Plaine and Easie Code, Version 2

The Plaine and Easie Code is a music notation encoding system designed for the capture of melodic incipits: Short fragments of music notation that help to identify a musical work.

Staff Definitions

The Plaine and Easie Code is always rendered on a five-line staff.

The clef, key signature, and time signature properties of an incipit are defined separately from the Musical Notation of the incipit. These properties affect the whole staff.

Clef

An encoding MUST include a clef.

The clef code is three characters long. The first character specifies the clef shape and is one of the values G, g (octave G), C, or F.

The second character uses the characters - to indicate modern notation, * to indicate mensural music notation, or : to indicate neume notation. Each of these notation types imposes different interpretations on the staff and music notation of the incipit.

The third character is a numeric value in the range 1-5, and indicates the reference staff line for the clef starting from the bottom line.

A clef MAY be enclosed in square brackets [] to indicate that it has been supplied by the transcriber.

The following table gives the indicative octave and note for the bottom and top lines of each staff.

Shape and Line	Bottom Line Octave and Note	Top Line Octave and Note
`G-2`	`'E` (E4)	`''F` (F5)
`F-4`	`,,G` (G2)	`,A` (A3)
`g-2`	`,E` (E3)	`'F` (F4)
`C-3`	`,F` (F3)	`'G` (G4)

Code	Notation	Remarks
`G-2`		G clef ("treble")
`C*2`		C clef in Mensural
`F-4`		F clef ("bass")
`g-2`		Octave G clef
`C:3`		Neume C clef
`[G-2]`		G clef, marked as supplied by the transcriber.

Key Signature

An encoding MAY include a key signature.

The character x indicates sharp keys and b flat keys. These characters MUST be followed by a list of note names. The n character MAY be supplied to indicate a natural key signature, e.g., C Major or A minor. This character MUST NOT be followed by a note name.

The list of note names in a key signature SHOULD follow the circle of fifths ordering. Note names MUST NOT be repeated.

A key signature MAY contain note names within square brackets [] to indicate that the note names have been supplied by the transcriber and are not in the original source. Consecutively supplied note names MUST be within a single set of brackets. A key signature MAY contain more than one set of non-consecutive bracket groups.

If the whole key signature is supplied by the transcriber, the entire key signature, including the x, b or n characters, MUST be enclosed in a single pair of square brackets.

For neume notation, only the value of bB (including indications whether it is supplied by the transcriber) is permitted.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`xFC`		F and C sharp (e.g., D major or B minor).
`bBEA`		B, E, A flat (e.g., E flat major or C minor).
`bB[EA]`		The E and A flats in the key signature have been supplied by the transcriber.
`n`		The natural key signature with no accidentals.
`xF[C]G[D]`		F, C, G, and D sharp. The C and D are marked as supplied by the transcriber.

Time Signature

An encoding MAY include a time signature.

There are two main categories of time signature forms, Common Western Music Notation (CWMN) and mensuration signs used in Mensural notation.

For neume notation, the time signature MUST NOT be encoded.

CWMN time signatures are expressed as one number above another. These numbers are separated by a / character. The c ("common") and c/ ("alla breve") characters MAY be used.

CWMN time signatures that indicate alternating measures are indicated by transcribing both, separated by a vertical bar | character.

For mensuration signs, the c and o characters indicate imperfect and perfect tempus, respectively. A / character can follow the tempus character to indicate diminution. The . character indicates "major" prolation; omitting . indicates "minor" prolation.

A mensuration sign can include a numerical component as a proportion or augmentation, indicating modus cum tempore. These numerals MUST be either a 3 or 2. These numbers MAY be combined, but MUST be separated by a /.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`2/4`
`12/16`
`c`		common time
`c/`		alla breve
`o`		Perfect tempus, minor prolation
`o.`		Perfect tempus, major prolation
`c3`		Perfect tempus with modus cum tempore
`c2`		Imperfect tempus with modus cum tempore
`c/`		Imperfect tempus with diminution
`3/4\|4/4`		Alternating 3/4 and 4/4 measures. Not currently supported by Verovio

Musical Notation

Structure

The Musical Notation section of an encoding is given as a single line of characters representing a staff of musical notation. Notes and rests, and chords, are the most basic logical units of notation representation, composed of one or more characters that specify different attributes of a note or rest. Complex notational figures, such as beams, or tuplets, serve to group these logical units. Expression marks alter the performance of a note, a rest, or groups thereof. Other staff and measure symbols can control the definition of the staff itself: bar lines, multi-measure rests, or a change of clef, key signature, or time signature.

Many characters representing properties of a musical note are optional—the only required character is the note name. Where one or more characters for a note occurs, they MUST occur in the following order:

Order of characters representing a note
Note Feature	Characters	Requirement	Remarks
Grace / Appoggiatura	`[g\|q]`	Optional	When specified, MUST precede all other characters.
Octave	`[,']{0,4}`	Optional
Duration / Duration Dot	`[0-9][.]{0,4}`	Optional
Accidental	`[xbn]`	Optional
Note Name	`[A-G]`	Required
Note Modifiers	`[tpu]`	Optional	When combined with other modifiers MUST occur in the given order.

Logical units of different types MAY be nested to represent complex notational features; for example, a beam will contain two or more notes, or a tuplet may be composed of two or more chords. All logical units of the same type MUST be closed before a new one is opened (i.e., no nested groups of the same kind).

There MUST be no spaces within the musical notation section, except for a space separating a change of a staff definition, i.e., clef, key signature, or time signature, from the music notation that follows the change.

To aid in writing succinct incipits, duration and octave values do not need to be stated on every note. Where a duration or octave value is omitted, the most recently stated value of the same type is used. If no value of that type has been stated anywhere in the encoding, the default value for that type is used. See the sections on duration and octave for the default values.

Notes and Rests

Durations

Note, chord, and rest durations are given as integer values in the range 0-9. The corresponding duration for each number is given in [[[#note-duration-map]]].

Duration	CWMN	Mensural
`0`	Longa
`9`	Breve
`1`	Whole note	Semibreve
`2`	Half note	Minim
`4`	Quarter note / crochet	Semiminim
`8`	Eighth note / quaver	Fusa
`6`	16^th note / semiquaver	Semifusa
`3`	32^nd note / demisemiquaver	-
`5`	64^th note / hemidemisemiquaver	-
`7`	128^th note	-

Note and rest duration value mapping, ordered from longest to shortest value.

The duration value for a given note or rest MAY be omitted. If the duration is omitted, the last specified duration is used for all following notes or rests.

An encoding MAY omit all duration indications. If no duration is supplied on any note or rest, all notes or rests have an implied duration value of 4 (quarter / crochet / semiminim).

Duration values MUST be interpreted differently if the encoding is in CWMN or Mensural notation. Mensural notation MUST NOT use durations of 3, 5, or 7.

Notes and rests in neume notation MUST NOT be given a duration value, and there is no implied duration.

For CWMN the period character . MAY be used to indicate a dot of augmentation, extending the duration of the note or rest by half the indicated duration value. This character MUST be directly appended to the duration value. Multiple dots MAY be used, with each successive dot indicating that the duration is extended by half the value of the previous dot. The number of dots MUST NOT exceed four.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`4.A`		dotted quarter-note
`8..A//8A_6A_3A`		Double-dotted eighth note and its equivalent in tied notes
`4....-`		quad-dotted quarter rest

Note Names

The note names are the following characters: C, D, E, F, G, A, B.

A note name MUST be provided to indicate the pitch class of the note.

Note names MUST use uppercase letters.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`CDEFGAB`		Note names for a single octave.

Octaves

Octaves in Plaine and Easie are enumerated according to [[ScientificPitch]]. The boundary note between octaves is C.

Octaves are indicated using the apostrophe ' for octave C4 and above, and the comma , for octaves C3 and below. These characters are repeated to indicate successively higher or lower octaves: '' indicates C5, ''' indicates C6, ,, indicates C2, and so on.

The number of apostrophes MUST NOT exceed four, corresponding to C7. The number of commas MUST NOT exceed three, corresponding to C1.

The octave indication for a given note MAY be omitted. If the octave is omitted, the last specified octave indication is used for all following notes until a new octave is indicated.

An encoding MAY omit all octave indications. If no octave is supplied on any note, all notes are assumed to be in octave C4.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`'C''B`		Octave C4 and above
`,,C,B`		Octave indications below C4
`''C'GC,GC,,G`		Octaves using both `'` and `,`
`AB''CDC'BA`		Octave indications omitted for some notes.
`ABCD`		No octave indication on any note (All notes in the 4th octave).

Accidentals

Accidentals are supplied using the values given in [[[#accidental-map]]].

Accidental	Notation	Remarks
`x`		sharp
`b`		flat
`xx`		double-sharp
`bb`		double-flat
`n`		natural

Accidental values

Accidentals MUST be interpreted by their written value, and MUST NOT be interpreted relative to a preceding accidental.

Where a note in a key signature is altered by use of an accidental directly before the note, the written pitch and sounding pitch of the note are those indicated by the accidental.

A note cannot be altered by the same accidental more than once within the same measure.

Rests

Rests for single notes are indicated by a hyphen/minus character -. This character MAY be preceded by a duration value giving the musical duration of the rest. If the duration is omitted, the last specified duration is used. If no duration is supplied in the encoding a default duration of 4 is assumed.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`8-`		Eighth-note rest
`2-`		Half-note rest
`4.-`		Dotted quarter rest

Groups

Ties

Tied notes are indicated with an underscore character, _. Tied notes consist of an initial note, a tie symbol, and an end note. The underscore represents both the tie symbol and the end note.

An underscore MAY be preceded by a duration value, which serves to indicate a different duration of the end note from the initial note. If no duration value is supplied, the end note is considered to have the same duration as the initial note.

An underscore MAY be preceded by the opening characters of a beam or tuplet.

Tied notes MAY occur over bar lines. The underscore MUST occur after the bar line, but MAY be preceded in the new measure by a duration or the opening characters of a beam or tuplet.

Chords MAY be tied. For tied chords, the underscore _ represents both the tie and the final chord. The final chord has the same pitches as the preceding chord. An underscore MAY be preceded by a duration value, which indicates a different duration for the final chord. If no duration value is supplied, the final chord has the same duration as the preceding chord.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`FG_A`		Tied notes within a bar
`2''G/_`		Tied notes over a bar line
`2''G/_/4_`		Successive tied notes over bar lines.
`2''G/8{_AB}/4_`		Tied notes with beaming.

Ligatures

Two notes joined in a ligature can be indicated with the lower-case character u. Ligatures are only used when encoding Mensural and Neume notation and MUST NOT be used when encoding CWMN.

Several consecutive notes MAY be joined in a single ligature by adding the u between each note. The ligature ends with the logical unit that has no following u character.

A ligature MUST NOT occur between a note and a rest, and MUST NOT occur between a note and a group of notes. (e.g., between a note and a tuplet.) Ligatures also MUST NOT occur within a tuplet.

When a ligature character is used, it MUST be the final modifier, occurring after the pitch name and after any other modifiers.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`CDuEF`		Ligatures to indicate neume groups
`4Cu8Du,A`		A three-note ligature with varying note features.

Beams

Beamed notes are encoded using braces {}.

Beam groups start with an opening brace {, and end with a closing brace, }. Nested beam groups MUST NOT occur, except as part of an appoggiatura group.

A beam group MAY be immediately preceded by an octave indication, a duration value, or both. When present, these values apply to all notes or rests in the beam group until a new value is provided, following the convention for implied octave and duration values.

Notes with duration values of 0, 1, 2, 4, and 9 MUST NOT occur within a beam group. Notes with other duration values MAY occur within a beam group.

Beam groups SHOULD NOT occur in Mensural or Neume encodings.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`{''6E'B8G}{GA}-''C{'3B8..G}`		Example beam encoding
`8{ABy{''CD}r'AB}`		Beaming with a Grace Note Group

Tuplets

Tuplet groups are enclosed within parentheses ().

A tuplet group MUST begin with a duration value as the first character after the opening parenthesis ( to indicate the total duration of the tuplet group.

A semicolon character ; and a positive integer MAY be the final character before the closing parenthesis, ), of a tuplet group. This number indicates the number of beat divisions in the group; that is, the number of beats that occur within the tuplet in the space of the given duration value. If a number is not given, a value of 3 is assumed.

A duration value MAY be given immediately preceding the opening parenthesis (. This value indicates the rendered duration value for all notes within the tuplet, but has no actual effect on the note duration. If no duration value is given, then the last stated duration value is used. If no duration value is stated in the encoding, a default duration value of 4 is assumed.

Since the default number of beats in the tuplet is 3, these two encodings of a triplet are considered to be equivalent:

                        8(6ABC;3) or 8({6ABC};3)
                        8(6ABC) or 8({6ABC})

Code	Notation	Remarks
`4(6'DEFGA;5)`		Quintuplet, 5 16th notes, in the space of a quarter note
`8({'3DEFGA};5)`		Quintuplet, 5 32nd notes, in the space of an eighth note, with beamed notes
`4('4D8E)4('4D8E)`		Two triplet values of varying duration.

Chords

Notes in a chord are enclosed in the characters ^ and >. All notes in a chord are assigned the same duration value.

A duration value MAY precede the ^. Two or more note names (with optional octave and accidental indications) MUST immediately follow the ^. Notes within the chord SHOULD be ordered from the lowest to the highest on the staff line. Duration values for the individual notes within a chord MUST NOT be supplied. Note modifiers, such as trills or fermatas, MUST NOT be specified for individual notes within a chord.

If the chord duration is omitted, the last specified duration is used. If no duration is supplied in the encoding, a default duration of 4 is assumed.

A chord MAY be followed by the modifier characters t and p to indicate that the chord as a whole has a trill or fermata. These modifiers MUST immediately follow the closing chord character >. When both modifiers are present, t MUST precede p, following the same modifier order used for notes.

Chords MAY be tied using the underscore character _. See the Ties section for tied chord syntax and interpretation.

Mensural and neume notation encodings MUST NOT contain chords.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`2^'AxF>/2^AxF>/`		Two chords
`2^AxF>p`		A chord with a fermata
`2^AxF>t`		A chord with a trill
`2^AxF>tp`		A chord with a trill and a fermata
`2^''D'AxF>/2_/4_//`		A chord tied over three measures with varying durations
`2^CEG>8(6{_^DxFA>^EGB>})`		A chord tied to both beamed and rhythmic groups

Expression Marks

Trills

The lower-case character t is used to indicate a trilled note. The t MUST immediately follow the note name.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`2Gt`		Trill

Fermatas

The lower-case character p is used to indicate a fermata on a note. The p MUST follow the note name. If there is also a trill, the p MUST follow the trill character.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`2G1''Cp`		Fermata

Grace Notes

There are two types of grace note: Acciaccatura and appoggiatura.

The character g is used for a single acciaccatura. This character MUST precede any octave or accidental indications, and the note name. Acciaccaturas MUST NOT specify a duration or any expression marks.

The implied duration MUST NOT apply to acciaccaturas, but the implied octave MUST apply. Acciaccaturas are not considered to be part of a duration pattern.

Consecutive single acciaccaturas MUST NOT occur.

The character q is used for a single appoggiatura. This character MUST precede all other attributes of the note and the note name. Appoggiaturas MAY specify a duration, octave or accidental. Expression marks MAY be applied to appoggiaturas.

Implied octave, implied duration, and duration patterns MUST apply to appoggiaturas.

Consecutive appoggiatura notes MUST be encoded using an appoggiatura group. Consecutive single appoggiaturas MUST NOT occur.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`'4Ag''C{''8D'8B}`		Acciaccatura
`'4Aq8'B{'8A'8G}`		Appoggiatura

Appoggiatura Groups

Appoggiatura groups MUST be used for multiple consecutive appoggiatura notes. The lower-case character y indicates the start of an appoggiatura group, and the lower-case character r indicates the end of the group. There MUST be more than one note in an appoggiatura group.

Beams MAY occur within an appoggiatura group. For beamed appoggiatura groups, the y character MUST precede the opening beam { character; however, duration and octave values for the beam group MAY be provided between the appoggiatura start character y and the opening beam character {. The r character MUST immediately follow the closing beam } character.

An appoggiatura group with beams MAY occur within an outer beam group.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`'4Ay''{'8B''8C}r{''8D'8B}`		Appoggiatura group
`{'8Ay''{'8B''8C}r''8D}`		Beamed appoggiatura group within an outer beam

Measure and Staff Symbols

Bar Lines

Bar lines are indicated using one of the code options given in [[[#barlines-spec]]].

Empty measures (two consecutive bar lines) are not permitted and MUST NOT be present in the encoding.

Neume and Mensural notations SHOULD NOT use bar lines.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`/`		Single bar line
`//`		Double bar line
`//:`		Double bar line with repeat sign on the right
`://`		Double bar line with repeat sign on the left
`://:`		Double bar line with repeat signs on the left and on the right

Types of bar lines

Code	Notation	Remarks
`CDE/FGA`		bar line
`CDE/FGA//`		double bar line
`CDE//:FGA://`		Section repeat
`//:CDE://:FGA://`		Two repeated sections

Measure Rests

Measure rests are indicated with an equal sign character =. This character MUST be followed by a positive integer indicating the number of measures for which this rest applies, unless the measure rest only applies to a single measure. In this case, the number MAY be omitted.

Measure rests MUST be preceded and followed by a bar line character, unless the measure rest is the first logical unit in the encoding. In this case, the preceding bar line is not necessary.

Measure rests MUST NOT be used with Mensural and Neume notations, due to the general absence of measures in this system of notation.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`=/`		Single measure rest
`=35/`		35 measures rest
`=5//=10/=/`		Multiple measure rests

Changes to Staff Definitions

Clefs, key signatures, and time signatures can be changed within the musical content of an encoding.

For any change of clef, key signature, time signature, or combination thereof, the change indication MUST be followed by a single space character. In the case of multiple changes at once (for example, a key and a time signature change) the individual change indications MUST NOT themselves be separated by a space.

The character % is used to indicate a clef change. A clef change MAY occur anywhere within the music notation section. This character MUST be followed by a clef definition according to the specifications given in the Clef section. A clef change MUST NOT be used to change the notation type (e.g., from CWMN to Mensural).

The character $ is used to indicate a key signature change. A key signature change MAY appear anywhere in the music notation, but SHOULD appear immediately following a bar line. This character MUST be followed by a key signature definition according to the specifications given in the Key Signature section.

Cancellation accidentals for the previous key signature MUST NOT be provided.

The character @ is used to indicate a time signature change. A time signature change MAY appear anywhere in the music notation, but SHOULD appear immediately following a bar line. This character MUST be followed by a time signature definition according to the specifications given in the Time Signature section.

Code	Notation
`'2A-//%F-4$xFC ,8B-4-2-/@3/2 '1C2-//`

Shortcuts

Repeat group

If one or more notes or rests are repeated several times, a repeat group can be used.

A repeat group is only valid within a single measure.

To use a repeat group, mark the beginning and the end of the group with an exclamation mark character !. The lower-case character f MUST immediately follow the ending !, and MUST occur the number of times the figure should be repeated. The f MUST be specified at least once.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`!{'8ABAG}!ff`		Repeat twice

Repeated measures

If one or more whole measures are repeated, a measure repeat can be used.

The measure to be repeated MUST end with a bar line. The lower-case character i MUST occur immediately after this bar line, and MUST be immediately followed by another bar line. There MUST NOT be any other characters between these two bar lines.

Any type of bar line MAY be used to begin or end a measure repeat group.

Measure repeats SHOULD NOT be used with Mensural or Neume notation due to the general absence of measures in this system of notation.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`'4ABAG/i/i/`		Repeat measure twice

Rhythmic sequence

When the same rhythmic sequence is repeated, the sequence of rhythmic values can be stated once before the note names.

Code	Notation	Remarks
`'8.68{AB''C}{DEF}`		instead of `{'8.A6B''8C}{8.D6E8F}` the code can be `'8.68{AB''C}{DEF}`. The rhythmic sequence ends when a new rhythmic value appears.

Representation Formats

This section provides the specification of the acceptable representations of the Plaine and Easie Code. It is expected that these representations—with the possible exception of "single-line text"—are constructed and used by automated tools and not written "by hand."

Character Encodings

All characters used in the Plaine and Easie Code encoding MUST be within the [[ASCII]] code range. Plaine and Easie MAY be transmitted as part of another encoding standard, such as UTF-8, as long as the characters used within the encoding itself do not fall outside the ASCII range.

Depending on the application, some ASCII characters MAY be encoded in another way; for example, Plaine and Easie Code could be embedded in HTML where some characters are replaced by Named character references.

MARC21 and UNIMARC

The Plaine and Easie Code is accepted as a format within a MARC (Machine Readable Catalog) or UNIMARC (Universal MARC) record. The specifics of each system are given in the [[MARC21]] documentation or in the [[UNIMARC]] documentation. The 031 MARC21 field is used to record incipits, while UNIMARC uses the 036 field. The subfields used by these formats for Plaine and Easie Code are given in [[[#marc21-unimarc-subfields]]].

In both systems, the $2 subfield indicates the coding system used for the incipit. This code MUST be pe2 for Version 2 of the Plaine and Easie Code. If $2 is omitted, or if the value of $2 is pe, then the values in the field MUST be interpreted as conforming to Version 1 of the Plaine and Easie Code.

Field	MARC21	UNIMARC
Clef	`$g`	`$m`
Key Signature	`$n`	`$n`
Time Signature	`$o`	`$o`
Musical Notation	`$p`	`$p`
Source	`$2`	`$2`

MARC21 and UNIMARC subfields for the Plaine and Easie Code

Multi-Line Text with Field Delimiters

The Plaine and Easie Code can be represented in a multi-line text format.

Each field MUST be separated by a newline character \n.

Each field MUST begin with a field identifier. This identifier consists of an at sign character @, followed by a field name. The field identifier MUST end with a colon character :.

The field identifiers defined by this specification are: @clef, @keysig, @timesig, @key, @data, and @version. The multi-line text representation MAY contain field identifiers other than those listed above, but they MUST be ignored for the purposes of interpreting the Plaine and Easie Code.

The field value MUST immediately follow the colon in the field identifier. The field value MUST NOT contain any characters that are not part of the value itself; for example, the value must not be enclosed in quotation marks.

There MUST be at least two fields in the encoding: clef and data.

The value of the @version identifier MUST be pe2 for incipits that conform to Version 2 of the specification. If a @version identifier is not specified, or if any other value other than pe2 is found in the @version field, the incipit MUST be interpreted as conforming to Version 1 of the specification.

                @clef:G-2
                @timesig:3/2
                @keysig:bB
                @data:=3/2--''A/2.F4G2A/AGG/1A/
                @version:pe2

JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)

Plaine and Easie Code can be represented as JavaScript Object Notation ([[JSON]]). All JSON encodings of the Plaine and Easie Code MUST be valid JSON.

The keys in the JSON defined by this specification are: clef, keysig, timesig, key, data, and version. Unlike the multi-line text representation, they MUST NOT begin with an at sign character @. The JSON representation MAY contain keys other than those listed above, but they MUST be ignored for the purposes of interpreting the Plaine and Easie Code.

There MUST be at least two keys in the encoding: clef and data.

The value of the version key MUST be pe2 for incipits that conform to Version 2 of the specification. If a version key is not specified, or if any other value other than pe2 is found in the version field, the incipit MUST be interpreted as conforming to Version 1 of the specification.

                {
                    "clef": "G-2",
                    "timesig": "3/2",
                    "keysig": "bB",
                    "data": "=3/2--''A/2.F4G2A/AGG/1A/",
                    "version": "pe2"
                }

Single-Line Text

Plaine and Easie Code can be represented in a single, continuous line of text.

This line MUST start with the string ;pe2 for incipits that conform to Version 2 of the specification.

Following the version declaration, the line MUST continue with a declaration of the clef. The format of the clef declaration follows the same format for an inline change of clef; that is, the clef declaration starts with the percent character %.

The line of text for specifying a key signature and a time signature follows the same format for an inline change of key and time signatures. See the Changes to Staff Definitions section for details.

The clef, key signature and time signature MUST be separated from the rest of the music notation by a single space character. The clef, key signature, and time signature declarations MUST NOT themselves be separated by a space character.

The rest of the line of text follows the format for the music notation. Further changes to the clef, key signature, and time signature are permitted as normal.

                ;pe2%G-2@3/2$bB =3/2--''A/2.F4G2A/AGG/1A/

Code Character Overview

This appendix summarizes the characters used in the musical notation portion of the Plaine and Easie Code. It is an editorial overview and does not replace the normative rules in the main body of this specification. Some characters have different meanings in different contexts.

This table covers musical notation syntax only. It does not include JSON keys, multi-line field identifiers, MARC subfields, or other representation-format syntax.

Meaning	Character(s)	Context	Notes
Note names	`A`-`G`	Note names; key signatures	Note names use uppercase letters.
Clef shapes	`G` `g` `C` `F`	Clef	`g` indicates the octave G clef.
Notation type in clef definitions	`-` `*` `:`	Clef	CWM notation, Mensural notation, and Neume notation, respectively.
Clef staff line	`1`-`5`	Clef	Staff lines are counted from the bottom line.
Supplied material	`[` `]`	Clef; Key Signatures	Used for supplied clefs and supplied key-signature material.
Sharps, flats, and naturals	`x` `b` `n`	Key signatures; accidentals	`xx` and `bb` indicate double sharps and double flats, respectively.
Numeric values	`0`-`9`	Durations; time signatures; measure rests; tuplets; repeat groups	The allowed range and interpretation depend on context.
Duration dot or mensural prolation marker	`.`	Durations; time signatures	In CWMN durations, dots indicate augmentation. In mensuration signs, a dot indicates major prolation.
Octave indications	`'` `,`	Octaves	Apostrophes indicate higher octaves; commas indicate lower octaves.
Single rest	`-` (dash)	Rests	This character also appears in clef definitions, where it has a different meaning.
Tie	`_` (underscore)	Ties	Used for tied notes and tied chords.
Ligature	`u`	Ligatures	Used in Mensural and Neume notation.
Beam group	`{` `}`	Beams	Enclose notes or rests in a beam group.
Tuplet group	`(` `)`	Tuplets	Enclose the tuplet group.
Tuplet modifiers	`;`	Tuplets	Separates total duration and tuplet number values from tuplet contents.
Tuplet ratio separator or repeat-sign component	`:`	Tuplets; bar lines	Also appears in clef definitions as the Neume notation marker.
Chord delimiters	`^` `>`	Chords	Mark the beginning and end of a chord.
Trill and fermata modifiers	`t` `p`	Expression marks; chords	When both are present, `t` precedes `p`.
Acciaccatura and single appoggiatura markers	`g` `q`	Grace notes	These markers precede the note they modify.
Appoggiatura group delimiters	`y` `r`	Appoggiatura groups	Mark the beginning and end of an appoggiatura group.
Bar lines	`/`, `//`, `//:`, `://`, `://:`	Bar lines	Represent single, double, and repeat bar lines.
Measure rest	`=`	Measure rests	May be followed by a positive integer for multi-measure rests.
Inline staff-definition changes	`%` `$` `@`	Changes to staff definitions	Indicate clef, key signature, and time signature changes, respectively.
Staff-definition change separator	space	Changes to staff definitions	Required after any inline staff-definition change or group of changes.
Repeat group delimiters and repeat count	`!` `f`	Repeat group	`!` marks the repeated figure; repeated `f` characters indicate repetitions.
Measure repeat	`i`	Shortcuts	Occurs between bar lines after the measure being repeated.

Overview of characters used in Plaine and Easie Code musical notation

Feature	CWMN	Mensural	Neume
Clef	x	x	x
Key signature	x	x	[x]¹
Time signature or mensuration sign	x	x
Inline clef change	x	x	x
Inline key signature change	x	x	[x]¹
Inline time signature change	x	x
Note names	x	x	x
Octave indications	x	x	x
Note duration values	x	[x]²
Duration dots	x
Accidentals	x	x	x
Single rests	x	[x]²	[x]³
Ties	x	x	x
Ligatures		x	x
Beams	x	[x]⁴	[x]⁴
Tuplets	x	[x]²	[x]⁵
Chords	x
Trills	x	x	x
Fermatas	x	x	x
Acciaccaturas	x	x	x
Appoggiaturas	x	x	x
Appoggiatura groups	x	[x]⁶	[x]⁶
Bar lines	x	[x]⁷	[x]⁷
Measure rests	[x]⁸
Repeat groups	[x]⁹	[x]⁹	[x]⁹
Measure repeats	x	[x]¹⁰	[x]¹⁰
Rhythmic sequences	[x]¹¹	[x]¹¹