How to Read ABC Notation in Irish Traditional Music

Aug 10

I recently received an email asking about the ABC notation I often use when teaching Irish traditional tunes. Since this notation is often found in Irish traditional music lessons, workshops, and even online forums, it's a good thing to learn how to read. In my case, I first encountered ABC notation at a workshop with flutist Kevin Crawford and I've used it ever since.

What is ABC Notation?

ABC notation in Irish traditional music is a shorthand that uses letters A through G of the alphabet rather than placing note heads in a five-line musical staff. Although you may encounter a few different ways of notating rhythm and octave changes, the use of the alphabet to symbolize notes is a consistent feature of ABC notation.

How Do I Read ABC Notation?

This is a very good question! Let’s divide it into “The Melody” and “The Rhythm.”

The Melody

ABC notation uses the letters of the alphabet to sketch out the melody of the tune. Uppercase letters are used for the lower octave, and the upper octave is distinguished either by the use of uppercase letters followed by an apostrophe (my preference) or just lowercase letters (as used on thesession.org).

So, this means that our low D is notated as D and our mid register D is notated as D' or d.

Since Irish music (at least Irish flute music) rarely extends beyond two octaves, this system of notation is usually fine. In the rare instance when I need to notate a high D though, I add a second apostrophe: D''. This is also the reason I prefer using apostrophes for the upper octave rather than lowercase letters.

Another important thing to know is that sharps and naturals do not often appear in ABC notation. Since so much of Irish traditional music is played in the keys of G Major, D Major, and their accompanying modes, it's a very rare tune that doesn't use F#s. For this reason, it's widely accepted that any “F” you see in ABC notation is automatically F#, so there's no need to add the # sign.

C#s and C naturals occur more interchangeably, so these will either be notated or implied by the key. If a tune is in D Major or its accompanying modes, it most likely has C#s. If it's in G Major or its accompanying modes, it will likely contain mostly C naturals.

(To learn more about these concepts, check out the Scales and Modes chapter of Playing Outside the Lines, Volume I.)

The Rhythm

When it comes to rhythm, each letter is an eighth note, and the letters are grouped into big beats. So, in a 6/8 measure with six eighth notes, you will see two groups of three letters each. In a 4/4 measure with eight eighth notes, you will see two groups of four letters each instead.

If a note is held longer than an eighth note, it is followed by a dash. This means that if a D is held for a quarter note (which is the equivalent of two eighth notes), it would be notated like this: D-. If that D is held for a dotted quarter note, or three eighth notes, the dash would be longer: D—. This also means that rather than always seeing groups of three to four letters, you will also sometimes see letters and dashes mixed together: D-B BAG. In this example, the first beat contains a quarter note and an eighth, the second big beat has three eighth notes.

In some cases, numbers are used instead of dashes, with the number referring to total eighth notes within that note. In this case, a D quarter note would be notated like so: D2. A D dotted quarter note would appear as such: D3. Our D-B BAG example from above would instead be notated as D2B BAG.

Examples and Comparison of Music and ABC Notation:

As an example, here's Out on the Ocean in the musical staff:

And here's Out on the Ocean using ABC notation with apostrophes for the upper octave and dashes for the rhythm:

||: D-B BAG | BD'B A-B | GED G-A | B-B AGE |

| D-B BAG | BD'B A-B | GED G-A | BGF G—:||

||: E'-E' E'D'B | E'G'E' E'D'B | D'— D'E'F' | G'F'E' D'BA |

| G-A B-D' | E'G'E' D'BA | GED G-A | BGF G—:||

And here's Out on the Ocean with lowercase for the upper octave and numbers to signify rhythm:

||: D2B BAG | BdB A2B | GED G2A | B2B AGE |

| D2B BAG | BdB A2B | GED G2A | BGF G3:||

||: e2e edB | ege edb | d3 def | gfe dBA |

| G2A B2d | ege dBA | GED G2A | BGF G3:||

If you’d like to practice playing along to Out on the Ocean, check out this video. You can also download a complete pdf of the sheet music here.

So Why is ABC Notation Useful?

There are a number of reasons I personally find ABC notation useful in the context of Irish traditional music, and I often elect to use it instead of music notation. These reasons are as follows:

ABC notation is fast and easy when teaching and talking about tunes.
Since Irish music is aural (learned and played by ear), using a quick shorthand that will eventually be cast aside anyways makes a lot of sense.
Some musicians who learn aurally may not read music, but they'll read ABC notation.
Tunes that are learned with the aid of ABC notation are often retained better than tunes learned with music notation. (I have a few theories as to why this may be, but those will keep for another day.)

How Do I Learn ABC Notation?

Practice and repetition will win the day! Just like learning a new language, developing fluency with ABC notation will take gradual and consistent work. If you play from ABC notation for a few minutes every day, you'll have it mastered in no time.

Companion Resources