Formats and import
What carries over from MusicXML, MuseScore, LilyPond and MIDI into Accordion Editor, and what the .accplay player files and .accproj editor projects contain.
Program files
| File | What it is for | Opened by |
|---|---|---|
.accplay | A finished piece for playing: notes, buttons, fingers, registers, bellows, dynamics, music for the staff; possibly for several instruments. | The player (and the editor, for viewing) |
.accproj | A working project: everything in .accplay plus manual edits, fingering preferences, layouts for other instruments, the staff sources. | The editor |
Both formats are zip archives with JSON data. The player checks the file on opening and reports if it is damaged or was made by a newer version of the editor.
What is taken from the score
| Data | MusicXML | MuseScore | LilyPond | MIDI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes, durations, bars, tempo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Repeats and voltas (unfolded) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Staves / tracks → hands | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accidentals as written | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Fingering | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Dynamics pp–ff, hairpins | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | note velocity |
| Slurs, staccato, accents | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Ornaments, grace notes, tremolo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Fermatas (slowing down) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Bellows (push / pull) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Accordion registers | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Chord names | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Basses in brackets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Title, subtitle, author, copyright, tempo as a word | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
MusicXML and MuseScore carry over most completely. From MIDI only the notes, tempo and loudness are taken; add the markings in the editor.
MusicXML
.musicxml, .xml and compressed .mxl are supported. Bellows are read from the SMuFL symbols accdnPush / accdnPull or from the words push/pull; registers from accordion-registration; chord names from short texts and chord symbols; basses in brackets from notes in brackets.
MuseScore
MuseScore 3 and 4 files are supported. Bellows and registers are read from the accordion symbols of the “Accordion” palette, chord names from staff text or chord symbols, and basses in brackets from notes that do not sound.
LilyPond
LilyPond 2.24 or newer must be installed. Bellows are read from \mark or from text with the glyphs accordion.push / accordion.pull, chord names from the texts above chords (^"m", ^"7"), and basses in brackets from \parenthesize, including in grace notes.
MIDI
Each track is a separate source that can be given to a hand or skipped. Note velocity and the expression controller become the loudness curve.
What you get as output
- .accplay — for the player on all platforms.
- MusicXML 4.0 — for further work in notation editors; the accordion markings are written with standard elements.
- PDF A4 — for printing and sending to students.