Wikipedia Abc

[lildogturpy]

A few weeks ago I noticed that the ABC notation page on wikipedia had been deleted due to copyright infringement. The page had been lifted directly from Chris Walsh's abc website which is clearly marked copyright. I recreated the page and put a brief description of abc with links to Chris Walsh's site and to the online abc tutorial. Since I am no expert on abc it might be useful if someone who is could flesh out the text (without copying directly from another source)

[davidcorner]

Some time ago, when following the links to the ABC tutorial from the Tune-o-Tron pages, I found that there was a missing link.

If you use this link ABC home page, you will get to the ABC home page, which will lead you through to the tutorial on ABC.

[Hooves]

Some time ago, when following the links to the ABC tutorial from the Tune-o-Tron pages, I found that there was a missing link.

If you use this link ABC home page, you will get to the ABC home page, which will lead you through to the tutorial on ABC.

 

 

So is Chris Walshaw considered the "inventor" of ABC notation? Many musicians have used variants of what is now called ABC notation for a long time, I guess he gets the title for actaully making a standard version and coining the term "ABC".

 

When I first started playign music back in the early 1980's I used to write out notes as letter values since I couldn't read music very well, though certainly not as formalized as the system Walshaw has described. In my case, I would use an underscores to indicate the note was longer and a digit to represnt the octave (Walshaws system uses Upper/Lowercase letters and a digit to indicate multiples of the beat)

 

There are probably many examples of "ABC" notation people have developed on their own as shorthand: I was attempting to work with a fiddle player once who got very upset that my shorthand wasn't "standard ABC", and I was urprised to hear somebody had actaully formalized that style of notation.

 

In some respects it reminds me of the jazz shorthand fake-books used since the 1930-40's.

[Chris Timson]

So is Chris Walshaw considered the "inventor" of ABC notation? Many musicians have used variants of what is now called ABC notation for a long time, I guess he gets the title for actaully making a standard version and coining the term "ABC".

Remember that ABC is not quite a notation in the way you mean. It is (just about) human readable, but it's really intended to be machine readable. That means it has to be rigorously and tightly defined with all potential ambiguities excluded. That is what Chris Walshaw is credited with inventing.

 

The use of letters for musical notes has a long history and has been used before even in computer languages. I, for instance, used to program in a lovely language called AMPLE (for Advanced Music Programming Language and Environment), a Forth derivative for programming synthesisers that used letters for notes. But the purpose of ABC is to be able to exchange music in emails and other ASCII based media, and at this it has been massively successful. So well done Mr Walshaw (I've been in sessions with him - he's a cracking piper!).

 

Chris

Edited August 2, 2007 by Chris Timson

[Hooves]

...ABC is to be able to exchange music in emails and other ASCII based media, and at this it has been massively successful. So well done Mr Walshaw (I've been in sessions with him - he's a cracking piper!).

 

Chris

 

That makes much more sense in terms of computer use and e-communication. Ive seen some programs for converting to/from MIDI to "ABC", so use of standard ascii sysmbols would seem a requirement.

 

Wouldn't have guessed he was a piper, so kudos to him.

[Lester Bailey]

Went to friends house warming party some years ago and got to playing tunes as you do. There were all sorts of really good musicians there and me, I was holding forth on the benefits of ABC as a method of transferring tunes and remembering how they start etc etc. As I may have been in drink I may have been going on a bit. Next time I went to get a drink the friend who's part it was asked me if I knew who the piper was who was sat in the other corner of the room, seems his name was Chris Walshaw and I was an idiot

[Dirge]

Bollocks. ABC is obsolete (and no substitute for learning to read music) and you were both idiots

[Lester Bailey]

Bollocks. ABC is obsolete (and no substitute for learning to read music) and you were both idiots

A little excessive may be , I am happy yfor ou consider me an idiot as I said I was one but if you have never met Chris it is unfair to call him one.

 

If ABC is obsolete what has replaced it? My understanding of something becoming obsolete is that some thing newer has replaced it?

Edited August 4, 2007 by Lester Bailey

[Hooves]

Bollocks. ABC is obsolete (and no substitute for learning to read music) and you were both idiots

A little excessive may be , I am happy yfor ou consider me an idiot as I said I was one but if you have never met Chris it is unfair to call him one.

 

If ABC is obsolete what has replaced it? My understanding of something becoming obsolete is that some thing newer has replaced it?

 

 

Well for guitar chords my humble hand written ABC works for me, I ususally try to find the base key then the changes when transcribing a song I don't have music for. I have to agree with Dirge in that learnign how to read standard music is of great use. For me, my reading is hindered by the fatc I don't really study it unless I have to.

 

For the box, I'm learning to read music all over agian, to assocaite my buttons with staff notes (attempting at least), which is why I have decided to focus on just my MacCaan.

 

As long as you have a system that works for you, that you can understand, I think that is whats the most important.

 

But when it comes time to play with others, you need to speak the same musical language.

[David Barnert]

Remember that ABC is not quite a notation in the way you mean. It is (just about) human readable, but it's really intended to be machine readable. That means it has to be rigorously and tightly defined with all potential ambiguities excluded. That is what Chris Walshaw is credited with inventing.

While it is true that the real value of abc is that it is both human and machine readable, I have seen a statement by Chris Walshaw that he first developed it as a pencil-and-paper shorthand for jotting down tunes when no staff paper was available. It had nothing to do with computers until he started formalizing it.

[Chris Timson]

but if you have never met Chris it is unfair to call him one.

Agree. Chris is not only a very good piper (check out the Duellists CD) but he makes his living as a mathematician. I could do with being that sort of idiot.

 

So far as obsolescence is concerned, maybe it is. I've no idea what its replacement might be, but whatever it is it hasn't caught on widely yet. So I guess I'll stick with ABC for now.

 

Chris