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<A NAME="CHILD_LINKS"><STRONG>Subsections</STRONG></A>
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<LI><A NAME="tex2html379"
HREF="node8.html#SECTION00810000000000000000">Bar Numbers</A>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html380"
HREF="node8.html#SECTION00820000000000000000">Bar Repeat</A>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html381"
HREF="node8.html#SECTION00830000000000000000">Chords</A>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html382"
HREF="node8.html#SECTION00840000000000000000">Rests</A>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html383"
HREF="node8.html#SECTION00850000000000000000">Case Sensitivity</A>
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<H1><A NAME="SECTION00800000000000000000"></A>
<A NAME="sec-music"></A>
<BR>
Musical Data Format
</H1>
<P>
Compared to patterns, sequences, grooves and the various directives used in <I><B>MMA</B></I>,
the actual bar by bar chord notations are surprisingly simple.
<P>
Any line in your input file which is not a directive or comment is assumed to
be a bar of chord data.
<P>
A line for chord data consists of the following parts:
<P>
<UL>
<LI>Optional line number,
</LI>
<LI>Chord or Rest data,
</LI>
<LI>Optional lyric data,
</LI>
<LI>Optional solo or melody data,
</LI>
<LI>Optional multiplier.
</LI>
</UL>
<P>
Formally, this becomes:
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5" BGCOLOR="OldLace" BORDER=3><TR> <TD>
<BLOCKQUOTE><B>[num] Chord [Chord ...] [lyric] [solo] [* Factor] </B></BLOCKQUOTE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
As you can see, all that is really needed is a single chord. So, the line:
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5" BGCOLOR="OldLace" BORDER=3><TR> <TD>
<BLOCKQUOTE><B>Cm </B></BLOCKQUOTE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
is completely valid. As is:
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5" BGCOLOR="OldLace" BORDER=3><TR> <TD>
<BLOCKQUOTE><B>10 Cm Dm Em Fm * 4 </B></BLOCKQUOTE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
The optional solo or melody data is enclosed in ``{ }''. The complete format and use is detailed in the <I>Solo and Melody Tracks</I> chapter (<A HREF="node10.html#chap-solo"><IMG ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="1" ALT="[*]"
SRC="file:/usr/lib/latex2html/icons/crossref.png"></A>).
<P>
<H1><A NAME="SECTION00810000000000000000">
Bar Numbers</A>
</H1>
<P>
The optional leading bar number is silently discarded by <I><B>MMA</B></I>. It is really just a specialized comment which helps you debug your music. Note that only a numeric item is permitted here.
<P>
Get in the habit of using bar numbers. You'll thank yourself when a song seems to be missing a bar, or appears to have an extra one. Without the leading bar numbers it can be quite frustrating to match your input file to a piece of sheet music.
<P>
You should note that it is perfectly acceptable to have only a bar number on a line. This is common when you are using bar repeat, for example:
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5" BGCOLOR="OldLace" BORDER=3><TR> <TD>
<BLOCKQUOTE><B>1 Cm * 4
<BR>
2
<BR>
3
<BR>
4
<BR>
5 A </B></BLOCKQUOTE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
<H1><A NAME="SECTION00820000000000000000">
Bar Repeat</A>
</H1>
<P>
Quite often music has several sequential identical bars. Instead of typing these bars over and over again, <I><B>MMA</B></I> has an optional <B>multiplier</B> which can be placed at the end of a line of music data. The multiplier or factor can is specified as ``* NN'' This will cause the current bar to repeated the specified number of times. For example:
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5" BGCOLOR="OldLace" BORDER=3><TR> <TD>
<BLOCKQUOTE><B>Cm / Dm / * 4 </B></BLOCKQUOTE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
produces 4 bars of output with each the first 2 beats of each bar a Cm chord and the last 2 a Dm. (The ``/'' is explained below.)
<P>
<H1><A NAME="SECTION00830000000000000000">
Chords</A>
</H1>
<P>
The most important part of a musical data line is, of course, the chords. You can specify a different chord for each beat in your music. For example:
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5" BGCOLOR="OldLace" BORDER=3><TR> <TD>
<BLOCKQUOTE><B>Cm Dm Em Fm </B></BLOCKQUOTE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
specifies four different chords in a bar. It should be obvious by now that in a piece in <B>4/4</B> you'll end up with a ``Cm'' chord on beat 1, ``Dm'' on 2, etc.
<P>
If you have fewer chord names than beats, the bar will be filled automatically with the last chord name on the line. In other words:
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5" BGCOLOR="OldLace" BORDER=3><TR> <TD>
<BLOCKQUOTE><B>Cm </B></BLOCKQUOTE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
and
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5" BGCOLOR="OldLace" BORDER=3><TR> <TD>
<BLOCKQUOTE><B>Cm Cm Cm Cm </B></BLOCKQUOTE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
are equivalent (assuming 4 beats per bar). There must be one (or more) spaces between each chord.
<P>
One further shorthand is the ``/''. This simply means to repeat the last chord. So:
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5" BGCOLOR="OldLace" BORDER=3><TR> <TD>
<BLOCKQUOTE><B>Cm / Dm / </B></BLOCKQUOTE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
is the same as
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5" BGCOLOR="OldLace" BORDER=3><TR> <TD>
<BLOCKQUOTE><B>Cm Cm Dm Dm </B></BLOCKQUOTE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
It is perfectly okay to start a line with a ``/''. In this case the last chord from the previous line is used. If the first line of music data begins with a ``/'' you'll get an error--<I><B>MMA</B></I> tries to be smart, but it doesn't read minds.
<P>
<I><B>MMA</B></I> recognizes a wide variety of chords in standard notation. Refer to the complete table in the appendix for details (<A HREF="node23.html#sec-chordname"><IMG ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="1" ALT="[*]"
SRC="file:/usr/lib/latex2html/icons/crossref.png"></A>).
<P>
<H1><A NAME="SECTION00840000000000000000">
Rests</A>
</H1>
<P>
To disable a voice for a beat you can use a ``z'' for a chord name. If used by itself a ``z'' will disable all but the drum tracks for the given beat. However, you can disable ``Chord'', ``Arpeggio'', ``Scale'', ``Walk'' or ``Bass'' tracks as well by appending a track specifier to the ``z''. Track specifiers are the single letters ``C'', ``A'', ``S'', ``W'', ``B'' or `D'' and ``!''. Track specifiers are only valid if you also specify a chord. The track specifiers are:
<P>
<DL COMPACT>
<DT>D
<DD>All drum tracks,
<DT>W
<DD>All walking bass tracks,
<DT>B
<DD>All bass tracks,
<DT>C
<DD>All chord tracks,
<DT>A
<DD>All arpeggio tracks,
<DT>S
<DD>All scale tracks,
<DT>!
<DD>All tracks (almost the same as DWBCA, see below).
</DD>
</DL>
<P>
Assuming the ``C'' is the chord and ``AB'' are the track specifiers:
<P>
<DL COMPACT>
<DT>CzAB
<DD>mutes the ``A'' and ``B'' tracks,
<DT>z
<DD>mutes all the tracks except for the drums,
<DT>Cz
<DD>is not permitted,
<DT>zAB
<DD>is not permitted.
</DD>
</DL>
<P>
Assuming that you have a drum, chord and bass pattern defined:
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5" BGCOLOR="OldLace" BORDER=3><TR> <TD>
<BLOCKQUOTE><B>Fm z G7zC CmzD </B></BLOCKQUOTE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
would generate the following beats:
<P>
<DL COMPACT>
<DT>1
<DD>Drum pattern, Fm chord and bass,
<DT>2
<DD>Drum pattern only,
<DT>3
<DD>Drum pattern and G7 bass, no chord,
<DT>4
<DD>Cm chord and bass, no drum.
</DD>
</DL>
<P>
In addition, there is a super-z notation. ``z!'' forces all instruments to be silent for the given beats. ``z!'' is the same as ``zABCDW'', except that the later is not valid since it needs a prefixed chord.
<P>
The ``z'' notation is used when you have a ``tacet'' beat or beats. The alternate notations can be used to silence specific tracks for a beat or two, but this is used less frequently.
<P>
<H1><A NAME="SECTION00850000000000000000">
Case Sensitivity</A>
</H1>
<P>
In direct conflict with the rest of the rules for input files, all chord names <I>are</I> case sensitive. This means that you <I>can not</I> use notations like ``cm''--use ``Cm'' instead.
<P>
The ``z'' and the associated track specifiers are also case sensitive. For example, the form ``Zc'' will <I>not</I> work!
<P>
<P>
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2004-12-02
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