSquare.collapse-height = 4 \set StaffGroup.systemStartDelimiterHierarchy = #'(SystemStartSquare (SystemStartBrace (SystemStartBracket a (SystemStartSquare b) ) c ) d) \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } >>
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Non-traditional key signatures
The commonly used \key
command sets the keyAlterations
property, in the Staff
context.
To create non-standard key signatures, set this property directly. The format of this command is a list:
\set Staff.keyAlterations = #`(((octave . step) . alter) ((octave . step) . alter) ...)
where, for each element in the list, octave
specifies the octave
(0 being the octave from middle C to the B above), step
specifies the note within the octave (0 means C and 6 means B), and
alter
is ,SHARP ,FLAT ,DOUBLE-SHARP
etc.
Alternatively, using the more concise format for each item in the list
(step . alter)
specifies the same alteration holds in all
octaves.
For microtonal scales where a “sharp” is not 100 cents, alter
refers to the alteration as a proportion of a 200-cent whole tone.
\include "arabic.ly" \relative do' { \set Staff.keyAlterations = #`((0 . ,SEMI-FLAT) (1 . ,SEMI-FLAT) (2 . ,FLAT) (5 . ,FLAT) (6 . ,SEMI-FLAT)) %\set Staff.extraNatural = ##f re reb \dwn reb resd dod dob dosd \dwn dob | dobsb dodsd do do | }
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Numbering groups of measures
This snippet demonstrates the use of the
Measure_counter_engraver
to number groups of successive
measures. Any stretch of measures may be numbered, whether consisting
of repetitions or not.
The engraver must be added to the appropriate context. Here, a
Staff
context is used; another possibility is a Dynamics
context.
The counter is begun with \startMeasureCount
and ended with
\stopMeasureCount
. Numbering will start by default
with 1, but this behavior may be modified by overriding the
count-from
property.
When a measure extends across a line break, the number will appear twice, the second time in parentheses.
\layout { \context { \Staff \consists #Measure_counter_engraver } } \new Staff { \startMeasureCount \repeat unfold 7 { c'4 d' e' f' } \stopMeasureCount \bar "||" g'4 f' e' d' \override Staff.MeasureCounter.count-from = #2 \startMeasureCount \repeat unfold 5 { g'4 f' e' d' } g'4 f' \bar "" \break e'4 d' \repeat unfold 7 { g'4 f' e' d' } \stopMeasureCount } \paper { tagline = ##f }
Orchestra, choir and piano template
This template demonstrates the use of nested StaffGroup
and
GrandStaff
contexts to sub-group instruments of the same type
together, and a way to use \transpose
so that variables hold
music for transposing instruments at concert pitch.
#(set-global-staff-size 17) \paper { indent = 3.0\cm % add space for instrumentName short-indent = 1.5\cm % add less space for shortInstrumentName } \header { tagline = ##f } fluteMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } % Pitches as written on a manuscript for Clarinet in A % are transposed to concert pitch. clarinetMusic = \transpose c' a \relative c'' { \key bes \major bes1 d } trumpetMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g''1 b } % Key signature is often omitted for horns hornMusic = \transpose c' f \relative c { d'1 fis } percussionMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g1 b } sopranoMusic = \relative c'' { \key g \major g'1 b } sopranoLyrics = \lyricmode { Lyr -- ics } altoIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } altoIIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } altoILyrics = \sopranoLyrics altoIILyrics = \lyricmode { Ah -- ah } tenorMusic = \relative c' { \clef "treble_8" \key g \major g1 b } tenorLyrics = \sopranoLyrics pianoRHMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g''1 b } pianoLHMusic = \relative c { \clef bass \key g \major g1 b } violinIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } violinIIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } violaMusic = \relative c { \clef alto \key g \major g'1 b } celloMusic = \relative c { \clef bass \key g \major g1 b } bassMusic = \relative c { \clef "bass_8" \key g \major g,1 b } \score { << \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_woodwinds" << \new Staff = "Staff_flute" \with { instrumentName = "Flute" } \fluteMusic \new Staff = "Staff_clarinet" \with { instrumentName = \markup { \concat { "Clarinet in B" \flat } } } % Declare that written Middle C in the music % to follow sounds a concert B flat, for % output using sounded pitches such as MIDI. %\transposition bes % Print music for a B-flat clarinet \transpose bes c' \clarinetMusic >> \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_brass" << \new Staff = "Staff_hornI" \with { instrumentName = "Horn in F" } % \transposition f \transpose f c' \hornMusic \new Staff = "Staff_trumpet" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet in C" } \trumpetMusic >> \new RhythmicStaff = "RhythmicStaff_percussion" \with { instrumentName = "Percussion" } << \percussionMusic >> \new PianoStaff \with { instrumentName = "Piano" } << \new Staff { \pianoRHMusic } \new Staff { \pianoLHMusic } >> \new ChoirStaff = "ChoirStaff_choir" << \new Staff = "Staff_soprano" \with { instrumentName = "Soprano" } \new Voice = "soprano" \sopranoMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" { \sopranoLyrics } \new GrandStaff = "GrandStaff_altos" \with { \accepts Lyrics } << \new Staff = "Staff_altoI" \with { instrumentName = "Alto I" } \new Voice = "altoI" \altoIMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altoI" { \altoILyrics } \new Staff = "Staff_altoII" \with { instrumentName = "Alto II" } \new Voice = "altoII" \altoIIMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altoII" { \altoIILyrics } >> \new Staff = "Staff_tenor" \with { instrumentName = "Tenor" } \new Voice = "tenor" \tenorMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "tenor" { \tenorLyrics } >> \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_strings" << \new GrandStaff = "GrandStaff_violins" << \new Staff = "Staff_violinI" \with { instrumentName = "Violin I" } \violinIMusic \new Staff = "Staff_violinII" \with { instrumentName = "Violin II" } \violinIIMusic >> \new Staff = "Staff_viola" \with { instrumentName = "Viola" } \violaMusic \new Staff = "Staff_cello" \with { instrumentName = "Cello" } \celloMusic \new Staff = "Staff_bass" \with { instrumentName = "Double Bass" } \bassMusic >> >> \layout { } }
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Print ChordNames with same root and different bass as slash and bass-note
To print subsequent ChordNames
only differing in its bass note
as slash and bass note use the here defined engraver. The behaviour may
be controlled in detail by the chordChanges
context property.
#(define Bass_changes_equal_root_engraver (lambda (ctx) "For sequential @code{ChordNames} with same root, but different bass, the root markup is dropped: D D/C D/B -> D /C /B The behaviour may be controlled by setting the @code{chordChanges} context-property." (let ((chord-pitches '()) (last-chord-pitches '()) (bass-pitch #f)) (make-engraver ((initialize this-engraver) (let ((chord-note-namer (ly:context-property ctx 'chordNoteNamer))) ;; Set 'chordNoteNamer, respect user setting if already done (ly:context-set-property! ctx 'chordNoteNamer (if (procedure? chord-note-namer) chord-note-namer note-name->markup)))) (listeners ((note-event this-engraver event) (let* ((pitch (ly:event-property event 'pitch)) (pitch-name (ly:pitch-notename pitch)) (pitch-alt (ly:pitch-alteration pitch)) (bass (ly:event-property event 'bass #f)) (inversion (ly:event-property event 'inversion #f))) ;; Collect notes of the chord ;; - to compare inversed chords we need to collect the bass note ;; as usual member of the chord, whereas an added bass must be ;; treated separate from the usual chord-notes ;; - notes are stored as pairs containing their ;; pitch-name (an integer), i.e. disregarding their octave and ;; their alteration (cond (bass (set! bass-pitch pitch)) (inversion (set! bass-pitch pitch) (set! chord-pitches (cons (cons pitch-name pitch-alt) chord-pitches))) (else (set! chord-pitches (cons (cons pitch-name pitch-alt) chord-pitches))))))) (acknowledgers ((chord-name-interface this-engraver grob source-engraver) (let ((chord-changes (ly:context-property ctx 'chordChanges #f))) ;; If subsequent chords are equal apart from their bass, ;; reset the 'text-property. ;; Equality is done by comparing the sorted lists of this chord's ;; elements and the previous chord. Sorting is needed because ;; inverted chords may have a different order of pitches. ;; `chord-changes' needs to be true (if (and bass-pitch chord-changes (equal? (sort chord-pitches car<) (sort last-chord-pitches car<))) (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'text (make-line-markup (list (ly:context-property ctx 'slashChordSeparator) ((ly:context-property ctx 'chordNoteNamer) bass-pitch (ly:context-property ctx 'chordNameLowercaseMinor)))))) (set! last-chord-pitches chord-pitches) (set! chord-pitches '()) (set! bass-pitch #f)))) ((finalize this-engraver) (set! last-chord-pitches '())))))) myChords = \chordmode { %\germanChords \set chordChanges = ##t d2:m d:m/cis d:m/c \set chordChanges = ##f d:m/b e1:7 \set chordChanges = ##t e \break \once \set chordChanges = ##f e1/f e2/gis e/+gis e e:m/f d:m d:m/cis d:m/c \set chordChanges = ##f d:m/b } << \new ChordNames \with { \consists #Bass_changes_equal_root_engraver } \myChords \new Staff \myChords >>
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Putting lyrics inside the staff
Lyrics can be moved vertically to place them inside the staff. The
lyrics are moved with
\override LyricText.extra-offset = #'(0 . dy)
and
there are similar commands to move the extenders and hyphens. The
offset needed is established with trial and error.
<< \new Staff << \new Voice = "voc" \relative c' { \stemDown a bes c8 b c4 } >> \new Lyrics \with { \override LyricText.extra-offset = #'(0 . 8.6) \override LyricExtender.extra-offset = #'(0 . 8.6) \override LyricHyphen.extra-offset = #'(0 . 8.6) } \lyricsto "voc" { La la -- la __ _ la } >>
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Quoting another voice
The quotedEventTypes
property determines the music event types
which should be quoted. The default value is
(note-event rest-event tie-event beam-event tuplet-span-event)
,
which means that only the notes, rests, ties, beams and tuplets of the
quoted voice will appear in the \quoteDuring
expression.
In the following example, a 16th rest is not quoted since
rest-event
is not in quotedEventTypes
.
For a list of event types, consult the “Music classes” section of the Internals Reference.
quoteMe = \relative c' { fis4 r16 a8.-> b4\ff c } \addQuote quoteMe \quoteMe original = \relative c'' { c8 d s2 \once \override NoteColumn.ignore-collision = ##t es8 gis8 } << \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "quoteMe" } \quoteMe \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "orig" } \original \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "orig+quote" quotedEventTypes = #'(note-event articulation-event) } \relative c'' << \original \new Voice { s4 \set fontSize = #-4 \override Stem.length-fraction = #(magstep -4) \quoteDuring "quoteMe" { \skip 2. } } >> >>
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Quoting another voice with transposition
Quotations take into account the transposition of both source and
target. In this example, all instruments play sounding middle C; the
target is an instrument in F. The target part may be transposed using
\transpose
. In this case, all the pitches (including the
quoted ones) are transposed.
\addQuote clarinet { \transposition bes \repeat unfold 8 { d'16 d' d'8 } } \addQuote sax { \transposition es' \repeat unfold 16 { a8 } } quoteTest = { % french horn \transposition f g'4 << \quoteDuring "clarinet" { \skip 4 } s4^"clar." >> << \quoteDuring "sax" { \skip 4 } s4^"sax." >> g'4 } { \new Staff \with { instrumentName = \markup { \column { Horn "in F" } } } \quoteTest \transpose c' d' << \quoteTest s4_"up a tone" >> }
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Removing brace on first line of piano score
This snippet removes the first brace from a PianoStaff
or a
GrandStaff
, together with the clefs.
It may be useful when cutting and pasting the engraved image into existing music.
It uses \alterBroken
.
someMusic = { \once \override Staff.Clef.stencil = ##f \once \override Staff.TimeSignature.stencil = ##f \repeat unfold 3 c1 \break \repeat unfold 5 c1 \break \repeat unfold 5 c1 } \score { \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "right" \relative c'' \someMusic \new Staff = "left" \relative c' { \clef F \someMusic } >> \layout { indent=75 \context { \PianoStaff \alterBroken transparent #'(#t) SystemStartBrace } } } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Removing the first empty line
The first empty staff can also be removed from the score by setting the
VerticalAxisGroup
property remove-first
. This can be done
globally inside the \layout
block, or locally inside the
specific staff that should be removed. In the latter case, you have to
specify the context (Staff
applies only to the current staff) in
front of the property.
The lower staff of the second staff group is not removed, because the setting applies only to the specific staff inside of which it is written.
\layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves % To use the setting globally, uncomment the following line: % \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-first = ##t } } \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \relative c' { e4 f g a \break c1 } \new Staff { % To use the setting globally, comment this line, % uncomment the line in the \layout block above \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup.remove-first = ##t R1 \break R } >> \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \relative c' { e4 f g a \break c1 } \new Staff { R1 \break R } >> \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Setting system separators
System separators can be inserted between systems. Any markup can be
used, but \slashSeparator
has been provided as a sensible
default.
\paper { system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator line-width = 120 tagline = ##f } notes = \relative c' { c1 | c \break c1 | c \break c1 | c } \book { \score { \new GrandStaff << \new Staff \notes \new Staff \notes >> } }
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Shape individual ties in chords
To shape individual ties in chords use the method demonstrated below.
\paper { tagline = ##f } \markup "Chords can be tied note by note" { <c'~ e'~ g'~ c''~>2 q } \markup \wordwrap { Affecting those ties with "\\shape" will not succeed, because TieColumn positions them on its own behalf and more or less ignores the "\\shape-input". You may surpress this by setting 'positioning-done true. Alas, 'positioning-done is an internal property, setting it true means: all positioning is done, don't do anything further. So you better take care you really did. See the example below where this is missed: All directions are down and the thickness is not accurate: } { <c'~ e'~ g'~ c''~>2 \once \override TieColumn.positioning-done = ##t q } \markup "To cure that, enter ties with explicit direction-modifiers" { <c'_~ e'_~ g'_~ c''^~>2 \once \override TieColumn.positioning-done = ##t q } \markup "Now you can use \\shape for each tie as usual" { <c'-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -10) (0 . -10) (0 . 0)) _~ e'-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -5) (0 . -5) (0 . 0)) _~ g'-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -2) (0 . -2) (0 . 0)) _~ c''-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . 5) (0 . 5) (0 . 0)) ^~ >2 \once \override TieColumn.positioning-done = ##t q } \markup "This works at line break as well." { <c'-\shape #'(((0 . 0) (0 . -10) (0 . -10) (0 . 0)) ((0 . 0) (0 . -10) (0 . -10) (0 . 0))) _~ e'-\shape #'(((0 . 0) (0 . -5) (0 . -5) (0 . 0)) ((0 . 0) (0 . -5) (0 . -5) (0 . 0))) _~ g'-\shape #'(((0 . 0) (0 . -2) (0 . -2) (0 . 0)) ((0 . 0) (0 . -2) (0 . -2) (0 . 0))) _~ c''-\shape #'(((0 . 0) (0 . 5) (0 . 5) (0 . 0)) ((0 . 0) (0 . 5) (0 . 5) (0 . 0))) ^~ >2 \break \once \override TieColumn.positioning-done = ##t q } \markup "Same with tieWaitForNote" { \set tieWaitForNote = ##t c'4-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -10) (0 . -10) (0 . 0)) _~ e'-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -5) (0 . -5) (0 . 0)) _~ g'-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -2) (0 . -2) (0 . 0)) _~ c''-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . 5) (0 . 5) (0 . 0)) ^~ \once \override TieColumn.positioning-done = ##t <c' e' g' c''>1 }
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Tick bar lines
’Tick’ bar lines are often used in music where the bar line is used only for coordination and is not meant to imply any rhythmic stress.
\relative c' { \set Score.measureBarType = #"'" c4 d e f g4 f e d c4 d e f g4 f e d \bar "|." }
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Time signature in brackets
The time signature can be enclosed within brackets.
\relative c'' { \override Staff.TimeSignature.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (bracketify-stencil (ly:time-signature::print grob) Y 0.1 0.2 0.1)) \time 2/4 a4 b8 c }
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Time signature in parentheses
Enclose the time signature in parentheses.
\relative c'' { \override Staff.TimeSignature.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (parenthesize-stencil (ly:time-signature::print grob) 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.1)) \time 2/4 a4 b8 c }
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Tweaking clef properties
Changing the clef glyph, its position, or the ottavation does not
change the position of subsequent notes on the staff. To get key
signatures on their correct staff lines, middleCClefPosition
must also be specified, with positive or negative values moving
middle C up or down respectively, relative to the staff’s
center line.
For example, \clef "treble_8"
is equivalent to setting the
clefGlyph
, clefPosition
(the vertical position of the
clef itself on the staff), middleCPosition
, and
clefTransposition
. Note that when any of these properties
(except middleCPosition
) are changed a new clef symbol is
printed.
The following examples show the possibilities when setting these properties manually. On the first line, the manual changes preserve the standard relative positioning of clefs and notes, whereas on the second line, they do not.
{ % The default treble clef \key f \major c'1 % The standard bass clef \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.F" \set Staff.clefPosition = 2 \set Staff.middleCPosition = 6 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = 6 \key g \major c'1 % The baritone clef \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.C" \set Staff.clefPosition = 4 \set Staff.middleCPosition = 4 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = 4 \key f \major c'1 % The standard choral tenor clef \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.G" \set Staff.clefPosition = -2 \set Staff.clefTransposition = -7 \set Staff.middleCPosition = 1 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = 1 \key f \major c'1 % A non-standard clef \set Staff.clefPosition = 0 \set Staff.clefTransposition = 0 \set Staff.middleCPosition = -4 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = -4 \key g \major c'1 \break % The following clef changes do not preserve % the normal relationship between notes, key signatures % and clefs: \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.F" \set Staff.clefPosition = 2 c'1 \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.G" c'1 \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.C" c'1 \set Staff.clefTransposition = 7 c'1 \set Staff.clefTransposition = 0 \set Staff.clefPosition = 0 c'1 % Return to the normal clef: \set Staff.middleCPosition = 0 c'1 } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Two \partCombine pairs on one staff
The \partCombine
function takes two music expressions each
containing a part, and distributes them among four Voice
s named
“two”, “one”, “solo”, and “chords” depending on when and how
the parts are merged into a common voice. The voices output from
\partCombine
can have their layout properties adjusted in the
usual way. Here we define extensions of \partCombine
to make
it easier to put four voices on a staff.
soprano = { d'4 | cis' b e' d'8 cis' | cis'2 b } alto = { fis4 | e8 fis gis ais b4 b | b ais fis2 } tenor = { a8 b | cis' dis' e'4 b8 cis' d'4 | gis cis' dis'2 } bass = { fis8 gis | a4 gis g fis | eis fis b,2 } \new Staff << \key b\minor \clef alto \partial 4 \transpose b b' \partCombineUp \soprano \alto \partCombineDown \tenor \bass >>
\layout { \context { \Staff \accepts "VoiceBox" } \context { \name "VoiceBox" \type "Engraver_group" \defaultchild "Voice" \accepts "Voice" \accepts "NullVoice" } } customPartCombineUp = #(define-music-function (partOne partTwo) (ly:music? ly:music?) "Take the music in @var{partOne} and @var{partTwo} and return a @code{VoiceBox} named @q{Up} containing @code{Voice}s that contain @var{partOne} and @var{partTwo} merged into one voice where feasible. This variant sets the default voicing in the output to use upward stems." #{ \new VoiceBox = "Up" << \context Voice = "one" { \voiceOne } \context Voice = "two" { \voiceThree } \context Voice = "shared" { \voiceOne } \context Voice = "solo" { \voiceOne } \context NullVoice = "null" {} \partCombine #partOne #partTwo >> #}) customPartCombineDown = # (define-music-function (partOne partTwo) (ly:music? ly:music?) "Take the music in @var{partOne} and @var{partTwo} and return a @code{VoiceBox} named @q{Down} containing @code{Voice}s that contain @var{partOne} and @var{partTwo} merged into one voice where feasible. This variant sets the default voicing in the output to use downward stems." #{ \new VoiceBox = "Down" << \set VoiceBox.soloText = #"Solo III" \set VoiceBox.soloIIText = #"Solo IV" \context Voice ="one" { \voiceFour } \context Voice ="two" { \voiceTwo } \context Voice ="shared" { \voiceFour } \context Voice ="solo" { \voiceFour } \context NullVoice = "null" {} \partCombine #partOne #partTwo >> #}) soprano = { d'4 | cis' b e' d'8 cis' | cis'2 b } alto = { fis4 | e8 fis gis ais b4 b | b ais fis2 } tenor = { a8 b | cis' dis' e'4 b8 cis' d'4 | gis cis' dis'2 } bass = { fis8 gis | a4 gis g fis | eis fis b,2 } \new Staff << \key b\minor \clef alto \partial 4 \transpose b b' \customPartCombineUp \soprano \alto \customPartCombineDown \tenor \bass >>
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Use square bracket at the start of a staff group
The system start delimiter SystemStartSquare
can be used by
setting it explicitly in a StaffGroup
or ChoirStaff
context.
\score { \new StaffGroup { << \set StaffGroup.systemStartDelimiter = #'SystemStartSquare \new Staff { c'4 d' e' f' } \new Staff { c'4 d' e' f' } >> } }
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Using autochange with more than one voice
Using autochange
with more than one voice.
\score { \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "up" { << \set Timing.beamExceptions = #'() \set Timing.beatStructure = #'(4) \new Voice { \voiceOne \autoChange \relative c' { g8 a b c d e f g g,8 a b c d e f g } } \new Voice { \voiceTwo \autoChange \relative c' { g8 a b c d e f g g,,8 a b c d e f g } } >> } \new Staff = "down" { \clef bass } >> }
Using marklines in a Frenched score
Using MarkLine
contexts (such as in
LSR1010) in a Frenched
score can be problematic if all the staves between two MarkLine
s
are removed in one system. The Keep_alive_together_engraver
can
be used within each StaffGroup
to keep the MarkLine
alive
only as long as the other staves in the group stay alive.
bars = { \tempo "Allegro" 4=120 s1*2 \repeat unfold 5 { \mark \default s1*2 } \bar "||" \tempo "Adagio" 4=40 s1*2 \repeat unfold 8 { \mark \default s1*2 } \bar "|." } winds = \repeat unfold 120 { c''4 } trumpet = { \repeat unfold 8 g'2 R1*16 \repeat unfold 4 g'2 R1*8 } trombone = { \repeat unfold 4 c'1 R1*8 d'1 R1*17 } strings = \repeat unfold 240 { c''8 } #(set-global-staff-size 16) \paper { systems-per-page = 5 ragged-last-bottom = ##f } \layout { indent = 15\mm short-indent = 5\mm \context { \name MarkLine \type Engraver_group \consists Output_property_engraver \consists Axis_group_engraver \consists Mark_engraver \consists Metronome_mark_engraver \consists Staff_collecting_engraver \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-empty = ##t \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-layer = #'any \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN \override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing.padding = 1 keepAliveInterfaces = #'() } \context { \Staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-empty = ##t \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-layer = ##f } \context { \StaffGroup \accepts MarkLine \consists Keep_alive_together_engraver } \context { \Score \remove Mark_engraver \remove Metronome_mark_engraver \remove Staff_collecting_engraver } } \score { << \new StaffGroup = "winds" \with { instrumentName = "Winds" shortInstrumentName = "Winds" } << \new MarkLine \bars \new Staff \winds >> \new StaffGroup = "brass" << \new MarkLine \bars \new Staff = "trumpet" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet" shortInstrumentName = "Tpt" } \trumpet \new Staff = "trombone" \with { instrumentName = "Trombone" shortInstrumentName = "Tbn" } \trombone >> \new StaffGroup = "strings" \with { instrumentName = "Strings" shortInstrumentName = "Strings" } << \new MarkLine \bars \new Staff = "strings" { \strings } >> >> }
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Vertically aligned StaffGroups without connecting SystemStartBar
This snippet shows how to achieve vertically aligned StaffGroups
with a SystemStartBar
for each StaffGroup
, but without
connecting them.
#(set-global-staff-size 18) \header { tagline = ##f } \paper { indent = 0 ragged-right = ##f print-all-headers = ##t } \layout { \context { \StaffGroup \consists Text_mark_engraver \consists Staff_collecting_engraver systemStartDelimiterHierarchy = #'(SystemStartBrace (SystemStartBracket a b)) } \context { \Score \remove Text_mark_engraver \remove Staff_collecting_engraver \override SystemStartBrace.style = #'bar-line \omit SystemStartBar \override SystemStartBrace.padding = #-0.1 \override SystemStartBrace.thickness = #1.6 \override StaffGrouper.staffgroup-staff-spacing.basic-distance = #15 } } %%%% EXAMPLE txt = \lyricmode { Wer4 nur den lie -- ben Gott läßt wal2 -- ten4 und4 hof -- fet auf ihn al -- le Zeit2. } % First StaffGroup "exercise" eI = \relative c' { \textMark \markup { \bold Teacher: This is a simple setting of the choral. Please improve it. } \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceOne \partial 4 e4 a b c b a b gis2 e4\fermata g! g f e a a gis a2.\fermata \bar ":|." } eII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceTwo \partial 4 c4 e e e gis a f e2 b4 b d d c c d d c2. \bar ":|." } eIII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceOne \partial 4 a4 c b a b c d b2 gis4 g g b c a f e e2. } eIV = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceTwo \partial 4 a,4 a' gis a e a, d e2 e,4\fermata e' b g c f d e a,2.\fermata \bar ":|." } exercise = \new StaffGroup = "exercise" << \new Staff << \new Voice \eI \new Voice \eII >> \new Lyrics \txt \new Staff << \new Voice \eIII \new Voice \eIV >> >> % Second StaffGroup "simple Bach" sbI = \relative c' { \textMark \markup { \bold" Pupil:" Here's my version! } \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceOne \partial 4 e4 a b c b a b gis2 e4\fermata g! g f e a a gis a2.\fermata \bar ":|." } sbII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceTwo \partial 4 c8 d e4 e e8 f g4 f f e2 b4 b8 c d4 d e8 d c4 b8 c d4 c2. \bar ":|." } sbIII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceOne \partial 4 a8 b c4 b a b8 c d4 d8 c b2 gis4 g g8 a b4 b a8 g f4 e e2. } sbIV = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceTwo \partial 4 a,4 a' gis a e f8 e d4 e2 e,4\fermata e' b a8 g c4 f8 e d4 e a,2.\fermata \bar ":|." } simpleBach = \new StaffGroup = "simple Bach" << \new Staff << \new Voice \sbI \new Voice \sbII >> \new Lyrics \txt \new Staff << \new Voice \sbIII \new Voice \sbIV >> >> % Third StaffGroup "chromatic Bach" cbI = \relative c' { \textMark \markup { \bold "Teacher:" \column { "Well, you simply copied and transposed a version of J.S.Bach." "Do you know this one?" } } \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceOne \partial 4 e4 a b c b a b gis4. fis8 e4\fermata g! g f e a a8 b gis4 a2.\fermata \bar ":|." } cbII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceTwo \partial 4 c8 d e4 e e8 fis gis4 a8 g! f!4 e2 b4 e e d d8[ cis] d dis e fis e4 e2. \bar ":|." } cbIII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceOne \partial 4 a8 b c[ b] a gis8 a4 d, e8[ e'] d c b4. a8 gis4 b c d8 c b[ a] a b c b b c16 d c2. } cbIV = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceTwo \partial 4 a4 c, e a, b c d e2 e4\fermata e a b8 c gis[ g] fis f e dis e4 a,2.\fermata \bar ":|." } chromaticBach = \new StaffGroup = "chromatic Bach" << \new Staff << \new Voice \cbI \new Voice \cbII >> \new Lyrics \txt \new Staff << \new Voice \cbIII \new Voice \cbIV >> >> % Score \score { << \exercise \simpleBach \chromaticBach >> \header { title = \markup \column { \combine \null \vspace #1 "Exercise: Improve the given choral" " " } } \layout { \context { \Lyrics \override LyricText.X-offset = #-1 } } }
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Volta below chords
By adding the Volta_engraver
to the relevant staff, volte can be
put under chords.
\score { << \chords { c1 c1 } \new Staff \with { \consists "Volta_engraver" } { \repeat volta 2 { c'1 } \alternative { c' } } >> \layout { \context { \Score \remove "Volta_engraver" } } }
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Volta multi staff
By adding the Volta_engraver
to the relevant staff, volte can be
put over staves other than the topmost one in a score.
voltaMusic = \relative c'' { \repeat volta 2 { c1 \alternative { \volta 1 { d1 } \volta 2 { e1 } } } } << \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \voltaMusic \new Staff \voltaMusic >> \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \with { \consists "Volta_engraver" } \voltaMusic \new Staff \voltaMusic >> >>
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Editorial annotations
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Adding fingerings to a score
Fingering instructions can be entered using a simple syntax.
\relative c'' { c4-1 d-2 f-4 e-3 }
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Adding links to objects
To add a link to a grob stencil you can use add-link
as defined
here. It works both with \override
and \tweak
.
Drawback: point-and-click
is disturbed for the linked grobs.
Limitation: Works for PDF only.
The linked objects are colored with a separate command. Note that the links are not displayed and are not clickable from inside the LSR.
#(define (add-link url-strg) (lambda (grob) (let* ((stil (ly:grob-property grob 'stencil))) (if (ly:stencil? stil) (let* ((x-ext (ly:stencil-extent stil X)) (y-ext (ly:stencil-extent stil Y)) (url-expr `(url-link ,url-strg ,x-ext ,y-ext)) (new-stil (ly:stencil-add (ly:make-stencil url-expr x-ext y-ext) stil))) (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'stencil new-stil)))))) %%%% test %% For easier maintenance of this snippet the URL is formatted to use the %% actually used LilyPond version. %% Of course a literal URL would work as well. #(define major.minor-version (string-join (take (string-split (lilypond-version) #\.) 2) ".")) urlI = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/writing-pitches" major.minor-version) urlII = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/rhythms" major.minor-version) urlIII = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/note-heads" major.minor-version) urlIV = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/beams" major.minor-version) urlV = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/note-head-styles" major.minor-version) urlVI = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/writing-pitches" major.minor-version) \relative c' { \key cis \minor \once \override Staff.Clef.color = #green \once \override Staff.Clef.after-line-breaking = #(add-link urlI) \once \override Staff.TimeSignature.color = #green \once \override Staff.TimeSignature.after-line-breaking = #(add-link urlII) \once \override NoteHead.color = #green \once \override NoteHead.after-line-breaking = #(add-link urlIII) cis'1 \once \override Beam.color = #green \once \override Beam.after-line-breaking = #(add-link urlIV) cis8 dis e fis gis2 <gis, \tweak Accidental.color #green \tweak Accidental.after-line-breaking #(add-link urlVI) \tweak color #green \tweak after-line-breaking #(add-link urlV) \tweak style #'harmonic bis dis fis >1 <cis, cis' e> }
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Adding markups in a tablature
By default markups does not show in a tablature.
To make them appear, simply use the command
\revert TabStaff.TextScript.stencil
%% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=919 % by P.P.Schneider on June 2014 high = { r4 r8 <g c'> q r8 r4 } low = { c4 r4 c8 r8 g,8 b, } pulse = { s8^"1" s^"&" s^"2" s^"&" s^"3" s^"&" s^"4" s^"&" } \score { \new TabStaff { \repeat unfold 2 << \high \\ \low \\ \pulse >> } \layout { \context { \TabStaff \clef moderntab \revert TextScript.stencil \override TextScript.font-series = #'bold \override TextScript.font-size = #-2 \override TextScript.color = #red } \context { \Score proportionalNotationDuration = \musicLength 8 } } }
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Allowing fingerings to be printed inside the staff
By default, vertically oriented fingerings are positioned outside the staff; that behavior, however, may be disabled. Attention needs to be paid to situations where fingerings and stems are in the same direction: by default, fingerings will avoid only beamed stems. That setting can be changed to avoid no stems or all stems; the following example demonstrates these two options, as well as how to go back to the default behavior.
\relative c' { <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>2 \override Fingering.staff-padding = #'() <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>4 g'-0 a8[-1 b]-2 g-0 r \override Fingering.add-stem-support = ##f a[-1 b]-2 g-0 r \override Fingering.add-stem-support = ##t a[-1 b]-2 g-0 r \override Fingering.add-stem-support = #only-if-beamed a[-1 b]-2 g-0 r }
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Alternative bar numbering
Two alternative methods for bar numbering can be set, especially for when using repeated music.
music = \relative c' { \repeat volta 3 { c4 d e f | \alternative { \volta 1 { c4 d e f | c2 d \break } \volta 2 { f4 g a b | f4 g a b | f2 a | \break } \volta 3 { c4 d e f | c2 d } } } c1 \bar "|." } \markup "default" { \music } \markup \typewriter "'numbers" { \set Score.alternativeNumberingStyle = #'numbers \music } \markup \typewriter "'numbers-with-letters" { \set Score.alternativeNumberingStyle = #'numbers-with-letters \music } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Analysis brackets above the staff
Simple horizontal analysis brackets are added below the staff by default. The following example shows a way to place them above the staff instead.
\layout { \context { \Voice \consists "Horizontal_bracket_engraver" } } \relative c'' { \once \override HorizontalBracket.direction = #UP c2\startGroup d2\stopGroup }
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Analysis brackets with labels
Text markup may be added to analysis brackets through the text
property of the HorizontalBracketText
grob. Adding different
texts to brackets beginning at the same time requires the
\tweak
command.
Bracket text will be parenthesized after a line break.
\paper { tagline = ##f } \layout { \context { \Voice \consists "Horizontal_bracket_engraver" \override HorizontalBracket.direction = #UP } } { \once\override HorizontalBracketText.text = "a" c''\startGroup d''\stopGroup \once\override HorizontalBracketText.text = "a'" e''\startGroup d''\stopGroup | c''-\tweak HorizontalBracketText.text \markup \bold \huge "b" \startGroup -\tweak HorizontalBracketText.text "a" \startGroup d''\stopGroup e''-\tweak HorizontalBracketText.text "a'" \startGroup d''\stopGroup\stopGroup | c''-\tweak HorizontalBracketText.text foo \startGroup d'' e'' f'' | \break g'' a'' b'' c'''\stopGroup }
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Applying note head styles depending on the step of the scale
The shapeNoteStyles
property can be used to define various note
head styles for each step of the scale (as set by the key signature or
the tonic
property).
This property requires a set of symbols, which can be purely arbitrary
(geometrical expressions such as triangle
, cross
, and
xcircle
are allowed) or based on old American engraving
tradition (some latin note names are also allowed).
That said, to imitate old American song books, there are several
predefined note head styles available through shortcut commands such as
\aikenHeads
or \sacredHarpHeads
.
This example shows different ways to obtain shape note heads, and demonstrates the ability to transpose a melody without losing the correspondence between harmonic functions and note head styles.
fragment = { \key c \major c2 d e2 f g2 a b2 c } \new Staff { \transpose c d \relative c' { \set shapeNoteStyles = ##(do re mi fa #f la ti) \fragment } \break \relative c' { \set shapeNoteStyles = ##(cross triangle fa #f mensural xcircle diamond) \fragment } }
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Blanking staff lines using the \whiteout command
The \whiteout
command underlays a markup with a white
box. Since staff lines are in a lower layer than most other grobs,
this white box will not overlap any other grob.
\layout { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c' { \override TextScript.extra-offset = #'(2 . 4) c2-\markup { \whiteout \pad-markup #0.5 "middle C" } c }
Changing a single note’s size in a chord
Individual note heads in a chord can be modified with the
\tweak
command inside a chord, by altering the font-size
property.
Inside the chord (within the brackets < >
), before the note to
be altered, place the \tweak
command, followed by
font-size
and define the proper size like #-2
(a tiny
note head).
\relative c' { <\tweak font-size #+2 c e g c \tweak font-size #-2 e>1 ^\markup { A tiny e }_\markup { A big c } }
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Changing the appearance of a slur from solid to dotted or dashed
The appearance of slurs may be changed from solid to dotted or dashed.
\relative c' { c4( d e c) \slurDotted c4( d e c) \slurSolid c4( d e c) \slurDashed c4( d e c) \slurSolid c4( d e c) }
Coloring notes depending on their pitch
It is possible to color note heads depending on their pitch and/or their names: the function used in this example even makes it possible to distinguish enharmonics.
%Association list of pitches to colors. #(define color-mapping (list (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 0 NATURAL) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 0 SHARP) (x11-color 'green)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 1 FLAT) (x11-color 'green)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 2 NATURAL) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 2 SHARP) (x11-color 'green)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 3 FLAT) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 3 NATURAL) (x11-color 'green)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 4 SHARP) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 5 NATURAL) (x11-color 'green)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 5 FLAT) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 6 SHARP) (x11-color 'red)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 1 NATURAL) (x11-color 'blue)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 3 SHARP) (x11-color 'blue)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 4 FLAT) (x11-color 'blue)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 5 SHARP) (x11-color 'blue)) (cons (ly:make-pitch 0 6 FLAT) (x11-color 'blue)))) %Compare pitch and alteration (not octave). #(define (pitch-equals? p1 p2) (and (= (ly:pitch-alteration p1) (ly:pitch-alteration p2)) (= (ly:pitch-notename p1) (ly:pitch-notename p2)))) #(define (pitch-to-color pitch) (let ((color (assoc pitch color-mapping pitch-equals?))) (if color (cdr color)))) #(define (color-notehead grob) (pitch-to-color (ly:event-property (event-cause grob) 'pitch))) \score { \new Staff \relative c' { \override NoteHead.color = #color-notehead c8 b d dis ees f g aes } }
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Controlling the placement of chord fingerings
The placement of fingering numbers can be controlled precisely. For
fingering orientation to apply, it must be used within a chord
construct <...>
, even for single notes. Orientation for string
numbers and right-hand fingerings may be set in a similar way.
\relative c' { \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down right up) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left) <c-1>2 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down) <e-3>2 \set stringNumberOrientations = #'(up left down) <f\3 a\2 c\1>1 \set strokeFingerOrientations = #'(down right up) <c\rightHandFinger 1 e\rightHandFinger 2 c'\rightHandFinger 4 > }
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Creating a delayed turn
Creating a delayed turn, where the lower note of the turn uses the
accidental, requires several overrides. The
outside-staff-priority
property must be set to #f
, as
otherwise this would take precedence over the avoid-slur
property. Changing the fractions 2/3
and 1/3
adjusts the
horizontal position.
\relative c'' { \after 2*2/3 \turn c2( d4) r | \after 4 \turn c4.( d8) \after 4 { \once \set suggestAccidentals = ##t \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.outside-staff-priority = ##f \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.avoid-slur = #'inside \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.font-size = -3 \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.script-priority = -1 \once \hideNotes cis8\turn \noBeam } d4.( e8) }
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Creating blank staves
To create blank staves, generate empty measures then remove the
Bar_number_engraver
from the Score
context, and the
Time_signature_engraver
, Clef_engraver
and
Bar_engraver
from the Staff
context.
#(set-global-staff-size 20) \score { { \repeat unfold 12 { s1 \break } } \layout { indent = 0\in \context { \Staff \remove "Time_signature_engraver" \remove "Clef_engraver" \remove "Bar_engraver" } \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } } % uncomment these lines for "letter" size %{ \paper { #(set-paper-size "letter") ragged-last-bottom = ##f line-width = 7.5\in left-margin = 0.5\in bottom-margin = 0.25\in top-margin = 0.25\in } %} % uncomment these lines for "A4" size %{ \paper { #(set-paper-size "a4") ragged-last-bottom = ##f line-width = 180 left-margin = 15 bottom-margin = 10 top-margin = 10 } %}
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Creating double-digit fingerings
Creating fingerings larger than 5 is possible.
\relative c' { c1-10 c1-50 c1-36 c1-29 }
Default direction of stems on the center line of the staff
The default direction of stems on the center line of the staff is set
by the Stem
property neutral-direction
.
\relative c'' { a4 b c b \override Stem.neutral-direction = #up a4 b c b \override Stem.neutral-direction = #down a4 b c b }
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Different font size settings for instrumentName and shortInstrumentName
Choose different font sizes for instrumentName and shortInstrumentName as a context override.
InstrumentNameFontSize = #(define-music-function (font-size-pair)(pair?) "Sets the @code{font-size} of @code{InstrumentName}. The font-size for the initial @code{instrumentName} is taken from the first value in @var{font-size-pair}. @code{shortInstrumentName} will get the second value of @var{font-size-pair}. " ;; This code could be changed/extended to set different values for each ;; occurance of `shortInstrumentName' #{ \override InstrumentName.after-line-breaking = #(lambda (grob) (let* ((orig (ly:grob-original grob)) (siblings (if (ly:grob? orig) (ly:spanner-broken-into orig) '()))) (if (pair? siblings) (begin (ly:grob-set-property! (car siblings) 'font-size (car font-size-pair)) (for-each (lambda (g) (ly:grob-set-property! g 'font-size (cdr font-size-pair))) (cdr siblings)))))) #}) \paper { tagline = ##f } \layout { \context { \Staff \InstrumentNameFontSize #'(6 . -3) } } \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Flute" shortInstrumentName = "Fl." } { c''1 \break c'' \break c'' } \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Violin" shortInstrumentName = "Vl." } { c''1 \break c'' \break c'' } >>
Drawing boxes around grobs
The print-function
can be overridden to draw a box around an
arbitrary grob.
\relative c'' { \override TextScript.stencil = #(make-stencil-boxer 0.1 0.3 ly:text-interface::print) c'4^"foo" \override Stem.stencil = #(make-stencil-boxer 0.05 0.25 ly:stem::print) \override Score.RehearsalMark.stencil = #(make-stencil-boxer 0.15 0.3 ly:text-interface::print) b8 \revert Stem.stencil \revert Flag.stencil c4. c4 \mark \default c1 }
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Drawing circles around note heads
Here is how to circle a note.
circle = \once \override NoteHead.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (let* ((note (ly:note-head::print grob)) (combo-stencil (ly:stencil-add note (circle-stencil note 0.1 0.8)))) (ly:make-stencil (ly:stencil-expr combo-stencil) (ly:stencil-extent note X) (ly:stencil-extent note Y)))) { \circle c'' }
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Drawing circles around various objects
The \circle
markup command draws circles around various
objects, for example fingering indications. For other objects,
specific tweaks may be required: this example demonstrates two
strategies for rehearsal marks and measure numbers.
\relative c' { c1 \set Score.rehearsalMarkFormatter = #(lambda (mark context) (make-circle-markup (format-mark-numbers mark context))) \mark \default c2 d^\markup { \override #'(thickness . 3) { \circle \finger 2 } } \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = #all-visible \override Score.BarNumber.stencil = #(make-stencil-circler 0.1 0.25 ly:text-interface::print) }
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[ < Drawing circles around various objects ] | [ Up : Editorial annotations ] | [ Grid lines: changing their appearance > ] |
Embedding native PostScript in a \markup block
PostScript code can be directly inserted inside a \markup
block.
% PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Inc. \relative c'' { a4-\markup { \postscript "3 4 moveto 5 3 rlineto stroke" } -\markup { \postscript "[ 0 1 ] 0 setdash 3 5 moveto 5 -3 rlineto stroke " } b4-\markup { \postscript "3 4 moveto 0 0 1 2 8 4 20 3.5 rcurveto stroke" } s2 a'1 }
Grid lines: changing their appearance
The appearance of grid lines can be changed by overriding some of their properties.
\score { \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff { \relative c'' { \stemUp c'4. d8 e8 f g4 } } \new Staff { \relative c { % this moves them up one staff space from the default position \override Score.GridLine.extra-offset = #'(0.0 . 1.0) \stemDown \clef bass \once \override Score.GridLine.thickness = 5.0 c4 \once \override Score.GridLine.thickness = 1.0 g'4 \once \override Score.GridLine.thickness = 3.0 f4 \once \override Score.GridLine.thickness = 5.0 e4 } } >> \layout { \context { \Staff % set up grids \consists "Grid_point_engraver" % set the grid interval to one quarter note gridInterval = \musicLength 4 } \context { \Score \consists "Grid_line_span_engraver" % this moves them to the right half a staff space \override NoteColumn.X-offset = -0.5 } } }
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Grid lines: emphasizing rhythms and notes synchronization
Regular vertical lines can be drawn between staves to show note synchronization; however, in case of monophonic music, you may want to make the second stave invisible, and make the lines shorter like in this snippet.
\score { \new ChoirStaff { \relative c'' << \new Staff { \time 12/8 \stemUp c4. d8 e8 f g4 f8 e8. d16 c8 } \new Staff { % hides staff and notes so that only the grid lines are visible \hideNotes \hide Staff.BarLine \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-count = #0 \hide Staff.TimeSignature \hide Staff.Clef % dummy notes to force regular note spacing \once \override Score.GridLine.thickness = #4.0 c8 c c \once \override Score.GridLine.thickness = #3.0 c8 c c \once \override Score.GridLine.thickness = #4.0 c8 c c \once \override Score.GridLine.thickness = #3.0 c8 c c } >> } \layout { \context { \Score \consists "Grid_line_span_engraver" % center grid lines horizontally below note heads \override NoteColumn.X-offset = #-0.5 } \context { \Staff \consists "Grid_point_engraver" gridInterval = \musicLength 8 % set line length and positioning: % two staff spaces above center line on hidden staff % to four spaces below center line on visible staff \override GridPoint.Y-extent = #'(2 . -4) } ragged-right = ##t } }
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Hammer on and pull off
Hammer-on and pull-off can be obtained using slurs.
\new TabStaff { \relative c' { d4( e\2) a( g) } }
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Hammer on and pull off using chords
When using hammer-on or pull-off with chorded notes, only a single arc
is drawn. However “double arcs” are possible by setting the
doubleSlurs
property to #t
.
\new TabStaff { \relative c' { % chord hammer-on and pull-off \set doubleSlurs = ##t <g' b>8( <a c> <g b>) } }
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Hammer on and pull off using voices
The arc of hammer-on and pull-off is upwards in voices one and three and downwards in voices two and four:
\new TabStaff { \relative c' { << { \voiceOne g2( a) } \\ { \voiceTwo a,( b) } >> \oneVoice } }
Making some staff lines thicker than the others
For educational purposes, a staff line can be thickened (e.g., the
middle line, or to emphasize the line of the G clef). This can be
achieved by adding extra lines very close to the line that should be
emphasized, using the line-positions
property of the
StaffSymbol
object.
{ \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'(-4 -2 -0.2 0 0.2 2 4) d'4 e' f' g' }
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Marking notes of spoken parts with a cross on the stem (Sprechstimme)
This example shows how to put crosses on stems. Mark the beginning of
a spoken section with the \speakOn
keyword, and end it with the
\speakOff
keyword.
speakOn = { \override Stem.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (let* ((x-parent (ly:grob-parent grob X)) (is-rest? (ly:grob? (ly:grob-object x-parent 'rest)))) (if is-rest? empty-stencil (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge (ly:stem::print grob) Y (- (ly:grob-property grob 'direction)) (grob-interpret-markup grob (markup #:center-align #:fontsize -4 #:musicglyph "noteheads.s2cross")) -2.3)))) } speakOff = { \revert Stem.stencil \revert Flag.stencil } \score { \new Staff { \relative c'' { a4 b a c \speakOn g4 f r g b4 r d e \speakOff c4 a g f } } }
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Measure counter
This snippet provides a workaround for emitting measure counters using transparent percent repeats.
<< \context Voice = "foo" { \clef bass c4 r g r c4 r g r c4 r g r c4 r g r } \context Voice = "foo" { \set countPercentRepeats = ##t \hide PercentRepeat \override PercentRepeatCounter.staff-padding = #1 \repeat percent 4 { s1 } } >>
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Measure spanner
Measure spanners are an alternate way to print annotated brackets. As opposed to horizontal brackets, they extend between two bar lines rather than two notes. The text is displayed in the center of the bracket.
\paper { tagline = ##f } \layout { \context { \Staff \consists Measure_spanner_engraver } } << \new Staff \relative c'' { \key d \minor R1*2 \tweak text "Answer" \startMeasureSpanner \tuplet 3/2 8 { a16[ b c] d[ c b] c[ d e] f[ e d] } e8 a gis g fis f e d~ d c b e \stopMeasureSpanner } \new Staff \relative c' { \key d \minor \tweak text "Subject" \tweak direction #DOWN \startMeasureSpanner \tuplet 3/2 8 { d16[ e f] g[ f e] f[ g a] bes[ a g] } a8 d cis c b bes a g~ g f e a \stopMeasureSpanner \tweak text "Counter-subject" \tweak direction #DOWN \startMeasureSpanner f8 e a r r16 b, c d e fis g e a gis a b c fis, b a gis e a4 g8 \stopMeasureSpanner } >>
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Numbering groups of measures
This snippet demonstrates the use of the
Measure_counter_engraver
to number groups of successive
measures. Any stretch of measures may be numbered, whether consisting
of repetitions or not.
The engraver must be added to the appropriate context. Here, a
Staff
context is used; another possibility is a Dynamics
context.
The counter is begun with \startMeasureCount
and ended with
\stopMeasureCount
. Numbering will start by default
with 1, but this behavior may be modified by overriding the
count-from
property.
When a measure extends across a line break, the number will appear twice, the second time in parentheses.
\layout { \context { \Staff \consists #Measure_counter_engraver } } \new Staff { \startMeasureCount \repeat unfold 7 { c'4 d' e' f' } \stopMeasureCount \bar "||" g'4 f' e' d' \override Staff.MeasureCounter.count-from = #2 \startMeasureCount \repeat unfold 5 { g'4 f' e' d' } g'4 f' \bar "" \break e'4 d' \repeat unfold 7 { g'4 f' e' d' } \stopMeasureCount } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Positioning fingering indications precisely
Generally the options available for positioning the fingering of chords work well by default, but if one of the indications needs to positioned more precisely the following tweak may be used. This is particularly useful for correcting the positioning when intervals of a second are involved.
\relative c' { \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left) <c-1 d-2 a'-5>4 <c-1 d-\tweak extra-offset #'(0 . 0.2)-2 a'-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down) <c-1 d-2 a'-5>4 <c-\tweak extra-offset #'(0 . -1.1)-1 d-\tweak extra-offset #'(-1.2 . -1.8)-2 a'-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down right up) <c-1 d-\tweak extra-offset #'(-0.3 . 0)-2 a'-5>4 <c-1 d-\tweak extra-offset #'(-1 . 1.2)-2 a'-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up) <c-1 d-\tweak extra-offset #'(0 . 1.1)-2 a'-\tweak extra-offset #'(0 . 1)-5>4 <c-1 d-\tweak extra-offset #'(-1.2 . 1.5)-2 a'-\tweak extra-offset #'(0 . 1.4)-5>4 }
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Positioning text markups inside slurs
Text markups need to have the outside-staff-priority
property
set to false in order to be printed inside slurs.
\relative c'' { \override TextScript.avoid-slur = #'inside \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = ##f c2(^\markup { \halign #-10 \natural } d4.) c8 }
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Printing text from right to left
It is possible to print text from right to left in a markup object, as demonstrated here.
{ b1^\markup { \line { i n g i r u m i m u s n o c t e } } f'_\markup { \override #'(text-direction . -1) \line { i n g i r u m i m u s n o c t e } } }
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String number extender lines
Make an extender line for string number indications, showing that a series of notes is supposed to be played all on the same string.
stringNumberSpanner = #(define-music-function (StringNumber) (string?) #{ \override TextSpanner.style = #'solid \override TextSpanner.font-size = #-5 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.stencil-align-dir-y = #CENTER \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup { \circle \number $StringNumber } #}) \relative c { \clef "treble_8" \stringNumberSpanner "5" \textSpannerDown a8\startTextSpan b c d e f\stopTextSpan \stringNumberSpanner "4" g\startTextSpan a bes4 a g2\stopTextSpan }
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Using PostScript to generate special note head shapes
When a note head with a special shape cannot easily be generated with graphic markup, PostScript code can be used to generate the shape. This example shows how a parallelogram-shaped note head is generated.
%% Updaters remark: %% For unkown reasons this snippet returns a gs-error, but only, if compiled %% with multiple others like: lilypond *.ly %% Thus changing to a path-stencil. %% TODO description needs to get adjusted --harm parallelogram = #(ly:make-stencil '(path 0.1 (rmoveto 0 0.25 lineto 1.3125 0.75 lineto 1.3125 -0.25 lineto 0 -0.75) round round #t) (cons 0 1.3125) (cons -.75 .75)) myNoteHeads = \override NoteHead.stencil = \parallelogram normalNoteHeads = \revert NoteHead.stencil \relative c'' { \myNoteHeads g4 d' \normalNoteHeads <f, \tweak stencil \parallelogram b e>4 d }
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Using the whiteout property
Any graphical object can be printed over a white background to mask
parts of objects that lie beneath. This can be useful to improve the
appearance of collisions in complex situations when repositioning
objects is impractical. It is necessary to explicitly set the
layer
property to control which objects are masked by the white
background.
In this example the collision of the tie with the time signature is
improved by masking out the part of the tie that crosses the time
signature, setting the whiteout
property of
TimeSignature
. To do this, TimeSignature
is moved to a
layer above Tie
, which is left in the default layer 1, and
StaffSymbol
is moved to a layer above TimeSignature
so it
is not masked.
{ \override Score.StaffSymbol.layer = 4 \override Staff.TimeSignature.layer = 3 b'2 b'~ \once \override Staff.TimeSignature.whiteout = ##t \time 3/4 b' r4 }
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[ < Using the whiteout property ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ [OBSOLETE] Adding a QR code > ] |
Text
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[ < Text ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Adding markups in a tablature > ] |
[OBSOLETE] Adding a QR code
This snippet lets you draw a QR-code, for example to provide a link to the composer’s, or the music editor’s website.
Actually encoding the URL into a QR-code is not done here (this just draws the QR-code from a grid of "black" or "white" values), but see the code for a short Python snippet you can use to avoid having to fill for each small square if it’s black or white.
This snippet is obsolete starting from LilyPond 2.25.3, which
adds a \qr-code
markup command that takes a URL directly
instead of a grid of "black" and "white" values. It is used like
\markup \qr-code #10 "https://lilypond.org"
.
%% Original thread: https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user-fr/2022-07/msg00005.html %% (snippet author: Jean Abou Samra <jean@abou-samra.fr>) \paper { tagline = ##f } #(define (index-map f . lsts) "Applies @code{f} to corresponding elements of @code{lists}, just as @code{map}, providing an additional counter starting at zero. @code{f} needs to have the counter in its arguments like @code{(index-map (lambda (i arg) <body>) lists)}" (let loop ((lsts lsts) (acc '()) (i 0)) (if (any null? lsts) (reverse! acc) (loop (map cdr lsts) (cons (apply f i (map car lsts)) acc) (1+ i))))) #(define-markup-command (qr-code layout props data) (string?) #:properties ((width 10)) (let* (;; Return lines in reversed order, since translating in Y-axis ;; uses increasing values. Meaning lines will be stacked upwards. (lines (reverse (remove string-null? (map string-trim-both (string-split data #\newline))))) (n (length lines)) (square-width (/ width n)) (box (make-filled-box-stencil `(0 . ,square-width) `(0 . ,square-width)))) ;; Build the final qr-code-stencil from line-stencils list (apply ly:stencil-add ;; Get a list of line-stencils (index-map (lambda (i line) ;; Build a line-stencil from square-stencils list (apply ly:stencil-add ;; Get a list of (already translated) square-stencils ;; per line (index-map (lambda (j char) (ly:stencil-translate (stencil-with-color box (case char ((#\0) white) ((#\1) black) (else (ly:warning "unrecognized character ~a, should be 0 or 1" char) red))) (cons (* j square-width) (* i square-width)))) (string->list line)))) lines)))) %{ A string representation of the QR code. 0 means white, 1 means black. You can generate this automatically using Python and the pyqrcode module ("pip install pyqrcode"). Use this line of code in a Python prompt: >>> import pyqrcode; print(pyqrcode.create("https://lilypond.org").text(quiet_zone=0)) %} lilypondDotOrg = "11111110011100011110101111111 10000010010000010111101000001 10111010010110001000101011101 10111010001010111101001011101 10111010110100000111001011101 10000010011100011001101000001 11111110101010101010101111111 00000000111000111110100000000 00110011101100001000111010000 10101001111000001000001111101 00110111010100000110001011010 01010001100110010111000110001 01111011110010011110010100111 01111101001101010001001101101 01111011000001000011001111011 11001001001011001000111011010 11100110111011011001110111000 00001100010001001011100100100 10111111011001010011001000100 00001100001000101011011011100 01010010000011000000111111111 00000000110011100010100011001 11111110101001101011101010110 10000010000110111110100010011 10111010011010111100111111111 10111010110001101111000011110 10111010100101101010100101001 10000010001001000100000010010 11111110010100110010111100010" \markup \qr-code \lilypondDotOrg \markup \vspace #5 \markup \override #'(width . 15) \qr-code \lilypondDotOrg
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[ < [OBSOLETE] Adding a QR code ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Adding the current date to a score > ] |
Adding markups in a tablature
By default markups does not show in a tablature.
To make them appear, simply use the command
\revert TabStaff.TextScript.stencil
%% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=919 % by P.P.Schneider on June 2014 high = { r4 r8 <g c'> q r8 r4 } low = { c4 r4 c8 r8 g,8 b, } pulse = { s8^"1" s^"&" s^"2" s^"&" s^"3" s^"&" s^"4" s^"&" } \score { \new TabStaff { \repeat unfold 2 << \high \\ \low \\ \pulse >> } \layout { \context { \TabStaff \clef moderntab \revert TextScript.stencil \override TextScript.font-series = #'bold \override TextScript.font-size = #-2 \override TextScript.color = #red } \context { \Score proportionalNotationDuration = \musicLength 8 } } }
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[ < Adding markups in a tablature ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing > ] |
Adding the current date to a score
With a little Scheme code, the current date can easily be added to a score.
\paper { tagline = ##f } % first, define a variable to hold the formatted date: date = #(strftime "%d-%m-%Y" (localtime (current-time))) % use it in the title block: \header { title = "Including the date!" subtitle = \date } \score { \relative c'' { c4 c c c } } % and use it in a \markup block: \markup { \date }
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[ < Adding the current date to a score ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Aligning and centering instrument names > ] |
Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing
This snippet shows how to bring the lyrics line closer to the staff.
% Default layout: << \new Staff \new Voice = melody \relative c' { c4 d e f g4 f e d c1 } \new Lyrics \lyricsto melody { aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa } \new Staff { \new Voice = melody \relative c' { c4 d e f g4 f e d c1 } } % Reducing the minimum space below the staff and above the lyrics: \new Lyrics \with { \override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing = #'((basic-distance . 1)) } \lyricsto melody { aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa } >>
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[ < Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Aligning syllables with melisma > ] |
Aligning and centering instrument names
The horizontal alignment of instrument names is tweaked by changing the
Staff.InstrumentName.self-alignment-X
property. The
\layout
variables indent
and short-indent
define
the space in which the instrument names are aligned before the first
and the following systems, respectively.
\paper { left-margin = 3\cm } \score { \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \with { \override InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #LEFT instrumentName = \markup \left-column { "Left aligned" "instrument name" } shortInstrumentName = "Left" } { c''1 \break c''1 } \new Staff \with { \override InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #CENTER instrumentName = \markup \center-column { Centered "instrument name" } shortInstrumentName = "Centered" } { g'1 g'1} \new Staff \with { \override InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #RIGHT instrumentName = \markup \right-column { "Right aligned" "instrument name" } shortInstrumentName = "Right" } { e'1 e'1 } >> \layout { ragged-right = ##t indent = 4\cm short-indent = 2\cm } }
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[ < Aligning and centering instrument names ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Blanking staff lines using the \whiteout command > ] |
Aligning syllables with melisma
By default, lyrics syllables that start a melisma are left aligned on
their note. The alignment can be altered using the
lyricMelismaAlignment
property.
\score { << \new Staff { \relative c'' \new Voice = "vocal" { c d~^\markup default d e c d~^\markup "right aligned" d e c d~^\markup "center aligned" d e c d~^\markup "reset to default" d e } } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "vocal" { word word word \set lyricMelismaAlignment = #RIGHT word word word \set lyricMelismaAlignment = #CENTER word word word \unset lyricMelismaAlignment word word word } >> }
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[ < Aligning syllables with melisma ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Center text below hairpin dynamics > ] |
Blanking staff lines using the \whiteout command
The \whiteout
command underlays a markup with a white
box. Since staff lines are in a lower layer than most other grobs,
this white box will not overlap any other grob.
\layout { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c' { \override TextScript.extra-offset = #'(2 . 4) c2-\markup { \whiteout \pad-markup #0.5 "middle C" } c }
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[ < Blanking staff lines using the \whiteout command ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Changing ottava text > ] |
Center text below hairpin dynamics
This example provides a function to typeset a hairpin (de)crescendo with some additional text below it, such as “molto” or “poco”. The added text will change the direction according to the direction of the hairpin. The Hairpin is aligned to DynamicText.
The example also illustrates how to modify the way an object is normally printed, using some Scheme code.
\paper { tagline = ##f } hairpinWithCenteredText = #(define-music-function (text) (markup?) #{ \once \override Voice.Hairpin.after-line-breaking = #(lambda (grob) (let* ((stencil (ly:hairpin::print grob)) (par-y (ly:grob-parent grob Y)) (dir (ly:grob-property par-y 'direction)) (staff-line-thickness (ly:output-def-lookup (ly:grob-layout grob) 'line-thickness)) (new-stencil (ly:stencil-aligned-to (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge (ly:stencil-aligned-to stencil X CENTER) Y dir (ly:stencil-aligned-to (grob-interpret-markup grob (make-fontsize-markup (magnification->font-size (+ (ly:staff-symbol-staff-space grob) (/ staff-line-thickness 2))) text)) X CENTER)) X LEFT)) (staff-space (ly:output-def-lookup (ly:grob-layout grob) 'staff-space)) (par-x (ly:grob-parent grob X)) (dyn-text (grob::has-interface par-x 'dynamic-text-interface)) (dyn-text-stencil-x-length (if dyn-text (interval-length (ly:stencil-extent (ly:grob-property par-x 'stencil) X)) 0)) (x-shift (if dyn-text (- (+ staff-space dyn-text-stencil-x-length) (* 0.5 staff-line-thickness)) 0))) (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'Y-offset 0) (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'stencil (ly:stencil-translate-axis new-stencil x-shift X)))) #}) hairpinMolto = \hairpinWithCenteredText \markup { \italic molto } hairpinMore = \hairpinWithCenteredText \markup { \larger moltissimo } \layout { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c' { \hairpinMolto c2\< c\f \hairpinMore c2\ppppp\< c\f \break \hairpinMolto c2^\< c\f \hairpinMore c2\ppppp\< c\f }
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[ < Center text below hairpin dynamics ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Changing the default text font family > ] |
Changing ottava text
Internally, \ottava
sets the properties ottavation
(for
example, to 8va
or 8vb
) and middleCPosition
. To
override the text of the bracket, set ottavation
after invoking
\ottava
.
Short text is especially useful when a brief ottava is used.
{ c'2 \ottava 1 \set Staff.ottavation = "8" c''2 \ottava 0 c'1 \ottava 1 \set Staff.ottavation = "Text" c''1 }
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[ < Changing ottava text ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Combining dynamics with markup texts > ] |
Changing the default text font family
The default font families for text can be overridden.
%{ You may have to install additional fonts. Red Hat Fedora dejavu-fonts-all Debian GNU/Linux, Ubuntu fonts-dejavu-core fonts-dejavu-extra %} \paper { %{ run lilypond -dshow-available-fonts to show all fonts available in the process log. %} property-defaults.fonts.serif = "DejaVu Serif" property-defaults.fonts.sans = "DejaVu Sans" property-defaults.fonts.typewriter = "DejaVu Sans Mono" } { g'''4^\markup { DejaVu Serif: \bold bold \italic italic \italic \bold { bold italic } } g4_\markup { \override #'(font-family . sans) { DejaVu Sans: \bold bold \italic italic \italic \bold { bold italic } } } g''2^\markup { \override #'(font-family . typewriter) { DejaVu Sans Mono: \bold bold \italic italic \italic \bold { bold italic } } } }
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[ < Changing the default text font family ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Combining two parts on the same staff > ] |
Combining dynamics with markup texts
Some dynamics may involve text indications (such as “più forte” or
“piano subito”). These can be produced using a \markup
block.
piuF = \markup { \italic più \dynamic f } \layout { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c'' { c2\f c-\piuF }
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[ < Combining dynamics with markup texts ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Creating "real" parenthesized dynamics > ] |
Combining two parts on the same staff
The part combiner tool (i.e., the \partCombine
command) allows
the combination of several different parts on the same staff. Text
directions such as “solo” or “a2” are added by default; to remove
them, simply set the property printPartCombineTexts
to
#f
.
For vocal scores (hymns), there is no need to add “solo/a2” texts, so they should be switched off. However, it might be better not to use them if there are any solos, as they won’t be indicated. In such cases, standard polyphonic notation may be preferable.
This snippet presents the three ways two parts can be printed on a same
staff: standard polyphony, \partCombine
without texts, and
\partCombine
with texts.
musicUp = \relative c'' { \time 4/4 a4 c4.( g8) a4 | g4 e' g,( a8 b) | c b a2. } musicDown = \relative c'' { g4 e4.( d8) c4 | r2 g'4( f8 e) | d2 \stemDown a } \score { << \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "standard polyphony" } << \musicUp \\ \musicDown >> \new Staff \with { instrumentName = \markup { \typewriter "\\partCombine" without text} printPartCombineTexts = ##f } \partCombine \musicUp \musicDown \new Staff \with { instrumentName = \markup { \typewriter "\\partCombine" with text} } \partCombine \musicUp \musicDown >> \layout { indent = 6.0\cm \context { \Score % Setting this to a large value avoids a bar line at the % beginning that would connect the three staves otherwise. \override SystemStartBar.collapse-height = 30 } } }
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[ < Combining two parts on the same staff ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Creating text spanners > ] |
Creating "real" parenthesized dynamics
Although the easiest way to add parentheses to a dynamic mark is to use
a \markup
block, this method has a downside: the created
objects will behave like text markups, and not like dynamics.
However, it is possible to create a similar object using the equivalent
Scheme code (as described in the Notation Reference), combined with the
make-dynamic-script
function. This way, the markup will be
regarded as a dynamic, and therefore will remain compatible with
commands such as \dynamicUp
or \dynamicDown
.
paren = #(define-event-function (dyn) (ly:event?) (make-dynamic-script #{ \markup \concat { \normal-text \italic \fontsize #2 ( \pad-x #0.2 #(ly:music-property dyn 'text) \normal-text \italic \fontsize #2 ) } #})) \relative c'' { c4\paren\f c c \dynamicUp c\paren\p }
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[ < Creating "real" parenthesized dynamics ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Demonstrating all headers > ] |
Creating text spanners
The \startTextSpan
and \stopTextSpan
commands allow the
creation of text spanners as easily as pedal indications or
octavations. Override some properties of the TextSpanner
object
to modify its output.
\paper { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c'' { \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = #"bla" \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.text = #"blu" a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan \override TextSpanner.style = #'line \once \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.stencil-align-dir-y = #CENTER a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan \override TextSpanner.style = #'dashed-line \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup { \draw-line #'(0 . 1) } \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.text = \markup { \draw-line #'(0 . -2) } \once \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.padding = #-2 a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan \set Staff.middleCPosition = #-13 \override TextSpanner.dash-period = #10 \override TextSpanner.dash-fraction = #0.5 \override TextSpanner.thickness = #10 a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan }
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[ < Creating text spanners ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Embedding native PostScript in a \markup block > ] |
Demonstrating all headers
All header fields with special meanings.
\header { copyright = "copyright" title = "title" subtitle = "subtitle" composer = "composer" arranger = "arranger" instrument = "instrument" meter = "meter" opus = "opus" piece = "piece" poet = "poet" texidoc = "All header fields with special meanings." copyright = "public domain" enteredby = "jcn" source = "urtext" } \layout { ragged-right = ##f } \score { \relative c'' { c1 | c | c | c } } \score { \relative c'' { c1 | c | c | c } \header { title = "localtitle" subtitle = "localsubtitle" composer = "localcomposer" arranger = "localarranger" instrument = "localinstrument" metre = "localmetre" opus = "localopus" piece = "localpiece" poet = "localpoet" copyright = "localcopyright" } }
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[ < Demonstrating all headers ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Formatting lyrics syllables > ] |
Embedding native PostScript in a \markup block
PostScript code can be directly inserted inside a \markup
block.
% PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Inc. \relative c'' { a4-\markup { \postscript "3 4 moveto 5 3 rlineto stroke" } -\markup { \postscript "[ 0 1 ] 0 setdash 3 5 moveto 5 -3 rlineto stroke " } b4-\markup { \postscript "3 4 moveto 0 0 1 2 8 4 20 3.5 rcurveto stroke" } s2 a'1 }
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[ < Embedding native PostScript in a \markup block ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ How to put ties between syllables in lyrics > ] |
Formatting lyrics syllables
Markup mode may be used to format individual syllables in lyrics.
mel = \relative c'' { c4 c c c c1 } lyr = \lyricmode { Your lyrics \markup { \italic can } \markup { \with-color #red contain } \markup { \fontsize #8 \bold Markup! } } << \new Voice = melody \mel \new Lyrics \lyricsto melody \lyr >>
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[ < Formatting lyrics syllables ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Lyrics alignment > ] |
How to put ties between syllables in lyrics
This can be achieved by separating those syllables by tildes.
\lyrics { wa~o~a }
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[ < How to put ties between syllables in lyrics ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Markup list > ] |
Lyrics alignment
Horizontal alignment for lyrics can be set by overriding the
self-alignment-X
property of the LyricText
object.
-1
is left, 0
is center, and 1
is right; however,
you can use #LEFT
, #CENTER
and #RIGHT
as well.
\layout { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c'' { c1 c1 c1 } \addlyrics { \once \override LyricText.self-alignment-X = #LEFT "This is left-aligned" \once \override LyricText.self-alignment-X = #CENTER "This is centered" \once \override LyricText.self-alignment-X = 1 "This is right-aligned" }
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[ < Lyrics alignment ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Multi-measure rest markup > ] |
Markup list
Text that can spread over pages is entered with the \markuplist
command.
%% updated/modified by P.P.Schneider on Feb. 2014 \paper { tagline = ##f } #(set-default-paper-size "a6") #(define-markup-list-command (paragraph layout props args) (markup-list?) (interpret-markup-list layout props (make-justified-lines-markup-list (cons (make-hspace-markup 2) args)))) % Candide, Voltaire \markuplist { \override-lines #'(baseline-skip . 2.5) { \paragraph { Il y avait en Westphalie, dans le château de M. le baron de Thunder-ten-tronckh, un jeune garçon à qui la nature avait donné les mœurs les plus douces. Sa physionomie annonçait son âme. Il avait le jugement assez droit, avec l'esprit le plus \concat { simple \hspace #.3 ; } c'est, je crois, pour cette raison qu'on le nommait Candide. Les anciens domestiques de la maison soupçonnaient qu'il était fils de la sœur de monsieur le baron et d'un bon et honnête gentilhomme du voisinage, que cette demoiselle ne voulut jamais épouser parce qu'il n'avait pu prouver que soixante et onze quartiers, et que le reste de son arbre généalogique avait été perdu par l'injure du temps. } \vspace #.3 \paragraph { Monsieur le baron était un des plus puissants seigneurs de la Westphalie, car son château avait une porte et des fenêtres. Sa grande salle même était ornée d'une tapisserie. Tous les chiens de ses basses-cours composaient une meute dans le \concat { besoin \hspace #.3 ; } ses palefreniers étaient ses \concat { piqueurs \hspace #.3 ; } le vicaire du village était son grand-aumônier. Ils l'appelaient tous monseigneur, et ils riaient quand il faisait des contes. } } }
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[ < Markup list ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Of the ubiquity of markup objects > ] |
Multi-measure rest markup
Markups attached to a multi-measure rest will be centered above or below it. Long markups attached to multi-measure rests do not cause the measure to expand. To expand a multi-measure rest to fit the markup, use an empty chord with an attached markup before the multi-measure rest. Text attached to a spacer rest in this way is left-aligned to the position where the note would be placed in the measure, but if the measure length is determined by the length of the text, the text will appear to be centered.
\relative c' { \compressMMRests { \textLengthOn <>^\markup { [MAJOR GENERAL] } R1*19 <>_\markup { \italic { Cue: ... it is yours } } <>^\markup { A } R1*30^\markup { [MABEL] } \textLengthOff c4^\markup { CHORUS } d f c } }
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[ < Multi-measure rest markup ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Outputting the version number > ] |
Of the ubiquity of markup objects
Text objects are entered either as simple strings between double quotes
or as \markup
blocks that can accept a variety of advanced text
formatting and graphical enhancements.
As such, markup blocks may be used:
- in any
TextScript
object (attached to notes with-
,^
or_
), - any
TextMark
introduced with the\textMark
keyword, or\textEndMark
command, or other similar objects such as MetronomeMark introduced with\tempo
, - as standalone markup blocks, entered at the top level outside of any
\score
block, - in any definition inside the
\header
block (e.g. title, subtitle, composer) or in some variables defined inside the\paper
block such asevenHeaderMarkup
for page numbers.
\markup
may additionally be used for lyrics, in chord names,
and as dynamics. In fact, it is possible to use \markup
to
customize the appearance of virtually any object, as demonstrated in
this example using various methods.
%% Thanks to Aaron Hill https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/2019-01/msg00437.html \paper { paper-width = 8\cm paper-height = 8\cm } \header { title = \markup "Header" tagline = \markup "(tagline)" } \markup "Top-level markup" dyn = #(make-dynamic-script #{ \markup \serif "DynamicText" #}) \score { << \new ChordNames \with { majorSevenSymbol = \markup "majorSevenSymbol" } \chordmode { c1:maj7 } \new Staff { \tempo \markup "MetronomeMark" \textMark "TextMark" \once \override TupletNumber.text = \markup "TupletNumber" \tuplet 3/2 { \once \override NoteHead.stencil = #ly:text-interface::print \once \override NoteHead.text = \markup \lower #0.5 "NoteHead" c''8^\markup "TextScript" \once \override Rest.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup "Rest" #})) r4 } } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { \markup "LyricText" 1 } \new Dynamics { s1\dyn } >> }
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[ < Of the ubiquity of markup objects ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Piano template with centered lyrics > ] |
Outputting the version number
It is possible to print the version number of LilyPond in markup.
\markup { Processed with LilyPond version #(lilypond-version) }
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[ < Outputting the version number ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Printing bar numbers with changing regular intervals > ] |
Piano template with centered lyrics
Instead of having a full staff for the melody and lyrics, lyrics can be centered between the staves of a piano staff.
upper = \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } lower = \relative c { \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4 a2 c } text = \lyricmode { Aaa Bee Cee Dee } \score { \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = upper { \new Voice = "singer" \upper } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "singer" \text \new Staff = lower { \lower } >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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[ < Piano template with centered lyrics ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Printing marks on every staff > ] |
Printing bar numbers with changing regular intervals
Using the set-bar-number-visibility
context function, bar number
intervals can be changed.
\relative c' { \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = #end-of-line-invisible \context Score \applyContext #(set-bar-number-visibility 4) \repeat unfold 10 c'1 \context Score \applyContext #(set-bar-number-visibility 2) \repeat unfold 10 c } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Printing bar numbers with changing regular intervals ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Printing text from right to left > ] |
Printing marks on every staff
Although rehearsal and text marks are normally only printed above the topmost staff, they may also be printed on every staff.
\score { << \new Staff { \mark \default c''1 \textMark "molto" c'' } \new Staff { \mark \default c'1 \textMark "molto" c' } >> \layout { \context { \Score \remove Mark_engraver \remove Text_mark_engraver \remove Staff_collecting_engraver } \context { \Staff \consists Mark_engraver \consists Text_mark_engraver \consists Staff_collecting_engraver } } }
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[ < Printing marks on every staff ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Putting lyrics inside the staff > ] |
Printing text from right to left
It is possible to print text from right to left in a markup object, as demonstrated here.
{ b1^\markup { \line { i n g i r u m i m u s n o c t e } } f'_\markup { \override #'(text-direction . -1) \line { i n g i r u m i m u s n o c t e } } }
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[ < Printing text from right to left ] | [ Up : Text ] | [ Stand-alone two-column markup > ] |
Putting lyrics inside the staff
Lyrics can be moved vertically to place them inside the staff. The
lyrics are moved with
\override LyricText.extra-offset = #'(0 . dy)
and
there are similar commands to move the extenders and hyphens. The
offset needed is established with trial and error.
<< \new Staff << \new Voice = "voc" \relative c' { \stemDown a bes c8 b c4 } >> \new Lyrics \with { \override LyricText.extra-offset = #'(0 . 8.6) \override LyricExtender.extra-offset = #'(0 . 8.6) \override LyricHyphen.extra-offset = #'(0 . 8.6) } \lyricsto "voc" { La la -- la __ _ la } >>
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Stand-alone two-column markup
Stand-alone text may be arranged in several columns using
\markup
commands:
\markup { \fill-line { \hspace #1 \column { \line { O sacrum convivium } \line { in quo Christus sumitur, } \line { recolitur memoria passionis ejus, } \line { mens impletur gratia, } \line { futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur. } \line { Amen. } } \hspace #2 \column \italic { \line { O sacred feast } \line { in which Christ is received, } \line { the memory of His Passion is renewed, } \line { the mind is filled with grace, } \line { and a pledge of future glory is given to us. } \line { Amen. } } \hspace #1 } }
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String number extender lines
Make an extender line for string number indications, showing that a series of notes is supposed to be played all on the same string.
stringNumberSpanner = #(define-music-function (StringNumber) (string?) #{ \override TextSpanner.style = #'solid \override TextSpanner.font-size = #-5 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.stencil-align-dir-y = #CENTER \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup { \circle \number $StringNumber } #}) \relative c { \clef "treble_8" \stringNumberSpanner "5" \textSpannerDown a8\startTextSpan b c d e f\stopTextSpan \stringNumberSpanner "4" g\startTextSpan a bes4 a g2\stopTextSpan }
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Three-sided box
This example shows how to add a markup command to get a three sided box around some text (or other markup).
% New command to add a three sided box, with sides north, west and south % Based on the box-stencil command defined in scm/stencil.scm % Note that ";;" is used to comment a line in Scheme #(define-public (NWS-box-stencil stencil thickness padding) "Add a box around STENCIL, producing a new stencil." (let* ((x-ext (interval-widen (ly:stencil-extent stencil X) padding)) (y-ext (interval-widen (ly:stencil-extent stencil Y) padding)) (y-rule (make-filled-box-stencil (cons 0 thickness) y-ext)) (x-rule (make-filled-box-stencil (interval-widen x-ext thickness) (cons 0 thickness)))) ;; (set! stencil (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge stencil X 1 y-rule padding)) (set! stencil (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge stencil X LEFT y-rule padding)) (set! stencil (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge stencil Y UP x-rule 0.0)) (set! stencil (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge stencil Y DOWN x-rule 0.0)) stencil)) % The corresponding markup command, based on the \box command defined % in scm/define-markup-commands.scm #(define-markup-command (NWS-box layout props arg) (markup?) #:properties ((thickness 0.1) (font-size 0) (box-padding 0.2)) "Draw a box round @var{arg}. Looks at @code{thickness}, @code{box-padding} and @code{font-size} properties to determine line thickness and padding around the markup." (let ((pad (* (magstep font-size) box-padding)) (m (interpret-markup layout props arg))) (NWS-box-stencil m thickness pad))) % Test it: \relative c' { c1^\markup { \NWS-box ABCD } c1^\markup { \NWS-box \note {4} #1.0 } }
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UTF-8
Various scripts may be used for texts (like titles and lyrics) by entering them in UTF-8 encoding, and using a Pango based backend. Depending on the fonts installed, this fragment will render Bulgarian (Cyrillic), Hebrew, Japanese and Portuguese.
%{ You may have to install additional fonts. Red Hat Fedora linux-libertine-fonts (Latin, Cyrillic, Hebrew) google-noto-serif-jp-fonts (Japanese) Debian GNU/Linux, Ubuntu fonts-linuxlibertine (Latin, Cyrillic, Hebrew) fonts-noto-cjk (Japanese) %} % 'Linux Libertine' fonts also contain Cyrillic and Hebrew glyphs. \paper { property-defaults.fonts.serif = "Linux Libertine O, Noto Serif CJK JP, Noto Serif JP" } bulgarian = \lyricmode { Жълтата дюля беше щастлива, че пухът, който цъфна, замръзна като гьон. } hebrew = \lyricmode { זה כיף סתם לשמוע איך תנצח קרפד עץ טוב בגן. } japanese = \lyricmode { いろはにほへど ちりぬるを わがよたれぞ つねならむ うゐのおくや まけふこえて あさきゆめみじ ゑひもせず } % "a nice song for you" portuguese = \lyricmode { à vo -- cê uma can -- ção le -- gal } \relative c' { c2 d e2 f g2 f e2 d } \addlyrics { \bulgarian } \addlyrics { \hebrew } \addlyrics { \japanese } \addlyrics { \portuguese }
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Vocal ensemble template with lyrics aligned below and above the staves
This template is basically the same as the simple “Vocal ensemble”
template, with the exception that here all the lyrics lines are placed
using alignAboveContext
and alignBelowContext
.
global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 } sopMusic = \relative c'' { c4 c c8[( b)] c4 } sopWords = \lyricmode { hi hi hi hi } altoMusic = \relative c' { e4 f d e } altoWords = \lyricmode { ha ha ha ha } tenorMusic = \relative c' { g4 a f g } tenorWords = \lyricmode { hu hu hu hu } bassMusic = \relative c { c4 c g c } bassWords = \lyricmode { ho ho ho ho } \score { \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff = "women" << \new Voice = "sopranos" { \voiceOne << \global \sopMusic >> } \new Voice = "altos" { \voiceTwo << \global \altoMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics \with { alignAboveContext = "women" } \lyricsto "sopranos" \sopWords \new Lyrics \with { alignBelowContext = "women" } \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords % we could remove the line about this with the line below, since % we want the alto lyrics to be below the alto Voice anyway. % \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords \new Staff = "men" << \clef bass \new Voice = "tenors" { \voiceOne << \global \tenorMusic >> } \new Voice = "basses" { \voiceTwo << \global \bassMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics \with { alignAboveContext = "men" } \lyricsto "tenors" \tenorWords \new Lyrics \with { alignBelowContext = "men" } \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords % again, we could replace the line above this with the line below. % \new Lyrics \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords >> }
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Volta text markup using repeatCommands
Though volte are best specified using \repeat volta
, the
context property repeatCommands
must be used in cases where the
volta text needs more advanced formatting with \markup
.
Since repeatCommands
takes a list, the simplest method of
including markup is to use an identifier for the text and embed it in
the command list using the Scheme syntax
#(list (list 'volta textIdentifier))
. Start- and end-repeat
commands can be added as separate list elements:
voltaAdLib = \markup { \volta-number { 1. 2. 3... } \italic { ad lib. } } \relative c'' { c1 \set Score.repeatCommands = #(list (list 'volta voltaAdLib) 'start-repeat) c4 b d e \set Score.repeatCommands = #'((volta #f) (volta "4.") end-repeat) f1 \set Score.repeatCommands = #'((volta #f)) }
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Vocal music
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Adding ambitus per voice
Ambitus can be added per voice. In this case, the ambitus must be moved manually to prevent collisions.
\new Staff << \new Voice \with { \consists "Ambitus_engraver" } \relative c'' { \override Ambitus.X-offset = 2.0 \voiceOne c4 a d e f1 } \new Voice \with { \consists "Ambitus_engraver" } \relative c' { \voiceTwo es4 f g as b1 } >>
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Adding indicators to staves which get split after a break
This snippet defines the commands \splitStaffBarLine
,
\convUpStaffBarLine
, and \convDownStaffBarLine
. These
add arrows at a bar line to denote that several voices sharing a staff
will each continue on a staff of their own in the next system, or that
voices split in this way recombine.
#(define-markup-command (arrow-at-angle layout props angle-deg length fill) (number? number? boolean?) (let* ( (PI-OVER-180 (/ (atan 1 1) 34)) (degrees->radians (lambda (degrees) (* degrees PI-OVER-180))) (angle-rad (degrees->radians angle-deg)) (target-x (* length (cos angle-rad))) (target-y (* length (sin angle-rad)))) (interpret-markup layout props (markup #:translate (cons (/ target-x 2) (/ target-y 2)) #:rotate angle-deg #:translate (cons (/ length -2) 0) #:concat (#:draw-line (cons length 0) #:arrow-head X RIGHT fill))))) splitStaffBarLineMarkup = \markup \with-dimensions #'(0 . 0) #'(0 . 0) { \combine \arrow-at-angle #45 #(sqrt 8) ##t \arrow-at-angle #-45 #(sqrt 8) ##t } splitStaffBarLine = { \once \override Staff.BarLine.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge (ly:bar-line::print grob) X RIGHT (grob-interpret-markup grob splitStaffBarLineMarkup) 0)) \break } convDownStaffBarLine = { \once \override Staff.BarLine.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge (ly:bar-line::print grob) X RIGHT (grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup\with-dimensions #'(0 . 0) #'(0 . 0) { \translate #'(0 . -.13)\arrow-at-angle #-45 #(sqrt 8) ##t }#}) 0)) \break } convUpStaffBarLine = { \once \override Staff.BarLine.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge (ly:bar-line::print grob) X RIGHT (grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup\with-dimensions #'(0 . 0) #'(0 . 0) { \translate #'(0 . .14)\arrow-at-angle #45 #(sqrt 8) ##t }#}) 0)) \break } \header { tagline = ##f } \paper { ragged-right = ##t short-indent = 10\mm } separateSopranos = { \set Staff.instrumentName = "AI AII" \set Staff.shortInstrumentName = "AI AII" \splitStaffBarLine \change Staff = "up" } convSopranos = { \convDownStaffBarLine \change Staff = "shared" \set Staff.instrumentName = "S A" \set Staff.shortInstrumentName = "S A" } sI = { \voiceOne \repeat unfold 4 f''2 \separateSopranos \repeat unfold 4 g''2 \convSopranos \repeat unfold 4 c''2 } sII = { s1*2 \voiceTwo \change Staff = "up" \repeat unfold 4 d''2 } aI = { \voiceTwo \repeat unfold 4 a'2 \voiceOne \repeat unfold 4 b'2 \convUpStaffBarLine \voiceTwo \repeat unfold 4 g'2 } aII = { s1*2 \voiceTwo \repeat unfold 4 g'2 } ten = { \voiceOne \repeat unfold 4 c'2 \repeat unfold 4 d'2 \repeat unfold 4 c'2 } bas = { \voiceTwo \repeat unfold 4 f2 \repeat unfold 4 g2 \repeat unfold 4 c2 } \score { << \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff = up \with { instrumentName = "SI SII" shortInstrumentName = "SI SII" } { s1*4 } \new Staff = shared \with { instrumentName = "S A" shortInstrumentName = "S A" } << \new Voice = sopI \sI \new Voice = sopII \sII \new Voice = altI \aI \new Voice = altII \aII >> \new Lyrics \with { alignBelowContext = up } \lyricsto sopII { e f g h } \new Lyrics \lyricsto altI { a b c d e f g h i j k l } \new Staff = men \with { instrumentName = "T B" shortInstrumentName = "T B" } << \clef F \new Voice = ten \ten \new Voice = bas \bas >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto bas { a b c d e f g h i j k l } >> >> \layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-first = ##t } } }
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[ < Adding indicators to staves which get split after a break ] | [ Up : Vocal music ] | [ Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing > ] |
Adding orchestral cues to a vocal score
This shows one approach to simplify adding many orchestral cues to the
piano reduction in a vocal score. The music function \cueWhile
takes four arguments: the music from which the cue is to be taken, as
defined by \addQuote
, the name to be inserted before the cue
notes, then either #UP
or #DOWN
to specify either
\voiceOne
with the name above the staff or \voiceTwo
with the name below the staff, and finally the piano music in parallel
with which the cue notes are to appear. The name of the cued
instrument is positioned to the left of the cued notes. Many passages
can be cued, but they cannot overlap each other in time.
cueWhile = #(define-music-function (instrument name dir music) (string? string? ly:dir? ly:music?) #{ \cueDuring $instrument #dir { \once \override TextScript.self-alignment-X = #RIGHT \once \override TextScript.direction = $dir <>-\markup { \tiny #name } $music } #}) flute = \relative c'' { \transposition c' s4 s4 e g } \addQuote "flute" { \flute } clarinet = \relative c' { \transposition bes fis4 d d c } \addQuote "clarinet" { \clarinet } singer = \relative c'' { c4. g8 g4 bes4 } words = \lyricmode { here's the lyr -- ics } pianoRH = \relative c'' { \transposition c' \cueWhile "clarinet" "Clar." #DOWN { c4. g8 } \cueWhile "flute" "Flute" #UP { g4 bes4 } } pianoLH = \relative c { c4 <c' e> e, <g c> } \score { << \new Staff { \new Voice = "singer" { \singer } } \new Lyrics { \lyricsto "singer" \words } \new PianoStaff << \new Staff { \new Voice { \pianoRH } } \new Staff { \clef "bass" \pianoLH } >> >> }
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Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing
This snippet shows how to bring the lyrics line closer to the staff.
% Default layout: << \new Staff \new Voice = melody \relative c' { c4 d e f g4 f e d c1 } \new Lyrics \lyricsto melody { aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa } \new Staff { \new Voice = melody \relative c' { c4 d e f g4 f e d c1 } } % Reducing the minimum space below the staff and above the lyrics: \new Lyrics \with { \override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing = #'((basic-distance . 1)) } \lyricsto melody { aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa } >>
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[ < Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing ] | [ Up : Vocal music ] | [ Ambitus > ] |
Aligning syllables with melisma
By default, lyrics syllables that start a melisma are left aligned on
their note. The alignment can be altered using the
lyricMelismaAlignment
property.
\score { << \new Staff { \relative c'' \new Voice = "vocal" { c d~^\markup default d e c d~^\markup "right aligned" d e c d~^\markup "center aligned" d e c d~^\markup "reset to default" d e } } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "vocal" { word word word \set lyricMelismaAlignment = #RIGHT word word word \set lyricMelismaAlignment = #CENTER word word word \unset lyricMelismaAlignment word word word } >> }
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Ambitus
Ambitus indicate pitch ranges for voices.
Accidentals only show up if they are not part of the key
signature. AmbitusNoteHead
grobs also have ledger lines.
\layout { \context { \Voice \consists "Ambitus_engraver" } } << \new Staff { \relative c' { \time 2/4 c4 f' } } \new Staff { \relative c' { \time 2/4 \key d \major cis4 as' } } >>
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Ambitus after key signature
By default, ambitus are positioned at the left of the clef. The
\ambitusAfter
function allows for changing this
placement. Syntax is \ambitusAfter grob-interface
(see
Graphical
Object Interfaces for a list of possible values for
grob-interface
.)
A common use case is printing the ambitus between key signature and time signature.
\new Staff \with { \consists Ambitus_engraver } \relative { \ambitusAfter key-signature \key d \major es'8 g bes cis d2 }
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Ambitus with multiple voices
Adding the Ambitus_engraver
to the Staff
context creates
a single ambitus per staff, even in the case of staves with multiple
voices.
\new Staff \with { \consists "Ambitus_engraver" } << \new Voice \relative c'' { \voiceOne c4 a d e f1 } \new Voice \relative c' { \voiceTwo es4 f g as b1 } >>
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Ancient notation template – modern transcription of gregorian music
This example demonstrates how to do modern transcription of Gregorian music. Gregorian music has no measure, no stems; it uses only half and quarter note heads, and special marks, indicating rests of different length.
chant = \relative c' { \set Score.timing = ##f f4 a2 \divisioMinima g4 b a2 f2 \divisioMaior g4( f) f( g) a2 \finalis } verba = \lyricmode { Lo -- rem ip -- sum do -- lor sit a -- met } \score { \new GregorianTranscriptionStaff << \new GregorianTranscriptionVoice = "melody" \chant \new GregorianTranscriptionLyrics = "one" \lyricsto melody \verba >> }
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Anglican psalm template
This template shows one way of setting out an Anglican psalm chant. It also shows how the verses may be added as stand-alone text under the music. The two verses are coded in different styles to demonstrate more possibilities.
\paper { tagline = ##f } SopranoMusic = \relative g' { g1 | c2 b | a1 | \bar "||" a1 | d2 c | c b | c1 | \bar "||" } AltoMusic = \relative c' { e1 | g2 g | f1 | f1 | f2 e | d d | e1 | } TenorMusic = \relative a { c1 | c2 c | c1 | d1 | g,2 g | g g | g1 | } BassMusic = \relative c { c1 | e2 e | f1 | d1 | b2 c | g' g | c,1 | } global = { \time 2/2 } dot = \markup { \raise #0.7 \musicglyph "dots.dot" } tick = \markup { \raise #1 \fontsize #-5 \musicglyph "scripts.rvarcomma" } % Use markup to center the chant on the page \markup { \fill-line { \score { % centered << \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff << \global \clef "treble" \new Voice = "Soprano" << \voiceOne \SopranoMusic >> \new Voice = "Alto" << \voiceTwo \AltoMusic >> >> \new Staff << \clef "bass" \global \new Voice = "Tenor" << \voiceOne \TenorMusic >> \new Voice = "Bass" << \voiceTwo \BassMusic >> >> >> >> \layout { \context { \Score \override SpacingSpanner.base-shortest-duration = \musicLength 2 } \context { \Staff \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } } } % End score } } % End markup \markup { \fill-line { \column { \left-align { \null \null \null \line { \fontsize #5 O \fontsize #3 come let us \bold sing | unto \dot the | Lord : let } \line { us heartily \concat { re \bold joice } in the | strength of | our } \line { sal | vation. } \null \line { \hspace #2.5 8. Today if ye will hear his voice * } \line { \concat { \bold hard en } \tick not your \tick hearts : as in the pro- } \line { vocation * and as in the \bold day of tempt- \tick } \line { -ation \tick in the \tick wilderness. } } } } }
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Arranging separate lyrics on a single line
Sometimes you may want to put lyrics for different performers on a
single line: where there is rapidly alternating text, for
example. This snippet shows how this can be done with
\override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-nonstaff-spacing.minimum-distance = ##f
.
\header { tagline = ##f } \layout { \context { \Lyrics \override VerticalAxisGroup .nonstaff-nonstaff-spacing .minimum-distance = ##f } } aliceSings = \markup { \smallCaps "Alice" } eveSings = \markup { \smallCaps "Eve" } << \new Staff << \new Voice = "alice" { f'4^\aliceSings g' r2 | s1 | f'4^\aliceSings g' r2 | s1 | \break % ... \voiceOne s2 a'8^\aliceSings a' b'4 | \oneVoice g'1 } \new Voice = "eve" { s1 | a'2^\eveSings g' | s1 | a'2^\eveSings g' % ... \voiceTwo f'4^\eveSings a'8 g' f'4 e' | \oneVoice s1 } >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "alice" { may -- be sec -- ond % ... Shut up, you fool! } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "eve" { that the words are % ... …and then I was like– } >>
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[ < Arranging separate lyrics on a single line ] | [ Up : Vocal music ] | [ Chant or psalms notation > ] |
Changing stanza fonts
Fonts can be changed independently for each stanza, including the font used for printing the stanza number.
%{ You may have to install additional fonts. Red Hat Fedora dejavu-fonts-all Debian GNU/Linux, Ubuntu fonts-dejavu-core fonts-dejavu-extra %} \relative c'' { \time 3/4 g2 e4 a2 f4 g2. } \addlyrics { \set stanza = #"1. " Hi, my name is Bert. } \addlyrics { \override StanzaNumber.fonts.serif = "DejaVu Sans" \set stanza = #"2. " \override LyricText.font-family = #'typewriter Oh, ché -- ri, je t'aime }
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[ < Changing stanza fonts ] | [ Up : Vocal music ] | [ Forcing hyphens to be shown > ] |
Chant or psalms notation
This form of notation is used for Psalm chant, where verses aren’t always the same length.
stemOff = \hide Staff.Stem stemOn = \undo \stemOff \score { \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } { \key g \minor \cadenzaOn \stemOff a'\breve bes'4 g'4 \stemOn a'2 \section \stemOff a'\breve g'4 a'4 \stemOn f'2 \section \stemOff a'\breve^\markup { \italic flexe } \stemOn g'2 \fine } }
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[ < Chant or psalms notation ] | [ Up : Vocal music ] | [ Formatting lyrics syllables > ] |
Forcing hyphens to be shown
If LilyPond does not think there is space for a hyphen, it will be
omitted. The behaviour can be overridden with the
minimum-distance
property of LyricHyphen
.
\relative c'' { c32 c c c c32 c c c c32 c c c c32 c c c } \addlyrics { syl -- lab word word \override LyricHyphen.minimum-distance = #1.0 syl -- lab word word \override LyricHyphen.minimum-distance = #2.0 syl -- lab word word \revert LyricHyphen.minimum-distance syl -- lab word word }
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[ < Forcing hyphens to be shown ] | [ Up : Vocal music ] | [ How to put ties between syllables in lyrics > ] |
Formatting lyrics syllables
Markup mode may be used to format individual syllables in lyrics.
mel = \relative c'' { c4 c c c c1 } lyr = \lyricmode { Your lyrics \markup { \italic can } \markup { \with-color #red contain } \markup { \fontsize #8 \bold Markup! } } << \new Voice = melody \mel \new Lyrics \lyricsto melody \lyr >>
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[ < Formatting lyrics syllables ] | [ Up : Vocal music ] | [ Hymn template > ] |
How to put ties between syllables in lyrics
This can be achieved by separating those syllables by tildes.
\lyrics { wa~o~a }
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[ < How to put ties between syllables in lyrics ] | [ Up : Vocal music ] | [ Lyrics alignment > ] |
Hymn template
This code shows one way of setting out a hymn tune when each line starts and ends with a partial measure. It also shows how to add the verses as stand-alone text under the music.
Timeline = { \time 4/4 \tempo 4=96 \partial 2 s2 | s1 | s2 \breathe s2 | s1 | s2 \caesura \break s2 | s1 | s2 \breathe s2 | s1 | s2 \fine } SopranoMusic = \relative g' { g4 g | g g g g | g g g g | g g g g | g2 g4 g | g g g g | g g g g | g g g g | g2 } AltoMusic = \relative c' { d4 d | d d d d | d d d d | d d d d | d2 d4 d | d d d d | d d d d | d d d d | d2 } TenorMusic = \relative a { b4 b | b b b b | b b b b | b b b b | b2 b4 b | b b b b | b b b b | b b b b | b2 } BassMusic = \relative g { g4 g | g g g g | g g g g | g g g g | g2 g4 g | g g g g | g g g g | g g g g | g2 } global = { \key g \major } \score { % Start score << \new PianoStaff << % Start pianostaff \new Staff << % Start Staff = RH \global \clef "treble" \new Voice = "Soprano" << % Start Voice = "Soprano" \Timeline \voiceOne \SopranoMusic >> % End Voice = "Soprano" \new Voice = "Alto" << % Start Voice = "Alto" \Timeline \voiceTwo \AltoMusic >> % End Voice = "Alto" >> % End Staff = RH \new Staff << % Start Staff = LH \global \clef "bass" \new Voice = "Tenor" << % Start Voice = "Tenor" \Timeline \voiceOne \TenorMusic >> % End Voice = "Tenor" \new Voice = "Bass" << % Start Voice = "Bass" \Timeline \voiceTwo \BassMusic >> % End Voice = "Bass" >> % End Staff = LH >> % End pianostaff >> } % End score \markup { \fill-line { "" { \column { \left-align { "This is line one of the first verse" "This is line two of the same" "And here's line three of the first verse" "And the last line of the same" } } } "" } } \layout { \context { \Score caesuraType = #'((bar-line . "||")) fineBarType = "||" } } \paper { % Start paper block indent = 0 % don't indent first system line-width = 130 % shorten line length to suit music tagline = ##f % Don't print tag line, can be removed } % End paper block
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Lyrics alignment
Horizontal alignment for lyrics can be set by overriding the
self-alignment-X
property of the LyricText
object.
-1
is left, 0
is center, and 1
is right; however,
you can use #LEFT
, #CENTER
and #RIGHT
as well.
\layout { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c'' { c1 c1 c1 } \addlyrics { \once \override LyricText.self-alignment-X = #LEFT "This is left-aligned" \once \override LyricText.self-alignment-X = #CENTER "This is centered" \once \override LyricText.self-alignment-X = 1 "This is right-aligned" }
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Marking notes of spoken parts with a cross on the stem (Sprechstimme)
This example shows how to put crosses on stems. Mark the beginning of
a spoken section with the \speakOn
keyword, and end it with the
\speakOff
keyword.
speakOn = { \override Stem.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (let* ((x-parent (ly:grob-parent grob X)) (is-rest? (ly:grob? (ly:grob-object x-parent 'rest)))) (if is-rest? empty-stencil (ly:stencil-combine-at-edge (ly:stem::print grob) Y (- (ly:grob-property grob 'direction)) (grob-interpret-markup grob (markup #:center-align #:fontsize -4 #:musicglyph "noteheads.s2cross")) -2.3)))) } speakOff = { \revert Stem.stencil \revert Flag.stencil } \score { \new Staff { \relative c'' { a4 b a c \speakOn g4 f r g b4 r d e \speakOff c4 a g f } } }
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Obtaining 2.12 lyrics spacing in newer versions
The vertical spacing engine changed since version 2.14. This can cause lyrics to be spaced differently.
It is possible to set properties for Lyric
and Staff
contexts to get the spacing engine to behave as it did in version 2.12.
\header { tagline = ##f } global = { \key d \major \time 3/4 } sopMusic = \relative c' { % VERSE ONE fis4 fis fis | \break fis4. e8 e4 } altoMusic = \relative c' { % VERSE ONE d4 d d | d4. b8 b4 | } tenorMusic = \relative c' { a4 a a | b4. g8 g4 | } bassMusic = \relative c { d4 d d | g,4. g8 g4 | } words = \lyricmode { Great is Thy faith -- ful -- ness, } \score { \new ChoirStaff << \new Lyrics = sopranos \new Staff = women << \new Voice = "sopranos" { \voiceOne \global \sopMusic } \new Voice = "altos" { \voiceTwo \global \altoMusic } >> \new Lyrics = "altos" \new Lyrics = "tenors" \new Staff = men << \clef bass \new Voice = "tenors" { \voiceOne \global \tenorMusic } \new Voice = "basses" { \voiceTwo \global \bassMusic } >> \new Lyrics = basses \context Lyrics = sopranos \lyricsto sopranos \words \context Lyrics = altos \lyricsto altos \words \context Lyrics = tenors \lyricsto tenors \words \context Lyrics = basses \lyricsto basses \words >> \layout { \context { \Lyrics \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = ##f \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-staff-spacing = #'((basic-distance . 0) (minimum-distance . 2) (padding . 2)) } \context { \Staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-staff-spacing = #'((basic-distance . 0) (minimum-distance . 2) (padding . 2)) } } }
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Orchestra, choir and piano template
This template demonstrates the use of nested StaffGroup
and
GrandStaff
contexts to sub-group instruments of the same type
together, and a way to use \transpose
so that variables hold
music for transposing instruments at concert pitch.
#(set-global-staff-size 17) \paper { indent = 3.0\cm % add space for instrumentName short-indent = 1.5\cm % add less space for shortInstrumentName } \header { tagline = ##f } fluteMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } % Pitches as written on a manuscript for Clarinet in A % are transposed to concert pitch. clarinetMusic = \transpose c' a \relative c'' { \key bes \major bes1 d } trumpetMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g''1 b } % Key signature is often omitted for horns hornMusic = \transpose c' f \relative c { d'1 fis } percussionMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g1 b } sopranoMusic = \relative c'' { \key g \major g'1 b } sopranoLyrics = \lyricmode { Lyr -- ics } altoIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } altoIIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } altoILyrics = \sopranoLyrics altoIILyrics = \lyricmode { Ah -- ah } tenorMusic = \relative c' { \clef "treble_8" \key g \major g1 b } tenorLyrics = \sopranoLyrics pianoRHMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g''1 b } pianoLHMusic = \relative c { \clef bass \key g \major g1 b } violinIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } violinIIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } violaMusic = \relative c { \clef alto \key g \major g'1 b } celloMusic = \relative c { \clef bass \key g \major g1 b } bassMusic = \relative c { \clef "bass_8" \key g \major g,1 b } \score { << \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_woodwinds" << \new Staff = "Staff_flute" \with { instrumentName = "Flute" } \fluteMusic \new Staff = "Staff_clarinet" \with { instrumentName = \markup { \concat { "Clarinet in B" \flat } } } % Declare that written Middle C in the music % to follow sounds a concert B flat, for % output using sounded pitches such as MIDI. %\transposition bes % Print music for a B-flat clarinet \transpose bes c' \clarinetMusic >> \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_brass" << \new Staff = "Staff_hornI" \with { instrumentName = "Horn in F" } % \transposition f \transpose f c' \hornMusic \new Staff = "Staff_trumpet" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet in C" } \trumpetMusic >> \new RhythmicStaff = "RhythmicStaff_percussion" \with { instrumentName = "Percussion" } << \percussionMusic >> \new PianoStaff \with { instrumentName = "Piano" } << \new Staff { \pianoRHMusic } \new Staff { \pianoLHMusic } >> \new ChoirStaff = "ChoirStaff_choir" << \new Staff = "Staff_soprano" \with { instrumentName = "Soprano" } \new Voice = "soprano" \sopranoMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" { \sopranoLyrics } \new GrandStaff = "GrandStaff_altos" \with { \accepts Lyrics } << \new Staff = "Staff_altoI" \with { instrumentName = "Alto I" } \new Voice = "altoI" \altoIMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altoI" { \altoILyrics } \new Staff = "Staff_altoII" \with { instrumentName = "Alto II" } \new Voice = "altoII" \altoIIMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altoII" { \altoIILyrics } >> \new Staff = "Staff_tenor" \with { instrumentName = "Tenor" } \new Voice = "tenor" \tenorMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "tenor" { \tenorLyrics } >> \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_strings" << \new GrandStaff = "GrandStaff_violins" << \new Staff = "Staff_violinI" \with { instrumentName = "Violin I" } \violinIMusic \new Staff = "Staff_violinII" \with { instrumentName = "Violin II" } \violinIIMusic >> \new Staff = "Staff_viola" \with { instrumentName = "Viola" } \violaMusic \new Staff = "Staff_cello" \with { instrumentName = "Cello" } \celloMusic \new Staff = "Staff_bass" \with { instrumentName = "Double Bass" } \bassMusic >> >> \layout { } }
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Piano template with melody and lyrics
Here is a typical song format: one staff with the melody and lyrics, with piano accompaniment underneath.
melody = \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a b c d } text = \lyricmode { Aaa Bee Cee Dee } upper = \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } lower = \relative c { \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4 a2 c } \score { << \new Voice = "mel" { \autoBeamOff \melody } \new Lyrics \lyricsto mel \text \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "upper" \upper \new Staff = "lower" \lower >> >> \layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves } } \midi { } }
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Putting lyrics inside the staff
Lyrics can be moved vertically to place them inside the staff. The
lyrics are moved with
\override LyricText.extra-offset = #'(0 . dy)
and
there are similar commands to move the extenders and hyphens. The
offset needed is established with trial and error.
<< \new Staff << \new Voice = "voc" \relative c' { \stemDown a bes c8 b c4 } >> \new Lyrics \with { \override LyricText.extra-offset = #'(0 . 8.6) \override LyricExtender.extra-offset = #'(0 . 8.6) \override LyricHyphen.extra-offset = #'(0 . 8.6) } \lyricsto "voc" { La la -- la __ _ la } >>
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SATB Choir template - four staves
This is a template for a SATB choir on four staves.
global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 \dynamicUp } sopranonotes = \relative c'' { c2 \p \< d c d \f } sopranowords = \lyricmode { do do do do } altonotes = \relative c'' { c2\p d c d } altowords = \lyricmode { re re re re } tenornotes = { \clef "G_8" c2\mp d c d } tenorwords = \lyricmode { mi mi mi mi } bassnotes = { \clef bass c2\mf d c d } basswords = \lyricmode { mi mi mi mi } \score { \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice = "soprano" << \global \sopranonotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" \sopranowords >> \new Staff << \new Voice = "alto" << \global \altonotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "alto" \altowords >> \new Staff << \new Voice = "tenor" << \global \tenornotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "tenor" \tenorwords >> \new Staff << \new Voice = "bass" << \global \bassnotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "bass" \basswords >> >> }
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Single staff template with notes, lyrics, and chords
This template allows the preparation of a song with melody, words, and chords.
melody = \relative c' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } text = \lyricmode { Aaa Bee Cee Dee } harmonies = \chordmode { a2 c } \score { << \new ChordNames { \set chordChanges = ##t \harmonies } \new Voice = "one" { \autoBeamOff \melody } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "one" \text >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Single staff template with notes, lyrics, chords and frets
Here is a simple lead sheet template with melody, lyrics, chords and fret diagrams.
verseI = \lyricmode { \set stanza = #"1." This is the first verse } verseII = \lyricmode { \set stanza = #"2." This is the second verse. } theChords = \chordmode { % insert chords for chordnames and fretboards here c2 g4 c } staffMelody = \relative c' { \key c \major \clef treble % Type notes for melody here c4 d8 e f4 g \bar "|." } \score { << \context ChordNames { \theChords } \context FretBoards { \theChords } \new Staff { \context Voice = "voiceMelody" { \staffMelody } } \new Lyrics = "lyricsI" { \lyricsto "voiceMelody" \verseI } \new Lyrics = "lyricsII" { \lyricsto "voiceMelody" \verseII } >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Single staff template with notes and lyrics
This small template demonstrates a simple melody with lyrics. Cut and paste, add notes, then words for the lyrics. This example turns off automatic beaming, which is common for vocal parts. To use automatic beaming, change or comment out the relevant line.
melody = \relative c' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } text = \lyricmode { Aaa Bee Cee Dee } \score{ << \new Voice = "one" { \autoBeamOff \melody } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "one" \text >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Skips in lyric mode
The s
syntax for skips is only available in note mode and chord
mode. In other situations, for example, when entering lyrics, using the
\skip
command is recommended.
<< \relative c'' { a1 | a } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { \skip 1 bla1 } >>
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Skips in lyric mode (2)
Although s
skips cannot be used in \lyricmode
(it is
taken to be a literal “s”, not a space), double quotes (""
) or
underscores (_
) are available.
So for example:
<< \relative c'' { a4 b c d } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { a4 "" _ gap } >>
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Using arpeggioBracket to make divisi more visible
The arpeggioBracket
can be used to indicate the division of
voices where there are no stems to provide the information. This is
often seen in choral music.
\include "english.ly" \score { \relative c'' { \key a \major \time 2/2 << \new Voice = "upper" << { \voiceOne \arpeggioBracket a2( b2 <b d>1\arpeggio) <cs e>\arpeggio ~ <cs e>4 } \addlyrics { \lyricmode { A -- men. } } >> \new Voice = "lower" { \voiceTwo a1 ~ a a ~ a4 \bar "|." } >> } \layout { ragged-right = ##t } }
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Using tags to produce mensural and modern music from the same source
Using tags, it is possible to produce both mensural and modern notation
from the same music. In this snippet, a function \menrest
is
introduced, allowing mensural rests to be pitched as in the original,
but with modern rests in the standard staff position.
Tags can also be used where other differences are needed: for example
using “whole measure rests” (R1
, R\breve
, etc.) in
modern music, but normal rests (r1
, r\breve
, etc.) in
the mensural version. Converting mensural music to its modern
equivalent is usually referred to as transcription.
\header { tagline = ##f } menrest = #(define-music-function (note) (ly:music?) #{ \tag #'mens $(make-music 'RestEvent note) \tag #'mod $(make-music 'RestEvent note 'pitch '()) #}) MenStyle = { \autoBeamOff \override NoteHead.style = #'petrucci \override Score.BarNumber.transparent = ##t \override Stem.neutral-direction = #up } finalis = \section Music = \relative c'' { \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \key f \major \time 4/4 g1 d'2 \menrest bes4 bes2 a2 r4 g4 fis2. \finalis } MenLyr = \lyricmode { So farre, deere life, deare life } ModLyr = \lyricmode { So far, dear life, dear life } \score { \keepWithTag #'mens { << \new MensuralStaff { \new MensuralVoice = Cantus \clef "mensural-c1" \MenStyle \Music } \new Lyrics \lyricsto Cantus \MenLyr >> } } \score { \keepWithTag #'mod { \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff { \new Voice = Sop \with { \remove "Note_heads_engraver" \consists "Completion_heads_engraver" \remove "Rest_engraver" \consists "Completion_rest_engraver" } { \shiftDurations 1 0 { \autoBeamOff \Music } } } \new Lyrics \lyricsto Sop \ModLyr >> } }
Vertically aligning ossias and lyrics
This snippet demonstrates the use of the context properties
alignBelowContext
and alignAboveContext
to control the
positioning of lyrics and ossias.
\relative c' << \new Staff = "1" { c4 c s2 } \new Staff = "2" { c4 c s2 } \new Staff = "3" { c4 c s2 } { \skip 2 << \lyrics { \set alignBelowContext = "1" lyrics4 below } \new Staff \with { alignAboveContext = "3" fontSize = -2 \override StaffSymbol.staff-space = #(magstep -2) \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } { \tuplet 6/4 { \override TextScript.padding = 3 c8[^"ossia above" d e d e f] } } >> } >> \paper { ragged-right = ##t }
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Vertically aligning stanza numbers of different staves
It can happen that stanza numbers don’t align vertically if the verses
are attached to different staves. To fix that, override the
self-alignment-X
property of the LyricText
grob.
\markup { default behavior } << \new Staff { b b b b } \lyrics { \set stanza = "3." a a a a } \new Staff { b b b b } \lyrics { \set stanza = "1." aaaaaaaaaa a a a } \lyrics { \set stanza = "2." a a a a } >> \markup \vspace #1 \markup { using \typewriter "self-alignment-X = #LEFT" } << \new Staff { b b b b } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { \set stanza = "3." a a a a } \new Staff { b b b b } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { \set stanza = "1." \once \override LyricText.self-alignment-X = #LEFT aaaaaaaaaa a a a } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { \set stanza = "2." a a a a } >> \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Vertically centered common lyrics
In a vocal piece where there are several (two, four or more) lines of lyrics and common lyrics for all voices at some point, the common lyrics may be made to appear vertically centered, as shown in the following example:
dropLyrics = { \override LyricText.extra-offset = #'(0 . -4.5) \override LyricHyphen.extra-offset = #'(0 . -4.5) \override LyricExtender.extra-offset = #'(0 . -4.5) \override StanzaNumber.extra-offset = #'(0 . -4.5) } raiseLyrics = { \revert LyricText.extra-offset \revert LyricHyphen.extra-offset \revert LyricExtender.extra-offset \revert StanzaNumber.extra-offset } skipFour = \repeat unfold 4 { \skip 8 } lyricsA = \lyricmode { The first verse has \dropLyrics \set stanza = #" All:" the com -- mon __ words \raiseLyrics used in all four. } lyricsB = \lyricmode { In stan -- za two, \skipFour al -- so ap -- pear. } lyricsC = \lyricmode { By the third verse, \skipFour are get -- ting dull. } lyricsD = \lyricmode { Last stan -- za, and \skipFour get used once more. } melody = \relative c' { c4 d e f | g f e8( e f) d | c4 e d c | } \score { << \new Voice = m \melody \new Lyrics \lyricsto m \lyricsA \new Lyrics \lyricsto m \lyricsB \new Lyrics \lyricsto m \lyricsC \new Lyrics \lyricsto m \lyricsD >> }
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Vocal ensemble template
Here is a standard four-part SATB vocal score. With larger ensembles, it is often useful to include a section which is included in all parts. For example, the time signature and key signature are almost always the same for all parts. Like in the “Hymn” template, the four voices are regrouped on only two staves.
\paper { top-system-spacing.basic-distance = 10 score-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 system-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 last-bottom-spacing.basic-distance = 10 } global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 } sopMusic = \relative { c''4 c c8[( b)] c4 } sopWords = \lyricmode { hi hi hi hi } altoMusic = \relative { e'4 f d e } altoWords = \lyricmode { ha ha ha ha } tenorMusic = \relative { g4 a f g } tenorWords = \lyricmode { hu hu hu hu } bassMusic = \relative { c4 c g c } bassWords = \lyricmode { ho ho ho ho } \score { \new ChoirStaff << \new Lyrics = "sopranos" \with { % this is needed for lyrics above a staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN } \new Staff = "women" << \new Voice = "sopranos" { \voiceOne << \global \sopMusic >> } \new Voice = "altos" { \voiceTwo << \global \altoMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics = "altos" \new Lyrics = "tenors" \with { % this is needed for lyrics above a staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN } \new Staff = "men" << \clef bass \new Voice = "tenors" { \voiceOne << \global \tenorMusic >> } \new Voice = "basses" { \voiceTwo << \global \bassMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics = "basses" \context Lyrics = "sopranos" \lyricsto "sopranos" \sopWords \context Lyrics = "altos" \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords \context Lyrics = "tenors" \lyricsto "tenors" \tenorWords \context Lyrics = "basses" \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords >> }
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Vocal ensemble template with automatic piano reduction
This template adds an automatic piano reduction to the standard SATB
vocal score demonstrated in “Vocal ensemble template”. This
demonstrates one of the strengths of LilyPond – you can use a music
definition more than once. If any changes are made to the vocal notes
(say, tenorMusic
), then the changes will also apply to the piano
reduction.
\paper { top-system-spacing.basic-distance = 10 score-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 system-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 last-bottom-spacing.basic-distance = 10 } global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 } sopMusic = \relative { c''4 c c8[( b)] c4 } sopWords = \lyricmode { hi hi hi hi } altoMusic = \relative { e'4 f d e } altoWords =\lyricmode { ha ha ha ha } tenorMusic = \relative { g4 a f g } tenorWords = \lyricmode { hu hu hu hu } bassMusic = \relative { c4 c g c } bassWords = \lyricmode { ho ho ho ho } \score { << \new ChoirStaff << \new Lyrics = "sopranos" \with { % This is needed for lyrics above a staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN } \new Staff = "women" << \new Voice = "sopranos" { \voiceOne << \global \sopMusic >> } \new Voice = "altos" { \voiceTwo << \global \altoMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics = "altos" \new Lyrics = "tenors" \with { % This is needed for lyrics above a staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN } \new Staff = "men" << \clef bass \new Voice = "tenors" { \voiceOne << \global \tenorMusic >> } \new Voice = "basses" { \voiceTwo << \global \bassMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics = "basses" \context Lyrics = "sopranos" \lyricsto "sopranos" \sopWords \context Lyrics = "altos" \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords \context Lyrics = "tenors" \lyricsto "tenors" \tenorWords \context Lyrics = "basses" \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords >> \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \set Staff.printPartCombineTexts = ##f \partCombine << \global \sopMusic >> << \global \altoMusic >> >> \new Staff << \clef bass \set Staff.printPartCombineTexts = ##f \partCombine << \global \tenorMusic >> << \global \bassMusic >> >> >> >> }
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Vocal ensemble template with lyrics aligned below and above the staves
This template is basically the same as the simple “Vocal ensemble”
template, with the exception that here all the lyrics lines are placed
using alignAboveContext
and alignBelowContext
.
global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 } sopMusic = \relative c'' { c4 c c8[( b)] c4 } sopWords = \lyricmode { hi hi hi hi } altoMusic = \relative c' { e4 f d e } altoWords = \lyricmode { ha ha ha ha } tenorMusic = \relative c' { g4 a f g } tenorWords = \lyricmode { hu hu hu hu } bassMusic = \relative c { c4 c g c } bassWords = \lyricmode { ho ho ho ho } \score { \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff = "women" << \new Voice = "sopranos" { \voiceOne << \global \sopMusic >> } \new Voice = "altos" { \voiceTwo << \global \altoMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics \with { alignAboveContext = "women" } \lyricsto "sopranos" \sopWords \new Lyrics \with { alignBelowContext = "women" } \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords % we could remove the line about this with the line below, since % we want the alto lyrics to be below the alto Voice anyway. % \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords \new Staff = "men" << \clef bass \new Voice = "tenors" { \voiceOne << \global \tenorMusic >> } \new Voice = "basses" { \voiceTwo << \global \bassMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics \with { alignAboveContext = "men" } \lyricsto "tenors" \tenorWords \new Lyrics \with { alignBelowContext = "men" } \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords % again, we could replace the line above this with the line below. % \new Lyrics \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords >> }
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Vocal ensemble template with verse and refrain
This template creates a score that starts with a solo verse and
continues into a refrain for two voices. It also demonstrates the use
of spacer rests within the \global
variable to define meter
changes (and other elements common to all parts) throughout the entire
score.
\header { tagline = ##f } global = { \key g \major % verse \time 3/4 s2.*2 \break % refrain \time 2/4 s2*2 \bar "|." } SoloNotes = \relative g' { \clef "treble" % verse g4 g g | b4 b b | % refrain R2*2 | } SoloLyrics = \lyricmode { One two three | four five six | } SopranoNotes = \relative c'' { \clef "treble" % verse R2.*2 | % refrain c4 c | g4 g | } SopranoLyrics = \lyricmode { la la | la la | } BassNotes = \relative c { \clef "bass" % verse R2.*2 | % refrain c4 e | d4 d | } BassLyrics = \lyricmode { dum dum | dum dum | } \score { << \new Voice = "SoloVoice" << \global \SoloNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "SoloVoice" \SoloLyrics \new ChoirStaff << \new Voice = "SopranoVoice" << \global \SopranoNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "SopranoVoice" \SopranoLyrics \new Voice = "BassVoice" << \global \BassNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "BassVoice" \BassLyrics >> >> \layout { ragged-right = ##t \context { \Staff % these lines prevent empty staves from being printed \RemoveEmptyStaves \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-first = ##t } } }
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[ < Vocal ensemble template with verse and refrain ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Adding a figured bass above or below the notes > ] |
Chords
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[ < Chords ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Adding bar lines to ChordNames context > ] |
Adding a figured bass above or below the notes
When writing a figured bass, you can place the figures above or below
the bass notes, by defining the
BassFigureAlignmentPositioning.direction
property (exclusively
in a Staff
context). Choices are #UP
(or #1
),
#CENTER
(or #0
) and #DOWN
(or #-1
).
This property can be changed as many times as you wish. Use
\once \override
if you don’t want the override to apply to the
whole score.
bass = { \clef bass g4 b, c d e d8 c d2 } continuo = \figuremode { <_>4 <6>4 <5/>4 \override Staff.BassFigureAlignmentPositioning.direction = #UP %\bassFigureStaffAlignmentUp < _+ >4 <6> \set Staff.useBassFigureExtenders = ##t \override Staff.BassFigureAlignmentPositioning.direction = #DOWN %\bassFigureStaffAlignmentDown <4>4. <4>8 <_+>4 } \score { << \new Staff = bassStaff \bass \context Staff = bassStaff \continuo >> }
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[ < Adding a figured bass above or below the notes ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Adjusting figured bass alteration glyphs > ] |
Adding bar lines to ChordNames context
To add bar line indications in the ChordNames
context, add the
Bar_engraver
.
\new ChordNames \with { \override BarLine.bar-extent = #'(-2 . 2) \consists "Bar_engraver" } \chordmode { f1:maj7 f:7 bes:7 }
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[ < Adding bar lines to ChordNames context ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Changing chord separator > ] |
Adjusting figured bass alteration glyphs
In figured bass, specially designed glyphs for 6\\
,
7\\
, and 9\\
are used by default. Similarly,
specially designed glyphs for symbols 2\+
, 4\+
, and
5\+
are used by default if plus signs appear after the number.
To change that, pass an alist to figuredBassPlusStrokedAlist
and
set the glyph in question to #f
(or omit it).
\figures { \set figuredBassPlusDirection = #RIGHT <6\\> <7\\> <9\\> r <2\+> <4\+> <5\+> r \set figuredBassPlusStrokedAlist = #'((2 . "figbass.twoplus") ;; (4 . "figbass.fourplus") ;; (5 . "figbass.fiveplus") (6 . "figbass.sixstroked") ;; (7 . "figbass.sevenstroked") ;; (9 . "figbass.ninestroked") ) <6\\> <7\\> <9\\> r <2\+> <4\+> <5\+> r }
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[ < Adjusting figured bass alteration glyphs ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Changing the chord names to German or semi-German notation > ] |
Changing chord separator
The separator between different parts of a chord name can be set to any markup.
\chords { c:7sus4 \set chordNameSeparator = \markup { \typewriter | } c:7sus4 }
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[ < Changing chord separator ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Changing the positions of figured bass alterations > ] |
Changing the chord names to German or semi-German notation
The english naming of chords (default) can be changed to german
(\germanChords
replaces B and Bes with H and B) or semi-german
(\semiGermanChords
replaces B and Bes with H and Bb).
scm = \chordmode { c1/c | cis/cis b1/b | bis/bis | bes/bes } \layout { ragged-right = ##t \context { \ChordNames \consists "Instrument_name_engraver" } } << \new ChordNames { \set instrumentName = #"default" \scm } \new ChordNames { \set instrumentName = #"german" \germanChords \scm } \new ChordNames { \set instrumentName = #"semi-german" \semiGermanChords \scm } \new ChordNames { \set instrumentName = #"italian" \italianChords \scm } \new ChordNames { \set instrumentName = #"french" \frenchChords \scm } \context Voice { \scm } >>
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[ < Changing the chord names to German or semi-German notation ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Chord name exceptions > ] |
Changing the positions of figured bass alterations
Accidentals and plus signs can appear before or after the numbers,
depending on the figuredBassAlterationDirection
and
figuredBassPlusDirection
properties.
If plus signs appear after the number, specially designed glyphs are provided for some figures.
\figures { <5\+> <5+ 4\+> <6 4- 2\+> r \set figuredBassAlterationDirection = #RIGHT <5\+> <5+ 4\+> <6 4- 2\+> r \set figuredBassPlusDirection = #RIGHT <5\+> <5+ 4\+> <6 4- 2\+> r \set figuredBassAlterationDirection = #LEFT <5\+> <5+ 4\+> <6 4- 2\+> r }
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[ < Changing the positions of figured bass alterations ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ chord name major7 > ] |
Chord name exceptions
The property chordNameExceptions
can be used to store a list of
special notations for specific chords.
% modify maj9 and 6(add9) % Exception music is chords with markups chExceptionMusic = { <c e g b d'>1-\markup { \super "maj9" } <c e g a d'>1-\markup { \super "6(add9)" } } % Convert music to list and prepend to existing exceptions. chExceptions = #(append (sequential-music-to-chord-exceptions chExceptionMusic #t) ignatzekExceptions) theMusic = \chordmode { g1:maj9 g1:6.9 \set chordNameExceptions = #chExceptions g1:maj9 g1:6.9 } \layout { ragged-right = ##t } << \new ChordNames \theMusic \new Voice \theMusic >>
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chord name major7
The layout of the major 7 can be tuned with majorSevenSymbol
.
\chords { c:7+ \set majorSevenSymbol = \markup { j7 } c:7+ }
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[ < chord name major7 ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Chords with stretched fingering for FretBoards and TabVoice > ] |
Chord names alternative
Chord names are generated from a list of pitches. The functions which construct these names can be customised.
Here are shown chords following Ignatzek (pp. 17-18, 1995), used by default since LilyPond 1.7.20, compared with an alternative Jazz chord notation and Harald Banter’s (1987) notation. A smaller font is used in the latter case, as these tend to be overly verbose.
This mirrors the mechanism originally used in early LilyPond versions (pre-1.7); not having been properly maintained, however, some features have been lost (mainly chord exception lists) and bugs have been introduced.
%%%% Legacy chord naming functions (formerly in scm/chord-generic-names.scm) %%%% Copyright (C) 2003--2023 Jan Nieuwenhuizen <janneke@gnu.org> #(set-global-staff-size 19.7) #(define-public (banter-chordnames pitches bass inversion context) (old_chord->markup 'banter pitches bass inversion context)) #(define-public (jazz-chordnames pitches bass inversion context) (old_chord->markup 'jazz pitches bass inversion context)) #(define (define-translator-property symbol type? description) (if (not (and (symbol? symbol) (procedure? type?) (string? description))) (ly:error "error in call of define-translator-property")) (if (not (equal? (object-property symbol 'translation-doc) #f)) (ly:error (G_ "symbol ~S redefined") symbol)) (set-object-property! symbol 'translation-type? type?) (set-object-property! symbol 'translation-doc description) symbol) #(for-each (lambda (x) (apply define-translator-property x)) `((chordNameExceptionsFull ,list? "An alist of full chord exceptions. Contains @code{(@var{chord} . @var{markup})} entries.") (chordNameExceptionsPartial ,list? "An alist of partial chord exceptions. Contains @code{(@var{chord} . (@var{prefix-markup} @var{suffix-markup}))} entries."))) #(define-public (old_chord->markup style pitches bass inversion context) "Entry point for @code{Chord_name_engraver}. @var{pitches}, @var{bass}, and @var{inversion} are lily pitches." (define (default-note-namer pitch) (note-name->markup pitch #f)) (define (markup-or-empty-markup markup) "Return MARKUP if markup, else empty-markup" (if (markup? markup) markup empty-markup)) (define (accidental->markup alteration) "Return accidental markup for ALTERATION." (if (= alteration 0) (make-line-markup (list empty-markup)) (conditional-kern-before (alteration->text-accidental-markup alteration) (= alteration FLAT) 0.094725))) (define (list-minus a b) "Return list of elements in A that are not in B." (lset-difference eq? a b)) (define (markup-join markups sep) "Return line-markup of MARKUPS, joining them with markup SEP" (if (pair? markups) (make-line-markup (list-insert-separator markups sep)) empty-markup)) (define (conditional-kern-before markup bool amount) "Add AMOUNT of space before MARKUP if BOOL is true." (if bool (make-line-markup (list (make-hspace-markup amount) markup)) markup)) (define (step-nr pitch) (let* ((pitch-nr (+ (* 7 (ly:pitch-octave pitch)) (ly:pitch-notename pitch))) (root-nr (+ (* 7 (ly:pitch-octave (car pitches))) (ly:pitch-notename (car pitches))))) (+ 1 (- pitch-nr root-nr)))) (define (next-third pitch) (+ pitch (ly:make-pitch 0 2 (if (or (= (step-nr pitch) 3) (= (step-nr pitch) 5)) FLAT 0)))) (define (step-alteration pitch) (let* ((normalized-pitch (- pitch (car pitches))) (alteration (ly:pitch-alteration normalized-pitch))) (if (= (step-nr pitch) 7) (+ alteration SEMI-TONE) alteration))) (define (pitch-unalter pitch) (let ((alteration (step-alteration pitch))) (if (= alteration 0) pitch (ly:make-pitch (ly:pitch-octave pitch) (ly:pitch-notename pitch) (- (ly:pitch-alteration pitch) alteration))))) (define (step-even-or-altered? pitch) (let ((nr (step-nr pitch))) (if (!= (modulo nr 2) 0) (!= (step-alteration pitch) 0) #t))) (define (step->markup-plusminus pitch) (let ((alt (step-alteration pitch))) (make-line-markup (list (number->string (step-nr pitch)) (cond ((= alt DOUBLE-FLAT) "--") ((= alt FLAT) "-") ((= alt NATURAL) "") ((= alt SHARP) "+") ((= alt DOUBLE-SHARP) "++")))))) (define (step->markup-accidental pitch) (make-line-markup (list (accidental->markup (step-alteration pitch)) (make-simple-markup (number->string (step-nr pitch)))))) (define (step->markup-ignatzek pitch) (make-line-markup (if (and (= (step-nr pitch) 7) (= (step-alteration pitch) 1)) (list (ly:context-property context 'majorSevenSymbol)) (list (accidental->markup (step-alteration pitch)) (make-simple-markup (number->string (step-nr pitch))))))) ;; tja, kennok (define (make-sub->markup step->markup) (lambda (pitch) (make-line-markup (list (make-simple-markup "no") (step->markup pitch))))) (define (step-based-sub->markup step->markup pitch) (make-line-markup (list (make-simple-markup "no") (step->markup pitch)))) (define (get-full-list pitch) (if (<= (step-nr pitch) (step-nr (last pitches))) (cons pitch (get-full-list (next-third pitch))) '())) (define (get-consecutive nr pitches) (if (pair? pitches) (let* ((pitch-nr (step-nr (car pitches))) (next-nr (if (!= (modulo pitch-nr 2) 0) (+ pitch-nr 2) nr))) (if (<= pitch-nr nr) (cons (car pitches) (get-consecutive next-nr (cdr pitches))) '())) '())) ;;; FIXME -- exceptions no longer work. -vv (define (full-match exceptions) (if (pair? exceptions) (let* ((e (car exceptions)) (e-pitches (car e))) (if (equal? e-pitches pitches) e (full-match (cdr exceptions)))) #f)) (define (partial-match exceptions) (if (pair? exceptions) (let* ((e (car exceptions)) (e-pitches (car e))) (if (equal? e-pitches (take pitches (length e-pitches))) e (partial-match (cdr exceptions)))) #f)) ;; FIXME: exceptions don't work anyway. (if #f (begin (write-me "pitches: " pitches))) (let* ((full-exceptions (ly:context-property context 'chordNameExceptionsFull)) (full-exception (full-match full-exceptions)) (full-markup (if full-exception (cadr full-exception) '())) (partial-exceptions (ly:context-property context 'chordNameExceptionsPartial)) (partial-exception (partial-match partial-exceptions)) (partial-pitches (if partial-exception (car partial-exception) '())) (partial-markup-prefix (if partial-exception (markup-or-empty-markup (cadr partial-exception)) empty-markup)) (partial-markup-suffix (if (and partial-exception (pair? (cddr partial-exception))) (markup-or-empty-markup (caddr partial-exception)) empty-markup)) (root (car pitches)) (full (get-full-list root)) ;; kludge alert: replace partial matched lower part of all with ;; 'normal' pitches from full ;; (all pitches) (all (append (take full (length partial-pitches)) (drop pitches (length partial-pitches)))) (highest (last all)) (missing (list-minus full (map pitch-unalter all))) (consecutive (get-consecutive 1 all)) (rest (list-minus all consecutive)) (altered (filter step-even-or-altered? all)) (cons-alt (filter step-even-or-altered? consecutive)) (base (list-minus consecutive altered))) (if #f (begin (write-me "full:" full) ;; (write-me "partial-pitches:" partial-pitches) (write-me "full-markup:" full-markup) (write-me "partial-markup-perfix:" partial-markup-prefix) (write-me "partial-markup-suffix:" partial-markup-suffix) (write-me "all:" all) (write-me "altered:" altered) (write-me "missing:" missing) (write-me "consecutive:" consecutive) (write-me "rest:" rest) (write-me "base:" base))) (case style ((banter) ;; root ;; + steps:altered + (highest all -- if not altered) ;; + subs:missing (let* ((root->markup default-note-namer) (step->markup step->markup-plusminus) (sub->markup (lambda (x) (step-based-sub->markup step->markup x))) (sep (make-simple-markup "/"))) (if (pair? full-markup) (make-line-markup (list (root->markup root) full-markup)) (make-line-markup (list (root->markup root) partial-markup-prefix (make-super-markup (markup-join (append (map step->markup (append altered (if (and (> (step-nr highest) 5) (not (step-even-or-altered? highest))) (list highest) '()))) (list partial-markup-suffix) (map sub->markup missing)) sep))))))) ((jazz) ;; root ;; + steps:(highest base) + cons-alt ;; + 'add' ;; + steps:rest (let* ((root->markup default-note-namer) (step->markup step->markup-ignatzek) (sep (make-simple-markup " ")) (add-prefix (make-simple-markup " add"))) (if (pair? full-markup) (make-line-markup (list (root->markup root) full-markup)) (make-line-markup (list (root->markup root) partial-markup-prefix (make-super-markup (make-line-markup (list ;; kludge alert: omit <= 5 ;;(markup-join (map step->markup ;; (cons (last base) cons-alt)) sep) ;; This fixes: ;; c C5 -> C ;; c:2 C5 2 -> C2 ;; c:3- Cm5 -> Cm ;; c:6.9 C5 6add9 -> C6 add 9 (add?) ;; ch = \chords { c c:2 c:3- c:6.9^7 } (markup-join (map step->markup (let ((tb (last base))) (if (> (step-nr tb) 5) (cons tb cons-alt) cons-alt))) sep) (if (pair? rest) add-prefix empty-markup) (markup-join (map step->markup rest) sep) partial-markup-suffix)))))))) (else empty-markup)))) %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %%%% %%%% Here begins the actual snippet: chs = \transpose c' c' { <c e g>1 <c es g> % m = minor triad <c e gis> <c es ges> \break <c e g bes> <c es g bes> <c e g b> % triangle = maj <c es ges beses> <c es ges b> \break <c e gis bes> <c es g b> <c e gis b> <c es ges bes> \break <c e g a> % 6 = major triad with added sixth <c es g a> % m6 = minor triad with added sixth <c e g bes d'> <c es g bes d'> \break <c es g bes d' f' a' > <c es g bes d' f' > <c es ges bes d' > <c e g bes des' > \break <c e g bes dis'> <c e g bes d' f'> <c e g bes d' fis'> <c e g bes d' f' a'> \break <c e g bes d' fis' as'> <c e gis bes dis'> <c e g bes dis' fis'> <c e g bes d' f' as'> \break <c e g bes des' f' as'> <c e g bes d' fis'> <c e g b d'> <c e g bes d' f' as'> \break <c e g bes des' f' as'> <c e g bes des' f' a'> <c e g b d'> <c e g b d' f' a'> \break <c e g b d' fis'> <c e g bes des' f ' a'> <c f g> <c f g bes> \break <c f g bes d'> <c e g d'> % add9 <c es g f'> <c e g b fis'> % Lydian <c e g bes des' ees' fis' aes'> % altered chord } %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % alternate Jazz notation efullmusicJazzAlt = { <c e gis>1-\markup { "+" } <c e g b>-\markup { \normal-size-super % \override #'(font-family . math) "N" \override #'(font-family . math) "M" } %%c:3.5.7 = \markup { \override #'(font-family . math) "M" } %%c:3.5.7 = \markup { \normal-size-super "maj7" } <c es ges>-\markup { \super "o" } % should be $\circ$ ? <c es ges bes>-\markup { \super \combine "o" "/" } <c es ges beses>-\markup { \super "o7" } } efullJazzAlt = #(sequential-music-to-chord-exceptions efullmusicJazzAlt #f) epartialmusicJazzAlt = { <c d>1-\markup { \normal-size-super "2" } <c es>-\markup { "m" } <c f>-\markup { \normal-size-super "sus4" } <c g>-\markup { \normal-size-super "5" } %% TODO, partial exceptions <c es f>-\markup { "m" }-\markup { \normal-size-super "sus4" } <c d es>-\markup { "m" }-\markup { \normal-size-super "sus2" } } epartialJazzAlt = #(sequential-music-to-chord-exceptions epartialmusicJazzAlt #f) %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% \score { << \new ChordNames { %% Already set by default: %\set chordNameFunction = #ignatzek-chord-names \set instrumentName = "Ignatzek" \set shortInstrumentName = "Def" \chs } \new ChordNames { \set chordNameFunction = #jazz-chordnames \set majorSevenSymbol = \whiteTriangleMarkup \set chordNameSeparator = "/" \set chordNameExceptionsFull = \efullJazzAlt \set chordNameExceptionsPartial = \epartialJazzAlt \set instrumentName = "Alternative" \set shortInstrumentName = "Alt" \chs } %% This is the Banter (1987) style. It gives exceedingly %% verbose (wide) names, making the output file take up to 4 pages. \new ChordNames { \set chordNameFunction = #banter-chordnames \override ChordName.font-size = -3 \set instrumentName = "Banter" \set shortInstrumentName = "Ban" \chs } \new Staff \transpose c c' { \chs } >> \layout { #(layout-set-staff-size 16) system-system-spacing.basic-distance = 0 \context { \ChordNames \consists "Instrument_name_engraver" } \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } }
[ << Chords ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Keyboards >> ] |
[ < Chord names alternative ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Clusters > ] |
Chords with stretched fingering for FretBoards and TabVoice
Sometimes chords with a stretched fingering are required. If not
otherwise specified the context-property maximumFretStretch
is
set to 4
, though. Resulting in a warning about "No string for
pitch ..." and the note is omitted. You may set
maximumFretStretch
to an approppriate value or explecitely
assign string-numbers to all notes of a chord.
%% The code below will print two warnings, which may be omitted by uncommenting: %#(for-each (lambda (x) (ly:expect-warning "No string for pitch")) (iota 2)) mus = { <c' bes'> <c'\2 bes'> \set maximumFretStretch = 5 <c' bes'> <c'\2 bes'\1> } << \new FretBoards \mus \new TabVoice \mus >>
[ << Chords ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Keyboards >> ] |
[ < Chords with stretched fingering for FretBoards and TabVoice ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Controlling the placement of chord fingerings > ] |
Clusters
Clusters are a device to denote that a complete range of notes is to be played.
fragment = \relative c' { c4 f <e d'>4 <g a>8 <e a> a4 c2 <d b>4 e2 c } << \new Staff \fragment \new Staff \makeClusters \fragment >>
[ << Chords ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Keyboards >> ] |
[ < Clusters ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Cross-staff chords - beaming problems workaround > ] |
Controlling the placement of chord fingerings
The placement of fingering numbers can be controlled precisely. For
fingering orientation to apply, it must be used within a chord
construct <...>
, even for single notes. Orientation for string
numbers and right-hand fingerings may be set in a similar way.
\relative c' { \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down right up) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left) <c-1>2 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down) <e-3>2 \set stringNumberOrientations = #'(up left down) <f\3 a\2 c\1>1 \set strokeFingerOrientations = #'(down right up) <c\rightHandFinger 1 e\rightHandFinger 2 c'\rightHandFinger 4 > }
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[ < Controlling the placement of chord fingerings ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Customizing the chord grid style > ] |
Cross-staff chords - beaming problems workaround
Sometimes it is better to use stems from the upper staff for creating
cross-staff chords, because no problems with automatic beam collision
avoidance then arise. If the stems from the lower staff were used in
the following example, it would be necessary to change the automatic
beam collision avoidance settings so that it doesn’t detect collisions
between staves using
\override Staff.Beam.collision-voice-only = ##t
\new PianoStaff << \new Staff = up \relative c' { << { r4 \override Stem.cross-staff = ##t \override Stem.length = #19 % this is in half-spaces, % so it makes stems 9.5 staffspaces long \override Stem.Y-offset = #-6 % stems are normally lengthened % upwards, so here we must lower the stem by the amount % equal to the lengthening - in this case (19 - 7) / 2 % (7 is default stem length) e e e } { s4 \change Staff = "bottom" \override NoteColumn.ignore-collision = ##t c, c c } >> } \new Staff = bottom \relative c' { \clef bass \voiceOne g8 a g a g a g a } >>
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[ < Cross-staff chords - beaming problems workaround ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Customizing the no-chord symbol > ] |
Customizing the chord grid style
Custom divisions of chord squares can be defined through the
measure-division-lines-alist
and
measure-division-chord-placement-alist
properties of
ChordSquare
. These are both alists. Their keys are measure
divisions, namely lists which give the fraction of the measure that
each chord (or rest, or skip) represents. More precisely, a measure
division alist is made of positive, exact numbers adding up to 1, for
example: '(1/2 1/4 1/4)
. The exactness requirement means that,
e.g., 1/2
is valid but not 0.5
.
The values in measure-division-lines-alist
are lists of lines,
which are represented as
(x1 y1 x2 y2)
. The
line starts at the point (x1 . y1)
and
ends at (x2 . y2)
. Coordinates are
expressed in the [-1, 1] scale relative to the extent of the
square.
The values in measure-division-chord-placement-alist
are lists
of (x . y)
pairs giving the placement of
the respective chords.
This example defines a peculiar chord grid style that has a rule for measures divided in three equal parts.
\paper { line-width = 10\cm ragged-right = ##f } \new ChordGrid \with { \override ChordSquare.measure-division-lines-alist = #'(((1) . ()) ((1/3 1/3 1/3) . ((-1 -0.4 0 1) (0 -1 1 0.4)))) \override ChordSquare.measure-division-chord-placement-alist = #'(((1) . ((0 . 0))) ((1/3 1/3 1/3) . ((-0.7 . 0.5) (0 . 0) (0.7 . -0.5)))) } \chordmode { \time 3/4 c2. c4 c4 c4 }
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Customizing the no-chord symbol
By default, rests in a ChordNames
context cause the “N.C.”
symbol to be printed. This markup can be customized.
<< \chords { R1 \set noChordSymbol = "—" R1 \set noChordSymbol = \markup \italic "Ssh!" R1 } { R1*3 } >>
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[ < Customizing the no-chord symbol ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Manually break figured bass extenders for only some numbers > ] |
Displaying complex chords
Here is a way to display a chord where the same note is played twice with different accidentals.
fixA = { \once \override Stem.length = #11 } fixB = { \once \override NoteHead.X-offset = #1.7 \once \override Stem.length = #7 \once \override Stem.rotation = #'(45 0 0) \once \override Stem.extra-offset = #'(-0.1 . -0.2) \once \override Flag.style = #'no-flag \once \override Accidental.extra-offset = #'(4 . -.1) } \relative c' { << { \fixA <b d!>8 } \\ { \voiceThree \fixB dis } >> s }
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Manually break figured bass extenders for only some numbers
Figured bass often uses extenders to indicate continuation of the
corresponding step. However, in this case lilypond is in greedy-mode
and uses extenders whenever possible. To break individual extenders,
one can simply use a modifier \!
to a number, which breaks any
extender attributed to that number right before the number.
bassfigures = \figuremode { \set useBassFigureExtenders = ##t <6 4>4 <6 4\!> <6 4\!> <6 4\!> | <6\! 4\!> <6 4> <6 4\!> <6 4> } << \new Staff \relative c'' { c1 c1 } \new FiguredBass \bassfigures >>
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[ < Manually break figured bass extenders for only some numbers ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Showing chords at changes > ] |
Print ChordNames with same root and different bass as slash and bass-note
To print subsequent ChordNames
only differing in its bass note
as slash and bass note use the here defined engraver. The behaviour may
be controlled in detail by the chordChanges
context property.
#(define Bass_changes_equal_root_engraver (lambda (ctx) "For sequential @code{ChordNames} with same root, but different bass, the root markup is dropped: D D/C D/B -> D /C /B The behaviour may be controlled by setting the @code{chordChanges} context-property." (let ((chord-pitches '()) (last-chord-pitches '()) (bass-pitch #f)) (make-engraver ((initialize this-engraver) (let ((chord-note-namer (ly:context-property ctx 'chordNoteNamer))) ;; Set 'chordNoteNamer, respect user setting if already done (ly:context-set-property! ctx 'chordNoteNamer (if (procedure? chord-note-namer) chord-note-namer note-name->markup)))) (listeners ((note-event this-engraver event) (let* ((pitch (ly:event-property event 'pitch)) (pitch-name (ly:pitch-notename pitch)) (pitch-alt (ly:pitch-alteration pitch)) (bass (ly:event-property event 'bass #f)) (inversion (ly:event-property event 'inversion #f))) ;; Collect notes of the chord ;; - to compare inversed chords we need to collect the bass note ;; as usual member of the chord, whereas an added bass must be ;; treated separate from the usual chord-notes ;; - notes are stored as pairs containing their ;; pitch-name (an integer), i.e. disregarding their octave and ;; their alteration (cond (bass (set! bass-pitch pitch)) (inversion (set! bass-pitch pitch) (set! chord-pitches (cons (cons pitch-name pitch-alt) chord-pitches))) (else (set! chord-pitches (cons (cons pitch-name pitch-alt) chord-pitches))))))) (acknowledgers ((chord-name-interface this-engraver grob source-engraver) (let ((chord-changes (ly:context-property ctx 'chordChanges #f))) ;; If subsequent chords are equal apart from their bass, ;; reset the 'text-property. ;; Equality is done by comparing the sorted lists of this chord's ;; elements and the previous chord. Sorting is needed because ;; inverted chords may have a different order of pitches. ;; `chord-changes' needs to be true (if (and bass-pitch chord-changes (equal? (sort chord-pitches car<) (sort last-chord-pitches car<))) (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'text (make-line-markup (list (ly:context-property ctx 'slashChordSeparator) ((ly:context-property ctx 'chordNoteNamer) bass-pitch (ly:context-property ctx 'chordNameLowercaseMinor)))))) (set! last-chord-pitches chord-pitches) (set! chord-pitches '()) (set! bass-pitch #f)))) ((finalize this-engraver) (set! last-chord-pitches '())))))) myChords = \chordmode { %\germanChords \set chordChanges = ##t d2:m d:m/cis d:m/c \set chordChanges = ##f d:m/b e1:7 \set chordChanges = ##t e \break \once \set chordChanges = ##f e1/f e2/gis e/+gis e e:m/f d:m d:m/cis d:m/c \set chordChanges = ##f d:m/b } << \new ChordNames \with { \consists #Bass_changes_equal_root_engraver } \myChords \new Staff \myChords >>
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Showing chords at changes
By default, every chord entered is printed; this behavior can be modified so that chord names are printed only at the start of lines and when the chord changes.
harmonies = \chordmode { c1:m c:m \break c:m c:m d } << \new ChordNames { \set chordChanges = ##t \harmonies } \new Staff { \relative c' { \harmonies } } >>
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Simple lead sheet
When put together, chord names, a melody, and lyrics form a lead sheet:
<< \chords { c2 g:sus4 f e } \new Staff \relative c'' { a4 e c8 e r4 b2 c4( d) } \addlyrics { One day this shall be free __ } >>
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Single staff template with notes, lyrics, and chords
This template allows the preparation of a song with melody, words, and chords.
melody = \relative c' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } text = \lyricmode { Aaa Bee Cee Dee } harmonies = \chordmode { a2 c } \score { << \new ChordNames { \set chordChanges = ##t \harmonies } \new Voice = "one" { \autoBeamOff \melody } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "one" \text >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Single staff template with notes, lyrics, chords and frets
Here is a simple lead sheet template with melody, lyrics, chords and fret diagrams.
verseI = \lyricmode { \set stanza = #"1." This is the first verse } verseII = \lyricmode { \set stanza = #"2." This is the second verse. } theChords = \chordmode { % insert chords for chordnames and fretboards here c2 g4 c } staffMelody = \relative c' { \key c \major \clef treble % Type notes for melody here c4 d8 e f4 g \bar "|." } \score { << \context ChordNames { \theChords } \context FretBoards { \theChords } \new Staff { \context Voice = "voiceMelody" { \staffMelody } } \new Lyrics = "lyricsI" { \lyricsto "voiceMelody" \verseI } \new Lyrics = "lyricsII" { \lyricsto "voiceMelody" \verseII } >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Single staff template with notes and chords
Want to prepare a lead sheet with a melody and chords? Look no further!
melody = \relative c' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 f4 e8[ c] d4 g a2 ~ a } harmonies = \chordmode { c4:m f:min7 g:maj c:aug d2:dim b4:5 e:sus } \score { << \new ChordNames { \set chordChanges = ##t \harmonies } \new Staff \melody >> \layout{ } \midi { } }
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[ < Single staff template with notes and chords ] | [ Up : Chords ] | [ Volta below chords > ] |
Vertically centering paired figured bass extenders
Where figured bass extender lines are being used by setting
useBassFigureExtenders
to true, pairs of congruent figured bass
extender lines are vertically centered if
figuredBassCenterContinuations
is set to true.
<< \relative c' { c8 c b b a a c16 c b b c8 c b b a a c16 c b b c8 c b b a a c c b b } \figures { \set useBassFigureExtenders = ##t <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 r <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 <4 3+>16 r \set figuredBassCenterContinuations = ##t <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 r <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 <4 3+>16 r \set figuredBassCenterContinuations = ##f <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 r <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 <4 3+>8 } >>
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Volta below chords
By adding the Volta_engraver
to the relevant staff, volte can be
put under chords.
\score { << \chords { c1 c1 } \new Staff \with { \consists "Volta_engraver" } { \repeat volta 2 { c'1 } \alternative { c' } } >> \layout { \context { \Score \remove "Volta_engraver" } } }
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[ < Volta below chords ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Accordion-discant symbols > ] |
Keyboards
Keyboard and other multi-staff instruments
[ << Keyboards ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Percussion >> ] |
[ < Keyboards ] | [ Up : Keyboards ] | [ Accordion register symbols > ] |
Accordion-discant symbols
This snippet has been obsoleted by predefined markup commands, see
’Discant symbols’ in the Notation Reference. It’s still useful as a
simple demonstration of how to combine symbols: the placement of the
symbols added with \markup
can be tweaked by changing the
\translate-scaled
arguments. \translate-scaled
is used
here rather than \translate
in order to let the positioning of
the symbol parts adapt to changes of font-size
.
discant = \markup { \musicglyph "accordion.discant" } dot = \markup { \musicglyph "accordion.dot" } \layout { ragged-right = ##t } % 16 voets register accBasson = ^\markup { \combine \discant \translate-scaled #'(0 . 0.5) \dot } % een korig 8 en 16 voets register accBandon = ^\markup { \combine \discant \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 0.5) \dot \translate-scaled #'(0 . 1.5) \dot } accVCello = ^\markup { \combine \discant \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 0.5) \dot \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 1.5) \dot \translate-scaled #'(1 . 1.5) \dot } % 4-8-16 voets register accHarmon = ^\markup { \combine \discant \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 0.5) \dot \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 1.5) \dot \translate-scaled #'(0 . 2.5) \dot } accTrombon = ^\markup { \combine \discant \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 0.5) \dot \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 1.5) \dot \combine \translate-scaled #'(1 . 1.5) \dot \translate-scaled #'(-1 . 1.5) \dot } % eenkorig 4 en 16 voets register accOrgan = ^\markup { \combine \discant \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 0.5) \dot \translate-scaled #'(0 . 2.5) \dot } accMaster = ^\markup { \combine \discant \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 0.5) \dot \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 1.5) \dot \combine \translate-scaled #'(1 . 1.5) \dot \combine \translate-scaled #'(-1 . 1.5) \dot \translate-scaled #'(0 . 2.5) \dot } accAccord = ^\markup { \combine \discant \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 1.5) \dot \combine \translate-scaled #'(1 . 1.5) \dot \combine \translate-scaled #'(-1 . 1.5) \dot \translate-scaled #'(0 . 2.5) \dot } accMusette = ^\markup { \combine \discant \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 1.5) \dot \combine \translate-scaled #'(1 . 1.5) \dot \translate-scaled #'(-1 . 1.5) \dot } accCeleste = ^\markup { \combine \discant \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 1.5) \dot \translate-scaled #'(-1 . 1.5) \dot } accOboe = ^\markup { \combine \discant \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 1.5) \dot \translate-scaled #'(0 . 2.5) \dot } accClarin = ^\markup { \combine \discant \translate-scaled #'(0 . 1.5) \dot } accPiccolo = ^\markup { \combine \discant \translate-scaled #'(0 . 2.5) \dot } accViolin = ^\markup { \combine \discant \combine \translate-scaled #'(0 . 1.5) \dot \combine \translate-scaled #'(1 . 1.5) \dot \translate-scaled #'(0 . 2.5) \dot } \relative c'' { c4 d\accBasson e f c4 d\accBandon e f c4 d\accVCello e f c4 d\accHarmon e f c4 d\accTrombon e f \break c4 d\accOrgan e f c4 d\accMaster e f c4 d\accAccord e f c4 d\accMusette e f c4 d\accCeleste e f \break c4 d\accOboe e f c4 d\accClarin e f c4 d\accPiccolo e f c4 d\accViolin e f }
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[ < Accordion-discant symbols ] | [ Up : Keyboards ] | [ Changing the text for sustain markings > ] |
Accordion register symbols
Accordion register symbols are available as \markup
as well as
as standalone music events (as register changes tend to occur between
actual music events). Bass registers are not overly standardized. The
available commands can be found in ’Discant symbols’ in the Notation
Reference.
#(use-modules (lily accreg)) \new PianoStaff << \new Staff \relative { \clef treble \discant "10" r8 s32 f'[ bes f] s e[ a e] s d[ g d] s16 e32[ a] << { r16 <f bes> r <e a> r <d g> } \\ { d r a r bes r } >> | <cis e a>1 } \new Staff \relative { \clef treble \freeBass "1" r8 d'32 s16. c32 s16. bes32 s16. a32[ cis] s16 \clef bass \stdBass "Master" << { r16 <f, bes d>^"b" r <e a c>^"am" r <d g bes>^"gm" | <e a cis>1^"a" } \\ { d8_"D" c_"C" bes_"B" | a1_"A" } >> } >>
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[ < Accordion register symbols ] | [ Up : Keyboards ] | [ Clusters > ] |
Changing the text for sustain markings
Staff.pedalSustainStrings
can be used to set the text used for
pedal down and up. Note that the only valid strings are those found in
the list of pedal glyphs - the values used this snippet constitute an
exhaustive list.
sustainNotes = { c4\sustainOn d e\sustainOff\sustainOn f\sustainOff } \relative c' { \sustainNotes \set Staff.pedalSustainStrings = #'("P" "P-" "-") \sustainNotes \set Staff.pedalSustainStrings = #'("d" "de" "e") \sustainNotes \set Staff.pedalSustainStrings = #'("M" "M-" "-") \sustainNotes \set Staff.pedalSustainStrings = #'("Ped" "*Ped" "*") \sustainNotes }
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[ < Changing the text for sustain markings ] | [ Up : Keyboards ] | [ Controlling the placement of chord fingerings > ] |
Clusters
Clusters are a device to denote that a complete range of notes is to be played.
fragment = \relative c' { c4 f <e d'>4 <g a>8 <e a> a4 c2 <d b>4 e2 c } << \new Staff \fragment \new Staff \makeClusters \fragment >>
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[ < Clusters ] | [ Up : Keyboards ] | [ Creating slurs across voices > ] |
Controlling the placement of chord fingerings
The placement of fingering numbers can be controlled precisely. For
fingering orientation to apply, it must be used within a chord
construct <...>
, even for single notes. Orientation for string
numbers and right-hand fingerings may be set in a similar way.
\relative c' { \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down right up) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left) <c-1>2 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down) <e-3>2 \set stringNumberOrientations = #'(up left down) <f\3 a\2 c\1>1 \set strokeFingerOrientations = #'(down right up) <c\rightHandFinger 1 e\rightHandFinger 2 c'\rightHandFinger 4 > }
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[ < Controlling the placement of chord fingerings ] | [ Up : Keyboards ] | [ Cross-staff chords - beaming problems workaround > ] |
Creating slurs across voices
In some situations, it may be necessary to create slurs between notes
from different voices. The solution is to add invisible notes to one of
the voices, using \hideNotes
.
This example is measure 235 of the Ciaconna from Bach’s 2nd Partita for solo violin, BWV 1004.
\relative c' { << { d16( a') s a s a[ s a] s a[ s a] } \\ { \slurUp bes,16[ s e]( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes f[( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes fis]( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes g[( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes gis]( \hideNotes a) } >> }
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[ < Creating slurs across voices ] | [ Up : Keyboards ] | [ Cross-staff tremolos > ] |
Cross-staff chords - beaming problems workaround
Sometimes it is better to use stems from the upper staff for creating
cross-staff chords, because no problems with automatic beam collision
avoidance then arise. If the stems from the lower staff were used in
the following example, it would be necessary to change the automatic
beam collision avoidance settings so that it doesn’t detect collisions
between staves using
\override Staff.Beam.collision-voice-only = ##t
\new PianoStaff << \new Staff = up \relative c' { << { r4 \override Stem.cross-staff = ##t \override Stem.length = #19 % this is in half-spaces, % so it makes stems 9.5 staffspaces long \override Stem.Y-offset = #-6 % stems are normally lengthened % upwards, so here we must lower the stem by the amount % equal to the lengthening - in this case (19 - 7) / 2 % (7 is default stem length) e e e } { s4 \change Staff = "bottom" \override NoteColumn.ignore-collision = ##t c, c c } >> } \new Staff = bottom \relative c' { \clef bass \voiceOne g8 a g a g a g a } >>
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[ < Cross-staff chords - beaming problems workaround ] | [ Up : Keyboards ] | [ Fine-tuning pedal brackets > ] |
Cross-staff tremolos
Since \repeat tremolo
expects exactly two musical arguments for
chord tremolos, the note or chord which changes staff within a
cross-staff tremolo should be placed inside curly braces together with
its \change Staff
command.
\new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "up" \relative c'' { \key a \major \time 3/8 s4. } \new Staff = "down" \relative c'' { \key a \major \time 3/8 \voiceOne \repeat tremolo 6 { <a e'>32 { \change Staff = "up" \voiceTwo <cis a' dis>32 } } } >>
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[ < Cross-staff tremolos ] | [ Up : Keyboards ] | [ Indicating cross-staff chords with arpeggio bracket > ] |
Fine-tuning pedal brackets
The appearance of pedal brackets may be altered in different ways.
\paper { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c'' { c2\sostenutoOn c c2\sostenutoOff c \once \override Staff.PianoPedalBracket.shorten-pair = #'(-7 . -2) c2\sostenutoOn c c2\sostenutoOff c \once \override Staff.PianoPedalBracket.edge-height = #'(0 . 3) c2\sostenutoOn c c2\sostenutoOff c }
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[ < Fine-tuning pedal brackets ] | [ Up : Keyboards ] | [ Jazz combo template > ] |
Indicating cross-staff chords with arpeggio bracket
An arpeggio bracket can indicate that notes on two different staves are
to be played with the same hand. In order to do this, the
PianoStaff
must be set to accept cross-staff arpeggios and the
arpeggios must be set to the bracket shape in the PianoStaff
context.
(Debussy, Les collines d’Anacapri, m. 65)
\new PianoStaff << \set PianoStaff.connectArpeggios = ##t \override PianoStaff.Arpeggio.stencil = #ly:arpeggio::brew-chord-bracket \new Staff { \relative c' { \key b \major \time 6/8 b8-.(\arpeggio fis'-.\> cis-. e-. gis-. b-.)\!\fermata^\laissezVibrer \bar "||" } } \new Staff { \relative c' { \clef bass \key b \major << { <a e cis>2.\arpeggio } \\ { <a, e a,>2. } >> } } >>
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[ < Indicating cross-staff chords with arpeggio bracket ] | [ Up : Keyboards ] | [ Laissez vibrer ties > ] |
Jazz combo template
This is quite an advanced template, for a jazz ensemble. Note that all
instruments are notated in \key c \major
. This refers to the
key in concert pitch; the key will be automatically transposed if the
music is within a \transpose
section.
\header { title = "Song" subtitle = "(tune)" composer = "Me" meter = "moderato" piece = "Swing" tagline = \markup { \column { "LilyPond example file by Amelie Zapf," "Berlin 07/07/2003" } } } % To make the example display in the documentation \paper { paper-width = 130 } %#(set-global-staff-size 16) \include "english.ly" %%%%%%%%%%%% Some macros %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% sl = { \override NoteHead.style = #'slash \hide Stem } nsl = { \revert NoteHead.style \undo \hide Stem } crOn = \override NoteHead.style = #'cross crOff = \revert NoteHead.style %% insert chord name style stuff here. jazzChords = { } %%%%%%%%%%%% Keys'n'thangs %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% global = { \time 4/4 } Key = { \key c \major } % ############ Horns ############ % ------ Trumpet ------ trpt = \transpose c d \relative c'' { \Key c1 | c | c | } trpHarmony = \transpose c' d { \jazzChords } trumpet = { \global \clef treble << \trpt >> } % ------ Alto Saxophone ------ alto = \transpose c a \relative c' { \Key c1 | c | c | } altoHarmony = \transpose c' a { \jazzChords } altoSax = { \global \clef treble << \alto >> } % ------ Baritone Saxophone ------ bari = \transpose c a' \relative c { \Key c1 c1 \sl d4^"Solo" d d d \nsl } bariHarmony = \transpose c' a \chordmode { \jazzChords s1 s d2:maj e:m7 } bariSax = { \global \clef treble << \bari >> } % ------ Trombone ------ tbone = \relative c { \Key c1 | c | c } tboneHarmony = \chordmode { \jazzChords } trombone = { \global \clef bass << \tbone >> } % ############ Rhythm Section ############# % ------ Guitar ------ gtr = \relative c'' { \Key c1 \sl b4 b b b \nsl c1 } gtrHarmony = \chordmode { \jazzChords s1 c2:min7+ d2:maj9 } guitar = { \global \clef treble << \gtr >> } %% ------ Piano ------ rhUpper = \relative c'' { \voiceOne \Key c1 | c | c } rhLower = \relative c' { \voiceTwo \Key e1 | e | e } lhUpper = \relative c' { \voiceOne \Key g1 | g | g } lhLower = \relative c { \voiceTwo \Key c1 | c | c } PianoRH = { \clef treble \global << \new Voice = "one" \rhUpper \new Voice = "two" \rhLower >> } PianoLH = { \clef bass \global << \new Voice = "one" \lhUpper \new Voice = "two" \lhLower >> } piano = { << \new Staff = "upper" \PianoRH \new Staff = "lower" \PianoLH >> } % ------ Bass Guitar ------ Bass = \relative c { \Key c1 | c | c } bass = { \global \clef bass << \Bass >> } % ------ Drums ------ up = \drummode { \voiceOne hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> } down = \drummode { \voiceTwo bd4 s bd s bd4 s bd s bd4 s bd s } drumContents = { \global << \new DrumVoice \up \new DrumVoice \down >> } %%%%%%%%% It All Goes Together Here %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% \score { << \new StaffGroup = "horns" << \new Staff = "trumpet" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet" } \trumpet \new Staff = "altosax" \with { instrumentName = "Alto Sax" } \altoSax \new ChordNames = "barichords" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet" } \bariHarmony \new Staff = "barisax" \with { instrumentName = "Bari Sax" } \bariSax \new Staff = "trombone" \with { instrumentName = "Trombone" } \trombone >> \new StaffGroup = "rhythm" << \new ChordNames = "chords" \gtrHarmony \new Staff = "guitar" \with { instrumentName = "Guitar" } \guitar \new PianoStaff = "piano" \with { instrumentName = "Piano" midiInstrument = "acoustic grand" } \piano \new Staff = "bass" \with { instrumentName = "Bass" } \bass \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = "Drums" } \drumContents >> >> \layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves } \context { \Score \override BarNumber.padding = 3 \override RehearsalMark.padding = 2 skipBars = ##t } } \midi { } }
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Laissez vibrer ties
Laissez vibrer ties have a fixed size. Their formatting can be tuned
using 'tie-configuration
.
\relative c' { <c e g>4\laissezVibrer r <c f g>\laissezVibrer r <c d f g>4\laissezVibrer r <c d f g>4.\laissezVibrer r8 <c d e f>4\laissezVibrer r \override LaissezVibrerTieColumn.tie-configuration = #`((-7 . ,DOWN) (-5 . ,DOWN) (-3 . ,UP) (-1 . ,UP)) <c d e f>4\laissezVibrer r }
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Piano template (simple)
Here is a simple piano staff with some notes.
upper = \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } lower = \relative c { \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4 a2 c } \score { \new PianoStaff \with { instrumentName = "Piano" } << \new Staff = "upper" \upper \new Staff = "lower" \lower >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Piano template with centered lyrics
Instead of having a full staff for the melody and lyrics, lyrics can be centered between the staves of a piano staff.
upper = \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } lower = \relative c { \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4 a2 c } text = \lyricmode { Aaa Bee Cee Dee } \score { \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = upper { \new Voice = "singer" \upper } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "singer" \text \new Staff = lower { \lower } >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Piano template with melody and lyrics
Here is a typical song format: one staff with the melody and lyrics, with piano accompaniment underneath.
melody = \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a b c d } text = \lyricmode { Aaa Bee Cee Dee } upper = \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } lower = \relative c { \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4 a2 c } \score { << \new Voice = "mel" { \autoBeamOff \melody } \new Lyrics \lyricsto mel \text \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "upper" \upper \new Staff = "lower" \lower >> >> \layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves } } \midi { } }
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Removing brace on first line of piano score
This snippet removes the first brace from a PianoStaff
or a
GrandStaff
, together with the clefs.
It may be useful when cutting and pasting the engraved image into existing music.
It uses \alterBroken
.
someMusic = { \once \override Staff.Clef.stencil = ##f \once \override Staff.TimeSignature.stencil = ##f \repeat unfold 3 c1 \break \repeat unfold 5 c1 \break \repeat unfold 5 c1 } \score { \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "right" \relative c'' \someMusic \new Staff = "left" \relative c' { \clef F \someMusic } >> \layout { indent=75 \context { \PianoStaff \alterBroken transparent #'(#t) SystemStartBrace } } } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Using autochange with more than one voice
Using autochange
with more than one voice.
\score { \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "up" { << \set Timing.beamExceptions = #'() \set Timing.beatStructure = #'(4) \new Voice { \voiceOne \autoChange \relative c' { g8 a b c d e f g g,8 a b c d e f g } } \new Voice { \voiceTwo \autoChange \relative c' { g8 a b c d e f g g,,8 a b c d e f g } } >> } \new Staff = "down" { \clef bass } >> }
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Vocal ensemble template with automatic piano reduction
This template adds an automatic piano reduction to the standard SATB
vocal score demonstrated in “Vocal ensemble template”. This
demonstrates one of the strengths of LilyPond – you can use a music
definition more than once. If any changes are made to the vocal notes
(say, tenorMusic
), then the changes will also apply to the piano
reduction.
\paper { top-system-spacing.basic-distance = 10 score-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 system-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 last-bottom-spacing.basic-distance = 10 } global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 } sopMusic = \relative { c''4 c c8[( b)] c4 } sopWords = \lyricmode { hi hi hi hi } altoMusic = \relative { e'4 f d e } altoWords =\lyricmode { ha ha ha ha } tenorMusic = \relative { g4 a f g } tenorWords = \lyricmode { hu hu hu hu } bassMusic = \relative { c4 c g c } bassWords = \lyricmode { ho ho ho ho } \score { << \new ChoirStaff << \new Lyrics = "sopranos" \with { % This is needed for lyrics above a staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN } \new Staff = "women" << \new Voice = "sopranos" { \voiceOne << \global \sopMusic >> } \new Voice = "altos" { \voiceTwo << \global \altoMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics = "altos" \new Lyrics = "tenors" \with { % This is needed for lyrics above a staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN } \new Staff = "men" << \clef bass \new Voice = "tenors" { \voiceOne << \global \tenorMusic >> } \new Voice = "basses" { \voiceTwo << \global \bassMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics = "basses" \context Lyrics = "sopranos" \lyricsto "sopranos" \sopWords \context Lyrics = "altos" \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords \context Lyrics = "tenors" \lyricsto "tenors" \tenorWords \context Lyrics = "basses" \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords >> \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \set Staff.printPartCombineTexts = ##f \partCombine << \global \sopMusic >> << \global \altoMusic >> >> \new Staff << \clef bass \set Staff.printPartCombineTexts = ##f \partCombine << \global \tenorMusic >> << \global \bassMusic >> >> >> >> }
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Percussion
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Adding drum parts
Using the powerful pre-configured tools such as the \drummode
function and the DrumStaff
context, inputting drum parts is
quite easy: drums are placed at their own staff positions (with a
special clef symbol) and have note heads according to the drum.
Attaching an extra symbol to the drum or restricting the number of
lines is possible.
drh = \drummode { cymc4.^"crash" hhc16^"h.h." hh hhc8 hho hhc8 hh16 hh hhc4 r4 r2 } drl = \drummode { bd4 sn8 bd bd4 << bd ss >> bd8 tommh tommh bd toml toml bd tomfh16 tomfh } timb = \drummode { timh4 ssh timl8 ssh r timh r4 ssh8 timl r4 cb8 cb } \score { << \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = "timbales" drumStyleTable = #timbales-style \override StaffSymbol.line-count = #2 \override BarLine.bar-extent = #'(-1 . 1) } << \timb >> \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = "drums" } << \new DrumVoice { \stemUp \drh } \new DrumVoice { \stemDown \drl } >> >> \layout { } \midi { \tempo 4 = 120 } }
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Cow and ride bell example
Two different bells, entered with ’cb’ (cowbell) and ’rb’ (ridebell).
\paper { tagline = ##f } #(define mydrums '((ridebell default #f 3) (cowbell default #f -2))) \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = #"Different Bells" } \drummode { \set DrumStaff.drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table mydrums) \set DrumStaff.clefPosition = 0.5 \override DrumStaff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'(-2 3) \override Staff.BarLine.bar-extent = #'(-1.0 . 1.5) \time 2/4 rb8 8 cb8 16 rb16-> ~ | 16 8 16 cb8 8 | }
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Heavily customized polymetric time signatures
Though the polymetric time signature shown was not the most essential item here, it has been included to show the beat of this piece (which is the template of a real Balkan song!).
melody = \relative c'' { \key g \major \compoundMeter #'((3 8) (2 8) (2 8) (3 8) (2 8) (2 8) (2 8) (2 8) (3 8) (2 8) (2 8)) c8 c c d4 c8 c b c b a4 g fis8 e d c b' c d e4-^ fis8 g \break c,4. d4 c4 d4. c4 d c2 d4. e4-^ d4 c4. d4 c4 d4. c4 d c2 d4. e4-^ d4 \break c4. d4 c4 d4. c4 d c2 d4. e4-^ d4 c4. d4 c4 d4. c4 d c2 d4. e4-^ d4 \break } drum = \new DrumStaff \drummode { \repeat volta 2 { bd4.^\markup { Drums } sn4 bd \bar ";" sn4. bd4 sn \bar ";" bd sn bd4. sn4 bd } } \new Staff \with { instrumentName = \markup { \concat { "B" \flat " Sop." } } } { \melody \drum } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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High and Low woodblock example
Two Woodblocks, entered with ’wbh’ (high woodblock) and ’wbl’ (low woodblock). The length of the barline has been altered with an \override command otherwise it would be too short. The positions of the two stafflines also have to be explicitly defined.
\paper { tagline = ##f } % These lines define the position of the woodblocks in the stave; % if you like, you can change it or you can use special note heads % for the woodblocks. #(define mydrums '((hiwoodblock default #f 3) (lowoodblock default #f -2))) woodstaff = { % This defines a staff with only two lines. % It also defines the positions of the two lines. \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'(-2 3) % This is necessary; if not entered, % the barline would be too short! \override Staff.BarLine.bar-extent = #'(-1.0 . 1.5) % small correction for the clef: \set DrumStaff.clefPosition = 0.5 } \new DrumStaff { % with this you load your new drum style table \set DrumStaff.drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table mydrums) \woodstaff \drummode { \time 2/4 wbl8 16 16 8-> 8 | wbl8 16 16-> ~ 16 16 r8 | } }
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Jazz combo template
This is quite an advanced template, for a jazz ensemble. Note that all
instruments are notated in \key c \major
. This refers to the
key in concert pitch; the key will be automatically transposed if the
music is within a \transpose
section.
\header { title = "Song" subtitle = "(tune)" composer = "Me" meter = "moderato" piece = "Swing" tagline = \markup { \column { "LilyPond example file by Amelie Zapf," "Berlin 07/07/2003" } } } % To make the example display in the documentation \paper { paper-width = 130 } %#(set-global-staff-size 16) \include "english.ly" %%%%%%%%%%%% Some macros %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% sl = { \override NoteHead.style = #'slash \hide Stem } nsl = { \revert NoteHead.style \undo \hide Stem } crOn = \override NoteHead.style = #'cross crOff = \revert NoteHead.style %% insert chord name style stuff here. jazzChords = { } %%%%%%%%%%%% Keys'n'thangs %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% global = { \time 4/4 } Key = { \key c \major } % ############ Horns ############ % ------ Trumpet ------ trpt = \transpose c d \relative c'' { \Key c1 | c | c | } trpHarmony = \transpose c' d { \jazzChords } trumpet = { \global \clef treble << \trpt >> } % ------ Alto Saxophone ------ alto = \transpose c a \relative c' { \Key c1 | c | c | } altoHarmony = \transpose c' a { \jazzChords } altoSax = { \global \clef treble << \alto >> } % ------ Baritone Saxophone ------ bari = \transpose c a' \relative c { \Key c1 c1 \sl d4^"Solo" d d d \nsl } bariHarmony = \transpose c' a \chordmode { \jazzChords s1 s d2:maj e:m7 } bariSax = { \global \clef treble << \bari >> } % ------ Trombone ------ tbone = \relative c { \Key c1 | c | c } tboneHarmony = \chordmode { \jazzChords } trombone = { \global \clef bass << \tbone >> } % ############ Rhythm Section ############# % ------ Guitar ------ gtr = \relative c'' { \Key c1 \sl b4 b b b \nsl c1 } gtrHarmony = \chordmode { \jazzChords s1 c2:min7+ d2:maj9 } guitar = { \global \clef treble << \gtr >> } %% ------ Piano ------ rhUpper = \relative c'' { \voiceOne \Key c1 | c | c } rhLower = \relative c' { \voiceTwo \Key e1 | e | e } lhUpper = \relative c' { \voiceOne \Key g1 | g | g } lhLower = \relative c { \voiceTwo \Key c1 | c | c } PianoRH = { \clef treble \global << \new Voice = "one" \rhUpper \new Voice = "two" \rhLower >> } PianoLH = { \clef bass \global << \new Voice = "one" \lhUpper \new Voice = "two" \lhLower >> } piano = { << \new Staff = "upper" \PianoRH \new Staff = "lower" \PianoLH >> } % ------ Bass Guitar ------ Bass = \relative c { \Key c1 | c | c } bass = { \global \clef bass << \Bass >> } % ------ Drums ------ up = \drummode { \voiceOne hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> } down = \drummode { \voiceTwo bd4 s bd s bd4 s bd s bd4 s bd s } drumContents = { \global << \new DrumVoice \up \new DrumVoice \down >> } %%%%%%%%% It All Goes Together Here %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% \score { << \new StaffGroup = "horns" << \new Staff = "trumpet" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet" } \trumpet \new Staff = "altosax" \with { instrumentName = "Alto Sax" } \altoSax \new ChordNames = "barichords" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet" } \bariHarmony \new Staff = "barisax" \with { instrumentName = "Bari Sax" } \bariSax \new Staff = "trombone" \with { instrumentName = "Trombone" } \trombone >> \new StaffGroup = "rhythm" << \new ChordNames = "chords" \gtrHarmony \new Staff = "guitar" \with { instrumentName = "Guitar" } \guitar \new PianoStaff = "piano" \with { instrumentName = "Piano" midiInstrument = "acoustic grand" } \piano \new Staff = "bass" \with { instrumentName = "Bass" } \bass \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = "Drums" } \drumContents >> >> \layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves } \context { \Score \override BarNumber.padding = 3 \override RehearsalMark.padding = 2 skipBars = ##t } } \midi { } }
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Percussion beaters
Graphic symbols for percussion instruments are not natively supported; however it is possible to include such symbols, either as an external EPS file or as embedded PostScript code inside a markup, as demonstrated in this example.
stick = \markup { \with-dimensions #'(0 . 5) #'(0 . 5) \postscript " 0 6 translate 0.8 -0.8 scale 0 0 0 setrgbcolor [] 0 setdash 1 setlinewidth 0 setlinejoin 0 setlinecap gsave [1 0 0 1 0 0] concat gsave [1 0 0 1 -3.5406095 -199.29342] concat gsave 0 0 0 setrgbcolor newpath 7.1434065 200.94354 moveto 7.2109628 200.90454 7.2785188 200.86554 7.3460747 200.82654 curveto 8.2056347 202.31535 9.0651946 203.80414 9.9247546 205.29295 curveto 9.8571989 205.33195 9.7896429 205.37095 9.7220864 205.40996 curveto 8.8625264 203.92115 8.0029664 202.43233 7.1434065 200.94354 curveto closepath eofill grestore gsave 0 0 0 setrgbcolor newpath 4.9646672 203.10444 moveto 5.0036707 203.03688 5.0426744 202.96933 5.0816777 202.90176 curveto 6.5704792 203.76133 8.0592809 204.6209 9.5480824 205.48045 curveto 9.5090791 205.54801 9.4700754 205.61556 9.4310717 205.68311 curveto 7.94227 204.82356 6.4534687 203.96399 4.9646672 203.10444 curveto closepath eofill grestore gsave << /ShadingType 3 /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /Coords [113.13708 207.87465 0 113.13708 207.87465 16.162441] /Extend [true true] /Domain [0 1] /Function << /FunctionType 3 /Functions [ << /FunctionType 2 /Domain [0 1] /C0 [1 1 1] /C1 [0.72941178 0.72941178 0.72941178] /N 1 >> ] /Domain [0 1] /Bounds [ ] /Encode [ 0 1 ] >> >> newpath 7.6422017 200.76488 moveto 7.6505696 201.02554 7.3905363 201.24867 7.1341335 201.20075 curveto 6.8759501 201.16916 6.6949602 200.87978 6.7801462 200.63381 curveto 6.8480773 200.39155 7.1438307 200.25377 7.3728389 200.35861 curveto 7.5332399 200.42458 7.6444521 200.59122 7.6422017 200.76488 curveto closepath clip gsave [ 0.052859054 0.063089841 -0.020912282 0.017521108 5.7334261 189.76443 ] concat shfill grestore grestore 0 0 0 setrgbcolor [] 0 setdash 0.027282091 setlinewidth 0 setlinejoin 0 setlinecap newpath 7.6422017 200.76488 moveto 7.6505696 201.02554 7.3905363 201.24867 7.1341335 201.20075 curveto 6.8759501 201.16916 6.6949602 200.87978 6.7801462 200.63381 curveto 6.8480773 200.39155 7.1438307 200.25377 7.3728389 200.35861 curveto 7.5332399 200.42458 7.6444521 200.59122 7.6422017 200.76488 curveto closepath stroke gsave << /ShadingType 3 /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /Coords [113.13708 207.87465 0 113.13708 207.87465 16.162441] /Extend [true true] /Domain [0 1] /Function << /FunctionType 3 /Functions [ << /FunctionType 2 /Domain [0 1] /C0 [1 1 1] /C1 [0.72941178 0.72941178 0.72941178] /N 1 >> ] /Domain [0 1] /Bounds [ ] /Encode [ 0 1 ] >> >> newpath 5.2721217 202.83181 moveto 5.2804896 203.09247 5.0204563 203.3156 4.7640539 203.26768 curveto 4.5058701 203.23609 4.3248803 202.94671 4.4100662 202.70074 curveto 4.4779975 202.45848 4.7737511 202.3207 5.0027593 202.42554 curveto 5.1631598 202.49149 5.2743721 202.65813 5.2721217 202.83181 curveto closepath clip gsave [ 0.052859054 0.063089841 -0.020912282 0.017521108 3.363346 191.83136 ] concat shfill grestore grestore 0 0 0 setrgbcolor [] 0 setdash 0.027282091 setlinewidth 0 setlinejoin 0 setlinecap newpath 5.2721217 202.83181 moveto 5.2804896 203.09247 5.0204563 203.3156 4.7640539 203.26768 curveto 4.5058701 203.23609 4.3248803 202.94671 4.4100662 202.70074 curveto 4.4779975 202.45848 4.7737511 202.3207 5.0027593 202.42554 curveto 5.1631598 202.49149 5.2743721 202.65813 5.2721217 202.83181 curveto closepath stroke grestore grestore " } \score { b1^\stick }
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Percussion example
A short example taken from Stravinsky’s L’histoire du Soldat.
#(define mydrums '((bassdrum default #f 4) (snare default #f -4) (tambourine default #f 0))) \paper { tagline = ##f } global = { \time 3/8 s4. \time 2/4 s2*2 \time 3/8 s4. \time 2/4 s2 } drumsA = { \context DrumVoice << { \global } { \drummode { \autoBeamOff \stemDown sn8 \stemUp tamb s8 | sn4 \stemDown sn4 | \stemUp tamb8 \stemDown sn8 \stemUp sn16 \stemDown sn \stemUp sn8 | \stemDown sn8 \stemUp tamb s8 | \stemUp sn4 s8 \stemUp tamb } } >> } drumsB = { \drummode { s4 bd8 s2*2 s4 bd8 s4 bd8 s8 } } \layout { indent = 40 \context { \DrumStaff drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table mydrums) } } \score { \new StaffGroup << \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = \markup \center-column { "Tambourine" "et" "caisse claire s. timbre" } } \drumsA \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = "Grosse Caisse" } \drumsB >> }
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Printing music with different time signatures
In the following snippet, two parts have a completely different time signature, yet remain synchronized.
The bar lines can no longer be printed at the Score
level; to
allow independent bar lines in each part, the
Default_barline_engraver
and Timing_translator
are moved
from the Score
context to the Staff
context.
If bar numbers are required, the Bar_number_engraver
should also
be moved, since it relies on properties set by the
Timing_translator
; a \with
block can be used to add bar
numbers to the relevant staff.
\paper { indent = #0 ragged-right = ##t tagline = ##f } global = { \time 3/4 { s2.*3 } \bar "" \break { s2.*3 } } \layout { \context { \Score \remove "Timing_translator" \remove "Bar_number_engraver" \override SpacingSpanner.uniform-stretching = ##t \override SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t proportionalNotationDuration = \musicLength 64 } \context { \Staff \consists "Timing_translator" } \context { \Voice \remove "Forbid_line_break_engraver" tupletFullLength = ##t } } Bassklarinette = \new Staff \with { \consists "Bar_number_engraver" barNumberVisibility = #(every-nth-bar-number-visible 2) \override BarNumber.break-visibility = #end-of-line-invisible } << \global { \bar "|" \clef treble \time 3/8 d''4. \bar "|" \time 3/4 r8 des''2( c''8) \bar "|" \time 7/8 r4. ees''2 ~ \bar "|" \time 2/4 \tupletUp \tuplet 3/2 { ees''4 r4 d''4 ~ } \bar "|" \time 3/8 \tupletUp \tuplet 4/3 { d''4 r4 } \bar "|" \time 2/4 e''2 \bar "|" \time 3/8 es''4. \bar "|" \time 3/4 r8 d''2 r8 \bar "|" } >> Perkussion = \new StaffGroup << \new Staff << \global { \bar "|" \clef percussion \time 3/4 r4 c'2 ~ \bar "|" c'2. \bar "|" R2. \bar "|" r2 g'4 ~ \bar "|" g'2. ~ \bar "|" g'2. } >> \new Staff << \global { \bar "|" \clef percussion \time 3/4 R2. \bar "|" g'2. ~ \bar "|" g'2. \bar "|" r4 g'2 ~ \bar "|" g'2 r4 \bar "|" g'2. } >> >> \score { << \Bassklarinette \Perkussion >> }
[ << Percussion ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Fretted strings >> ] |
[ < Printing music with different time signatures ] | [ Up : Percussion ] | [ Tambourine example > ] |
Tam-tam example
A tam-tam example, entered with ’tt’
#(define mydrums '((tamtam default #f 0))) \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = #"Tamtam" } \drummode { \set DrumStaff.drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table mydrums) \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'( 0 ) \override Staff.BarLine.bar-extent = #'(-1.5 . 1.5) tt 1 \pp \laissezVibrer } \paper { tagline = ##f }
[ << Percussion ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Fretted strings >> ] |
[ < Tam-tam example ] | [ Up : Percussion ] | [ Fretted strings > ] |
Tambourine example
A tambourine example, entered ’tamb’
\paper { tagline = ##f } #(define mydrums '((tambourine default #f 0))) \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = #"Tambourine" } \drummode { \set DrumStaff.drumStyleTable = #(alist->hash-table mydrums) \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'( 0 ) \override Staff.BarLine.bar-extent = #'(-1.5 . 1.5) \time 6/8 tamb8. 16 8 8 8 8 | tamb4. 8 8 8 | % the trick with the scaled duration and the shorter rest % is neccessary for the correct ending of the trill-span! tamb2.*5/6 \startTrillSpan s8 \stopTrillSpan | }
[ << Percussion ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Tambourine example ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Adding fingerings to a score > ] |
Fretted strings
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Fretted strings ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Adding fingerings to tablatures > ] |
Adding fingerings to a score
Fingering instructions can be entered using a simple syntax.
\relative c'' { c4-1 d-2 f-4 e-3 }
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Adding fingerings to a score ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Adding markups in a tablature > ] |
Adding fingerings to tablatures
To add fingerings to tablatures, use a combination of \markup
and \finger
.
one = \markup { \finger 1 } two = \markup { \finger 2 } threeTwo = \markup { \override #'(baseline-skip . 2) \column { \finger 3 \finger 2 } } threeFour = \markup { \override #'(baseline-skip . 2) \column { \finger 3 \finger 4 } } \score { \new TabStaff { \tabFullNotation \stemUp e8\4^\one b\2 <g\3 e'\1>^>[ b\2 e\4] <a\3 fis'\1>^>^\threeTwo[ b\2 e\4] } }
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Adding fingerings to tablatures ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Allowing fingerings to be printed inside the staff > ] |
Adding markups in a tablature
By default markups does not show in a tablature.
To make them appear, simply use the command
\revert TabStaff.TextScript.stencil
%% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=919 % by P.P.Schneider on June 2014 high = { r4 r8 <g c'> q r8 r4 } low = { c4 r4 c8 r8 g,8 b, } pulse = { s8^"1" s^"&" s^"2" s^"&" s^"3" s^"&" s^"4" s^"&" } \score { \new TabStaff { \repeat unfold 2 << \high \\ \low \\ \pulse >> } \layout { \context { \TabStaff \clef moderntab \revert TextScript.stencil \override TextScript.font-series = #'bold \override TextScript.font-size = #-2 \override TextScript.color = #red } \context { \Score proportionalNotationDuration = \musicLength 8 } } }
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Adding markups in a tablature ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Automatic Fretboards Barre > ] |
Allowing fingerings to be printed inside the staff
By default, vertically oriented fingerings are positioned outside the staff; that behavior, however, may be disabled. Attention needs to be paid to situations where fingerings and stems are in the same direction: by default, fingerings will avoid only beamed stems. That setting can be changed to avoid no stems or all stems; the following example demonstrates these two options, as well as how to go back to the default behavior.
\relative c' { <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>2 \override Fingering.staff-padding = #'() <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>4 g'-0 a8[-1 b]-2 g-0 r \override Fingering.add-stem-support = ##f a[-1 b]-2 g-0 r \override Fingering.add-stem-support = ##t a[-1 b]-2 g-0 r \override Fingering.add-stem-support = #only-if-beamed a[-1 b]-2 g-0 r }
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Allowing fingerings to be printed inside the staff ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Changing fret orientations > ] |
Automatic Fretboards Barre
When automatic fretboards are used, barre indicators will be drawn whenever one finger is responsible for multiple strings.
If no finger indications are given in the chord from which the automatic fretboard is created, no barre indicators will be included, because there is no way to identify where barres should be placed.
\new FretBoards { <f,-1 c-3 f-4 a-2 c'-1 f'-1>1 <f, c f a c' f'>1 }
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Automatic Fretboards Barre ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Chord glissando in tablature > ] |
Changing fret orientations
Fret diagrams can be oriented in three ways. By default the top string or fret in the different orientations will be aligned.
\include "predefined-guitar-fretboards.ly" << \chords { c1 c1 c1 } \new FretBoards { \chordmode { c1 \override FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.orientation = #'landscape c1 \override FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.orientation = #'opposing-landscape c1 } } \new Voice { c'1 c'1 c' } >>
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Changing fret orientations ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ ChordChanges for FretBoards > ] |
Chord glissando in tablature
Slides for chords are indicated by default in both Staff
and
TabStaff
.
String numbers may be necessary for TabStaff
because automatic
string calculations are different for chords and for single notes.
myMusic = \relative c' { <c e g>1 \glissando <f a c> <cis, eis gis>1 \glissando <f a c> <cis eis gis>1 \glissando <f a c\3> } \score { << \new Staff { \clef "treble_8" \omit StringNumber \myMusic } \new TabStaff \myMusic >> } \score { << \new Staff { \clef "treble_8" \omit StringNumber \myMusic } \new TabStaff \with { \override Glissando.style = #'none } { \myMusic } >> } \paper { tagline = ##f }
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Chord glissando in tablature ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Chords with stretched fingering for FretBoards and TabVoice > ] |
ChordChanges for FretBoards
FretBoards can be set to display only when the chord changes or at the beginning of a new line.
\include "predefined-guitar-fretboards.ly" \paper { tagline = ##f } myChords = \chordmode { c1 c1 \break \set chordChanges = ##t c1 c1 \break c1 c1 } << \new ChordNames { \myChords } \new FretBoards { \myChords } \new Staff { \myChords } >>
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < ChordChanges for FretBoards ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Controlling the placement of chord fingerings > ] |
Chords with stretched fingering for FretBoards and TabVoice
Sometimes chords with a stretched fingering are required. If not
otherwise specified the context-property maximumFretStretch
is
set to 4
, though. Resulting in a warning about "No string for
pitch ..." and the note is omitted. You may set
maximumFretStretch
to an approppriate value or explecitely
assign string-numbers to all notes of a chord.
%% The code below will print two warnings, which may be omitted by uncommenting: %#(for-each (lambda (x) (ly:expect-warning "No string for pitch")) (iota 2)) mus = { <c' bes'> <c'\2 bes'> \set maximumFretStretch = 5 <c' bes'> <c'\2 bes'\1> } << \new FretBoards \mus \new TabVoice \mus >>
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Chords with stretched fingering for FretBoards and TabVoice ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Customizing fretboard fret diagrams > ] |
Controlling the placement of chord fingerings
The placement of fingering numbers can be controlled precisely. For
fingering orientation to apply, it must be used within a chord
construct <...>
, even for single notes. Orientation for string
numbers and right-hand fingerings may be set in a similar way.
\relative c' { \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down right up) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up) <c-1 e-3 a-5>4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(left) <c-1>2 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(down) <e-3>2 \set stringNumberOrientations = #'(up left down) <f\3 a\2 c\1>1 \set strokeFingerOrientations = #'(down right up) <c\rightHandFinger 1 e\rightHandFinger 2 c'\rightHandFinger 4 > }
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Controlling the placement of chord fingerings ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Customizing markup fret diagrams > ] |
Customizing fretboard fret diagrams
Fret diagram properties can be set through
'fret-diagram-details
. For FretBoard
fret diagrams,
overrides are applied to the FretBoards.FretBoard
object. Like
Voice
, FretBoards
is a bottom-level context, and
therefore can be omitted in property overrides.
\include "predefined-guitar-fretboards.ly" \storePredefinedDiagram #default-fret-table \chordmode { c' } #guitar-tuning "x;1-1-(;3-2;3-3;3-4;1-1-);" % shorthand oo = #(define-music-function (grob-path value) (list? scheme?) #{ \once \override $grob-path = #value #}) << \new ChordNames { \chordmode { c1 | c | c | d } } \new FretBoards { % Set global properties of fret diagram \override FretBoards.FretBoard.size = 1.2 \override FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.finger-code = #'in-dot \override FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.dot-color = #'white \chordmode { c \oo FretBoard.size #1.0 \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.barre-type #'straight \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.dot-color #'black \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.finger-code #'below-string c' \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.barre-type #'none \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.number-type #'arabic \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.orientation #'landscape \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.mute-string "M" \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.label-dir #LEFT \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.dot-color #'black c' \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.finger-code #'below-string \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.dot-radius #0.35 \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.dot-position #0.5 \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.fret-count #3 d } } \new Voice { c'1 | c' | c' | d' } >>
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Customizing fretboard fret diagrams ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Defining predefined fretboards for other instruments > ] |
Customizing markup fret diagrams
Fret diagram properties can be set through
'fret-diagram-details
. For markup fret diagrams, overrides can
be applied to the Voice.TextScript
object or directly to the
markup.
<< \chords { c1 | c | c | d } \new Voice = "mel" { \textLengthOn % Set global properties of fret diagram \override TextScript.size = 1.2 \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details.finger-code = #'in-dot \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details.dot-color = #'white %% C major for guitar, no barre, using defaults % terse style c'1^\markup { \fret-diagram-terse "x;3-3;2-2;o;1-1;o;" } %% C major for guitar, barred on third fret % verbose style % size 1.0 % roman fret label, finger labels below string, straight barre c'1^\markup { % standard size \override #'(size . 1.0) { \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ( (number-type . roman-lower) (finger-code . in-dot) (barre-type . straight))) { \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 5 1 3)) } } } %% C major for guitar, barred on third fret % verbose style % landscape orientation, arabic numbers, M for mute string % no barre, fret label down or left, small mute label font c'1^\markup { \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ( (finger-code . below-string) (number-type . arabic) (label-dir . -1) (mute-string . "M") (orientation . landscape) (barre-type . none) (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) { \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 5 1 3)) } } %% simple D chord % terse style % larger dots, centered dots, fewer frets % label below string d'1^\markup { \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ( (finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (fret-count . 3))) { \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" } } } >>
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Customizing markup fret diagrams ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Faking a hammer in tablatures > ] |
Defining predefined fretboards for other instruments
Predefined fret diagrams can be added for new instruments in addition to the standards used for guitar. This file shows how this is done by defining a new string tuning and a few predefined fretboards for the Venezuelan cuatro.
This file also shows how fingerings can be included in the chords used
as reference points for the chord lookup, and displayed in the fret
diagram and the TabStaff
, but not the music.
These fretboards are not transposable because they contain string information. This is planned to be corrected in the future.
% add FretBoards for the Cuatro % Note: This section could be put into a separate file % predefined-cuatro-fretboards.ly % and \included into each of your compositions cuatroTuning = #`(,(ly:make-pitch 0 6 0) ,(ly:make-pitch 1 3 SHARP) ,(ly:make-pitch 1 1 0) ,(ly:make-pitch 0 5 0)) dSix = { <a\4 b\1 d\3 fis\2> } dMajor = { <a\4 d\1 d\3 fis \2> } aMajSeven = { <a\4 cis\1 e\3 g\2> } dMajSeven = { <a\4 c\1 d\3 fis\2> } gMajor = { <b\4 b\1 d\3 g\2> } \storePredefinedDiagram #default-fret-table \dSix #cuatroTuning "o;o;o;o;" \storePredefinedDiagram #default-fret-table \dMajor #cuatroTuning "o;o;o;3-3;" \storePredefinedDiagram #default-fret-table \aMajSeven #cuatroTuning "o;2-2;1-1;2-3;" \storePredefinedDiagram #default-fret-table \dMajSeven #cuatroTuning "o;o;o;1-1;" \storePredefinedDiagram #default-fret-table \gMajor #cuatroTuning "2-2;o;1-1;o;" % end of potential include file /predefined-cuatro-fretboards.ly #(set-global-staff-size 16) primerosNames = \chordmode { d:6 d a:maj7 d:maj7 g } primeros = { \dSix \dMajor \aMajSeven \dMajSeven \gMajor } \score { << \new ChordNames { \set chordChanges = ##t \primerosNames } \new Staff { \new Voice \with { \remove "New_fingering_engraver" } \relative c'' { \primeros } } \new FretBoards { \set Staff.stringTunings = #cuatroTuning % \override FretBoard % #'(fret-diagram-details string-count) = 4 \override FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.finger-code = #'in-dot \primeros } \new TabStaff \relative c'' { \set TabStaff.stringTunings = #cuatroTuning \primeros } >> \layout { \context { \Score \override SpacingSpanner.base-shortest-duration = \musicLength 16 } } \midi { } }
Faking a hammer in tablatures
A hammer in tablature can be faked with slurs.
\score { \new TabStaff { \relative c'' { \tabFullNotation c4( d) d( d) d2( c) } } }
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Faking a hammer in tablatures ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Flamenco notation > ] |
Fingerings, string indications, and right-hand fingerings
This example combines left-hand fingering, string indications, and right-hand fingering.
#(define RH rightHandFinger) \relative c { \clef "treble_8" <c-3\5\RH 1 >4 <e-2\4\RH 2 >4 <g-0\3\RH 3 >4 <c-1\2\RH 4 >4 }
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Fingerings, string indications, and right-hand fingerings ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Fret diagrams explained and developed > ] |
Flamenco notation
For flamenco guitar, special notation is used:
- a golpe symbol to indicate a slap on the guitar body with the nail of the ring finger
- an arrow to indicate (the direction of) strokes
- different letters for fingering (“p”: thumb, “i”: index finger, “m”: middle finger, “a”: ring finger and “x”: little finger)
- 3- and 4-finger rasgueados; stroke upwards with all fingers, ending with an up- and down using the index finger
- abanicos: strokes (in tuples) with thumb (down), little and index finger (both up). There’s also an abanico 2 where middle and ring finger are used instead of the little finger.
- alza pua: fast playing with the thumb
Most figures use arrows in combination with fingering; with abanicos and rasgueados, noteheads are printed only for the first chord.
This snippet contains some header-like code that can be copied as ‘flamenco.ly’ and included in source files.
%%%%%%% Cut here ----- Start 'flamenco.ly' % Text indicators : abanico = ^\markup\small { \italic Abanico } rasgueado = ^\markup\small { \italic Ras. } alzapua = ^\markup\small { \italic Alzapua } % Finger stroke symbols : strokeUp = \markup\combine\override #'(thickness . 1.3) \draw-line #'(0 . 2)\raise #2 \arrow-head #Y #UP ##f strokeDown = \markup\combine\arrow-head #Y #DOWN ##f \override #'(thickness . 1.3) \draw-line #'(0 . 2) % Golpe symbol : golpe = \markup { \filled-box #'(0 . 1) #'(0 . 1) #0 \hspace #-1.6 \with-color #white \filled-box #'(0.15 . 0.85) #'(0.15 . 0.85) #0 } % Strokes, fingers and golpe command : RHp = \rightHandFinger #1 RHi = \rightHandFinger #2 RHm = \rightHandFinger #3 RHa = \rightHandFinger #4 RHx = \rightHandFinger #5 RHu = \rightHandFinger \strokeUp RHd = \rightHandFinger \strokeDown RHg = \rightHandFinger \golpe % Just handy :) tupletOff = { \once \omit TupletNumber \once \omit TupletBracket } tupletsOff = { \omit TupletNumber \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = #'if-no-beam } tupletsOn = { \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = #'default \undo \omit TupletNumber } headsOff = { \hide TabNoteHead \hide NoteHead \override NoteHead.no-ledgers = ##t } headsOn = { \override TabNoteHead.transparent = ##f \override NoteHead.transparent = ##f \override NoteHead.no-ledgers = ##f } %%%%%%% Cut here ----- End 'flamenco.ly' %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% part = \relative c' { \set strokeFingerOrientations = #'(up) \key a\major <a, e' a cis e\RHu\RHi>8 <a e' a cis e\RHd\RHi>8 r4 r2^\markup\golpe <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHi>8 <a e' a cis e\RHd\RHi>8 <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHi\RHg>8 <a e' a cis e\RHd\RHi>8 r2 <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHa>16\rasgueado \headsOff <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHm> <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHi> <a e' a cis e\RHd\RHi>~ \headsOn <a e' a cis e>2 r4 \tupletOff \tuplet 5/4 { <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHx>16\rasgueado \headsOff <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHa> <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHm> <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHi> <a e' a cis e\RHd\RHi>~ \headsOn } <a e' a cis e>2 r4 \tupletsOff \tuplet 3/2 { <a e' a cis e\RHd\RHp>8\abanico \headsOff <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHx> <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHi> \headsOn } \tuplet 3/2 { <a e' a cis e\RHd\RHp>8 \headsOff <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHx> <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHi> \headsOn } \tuplet 3/2 { <a e' a cis e\RHd\RHp>8 \headsOff <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHx> <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHi> \headsOn } \tuplet 3/2 { <a e' a cis e\RHd\RHp>8 \headsOff <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHx> <a e' a cis e\RHu\RHi> \headsOn } \tupletsOff \override Beam.positions = #'(2 . 2) \tuplet 3/2 { a8\RHp\alzapua <e' a\RHu\RHg> <e a\RHd> } \tuplet 3/2 { a,8\RHp <e' a\RHu\RHg> <e a\RHd> } \tuplet 3/2 { a,8\RHp <e' a\RHu\RHg> <e a\RHd> } \tuplet 3/2 { a,8\RHp <e' a\RHu\RHg> <e a\RHd> } \tupletsOn <a, e' a\RHu\RHm>1 \bar "|." } \score { \new StaffGroup << \context Staff = "part" << \clef "G_8" { \part } >> \context TabStaff { \part } >> \layout { ragged-right = ##t } } \paper { tagline = ##f }
[ << Fretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Unfretted strings >> ] |
[ < Flamenco notation ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Fretboards alternate tables > ] |
Fret diagrams explained and developed
This snippet shows many possibilities for obtaining and tweaking fret diagrams.
<< \chords { a1 a \bar "||" \break \repeat unfold 3 { c c c d d \bar "||" \break } } \new Voice { % Set global properties of fret diagram \override TextScript.size = 1.2 \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details .finger-code = #'below-string \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details .dot-color = #'black % 1 % % A chord for ukulele. a'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((string-count . 4) (dot-color . white) (finger-code . in-dot))) \fret-diagram "4-2-2;3-1-1;2-o;1-o;" % 2 % % A chord for ukulele, with formatting defined in definition % string: 1.2 * size, 4 strings, 4 frets, fingerings below, % string dot radius .35 of fret spacing, dot position 0.55 of % fret spacing. a'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((dot-color . white) (open-string . "o"))) \fret-diagram "s:1.2;w:4;h:3;f:2;d:0.35;p:0.55;4-2-2;3-1-1;2-o;1-o;" %% %% These chords will be in normal orientation %% % 3 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: verbose style, % roman fret label, finger labels below string, straight barre. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-lower) (finger-code . below-string) (barre-type . straight))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 5 1 3)) % 4 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: double barre used % to test barre function, verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . arabic) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . in-dot) (fret-label-font-mag . 0.6) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0) (label-dir . -1) (mute-string . "M") (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 4 2 5) (barre 5 1 3)) % 5 % % C major for guitar, with capo on third fret: verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-upper) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . none) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0.5) (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (capo 3) (open 5) (place-fret 4 5 1) (place-fret 3 5 2) (place-fret 2 5 3) (open 1)) % 6 % % Simple D chord. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (string-thickness-factor . 0.3) (dot-position . 0.5) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" % 7 % % Simple D chord, large top fret thickness. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (top-fret-thickness . 7) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" %% %% These chords will be in landscape orientation %% \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details .orientation = #'landscape % 8 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: verbose style, % roman fret label, finger labels below string, straight % barre. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-lower) (finger-code . below-string) (barre-type . straight))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 5 1 3)) % 9 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: Double barre % used to test barre function, verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . arabic) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . in-dot) (fret-label-font-mag . 0.6) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0) (label-dir . -1) (mute-string . "M") (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 4 2 5) (barre 5 1 3)) % 10 % % C major for guitar, with capo on third fret: verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-upper) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . none) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0.5) (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (capo 3) (open 5) (place-fret 4 5 1) (place-fret 3 5 2) (place-fret 2 5 3) (open 1)) % 11 % % Simple D chord. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" % 12 % % Simple D chord, large top fret thickness. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (top-fret-thickness . 7) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" %% %% These chords will be in opposing-landscape orientation. %% \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details .orientation = #'opposing-landscape % 13 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: verbose style, % roman fret label, finger labels below string, straight % barre. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-lower) (finger-code . below-string) (barre-type . straight))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 5 1 3)) % 14 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: double barre % used to test barre function, verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . arabic) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . in-dot) (fret-label-font-mag . 0.6) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0) (label-dir . -1) (mute-string . "M") (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 4 2 5) (barre 5 1 3)) % 15 % % C major for guitar, with capo on third fret: verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-upper) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . none) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0.5) (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (capo 3) (open 5) (place-fret 4 5 1) (place-fret 3 5 2) (place-fret 2 5 3) (open 1)) % 16 % % Simple D chord. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" % 17 % % Simple D chord, large top fret thickness. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (top-fret-thickness . 7) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" } >> \paper { tagline = ##f ragged-right = ##t indent = 0 system-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 } \layout { \context { \Score \override SpacingSpanner.spacing-increment = 3 } }
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Fretboards alternate tables
Alternate fretboard tables can be created. These would be used in order to have alternate fretboards for a given chord.
In order to use an alternate fretboard table, the table must first be created. Fretboards are then added to the table.
The created fretboard table can be blank, or it can be copied from an existing table.
The table to be used in displaying predefined fretboards is selected by
the property \predefinedDiagramTable
.
\include "predefined-guitar-fretboards.ly" % Make a blank new fretboard table #(define custom-fretboard-table-one (make-fretboard-table)) % Make a new fretboard table as a copy of default-fret-table #(define custom-fretboard-table-two (make-fretboard-table default-fret-table)) % Add a chord to custom-fretboard-table-one \storePredefinedDiagram #custom-fretboard-table-one \chordmode {c} #guitar-tuning "3-(;3;5;5;5;3-);" % Add a chord to custom-fretboard-table-two \storePredefinedDiagram #custom-fretboard-table-two \chordmode {c} #guitar-tuning "x;3;5;5;5;o;" << \chords { c1 | d1 | c1 | d1 | c1 | d1 | } \new FretBoards { \chordmode { \set predefinedDiagramTable = #default-fret-table c1 | d1 | \set predefinedDiagramTable = #custom-fretboard-table-one c1 | d1 | \set predefinedDiagramTable = #custom-fretboard-table-two c1 | d1 | } } \new Staff { \clef "treble_8" << \chordmode { c1 | d1 | c1 | d1 | c1 | d1 | } { s1_\markup "Default table" | s1 | s1_\markup \column {"New table" "from empty"} | s1 | s1_\markup \column {"New table" "from default"} | s1 | } >> } >>
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[ < Fretboards alternate tables ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Guitar slides > ] |
Fretted-string harmonics in tablature
The following demonstrates fretted-string harmonics in a tablature.
pinchedHarmonics = { \textSpannerDown \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup {\halign #-0.5 \teeny "PH" } \override TextSpanner.style = #'dashed-line \override TextSpanner.dash-period = 0.6 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.attach-dir = 1 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.text = \markup { \draw-line #'(0 . 1) } \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.padding = -0.5 } harmonics = { % artificial harmonics (AH) \textLengthOn <\parenthesize b b'\harmonic>4_\markup { \teeny "AH 16" } <\parenthesize g g'\harmonic>4_\markup { \teeny "AH 17" } <\parenthesize d' d''\harmonic>2_\markup { \teeny "AH 19" } % pinched harmonics (PH) \pinchedHarmonics <a'\harmonic>2\startTextSpan <d''\harmonic>4 <e'\harmonic>4\stopTextSpan % tapped harmonics (TH) <\parenthesize g\4 g'\harmonic>4_\markup { \teeny "TH 17" } <\parenthesize a\4 a'\harmonic>4_\markup { \teeny "TH 19" } <\parenthesize c'\3 c''\harmonic>2_\markup { \teeny "TH 17" } % touch harmonics (TCH) a4( <e''\harmonic>2. )_\markup { \teeny "TCH" } } frettedStrings = { % artificial harmonics (AH) \harmonicByFret 4 g4\3 \harmonicByFret 5 d4\4 \harmonicByFret 7 g2\3 % pinched harmonics (PH) \harmonicByFret 7 d2\4 \harmonicByFret 5 d4\4 \harmonicByFret 7 a4\5 % tapped harmonics (TH) \harmonicByFret 5 d4\4 \harmonicByFret 7 d4\4 \harmonicByFret 5 g2\3 % touch harmonics (TCH) a4 \harmonicByFret 9 g2.\3 } \score { << \new Staff \with { \omit StringNumber } { \new Voice { \clef "treble_8" \harmonics } } \new TabStaff { \new TabVoice { \frettedStrings } } >> }
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Guitar slides
Unlike glissandos, slides may go from an imprecise point of the fretboard to a specific fret. A good way to do this is to add a hidden grace note before the note which is actually played, as demonstrated in the following example.
%% Hide fret number: useful to draw slide into/from a casual point of %% the fretboard. hideFretNumber = { \once \hide TabNoteHead \once \hide NoteHead \once \hide Stem \once \override NoteHead.no-ledgers = ##t \once \override Glissando.bound-details.left.padding = #0.3 } music= \relative c' { \grace { \hideFretNumber d8\2 \glissando s2 } g2\2 \grace { \hideFretNumber g8\2 \glissando s2 } d2 | \grace { \hideFretNumber c,8 \glissando s } f4\5^\markup \tiny { Slide into } \grace { \hideFretNumber f8 \glissando s } a4\4 \grace { \hideFretNumber e'8\3 \glissando s } b4\3^\markup \tiny { Slide from } \grace { \hideFretNumber b'8 \glissando s2 } g4 | } \score { << \new Staff { \clef "G_8" \music } \new TabStaff { \music } >> } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Guitar strum rhythms
For guitar music, it is possible to show strum rhythms, along with melody notes, chord names and fret diagrams.
\include "predefined-guitar-fretboards.ly" << \new ChordNames { \chordmode { c1 | f | g | c } } \new FretBoards { \chordmode { c1 | f | g | c } } \new Voice \with { \consists "Pitch_squash_engraver" } { \relative c'' { \improvisationOn c4 c8 c c4 c8 c f4 f8 f f4 f8 f g4 g8 g g4 g8 g c4 c8 c c4 c8 c } } \new Voice = "melody" { \relative c'' { c2 e4 e4 f2. r4 g2. a4 e4 c2. } } \new Lyrics { \lyricsto "melody" { This is my song. I like to sing. } } >>
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Hammer on and pull off
Hammer-on and pull-off can be obtained using slurs.
\new TabStaff { \relative c' { d4( e\2) a( g) } }
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Hammer on and pull off using chords
When using hammer-on or pull-off with chorded notes, only a single arc
is drawn. However “double arcs” are possible by setting the
doubleSlurs
property to #t
.
\new TabStaff { \relative c' { % chord hammer-on and pull-off \set doubleSlurs = ##t <g' b>8( <a c> <g b>) } }
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[ < Hammer on and pull off using chords ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ How to change fret diagram position > ] |
Hammer on and pull off using voices
The arc of hammer-on and pull-off is upwards in voices one and three and downwards in voices two and four:
\new TabStaff { \relative c' { << { \voiceOne g2( a) } \\ { \voiceTwo a,( b) } >> \oneVoice } }
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[ < Hammer on and pull off using voices ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Jazz combo template > ] |
How to change fret diagram position
If you want to move the position of a fret diagram, for example, to avoid collision, or to place it between two notes, you have various possibilities:
1) modify #’padding or #’extra-offset values (as shown in the first snippet)
2) you can add an invisible voice and attach the fret diagrams to the invisible notes in that voice (as shown in the second example).
If you need to move the fret according with a rythmic position inside the bar (in the example, the third beat of the measure) the second example is better, because the fret is aligned with the third beat itself.
\header { tagline = ##f } harmonies = \chordmode { a8:13 % THE FOLLOWING IS THE COMMAND TO MOVE THE CHORD NAME \once \override ChordNames.ChordName.extra-offset = #'(10 . 0) b8:13 s2. % THIS LINE IS THE SECOND METHOD s4 s4 b4:13 } \score { << \new ChordNames \harmonies \new Staff {a8^\markup { \fret-diagram "6-x;5-0;4-2;3-0;2-0;1-2;" } % THE FOLLOWING IS THE COMMAND TO MOVE THE FRET DIAGRAM \once \override TextScript.extra-offset = #'(10 . 0) b4.~^\markup { \fret-diagram "6-x;5-2;4-4;3-2;2-2;1-4;" } b4. a8\break % HERE IS THE SECOND METHOD << { a8 b4.~ b4. a8} { s4 s4 s4^\markup { \fret-diagram "6-x;5-2;4-4;3-2;2-2;1-4;" } } >> } >> }
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[ < How to change fret diagram position ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Laissez vibrer ties > ] |
Jazz combo template
This is quite an advanced template, for a jazz ensemble. Note that all
instruments are notated in \key c \major
. This refers to the
key in concert pitch; the key will be automatically transposed if the
music is within a \transpose
section.
\header { title = "Song" subtitle = "(tune)" composer = "Me" meter = "moderato" piece = "Swing" tagline = \markup { \column { "LilyPond example file by Amelie Zapf," "Berlin 07/07/2003" } } } % To make the example display in the documentation \paper { paper-width = 130 } %#(set-global-staff-size 16) \include "english.ly" %%%%%%%%%%%% Some macros %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% sl = { \override NoteHead.style = #'slash \hide Stem } nsl = { \revert NoteHead.style \undo \hide Stem } crOn = \override NoteHead.style = #'cross crOff = \revert NoteHead.style %% insert chord name style stuff here. jazzChords = { } %%%%%%%%%%%% Keys'n'thangs %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% global = { \time 4/4 } Key = { \key c \major } % ############ Horns ############ % ------ Trumpet ------ trpt = \transpose c d \relative c'' { \Key c1 | c | c | } trpHarmony = \transpose c' d { \jazzChords } trumpet = { \global \clef treble << \trpt >> } % ------ Alto Saxophone ------ alto = \transpose c a \relative c' { \Key c1 | c | c | } altoHarmony = \transpose c' a { \jazzChords } altoSax = { \global \clef treble << \alto >> } % ------ Baritone Saxophone ------ bari = \transpose c a' \relative c { \Key c1 c1 \sl d4^"Solo" d d d \nsl } bariHarmony = \transpose c' a \chordmode { \jazzChords s1 s d2:maj e:m7 } bariSax = { \global \clef treble << \bari >> } % ------ Trombone ------ tbone = \relative c { \Key c1 | c | c } tboneHarmony = \chordmode { \jazzChords } trombone = { \global \clef bass << \tbone >> } % ############ Rhythm Section ############# % ------ Guitar ------ gtr = \relative c'' { \Key c1 \sl b4 b b b \nsl c1 } gtrHarmony = \chordmode { \jazzChords s1 c2:min7+ d2:maj9 } guitar = { \global \clef treble << \gtr >> } %% ------ Piano ------ rhUpper = \relative c'' { \voiceOne \Key c1 | c | c } rhLower = \relative c' { \voiceTwo \Key e1 | e | e } lhUpper = \relative c' { \voiceOne \Key g1 | g | g } lhLower = \relative c { \voiceTwo \Key c1 | c | c } PianoRH = { \clef treble \global << \new Voice = "one" \rhUpper \new Voice = "two" \rhLower >> } PianoLH = { \clef bass \global << \new Voice = "one" \lhUpper \new Voice = "two" \lhLower >> } piano = { << \new Staff = "upper" \PianoRH \new Staff = "lower" \PianoLH >> } % ------ Bass Guitar ------ Bass = \relative c { \Key c1 | c | c } bass = { \global \clef bass << \Bass >> } % ------ Drums ------ up = \drummode { \voiceOne hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> } down = \drummode { \voiceTwo bd4 s bd s bd4 s bd s bd4 s bd s } drumContents = { \global << \new DrumVoice \up \new DrumVoice \down >> } %%%%%%%%% It All Goes Together Here %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% \score { << \new StaffGroup = "horns" << \new Staff = "trumpet" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet" } \trumpet \new Staff = "altosax" \with { instrumentName = "Alto Sax" } \altoSax \new ChordNames = "barichords" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet" } \bariHarmony \new Staff = "barisax" \with { instrumentName = "Bari Sax" } \bariSax \new Staff = "trombone" \with { instrumentName = "Trombone" } \trombone >> \new StaffGroup = "rhythm" << \new ChordNames = "chords" \gtrHarmony \new Staff = "guitar" \with { instrumentName = "Guitar" } \guitar \new PianoStaff = "piano" \with { instrumentName = "Piano" midiInstrument = "acoustic grand" } \piano \new Staff = "bass" \with { instrumentName = "Bass" } \bass \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = "Drums" } \drumContents >> >> \layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves } \context { \Score \override BarNumber.padding = 3 \override RehearsalMark.padding = 2 skipBars = ##t } } \midi { } }
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Laissez vibrer ties
Laissez vibrer ties have a fixed size. Their formatting can be tuned
using 'tie-configuration
.
\relative c' { <c e g>4\laissezVibrer r <c f g>\laissezVibrer r <c d f g>4\laissezVibrer r <c d f g>4.\laissezVibrer r8 <c d e f>4\laissezVibrer r \override LaissezVibrerTieColumn.tie-configuration = #`((-7 . ,DOWN) (-5 . ,DOWN) (-3 . ,UP) (-1 . ,UP)) <c d e f>4\laissezVibrer r }
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Let TabStaff print the topmost string at bottom
In tablatures usually the first string is printed topmost. If you want
to have it at the bottom change the
stringOneTopmost
-context-property. For a context-wide setting
this could be done in layout
as well.
%\layout { % \context { % \Score % stringOneTopmost = ##f % } % \context { % \TabStaff % tablatureFormat = #fret-letter-tablature-format % } %} m = { \cadenzaOn e, b, e gis! b e' \bar "||" } << \new Staff { \clef "G_8" <>_"default" \m <>_"italian (historic)"\m } \new TabStaff { \m \set Score.stringOneTopmost = ##f \set TabStaff.tablatureFormat = #fret-letter-tablature-format \m } >>
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[ < Let TabStaff print the topmost string at bottom ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Open string harmonics in tablature > ] |
Letter tablature formatting
Tablature can be formatted using letters instead of numbers.
music = \relative c { c4 d e f g4 a b c d4 e f g } << \new Staff { \clef "G_8" \music } \new TabStaff \with { tablatureFormat = #fret-letter-tablature-format } { \music } >>
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[ < Letter tablature formatting ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Placement of right-hand fingerings > ] |
Open string harmonics in tablature
This snippet demonstrates open-string harmonics.
openStringHarmonics = { \textSpannerDown \override TextSpanner.staff-padding = 3 \override TextSpanner.dash-fraction = 0.3 \override TextSpanner.dash-period = 1 %first harmonic \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup\small "1st harm. " \harmonicByFret 12 e,2\6\startTextSpan \harmonicByRatio #1/2 e,\6\stopTextSpan %second harmonic \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup\small "2nd harm. " \harmonicByFret 7 e,\6\startTextSpan \harmonicByRatio #1/3 e,\6 \harmonicByFret 19 e,\6 \harmonicByRatio #2/3 e,\6\stopTextSpan %\harmonicByFret 19 < e,\6 a,\5 d\4 > %\harmonicByRatio #2/3 < e,\6 a,\5 d\4 > %third harmonic \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup\small "3rd harm. " \harmonicByFret 5 e,\6\startTextSpan \harmonicByRatio #1/4 e,\6 \harmonicByFret 24 e,\6 \harmonicByRatio #3/4 e,\6\stopTextSpan \break %fourth harmonic \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup\small "4th harm. " \harmonicByFret 4 e,\6\startTextSpan \harmonicByRatio #1/5 e,\6 \harmonicByFret 9 e,\6 \harmonicByRatio #2/5 e,\6 \harmonicByFret 16 e,\6 \harmonicByRatio #3/5 e,\6\stopTextSpan %fifth harmonic \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup\small "5th harm. " \harmonicByFret 3 e,\6\startTextSpan \harmonicByRatio #1/6 e,\6\stopTextSpan \break %sixth harmonic \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup\small "6th harm. " \harmonicByFret 2.7 e,\6\startTextSpan \harmonicByRatio #1/7 e,\6\stopTextSpan %seventh harmonic \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup\small "7th harm. " \harmonicByFret 2.3 e,\6\startTextSpan \harmonicByRatio #1/8 e,\6\stopTextSpan %eighth harmonic \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup\small "8th harm. " \harmonicByFret 2 e,\6\startTextSpan \harmonicByRatio #1/9 e,\6\stopTextSpan } \score { << \new Staff \with { \omit StringNumber } { \new Voice { \clef "treble_8" \openStringHarmonics } } \new TabStaff { \new TabVoice { \openStringHarmonics } } >> } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Placement of right-hand fingerings
It is possible to exercise greater control over the placement of right-hand fingerings by setting a specific property, as demonstrated in the following example.
#(define RH rightHandFinger) \relative c { \clef "treble_8" \set strokeFingerOrientations = #'(up down) <c\RH 1 e\RH 2 g\RH 3 c\RH 4 >4 \set strokeFingerOrientations = #'(up right down) <c\RH 1 e\RH 2 g\RH 3 c\RH 4 >4 \set strokeFingerOrientations = #'(left) <c\RH 1 e\RH 2 g\RH 3 c\RH 4 >2 \set strokeFingerOrientations = #'(right) c\RH 1 }
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[ < Placement of right-hand fingerings ] | [ Up : Fretted strings ] | [ Slides in tablature > ] |
Polyphony in tablature
Polyphony is created the same way in a TabStaff
as in a regular
staff.
upper = \relative c' { \time 12/8 \key e \minor \voiceOne r4. r8 e, fis g16 b g e e' b c b a g fis e } lower = \relative c { \key e \minor \voiceTwo r16 e d c b a g4 fis8 e fis g a b c } \score { << \new StaffGroup = "tab with traditional" << \new Staff = "guitar traditional" << \clef "treble_8" \new Voice = "upper" \upper \new Voice = "lower" \lower >> \new TabStaff = "guitar tab" << \new TabVoice = "upper" \upper \new TabVoice = "lower" \lower >> >> >> }
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Slides in tablature
Slides can be typeset in both Staff
and TabStaff
contexts.
slides = { c'8\3(\glissando d'8\3) c'8\3\glissando d'8\3 \hideNotes \grace { g16\glissando } \unHideNotes c'4\3 \afterGrace d'4\3\glissando { \stemDown \hideNotes g16 } \unHideNotes } \score { << \new Staff { \clef "treble_8" \slides } \new TabStaff { \slides } >> \layout { \context { \Score \override Glissando.minimum-length = 4 \override Glissando.springs-and-rods = #ly:spanner::set-spacing-rods \override Glissando.thickness = 2 \omit StringNumber % or: %\override StringNumber.stencil = ##f } } }
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Stem and beam behavior in tablature
The direction of stems is controlled the same way in tablature as in traditional notation. Beams can be made horizontal, as shown in this example.
\new TabStaff { \relative c { \tabFullNotation g16 b d g b d g b \stemDown \override Beam.concaveness = 10000 g,,16 b d g b d g b } }
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String number extender lines
Make an extender line for string number indications, showing that a series of notes is supposed to be played all on the same string.
stringNumberSpanner = #(define-music-function (StringNumber) (string?) #{ \override TextSpanner.style = #'solid \override TextSpanner.font-size = #-5 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.stencil-align-dir-y = #CENTER \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup { \circle \number $StringNumber } #}) \relative c { \clef "treble_8" \stringNumberSpanner "5" \textSpannerDown a8\startTextSpan b c d e f\stopTextSpan \stringNumberSpanner "4" g\startTextSpan a bes4 a g2\stopTextSpan }
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[ < String number extender lines ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Creating slurs across voices > ] |
Unfretted strings
[ << Unfretted strings ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Winds >> ] |
[ < Unfretted strings ] | [ Up : Unfretted strings ] | [ Dotted harmonics > ] |
Creating slurs across voices
In some situations, it may be necessary to create slurs between notes
from different voices. The solution is to add invisible notes to one of
the voices, using \hideNotes
.
This example is measure 235 of the Ciaconna from Bach’s 2nd Partita for solo violin, BWV 1004.
\relative c' { << { d16( a') s a s a[ s a] s a[ s a] } \\ { \slurUp bes,16[ s e]( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes f[( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes fis]( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes g[( \hideNotes a) \unHideNotes gis]( \hideNotes a) } >> }
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[ < Creating slurs across voices ] | [ Up : Unfretted strings ] | [ Snap-pizzicato or Bartok pizzicato > ] |
Dotted harmonics
Artificial harmonics using \harmonic
do not show dots. To
override this behavior, set the context property harmonicDots
.
\relative c''' { \time 3/4 \key f \major \set harmonicDots = ##t <bes f'\harmonic>2. ~ <bes f'\harmonic>4. <a e'\harmonic>8( <gis dis'\harmonic> <g d'\harmonic>) <fis cis'\harmonic>2. <bes f'\harmonic>2. }
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Snap-pizzicato or Bartok pizzicato
A snap-pizzicato (also known as “Bartok pizzicato”) is a “strong pizzicato where the string is plucked vertically by snapping and rebounds off the fingerboard of the instrument” (Wikipedia). It is denoted by a circle with a vertical line going from the center upwards outside the circle.
\relative c' { c4\snappizzicato <c' e g>4\snappizzicato <c' e g>4^\snappizzicato <c, e g>4_\snappizzicato }
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String quartet template (simple)
This template demonstrates a simple string quartet. It also uses a
\global
section for time and key signatures
global= { \time 4/4 \key c \major } violinOne = \new Voice \relative c'' { c2 d e1 \bar "|." } violinTwo = \new Voice \relative c'' { g2 f e1 \bar "|." } viola = \new Voice \relative c' { \clef alto e2 d c1 \bar "|." } cello = \new Voice \relative c' { \clef bass c2 b a1 \bar "|." } \score { \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Violin 1" } << \global \violinOne >> \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Violin 2" } << \global \violinTwo >> \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Viola" } << \global \viola >> \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Cello" } << \global \cello >> >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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String quartet template with separate parts
The “String quartet template” snippet produces a nice string quartet,
but what if you needed to print parts? This new template demonstrates
how to use the \tag
feature to easily split a piece into
individual parts.
You need to split this template into separate files; the filenames are
contained in comments at the beginning of each file. piece.ly
contains all the music definitions. The other files – score.ly
,
vn1.ly
, vn2.ly
, vla.ly
, and vlc.ly
–
produce the appropriate part.
Do not forget to remove specified comments when using separate files!
% piece.ly % (This is the global definitions file) global= { \time 4/4 \key c \major } Violinone = \new Voice \relative c'' { c2 d e1 \bar "|." } Violintwo = \new Voice \relative c'' { g2 g e1 \bar "|." } Viola = \new Voice \relative c' { \clef alto e2 d c1 \bar "|." } Cello = \new Voice \relative c' { \clef bass c2 b a1 \bar "|." } music = { << \tag #'score \tag #'vn1 \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Violin 1" } << \global \Violinone >> \tag #'score \tag #'vn2 \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Violin 2" } << \global \Violintwo >> \tag #'score \tag #'vla \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Viola" } << \global \Viola >> \tag #'score \tag #'vlc \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Cello" } << \global \Cello >> >> } % These are the other files you need to save on your computer % score.ly % (This is the main file) % uncomment the line below when using a separate file %\include "piece.ly" #(set-global-staff-size 14) \score { \new StaffGroup \keepWithTag #'score \music \layout { } \midi { } } %{ Uncomment this block when using separate files % vn1.ly % (This is the Violin 1 part file) \include "piece.ly" \score { \keepWithTag #'vn1 \music \layout { } } % vn2.ly % (This is the Violin 2 part file) \include "piece.ly" \score { \keepWithTag #'vn2 \music \layout { } } % vla.ly % (This is the Viola part file) \include "piece.ly" \score { \keepWithTag #'vla \music \layout { } } % vlc.ly % (This is the Cello part file) \include "piece.ly" \score { \keepWithTag #'vlc \music \layout { } } %}
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[ < String quartet template with separate parts ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Changing the size of woodwind diagrams > ] |
Winds
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[ < Winds ] | [ Up : Winds ] | [ Fingering symbols for wind instruments > ] |
Changing the size of woodwind diagrams
The size and thickness of woodwind diagrams can be changed.
\relative c'' { \textLengthOn c1^\markup \woodwind-diagram #'piccolo #'() c^\markup \override #'(size . 1.5) { \woodwind-diagram #'piccolo #'() } c^\markup \override #'(thickness . 0.15) { \woodwind-diagram #'piccolo #'() } }
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[ < Changing the size of woodwind diagrams ] | [ Up : Winds ] | [ Flute slap notation > ] |
Fingering symbols for wind instruments
Special symbols can be achieved by combining existing glyphs, which is useful for wind instruments.
mymarkup = { \once \override TextScript.outside-staff-padding = 0 \once \override TextScript.staff-padding = 0 \once \override TextScript.padding = 0.2 \once \override TextScript.X-offset = #(lambda (g) (+ (ly:self-alignment-interface::centered-on-x-parent g) (ly:self-alignment-interface::x-aligned-on-self g))) } \relative c' { g\open \mymarkup g^\markup \combine \musicglyph "scripts.open" \musicglyph "scripts.tenuto" \mymarkup g^\markup \combine \musicglyph "scripts.open" \musicglyph "scripts.stopped" g\stopped }
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[ < Fingering symbols for wind instruments ] | [ Up : Winds ] | [ Graphical and text woodwind diagrams > ] |
Flute slap notation
It is possible to indicate special articulation techniques such as a
flute “tongue slap” by replacing the note head with the appropriate
glyph. For that we can draw the accent-like note head with
\markup
.
slap = #(define-music-function (music) (ly:music?) #{ \temporary \override NoteHead.stencil = #ly:text-interface::print \temporary \override NoteHead.text = \markup \translate #'(1 . 0) \override #'(thickness . 1.4) \overlay { \draw-line #'(-1.2 . 0.4) \draw-line #'(-1.2 . -0.4) } \temporary \override NoteHead.stem-attachment = #(lambda (grob) (let* ((stem (ly:grob-object grob 'stem)) (dir (ly:grob-property stem 'direction UP)) (is-up (eqv? dir UP))) (cons dir (if is-up 0 -0.8)))) #music \revert NoteHead.stencil \revert NoteHead.text \revert NoteHead.stem-attachment #}) \relative c' { c4 \slap c d r \slap { g4 a } b r }
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[ < Flute slap notation ] | [ Up : Winds ] | [ Recorder fingering chart > ] |
Graphical and text woodwind diagrams
In many cases, the keys other than the central column can be displayed by key name as well as by graphical means.
\relative c'' { \textLengthOn c1^\markup \woodwind-diagram #'piccolo #'((cc . (one three)) (lh . (gis)) (rh . (ees))) c^\markup \override #'(graphical . #f) { \woodwind-diagram #'piccolo #'((cc . (one three)) (lh . (gis)) (rh . (ees))) } }
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[ < Graphical and text woodwind diagrams ] | [ Up : Winds ] | [ Woodwind diagrams key lists > ] |
Recorder fingering chart
The following example demonstrates how fingering charts for wind instruments can be realized.
% range chart for paetzold contrabass recorder centermarkup = { \once \override TextScript.self-alignment-X = #CENTER \once \override TextScript.X-offset = #(lambda (g) (+ (ly:self-alignment-interface::centered-on-x-parent g) (ly:self-alignment-interface::x-aligned-on-self g))) } \score { \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" \omit Stem \omit Flag \consists "Horizontal_bracket_engraver" } { \clef bass \set Score.timing = ##f f,1*1/4 \glissando \clef violin gis'1*1/4 \stemDown a'4^\markup "1)" \centermarkup \once \override TextScript.padding = 2 bes'1*1/4_\markup \override #'(baseline-skip . 1.7) \column { \fontsize #-5 \slashed-digit #0 \finger 1 \finger 2 \finger 3 \finger 4 \finger 5 \finger 6 \finger 7 } b'1*1/4 c''4^\markup "1)" \centermarkup \once \override TextScript.padding = 2 cis''1*1/4 deh''1*1/4 \centermarkup \once \override TextScript.padding = 2 \once \override Staff.HorizontalBracket.direction = #UP e''1*1/4_\markup \override #'(baseline-skip . 1.7) \column { \fontsize #-5 \slashed-digit #0 \finger 1 \finger 2 \finger 4 \finger 5}\startGroup f''1*1/4^\markup "2)"\stopGroup } }
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[ < Recorder fingering chart ] | [ Up : Winds ] | [ Woodwind diagrams listing > ] |
Woodwind diagrams key lists
The snippet below produces a list of all possible keys and key settings
for woodwind diagrams as defined in
scm/define-woodwind-diagrams.scm
. The list will be displayed in
the log file, but not in the music. If output to the console is
wanted, omit the (current-error-port)
from the commands.
#(print-keys-verbose 'piccolo (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'flute (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'flute-b-extension (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'tin-whistle (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'oboe (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'clarinet (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'bass-clarinet (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'low-bass-clarinet (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'saxophone (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'soprano-saxophone (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'alto-saxophone (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'tenor-saxophone (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'baritone-saxophone (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'bassoon (current-error-port)) #(print-keys-verbose 'contrabassoon (current-error-port)) \score {c''1}
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Woodwind diagrams listing
The following music shows all of the woodwind diagrams currently defined in LilyPond.
\layout { indent = 0 } \relative c' { \textLengthOn c1^ \markup { \center-column { 'tin-whistle " " \woodwind-diagram #'tin-whistle #'() } } c1^ \markup { \center-column { 'piccolo " " \woodwind-diagram #'piccolo #'() } } c1^ \markup { \center-column { 'flute " " \woodwind-diagram #'flute #'() } } c1^\markup { \center-column { 'oboe " " \woodwind-diagram #'oboe #'() } } c1^\markup { \center-column { 'clarinet " " \woodwind-diagram #'clarinet #'() } } c1^\markup { \center-column { 'bass-clarinet " " \woodwind-diagram #'bass-clarinet #'() } } c1^\markup { \center-column { 'saxophone " " \woodwind-diagram #'saxophone #'() } } c1^\markup { \center-column { 'bassoon " " \woodwind-diagram #'bassoon #'() } } c1^\markup { \center-column { 'contrabassoon " " \woodwind-diagram #'contrabassoon #'() } } }
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[ < Woodwind diagrams listing ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Adding a figured bass above or below the notes > ] |
Ancient notation
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[ < Ancient notation ] | [ Up : Ancient notation ] | [ Ancient fonts > ] |
Adding a figured bass above or below the notes
When writing a figured bass, you can place the figures above or below
the bass notes, by defining the
BassFigureAlignmentPositioning.direction
property (exclusively
in a Staff
context). Choices are #UP
(or #1
),
#CENTER
(or #0
) and #DOWN
(or #-1
).
This property can be changed as many times as you wish. Use
\once \override
if you don’t want the override to apply to the
whole score.
bass = { \clef bass g4 b, c d e d8 c d2 } continuo = \figuremode { <_>4 <6>4 <5/>4 \override Staff.BassFigureAlignmentPositioning.direction = #UP %\bassFigureStaffAlignmentUp < _+ >4 <6> \set Staff.useBassFigureExtenders = ##t \override Staff.BassFigureAlignmentPositioning.direction = #DOWN %\bassFigureStaffAlignmentDown <4>4. <4>8 <_+>4 } \score { << \new Staff = bassStaff \bass \context Staff = bassStaff \continuo >> }
Ancient fonts
Shown here are many of the symbols that are included in LilyPond’s ancient notation.
\paper { tagline = ##f } m = { c1 e f ges cis' \bar "||" } \score { \new VaticanaVoice { \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.punctum \key es \major \textMark \markup \rounded-box "Vaticana clefs, custos and note heads" \clef "vaticana-fa2" <>^"vaticana.punctum" \m \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.inclinatum <>^"vaticana.inclinatum" \m \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.quilisma <>^"vaticana.quilisma" \m \clef "vaticana-fa1" \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.plica <>^"vaticana.plica" \m \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.reverse.plica <>^"vaticana.reverse.plica" \m \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.punctum.cavum <>^"vaticana.punctum.cavum" \m \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.lpes <>^"vaticana.punctum.lpes" \m \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.upes <>^"vaticana.punctum.upes" \m \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.vupes <>^"vaticana.punctum.vupes" \m \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.linea.punctum <>^"vaticana.punctum.linea" \m \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.epiphonus <>^"vaticana.punctum.epiphonus" \m \override NoteHead.style = #'vaticana.cephalicus <>^"vaticana.punctum.cephalicus" \m \break \textMark \markup \rounded-box "Medicaea clefs, custos and note heads" \set VaticanaStaff.alterationGlyphs = #alteration-medicaea-glyph-name-alist \override VaticanaStaff.Custos.style = #'medicaea \clef "medicaea-fa2" \override NoteHead.style = #'medicaea.punctum <>^"medicaea.punctum" \m \clef "medicaea-do2" \override NoteHead.style = #'medicaea.inclinatum <>^"medicaea.inclinatum" \m \override NoteHead.style = #'medicaea.virga <>^"medicaea.virga" \m \clef "medicaea-fa1" \override NoteHead.style = #'medicaea.rvirga <>^"medicaea.rvirga" \m \break \textMark \markup \rounded-box "Hufnagel clefs, custos and note heads" \set Staff.alterationGlyphs = #alteration-hufnagel-glyph-name-alist \override VaticanaStaff.Custos.style = #'hufnagel \clef "hufnagel-fa2" \break \override NoteHead.style = #'hufnagel.punctum <>^"hufnagel.punctum" \m \clef "hufnagel-do2" \override NoteHead.style = #'hufnagel.lpes <>^"hufnagel.lpes" \m \clef "hufnagel-do-fa" \override NoteHead.style = #'hufnagel.virga <>^"hufnagel.virga" \m } \layout { indent = 0.0 \context { \Score \override TextScript.font-size = #-2 \override TextMark.break-align-symbols = #'(left-edge clef staff-bar) \override TextMark.padding = 4 \omit BarNumber } \context { \VaticanaStaff alterationGlyphs = #alteration-vaticana-glyph-name-alist \override Clef.space-alist = #(grob-transformer 'space-alist (lambda (grob orig) (acons 'custos '(extra-space . 0.7) orig))) } } }
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[ < Ancient fonts ] | [ Up : Ancient notation ] | [ Ancient time signatures > ] |
Ancient notation template – modern transcription of gregorian music
This example demonstrates how to do modern transcription of Gregorian music. Gregorian music has no measure, no stems; it uses only half and quarter note heads, and special marks, indicating rests of different length.
chant = \relative c' { \set Score.timing = ##f f4 a2 \divisioMinima g4 b a2 f2 \divisioMaior g4( f) f( g) a2 \finalis } verba = \lyricmode { Lo -- rem ip -- sum do -- lor sit a -- met } \score { \new GregorianTranscriptionStaff << \new GregorianTranscriptionVoice = "melody" \chant \new GregorianTranscriptionLyrics = "one" \lyricsto melody \verba >> }
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[ < Ancient notation template – modern transcription of gregorian music ] | [ Up : Ancient notation ] | [ Chant or psalms notation > ] |
Ancient time signatures
Time signatures may also be engraved in an old style.
{ \override Staff.TimeSignature.style = #'neomensural s1 }
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[ < Ancient time signatures ] | [ Up : Ancient notation ] | [ Custodes > ] |
Chant or psalms notation
This form of notation is used for Psalm chant, where verses aren’t always the same length.
stemOff = \hide Staff.Stem stemOn = \undo \stemOff \score { \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } { \key g \minor \cadenzaOn \stemOff a'\breve bes'4 g'4 \stemOn a'2 \section \stemOff a'\breve g'4 a'4 \stemOn f'2 \section \stemOff a'\breve^\markup { \italic flexe } \stemOn g'2 \fine } }
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[ < Chant or psalms notation ] | [ Up : Ancient notation ] | [ Incipit > ] |
Custodes
Custodes may be engraved in various styles.
\layout { ragged-right = ##t } \new Staff \with { \consists "Custos_engraver" } \relative c' { \override Staff.Custos.neutral-position = #4 \override Staff.Custos.style = #'hufnagel c1^"hufnagel" \break <d a' f'>1 \override Staff.Custos.style = #'medicaea c1^"medicaea" \break <d a' f'>1 \override Staff.Custos.style = #'vaticana c1^"vaticana" \break <d a' f'>1 \override Staff.Custos.style = #'mensural c1^"mensural" \break <d a' f'>1 }
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[ < Custodes ] | [ Up : Ancient notation ] | [ Mensurstriche layout (bar lines between the staves) > ] |
Incipit
When transcribing mensural music, an incipit at the beginning of the piece is useful to indicate the original key and tempo. While today musicians are used to bar lines in order to faster recognize rhythmic patterns, bar lines were not yet invented during the period of mensural music; in fact, the meter often changed after every few notes. As a compromise, bar lines are often printed between the staves rather than on the staves.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % A short excerpt from the Jubilate Deo by Orlande de Lassus %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% \header { tagline = ##f } global = { \set Score.skipBars = ##t \key g \major \time 4/4 % the actual music \skip 1*8 % let finis bar go through all staves \override Staff.BarLine.transparent = ##f % finis bar \bar "|." } discantusIncipit = { \clef "neomensural-c1" \key f \major \time 2/2 c''1. } discantusNotes = { \transpose c' c'' { \clef "treble" d'2. d'4 | b e' d'2 | c'4 e'4.( d'8 c' b | a4) b a2 | b4.( c'8 d'4) c'4 | \once \hide NoteHead c'1 | b\breve | } } discantusLyrics = \lyricmode { Ju -- bi -- la -- te De -- o, om -- nis ter -- ra, __ om- "..." -us. } altusIncipit = { \clef "neomensural-c3" \key f \major \time 2/2 r1 f'1. } altusNotes = { \transpose c' c'' { \clef "treble" r2 g2. e4 fis g | a2 g4 e | fis g4.( fis16 e fis4) | g1 | \once \hide NoteHead g1 | g\breve | } } altusLyrics = \lyricmode { Ju -- bi -- la -- te De -- o, om -- nis ter -- ra, "..." -us. } tenorIncipit = { \clef "neomensural-c4" \key f \major \time 2/2 r\longa r\breve r1 c'1. } tenorNotes = { \transpose c' c' { \clef "treble_8" R1 | R1 | R1 | % two measures r2 d'2. d'4 b e' | \once \hide NoteHead e'1 | d'\breve | } } tenorLyrics = \lyricmode { Ju -- bi -- la -- te "..." -us. } bassusIncipit = { \clef "mensural-f" \key f \major \time 2/2 r\maxima f1. } bassusNotes = { \transpose c' c' { \clef "bass" R1 | R1 | R1 | R1 | g2. e4 | \once \hide NoteHead e1 | g\breve | } } bassusLyrics = \lyricmode { Ju -- bi- "..." -us. } \score { << \new StaffGroup = choirStaff << \new Voice = "discantusNotes" << \set Staff.instrumentName = "Discantus" \incipit \discantusIncipit \global \discantusNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto discantusNotes { \discantusLyrics } \new Voice = "altusNotes" << \set Staff.instrumentName = "Altus" \global \incipit \altusIncipit \altusNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto altusNotes { \altusLyrics } \new Voice = "tenorNotes" << \set Staff.instrumentName = "Tenor" \global \incipit \tenorIncipit \tenorNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto tenorNotes { \tenorLyrics } \new Voice = "bassusNotes" << \set Staff.instrumentName = "Bassus" \global \incipit \bassusIncipit \bassusNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto bassusNotes { \bassusLyrics } >> >> \layout { \context { \Score %% no bar lines in staves or lyrics \hide BarLine } %% the next two instructions keep the lyrics between the bar lines \context { \Lyrics \consists "Bar_engraver" \consists "Separating_line_group_engraver" } \context { \Voice %% no slurs \hide Slur %% Comment in the below "\remove" command to allow line %% breaking also at those bar lines where a note overlaps %% into the next measure. The command is commented out in this %% short example score, but especially for large scores, you %% will typically yield better line breaking and thus improve %% overall spacing if you comment in the following command. %%\remove "Forbid_line_break_engraver" } indent = 6\cm incipit-width = 4\cm } }
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[ < Incipit ] | [ Up : Ancient notation ] | [ Rest styles > ] |
Mensurstriche layout (bar lines between the staves)
Mensurstriche, bar lines between but not through staves, can be
printed by setting measureBarType
to "-span|"
and using a
grouping context that allows span bars, such as StaffGroup
.
\layout { \context { \Staff measureBarType = "-span|" } } music = \fixed c'' { c1 d2 \section e2 f1 \fine } \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \music \new Staff \music >>
Rest styles
Rests may be used in various styles.
restsA = { r\maxima r\longa r\breve r1 r2 r4 r8 r16 s32 s64 s128 s256 s512 s1024 s1024 } restsB = { r\maxima r\longa r\breve r1 r2 r4 r8 r16 r32 r64 r128 r256 r512 r1024 s1024 } \new Staff \relative c { \omit Score.TimeSignature \cadenzaOn \override Staff.Rest.style = #'mensural <>^\markup \typewriter { mensural } \restsA \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'neomensural <>^\markup \typewriter { neomensural } \restsA \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'classical <>^\markup \typewriter { classical } \restsB \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'z <>^\markup \typewriter { z-style } \restsB \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'default <>^\markup \typewriter { default } \restsB \bar "" \break } \paper { indent = 0 tagline = ##f }
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[ < Rest styles ] | [ Up : Ancient notation ] | [ Vertical line as a baroque articulation mark > ] |
Using tags to produce mensural and modern music from the same source
Using tags, it is possible to produce both mensural and modern notation
from the same music. In this snippet, a function \menrest
is
introduced, allowing mensural rests to be pitched as in the original,
but with modern rests in the standard staff position.
Tags can also be used where other differences are needed: for example
using “whole measure rests” (R1
, R\breve
, etc.) in
modern music, but normal rests (r1
, r\breve
, etc.) in
the mensural version. Converting mensural music to its modern
equivalent is usually referred to as transcription.
\header { tagline = ##f } menrest = #(define-music-function (note) (ly:music?) #{ \tag #'mens $(make-music 'RestEvent note) \tag #'mod $(make-music 'RestEvent note 'pitch '()) #}) MenStyle = { \autoBeamOff \override NoteHead.style = #'petrucci \override Score.BarNumber.transparent = ##t \override Stem.neutral-direction = #up } finalis = \section Music = \relative c'' { \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \key f \major \time 4/4 g1 d'2 \menrest bes4 bes2 a2 r4 g4 fis2. \finalis } MenLyr = \lyricmode { So farre, deere life, deare life } ModLyr = \lyricmode { So far, dear life, dear life } \score { \keepWithTag #'mens { << \new MensuralStaff { \new MensuralVoice = Cantus \clef "mensural-c1" \MenStyle \Music } \new Lyrics \lyricsto Cantus \MenLyr >> } } \score { \keepWithTag #'mod { \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff { \new Voice = Sop \with { \remove "Note_heads_engraver" \consists "Completion_heads_engraver" \remove "Rest_engraver" \consists "Completion_rest_engraver" } { \shiftDurations 1 0 { \autoBeamOff \Music } } } \new Lyrics \lyricsto Sop \ModLyr >> } }
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[ < Using tags to produce mensural and modern music from the same source ] | [ Up : Ancient notation ] | [ World music > ] |
Vertical line as a baroque articulation mark
This short vertical line placed above the note is commonly used in baroque music. Its meaning can vary, but generally indicates notes that should be played with more “weight”. The following example demonstrates how to achieve such a notation.
upline = \tweak stencil #(lambda (grob) (grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup \draw-line #'(0 . 1) #})) \stopped \relative c' { a'4^\upline a( c d')_\upline }
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[ < Vertical line as a baroque articulation mark ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Arabic improvisation > ] |
World music
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[ < World music ] | [ Up : World music ] | [ Makam example > ] |
Arabic improvisation
For improvisations or taqasim which are temporarily free, the
time signature can be omitted and \cadenzaOn
can be
used. Adjusting the accidental style might be required, since the
absence of bar lines will cause the accidental to be marked only
once. Here is an example of what could be the start of a hijaz
improvisation:
\include "arabic.ly" \relative sol' { \key re \kurd \accidentalStyle forget \cadenzaOn sol4 sol sol sol fad mib sol1 fad8 mib re4. r8 mib1 fad sol }
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[ < Arabic improvisation ] | [ Up : World music ] | [ Printing text from right to left > ] |
Makam example
Makam is a type of melody from Turkey using 1/9th-tone microtonal alterations.
Consult the initialization file ‘ly/makam.ly’ for details of pitch names and alterations.
% Initialize makam settings \include "makam.ly" \relative c' { \set Staff.keyAlterations = #`((6 . ,(- KOMA)) (3 . ,BAKIYE)) c4 cc db fk gbm4 gfc gfb efk fk4 db cc c }
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Printing text from right to left
It is possible to print text from right to left in a markup object, as demonstrated here.
{ b1^\markup { \line { i n g i r u m i m u s n o c t e } } f'_\markup { \override #'(text-direction . -1) \line { i n g i r u m i m u s n o c t e } } }
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[ < Printing text from right to left ] | [ Up : World music ] | [ Contexts and engravers > ] |
Turkish Makam example
This template uses the start of a well-known Turkish Saz Semai that is familiar in the repertoire in order to illustrate some of the elements of Turkish music notation.
\paper { tagline = ##f } % Initialize makam settings \include "turkish-makam.ly" \header { title = "Hüseyni Saz Semaisi" composer = "Lavtacı Andon" } \relative { \set Staff.extraNatural = ##f \set Staff.autoBeaming = ##f \key a \huseyni \time 10/8 a'4 g'16 [fb] e8. [d16] d [c d e] c [d c8] bfc | a16 [bfc a8] bfc c16 [d c8] d16 [e d8] e4 fb8 | d4 a'8 a16 [g fb e] fb8 [g] a8. [b16] a16 [g] | g4 g16 [fb] fb8. [e16] e [g fb e] e4 r8 | }
[ << World music ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Tweaks and overrides >> ] |
[ < Turkish Makam example ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Adding a figured bass above or below the notes > ] |
Contexts and engravers
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[ < Contexts and engravers ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Adding an extra staff > ] |
Adding a figured bass above or below the notes
When writing a figured bass, you can place the figures above or below
the bass notes, by defining the
BassFigureAlignmentPositioning.direction
property (exclusively
in a Staff
context). Choices are #UP
(or #1
),
#CENTER
(or #0
) and #DOWN
(or #-1
).
This property can be changed as many times as you wish. Use
\once \override
if you don’t want the override to apply to the
whole score.
bass = { \clef bass g4 b, c d e d8 c d2 } continuo = \figuremode { <_>4 <6>4 <5/>4 \override Staff.BassFigureAlignmentPositioning.direction = #UP %\bassFigureStaffAlignmentUp < _+ >4 <6> \set Staff.useBassFigureExtenders = ##t \override Staff.BassFigureAlignmentPositioning.direction = #DOWN %\bassFigureStaffAlignmentDown <4>4. <4>8 <_+>4 } \score { << \new Staff = bassStaff \bass \context Staff = bassStaff \continuo >> }
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[ < Adding a figured bass above or below the notes ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Adding an extra staff at a line break > ] |
Adding an extra staff
An extra staff can be added (possibly temporarily) after the start of a piece.
\score { << \new Staff \relative c'' { c1 | c | c | c | c } \new StaffGroup \relative c'' { \new Staff { c1 | c << { c1 | d } \new Staff { \once \omit Staff.TimeSignature c1 | b } >> c1 } } >> }
Adding an extra staff at a line break
When adding a new staff at a line break, some extra space is
unfortunately added at the end of the line before the break (to fit in
a key signature change, which will never be printed anyway). The
workaround is to add a setting of
Staff.explicitKeySignatureVisibility
as is shown in the example.
\paper { tagline = ##f } \score { \new StaffGroup \relative c'' { \new Staff \key f \major c1 c^"Unwanted extra space" \break << { c1 | c } \new Staff { \key f \major \once \omit Staff.TimeSignature c1 | c } >> c1 | c^"Fixed here" \break << { c1 | c } \new Staff { \once \set Staff.explicitKeySignatureVisibility = #end-of-line-invisible \key f \major \once \omit Staff.TimeSignature c1 | c } >> } }
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[ < Adding an extra staff at a line break ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Centered measure numbers > ] |
Automatically changing the stem direction of the middle note based on the melody
LilyPond can alter the stem direction of the middle note on a staff so
that it follows the melody, by adding the Melody_engraver
to the
Voice
context.
The context property suspendMelodyDecisions
may be used to turn
off this behavior locally.
\relative c'' { \time 3/4 a8 b g f b g | \set suspendMelodyDecisions = ##t a b g f b g | \unset suspendMelodyDecisions c b d c b c | } \layout { \context { \Voice \consists "Melody_engraver" \autoBeamOff } }
Centered measure numbers
Scores of large ensemble works often have bar numbers placed beneath
the system, centered horizontally on the measure’s extent. This
snippet shows how the Measure_counter_engraver
may be used to
simulate this notational practice. Here, the engraver has been added
to a Dynamics
context.
This snippet presents a legacy method: starting from LilyPond 2.23.3,
\set Score.centerBarNumbers = ##t
is enough.
\layout { \context { \Dynamics \consists #Measure_counter_engraver \override MeasureCounter.direction = #DOWN \override MeasureCounter.font-encoding = #'latin1 \override MeasureCounter.font-shape = #'italic % to control the distance of the Dynamics context from the staff: \override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing.padding = #2 } \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } pattern = \repeat unfold 7 { c'4 d' e' f' } \new StaffGroup << \new Staff { \pattern } \new Staff { \pattern } \new Dynamics { \startMeasureCount s1*7 \stopMeasureCount } >>
Changing MIDI output to one channel per voice
When outputting MIDI, the default behavior is for each staff to represent one MIDI channel, with all the voices on a staff amalgamated. This minimizes the risk of running out of MIDI channels, since there are only 16 available per track.
However, by moving the Staff_performer
to the Voice
context, each voice on a staff can have its own MIDI channel, as is
demonstrated by the following example: despite being on the same staff,
two MIDI channels are created, each with a different
midiInstrument
.
\score { \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c''' { \set midiInstrument = "flute" \voiceOne \key g \major \time 2/2 r2 g-"Flute" ~ g fis ~ fis4 g8 fis e2 ~ e4 d8 cis d2 } \new Voice \relative c'' { \set midiInstrument = "clarinet" \voiceTwo b1-"Clarinet" a2. b8 a g2. fis8 e fis2 r } >> \layout { } \midi { \context { \Staff \remove "Staff_performer" } \context { \Voice \consists "Staff_performer" } \tempo 2 = 72 } }
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[ < Changing MIDI output to one channel per voice ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Chant or psalms notation > ] |
Changing time signatures inside a polymetric section using \scaleDurations
The measureLength
property, together with
measurePosition
, determines when a bar line is needed. However,
when using \scaleDurations
, the scaling of durations makes it
difficult to change time signatures. In this case,
measureLength
should be set manually, using the
ly:make-moment
callback. The second argument must be the same
as the second argument of \scaleDurations
.
\layout { \context { \Score \remove "Timing_translator" } \context { \Staff \consists "Timing_translator" } } << \new Staff { \scaleDurations 8/5 { \time 6/8 \set Timing.measureLength = \musicLength 1*6/5 b8 b b b b b \time 2/4 \set Timing.measureLength = \musicLength 1*4/5 b4 b } } \new Staff { \clef bass \time 2/4 c2 d e f } >>
Chant or psalms notation
This form of notation is used for Psalm chant, where verses aren’t always the same length.
stemOff = \hide Staff.Stem stemOn = \undo \stemOff \score { \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } { \key g \minor \cadenzaOn \stemOff a'\breve bes'4 g'4 \stemOn a'2 \section \stemOff a'\breve g'4 a'4 \stemOn f'2 \section \stemOff a'\breve^\markup { \italic flexe } \stemOn g'2 \fine } }
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[ < Chant or psalms notation ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Creating custom key signatures > ] |
Creating blank staves
To create blank staves, generate empty measures then remove the
Bar_number_engraver
from the Score
context, and the
Time_signature_engraver
, Clef_engraver
and
Bar_engraver
from the Staff
context.
#(set-global-staff-size 20) \score { { \repeat unfold 12 { s1 \break } } \layout { indent = 0\in \context { \Staff \remove "Time_signature_engraver" \remove "Clef_engraver" \remove "Bar_engraver" } \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } } % uncomment these lines for "letter" size %{ \paper { #(set-paper-size "letter") ragged-last-bottom = ##f line-width = 7.5\in left-margin = 0.5\in bottom-margin = 0.25\in top-margin = 0.25\in } %} % uncomment these lines for "A4" size %{ \paper { #(set-paper-size "a4") ragged-last-bottom = ##f line-width = 180 left-margin = 15 bottom-margin = 10 top-margin = 10 } %}
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[ < Creating blank staves ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Cross-staff stems > ] |
Creating custom key signatures
LilyPond supports custom key signatures. In this example, print for D minor with an extended range of printed flats.
\new Staff \with { \override StaffSymbol.line-count = #8 \override KeySignature.flat-positions = #'((-7 . 6)) \override KeyCancellation.flat-positions = #'((-7 . 6)) % presumably sharps are also printed in both octaves \override KeySignature.sharp-positions = #'((-6 . 7)) \override KeyCancellation.sharp-positions = #'((-6 . 7)) \override Clef.stencil = # (lambda (grob)(grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup\combine \musicglyph "clefs.C" \translate #'(-3 . -2) \musicglyph "clefs.F" #})) clefPosition = #3 middleCPosition = #3 middleCClefPosition = #3 } { \key d\minor f bes, f bes, }
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[ < Creating custom key signatures ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Defining an engraver in Scheme: ambitus engraver > ] |
Cross-staff stems
This snippet shows how to use Span_stem_engraver
and
\crossStaff
to connect stems across staves automatically.
The stem lengths need not be specified, as the variable distance between
noteheads and staves is calculated automatically. However, it is
important that \crossStaff
is applied to the correct voice or
staff (i.e., on the opposite side of where a beam is or would be
positioned) to get the desired effect.
\layout { \context { \PianoStaff \consists "Span_stem_engraver" } } \new PianoStaff << \new Staff { <b d'>4 r d'16\> e'8. g8 r\! | e'8 f' g'4 \voiceTwo % Down to lower staff \crossStaff { e'8 e'8 } e'4 | } \new Staff { \clef bass \voiceOne % Up to upper staff \crossStaff { <e g>4 e, g16 a8. c8 } d | g8 f g4 \voiceTwo g8 g g4 | } >>
Defining an engraver in Scheme: ambitus engraver
This example demonstrates how the ambitus engraver may be defined on
the user side, with a Scheme engraver. This is basically a rewrite in
Scheme of the code from lily/ambitus-engraver.cc
.
#(use-modules (oop goops)) %%% %%% Grob utilities %%% %%% These are literal rewrites of some C++ methods used by the ambitus engraver. #(define (ly:separation-item::add-conditional-item grob grob-item) "Add @var{grob-item} to the array of conditional elements of @var{grob}. Rewrite of @code{Separation_item::add_conditional_item} from @file{lily/separation-item.cc}." (ly:pointer-group-interface::add-grob grob 'conditional-elements grob-item)) #(define (ly:accidental-placement::accidental-pitch accidental-grob) "Get the pitch from the grob cause of @var{accidental-grob}. Rewrite of @code{accidental_pitch} from @file{lily/accidental-placement.cc}." (ly:event-property (ly:grob-property (ly:grob-parent accidental-grob Y) 'cause) 'pitch)) #(define (ly:accidental-placement::add-accidental grob accidental-grob) "Add @var{accidental-grob}, an @code{Accidental} grob, to the list of the accidental grobs of @var{grob}, an @code{AccidentalPlacement} grob. Rewrite of @code{Accidental_placement::add_accidental} from @file{lily/accidental-placement.cc}." (let ((pitch (ly:accidental-placement::accidental-pitch accidental-grob))) (set! (ly:grob-parent accidental-grob X) grob) (let* ((accidentals (ly:grob-object grob 'accidental-grobs)) (handle (assq (ly:pitch-notename pitch) accidentals)) (entry (if handle (cdr handle) '()))) (set! (ly:grob-object grob 'accidental-grobs) (assq-set! accidentals (ly:pitch-notename pitch) (cons accidental-grob entry)))))) %%% %%% Ambitus data structure %%% %%% The <ambitus> class holds the various grobs that are created %%% to print an ambitus: %%% - ambitus-group: the grob that groups all the components of an ambitus %%% (Ambitus grob); %%% - ambitus-line: the vertical line between the upper and lower ambitus %%% notes (AmbitusLine grob); %%% - ambitus-up-note and ambitus-down-note: the note head and accidental %%% for the lower and upper note of the ambitus (see <ambitus-note> class %%% below). %%% The other slots define the key and clef context of the engraver: %%% - start-c0: position of middle c at the beginning of the piece. It %%% is used to place the ambitus notes according to their pitch; %%% - start-key-sig: the key signature at the beginning of the piece. It %%% is used to determine if accidentals shall be printed next to ambitus %%% notes. #(define-class <ambitus> () (ambitus-group #:accessor ambitus-group) (ambitus-line #:accessor ambitus-line) (ambitus-up-note #:getter ambitus-up-note #:init-form (make <ambitus-note>)) (ambitus-down-note #:getter ambitus-down-note #:init-form (make <ambitus-note>)) (start-c0 #:accessor ambitus-start-c0 #:init-value #f) (start-key-sig #:accessor ambitus-start-key-sig #:init-value '())) %%% Accessor for the lower and upper note data of an ambitus #(define-method (ambitus-note (ambitus <ambitus>) direction) "If @var{direction} is @code{UP}, then return the upper ambitus note of @var{ambitus}, otherwise return the lower ambitus note." (if (= direction UP) (ambitus-up-note ambitus) (ambitus-down-note ambitus))) %%% The <ambitus-note> class holds the grobs that are specific to ambitus %%% (lower and upper) notes: %%% - head: an AmbitusNoteHead grob; %%% - accidental: an AmbitusAccidental grob, to be possibly printed next %%% to the ambitus note head. %%% Moreover: %%% - pitch is the absolute pitch of the note %%% - cause is the note event that causes this ambitus note, i.e. the lower %%% or upper note of the considered music sequence. #(define-class <ambitus-note> () (head #:accessor ambitus-note-head #:init-value #f) (accidental #:accessor ambitus-note-accidental #:init-value #f) (cause #:accessor ambitus-note-cause #:init-value #f) (pitch #:accessor ambitus-note-pitch #:init-value #f)) %%% %%% Ambitus engraving logics %%% %%% Rewrite of the code from @file{lily/ambitus-engraver.cc}. #(define (make-ambitus translator) "Build an ambitus object: initialize all the grobs and their relations. The Ambitus grob contain all other grobs: Ambitus |- AmbitusLine |- AmbitusNoteHead for upper note |- AmbitusAccidental for upper note |- AmbitusNoteHead for lower note |- AmbitusAccidental for lower note The parent of an accidental is the corresponding note head, and the accidental is set as the 'accidental-grob of the note head so that is printed by the function that prints notes." ;; make the ambitus object (let ((ambitus (make <ambitus>))) ;; build the Ambitus grob, which will contain all other grobs (set! (ambitus-group ambitus) (ly:engraver-make-grob translator 'Ambitus '())) ;; build the AmbitusLine grob (line between lower and upper note) (set! (ambitus-line ambitus) (ly:engraver-make-grob translator 'AmbitusLine '())) ;; build the upper and lower AmbitusNoteHead and AmbitusAccidental (for-each (lambda (direction) (let ((head (ly:engraver-make-grob translator 'AmbitusNoteHead '())) (accidental (ly:engraver-make-grob translator 'AmbitusAccidental '())) (group (ambitus-group ambitus))) ;; The parent of the AmbitusAccidental grob is the ;; AmbitusNoteHead grob (set! (ly:grob-parent accidental Y) head) ;; The AmbitusAccidental grob is set as the accidental-grob ;; object of the AmbitusNoteHead. This is later used by the ;; function that prints notes. (set! (ly:grob-object head 'accidental-grob) accidental) ;; both the note head and the accidental grobs are added ;; to the main ambitus grob. (ly:axis-group-interface::add-element group head) (ly:axis-group-interface::add-element group accidental) ;; the note head and the accidental grobs are added to the ;; ambitus object (set! (ambitus-note-head (ambitus-note ambitus direction)) head) (set! (ambitus-note-accidental (ambitus-note ambitus direction)) accidental))) (list DOWN UP)) ;; The parent of the ambitus line is the lower ambitus note head (set! (ly:grob-parent (ambitus-line ambitus) X) (ambitus-note-head (ambitus-note ambitus DOWN))) ;; the ambitus line is added to the ambitus main grob (ly:axis-group-interface::add-element (ambitus-group ambitus) (ambitus-line ambitus)) ambitus)) #(define-method (initialize-ambitus-state (ambitus <ambitus>) translator) "Initialize the state of @var{ambitus}, by getting the starting position of middle C and key signature from @var{translator}'s context." (if (not (ambitus-start-c0 ambitus)) (begin (set! (ambitus-start-c0 ambitus) (ly:context-property (ly:translator-context translator) 'middleCPosition 0)) (set! (ambitus-start-key-sig ambitus) (ly:context-property (ly:translator-context translator) 'keyAlterations))))) #(define-method (update-ambitus-notes (ambitus <ambitus>) note-grob) "Update the upper and lower ambitus pithes of @var{ambitus}, using @var{note-grob}." ;; Get the event that caused the note-grob creation ;; and check that it is a note-event. (let ((note-event (ly:grob-property note-grob 'cause))) (if (ly:in-event-class? note-event 'note-event) ;; get the pitch from the note event (let ((pitch (ly:event-property note-event 'pitch))) ;; if this pitch is lower than the current ambitus lower ;; note pitch (or it has not been initialized yet), ;; then this pitch is the new ambitus lower pitch, ;; and conversely for upper pitch. (for-each (lambda (direction pitch-compare) (if (or (not (ambitus-note-pitch (ambitus-note ambitus direction))) (pitch-compare pitch (ambitus-note-pitch (ambitus-note ambitus direction)))) (begin (set! (ambitus-note-pitch (ambitus-note ambitus direction)) pitch) (set! (ambitus-note-cause (ambitus-note ambitus direction)) note-event)))) (list DOWN UP) (list ly:pitch<? (lambda (p1 p2) (ly:pitch<? p2 p1)))))))) #(define-method (typeset-ambitus (ambitus <ambitus>) translator) "Typeset the ambitus: - place the lower and upper ambitus notes according to their pitch and the position of the middle C; - typeset or delete the note accidentals, according to the key signature. An accidental, if it is to be printed, is added to an AccidentalPlacement grob (a grob dedicated to the placement of accidentals near a chord); - both note heads are added to the ambitus line grob, so that a line should be printed between them." ;; check if there are lower and upper pitches (if (and (ambitus-note-pitch (ambitus-note ambitus UP)) (ambitus-note-pitch (ambitus-note ambitus DOWN))) ;; make an AccidentalPlacement grob, for placement of note accidentals (let ((accidental-placement (ly:engraver-make-grob translator 'AccidentalPlacement (ambitus-note-accidental (ambitus-note ambitus DOWN))))) ;; For lower and upper ambitus notes: (for-each (lambda (direction) (let ((pitch (ambitus-note-pitch (ambitus-note ambitus direction)))) ;; set the cause and the staff position of the ambitus note ;; according to the associated pitch (set! (ly:grob-property (ambitus-note-head (ambitus-note ambitus direction)) 'cause) (ambitus-note-cause (ambitus-note ambitus direction))) (set! (ly:grob-property (ambitus-note-head (ambitus-note ambitus direction)) 'staff-position) (+ (ambitus-start-c0 ambitus) (ly:pitch-steps pitch))) ;; determine if an accidental shall be printed for this note, ;; according to the key signature (let* ((handle (or (assoc (cons (ly:pitch-octave pitch) (ly:pitch-notename pitch)) (ambitus-start-key-sig ambitus)) (assoc (ly:pitch-notename pitch) (ambitus-start-key-sig ambitus)))) (sig-alter (if handle (cdr handle) 0))) (cond ((= (ly:pitch-alteration pitch) sig-alter) ;; the note alteration is in the key signature ;; => it does not have to be printed (ly:grob-suicide! (ambitus-note-accidental (ambitus-note ambitus direction))) (set! (ly:grob-object (ambitus-note-head (ambitus-note ambitus direction)) 'accidental-grob) '())) (else ;; otherwise, the accidental shall be printed (set! (ly:grob-property (ambitus-note-accidental (ambitus-note ambitus direction)) 'alteration) (ly:pitch-alteration pitch))))) ;; add the AccidentalPlacement grob to the ;; conditional items of the AmbitusNoteHead (ly:separation-item::add-conditional-item (ambitus-note-head (ambitus-note ambitus direction)) accidental-placement) ;; add the AmbitusAccidental to the list of the ;; AccidentalPlacement grob accidentals (ly:accidental-placement::add-accidental accidental-placement (ambitus-note-accidental (ambitus-note ambitus direction))) ;; add the AmbitusNoteHead grob to the AmbitusLine grob (ly:pointer-group-interface::add-grob (ambitus-line ambitus) 'note-heads (ambitus-note-head (ambitus-note ambitus direction))))) (list DOWN UP)) ;; add the AccidentalPlacement grob to the main Ambitus grob (ly:axis-group-interface::add-element (ambitus-group ambitus) accidental-placement)) ;; no notes ==> suicide the grobs (begin (for-each (lambda (direction) (ly:grob-suicide! (ambitus-note-accidental (ambitus-note ambitus direction))) (ly:grob-suicide! (ambitus-note-head (ambitus-note ambitus direction)))) (list DOWN UP)) (ly:grob-suicide! ambitus-line)))) %%% %%% Ambitus engraver definition %%% #(define ambitus-engraver (lambda (context) (let ((ambitus #f)) ;; when music is processed: make the ambitus object, if not already built (make-engraver ((process-music translator) (if (not ambitus) (set! ambitus (make-ambitus translator)))) ;; set the ambitus clef and key signature state ((stop-translation-timestep translator) (if ambitus (initialize-ambitus-state ambitus translator))) ;; when a note-head grob is built, update the ambitus notes (acknowledgers ((note-head-interface engraver grob source-engraver) (if ambitus (update-ambitus-notes ambitus grob)))) ;; finally, typeset the ambitus according to its upper and lower notes ;; (if any). ((finalize translator) (if ambitus (typeset-ambitus ambitus translator))))))) %%% %%% Example %%% \score { \new StaffGroup << \new Staff { c'4 des' e' fis' gis' } \new Staff { \clef "bass" c4 des ~ des ees b, } >> \layout { \context { \Staff \consists #ambitus-engraver } } }
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Displaying a whole GrandStaff system if only one of its staves is alive
In orchestral scores sometimes single or groups of instruments are
silent for a while and their staves can be removed for that time (with
\removeEmptyStaves
).
When they play again it is often preferred to show the staves of
all instruments of such a group. This can be done adding the
Keep_alive_together_engraver
in the grouper (e.g., a GrandStaff
or a StaffGroup).
In the example the violins are silent in the 2nd system and in the 3rd system. Only the first violin plays the last measure but the staff of the second violin is also displayed.
\score { << \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_woodwinds" << \new Staff = "Staff_flute" \with { instrumentName = "Flute" shortInstrumentName = "Fl" } \relative c' { \repeat unfold 3 { c'4 c c c | c c c c | c c c c | \break } } >> \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_Strings" << \new GrandStaff = "GrandStaff_violins" << \new Staff = "StaffViolinI" \with { instrumentName = "Violin I" shortInstrumentName = "Vi I" } \relative c'' { a1 \repeat unfold 7 { s1 } \repeat unfold 12 a16 a4 } \new Staff = "StaffViolinII" \with { instrumentName = "Violin II" shortInstrumentName = "Vi II" } \relative c' { e1 \repeat unfold 8 { s1 } } >> \new Staff = "Staff_cello" \with { instrumentName = "Cello" shortInstrumentName = "Ce" } \relative c { \clef bass \repeat unfold 9 { c1 }} >> >> } \paper { tagline = ##f } \layout { indent = 3.0\cm short-indent = 1.5\cm \context { \GrandStaff \consists Keep_alive_together_engraver } \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves } }
Engravers one-by-one
The notation problem, creating a certain symbol, is handled by plugins. Each plugin is called an engraver. In this example, (some) engravers are switched on one by one, in the following order:
- note heads,
- staff symbol,
- clef,
- stem,
- beams, slurs, accents,
- accidentals, bar lines, time signature and key signature.
Engravers are grouped. For example, note heads, slurs, beams, etc.,
form a Voice
context. Engravers for key signature, accidentals,
bar line, etc., form a Staff
context.
\header { tagline = ##f } topVoice = \relative c' { \key d \major es8([ g] a[ fis]) b4 b16[-. b-. b-. cis-.] d4-> } % empty staff and voice contexts MyStaff = \context { \type Engraver_group \name Staff \accepts Voice \defaultchild Voice } MyVoice = \context { \type Engraver_group \name Voice } % add note heads MyVoice = \context { \MyVoice \consists Note_heads_engraver } \score { \topVoice \layout { \context { \MyStaff } \context { \MyVoice } } } % add staff MyStaff = \context { \MyStaff \consists Staff_symbol_engraver } \score { \topVoice \layout { \context { \MyStaff } \context { \MyVoice } } } % add clef MyStaff = \context { \MyStaff \consists Clef_engraver } \score { \topVoice \layout { \context { \MyStaff } \context { \MyVoice } } } % add stems MyVoice = \context { \MyVoice \consists Stem_engraver } \score { \topVoice \layout { \context { \MyStaff } \context { \MyVoice } } } % add beams, slurs, and accents MyVoice = \context { \MyVoice \consists Beam_engraver \consists Slur_engraver \consists Script_engraver \consists Rhythmic_column_engraver } \score { \topVoice \layout { \context { \MyStaff } \context { \MyVoice } } } % add accidentals, bar, time signature, and key signature MyStaff = \context { \MyStaff \consists Accidental_engraver \consists Bar_engraver \consists Time_signature_engraver \consists Key_engraver } \score { \topVoice \layout { \context { \MyStaff } \context { \MyVoice } } }
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[ < Engravers one-by-one ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Nesting staves > ] |
Mensurstriche layout (bar lines between the staves)
Mensurstriche, bar lines between but not through staves, can be
printed by setting measureBarType
to "-span|"
and using a
grouping context that allows span bars, such as StaffGroup
.
\layout { \context { \Staff measureBarType = "-span|" } } music = \fixed c'' { c1 d2 \section e2 f1 \fine } \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \music \new Staff \music >>
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[ < Mensurstriche layout (bar lines between the staves) ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Numbering groups of measures > ] |
Nesting staves
The property systemStartDelimiterHierarchy
can be used to make
more complex nested staff groups. The command
\set StaffGroup.systemStartDelimiterHierarchy
takes an
alphabetical list of the number of staves produced. Before each staff a
system start delimiter can be given. It has to be enclosed in brackets
and takes as much staves as the brackets enclose. Elements in the list
can be omitted, but the first bracket takes always the complete number
of staves. The possibilities are SystemStartBar
,
SystemStartBracket
, SystemStartBrace
, and
SystemStartSquare
.
\new StaffGroup \relative c'' << \override StaffGroup.SystemStartSquare.collapse-height = 4 \set StaffGroup.systemStartDelimiterHierarchy = #'(SystemStartSquare (SystemStartBrace (SystemStartBracket a (SystemStartSquare b) ) c ) d) \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } >>
Numbering groups of measures
This snippet demonstrates the use of the
Measure_counter_engraver
to number groups of successive
measures. Any stretch of measures may be numbered, whether consisting
of repetitions or not.
The engraver must be added to the appropriate context. Here, a
Staff
context is used; another possibility is a Dynamics
context.
The counter is begun with \startMeasureCount
and ended with
\stopMeasureCount
. Numbering will start by default
with 1, but this behavior may be modified by overriding the
count-from
property.
When a measure extends across a line break, the number will appear twice, the second time in parentheses.
\layout { \context { \Staff \consists #Measure_counter_engraver } } \new Staff { \startMeasureCount \repeat unfold 7 { c'4 d' e' f' } \stopMeasureCount \bar "||" g'4 f' e' d' \override Staff.MeasureCounter.count-from = #2 \startMeasureCount \repeat unfold 5 { g'4 f' e' d' } g'4 f' \bar "" \break e'4 d' \repeat unfold 7 { g'4 f' e' d' } \stopMeasureCount } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Numbering groups of measures ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Removing bar numbers from a score > ] |
Print ChordNames with same root and different bass as slash and bass-note
To print subsequent ChordNames
only differing in its bass note
as slash and bass note use the here defined engraver. The behaviour may
be controlled in detail by the chordChanges
context property.
#(define Bass_changes_equal_root_engraver (lambda (ctx) "For sequential @code{ChordNames} with same root, but different bass, the root markup is dropped: D D/C D/B -> D /C /B The behaviour may be controlled by setting the @code{chordChanges} context-property." (let ((chord-pitches '()) (last-chord-pitches '()) (bass-pitch #f)) (make-engraver ((initialize this-engraver) (let ((chord-note-namer (ly:context-property ctx 'chordNoteNamer))) ;; Set 'chordNoteNamer, respect user setting if already done (ly:context-set-property! ctx 'chordNoteNamer (if (procedure? chord-note-namer) chord-note-namer note-name->markup)))) (listeners ((note-event this-engraver event) (let* ((pitch (ly:event-property event 'pitch)) (pitch-name (ly:pitch-notename pitch)) (pitch-alt (ly:pitch-alteration pitch)) (bass (ly:event-property event 'bass #f)) (inversion (ly:event-property event 'inversion #f))) ;; Collect notes of the chord ;; - to compare inversed chords we need to collect the bass note ;; as usual member of the chord, whereas an added bass must be ;; treated separate from the usual chord-notes ;; - notes are stored as pairs containing their ;; pitch-name (an integer), i.e. disregarding their octave and ;; their alteration (cond (bass (set! bass-pitch pitch)) (inversion (set! bass-pitch pitch) (set! chord-pitches (cons (cons pitch-name pitch-alt) chord-pitches))) (else (set! chord-pitches (cons (cons pitch-name pitch-alt) chord-pitches))))))) (acknowledgers ((chord-name-interface this-engraver grob source-engraver) (let ((chord-changes (ly:context-property ctx 'chordChanges #f))) ;; If subsequent chords are equal apart from their bass, ;; reset the 'text-property. ;; Equality is done by comparing the sorted lists of this chord's ;; elements and the previous chord. Sorting is needed because ;; inverted chords may have a different order of pitches. ;; `chord-changes' needs to be true (if (and bass-pitch chord-changes (equal? (sort chord-pitches car<) (sort last-chord-pitches car<))) (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'text (make-line-markup (list (ly:context-property ctx 'slashChordSeparator) ((ly:context-property ctx 'chordNoteNamer) bass-pitch (ly:context-property ctx 'chordNameLowercaseMinor)))))) (set! last-chord-pitches chord-pitches) (set! chord-pitches '()) (set! bass-pitch #f)))) ((finalize this-engraver) (set! last-chord-pitches '())))))) myChords = \chordmode { %\germanChords \set chordChanges = ##t d2:m d:m/cis d:m/c \set chordChanges = ##f d:m/b e1:7 \set chordChanges = ##t e \break \once \set chordChanges = ##f e1/f e2/gis e/+gis e e:m/f d:m d:m/cis d:m/c \set chordChanges = ##f d:m/b } << \new ChordNames \with { \consists #Bass_changes_equal_root_engraver } \myChords \new Staff \myChords >>
Removing bar numbers from a score
Bar numbers can be removed entirely by removing the
Bar_number_engraver
from the Score
context.
\layout { \context { \Score \omit BarNumber % or: %\remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } \relative c'' { c4 c c c \break c4 c c c } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Removing bar numbers from a score ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Using marklines in a Frenched score > ] |
Use square bracket at the start of a staff group
The system start delimiter SystemStartSquare
can be used by
setting it explicitly in a StaffGroup
or ChoirStaff
context.
\score { \new StaffGroup { << \set StaffGroup.systemStartDelimiter = #'SystemStartSquare \new Staff { c'4 d' e' f' } \new Staff { c'4 d' e' f' } >> } }
Using marklines in a Frenched score
Using MarkLine
contexts (such as in
LSR1010) in a Frenched
score can be problematic if all the staves between two MarkLine
s
are removed in one system. The Keep_alive_together_engraver
can
be used within each StaffGroup
to keep the MarkLine
alive
only as long as the other staves in the group stay alive.
bars = { \tempo "Allegro" 4=120 s1*2 \repeat unfold 5 { \mark \default s1*2 } \bar "||" \tempo "Adagio" 4=40 s1*2 \repeat unfold 8 { \mark \default s1*2 } \bar "|." } winds = \repeat unfold 120 { c''4 } trumpet = { \repeat unfold 8 g'2 R1*16 \repeat unfold 4 g'2 R1*8 } trombone = { \repeat unfold 4 c'1 R1*8 d'1 R1*17 } strings = \repeat unfold 240 { c''8 } #(set-global-staff-size 16) \paper { systems-per-page = 5 ragged-last-bottom = ##f } \layout { indent = 15\mm short-indent = 5\mm \context { \name MarkLine \type Engraver_group \consists Output_property_engraver \consists Axis_group_engraver \consists Mark_engraver \consists Metronome_mark_engraver \consists Staff_collecting_engraver \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-empty = ##t \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-layer = #'any \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN \override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing.padding = 1 keepAliveInterfaces = #'() } \context { \Staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-empty = ##t \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-layer = ##f } \context { \StaffGroup \accepts MarkLine \consists Keep_alive_together_engraver } \context { \Score \remove Mark_engraver \remove Metronome_mark_engraver \remove Staff_collecting_engraver } } \score { << \new StaffGroup = "winds" \with { instrumentName = "Winds" shortInstrumentName = "Winds" } << \new MarkLine \bars \new Staff \winds >> \new StaffGroup = "brass" << \new MarkLine \bars \new Staff = "trumpet" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet" shortInstrumentName = "Tpt" } \trumpet \new Staff = "trombone" \with { instrumentName = "Trombone" shortInstrumentName = "Tbn" } \trombone >> \new StaffGroup = "strings" \with { instrumentName = "Strings" shortInstrumentName = "Strings" } << \new MarkLine \bars \new Staff = "strings" { \strings } >> >> }
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[ < Using marklines in a Frenched score ] | [ Up : Contexts and engravers ] | [ Vocal ensemble template with verse and refrain > ] |
Vocal ensemble template with lyrics aligned below and above the staves
This template is basically the same as the simple “Vocal ensemble”
template, with the exception that here all the lyrics lines are placed
using alignAboveContext
and alignBelowContext
.
global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 } sopMusic = \relative c'' { c4 c c8[( b)] c4 } sopWords = \lyricmode { hi hi hi hi } altoMusic = \relative c' { e4 f d e } altoWords = \lyricmode { ha ha ha ha } tenorMusic = \relative c' { g4 a f g } tenorWords = \lyricmode { hu hu hu hu } bassMusic = \relative c { c4 c g c } bassWords = \lyricmode { ho ho ho ho } \score { \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff = "women" << \new Voice = "sopranos" { \voiceOne << \global \sopMusic >> } \new Voice = "altos" { \voiceTwo << \global \altoMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics \with { alignAboveContext = "women" } \lyricsto "sopranos" \sopWords \new Lyrics \with { alignBelowContext = "women" } \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords % we could remove the line about this with the line below, since % we want the alto lyrics to be below the alto Voice anyway. % \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords \new Staff = "men" << \clef bass \new Voice = "tenors" { \voiceOne << \global \tenorMusic >> } \new Voice = "basses" { \voiceTwo << \global \bassMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics \with { alignAboveContext = "men" } \lyricsto "tenors" \tenorWords \new Lyrics \with { alignBelowContext = "men" } \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords % again, we could replace the line above this with the line below. % \new Lyrics \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords >> }
Vocal ensemble template with verse and refrain
This template creates a score that starts with a solo verse and
continues into a refrain for two voices. It also demonstrates the use
of spacer rests within the \global
variable to define meter
changes (and other elements common to all parts) throughout the entire
score.
\header { tagline = ##f } global = { \key g \major % verse \time 3/4 s2.*2 \break % refrain \time 2/4 s2*2 \bar "|." } SoloNotes = \relative g' { \clef "treble" % verse g4 g g | b4 b b | % refrain R2*2 | } SoloLyrics = \lyricmode { One two three | four five six | } SopranoNotes = \relative c'' { \clef "treble" % verse R2.*2 | % refrain c4 c | g4 g | } SopranoLyrics = \lyricmode { la la | la la | } BassNotes = \relative c { \clef "bass" % verse R2.*2 | % refrain c4 e | d4 d | } BassLyrics = \lyricmode { dum dum | dum dum | } \score { << \new Voice = "SoloVoice" << \global \SoloNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "SoloVoice" \SoloLyrics \new ChoirStaff << \new Voice = "SopranoVoice" << \global \SopranoNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "SopranoVoice" \SopranoLyrics \new Voice = "BassVoice" << \global \BassNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "BassVoice" \BassLyrics >> >> \layout { ragged-right = ##t \context { \Staff % these lines prevent empty staves from being printed \RemoveEmptyStaves \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-first = ##t } } }
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Tweaks and overrides
[ << Tweaks and overrides ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Paper and layout >> ] |
[ < Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Adding links to objects > ] |
Adding an ottava marking to a single voice
If you have more than one voice on the staff, setting octavation in one
voice transposes the position of notes in all voices for the duration
of the ottava bracket. If the octavation is only intended to apply to
one voice, the Ottava_spanner_engraver
should be moved to
Voice
context.
\layout { \context { \Staff \remove Ottava_spanner_engraver } \context { \Voice \consists Ottava_spanner_engraver } } { \clef bass << { <g d'>1~ q2 <c' e'> } \\ { r2. \ottava -1 <b,,, b,,>4 ~ | q2 \ottava 0 <c e>2 } >> }
[ << Tweaks and overrides ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Paper and layout >> ] |
[ < Adding an ottava marking to a single voice ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Adding markups in a tablature > ] |
Adding links to objects
To add a link to a grob stencil you can use add-link
as defined
here. It works both with \override
and \tweak
.
Drawback: point-and-click
is disturbed for the linked grobs.
Limitation: Works for PDF only.
The linked objects are colored with a separate command. Note that the links are not displayed and are not clickable from inside the LSR.
#(define (add-link url-strg) (lambda (grob) (let* ((stil (ly:grob-property grob 'stencil))) (if (ly:stencil? stil) (let* ((x-ext (ly:stencil-extent stil X)) (y-ext (ly:stencil-extent stil Y)) (url-expr `(url-link ,url-strg ,x-ext ,y-ext)) (new-stil (ly:stencil-add (ly:make-stencil url-expr x-ext y-ext) stil))) (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'stencil new-stil)))))) %%%% test %% For easier maintenance of this snippet the URL is formatted to use the %% actually used LilyPond version. %% Of course a literal URL would work as well. #(define major.minor-version (string-join (take (string-split (lilypond-version) #\.) 2) ".")) urlI = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/writing-pitches" major.minor-version) urlII = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/rhythms" major.minor-version) urlIII = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/note-heads" major.minor-version) urlIV = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/beams" major.minor-version) urlV = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/note-head-styles" major.minor-version) urlVI = #(format #f "http://lilypond.org/doc/v~a/Documentation/notation/writing-pitches" major.minor-version) \relative c' { \key cis \minor \once \override Staff.Clef.color = #green \once \override Staff.Clef.after-line-breaking = #(add-link urlI) \once \override Staff.TimeSignature.color = #green \once \override Staff.TimeSignature.after-line-breaking = #(add-link urlII) \once \override NoteHead.color = #green \once \override NoteHead.after-line-breaking = #(add-link urlIII) cis'1 \once \override Beam.color = #green \once \override Beam.after-line-breaking = #(add-link urlIV) cis8 dis e fis gis2 <gis, \tweak Accidental.color #green \tweak Accidental.after-line-breaking #(add-link urlVI) \tweak color #green \tweak after-line-breaking #(add-link urlV) \tweak style #'harmonic bis dis fis >1 <cis, cis' e> }
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[ < Adding links to objects ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Adding timing marks to long glissandi > ] |
Adding markups in a tablature
By default markups does not show in a tablature.
To make them appear, simply use the command
\revert TabStaff.TextScript.stencil
%% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=919 % by P.P.Schneider on June 2014 high = { r4 r8 <g c'> q r8 r4 } low = { c4 r4 c8 r8 g,8 b, } pulse = { s8^"1" s^"&" s^"2" s^"&" s^"3" s^"&" s^"4" s^"&" } \score { \new TabStaff { \repeat unfold 2 << \high \\ \low \\ \pulse >> } \layout { \context { \TabStaff \clef moderntab \revert TextScript.stencil \override TextScript.font-series = #'bold \override TextScript.font-size = #-2 \override TextScript.color = #red } \context { \Score proportionalNotationDuration = \musicLength 8 } } }
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[ < Adding markups in a tablature ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Adjusting grace note spacing > ] |
Adding timing marks to long glissandi
Skipped beats in very long glissandi are sometimes indicated by timing marks, often consisting of stems without noteheads. Such stems can also be used to carry intermediate expression markings.
If the stems do not align well with the glissando, they may need to be repositioned slightly.
glissandoSkipOn = { \override NoteColumn.glissando-skip = ##t \hide NoteHead \override NoteHead.no-ledgers = ##t } glissandoSkipOff = { \revert NoteColumn.glissando-skip \undo \hide NoteHead \revert NoteHead.no-ledgers } \relative c'' { r8 f8\glissando \glissandoSkipOn f4 g a a8\noBeam \glissandoSkipOff a8 r8 f8\glissando \glissandoSkipOn g4 a8 \glissandoSkipOff a8 | r4 f\glissando \< \glissandoSkipOn a4\f \> \glissandoSkipOff b8\! r | }
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[ < Adding timing marks to long glissandi ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing > ] |
Adjusting grace note spacing
The space given to grace notes can be adjusted using the
spacing-increment
property of Score.GraceSpacing
.
graceNotes = { \grace { c4 c8 c16 c32 } c8 } \relative c'' { c8 \graceNotes \override Score.GraceSpacing.spacing-increment = #2.0 \graceNotes \revert Score.GraceSpacing.spacing-increment \graceNotes }
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[ < Adjusting grace note spacing ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Adjusting slur positions vertically > ] |
Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing
This snippet shows how to bring the lyrics line closer to the staff.
% Default layout: << \new Staff \new Voice = melody \relative c' { c4 d e f g4 f e d c1 } \new Lyrics \lyricsto melody { aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa } \new Staff { \new Voice = melody \relative c' { c4 d e f g4 f e d c1 } } % Reducing the minimum space below the staff and above the lyrics: \new Lyrics \with { \override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing = #'((basic-distance . 1)) } \lyricsto melody { aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa } >>
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[ < Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Altering the length of beamed stems > ] |
Adjusting slur positions vertically
Using \override Slur.positions
it is possible to set the
vertical position of the start and end points of a slur to absolute
values (or rather, forcing LilyPond’s slur algorithm to consider these
values as desired). In many cases, this means a lot of trial and error
until good values are found. You probably have tried the
\offset
command next just to find out that it doesn’t work for
slurs, emitting a warning instead.
The code in this snippet allows you to tweak the vertical start and end
positions by specifying relative changes, similar to
\offset
.
Syntax: \offsetPositions #'(dy1 . dy2)
offsetPositions = #(define-music-function (offsets) (number-pair?) #{ \once \override Slur.control-points = #(lambda (grob) (match-let ((((_ . y1) _ _ (_ . y2)) (ly:slur::calc-control-points grob)) ((off1 . off2) offsets)) (set! (ly:grob-property grob 'positions) (cons (+ y1 off1) (+ y2 off2))) (ly:slur::calc-control-points grob))) #}) \relative c'' { c4(^"default" c, d2) \offsetPositions #'(0 . 1) c'4(^"(0 . 1)" c, d2) \offsetPositions #'(0 . 2) c'4(^"(0 . 2)" c, d2) \bar "||" g4(^"default" a d'2) \offsetPositions #'(1 . 0) g,,4(^"(1 . 0)" a d'2) \offsetPositions #'(2 . 0) g,,4(^"(2 . 0)" a d'2) }
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[ < Adjusting slur positions vertically ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Alternative bar numbering > ] |
Altering the length of beamed stems
Stem lengths on beamed notes can be varied by overriding the
beamed-lengths
property of the details
of the
Stem
. If a single value is used as an argument, the length
applies to all stems. When multiple arguments are used, the first
applies to eighth notes, the second to sixteenth notes and so on. The
final argument also applies to all notes shorter than the note length
of the final argument. Non-integer arguments may also be used.
\relative c'' { \override Stem.details.beamed-lengths = #'(2) a8[ a] a16[ a] a32[ a] \override Stem.details.beamed-lengths = #'(8 10 12) a8[ a] a16[ a] a32[ a] r8 \override Stem.details.beamed-lengths = #'(8) a8[ a] \override Stem.details.beamed-lengths = #'(8.5) a8[ a] \revert Stem.details.beamed-lengths a8[ a] a16[ a] a32[ a] r16 }
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[ < Altering the length of beamed stems ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Analysis brackets above the staff > ] |
Alternative bar numbering
Two alternative methods for bar numbering can be set, especially for when using repeated music.
music = \relative c' { \repeat volta 3 { c4 d e f | \alternative { \volta 1 { c4 d e f | c2 d \break } \volta 2 { f4 g a b | f4 g a b | f2 a | \break } \volta 3 { c4 d e f | c2 d } } } c1 \bar "|." } \markup "default" { \music } \markup \typewriter "'numbers" { \set Score.alternativeNumberingStyle = #'numbers \music } \markup \typewriter "'numbers-with-letters" { \set Score.alternativeNumberingStyle = #'numbers-with-letters \music } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Alternative bar numbering ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Analysis brackets with labels > ] |
Analysis brackets above the staff
Simple horizontal analysis brackets are added below the staff by default. The following example shows a way to place them above the staff instead.
\layout { \context { \Voice \consists "Horizontal_bracket_engraver" } } \relative c'' { \once \override HorizontalBracket.direction = #UP c2\startGroup d2\stopGroup }
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[ < Analysis brackets above the staff ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Asymmetric slurs > ] |
Analysis brackets with labels
Text markup may be added to analysis brackets through the text
property of the HorizontalBracketText
grob. Adding different
texts to brackets beginning at the same time requires the
\tweak
command.
Bracket text will be parenthesized after a line break.
\paper { tagline = ##f } \layout { \context { \Voice \consists "Horizontal_bracket_engraver" \override HorizontalBracket.direction = #UP } } { \once\override HorizontalBracketText.text = "a" c''\startGroup d''\stopGroup \once\override HorizontalBracketText.text = "a'" e''\startGroup d''\stopGroup | c''-\tweak HorizontalBracketText.text \markup \bold \huge "b" \startGroup -\tweak HorizontalBracketText.text "a" \startGroup d''\stopGroup e''-\tweak HorizontalBracketText.text "a'" \startGroup d''\stopGroup\stopGroup | c''-\tweak HorizontalBracketText.text foo \startGroup d'' e'' f'' | \break g'' a'' b'' c'''\stopGroup }
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[ < Analysis brackets with labels ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Breaking vertical alignment of dynamics and textscripts > ] |
Asymmetric slurs
Slurs can be made asymmetric to match an asymmetric pattern of notes better.
slurNotes = { d,8( a' d f a f' d, a) } \relative c' { \stemDown \slurUp \slurNotes \once \override Slur.eccentricity = #3.0 \slurNotes }
[ << Tweaks and overrides ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Paper and layout >> ] |
[ < Asymmetric slurs ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Caesura ("railtracks") with fermata > ] |
Breaking vertical alignment of dynamics and textscripts
By default, LilyPond uses DynamicLineSpanner
grobs to vertically
align successive dynamic objects like hairpins and dynamic
text. However, this is not always wanted. By inserting
\breakDynamicSpan
, which ends the alignment spanner
prematurely, this vertical alignment can be avoided.
{ g1\< | e''\f\> | c'\p } { g1\< | e''\breakDynamicSpan\f\> | c'\p } \paper { tagline = ##f }
Caesura ("railtracks") with fermata
A caesura is sometimes denoted by a double “railtracks” breath mark with a fermata sign positioned above. This snippet shows an optically pleasing combination of railtracks and fermata.
\relative c'' { c2. % construct the symbol \override BreathingSign.text = \markup { \override #'(direction . 1) \override #'(baseline-skip . 1.8) \dir-column { \translate #'(0.155 . 0) \center-align \musicglyph "scripts.caesura.curved" \center-align \musicglyph "scripts.ufermata" } } \breathe c4 % set the breath mark back to normal \revert BreathingSign.text c2. \breathe c4 \bar "|." }
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[ < Caesura ("railtracks") with fermata ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Changing beam thickness and spacing > ] |
Changing a single note’s size in a chord
Individual note heads in a chord can be modified with the
\tweak
command inside a chord, by altering the font-size
property.
Inside the chord (within the brackets < >
), before the note to
be altered, place the \tweak
command, followed by
font-size
and define the proper size like #-2
(a tiny
note head).
\relative c' { <\tweak font-size #+2 c e g c \tweak font-size #-2 e>1 ^\markup { A tiny e }_\markup { A big c } }
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[ < Changing a single note’s size in a chord ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Changing form of multi-measure rests > ] |
Changing beam thickness and spacing
To make beams thicker or thinner alter the Beam.beam-thickness
property. To adjust the spacing between beams alter the
Beam.length-fraction
property.
\relative f' { \time 1/8 \override Beam.beam-thickness = #0.4 \override Beam.length-fraction = #0.8 c32 c c c \revert Beam.beam-thickness % 0.48 is default thickness \revert Beam.length-fraction % 1.0 is default spacing c32 c c c \override Beam.beam-thickness = #0.6 \override Beam.length-fraction = #1.3 c32 c c c }
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[ < Changing beam thickness and spacing ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Changing properties for individual grobs > ] |
Changing form of multi-measure rests
If there are ten or fewer measures of rests, a series of longa and
breve rests (called in German “Kirchenpausen” - church rests) is
printed within the staff; otherwise a simple line is shown. This
default number of ten may be changed by overriding the
expand-limit
property.
\relative c'' { \compressMMRests { R1*2 | R1*5 | R1*9 \override MultiMeasureRest.expand-limit = 3 R1*2 | R1*5 | R1*9 } }
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[ < Changing form of multi-measure rests ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Changing text and spanner styles for text dynamics > ] |
Changing properties for individual grobs
The \applyOutput
command allows the tuning of any layout
object, in any context. It requires a Scheme function with three
arguments.
#(define (mc-squared grob grob-origin context) (let ((sp (ly:grob-property grob 'staff-position))) (ly:grob-set-property! grob 'stencil (grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup \lower #0.5 #(case sp ((-5) "m") ((-3) "c ") ((-2) #{ \markup \teeny \bold 2 #}) (else "bla")) #})))) \relative c' { <d f g b>2 \applyOutput Voice.NoteHead #mc-squared <d f g b>2 }
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[ < Changing properties for individual grobs ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Changing the default text font family > ] |
Changing text and spanner styles for text dynamics
The text used for crescendos and decrescendos can be
changed by modifying the context properties crescendoText
and
decrescendoText
.
The style of the spanner line can be changed by modifying the
'style
property of DynamicTextSpanner
. The default value
is 'dashed-line
, and other possible values include 'line
,
'dotted-line
and 'none
.
\relative c'' { \set crescendoText = \markup { \italic { cresc. poco } } \set crescendoSpanner = #'text \override DynamicTextSpanner.style = #'dotted-line a2\< a a2 a a2 a a2 a\mf }
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[ < Changing text and spanner styles for text dynamics ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Changing the staff size > ] |
Changing the default text font family
The default font families for text can be overridden.
%{ You may have to install additional fonts. Red Hat Fedora dejavu-fonts-all Debian GNU/Linux, Ubuntu fonts-dejavu-core fonts-dejavu-extra %} \paper { %{ run lilypond -dshow-available-fonts to show all fonts available in the process log. %} property-defaults.fonts.serif = "DejaVu Serif" property-defaults.fonts.sans = "DejaVu Sans" property-defaults.fonts.typewriter = "DejaVu Sans Mono" } { g'''4^\markup { DejaVu Serif: \bold bold \italic italic \italic \bold { bold italic } } g4_\markup { \override #'(font-family . sans) { DejaVu Sans: \bold bold \italic italic \italic \bold { bold italic } } } g''2^\markup { \override #'(font-family . typewriter) { DejaVu Sans Mono: \bold bold \italic italic \italic \bold { bold italic } } } }
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[ < Changing the default text font family ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Changing the tempo without a metronome mark > ] |
Changing the staff size
Though the simplest way to resize staves is to use
#(set-global-staff-size xx)
, an individual staff’s size can be
changed by scaling the properties 'staff-space
and
fontSize
.
<< \new Staff { \relative c'' { \dynamicDown c8\ff c c c c c c c } } \new Staff \with { fontSize = #-3 \override StaffSymbol.staff-space = #(magstep -3) } { \clef bass c8 c c c c\f c c c } >>
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[ < Changing the staff size ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Changing the text for sustain markings > ] |
Changing the tempo without a metronome mark
To change the tempo in MIDI output without printing anything, make the metronome mark invisible.
\score { \new Staff \relative c' { \tempo 4 = 160 c4 e g b c4 b d c \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 96 d,4 fis a cis d4 cis e d } \layout { } \midi { } }
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[ < Changing the tempo without a metronome mark ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Controlling spanner visibility after a line break > ] |
Changing the text for sustain markings
Staff.pedalSustainStrings
can be used to set the text used for
pedal down and up. Note that the only valid strings are those found in
the list of pedal glyphs - the values used this snippet constitute an
exhaustive list.
sustainNotes = { c4\sustainOn d e\sustainOff\sustainOn f\sustainOff } \relative c' { \sustainNotes \set Staff.pedalSustainStrings = #'("P" "P-" "-") \sustainNotes \set Staff.pedalSustainStrings = #'("d" "de" "e") \sustainNotes \set Staff.pedalSustainStrings = #'("M" "M-" "-") \sustainNotes \set Staff.pedalSustainStrings = #'("Ped" "*Ped" "*") \sustainNotes }
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[ < Changing the text for sustain markings ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Controlling the appearance of tremolo slashes > ] |
Controlling spanner visibility after a line break
The visibility of spanners which end on the first note following a line
break is controlled by the after-line-breaking
callback
ly:spanner::kill-zero-spanned-time
.
For objects such as glissandos and hairpins, the default behaviour is to hide the spanner after a break; disabling the callback will allow the left-broken span to be shown.
Conversely, spanners which are usually visible, such as text spans, can be hidden by enabling the callback.
\paper { ragged-right = ##t tagline = ##f } \relative c'' { \override Hairpin.to-barline = ##f \override Glissando.breakable = ##t % show hairpin \override Hairpin.after-line-breaking = ##t % hide text span \override TextSpanner.after-line-breaking = #ly:spanner::kill-zero-spanned-time e2\<\startTextSpan % show glissando \override Glissando.after-line-breaking = ##t f2\glissando \break f,1\!\stopTextSpan }
Controlling the appearance of tremolo slashes
Using various properties of the StemTremolo
grob it is possible
to control the appearance of tremolo slashes.
- Property
slope
sets the slope for tremolo slashes. - Property
shape
determines whether tremolo slashes look like rectangles (valuerectangle
) or like very small beams (valuebeam-like
). - Property
style
sets both the slope and the shape depending on whether the note has flags, beams, or only a plain stem. This is in contrast to the previous two properties, which change the slope and shape unconditionally. There are two styles defined.-
default
: slashes for down-stem flags are longer and more sloped than slashes for up-stem flags; slashes on beamed notes have a rectangular shape and are parallel to the beam. -
constant
: all slashes are beam-like and have the same slope except for down-stem flags.
-
music = { a''4:32 a': e''8: \noBeam e': a'':[ a':] f':[ g':] d':[ d':] } \new Staff { <>^\markup "default" \music } \new Staff { <>^\markup \typewriter "style = #'constant" \override StemTremolo.style = #'constant \music } \new Staff { <>^\markup \typewriter "shape = #'rectangle" \override StemTremolo.shape = #'rectangle \music } \new Staff { <>^\markup \typewriter "shape = #'beam-like" \override StemTremolo.shape = #'beam-like \music } \new Staff { <>^\markup \typewriter "slope = -0.2" \override StemTremolo.slope = -0.2 \music } \paper { indent = 0 tagline = ##f }
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[ < Controlling the appearance of tremolo slashes ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Controlling tuplet bracket visibility > ] |
Controlling the vertical ordering of scripts
The vertical ordering of scripts is controlled with the
script-priority
property. The lower this number, the closer it will
be put to the note. In this example, the TextScript
(the
sharp symbol) first has the lowest priority, so it is put lowest in
the first example. In the second, the prall trill (the
Script
) has the lowest, so it is on the inside. When two objects
have the same priority, the order in which they are entered determines which
one comes first.
Note that for Fingering
, StringNumber
, and StrokeFinger
grobs, if used within a chord, the vertical order is also determined by the
vertical position of the associated note head, which is added to (or,
depending on the direction, subtracted from) the grob’s
script-priority
value. This ensures that for fingerings above a
chord the lower note is associated with the lower fingering (and vice versa
for the other direction); it doesn’t matter whether you input the notes in
the chord from top to bottom or from bottom to top.
By default, the least technical scripts are positioned closest to the note head; the rough order is articulation, flageolet, fingering, right-hand fingering, string number, fermata, bowing, and text script.
\relative c''' { \once \override TextScript.script-priority = -100 a2^\prall^\markup { \sharp } \once \override Script.script-priority = -100 a2^\prall^\markup { \sharp } \set fingeringOrientations = #'(up) <c-2 a-1>2 <a-1 c\tweak script-priority -100 -2>2 }
[ << Tweaks and overrides ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Paper and layout >> ] |
[ < Controlling the vertical ordering of scripts ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Creating a delayed turn > ] |
Controlling tuplet bracket visibility
The default behavior of tuplet-bracket visibility is to print a bracket unless there is a beam of the same length as the tuplet.
To control the visibility of tuplet brackets, set the property
bracket-visibility
to either #t
(always print a bracket),
if-no-beam
(only print a bracket if there is no beam) or
#f
(never print a bracket). The latter is in fact equivalent to
omitting the TupletBracket
object altogether from the printed
output.
music = \relative c'' { \tuplet 3/2 { c16[ d e } f8] \tuplet 3/2 { c8 d e } \tuplet 3/2 { c4 d e } } \new Voice { \relative c' { \override Score.TextMark.non-musical = ##f \textMark "default" \music \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = #'if-no-beam \textMark \markup \typewriter "'if-no-beam" \music \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = ##t \textMark \markup \typewriter "#t" \music \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = ##f \textMark \markup \typewriter "#f" \music \omit TupletBracket \textMark \markup \typewriter "omit" \music } } \paper { tagline = ##f }
[ << Tweaks and overrides ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Paper and layout >> ] |
[ < Controlling tuplet bracket visibility ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Creating custom key signatures > ] |
Creating a delayed turn
Creating a delayed turn, where the lower note of the turn uses the
accidental, requires several overrides. The
outside-staff-priority
property must be set to #f
, as
otherwise this would take precedence over the avoid-slur
property. Changing the fractions 2/3
and 1/3
adjusts the
horizontal position.
\relative c'' { \after 2*2/3 \turn c2( d4) r | \after 4 \turn c4.( d8) \after 4 { \once \set suggestAccidentals = ##t \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.outside-staff-priority = ##f \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.avoid-slur = #'inside \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.font-size = -3 \once \override AccidentalSuggestion.script-priority = -1 \once \hideNotes cis8\turn \noBeam } d4.( e8) }
[ << Tweaks and overrides ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Paper and layout >> ] |
[ < Creating a delayed turn ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Creating double-digit fingerings > ] |
Creating custom key signatures
LilyPond supports custom key signatures. In this example, print for D minor with an extended range of printed flats.
\new Staff \with { \override StaffSymbol.line-count = #8 \override KeySignature.flat-positions = #'((-7 . 6)) \override KeyCancellation.flat-positions = #'((-7 . 6)) % presumably sharps are also printed in both octaves \override KeySignature.sharp-positions = #'((-6 . 7)) \override KeyCancellation.sharp-positions = #'((-6 . 7)) \override Clef.stencil = # (lambda (grob)(grob-interpret-markup grob #{ \markup\combine \musicglyph "clefs.C" \translate #'(-3 . -2) \musicglyph "clefs.F" #})) clefPosition = #3 middleCPosition = #3 middleCClefPosition = #3 } { \key d\minor f bes, f bes, }
[ << Tweaks and overrides ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Paper and layout >> ] |
[ < Creating custom key signatures ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Creating text spanners > ] |
Creating double-digit fingerings
Creating fingerings larger than 5 is possible.
\relative c' { c1-10 c1-50 c1-36 c1-29 }
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Creating text spanners
The \startTextSpan
and \stopTextSpan
commands allow the
creation of text spanners as easily as pedal indications or
octavations. Override some properties of the TextSpanner
object
to modify its output.
\paper { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c'' { \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = #"bla" \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.text = #"blu" a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan \override TextSpanner.style = #'line \once \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.stencil-align-dir-y = #CENTER a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan \override TextSpanner.style = #'dashed-line \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup { \draw-line #'(0 . 1) } \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.text = \markup { \draw-line #'(0 . -2) } \once \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.padding = #-2 a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan \set Staff.middleCPosition = #-13 \override TextSpanner.dash-period = #10 \override TextSpanner.dash-fraction = #0.5 \override TextSpanner.thickness = #10 a4 \startTextSpan b4 c a4 \stopTextSpan }
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Cross-staff chords - beaming problems workaround
Sometimes it is better to use stems from the upper staff for creating
cross-staff chords, because no problems with automatic beam collision
avoidance then arise. If the stems from the lower staff were used in
the following example, it would be necessary to change the automatic
beam collision avoidance settings so that it doesn’t detect collisions
between staves using
\override Staff.Beam.collision-voice-only = ##t
\new PianoStaff << \new Staff = up \relative c' { << { r4 \override Stem.cross-staff = ##t \override Stem.length = #19 % this is in half-spaces, % so it makes stems 9.5 staffspaces long \override Stem.Y-offset = #-6 % stems are normally lengthened % upwards, so here we must lower the stem by the amount % equal to the lengthening - in this case (19 - 7) / 2 % (7 is default stem length) e e e } { s4 \change Staff = "bottom" \override NoteColumn.ignore-collision = ##t c, c c } >> } \new Staff = bottom \relative c' { \clef bass \voiceOne g8 a g a g a g a } >>
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Cross-staff stems
This snippet shows how to use Span_stem_engraver
and
\crossStaff
to connect stems across staves automatically.
The stem lengths need not be specified, as the variable distance between
noteheads and staves is calculated automatically. However, it is
important that \crossStaff
is applied to the correct voice or
staff (i.e., on the opposite side of where a beam is or would be
positioned) to get the desired effect.
\layout { \context { \PianoStaff \consists "Span_stem_engraver" } } \new PianoStaff << \new Staff { <b d'>4 r d'16\> e'8. g8 r\! | e'8 f' g'4 \voiceTwo % Down to lower staff \crossStaff { e'8 e'8 } e'4 | } \new Staff { \clef bass \voiceOne % Up to upper staff \crossStaff { <e g>4 e, g16 a8. c8 } d | g8 f g4 \voiceTwo g8 g g4 | } >>
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Custodes
Custodes may be engraved in various styles.
\layout { ragged-right = ##t } \new Staff \with { \consists "Custos_engraver" } \relative c' { \override Staff.Custos.neutral-position = #4 \override Staff.Custos.style = #'hufnagel c1^"hufnagel" \break <d a' f'>1 \override Staff.Custos.style = #'medicaea c1^"medicaea" \break <d a' f'>1 \override Staff.Custos.style = #'vaticana c1^"vaticana" \break <d a' f'>1 \override Staff.Custos.style = #'mensural c1^"mensural" \break <d a' f'>1 }
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Customizing fretboard fret diagrams
Fret diagram properties can be set through
'fret-diagram-details
. For FretBoard
fret diagrams,
overrides are applied to the FretBoards.FretBoard
object. Like
Voice
, FretBoards
is a bottom-level context, and
therefore can be omitted in property overrides.
\include "predefined-guitar-fretboards.ly" \storePredefinedDiagram #default-fret-table \chordmode { c' } #guitar-tuning "x;1-1-(;3-2;3-3;3-4;1-1-);" % shorthand oo = #(define-music-function (grob-path value) (list? scheme?) #{ \once \override $grob-path = #value #}) << \new ChordNames { \chordmode { c1 | c | c | d } } \new FretBoards { % Set global properties of fret diagram \override FretBoards.FretBoard.size = 1.2 \override FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.finger-code = #'in-dot \override FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.dot-color = #'white \chordmode { c \oo FretBoard.size #1.0 \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.barre-type #'straight \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.dot-color #'black \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.finger-code #'below-string c' \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.barre-type #'none \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.number-type #'arabic \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.orientation #'landscape \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.mute-string "M" \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.label-dir #LEFT \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.dot-color #'black c' \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.finger-code #'below-string \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.dot-radius #0.35 \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.dot-position #0.5 \oo FretBoard.fret-diagram-details.fret-count #3 d } } \new Voice { c'1 | c' | c' | d' } >>
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Customizing markup fret diagrams
Fret diagram properties can be set through
'fret-diagram-details
. For markup fret diagrams, overrides can
be applied to the Voice.TextScript
object or directly to the
markup.
<< \chords { c1 | c | c | d } \new Voice = "mel" { \textLengthOn % Set global properties of fret diagram \override TextScript.size = 1.2 \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details.finger-code = #'in-dot \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details.dot-color = #'white %% C major for guitar, no barre, using defaults % terse style c'1^\markup { \fret-diagram-terse "x;3-3;2-2;o;1-1;o;" } %% C major for guitar, barred on third fret % verbose style % size 1.0 % roman fret label, finger labels below string, straight barre c'1^\markup { % standard size \override #'(size . 1.0) { \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ( (number-type . roman-lower) (finger-code . in-dot) (barre-type . straight))) { \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 5 1 3)) } } } %% C major for guitar, barred on third fret % verbose style % landscape orientation, arabic numbers, M for mute string % no barre, fret label down or left, small mute label font c'1^\markup { \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ( (finger-code . below-string) (number-type . arabic) (label-dir . -1) (mute-string . "M") (orientation . landscape) (barre-type . none) (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) { \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 5 1 3)) } } %% simple D chord % terse style % larger dots, centered dots, fewer frets % label below string d'1^\markup { \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ( (finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (fret-count . 3))) { \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" } } } >>
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Display bracket with only one staff in a system
If there is only one staff in one of the staff types ChoirStaff
or StaffGroup
, by default the bracket and the starting bar line
will not be displayed. This can be changed by overriding
collapse-height
to set its value to be less than the number of
staff lines in the staff.
Note that in contexts such as PianoStaff
and GrandStaff
where the systems begin with a brace instead of a bracket, another
property has to be set, as shown on the second system in the example.
\score { \new StaffGroup << % Must be lower than the actual number of staff lines \override StaffGroup.SystemStartBracket.collapse-height = 4 \override Score.SystemStartBar.collapse-height = 4 \new Staff { c'1 } >> } \score { \new PianoStaff << \override PianoStaff.SystemStartBrace.collapse-height = 4 \override Score.SystemStartBar.collapse-height = 4 \new Staff { c'1 } >> } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Displaying grob ancestry
When working with grob callbacks, it can be helpful to understand a grob’s ancestry. Most grobs have parents which influence the positioning of the grob. X- and Y-parents influence the horizontal and vertical positions for the grob, respectively. Additionally, each parent may have parents of its own.
Unfortunately, there are several aspects of a grob’s ancestry that can lead to confusion:
- The types of parents a grob has may depend on context.
- For some grobs, the X- and Y-parents are the same.
- A particular ancestor may be related to a grob in multiple ways.
- The concept of generations is misleading.
For example, the System
grob can be both parent (on the Y-side)
and grandparent (twice on the X-side) to a VerticalAlignment
grob.
This macro prints (to the console) a textual representation of a grob’s ancestry.
When called this way:
{ \once \override NoteHead.before-line-breaking = #display-ancestry c }
The following output is generated:
NoteHead X,Y: NoteColumn X: PaperColumn X,Y: System Y: VerticalAxisGroup X: NonMusicalPaperColumn X,Y: System Y: VerticalAlignment X: NonMusicalPaperColumn X,Y: System Y: System
%% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=622 #(define (get-ancestry grob) (if (not (null? (ly:grob-parent grob X))) (list (grob::name grob) (get-ancestry (ly:grob-parent grob X)) (get-ancestry (ly:grob-parent grob Y))) (grob::name grob))) #(define (format-ancestry lst padding) (string-append (symbol->string (car lst)) "\n" (let ((X-ancestry (if (list? (cadr lst)) (format-ancestry (cadr lst) (+ padding 3)) (symbol->string (cadr lst)))) (Y-ancestry (if (list? (caddr lst)) (format-ancestry (caddr lst) (+ padding 3)) (symbol->string (caddr lst))))) (if (equal? X-ancestry Y-ancestry) (string-append (format #f "~&") (make-string padding #\space) "X,Y: " (if (list? (cadr lst)) (format-ancestry (cadr lst) (+ padding 5)) (symbol->string (cadr lst)))) (string-append (format #f "~&") (make-string padding #\space) "X: " X-ancestry "\n" (make-string padding #\space) "Y: " Y-ancestry (format #f "~&")))) (format #f "~&"))) #(define (display-ancestry grob) (format (current-error-port) "~3&~a~2%~a~&" (make-string 36 #\-) (if (ly:grob? grob) (format-ancestry (get-ancestry grob) 0) (format #f "~a is not a grob" grob)))) \relative c' { \once \override NoteHead.before-line-breaking = #display-ancestry f4 \once \override Accidental.before-line-breaking = #display-ancestry \once \override Arpeggio.before-line-breaking = #display-ancestry <f as c>4\arpeggio }
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Dotted harmonics
Artificial harmonics using \harmonic
do not show dots. To
override this behavior, set the context property harmonicDots
.
\relative c''' { \time 3/4 \key f \major \set harmonicDots = ##t <bes f'\harmonic>2. ~ <bes f'\harmonic>4. <a e'\harmonic>8( <gis dis'\harmonic> <g d'\harmonic>) <fis cis'\harmonic>2. <bes f'\harmonic>2. }
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Drawing boxes around grobs
The print-function
can be overridden to draw a box around an
arbitrary grob.
\relative c'' { \override TextScript.stencil = #(make-stencil-boxer 0.1 0.3 ly:text-interface::print) c'4^"foo" \override Stem.stencil = #(make-stencil-boxer 0.05 0.25 ly:stem::print) \override Score.RehearsalMark.stencil = #(make-stencil-boxer 0.15 0.3 ly:text-interface::print) b8 \revert Stem.stencil \revert Flag.stencil c4. c4 \mark \default c1 }
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Drawing circles around various objects
The \circle
markup command draws circles around various
objects, for example fingering indications. For other objects,
specific tweaks may be required: this example demonstrates two
strategies for rehearsal marks and measure numbers.
\relative c' { c1 \set Score.rehearsalMarkFormatter = #(lambda (mark context) (make-circle-markup (format-mark-numbers mark context))) \mark \default c2 d^\markup { \override #'(thickness . 3) { \circle \finger 2 } } \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = #all-visible \override Score.BarNumber.stencil = #(make-stencil-circler 0.1 0.25 ly:text-interface::print) }
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Dynamics custom text spanner postfix
Postfix functions for custom crescendo text spanners. The spanners
should start on the first note of the measure. One has to use
-\mycresc
, otherwise the spanner start will rather be assigned
to the next note.
% Two functions for (de)crescendo spanners where you can explicitly % give the spanner text. mycresc = #(define-music-function (mymarkup) (markup?) (make-music 'CrescendoEvent 'span-direction START 'span-type 'text 'span-text mymarkup)) mydecresc = #(define-music-function (mymarkup) (markup?) (make-music 'DecrescendoEvent 'span-direction START 'span-type 'text 'span-text mymarkup)) \relative c' { c4-\mycresc "custom cresc" c4 c4 c4 | c4 c4 c4 c4 | c4-\mydecresc "custom decresc" c4 c4 c4 | c4 c4\! c4 c4 }
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Dynamics text spanner postfix
Custom text spanners can be defined and used with hairpin and text
crescendos. \<
and \>
produce hairpins by default,
\cresc
etc. produce text spanners by default.
% Some sample text dynamic spanners, to be used as postfix operators crpoco = #(make-music 'CrescendoEvent 'span-direction START 'span-type 'text 'span-text "cresc. poco a poco") \relative c' { c4\cresc d4 e4 f4 | g4 a4\! b4\crpoco c4 | c4 d4 e4 f4 | g4 a4\! b4\< c4 | g4\dim a4 b4\decresc c4\! }
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Extending a TrillSpanner
For TrillSpanner
, the minimum-length
property becomes
effective only if the set-spacing-rods
procedure is called
explicitly.
To do this, the springs-and-rods
property should be set to
ly:spanner::set-spacing-rods
.
\relative c' { \key c\minor \time 2/4 c16( as') c,-. des-. \once\override TrillSpanner.minimum-length = #15 \once\override TrillSpanner.springs-and-rods = #ly:spanner::set-spacing-rods \afterGrace es4 \startTrillSpan { d16[( \stopTrillSpan es)] } c( c' g es c g' es d \hideNotes c8) }
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Extending glissandi across repeats
A glissando which extends into several \alternative
blocks can
be simulated by adding a hidden grace note with a glissando at the
start of each \alternative
block. The grace note should be at
the same pitch as the note which starts the initial glissando. This is
implemented here with a music function which takes the pitch of the
grace note as its argument.
Note that in polyphonic music the grace note must be matched with corresponding grace notes in all other voices.
repeatGliss = #(define-music-function (grace) (ly:pitch?) #{ % the next two lines ensure the glissando is long enough % to be visible \once \override Glissando.springs-and-rods = #ly:spanner::set-spacing-rods \once \override Glissando.minimum-length = 3.5 \once \hideNotes \grace $grace \glissando #}) \score { \relative c'' { \repeat volta 3 { c4 d e f\glissando } \alternative { { g2 d } { \repeatGliss f g2 e } { \repeatGliss f e2 d } } } } music = \relative c' { \voiceOne \repeat volta 2 { g a b c\glissando } \alternative { { d1 } { \repeatGliss c \once \omit StringNumber e1\2 } } } \score { \new StaffGroup << \new Staff << \new Voice { \clef "G_8" \music } >> \new TabStaff << \new TabVoice { \clef "moderntab" \music } >> >> } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Fine-tuning pedal brackets
The appearance of pedal brackets may be altered in different ways.
\paper { ragged-right = ##f } \relative c'' { c2\sostenutoOn c c2\sostenutoOff c \once \override Staff.PianoPedalBracket.shorten-pair = #'(-7 . -2) c2\sostenutoOn c c2\sostenutoOff c \once \override Staff.PianoPedalBracket.edge-height = #'(0 . 3) c2\sostenutoOn c c2\sostenutoOff c }
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Flat Ties
The function takes the default Tie.stencil
as an argument,
calculating the result relying on the extents of this default.
Further tweaking is possible by overriding
Tie.details.height-limit
or with \shape
. It’s also
possible to change the custom-definition on the fly.
%% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=1031 #(define ((flared-tie coords) grob) (define (pair-to-list pair) (list (car pair) (cdr pair))) (define (normalize-coords goods x y dir) (map (lambda (coord) ;(coord-scale coord (cons x (* y dir))) (cons (* x (car coord)) (* y dir (cdr coord)))) goods)) (define (my-c-p-s points thick) (make-connected-path-stencil points thick 1.0 1.0 #f #f)) ;; outer let to trigger suicide (let ((sten (ly:tie::print grob))) (if (grob::is-live? grob) (let* ((layout (ly:grob-layout grob)) (line-thickness (ly:output-def-lookup layout 'line-thickness)) (thickness (ly:grob-property grob 'thickness 0.1)) (used-thick (* line-thickness thickness)) (dir (ly:grob-property grob 'direction)) (xex (ly:stencil-extent sten X)) (yex (ly:stencil-extent sten Y)) (lenx (interval-length xex)) (leny (interval-length yex)) (xtrans (car xex)) (ytrans (if (> dir 0)(car yex) (cdr yex))) (uplist (map pair-to-list (normalize-coords coords lenx (* leny 2) dir)))) (ly:stencil-translate (my-c-p-s uplist used-thick) (cons xtrans ytrans))) '()))) #(define flare-tie (flared-tie '((0 . 0)(0.1 . 0.2) (0.9 . 0.2) (1.0 . 0.0)))) \layout { \context { \Voice \override Tie.stencil = #flare-tie } } \paper { ragged-right = ##f tagline = ##f } \relative c' { a4~a \override Tie.height-limit = 4 a'4~a a'4~a <a,, c e a c e a c e>~ q \break a'4~a \once \override Tie.details.height-limit = 14 a4~a \break a4~a \once \override Tie.details.height-limit = 0.5 a4~a \break a4~a \shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . 0.4) (0 . 0.4) (0 . 0)) Tie a4~a \break a4~a \once \override Tie.stencil = #(flared-tie '((0 . 0)(0.1 . 0.4) (0.9 . 0.4) (1.0 . 0.0))) a4~a a4~a \once \override Tie.stencil = #(flared-tie '((0 . 0)(0.06 . 0.1) (0.94 . 0.1) (1.0 . 0.0))) a4~a }
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Force a cancellation natural before accidentals
The following example shows how to force a natural sign before an accidental.
\relative c' { \key es \major bes c des \tweak Accidental.restore-first ##t eis }
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Forcing horizontal shift of notes
When the typesetting engine cannot cope, the following syntax can be used to override typesetting decisions. The units of measure used here are staff spaces.
\relative c' << { <d g>2 <d g> } \\ { <b f'>2 \once \override NoteColumn.force-hshift = 1.7 <b f'>2 } >>
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Fret diagrams explained and developed
This snippet shows many possibilities for obtaining and tweaking fret diagrams.
<< \chords { a1 a \bar "||" \break \repeat unfold 3 { c c c d d \bar "||" \break } } \new Voice { % Set global properties of fret diagram \override TextScript.size = 1.2 \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details .finger-code = #'below-string \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details .dot-color = #'black % 1 % % A chord for ukulele. a'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((string-count . 4) (dot-color . white) (finger-code . in-dot))) \fret-diagram "4-2-2;3-1-1;2-o;1-o;" % 2 % % A chord for ukulele, with formatting defined in definition % string: 1.2 * size, 4 strings, 4 frets, fingerings below, % string dot radius .35 of fret spacing, dot position 0.55 of % fret spacing. a'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((dot-color . white) (open-string . "o"))) \fret-diagram "s:1.2;w:4;h:3;f:2;d:0.35;p:0.55;4-2-2;3-1-1;2-o;1-o;" %% %% These chords will be in normal orientation %% % 3 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: verbose style, % roman fret label, finger labels below string, straight barre. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-lower) (finger-code . below-string) (barre-type . straight))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 5 1 3)) % 4 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: double barre used % to test barre function, verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . arabic) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . in-dot) (fret-label-font-mag . 0.6) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0) (label-dir . -1) (mute-string . "M") (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 4 2 5) (barre 5 1 3)) % 5 % % C major for guitar, with capo on third fret: verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-upper) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . none) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0.5) (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (capo 3) (open 5) (place-fret 4 5 1) (place-fret 3 5 2) (place-fret 2 5 3) (open 1)) % 6 % % Simple D chord. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (string-thickness-factor . 0.3) (dot-position . 0.5) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" % 7 % % Simple D chord, large top fret thickness. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (top-fret-thickness . 7) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" %% %% These chords will be in landscape orientation %% \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details .orientation = #'landscape % 8 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: verbose style, % roman fret label, finger labels below string, straight % barre. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-lower) (finger-code . below-string) (barre-type . straight))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 5 1 3)) % 9 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: Double barre % used to test barre function, verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . arabic) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . in-dot) (fret-label-font-mag . 0.6) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0) (label-dir . -1) (mute-string . "M") (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 4 2 5) (barre 5 1 3)) % 10 % % C major for guitar, with capo on third fret: verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-upper) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . none) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0.5) (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (capo 3) (open 5) (place-fret 4 5 1) (place-fret 3 5 2) (place-fret 2 5 3) (open 1)) % 11 % % Simple D chord. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" % 12 % % Simple D chord, large top fret thickness. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (top-fret-thickness . 7) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" %% %% These chords will be in opposing-landscape orientation. %% \override TextScript.fret-diagram-details .orientation = #'opposing-landscape % 13 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: verbose style, % roman fret label, finger labels below string, straight % barre. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-lower) (finger-code . below-string) (barre-type . straight))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 5 1 3)) % 14 % % C major for guitar, barred on third fret: double barre % used to test barre function, verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . arabic) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . in-dot) (fret-label-font-mag . 0.6) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0) (label-dir . -1) (mute-string . "M") (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (place-fret 5 3 1) (place-fret 4 5 2) (place-fret 3 5 3) (place-fret 2 5 4) (place-fret 1 3 1) (barre 4 2 5) (barre 5 1 3)) % 15 % % C major for guitar, with capo on third fret: verbose style. c'1^\markup % 110% of default size \override #'(size . 1.1) \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((number-type . roman-upper) (dot-label-font-mag . 0.9) (finger-code . none) (fret-label-vertical-offset . 0.5) (xo-font-magnification . 0.4) (xo-padding . 0.3))) \fret-diagram-verbose #'((mute 6) (capo 3) (open 5) (place-fret 4 5 1) (place-fret 3 5 2) (place-fret 2 5 3) (open 1)) % 16 % % Simple D chord. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" % 17 % % Simple D chord, large top fret thickness. d'1^\markup \override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string) (dot-radius . 0.35) (dot-position . 0.5) (top-fret-thickness . 7) (fret-count . 3))) \fret-diagram-terse "x;x;o;2-1;3-2;2-3;" } >> \paper { tagline = ##f ragged-right = ##t indent = 0 system-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 } \layout { \context { \Score \override SpacingSpanner.spacing-increment = 3 } }
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Generating custom flags
The stencil
property of the Flag
grob can be set to a
custom scheme function to generate the glyph for the flag.
#(define-public (weight-flag grob) (let* ((stem-grob (ly:grob-parent grob X)) (log (- (ly:grob-property stem-grob 'duration-log) 2)) (is-up? (eqv? (ly:grob-property stem-grob 'direction) UP)) (yext (if is-up? (cons (* log -0.8) 0) (cons 0 (* log 0.8)))) (flag-stencil (make-filled-box-stencil '(-0.4 . 0.4) yext)) (stroke-style (ly:grob-property grob 'stroke-style)) (stroke-stencil (if (equal? stroke-style "grace") (make-line-stencil 0.2 -0.9 -0.4 0.9 -0.4) empty-stencil))) (ly:stencil-add flag-stencil stroke-stencil))) % Create a flag stencil by looking up the glyph from the font #(define (inverted-flag grob) (let* ((stem-grob (ly:grob-parent grob X)) (dir (if (eqv? (ly:grob-property stem-grob 'direction) UP) "d" "u")) (flag (retrieve-glyph-flag "" dir "" grob)) (line-thickness (ly:staff-symbol-line-thickness grob)) (stem-thickness (ly:grob-property stem-grob 'thickness)) (stem-width (* line-thickness stem-thickness)) (stroke-style (ly:grob-property grob 'stroke-style)) (stencil (if (null? stroke-style) flag (add-stroke-glyph flag stem-grob dir stroke-style ""))) (rotated-flag (ly:stencil-rotate-absolute stencil 180 0 0))) (ly:stencil-translate rotated-flag (cons (- (/ stem-width 2)) 0)))) snippetexamplenotes = { \autoBeamOff c'8 d'16 c'32 d'64 \acciaccatura {c'8} d'64 } { \time 1/4 \textMark "Normal flags" \snippetexamplenotes \textMark "Custom flag: inverted" \override Flag.stencil = #inverted-flag \snippetexamplenotes \textMark "Custom flag: weight" \override Flag.stencil = #weight-flag \snippetexamplenotes \textMark "Revert to normal" \revert Flag.stencil \snippetexamplenotes }
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Glissandi can skip grobs
NoteColumn
grobs can be skipped over by glissandi.
\relative c' { a2 \glissando \once \override NoteColumn.glissando-skip = ##t f''4 d, }
Hairpins with different line styles
Hairpins can take any style from line-interface
- dashed-line,
dotted-line, line, trill or zigzag.
\relative c' { c2\< c\! \override Hairpin.style = #'dashed-line c2\< c\! \override Hairpin.style = #'dotted-line c2\< c\! \override Hairpin.style = #'line c2\< c\! \override Hairpin.style = #'trill c2\< c\! \override Hairpin.style = #'zigzag c2\< c\! \revert Hairpin.style c2\< c\! }
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Horizontally aligning custom dynamics (e.g. "sempre pp", "piu f", "subito p")
Some dynamic expressions involve additional text, like “sempre pp”. Since dynamics are usually centered under the note, the \pp would be displayed way after the note it applies to.
To correctly align the “sempre pp” horizontally so that it is aligned as if it were only the \pp, there are several approaches:
- Simply use
\once\override DynamicText.X-offset = #-9.2
before the note with the dynamics to manually shift it to the correct position. Drawback: This has to be done manually each time you use that dynamic markup... - Add some padding (
#:hspace 7.1
) into the definition of your custom dynamic mark so that after LilyPond center-aligns it, it is already correctly aligned. Drawback: The padding really takes up that space and does not allow any other markup or dynamics to be shown in that position. - Shift the dynamic script
\once\override ... .X-offset = ...
. Drawback:\once\override
is needed for every invocation! - Set the dimensions of the additional text to 0 (using
#:with-dimensions '(0 . 0) '(0 . 0)
). Drawback: For LilyPond, “sempre” has no extent now. This means it might put other stuff there, causing collisions (which are not detected by LilyPond’s collision detection algorithm!). There also seems to be some spacing, so it is not exactly the same alignment as without the additional text. - Add an explicit shift directly inside the scheme function for the dynamic script.
- Set an explicit alignment inside the dynamic script. By default, this
won’t have any effect, only if one sets
X-offset
! Drawback: One needs to setDynamicText.X-offset
, which will apply to all dynamic texts! Also, it is aligned at the right edge of the additional text, not at the center of \pp.
\paper { ragged-right = ##f indent = 2.5\cm tagline = ##f } % Solution 1: Using a simple markup with a particular halign value % Drawback: It's a markup, not a dynamic command, so \dynamicDown % etc. will have no effect semppMarkup = \markup { \halign #1.4 \italic "sempre" \dynamic "pp" } % Solution 2: Using a dynamic script & shifting with % \once \override ...X-offset = .. % Drawback: \once \override needed for every invocation semppK = #(make-dynamic-script (markup #:line (#:normal-text #:italic "sempre" #:dynamic "pp"))) % Solution 3: Padding the dynamic script so the center-alignment % puts it at the correct position % Drawback: the padding really reserves the space, nothing else can be there semppT = #(make-dynamic-script (markup #:line (#:normal-text #:italic "sempre" #:dynamic "pp" #:hspace 7.1))) % Solution 4: Dynamic, setting the dimensions of the additional text to 0 % Drawback: To lilypond "sempre" has no extent, so it might put % other stuff there => collisions % Drawback: Also, there seems to be some spacing, so it's not exactly the % same alignment as without the additional text semppM = #(make-dynamic-script (markup #:line (#:with-dimensions '(0 . 0) '(0 . 0) #:right-align #:normal-text #:italic "sempre" #:dynamic "pp"))) % Solution 5: Dynamic with explicit shifting inside the scheme function semppG = #(make-dynamic-script (markup #:hspace 0 #:translate '(-18.85 . 0) #:line (#:normal-text #:italic "sempre" #:dynamic "pp"))) % Solution 6: Dynamic with explicit alignment. This has only effect % if one sets X-offset! % Drawback: One needs to set DynamicText.X-offset! % Drawback: Aligned at the right edge of the additional text, % not at the center of pp semppMII = #(make-dynamic-script (markup #:line (#:right-align #:normal-text #:italic "sempre" #:dynamic "pp"))) \new StaffGroup << \new Staff = "s" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Normal } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major c4\pp c\p c c | c\ff c c\pp c } >> \new Staff = "sMarkup" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Normal markup } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major c4-\semppMarkup c\p c c | c\ff c c-\semppMarkup c } >> \new Staff = "sK" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Explicit shifting } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major \once \override DynamicText.X-offset = #-9.2 c4\semppK c\p c c c4\ff c \once \override DynamicText.X-offset = #-9.2 c4\semppK c } >> \new Staff = "sT" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Right padding } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major c4\semppT c\p c c | c\ff c c\semppT c } >> \new Staff = "sM" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Set dimension "to zero" } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major c4\semppM c\p c c | c\ff c c\semppM c } >> \new Staff = "sG" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Shift inside dynamics} } << \relative c'' { \key es \major c4\semppG c\p c c | c\ff c c\semppG c } >> \new Staff = "sMII" \with { instrumentName = \markup \column { Alignment inside dynamics } } << \relative c'' { \key es \major % Setting to ##f (false) gives the same result \override DynamicText.X-offset = #0 c4\semppMII c\p c c | c\ff c c\semppMII c } >> >> \layout { \override Staff.InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #LEFT }
How to change fret diagram position
If you want to move the position of a fret diagram, for example, to avoid collision, or to place it between two notes, you have various possibilities:
1) modify #’padding or #’extra-offset values (as shown in the first snippet)
2) you can add an invisible voice and attach the fret diagrams to the invisible notes in that voice (as shown in the second example).
If you need to move the fret according with a rythmic position inside the bar (in the example, the third beat of the measure) the second example is better, because the fret is aligned with the third beat itself.
\header { tagline = ##f } harmonies = \chordmode { a8:13 % THE FOLLOWING IS THE COMMAND TO MOVE THE CHORD NAME \once \override ChordNames.ChordName.extra-offset = #'(10 . 0) b8:13 s2. % THIS LINE IS THE SECOND METHOD s4 s4 b4:13 } \score { << \new ChordNames \harmonies \new Staff {a8^\markup { \fret-diagram "6-x;5-0;4-2;3-0;2-0;1-2;" } % THE FOLLOWING IS THE COMMAND TO MOVE THE FRET DIAGRAM \once \override TextScript.extra-offset = #'(10 . 0) b4.~^\markup { \fret-diagram "6-x;5-2;4-4;3-2;2-2;1-4;" } b4. a8\break % HERE IS THE SECOND METHOD << { a8 b4.~ b4. a8} { s4 s4 s4^\markup { \fret-diagram "6-x;5-2;4-4;3-2;2-2;1-4;" } } >> } >> }
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Inserting a caesura
Caesura marks can be created by overriding the 'text
property of
the BreathingSign
object.
A curved caesura mark is also available.
\relative c'' { \override BreathingSign.text = \markup { \musicglyph "scripts.caesura.straight" } c8 e4. \breathe g8. e16 c4 \override BreathingSign.text = \markup { \musicglyph "scripts.caesura.curved" } g8 e'4. \breathe g8. e16 c4 }
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Keep change clefs full sized
When a clef is changed, the clef sign displayed is smaller than the
initial clef. This can be overridden with full-size-change
.
\relative c' { \clef "treble" c1 \clef "bass" c1 \clef "treble" c1 \override Staff.Clef.full-size-change = ##t \clef "bass" c1 \clef "treble" c1 \revert Staff.Clef.full-size-change \clef "bass" c1 \clef "treble" c1 }
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Line arrows
Arrows can be applied to text-spanners and line-spanners (such as the Glissando).
\relative c'' { \override TextSpanner.bound-padding = #1.0 \override TextSpanner.style = #'line \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.arrow = ##t \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = #"fof" \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.text = #"gag" \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.padding = #0.6 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.right.stencil-align-dir-y = #CENTER \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.stencil-align-dir-y = #CENTER \override Glissando.bound-details.right.arrow = ##t \override Glissando.arrow-length = #0.5 \override Glissando.arrow-width = #0.25 a8\startTextSpan gis a4 b\glissando b, g'4 c\stopTextSpan c2 }
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Making an object invisible with the ’transparent property
Setting the transparent
property will cause an object to be
printed in “invisible ink”: the object is not printed, but all its
other behavior is retained. The object still takes up space, it takes
part in collisions, and slurs, ties and beams can be attached to it.
This snippet demonstrates how to connect different voices using ties. Normally, ties only connect two notes in the same voice. By introducing a tie in a different voice, and blanking the first up-stem in that voice, the tie appears to cross voices.
\relative { \time 2/4 << { \once \hide Stem \once \override Stem.length = #8 b'8 ~ 8\noBeam \once \hide Stem \once \override Stem.length = #8 g8 ~ 8\noBeam } \\ { b8 g g e } >> }
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Making glissandi breakable
Setting the breakable
property to #t
in combination with
after-line-breaking
allows a glissando to break if it occurs at
a line break:
\paper { tagline = ##f } glissandoSkipOn = { \override NoteColumn.glissando-skip = ##t \hide NoteHead \override NoteHead.no-ledgers = ##t } \relative c'' { \override Glissando.breakable = ##t \override Glissando.after-line-breaking = ##t f1\glissando | \break a4 r2. | f1\glissando \once \glissandoSkipOn \break a2 a4 r4 | }
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Manually controlling beam positions
Beam positions may be controlled manually, by overriding the
positions
setting of the Beam
grob.
\relative c' { \time 2/4 % from upper staff-line (position 2) to center (position 0) \override Beam.positions = #'(2 . 0) c8 c % from center to one above center (position 1) \override Beam.positions = #'(0 . 1) c8 c }
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Measure-centered bar numbers
For film scores, a common convention is to center bar numbers within
their measure. This is achieved through setting the
centerBarNumbers
context property to true. When this is used,
the type of the bar number grobs is CenteredBarNumber
rather
than BarNumber
.
This example demonstrates a number of settings: the centered bar numbers are boxed and placed below the staves.
\layout { \context { \Score centerBarNumbers = ##t barNumberVisibility = #all-bar-numbers-visible \override CenteredBarNumber.stencil = #(make-stencil-boxer 0.1 0.25 ly:text-interface::print) \override CenteredBarNumberLineSpanner.direction = #DOWN } } \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \relative c' { d4-. f8( e d4) bes'-> | d,-. f8( e d4) cis'-> | g-. f8( d e4) g-> | a,1-> | } \new Staff \relative c { \clef bass d4 f8 e d2~ | 4 f8 e d2~ | 4 4 2 | a1 | } >>
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Mensurstriche layout (bar lines between the staves)
Mensurstriche, bar lines between but not through staves, can be
printed by setting measureBarType
to "-span|"
and using a
grouping context that allows span bars, such as StaffGroup
.
\layout { \context { \Staff measureBarType = "-span|" } } music = \fixed c'' { c1 d2 \section e2 f1 \fine } \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \music \new Staff \music >>
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Modifying the Ottava spanner slope
It is possible to change the slope of the Ottava spanner.
\relative c'' { \override Staff.OttavaBracket.stencil = #ly:line-spanner::print \override Staff.OttavaBracket.bound-details = #`((left . ((Y . 0) (attach-dir . ,LEFT) (padding . 0) (stencil-align-dir-y . ,CENTER))) (right . ((Y . 5.0) ; Change the number here (padding . 0) (attach-dir . ,RIGHT) (text . ,(make-draw-dashed-line-markup (cons 0 -1.2)))))) \override Staff.OttavaBracket.left-bound-info = #ly:horizontal-line-spanner::calc-left-bound-info-and-text \override Staff.OttavaBracket.right-bound-info = #ly:horizontal-line-spanner::calc-right-bound-info \ottava 1 c1 c'''1 }
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Moving dotted notes in polyphony
When a dotted note in the upper voice is moved to avoid a collision
with a note in another voice, the default is to move the upper note to
the right. This behaviour can be over-ridden by using the
prefer-dotted-right
property of NoteCollision
.
\new Staff \relative c' << { f2. f4 \override Staff.NoteCollision.prefer-dotted-right = ##f f2. f4 \override Staff.NoteCollision.prefer-dotted-right = ##t f2. f4 } \\ { e4 e e e e e e e e e e e } >>
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Moving slur positions vertically
The vertical position of a slur can be adjusted using the
positions
property of Slur
. The property has 2
parameters, the first referring to the left end of the slur and the
second to the right. The values of the parameters are not used by
LilyPond to make an exact movement of the slur - instead it selects
what placement of the slur looks best, taking into account the
parameter values. Positive values move the slur up, and are
appropriate for notes with stems down. Negative values move downward
slurs further down.
\relative c' { \stemDown e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(1 . 1) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(2 . 2) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(3 . 3) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(4 . 4) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(5 . 5) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(0 . 5) e4( a) \override Slur.positions = #'(5 . 0) e4( a) \stemUp \override Slur.positions = #'(-5 . -5) e4( a) \stemDown \revert Slur.positions e4( a) }
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Nesting staves
The property systemStartDelimiterHierarchy
can be used to make
more complex nested staff groups. The command
\set StaffGroup.systemStartDelimiterHierarchy
takes an
alphabetical list of the number of staves produced. Before each staff a
system start delimiter can be given. It has to be enclosed in brackets
and takes as much staves as the brackets enclose. Elements in the list
can be omitted, but the first bracket takes always the complete number
of staves. The possibilities are SystemStartBar
,
SystemStartBracket
, SystemStartBrace
, and
SystemStartSquare
.
\new StaffGroup \relative c'' << \override StaffGroup.SystemStartSquare.collapse-height = 4 \set StaffGroup.systemStartDelimiterHierarchy = #'(SystemStartSquare (SystemStartBrace (SystemStartBracket a (SystemStartSquare b) ) c ) d) \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } \new Staff { c1 } >>
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[ < Nesting staves ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Percent repeat count visibility > ] |
Overriding articulations by type
Sometimes you may want to affect a single articulation-type. Although
it is always possible to use \tweak
, it might become tedious to
do so for every single sign of a whole score. The following shows how
to tweak articulations with a list of custom settings. One use-case
might be to create a style sheet.
With 2.16.2 and above it is possible to put the proposed function,
\customScripts
, into a \layout
-block.
% Code by David Nalesnik and Thomas Morley #(define (custom-script-tweaks ls) (lambda (grob) (let* ((type (ly:event-property (ly:grob-property grob 'cause) 'articulation-type)) (tweaks (assoc-ref ls type))) (if tweaks (for-each (lambda (x) (ly:grob-set-property! grob (car x) (cdr x))) tweaks))))) customScripts = #(define-music-function (settings) (list?) #{ \override Script.before-line-breaking = #(custom-script-tweaks settings) #}) revertCustomScripts = \revert Script.before-line-breaking %%%%%%%%%%%%% % Example: %%%%%%%%%%%%% % Predefine a list of desired tweaks. #(define my-settings-1 '( (staccato . ((color . (1 0 0)) (padding . 0.5))) (accent . ((font-size . 0) (color . (1 0 0)))) (tenuto . ((rotation . (45 0 0)) (padding . 2) (font-size . 10))) (staccatissimo . ((padding . 1) (color . (1 0 0)))) (segno . ((font-size . 0) (color . (1 0 0)))) )) #(define my-settings-2 '( (staccato . ((color . (0 1 0)))) (accent . ((font-size . 4) (color . (0 1 0)) (padding . 1.5))) (tenuto . ((font-size . 10))) (staccatissimo . ((padding . 2) (color . (0 1 0)))) (coda . ((color . (0 1 0)) (padding . 1))) )) one = \relative c'' { f1-- \customScripts #my-settings-1 f-. f-! f-> f-- f-!\segno \revertCustomScripts f-> f-. } two = \relative c' { f1-- \customScripts #my-settings-2 f-. f-! f-> f---> f-! f-> f-.\coda } \new Staff << \new Voice { \voiceOne \one } \new Voice { \voiceTwo \two } >>
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Percent repeat count visibility
Percent repeat counters can be shown at regular intervals by setting
the context property repeatCountVisibility
.
\relative c'' { \set countPercentRepeats = ##t \set repeatCountVisibility = #(every-nth-repeat-count-visible 5) \repeat percent 10 { c1 } \break \set repeatCountVisibility = #(every-nth-repeat-count-visible 2) \repeat percent 6 { c1 d1 } }
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Positioning arpeggios
If you need to extend or shorten an arpeggio, you can modify the upper and lower start positions independently.
\relative c' { <c e g b>1\arpeggio \once \override Arpeggio.positions = #'(-5 . 0) <c e g b>1\arpeggio \once \override Arpeggio.positions = #'(0 . 5) <c e g b>1\arpeggio \once \override Arpeggio.positions = #'(-5 . 5) <c e g b>1\arpeggio }
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[ < Positioning arpeggios ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Positioning text markups inside slurs > ] |
Positioning multi-measure rests
Unlike ordinary rests, there is no predefined command to change the staff position of a multi-measure rest symbol of either form by attaching it to a note. However, in polyphonic music multi-measure rests in odd-numbered and even-numbered voices are vertically separated.
The positioning of multi-measure rests can be controlled as follows:
\relative c'' { % Multi-measure rests by default are set under the fourth line R1 % They can be moved using an override \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = -2 R1 \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = 0 R1 \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = 2 R1 \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = 3 R1 \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = 6 R1 \revert MultiMeasureRest.staff-position \break % In two Voices, odd-numbered voices are under the top line << { R1 } \\ { a1 } >> % Even-numbered voices are under the bottom line << { a1 } \\ { R1 } >> % Multi-measure rests in both voices remain separate << { R1 } \\ { R1 } >> % Separating multi-measure rests in more than two voices % requires an override << { R1 } \\ { R1 } \\ \once \override MultiMeasureRest.staff-position = 0 { R1 } >> % Using compressed bars in multiple voices requires another override % in all voices to avoid multiple instances being printed \compressMMRests << \revert MultiMeasureRest.direction { R1*3 } \\ \revert MultiMeasureRest.direction { R1*3 } >> }
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[ < Positioning multi-measure rests ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Printing bar numbers inside boxes or circles > ] |
Positioning text markups inside slurs
Text markups need to have the outside-staff-priority
property
set to false in order to be printed inside slurs.
\relative c'' { \override TextScript.avoid-slur = #'inside \override TextScript.outside-staff-priority = ##f c2(^\markup { \halign #-10 \natural } d4.) c8 }
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[ < Positioning text markups inside slurs ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Printing metronome and rehearsal marks below the staff > ] |
Printing bar numbers inside boxes or circles
Bar numbers can also be printed inside boxes or circles.
\relative c' { % Prevent bar numbers at the end of a line and permit them elsewhere \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = #end-of-line-invisible \set Score.barNumberVisibility = #(every-nth-bar-number-visible 4) % Increase the size of the bar number by 2 \override Score.BarNumber.font-size = 2 % Draw a box round the following bar number(s) \override Score.BarNumber.stencil = #(make-stencil-boxer 0.1 0.25 ly:text-interface::print) \repeat unfold 5 { c1 } % Draw a circle round the following bar number(s) \override Score.BarNumber.stencil = #(make-stencil-circler 0.1 0.25 ly:text-interface::print) \repeat unfold 4 { c1 } \bar "|." }
Printing metronome and rehearsal marks below the staff
By default, metronome and rehearsal marks are printed above the
staff. To place them below the staff simply set the direction
property of MetronomeMark
or RehearsalMark
appropriately.
\layout { indent = 0 ragged-right = ##f } { % Metronome marks below the staff \override Score.MetronomeMark.direction = #DOWN \tempo 8. = 120 c''1 % Rehearsal marks below the staff \override Score.RehearsalMark.direction = #DOWN \mark \default c''1 }
Printing note names with and without an octave marker
The NoteNames
context can be used to print the text value of
notes. The printOctaveNames
property turns on or off the
representation of the octave of the note.
scale = \relative c' { a4 b c d e4 f g a } \new Staff { << \scale \context NoteNames { \set printOctaveNames = ##f \scale } >> R1 << \scale \context NoteNames { \set printOctaveNames = ##t \scale } >> }
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[ < Printing note names with and without an octave marker ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Proportional strict notespacing > ] |
Printing tuplet brackets on the note head side
Whichever option you choose for controlling the tuplet bracket
visibility, it will show or hide the tuplet bracket irrespectively of
tuplet bracket placement (stem side or note head side). However, when
placing the tuplet bracket on the note head side some authors recommend
always printing the tuplet bracket. The option
visible-over-note-heads
can be used to achieve this.
music = \relative c'' { \tupletNeutral \tuplet 3/2 { c16[ d e } f8] \tupletUp \tuplet 3/2 { c8 d e } } \new Voice { \relative c' { \time 2/4 \override TupletBracket.visible-over-note-heads = ##t \override Score.TextMark.non-musical = ##f { \textMark \markup "default" \music } \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = #'if-no-beam { \textMark \markup \typewriter "'if-no-beam" \music } } }
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[ < Printing tuplet brackets on the note head side ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Removing brace on first line of piano score > ] |
Proportional strict notespacing
If strict-note-spacing
is set spacing of notes is not influenced
by bars or clefs within a system. Rather, they are placed just before
the note that occurs at the same time. This may cause collisions.
\relative c'' << \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = \musicLength 16 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c c \grace { d16 } c8 c] c4 c2 \grace { c16[ c16] } c2 } \new Staff { c2 \tuplet 3/2 { c8 \clef bass cis,, c } c4 c1 } >>
Removing brace on first line of piano score
This snippet removes the first brace from a PianoStaff
or a
GrandStaff
, together with the clefs.
It may be useful when cutting and pasting the engraved image into existing music.
It uses \alterBroken
.
someMusic = { \once \override Staff.Clef.stencil = ##f \once \override Staff.TimeSignature.stencil = ##f \repeat unfold 3 c1 \break \repeat unfold 5 c1 \break \repeat unfold 5 c1 } \score { \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "right" \relative c'' \someMusic \new Staff = "left" \relative c' { \clef F \someMusic } >> \layout { indent=75 \context { \PianoStaff \alterBroken transparent #'(#t) SystemStartBrace } } } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Removing connecting bar lines on StaffGroup, PianoStaff, or GrandStaff
By default, bar lines in StaffGroup, PianoStaff, or GrandStaff groups are connected between the staves, i.e. a SpanBar is printed. This behaviour can be overridden on a staff-by-staff basis.
\relative c' { \new StaffGroup << \new Staff { e1 | e \once \override Staff.BarLine.allow-span-bar = ##f e1 | e | e } \new Staff { c1 | c | c \once \override Staff.BarLine.allow-span-bar = ##f c1 | c } \new Staff { a1 | a | a | a | a } >> }
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[ < Removing connecting bar lines on StaffGroup, PianoStaff, or GrandStaff ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Rest styles > ] |
Removing the first empty line
The first empty staff can also be removed from the score by setting the
VerticalAxisGroup
property remove-first
. This can be done
globally inside the \layout
block, or locally inside the
specific staff that should be removed. In the latter case, you have to
specify the context (Staff
applies only to the current staff) in
front of the property.
The lower staff of the second staff group is not removed, because the setting applies only to the specific staff inside of which it is written.
\layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves % To use the setting globally, uncomment the following line: % \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-first = ##t } } \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \relative c' { e4 f g a \break c1 } \new Staff { % To use the setting globally, comment this line, % uncomment the line in the \layout block above \override Staff.VerticalAxisGroup.remove-first = ##t R1 \break R } >> \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \relative c' { e4 f g a \break c1 } \new Staff { R1 \break R } >> \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Removing the first empty line ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Rhythmic slashes > ] |
Rest styles
Rests may be used in various styles.
restsA = { r\maxima r\longa r\breve r1 r2 r4 r8 r16 s32 s64 s128 s256 s512 s1024 s1024 } restsB = { r\maxima r\longa r\breve r1 r2 r4 r8 r16 r32 r64 r128 r256 r512 r1024 s1024 } \new Staff \relative c { \omit Score.TimeSignature \cadenzaOn \override Staff.Rest.style = #'mensural <>^\markup \typewriter { mensural } \restsA \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'neomensural <>^\markup \typewriter { neomensural } \restsA \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'classical <>^\markup \typewriter { classical } \restsB \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'z <>^\markup \typewriter { z-style } \restsB \bar "" \break \override Staff.Rest.style = #'default <>^\markup \typewriter { default } \restsB \bar "" \break } \paper { indent = 0 tagline = ##f }
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[ < Rest styles ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Separating key cancellations from key signature changes > ] |
Rhythmic slashes
In “simple” lead-sheets, sometimes no actual notes are written, instead only “rhythmic patterns” and chords above the measures are notated giving the structure of a song. Such a feature is for example useful while creating/transcribing the structure of a song and also when sharing lead sheets with guitarists or jazz musicians.
startPat = { \improvisationOn \omit Stem } stopPat = { \improvisationOff \undo \omit Stem } \new Voice \with { \consists Pitch_squash_engraver } { c'4 d' e' f' | \startPat 4 4 4 4 | \stopPat f'4 e' d' c' }
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[ < Rhythmic slashes ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Setting hairpin behavior at bar lines > ] |
Separating key cancellations from key signature changes
By default, the accidentals used for key cancellations are placed
adjacent to those for key signature changes. This behavior can be
changed by overriding the break-align-orders
property of the
BreakAlignment
grob.
The value of break-align-orders
is a vector of length 3,
with quoted lists of breakable items as elements. Each list describes
the default order of prefatory matter at the end, in the middle, and at
the beginning of a line, respectively. We are only interested in
changing the behaviour in the middle of a line.
If you look up the definition of break-align-orders
in
LilyPond’s Internal Reference (see the
BreakAlignment
grob), you get the following order in the second element:
... staff-bar key-cancellation key-signature ...
We want to change that, moving key-cancellation
before
staff-bar
. To make this happen we use the
grob-transformer
function, which gives us access to the original
vector as the second argument of the lambda function, here called
orig (we don’t need the first argument,
grob). We return a new vector, with unchanged first and
last elements. For the middle element, we first remove
key-cancellation
from the list, then adding it again before
staff-bar
.
#(define (insert-before where what lst) (cond ((null? lst) ; If the list is empty, (list what)) ; return a single-element list. ((eq? where (car lst)) ; If we find symbol `where`, (cons what lst)) ; insert `what` before curr. position. (else ; Otherwise keep building the list by (cons (car lst) ; adding the current element and ; recursing with the next element. (insert-before where what (cdr lst)))))) cancellationFirst = \override Score.BreakAlignment.break-align-orders = #(grob-transformer 'break-align-orders (lambda (grob orig) (let* ((middle (vector-ref orig 1)) (middle (delq 'key-cancellation middle)) (middle (insert-before 'staff-bar 'key-cancellation middle))) (vector ;; end of line (vector-ref orig 0) ;; middle of line middle ;; beginning of line (vector-ref orig 2))))) music = { \key es \major d'1 \bar "||" \key a \major d'1 } { <>^\markup "default" \music } { <>^\markup "cancellation first" \cancellationFirst \music } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Separating key cancellations from key signature changes ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Setting system separators > ] |
Setting hairpin behavior at bar lines
If the note which ends a hairpin falls on a downbeat, the hairpin stops
at the bar line immediately preceding. This behavior can be controlled
by overriding the 'to-barline
property.
\relative c'' { e4\< e2. e1\! \override Hairpin.to-barline = ##f e4\< e2. e1\! }
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[ < Setting hairpin behavior at bar lines ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Shape individual ties in chords > ] |
Setting system separators
System separators can be inserted between systems. Any markup can be
used, but \slashSeparator
has been provided as a sensible
default.
\paper { system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator line-width = 120 tagline = ##f } notes = \relative c' { c1 | c \break c1 | c \break c1 | c } \book { \score { \new GrandStaff << \new Staff \notes \new Staff \notes >> } }
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[ < Setting system separators ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Showing the same articulation above and below a note or chord > ] |
Shape individual ties in chords
To shape individual ties in chords use the method demonstrated below.
\paper { tagline = ##f } \markup "Chords can be tied note by note" { <c'~ e'~ g'~ c''~>2 q } \markup \wordwrap { Affecting those ties with "\\shape" will not succeed, because TieColumn positions them on its own behalf and more or less ignores the "\\shape-input". You may surpress this by setting 'positioning-done true. Alas, 'positioning-done is an internal property, setting it true means: all positioning is done, don't do anything further. So you better take care you really did. See the example below where this is missed: All directions are down and the thickness is not accurate: } { <c'~ e'~ g'~ c''~>2 \once \override TieColumn.positioning-done = ##t q } \markup "To cure that, enter ties with explicit direction-modifiers" { <c'_~ e'_~ g'_~ c''^~>2 \once \override TieColumn.positioning-done = ##t q } \markup "Now you can use \\shape for each tie as usual" { <c'-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -10) (0 . -10) (0 . 0)) _~ e'-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -5) (0 . -5) (0 . 0)) _~ g'-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -2) (0 . -2) (0 . 0)) _~ c''-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . 5) (0 . 5) (0 . 0)) ^~ >2 \once \override TieColumn.positioning-done = ##t q } \markup "This works at line break as well." { <c'-\shape #'(((0 . 0) (0 . -10) (0 . -10) (0 . 0)) ((0 . 0) (0 . -10) (0 . -10) (0 . 0))) _~ e'-\shape #'(((0 . 0) (0 . -5) (0 . -5) (0 . 0)) ((0 . 0) (0 . -5) (0 . -5) (0 . 0))) _~ g'-\shape #'(((0 . 0) (0 . -2) (0 . -2) (0 . 0)) ((0 . 0) (0 . -2) (0 . -2) (0 . 0))) _~ c''-\shape #'(((0 . 0) (0 . 5) (0 . 5) (0 . 0)) ((0 . 0) (0 . 5) (0 . 5) (0 . 0))) ^~ >2 \break \once \override TieColumn.positioning-done = ##t q } \markup "Same with tieWaitForNote" { \set tieWaitForNote = ##t c'4-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -10) (0 . -10) (0 . 0)) _~ e'-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -5) (0 . -5) (0 . 0)) _~ g'-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . -2) (0 . -2) (0 . 0)) _~ c''-\shape #'((0 . 0) (0 . 5) (0 . 5) (0 . 0)) ^~ \once \override TieColumn.positioning-done = ##t <c' e' g' c''>1 }
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[ < Shape individual ties in chords ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ String number extender lines > ] |
Showing the same articulation above and below a note or chord
By default, LilyPond does not allow the same articulation (e.g., an
accent, a fermata, a flageolet, etc.) to be displayed above and below a
note. For example, c4_\fermata^\fermata
only shows a fermata
below. The fermata above gets simply ignored.
However, one can stick scripts (just like fingerings) inside a chord,
which means it is possible to have as many articulations as desired.
This approach has the advantage that it ignores the stem and positions
the articulation relative to the note head. This can be seen in the
case of the flageolets in the snippet. To mimic the behaviour of
scripts outside a chord, 'add-stem-support
would be required.
The solution is thus to write the note as a chord and add the
articulations inside of <...>
, using the direction modifiers
^
and _
as appropriate.
\relative c' { <>^"Wrong" c2_\fermata^\fermata % The second fermata is ignored! <e d'>2^\flageolet_\flageolet \stopStaff s1 \startStaff <>^"Works if written inside a chord" <e_\flageolet d'^\flageolet>2 <e_\flageolet d'^\flageolet>2 <e_\flageolet^\flageolet>2 <e_\fermata^\fermata>2 }
String number extender lines
Make an extender line for string number indications, showing that a series of notes is supposed to be played all on the same string.
stringNumberSpanner = #(define-music-function (StringNumber) (string?) #{ \override TextSpanner.style = #'solid \override TextSpanner.font-size = #-5 \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.stencil-align-dir-y = #CENTER \override TextSpanner.bound-details.left.text = \markup { \circle \number $StringNumber } #}) \relative c { \clef "treble_8" \stringNumberSpanner "5" \textSpannerDown a8\startTextSpan b c d e f\stopTextSpan \stringNumberSpanner "4" g\startTextSpan a bes4 a g2\stopTextSpan }
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[ < String number extender lines ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Time signature in brackets > ] |
Suppressing warnings for clashing note columns
If notes from two voices with stems in the same direction are placed at
the same position, and both voices have no shift or the same shift
specified, the error message ‘warning: ignoring too many clashing
note columns’ will appear when compiling the LilyPond file. This
message can be suppressed by setting the 'ignore-collision
property of the NoteColumn
object to #t
. Please note that
this does not just suppress warnings but stops LilyPond trying to
resolve collisions at all and so may have unintended results unless
used with care.
ignore = \override NoteColumn.ignore-collision = ##t \relative c' { \new Staff << \new Voice { \ignore \stemDown f2 g } \new Voice { c2 \stemDown c, } >> }
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[ < Suppressing warnings for clashing note columns ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Time signature in parentheses > ] |
Time signature in brackets
The time signature can be enclosed within brackets.
\relative c'' { \override Staff.TimeSignature.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (bracketify-stencil (ly:time-signature::print grob) Y 0.1 0.2 0.1)) \time 2/4 a4 b8 c }
Time signature in parentheses
Enclose the time signature in parentheses.
\relative c'' { \override Staff.TimeSignature.stencil = #(lambda (grob) (parenthesize-stencil (ly:time-signature::print grob) 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.1)) \time 2/4 a4 b8 c }
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[ < Time signature in parentheses ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Tuplet bracket and change staff > ] |
Time signature printing only the numerator as a number (instead of the fraction)
Sometimes, a time signature should not print the whole fraction (for
example, 7/4), but only the numerator (digit 7 in this case). This
can be easily done by using
\override Staff.TimeSignature.style = #'single-number
to change
the style permanently. By using
\revert Staff.TimeSignature.style
, this setting can be
reversed. To apply the single-number style to only one time signature,
use the \override
command and prefix it with a \once
.
\relative c'' { \time 3/4 c4 c c % Change the style permanently \override Staff.TimeSignature.style = #'single-number \time 2/4 c4 c \time 3/4 c4 c c % Revert to default style: \revert Staff.TimeSignature.style \time 2/4 c4 c % single-number style only for the next time signature \once \override Staff.TimeSignature.style = #'single-number \time 5/4 c4 c c c c \time 2/4 c4 c }
Tuplet bracket and change staff
This snippet shows how to set a tuplet starting in a lower staff and finishing in the upper one.
aigues = \relative c' { \time 6/8 s4. \stemDown c16[ bes' e] \stemUp g c e \stemDown g8 } basses = \relative c { \time 3/4 \clef F \tweak positions #'(4.5 . 9.5) \tweak edge-height #'(1 . -1) \tuplet 7/6 { c16[ bes' e] \change Staff = md \stemUp g[ c e g] } s4.s8 } \new PianoStaff \with { \omit TimeSignature } << \new Staff = md \aigues \new Staff = mg \basses >>
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Tweaking clef properties
Changing the clef glyph, its position, or the ottavation does not
change the position of subsequent notes on the staff. To get key
signatures on their correct staff lines, middleCClefPosition
must also be specified, with positive or negative values moving
middle C up or down respectively, relative to the staff’s
center line.
For example, \clef "treble_8"
is equivalent to setting the
clefGlyph
, clefPosition
(the vertical position of the
clef itself on the staff), middleCPosition
, and
clefTransposition
. Note that when any of these properties
(except middleCPosition
) are changed a new clef symbol is
printed.
The following examples show the possibilities when setting these properties manually. On the first line, the manual changes preserve the standard relative positioning of clefs and notes, whereas on the second line, they do not.
{ % The default treble clef \key f \major c'1 % The standard bass clef \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.F" \set Staff.clefPosition = 2 \set Staff.middleCPosition = 6 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = 6 \key g \major c'1 % The baritone clef \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.C" \set Staff.clefPosition = 4 \set Staff.middleCPosition = 4 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = 4 \key f \major c'1 % The standard choral tenor clef \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.G" \set Staff.clefPosition = -2 \set Staff.clefTransposition = -7 \set Staff.middleCPosition = 1 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = 1 \key f \major c'1 % A non-standard clef \set Staff.clefPosition = 0 \set Staff.clefTransposition = 0 \set Staff.middleCPosition = -4 \set Staff.middleCClefPosition = -4 \key g \major c'1 \break % The following clef changes do not preserve % the normal relationship between notes, key signatures % and clefs: \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.F" \set Staff.clefPosition = 2 c'1 \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.G" c'1 \set Staff.clefGlyph = "clefs.C" c'1 \set Staff.clefTransposition = 7 c'1 \set Staff.clefTransposition = 0 \set Staff.clefPosition = 0 c'1 % Return to the normal clef: \set Staff.middleCPosition = 0 c'1 } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Tweaking grace layout within music
The layout of grace expressions can be changed throughout the music
using the functions add-grace-property
and
remove-grace-property
.
The following example undefines the Stem
direction for this
grace, so that stems do not always point up, and changes the default
note heads to crosses.
\relative c'' { \new Staff { $(remove-grace-property 'Voice 'Stem 'direction) $(add-grace-property 'Voice 'NoteHead 'style 'cross) \new Voice { \acciaccatura { f16 } g4 \grace { d16 e } f4 \appoggiatura { f,32 g a } e2 } } }
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Using alternative flag styles
Alternative shapes for flags on eighth and shorter notes can be displayed by
overriding the stencil
property of Flag
. LilyPond provides
the following functions: modern-straight-flag
,
old-straight-flag
, and flat-flag
. Use \revert
to
restore the default shape.
To get stacked (i.e., vertically more compact) flags, call the command
\flagStyleStacked
, which can be reset with
\flagStyleDefault
.
Overriding the Flag
stencil does not change how flag elements are
positioned vertically. This is especially noticeable for flat flags:
LilyPond doesn’t dynamically adjust the vertical gaps between flag elements
in the same way as it does for beams. A possible solution to harmonize the
appearance is to replace flat flags with half beams, as shown in the second
staff; however, this can’t be done automatically. In the code of this
snippet, such half beams are entered with @
as a prefix, for example
@c8
.
Be aware that half beams are not Flag
grobs. This means in
particular that modifying Flag
properties won’t have any effect on
them (you have to use Beam
properties instead), and properties for
their associated Stem
grob will also behave beam-like.
"@" = #(define-music-function (music) (ly:music?) #{ \set stemLeftBeamCount = 0 $music [] #}) testnotes = { \autoBeamOff c8 d16 e''32 f64 \acciaccatura { g,,,8 } a128 b } \relative c' { \override TextScript.staff-padding = 6 \time 1/4 <>^"default" \testnotes \override Flag.stencil = #modern-straight-flag <>_"modern straight" \testnotes \override Flag.stencil = #old-straight-flag <>^"old straight" \testnotes \override Flag.stencil = #flat-flag <>_"flat" \testnotes \revert Flag.stencil \flagStyleStacked <>^"stacked" \testnotes \flagStyleDefault <>_"default" \testnotes } \relative c' { \time 3/4 \override Flag.stencil = #flat-flag <>^"flat" c8 c[ c] d16 d[ d] e''32 e[ e] f64 f[ f] \acciaccatura { g,,,8 } a128 a[ a a a a] <>^"beam-like" @c8 c[ c] @d16 d[ d] @e''32 e[ e] @f64 f[ f] \acciaccatura { g,,,8 } @a128 a[ a a a a] } \layout { indent = 0 \context { \Score \override NonMusicalPaperColumn.line-break-permission = ##f } }
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Using ly:grob-object to access grobs with \tweak
Some grobs can be accessed “laterally” from within another grob’s callback. These are usually listed as “layout objects” in the “Internal properties” section of a grob-interface. The function ly:grob-object is used to access these grobs.
Demonstrated below are some ways of accessing grobs from within a
NoteHead callback, but the technique is not limited to NoteHeads.
However, the NoteHead callback is particularly important, since it is
the implicit callback used by the \tweak
command.
The example function defined below ("display-grobs") is probably not that useful, but it demonstrates that the grobs are indeed being accessed.
Example console output:
#<Grob Accidental >
()
#<Grob Stem >
#(define (notehead-get-accidental notehead) ;; notehead is grob (ly:grob-object notehead 'accidental-grob)) #(define (notehead-get-arpeggio notehead) ;; notehead is grob (let ((notecolumn (notehead-get-notecolumn notehead))) (ly:grob-object notecolumn 'arpeggio))) #(define (notehead-get-notecolumn notehead) ;; notehead is grob (ly:grob-parent notehead X)) #(define (notehead-get-stem notehead) ;; notehead is grob (let ((notecolumn (notehead-get-notecolumn notehead))) (ly:grob-object notecolumn 'stem))) #(define (display-grobs notehead) ;; notehead is grob (let ((accidental (notehead-get-accidental notehead)) (arpeggio (notehead-get-arpeggio notehead)) (stem (notehead-get-stem notehead))) (format (current-error-port) "~2&~a\n" (make-string 20 #\-)) (for-each (lambda (x) (format (current-error-port) "~a\n" x)) (list accidental arpeggio stem)))) \relative c' { %% display grobs for each note head: %\override NoteHead.before-line-breaking = #display-grobs <c %% or just for one: \tweak before-line-breaking #display-grobs es g>1\arpeggio }
Using PostScript to generate special note head shapes
When a note head with a special shape cannot easily be generated with graphic markup, PostScript code can be used to generate the shape. This example shows how a parallelogram-shaped note head is generated.
%% Updaters remark: %% For unkown reasons this snippet returns a gs-error, but only, if compiled %% with multiple others like: lilypond *.ly %% Thus changing to a path-stencil. %% TODO description needs to get adjusted --harm parallelogram = #(ly:make-stencil '(path 0.1 (rmoveto 0 0.25 lineto 1.3125 0.75 lineto 1.3125 -0.25 lineto 0 -0.75) round round #t) (cons 0 1.3125) (cons -.75 .75)) myNoteHeads = \override NoteHead.stencil = \parallelogram normalNoteHeads = \revert NoteHead.stencil \relative c'' { \myNoteHeads g4 d' \normalNoteHeads <f, \tweak stencil \parallelogram b e>4 d }
Using the \tweak command to tweak individual grobs
With the \tweak
command, every grob can be tuned
directly. Here are some examples of available tweaks.
\relative c' { \time 2/4 \set fingeringOrientations = #'(right) < \tweak font-size #3 c \tweak color #red d-\tweak font-size #8 -4 \tweak style #'cross g \tweak duration-log #2 a >2 }
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Vertically aligned dynamics and textscripts
All DynamicLineSpanner
objects (hairpins and dynamic texts) are
placed with their reference line at least 'staff-padding
from
the staff, unless other notation forces them to be farther. Setting
'staff-padding
to a sufficiently large value aligns the
dynamics.
The same idea, together with \textLengthOn
, is used to align
the text scripts along their baseline.
music = \relative c' { a'2\p b\f e4\p f\f\> g, b\p c2^\markup { \huge gorgeous } c^\markup { \huge fantastic } } { \music \break \override DynamicLineSpanner.staff-padding = 3 \textLengthOn \override TextScript.staff-padding = 1 \music } \paper { tagline = ##f }
Vertically aligning ossias and lyrics
This snippet demonstrates the use of the context properties
alignBelowContext
and alignAboveContext
to control the
positioning of lyrics and ossias.
\relative c' << \new Staff = "1" { c4 c s2 } \new Staff = "2" { c4 c s2 } \new Staff = "3" { c4 c s2 } { \skip 2 << \lyrics { \set alignBelowContext = "1" lyrics4 below } \new Staff \with { alignAboveContext = "3" fontSize = -2 \override StaffSymbol.staff-space = #(magstep -2) \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } { \tuplet 6/4 { \override TextScript.padding = 3 c8[^"ossia above" d e d e f] } } >> } >> \paper { ragged-right = ##t }
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[ < Vertically aligning ossias and lyrics ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Vertically centering paired figured bass extenders > ] |
Vertically aligning stanza numbers of different staves
It can happen that stanza numbers don’t align vertically if the verses
are attached to different staves. To fix that, override the
self-alignment-X
property of the LyricText
grob.
\markup { default behavior } << \new Staff { b b b b } \lyrics { \set stanza = "3." a a a a } \new Staff { b b b b } \lyrics { \set stanza = "1." aaaaaaaaaa a a a } \lyrics { \set stanza = "2." a a a a } >> \markup \vspace #1 \markup { using \typewriter "self-alignment-X = #LEFT" } << \new Staff { b b b b } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { \set stanza = "3." a a a a } \new Staff { b b b b } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { \set stanza = "1." \once \override LyricText.self-alignment-X = #LEFT aaaaaaaaaa a a a } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { \set stanza = "2." a a a a } >> \paper { tagline = ##f }
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[ < Vertically aligning stanza numbers of different staves ] | [ Up : Tweaks and overrides ] | [ Paper and layout > ] |
Vertically centering paired figured bass extenders
Where figured bass extender lines are being used by setting
useBassFigureExtenders
to true, pairs of congruent figured bass
extender lines are vertically centered if
figuredBassCenterContinuations
is set to true.
<< \relative c' { c8 c b b a a c16 c b b c8 c b b a a c16 c b b c8 c b b a a c c b b } \figures { \set useBassFigureExtenders = ##t <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 r <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 <4 3+>16 r \set figuredBassCenterContinuations = ##t <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 r <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 <4 3+>16 r \set figuredBassCenterContinuations = ##f <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 r <6+ 4 3>4 <6 4 3>8 <4 3+>8 } >>
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[ < Vertically centering paired figured bass extenders ] | [ Up : Top ] | [ Aligning and centering instrument names > ] |
Paper and layout
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[ < Paper and layout ] | [ Up : Paper and layout ] | [ Arranging separate lyrics on a single line > ] |
Aligning and centering instrument names
The horizontal alignment of instrument names is tweaked by changing the
Staff.InstrumentName.self-alignment-X
property. The
\layout
variables indent
and short-indent
define
the space in which the instrument names are aligned before the first
and the following systems, respectively.
\paper { left-margin = 3\cm } \score { \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \with { \override InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #LEFT instrumentName = \markup \left-column { "Left aligned" "instrument name" } shortInstrumentName = "Left" } { c''1 \break c''1 } \new Staff \with { \override InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #CENTER instrumentName = \markup \center-column { Centered "instrument name" } shortInstrumentName = "Centered" } { g'1 g'1} \new Staff \with { \override InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #RIGHT instrumentName = \markup \right-column { "Right aligned" "instrument name" } shortInstrumentName = "Right" } { e'1 e'1 } >> \layout { ragged-right = ##t indent = 4\cm short-indent = 2\cm } }
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[ < Aligning and centering instrument names ] | [ Up : Paper and layout ] | [ Book parts > ] |
Arranging separate lyrics on a single line
Sometimes you may want to put lyrics for different performers on a
single line: where there is rapidly alternating text, for
example. This snippet shows how this can be done with
\override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-nonstaff-spacing.minimum-distance = ##f
.
\header { tagline = ##f } \layout { \context { \Lyrics \override VerticalAxisGroup .nonstaff-nonstaff-spacing .minimum-distance = ##f } } aliceSings = \markup { \smallCaps "Alice" } eveSings = \markup { \smallCaps "Eve" } << \new Staff << \new Voice = "alice" { f'4^\aliceSings g' r2 | s1 | f'4^\aliceSings g' r2 | s1 | \break % ... \voiceOne s2 a'8^\aliceSings a' b'4 | \oneVoice g'1 } \new Voice = "eve" { s1 | a'2^\eveSings g' | s1 | a'2^\eveSings g' % ... \voiceTwo f'4^\eveSings a'8 g' f'4 e' | \oneVoice s1 } >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "alice" { may -- be sec -- ond % ... Shut up, you fool! } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "eve" { that the words are % ... …and then I was like– } >>
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[ < Arranging separate lyrics on a single line ] | [ Up : Paper and layout ] | [ Changing the staff size > ] |
Book parts
\bookpart
can be used to split a book into several parts. Each
part last page can be affected by ragged-last-bottom
. Header and
footer markups can detect a part last page, and make the difference
with the book last page.
#(set-default-paper-size "a6") \book { %% book paper, which is inherited by all children bookparts \paper { ragged-last-bottom = ##t %% Page footer: add a different part-tagline at part last page oddFooterMarkup = \markup { \column { \fill-line { %% Copyright header field only on book first page. \if \on-first-page \fromproperty #'header:copyright } \fill-line { %% Part tagline header field only on each part last page. \if \on-last-page-of-part \fromproperty #'header:parttagline } \fill-line { %% Tagline header field only on book last page. \if \on-last-page \fromproperty #'header:tagline } } } } %% book header, which is inherited by the first bookpart \header { title = "Book title" copyright = "Copyright line on book first page" parttagline = "Part tagline" tagline = "Book tagline" } \bookpart { %% a different page breaking function may be used on each part \paper { page-breaking = #ly:minimal-breaking } \header { subtitle = "First part" } \markup { The first book part } \markup { a page break } \pageBreak \markup { first part last page } \markup \wordwrap { with ragged-last-bottom (see the space below this text) } } \bookpart { \header { subtitle = "Second part" } { c'4 } } }
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[ < Book parts ] | [ Up : Paper and layout ] | [ Clip systems > ] |
Changing the staff size
Though the simplest way to resize staves is to use
#(set-global-staff-size xx)
, an individual staff’s size can be
changed by scaling the properties 'staff-space
and
fontSize
.
<< \new Staff { \relative c'' { \dynamicDown c8\ff c c c c c c c } } \new Staff \with { fontSize = #-3 \override StaffSymbol.staff-space = #(magstep -3) } { \clef bass c8 c c c c\f c c c } >>
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[ < Changing the staff size ] | [ Up : Paper and layout ] | [ Creating blank staves > ] |
Clip systems
This code shows how to clip (extract) snippets from a full score.
This file needs to be run separately with -dclip-systems
; the
snippets page may not adequately show the results. The result will be
files named
‘base-from-start-to-end[-count].eps’.
If system starts and ends are included, they include extents of the System grob, e.g., instrument names.
Grace notes at the end point of the region are not included.
Regions can span multiple systems. In this case, multiple EPS files are generated.
#(ly:set-option 'clip-systems) #(ly:set-option 'separate-page-formats "ps") #(define output-suffix "1") origScore = \score { \relative c' { \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Instrument" } c1 d1 \grace c16 e1 \key d \major f1 \break \clef bass g,1 fis1 } } \book { \score { \origScore \layout { % Each clip-region is a (START . END) pair % where both are rhythmic-locations. % (make-rhythmic-locations BAR-NUMBER NUM DEN) % means NUM/DEN whole-notes into bar numbered BAR-NUMBER clip-regions = #(list (cons (make-rhythmic-location 2 0 1) (make-rhythmic-location 4 0 1)) (cons (make-rhythmic-location 0 0 1) (make-rhythmic-location 4 0 1)) (cons (make-rhythmic-location 0 0 1) (make-rhythmic-location 6 0 1)) ) } } } #(ly:set-option 'clip-systems #f) #(ly:set-option 'separate-page-formats #f) #(define output-suffix #f) \book { \score { \origScore } \markup { \bold \fontsize #6 clips } \score { \lyrics { \markup { from-2.0.1-to-4.0.1-clip.eps } \markup { \epsfile #X #30.0 #(format #f "~a-1-from-2.0.1-to-4.0.1-clip.eps" (ly:parser-output-name)) } } } }
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Creating blank staves
To create blank staves, generate empty measures then remove the
Bar_number_engraver
from the Score
context, and the
Time_signature_engraver
, Clef_engraver
and
Bar_engraver
from the Staff
context.
#(set-global-staff-size 20) \score { { \repeat unfold 12 { s1 \break } } \layout { indent = 0\in \context { \Staff \remove "Time_signature_engraver" \remove "Clef_engraver" \remove "Bar_engraver" } \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } } % uncomment these lines for "letter" size %{ \paper { #(set-paper-size "letter") ragged-last-bottom = ##f line-width = 7.5\in left-margin = 0.5\in bottom-margin = 0.25\in top-margin = 0.25\in } %} % uncomment these lines for "A4" size %{ \paper { #(set-paper-size "a4") ragged-last-bottom = ##f line-width = 180 left-margin = 15 bottom-margin = 10 top-margin = 10 } %}
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[ < Creating blank staves ] | [ Up : Paper and layout ] | [ Setting system separators > ] |
Demonstrating all headers
All header fields with special meanings.
\header { copyright = "copyright" title = "title" subtitle = "subtitle" composer = "composer" arranger = "arranger" instrument = "instrument" meter = "meter" opus = "opus" piece = "piece" poet = "poet" texidoc = "All header fields with special meanings." copyright = "public domain" enteredby = "jcn" source = "urtext" } \layout { ragged-right = ##f } \score { \relative c'' { c1 | c | c | c } } \score { \relative c'' { c1 | c | c | c } \header { title = "localtitle" subtitle = "localsubtitle" composer = "localcomposer" arranger = "localarranger" instrument = "localinstrument" metre = "localmetre" opus = "localopus" piece = "localpiece" poet = "localpoet" copyright = "localcopyright" } }
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[ < Demonstrating all headers ] | [ Up : Paper and layout ] | [ Table of contents > ] |
Setting system separators
System separators can be inserted between systems. Any markup can be
used, but \slashSeparator
has been provided as a sensible
default.
\paper { system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator line-width = 120 tagline = ##f } notes = \relative c' { c1 | c \break c1 | c \break c1 | c } \book { \score { \new GrandStaff << \new Staff \notes \new Staff \notes >> } }
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[ < Setting system separators ] | [ Up : Paper and layout ] | [ Vertically aligned StaffGroups without connecting SystemStartBar > ] |
Table of contents
A table of contents is included using
\markuplist \table-of-contents
. The TOC items are added with
the \tocItem
command.
#(set-default-paper-size "a6") \book { \markuplist \table-of-contents \pageBreak \tocItem \markup { The first score } \score { { c'1 \pageBreak \mark \default \tocItem \markup { Mark A } d'1 } } \pageBreak \tocItem \markup { The second score } \score { { e'1 } \header { piece = "Second score" } } }
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Vertically aligned StaffGroups without connecting SystemStartBar
This snippet shows how to achieve vertically aligned StaffGroups
with a SystemStartBar
for each StaffGroup
, but without
connecting them.
#(set-global-staff-size 18) \header { tagline = ##f } \paper { indent = 0 ragged-right = ##f print-all-headers = ##t } \layout { \context { \StaffGroup \consists Text_mark_engraver \consists Staff_collecting_engraver systemStartDelimiterHierarchy = #'(SystemStartBrace (SystemStartBracket a b)) } \context { \Score \remove Text_mark_engraver \remove Staff_collecting_engraver \override SystemStartBrace.style = #'bar-line \omit SystemStartBar \override SystemStartBrace.padding = #-0.1 \override SystemStartBrace.thickness = #1.6 \override StaffGrouper.staffgroup-staff-spacing.basic-distance = #15 } } %%%% EXAMPLE txt = \lyricmode { Wer4 nur den lie -- ben Gott läßt wal2 -- ten4 und4 hof -- fet auf ihn al -- le Zeit2. } % First StaffGroup "exercise" eI = \relative c' { \textMark \markup { \bold Teacher: This is a simple setting of the choral. Please improve it. } \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceOne \partial 4 e4 a b c b a b gis2 e4\fermata g! g f e a a gis a2.\fermata \bar ":|." } eII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceTwo \partial 4 c4 e e e gis a f e2 b4 b d d c c d d c2. \bar ":|." } eIII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceOne \partial 4 a4 c b a b c d b2 gis4 g g b c a f e e2. } eIV = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceTwo \partial 4 a,4 a' gis a e a, d e2 e,4\fermata e' b g c f d e a,2.\fermata \bar ":|." } exercise = \new StaffGroup = "exercise" << \new Staff << \new Voice \eI \new Voice \eII >> \new Lyrics \txt \new Staff << \new Voice \eIII \new Voice \eIV >> >> % Second StaffGroup "simple Bach" sbI = \relative c' { \textMark \markup { \bold" Pupil:" Here's my version! } \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceOne \partial 4 e4 a b c b a b gis2 e4\fermata g! g f e a a gis a2.\fermata \bar ":|." } sbII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceTwo \partial 4 c8 d e4 e e8 f g4 f f e2 b4 b8 c d4 d e8 d c4 b8 c d4 c2. \bar ":|." } sbIII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceOne \partial 4 a8 b c4 b a b8 c d4 d8 c b2 gis4 g g8 a b4 b a8 g f4 e e2. } sbIV = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceTwo \partial 4 a,4 a' gis a e f8 e d4 e2 e,4\fermata e' b a8 g c4 f8 e d4 e a,2.\fermata \bar ":|." } simpleBach = \new StaffGroup = "simple Bach" << \new Staff << \new Voice \sbI \new Voice \sbII >> \new Lyrics \txt \new Staff << \new Voice \sbIII \new Voice \sbIV >> >> % Third StaffGroup "chromatic Bach" cbI = \relative c' { \textMark \markup { \bold "Teacher:" \column { "Well, you simply copied and transposed a version of J.S.Bach." "Do you know this one?" } } \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceOne \partial 4 e4 a b c b a b gis4. fis8 e4\fermata g! g f e a a8 b gis4 a2.\fermata \bar ":|." } cbII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \voiceTwo \partial 4 c8 d e4 e e8 fis gis4 a8 g! f!4 e2 b4 e e d d8[ cis] d dis e fis e4 e2. \bar ":|." } cbIII = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceOne \partial 4 a8 b c[ b] a gis8 a4 d, e8[ e'] d c b4. a8 gis4 b c d8 c b[ a] a b c b b c16 d c2. } cbIV = \relative c' { \key a \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass \voiceTwo \partial 4 a4 c, e a, b c d e2 e4\fermata e a b8 c gis[ g] fis f e dis e4 a,2.\fermata \bar ":|." } chromaticBach = \new StaffGroup = "chromatic Bach" << \new Staff << \new Voice \cbI \new Voice \cbII >> \new Lyrics \txt \new Staff << \new Voice \cbIII \new Voice \cbIV >> >> % Score \score { << \exercise \simpleBach \chromaticBach >> \header { title = \markup \column { \combine \null \vspace #1 "Exercise: Improve the given choral" " " } } \layout { \context { \Lyrics \override LyricText.X-offset = #-1 } } }
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Titles
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Adding the current date to a score
With a little Scheme code, the current date can easily be added to a score.
\paper { tagline = ##f } % first, define a variable to hold the formatted date: date = #(strftime "%d-%m-%Y" (localtime (current-time))) % use it in the title block: \header { title = "Including the date!" subtitle = \date } \score { \relative c'' { c4 c c c } } % and use it in a \markup block: \markup { \date }
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Aligning and centering instrument names
The horizontal alignment of instrument names is tweaked by changing the
Staff.InstrumentName.self-alignment-X
property. The
\layout
variables indent
and short-indent
define
the space in which the instrument names are aligned before the first
and the following systems, respectively.
\paper { left-margin = 3\cm } \score { \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \with { \override InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #LEFT instrumentName = \markup \left-column { "Left aligned" "instrument name" } shortInstrumentName = "Left" } { c''1 \break c''1 } \new Staff \with { \override InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #CENTER instrumentName = \markup \center-column { Centered "instrument name" } shortInstrumentName = "Centered" } { g'1 g'1} \new Staff \with { \override InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #RIGHT instrumentName = \markup \right-column { "Right aligned" "instrument name" } shortInstrumentName = "Right" } { e'1 e'1 } >> \layout { ragged-right = ##t indent = 4\cm short-indent = 2\cm } }
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Demonstrating all headers
All header fields with special meanings.
\header { copyright = "copyright" title = "title" subtitle = "subtitle" composer = "composer" arranger = "arranger" instrument = "instrument" meter = "meter" opus = "opus" piece = "piece" poet = "poet" texidoc = "All header fields with special meanings." copyright = "public domain" enteredby = "jcn" source = "urtext" } \layout { ragged-right = ##f } \score { \relative c'' { c1 | c | c | c } } \score { \relative c'' { c1 | c | c | c } \header { title = "localtitle" subtitle = "localsubtitle" composer = "localcomposer" arranger = "localarranger" instrument = "localinstrument" metre = "localmetre" opus = "localopus" piece = "localpiece" poet = "localpoet" copyright = "localcopyright" } }
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Outputting the version number
It is possible to print the version number of LilyPond in markup.
\markup { Processed with LilyPond version #(lilypond-version) }
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Spacing
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Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing
This snippet shows how to bring the lyrics line closer to the staff.
% Default layout: << \new Staff \new Voice = melody \relative c' { c4 d e f g4 f e d c1 } \new Lyrics \lyricsto melody { aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa } \new Staff { \new Voice = melody \relative c' { c4 d e f g4 f e d c1 } } % Reducing the minimum space below the staff and above the lyrics: \new Lyrics \with { \override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing = #'((basic-distance . 1)) } \lyricsto melody { aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa } >>
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Allowing fingerings to be printed inside the staff
By default, vertically oriented fingerings are positioned outside the staff; that behavior, however, may be disabled. Attention needs to be paid to situations where fingerings and stems are in the same direction: by default, fingerings will avoid only beamed stems. That setting can be changed to avoid no stems or all stems; the following example demonstrates these two options, as well as how to go back to the default behavior.
\relative c' { <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>2 \override Fingering.staff-padding = #'() <c-1 e-2 g-3 b-5>4 g'-0 a8[-1 b]-2 g-0 r \override Fingering.add-stem-support = ##f a[-1 b]-2 g-0 r \override Fingering.add-stem-support = ##t a[-1 b]-2 g-0 r \override Fingering.add-stem-support = #only-if-beamed a[-1 b]-2 g-0 r }
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Breaking vertical alignment of dynamics and textscripts
By default, LilyPond uses DynamicLineSpanner
grobs to vertically
align successive dynamic objects like hairpins and dynamic
text. However, this is not always wanted. By inserting
\breakDynamicSpan
, which ends the alignment spanner
prematurely, this vertical alignment can be avoided.
{ g1\< | e''\f\> | c'\p } { g1\< | e''\breakDynamicSpan\f\> | c'\p } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Page label
Page labels may be placed inside music or at top-level, and referred to in markups.
\label license \markup "This snippet is available under the Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication license." { \repeat volta 2 { \label startRepeat \repeat unfold 20 { c'2 2 } \pageBreak 2 2 } \textEndMark \markup { \with-link #'startRepeat \line { To page \page-ref #'startRepeat "0" "?" } } } \markup { See page \page-ref #'license "0" "?" for licensing information. }
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Proportional strict notespacing
If strict-note-spacing
is set spacing of notes is not influenced
by bars or clefs within a system. Rather, they are placed just before
the note that occurs at the same time. This may cause collisions.
\relative c'' << \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = \musicLength 16 \new Staff { c8[ c \clef alto c c \grace { d16 } c8 c] c4 c2 \grace { c16[ c16] } c2 } \new Staff { c2 \tuplet 3/2 { c8 \clef bass cis,, c } c4 c1 } >>
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Vertically aligned dynamics and textscripts
All DynamicLineSpanner
objects (hairpins and dynamic texts) are
placed with their reference line at least 'staff-padding
from
the staff, unless other notation forces them to be farther. Setting
'staff-padding
to a sufficiently large value aligns the
dynamics.
The same idea, together with \textLengthOn
, is used to align
the text scripts along their baseline.
music = \relative c' { a'2\p b\f e4\p f\f\> g, b\p c2^\markup { \huge gorgeous } c^\markup { \huge fantastic } } { \music \break \override DynamicLineSpanner.staff-padding = 3 \textLengthOn \override TextScript.staff-padding = 1 \music } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Vertically aligning ossias and lyrics
This snippet demonstrates the use of the context properties
alignBelowContext
and alignAboveContext
to control the
positioning of lyrics and ossias.
\relative c' << \new Staff = "1" { c4 c s2 } \new Staff = "2" { c4 c s2 } \new Staff = "3" { c4 c s2 } { \skip 2 << \lyrics { \set alignBelowContext = "1" lyrics4 below } \new Staff \with { alignAboveContext = "3" fontSize = -2 \override StaffSymbol.staff-space = #(magstep -2) \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } { \tuplet 6/4 { \override TextScript.padding = 3 c8[^"ossia above" d e d e f] } } >> } >> \paper { ragged-right = ##t }
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MIDI
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Changing MIDI output to one channel per voice
When outputting MIDI, the default behavior is for each staff to represent one MIDI channel, with all the voices on a staff amalgamated. This minimizes the risk of running out of MIDI channels, since there are only 16 available per track.
However, by moving the Staff_performer
to the Voice
context, each voice on a staff can have its own MIDI channel, as is
demonstrated by the following example: despite being on the same staff,
two MIDI channels are created, each with a different
midiInstrument
.
\score { \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c''' { \set midiInstrument = "flute" \voiceOne \key g \major \time 2/2 r2 g-"Flute" ~ g fis ~ fis4 g8 fis e2 ~ e4 d8 cis d2 } \new Voice \relative c'' { \set midiInstrument = "clarinet" \voiceTwo b1-"Clarinet" a2. b8 a g2. fis8 e fis2 r } >> \layout { } \midi { \context { \Staff \remove "Staff_performer" } \context { \Voice \consists "Staff_performer" } \tempo 2 = 72 } }
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Changing the tempo without a metronome mark
To change the tempo in MIDI output without printing anything, make the metronome mark invisible.
\score { \new Staff \relative c' { \tempo 4 = 160 c4 e g b c4 b d c \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 96 d,4 fis a cis d4 cis e d } \layout { } \midi { } }
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Creating custom dynamics in MIDI output
The following example shows how to create a dynamic marking, not included in the default list, and assign a specific value to it so that it affects MIDI output.
The dynamic mark \rfz
gets value 0.9
.
#(define (myDynamics dynamic) (if (equal? dynamic "rfz") 0.9 (default-dynamic-absolute-volume dynamic))) \score { \new Staff { \set Staff.midiInstrument = "cello" \set Score.dynamicAbsoluteVolumeFunction = #myDynamics \new Voice { \relative { a'4\pp b c-\rfz } } } \layout {} \midi {} }
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Demo MidiInstruments
Problem: How to know which midiInstrument
would be best for your
composition?
Solution: A LilyPond demo file.
\header { title = "Demo of all midi sounds" arranger = "Myself " } melody = \relative c' { \tempo 4 = 150 c4.\mf g c16 b' c d e16 d e f g4 g'4 r R1 } \score { \new Voice \melody \layout { } } \score { \new Voice { r\mf % 1-8 keyboard \set Staff.midiInstrument = "acoustic grand" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "bright acoustic" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "electric grand" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "honky-tonk" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "electric piano 1" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "electric piano 2" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "harpsichord" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "clav" \melody % 9-16 chrom percussion \set Staff.midiInstrument = "celesta" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "glockenspiel" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "music box" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "vibraphone" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "marimba" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "xylophone" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "tubular bells" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "dulcimer" \melody % 17-24 organ \set Staff.midiInstrument = "drawbar organ" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "percussive organ" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "rock organ" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "church organ" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "reed organ" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "accordion" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "harmonica" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "concertina" \melody % 25-32 guitar \set Staff.midiInstrument = "acoustic guitar (nylon)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "acoustic guitar (steel)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "electric guitar (jazz)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "electric guitar (clean)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "electric guitar (muted)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "overdriven guitar" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "distorted guitar" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "guitar harmonics" \melody % 33-40 bass \set Staff.midiInstrument = "acoustic bass" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "electric bass (finger)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "electric bass (pick)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "fretless bass" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "slap bass 1" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "slap bass 2" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "synth bass 1" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "synth bass 2" \melody % 41-48 strings \set Staff.midiInstrument = "violin" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "viola" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "cello" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "contrabass" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "tremolo strings" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "pizzicato strings" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "orchestral harp" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "timpani" \melody % 49-56 ensemble \set Staff.midiInstrument = "string ensemble 1" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "string ensemble 2" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "synthstrings 1" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "synthstrings 2" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "choir aahs" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "voice oohs" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "synth voice" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "orchestra hit" \melody % 57-64 brass \set Staff.midiInstrument = "trumpet" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "trombone" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "tuba" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "muted trumpet" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "french horn" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "brass section" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "synthbrass 1" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "synthbrass 2" \melody % 65-72 reed \set Staff.midiInstrument = "soprano sax" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "alto sax" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "tenor sax" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "baritone sax" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "oboe" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "english horn" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "bassoon" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "clarinet" \melody % 73-80 pipe \set Staff.midiInstrument = "piccolo" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "flute" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "recorder" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "pan flute" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "blown bottle" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "shakuhachi" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "whistle" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "ocarina" \melody % 81-88 synth lead \set Staff.midiInstrument = "lead 1 (square)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "lead 2 (sawtooth)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "lead 3 (calliope)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "lead 4 (chiff)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "lead 5 (charang)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "lead 6 (voice)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "lead 7 (fifths)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "lead 8 (bass+lead)" \melody % 89-96 synth pad \set Staff.midiInstrument = "pad 1 (new age)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "pad 2 (warm)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "pad 3 (polysynth)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "pad 4 (choir)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "pad 5 (bowed)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "pad 6 (metallic)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "pad 7 (halo)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "pad 8 (sweep)" \melody % 97-104 synth effects \set Staff.midiInstrument = "fx 1 (rain)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "fx 2 (soundtrack)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "fx 3 (crystal)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "fx 4 (atmosphere)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "fx 5 (brightness)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "fx 6 (goblins)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "fx 7 (echoes)" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "fx 8 (sci-fi)" \melody % 105-112 ethnic \set Staff.midiInstrument = "sitar" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "banjo" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "shamisen" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "koto" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "kalimba" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "bagpipe" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "fiddle" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "shanai" \melody % 113-120 percussive \set Staff.midiInstrument = "tinkle bell" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "agogo" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "steel drums" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "woodblock" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "taiko drum" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "melodic tom" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "synth drum" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "reverse cymbal" \melody % 121-128 sound effects \set Staff.midiInstrument = "guitar fret noise" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "breath noise" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "seashore" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "bird tweet" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "telephone ring" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "helicopter" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "applause" \melody \set Staff.midiInstrument = "gunshot" \melody } \midi { } } \paper { tagline = ##f }
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Replacing default MIDI instrument equalization
The default MIDI instrument equalizer can be replaced by setting the
instrumentEqualizer
property in the Score
context to a
user-defined Scheme procedure that uses a MIDI instrument name as its
argument along with a pair of fractions indicating the minimum and
maximum volumes respectively to be applied to that specific instrument.
The following example sets the minimum and maximum volumes for flute and clarinet respectively."
#(define my-instrument-equalizer-alist '()) #(set! my-instrument-equalizer-alist (append '( ("flute" . (0.7 . 0.9)) ("clarinet" . (0.3 . 0.6))) my-instrument-equalizer-alist)) #(define (my-instrument-equalizer s) (let ((entry (assoc s my-instrument-equalizer-alist))) (if entry (cdr entry)))) \score { << \new Staff { \key g \major \time 2/2 \set Score.instrumentEqualizer = #my-instrument-equalizer \set Staff.midiInstrument = "flute" \new Voice \relative { r2 g''\mp g fis~ 4 g8 fis e2~ 4 d8 cis d2 } } \new Staff { \key g \major \set Staff.midiInstrument = "clarinet" \new Voice \relative { b'1\p a2. b8 a g2. fis8 e fis2 r } } >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Templates
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[ < Templates ] | [ Up : Templates ] | [ Anglican psalm template > ] |
Ancient notation template – modern transcription of gregorian music
This example demonstrates how to do modern transcription of Gregorian music. Gregorian music has no measure, no stems; it uses only half and quarter note heads, and special marks, indicating rests of different length.
chant = \relative c' { \set Score.timing = ##f f4 a2 \divisioMinima g4 b a2 f2 \divisioMaior g4( f) f( g) a2 \finalis } verba = \lyricmode { Lo -- rem ip -- sum do -- lor sit a -- met } \score { \new GregorianTranscriptionStaff << \new GregorianTranscriptionVoice = "melody" \chant \new GregorianTranscriptionLyrics = "one" \lyricsto melody \verba >> }
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Anglican psalm template
This template shows one way of setting out an Anglican psalm chant. It also shows how the verses may be added as stand-alone text under the music. The two verses are coded in different styles to demonstrate more possibilities.
\paper { tagline = ##f } SopranoMusic = \relative g' { g1 | c2 b | a1 | \bar "||" a1 | d2 c | c b | c1 | \bar "||" } AltoMusic = \relative c' { e1 | g2 g | f1 | f1 | f2 e | d d | e1 | } TenorMusic = \relative a { c1 | c2 c | c1 | d1 | g,2 g | g g | g1 | } BassMusic = \relative c { c1 | e2 e | f1 | d1 | b2 c | g' g | c,1 | } global = { \time 2/2 } dot = \markup { \raise #0.7 \musicglyph "dots.dot" } tick = \markup { \raise #1 \fontsize #-5 \musicglyph "scripts.rvarcomma" } % Use markup to center the chant on the page \markup { \fill-line { \score { % centered << \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff << \global \clef "treble" \new Voice = "Soprano" << \voiceOne \SopranoMusic >> \new Voice = "Alto" << \voiceTwo \AltoMusic >> >> \new Staff << \clef "bass" \global \new Voice = "Tenor" << \voiceOne \TenorMusic >> \new Voice = "Bass" << \voiceTwo \BassMusic >> >> >> >> \layout { \context { \Score \override SpacingSpanner.base-shortest-duration = \musicLength 2 } \context { \Staff \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } } } % End score } } % End markup \markup { \fill-line { \column { \left-align { \null \null \null \line { \fontsize #5 O \fontsize #3 come let us \bold sing | unto \dot the | Lord : let } \line { us heartily \concat { re \bold joice } in the | strength of | our } \line { sal | vation. } \null \line { \hspace #2.5 8. Today if ye will hear his voice * } \line { \concat { \bold hard en } \tick not your \tick hearts : as in the pro- } \line { vocation * and as in the \bold day of tempt- \tick } \line { -ation \tick in the \tick wilderness. } } } } }
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Hymn template
This code shows one way of setting out a hymn tune when each line starts and ends with a partial measure. It also shows how to add the verses as stand-alone text under the music.
Timeline = { \time 4/4 \tempo 4=96 \partial 2 s2 | s1 | s2 \breathe s2 | s1 | s2 \caesura \break s2 | s1 | s2 \breathe s2 | s1 | s2 \fine } SopranoMusic = \relative g' { g4 g | g g g g | g g g g | g g g g | g2 g4 g | g g g g | g g g g | g g g g | g2 } AltoMusic = \relative c' { d4 d | d d d d | d d d d | d d d d | d2 d4 d | d d d d | d d d d | d d d d | d2 } TenorMusic = \relative a { b4 b | b b b b | b b b b | b b b b | b2 b4 b | b b b b | b b b b | b b b b | b2 } BassMusic = \relative g { g4 g | g g g g | g g g g | g g g g | g2 g4 g | g g g g | g g g g | g g g g | g2 } global = { \key g \major } \score { % Start score << \new PianoStaff << % Start pianostaff \new Staff << % Start Staff = RH \global \clef "treble" \new Voice = "Soprano" << % Start Voice = "Soprano" \Timeline \voiceOne \SopranoMusic >> % End Voice = "Soprano" \new Voice = "Alto" << % Start Voice = "Alto" \Timeline \voiceTwo \AltoMusic >> % End Voice = "Alto" >> % End Staff = RH \new Staff << % Start Staff = LH \global \clef "bass" \new Voice = "Tenor" << % Start Voice = "Tenor" \Timeline \voiceOne \TenorMusic >> % End Voice = "Tenor" \new Voice = "Bass" << % Start Voice = "Bass" \Timeline \voiceTwo \BassMusic >> % End Voice = "Bass" >> % End Staff = LH >> % End pianostaff >> } % End score \markup { \fill-line { "" { \column { \left-align { "This is line one of the first verse" "This is line two of the same" "And here's line three of the first verse" "And the last line of the same" } } } "" } } \layout { \context { \Score caesuraType = #'((bar-line . "||")) fineBarType = "||" } } \paper { % Start paper block indent = 0 % don't indent first system line-width = 130 % shorten line length to suit music tagline = ##f % Don't print tag line, can be removed } % End paper block
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Jazz combo template
This is quite an advanced template, for a jazz ensemble. Note that all
instruments are notated in \key c \major
. This refers to the
key in concert pitch; the key will be automatically transposed if the
music is within a \transpose
section.
\header { title = "Song" subtitle = "(tune)" composer = "Me" meter = "moderato" piece = "Swing" tagline = \markup { \column { "LilyPond example file by Amelie Zapf," "Berlin 07/07/2003" } } } % To make the example display in the documentation \paper { paper-width = 130 } %#(set-global-staff-size 16) \include "english.ly" %%%%%%%%%%%% Some macros %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% sl = { \override NoteHead.style = #'slash \hide Stem } nsl = { \revert NoteHead.style \undo \hide Stem } crOn = \override NoteHead.style = #'cross crOff = \revert NoteHead.style %% insert chord name style stuff here. jazzChords = { } %%%%%%%%%%%% Keys'n'thangs %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% global = { \time 4/4 } Key = { \key c \major } % ############ Horns ############ % ------ Trumpet ------ trpt = \transpose c d \relative c'' { \Key c1 | c | c | } trpHarmony = \transpose c' d { \jazzChords } trumpet = { \global \clef treble << \trpt >> } % ------ Alto Saxophone ------ alto = \transpose c a \relative c' { \Key c1 | c | c | } altoHarmony = \transpose c' a { \jazzChords } altoSax = { \global \clef treble << \alto >> } % ------ Baritone Saxophone ------ bari = \transpose c a' \relative c { \Key c1 c1 \sl d4^"Solo" d d d \nsl } bariHarmony = \transpose c' a \chordmode { \jazzChords s1 s d2:maj e:m7 } bariSax = { \global \clef treble << \bari >> } % ------ Trombone ------ tbone = \relative c { \Key c1 | c | c } tboneHarmony = \chordmode { \jazzChords } trombone = { \global \clef bass << \tbone >> } % ############ Rhythm Section ############# % ------ Guitar ------ gtr = \relative c'' { \Key c1 \sl b4 b b b \nsl c1 } gtrHarmony = \chordmode { \jazzChords s1 c2:min7+ d2:maj9 } guitar = { \global \clef treble << \gtr >> } %% ------ Piano ------ rhUpper = \relative c'' { \voiceOne \Key c1 | c | c } rhLower = \relative c' { \voiceTwo \Key e1 | e | e } lhUpper = \relative c' { \voiceOne \Key g1 | g | g } lhLower = \relative c { \voiceTwo \Key c1 | c | c } PianoRH = { \clef treble \global << \new Voice = "one" \rhUpper \new Voice = "two" \rhLower >> } PianoLH = { \clef bass \global << \new Voice = "one" \lhUpper \new Voice = "two" \lhLower >> } piano = { << \new Staff = "upper" \PianoRH \new Staff = "lower" \PianoLH >> } % ------ Bass Guitar ------ Bass = \relative c { \Key c1 | c | c } bass = { \global \clef bass << \Bass >> } % ------ Drums ------ up = \drummode { \voiceOne hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> hh4 <hh sn> hh <hh sn> } down = \drummode { \voiceTwo bd4 s bd s bd4 s bd s bd4 s bd s } drumContents = { \global << \new DrumVoice \up \new DrumVoice \down >> } %%%%%%%%% It All Goes Together Here %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% \score { << \new StaffGroup = "horns" << \new Staff = "trumpet" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet" } \trumpet \new Staff = "altosax" \with { instrumentName = "Alto Sax" } \altoSax \new ChordNames = "barichords" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet" } \bariHarmony \new Staff = "barisax" \with { instrumentName = "Bari Sax" } \bariSax \new Staff = "trombone" \with { instrumentName = "Trombone" } \trombone >> \new StaffGroup = "rhythm" << \new ChordNames = "chords" \gtrHarmony \new Staff = "guitar" \with { instrumentName = "Guitar" } \guitar \new PianoStaff = "piano" \with { instrumentName = "Piano" midiInstrument = "acoustic grand" } \piano \new Staff = "bass" \with { instrumentName = "Bass" } \bass \new DrumStaff \with { instrumentName = "Drums" } \drumContents >> >> \layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves } \context { \Score \override BarNumber.padding = 3 \override RehearsalMark.padding = 2 skipBars = ##t } } \midi { } }
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Orchestra, choir and piano template
This template demonstrates the use of nested StaffGroup
and
GrandStaff
contexts to sub-group instruments of the same type
together, and a way to use \transpose
so that variables hold
music for transposing instruments at concert pitch.
#(set-global-staff-size 17) \paper { indent = 3.0\cm % add space for instrumentName short-indent = 1.5\cm % add less space for shortInstrumentName } \header { tagline = ##f } fluteMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } % Pitches as written on a manuscript for Clarinet in A % are transposed to concert pitch. clarinetMusic = \transpose c' a \relative c'' { \key bes \major bes1 d } trumpetMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g''1 b } % Key signature is often omitted for horns hornMusic = \transpose c' f \relative c { d'1 fis } percussionMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g1 b } sopranoMusic = \relative c'' { \key g \major g'1 b } sopranoLyrics = \lyricmode { Lyr -- ics } altoIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } altoIIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } altoILyrics = \sopranoLyrics altoIILyrics = \lyricmode { Ah -- ah } tenorMusic = \relative c' { \clef "treble_8" \key g \major g1 b } tenorLyrics = \sopranoLyrics pianoRHMusic = \relative c { \key g \major g''1 b } pianoLHMusic = \relative c { \clef bass \key g \major g1 b } violinIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } violinIIMusic = \relative c' { \key g \major g'1 b } violaMusic = \relative c { \clef alto \key g \major g'1 b } celloMusic = \relative c { \clef bass \key g \major g1 b } bassMusic = \relative c { \clef "bass_8" \key g \major g,1 b } \score { << \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_woodwinds" << \new Staff = "Staff_flute" \with { instrumentName = "Flute" } \fluteMusic \new Staff = "Staff_clarinet" \with { instrumentName = \markup { \concat { "Clarinet in B" \flat } } } % Declare that written Middle C in the music % to follow sounds a concert B flat, for % output using sounded pitches such as MIDI. %\transposition bes % Print music for a B-flat clarinet \transpose bes c' \clarinetMusic >> \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_brass" << \new Staff = "Staff_hornI" \with { instrumentName = "Horn in F" } % \transposition f \transpose f c' \hornMusic \new Staff = "Staff_trumpet" \with { instrumentName = "Trumpet in C" } \trumpetMusic >> \new RhythmicStaff = "RhythmicStaff_percussion" \with { instrumentName = "Percussion" } << \percussionMusic >> \new PianoStaff \with { instrumentName = "Piano" } << \new Staff { \pianoRHMusic } \new Staff { \pianoLHMusic } >> \new ChoirStaff = "ChoirStaff_choir" << \new Staff = "Staff_soprano" \with { instrumentName = "Soprano" } \new Voice = "soprano" \sopranoMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" { \sopranoLyrics } \new GrandStaff = "GrandStaff_altos" \with { \accepts Lyrics } << \new Staff = "Staff_altoI" \with { instrumentName = "Alto I" } \new Voice = "altoI" \altoIMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altoI" { \altoILyrics } \new Staff = "Staff_altoII" \with { instrumentName = "Alto II" } \new Voice = "altoII" \altoIIMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altoII" { \altoIILyrics } >> \new Staff = "Staff_tenor" \with { instrumentName = "Tenor" } \new Voice = "tenor" \tenorMusic \new Lyrics \lyricsto "tenor" { \tenorLyrics } >> \new StaffGroup = "StaffGroup_strings" << \new GrandStaff = "GrandStaff_violins" << \new Staff = "Staff_violinI" \with { instrumentName = "Violin I" } \violinIMusic \new Staff = "Staff_violinII" \with { instrumentName = "Violin II" } \violinIIMusic >> \new Staff = "Staff_viola" \with { instrumentName = "Viola" } \violaMusic \new Staff = "Staff_cello" \with { instrumentName = "Cello" } \celloMusic \new Staff = "Staff_bass" \with { instrumentName = "Double Bass" } \bassMusic >> >> \layout { } }
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Piano template (simple)
Here is a simple piano staff with some notes.
upper = \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } lower = \relative c { \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4 a2 c } \score { \new PianoStaff \with { instrumentName = "Piano" } << \new Staff = "upper" \upper \new Staff = "lower" \lower >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Piano template with centered lyrics
Instead of having a full staff for the melody and lyrics, lyrics can be centered between the staves of a piano staff.
upper = \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } lower = \relative c { \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4 a2 c } text = \lyricmode { Aaa Bee Cee Dee } \score { \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = upper { \new Voice = "singer" \upper } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "singer" \text \new Staff = lower { \lower } >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Piano template with melody and lyrics
Here is a typical song format: one staff with the melody and lyrics, with piano accompaniment underneath.
melody = \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a b c d } text = \lyricmode { Aaa Bee Cee Dee } upper = \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } lower = \relative c { \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4 a2 c } \score { << \new Voice = "mel" { \autoBeamOff \melody } \new Lyrics \lyricsto mel \text \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "upper" \upper \new Staff = "lower" \lower >> >> \layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves } } \midi { } }
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SATB Choir template - four staves
This is a template for a SATB choir on four staves.
global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 \dynamicUp } sopranonotes = \relative c'' { c2 \p \< d c d \f } sopranowords = \lyricmode { do do do do } altonotes = \relative c'' { c2\p d c d } altowords = \lyricmode { re re re re } tenornotes = { \clef "G_8" c2\mp d c d } tenorwords = \lyricmode { mi mi mi mi } bassnotes = { \clef bass c2\mf d c d } basswords = \lyricmode { mi mi mi mi } \score { \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice = "soprano" << \global \sopranonotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" \sopranowords >> \new Staff << \new Voice = "alto" << \global \altonotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "alto" \altowords >> \new Staff << \new Voice = "tenor" << \global \tenornotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "tenor" \tenorwords >> \new Staff << \new Voice = "bass" << \global \bassnotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "bass" \basswords >> >> }
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Score for diatonic accordion
A template to write a score for a diatonic accordion.
- There is a horizontal staff indicating if the accordion must be pushed (thick line) or pulled (thin line).
- There is a small rhythmic staff with lyrics that describes the bass buttons to press. The bar lines are made from gridlines.
- The tabulator staff for diatonic accordions shows the geographic position of the buttons and not (as for every other instrument) the pitch of the notes; the keys on the melody side of the accordion are placed in three columns and about 12 rows.
In the tabulator staff notation the outermost column is described with notes between lines, the innermost column is described with notes between lines and a cross as accidental, and the middle column is described with notes on a line, whereby the row in the middle is represented on the middle line in the staff.
Some words to transpose piano notes to the diatonic accordion:
- Every diatonic accordion is built for some keys only (for example, for
the keys of C major and F major), so it is important to transpose a
piano melody to match one of these keys. Transpose the source code, not
only the output because this code is required later on to translate it
once more to the tabulator staff. This can be done with the command
displayLilyMusic
. - You have to alternate the push- and pull-direction of the accordion regularly. If the player has a too long part to pull the accordion gets broken. On the other hand, some harmonies are only available in one direction. Considering this, decide which parts of the melody are the push-parts and which the pull-parts.
- For each pull- or push-part translate the piano notes to the according tabulature representation.
verse = \lyricmode { Wie gross bist du! Wie gross bist du! } harmonies = \new ChordNames \chordmode { \germanChords \set chordChanges = ##t bes8 bes8 bes8 es2 f bes1 } NoStem = { \hide Stem } NoNoteHead = \hide NoteHead ZeroBeam = \override Beam.positions = #'(0 . 0) staffTabLine = \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" \remove "Clef_engraver" } { \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'(0) % Shows one horizontal line. The vertical line % (simulating a bar-line) is simulated with a gridline \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"choir aahs" \key c \major \relative c'' { % disable the following line to see the noteheads while writing the song \NoNoteHead \override NoteHead.no-ledgers = ##t % The beam between 8th-notes is used to draw the push-line %How to fast write the push-lines: % 1. write repeatedly 'c c c c c c c c |' for the whole length of the song % 2. uncomment the line \NoNoteHead % 3. compile % 4. Mark the positions on which push/pull changes. % In the score-picture click on the position % the push- or pull-part starts % (on the noteHead, the cursor will change to a hand-icon). % The cursor in the source code will jump just at this position. % a) If a push-part starts there, replace the 'c' by an 'e[' % b) If a pull-part starts there, replace the 'c' by an 's' % 5. Switch into 'overwrite-mode' by pressing the 'ins' key. % 6. For the pull-parts overwrite the 'c' with 's' % 7. For every push-part replace the last 'c' with 'e]' % 8. Switch into 'insert-mode' again % 9. At last it should look like e.g. % (s s e[ c | c c c c c c c c | c c c c c c e] s s) % 10. re-enable the line \NoNoteHead \autoBeamOff \ZeroBeam s8 s s e[ c c c c c c e] | s s s s s } } % Accordion melody in tabulator score % 1. Place a copy of the piano melody below % 2. Separate piano melody into pull- and push-parts % according to the staffTabLine you've already made % 3. For each line: Double the line. Remark the 1st one % (Keeps unchanged as reference) and then change the second % line using the transformation paper % or the macros 'conv2diaton push.bsh' and 'conv2diaton pull.bsh' % Tips: % - In jEdit Search & Replace mark the Option 'Keep Dialog' AccordionTabTwoCBesDur = { % pull 1 %<f' bes'>8 <f' a'>8 <d' bes'>8 | <g'' a''>8 <g'' b''>8 <e'' a''>8 | % push 2 %<g' c''>4 <f' d''> <g' ees''> <f' a'> | <g'' a''>4 <d'' eisis''> <g'' bisis''> <d'' f''> | % pull 3 % <f' bes'>2 r8 } <g'' a''>2 r8 } AccordionTab= { \dynamicUp % 1. Place a copy of the piano melody above % 2. Separate piano melody into pull- and push-parts % according to the staffTabLine you've already made % 3. For each line: Double the line. Remark the 1st one % (Keeps unchanged as reference) and then % change the second line using the transformation paper % Tips: % - In jEdit Search & Replace mark the Option 'Keep Dialog' % - \AccordionTabTwoCBesDur } \header { tagline = ##f } \layout { \context { \Score % The vertical line (simulating a bar-line) in % the staffBassRhythm is a gridline \consists "Grid_line_span_engraver" } \context { \Staff \consists "Grid_point_engraver" gridInterval = \musicLength 4*4 % 4/4 - tact. How many beats per bar % The following line has to be adjusted O-F-T-E-N. \override GridPoint.Y-extent = #'(-2 . -21) } \context { \ChoirStaff \remove "System_start_delimiter_engraver" } } staffVoice = \new Staff = astaffvoice { \time 4/4 \set Staff.instrumentName = "Voice" \set Staff.midiInstrument = "voice oohs" \key bes \major \partial 8*3 \clef treble { \context Voice = "melodyVoi" { <f' bes'>8 <f' a'>8 <d' bes'>8 | <g' c''>4 <f' d''> <g' es''> <f' a'> | <f' bes'>2 r8 } \bar "|." } } staffAccordionMel = \new Staff \with { \remove "Clef_engraver" } { \accidentalStyle forget %Set the accidentals (Vorzeichen) for each note, %do not remember them for the rest of the measure. \time 4/4 \set Staff.instrumentName="Accordion" \set Staff.midiInstrument="voice oohs" \key c \major \clef treble { \AccordionTab \bar "|." } } AltOn = #(define-music-function (mag) (number?) #{ \override Stem.length = #(* 7.0 mag) \override NoteHead.font-size = #(inexact->exact (* (/ 6.0 (log 2.0)) (log mag))) #}) AltOff = { \revert Stem.length \revert NoteHead.font-size } BassRhythm = {s4 s8 | c2 c2 | c2 s8 } LyricBassRhythmI= \lyricmode { c b | c } staffBassRhythm = \new Staff = staffbass \with { \remove "Clef_engraver" } { % This is not a RhythmicStaff because it must be possible to append lyrics. \override Score.GridLine.extra-offset = #'( 13.0 . 0.0 ) % x.y \override Staff.StaffSymbol.line-positions = #'( 0 ) % Shows one horizontal line. The vertical line % (simulating a bar-line) is simulated by a grid % Search for 'grid' in this page to find all related functions \time 4/4 { \context Voice = "VoiceBassRhythm" \stemDown \AltOn #0.6 \relative c'' { \BassRhythm } \AltOff \bar "|." } } \score { \new ChoirStaff << \harmonies \staffVoice \context Lyrics = "lmelodyVoi" \with { alignBelowContext = astaffvoice } \lyricsto melodyVoi \verse \staffAccordionMel \staffTabLine \staffBassRhythm \context Lyrics = "lBassRhythmAboveI" \with { alignAboveContext = staffbass } \lyricsto VoiceBassRhythm \LyricBassRhythmI >> }
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Single staff template with notes, lyrics, and chords
This template allows the preparation of a song with melody, words, and chords.
melody = \relative c' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } text = \lyricmode { Aaa Bee Cee Dee } harmonies = \chordmode { a2 c } \score { << \new ChordNames { \set chordChanges = ##t \harmonies } \new Voice = "one" { \autoBeamOff \melody } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "one" \text >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Single staff template with notes, lyrics, chords and frets
Here is a simple lead sheet template with melody, lyrics, chords and fret diagrams.
verseI = \lyricmode { \set stanza = #"1." This is the first verse } verseII = \lyricmode { \set stanza = #"2." This is the second verse. } theChords = \chordmode { % insert chords for chordnames and fretboards here c2 g4 c } staffMelody = \relative c' { \key c \major \clef treble % Type notes for melody here c4 d8 e f4 g \bar "|." } \score { << \context ChordNames { \theChords } \context FretBoards { \theChords } \new Staff { \context Voice = "voiceMelody" { \staffMelody } } \new Lyrics = "lyricsI" { \lyricsto "voiceMelody" \verseI } \new Lyrics = "lyricsII" { \lyricsto "voiceMelody" \verseII } >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Single staff template with notes and chords
Want to prepare a lead sheet with a melody and chords? Look no further!
melody = \relative c' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 f4 e8[ c] d4 g a2 ~ a } harmonies = \chordmode { c4:m f:min7 g:maj c:aug d2:dim b4:5 e:sus } \score { << \new ChordNames { \set chordChanges = ##t \harmonies } \new Staff \melody >> \layout{ } \midi { } }
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Single staff template with notes and lyrics
This small template demonstrates a simple melody with lyrics. Cut and paste, add notes, then words for the lyrics. This example turns off automatic beaming, which is common for vocal parts. To use automatic beaming, change or comment out the relevant line.
melody = \relative c' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } text = \lyricmode { Aaa Bee Cee Dee } \score{ << \new Voice = "one" { \autoBeamOff \melody } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "one" \text >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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Single staff template with only notes
This very simple template gives you a staff with notes, suitable for a solo instrument or a melodic fragment. Cut and paste this into a file, add notes, and you’re finished!
melody = \relative c' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 a4 b c d } \score { \new Staff \melody \layout { } \midi { } }
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String quartet template (simple)
This template demonstrates a simple string quartet. It also uses a
\global
section for time and key signatures
global= { \time 4/4 \key c \major } violinOne = \new Voice \relative c'' { c2 d e1 \bar "|." } violinTwo = \new Voice \relative c'' { g2 f e1 \bar "|." } viola = \new Voice \relative c' { \clef alto e2 d c1 \bar "|." } cello = \new Voice \relative c' { \clef bass c2 b a1 \bar "|." } \score { \new StaffGroup << \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Violin 1" } << \global \violinOne >> \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Violin 2" } << \global \violinTwo >> \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Viola" } << \global \viola >> \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Cello" } << \global \cello >> >> \layout { } \midi { } }
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String quartet template with separate parts
The “String quartet template” snippet produces a nice string quartet,
but what if you needed to print parts? This new template demonstrates
how to use the \tag
feature to easily split a piece into
individual parts.
You need to split this template into separate files; the filenames are
contained in comments at the beginning of each file. piece.ly
contains all the music definitions. The other files – score.ly
,
vn1.ly
, vn2.ly
, vla.ly
, and vlc.ly
–
produce the appropriate part.
Do not forget to remove specified comments when using separate files!
% piece.ly % (This is the global definitions file) global= { \time 4/4 \key c \major } Violinone = \new Voice \relative c'' { c2 d e1 \bar "|." } Violintwo = \new Voice \relative c'' { g2 g e1 \bar "|." } Viola = \new Voice \relative c' { \clef alto e2 d c1 \bar "|." } Cello = \new Voice \relative c' { \clef bass c2 b a1 \bar "|." } music = { << \tag #'score \tag #'vn1 \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Violin 1" } << \global \Violinone >> \tag #'score \tag #'vn2 \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Violin 2" } << \global \Violintwo >> \tag #'score \tag #'vla \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Viola" } << \global \Viola >> \tag #'score \tag #'vlc \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Cello" } << \global \Cello >> >> } % These are the other files you need to save on your computer % score.ly % (This is the main file) % uncomment the line below when using a separate file %\include "piece.ly" #(set-global-staff-size 14) \score { \new StaffGroup \keepWithTag #'score \music \layout { } \midi { } } %{ Uncomment this block when using separate files % vn1.ly % (This is the Violin 1 part file) \include "piece.ly" \score { \keepWithTag #'vn1 \music \layout { } } % vn2.ly % (This is the Violin 2 part file) \include "piece.ly" \score { \keepWithTag #'vn2 \music \layout { } } % vla.ly % (This is the Viola part file) \include "piece.ly" \score { \keepWithTag #'vla \music \layout { } } % vlc.ly % (This is the Cello part file) \include "piece.ly" \score { \keepWithTag #'vlc \music \layout { } } %}
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Vocal ensemble template
Here is a standard four-part SATB vocal score. With larger ensembles, it is often useful to include a section which is included in all parts. For example, the time signature and key signature are almost always the same for all parts. Like in the “Hymn” template, the four voices are regrouped on only two staves.
\paper { top-system-spacing.basic-distance = 10 score-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 system-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 last-bottom-spacing.basic-distance = 10 } global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 } sopMusic = \relative { c''4 c c8[( b)] c4 } sopWords = \lyricmode { hi hi hi hi } altoMusic = \relative { e'4 f d e } altoWords = \lyricmode { ha ha ha ha } tenorMusic = \relative { g4 a f g } tenorWords = \lyricmode { hu hu hu hu } bassMusic = \relative { c4 c g c } bassWords = \lyricmode { ho ho ho ho } \score { \new ChoirStaff << \new Lyrics = "sopranos" \with { % this is needed for lyrics above a staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN } \new Staff = "women" << \new Voice = "sopranos" { \voiceOne << \global \sopMusic >> } \new Voice = "altos" { \voiceTwo << \global \altoMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics = "altos" \new Lyrics = "tenors" \with { % this is needed for lyrics above a staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN } \new Staff = "men" << \clef bass \new Voice = "tenors" { \voiceOne << \global \tenorMusic >> } \new Voice = "basses" { \voiceTwo << \global \bassMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics = "basses" \context Lyrics = "sopranos" \lyricsto "sopranos" \sopWords \context Lyrics = "altos" \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords \context Lyrics = "tenors" \lyricsto "tenors" \tenorWords \context Lyrics = "basses" \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords >> }
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Vocal ensemble template with automatic piano reduction
This template adds an automatic piano reduction to the standard SATB
vocal score demonstrated in “Vocal ensemble template”. This
demonstrates one of the strengths of LilyPond – you can use a music
definition more than once. If any changes are made to the vocal notes
(say, tenorMusic
), then the changes will also apply to the piano
reduction.
\paper { top-system-spacing.basic-distance = 10 score-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 system-system-spacing.basic-distance = 20 last-bottom-spacing.basic-distance = 10 } global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 } sopMusic = \relative { c''4 c c8[( b)] c4 } sopWords = \lyricmode { hi hi hi hi } altoMusic = \relative { e'4 f d e } altoWords =\lyricmode { ha ha ha ha } tenorMusic = \relative { g4 a f g } tenorWords = \lyricmode { hu hu hu hu } bassMusic = \relative { c4 c g c } bassWords = \lyricmode { ho ho ho ho } \score { << \new ChoirStaff << \new Lyrics = "sopranos" \with { % This is needed for lyrics above a staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN } \new Staff = "women" << \new Voice = "sopranos" { \voiceOne << \global \sopMusic >> } \new Voice = "altos" { \voiceTwo << \global \altoMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics = "altos" \new Lyrics = "tenors" \with { % This is needed for lyrics above a staff \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-affinity = #DOWN } \new Staff = "men" << \clef bass \new Voice = "tenors" { \voiceOne << \global \tenorMusic >> } \new Voice = "basses" { \voiceTwo << \global \bassMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics = "basses" \context Lyrics = "sopranos" \lyricsto "sopranos" \sopWords \context Lyrics = "altos" \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords \context Lyrics = "tenors" \lyricsto "tenors" \tenorWords \context Lyrics = "basses" \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords >> \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \set Staff.printPartCombineTexts = ##f \partCombine << \global \sopMusic >> << \global \altoMusic >> >> \new Staff << \clef bass \set Staff.printPartCombineTexts = ##f \partCombine << \global \tenorMusic >> << \global \bassMusic >> >> >> >> }
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Vocal ensemble template with lyrics aligned below and above the staves
This template is basically the same as the simple “Vocal ensemble”
template, with the exception that here all the lyrics lines are placed
using alignAboveContext
and alignBelowContext
.
global = { \key c \major \time 4/4 } sopMusic = \relative c'' { c4 c c8[( b)] c4 } sopWords = \lyricmode { hi hi hi hi } altoMusic = \relative c' { e4 f d e } altoWords = \lyricmode { ha ha ha ha } tenorMusic = \relative c' { g4 a f g } tenorWords = \lyricmode { hu hu hu hu } bassMusic = \relative c { c4 c g c } bassWords = \lyricmode { ho ho ho ho } \score { \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff = "women" << \new Voice = "sopranos" { \voiceOne << \global \sopMusic >> } \new Voice = "altos" { \voiceTwo << \global \altoMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics \with { alignAboveContext = "women" } \lyricsto "sopranos" \sopWords \new Lyrics \with { alignBelowContext = "women" } \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords % we could remove the line about this with the line below, since % we want the alto lyrics to be below the alto Voice anyway. % \new Lyrics \lyricsto "altos" \altoWords \new Staff = "men" << \clef bass \new Voice = "tenors" { \voiceOne << \global \tenorMusic >> } \new Voice = "basses" { \voiceTwo << \global \bassMusic >> } >> \new Lyrics \with { alignAboveContext = "men" } \lyricsto "tenors" \tenorWords \new Lyrics \with { alignBelowContext = "men" } \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords % again, we could replace the line above this with the line below. % \new Lyrics \lyricsto "basses" \bassWords >> }
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Vocal ensemble template with verse and refrain
This template creates a score that starts with a solo verse and
continues into a refrain for two voices. It also demonstrates the use
of spacer rests within the \global
variable to define meter
changes (and other elements common to all parts) throughout the entire
score.
\header { tagline = ##f } global = { \key g \major % verse \time 3/4 s2.*2 \break % refrain \time 2/4 s2*2 \bar "|." } SoloNotes = \relative g' { \clef "treble" % verse g4 g g | b4 b b | % refrain R2*2 | } SoloLyrics = \lyricmode { One two three | four five six | } SopranoNotes = \relative c'' { \clef "treble" % verse R2.*2 | % refrain c4 c | g4 g | } SopranoLyrics = \lyricmode { la la | la la | } BassNotes = \relative c { \clef "bass" % verse R2.*2 | % refrain c4 e | d4 d | } BassLyrics = \lyricmode { dum dum | dum dum | } \score { << \new Voice = "SoloVoice" << \global \SoloNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "SoloVoice" \SoloLyrics \new ChoirStaff << \new Voice = "SopranoVoice" << \global \SopranoNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "SopranoVoice" \SopranoLyrics \new Voice = "BassVoice" << \global \BassNotes >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "BassVoice" \BassLyrics >> >> \layout { ragged-right = ##t \context { \Staff % these lines prevent empty staves from being printed \RemoveEmptyStaves \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-first = ##t } } }
[Top][Contents] |
Table of Contents
- Pitches
- Adding ambitus per voice
- Adding an ottava marking to a single voice
- Aiken head thin variant noteheads
- Altering the length of beamed stems
- Ambitus
- Ambitus after key signature
- Ambitus with multiple voices
- Applying note head styles depending on the step of the scale
- Automatically changing the stem direction of the middle note based on the melody
- Changing ottava text
- Changing the ambitus gap
- Changing the interval of lines on the stave
- Clefs can be transposed by arbitrary amounts
- Coloring notes depending on their pitch
- Creating a sequence of notes on various pitches
- Creating custom key signatures
- Direction of merged ’fa’ shape note heads
- Force a cancellation natural before accidentals
- Forcing a clef symbol to be displayed
- Generating random notes
- Hiding accidentals on tied notes at the start of a new system
- Keep change clefs full sized
- Makam example
- Modifying the Ottava spanner slope
- Non-traditional key signatures
- Numbers as easy note heads
- Orchestra, choir and piano template
- Preventing extra naturals from being automatically added
- Preventing natural signs from being printed when the key signature changes
- Quoting another voice with transposition
- Separating key cancellations from key signature changes
- Transposing pitches with minimum accidentals ("Smart" transpose)
- Turkish Makam example
- Tweaking clef properties
- Using autochange with more than one voice
- Rhythms
- Adding beams, slurs, ties etc. when using tuplet and non-tuplet rhythms
- Adding drum parts
- Adjusting grace note spacing
- Aligning bar numbers
- Alternative breve notes
- Appoggiatura or grace note before a bar line
- Automatic beam subdivisions
- Automatically change durations
- Beam endings in Score context
- Beam nibs
- Beams across line breaks
- Changing beam knee gap
- Changing form of multi-measure rests
- Changing the number of augmentation dots per note
- Changing the tempo without a metronome mark
- Changing the tuplet number
- Changing time signatures inside a polymetric section using \scaleDurations
- Chant or psalms notation
- Compound time signatures
- Conducting signs, measure grouping signs
- Consistently left-aligned bar numbers
- Controlling tuplet bracket visibility
- Cow and ride bell example
- Creating metronome marks in markup mode
- Engraving ties manually
- Engraving tremolos with floating beams
- Entering several tuplets using only one \tuplet command
- Forcing rehearsal marks to start from a given letter or number
- Generating custom flags
- Guitar strum rhythms
- Heavily customized polymetric time signatures
- High and Low woodblock example
- Making an object invisible with the ’transparent property
- Making slurs with complex dash structure
- Manually controlling beam positions
- Merging multi-measure rests in a polyphonic part
- Modifying tuplet bracket length
- Moving dotted notes in polyphony
- Multi-measure rest length control
- Multi-measure rest markup
- Non-default tuplet numbers
- Numbering single measure rests
- Partcombine and \autoBeamOff
- Percussion example
- Permitting line breaks within beamed tuplets
- Positioning grace note beams at the height of normal note beams
- Positioning grace notes with floating space
- Positioning multi-measure rests
- Positioning opposing fermatas on a bar line
- Preventing final mark from removing final tuplet
- Printing bar numbers at regular intervals
- Printing bar numbers for broken measures
- Printing bar numbers inside boxes or circles
- Printing bar numbers using modulo-bar-number-visible
- Printing bar numbers with changing regular intervals
- Printing metronome and rehearsal marks below the staff
- Printing music with different time signatures
- Printing the bar number for the first measure
- Printing tuplet brackets on the note head side
- Redefining grace note global defaults
- Removing bar numbers from a score
- Removing connecting bar lines on StaffGroup, PianoStaff, or GrandStaff
- Rest styles
- Reverting default beam endings
- Rhythmic slashes
- Skips in lyric mode
- Skips in lyric mode (2)
- Stemlets
- Strict beat beaming
- Subdividing beams
- Tam-tam example
- Tambourine example
- Three-sided box
- Time signature in brackets
- Time signature in parentheses
- Time signature printing only the numerator as a number (instead of the fraction)
- Tweaking grace layout within music
- User defined time signatures
- Using alternative flag styles
- Using grace note slashes with normal heads
- Using ties with arpeggios
- Expressive marks
- Adding beams, slurs, ties etc. when using tuplet and non-tuplet rhythms
- Adding parentheses around an expressive mark or chordal note
- Adding timing marks to long glissandi
- Adjusting slur positions vertically
- Adjusting the shape of falls and doits
- Aligning the ends of hairpins to NoteColumn directions
- Alternative breve notes
- Asymmetric slurs
- Breathing signs
- Broken Crescendo Hairpin
- Caesura ("railtracks") with fermata
- Center text below hairpin dynamics
- Changing text and spanner styles for text dynamics
- Changing the appearance of a slur from solid to dotted or dashed
- Changing the breath mark symbol
- Changing the number of augmentation dots per note
- Combining dynamics with markup texts
- Contemporary glissando
- Controlling spanner visibility after a line break
- Controlling the vertical ordering of scripts
- Creating a delayed turn
- Creating arpeggios across notes in different voices
- Creating cross-staff arpeggios in a piano staff
- Creating cross-staff arpeggios in other contexts
- Creating double-digit fingerings
- Creating "real" parenthesized dynamics
- Creating slurs across voices
- Creating text spanners
- Dynamics custom text spanner postfix
- Dynamics text spanner postfix
- Glissandi can skip grobs
- Hairpins with different line styles
- Hiding the extender line for text dynamics
- Horizontally aligning custom dynamics (e.g. "sempre pp", "piu f", "subito p")
- Inserting a caesura
- Laissez vibrer ties
- Line arrows
- Making slurs with complex dash structure
- Modifying default values for articulation shorthand notation
- Moving slur positions vertically
- Moving the ends of hairpins
- Positioning arpeggios
- Positioning text markups inside slurs
- Printing hairpins in various styles
- Printing hairpins using al niente notation
- Printing metronome and rehearsal marks below the staff
- Setting hairpin behavior at bar lines
- Setting the minimum length of hairpins
- Showing the same articulation above and below a note or chord
- Snap-pizzicato or Bartok pizzicato
- Using a tick as the breath mark symbol
- Using arpeggioBracket to make divisi more visible
- Using double slurs for legato chords
- Using the whiteout property
- Vertical line as a baroque articulation mark
- Vertically aligning dynamics across multiple notes
- Repeats
- Adding volta brackets to additional staves
- Centered measure numbers
- Changing the default bar lines
- Controlling the appearance of tremolo slashes
- Cross-staff tremolos
- Engraving tremolos with floating beams
- Isolated percent repeats
- Measure counter
- Numbering groups of measures
- Percent repeat count visibility
- Percent repeat counter
- Positioning segno and coda (with line break)
- Setting the double repeat default for volte
- Shortening volta brackets
- Volta below chords
- Volta multi staff
- Volta text markup using repeatCommands
- Simultaneous notes
- Additional voices to avoid collisions
- Changing \partCombine texts
- Changing a single note’s size in a chord
- Clusters
- Combining two parts on the same staff
- Displaying complex chords
- Forcing horizontal shift of notes
- Making an object invisible with the ’transparent property
- Moving dotted notes in polyphony
- Suppressing warnings for clashing note columns
- Two \partCombine pairs on one staff
- Staff notation
- Adding ambitus per voice
- Adding an extra staff
- Adding an extra staff at a line break
- Adding indicators to staves which get split after a break
- Adding orchestral cues to a vocal score
- Adding timing marks to long glissandi
- Alternative bar numbering
- Ambitus after key signature
- Centered measure numbers
- Changing the default bar lines
- Changing the number of lines in a staff
- Changing the staff size
- Creating blank staves
- Creating custom key signatures
- Creating double-digit fingerings
- Cross-staff stems
- Display bracket with only one staff in a system
- Extending a TrillSpanner
- Extending glissandi across repeats
- Flat Ties
- Forcing measure width to adapt to MetronomeMark’s width
- Glissandi can skip grobs
- Incipit
- Inserting score fragments above a staff, as markups
- Let TabStaff print the topmost string at bottom
- Letter tablature formatting
- Making glissandi breakable
- Making some staff lines thicker than the others
- Measure counter
- Mensurstriche layout (bar lines between the staves)
- Modifying the Ottava spanner slope
- Nesting staves
- Non-traditional key signatures
- Numbering groups of measures
- Orchestra, choir and piano template
- Print ChordNames with same root and different bass as slash and bass-note
- Putting lyrics inside the staff
- Quoting another voice
- Quoting another voice with transposition
- Removing brace on first line of piano score
- Removing the first empty line
- Setting system separators
- Shape individual ties in chords
- Tick bar lines
- Time signature in brackets
- Time signature in parentheses
- Tweaking clef properties
- Two \partCombine pairs on one staff
- Use square bracket at the start of a staff group
- Using autochange with more than one voice
- Using marklines in a Frenched score
- Vertically aligned StaffGroups without connecting SystemStartBar
- Volta below chords
- Volta multi staff
- Editorial annotations
- Adding fingerings to a score
- Adding links to objects
- Adding markups in a tablature
- Allowing fingerings to be printed inside the staff
- Alternative bar numbering
- Analysis brackets above the staff
- Analysis brackets with labels
- Applying note head styles depending on the step of the scale
- Blanking staff lines using the \whiteout command
- Changing a single note’s size in a chord
- Changing the appearance of a slur from solid to dotted or dashed
- Coloring notes depending on their pitch
- Controlling the placement of chord fingerings
- Creating a delayed turn
- Creating blank staves
- Creating double-digit fingerings
- Default direction of stems on the center line of the staff
- Different font size settings for instrumentName and shortInstrumentName
- Drawing boxes around grobs
- Drawing circles around note heads
- Drawing circles around various objects
- Embedding native PostScript in a \markup block
- Grid lines: changing their appearance
- Grid lines: emphasizing rhythms and notes synchronization
- Hammer on and pull off
- Hammer on and pull off using chords
- Hammer on and pull off using voices
- Making some staff lines thicker than the others
- Marking notes of spoken parts with a cross on the stem (Sprechstimme)
- Measure counter
- Measure spanner
- Numbering groups of measures
- Positioning fingering indications precisely
- Positioning text markups inside slurs
- Printing text from right to left
- String number extender lines
- Using PostScript to generate special note head shapes
- Using the whiteout property
- Text
- [OBSOLETE] Adding a QR code
- Adding markups in a tablature
- Adding the current date to a score
- Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing
- Aligning and centering instrument names
- Aligning syllables with melisma
- Blanking staff lines using the \whiteout command
- Center text below hairpin dynamics
- Changing ottava text
- Changing the default text font family
- Combining dynamics with markup texts
- Combining two parts on the same staff
- Creating "real" parenthesized dynamics
- Creating text spanners
- Demonstrating all headers
- Embedding native PostScript in a \markup block
- Formatting lyrics syllables
- How to put ties between syllables in lyrics
- Lyrics alignment
- Markup list
- Multi-measure rest markup
- Of the ubiquity of markup objects
- Outputting the version number
- Piano template with centered lyrics
- Printing bar numbers with changing regular intervals
- Printing marks on every staff
- Printing text from right to left
- Putting lyrics inside the staff
- Stand-alone two-column markup
- String number extender lines
- Three-sided box
- UTF-8
- Vocal ensemble template with lyrics aligned below and above the staves
- Volta text markup using repeatCommands
- Vocal music
- Adding ambitus per voice
- Adding indicators to staves which get split after a break
- Adding orchestral cues to a vocal score
- Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing
- Aligning syllables with melisma
- Ambitus
- Ambitus after key signature
- Ambitus with multiple voices
- Ancient notation template – modern transcription of gregorian music
- Anglican psalm template
- Arranging separate lyrics on a single line
- Changing stanza fonts
- Chant or psalms notation
- Forcing hyphens to be shown
- Formatting lyrics syllables
- How to put ties between syllables in lyrics
- Hymn template
- Lyrics alignment
- Marking notes of spoken parts with a cross on the stem (Sprechstimme)
- Obtaining 2.12 lyrics spacing in newer versions
- Orchestra, choir and piano template
- Piano template with melody and lyrics
- Putting lyrics inside the staff
- SATB Choir template - four staves
- Single staff template with notes, lyrics, and chords
- Single staff template with notes, lyrics, chords and frets
- Single staff template with notes and lyrics
- Skips in lyric mode
- Skips in lyric mode (2)
- Using arpeggioBracket to make divisi more visible
- Using tags to produce mensural and modern music from the same source
- Vertically aligning ossias and lyrics
- Vertically aligning stanza numbers of different staves
- Vertically centered common lyrics
- Vocal ensemble template
- Vocal ensemble template with automatic piano reduction
- Vocal ensemble template with lyrics aligned below and above the staves
- Vocal ensemble template with verse and refrain
- Chords
- Adding a figured bass above or below the notes
- Adding bar lines to ChordNames context
- Adjusting figured bass alteration glyphs
- Changing chord separator
- Changing the chord names to German or semi-German notation
- Changing the positions of figured bass alterations
- Chord name exceptions
- chord name major7
- Chord names alternative
- Chords with stretched fingering for FretBoards and TabVoice
- Clusters
- Controlling the placement of chord fingerings
- Cross-staff chords - beaming problems workaround
- Customizing the chord grid style
- Customizing the no-chord symbol
- Displaying complex chords
- Manually break figured bass extenders for only some numbers
- Print ChordNames with same root and different bass as slash and bass-note
- Showing chords at changes
- Simple lead sheet
- Single staff template with notes, lyrics, and chords
- Single staff template with notes, lyrics, chords and frets
- Single staff template with notes and chords
- Vertically centering paired figured bass extenders
- Volta below chords
- Keyboards
- Accordion-discant symbols
- Accordion register symbols
- Changing the text for sustain markings
- Clusters
- Controlling the placement of chord fingerings
- Creating slurs across voices
- Cross-staff chords - beaming problems workaround
- Cross-staff tremolos
- Fine-tuning pedal brackets
- Indicating cross-staff chords with arpeggio bracket
- Jazz combo template
- Laissez vibrer ties
- Piano template (simple)
- Piano template with centered lyrics
- Piano template with melody and lyrics
- Removing brace on first line of piano score
- Using autochange with more than one voice
- Vocal ensemble template with automatic piano reduction
- Percussion
- Fretted strings
- Adding fingerings to a score
- Adding fingerings to tablatures
- Adding markups in a tablature
- Allowing fingerings to be printed inside the staff
- Automatic Fretboards Barre
- Changing fret orientations
- Chord glissando in tablature
- ChordChanges for FretBoards
- Chords with stretched fingering for FretBoards and TabVoice
- Controlling the placement of chord fingerings
- Customizing fretboard fret diagrams
- Customizing markup fret diagrams
- Defining predefined fretboards for other instruments
- Faking a hammer in tablatures
- Fingerings, string indications, and right-hand fingerings
- Flamenco notation
- Fret diagrams explained and developed
- Fretboards alternate tables
- Fretted-string harmonics in tablature
- Guitar slides
- Guitar strum rhythms
- Hammer on and pull off
- Hammer on and pull off using chords
- Hammer on and pull off using voices
- How to change fret diagram position
- Jazz combo template
- Laissez vibrer ties
- Let TabStaff print the topmost string at bottom
- Letter tablature formatting
- Open string harmonics in tablature
- Placement of right-hand fingerings
- Polyphony in tablature
- Slides in tablature
- Stem and beam behavior in tablature
- String number extender lines
- Unfretted strings
- Winds
- Ancient notation
- Adding a figured bass above or below the notes
- Ancient fonts
- Ancient notation template – modern transcription of gregorian music
- Ancient time signatures
- Chant or psalms notation
- Custodes
- Incipit
- Mensurstriche layout (bar lines between the staves)
- Rest styles
- Using tags to produce mensural and modern music from the same source
- Vertical line as a baroque articulation mark
- World music
- Contexts and engravers
- Adding a figured bass above or below the notes
- Adding an extra staff
- Adding an extra staff at a line break
- Automatically changing the stem direction of the middle note based on the melody
- Centered measure numbers
- Changing MIDI output to one channel per voice
- Changing time signatures inside a polymetric section using \scaleDurations
- Chant or psalms notation
- Creating blank staves
- Creating custom key signatures
- Cross-staff stems
- Defining an engraver in Scheme: ambitus engraver
- Displaying a whole GrandStaff system if only one of its staves is alive
- Engravers one-by-one
- Mensurstriche layout (bar lines between the staves)
- Nesting staves
- Numbering groups of measures
- Print ChordNames with same root and different bass as slash and bass-note
- Removing bar numbers from a score
- Use square bracket at the start of a staff group
- Using marklines in a Frenched score
- Vocal ensemble template with lyrics aligned below and above the staves
- Vocal ensemble template with verse and refrain
- Tweaks and overrides
- Adding an ottava marking to a single voice
- Adding links to objects
- Adding markups in a tablature
- Adding timing marks to long glissandi
- Adjusting grace note spacing
- Adjusting lyrics vertical spacing
- Adjusting slur positions vertically
- Altering the length of beamed stems
- Alternative bar numbering
- Analysis brackets above the staff
- Analysis brackets with labels
- Asymmetric slurs
- Breaking vertical alignment of dynamics and textscripts
- Caesura ("railtracks") with fermata
- Changing a single note’s size in a chord
- Changing beam thickness and spacing
- Changing form of multi-measure rests
- Changing properties for individual grobs
- Changing text and spanner styles for text dynamics
- Changing the default text font family
- Changing the staff size
- Changing the tempo without a metronome mark
- Changing the text for sustain markings
- Controlling spanner visibility after a line break
- Controlling the appearance of tremolo slashes
- Controlling the vertical ordering of scripts
- Controlling tuplet bracket visibility
- Creating a delayed turn
- Creating custom key signatures
- Creating double-digit fingerings
- Creating text spanners
- Cross-staff chords - beaming problems workaround
- Cross-staff stems
- Custodes
- Customizing fretboard fret diagrams
- Customizing markup fret diagrams
- Display bracket with only one staff in a system
- Displaying grob ancestry
- Dotted harmonics
- Drawing boxes around grobs
- Drawing circles around various objects
- Dynamics custom text spanner postfix
- Dynamics text spanner postfix
- Extending a TrillSpanner
- Extending glissandi across repeats
- Fine-tuning pedal brackets
- Flat Ties
- Force a cancellation natural before accidentals
- Forcing horizontal shift of notes
- Fret diagrams explained and developed
- Generating custom flags
- Glissandi can skip grobs
- Hairpins with different line styles
- Horizontally aligning custom dynamics (e.g. "sempre pp", "piu f", "subito p")
- How to change fret diagram position
- Inserting a caesura
- Keep change clefs full sized
- Line arrows
- Making an object invisible with the ’transparent property
- Making glissandi breakable
- Manually controlling beam positions
- Measure-centered bar numbers
- Mensurstriche layout (bar lines between the staves)
- Modifying the Ottava spanner slope
- Moving dotted notes in polyphony
- Moving slur positions vertically
- Nesting staves
- Overriding articulations by type
- Percent repeat count visibility
- Positioning arpeggios
- Positioning multi-measure rests
- Positioning text markups inside slurs
- Printing bar numbers inside boxes or circles
- Printing metronome and rehearsal marks below the staff
- Printing note names with and without an octave marker
- Printing tuplet brackets on the note head side
- Proportional strict notespacing
- Removing brace on first line of piano score
- Removing connecting bar lines on StaffGroup, PianoStaff, or GrandStaff
- Removing the first empty line
- Rest styles
- Rhythmic slashes
- Separating key cancellations from key signature changes
- Setting hairpin behavior at bar lines
- Setting system separators
- Shape individual ties in chords
- Showing the same articulation above and below a note or chord
- String number extender lines
- Suppressing warnings for clashing note columns
- Time signature in brackets
- Time signature in parentheses
- Time signature printing only the numerator as a number (instead of the fraction)
- Tuplet bracket and change staff
- Tweaking clef properties
- Tweaking grace layout within music
- Using alternative flag styles
- Using ly:grob-object to access grobs with \tweak
- Using PostScript to generate special note head shapes
- Using the \tweak command to tweak individual grobs
- Vertically aligned dynamics and textscripts
- Vertically aligning ossias and lyrics
- Vertically aligning stanza numbers of different staves
- Vertically centering paired figured bass extenders
- Paper and layout
- Titles
- Spacing
- MIDI
- Templates
- Ancient notation template – modern transcription of gregorian music
- Anglican psalm template
- Hymn template
- Jazz combo template
- Orchestra, choir and piano template
- Piano template (simple)
- Piano template with centered lyrics
- Piano template with melody and lyrics
- SATB Choir template - four staves
- Score for diatonic accordion
- Single staff template with notes, lyrics, and chords
- Single staff template with notes, lyrics, chords and frets
- Single staff template with notes and chords
- Single staff template with notes and lyrics
- Single staff template with only notes
- String quartet template (simple)
- String quartet template with separate parts
- Vocal ensemble template
- Vocal ensemble template with automatic piano reduction
- Vocal ensemble template with lyrics aligned below and above the staves
- Vocal ensemble template with verse and refrain