Re: What's the best way to fix these beams and staff spacing?

[Keith OHara]

Michael Rivers <michaeljrivers <at> gmail.com> writes:

> Here is the 28th bar of an etude by Rachmaninoff:
 
> What would be the best way of fixing this output? The space between the
> staves is fine for all but this system and one other with the same problem.
> 

Probably you know already that LilyPond usually spaces the staves first,
and then decides where the beam would best go (here, they would go above).
But if the upper-staff notes need to be voiceTwo, so the stems go down,
LilyPond runs out of options about where to fit the beam, and is not
smart enough to re-set the staff-spacing.

So we need to help LilyPond plan ahead, and reserve some space for the
beam, preferably using something local.

I have had difficulty finding a solution that works in different versions
of LilyPond.  A text markup on the last note /before/ the staff-crossings
    _\markup\pad-around #1.5 \transparent "space for beam" 
works in your case.  If you put the markup on a note in the cross-staff
beam, though, LilyPond moves it out from between the staves.

If there is a Dynamics between the staves, that might be a convenient place
to put a transparent markup where we need space.