ABC Music Notation

The input to abcjs is mostly standard ABC Music Notation. That notation is described here:

ABC Notation

The working document for the standard is ABC Standard

In addition, there are many informal additions, particularly with new %% directives, that are supported to be compatible with other ABC software.

Subtractions from the standard

We've made an attempt to be compatible with other ABC software, but there are some exceptions.

Some of the things that are supported by other packages are specific to that package's environment and don't apply to a web-based solution. Those features are not supported.

Here is a list of formatting options that will probably not be supported:

%%abc
%%abc2pscompat
%%abcm2ps
%%autoclef
%%beginps
%%beginsvg
%%bgcolor
%%break
%%breaklimit
%%breakoneoln
%%clip
%%deco
%%decoration
%%eps
%%format
%%fullsvg
%%map
%%micronewps
%%pango
%%pdfmark
%%ps
%%select
%%tune
%%voicemap

Some of the things that are supported by other packages we've just not gotten around to supporting yet. If you run into a feature that you would like to see, let us know.

Additions to the standard

Alternate note heads:

In both the K: and the V: element, you can include the parameter:

style=rhythm
style=harmonic
style=x
style=normal
style=triangle

You can also use the above as a decoration to a single note to affect just that note:

!style=rhythm!

This changes the note heads to a different shape.

Here's a sample:

X:1
T:alternate heads
M:C
L:1/8
U:n=!style=normal!
K:C treble style=rhythm
"Am" BBBB B2 B>B | "Dm" B2 B/B/B "C" B4 |"Am" B2 nGnB B2 nGnA | "Dm" nDB/B/ nDB/B/ "C" nCB/B/ nCB/B/ |B8| B0 B0 B0 B0 |]
%%text This translates to:
[M:C][K:style=normal]
[A,EAce][A,EAce][A,EAce][A,EAce] [A,EAce]2 [A,EAce]>[A,EAce] |[DAdf]2 [DAdf]/[DAdf]/[DAdf] [CEGce]4 |[A,EAce]2 GA [A,EAce] GA |D[DAdf]/[DAdf]/ D[DAdf]/[DAdf]/ C [CEGce]/[CEGce]/ C[CEGce]/[CEGce]/ |[CEGce]8 | [CEGce]2 [CEGce]2 [CEGce]2 [CEGce]2 |]
GAB2 !style=harmonic![gb]4|GAB2 [K: style=harmonic]gbgb|
[K: style=x]
C/A,/ C/C/E C/zz2|
w:Rock-y did-nt like that

Chord Break:

If you want to skip a chord, then use one of the following as the chord:

"^break"
"^(break)"
"^no chord"
"^n.c."
"^tacet"

These are case-insensitive.

class=XXX:

To arbitrarily add classes to the next note or bar line, you can use the decoration:

!class=XXX!

Where XXX can be anything you want to add to the class. Note that it MUST NOT contain characters that aren't allowed in html classes, and it can't contain a percent or exclamation point or that will break the ABC.

It CAN contain a space, if you want to add two classes to a note.

X:1
K:C
e!class=alice betty!f|g

mark:

To arbitrarily add the class "mark" to the next note, you can use the decoration:

!mark!

X:1
K:C
e!mark!f|g

MIDI:

And extra octave parameter is accepted in bassprog and chordprog:

%%MIDI bassprog 22 octave=-1
%%MIDI chordprog 2 octave=1