Editing FAQ

Can I use and add stuff to Metafolk?
Absolutely, that's why it's here. MetaFolk is a wiki that anybody can use and edit. Under the hood is the same software that's running Wikipedia -- browse and edit to your heart's delight. If there's a song that you want to share, if you want to collaborate with other musicians on a piece, if you have an itch that you need to scratch, MetaFolk can be the place.

How do I add a song or tune?
The easiest way to get started is by hitting that [Edit] button at the top right of any page. Check out what other folks have done when creating their pages. Pick out a song or tune that might be like the one you're adding. What kind of stuff is included. Click on that [Edit] button and see what they did to make it. Click [Cancel] at the bottom, for now, and no one will know you were there.

Then, when you ready to actually add a song or tune, it's a two step process:
 * 1) Create a link to the page you want to add: On the sidebar on the left are two pages Song Requests and Tune Requests. Click one of the links, and hit the [Edit] button at the top left. Look how others have done it, and you'll figure it out quickly. Hit the [Show preview] button at the bottom to check your work. When you're done, be friendly to your fellow editors, type a summary of what you did like "Added MacDougal Blues", and hit [Save changes].
 * 2) Create the contents of the new page: Click on that new red link that you just created. On the next page there's a big edit box that you can add an introduction to the song, lyrics, chord charts, links to sound and video files, categories, whatever you'd like. (There are more FAQs below with the specifics.) Just like above, hit that [Show preview] button, add a summary, and then [Save changes].

Is there a reference for the mysterious "markup" language used in editing?
A good introduction to MediaWiki is at the MediaWiki help center. Specifically, the Wiki markup cheatsheet will get you going fast.

Do I need a login before I can edit?
No, but why not? Sharing and playing music is often a collaborative sport, so why not let folks know who you are in your edits and jams? So, go ahead and create an account. It's free, and here no one gives a fig to sell or use your info.

How do I do lyrics?
For now, the shortcut to keeping your lines from all running together is to put a space at the beginning of each line.

How do I get my chords to line up with words?
This is an extension to lyrics. Put those spaces at the beginning of each line, and then even more spaces so that the chord lines up above the syllable that the chord is played.

How do we handle notation?
Excellent question! Look at some tunes on the site and see how folks are currently doing it. Add some tips here if you see some patterns to doing it right.

Is there a list of sections (or stuff) that should be included on a song or tune page?
First of this wiki is a tool to help you and your fellow musicians collaborate. You should do it the way you'd like to see it. Personally I aim to have (but rarely take the time to follow through on) the following:
 * 1) Start with an introduction to the song, just as you might introduce it to an audience or your fellow musicians in a jam. What makes it interesting, how you heard about it, etc.
 * 2) Include lyrics if there are any. And yes, there can be multiple versions of any given song, so you might want to be specific with your section title like
 * 3) If you want to encourage accompaniment, add chords above each line of lyrics to make a lead sheet
 * 4) Further notation can be added in whatever format your collaborators are used to working with. This can be images of charts generated by composition software, Nashville notation, simple chord names (with or without bars), whatever.
 * 5) Be sure to credit the composer and lyricist if it is known.
 * 6) A "Locals" section is useful for noting keys and starting notes that local performers and jams might prefer (but can never remember). It is also useful for shout outs to performers that do a particularly good job at this tune.
 * 7) "Inspiration" is a section where you can provide links to video and sound files that are a particularly good example of the song or tune.
 * 8) Finally at the bottom are the categories that act as the plumbing of this wiki. At a minimum be sure to include   for songs and   for tunes, but then add things like Irish, Air, Pentatonic, Key of B minor as necessary.

Why is my song not appearing in the song list?
A bunch of pages use the Category tags at the bottom of each page to pull related content together. If you added a song or tune and either omitted providing those categories or misspelled one, the new page may not appear where you expect.

How do I get see a list of categories that I can add at the bottom of the page?
There's a link to a number of Special pages in the sidebar. Take a look at the Category Tree in particular. When you type  in that first field, you'll see an outline of all the existing categories. If you don't see a category you need, just create a new category like  It'll likely get incorporated into the category tree, eventually.