5.8.3 Style sheets (LilyPond Learning Manual)

#### 5.8.3 Style sheets

The output that LilyPond produces can be heavily modified; see Tweaking output, for details. But what if you have many input files that you want to apply your tweaks to? Or what if you simply want to separate your tweaks from the actual music? This is quite easy to do.

Let’s look at an example. Don’t worry if you don’t understand the parts with all the `#(…)`. This is explained in Advanced tweaks with Scheme.

>     mpdolce =
>       \tweak self-alignment-X -0.6
>       #(make-dynamic-script
>         #{ \markup { \dynamic mp \normal-text \italic \bold dolce } #})

>     inst =
>     #(define-music-function
>          (string)
>          (string?)
>        #{ <>^\markup \bold \box #string #})

>     \relative {
>       \tempo 4=50
>       a'4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
>       b4 bes a2 |
>       \inst "Clarinet"
>       cis4.\< d8 e4 fis |
>       g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
>     }

Let’s do something about the `mpdolce` and `inst` definitions. They produce the output we desire, but we might want to use them in another piece. We could simply copy-and-paste them at the top of every file, but that’s an annoyance. It also leaves those definitions in our input files, and I personally find all the `#()` somewhat ugly. Let’s hide them in another file:

    %%% save this to a file called "definitions.ily"
    mpdolce =
      \tweak self-alignment-X -0.6
      #(make-dynamic-script
        #{ \markup { \dynamic mp \normal-text \italic \bold dolce } #})

    inst =
    #(define-music-function
         (string)
         (string?)
       #{ <>^\markup \bold \box #string #})

We will refer to this file using the `\include` command near the top of the music file. (The extension `.ily` is used to distinguish this included file, which is not meant to be compiled on its own, from the main file.) Now let’s modify our music (let’s save this file as `music.ly`).

    \include "definitions.ily"

    \relative {
      \tempo 4=50
      a'4.\mpdolce d8 cis4--\glissando a |
      b4 bes a2 |
      \inst "Clarinet"
      cis4.\< d8 e4 fis |
      g8(\! fis)-. e( d)-. cis2 |
    }

That looks better, but let’s make a few changes. The glissando is hard to see, so let’s make it thicker and closer to the note heads. Let’s put the metronome marking above the clef, instead of over the first note. And finally, my composition professor hates ‘C’ time signatures, so we’d better make that ‘4/4’ instead.

Don’t change `music.ly`, though. Replace our `definitions.ily` with this:

    %%%  definitions.ily
    mpdolce =
      \tweak self-alignment-X -0.6
      #(make-dynamic-script
        #{ \markup { \dynamic mp \normal-text \italic \bold dolce } #})

    inst =
    #(define-music-function
         (string)
         (string?)
       #{ <>^\markup \bold \box #string #})

    \layout{
      \context {
        \Score
        \override MetronomeMark.extra-offset = #'(-5 . 0)
        \override MetronomeMark.padding = 3
      }
      \context {
        \Staff
        \numericTimeSignature
      }
      \context {
        \Voice
        \override Glissando.thickness = 3
        \override Glissando.gap = 0.1
      }
    }

That looks nicer! But now suppose that I want to publish this piece. My composition professor doesn’t like ‘C’ time signatures, but I’m somewhat fond of them. Let’s copy the current `definitions.ily` to `web-publish.ily` and modify that. Since this music is aimed at producing a pdf which will be displayed on the screen, we’ll also increase the overall size of the output.

    %%%  web-publish.ily
    mpdolce =
      \tweak self-alignment-X -0.6
      #(make-dynamic-script
        #{ \markup { \dynamic mp \normal-text \italic \bold dolce } #})

    inst =
    #(define-music-function
         (string)
         (string?)
       #{ <>^\markup \bold \box #string #})

    #(set-global-staff-size 23)

    \layout{
      \context {
        \Score
        \override MetronomeMark.extra-offset = #'(-5 . 0)
        \override MetronomeMark.padding = 3
      }
      \context {
        \Staff
      }
      \context {
        \Voice
        \override Glissando.thickness = 3
        \override Glissando.gap = 0.1
      }
    }

Now in our music, I simply replace `\include "definitions.ily"` with `\include "web-publish.ily"`. Of course, we could make this even more convenient. We could make a `definitions.ily` file that contains only the definitions of `\mpdolce` and `\inst`, a `web-publish.ily` file that contains only the `\layout` section listed above, and a `university.ily` file that contains only the tweaks to produce the output that my professor prefers. The top of `music.ly` would then look like this:

    \include "definitions.ily"

    %%%  Only uncomment one of these two lines!
    \include "web-publish.ily"
    %\include "university.ily"

This approach can be useful even if you are only producing one set of parts. I use half a dozen different ‘style sheet’ files for my projects. I begin every music file with `\include "../global.ily"`, which contains

    %%%   global.ily
    \version "2.26.0"

    #(ly:set-option 'point-and-click #f)

    \include "../init/init-defs.ly"
    \include "../init/init-layout.ly"
    \include "../init/init-headers.ly"
    \include "../init/init-paper.ly"

#### LilyPond Learning Manual v2.26.0 (stable-branch).

- 1 Installing
  - 1.1 Graphical setup
  - 1.2 Command line setup
- 2 Tutorial
  - 2.1 Compiling a file
  - 2.2 How to write input files
    - 2.2.1 Input characters
    - 2.2.2 Simple notation
      - Pitches
      - Durations (rhythms)
      - Rests
      - Time signature
      - Tempo marks
      - Clef
      - All together
    - 2.2.3 Working on input files
  - 2.3 Dealing with errors
  - 2.4 How to read the manuals
    - 2.4.1 Omitted material
    - 2.4.2 Clickable examples
    - 2.4.3 Overview of manuals
- 3 Common notation
  - 3.1 Single-staff notation
    - 3.1.1 Bar lines and bar checks
      - Bar lines
      - Bar checks
    - 3.1.2 Pitches and key signatures
      - Pitch alterations
      - Key signatures
      - Warning: key signatures and pitches
    - 3.1.3 Ties and slurs
      - Ties
      - Slurs
      - Phrasing slurs
      - Warnings: slurs vs. ties
    - 3.1.4 Articulations and dynamics
      - Articulations
      - Fingerings
      - Dynamics
    - 3.1.5 Adding text
    - 3.1.6 Automatic and manual beams
    - 3.1.7 Advanced rhythmic commands
      - Partial measure
      - Tuplets
      - Grace notes
  - 3.2 Multiple notes at once
    - 3.2.1 Music expressions explained
      - Analogy: mathematical expressions
      - Simultaneous music expressions: multiple staves
      - Simultaneous music expressions: single-staff
    - 3.2.2 Multiple staves
    - 3.2.3 Staff groups
    - 3.2.4 Combining notes into chords
    - 3.2.5 Single-staff polyphony
  - 3.3 Songs
    - 3.3.1 Setting simple songs
    - 3.3.2 Aligning lyrics to a melody
    - 3.3.3 Lyrics to multiple staves
  - 3.4 Final touches
    - 3.4.1 Organizing pieces with variables
    - 3.4.2 Adding titles
    - 3.4.3 Absolute note names
    - 3.4.4 After the tutorial
- 4 Fundamental concepts
  - 4.1 How LilyPond input files work
    - 4.1.1 Introduction to the LilyPond file structure
    - 4.1.2 A score is a (single) compound musical expression
    - 4.1.3 Nesting music expressions
    - 4.1.4 Structure of a note entry
    - 4.1.5 On the un-nestedness of brackets and ties
  - 4.2 Voices contain music
    - 4.2.1 I’m hearing voices
    - 4.2.2 Explicitly instantiating voices
    - 4.2.3 Voices and vocals
  - 4.3 Contexts and engravers
    - 4.3.1 Contexts explained
    - 4.3.2 Creating contexts
    - 4.3.3 Engravers explained
    - 4.3.4 Modifying context properties
    - 4.3.5 Adding and removing engravers
  - 4.4 Extending the templates
    - 4.4.1 Soprano and cello
    - 4.4.2 Four-part SATB vocal score
    - 4.4.3 Building a score from scratch
    - 4.4.4 Saving typing with variables and functions
    - 4.4.5 Scores and parts
- 5 Tweaking output
  - 5.1 Tweaking basics
    - 5.1.1 Objects and interfaces
    - 5.1.2 Naming conventions of objects and properties
    - 5.1.3 Tweaking methods
      - The `\override` command
      - The `\revert` command
      - The `\once` prefix
      - The `\tweak` and `\offset` commands
      - The `\single` prefix
  - 5.2 The Internals Reference manual
    - 5.2.1 Properties of layout objects
    - 5.2.2 Properties found in interfaces
    - 5.2.3 Types of properties
  - 5.3 Appearance of objects
    - 5.3.1 Visibility and color of objects
      - The `stencil` property
      - The `break-visibility` property
      - The `transparent` property
      - The `color` property
    - 5.3.2 Size of objects
    - 5.3.3 Length and thickness of objects
  - 5.4 Offsets and alignments
  - 5.5 Placement of objects
    - 5.5.1 Automatic behavior
    - 5.5.2 Within-staff objects
      - The `direction` property
      - Fingering
    - 5.5.3 Outside-staff objects
      - The `outside-staff-priority` property
      - The `\textLengthOn` command
      - Dynamics placement
      - Grob sizing
  - 5.6 Vertical spacing
  - 5.7 Collisions of objects
    - 5.7.1 Moving objects
    - 5.7.2 Fixing overlapping notation
      - The `padding` property
      - The `right-padding` property
      - The `staff-padding` property
      - The `self-alignment-X` property
      - The `staff-position` property
      - The `extra-offset` property
      - The `positions` property
      - The `force-hshift` property
    - 5.7.3 Real music example
  - 5.8 Further tweaking
    - 5.8.1 Other uses for tweaks
      - Tying notes across voices
      - Simulating a fermata in MIDI
    - 5.8.2 Using variables for layout adjustments
    - 5.8.3 Style sheets
    - 5.8.4 Other sources of information
    - 5.8.5 Advanced tweaks with Scheme
- Appendix A Templates
  - A.1 Built-in templates
    - A.1.1 SATB template
    - A.1.2 SSAATTBB template
  - A.2 Single staff templates
    - A.2.1 Notes only
    - A.2.2 Notes and lyrics
    - A.2.3 Notes and chords
    - A.2.4 Notes, lyrics, and chords
  - A.3 Piano templates
    - A.3.1 Solo piano
    - A.3.2 Piano and melody with lyrics
    - A.3.3 Piano-centered lyrics
  - A.4 String quartet templates
    - A.4.1 String quartet
    - A.4.2 String quartet parts
  - A.5 Vocal ensembles templates
    - A.5.1 SATB vocal score
    - A.5.2 SATB vocal score and automatic piano reduction
    - A.5.3 SATB with aligned contexts
    - A.5.4 SATB on four staves
    - A.5.5 Solo verse and two-part refrain
    - A.5.6 Hymn tunes
    - A.5.7 Psalms
  - A.6 Orchestral templates
    - A.6.1 Orchestra, choir and piano
  - A.7 Ancient notation templates
    - A.7.1 Transcription of mensural music
    - A.7.2 Gregorian transcription template
  - A.8 Other templates
    - A.8.1 Jazz combo
- Appendix B GNU Free Documentation License
- Appendix C Index