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<p>
<a name="Single-staff-polyphony"></a>
<a name="Single_002dstaff-polyphony"></a>
Next: <a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="Voice-styles.html#Voice-styles">Voice styles</a>,
Up: <a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="Multiple-voices.html#Multiple-voices">Multiple voices</a>
<hr>
</div>
<h5 class="unnumberedsubsubsec">Single-staff polyphony</h5>
<p>The basic structure of code needed to achieve multiple, independent
voices in a single staff is illustrated in the following example:
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
\new Staff <<
\new Voice = "first"
{ \voiceOne r8 r16 g e8. f16 g8[ c,] f e16 d }
\new Voice= "second"
{ \voiceTwo d16 c d8~ d16 b c8~ c16 b c8~ c16 b8. }
>>
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../4a/lily-e9b2cca6.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../4a/lily-e9b2cca6.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here, voices are instantiated explicitly and are given a name. The
<code>\voiceOne</code> ... <code>\voiceFour</code> commands set up the voices so
that first and third voices get stems up, second and fourth voices get
stems down, third and fourth voice note heads are horizontally
shifted, and rests in the respective voices are automatically moved to
avoid collisions. Using the <code>\oneVoice</code> command, all the voice
settings are put back to the neutral directions typical of a
single-voice passage.
<p>We can make a voice to be in the same <code>Voice</code> context before
and after a temporary polyphonic passage. For example, the following
construct keeps a voice alive throughout the polyphonic section. Said
voice is the first one inside of the two-voice section, and the extra
voice is the second one.
<pre class="example"><< { \voiceOne ... } \new Voice { \voiceTwo ... } >> \oneVoice
</pre>
<p>Using the name given when created, this allows lyrics to be assigned
to one consistent voice.
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
<<
\new Voice = "melody" {
a4
<<
{
\voiceOne
g f
}
\new Voice {
\voiceTwo
e d
}
>>
\oneVoice
e
}
\new Lyrics \lyricsto "melody" {
This is my song.
}
>>
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../0e/lily-f1c4727c.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../0e/lily-f1c4727c.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here, the \voiceOne and \voiceTwo commands help to make clear what
settings does each voice receive.
<p>The <code><<{...} \\ {...}>></code> construction, where the two (or
more) voices are separated by double backslashes, can be used as a
simplified method to print multiple voices in a single staff. Our
first example could be typeset as follows:
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
<<
{ r8 r16 g e8. f16 g8[ c,] f e16 d }
\\
{ d16 c d8~ d16 b c8~ c16 b c8~ c16 b8. }
>>
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../ad/lily-6bbabbfb.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../ad/lily-6bbabbfb.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This syntax is simpler and can be used where it does not matter that
temporary voices are created and then discarded. These implicitly
created voices are given the settings equivalent to the effect of the
<code>\voiceOne</code> ... <code>\voiceFour</code> commands, in the order in which
they appear in the code. In the following example, the intermediate
voice has stems up, therefore we enter it in the third place, so it
becomes voice three which has the stems up as desired.
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
<<
{ r8 g g g g f16 es f8 d }
\\
{ es,8 r es r d r d r }
\\
{ d'8 s c s bes s a s }
>>
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../f9/lily-b2537a54.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../f9/lily-b2537a54.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Spacer rests are often used to avoid too many rests, as seen in the
example above.
<p>In all but simplest works it is advisable to create explicit
<code>Voice</code> contexts using the <code>\new</code> and <code>\context</code>
commands as it is explained in <a name="index-Contexts-and-engravers-1233"></a><a href="../lilypond-learning/Contexts-and-engravers.html#Contexts-and-engravers">Contexts and engravers</a> and
<a name="index-Explicitly-instantiating-voices-1234"></a><a href="../lilypond-learning/Explicitly-instantiating-voices.html#Explicitly-instantiating-voices">Explicitly instantiating voices</a>.
<p>In the special case that we want to typeset parallel pieces of music
that have the same rhythm, we can combine them into a single
<code>Voice</code> context, thus forming chords. To achieve this, enclose
them in a simple simultaneous music construction and make it to be an
explicit voice:
<blockquote>
<pre class="verbatim">
\new Voice <<
{ e4 f8 d e16 f g8 d4 }
{ c4 d8 b c16 d e8 b4 }
>>
</pre>
<p>
<a href="../23/lily-de56d6e4.ly">
<img align="middle"
border="0" src="../23/lily-de56d6e4.png" alt="[image of music]">
</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This method leads to strange beamings and warnings if the pieces of
music do not have the same rhythm.
<p class="noindent">
<h5 class="subsubheading">Predefined commands</h5>
<p><a name="index-g_t_005cvoiceOne-1235"></a><a name="index-g_t_005cvoiceOne-1236"></a>
<code>\voiceOne</code>,
<a name="index-g_t_005cvoiceTwo-1237"></a><a name="index-g_t_005cvoiceTwo-1238"></a>
<code>\voiceTwo</code>,
<a name="index-g_t_005cvoiceThree-1239"></a><a name="index-g_t_005cvoiceThree-1240"></a>
<code>\voiceThree</code>,
<a name="index-g_t_005cvoiceFour-1241"></a><a name="index-g_t_005cvoiceFour-1242"></a>
<code>\voiceFour</code>,
<a name="index-g_t_005coneVoice-1243"></a><a name="index-g_t_005coneVoice-1244"></a>
<code>\oneVoice</code>.
<p class="noindent">
<h5 class="subsubheading">See also</h5>
<p class="indent">
<p>Learning Manual:
<a name="index-Voices-contain-music-1245"></a><a href="../lilypond-learning/Voices-contain-music.html#Voices-contain-music">Voices contain music</a>,
<a name="index-Explicitly-instantiating-voices-1246"></a><a href="../lilypond-learning/Explicitly-instantiating-voices.html#Explicitly-instantiating-voices">Explicitly instantiating voices</a>.
<p>Notation Reference:
<a href="Percussion-staves.html#Percussion-staves">Percussion staves</a>,
<a href="Invisible-rests.html#Invisible-rests">Invisible rests</a>.
<p>Snippets:
<a href="../../../input/lsr/lilypond-snippets/Simultaneous-notes.html#Simultaneous-notes">Simultaneous notes</a>.
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<a name="Single_002dstaff-polyphony"></a>
Next: <a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="Voice-styles.html#Voice-styles">Voice styles</a>,
Up: <a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="Multiple-voices.html#Multiple-voices">Multiple voices</a>
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