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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
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<!--Converted with LaTeX2HTML 2002-2-1 (1.71)
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original version by: Nikos Drakos, CBLU, University of Leeds
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* revised and updated by: Marcus Hennecke, Ross Moore, Herb Swan
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* with significant contributions from:
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Jens Lippmann, Marek Rouchal, Martin Wilck and others -->
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<HTML>
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<HEAD>
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<TITLE>Musical Data Format</TITLE>
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<META NAME="description" CONTENT="Musical Data Format">
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<!--End of Navigation Panel-->
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<!--Table of Child-Links-->
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<A NAME="CHILD_LINKS"><STRONG>Subsections</STRONG></A>
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<UL>
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<LI><A NAME="tex2html434"
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HREF="node8.html#SECTION00810000000000000000">Bar Numbers</A>
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<LI><A NAME="tex2html435"
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HREF="node8.html#SECTION00820000000000000000">Bar Repeat</A>
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<LI><A NAME="tex2html436"
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HREF="node8.html#SECTION00830000000000000000">Chords</A>
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<LI><A NAME="tex2html437"
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HREF="node8.html#SECTION00840000000000000000">Rests</A>
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<LI><A NAME="tex2html438"
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HREF="node8.html#SECTION00850000000000000000">Case Sensitivity</A>
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</UL>
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<!--End of Table of Child-Links-->
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<HR>
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<H1><A NAME="SECTION00800000000000000000"></A>
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<A NAME="sec-music"></A>
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<BR>
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Musical Data Format
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</H1>
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<P>
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Compared to patterns, sequences, grooves and the various directives used in
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<FONT Face="Serif" Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> ,
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the actual bar by bar chord notations are surprisingly simple.
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<P>
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Any line in your input file which is not a directive or comment is assumed to
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be a bar of chord data.
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<P>
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A line for chord data consists of the following parts:
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<P>
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<UL>
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<LI>Optional line number,
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<P>
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</LI>
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<LI>Chord or Rest data,
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<P>
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</LI>
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<LI>Optional lyric data,
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<P>
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</LI>
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<LI>Optional solo or melody data,
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<P>
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</LI>
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<LI>Optional multiplier.
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<P>
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</LI>
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</UL>
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<P>
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Formally, this becomes:
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<P>
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<Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
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<tr><td>
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<B>[num] Chord [Chord ...] [lyric] [solo] [* Factor] </B>
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</td></tr>
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</Table>
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<P>
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As you can see, all that is really needed is a single chord. So, the line:
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<P>
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<Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
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<tr><td>
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<B>Cm </B>
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</td></tr>
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</Table>
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<P>
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is completely valid. As is:
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<P>
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<Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
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<tr><td>
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<B>10 Cm Dm Em Fm * 4 </B>
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</td></tr>
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</Table>
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<P>
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The optional solo or melody data is enclosed in ``{ }''s. The
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complete format and use is detailed in the <A HREF="node10.html#chap-solo">Solo and
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Melody Tracks</A>.
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<P>
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Lyrics are enclosed in ''[ ]'' brackets. See the <A HREF="node9.html#sec-lyrics">Lyrics section</A>.
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<P>
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<H1><A NAME="SECTION00810000000000000000">
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Bar Numbers</A>
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</H1>
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<P>
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The optional leading bar number is silently discarded by
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<FONT Face="Serif" Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> . It is
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really just a specialized comment which helps you debug your music.
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Note that only a numeric item is permitted here.
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<P>
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Get in the habit of using bar numbers. You'll thank yourself when a
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song seems to be missing a bar, or appears to have an extra one.
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Without the leading bar numbers it can be quite frustrating to match
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your input file to a piece of sheet music.
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<P>
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You should note that it is perfectly acceptable to have only a bar
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number on a line. This is common when you are using bar repeat, for
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example:
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<P>
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<Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
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<tr><td>
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<B>1 Cm * 4
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<BR>
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2
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<BR>
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3
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<BR>
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4
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<BR>
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5 A </B>
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</td></tr>
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</Table>
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<P>
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In the above example bars 2, 3 and 4 are comment bars.
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<P>
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<H1><A NAME="SECTION00820000000000000000">
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Bar Repeat</A>
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</H1>
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<P>
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Quite often music has several sequential identical bars. Instead of
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typing these bars over and over again,
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<FONT Face="Serif" Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> has an optional
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<I>multiplier</I> which can be placed at the end of a line of music
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data. The multiplier or factor can is specified as ``* NN'' This will
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cause the current bar to repeated the specified number of times. For
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example:
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<P>
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<Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
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<tr><td>
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<B>Cm / Dm / * 4 </B>
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</td></tr>
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</Table>
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<P>
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produces 4 bars of output with each the first 2 beats of each bar a Cm
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chord and the last 2 a Dm. (The ``/'' is explained below.)
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<P>
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<H1><A NAME="SECTION00830000000000000000">
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Chords</A>
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</H1>
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<P>
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The most important part of a musical data line is, of course, the
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chords. You can specify a different chord for each beat in your music.
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For example:
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<P>
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<Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
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<tr><td>
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<B>Cm Dm Em Fm </B>
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</td></tr>
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</Table>
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<P>
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specifies four different chords in a bar. It should be obvious by now
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that in a piece in <B>4/4</B> you'll end up with a ``Cm'' chord on
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beat 1, ``Dm'' on 2, etc.
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<P>
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If you have fewer chord names than beats, the bar will be filled
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automatically with the last chord name on the line. In other words:
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<P>
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<Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
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<tr><td>
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<B>Cm </B>
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</td></tr>
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</Table>
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<P>
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and
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<P>
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<Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
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<tr><td>
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<B>Cm Cm Cm Cm </B>
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</td></tr>
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</Table>
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<P>
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are equivalent (assuming 4 beats per bar). There must be one (or more)
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spaces between each chord.
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<P>
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One further shorthand is the ``/''. This simply means to repeat the
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last chord. So:
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<P>
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<Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
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<tr><td>
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<B>Cm / Dm / </B>
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</td></tr>
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</Table>
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<P>
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is the same as
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<P>
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<Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
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<tr><td>
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<B>Cm Cm Dm Dm </B>
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</td></tr>
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</Table>
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<P>
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It is perfectly okay to start a line with a ``/''. In this case the
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last chord from the previous line is used. If the first line of music
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data begins with a ``/'' you'll get an error--
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<FONT Face="Serif" Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> tries to be
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smart, but it doesn't read minds.
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<P>
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<FONT Face="Serif" Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> recognizes a wide variety of chords in standard notation. In
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addition, you can specify slash chords and shift the octave up or
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down. Refer to the complete table in the appendix for
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<A HREF="node27.html#sec-chordname">details</A>.
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<P>
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<H1><A NAME="SECTION00840000000000000000">
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Rests</A>
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</H1>
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<P>
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To disable a voice for a beat you can use a ``z'' for a chord name. If
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used by itself a ``z'' will disable all but the drum tracks for the
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given beat. However, you can disable ``Chord'', ``Arpeggio'',
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``Scale'', ``Walk'', ``Aria'', or ``Bass'' tracks as well by appending a track
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specifier to the ``z''. Track specifiers are the single letters ``C'',
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``A'', ``S'', ``W'', ``B'', ``R'' or `D'' and ``!''. Track specifiers are
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only valid if you also specify a chord. The track specifiers are:
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<P>
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<DL COMPACT>
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<DT>D
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<DD>All drum tracks,
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<P>
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<DT>W
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<DD>All walking bass tracks,
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<P>
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<DT>B
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<DD>All bass tracks,
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<P>
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<DT>C
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<DD>All chord tracks,
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<P>
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<DT>A
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<DD>All arpeggio tracks,
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<P>
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<DT>S
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<DD>All scale tracks,
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<P>
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<DT>R
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<DD>All aria tracks,
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<P>
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<DT>!
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<DD>All tracks (almost the same as DWBCA, see below).
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<P>
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</DD>
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</DL>
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<P>
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Assuming the ``C'' is the chord and ``AB'' are the track specifiers:
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<P>
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<DL COMPACT>
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<DT>CzAB
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<DD>mutes the A<SMALL>PREGGIO</SMALL> and B<SMALL>ASS</SMALL> tracks,
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<P>
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<DT>z
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<DD>mutes all the tracks except for the drums,
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<P>
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<DT>Cz
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<DD>is not permitted,
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<P>
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<DT>zAB
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<DD>is not permitted.
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<P>
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</DD>
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</DL>
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<P>
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Assuming that you have a drum, chord and bass pattern defined:
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<P>
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<Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
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<tr><td>
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<B>Fm z G7zC CmzD </B>
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</td></tr>
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</Table>
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<P>
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would generate the following beats:
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<P>
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<DL COMPACT>
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<DT>1
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<DD>Drum pattern, Fm chord and bass,
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<P>
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<DT>2
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<DD>Drum pattern only,
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<P>
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<DT>3
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<DD>Drum pattern and G7 bass, no chord,
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<P>
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<DT>4
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<DD>Cm chord and bass, no drum.
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<P>
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</DD>
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</DL>
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<P>
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In addition, there is a super-z notation. ``z!'' forces all
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instruments to be silent for the given beats. ``z!'' is the same as
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``zABCDWR'', except that the latter is not valid since it needs a
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prefixed chord.
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<P>
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The ``z'' notation is used when you have a ``tacet'' beat or beats.
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The alternate notations can be used to silence specific tracks for a
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beat or two, but this is used less frequently.
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<P>
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<H1><A NAME="SECTION00850000000000000000">
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Case Sensitivity</A>
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</H1>
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<P>
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In direct conflict with the rest of the rules for input files, all
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chord names <I>are</I> case sensitive. This means that you <I>can
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not</I> use notations like ``cm''--use ``Cm'' instead.
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<P>
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The ``z'' and the associated track specifiers are also case sensitive.
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For example, the form ``Zc'' will <I>not</I> work!
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<P>
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<P>
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2007-03-07
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