<!-- header_tag -->
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/loose.dtd">
<html>
<!-- Copyright C 1999-2009 by the authors
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections.
A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU
Free Documentation License".
-->
<!-- Created on December 15, 2009 by texi2html 1.82
texi2html was written by:
Lionel Cons <Lionel.Cons@cern.ch> (original author)
Karl Berry <karl@freefriends.org>
Olaf Bachmann <obachman@mathematik.uni-kl.de>
and many others.
Maintained by: Many creative people.
Send bugs and suggestions to <texi2html-bug@nongnu.org>
-->
<head>
<title>GNU LilyPond Learning Manual: 2.2.6 Advanced rhythmic commands</title>
<meta name="description" content="GNU LilyPond Learning Manual: 2.2.6 Advanced rhythmic commands">
<meta name="keywords" content="GNU LilyPond Learning Manual: 2.2.6 Advanced rhythmic commands">
<meta name="resource-type" content="document">
<meta name="distribution" content="global">
<meta name="Generator" content="texi2html 1.82">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<link href="index.html#Top" rel="start" title="GNU LilyPond — Learning Manual">
<link href="LilyPond-index.html#LilyPond-index" rel="index" title="D. LilyPond index">
<link href="index_toc.html#SEC_Contents" rel="contents" title="Table of Contents">
<link href="index_abt.html#SEC_About" rel="help" title="About This Document">
<link href="Single-staff-notation.html#Single-staff-notation" rel="up" title="2.2 Single staff notation">
<link href="LilyPond-index.html#LilyPond-index" rel="next" title="D. LilyPond index">
<link href="Automatic-and-manual-beams.html#Automatic-and-manual-beams" rel="previous" title="2.2.5 Automatic and manual beams">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" title="Patrick McCarty's design" href="lilypond-mccarty.css">
<link rel="alternate stylesheet" type="text/css" href="lilypond.css" title="Andrew Hawryluk's design">
<link rel="alternate stylesheet" type="text/css" href="lilypond-blue.css" title="Kurt Kroon's blue design">
<!--[if lte IE 7]>
<link href="lilypond-ie-fixes.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="en" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#800080" alink="#FF0000">
<div id="main">
<a name="Advanced-rhythmic-commands"></a>
<table class="nav_table">
<tr><td valign="middle" align="left" colspan="1">[<a href="Tutorial.html#Tutorial" title="Beginning of this chapter or previous chapter"> << Tutorial </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="center" colspan="3">[<a href="index.html#Top" title="Cover (top) of document" rel="start">Top</a>][<a href="index_toc.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="LilyPond-index.html#LilyPond-index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>][<a href="index_abt.html#SEC_About" title="About (help)" rel="help"> ? </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="right" colspan="1">[<a href="Fundamental-concepts.html#Fundamental-concepts" title="Next chapter"> Fundamental concepts >> </a>]</td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" align="left" colspan="2">[<a href="Automatic-and-manual-beams.html#Automatic-and-manual-beams" title="Previous section in reading order" accesskey="p" rel="previous"> < Automatic and manual beams </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="center" colspan="1">[<a href="Single-staff-notation.html#Single-staff-notation" title="Up section" accesskey="u" rel="up"> Up : Single staff notation </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="right" colspan="2">[<a href="Multiple-notes-at-once.html#Multiple-notes-at-once" title="Next section in reading order" accesskey="n" rel="next"> Multiple notes at once > </a>]</td></tr></table>
<a name="Advanced-rhythmic-commands"></a>
<h3 class="subsection">2.2.6 Advanced rhythmic commands</h3>
<a name="Partial-measure"></a>
<h3 class="subheading">Partial measure</h3>
<a name="index-pickup"></a>
<a name="index-anacrusis"></a>
<a name="index-partial-measure"></a>
<a name="index-_005cpartial"></a>
<a name="index-_005cpartial-1"></a>
<a name="index-partial"></a>
<a name="index-partial-1"></a>
<p>Music Glossary: <a name="index-anacrusis-1"></a>
<a href="../music-glossary/anacrusis.html#anacrusis">anacrusis</a>.
</p>
<p>A pickup (or <var>anacrusis</var>) is entered with the keyword
<code>\partial</code>. It is followed by a duration: <code>\partial 4</code>
is a quarter note pickup and <code>\partial 8</code> an eighth note.
</p>
<blockquote><pre class="verbatim">\partial 8
f8 c2 d
</pre><p>
<a href="../ae/lily-3c657963.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0"
src="../ae/lily-3c657963.png"
alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<a name="Tuplets"></a>
<h3 class="subheading">Tuplets</h3>
<a name="index-tuplets"></a>
<a name="index-triplets"></a>
<a name="index-_005ctimes"></a>
<a name="index-_005ctimes-1"></a>
<a name="index-times"></a>
<a name="index-times-1"></a>
<p>Music Glossary: <a name="index-note-value"></a>
<a href="../music-glossary/note-value.html#note-value">note value</a>, <a name="index-triplet"></a>
<a href="../music-glossary/triplet.html#triplet">triplet</a>.
</p>
<p><var>Tuplets</var> are made with the <code>\times</code> keyword. It
takes two arguments: a fraction and a piece of music. The
duration of the piece of music is multiplied by the fraction.
Triplets make notes occupy 2/3 of their notated duration, so a
<var>triplet</var> has 2/3 as its fraction
</p>
<blockquote><pre class="verbatim">\times 2/3 { f8 g a }
\times 2/3 { c r c }
\times 2/3 { f,8 g16[ a g a] }
\times 2/3 { d4 a8 }
</pre><p>
<a href="../78/lily-5a580a75.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0"
src="../78/lily-5a580a75.png"
alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<a name="Grace-notes"></a>
<h3 class="subheading">Grace notes</h3>
<a name="index-grace-notes"></a>
<a name="index-acciaccatura"></a>
<a name="index-appoggiatura"></a>
<a name="index-_005cgrace"></a>
<a name="index-_005cgrace-1"></a>
<a name="index-grace"></a>
<a name="index-grace-1"></a>
<a name="index-_005cacciaccatura"></a>
<a name="index-_005cacciaccatura-1"></a>
<a name="index-acciaccatura-1"></a>
<a name="index-acciaccatura-2"></a>
<a name="index-_005cappoggiatura"></a>
<a name="index-_005cappoggiatura-1"></a>
<a name="index-acciaccatura-3"></a>
<a name="index-acciaccatura-4"></a>
<p>Music Glossary: <a name="index-grace-notes-1"></a>
<a href="../music-glossary/grace-notes.html#grace-notes">grace notes</a>, <a name="index-acciaccatura-5"></a>
<a href="../music-glossary/acciaccatura.html#acciaccatura">acciaccatura</a>,
<a name="index-appoggiatura-1"></a>
<a href="../music-glossary/appoggiatura.html#appoggiatura">appoggiatura</a>.
</p>
<p><var>Grace notes</var> are created with the <code>\grace</code> command,
although they can also be created by prefixing a music expression
with the keyword <code>\appoggiatura</code> or <code>\acciaccatura</code>:
</p>
<blockquote><pre class="verbatim">c2 \grace { a32[ b] } c2
c2 \appoggiatura b16 c2
c2 \acciaccatura b16 c2
</pre><p>
<a href="../d4/lily-2f000789.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0"
src="../d4/lily-2f000789.png"
alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<a name="See-also"></a>
<h4 class="subsubheading">See also</h4>
<p>Notation Reference: <a name="index-Grace-notes"></a>
<a href="../lilypond/Special-rhythmic-concerns.html#Grace-notes">Grace notes</a>, <a name="index-Tuplets"></a>
<a href="../lilypond/Writing-rhythms.html#Tuplets">Tuplets</a>,
<a name="index-Upbeats"></a>
<a href="../lilypond/Displaying-rhythms.html#Upbeats">Upbeats</a>.
</p>
<hr size="6">
<table class="nav_table">
<tr><td valign="middle" align="left" colspan="1">[<a href="Tutorial.html#Tutorial" title="Beginning of this chapter or previous chapter"> << Tutorial </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="center" colspan="3">[<a href="index.html#Top" title="Cover (top) of document" rel="start">Top</a>][<a href="index_toc.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="LilyPond-index.html#LilyPond-index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>][<a href="index_abt.html#SEC_About" title="About (help)" rel="help"> ? </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="right" colspan="1">[<a href="Fundamental-concepts.html#Fundamental-concepts" title="Next chapter"> Fundamental concepts >> </a>]</td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" align="left" colspan="2">[<a href="Automatic-and-manual-beams.html#Automatic-and-manual-beams" title="Previous section in reading order" accesskey="p" rel="previous"> < Automatic and manual beams </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="center" colspan="1">[<a href="Single-staff-notation.html#Single-staff-notation" title="Up section" accesskey="u" rel="up"> Up : Single staff notation </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="right" colspan="2">[<a href="Multiple-notes-at-once.html#Multiple-notes-at-once" title="Next section in reading order" accesskey="n" rel="next"> Multiple notes at once > </a>]</td></tr></table>
<!-- footer_tag -->
<div class="footer">
<p class="footer_version">
This page is for LilyPond-2.12.3 (stable-branch).
</p>
<p class="footer_report">
Your <a href="http://lilypond.org/web/devel/participating/documentation-adding">suggestions for the documentation</a> are welcome, please report errors to our <a href="http://post.gmane.org/post.php?group=gmane.comp.gnu.lilypond.bugs">bug list</a>.
</p>
</div>
<p id="languages">
Other languages: <a href="Advanced-rhythmic-commands.fr.html">français</a>, <a href="Advanced-rhythmic-commands.es.html">español</a>, <a href="Advanced-rhythmic-commands.de.html">deutsch</a>.
<br>
</p>
<!-- FOOTER -->
<!-- end div#main here -->
</div>
<div id="tocframe">
<p class="toc_uplink"><a href="../index.html"
title="Documentation Index"><< Back to Documentation Index</a></p>
<h4 class="toc_header"> <a href="index.html#Top" title="Start of the manual">Learning Manual</a></h4>
<div class="contents">
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Preface-1" href="Preface.html#Preface">Preface</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Introduction-1" href="Introduction.html#Introduction">1. Introduction</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Background-1" href="Background.html#Background">1.1 Background</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-About-the-documentation-1" href="About-the-documentation.html#About-the-documentation">1.2 About the documentation</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toc_current"><a name="toc-Tutorial-1" href="Tutorial.html#Tutorial">2. Tutorial</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-First-steps-1" href="First-steps.html#First-steps">2.1 First steps</a> </li>
<li class="toc_current"><a name="toc-Single-staff-notation-1" href="Single-staff-notation.html#Single-staff-notation">2.2 Single staff notation</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Accidentals-and-key-signatures-1" href="Accidentals-and-key-signatures.html#Accidentals-and-key-signatures">2.2.1 Accidentals and key signatures</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Ties-and-slurs-1" href="Ties-and-slurs.html#Ties-and-slurs">2.2.2 Ties and slurs</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Articulation-and-dynamics-1" href="Articulation-and-dynamics.html#Articulation-and-dynamics">2.2.3 Articulation and dynamics</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Adding-text-1" href="Adding-text.html#Adding-text">2.2.4 Adding text</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Automatic-and-manual-beams-1" href="Automatic-and-manual-beams.html#Automatic-and-manual-beams">2.2.5 Automatic and manual beams</a> </li>
<li class="toc_current"><a name="toc-Advanced-rhythmic-commands-1" href="Advanced-rhythmic-commands.html#Advanced-rhythmic-commands">2.2.6 Advanced rhythmic commands</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Multiple-notes-at-once-1" href="Multiple-notes-at-once.html#Multiple-notes-at-once">2.3 Multiple notes at once</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Songs-1" href="Songs.html#Songs">2.4 Songs</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Final-touches-1" href="Final-touches.html#Final-touches">2.5 Final touches</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Fundamental-concepts-1" href="Fundamental-concepts.html#Fundamental-concepts">3. Fundamental concepts</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-How-LilyPond-input-files-work-1" href="How-LilyPond-input-files-work.html#How-LilyPond-input-files-work">3.1 How LilyPond input files work</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Voices-contain-music-1" href="Voices-contain-music.html#Voices-contain-music">3.2 Voices contain music</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Contexts-and-engravers-1" href="Contexts-and-engravers.html#Contexts-and-engravers">3.3 Contexts and engravers</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Extending-the-templates-1" href="Extending-the-templates.html#Extending-the-templates">3.4 Extending the templates</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Tweaking-output-1" href="Tweaking-output.html#Tweaking-output">4. Tweaking output</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Tweaking-basics-1" href="Tweaking-basics.html#Tweaking-basics">4.1 Tweaking basics</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-The-Internals-Reference-manual-1" href="The-Internals-Reference-manual.html#The-Internals-Reference-manual">4.2 The Internals Reference manual</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Appearance-of-objects-1" href="Appearance-of-objects.html#Appearance-of-objects">4.3 Appearance of objects</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Placement-of-objects-1" href="Placement-of-objects.html#Placement-of-objects">4.4 Placement of objects</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Collisions-of-objects-1" href="Collisions-of-objects.html#Collisions-of-objects">4.5 Collisions of objects</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Further-tweaking-1" href="Further-tweaking.html#Further-tweaking">4.6 Further tweaking</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Working-on-LilyPond-projects-1" href="Working-on-LilyPond-projects.html#Working-on-LilyPond-projects">5. Working on LilyPond projects</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Suggestions-for-writing-LilyPond-input-files-1" href="Suggestions-for-writing-LilyPond-input-files.html#Suggestions-for-writing-LilyPond-input-files">5.1 Suggestions for writing LilyPond input files</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-When-things-don_0027t-work-1" href="When-things-don_0027t-work.html#When-things-don_0027t-work">5.2 When things don’t work</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Scores-and-parts-1" href="Scores-and-parts.html#Scores-and-parts">5.3 Scores and parts</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Templates-1" href="Templates.html#Templates">A. Templates</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Single-staff-1" href="Single-staff.html#Single-staff">A.1 Single staff</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Piano-templates-1" href="Piano-templates.html#Piano-templates">A.2 Piano templates</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-String-quartet-2" href="String-quartet.html#String-quartet">A.3 String quartet</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Vocal-ensembles-1" href="Vocal-ensembles.html#Vocal-ensembles">A.4 Vocal ensembles</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Ancient-notation-templates-1" href="Ancient-notation-templates.html#Ancient-notation-templates">A.5 Ancient notation templates</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Jazz-combo-1" href="Jazz-combo.html#Jazz-combo">A.6 Jazz combo</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-lilypond_002dbook-templates-1" href="lilypond_002dbook-templates.html#lilypond_002dbook-templates">A.7 lilypond-book templates</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Scheme-tutorial-1" href="Scheme-tutorial.html#Scheme-tutorial">B. Scheme tutorial</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Tweaking-with-Scheme-1" href="Tweaking-with-Scheme.html#Tweaking-with-Scheme">B.1 Tweaking with Scheme</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-GNU-Free-Documentation-License-1" href="GNU-Free-Documentation-License.html#GNU-Free-Documentation-License">C. GNU Free Documentation License</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-LilyPond-index-1" href="LilyPond-index.html#LilyPond-index">D. LilyPond index</a> </li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>
