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Author Topic: Minor ABC queries - use of '+' and 's'  (Read 1294 times)

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Roger Hare

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Minor ABC queries - use of '+' and 's'
« on: September 01, 2019, 12:55:13 PM »

I'm using EasyABC v1.3.7.7.

I've come across an ABC script in which the + character is used to bracket musical notes, thus:

Code: [Select]
X:20
T:Joe Cashmere's Mazurka
M:3/4
R:Mazurka
L:1/8
K:G
D>G | +B2G2+ +B2G2+ (3dBG | +B2G2+ +B2G2+ (3dBG | +A2D2+ +A2D2+ (3cBA | +G2G,2+ +G2G,2+ D>G |
+B2G2+ +B2G2+ (3dBG | +B2G2+ +B2G2+ (3dBG | +A2D2+ +A2D2+ (3AdA | G2 G2 B>d |
e2 e>f g>e | d2 d2 G>B | d2 d>B A>d | B2 BA GB |
e2 e>f g>e | d2 d2 G>B | d>e d>c B>A | G4 D>G ||
These notes bracketed with + do not appear on the score, nor do they sound on playback.
I'm aware that older ABC standards allowed the use of + to indicate accompaniment chords,
but these bracketed sections do not seem to be intended as chords?

Any idea what they mean? I suspect that 'repairing' the script by editing the +s out will fix
the problem (although some bars will then be over-full).

I've also found sequences like:

Code: [Select]
...E4 ^D2 | E6 | sF4 s^E2 | F6 | sF4 sd2 | c4 B2 | A6- | A2 B2 c2 |...What does the prefix s mean please? I can't find a reference to this in any of the 'standard'
documents (Steve Mansfields tutorial, GG's manual, ABC standard v2.2)

Any thoughts?

Thank you.

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Steve_freereeder

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Re: Minor ABC queries - use of '+' and 's'
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2019, 01:21:05 PM »

I've also found sequences like:

Code: [Select]
...E4 ^D2 | E6 | sF4 s^E2 | F6 | sF4 sd2 | c4 B2 | A6- | A2 B2 c2 |...What does the prefix s mean please? I can't find a reference to this in any of the 'standard'
documents (Steve Mansfields tutorial, GG's manual, ABC standard v2.2)

Any thoughts?

Thank you.
The lower case 's' is for a symbol line. I've never needed to use it myself, but if I understand the ABC Standard correctly, it can be used to attach multiple symbols to a single note or line of notes. See here:
http://abcnotation.com/wiki/abc:standard:v2.2#symbol_lines

I've no idea about the + signs, sorry.
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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: Minor ABC queries - use of '+' and 's'
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2019, 02:26:51 PM »

...I suspect that 'repairing' the script by editing the +s out will fix
the problem (although some bars will then be over-full)...
Thank you.

If you take the + signs and the 2s out as appropriate it seems to end up as a mazurka in 3/4

e.g.
X:20
T:Joe Cashmere's Mazurka
M:3/4
R:Mazurka
L:1/8
K:G
D>G | BG BG (3dBG | BG BG (3dBG | AD AD (3cBA | GG, GG, D>G |
« Last Edit: September 01, 2019, 02:30:57 PM by Tone Dumb Greg »
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Re: Minor ABC queries - use of '+' and 's'
« Reply #3 on: September 01, 2019, 03:16:02 PM »

My punt would be the +s are used as chord containers, matches the notes within the +s and the note lengths. Now you should use [ and ].


Code: [Select]
X:20
T:Joe Cashmere's Mazurka
M:3/4
R:Mazurka
L:1/8
K:G
D>G | [B2G2] [B2G2] (3dBG | [B2G2] [B2G2] (3dBG | [A2D2] [A2D2] (3cBA |
[G2G,2] [G2G,2] D>G |[B2G2] [B2G2] (3dBG | [B2G2] [B2G2] (3dBG |
[A2D2] [A2D2] (3AdA | G2 G2 B>d |
e2 e>f g>e | d2 d2 G>B | d2 d>B A>d | B2 BA GB |
e2 e>f g>e | d2 d2 G>B | d>e d>c B>A | G4 D>G ||

Roger Hare

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Re: Minor ABC queries - use of '+' and 's'
« Reply #4 on: September 01, 2019, 03:32:43 PM »

...See here:
http://abcnotation.com/wiki/abc:standard:v2.2#symbol_lines...

I missed that bit of the standard, thanks. Doesn't quite fill the bill though as it's s I have rather than s:.
Very peculiar... I think I'll just delete 'em...

The only other thing I can think of is that the original transcriber had used a U: to allocate a specific
meaning to the s, and that the U: field has subsequently disappeared from the file.

...If you take the + signs and the 2s out as appropriate it seems to end up as a mazurka in 3/4...

My punt would be the +s are used as chord containers, matches the notes within the +s and the note lengths. Now you should use [ and ].

Two good suggestions! I'll try 'em both to see what happens.

I have several other instances of both these, so I can try things out on a few tunes.

I'm beginning to suspect that in the 'early days' of ABC there were program-specific 'improvements' to
ABC which have subsequently sunk without trace, and I may just be bumping up against examples of this
phenomenon.

Thank you folks!
« Last Edit: September 01, 2019, 03:56:13 PM by Roger Hare »
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Pete Dunk

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Re: Minor ABC queries - use of '+' and 's'
« Reply #5 on: September 01, 2019, 03:42:14 PM »

At one time the + symbol was used to denote a command in ABC. +trill+ has now been replaced by !trill! but I have no idea what is going on in the file you have here. Although now deprecated +trill+ and similar commands are still parsed correctly by ABC Explorer and may possibly work in Easy ABC too.
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Roger Hare

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Re: Minor ABC queries - use of '+' and 's'
« Reply #6 on: September 01, 2019, 03:52:42 PM »

At one time the + symbol was used to denote a command in ABC. +trill+ has now been replaced by !trill! but I have no idea what is going on...

Aye, I think this is in addition to the use I mentioned in my OP. It's an older file, so I think
it must be a usage which is now both obsolescent and deprecated - whatever it means.
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