Jump to content

Which Abc Version?


Paul Woloschuk

Recommended Posts

The abc element uses Abacus which is a really neat program - if you want to generate music in abc it gives you a real time music display to go with your text! Abacus can be obtained from Bryan Creer

 

http://members.aol.com/abacusmusic/

 

For only a few pounds - support concertina players - Bryan plays a mean English System!!

 

 

Using the Internet to find a tune ...

 

Software required :

a Web browser : e.g. Firefox or Widows Explorer.

A text editor : e.g. Notebook

An abc music program: there are many - use your favourite : I favour "Abacus" (written by Bryan Creer) and "Harmony Assistant" or Melody Assistant.

Optional : a Music editing program : I favour "Mozart 2005" as it allows me to edit the music into the graphic format required for this Music Supplement. I think Noteworthy is well worth investigating!

One of the neat things about abc is that the files are platform-independent. That is, the same abc files can be read on Windows machines, Macs, Linux, or what-have you.

 

But the software that works with the files is generally not platform-independent. In this case, it would have been helpful to mention that Abacus only works under Windows. As a Mac user, I get pretty much everything I need abc-wise from a program called BarFly. It shows you the notation as you type the abc, plays it back with the full pallette of QuickTime instruments (or output either to MIDI or sound file), produces very nice printouts or PDFs via a link with abcm2ps (included). It also proofreads your code, expands guitar chords, transposes, etc...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The abc element uses Abacus which is a really neat program - if you want to generate music in abc it gives you a real time music display to go with your text! Abacus can be obtained from Bryan Creer

 

http://members.aol.com/abacusmusic/

 

For only a few pounds - support concertina players - Bryan plays a mean English System!!

 

 

Using the Internet to find a tune ...

 

Software required :

a Web browser : e.g. Firefox or Widows Explorer.

A text editor : e.g. Notebook

An abc music program: there are many - use your favourite : I favour "Abacus" (written by Bryan Creer) and "Harmony Assistant" or Melody Assistant.

Optional : a Music editing program : I favour "Mozart 2005" as it allows me to edit the music into the graphic format required for this Music Supplement. I think Noteworthy is well worth investigating!

One of the neat things about abc is that the files are platform-independent. That is, the same abc files can be read on Windows machines, Macs, Linux, or what-have you.

 

But the software that works with the files is generally not platform-independent. In this case, it would have been helpful to mention that Abacus only works under Windows. As a Mac user, I get pretty much everything I need abc-wise from a program called BarFly. It shows you the notation as you type the abc, plays it back with the full pallette of QuickTime instruments (or output either to MIDI or sound file), produces very nice printouts or PDFs via a link with abcm2ps (included). It also proofreads your code, expands guitar chords, transposes, etc...

 

 

Yes - you're right - I should have said it was Windows dependant - it never occured to me that anyone using Barfly on a Mac would want to use anything else! I saw/used it once on the Mac platform and have lived in slight envy of you all ever since ... :)

Kind regards

Jon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...