Chord Symbols

[jggunn]

Could anyone tell me if there is a way to download abc and/or gif files with the chord symbols added appropriately above the staff? Thanks

[Michael Reid]

There's a standard way to include chords in ABC files. But they're not required -- so some ABC transcriptions will include chords and others won't.

 

If you search JC's ABC Tune Finder for a given tune, you'll find some arrangements with chords. For example, if you search for the reel Sally Gardens, you'll see lots of ABC files. This version has chords; this one doesn't. (Links go to GIFs that are created on the fly by the Tune Finder from the ABC files.)

 

Chords are written in quotation marks; see this ABC tutorial for an explanation.

[PhilMeyers]

Also on the invaluable JC site (http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/FindTune.html), there are midi files. If you PC can play them, you can hear if there are chords on the ABC version before you download it.