bar-notation

name	bar-notation
description	Reference sheet for the notation format used by musescore-mcp tools, and for reading get_overview output. Use when calling musescore-mcp tools.

Bar notation reference

Bars are separated by |. Just like in regular sheet music, all bars must have the correct number of beats in them. All pitches are written pitch.

Syntax	Meaning
C5:4	Note: letter A-G, optional ♭/♯, octave, duration
r:8	Rest
R	Full-measure rest, alone in the bar
chord(C4 E4 G4):4	Chord, one duration for the entire chord
tuplet(3:2 C5:8 D5 E5)	Tuplet, ratio is actual:normal
grace(D4:8) C4:4	Grace note (acciaccatura) before the main note
slur(C4:8 D4 E4)	Slur, may cross barlines: slur(G4:8 A4 | B4 C5)
C5:4~ C5	Tie
C5:4'	Staccato
C5:4>	Accent
C5:4(tr)	Short trill
C5:4(mord)	Mordent
C5:4(scoop)	Scoop
C5:4(gliss)	Glissando to the next note
[C-7] C4:4	Chord symbol, attached to the following event

Durations: :1 :2 :4 :8 :16 :32 :64 :128, dotted :4., double-dotted :4... A duration carries over to following events until changed. It's mandatory on the first note/rest.

Each note or chord gets at most one suffix: a tie, an annotation, or a glissando. No stacking.

Chord symbols are written in square brackets before the event they attach to. The root is a note name (A-G with optional ♭/♯). Everything after the root is the suffix, passed through unchanged. Common suffixes: -7 (minor 7th), 7 (dominant), ^7 (major 7th), o7 (diminished), ø7 (half-diminished), - (minor), 6, -6. A chord symbol can attach to any event, including rests. A chord symbol before slur( or tuplet( attaches to the first note or rest inside the group; read_measures prints it in that inside position. A chord symbol should be either outside or inside a group.

Example:

[C-7] grace(B4:8) C5:4.' B4:8> [F7] slur(A4(tr) G4 r F4~) | [B♭^7] F4:2.(gliss) E4:4 | tuplet(3:2 C5:8 D5 E5) [E♭7] r:4 r:2 | R

Reading the overview

get_overview prints a summary line, a Form section, and a Chords section. Form and Chords are omitted when empty.

• Key signature shows the major and equivalent minor key in written pitch. A transposing instrument's concert key appears in parentheses next to its name on the Instruments line.
• Bar 1's key, time, and tempo are printed in the summary Subsequent key:, time:, or tempo: entries always means a mid-score change.
• The Chords grid prints 4 bars per line, each line prefixed with its first bar number. Lines without chord symbols are omitted. Example: a jump from 1: to 9: means bars 5-8 don't have chords.
• Chord roots are written pitch, spelled the same as read_measures output.