Editing Beam nibs

Beam nibs at the start and end of beams together with beams attached to solitary notes that look like flat flags are possible with a combination of <code>stemLeftBeamCount</code>, <code>stemRightBeamCount</code>, and paired <code>[]</code> beam indicators.

For imitating right-pointing flat flags on lone notes, use paired <code>[]</code> beam indicators and set <code>stemLeftBeamCount</code> to zero. For imitating left-pointing flat flags on lone notes, set <code>stemRightBeamCount</code> to zero instead (line one).

For right-pointing nibs at the end of a run of beamed notes, set <code>stemRightBeamCount</code> to a positive value. For left-pointing nibs at the start of a run of beamed notes, set <code>stemLeftBeamCount</code> instead (line two).

Sometimes it may make sense for a lone note surrounded by rests to carry both a left- and right-pointing nib. Do this with paired <code>[]</code> beam indicators alone (line three).

Note that <code>\set stemLeftBeamCount</code> is always equivalent to <code>\once \set</code>. In other words, the beam count settings are not “sticky”, so the pair of nibs attached to the lone 16th note in the last example has nothing to do with the <code>\set</code> command for the beam before.

<lilypond version="2.24.0">
\score {
  <<
    \new RhythmicStaff {
      \set stemLeftBeamCount = 0
      c16[] r8.
      r8.
      \set stemRightBeamCount = 0
      16[]
    }
    \new RhythmicStaff {
      16 16
      \set stemRightBeamCount = 2
      16 r r
      \set stemLeftBeamCount = 2
      16 16 16
    }
    \new RhythmicStaff {
      16 16
      \set stemRightBeamCount = 2
      16 r16
      16[] r16
      \set stemLeftBeamCount = 2
      16 16
    }
  >>
}
</lilypond>

[[Category:Included in the official documentation]]
[[Category:Rhythms]]
[[Category:Contemporary notation]]