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[Helena Handcart]

So another New Year rolls around and I've decided to be all good and organised and work on grouping some of the tunes in my ABC library into sets. What I want to do is to have two tune in one file, in such a way that when I open the file both tunes are immediately visible.

I am using Easy ABC to create the files, as  soon as I paste in the code for the second tune the display automatically splits the tunes so that only one is displayed at a time.  Saving the resulting file and then opening in Tunepal or Trad Musician also displays only one tune at a time although both tunes are saved in the same file.

Is there a way to get ABC software to save multiple tunes in a single file such that when opened again both (all) the tunes are displayed at the same time?


Cheers :)

[Hugh Taylor]

I use ABCExplorer, and omit the X: line to achieve that.

[Helena Handcart]

I use ABCExplorer, and omit the X: line to achieve that.

Wonderful - and it works.  I might need to fiddle about with the layout a little but that is a better solution.

Thanks Hugh.

[Tone Dumb Greg]

I use ABCExplorer, and omit the X: line to achieve that.

You can insert tune titles as text using
%%begintext
Tune Title
%%endtext

[Roger Hare]

I use ABCExplorer, and omit the X: line to achieve that.

If I do that (Explorer v.1.6.1) I get a little box popping up which tells me that an X: line MUST be
used at the start of a tune. I can get around this by using an empty comment (%) between the
two tunes, but I suspect that is not what you mean. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? It's sort of
academic, as I'm an EasyABC user, but I'm curious...

If HH's main objective is to string 2/3 tunes together as a 'set', why not just join the 2 tunes together
in a single ABC script. Your ABC editor/player should then display a merged score, and play back
the merged tunes. Or have I misunderstood what you are trying to do? The post caught my eye
because I'm currently doing just this - creating 'experimental' sets for a proposed annexe to a session
band tune book.

[Helena Handcart]

If HH's main objective is to string 2/3 tunes together as a 'set', why not just join the 2 tunes together
in a single ABC script. Your ABC editor/player should then display a merged score, and play back
the merged tunes. Or have I misunderstood what you are trying to do? The post caught my eye
because I'm currently doing just this - creating 'experimental' sets for a proposed annexe to a session
band tune book.

That's what I was trying to do but simply pasting the abc for a second tune below the first meant the software interpreted it as two separate tunes (albeit sharing a filename) and would only display one at a time.  By using Hugh's tip and removing the X: field from the second tune I have got it to work just fine.

The file now has only a single X: field and the first T field is the title of the set, adding a second T field to each tune then means the tune titles appear over the individual scores, albeit as subtitles.

This is the structure:


X:1
T:First Tune Name - Second Tune Name
T:First Tune Name
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:Em
G
T: Second Tune Name
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Em
G
 

Works a treat.

[Pete Dunk]

As above but add a command to leave a space between the tunes on the page. The larger the number the bigger the gap, 30 usually works for me.

X:1
T:First Tune Name - Second Tune Name
T:First Tune Name
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:Em
G
%
%% vskip 30
%
T: Second Tune Name
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Em
G

[Pete Dunk]

I should add that ABC Explorer can create a 'Temporary List' and tunes in the list can be exported as a single PDF, a long list can be made into a tunebook or tunes in the list can create a new ABC file. Easy ABC on a Mac is very powerful in some ways, but ABC Explorer wins hands down for features on a PC in my opinion. YMMV.

[Helena Handcart]

As above but add a command to leave a space between the tunes on the page. The larger the number the bigger the gap, 30 usually works for me.

I'm not after adding a space - the whole point is that I can get a session set on my 8" tablet screen - a sort of session crib sheet.

[Helena Handcart]

... ABC Explorer wins hands down for features on a PC in my opinion. YMMV.

Yeah, I'm really not a fan and find the interface clunky.

[Roger Hare]

This is the structure:

X:1
T:First Tune Name - Second Tune Name
T:First Tune Name
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:Em
G
T: Second Tune Name
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Em
G

Oh, goodie! That's what I meant - it wasn't quite clear (to me at least) that this was what you
meant in your OP. As you say, works a treat (with the interspersed comment as recommended
by PD). Using this general format, I am up to ~80 'experimental' sets and counting, and they all
work fine (only ~90 more to go... ). Very instructive - forces one to think carefully about how
to combine two tunes so that you can't 'see (hear) the join'...

...but ABC Explorer wins hands down for features on a PC in my opinion. YMMV.

Can't argue with that, though from my personal point of view, the only feature of Explorer which
I use regularly is the automagic addition of accompaniment chords - ABCMus has a similar (slightly
more 'sophisticated'?) feature. I wish EasyABC had this. The real reason for using EasyABC is that
(as far as I can see), it's the only one of the popular free ABC editor/players which is still 'under
development', so using it is an 'investment in the future'.

Chaçun a son gout...

[Thrupenny Bit]

Never thought of doing this for tune sets, but the more I think about it, it saves tunes being ordered alphabetically across your tune file, when you  might want to organise in sets.
Thanks Helena, another good thought!

I prefer ABC Explorer, and use it as my go-to app. Though often re-organise x fields and alphabetically order in Easy ABC.
Q

[Roger Hare]

Never thought of doing this for tune sets, but the more I think about it, it saves tunes being
ordered alphabetically across your tune file, when you  might want to organise in sets.

And, if you want a load of suggestions for possible sets, this thread from 2017:

http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/topic,21574.0.html

is possibly worth a visit? It formed the basis of my (notional) 'collection' of ~170 sets.

[Thrupenny Bit]

Thanks Roger, I will take another look at that.
Over time I am becoming less interested in common session tunes. I've become more interested in the tunes I've dug out from sources and on here which form my repertoire, and create my own tune sets.
Though saying that, a good few common tune sets are always worth having!
Q

[Roger Hare]

...Over time I am becoming less interested in common session tunes. I've become more interested in the
tunes I've dug out from sources and on here which form my repertoire, and create my own tune sets...

Oooh! Look! Your hymn sheet is pretty much the same as mine...

[Helena Handcart]

Never thought of doing this for tune sets, but the more I think about it, it saves tunes being ordered alphabetically across your tune file, when you  might want to organise in sets.
Thanks Helena, another good thought!

Hi Q, it's not something I've done before but Colin and I were discussing our local sessions and how we can bring new tunes into the repertoire - as we seem to be going through a stagnant period. We have quite a lot of beginner session players so there are a handful of us to tend to drive things.  I find I learn a new tune or session set but then don't play it because I get caught up in the session and either forget what I've been practising or decide I don't know it well enough and back off and play the same old tunes as last time.

I'm just looking for a sort of aide memoire for sessions so I can quickly refresh my memory for new session sets, it also means I can share session sets with others if they want to know what went with what - this might be useful for the session newbies.  I'm not going to start playing from dots in the session though - for me that is something of a session killer and I encourage the attendees at my steady-speed session to let go of the tune book.

[Thrupenny Bit]

Well I think it's great idea!
It also brings to mind 'necessity is the mother of invention'.
I can see with you organising sessions, it is a valuable tool to have.
I will pop out later to my monthly one, and that's about it for me. I don't feel the pressure to constantly start sets as others are far more adept, so my need is far more personal to me.
....but good idea!
Q