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.

jianpu-ly

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.

For Chinese users, someone has written a Chinese summary of jianpu-ly which looks right. (I would put their name here if I could find it.)

Chinese summary of jianpu-ly

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).

If you have problems, try a different Lilypond version (works on 2.18, 2.20, 2.22 and 2.24).

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All material © Silas S. Brown unless otherwise stated. Python is a trademark of the Python Software Foundation. Any other trademarks I mentioned without realising are trademarks of their respective holders.