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<p>
<a name="Bar-lines"></a>
Next: <a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="Bar-numbers.html#Bar-numbers">Bar numbers</a>,
Up: <a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="Bars.html#Bars">Bars</a>
<hr>
</div>
<h5 class="subsubsection">1.2.5.1 Bar lines</h5>
<p><a name="index-bar-lines-638"></a><a name="index-g_t_005cbar-639"></a><a name="index-g_t_005cbar-640"></a>
<a name="index-measure-lines-641"></a><a name="index-repeat-bars-642"></a>
Bar lines delimit measures, and are also used to indicate
repeats. Normally, simple bar lines are automatically inserted
into the printed output at places based on the current time
signature.
<p>The simple bar lines inserted automatically can be changed to
other types with the <code>\bar</code> command. For example, a closing
double bar line is usually placed at the end of a piece:
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
e4 d c2 \bar "|."
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../93/lily-311cee93.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../93/lily-311cee93.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<!-- TODO - make this warning more clear. What does it mean? -->
<p><table class="cartouche" summary="cartouche" border="1"><tr><td>
<b>Note:</b> An incorrect duration can lead to poorly formatted
music.
</td></tr></table>
<!-- TODO - check this. I think this behavior no longer happens -->
<!-- with completion_heads_engraver, but it may with note_heads_engraver -->
<!-- Make an example showing the problem -->
<p>It is not invalid if the final note in a measure does not
end on the automatically entered bar line: the note is assumed
to carry over into the next measure. But if a long sequence
of such carry-over measures appears the music can appear compressed
or even flowing off the page. This is because automatic line
breaks happen only at the end of complete measures, i.e., where
the end of a note coincides with the end of a measure.
<p><a name="index-line-breaks-643"></a><a name="index-bar-lines_002c-invisible-644"></a><a name="index-measure-lines_002c-invisible-645"></a>
Line breaks are also permitted at manually inserted bar lines
even within incomplete measures. To allow a line break without
printing a bar line, use
<pre class="example">\bar ""
</pre>
<p class="noindent">This will insert an invisible bar line and allow (but not
force) a line break to occur at this point. The bar number
counter is not increased. To force a line break see
<a href="Line-breaking.html#Line-breaking">Line breaking</a>.
<p>This and other special bar lines may be inserted manually at any
point. When they coincide with the end of a measure they replace
the simple bar line which would have been inserted there
automatically. When they do not coincide
with the end of a measure the specified bar line is inserted at that
point in the printed output. Such insertions do not affect
the calculation and placement of subsequent automatic bar lines.
<p>The simple bar line and four types of double bar line are available
for manual insertion:
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
f1 \bar "|" g \bar "||" a \bar ".|" b \bar ".|." c \bar "|." d
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../e8/lily-ff4ed5aa.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../e8/lily-ff4ed5aa.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p class="noindent">together with dotted and dashed bar lines:
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
f1 \bar ":" g \bar "dashed" a
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../5c/lily-51f0c3b8.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../5c/lily-51f0c3b8.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p class="noindent">and three types of repeat bar line:
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
f1 \bar "|:" g \bar ":|:" a \bar ":|" b
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../6f/lily-f077ae16.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../6f/lily-f077ae16.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a name="index-repeats-646"></a>
Although the bar line types signifying repeats may be inserted
manually they do not in themselves cause LilyPond to recognize
a repeated section. Such repeated sections are better entered
using the various repeat commands (see <a href="Repeats.html#Repeats">Repeats</a>), which
automatically print the appropriate bar lines.
<p>In addition, you can specify <code>"||:"</code>, which is equivalent to
<code>"|:"</code> except at line breaks, where it gives a double bar
line at the end of the line and a start repeat at the beginning of
the next line.
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
\override Score.RehearsalMark #'padding = #3
c c c c
\bar "||:"
c c c c \break
\bar "||:"
c c c c
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../6e/lily-38f9c96b.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../6e/lily-38f9c96b.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In scores with many staves, a <code>\bar</code> command in one staff is
automatically applied to all staves. The resulting bar lines are
connected between different staves of a <code>StaffGroup</code>,
<code>InnerStaffGroup</code>, <code>PianoStaff</code>, or <code>GrandStaff</code>.
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
<<
\new StaffGroup <<
\new Staff {
e'4 d'
\bar "||"
f' e'
}
\new Staff { \clef bass c4 g e g }
>>
\new Staff { \clef bass c2 c2 }
>>
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../13/lily-76b0322e.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../13/lily-76b0322e.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p class="noindent">
<h5 class="subsubheading">Selected Snippets</h5>
<p><a name="index-whichBar-647"></a><a name="index-whichBar-648"></a>
<a name="index-defaultBarType-649"></a><a name="index-defaultBarType-650"></a>
<p>The command <code>\bar </code><var>bartype</var> is a shortcut for
<code>\set Timing.whichBar = </code><var>bartype</var>. A bar line is
created whenever the <code>whichBar</code> property is
set.
<p>The default bar type used for automatically inserted bar lines is
<code>"|"</code>. This may be changed at any time
with <code>\set Timing.defaultBarType = </code><var>bartype</var>.
<p class="noindent">
<h5 class="subsubheading">See also</h5>
<p class="indent">
<p>Notation Reference: <a href="Line-breaking.html#Line-breaking">Line breaking</a>, <a href="Repeats.html#Repeats">Repeats</a>,
<!-- FIXME: node name changed, but is subject to further changes. -->
<!-- @ref{System start delimiters}. -->
<p>Snippets:
<a href="../../../input/lsr/lilypond-snippets/Rhythms.html#Rhythms">Rhythms</a>.
<p>Internals Reference: <a name="index-BarLine-651"></a><a href="../lilypond-internals/BarLine.html#BarLine">BarLine</a> (created at
<a name="index-Staff-652"></a><a href="../lilypond-internals/Staff.html#Staff">Staff</a> level), <a name="index-SpanBar-653"></a><a href="../lilypond-internals/SpanBar.html#SpanBar">SpanBar</a> (across
staves), <a name="index-Timing_005ftranslator-654"></a><a href="../lilypond-internals/Timing_005ftranslator.html#Timing_005ftranslator">Timing_translator</a> (for Timing
properties).
<!-- footer_tag --><br><hr>
<div class="node">
<p>
Next: <a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="Bar-numbers.html#Bar-numbers">Bar numbers</a>,
Up: <a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="Bars.html#Bars">Bars</a>
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