3 Note Attributes

3.1 Note heads and stems

The following tags control the shape and size of note heads (\noteFormat), brackets around note heads and chords (\bracket), stem lengths, directions, and positions relative to the note heads (\stemsOff, \stemsUp, \stemsDown, \stemsAuto, \headsRight, \headsLeft, \headsCenter), and the formatting of grace and cue notes \graceFormat, \cueFormat). 

3.1.1 \noteFormat

The \noteFormat tag controls the graphical appearance, like shape and size, of the note heads. It is also used to put brackets around note heads.

Parameters (in the order of their default positions):

Range: optional

Semantics:

Remarks: Examples:
        \noteFormat<size=0.75>
        \noteFormat<0.75>
        \noteFormat<"x">
        \noteFormat<style="diamond",size=1.0>
        \noteFormat<"()",0.75>
        \noteFormat<"(x)",0.5>
        ...

3.1.2 \headsNormal, \headsReverse, \headsCenter

These purely graphical tags control the position of the note heads relative to the stems. \headsNormal has the note heads left of downward stems and right of upward stems. \headsReverse puts the heads right of downward stems and left of upward stems. \headsCenter attaches the stems to the center of the note heads (mostly used with diamond- and x-shaped note heads).

Parameters: none

Range: optional

Semantics:

Remarks: Examples:
        \headsLeft( ... )
        \headsLeft ... \headsRight
        \noteFormat<"diamond">( \headsLeft ( ... ) )
        ...

3.1.3 \bracket

This graphical tag encloses notes and chords in brackets. Also allows to specify only left or right brackets (as for double stops).

Parameters (in the order of their default positions):

Range: obligatory

Semantics:

Remarks: Examples:
        \bracket<"()">( ... )
        \bracket<"[">( ... )
        \bracket( ... )
        ...

3.1.4 \stemsOff

This graphical tag switches display of note stems and flags off.

Parameters: none

Range: optional

Semantics:

Remarks: Examples:
        \stemsOff ...
        \stemsOff( ... )

3.1.5 \stemsUp, \stemsDown, \stemsAuto

These graphical tags determine the direction and length of note stems.

Parameters (in the order of their default positions):

Range: optional

Semantics:

Remarks: Examples:
        \stemsUp ... \stemsAuto
        \stemsDown<12>( ... )

3.1.6 \graceFormat and \cueFormat

The \graceFormat and \cueFormat tags control the graphical appearance of grace and cue notes. Their syntax and semantics is completely analogous to \noteFormat.

Parameters: (see \noteFormat)

Range: optional

Semantics:

Remarks: Examples:
        \graceFormat<size=0.75>
        \cueFormat<0.75>
        \cueFormat<"x">
        \graceFormat<"()",0.75>
        ...

3.2 Dots and Accidentals

The following tags control the relative position and size of dots (\dotFormat), and the graphical appearance, positioning and size of accidentals (\acc). 

3.2.1 \dotFormat

This tag controls the grapical appearance of dots.

Parameters (in the order of their default positions):

Range: optional

Semantics:

Remarks: Examples:
        \dotFormat<dx=2.5,dy=-1,size=0.5>(c/2. d&/4.. e&/16)
        ...

3.2.2 \acc

This tag controls the grapical appearance, positioning and size of accidentals. Also forces implicit accidentals to appear in the score.

Parameters (in the order of their default positions):

Range: obligatory

Semantics:

Remarks: Examples:
        \acc(c1/4  c# d&)
        \acc<dx=-2.0, style="()", size=0.8>(c1##/8)
        c#1/4 \acc<style="()">(c)
        ...

  % for ficta noteFormat:
  %   ref. pos. for acc is center of acc.symbol, dy inst. of dx,
  %   dy is max (dist from notehead, dist from top of staff)

+ ficta (accidentals above noteheads)
  -> \noteFormat<"ficta",size>
??  maybe better: \acc<dy,"ficta">, or even \ficta<dy,style,size>

3.3 Miscellaneous

The following tags control the graphical appearance of tuplets (\tuplet) and ledger lines (\ledgersOn, \ledgersOff, and \ledgerFormat); there also tags for marking silent notes (\silent); and controlling their graphical appearance (\silentFormat). 

3.3.1 \tuplet

This tag controls the grapical appearance of tuplets.

Parameters (in the order of their default positions):