Beginner Questions

[Kale Good]

Hello,
I've been trying to create a score with a minimal number of bar lines  
and no time signatures. Initially I used \cadenza, but that created a  
spacing nightmare. I used	\override Staff.TimeSignature, which works,  
expect that the first note of each measure is too close to the bar  
line (often, a bar line accompanies a time signature change). I was  
wondering if there was a better way to go about this, or,  
alternatively, how to change that spacing.

Also, I've been trying to figure out how to create brackets which  
cross over staves. I would like the final group of 16th notes to be  
one bracket. I feel like this should be somewhere, but I haven't  
found it yet.

Thanks,
Kale

% Created on Sat Oct 31 00:18:26 EDT 2009
\version "2.12.2-1"

\header {
        title = "Song of Myself "
 subtitle = "No. 19"
 poet = "Walt Whitman"
        composer = "Kale Good"

}

\include "english.ly"

verse= \lyricmode { This is the press of a bash- ful hand,
                    this the float - - - and odor - - of hair,
                    this is the touch of my lips to yours,
                    this - -  - the mur mur of year ning.
                
                    Do you guess I have some intricate purpose?
                    Well I have, as the April showers have.
                    Do you take it I would astonish?
                    Does the daylight astonish?
                    Does the early redstart twittering through the woods?
                    Do I astonish more than they?

}


staffSoprano = \new Staff {
        \override Staff.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
        \set Staff.instrumentName = "Soprano"
        \set Staff.midiInstrument = "choir aahs"
        \key cs \major
        \clef treble
        \relative c' {  
                \context Voice = "melodySop" {
                        \dynamicUp
                                \time 12/4
                                R1*12/4 |
                                \time 7/4
                                R1*7/4\fermata \breathe |
                                \time 7/4
                                cs'4. gs16 cs ds4. cs16 ds es4. ds8 cs4~|
                                cs16\laissezVibrer r8. R1*6/4 |                 
                                
				fs,8[ gs] \times 2/3 {bs[ cs bs]} gs8.[ fs16] es8[ ds] cs8. 
[ gs'16] fs2~
 |
                                \time 9/4
                                fs16\laissezVibrer r8. R1*8/4 |
                                \time 11/4
                                ds'4 es r8. fs16 gs2 fs4 es ds 4. fs8 es2
                                \time 4/4
                                r1
                                \cadenzaOn
                                \override TextSpanner #'(bound-details left 
text) =
                                        \markup { \upright "4''" }
					s2\startTextSpan \times 2/3 {ds8\stopTextSpan es ds} bs2\breathe  
s1 s4 bs4 es ds4. cs8 ds4 bs s2
                                        s1 s4 |
                                        s2 |
                                        s1 s4 |
                                        s1
                }

        }

}
staffPiano = \new PianoStaff {
        \set PianoStaff.midiInstrument = #"acoustic grand"
        \set PianoStaff.instrumentName = #"Piano  "
                                <<
                \context Staff = "RH" {  % Right hand
                        \override Staff.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
                        \clef treble
                        \key cs \major
                        \relative c' {
                                \time 12/4
				r4 gs' ds es\laissezVibrer r2. \fermata gs'8. ds16( ds8) es( es4) 
\laissezVibrer r2 \fermata |
                                \time 7/4
                                cs4 as gs8 fs( fs) es( es4)\laissezVibrer r2 
\fermata |
                                \time 7/4
                                R1*7/4 |
			 	<gs es'>2.\laissezVibrer \acciaccatura ds'4 cs'2 \acciaccatura  
es4 fs,2 \laissezVibrer |
                                R1*7/4 |
                                \time 9/4
                                        r4 gs,8 ds' r4 es'8 cs r4 gs8 fs r4 fs8 
cs es'4 |
                                \time 11/4      
                                        r1 \acciaccatura ds8 fs,4 R1*6/4 |
                                        r2 <gs es gs,>2  |
                                \cadenzaOn
                                        \override TextSpanner #'(bound-details 
left text) =
                                        \markup { \upright "continue at liberty, 
lacking a marked pulse" }
                                        \times 2/3 { cs,8\startTextSpan gs' ds' 
}
                                        \times 2/3 { cs, gs' ds'}
                                        s1 s s s\stopTextSpan
                                        \override TextSpanner #'(bound-details 
left text) =
                                        \markup { \upright "3''" }
                                        s2\startTextSpan
                                \bar "|"
                                \ottava #1
                                gs8 ds es2\fermata \laissezVibrer \ottava #0 
s2. |
                                s2 |
                                s8. gs,16 ds'1\fermata |
                                s4
                        }
                }
                \context Staff = "LH" { % Left hand
                        \override Staff.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
                        \clef bass
                        \key cs \major
                        \relative c {
                                \time 12/4
				fs4.\sustainOn es'8(  es) cs( cs4)\laissezVibrer r2\fermata  
\sustainOff fs,4. \sustainOn
                                es'8( es16) cs8.( cs4)\laissezVibrer r2 
\fermata \sustainOff|   
                        \time 7/4
				r8\sustainOn es,4 fs4. ds'4 cs4\laissezVibrer r2\fermata  
\sustainOff |
                        \time 7/4
                                R1*7/4 |
                                R1*7/4 |
                                R1*7/4 |
                        \time 9/4
                                fs,8 ds' r4 gs,8 es' r4
                                \clef treble cs8 fs r4 ds8 gs r2|
                        \time 11/4
                                R1*11/4
                        \time 4/4       
                                <fs cs' fs>1
                                s1 s4 \ottava #1 gs'' es \ottava #0 r4 bs, fs' 
s1 s s4 |
                                s2. fs,8 es' cs2 |
                                s2 |
                                fs16 es'cs s16 s1 |
                                s2
                        }
                }
        >>
}



\score {
        <<
                
                \staffSoprano
		\context Lyrics = "lmelodySop" \lyricmode { \lyricsto "melodySop"  
\verse }
                
                \staffPiano
                
        >>
        
        \midi {
        }

  \layout {
  }
}

\paper {
}