**This is a sort of meta proposal.**

Elsewhere (currently
http://abcnotation.com/wiki/abc:standard:v2.1:proposals:clefs_voice_parameters:dave:v3) 

I have given what I think is (little more than) the minimal extension of abc2.1 to give a full capability with transposing instruments.    That proposal preserves abc2.1's ''transpose'' as the interval between the written-pitch music for an instrument and its sounding pitch and (apart from alternatives in the form +8 -8) guarantees that this cannot be messed up by introducing other voice keywords.

It requires that the default abc encoding is at the instrument's written pitch because that is the way it works in abc2.1.  But the requirement to be able to cut and paste abc-notation between voices for different instruments, demands the ability to be able to encode abc at any pitch: the instrument's written pitch, the instrument's sounding pitch, or any other (eg the written pitch of some other instrument from which you've copied some abc code).

This makes life complicated.

Here I want to ask the question: "What happens if we make a rule that all abc is encoded at concert pitch?"

Cutting and pasting from one voice to another will be painless, and abc wil be much simpler.  But there are disadvantages that will probably rule it out for a lot of people, and this 'proposal' is made with that firmly in mind.  First 'transpose' (in a V: field) will not be allowed in any abc file more recent version than 2.1 - it's whole raison d'etre is to violate the above rule.  Secondly writing abc to be read directly by players of transposing instruments will not be possible.  

''transpose'' may be a problem: if there are lots of files //out there// which use it, then this proposal is almost dead in the water.   If theer are not, then there surely must be many people using +8 -8 which also separates the pitch from the abc encoding.

Nevertheless, let's ask what if? 

It doesn't seem to work: the legacy of transpose +8 -8  messes it all up.  :-(