ABC Notation Pages

Introduction

Abc notation is a simple but powerful ASCII musical notation format. Devised by Chris Walshaw, abc is widely used for the notating and distribution of tunes, particularly on the internet. Very popular in traditional music circles, it is also gaining in popularity in early music.

ABC notation is a shorthand form of musical notation. In basic form it uses the letters A through G, letter notation, to represent the given notes, with other elements used to place added value on these - sharp, flat, the length of the note, key, ornamentation.

Tutorial

A good introduction to the subject can be found at http://www.lesession.co.uk/abc/abc_notation.htm with further information on the Wikipedia page .

The home page for detailed information about ABC notation can be found at http://abcnotation.com/

About ABC Notation

ABC notation is a shorthand form of musical notation for computers. In basic form it uses the letter notation with a–g, A–G, and z, to represent the corresponding notes and rests, with other elements used to place added value on these – sharp, flat, raised or lowered octave, the note length, key, and ornamentation. This form of notation began from a combination of Helmholtz pitch notation and using ASCII characters to imitate standard musical notation (bar lines, tempo marks, etc.) that could facilitate the sharing of music online, and also added a new and simple language for software developers, not unlike other notations designed for ease, such as tablature and solfège.

Developed by Chris Walshaw and initially released in 1997, there are now a number of software packages supporting ABC and providing the ability to display and play the music.