learn abc
This page contains several links to resources which will help you learn abc. If you are completely new to abc you may be better to start with the how to ... articles or the tutorials - if you are more familiar with abc then the abc standard will give you all the rules.
how to ...
... some YouTube videos, a couple with blog articles, to get you started using and understanding abc:
- How to get started with abc notation (blog article)
- How to understand abc notation ... the basics (blog article)
- How to understand abc notation ... next steps
- How to become an EasyABC virtuoso ... tips & tricks
- How to include lyrics in abc notation
- How to write abc notation for multiple voices (polyphony)
- How to host your abc tune collections at GitHub
the abc standard
... or for full details of abc, versions of the abc standard, the (semi-formal) description of the rules of abc, can be found at ...
- abc standard version 2.1 (Dec 2011) - the current standard
- links to previous versions and developmental work
abc examples
... a whole series of abc examples starting from notes, beams, etc right through to some fairly complex tunes.
abc tutorials
- a popular abc tutorial put together by Steve Mansfield
- an abc primer written by John Chambers
- a more in-depth abc tutorial also written by John Chambers
- a guide to making music with ABC Plus by Guido Gonzato, on using advanced abc features available in abcm2ps and abcMIDI
- Einführung in die ABC-Notation by Daniel Mayr
- Hudson Lacerda has a tutorial on using microabc - software constructed to extend abc notation to microtonal music
abc quick reference guide
... a very handy tri-fold chart of abc syntax compiled by Steve Merrony.