Hello World

This example shows a simple score for one instrument: a Ranat Ek (ระนาดเอก) playing the first two lines of Lao Duang Duen.

Example Song

Example XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<thai-score xmlns="https://thaimusicxml.anan.ovh/ns/1" version="1.0">
  <header>
    <title>Lao Duang Duen</title>
  </header>
  <structure>
    <section id="s1" name="ท่อน 1" />
  </structure>
  <ensemble>
    <part id="P1">
      <instrument-name>Ranat Ek</instrument-name>
    </part>
  </ensemble>
  <part-data part="P1">
    <section-ref section="s1">
      <line number="1">
        <measure number="1">
          <rest/><rest/><rest/><rest/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="2">
          <rest/><rest/><rest/><rest/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="3">
          <rest/><note pitch="ด"/><note pitch="ร"/><note pitch="ม"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="4">
          <rest/><note pitch="ซ"/><rest/><note pitch="ดํ"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="5">
          <rest/><rest/><rest/><note pitch="รํ"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="6">
          <note pitch="ดํ"/><note pitch="ดํ"/><note pitch="ดํ"/><note pitch="ดํ"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="7">
          <note pitch="ซ"/><note pitch="ล"/><note pitch="ดํ"/><note pitch="ล"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="8">
          <note pitch="ซ"/><note pitch="ม"/><rest/><note pitch="ซ"/>
        </measure>
      </line>
      <line number="2">
        <measure number="1">
          <rest/><rest/><rest/><note pitch="ล"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="2">
          <note pitch="ซ"/><note pitch="ซ"/><note pitch="ซ"/><note pitch="ซ"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="3">
          <rest/><note pitch="ม"/><note pitch="ซ"/><note pitch="ม"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="4">
          <note pitch="ซ"/><note pitch="ล"/><note pitch="ดํ"/><note pitch="ล"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="5">
          <rest/><rest/><note pitch="ซ"/><note pitch="ล"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="6">
          <note pitch="ดํ"/><note pitch="ล"/><note pitch="ซ"/><note pitch="ม"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="7">
          <note pitch="ร"/><note pitch="ม"/><note pitch="ซ"/><note pitch="ม"/>
        </measure>
        <measure number="8">
          <note pitch="ร"/><note pitch="ด"/><rest/><note pitch="ร"/>
        </measure>
      </line>
    </section-ref>
  </part-data>
</thai-score>

Explanations

The following sections explain each element.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

This XML declaration identifies the document as XML and specifies UTF-8 encoding.

<thai-score xmlns="https://thaimusicxml.anan.ovh/ns/1" version="1.0">

The <thai-score> element is the root of a ThaiMusicXML document. The xmlns attribute declares the ThaiMusicXML namespace, which is how tools tell these elements apart from any other XML vocabulary and how they decide whether they can read the file at all. version records the exact release it follows.

<header>
  <title>Lao Duang Duen</title>
</header>

The <header> element contains score metadata. It must include a <title>, which is the title of a Thai song in this example. It can also carry a <composer> and a <tuning>.

<structure>
  <section id="s1" name="ท่อน 1" />
</structure>

The <structure> element defines the score layout. Each <section> has an id that <section-ref> uses later to attach music data, and an optional name label for readers. A section’s order in the score is its position among the <section> elements in <structure>.

<ensemble>
  <part id="P1">
    <instrument-name>Ranat Ek</instrument-name>
  </part>
</ensemble>

The <ensemble> element lists the instruments. Each <part> has a unique id and an <instrument-name>. This example has one Ranat Ek (ระนาดเอก, a Thai xylophone).

<part-data part="P1">
  <section-ref section="s1">
    <line number="1">
      <measure number="1">
        <rest/><rest/><rest/><rest/>
      </measure>
      <measure number="2">
        <rest/><rest/><rest/><rest/>
      </measure>
      <measure number="3">
        <rest/><note pitch="ด"/><note pitch="ร"/><note pitch="ม"/>
      </measure>
      ...
    </line>
  </section-ref>
</part-data>

The <part-data> element holds the music for a part. Its part attribute names a part in <ensemble>. Inside it, <section-ref> links to a section in <structure>. The music is organized into <line> elements, each containing <measure> elements with a number attribute.

Notes use Thai scale names in the pitch attribute. Each degree has three interchangeable single-character spellings, so pitch="1", pitch="D", and pitch="ด" all name the same note. This piece uses five of the seven degrees:

Number	Thai	Romanized	Solfège
1	ด	D	Do
2	ร	R	Re
3	ม	M	Mi
4	ฟ	F	Fa
5	ซ	S	Sol
6	ล	L	La
7	ท	T	Ti

The full pitch table and octave marks are covered later in the tutorial (page 4, Notes, rests, and octaves).

<rest/>

A rest is a self-closing element with no attributes. It takes one beat, the same as a note, and means the instrument strikes nothing new on that beat. Thai notation has no sustain marking, so a note left ringing under a following rest is simply how the instrument behaves.

This is a complete ThaiMusicXML file. Next, see File Structure to learn how to add multiple instruments, sections, and performance directions.

Try it in the Playground