Template:Music/doc

{{Music}} renders Western music notation of various types into Wikipedia and improves cross-browser support for music symbols. Per Wikipedia:Manual of Style (music)#Accidentals, this template (or the terms "flat", etc.) should be used in preference to the lowercase letter "b" and the number sign (#).

The images used here are categorized at commons:Category:Template:Music, so if you change an image used please try to remember to update the categorization.

Accidentals

The template correctly renders Unicode accidentals, sharps (♯), flats (♭), and natural signs (♮) in Internet Explorer which would otherwise display empty squares unless a full Unicode font is chosen in its Preferences. The choice of fonts also improves the rendering in other browsers on Microsoft Windows such as Mozilla Firefox. See the tables below to compare the results in your current browser. The template makes use of SVG to display double flat (), double sharp (), and microtonal signs since the corresponding Unicode characters are not widely supported.

Symbol	Unicode entity	Unicode result	Template text	Template result
Flat	♭	♭	{{music|flat}} or {{music|b}} or {{music|♭}} or {{flat}}	♭
Natural	♮	♮	{{music|natural}} or {{music|n}} or {{music|♮}}	♮
Sharp	♯	♯	{{music|sharp}} or {{music|#}} or {{music|♯}} or {{sharp}}	♯
Double flat	𝄫	𝄫	{{music|doubleflat}} or {{music|bb}} or {{music|𝄫}}
Double sharp	𝄪	𝄪	{{music|doublesharp}} or {{music|##}} or {{music|x}} or {{music|𝄪}}
Triple flat			{{music|tripleflat}} or {{music|bbb}}
Triple sharp			{{music|triplesharp}} or {{music|###}} or {{music|#x}}	♯
Half flat	𝄳	𝄳	{{music|halfflat}} or {{music|d}}
Half sharp	𝄲	𝄲	{{music|halfsharp}} or {{music|t}}
Flat stroke	𝄳	𝄳	{{music|flatstroke}}
Double flat stroke			{{music|doubleflatstroke}}
Three quarter flat			{{music|threequarterflat}} or {{music|db}}
Three quarter sharp			{{music|threequartersharp}} or {{music|#t}}
Septimal quarter tone (-)			{{music|7}} or {{music|septimal}}	Unable to parse music symbol 7
Septimal quarter tone (+)			{{music|L}} or {{music|septimal plus}}	Unable to parse music symbol L
11th partial [53 cents] (-)			{{music|down}} or {{music|11U}}	Unable to parse music symbol down
11th partial [difference between 11:8 & 4:3] (+)			{{music|up}} or {{music|11}}	Unable to parse music symbol up
13th partial [26.8 cents] (-)			{{music|E1}} or {{music|13U}}	Unable to parse music symbol 13U
13th partial [difference between 13:8 & 8:5] (+)			{{music|13}} or {{music|thirteen}}	Unable to parse music symbol 13
17th partial [34.28 cents] (-)			{{music|17 upside down}} or {{music|L1}} or {{music|17U}}	Unable to parse music symbol 17U
17th partial [difference between 17:16 & 25:24] (+)			{{music|17}}	Unable to parse music symbol 17
19th partial [18.13 cents] (-)			{{music|19}}	Unable to parse music symbol 19
19th partial [difference between 19:16 & 6:5] (+)			{{music|19U}}	Unable to parse music symbol 19U
23rd partial [38.05 cents] (+)			{{music|23}}	Unable to parse music symbol 23
29th partial [11.98 cents] (+)			{{music|29}}	Unable to parse music symbol 29
31st partial [-56.77 cents] (-)			{{music|1E}} or {{music|31U}}	Unable to parse music symbol 31U
31st partial [56.77 cents] (+)			{{music|31}}	Unable to parse music symbol 31
37th partial [Difference between 37/32 and 75/64] (-)			{{music|37}}	Unable to parse music symbol 37
37th partial [23.24 cents] (+)			{{music|37U}}	Unable to parse music symbol 37U
Syntonic comma [+21.51 cents] (+)			{{music|plus}}	Unable to parse music symbol plus
Syntonic comma [-21.51 cents] (-)			{{music|minus}}	Unable to parse music symbol minus
Septimal quarter tone [-48.7 cents] (-)			{{music|check up}}	Unable to parse music symbol check up
Septimal quarter tone [+48.7 cents] (+)			{{music|check}}	Unable to parse music symbol check
Sixth tone [+33.33 cents] (+)			{{music|half check up}}	Unable to parse music symbol half check up
Sixth tone [-33.33 cents] (-)			{{music|half check}}	Unable to parse music symbol half check

Sample text

The C♯ crops up very early in Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E♭.

Notes and rests

Some browsers and typefaces support ♩ (♩) and ♪ (♪) for quarter and eighth notes, as well as ♫ (♫) and ♬ (♬) for beamed eighth-note and sixteenth-note pairs respectively, but since the display of these characters does not match any of the other (non-supported) notes and rests, this template does not use these characters.

Sample text

In place of the single whole note (), Chopin writes , completely changing the profile of the music.

Clefs

Note that there is no graphical distinction between treble clef and G-clef; alto clef, tenor clef and C-clef; bass clef and F-clef. The names preserve a difference in meaning and make the caption text (for screen readers) different.

Time signatures

Symbol	Unicode entity	Unicode result	Template text	Template result
common-time	𝄴	𝄴	{{music|common-time}}
cut-time	𝄵	𝄵	{{music|cut-time}} or {{music|alla-breve}}
2/4			{{music|time|2|4}}	Template:Time signature
3/4			{{music|time|3|4}}	Template:Time signature
3/8			{{music|time|3|8}}	Template:Time signature
6/8			{{music|time|6|8}}	Template:Time signature
9/8			{{music|time|9|8}}	Template:Time signature
12/8			{{music|time|12|8}}	Template:Time signature

For a general time signature, use {{music|time|top number|bottom number}}. This makes use of {{Time signature}}; if an article uses many invocations of {{Music}} it can lead to excessive post-expand include size; calling {{Time signature}} will reduce that.

Scale degrees

Scale degrees are often represented as Arabic numerals with a hat on them and thus the root of a scale is .

Scale degree	Template text	Template result
1	{{music|scale|1}}
2	{{music|scale|2}}
3	{{music|scale|3}}
4	{{music|scale|4}}
5	{{music|scale|5}}
6	{{music|scale|6}}
7	{{music|scale|7}}
8	{{music|scale|8}}
9	{{music|scale|9}}

Sample text

A descending tetrachord could be written as ---.

Chord symbols and figured bass

Chord	Template text	Template result
Diminished	{{music|dim}} or {{music|dimdeg}}	o or °
Half-diminished	{{music|halfdim}} or {{music|dimslash}}	ø
Augmented	{{music|+}} or {{music|aug}}	+
Major	{{music|Δ}} or {{music|delta}} or {{music|major}} or {{music|maj}}	Δ
Root position	{{music|53}} or {{music|53 chord}}	Unable to parse music symbol 53
First inversion	{{music|63}} or {{music|63 chord}} or {{music|6 chord}}	Unable to parse music symbol 6 chord or Unable to parse music symbol 63
Second inversion	{{music|64}} or {{music|64 chord}}	Unable to parse music symbol 64
Seventh chord root position	{{music|7 chord}}	Unable to parse music symbol 7 chord
Seventh chord first inversion	{{music|65}} or {{music|65 chord}}	Unable to parse music symbol 65
Seventh chord second inversion	{{music|43 chord}}	Unable to parse music symbol 43 chord
Seventh chord third inversion	{{music|2}} or {{music|2 chord}} or {{music|42}}	Unable to parse music symbol 2 or Unable to parse music symbol 42
Walter Piston's notation of viio	{{music|07 chord}}	Unable to parse music symbol 07 chord
Ninth chord first inversion	{{music|75}} or {{music|75 chord}}	Unable to parse music symbol 75
Ninth chord second inversion	{{music|65}} or {{music|65 chord}}	Unable to parse music symbol 65
Ninth chord third inversion	{{music|643}} or {{music|643 chord}}	Unable to parse music symbol 643
Ninth chord fourth inversion	{{music|642}} or {{music|642 chord}}	Unable to parse music symbol 642

Sample text

vii^o7 becomes vii^ø7 in B♭ minor by raising the G♭ to G♮.

III becomes III⁺ in G♯ minor by raising the F♯ to F.

The F♯Δ⁷ is used to great effect in the last measure of the piece.

Key signatures

Key signatures must be typed in using the names of the articles themselves on keys. Note that there is no visual difference between the major and minor key signatures, but the alt text is different.

Sharps/Flats	Key signature (major)	Template text	Template result	Key signature (minor)	Template text	Template result
7♯	C♯ major	{{music|c-sharp major}}		A♯ minor	{{music|a-sharp minor}}
6♯	F♯ major	{{music|f-sharp major}}		D♯ minor	{{music|d-sharp minor}}
5♯	B major	{{music|b major}}		G♯ minor	{{music|g-sharp minor}}
4♯	E major	{{music|e major}}		C♯ minor	{{music|c-sharp minor}}
3♯	A major	{{music|a major}}		F♯ minor	{{music|f-sharp minor}}
2♯	D major	{{music|d major}}		B minor	{{music|b minor}}
1♯	G major	{{music|g major}}		E minor	{{music|e minor}}
0	C major	{{music|c major}}		A minor	{{music|a minor}}
1♭	F major	{{music|f major}}		D minor	{{music|d minor}}
2♭	B♭ major	{{music|b-flat major}}		G minor	{{music|g minor}}
3♭	E♭ major	{{music|e-flat major}}		C minor	{{music|c minor}}
4♭	A♭ major	{{music|a-flat major}}		F minor	{{music|f minor}}
5♭	D♭ major	{{music|d-flat major}}		B♭ minor	{{music|b-flat minor}}
6♭	G♭ major	{{music|g-flat major}}		E♭ minor	{{music|e-flat minor}}
7♭	C♭ major	{{music|c-flat major}}		A♭ minor	{{music|a-flat minor}}

Bars

Symbol	Unicode entity	Unicode result	Template text	Template result
Left repeat	𝄆	𝄆	{{Music|left repeat}}	Unable to parse music symbol left repeat
Right repeat	𝄇	𝄇	{{Music|right repeat}}	Unable to parse music symbol right repeat

Changing the size

Most symbols generated by this template, including double flats and sharps, notes, rests and key signatures, use images, as corresponding Unicode characters either don't exist or are not supported by all browsers. Unlike characters, images don't scale along with the surrounding text. To change the size of an image, to match the font size of the text in which it is placed, use the |size= parameter. Example:

• <span style="font-size:80%">G{{music|bb|size=x8px}}</span> → G