Repeats and Volta Brackets
Repeat Barlines
Repeat signs are expressed as part of the barline:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
||: |
Start repeat |
:|| |
End repeat (play twice by default) |
:||x3 |
End repeat, play 3 times |
:||: |
End repeat and immediately start a new repeat |
Volta Brackets
Volta brackets (first-time / second-time endings) are written by placing a bracket label in square brackets immediately after a barline, before the contents of that bar:
||: Am | G |[1.] F | G :||
[2.] F | C ||.
The label can be any short text: [1.], [2.], [1.-3.], [2.-4.], etc.
A typical use with a two-bar ending:
||: (4/4) C | Am | F | G |
| C | Am |[1.] F | G :||
[2.] F | C ||.
Worked Example
Here is a short jazz-style chart demonstrating several features:
---
title: "Blues in F"
key: F major
feel: "swing"
---
[Head]
||: (4/4) F7 | % | % | % |
| Bb7 | % | F7 | % |
| C7 | Bb7 | F7 | C7 :||
What Grigson Does Not Support (by design)
- Rhythm notation. There is no staff, no note durations on individual chords, no ties or triplets beyond what beat-cell notation can express.
- Navigation signs. Coda, Segno, Da Capo, Dal Segno, and Fine are not supported in v1. Use repeat barlines and volta brackets instead, or write the song out in full.
- Lyrics. Grigson is a chord chart tool, not a lead sheet tool.
- Auto-reflow. Row layout is driven by the source text. The HTML renderer's
barsPerLineandmaxBarsPerLineoptions can influence wrapping, but there is no reflowing based on available width.