I think this e-mail belongs primarily to the user list – you won't get
a lot of answers elsewhere...
Werner
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From: Jakob Cornell via bug-lilypond <[email protected]>
Subject: Documentation suggestion: contemporary glissando
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:09 -0500
> Hi folks,
>
> The contemporary glissando example
> <https://lilypond.org/doc/v2.27/Documentation/notation/expressive-marks-as-lines#index-contemporary-glissando>
> shows
> a technique of using a hidden cadenza note as a glissando endpoint and
> an example where the glissando finishes out a measure. Unfortunately
> the measure is extended to fit the hidden note, so there's some
> unexpected blank space.
>
> Another way to achieve this is with a hidden grace note endpoint,
> which I learned from this section
> <https://lilypond.org/doc/v2.27/Documentation/notation/expressive-marks-as-lines#Extending-glissandi-across-repeats>.
> I
> believe this approach has the advantage of disturbing the horizontal
> space less (or not at all?) but has the disadvantage of not working if
> the fall-off is on the last note of the piece and the disadvantage (or
> advantage?) of extending the glissando slightly into the next bar when
> it's on the last beat.
>
> I just used it in a score to notate a slow whole-note fall-off:
>
> a1\glissando | \once \hideNotes \grace c,, r2 r8 g''(\f a[ b])
>
> Would the hidden grace note technique be preferable in enough cases
> that it should be documented in simple form alongside the cadenza
> technique under "contemporary glissando"? Or is there perhaps an even
> better technique out there for a "fall-off" style glissando?
>
> Best,
> Jakob
