ABCp syntax
9
Dec 2004
Contents
1. Introduction
2. File structure
3. Notes
4. Fields
5. Line continuation
6. Keys
7. Voices
8. Clef
9. Slurs and ties
10. Meter
11. Lenght
12. Tempo
13. Decorations
14. Extended fields
1. Introduction
This section describe the syntax recognized by ABCp.
It assumes prior knowledge of ABC syntax and highlights only the
relevant differences.
2.File structure
The order in which the fields X: and K: appear is no
longer mandatory so that the following two fragments are equivalent.
X:1
T:Goodbye
K:C
ABCD | EFGa
T:Goodbye
K:C
X:1
ABCD | EFGa
3.Notes
Pitch
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Ten octaves supported.
"Middle C" is C4 noted as "C"
Pitch ranges from A,,,, to g'''' (A0 to G9)
Equivalence is supported so that C' == c and a',,' == a |
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Accidentals
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Also "suggested" accidentals are supported:
(^)C or (=)a' |
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Microtones
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Accidentals may be followed by a fraction to signify microtones:
^1/2C means a pitch that is halfway between C and ^C, ^3/4C
is halfway between ^C and D and is equivalent to _1/2D
As customary ^/C is equivalent to ^1/2C and ^//C to ^1/4C
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Duration |
The note duration is expressed as a fraction of the default
note length:
C1/2
Both numerators and denominators are in the range 1 .. 255
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4. Fields
K:
V:
M:
L:
Q:
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Covered in "Key"
section
Covered in "Voice" section
Covered in "Metric" section
Covered in "Length" section
Covered in "Tempo" section |
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A:
O:
C:
D:
Z: |
Field will be split in a list of strings. For example:
A: author1, author2, author3
strs[0] = "author1"
strs[1] = "author2"
strs[2] = "author3"
strs[3] = NULL
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H:
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Multiline history field is recognized:
H: This reel was found
in an attic long time ago
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Others
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All other fields are considered strings:
B: The definitive reels book
strs[0] = "The definitive reels book"
strs[1] = NULL
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[*:]
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Fields in the middle of tunes (for example: [P:A]) are
treated exactly as they where at the beginning of a line,
the only difference is simply that they are marked as "internal".
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5. Line continuations
'\'
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Lines can be "continued" placing
a "\" at the end of the line.
This is implemented as it is customary in programming language.
The following lines are equivalent
B: The definitive reels book
B: The definitive \
reels book
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T_CONTINUE |
In tunes continuation is reported as a "T_CONTINUE"
token.
In fields they are handled transparently:
V:P1 name="flute" clef=treble
V:P1 name="flute"\
clef=treble |
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Fields
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In ABC 1.6, continuations were used to have changes occurring
in the middle of a tune:
Ab Cd | \
M:2/4
Ef
ABCp considers the fragment above as equivalent to:
Ab Cd | [M:2/4] \
Ef
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6. Keys
Tonic
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Any pitch possibly followed by "#"
for sharp or "b" for flat (K:F#)
HP for Highland pipes
Hp or hp
for Highland pipes
none for no key. |
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Mode
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maj or M |
Major |
min or m |
Minor |
mix |
Mixolidean |
dor |
doric |
phr |
Phrygean |
lyd |
Lydean |
loc |
Locridean |
ion |
Ionic |
aeo |
Aeolic |
exp |
Explict.
Accidentals may be added using the "exp" key:
K:C exp ^F
Also "#" and "b" are supported:
K:C exp F#
"exp" is optional.
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Clef
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See "Clef" section |
7. Voice
ID
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Voice ID may be up to 32 characters long. |
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Clef |
See "Clef" Section |
8. Clef
Note that all the "=" signes are optional.
clef
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The "clef=" is optional except for
C,F and G. All keys are case sensitive!
The recognized clefs are:
treble
alto
bass |
The main clefs. They may be followed
by a number to indicate on which line they should be
printed
K:C bass5
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french
frenchviolin
violin
soprano
mezzo
mezzosoprano
tenor
baritone
subbass
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treble1
treble1
treble2
alto1
alto2
alto2
alto4
alto5
bass5
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perc
drum |
Percussion clef
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none |
No clef
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Doh or doh
Fa or fa |
Gregorian Clefs
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C
F
G
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alto
bass
treble
Only after "clef="
V:1 clef=F |
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Transpose |
Transposition can be specified in a short form or with
the "octave" and "transpose" keywords.
+22 -22 |
three octaves |
+15 -15 |
two octaves |
+8 -8 |
one octave |
octave
o |
transpose by the specified octaves
V:1 octave=-1 |
transpose
t
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transpose by the specified semitones
t=+2 |
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Tablature |
The following tablature clefs are recognized (abctab2ps)
frenchtab
french4tab
french5tab
guitartab
spanishtab
spanish4tab
spanish5tab
banjo4tab
banjo5tab
ukuleletab
italiantab
italian4tab
italian5tab
italian7tab
italian8tab
Explicit tablature with:
tab=<strings pitch>
tab=eBGDAE,
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Voice names |
The two names togheter cannot be longer than 200 chars.
name
nm |
The "long" name |
subname
shortname
snm |
The "short" name |
V:T1 name="Main Tenor" snm="T.I" |
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Stafflines |
The number of lines in the staff:
K:perc stafflines=1
Short form is "s"
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Middle |
The pitch of the middle line in the staff.
K:none stafflines=3 middle=G
Short form is "m"
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Stems direction |
Stem directions for notes and grace notes can be specified.
stems
stem |
Direction for note stems |
gstems
gstem |
Direction for grace note stems |
K:C stems=up gstems=down
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Grouping |
The extensions used by abctab2ps are recognized:
staves
stv
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The next n-1 staves will be
connected to this one with a bar |
brace
brc
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The next n-1 staves will be connected to
this one with a curly brace |
bracket
brk
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The next n-1 staves will be connected to
this one with a bracket |
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Staff spacing |
Modify vertical space between this staff and the one below
K:C space=+20
Short form is "spc" |
9. Slurs and ties
Direction
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To force the direction of a slur or a tie
the "'" and "," characters may be used:
A2('BC-, | CD2)E
The tie should be drawn below and the slur above. |
10. Meter
Compound
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Compound meters are supported in the following
forms:
M:2+3+3/8
M:2 3 3/8
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Parenthesis |
Parenthesis can be specified in the following ways:
M:(3/4)
M:(3)/4
M:3/(4)
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Old meter |
Denominator may be omitted to specify ancient meters:
M:3
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11. Length
Symbolic
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The default length may also be specified using
a symbolic name:
L:doublewhole |
L:2 |
L:whole |
L:1 |
L:half |
L:1/2 |
L: quarter |
L:1/4 |
L:eighth |
L:1/8 |
L:sixteenth |
L:1/16 |
| L:thirtysecond
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L:1/32 |
L:sixtyfourth |
L:1/64 |
L:onetwentyeighth |
L:1/128 |
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12. Tempo
Single number
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Meaning: play 120 unit note-lengths
per minute.
Q:120
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Beats |
Number of beats per minute:
Q:5/4=40
Q:1/4 3/8 1/4 3/8=40 |
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1.6 syntax |
The old ABC syntax is recognized:
Q:C3=120
Q:C=120
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String
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A string may be specified at the begininning or at the
end. It must be enclosed in quotes. There can be only one
string.:
Q:"Andante" 1/4=120
Q:1/4=120 "Andante"
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13. Decorations
The set of decoration has been greatly extended trying
to incorporate elements from other notations systems (CMN, PMW,
MUP, Lylipond). Also synonims have been included (for example +pp+
and +pianissimo+ are equivalent).
'+' and '!'
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Both formats for decorations are recognized
so that all the following forms are equivalent:
!trill! +trill+ T !T! +T+ |
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Dynamics |
pppp pianissississimo
ppp pianississimo
pp pianissimo
p piano
mp mezzopiano
mf mezzoforte
f forte
ff fortissimo
fff fortississimo
ffff fortissississimo
fp fortepiano
sfz fz sforzando
rfz rf rinforzando
sfp sforzandopiano
niente n
sffff subitoffff subitofortissississimo
sfff subitofff subitofortississimo
sff subitoff subitofortissimo
sf subitof subitoforte
smf subitomf subitomezzoforte
smp subitomp subitomezzopiano
sp subitop subitopiano
spp subitopp subitopianissimo
sppp subitoppp subitopianississimo
spppp subitopppp subitopianissississimo
crescendo( <(
crescendo) <)
diminuendo( >(
diminuendo) >)
glissando( g(
glissando) g)
glissando g
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Fingering
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1
2
3
4
5
arpeggio
arpeggioup
arpeggiodown
arrow
arrowup
arrowdown
noarpeggio
H.O. hammeringon
P.O. pulloff
SL. sliding
W. wham
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Articulation |
accent > L emphasis
marcato
staccatissimo
staccato .
tenuto
portato
upbow
downbow
flageolet
thumb
lheel
rheel
ltoe
rtoe
open
stopped
turn
reverseturn invertedturn
trill tr T
prall
mordent lowermordent M
prallprall
prallmordent
upprall
downprall
upmordent uppermordent P pralltriller
downmordent
pralldown
prallup
lineprall
signumcongruentiae
slide J
turnx
reverseturnx invertedturnx
trill( tr(
trill) tr)
roll ~ irishroll |
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Pedaling
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Explicit pedal for piano has been included
damppedal ped
sostpedal mped
softpedal lped
damppedal) ped)
sostpedal) mped)
softpedal) lped)
damppedal( ped(
sostpedal( mped(
softpedal( lped( |
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Misc |
segno S
coda O
D.S.
D.C.
dacoda
dacapo
dalsegno
fine
varcoda
shortphrase
mediumphrase
longphrase
8va(
8va)
8vab(
8vab)
beamon
gmark
invisible
shead
xhead
chead
dhead
sfhead
xfhead
cfhead
dfhead
shead(
xhead(
chead(
dhead(
sfhead(
xfhead(
cfhead(
dfhead(
shead)
xhead)
chead)
dhead)
sfhead)
xfhead)
cfhead)
dfhead)
stemup
stemdown
stemup(
stemdown(
stemup)
stemdown)
X |
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Pause |
breath ,
fermata hold H
shortfermata
longfermata
verylongfermata
generalpause G.P.
caesura pause rr //
reversefermata invertedfermata ufermata udfermata
grandpause |
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Instrument
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The entire set of GM Midi instrument is recognized
Mute
AcousticGrandPiano
BrightAcousticPiano
ElectricGrandPiano
HonkyTonkPiano
ElectricPiano1
ElectricPiano2
Harpsichord
Clavi
Celesta
Glockenspiel
MusicBox
Vibraphone
Marimba
Xylophone
TubularBells
Dulcimer
DrawbarOrgan
PercussiveOrgan
RockOrgan
ChurchOrgan
ReedOrgan
Accordion
Harmonica
TangoAccordion
AcousticGuitarNylon
AcousticGuitarSteel
ElectricGuitarJazz
ElectricGuitarClean
ElectricGuitarMuted
OverdrivenGuitar
DistortionGuitar
Guitarharmonics
AcousticBass
ElectricBassFinger
ElectricBassPick
FretlessBass
SlapBass1
SlapBass2
SynthBass1
SynthBass2
Violin
Viola
Cello
Contrabass
TremoloStrings
PizzicatoStrings
OrchestralHarp
Timpani
StringEnsemble1
StringEnsemble2
SynthStrings1
SynthStrings2
ChoirAahs
VoiceOohs
SynthVoice
OrchestraHit
Trumpet
Trombone
Tuba
MutedTrumpet
FrenchHorn
BrassSection
SynthBrass1
SynthBrass2
SopranoSax
AltoSax
TenorSax
BaritoneSax
Oboe
EnglishHorn
Bassoon
Clarinet
Piccolo
Flute
Recorder
PanFlute
BlownBottle
Shakuhachi
Whistle
Ocarina
LeadSquare
LeadSawtooth
LeadCalliope
LeadChiff
LeadCharang
LeadVoice
LeadFifths
LeadBassLead
PadNewage
PadWarm
PadPolysynth
PadChoir
PadBowed
PadMetallic
PadHalo
PadSweep
FXRain
FXSoundtrack
FXCrystal
FXAtmosphere
FXBrightness
FXGoblins
FXEchoes
FXSciFi
Sitar
Banjo
Shamisen
Koto
Kalimba
Bagpipe
Fiddle
Shanai
TinkleBell
Agogo
SteelDrums
Woodblock
TaikoDrum
MelodicTom
SynthDrum
ReverseCymbal
GuitarFretNoise
BreathNoise
Seashore
BirdTweet
TelephoneRing
Helicopter
Applause
Gunshot |
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Percussions
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The set of MIDI unpitched percussions (plus some others)
is recognized
gong
triangle
halfopenhihat
hardstick
softstick
metalstick
rubberstick
trianglestick
wirebrush
woodstick
tinklebell
agogo
steeldrums
woodblock
taikodrum
melodictom
synthdrum
reversecymbal
acousticbassdrum
bassdrum1
sidestick
acousticsnare snare
handclap
electricsnare
lowfloortom
closedhihat hihat
highfloortom
pedalhihat
lowtom
openhihat
lowmidtom
himidtom
crashcymbal1 cymbal
hightom
ridecymbal1
chinesecymbal
ridebell
tambourine
splashcymbal
cowbell
crashcymbal2
vibraslap
ridecymbal2
hibongo
lowbongo
mutehiconga
openhiconga
lowconga
hightimbale
lowtimbale
highagogo
lowagogo
cabasa
maracas
shortwhistle
longwhistle
shortguiro
longguiro
claves
hiwoodblock
lowwoodblock
mutecuica
opencuica
mutetriangle
opentriangle |
14. Extended fields
None
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begintext
endtext
newpage
vskip |
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String |
center
text
abc-copyright
abc-version
abc-creator
abc-charset
abc-include
abc-edited-by |
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Font, size |
annotationfont
composerfont
gchordfont
infofont
partsfont
subtitlefont
setfont-1
setfont-2
setfont-3
setfont-4
tempofont
textfont
titlefont
vocalfont
wordsfont |
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Length |
botmargin
composerspace
indent
infospace
leftmargin
musicspace
pageheight
pagewidth
partsspace
rightmargin
staffsep
subtitlespace
sysstaffsep
textspace
titlespace
topmargin
topspace
vocalspace
wordsspace |
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Logical |
continueall
exprabove
exprbelow
freegchord
musiconly
measurebox
graceslurs
infoline
landscape
oneperpage
printtempo
stretchlast
stretchstaff
vocalabove
withxrefs
writehistory |
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Number |
lineskipfac
maxshrink
parskipfac
sep
scale |
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Integer |
barnumbers
barsperstaff
measurefirst
measurenb
setbarnb |
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Misc |
midi
papersize
propagate-accidentals
score
staves
writeout-accidentals
deco
postscript |
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