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The skip command is merely an empty musical placeholder. It does not produce any output, not even transparent output.

The s skip command does create Staff and Voice when necessary, similar to note and rest commands. For example, the following results in an empty staff.

In Note, Chord, and Lyrics mode, durations are designated by numbers and dots: durations are entered as their reciprocal values. For example, a quarter note is entered using a 4 (since it is a 1/4 note), while a half note is entered using a 2 (since it is a 1/2 note). For notes longer than a whole you must use the variables \longa and \breve

c'\breve
c'1 c'2 c'4 c'8 c'16 c'32 c'64 c'64
r\longa r\breve
r1 r2 r4 r8 r16 r32 r64 r64

If the duration is omitted then it is set to the previously entered duration. The default for the first note is a quarter note.

The following lines create a new staff without the time signature mark but they do print the barlines, which are positioned manually in the example.

This example demonstrates how to place prefatory items (such as the clef and key signature) at the end of a line.

You can make staff lines invisible by removing the Staff_symbol_engraver from the Staff context.

The key signature indicates the tonality in which a piece is played. It is denoted by a set of alterations (flats or sharps) at the start of the staff.

Setting or changing the key signature is done with the \key command

\key pitch type

Here, type should be \major or \minor to get pitch-major or pitch-minor, respectively. You may also use the standard mode names (also called “church modes”): \ionian, \locrian, \aeolian, \mixolydian, \lydian, \phrygian, and \dorian.

This command sets the context property Staff.keySignature. Non-standard key signatures can be specified by setting this property directly.

Accidentals and key signatures often confuse new users, because unaltered notes get natural signs depending on the key signature.

Time signature indicates the metrum of a piece: a regular pattern of strong and weak beats. It is denoted by a fraction at the start of the staff.

The time signature is set with the \time command

SATB Choir template

SATB Choir template (hymn template), with some layout setting (in the distance between text and staves).