Skip to content
Gen

Welcome to Gen

Gen is a text-based music notation language that compiles to MusicXML for rendering as sheet music.

Quick Example

Write music with simple text syntax:

---
title: Twinkle Twinkle
time-signature: 4/4
key-signature: C
---


C C G G
A A Gp
F F E E
D D Cp

Why Gen?

  • Simple syntax - Write notes as text, not XML
  • Human readable - Your source files are easy to read and edit
  • Version control friendly - Diff and merge music like code
  • MusicXML output - Compatible with all major notation software

Project Structure

gen/
├── packages/
│   ├── gen-compiler/    # Rust compiler
│   ├── gen-scores/      # Embedded score library
│   ├── gen-ui/          # Desktop application
│   └── gen-web/         # Web application
└── gen-docs/            # This documentation

Getting Started

Try Online

Visit gen.band to try Gen in your browser.

Run the Desktop App

Terminal window
cd packages/gen-ui
pnpm install
pnpm tauri dev

Compile from Command Line

Terminal window
cd packages/gen-compiler
cargo run -- path/to/score.gen