On Fri, 16 Jan 2026, Shane Brandes wrote: > Funny, I prefer the default. Is this a matter of preference by custom in > these cases? Or is it just an arbitrary decision to left align verses > stacking them like a wobbly pile of stones? >
Shane, after looking at the examples that I compiled (see the PDF that I attached <https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/2026-01/pdffd4DINb605.pdf> to this message <https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/2026-01/msg00114.html>), I think that yes, this is probably a matter of preference and visual judgment on a case-by-case basis. (Caveat/disclosure: I am relatively new to music engraving. Many people on this list probably have more expertise than I do!) I have gone a step further with exploring LilyPond behaviour: Please see attached (PDF and .ly) the way LilyPond renders three of the examples that I shared previously, which you can compare with those manual engravings. Within this file, I wrote up my own personal opinions about what could be better in LilyPond. A couple of highlights: Rimsky-Korsakov and Chopin examples When a whole note head sandwiched between two ledger lines has an unoccupied ledger line immediately above it that is not centered over it, I think that that looks strange and unattractive. Berwald example A quarter note with fewer ledger lines is stacked with a whole note that needs more ledger lines. I personally think it’s not ideal that the inner ledger line is the same width as the outer one. But I imagine that it might be very complex to program LilyPond to be as “smart” with each individual ledger line as the engravers of the Bärenreiter piano-part score were. Again, these are just my opinions. I wonder what others on this list think!
Ledger-Lines-in-LilyPond.pdf
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Ledger-Lines-in-LilyPond.ly
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