LilyPond Notation Reference: 1.3.2 Expressive marks as curves

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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.

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Slurs

Slurs are entered using parentheses:

Note: In polyphonic music, a slur must be terminated in the same voice it began.

\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)
}

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.

Breath marks

Breath marks are entered using \breathe:

{ c''2. \breathe d''4 }

Unlike other expressive marks, a breath mark is not associated with the preceding note but is a separate music event. So all the expressive marks which are attached to the preceding note, any square brackets indicating manual beams, and any brackets indicating slurs and phrasing slurs must be placed before \breathe.

A breath mark will end an automatic beam; to override this behavior, see Manual beams.

\relative { c''8 \breathe d e f g2 }

Musical indicators for breath marks in ancient notation, divisiones, are supported. For details, see Divisiones.

Selected Snippets

Changing the breath mark symbol

The glyph of the breath mark can be tuned by overriding the text property of the BreathingSign layout object with any markup text.

\relative c'' {
  c2
  \override BreathingSign.text =
    \markup { \musicglyph #"scripts.rvarcomma" }
  \breathe
  d2
}

Using a tick as the breath mark symbol

Vocal and wind music frequently uses a tick mark as a breathing sign. This indicates a breath that subtracts a little time from the previous note rather than causing a short pause, which is indicated by the comma breath mark. The mark can be moved up a little to take it away from the stave.

\relative c'' {
  c2
  \breathe
  d2
  \override BreathingSign.Y-offset = #2.6
  \override BreathingSign.text =
    \markup { \musicglyph #"scripts.tickmark" }
  c2
  \breathe
  d2
}

Inserting a caesura

Caesura marks can be created by overriding the 'text property of the BreathingSign object. A curved caesura mark is also available.

\relative c'' {
  \override BreathingSign.text = \markup {
    \musicglyph #"scripts.caesura.straight"
  }
  c8 e4. \breathe g8. e16 c4

  \override BreathingSign.text = \markup {
    \musicglyph #"scripts.caesura.curved"
  }
  g8 e'4. \breathe g8. e16 c4
}

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
}

1.3.2 Expressive marks as curves

Slurs

Predefined commands

Selected Snippets

See also

Phrasing slurs

Predefined commands

See also

Breath marks

Selected Snippets

See also

Falls and doits

Selected Snippets

See also

LilyPond — Notation Reference v2.21.0 (development-branch).