Best Plugins for Writing and Rendering Sheet Music in Obsidian

The ABC Music Notation plugin lets you render ABC music notation directly from code blocks using the `music-abc` language tag. Powered by the abcjs library, it supports full-feature music rendering, including multiple voices, chords, clefs, and custom tablatures. You can also pass rendering options via an inline JSON configuration at the top of the code block, allowing for fine-tuned control over how the music is displayed. If the configuration has errors, the plugin provides clear visual feedback so you can easily fix issues. It's ideal for musicians, educators, or composers looking to embed musical scores directly into their notes without needing external tools.

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The Palta Note plugin allows users to write and render Indian classical percussion compositions such as Kaydas, Gats, and Relas using Bhatkhande notation. It leverages the `` web component to convert specially formatted code blocks into visually structured rhythmic patterns. Users can define vibhags to structure compositions clearly or skip them for quick notation. This makes it convenient for musicians, music students, and educators who work with tabla or similar instruments to document and visualise compositions directly within their notes in a clean and readable format.

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The jTab Guitar Codeblocks plugin enables users to display guitar chords and tablatures using jTab notation directly inside their notes. It supports multiple jTab lines per block, allows markdown-style annotations, and includes quick toggles to view jTab examples or chord names. The plugin also offers extensive visual customization, letting users choose between classic, theme-based, or fully custom color schemes. With features like preserved code when switching block types and a live preview of styles, it caters well to musicians and guitar learners who want to document, explore, and fine-tune musical notations in a visual and organised way.

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The Chords in Markdown plugin adds basic support for rendering musical chords within lyrics using a Markdown code block. It leverages the `markdown-it-chords` library to interpret chord notation inside fenced code blocks labeled as `song` or `lyrics`. Users can embed chords inline with lyrics using simple square-bracket notation like `[C]`, and the plugin handles even complex chord symbols or fret positions. This is especially useful for musicians or songwriters who want to document and format chord sheets directly in their notes. The current version is minimal, but offers a clean and readable way to manage chord-annotated lyrics.

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The Scales and Chords plugin lets you capture and preview guitar or piano chord notations within fenced code blocks. When previewed, it automatically detects chords on marked lines and makes them interactive - clicking on a chord opens a visual diagram from ScalesChords. Additionally, it displays all chords used in a stacked format below the tab, so users can view the entire set of chords at a glance. The plugin supports multiple instruments including guitar, piano, ukulele, mandolin, and banjo.

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The Chord Lyrics plugin enables you to display guitar or piano chords above lyrics in a clean, readable format within your notes. It intelligently aligns chords with lyrics, even when the lines wrap on smaller screens, maintaining their visual relationship. The plugin auto-detects chord and lyric lines but also provides manual overrides for precise formatting using `%c` and `%t` markers. Users can add section headers like 'Verse' or 'Chorus' and customise the colour scheme to match their preferences. This is especially useful for songwriters or performers who want well-structured chord sheets directly in their notes.

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The Vextab plugin lets you render guitar tablature and standard music notation using the Vextab language inside your notes. It supports both `vextab` and `tab` code blocks for defining musical phrases, and offers a `quicktab` shorthand for faster input, which is especially handy on mobile devices. This plugin is ideal for guitarists and composers who want to write music with precise control over formatting. It also handles inferred notation for cleaner input and allows toggling standard notation in quicktabs. One thing to note is its current incompatibility with the Scales and Chords plugin due to shared block types.

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The Verovio Music Renderer plugin brings high-quality music score rendering to your notes using the Verovio engraving library. It supports MEI, ABC, MusicXML, and PAE formats, and can render music directly from code blocks, local files, or external URLs. You can preview scores as SVG, listen to audio playback with synchronized note highlighting, and even use page-turning controls for practice or performance. A dedicated side panel with syntax highlighting allows for inline editing of MEI code, and clicking on notes in the render jumps to their source. Advanced options include custom fonts, scaling, and selective measure rendering.

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The Guitar Pro Preview plugin allows you to view and interact with Guitar Pro files (`.gtp`, `.gp`, `.gp5`, `.gpx`) directly within your notes. Powered by the AlphaTab library, it provides a visual representation of the tablature and supports switching between multiple tracks. This makes it easier to study, reference, or transcribe guitar parts while keeping everything within your vault. Additionally, it includes an option to download the corresponding MIDI file for playback or editing outside the app. It's a handy tool for guitarists and music learners who frequently work with Guitar Pro tabs.

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The MIDI Logger plugin captures MIDI input from connected devices and inserts the played notes directly into your notes in real time. It supports multiple output formats-raw MIDI data, scientific pitch notation, and ABC notation-allowing users to log performances or ideas in the format that suits their workflow. When using ABC output, it integrates well with the ABC Music Notation plugin for visual rendering of the captured notes. You can start or stop capture using commands or a toolbar icon, and customise the output using settings like separators and format type. This tool is especially useful for composers, music learners, or anyone who wants to transcribe MIDI input directly into structured note formats.

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The Lilypond plugin is a musical delight for Obsidian users who enjoy writing music notation. With this plugin, you can render LilyPond code directly within your markdown files, allowing you to easily create and share sheet music. The plugin is simple to use, requiring only that you specify the path to the LilyPond executable in your settings. Once set up, simply enclose your LilyPond code in a code block, and the plugin will render it beautifully, complete with layout options. This plugin is perfect for musicians, composers, and music educators who want to incorporate musical notation into their Obsidian notes and documents.

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The Metronome plugin adds an interactive and highly customizable metronome directly within your notes. Designed especially for musicians, it supports a range of features including visual and audio beats, adjustable BPM, time signatures, instrument sounds, countdown timers, and various display styles like pendulum or dots. Users can fine-tune settings like tick and tock notes, start behaviour, duration, and size to suit practice or performance needs. It integrates well with music notation tools like abcjs, making it ideal for keeping tempo in sync with written scores.

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