xenial (1) abcm2ps.1.gz

Provided by: abcm2ps_7.8.9-1_amd64 bug

NAME

       abcm2ps — translate ABC music notation to PostScript

SYNOPSIS

       abcm2ps [options]  [abc-file [file-options]]  [...]

       abcm2ps [-h]

DESCRIPTION

       abcm2ps  translates  tunes  written  in  the ABC music notation format to customary sheet music scores in
       PostScript. It is based on abc2ps 1.2.5 and was developed mainly to print Baroque organ scores that  have
       independent voices played on multiple keyboards and a pedal-board. The program has since been extended to
       support various other notation conventions in use for sheet music.

       Options given immediately after the command name apply to the run as a whole; options given after an  ABC
       file name apply to that file.

       Formatting parameters can also be set in `format files' and in the ABC files themselves.

OPTIONS

       -0        Split tunes across page breaks if necessary.

       +0        Start a new page if a tune doesn't fit on the current one (default).

       -1        Output one tune per page.

       +1        Output multiple tunes per page (default).

       -a a      Maximal  horizontal  compression  when staff breaks are chosen automatically. Must be between 0
                 and 1. This corresponds to the `%%maxshrink a' formatting parameter (default: 0.65)

       -A        This option inserts reference elements in the PostScript or SVG output.

       -B b      Try to typeset b bars on each staff line. This corresponds to the `%%barsperstaff b' formatting
                 parameter.

       +B        Don't  try  to typeset a fixed number of bars on each staff line (default). This corresponds to
                 the `%%barsperstaff 0' formatting parameter.

       -b b      Start measure numbering at b.

       -c        The continuation symbol is implicitly appended to each music line. This  amounts  to  automatic
                 line breaking.

       +c        Automatic line breaking is turned off (default).

       -D directory
                 Search format files in directory.

       -d length Set  the  vertical  interstaff  space  to  length.  This corresponds to the `%%staffsep length'
                 formatting parameter (default: 46pt)

       -E        Output is generated in EPS format, one file per page.

       -e list   Select which tunes from an ABC file to print.  list is either a comma-separated  list  of  tune
                 numbers  (as  per  the  `X:' header), or a regular expression which will be matched against the
                 tune headers as a whole. The -e option must occur after an ABC file name and  applies  to  that
                 file.

                 Ranges  of  tune  numbers  may  be  specified  like  t1-t2;  t2 may be omitted which means `all
                 remaining tunes until the end of file'. Note that filtering  may  cause  problems,  e.g.,  with
                 global (non-tune) definitions in the ABC file.

       -F file   Read the format file file.fmt.

       +F        Do not read the default format file.

       -f        Enable  flat  beams  (useful  for  bagpipe  tunes).   This  corresponds  to the `%%flatbeams 1'
                 formatting parameter.

       -G        Omit slurs on grace notes. This corresponds to the `%%graceslurs 0' formatting parameter.

       +G        Draw slurs on grace notes (default).  This  corresponds  to  the  `%%graceslurs  1'  formatting
                 parameter.

       -g        Produce  SVG  output instead of EPS. In this mode, each tune goes to a separate file whose name
                 is `Outnnn.svg' (see option -O).

                 If output is directed to stdout (`-O-'), all SVG images are output without an XML header.

       -H        Display the current values of the formatting parameters.

       -h        Display program usage hints and quit.

       -I length Indent the first line of the tune by length (default: 0).  This corresponds  to  the  `%%indent
                 length' formatting parameter.

       -i, +i    Insert a red circle around errors in the PostScript output.

       -jb[b]    Output  a measure number every b measures. If b is 0, the measure number appears at the left of
                 each staff. The trailing b causes a box to be drawn around each  measure  number  (default:  no
                 measure numbering).  This corresponds to the %%measurenb         formatting parameter.

       +j        Don't output measure numbers. This corresponds to the `%%measurenb -1' formatting parameter.

       -k        Sets  the  size of the PostScript output buffer in kibibytes. Specifying a higher value permits
                 the generation of big tunes with -E         or -g (default: 64).

       -l        Generate landscape output. This corresponds to the `%%landscape 1' formatting parameter.

       +l        Generate portrait  output  (default).  This  corresponds  to  the  `%%landscape  0'  formatting
                 parameter.

       -M        Suppress lyrics. See the %%writefields             formatting parameter.

       +M        Include lyrics (default). See the %%writefields             formatting parameter.

       -m length Set  the  left margin to length (default: 1.8cm). This corresponds to the `%%leftmargin length'
                 formatting parameter.

       -N[mode]  Number pages according to the mode:

                 0         no page numbers

                 1         page numbers at top left of page

                 2         page numbers at top right of page

                 3         page numbers at top left of even-numbered pages, top right of odd-numbered pages

                 4         page numbers at top right of even-numbered pages, top left of odd-numbered pages

                 For compatibility, -N is equivalent to -N2 (default: -N0).

                 If a header is defined using `%%header', this option is ignored.

       +N        Equivalent to -N0 (no page numbering).

       -n        Include notes and  history  from  ABC  tune  `N:'  fields.  See  the  %%writefields  formatting
                 parameter.

       +n        Omit  notes  and  history from ABC tune `N:' fields (default). See the %%writefields formatting
                 parameter.

       -O name   Define the output file name. By default, the  output  file  name  is  `Out.ps'  for  PostScript
                 output,  `Outnnn.eps'  for  EPS output (see -E), or `Outnnn.svg' for SVG output (see -g), where
                 nnn        is a sequence number. If this option is given, the output name  will  be  name  (for
                 PostScript output), or name         will replace `Out' in the output file name (for EPS and SVG
                 output), respectively. If name is `=', the output file name will be the name of the ABC  source
                 file  with  the  extension  `.ps',  `.eps', or `.svg'. If name is `-', the output is written to
                 stdout.

       +O        Revert to the default output file name (`Out.ps' or `Outnnn.eps')

       -q        Quiet mode, only error messages will be shown.

       -S        Secure mode; disables file inclusion via %%format and %%EPS              and  disallows  direct
                 PostScript injection via %%beginps and %%postscript.

       -s scale  Set  the  page  scale factor to scale. Note that the header and footer are not scaled (default:
                 0.75). This corresponds to the `%%scale scale' formatting parameter.

       -Tn[voice], +Tn[voice]
                 Activate (or deactivate)  tabulature  drawing.  n  is  the  tabulature  number  as  defined  in
                 %%tabulature            (up  to  a maximum of 8 tabulatures), and voice is the voice name, full
                 name or subname as found in V:. When this is absent, the option applies to all voices. Up to  4
                 such options may be given. See also format.txt.

       -V        Output version number and quit.

       -v        Produce SVG output instead of simple PS. In this mode, each page goes to a separate output file
                 called `Outnnn.svg' (see option -O).

       -w length Adjust the right margin such that the staff width is length (default: none).  This  corresponds
                 to the `%%staffwidth length' formatting parameter.

       -X        Produce  XML+SVG  output instead of simple PS. The default file name is `Out.xhtml' (see option
                 `-O').

       -x        Include the `X:' tune number in the title. See the %%writefields formatting parameter.

       +x        Do not include the `X:' tune number in the title (default). See  the  %%writefields  formatting
                 parameter.

FORMATTING PARAMETERS

       Abcm2ps supports a vast number of formatting parameters that govern the appearance of the typeset output.
       Please refer to the /usr/share/doc/abcm2ps/format.txt file or the formatting parameter  documentation  on
       the official abcm2ps web site (link to URL http://moinejf.free.fr/abcm2ps-doc/index.html) .

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

   Clefs
       Clefs can be given in K: and V: headers. The full syntax is

       [clef=]type[line][+8|-8] [middle=pitch]

       The `clef=' can be omitted when the type is a clef name.

       type denotes the clef type. It may be:

       A note pitch (G, C, or F)
                 The  pitch  indicates which clef is meant: G is the treble clef, C the alto clef and F the bass
                 clef. It also gives the name of the note that appears on the clef's line.

       A clef name
                 The available clef names are treble (clef gives the pitch for G), alto or tenor (C),  and  bass
                 (F)

       perc or P In  percussion mode, accidentals change the glyphs used for note heads. By default, sharp notes
                 are drawn as `x' and flat notes  as  circled  `x'.  This  may  be  changed  by  redefining  the
                 PostScript functions pshhd and pflhd.

       none      No clef will be displayed.

       The line gives the number of the line within the staff that the base clef will be written on. The default
       values are 2 for the treble clef, 3 for the alto clef, and 4 for the tenor and bass clefs.

       The +8 and -8 options draw an 8 above or below the staff, respectively.   `middle=pitch'  (or  `m=pitch',
       for  short)  is an alternative way of defining the line number of the clef: The pitch indicates what note
       will be displayed on the middle line of the staff.

       When no clef is specified, clef changes between bass and treble will be inserted automatically.

   Multi-voice typesetting
       Multiple voices may be defined within the header or the tune using

       V:name definition ...

       where name is a word consisting of letters and  digits  only  (like  violin1).  In  the  tune  body,  the
       following notes refer to this voice until another V: is encountered. A definition can be one of:

       clef=...  See above

       name=name or nm=name
                 The  name  will  be  displayed at the beginning of the first staff. It can contain \n sequences
                 which will force line breaks. If it contains whitespace it must be double-quoted.

       subname=name or snm=name
                 The name will be displayed at the beginning of all staves except for the first. It can  contain
                 \n sequences which will force line breaks. If it contains whitespace it must be double-quoted.

       merge     The voice goes on the same staff as the previous voice.

       up or down
                 Forces the direction of the stems for the voice.

       dyn=up or dyn=down or dyn=auto
                 Forces  positioning  of  dynamic  marks  (above  or  below  the  staff) or reverts to automatic
                 positioning (the default)

       gstem=up or gstem=down or gstem=auto
                 Forces the direction of the stems of grace notes (always up  or  always  down)  or  reverts  to
                 automatic positioning (the default)

       stem=auto Reverts to automatic positioning of note stems (up or down) (the default)

       lyrics=up or lyrics=down or lyrics=auto
                 Places lyrics above or below the staff or reverts to automatic positioning (the default)

       gchord=up            or gchord=down
                 Places guitar chords above (the default) or below the staff.

       stafflines=value
                 Sets the number of lines on the staff in question.  (default: 5)

       staffscale=value
                 Sets  the  scale  of  the  associated  staff up to 3.  (default: 1)   All other definitions are
                 ignored.

       By default, each voice goes on its own staff. The `%%staves definition' pseudo-comment  can  be  used  to
       control  staff  assignment.  The  definition  consists of voice names (from V:) and pairs of parentheses,
       braces or brackets.

          •  When a voice name is not within a pair of special characters, it goes on a separate staff.

          •  For voice names enclosed in brackets, a bracket is displayed at the beginning  of  each  line  that
             joins the staves of the voices in question.

          •  For  voice names enclosed in braces, all the voices go on two staves (keyboard score). There can be
             at most four voices between a single pair of braces.

          •  For voice names enclosed in parentheses, all the voices appear on a single staff.

       The `|' character prevents measure bars from being drawn between two staves.

       If `%%staves' occurs in a tune, all the voices not mentioned will not be output at all.

   The %%score directive
       The  %%score  directive  occurs  in  the  ABC  draft  2.0  standard  and  is  similar  to  the   %%staves
            specification described earlier. The rules are:

          •  Voice  names within parentheses form a "voice group" and go on a single staff. A voice name that is
             not within parentheses forms its own voice group and goes on a staff by itself.

          •  Voice groups within braces form a "voice block" and are preceded by a big brace in the output. This
             is especially useful for keyboard music.

          •  Voice  groups  or  voice  blocks within brackets form a "voice block" and will be preceded by a big
             bracket in the output.

          •  If a `|' character occurs between two voice groups or voice blocks, the bar lines  in  all  of  the
             associated staves will be continuous.

          •  A  single  voice  surrounded  by  two voice groups can be preceded by an asterisk to make it into a
             `floating' voice. This means that, for each note of the voice, a separate decision is made  whether
             it is printed on the preceding or the following voice group's staff.

          •  Voices  that appear in the tune body but not in the %%score directive will not be output at all. If
             there is no %%score         directive, each voice will be output on its own staff.

          •  A %%score directive inside a tune resets the mechanism so voices can be removed or added.

   Voice overlay
       You can add notes to a staff without introducing a complete extra voice by using the  ampersand  (&).   A
       single measure can be split into two voices like

       |F2A2Bc&F2c2bc|

       The (&...&...&) construction allows splitting multiple measures:

       |!f!(&GG<G|GG F=E| E2  E(_D/E)|_D D  C      D |C4- |C
            &DC<C|CC_D C|=B,2_B,B,   |_A,A,(G,/A,/)B,|F,4-|F,)zzD=E|

       A  double  ampersand (&&) will allow overlaying more than two lines of music but this feature has not yet
       been implemented.

   Lyrics
       Aligned lyrics under a staff are written as a w: line directly below the staff line. For example:

       edc2 edc2|
       w:Three blind mice, three blind mice

       Each word in the w: line (delimited by blanks) is associated with one note, in  sequence.  The  following
       special symbols modify this behaviour:

       *         Skips one note.

       -         Splits  a  word into two syllables which are associated with two adjacent notes. A `-' is drawn
                 between them.

       |         Advances to the next bar line

       ~         Is output as a space, but unites two words so they appear under a single note.

       _         Draws a thin underscore from the previous note to the next.

       To include more than one line of lyrics, use multiple w: lines. To include hyphens  without  splitting  a
       word over multiple notes, use -.

       If a word starts with a digit, this is interpreted as a stanza number and outdented a bit to the left.

   Slurs and ties
       The direction of slurs and ties may be controlled using the (, and (', and -, and -', constructions.

   Microtone pitches
       Microtone  pitches  are  indicated  by  a  fraction  after  an  accidental, as in 3/4c. When omitted, the
       numerator defaultes to 1 and the denominator to 2 (so  /c  is  the  same  as  1/2c).  The  numerator  and
       denominator  values  may  not exceed 256. There is built-in support for quarter-tone accidentals (1/2 and
       3/2 sharps and flats); for other values, rendering functions must  be  defined  using  %%postscript  (see
       features.txt).

   EPS inclusion
       EPS files may be included inside tunes using the pseudo-comment `%%EPS file'.

SEE ALSO

       The  original  documentation  can be found in files features.txt, format.txt, and options.txt, which on a
       Debian system are in /usr/share/doc/abcm2ps.

AUTHOR

       This manual page was written by Anselm Lingnau <lingnau@debian.org> for the Debian  system  (but  may  be
       used  by  others).   Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document as long as its
       origin is not misrepresented.

                                                                                                      ABCM2PS(1)