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<a name="Explicit-staff-and-system-positioning"></a>
<table class="nav_table">
<tr><td valign="middle" align="left" colspan="1">[<a href="Spacing-issues.de.html#Spacing-issues" title="Beginning of this chapter or previous chapter"> << Spacing issues </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="center" colspan="3">[<a href="index.de.html#index" title="Cover (top) of document" rel="start">Top</a>][<a href="index_toc.de.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="LilyPond-command-index.de.html#LilyPond-command-index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>][<a href="index_abt.de.html#SEC_About" title="About (help)" rel="help"> ? </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="right" colspan="1">[<a href="Changing-defaults.de.html#Changing-defaults" title="Next chapter"> Changing defaults >> </a>]</td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" align="left" colspan="2">[<a href="Vertical-spacing-between-systems.de.html#Vertical-spacing-between-systems" title="Previous section in reading order" accesskey="p" rel="previous"> < Vertical spacing between systems </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="center" colspan="1">[<a href="Vertical-spacing.de.html#Vertical-spacing" title="Up section" accesskey="u" rel="up"> Up : Vertical spacing </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="right" colspan="2">[<a href="Two_002dpass-vertical-spacing.de.html#Two_002dpass-vertical-spacing" title="Next section in reading order" accesskey="n" rel="next"> Two-pass vertical spacing > </a>]</td></tr></table>
<a name="Explicit-staff-and-system-positioning"></a>
<h3 class="subsection">4.4.3 Explicit staff and system positioning</h3>
<p>One way to understand the <code>VerticalAxisGroup</code> and <code>\paper</code>
settings explained in the previous two sections is as a collection of
different settings that primarily concern the amount of vertical padding
different staves and systems running down the page.
</p>
<p>It is possible to approach vertical spacing in a different way using
<code>NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details</code>. Where
<code>VerticalAxisGroup</code> and <code>\paper</code> settings specify vertical padding,
<code>NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details</code> specifies exact
vertical positions on the page.
</p>
<p><code>NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details</code> accepts an associative
list of five different settings:
</p>
<ul>
<li> <code>X-offset</code>
</li><li> <code>Y-offset</code>
</li><li> <code>alignment-offsets</code>
</li><li> <code>alignment-extra-space</code>
</li><li> <code>fixed-alignment-extra-space</code>
</li></ul>
<p>Grob overrides, including the overrides for <code>NonMusicalPaperColumn</code>
below, can occur in any of three different places in an input file:
</p>
<ul>
<li> in the middle of note entry directly
</li><li> in a <code>\context</code> block
</li><li> in the <code>\with</code> block
</li></ul>
<p>When we override <code>NonMusicalPaperColumn</code>, we use the usual
<code>\override</code> command in <code>\context</code> blocks and in the
<code>\with</code> block. On the other hand, when we override
<code>NonMusicalPaperColumn</code> in the middle of note entry,
use the special <code>\overrideProperty</code> command. Here are some
example <code>NonMusicalPaperColumn</code> overrides with the special
<code>\overrideProperty</code> command:
</p>
<blockquote><pre class="example">\overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
#'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20))
\overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
#'line-break-system-details #'((Y-offset . 40))
\overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
#'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40))
\overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
#'line-break-system-details #'((alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
\overrideProperty NonMusicalPaperColumn
#'line-break-system-details #'((X-offset . 20) (Y-offset . 40)
(alignment-offsets . (0 -15)))
</pre></blockquote>
<p>To understand how each of these different settings work, we begin
by looking at an example that includes no overrides at all.
</p>
<blockquote><p>
<a href="../b2/lily-ca37a0cc.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0"
src="../b2/lily-ca37a0cc.png"
alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This score isolates line- and page-breaking information in a dedicated
voice. This technique of creating a breaks voice will help keep layout
separate from music entry as our example becomes more complicated.
See <a href="Using-an-extra-voice-for-breaks.de.html#Using-an-extra-voice-for-breaks">Using an extra voice for breaks</a>.
</p>
<p>Explicit <code>\breaks</code> evenly divide the music into six measures per
line. Vertical spacing results from LilyPond’s defaults. To set
the vertical startpoint of each system explicitly, we can set
the <code>Y-offset</code> pair in the <code>line-break-system-details</code>
attribute of the <code>NonMusicalPaperColumn</code> grob:
</p>
<blockquote><p>
<a href="../8d/lily-28cb4ac7.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0"
src="../8d/lily-28cb4ac7.png"
alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Note that <code>line-break-system-details</code> takes an associative list of
potentially many values, but that we set only one value here. Note,
too, that the <code>Y-offset</code> property here determines the exact vertical
position on the page at which each new system will render.
</p>
<p>Now that we have set the vertical startpoint of each system
explicitly, we can also set the vertical startpoint of each staff
within each system manually. We do this using the <code>alignment-offsets</code>
subproperty of <code>line-break-system-details</code>.
</p>
<blockquote><p>
<a href="../b1/lily-829a3d69.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0"
src="../b1/lily-829a3d69.png"
alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Note that here we assign two different values to the
<code>line-break-system-details</code> attribute of the
<code>NonMusicalPaperColumn</code> grob. Though the
<code>line-break-system-details</code> attribute alist accepts many
additional spacing parameters (including, for example, a corresponding
<code>X-offset</code> pair), we need only set the <code>Y-offset</code> and
<code>alignment-offsets</code> pairs to control the vertical startpoint of
every system and every staff. Finally, note that <code>alignment-offsets</code>
specifies the vertical positioning of staves but not of staff groups.
</p>
<blockquote><p>
<a href="../c1/lily-06e9d4b6.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0"
src="../c1/lily-06e9d4b6.png"
alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some points to consider:
</p>
<ul>
<li> When using <code>alignment-offsets</code>, lyrics count as a staff.
</li><li> The units of the numbers passed to <code>X-offset</code>,
<code>Y-offset</code> and <code>alignment-offsets</code> are interpreted as multiples
of the distance between adjacent staff lines. Positive values move staves
and lyrics up, negative values move staves and lyrics down.
</li><li> Because the <code>NonMusicalPaperColumn #'line-break-system-details</code>
settings given here allow the positioning of staves and systems anywhere
on the page, it is possible to violate paper or margin boundaries or even
to print staves or systems on top of one another. Reasonable values
passed to these different settings will avoid this.
</li></ul>
<a name="See-also-41"></a>
<h4 class="subsubheading">See also</h4>
<p>Snippets:
<a href="../../../input/lsr/lilypond-snippets/Spacing.html#Spacing">Spacing</a>.
</p>
<hr size="6">
<table class="nav_table">
<tr><td valign="middle" align="left" colspan="1">[<a href="Spacing-issues.de.html#Spacing-issues" title="Beginning of this chapter or previous chapter"> << Spacing issues </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="center" colspan="3">[<a href="index.de.html#index" title="Cover (top) of document" rel="start">Top</a>][<a href="index_toc.de.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="LilyPond-command-index.de.html#LilyPond-command-index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>][<a href="index_abt.de.html#SEC_About" title="About (help)" rel="help"> ? </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="right" colspan="1">[<a href="Changing-defaults.de.html#Changing-defaults" title="Next chapter"> Changing defaults >> </a>]</td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" align="left" colspan="2">[<a href="Vertical-spacing-between-systems.de.html#Vertical-spacing-between-systems" title="Previous section in reading order" accesskey="p" rel="previous"> < Vertical spacing between systems </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="center" colspan="1">[<a href="Vertical-spacing.de.html#Vertical-spacing" title="Up section" accesskey="u" rel="up"> Up : Vertical spacing </a>]</td><td valign="middle" align="right" colspan="2">[<a href="Two_002dpass-vertical-spacing.de.html#Two_002dpass-vertical-spacing" title="Next section in reading order" accesskey="n" rel="next"> Two-pass vertical spacing > </a>]</td></tr></table>
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<h4 class="toc_header"> <a href="index.de.html#index" title="Start of the manual">Notation Reference</a></h4>
<div class="contents">
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Musical-notation-1" href="Musical-notation.de.html#Musical-notation">1. Musical notation</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Pitches-1" href="Pitches.de.html#Pitches">1.1 Pitches</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Rhythms-1" href="Rhythms.de.html#Rhythms">1.2 Rhythms</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Expressive-marks-1" href="Expressive-marks.de.html#Expressive-marks">1.3 Expressive marks</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Repeats-1" href="Repeats.de.html#Repeats">1.4 Repeats</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Simultaneous-notes-1" href="Simultaneous-notes.de.html#Simultaneous-notes">1.5 Simultaneous notes</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Staff-notation-1" href="Staff-notation.de.html#Staff-notation">1.6 Staff notation</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Editorial-annotations-1" href="Editorial-annotations.de.html#Editorial-annotations">1.7 Editorial annotations</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Text-1" href="Text.de.html#Text">1.8 Text</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Specialist-notation-1" href="Specialist-notation.de.html#Specialist-notation">2. Specialist notation</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Vocal-music-1" href="Vocal-music.de.html#Vocal-music">2.1 Vocal music</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Keyboard-and-other-multi_002dstaff-instruments-1" href="Keyboard-and-other-multi_002dstaff-instruments.de.html#Keyboard-and-other-multi_002dstaff-instruments">2.2 Keyboard and other multi-staff instruments</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Unfretted-string-instruments-1" href="Unfretted-string-instruments.de.html#Unfretted-string-instruments">2.3 Unfretted string instruments</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Fretted-string-instruments-1" href="Fretted-string-instruments.de.html#Fretted-string-instruments">2.4 Fretted string instruments</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Percussion-1" href="Percussion.de.html#Percussion">2.5 Percussion</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Wind-instruments-1" href="Wind-instruments.de.html#Wind-instruments">2.6 Wind instruments</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Chord-notation-1" href="Chord-notation.de.html#Chord-notation">2.7 Chord notation</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Ancient-notation-1" href="Ancient-notation.de.html#Ancient-notation">2.8 Ancient notation</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-World-music-1" href="World-music.de.html#World-music">2.9 World music</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-General-input-and-output-1" href="General-input-and-output.de.html#General-input-and-output">3. General input and output</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Input-structure-1" href="Input-structure.de.html#Input-structure">3.1 Input structure</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Titles-and-headers-1" href="Titles-and-headers.de.html#Titles-and-headers">3.2 Titles and headers</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Working-with-input-files-1" href="Working-with-input-files.de.html#Working-with-input-files">3.3 Working with input files</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Controlling-output-1" href="Controlling-output.de.html#Controlling-output">3.4 Controlling output</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-MIDI-output-1" href="MIDI-output.de.html#MIDI-output">3.5 MIDI output</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toc_current"><a name="toc-Spacing-issues-1" href="Spacing-issues.de.html#Spacing-issues">4. Spacing issues</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Paper-and-pages-1" href="Paper-and-pages.de.html#Paper-and-pages">4.1 Paper and pages</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Music-layout-1" href="Music-layout.de.html#Music-layout">4.2 Music layout</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Breaks-1" href="Breaks.de.html#Breaks">4.3 Breaks</a> </li>
<li class="toc_current"><a name="toc-Vertical-spacing-1" href="Vertical-spacing.de.html#Vertical-spacing">4.4 Vertical spacing</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Vertical-spacing-inside-a-system-1" href="Vertical-spacing-inside-a-system.de.html#Vertical-spacing-inside-a-system">4.4.1 Vertical spacing inside a system</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Vertical-spacing-between-systems-1" href="Vertical-spacing-between-systems.de.html#Vertical-spacing-between-systems">4.4.2 Vertical spacing between systems</a> </li>
<li class="toc_current"><a name="toc-Explicit-staff-and-system-positioning-1" href="Explicit-staff-and-system-positioning.de.html#Explicit-staff-and-system-positioning">4.4.3 Explicit staff and system positioning</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Two_002dpass-vertical-spacing-1" href="Two_002dpass-vertical-spacing.de.html#Two_002dpass-vertical-spacing">4.4.4 Two-pass vertical spacing</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Vertical-collision-avoidance-1" href="Vertical-collision-avoidance.de.html#Vertical-collision-avoidance">4.4.5 Vertical collision avoidance</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Horizontal-spacing-1" href="Horizontal-spacing.de.html#Horizontal-spacing">4.5 Horizontal spacing</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Fitting-music-onto-fewer-pages-1" href="Fitting-music-onto-fewer-pages.de.html#Fitting-music-onto-fewer-pages">4.6 Fitting music onto fewer pages</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Changing-defaults-1" href="Changing-defaults.de.html#Changing-defaults">5. Changing defaults</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Interpretation-contexts-1" href="Interpretation-contexts.de.html#Interpretation-contexts">5.1 Interpretation contexts</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Explaining-the-Internals-Reference-1" href="Explaining-the-Internals-Reference.de.html#Explaining-the-Internals-Reference">5.2 Explaining the Internals Reference</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Modifying-properties-1" href="Modifying-properties.de.html#Modifying-properties">5.3 Modifying properties</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Useful-concepts-and-properties-1" href="Useful-concepts-and-properties.de.html#Useful-concepts-and-properties">5.4 Useful concepts and properties</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Advanced-tweaks-1" href="Advanced-tweaks.de.html#Advanced-tweaks">5.5 Advanced tweaks</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Interfaces-for-programmers-1" href="Interfaces-for-programmers.de.html#Interfaces-for-programmers">6. Interfaces for programmers</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Music-functions-1" href="Music-functions.de.html#Music-functions">6.1 Music functions</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Programmer-interfaces-1" href="Programmer-interfaces.de.html#Programmer-interfaces">6.2 Programmer interfaces</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Building-complicated-functions-1" href="Building-complicated-functions.de.html#Building-complicated-functions">6.3 Building complicated functions</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Markup-programmer-interface-1" href="Markup-programmer-interface.de.html#Markup-programmer-interface">6.4 Markup programmer interface</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Contexts-for-programmers-1" href="Contexts-for-programmers.de.html#Contexts-for-programmers">6.5 Contexts for programmers</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Scheme-procedures-as-properties-1" href="Scheme-procedures-as-properties.de.html#Scheme-procedures-as-properties">6.6 Scheme procedures as properties</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Using-Scheme-code-instead-of-_005ctweak-1" href="Using-Scheme-code-instead-of-_005ctweak.de.html#Using-Scheme-code-instead-of-_005ctweak">6.7 Using Scheme code instead of <code>\tweak</code></a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Difficult-tweaks-1" href="Difficult-tweaks.de.html#Difficult-tweaks">6.8 Difficult tweaks</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Literature-list-1" href="Literature-list.de.html#Literature-list">A. Literature list</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Notation-manual-tables-1" href="Notation-manual-tables.de.html#Notation-manual-tables">B. Notation manual tables</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li><a name="toc-Chord-name-chart-1" href="Chord-name-chart.de.html#Chord-name-chart">B.1 Chord name chart</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Common-chord-modifiers-1" href="Common-chord-modifiers.de.html#Common-chord-modifiers">B.2 Common chord modifiers</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Predefined-fretboard-diagrams-1" href="Predefined-fretboard-diagrams.de.html#Predefined-fretboard-diagrams">B.3 Predefined fretboard diagrams</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-MIDI-instruments-1" href="MIDI-instruments.de.html#MIDI-instruments">B.4 MIDI instruments</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-List-of-colors-1" href="List-of-colors.de.html#List-of-colors">B.5 List of colors</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-The-Feta-font-1" href="The-Feta-font.de.html#The-Feta-font">B.6 The Feta font</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Note-head-styles-1" href="Note-head-styles.de.html#Note-head-styles">B.7 Note head styles</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Text-markup-commands-1" href="Text-markup-commands.de.html#Text-markup-commands">B.8 Text markup commands</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Text-markup-list-commands-1" href="Text-markup-list-commands.de.html#Text-markup-list-commands">B.9 Text markup list commands</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-List-of-articulations-1" href="List-of-articulations.de.html#List-of-articulations">B.10 List of articulations</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Percussion-notes-1" href="Percussion-notes.de.html#Percussion-notes">B.11 Percussion notes</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-All-context-properties-1" href="All-context-properties.de.html#All-context-properties">B.12 All context properties</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Layout-properties-1" href="Layout-properties.de.html#Layout-properties">B.13 Layout properties</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Identifiers-1" href="Identifiers.de.html#Identifiers">B.14 Identifiers</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-Scheme-functions-1" href="Scheme-functions.de.html#Scheme-functions">B.15 Scheme functions</a> </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a name="toc-Cheat-sheet-1" href="Cheat-sheet.de.html#Cheat-sheet">C. Cheat sheet</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-LilyPond-grammar-1" href="LilyPond-grammar.de.html#LilyPond-grammar">D. LilyPond grammar</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-GNU-Free-Documentation-License-1" href="GNU-Free-Documentation-License.de.html#GNU-Free-Documentation-License">E. GNU Free Documentation License</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-LilyPond-command-index-1" href="LilyPond-command-index.de.html#LilyPond-command-index">F. LilyPond command index</a> </li>
<li><a name="toc-LilyPond-index-1" href="LilyPond-index.de.html#LilyPond-index">G. LilyPond index</a> </li>
</ul>
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