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1.3.2 Expressive marks as curves

This section explains how to create various expressive marks that are curved: normal slurs, phrasing slurs, breath marks, falls, and doits.

Slurs
Phrasing slurs
Breath marks
Falls and doits

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Slurs

Slurs are entered using parentheses:

\relative {
  f''4( g a) a8 b(
  a4 g2 f4)
  <c e>2( <b d>2)
}

Slurs may be manually placed above or below the staff; see Direction and placement.

Simultaneous or overlapping slurs require special attention. Most occurences of outer slurs actually indicate phrasing, and phrasing slurs may overlap a regular slur, see Phrasing slurs. When multiple regular slurs are needed in a single Voice, matching slur starts and ends need to be labelled by preceding them with \= followed by an identifying key (a symbol or non-negative integer).

\fixed c' {
  <c~ f\=1( g\=2( >2 <c e\=1) a\=2) >
}

Slurs can be solid, dotted, or dashed. Solid is the default slur style:

\relative {
  c'4( e g2)
  \slurDashed
  g4( e c2)
  \slurDotted
  c4( e g2)
  \slurSolid
  g4( e c2)
}

Slurs can also be made half-dashed (the first half dashed, the second half solid) or half-solid (the first half solid, the second half dashed):

\relative {
  c'4( e g2)
  \slurHalfDashed
  g4( e c2)
  \slurHalfSolid
  c4( e g2)
  \slurSolid
  g4( e c2)
}

Custom dash patterns for slurs can be defined:

\relative {
  c'4( e g2)
  \slurDashPattern #0.7 #0.75
  g4( e c2)
  \slurDashPattern #0.5 #2.0
  c4( e g2)
  \slurSolid
  g4( e c2)
}

Predefined commands

\slurUp, \slurDown, \slurNeutral, \slurDashed, \slurDotted, \slurHalfDashed, \slurHalfSolid, \slurDashPattern, \slurSolid.

Selected Snippets

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>)
}

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
}

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)
}

See also

Music Glossary: slur.

Learning Manual: On the un-nestedness of brackets and ties.

Notation Reference: Direction and placement, Phrasing slurs.

Snippets: Expressive marks.

Internals Reference: Slur.

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Phrasing slurs

Phrasing slurs (or phrasing marks) that indicate a musical sentence are written using the commands \( and \) respectively:

\relative {
  c''4\( d( e) f(
  e2) d\)
}

Typographically, a phrasing slur behaves almost exactly like a normal slur. However, they are treated as different objects; a \slurUp will have no effect on a phrasing slur. Phrasing may be manually placed above or below the staff; see Direction and placement.

Simultaneous or overlapping phrasing slurs are entered using \= as with regular slurs, see Slurs.

Phrasing slurs can be solid, dotted, or dashed. Solid is the default style for phrasing slurs:

\relative {
  c'4\( e g2\)
  \phrasingSlurDashed
  g4\( e c2\)
  \phrasingSlurDotted
  c4\( e g2\)
  \phrasingSlurSolid
  g4\( e c2\)
}

Phrasing slurs can also be made half-dashed (the first half dashed, the second half solid) or half-solid (the first half solid, the second half dashed):

\relative {
  c'4\( e g2\)
  \phrasingSlurHalfDashed
  g4\( e c2\)
  \phrasingSlurHalfSolid
  c4\( e g2\)
  \phrasingSlurSolid
  g4\( e c2\)
}

Custom dash patterns for phrasing slurs can be defined:

\relative {
  c'4\( e g2\)
  \phrasingSlurDashPattern #0.7 #0.75
  g4\( e c2\)
  \phrasingSlurDashPattern #0.5 #2.0
  c4\( e g2\)
  \phrasingSlurSolid
  g4\( e c2\)
}

Dash pattern definitions for phrasing slurs have the same structure as dash pattern definitions for slurs. For more information about complex dash patterns, see the snippets under Slurs.

Predefined commands

\phrasingSlurUp, \phrasingSlurDown, \phrasingSlurNeutral, \phrasingSlurDashed, \phrasingSlurDotted, \phrasingSlurHalfDashed, \phrasingSlurHalfSolid, \phrasingSlurDashPattern, \phrasingSlurSolid.

See also

Learning Manual: On the un-nestedness of brackets and ties.

Notation Reference: Direction and placement, Slurs.

Snippets: Expressive marks.

Internals Reference: PhrasingSlur.

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Breath marks

The \breathe command calls for the performer to shorten the previous note to take a breath.

\fixed c'' { c2. \breathe d4 }

For a short break in sound that is not taken away from the previous note, see Caesuras.

Unlike other expressive marks, a breath mark is treated as a separate music event; therefore, any expressive marks pertaining to the preceding note, and any brackets indicating manual beams, slurs, or phrasing slurs, must be placed before \breathe. \breathe does not accept articulations itself, but see Caesuras.

A breath mark ends an automatic beam; to override this, see Manual beams.

\fixed c'' { c8 \breathe d e f g2 }

The breathMarkType context property controls which of several predefined breath marks the \breathe command creates. See List of breath marks.

\fixed c'' {
  \set breathMarkType = #'tickmark
  c2. \breathe d4
}

See also

Music Glossary: breath mark.

Notation Reference: Caesuras, Divisiones.

Snippets: Expressive marks.

Internals Reference: BreathingEvent, BreathingSign, Breathing_sign_engraver.

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Falls and doits

Falls and doits can be added to notes using the \bendAfter command. The direction of the fall or doit is indicated with a plus or minus (up or down). The number indicates the pitch interval that the fall or doit will extend beyond the main note.

\relative c'' {
  c2\bendAfter #+4
  c2\bendAfter #-4
  c2\bendAfter #+6.5
  c2\bendAfter #-6.5
  c2\bendAfter #+8
  c2\bendAfter #-8
}

Selected Snippets

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
}

See also

Music Glossary: fall, doit.

Snippets: Expressive marks.

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