manual/include/default-keyboard-bindings.html

<p>
  Almost every available function in Ardour can be bound to a keyboard
  shortcut (and those few that cannot will usually respond to an <a
  href="/using-control-surfaces/controlling-ardour-with-osc/"><abbr
  title="Open Sound Control">OSC</abbr> command</a>). Ardour comes with a
  rich set of default <dfn>key bindings</dfn> for the most commonly used
  functions.
</p>

<p>
  These bindings strive to be <dfn>mnemonic</dfn>, that is, easy and intuitive to remember, and follow widely accepted conventions. As a general rule, the first letter of an operation will be used for as a shortcut, if available. This does not necessarily lead to the best ergonomics for rapid editing&mdash;there are alternative binding sets for that&mdash;but it does make it simpler for newcomers to remember some of the most useful ones, for example<br>
  <kbd>S</kbd> for <kbd class="menu">Region &gt; Edit &gt; Split"</kbd>
  or<br>
   <kbd>P</kbd> for <kbd class="menu">Transport &gt; Playhead &gt; Playhead to Mouse</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  Existing key bindings in menus are listed on the right side of the
  menu items. To create a custom key binding for a menu item quickly, navigate to
  the relevant (sub-) menu, hover over the item with the mouse and press
  the desired combination of modifiers and key.
</p>

<p class="warning">
  Ardour will silently re-assign the binding if you use a key
  combination that is already in use, possibly removing a standard
  keyboard shortcut without warning you. That might lead to confusion
  when you ask other users for help, and they explain something in terms
  of a standard key binding, which will then have a completely
  different effect on your system.
</p>

<p>
  Almost every key binding in Ardour can be looked for and/or changed in
  <kbd class="menu">Window &gt; Key Bindings</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  The conventions for using modifier keys (<kbd class="mod1">&nbsp;</kbd>, <kbd
  class="mod2">&nbsp;</kbd>, <kbd class="mod3">&nbsp;</kbd> etc.) differ among platforms, so we
  provide different default bindings for each.
</p>