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Cheat sheet

If you’re trying these examples yourself and you don’t hear anything, make sure that you specify an instrument. For example:

piano: c d e f g

Once you declare an instrument in a REPL session, that instrument will be “active” so that you don’t have to keep specifying it.

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For a more detailed introduction to Alda, try the tutorial!

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Comments • Notes • Rests • Octaves • Accidentals • Note lengths / duration • Ties • Slurs / legato • Cram expressions • Chords • Voices • Parts • Tempo • Volume / dynamics • Panning • Quantization (legato <-> staccato) • Key signature • Markers • Variables • Repeats

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Comments

# This is a comment.
piano: c   # This is also a comment.

Notes

c d e f g

Rests

c r d r e r f r g

Octaves

Explicit octave numbers:

o0 c o1 c o2 c o3 c o4 c o5 c o6 c o7 c o8 c o9 c

o4 g a b o5 c o4 b a g

Octave up (>) and down (<):

o0 c > c > c > c > c > c > c > c > c > c

o4 g a b > c < b a g

Accidentals

Sharps (+) and flats (-):

c < b- a g f+

Double flats/sharps:

g+ f+ e+ d+ c++

The sky is the limit!:

c++++-+-+-+

Note lengths / duration

Standard “powers of two” note lengths (quarter, eighth, etc.):

c4 c8 c c16 c c c c32 c c c c c c c | c1

Dotted notes:

c4 c4
c4. c8
c4.. c16
c4... c32
c2. c4

Non-standard note lengths:

c9 c8 c7 c6 c5 c4 c3 c2 c1

Second (s) and millisecond (ms) note durations:

c2s d522ms e1234ms f5s

Ties

g+1~1

c2.~500ms~4..

Slurs / legato

c4~ d~ e~ f

Cram expressions

{c}2
{c d}2
{c d e}2
{c d e f}2
{c d e f g}2
{c d e f g a}2
{c d e f g a}4 {c d e f g a}4 {d e f g a b}4 > c2

Nested cram expressions:

{c {d {d+ e} f f+} g a}1

Chords

c1/e-/g/b

c1/e/g/>c4 < b a g | < g+1/b/>e

Voices

V1: c8 d e f g a b > c1
V2: e8 f g a b > c d e1
V3: g8 a b > c d e f g1
V4: o3 c2 g4 < g8 c1

Parts

oboe:
  c8 d e f g a b > c1

clarinet:
  e8 f g a b > c d e1

flute:
  g8 a b > c d e f g1

bassoon:
  o3 c2 g4 < g8 c1

Named parts:

cello "my-cello-1":
  o2 c1~1

cello "my-cello-2":
  r2 o2 g2~1

cello "my-cello-3":
  r1 o3 e1

my-cello-1:
  d2 e f1

my-cello-2:
  a2 b > c1

my-cello-3:
  f2 g a1

Part groups:

violin/viola/cello "strings":
  g1

strings:
  e

strings.violin:
  > c

strings.viola:
  e

strings.cello:
  < c

Tempo

Local tempo (only affects the current part):

trumpet:
  (tempo 200) o4 c8 d e f g a b > c4.

trombone:
  o3 e8 f g a b > c d e4.

Global tempo (affects all parts):

trumpet:
  (tempo! 200) o4 c8 d e f g a b > c4.

trombone:
  o3 e8 f g a b > c d e4.

You can also declare a global tempo at the top of the score:

(tempo! 150)

clarinet:
  c d e

flute:
  e f g

Volume / dynamics

Dynamic markings:

(pppppp) c
(ppppp) c
(pppp) c
(ppp) c
(pp) c
(p) c
(mp) c
(mf) c
(f) c
(ff) c
(fff) c
(ffff) c
(fffff) c
(ffffff) c

Explicit volume level (0-100):

(vol 20) c
(vol 35) c
(vol 57) c
(vol 75) c
(vol 89) c
(vol 100) c

Panning

piano:
  (panning 0)   c8
  (panning 15)  d
  (panning 30)  e
  (panning 45)  f
  (panning 60)  g
  (panning 75)  a
  (panning 90)  b
  (panning 100) > c

  V1: (panning 0)
    o2 g2/>c/e < a-/>c/f < g1/>c/e

  V2: (panning 100)
    o4 r4 c2/e/g c4/f/a- c1/e/g

Quantization (legato <-> staccato)

bassoon:
  o2 d8 e (quant 30) f+ g (quant 99) a2

Key signature

Major and minor keys:

(key-sig! '(d major))
o4 d8 e f g a b > c d

(key-sig! '(d minor))
o4 d8 e f g a b > c d

Sharp/flat keys:

(key-sig! '(b flat major))
o3 b8 > c d e f g a b

(key-sig! '(c sharp major))
o4 c8 d e f g a b > c

Modes:

(key-sig! '(d ionian))
o4 d8 e f g a b > c d

(key-sig! '(d dorian))
o4 d8 e f g a b > c d

(key-sig! '(d phrygian))
o4 d8 e f g a b > c d

(key-sig! '(d lydian))
o4 d8 e f g a b > c d

(key-sig! '(d mixolydian))
o4 d8 e f g a b > c d

(key-sig! '(d aeolian))
o4 d8 e f g a b > c d

(key-sig! '(d locrian))
o4 d8 e f g a b > c d

Custom key signatures:

(key-sig! "f+ b- d+")
o4 c8 d e f g a b > c

(key-sig! '(f (sharp) b (flat) d (sharp)))
o4 c8 d e f g a b > c

Markers

trumpet:
  o4 c8 d e f g a b > %last-note c4.~2

trombone:
  o3 e8 f g a b > c d e4.~2

tuba:
  @last-note o2 c4.~2

Variables

Define riffs/motifs:

(tempo! 200)

riff = b4 b8 > d4 d8 e4 <

electric-bass:
  o1 riff *4

electric-guitar-distorted:
  o2 riff *4

Define your own shorthand:

quiet  = (vol 25)
loud   = (vol 50)
louder = (vol 75)

notes  = c d e

piano:
  quiet notes
  loud notes
  louder notes

Multi-line variable definition:

(key-sig! '(a flat major))
(tempo! 90)

cocoon = [
  a4 > c8 e g8. e g8 <
  a8. > c e8~2 <
]

midi-synth-pad-new-age:
  (quant 95)
  o2 cocoon *2

Repeats

Repeat a note:

c *4

Repeat a chord:

c/e/g *4

Repeat a sequence:

[c16 d e f]*3 g2

Repeat a variable:

run = c16 d e f
run*3 g2

Repeat with variations:

[
  o4
  c16 '1,4
  d16 '2,5
  e16 '3,6
  f16 '7-8
  g16 '9

  o3 c16 c c
]*9

o4 a1