Re: trouble adding space between systems

[David Wright]

On Mon 31 Jul 2017 at 09:29:14 (-0700), Reilly Farrell wrote:
> Thanks!  Your second solution:
> 
> \paper {
>   system-system-spacing.basic-distance = #20
> }
> 
> is just what I needed.  One thing I'm noticing, though, is that when I
> compile melodies into a chapter using lilypond-book and pdfLaTeX, my
> specifications for vertical spacing get ignored.  In other words, the
> changes are reflected when I compile .ly files individually, but not when I
> compile a chapter.
[…]
> Any feedback you have for why LaTeX might be ignoring the new solution and
> how to overcome this problem are deeply appreciated.

As I see it, you have a higher level decision to make about which
system you want to have control over the final document. At the
moment, your earlier questions and their replies have been aimed at
path (1) where LilyPond is in control, and you add text to the music
using \markup.

Your last question would indicate a choice of path (2) where you hand
control to LaTeX through lilypond-book. The latter tears up your LP
music into separate systems and then reassembles them together with
any text, using LaTeX's methodology. That's why your vertical spacing
is ignored.

An alternative path (3, the one I happen to use) is to set the musical
(multisystem) sections into separate PDF files, automatically crop
them, then insert them into the LaTeX document with \includegraphics.
The LilyPond intra-score spacings are preserved within the PDFs, and
the inter-score/text spacings are controlled with the battery of
TeX/LaTeX glue commands.

Which approach you choose depends on the proportion of text/music,
your familiarity with the two systems, and how much flexibility and
control you really need to set your final document.

Cheers,
David.