Re: Displaying staff/instrument name for ossia staff

[Neil Puttock]

2009/3/4 Joseph Wakeling <address@hidden>:

> First, is it possible to get the staff/instrument name to display just
> before the ossia staff?  By default nothing is displayed, no matter
> whether I use
>        \set Staff.instrumentName
> or
>        \set Staff.shortInstrumentName

There's no way to force visibility since the
system-start-text-interface deliberately filters out any
InstrumentName which isn't at the start of a system (it can't position
it correctly; the text would end up in the margin.)

I suggest starting the ossia stave at the beginning of the system,
hiding it until required.  Then you can move the instrument name into
position using 'X-offset.

> Second, how could I go about getting dotted barlines connecting the
> ossia staff to the one below or above it?

If you place the main stave inside a StaffGroup, you can change the
default SpanBar using 'glyph-name.  You'll need to shift it slightly
since it's aligned in relation to the left edge of the standard
barlines.

\new StaffGroup \with {
  \override SpanBar #'glyph-name = #":"
  \override SpanBar #'X-offset = #-0.1
}
<<
  \new Staff \relative c'' {
    c4 b d c
    c4 b d c
    c4 b c2
  }
  \new Staff \relative c'' {
    \set Staff.instrumentName = \markup \italic { ossia }
    \once \set Staff.explicitClefVisibility = #all-invisible
    \once \override Staff.TimeSignature #'transparent = ##t
    \override Staff.InstrumentName #'X-offset = #13
    \stopStaff s1 \startStaff
    \once \set Staff.forceClef = ##t
    e4 d f e
  }
>>

Regards,
Neil