The <key> element
Parent element: <attributes>
The <key> element represents a key signature. Both traditional and non-traditional key signatures are supported. Key signatures appear at the start of each system unless the print-object attribute has been set to "no".
Content
In this order
-
Exactly one of the following
- In this order
-
In this order (Zero or more times)
- <key-step> (Required)
- <key-alter> (Required)
- <key-accidental> (Optional)
- <key-octave> (Zero or more times)
Attributes
| Name | Type | Required? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| color | color | No | Indicates the color of an element. |
| default-x | tenths | No | Changes the computation of the default horizontal position. The origin is changed relative to the left-hand side of the note or the musical position within the bar. Positive x is right and negative x is left. This attribute provides higher-resolution positioning data than the <offset> element. Applications reading a MusicXML file that can understand both features should generally rely on this attribute for its greater accuracy. |
| default-y | tenths | No | Changes the computation of the default vertical position. The origin is changed relative to the top line of the staff. Positive y is up and negative y is down. This attribute provides higher-resolution positioning data than the placement attribute. Applications reading a MusicXML file that can understand both attributes should generally rely on this attribute for its greater accuracy. |
| font-family | font-family | No | A comma-separated list of font names. |
| font-size | font-size | No | One of the CSS sizes or a numeric point size. |
| font-style | font-style | No | Normal or italic style. |
| font-weight | font-weight | No | Normal or bold weight. |
| id | ID | No | Specifies an ID that is unique to the entire document. |
| number | staff-number | No | Allows a key signature to apply to only the specified staff in the part. If absent, the key signature applies to all staves in the part. |
| print-object | yes-no | No | Specifies whether or not to print an object. It is yes if not specified. |
| relative-x | tenths | No | Changes the horizontal position relative to the default position, either as computed by the individual program, or as overridden by the default-x attribute. Positive x is right and negative x is left. It should be interpreted in the context of the <offset> element or directive attribute if those are present. |
| relative-y | tenths | No | Changes the vertical position relative to the default position, either as computed by the individual program, or as overridden by the default-y attribute. Positive y is up and negative y is down. It should be interpreted in the context of the placement attribute if that is present. |
Examples
This element is used in the following examples: