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LilyPond Guide

LilyPond is notation software that uses curly braces to denote musical expressions and commands that apply to the enclosed notation; it features simple pitch and duration notation as well as commands for clefs, time signatures, dynamics, and other musical elements; more advanced features allow for polyphony across multiple staves, use of variables to organize scores, and various rhythmic techniques.

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100 views2 pages

LilyPond Guide

LilyPond is notation software that uses curly braces to denote musical expressions and commands that apply to the enclosed notation; it features simple pitch and duration notation as well as commands for clefs, time signatures, dynamics, and other musical elements; more advanced features allow for polyphony across multiple staves, use of variables to organize scores, and various rhythmic techniques.

Uploaded by

lastdreams
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LilyPond

I.

II.

III.

IV.

Compiling a file
a. Notes and lyrics always surrounded by { curly braces } and a spaces.
b. Each expression is denoted by a curly brace, like parentheses in
math. Each command proceeding a curly brace applies to what is
within the braces.
Simple notation
a. Pitches
i. \relative c centers pitches around middle c
ii. Apostrophes () raise octave
iii. Commas (,) lower octave
b. Durations
i. 1 for whole note
ii. 2 for half note
iii. 4 for quarter, etc.
iv. Not specifying duration results in a note with the same duration
as previous
v. Add a dot to the duration number for a dotted duration (always
need the dur. #)
c. Rests
i. Entered just like pitches, but with r
d. Time signature
i. \time
e. Tempo marks
i. \tempo Andante 4 = 96, etc.
f. Clef
i. \clef
Working on input files
a. Version statement
i. \version 2.16.2
b. Whitespace insensitive
i. Indent blocks of code with two spaces (easier to read)
Common notation
a. Bar checks (|) not necessary, but show where barlines expected to fall
b. Accidentals and key signatures
i. Pitches raised by adding is or isis
ii. Pitches lowered by adding es or eses
iii. Key signature command: \key (pitch) \major or \minor
iv. Key signature affects only printed accidentals, not the notes
pitch. Still need to add is or es to notes even in the key
c. Ties and slurs
i. Ties are tildes (~) attached to the first note to be tied
ii. Slurs are indicated by parentheses () after the starting and
ending notes
iii. Longer phrasing slurs can be entered with \( and \)
d. Articulations
i. Denoted by a dash and a single character (^ + - | > . _)
ii. Fingerings are denoted by a dash as well

e. Dynamics
i. \ff \mf, etc
ii. Crescendi and decrescendi: \< and \>, ended with \! or the next
dynamic marking
f. Adding text to scores
i. ^___ for super text, ____ for subtext
ii. Extra formatting can be added with \markup, e.g. c2^\markup
{ \bold espr }
g. Beams are drawn automatically, but can be overridden manually using
square brackets [ ]
h. Advanced rhythmic commands
i. \partial (value) (note) indicates anacrusis
ii. Tuplets: \times (fraction, e.g. a triplet is 2/3 of an 8 th note)
1. \times 2/3 { pitches }
iii. Grace notes: \grace, \appoggiatura or \acciaccatura
i. Basic polyphony
i. << >> indicates simultaneity; enclosing multiple lines between
them results in multiple staves, enclosing separate notes
between them indicates chords (or separate voices within on
staff)
j. Multiple staves
i. New staves are introduced by \new Staff and brackets
ii. Are enclosed within << >>, to indicate simultaneity, of course
iii. \new command introduces a notation context; can use Score,
Staff, or Voice, Lyrics, and ChordNames
iv. Time signatures introduced in one staff go through all of them.
Key signatures dont, because transposing instruments.
v. \new PianoStaff, \new ChoirStaff, etc.
k. Chords
i. Easier way to indicate chords: <pitches>(duration)
ii. Think of them as single notes
l. Variables
i. Defining variables (alphabetic only) helps you organize a piece
1. \variable = { etc }
ii. Variables must be defined before the main music expression,
and can then be added to each other, stacked, etc.
m. Title/header
i. Goes right under version number:
ii. \header {
\title = etc
n.

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