GNU LilyPond

-- --

Printing named chords

For displaying printed chord names, use the ChordNames context. The chords may be entered either using the notation described above, or directly using simultaneous music.

     scheme = \notes {
       \chords {a1 b c} <<d f g>>  <<e g b>>
     }
     \score {
       \notes<
         \context ChordNames \scheme
         \context Staff \transpose c c' \scheme
       >
     }
     

You can make the chord changes stand out by setting ChordNames.chordChanges to true. This will only display chord names when there's a change in the chords scheme and at the start of a new line.

     scheme = \chords {
       c1:m c:m \break c:m c:m d
     }
     \score {
       \notes <
         \context ChordNames {
             \property ChordNames.chordChanges = ##t
             \scheme }
         \context Staff \transpose c c' \scheme
       >
     \paper{linewidth= 9.\cm}
     }
     

LilyPond examines chords specified as lists of notes to determine a name to give the chord. LilyPond will not try to identify chord inversions or an added bass note, which may result in strange chord names when chords are entered as a list of pitches:

     scheme = \notes {
       <<c' e' g'>>1
       <<e' g' c''>>
       <<e e' g' c''>>
     }
     
     \score {
       <
         \context ChordNames \scheme
         \context Staff \scheme
       >
     }
     

The default chord name layout is a system for Jazz music, proposed by Klaus Ignatzek (See Literature).

[TODO: add description for banter other jazz.]

The Ignatzek chord name formatting can be tuned in a number of ways through the following properties:

chordNameExceptions

This is a list that contains the chords that have special formatting. For example.

          chExceptionMusic = \notes { <<c f g bes>>1-\markup { \super "7" "wahh" }}
          chExceptions = #(append
            (sequential-music-to-chord-exceptions chExceptionMusic)
            ignatzekExceptions)
          
          \score {   \context ChordNames
              \chords {
                c:7sus4 c:dim7
                \property ChordNames.chordNameExceptions = #chExceptions
                c:7sus4 c:dim7 } }
          

Putting the exceptions list encoded as

           \notes { <<c f g bes>>1-\markup { \super "7" "wahh" } }
          

into the property takes a little manoeuvring. The following code transforms chExceptionMusic (which is a sequential music) into a list of exceptions.

            (sequential-music-to-chord-exceptions chExceptionMusic)
          

Then,

          #(append
            ... ignatzekExceptions)
          

adds the new exceptions to the default ones, which are defined in ly/chord-modifier-init.ly.

majorSevenSymbol

This property contains the markup object used for the 7th step, when it is major. Predefined options are whiteTriangleMarkup, blackTriangleMarkup. The following uses another popular shorthand.

          \context ChordNames \chords {
                c:7
                \property ChordNames.majorSevenSymbol = \markup { "j7" }
                c:7 }
          

chordNameSeparator

Different parts of a chord name are normally separated by a slash. By setting chordNameSeparator, you can specify other separators, e.g.

          \context ChordNames \chords {
                c:7sus4
                \property ChordNames.chordNameSeparator = \markup { "|" }
                c:7sus4 }
          

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Copyright (c) 1997--2002 Han-Wen Nienhuys and Jan Nieuwenhuizen.

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