On 1/27/2026 2:01 PM, N W wrote:
Dear Lilyponders,
I am new to Lilypond, but learning fast. In making an instructional document, I
would like to display open strings with the note name below the strings. This
leads me to 2 questions if I may:
1. Can someone help me do this with the following example - 1st and 6th strings
are open, but without the note name below the string, like the others.
2. Is there a full list of overrides w arguments for the fretboard diagram ex.
(dot- radius, string-thickness-factor, etc.)?
\markup {
\vspace #1
\override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string)
(dot-radius . 0.3)
(orientation . landscape)
(string-thickness-factor . 0.3)
(string-label-font-mag . 0.3))
)
\override #'(size . 2)
\center-column {
"B7#9/E"
\fret-diagram-verbose #'(
(open 6)
(place-fret 5 2 "B")
(place-fret 4 1 "D#")
(place-fret 3 2 "A")
(place-fret 2 3 "Caug")
(open 1))
}
}
Neil,
Werner has answered question 2, and the NR itself (Werner's first link)
has a clue on how to answer question 1. In that link, search for
"inverted" to see some use of extra markups, and notice that "inverted"
changes the solid black dot into a circle, like on an open string. Then
use place-fret with a fret number of 0 to approximate what (open 1)
does, but place-fret allows more markup, like this:
\markup {
\vspace #1
\override #'(fret-diagram-details . ((finger-code . below-string)
(dot-radius . 0.3)
(orientation . landscape)
(string-thickness-factor . 0.18)
(string-label-font-mag . 0.3))
)
\override #'(size . 2)
\center-column {
"B7#9/E"
\fret-diagram-verbose #'(
(place-fret 6 0 "E" inverted)
(place-fret 5 2 "B")
(place-fret 4 1 "D#")
(place-fret 3 2 "A")
(place-fret 2 3 "Caug")
(place-fret 1 0 "E" inverted)
)
}
}
See attached image. The open string circles don't have the normal
padding relative to the nut. That could probably be fixed with some
advanced markup (see other examples with "\markup" in place-fret), or
you may like the compactness as-is.
I did tone down your string-thickness-factor as it made string 6 look as
thick as the nut, producing a distracting "L" shape with the nut. If
you're planning to go higher than first position, the thickened nut will
be out of the picture and then the thickened string may look like a
misplaced nut. Leaving out string-thickness-factor, IMHO, produces a
more canonical fretboard diagram.
HTH,
Jeff
