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Simultaneous notes

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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
    }
  >>
}

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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 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
    }
>>

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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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Combining two parts on the same staff

The part combiner tool ( \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 it 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.

%% Combining pedal notes with clef changes

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 = "PartCombine without text"
      printPartCombineTexts = ##f
    }

    \partCombine \musicUp \musicDown

    \new Staff \with { instrumentName = "PartCombine with text" }
      \partCombine \musicUp \musicDown
    >>
  \layout {
    indent = 6.0\cm
    \context {
      \Score
      \override SystemStartBar.collapse-height = #30
    }
  }
}

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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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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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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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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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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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Two \partCombine pairs on one staff

The \partCombine function takes two music expressions each containing a part, and distributes them among four Voices 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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