abctool is a one-file python tool for working with music notation in the abc format.
- tranposition (both my own implementation and using abc2abc)
- read from standard input or file
- output to standard output, PostScript, PDF or MIDI
- view (using abcm2ps and gv)
- translation of chord names to danish/german ("B" becomes "H")
- removal of chords and fingerings
- supports ~/.abctoolrc
Since abctool is a python script, it doesn't need to be installed. How ever, it depends on a number of things to be present on the system to perform it's various tasks:
- Python
- abcm2ps (to generate postscript files)
- gv (to view postscript files, and to generate pdf files )
- abc2midi (to convert to midi or listen to a file)
- timidity (to listen to a file)
- texexec (to use the --songbook feature), in debian it's part of the tetex-extra package
- abc2abc (to transpose using -T, not recommended)
To view the list of options:
$ abctool
To edit an abc file (on my system it opens the source in emacs and shows the postscript in gv)
$ abctool -e test.abc
To transpose the file "test.abc" a minor third up, convert it to postscript and view the result in gv:
$ abctool -t 3 test.abc
To do the same using abc2abc:
$ abctool -T 3 test.abc
To remove fingerings from the file "test.abc", translate chords to danish and send the result to standard out:
$ abctool -f -d -s test.abc
To remove all chords from the file "test.abc", convert it to postscript in landscape format and view the result in gv:
$ abctool -c -o "-l" test.abc
To make a songbook of all .abc-files in the current directory:
$ cat *.abc | abctool -r -
To generate PostScript, PDF and midi output from the file "test.abc" with "m7b5" substituted with "ø" and "dim7" with "°":
$ abctool -j --ps --pdf test.abc
To listen to the file "test.abc":
$ abctool -p test.abc
To generate a pdf file (songbook.pdf) containing all songs recursively in current directory in concert key, Bb and Eb, bypassing ~/.abctoolrc:
$ abctool --songbook -R --norc