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<p>
<a name="Durations"></a>
Next: <a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="Tuplets.html#Tuplets">Tuplets</a>,
Up: <a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="Writing-rhythms.html#Writing-rhythms">Writing rhythms</a>
<hr>
</div>
<h5 class="subsubsection">1.2.1.1 Durations</h5>
<p><a name="index-durations_002c-of-notes-382"></a><a name="index-note-durations-383"></a>
<a name="index-g_t_005clonga-384"></a><a name="index-g_t_005clonga-385"></a>
<a name="index-g_t_005cbreve-386"></a><a name="index-g_t_005cbreve-387"></a>
<a name="index-g_t_005cmaxima-388"></a><a name="index-g_t_005cmaxima-389"></a>
<p>Durations are designated by numbers and dots.
Durations are entered as their reciprocal values. For example, a
quarter note is entered using a <code>4</code> (since it is a 1/4 note),
and a half note is entered using a <code>2</code> (since it is a 1/2
note). For notes longer than a whole you must use the
<code>\longa</code> (a double breve) and <code>\breve</code> commands.
Durations as short as 64th notes may be specified. Shorter values
are possible, but only as beamed notes.
<!-- Two 64th notes are needed to obtain beams -->
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
\time 8/1
c\longa c\breve c1 c2
c4 c8 c16 c32 c64 c64
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../97/lily-c6c45d46.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../97/lily-c6c45d46.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p class="noindent">Here are the same durations with automatic beaming turned off.
<!-- not strictly "writing rhythms"; more of a "displaying" thing, -->
<!-- but it's ok here. -gp -->
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
\time 8/1
\autoBeamOff
c\longa c\breve c1 c2
c4 c8 c16 c32 c64 c64
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../76/lily-880743d4.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../76/lily-880743d4.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A note with the duration of a quadruple breve may be entered with
<code>\maxima</code>, but this is supported only within ancient music
notation. For details, see <a href="Ancient-notation.html#Ancient-notation">Ancient notation</a>.
<p>If the duration is omitted, it is set to the previously
entered duration. The default for the first note is a quarter
note.
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
a a a2 a a4 a a1 a
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../09/lily-d1136fcc.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../09/lily-d1136fcc.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a name="index-notes_002c-dotted-390"></a><a name="index-dotted-notes-391"></a>
<a name="index-g_t_002e-392"></a><a name="index-g_t_002e-393"></a>
<p>To obtain dotted note lengths, place a dot (<code>.</code>) after the
duration. Double-dotted notes are specified by appending two
dots, and so on.
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
a4 b c4. b8 a4. b4.. c8.
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../9e/lily-940c12d9.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../9e/lily-940c12d9.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some durations cannot be represented with just binary durations
and dots; they can be represented only by tying two or more
notes together. For details, see <a href="Ties.html#Ties">Ties</a>.
<p>For ways of specifying durations for the syllables of lyrics and
ways of aligning lyrics to notes, see <a href="Vocal-music.html#Vocal-music">Vocal music</a>.
<p>Optionally, notes can be spaced strictly proportionately to their
duration. For details of this and other settings which control
proportional notation, see <a href="Proportional-notation.html#Proportional-notation">Proportional notation</a>.
<p><a name="index-g_t_005cdotsUp-394"></a><a name="index-g_t_005cdotsUp-395"></a>
<a name="index-g_t_005cdotsDown-396"></a><a name="index-g_t_005cdotsDown-397"></a>
<a name="index-g_t_005cdotsNeutral-398"></a><a name="index-g_t_005cdotsNeutral-399"></a>
<p>Dots are normally moved up to avoid staff lines, except in
polyphonic situations. Predefined commands are available to
force a particular direction manually, for details
see <a href="Direction-and-placement.html#Direction-and-placement">Direction and placement</a>.
<p class="noindent">
<h5 class="subsubheading">Predefined commands</h5>
<p><code>\autoBeamOff</code>,
<code>\dotsUp</code>,
<code>\dotsDown</code>,
<code>\dotsNeutral</code>.
<p class="noindent">
<h5 class="subsubheading">See also</h5>
<p class="indent">
<p>Music Glossary:
<a name="index-breve-400"></a><a href="../music-glossary/breve.html#breve">breve</a>,
<a name="index-longa-401"></a><a href="../music-glossary/longa.html#longa">longa</a>,
<a name="index-note-value-402"></a><a href="../music-glossary/note-value.html#note-value">note value</a>,
<a name="index-Duration-names-notes-and-rests-403"></a><a href="../music-glossary/Duration-names-notes-and-rests.html#Duration-names-notes-and-rests">Duration names notes and rests</a>.
<p>Notation Reference:
<a href="Automatic-beams.html#Automatic-beams">Automatic beams</a>,
<a href="Ties.html#Ties">Ties</a>,
<a href="Writing-rhythms.html#Writing-rhythms">Writing rhythms</a>,
<a href="Writing-rests.html#Writing-rests">Writing rests</a>,
<a href="Vocal-music.html#Vocal-music">Vocal music</a>,
<a href="Ancient-notation.html#Ancient-notation">Ancient notation</a>,
<a href="Proportional-notation.html#Proportional-notation">Proportional notation</a>.
<p>Snippets:
<a href="../../../input/lsr/lilypond-snippets/Rhythms.html#Rhythms">Rhythms</a>.
<p>Internals Reference:
<a name="index-Dots-404"></a><a href="../lilypond-internals/Dots.html#Dots">Dots</a>,
<a name="index-DotColumn-405"></a><a href="../lilypond-internals/DotColumn.html#DotColumn">DotColumn</a>.
<p class="noindent">
<h5 class="subsubheading">Known issues and warnings</h5>
<!-- Deliberately duplicated in Durations and Rests. -gp -->
<p>There is no fundamental limit to rest durations (both in terms of
longest and shortest), but the number of glyphs is limited:
rests from 128th to maxima (8 x whole) may be printed.
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Up: <a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="Writing-rhythms.html#Writing-rhythms">Writing rhythms</a>
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