lyric spacing : "why not follow instructions in manual"

[Father Panteleimon]

Quoting Father Panteleimon <address@hidden>:

> How can I adjust the minimum space allowed between individual words in
> lyrics? They seem too close even when the words aren't particularly long.
> I
> don't want to adjust the spacing of the notes per se, just to add a tiny
> bit
> of space between words, which space won't go away regardless of how short
> the note durations might be.

Mats said:
Popular question this morning! Please read the section on "Spacing Lyrics"
in the manual for LilyPond version 2.7.

  /Mats

Fr.P said (offlist, but got was re-directed on again):
Thank you for your reply.
I had already read the section on Lyric Spacing, but it does not do what I'm
looking for. It adjusts *note* spacing to solve a lyric problem.  That
doesn't work for me.

If the words were too close only when they were eight letters long (like in
the example, which is rare) adding some padding to the notes would be fine.
However, I find that the words are too close together if they get beyond
*four* letters, or even if a four-letter word is next to a two-letter word.
Using the method described in manual 7.3.7.1 (2.7.22) would mean that I had
to decide exactly how much extra spacing I need (which would be less than
#1) for almost every note.
So, I don't  want to add a tiny bit of padding to a *notes* but to change
the minimum spacing for words. There is something like this for
hyphenated syllables,  (manual 7.3.3). I want
to do the same with separate words.

PS. Could I simply replace
\override Score.SeparationItem
with
\override Lyric.SeparationItem
(or something) and put it with the lyrics?

Mats said:
Why not follow the instructions in the manual?

  /Mats

Fr. P said:

Below is my previous example-snippet "fixed" with the instructions on manual 
page 7.3.7.1
This fixes the offending areas, but also adds space where extra space need 
not be, eg in the melisma over "Lord's"  and between the two 8th notes over 
"a". To use this method to fix the whole phrase I would have to use it at
least twice even in such a short bit as this. In a whole piece...well that
would be a very complicated solution to what seems a simple problem.
It would take only a tiny bit of inalienable space between words (said space
being communicated to corresponding notes) to obviate the need for manual
section 7.3.7.1. Since there is obviously some such amount of space, why not
make that space just a little bigger, or let the user do it? It would be an
improvement, I think.
The manual speaks as if there were only a problem when words are as long as
the word "longtext". My experience is that (especially in vocal music
without metre, chant specifically) the problem occurs in syllabic passages
with words of four letters or more (*most* words). Fixing the problem by
changing *note* spacing doesn't make sense, because it has to either be
redone innumerable times or the note spacing must be changed for the entire
piece, even where it isn't needed. The
melisma over "Lord's" should be set with default spacing, not #1-padded
spacing.  This may not seem like a big deal in this example, but in music
that frequently shifts between syllabic and melismatic, it makes a
difference.

\score{\relative c' {\set Score.timing = ##f \key g \major \autoBeamOff
\clef "G_8"
    a2 \override Score.SeparationItem #'padding = #1 a8 a a g a4.( b8 c4 b)
a a g8[( a)] b4( a g) a( b c2) \fermata \bar "||" }

   \addlyrics {How shall we sing the Lord's __ song in a __ strange __
land. __ }
\layout { ragged-last = ##t  \context { \Staff \remove
"Time_signature_engraver" \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } }


-Fr. P