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Spacing of ungrouped staves

Staves (such as Staff, DrumStaff, TabStaff, etc.) are contexts that can contain one or more voice contexts, but cannot contain any other staves.

The following properties affect the spacing of ungrouped staves:

• VerticalAxisGroup properties:
  • default-staff-staff-spacing
  • staff-staff-spacing

These grob properties are described individually above; see Within-system spacing properties.

Additional properties are involved for staves that are part of a staff group; see Spacing of grouped staves.

The following example shows how the default-staff-staff-spacing property can affect the spacing of ungrouped staves. The same overrides applied to staff-staff-spacing would have the same effect, but would also apply in cases where the staves are combined in a group or groups.

\layout {
  \context {
    \Staff
    \override VerticalAxisGroup.default-staff-staff-spacing =
      #'((basic-distance . 8)
         (minimum-distance . 7)
         (padding . 1))
  }
}

<<
  % The very low note here needs more room than 'basic-distance
  % can provide, so the distance between this staff and the next
  % is determined by 'padding.
  \new Staff { b,2 r | }

  % Here, 'basic-distance provides enough room, and there is no
  % need to compress the space (towards 'minimum-distance) to make
  % room for anything else on the page, so the distance between
  % this staff and the next is determined by 'basic-distance.
  \new Staff { \clef bass g2 r | }

  % By setting 'padding to a negative value, staves can be made to
  % collide.  The lowest acceptable value for 'basic-distance is 0.
  \new Staff \with {
    \override VerticalAxisGroup.default-staff-staff-spacing =
      #'((basic-distance . 3.5)
         (padding . -10))
  } { \clef bass g2 r | }
  \new Staff { \clef bass g2 r | }
>>

See also

Installed Files: scm/define-grobs.scm.

Snippets: Spacing.

Internals Reference: VerticalAxisGroup.