note

Notes are the most common type of MusicXML data. The MusicXML format keeps the MuseData distinction between elements used for sound information and elements used for notation information (e.g., tie is used for sound, tied for notation). Thus grace notes do not have a duration element. Cue notes have a duration element, as do forward elements, but no tie elements. Having these two types of information available can make interchange considerably easier, as some programs handle one type of information much more readily than the other. 
	
The dynamics and end-dynamics attributes correspond to MIDI 1.0's Note On and Note Off velocities, respectively. They are expressed in terms of percentages of the default forte value (90 for MIDI 1.0). The attack and release attributes are used to alter the staring and stopping time of the note from when it would otherwise occur based on the flow of durations - information that is specific to a performance. They are expressed in terms of divisions, either positive or negative. A note that starts a tie should not have a release attribute, and a note that stops a tie should not have an attack attribute. If a note is played only one time through a repeat, the time-only attribute shows which time to play the note. The pizzicato attribute is used when just this note is sounded pizzicato, vs. the pizzicato element which changes overall playback between pizzicato and arco.

Complex Type Information

Model

Attributes

QName Type Fixed Default Use Inheritable Annotation
attack divisions optional
color color optional
default-x tenths optional
default-y tenths optional
dynamics non-negative-decimal optional
end-dynamics non-negative-decimal optional
font-family comma-separated-text optional
font-size font-size optional
font-style font-style optional
font-weight font-weight optional
pizzicato yes-no optional
print-dot yes-no optional
print-lyric yes-no optional
print-object yes-no optional
print-spacing yes-no optional
relative-x tenths optional
relative-y tenths optional
release divisions optional
time-only xs:token optional

Used By

Element music-data/note

Source

<xs:complexType name="note">
  <xs:annotation>
    <xs:documentation>Notes are the most common type of MusicXML data. The MusicXML format keeps the MuseData distinction between elements used for sound information and elements used for notation information (e.g., tie is used for sound, tied for notation). Thus grace notes do not have a duration element. Cue notes have a duration element, as do forward elements, but no tie elements. Having these two types of information available can make interchange considerably easier, as some programs handle one type of information much more readily than the other. The dynamics and end-dynamics attributes correspond to MIDI 1.0's Note On and Note Off velocities, respectively. They are expressed in terms of percentages of the default forte value (90 for MIDI 1.0). The attack and release attributes are used to alter the staring and stopping time of the note from when it would otherwise occur based on the flow of durations - information that is specific to a performance. They are expressed in terms of divisions, either positive or negative. A note that starts a tie should not have a release attribute, and a note that stops a tie should not have an attack attribute. If a note is played only one time through a repeat, the time-only attribute shows which time to play the note. The pizzicato attribute is used when just this note is sounded pizzicato, vs. the pizzicato element which changes overall playback between pizzicato and arco.</xs:documentation>
  </xs:annotation>
  <xs:sequence>
    <xs:choice>
      <xs:sequence>
        <xs:element name="grace" type="grace"/>
        <xs:group ref="full-note"/>
        <xs:element name="tie" type="tie" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="2"/>
      </xs:sequence>
      <xs:sequence>
        <xs:element name="cue" type="empty">
          <xs:annotation>
            <xs:documentation>The cue element indicates the presence of a cue note.</xs:documentation>
          </xs:annotation>
        </xs:element>
        <xs:group ref="full-note"/>
        <xs:group ref="duration"/>
      </xs:sequence>
      <xs:sequence>
        <xs:group ref="full-note"/>
        <xs:group ref="duration"/>
        <xs:element name="tie" type="tie" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="2"/>
      </xs:sequence>
    </xs:choice>
    <xs:element name="instrument" type="instrument" minOccurs="0"/>
    <xs:group ref="editorial-voice"/>
    <xs:element name="type" type="note-type" minOccurs="0"/>
    <xs:element name="dot" type="empty-placement" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded">
      <xs:annotation>
        <xs:documentation>One dot element is used for each dot of prolongation. The placement element is used to specify whether the dot should appear above or below the staff line. It is ignored for notes that appear on a staff space.</xs:documentation>
      </xs:annotation>
    </xs:element>
    <xs:element name="accidental" type="accidental" minOccurs="0"/>
    <xs:element name="time-modification" type="time-modification" minOccurs="0"/>
    <xs:element name="stem" type="stem" minOccurs="0"/>
    <xs:element name="notehead" type="notehead" minOccurs="0"/>
    <xs:group ref="staff" minOccurs="0"/>
    <xs:element name="beam" type="beam" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="6"/>
    <xs:element name="notations" type="notations" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
    <xs:element name="lyric" type="lyric" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
  </xs:sequence>
  <xs:attributeGroup ref="x-position"/>
  <xs:attributeGroup ref="font"/>
  <xs:attributeGroup ref="color"/>
  <xs:attributeGroup ref="printout"/>
  <xs:attribute name="dynamics" type="non-negative-decimal"/>
  <xs:attribute name="end-dynamics" type="non-negative-decimal"/>
  <xs:attribute name="attack" type="divisions"/>
  <xs:attribute name="release" type="divisions"/>
  <xs:attribute name="time-only" type="xs:token"/>
  <xs:attribute name="pizzicato" type="yes-no"/>
</xs:complexType>