Play ABC tunes with synchronized notation, fiddle finger numbers, and audio playback.
Preparing notation…
Export the current notation pane. Complete stave and tablature systems stay together on the same page.
The PDF tune title will link to the ABC Transcription Tools Player.
Overview
The ABC Irish Fiddle Fingering Player displays ABC music with synchronized notation, Irish fiddle fingerings, and audio playback.
It uses standard GDAE tuning and shows which string and left-hand finger to use for the selected melody note.
You can choose to display note names, finger-number tablature, or both alongside the standard notation.
Getting Started: Opening and Selecting Tunes
Use the ABC file picker to open an .abc or .txt file containing one or more tunes.
You can also type or paste an ABC tune into the editor or receive tunes from ABC Transcription Tools.
When several tunes are loaded, use the Tune menu to select the tune to display and play.
Edits to loaded tunes are retained when you switch between them.
The notation and fiddle fingerings update for the selected tune.
ABC Editing and Notation
Edit the ABC text in the upper-left pane to change notes or other tune details.
The notation and any enabled note names or tablature update to reflect the ABC.
Use the ABC editor text-size menu to adjust the editor font size.
Click Full-Page View in the ABC or Notation header to enlarge that pane.
Fiddle Fingerboard and Display Controls
The black fiddle fingerboard has four white strings in GDAE tuning and an ivory nut at the open-string end.
A green marker shows the selected pitch on the appropriate string.
An empty outlined circle indicates an open string.
The numbers 1–4 indicate which left-hand finger to use.
Use Orientation to switch between Vertical and Horizontal fingerboard views.
Vertical is the default orientation when no preference has been saved.
Check Show virtual frets to overlay nine grey position-reference lines without changing the fingering numbers.
Check Show note to show the selected pitch on a small musical staff beside the fingerboard.
Show note is unchecked by default when no preference has been saved.
Check Hide to conceal the fingering display for practice.
Click Full-Page View in the Fiddle Fingerings header to enlarge the fingerboard display.
Notation Display, Note Names, and Tablature
The Notation display menu offers Notation Only, Notation + Note Names, Notation + Tab, and Notation + Note Names + Tab.
Notation + Note Names + Tab is the default when no preference has been saved.
The note names use the same pitch naming as the large note display beside the fingerboard.
When both note names and tablature are enabled, the note names appear between the standard notation and tablature.
The tablature has four string lines, with E at the top followed by A, D, and G.
Each number on a tablature string indicates the finger to use, with 0 meaning an open string.
The chosen notation display mode also determines which note names and tablature appear in exported PDFs.
During notation rendering, the player hides the ABC information and lyric fields A:, B:, D:, F:, G:, H:, N:, O:, S:, W:, w:, and Z: so their text cannot overlap the tablature.
These fields remain unchanged in the ABC editor, saved files, and shared tunes.
Note Navigation and Playback
Click a note head in the notation to select that note and display its fiddle fingering.
Use the previous and next note buttons beneath the fingerboard to step through the tune.
When Use arrow keys? is checked, you can also navigate with the left/right arrow keys or Home/End.
Use the audio controls beneath the notation to play, pause, or repeat the tune.
Click Tempo to adjust playback speed.
Enable Metronome for an audible beat or Count in? for a countdown before playback.
Use Mute Melody to silence the melody during practice.
If the browser requests permission to start audio, click the playback-enabling button.
The melody uses %%MIDI program 110 in a playback-only copy of the ABC.
An existing ABC melody-program directive is overridden only for playback, leaving the original ABC unchanged when editing, saving, or sharing.
Saving, Sharing, and ABC Transcription Tools
Click Save to download the loaded ABC tunes, including your edits.
Click Share to open Sharing Controls and choose Share Current Tune, Share All Tunes, or Configure Lesson….
A share link carries the ABC data, notation display mode, fingerboard orientation, and Show virtual frets setting.
In the Share Link dialog, you can copy, save, or test the generated link.
Click Open in ABCTT in the current-tune Share Link dialog to open the tune in ABC Transcription Tools.
On a desktop browser, Option/Alt-click Share to open the current tune directly in ABC Transcription Tools without opening the sharing dialogs.
A received share link applies its display settings for that visit without replacing your usual saved preferences unless you change them.
Practice with the Tune Trainer and Phrase Builder
Open the current tune in ABC Transcription Tools using Open in ABCTT or the Option/Alt-click Share shortcut.
In ABC Transcription Tools, click Train to use the Tune Trainer.
Click Phrase Builder in the Tune Trainer to practice shorter passages.
Audio export is also available in ABC Transcription Tools.
Export PDF
Click Export PDF to save the current notation display as a PDF.
The PDF includes finger-number tablature and note names when those display options are enabled.
Choose Letter or A4 paper and Portrait or Landscape orientation.
Each complete notation-and-tablature system stays together on one page.
The exported tune title links to playback in the ABC Transcription Tools Player.
You can uncheck Add "Click the title to play" on the first page header to omit that header instruction.
On an iPhone or iPad, use the iOS Share Sheet to save the finished PDF.
On other devices, save the generated PDF using the browser download controls.
Printing
Use your browser’s Print command to print the notation and any enabled note names or tablature.
Available paper sizes and orientation choices depend on your browser and printer.
Browser printing may clip or split long scores, so Export PDF is recommended for multi-page music.
Lesson Information for Music Teachers
Click Share and choose Configure Lesson… to prepare a lesson for the current tune.
Enter a Lesson title and your student-facing Instructions.
Click Create Lesson Link to generate a link to send to your students.
Use Save Lesson Configuration to save the current tune, lesson details, and selected player settings for later reuse.
Use Load Lesson Configuration to restore a saved lesson configuration or compatible lesson link file.
A lesson link contains the current tune only, rather than the entire loaded collection.
Lesson links preserve the initial notation mode, fingerboard orientation, and Show virtual frets setting.
Check Hide before creating the lesson if students should initially practice without seeing the fingerings.
Students can reveal the fingerboard and adjust practice display options during the lesson.
Lesson Information for Students
Open the lesson link provided by your teacher to load the assigned tune and lesson instructions.
Read the instructions in the lesson dialog and click Start Lesson.
If the browser asks you to enable sound, click Enable Playback before playing.
You can change Notation display, Orientation, and Show virtual frets while practicing.
You can use Hide to conceal or reveal the fingerings during the lesson.
You can also use note navigation, tempo, playback, and other available practice controls.
You can edit the ABC and click Save to keep your changes.
Changing the practice display settings during a lesson does not overwrite your saved normal-use preferences.
To return to normal use, open the player without the lesson link.
About
Created by Michael Eskin.
If this player is useful, see Michael Eskin's Tip Jars.