Re: Chords above music?

[Mats Bengtsson]

As soon as you write a \time ... or s1 or break, LilyPond will silently 
create
a stave to be able to handle the time signature and so on. This stave is 
then
used also for the melody, unless you explicitly ask for a new stave.
In the following modified version of your code, I have added a line that
explicitly creates the stave, to make it more clear what actually happens.

\version "2.8.1"
\layout {
   indent = 0.0\cm
   }
% the header  
   \header {
   title = "Donna Lee"
   composer = "Miles Davis"
   }
% the music
   \relative c'' <<
% the chords  
   \chords {
       aes1:6 f1:7 bes1:7 r1
       bes1:m7 ees1:7 aes1:maj7 ees2:m7 d2:7
       des1:maj7 des2:m7 ges2:9 aes1:maj7 f1:7
       bes1:7 bes1:75- bes1:m7 ees1:7
       aes1:maj7 f1:7 bes1:7 r1
       c1:7 g2:m75 c2:7 f1:m6 c1:75+9+
       f1:m6 c1:75+9+ f1:m6 aes1:dim7
       aes2:maj7 f2:7 bes2:m7 ees2:7 aes1:6 r1
   }
% The music stave
 \new Staff <<
   \repeat unfold 7 {
       s1 \noBreak s1 \noBreak
       s1 \noBreak s1 \break }
   {
   \time 4/4
   \clef treble  
   \key aes \major
% the melody
   { r2 \times 2/3 { g'8 a g } f e ees! des c bes a c, ees f  \times 
2/3     { ges8 aes ges } f ees d f aes c g f4.~ f4 e8 d

   ees a, bes des f aes c     ees des f, aes c b e, ees d c ees g bes 
aes4     ees8 f ges bes des f e c4.   

   e2~ e8 d c bes ees des4. ges8 e ees des c c des d ees des c bes a c 
ees     f \times 2/3 { ges8 aes ges } f ees

   d c b a bes aes c, ees \times 2/3 { g ges f } e2 r4 ees'8 des f, aes 
c     bes f aes g bes des ees \times 2/3 { e8 ges e } ees des

   c2 \times 2/3 { g'8 aes g } f e ees des c bes a c, ees f \times 
2/3     { ges aes ges } f ees d f aes c g f4.~ f4 g8 f

   e f g aes bes aes g f \times 2/3 { des'8 ees des } c bes \times 
2/3     { aes8     bes aes } g e f2 r2 r2 r4 r 8 g

   c b c des d des d ees e ees e ees d des c bes \times 2/3 { aes bes 
aes     } g aes bes aes g f b d f aes b g' f e

   ees! des c bes a ges f ees des f aes c bes aes g ees aes2. r4 r1 || }
}
>>
>>


  /Mats