2.2.1 Common notation for keyboards
This section discusses notation issues that may arise for most keyboard instruments.
References for keyboards | ||
Changing staff manually | ||
Changing staff automatically | ||
Staff-change lines | ||
Cross-staff stems |
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References for keyboards
Keyboard instruments are usually notated with Piano staves. These
are two or more normal staves coupled with a brace. The same
notation is also used for other keyed instruments.
Organ music is normally written with two staves inside a
PianoStaff
group and third, normal staff for the pedals.
The staves in keyboard music are largely independent, but sometimes voices can cross between the two staves. This section discusses notation techniques particular to keyboard music.
Several common issues in keyboard music are covered elsewhere:
- Keyboard music usually contains multiple voices and the number of voices may change regularly; this is described in Collision resolution.
- Keyboard music can be written in parallel, as described in Writing music in parallel.
- Fingerings are indicated with Fingering instructions.
- Organ pedal indications are inserted as articulations, see List of articulations.
- Vertical grid lines can be shown with Grid lines.
- Keyboard music often contains Laissez vibrer ties as well as ties on arpeggios and tremolos, described in Ties.
- Placing arpeggios across multiple voices and staves is covered in Arpeggio.
- Tremolo marks are described in Tremolo repeats.
- Several of the tweaks that can occur in keyboard music are demonstrated in Real music example.
- Hidden notes can be used to produce ties that cross voices, as shown in Other uses for tweaks.
See also
Learning Manual: Real music example, Other uses for tweaks.
Notation Reference: Grouping staves, Instrument names, Collision resolution, Writing music in parallel, Fingering instructions, List of articulations, Grid lines, Ties, Arpeggio, Tremolo repeats.
Internals Reference: PianoStaff.
Snippets: Keyboards.
Known issues and warnings
Dynamics are not automatically centered, but workarounds do exist. One
option is the ‘piano centered dynamics’ template under
Piano templates; another option is to increase the
staff-padding
of dynamics as discussed in
objects
Moving objects.
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Changing staff manually
Voices can be switched between staves manually, using the command
\change Staff = staffname
The string staffname is the name of the staff. It switches
the current voice from its current staff to the staff called
staffname. Typical values for staffname are
"up"
and "down"
, or "RH"
and "LH"
.
Cross-staff notes are beamed automatically:
\new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "up" { <e' c'>8 \change Staff = "down" g8 fis g \change Staff = "up" <g'' c''>8 \change Staff = "down" e8 dis e \change Staff = "up" } \new Staff = "down" { \clef bass % keep staff alive s1 } >>
If the beaming needs to be tweaked, make any changes to the stem directions first. The beam positions are then measured from the center of the staff that is closest to the beam. For a simple example of beam tweaking, see notation Fixing overlapping notation.
See also
Learning Manual: Fixing overlapping notation.
Notation Reference: Stems, Automatic beams.
Snippets: Keyboards.
Internals Reference: Beam, ContextChange.
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Changing staff automatically
Voices can be made to switch automatically between the top and the bottom staff. The syntax for this is
\autochange …music…
This will create two staves inside the current staff group
(usually a PianoStaff
), called "up"
and
"down"
. The lower staff will be in the bass clef by default.
The autochanger switches on the basis of the pitch (middle C is the
turning point), and it looks ahead skipping over rests to switch
in advance.
\new PianoStaff { \autochange { g4 a b c' d'4 r a g } }
A \relative
section that is outside of \autochange
has no effect on the pitches of the music, so if necessary, put
\relative
inside \autochange
.
If additional control is needed over the individual staves, they
can be created manually with the names "up"
and
"down"
. The \autochange
command will then switch
its voice between the existing staves.
Note: If staves are created manually, they must be named
|
For example, staves must be created manually in order to place a key signature in the lower staff:
\new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "up" { \new Voice = "melOne" { \key g \major \autochange \relative c' { g8 b a c b d c e d8 r fis, g a2 } } } \new Staff = "down" { \key g \major \clef bass } >>
See also
Notation Reference: Changing staff manually.
Snippets: Keyboards.
Internals Reference: AutoChangeMusic.
Known issues and warnings
The staff switches may not end up in optimal places. For high quality output, staff switches should be specified manually.
Chords will not be split across the staves; they will be assigned to a staff based on the first note named in the chord construct.
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Staff-change lines
Whenever a voice switches to another staff, a line connecting the notes can be printed automatically:
\new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "one" { \showStaffSwitch c1 \change Staff = "two" b2 a } \new Staff = "two" { \clef bass s1*2 } >>
Predefined commands
\showStaffSwitch
,
\hideStaffSwitch
.
See also
Snippets: Keyboards.
Internals Reference: Note_head_line_engraver, VoiceFollower.
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Cross-staff stems
Chords that cross staves may be produced:
\new PianoStaff << \new Staff { \relative c' { f8 e4 d8 d f e4 } } \new Staff { \relative c' { << { \clef bass % stems may overlap the other staff \override Stem #'cross-staff = ##t % extend the stems to reach other other staff \override Stem #'length = #12 % do not print extra flags \override Stem #'flag-style = #'no-flag % prevent beaming as needed a8 g4 f8 f bes\noBeam g4 } \\ { f,2 bes4 c } >> } } >>
Selected Snippets
Indicating cross-staff chords with arpeggio bracket
An arpeggio bracket can indicate that notes on two different staves are
to be played with the same hand. In order to do this, the
PianoStaff
must be set to accept cross-staff arpeggios and the
arpeggios must be set to the bracket shape in the PianoStaff
context.
(Debussy, Les collines d’Anacapri, m. 65)
\paper { ragged-right = ##t } \new PianoStaff << \set PianoStaff.connectArpeggios = ##t \override PianoStaff.Arpeggio #'stencil = #ly:arpeggio::brew-chord-bracket \new Staff { \relative c' { \key b \major \time 6/8 b8-.(\arpeggio fis'-.\> cis-. e-. gis-. b-.)\!\fermata^\laissezVibrer \bar "||" } } \new Staff { \relative c' { \clef bass \key b \major << { <a e cis>2.\arpeggio } \\ { <a, e a,>2. } >> } } >>
See also
Snippets: Keyboards.
Internals Reference: Stem.
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