Re: Ossia help...for a newbie

[Michael Welsh Duggan]

Adrian Oehm <address@hidden> writes:

> I am typesetting some music and have run into a problem I can't work out.
>
> What I would like is an ossia above the soprano line on bar 8, like
> the example I have in "Desired Output".
>
> What I can't seem to do is set it up so it work with the score block I have...
>
> I've read as much as I can find in the manuals, but I haven't found
> anything that works, or explains what I need to do.
>
> Any help would be great.

Section 1.6.2 of the Notation reference discusses how to do this:
http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.12/Documentation/user/lilypond/Modifying-single-staves#Ossia-staves

I replaced bar 8 of the soprano line with the following:

    << { a b4\rest b8 (a) } | % 8 
       \new Staff \with {
         \remove "Time_signature_engraver"
         alignAboveContext = #"women"
         fontsize = #-3
         \override StaffSymbol #'staff-space = #(magstep -3)
         \override StaffSymbol #'thickness = #(magstep -3)
         firstClef = ##f
       } { a2 b4\rest b8 (a) } >>

Obviously, you should replace this with what you actually want in the
ossia.

> (and if anyone can point me as to how to centre the whole bar rests
> (eg bar 2 in the soprano/alto line) that would be great too!)

Use "R1" instead of "b1\rest".  Actually, in general it is easier to
understand if you use "r1" and "r4" instead of "b1\rest" and "b4\rest".
You only need to use the latter notation if you want to place the rest
in a non-default horizontal location.  (See section 1.2.2 of the
Notation Reference.) 

-- 
Michael Welsh Duggan
(address@hidden)