LilyPond Notation Reference: A.18 Available music functions

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A.18 Available music functions

absolute [music] - music (music)

Make music absolute. This does not actually change the music itself but rather hides it from surrounding \relative commands.

acciaccatura [music] - music (music)

Create an acciaccatura from the following music expression

accidentalStyle [music] - style (symbol list)

Set accidental style to symbol list style in the form ‘piano-cautionary’. If style has a form like ‘Staff.piano-cautionary’, the settings are applied to that context. Otherwise, the context defaults to ‘Staff’, except for piano styles, which use ‘GrandStaff’ as a context.

addChordShape [void] - key-symbol (symbol) tuning (pair) shape-definition (string or pair)

Add chord shape shape-definition to the chord-shape-table hash with the key (cons key-symbol tuning).

addInstrumentDefinition [void] - name (string) lst (list)

Create instrument name with properties list.

addQuote [void] - name (string) music (music)

Define music as a quotable music expression named name

afterGrace [music] - main (music) grace (music)

Create grace note(s) after a main music expression.

allowPageTurn [music]

Allow a page turn. May be used at toplevel (ie between scores or markups), or inside a score.

allowVoltaHook [void] - bar (string)

(undocumented; fixme)

alterBroken [music] - property (symbol list or symbol) arg (list) item (symbol list or music)

Override property for pieces of broken spanner item with values arg. item may either be music in the form of a starting spanner event, or a symbol list in the form ‘Context.Grob’ or just ‘Grob’. Iff item is in the form of a spanner event, property may also have the form ‘Grob.property’ for specifying a directed tweak.

appendToTag [music] - tag (symbol) more (music) music (music)

Append more to the elements of all music expressions in music that are tagged with tag.

applyContext [music] - proc (procedure)

Modify context properties with Scheme procedure proc.

applyMusic [music] - func (procedure) music (music)

Apply procedure func to music.

applyOutput [music] - ctx (symbol) proc (procedure)

Apply function proc to every layout object in context ctx

appoggiatura [music] - music (music)

Create an appoggiatura from music

assertBeamQuant [music] - l (pair) r (pair)

Testing function: check whether the beam quants l and r are correct

assertBeamSlope [music] - comp (procedure)

Testing function: check whether the slope of the beam is the same as comp

autochange [music] - music (music)

Make voices that switch between staves automatically

balloonGrobText [music] - grob-name (symbol) offset (pair of numbers) text (markup)

Attach text to grob-name at offset offset (use like \once)

balloonText [post event] - offset (pair of numbers) text (markup)

Attach text at offset (use like \tweak)

bar [music] - type (string)

Insert a bar line of type type

barNumberCheck [music] - n (integer)

Print a warning if the current bar number is not n.

bendAfter [post event] - delta (real number)

Create a fall or doit of pitch interval delta.

bookOutputName [void] - newfilename (string)

Direct output for the current book block to newfilename.

bookOutputSuffix [void] - newsuffix (string)

Set the output filename suffix for the current book block to newsuffix.

breathe [music]

Insert a breath mark.

chordRepeats [music] - event-types [list] music (music)

Walk through music putting the notes of the previous chord into repeat chords, as well as an optional list of event-types such as #'(string-number-event).

clef [music] - type (string)

Set the current clef to type.

compoundMeter [music] - args (pair)

Create compound time signatures. The argument is a Scheme list of lists. Each list describes one fraction, with the last entry being the denominator, while the first entries describe the summands in the enumerator. If the time signature consists of just one fraction, the list can be given directly, i.e. not as a list containing a single list. For example, a time signature of (3+1)/8 + 2/4 would be created as \compoundMeter #'((3 1 8) (2 4)), and a time signature of (3+2)/8 as \compoundMeter #'((3 2 8)) or shorter \compoundMeter #'(3 2 8).

crossStaff [music] - notes (music)

Create cross-staff stems

cueClef [music] - type (string)

Set the current cue clef to type.

cueClefUnset [music]

Unset the current cue clef.

cueDuring [music] - what (string) dir (direction) main-music (music)

Insert contents of quote what corresponding to main-music, in a CueVoice oriented by dir.

cueDuringWithClef [music] - what (string) dir (direction) clef (string) main-music (music)

Insert contents of quote what corresponding to main-music, in a CueVoice oriented by dir.

deadNote [music] - note (music)

Print note with a cross-shaped note head.

defaultNoteHeads [music]

Revert to the default note head style.

defineBarLine [void] - bar (string) glyph-list (list)

Define bar line settings for bar line bar. The list glyph-list must have three entries which define the appearance at the end of line, at the beginning of the next line, and the span bar, respectively.

displayLilyMusic [music] - music (music)

Display the LilyPond input representation of music to the console.

displayMusic [music] - music (music)

Display the internal representation of music to the console.

displayScheme (any type) - expr (any type)

Display the internal representation of expr to the console.

endSpanners [music] - music (music)

Terminate the next spanner prematurely after exactly one note without the need of a specific end spanner.

eventChords [music] - music (music)

Compatibility function wrapping EventChord around isolated rhythmic events occuring since version 2.15.28, after expanding repeat chords ‘q’.

featherDurations [music] - factor (moment) argument (music)

Adjust durations of music in argument by rational factor.

finger [post event] - finger (number or markup)

Apply finger as a fingering indication.

footnote [music] - mark [markup] offset (pair of numbers) footnote (markup) item (symbol list or music)

Make the markup footnote a footnote on item. The footnote is marked with a markup mark moved by offset with respect to the marked music.

If mark is not given or specified as \default, it is replaced by an automatically generated sequence number. If item is a symbol list of form ‘Grob’ or ‘Context.Grob’, then grobs of that type will be marked at the current time step in the given context (default Bottom).

If item is music, the music will get a footnote attached to a grob immediately attached to the event, like \tweak does. For attaching a footnote to an indirectly caused grob, write \single\footnote, use item to specify the grob, and follow it with the music to annotate.

Like with \tweak, if you use a footnote on a following post-event, the \footnote command itself needs to be attached to the preceding note or rest as a post-event with -.

grace [music] - music (music)

Insert music as grace notes.

grobdescriptions (any type) - descriptions (list)

Create a context modification from descriptions, a list in the format of all-grob-descriptions.

harmonicByFret [music] - fret (number) music (music)

Convert music into mixed harmonics; the resulting notes resemble harmonics played on a fretted instrument by touching the strings at fret.

harmonicByRatio [music] - ratio (number) music (music)

Convert music into mixed harmonics; the resulting notes resemble harmonics played on a fretted instrument by touching the strings at the point given through ratio.

harmonicNote [music] - note (music)

Print note with a diamond-shaped note head.

harmonicsOn [music]

Set the default note head style to a diamond-shaped style.

hide [music] - item (symbol list or music)

Set item’s ‘transparent’ property to #t, making it invisible while still retaining its dimensions.

If item is a symbol list of form GrobName or Context.GrobName, the result is an override for the grob name specified by it. If item is a music expression, the result is the same music expression with an appropriate tweak applied to it.

inStaffSegno [music]

Put the segno variant ’varsegno’ at this position into the staff, compatible with the repeat command.

instrumentSwitch [music] - name (string)

Switch instrument to name, which must be predefined with \addInstrumentDefinition.

inversion [music] - around (pitch) to (pitch) music (music)

Invert music about around and transpose from around to to.

keepWithTag [music] - tag (symbol list or symbol) music (music)

Include only elements of music that are either untagged or tagged with one of the tags in tag. tag may be either a single symbol or a list of symbols.

key [music] - tonic [pitch] pitch-alist [list]

Set key to tonic and scale pitch-alist. If both are null, just generate KeyChangeEvent.

killCues [music] - music (music)

Remove cue notes from music.

label [music] - label (symbol)

Create label as a bookmarking label.

language [void] - language (string)

Set note names for language language.

languageRestore [void]

Restore a previously-saved pitchnames alist.

languageSaveAndChange [void] - language (string)

Store the previous pitchnames alist, and set a new one.

makeClusters [music] - arg (music)

Display chords in arg as clusters.

makeDefaultStringTuning [void] - symbol (symbol) pitches (list)

This defines a string tuning symbol via a list of pitches. The symbol also gets registered in defaultStringTunings for documentation purposes.

mark [music] - label [any type]

Make the music for the \mark command.

modalInversion [music] - around (pitch) to (pitch) scale (music) music (music)

Invert music about around using scale and transpose from around to to.

modalTranspose [music] - from (pitch) to (pitch) scale (music) music (music)

Transpose music from pitch from to pitch to using scale.

musicMap [music] - proc (procedure) mus (music)

Apply proc to mus and all of the music it contains.

noPageBreak [music]

Forbid a page break. May be used at toplevel (i.e., between scores or markups), or inside a score.

noPageTurn [music]

Forbid a page turn. May be used at toplevel (i.e., between scores or markups), or inside a score.

octaveCheck [music] - pitch (pitch)

Octave check.

offset [music] - property (symbol list or symbol) offsets (any type) item (symbol list or music)

Offset the default value of property of item by offsets. If item is a string, the result is \override for the specified grob type. If item is a music expression, the result is the same music expression with an appropriate tweak applied.

omit [music] - item (symbol list or music)

Set item’s ‘stencil’ property to #f, effectively omitting it without taking up space.

once [music] - music (music)

Set once to #t on all layout instruction events in music. This will complain about music with an actual duration. As a special exception, if music contains ‘tweaks’ it will be silently ignored in order to allow for \once \tweak to work as both one-time override and proper tweak.

ottava [music] - octave (integer)

Set the octavation.

overrideProperty [music] - grob-property-path (symbol list) value (any type)

Set the grob property specified by grob-property-path to value. grob-property-path is a symbol list of the form Context.GrobName.property or GrobName.property, possibly with subproperties given as well.

overrideTimeSignatureSettings [music] - time-signature (fraction, as pair) base-moment (fraction, as pair) beat-structure (list) beam-exceptions (list)

Override timeSignatureSettings for time signatures of time-signature to have settings of base-moment, beat-structure, and beam-exceptions.

pageBreak [music]

Force a page break. May be used at toplevel (i.e., between scores or markups), or inside a score.

pageTurn [music]

Force a page turn between two scores or top-level markups.

palmMute [music] - note (music)

Print note with a triangle-shaped note head.

palmMuteOn [music]

Set the default note head style to a triangle-shaped style.

parallelMusic [void] - voice-ids (list) music (music)

Define parallel music sequences, separated by ’|’ (bar check signs), and assign them to the identifiers provided in voice-ids.

voice-ids: a list of music identifiers (symbols containing only letters)

music: a music sequence, containing BarChecks as limiting expressions.

Example:

  \parallelMusic #'(A B C) {
    c c | d d | e e |
    d d | e e | f f |
  }
<==>
  A = { c c | d d | }
  B = { d d | e e | }
  C = { e e | f f | }

parenthesize [music] - arg (music)

Tag arg to be parenthesized.

partcombine [music] - part1 (music) part2 (music)

Take the music in part1 and part2 and typeset so that they share a staff.

partcombineDown [music] - part1 (music) part2 (music)

Take the music in part1 and part2 and typeset so that they share a staff with stems directed downward.

partcombineForce [music] - type (symbol-or-boolean) once (boolean)

Override the part-combiner.

partcombineUp [music] - part1 (music) part2 (music)

Take the music in part1 and part2 and typeset so that they share a staff with stems directed upward.

partial [music] - dur (duration)

Make a partial measure.

phrasingSlurDashPattern [music] - dash-fraction (number) dash-period (number)

Set up a custom style of dash pattern for dash-fraction ratio of line to space repeated at dash-period interval for phrasing slurs.

pitchedTrill [music] - main-note (music) secondary-note (music)

Print a trill with main-note as the main note of the trill and print secondary-note as a stemless note head in parentheses.

pointAndClickOff [void]

Suppress generating extra code in final-format (e.g. pdf) files to point back to the lilypond source statement.

pointAndClickOn [void]

Enable generation of code in final-format (e.g. pdf) files to reference the originating lilypond source statement; this is helpful when developing a score but generates bigger final-format files.

pointAndClickTypes [void] - types (symbol list or symbol)

Set a type or list of types (such as #'note-event) for which point-and-click info is generated.

pushToTag [music] - tag (symbol) more (music) music (music)

Add more to the front of elements of all music expressions in music that are tagged with tag.

quoteDuring [music] - what (string) main-music (music)

Indicate a section of music to be quoted. what indicates the name of the quoted voice, as specified in an \addQuote command. main-music is used to indicate the length of music to be quoted; usually contains spacers or multi-measure rests.

relative [music] - pitch [pitch] music (music)

Make music relative to pitch. If pitch is omitted, the first note in music is given in absolute pitch.

removeWithTag [music] - tag (symbol list or symbol) music (music)

Remove elements of music that are tagged with one of the tags in tag. tag may be either a single symbol or a list of symbols.

resetRelativeOctave [music] - pitch (pitch)

Set the octave inside a \relative section.

retrograde [music] - music (music)

Return music in reverse order.

revertTimeSignatureSettings [music] - time-signature (pair)

Revert timeSignatureSettings for time signatures of time-signature.

rightHandFinger [post event] - finger (number or markup)

Apply finger as a fingering indication.

scaleDurations [music] - fraction (fraction, as pair) music (music)

Multiply the duration of events in music by fraction.

settingsFrom (any type) - ctx [symbol] music (music)

Take the layout instruction events from music, optionally restricted to those applying to context type ctx, and return a context modification duplicating their effect.

shape [music] - offsets (list) item (symbol list or music)

Offset control-points of item by offsets. The argument is a list of number pairs or list of such lists. Each element of a pair represents an offset to one of the coordinates of a control-point. If item is a string, the result is \once\override for the specified grob type. If item is a music expression, the result is the same music expression with an appropriate tweak applied.

shiftDurations [music] - dur (integer) dots (integer) arg (music)

Change the duration of arg by adding dur to the durlog of arg and dots to the dots of arg.

single [music] - overrides (music) music (music)

Convert overrides to tweaks and apply them to music. This does not convert \revert, \set or \unset.

skip [music] - dur (duration)

Skip forward by dur.

slashedGrace [music] - music (music)

Create slashed graces (slashes through stems, but no slur) from the following music expression

slurDashPattern [music] - dash-fraction (number) dash-period (number)

Set up a custom style of dash pattern for dash-fraction ratio of line to space repeated at dash-period interval for slurs.

spacingTweaks [music] - parameters (list)

Set the system stretch, by reading the ’system-stretch property of the ‘parameters’ assoc list.

storePredefinedDiagram [void] - fretboard-table (hash table) chord (music) tuning (pair) diagram-definition (string or pair)

Add predefined fret diagram defined by diagram-definition for the chord pitches chord and the stringTuning tuning.

stringTuning (any type) - chord (music)

Convert chord to a string tuning. chord must be in absolute pitches and should have the highest string number (generally the lowest pitch) first.

styledNoteHeads [music] - style (symbol) heads (symbol list or symbol) music (music)

Set heads in music to style.

tabChordRepeats [music] - event-types [list] music (music)

Walk through music putting the notes, fingerings and string numbers of the previous chord into repeat chords, as well as an optional list of event-types such as #'(articulation-event).

tabChordRepetition [void]

Include the string and fingering information in a chord repetition. This function is deprecated; try using \tabChordRepeats instead.

tag [music] - tag (symbol list or symbol) music (music)

Tag the following music with tag and return the result, by adding the single symbol or symbol list tag to the tags property of music.

temporary [music] - music (music)

Make any \override in music replace an existing grob property value only temporarily, restoring the old value when a corresponding \revert is executed. This is achieved by clearing the ‘pop-first’ property normally set on \overrides.

An \override/\revert sequence created by using \temporary and \undo on the same music containing overrides will cancel out perfectly or cause a warning.

Non-property-related music is ignored, warnings are generated for any property-changing music that isn’t an \override.

tieDashPattern [music] - dash-fraction (number) dash-period (number)

Set up a custom style of dash pattern for dash-fraction ratio of line to space repeated at dash-period interval for ties.

time [music] - beat-structure [number list] fraction (fraction, as pair)

Set fraction as time signature, with optional number list beat-structure before it.

times [music] - fraction (fraction, as pair) music (music)

Scale music in time by fraction.

tocItem [music] - text (markup)

Add a line to the table of content, using the tocItemMarkup paper variable markup

transpose [music] - from (pitch) to (pitch) music (music)

Transpose music from pitch from to pitch to.

transposedCueDuring [music] - what (string) dir (direction) pitch (pitch) main-music (music)

Insert notes from the part what into a voice called cue, using the transposition defined by pitch. This happens simultaneously with main-music, which is usually a rest. The argument dir determines whether the cue notes should be notated as a first or second voice.

transposition [music] - pitch (pitch)

Set instrument transposition

tuplet [music] - ratio (fraction, as pair) tuplet-span [duration] music (music)

Scale the given music to tuplets. ratio is a fraction that specifies how many notes are played in place of the nominal value: it will be ‘3/2’ for triplets, namely three notes being played in place of two. If the optional duration tuplet-span is specified, it is used instead of tupletSpannerDuration for grouping the tuplets. For example,

\tuplet 3/2 4 { c8 c c c c c }

will result in two groups of three tuplets, each group lasting for a quarter note.

tupletSpan [music] - tuplet-span [duration]

Set tupletSpannerDuration, the length into which \tuplet without an explicit ‘tuplet-span’ argument of its own will group its tuplets, to the duration tuplet-span. To revert to the default of not subdividing the contents of a \tuplet command without explicit ‘tuplet-span’, use

\tupletSpan \default

tweak [music] - prop (symbol list or symbol) value (any type) item (symbol list or music)

Add a tweak to the following item, usually music. Layout objects created by item get their property prop set to value. If prop has the form ‘Grob.property’, like with

\tweak Accidental.color #red cis'

an indirectly created grob (‘Accidental’ is caused by ‘NoteHead’) can be tweaked; otherwise only directly created grobs are affected.

As a special case, item may be a symbol list specifying a grob path, in which case \override is called on it instead of creating tweaked music. This is mainly useful when using \tweak as as a component for building other functions.

If this use case would call for \once \override rather than a plain \override, writing \once \tweak … can be convenient.

prop can contain additional elements in which case a nested property (inside of an alist) is tweaked.

undo [music] - music (music)

Convert \override and \set in music to \revert and \unset, respectively. Any reverts and unsets already in music cause a warning. Non-property-related music is ignored.

unfoldRepeats [music] - music (music)

Force any \repeat volta, \repeat tremolo or \repeat percent commands in music to be interpreted as \repeat unfold.

void [void] - arg (any type)

Accept a scheme argument, return a void expression. Use this if you want to have a scheme expression evaluated because of its side-effects, but its value ignored.

withMusicProperty [music] - sym (symbol) val (any type) music (music)

Set sym to val in music.

xNote [music] - note (music)

Print note with a cross-shaped note head.

xNotesOn [music]

Set the default note head style to a cross-shaped style.

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A.18 Available music functions

LilyPond — Notation Reference v2.18.2 (stable-branch).