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Jianpu in Lilypond
jianpu-ly is a Python program (compatible with both Python 2 and Python 3) that assists with printing jianpu (numbered musical notation) in the GNU Lilypond music typesetter. The jianpu is written on a modified-appearance "stave" in Lilypond, which means Lilypond's typesetting capabilities (lyric spacing, slurs, beams etc) will apply to the jianpu without needing to add a 5-line stave. If you prefer, the generated code for the jianpu stave may also be placed in a score with other types of stave.
Using jianpu-ly requires some technical knowledge. If you don't know what a command line is, what a text editor is, what a directory is or what Python is, then please find out about these things before attempting to use jianpu-ly. It is not an extension to Lilypond front-ends like Frescobaldi; it is a 'preprocessor' that currently requires you to have command-line experience.
Additionally, David Zhang of Beijing extended this idea into a tighter integration of jianpu with Lilypond, often called jianpu10a.ly, which provides a JianpuStaff that accepts normal Lilypond code and translates it (a bit like Lilypond's TabStaff). His style of jianpu is different from that produced by my jianpu-ly (which also has a different input format).
Download jianpu-ly.py or use pip install jianpu-ly or pipx run jianpu-ly (there's also history on GitHub)
Run jianpu-ly < text-file > ly-file (or jianpu-ly text-files > ly-file)
Text files are whitespace-separated and can contain:
| Scale going up | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1' |
| Accidentals | 1 #1 2 b2 1 |
| Octaves | 1,, 1, 1 1' 1'' |
| Shortcuts for 1' and 2' | 8 9 |
| Percussion beat | x |
| Change base octave | < > |
| Semiquaver, quaver, crotchet (16/8/4th notes) | s1 q1 1 |
| Dotted versions of the above (50% longer) | s1. q1. 1. |
| Demisemiquaver, hemidemisemiquaver (32/64th notes) | d1 h1 |
| Minims (half notes) use dashes | 1 - |
| Dotted minim | 1 - - |
| Semibreve (whole note) | 1 - - - |
| Time signature | 4/4 |
| Time signature with quaver anacrusis (8th-note pickup) | 4/4,8 |
| Key signature (major) | 1=Bb |
| Key signature (minor) | 6=F# |
| Tempo | 4=85 |
| Lyrics | L: here are the syl- la- bles (all on one line) |
| Lyrics (verse 1) | L: 1. Here is verse one |
| Lyrics (verse 2) | L: 2. Here is verse two |
| Hanzi lyrics (auto space) | H: hanzi (with or without spaces) |
| Lilypond headers | title=the title (on a line of its own) |
| Guitar chords | chords=c2. g:7 c (on own line) |
| Fret diagrams | frets=guitar (on own line) |
| Multiple parts | NextPart |
| Instrument of current part | instrument=Flute (on a line of its own) |
| Multiple movements | NextScore |
| Prohibit page breaks until end of this movement | OnePage |
| Suppress bar numbers | NoBarNums |
| Suppress first-line indent | NoIndent |
| Ragged last line | RaggedLast |
| Old-style time signature | SeparateTimesig 1=C 4/4 |
| Indonesian 'not angka' style | angka |
| Add a Western staff doubling the tune | WithStaff |
| Tuplets | 3[ q1 q1 q1 ] |
| Grace notes before | g[#45] 1 |
| Grace notes after | 1 ['1]g |
| Grace notes with durations | g[d4d5s6] 1 |
| Simple chords | ,13'5 1 1b3 1 (chord numbers are sorted automatically) |
| Da capo | 1 1 Fine 1 1 1 1 1 1 DC |
| Repeat (with alternate endings) | R{ 1 1 1 } A{ 2 | 3 } |
| Short repeats (percent) | R4{ 1 2 } |
| Ties (like Lilypond's, if you don't want dashes) | 1 ~ 1 |
| Slurs (like Lilypond's) | 1 ( 2 ) |
| Erhu fingering (applies to previous note) | Fr=0 Fr=4 |
| Erhu symbol (applies to previous note) | souyin harmonic up down bend tilde |
| Tremolo | 1/// - 1///5 - |
| Rehearsal letters | letterA letterB |
| Multibar rest | R*8 |
| Dynamics (applies to previous note) | \p \mp \f |
| Other 1-word Lilypond \ commands | \fermata \> \! \( \) etc |
| Text | ^"above note" _"below note" |
| Harmonic symbols above main notes | Harm: (music) :Harm (main music) |
| Other Lilypond code | LP: (block of code) :LP (each delimeter at start of its line) |
| Unicode approximation instead of Lilypond | Unicode |
| Ignored | % a comment |
If you have problems, try a different Lilypond version (works on 2.20, 2.22 and 2.24).
Copyright and Trademarks
All material © Silas S. Brown unless otherwise stated.GitHub is a trademark of GitHub Inc.
Python is a trademark of the Python Software Foundation.
Unicode is a registered trademark of Unicode, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
Any other trademarks I mentioned without realising are trademarks of their respective holders.