My apologies; I know there have been lots of threads asking for help on ABC notation. I didn't see the answer to mine in any of them, or in any of the online tutorials.
I think it's really more of a keyboard question than anything: I need to use the c above middle c. According to the tutorial, that should be c'. I first tried the single-quote mark (just left of the enter key on my HP keyboard). I've been typing my ABC attempts into my word processor (Microsoft Word) and testing by pasting it into the "ABC Convert-a-matic" page (link from The Session). Everything is working except it won't read that single quote mark; it just gives me middle c. It also ignores any note-length number after it, so c'2 just gives a middle c with 1/8 note value instead of the octave above in a quarter note. I figured it might be because the word processor turns the ' into a right-hand single quote, so I tried pasting in a straight ' (from the symbol character set in Word) but that gave the same result.
Help would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to get this so it works in the ABC Convert-a-matic before posting it so that I'll have some confidence that I've done it right.
Cool! The question I just submitted is dated "October 18" even though it's still Oct.17 here. Sometimes it's fun living almost at the end of the world, or at least at the end of the world's day. The most fun was the time that I got a call telling me my niece had been born on Sept.28, and it was still Sept.27 in my time zone.
I thought it might be a bug in the convert-o-matic, but i tried the following file:
X:1
T:Test
R:Reel
K:G
C,4 C4 c4 c'4 c''4
And it worked for me (5 different Cs). Maybe your computer keyboard is generating some special quote character? Try cutting & pasting the ABC fragment above, see if it gives you the different Cs.
I concur that you should use Notepad instead of Word.
Word is apparently set for "curly" quotes (opening vs. closing quotation marks as well as apostrophe vs. opening single quote) for the generic ' or " marks. They're all different creatures, typographically speaking, occupying different positions on the font map, and I'm pretty sure ABC only wants to deal with the simplest of them.
You can turn off that automatic conversion in Word somewhere. I think it's in Tools/Options. In truth, it probably IS easier just to use Notepad.
Sorry, that's probably more than anyone needed to know.
Thanks Peter and "mvhplank." Next time I'll try Notepad (if I even have that -- I'll have to look). This discussion might also help the next poor ABC beginner who's searching through the old discussions for help -- who knows?
In the interest of setting things straight for that hypothetical next person, I'm off by an octave in my initial post: the c' is the note TWO octaves above middle, c is one octave above, and C is middle c. I like to play the tune in question one octave below, to add some depth while the flute plays in the usual octave, so although I was writing it in the higher octave, I was thinking an octave lower. [And THAT is probably more than anyone needed to know. ]
ABC question
ABC question
My apologies; I know there have been lots of threads asking for help on ABC notation. I didn't see the answer to mine in any of them, or in any of the online tutorials.
I think it's really more of a keyboard question than anything: I need to use the c above middle c. According to the tutorial, that should be c'. I first tried the single-quote mark (just left of the enter key on my HP keyboard). I've been typing my ABC attempts into my word processor (Microsoft Word) and testing by pasting it into the "ABC Convert-a-matic" page (link from The Session). Everything is working except it won't read that single quote mark; it just gives me middle c. It also ignores any note-length number after it, so c'2 just gives a middle c with 1/8 note value instead of the octave above in a quarter note. I figured it might be because the word processor turns the ' into a right-hand single quote, so I tried pasting in a straight ' (from the symbol character set in Word) but that gave the same result.
Help would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to get this so it works in the ABC Convert-a-matic before posting it so that I'll have some confidence that I've done it right.
Thanks!
Sarah
# Posted on October 17th 2002 by x
"The Session", the time machine
Cool! The question I just submitted is dated "October 18" even though it's still Oct.17 here. Sometimes it's fun living almost at the end of the world, or at least at the end of the world's day. The most fun was the time that I got a call telling me my niece had been born on Sept.28, and it was still Sept.27 in my time zone.
easily amused in Alaska,
Sarah
# Posted on October 17th 2002 by x
Re: ABC question
I thought it might be a bug in the convert-o-matic, but i tried the following file:
X:1
T:Test
R:Reel
K:G
C,4 C4 c4 c'4 c''4
And it worked for me (5 different Cs). Maybe your computer keyboard is generating some special quote character? Try cutting & pasting the ABC fragment above, see if it gives you the different Cs.
# Posted on October 17th 2002 by glauber
Thanks, Glauber!
I cut and pasted the c' into my Word document, and it works now. Thanks! I'm still not sure how to get that character by just typing. Strange!
I used it as part of "Carolan's Welcome", which I just posted in honor of Derek Bell.
Sarah
# Posted on October 18th 2002 by x
Re: ABC question
If Microsoft Word is doing something goofy to the ' character, try using Notepad instead of Word.
Peter
# Posted on October 18th 2002 by pjmacd
Re: ABC question
I concur that you should use Notepad instead of Word.
Word is apparently set for "curly" quotes (opening vs. closing quotation marks as well as apostrophe vs. opening single quote) for the generic ' or " marks. They're all different creatures, typographically speaking, occupying different positions on the font map, and I'm pretty sure ABC only wants to deal with the simplest of them.
You can turn off that automatic conversion in Word somewhere. I think it's in Tools/Options. In truth, it probably IS easier just to use Notepad.
Sorry, that's probably more than anyone needed to know.
# Posted on October 20th 2002 by mvhplank
Re: ABC question
Thanks Peter and "mvhplank." Next time I'll try Notepad (if I even have that -- I'll have to look). This discussion might also help the next poor ABC beginner who's searching through the old discussions for help -- who knows?
In the interest of setting things straight for that hypothetical next person, I'm off by an octave in my initial post: the c' is the note TWO octaves above middle, c is one octave above, and C is middle c. I like to play the tune in question one octave below, to add some depth while the flute plays in the usual octave, so although I was writing it in the higher octave, I was thinking an octave lower. [And THAT is probably more than anyone needed to know.
]
Sarah
# Posted on October 20th 2002 by x