Quick Start

Your First Score

Create a file called song.gen:

---
title: Mary Had a Little Lamb
time-signature: 4/4
---

E D C D
E E Ep $
D D Dp $
E E Ep $
E D C D
E E E E
D D E D
Co

That’s it! Each line is a measure. Notes are just letters.

Note Format

Every note follows this pattern:

[octave][note][accidental][rhythm]

All parts are optional except the note name.

Part	Options	Example
Octave	^ up, _ down	^C = C one octave higher
Note	A-G, or $ for rest	C, D, E, $
Accidental	# sharp, b flat	F#, Bb
Rhythm	See below	C/ = eighth note C

Rhythm Modifiers

Symbol	Duration	Example
(none)	Quarter note	C
/	Eighth note	C/
//	Sixteenth note	C//
///	32nd note	C///
p	Half note	Cp
o	Whole note	Co
*	Dotted (add 50%)	Cp* = dotted half

Quick Examples

C           # Quarter note C
E/          # Eighth note E
Gp          # Half note G
^F#//       # F# sixteenth, one octave up
_Ab/        # Ab eighth, one octave down
$           # Quarter rest
$/          # Eighth rest
Cp*         # Dotted half note C

Octaves

The octave resets at C, not at A:

G A B ^C ^D ^E    # Going up through the octave break
^E ^D ^C B A G    # Going back down

• ^ = one octave up
• ^^ = two octaves up
• _ = one octave down
• __ = two octaves down

Document Structure

---
title: Song Title
composer: Your Name
time-signature: 4/4
key-signature: G
tempo: 120
---

G A B ^C
^D ^E ^F# ^G

Each line after the metadata is one measure.

What’s Next?

• Basics — Full note and rhythm reference
• Chords — Write harmony and chord symbols
• Groups — Tuplets, slurs, and bracket notation
• Examples — Complete scores to learn from