It seems that every time I have another spate of working with Lilypond, there is more to learn. It is a steep and long curve to mastery, although those standing at the beginning of the slope should remind themselves that laying out music is a complex task and that Lilypond has the advantages of being both free and flexible.

This weekend my challenge has been working up some lead sheets for the band at church, where I’m leading the group tomorrow morning. I had a couple of songs that I wanted to transpose and another one where I wanted to muck about by combining verses from a hymn with a refrain from another song. I have learned new refinements around defining how chords are displayed, how the flow of the song is defined and how to get lyrics to display just where I want them.

I’ve got everything where I want it; now to see what flaws reveal themselves when I run along the lines and across the dots with a group of other musicians!