abcnotation.com Paid content

ABC notation is a text-based music notation system: you write a tune as plain letters and symbols in a file, and software turns it into readable sheet music or a playable MIDI file. It is the de facto standard for folk and traditional music, and abcnotation.com alone offers access to around 800,000 tunes as free sheet music or MIDI sound files. It suits anyone who wants to share, search, or archive tunes without a score editor — especially players of traditional, folk, and session music.

Why a text format works for music

Most notation software stores music in a binary or proprietary format that is hard to paste into an email. ABC stores everything as characters, so a whole tune fits in a message, a forum post, or a web page. That is the main reason it spread through folk and traditional communities: a jig or reel can be typed out, corrected, and passed along in seconds.

The site describes the format as concise and text-based, making it easy to share tunes via email or on websites. It also notes that ABC is popular worldwide, particularly for folk and traditional music, with a large proportion of tunes from Irish, Scottish, and other Celtic sources, plus music from America, England, France, Scandinavia, Europe, and a sizeable collection of Chinese music.

How a tune is written

An ABC tune is a header block followed by the notes. The header uses single-letter fields. Here is the well-known tune "Speed the Plough" as given on the site:

X:1
T:Speed the Plough
M:4/4
C:Trad.
K:G
|:GABc dedB|dedB dedB|c2ec B2dB|c2A2 A2BA|
GABc dedB|dedB dedB|c2ec B2dB|A2F2 G4:|
|:g2gf gdBd|g2f2 e2d2|c2ec B2dB|c2A2 A2df|
g2gf g2Bd|g2f2 e2d2|c2ec B2dB|A2F2 G4:|

Reading the fields:

In the note lines, letters A–G are pitches, | marks bar lines, : marks repeats, and digits change note length — c2 is a note held twice as long as a plain c. Uppercase and lowercase letters sit in different octaves. After processing, a typical result is a normal staff score.

Finding tunes and converting them

The site's search box accepts queries and offers an advanced search plus help. You can browse a top-10 list of tunes (for example "O Then Dearest Helen", "Kalinka", and "Greensleeves") and search by title or in A–Z file order.

To turn ABC text into something you can read or hear:

1. Copy the ABC text of a tune.
2. Paste it into any ABC-compatible program or web converter.
3. Expect two common outputs: rendered sheet music (staff notation) and a MIDI sound file you can play back.

The site points to plenty of free software for Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile to transfer ABC into scores or MIDI. It also notes specialist software that can generate tablature and fingering charts for guitar, mandolin, banjo, and other fretted stringed instruments, fiddle/violin/viola, diatonic accordion, trumpet, horn, euphonium, tuba, harmonica, and drums.

Common uses

• Sharing by email or on a website — the format's whole advantage; no attachments needed.
• Session tunes and band repertoires — collect and swap sets as text.
• Historical collections — the site hosts online versions of well-known collections such as O'Neill's Music of Ireland, Playford's English Dancing Master, and tunes by Carolan.
• Instrument-specific charts — generate tab or fingering diagrams for the instruments listed above.
• Original music — write and distribute your own tunes in the same format.

Getting started

The site's quick links include "How to ... get started with abc", "understand abc ... basics", and "understand abc ... next", alongside examples, tutorials, a blog, and discussion forums. It also notes seven "How to ... with abc notation" videos. A practical path: read the basics page, take one tune from the top-10 list, paste it into a converter, and compare the text against the rendered score until the fields and note conventions feel familiar.

iHeart is a free streaming platform that combines live radio stations, customizable artist stations, playlists, and podcasts in one place. You can start listening without paying by opening iheart.com in a browser or using the iHeart app, then searching for a station, artist, song, or podcast. A subscription is only relevant for certain premium features; the core listening experience described on iHeart's site is available for free.

What you can listen to on iHeart

iHeart organizes its content into a few main types, and knowing the difference helps you find what you want faster.

The key distinction is live versus on-demand. Live radio plays whatever is broadcasting right now, so you can't skip tracks. Artist stations and playlists behave more like on-demand listening, where you control the starting point.

How to start listening for free

You can begin on either the web or the app. The steps are similar.

1. Open the platform. Go to iheart.com in a browser, or install the iHeart app on your phone or tablet.
2. Search or browse. Use the search function to enter a station name, artist, song, or podcast. Alternatively, browse categories to see what's available.
3. Select what you want to hear. Choosing a live station starts playback immediately. Choosing an artist creates or opens a station built around that artist.
4. Press play and adjust. Use the player controls to pause, change volume, or move between stations. On live radio, expect no track skipping; on artist stations, you have more control over what plays next.
5. Save what you like. Favoriting a station or artist makes it easier to return to later without searching again.

Expected result: audio begins playing shortly after you select content, and your favorites appear in your account for quick access next time.

Creating your own stations and playlists

• Artist stations: Start from an artist you like, and the station plays music in that style. This is the fastest way to get continuous music without building a list yourself.
• Playlists: Add individual songs to a playlist when you want a specific set of tracks rather than a continuous stream. This suits workouts, commutes, or a fixed party set.
• Tip: Use artist stations for discovery and playlists for control. If a station drifts away from what you want, switch to a playlist instead of fighting the stream.

What's free versus what needs a subscription

iHeart's own description states that its music, podcasts, and radio stations are available for free, and that you can listen to thousands of live stations or create your own artist stations and playlists. The site also references a subscription, which indicates that some features sit behind a paid tier.

Because the exact free-versus-paid split isn't fully detailed in the available information, treat it this way:

• Assume free: live radio stations, artist stations, playlists, podcasts, and general music/news browsing, based on iHeart's stated offering.
• Check before assuming: any feature labeled as premium, ad-free, or subscription-only. If a paywall appears, that specific feature requires payment.
• Don't assume: that a subscription is required to listen at all, or that everything is free. Verify at the point where you're asked to sign up or pay.

Common snags and how to handle them

• A station won't play. Live stations can be unavailable due to regional restrictions or temporary outages. Try another station to confirm whether the issue is the station or your connection.
• You can't skip a track. That's expected on live radio. Switch to an artist station or playlist if you want control.
• Search returns too many results. Add the type of content to your search, such as the artist name plus "station," or search podcasts separately from music.
• You lose your favorites. Sign in to an account so saved stations and playlists persist across sessions and devices.

Quick decision guide

• Want background music with no effort? Open an artist station.
• Want a specific set of songs? Build a playlist.
• Want a live show or local broadcast? Pick a live radio station.
• Want talk or storytelling? Go to podcasts.
• Want to avoid paying? Stick to the free listening options above and check any prompt before entering payment details.

JummBox is a browser-based tool for sketching and sharing instrumental music, and you can start writing a song in it without installing anything. The workflow is: click notes into patterns, arrange those patterns across rows to build sections, then copy the URL — which always contains your full song — to save or share it. This guide covers that path from empty editor to shareable link, plus the editing shortcuts and note controls that make it faster.

Getting notes into the editor

The note grid is the core of the tool. Click the gray rows at the top to add or remove notes, and JummBox plays each note out loud as you place it, so you can hear what you're writing instead of guessing.

Notes live inside patterns, and you edit one pattern at a time. The numbered boxes at the bottom of the editor are those patterns. Click a box to jump to a different part of the song, or click the arrows on the currently selected box to swap which pattern plays during that part.

JummBox can play several rows of patterns at once, and each row has its own set of patterns. Most rows handle melodies or harmonies; the bottom row is reserved for drums.

Shaping a single note

Once a note exists, you can change how it behaves:

• Duration — click and drag horizontally on a note.
• Chords — click above or below an existing note to add notes that play simultaneously.
• Bulk moves — long-press in the pattern editor to select a time range, then drag to move multiple notes together.
• Pitch bend — drag vertically from an existing note.
• Volume — drag vertically from above or below the note. Hold Control while doing this for fine adjustment.

Arranging patterns into a song

Patterns are the building blocks; the rows and numbered boxes are how you sequence them. A practical way to work:

1. Write a short melodic idea in one pattern.
2. Copy it to another pattern slot and vary it for a second section.
3. Assign patterns to the numbered boxes so the song plays section A, then section B, then back to A.
4. Add a drum pattern on the bottom row so the sections have a rhythmic base.

If you want to reuse material across the arrangement, select part of the pattern grid by clicking and dragging, then press C to copy and V to paste — this works for mass copy/paste of song parts, not just single notes.

Keyboard shortcuts worth learning

JummBox responds to shortcuts when its interface has focus, so click on the editor first.

The edit menu holds more shortcuts than the ones listed here, so it's worth opening when you need something not covered above.

Saving and sharing your song

There is no separate save step to remember: all song data is contained in the URL at the top of your browser, and that URL updates every time you change the song. When you're happy with the result, copy the URL and paste it wherever you want to keep or send it. Anyone opening that link gets the song as you left it.

This also means the URL is the song — if you lose the link, you lose that version, so copy it before you start experimenting further.

Where to go next

JummBox has more features than the note grid alone suggests. The buttons and menus on the right side are the place to explore, and clicking the label next to any option shows a description of what it does. Some functions are deliberately tucked away — for example, modulator channels have their own hidden interactions — so when something in the interface looks inert, check its label before assuming it does nothing.

If you're new to Ahrefs and want to run your first SEO audit, the fastest path is: open Site Explorer, enter your target URL, review the Overview for a health snapshot, then dig into Organic Keywords, Top Pages, and Site Audit to find specific problems. From there, build a short prioritized to-do list instead of trying to fix everything at once.

This tutorial walks through that workflow using a realistic starting scenario, explains what the numbers mean, and shows how to turn findings into actions.

Before You Start: Pick a Narrow Scope

A common beginner mistake is auditing an entire large website on day one. The reports become overwhelming, and you can't tell which issues matter.

Instead, choose one of these starting points:

• A single important page (your homepage or a key product/service page)
• A small site (under ~50 pages, e.g., a personal blog or small business site)
• One section of a bigger site (e.g., /blog/)

For this tutorial, assume you're auditing a small business site with about 30 pages. The same steps scale up later.

You'll need an Ahrefs account to follow along. Ahrefs offers paid plans, and pricing and feature limits change over time, so check the current Pricing page for what's included in each tier before committing.

Step 1: Enter Your Target in Site Explorer

Site Explorer is Ahrefs' core tool for analyzing any website or URL.

1. Open Site Explorer from the top navigation.
2. In the search box, paste your domain (e.g., example.com).
3. Choose the Exact URL or Domain mode depending on scope. For a full-site view, use Domain or Prefix; for a single page, use Exact URL.
4. Press Enter.

You'll land on the Overview report. Don't try to absorb everything — focus on four numbers first.

Reading the Overview Snapshot

Important caveat: Ahrefs' traffic and keyword numbers are estimates based on its own data. They won't match Google Search Console or your analytics exactly. Treat them as directional, not absolute.

Step 2: See What You Already Rank For

Go to Organic Keywords in the left sidebar. This shows queries where your site appears in search results.

Sort by Traffic (descending) to see which pages bring the most estimated visitors. Then look for:

• Keywords ranking in positions 4–15 — these are often the easiest wins. A small content or on-page improvement can push them onto page one.
• Keywords with high volume but low position — potential opportunities if the topic is relevant.
• Irrelevant keywords — if you rank for something off-topic, it may signal thin or mismatched content.

Write down 5–10 of the position 4–15 keywords. These become your first optimization targets.

Step 3: Find Your Best and Weakest Pages

Open Top Pages. This ranks your URLs by estimated organic traffic.

Look for two things:

1. Your top performers — understand what topics and formats work. Can you create more content like this?
2. Pages with traffic but poor rankings — these may need on-page fixes (title, headings, internal links).

If a page gets zero traffic and targets a topic you care about, it's a candidate for a rewrite or consolidation.

Step 4: Run a Technical Site Audit

Now move to Site Audit. This crawls your site and flags technical and on-page issues.

1. Click Site Audit → New project.
2. Enter your domain and set crawl settings (default is usually fine for a small site).
3. Start the crawl and wait for it to finish.

Once complete, you'll see a Health Score and a list of issues grouped by category.

Which Issues to Fix First

Not all issues are equal. Prioritize in this order:

Ignore low-impact warnings (like minor meta description length) until the big items are handled.

Step 5: Turn Findings Into a To-Do List

You now have raw data. Convert it into a short, actionable list. Example:

1. Fix 3 broken links found in Site Audit.
2. Rewrite title tags on 5 pages with duplicate titles.
3. Improve 4 pages ranking in positions 6–12 by adding missing subtopics and internal links.
4. Remove or update 2 thin pages with no traffic.

Keep the list to 5–10 items max for your first audit. Finishing a short list beats starting a long one.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Chasing every red flag. Site Audit flags many minor issues. Fix what affects rankings and users first.
• Trusting estimates as exact numbers. Ahrefs data is modeled, not measured from your analytics.
• Auditing a huge site too early. Start small to learn the interface.
• Ignoring search intent. A page can be technically perfect but still fail if it doesn't match what searchers want.
• Forgetting to re-crawl. After fixes, run Site Audit again to confirm improvements.

Where to Go Next

Once your first audit is done:

• Compare with competitors using Site Explorer's Competing Domains and Content Gap reports.
• Track keyword rankings over time with Rank Tracker.
• Explore backlink opportunities in the Backlinks and Link Intersect reports.
• Set up recurring Site Audit crawls so new issues surface automatically.

Your first audit isn't about perfection — it's about building a repeatable habit: enter a target, read the key reports, pick the highest-impact fixes, and act. Do that once a month and your site's health compounds.