Keying Standards

Keying Standards for the O'Neill's Project

This page last modified

Required Fields in Header
X: Tune number in file. This should be the number that O'Neill used. Some ABC software may overwrite this; if this happens to you, don't worry about it, as the number is repeated in the B: line.
T: Title, can be multiple. Please use the title in English if one exists. Adding the Gaelige is planned for the future
K: Key- do not input as modal such as "DMix", use straight keys.
M: Meter- 6/8 for jigs, C| for reels.. as written in the book. Note the change from 4/4 to C|- this was pointed out to me by Henrik.. DB
L: Default note length- normally 1/8. It's best to always include this.
N: Notes- please list the tempo (if it appears) in double quotes (ie "Very Slow"), followed by the setting note (if it appears) in double quotes (ie "setting 1"), followed finally by the original transcriber's name that appears above and to the right of the music, writing "collected by XXXX" (where "XXXX" is the name that appears in the book) also in double quotes. Yes- this is the annoying one!
B: Book- "O'Neill's XXXX" where "XXXX" is the tune number
Z: Transcription note- "Transcribed by YOURNAME, YOUREMAIL". Email is optional
Notes Standards
Line breaks Place staff (line) breaks in the abc every FOUR bars, in regularly phrased tunes. For tunes with other phrase lengths, get as close to four-bar lines as you can. We aren't trying to preserve the original staff breaks. Due to problems with email software, it's best to keep lines to under 72 columns; if you need more, use a backslash (\) and linefeed to enter multiple lines for the staff.
Beam Groups Keep beaming as close to the original as possible
Accidentals Accidentals sometimes seem unnecessary in the original, but resist the urge to make corrections- copy everything as originally written in the book.
Ornaments, grace notes,
staccato A trill/ornament/roll is marked with a ~ before the note, a grace note is placed in {} brackets, and a staccato note is shown with a '.' before the note to mark as staccato. It is easy to miss a grace here and there or not to see a staccato- please check your notes carefully.

Required Fields in Header
X:	Tune number in file. This should be the number that O'Neill used. Some ABC software may overwrite this; if this happens to you, don't worry about it, as the number is repeated in the B: line.
T:	Title, can be multiple. Please use the title in English if one exists. Adding the Gaelige is planned for the future
K:	Key- do not input as modal such as "DMix", use straight keys.
M:	Meter- 6/8 for jigs, C\| for reels.. as written in the book. Note the change from 4/4 to C\|- this was pointed out to me by Henrik.. DB
L:	Default note length- normally 1/8. It's best to always include this.
N:	Notes- please list the tempo (if it appears) in double quotes (ie "Very Slow"), followed by the setting note (if it appears) in double quotes (ie "setting 1"), followed finally by the original transcriber's name that appears above and to the right of the music, writing "collected by XXXX" (where "XXXX" is the name that appears in the book) also in double quotes. Yes- this is the annoying one!
B:	Book- "O'Neill's XXXX" where "XXXX" is the tune number
Z:	Transcription note- "Transcribed by YOURNAME, YOUREMAIL". Email is optional
Notes Standards
Line breaks	Place staff (line) breaks in the abc every FOUR bars, in regularly phrased tunes. For tunes with other phrase lengths, get as close to four-bar lines as you can. We aren't trying to preserve the original staff breaks. Due to problems with email software, it's best to keep lines to under 72 columns; if you need more, use a backslash (\) and linefeed to enter multiple lines for the staff.
Beam Groups	Keep beaming as close to the original as possible
Accidentals	Accidentals sometimes seem unnecessary in the original, but resist the urge to make corrections- copy everything as originally written in the book.
Ornaments, grace notes, staccato	A trill/ornament/roll is marked with a ~ before the note, a grace note is placed in {} brackets, and a staccato note is shown with a '.' before the note to mark as staccato. It is easy to miss a grace here and there or not to see a staccato- please check your notes carefully.

Sample ABC for #1023- The Gallowglass
The original in the book:

The ABC following the keying rules

X:1023
T:The Gallowglass
M:6/8
L:1/8
N:"collected by Dunning"
B:O'Neill's 1023
Z:Transcribed by Dan Beimborn, Dan@CelticMusic.Com
K:C
A/B/ | cBA eBd | cAA A2 A/B/ | cBA e]fg | BGG G2 A/B/ | 
  | cBA eBd | cea e2d | cBA ^GAB | cAA A2 :| 
e | a^ga e=fd | cAA A2 A/B/ | cBA e^fg | BGG G2e | 
  | a^ga e=fd | cAA Aed | cBA ^GAB | cAA A2 | 
e | a^ga e=fd | cAA A2 A/B/ | cBA e^fg | BGG G2e | 
  | aeg fdB | ecA B^GE | ABc dBe | cAA A2 |]

O'Neill's Project Home Page

O'Neill's Project Developers' Page