LilyPond Notation Reference: 1.3.2 Expressive marks as curves

### 1.3.2 Expressive marks as curves

This section explains how to create various expressive marks that are curved: normal slurs, phrasing slurs, breath marks, falls, and doits.

#### Slurs

Slurs are entered using parentheses:

Note: In polyphonic music, a slur must be terminated in the same voice it began.

>     f4( g a) a8 b(
>     a4 g2 f4)
>     <c e>2( <b d>2)

Slurs may be manually placed above or below the staff; see Direction and placement.

Simultaneous or overlapping slurs are not permitted, but a phrasing slur can overlap a slur. This permits two slurs to be printed at once. For details, see Phrasing slurs.

Slurs can be solid, dotted, or dashed. Solid is the default slur style:

>     c4( e g2)
>     \slurDashed
>     g4( e c2)
>     \slurDotted
>     c4( e g2)
>     \slurSolid
>     g4( e c2)

Slurs can also be made half-dashed (the first half dashed, the second half solid) or half-solid (the first half solid, the second half dashed):

>     c4( e g2)
>     \slurHalfDashed
>     g4( e c2)
>     \slurHalfSolid
>     c4( e g2)
>     \slurSolid
>     g4( e c2)

Custom dash patterns for slurs can be defined:

>     c4( e g2)
>     \slurDashPattern #0.7 #0.75
>     g4( e c2)
>     \slurDashPattern #0.5 #2.0
>     c4( e g2)
>     \slurSolid
>     g4( e c2)

#### Predefined commands

`\slurUp`, `\slurDown`, `\slurNeutral`, `\slurDashed`, `\slurDotted`, `\slurHalfDashed`, `\slurHalfSolid`, `\slurDashPattern`, `\slurSolid`.

#### Selected Snippets

Using double slurs for legato chords

Some composers write two slurs when they want legato chords. This can be achieved by setting `doubleSlurs`.

>     \relative c' {
>       \set doubleSlurs = ##t
>       <c e>4( <d f> <c e> <d f>)
>     }

Positioning text markups inside slurs

Text markups need to have the `outside-staff-priority` property set to false in order to be printed inside slurs.

>     \relative c'' {
>       \override TextScript #'avoid-slur = #'inside
>       \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
>       c2(^\markup { \halign #-10 \natural } d4.) c8
>     }

Making slurs with complex dash structure

Slurs can be made with complex dash patterns by defining the `dash-definition` property. `dash-definition` is a list of `dash-elements`. A `dash-element` is a list of parameters defining the dash behavior for a segment of the slur.

The slur is defined in terms of the bezier parameter t which ranges from 0 at the left end of the slur to 1 at the right end of the slur. `dash-element` is a list `(start-t stop-t dash-fraction dash-period)`. The region of the slur from `start-t` to `stop-t` will have a fraction `dash-fraction` of each `dash-period` black. `dash-period` is defined in terms of staff spaces. `dash-fraction` is set to 1 for a solid slur.

>     \relative c' {
>       \once \override
>         Slur #'dash-definition = #'((0 0.3 0.1 0.75)
>                                     (0.3 0.6 1 1)
>                                     (0.65 1.0 0.4 0.75))
>       c4( d e f)
>       \once \override
>         Slur #'dash-definition = #'((0 0.25 1 1)
>                                     (0.3 0.7 0.4 0.75)
>                                     (0.75 1.0 1 1))
>       c4( d e f)
>     }

#### See also

Music Glossary: slur.

Learning Manual: On the un-nestedness of brackets and ties.

Notation Reference: Direction and placement, Phrasing slurs.

Snippets: Expressive marks.

Internals Reference: Slur.

#### Phrasing slurs

Phrasing slurs (or phrasing marks) that indicate a musical sentence are written using the commands `\(` and `\)` respectively:

>     c4\( d( e) f(
>     e2) d\)

Typographically, a phrasing slur behaves almost exactly like a normal slur. However, they are treated as different objects; a `\slurUp` will have no effect on a phrasing slur. Phrasing may be manually placed above or below the staff; see Direction and placement.

Simultaneous or overlapping phrasing slurs are not permitted.

Phrasing slurs can be solid, dotted, or dashed. Solid is the default style for phrasing slurs:

>     c4\( e g2\)
>     \phrasingSlurDashed
>     g4\( e c2\)
>     \phrasingSlurDotted
>     c4\( e g2\)
>     \phrasingSlurSolid
>     g4\( e c2\)

Phrasing slurs can also be made half-dashed (the first half dashed, the second half solid) or half-solid (the first half solid, the second half dashed):

>     c4\( e g2\)
>     \phrasingSlurHalfDashed
>     g4\( e c2\)
>     \phrasingSlurHalfSolid
>     c4\( e g2\)
>     \phrasingSlurSolid
>     g4\( e c2\)

Custom dash patterns for phrasing slurs can be defined:

>     c4\( e g2\)
>     \phrasingSlurDashPattern #0.7 #0.75
>     g4\( e c2\)
>     \phrasingSlurDashPattern #0.5 #2.0
>     c4\( e g2\)
>     \phrasingSlurSolid
>     g4\( e c2\)

Dash pattern definitions for phrasing slurs have the same structure as dash pattern definitions for slurs. For more information about complex dash patterns, see the snippets under Slurs.

#### Predefined commands

`\phrasingSlurUp`, `\phrasingSlurDown`, `\phrasingSlurNeutral`, `\phrasingSlurDashed`, `\phrasingSlurDotted`, `\phrasingSlurHalfDashed`, `\phrasingSlurHalfSolid`, `\phrasingSlurDashPattern`, `\phrasingSlurSolid`.

#### See also

Learning Manual: On the un-nestedness of brackets and ties.

Notation Reference: Direction and placement, Slurs.

Snippets: Expressive marks.

Internals Reference: PhrasingSlur.

#### Breath marks

Breath marks are entered using `\breathe`:

>     c2. \breathe d4

A breath mark will end an automatic beam; to override this behavior, see Manual beams.

>     c8 \breathe d e f g2

Musical indicators for breath marks in ancient notation, divisiones, are supported. For details, see Divisiones.

#### Selected Snippets

Changing the breath mark symbol

The glyph of the breath mark can be tuned by overriding the text property of the `BreathingSign` layout object with any markup text.

>     \relative c'' {
>       c2
>       \override BreathingSign #'text = \markup { \musicglyph #"scripts.rvarcomma" }
>       \breathe
>       d2
>     }

Inserting a caesura

Caesura marks can be created by overriding the `'text` property of the `BreathingSign` object. A curved caesura mark is also available.

>     \relative c'' {
>       \override BreathingSign #'text = \markup {
>         \musicglyph #"scripts.caesura.straight"
>       }
>       c8 e4. \breathe g8. e16 c4

>       \override BreathingSign #'text = \markup {
>         \musicglyph #"scripts.caesura.curved"
>       }
>       g8 e'4. \breathe g8. e16 c4
>     }

#### See also

Music Glossary: caesura.

Notation Reference: Divisiones.

Snippets: Expressive marks.

Internals Reference: BreathingEvent, BreathingSign, Breathing_sign_engraver.

#### Falls and doits

Falls and doits can be added to notes using the `\bendAfter` command. The direction of the fall or doit is indicated with a plus or minus (up or down). The number indicates the pitch interval that the fall or doit will extend beyond the main note.

>     c2-\bendAfter #+4
>     c2-\bendAfter #-4
>     c2-\bendAfter #+6.5
>     c2-\bendAfter #-6.5
>     c2-\bendAfter #+8
>     c2-\bendAfter #-8

The dash `-` immediately preceding the `\bendAfter` command is required when writing falls and doits.

#### Selected Snippets

Adjusting the shape of falls and doits

The `shortest-duration-space` property may have to be tweaked to adjust the shape of falls and doits.

>     \relative c'' {
>       \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'shortest-duration-space = #4.0
>       c2-\bendAfter #5
>       c2-\bendAfter #-4.75
>       c2-\bendAfter #8.5
>       c2-\bendAfter #-6
>     }

#### See also

Music Glossary: fall, doit.

Snippets: Expressive marks.

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