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Abc Reference Card


Roger Hare

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As someone who has often tried to make sense of tunes in abc without actually sitting down and learning it, I think this looks useful. However, unless I'm missing something, it doesn't say much about rhythm, i.e. note lengths (minim, crochet, quaver etc.) or rests.

 

Can anybody add to this?

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...it doesn't say much about rhythm, i.e. note lengths (minim, crochet, quaver etc.) or rests...

 

I agree - it also doesn't say much (anything?) about 'unusual' key signatures (eg: K:Hp), or comments (%), etc. There are

probably other shortcomings, but I thought it seemed useful enough to draw it to the attention of the community.

 

Once upon a time, a million years ago, I prepared a similar card for TOPS-10, the operating system for the DECSystem-10

computer - it was difficult getting all the stuff onto a card like this - and deciding what to leave out. I think the compiler has

done a pretty fair job, bearing in mind the space restrictions...

 

Roger

Edited by lachenal74693
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As someone who has often tried to make sense of tunes in abc without actually sitting down and learning it, I think this looks useful. However, unless I'm missing something, it doesn't say much about rhythm, i.e. note lengths (minim, crochet, quaver etc.) or rests.

 

Can anybody add to this?

 

Some of it (tuplets) is covered under “Notes.” The more basic stuff is just that a number after a note means hold the note that many times the default note length defined in the L: field in the header. A / between two numbers makes them a fraction, and a / after a number without a 2nd number is interpreted as /2. So, if:

 

L:1/8

C    = eighth note    =  quaver
C2   = quarter note   =  crotchet
C3   = dotted quarter =  dotted crotchet
C4   = half note      =  minim
C/   = 16th note      =  semiquaver
C3/2 = dotted eighth  =  dotted quaver
C3/  = dotted eighth  =  dotted quaver
 
-------------------
L:1/4 [everything double the value of above list]

 

Does that answer your question?

Edited by David Barnert
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