Musical notation: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

[[File:Bachlut1.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Hand-written musical notation by [[Johann Sebastian Bach|J. S. Bach]] (1685–1750). This is the beginning of the Prelude from the Suite for [[Lute]] in G minor, BWV 995 (transcription of [[Cello Suites (Bach)|Cello Suite]] No. 5, BWV 1011).]]

'''Music notation''' or '''musicalMusical notation''' is any system used to visually represent [[wikt:aurally|aurally]]music. perceivedSystems [[music]]of playednotation withgenerally represent the elements of a [[instrumentpiece of (music)|instruments]] orthat [[singing|sung]]are byconsidered theimportant [[humanfor voice]]its performance throughin the usecontext of written,a printed,given ormusical otherwise-producedtradition. symbols,The includingprocess notationof forinterpreting durationsmusical ofnotation absenceis ofoften soundreferred suchto as [[rest'''reading (music)|rests]]'''.

The types andDistinct methods of notation have variedbeen between cultures andinvented throughout history, andby muchvarious cultures. Much information about [[ancient music]] notation is fragmentary. Even in the same time period, such as in the 2010sframes, different styles of music and different cultures use different music notation methods; for example, for professional [[classical music|classical]] performers, most often use [[sheet music]] using [[staff (music)|staves]], [[Time signature|time signatures]], [[Key signature|key signatures]], and [[notehead]]s isfor thewriting mostand commondeciphering way[[Musical ofcomposition|pieces]]. notatingBut musiceven so, butthere are far more systems just that, for instance in professional [[country music]] [[session musician]]s, the [[Nashville Number System]] is the main method, and for [[string instrument]]s such as [[guitar]], it is quite common for [[tablature]] to be used by players.

The symbols used include ancient symbols and [[modern musical symbols|modern symbols]] made upon any media such as symbols cut into stone, made in [[clay tablet]]s, made using a pen on [[papyrus]] or [[parchment]] or [[manuscript paper]]; printed using a [[printing press]] ({{circa|1400s1400}}), a [[computer printer]] ({{circa|1980s1980}}) or other [[Music engraving|printing]] or [[Photocopier|modern copying technology]].

Although many ancient cultures used symbols to represent [[melody|melodies]] and [[rhythm]]s, none of them waswere particularly comprehensive, which has limited today's understanding of their music. The seedsdirect ancestor of what would eventually becomethe modern [[Western culture|Western]] system of notation were sownemerged in [[Medieval music|medieval]] Europe, startingin withthe context of the [[Christian Church]]'s goalattempts forto ecclesiasticalstandardize uniformity.the Theperformance church began notatingof [[plainchantplainsong]] melodies so that the same chants could be usedstandardized throughoutacross thedifferent churchareas. Music notationNotation [[Renaissance music|developed further during the Renaissance]] and [[Baroque music]] eras. In the [[classical period (music)|classical period]] (1750–1820) and the [[Romantic music era]] (1820–1900), notation continued to develop as newthe [[music technology (mechanical)|musicaltechnology instrumentfor technologiesmusical instruments]] were developed. In the [[contemporary classical music]] of the 20th and 21st centurycenturies, music notation has continued to develop, with the introduction of [[graphical notation (music)|graphical notation]] by some modern composers and the use, since the 1980s, of computer-based [[scorewriter|score writer]] programs for notating music. Music notation has been adapted to many kinds of music, including [[classical music]], [[popular music]], and [[traditional music]].

==History==

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A staff of written music generally begins with a [[clef]], which indicates the pitch-range of the staff. The [[treble clef]] or G clef was originally a letter G and it identifies the second line up on the five line staff as the note G above middle C. The [[bass clef]] or F clef identifies the second line down as the note F below middle C. While the treble and bass clef are the most widely used, other clefs, which identify middle C, are used for some instruments, such as the [[alto clef]] (for [[viola]] and [[alto trombone]]) and the [[tenor clef]] (used for some [[cello]], [[bassoon]], [[Trombone|tenor trombone]], and [[double bass]] music). Some instruments use mainly one clef, such as violin and flute which use [[treble clef]], and [[double bass]] and [[tuba]] which use [[bass clef]]. Some instruments, such as [[piano]] and [[pipe organ]], regularly use both treble and bass clefs.

Following the clef, the [[key signature]] is a group of from 0 to 7 [[sharp (music)|sharp]] ([[Sharp (music)|♯]]) or [[flat (music)|flat]] ([[Flat (music)|♭]]) signs placed on the staff to indicate the [[key (music)|key]] of the piece or song by specifying that certain notes are sharp or flat throughout the piece, unless otherwise indicated with [[accidental (music)|accidentals]] added before certain notes. When a flat ([[Flat (music)|♭]]) sign is placed before a note, the pitch of the note is lowered by one semitone. Similarly, a sharp sign ([[Sharp (music)|♯]]) raises the pitch by one semitone. For example, a sharp on the note D would raise it to [[D♯ (musical note)|D♯]] while a flat would lower it to [[D♭ (musical note)|D♭]]. [[Double sharp]]s and [[double flat]]s are less common, but they are used. A double sharp is placed before a note to make it two semitones higher, a double flat - two semitones lower. A [[natural sign]] placed before a note renders that note in its "natural" form, which means that any sharp or flat applied to that note from the key signature or an accidental, is cancelled. Sometimes a [[courtesy accidental]] is used in music where it is not technically required, to remind the musician of what pitch is required.

Following the key signature is the [[time signature]]. The time signature typically consists of two numbers, with one of the most common being {{music|time|4|4}}. The top "4" indicates that there are four beats per measure (also called [[Bar (music)|bar]]). The bottom "4" indicates that each of those beats are quarter notes. Measures divide the piece into groups of [[beat (music)|beats]], and the time signatures specify those groupings. {{music|time|4|4}} is used so often that it is also called "[[common time]]", and it may be indicated with {{music|commontime}} rather than numbers. Other frequently used time signatures are {{music|time|3|4}} (three beats per bar, with each beat being a quarter note); {{music|time|2|4}} (two beats per bar, with each beat being a quarter note); {{music|time|6|8}} (six beats per bar, with each beat being an eighth note) and {{music|time|12|8}} (twelve beats per bar, with each beat being an eighth note; in practice, the eighth notes are typically put into four groups of three eighth notes. {{music|time|12|8}} is a [[compound time]] type of time signature). Many other time signatures exist, such as {{music|time|32|82}}, {{music|time|5|8}}, {{music|time|5|4}}, {{music|time|7|4}}, {{music|time|9|8}}, and so on.

Many short [[classical music]] pieces from the [[classical period (music)|classical era]] and songs from [[traditional music]] and [[popular music]] are in one time signature for much or all of the piece. Music from the [[Romantic music]] era and later, particularly [[contemporary classical music]] and [[rock music]] genres such as [[progressive rock]] and the [[hardcore punk]] subgenre [[mathcore]], may use [[mixed meter]]; songs or pieces change from one meter to another, for example alternating between bars of {{music|time|5|4}} and {{music|time|7|8}}.

Directions to the player regarding matters such as [[tempo]] (e.g., [[Allegro (music)|Allegro]], [[Andante (tempo)|Andante]], [[Tempo#Basic tempo markings|Largo]], [[Tempo#French tempo markings|Vif, Lent, Modérément]], [[Presto (music)|Presto]], etc.),and [[dynamics (music)|dynamics]] (pianississimo, pianissimo, piano, mezzopiano, mezzofortee.g., forte, fortissimo, fortississimo, etc.) appear above or below the staff. Terms indicating the [[musical expression]] or "feel" to a song or piece are indicated at the beginning of the piece and at any points where the mood changes (e.g., "Slow March", "Fast Swing", "Medium Blues", "Fougueux", "Feierlich", "Gelassen", "Piacevole", "Con slancio", "Majestic", "Hostile" etc.) For vocal music, lyrics are written near the pitches of the melody. For short pauses (breaths), [[retake]]s (retakes are indicated with a ' mark) are added.

In music for [[musical ensemble|ensembles]], a "[[sheet music|score]]" shows music for all players together, with the staves for the different instruments and/or voices stacked vertically. The [[conducting|conductor]] uses the score while leading an [[orchestra]], [[concert band]], [[choir]] or other large ensemble. Individual performers in an ensemble play from "parts" which contain only the music played by an individual musician. A score can be constructed from a complete set of parts and vice versa. The process was laborious and time consuming when parts were hand-copied from the score, but since the development of [[scorewriter]] computer software in the 1980s, a score stored electronically can have parts automatically prepared by the program and quickly and inexpensively printed out using a computer printer.

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===Korea===

[[File:시용향악보 (時用鄕樂譜).jpg|thumb|''Jeongganbo musical notation system'']]

''Jeongganbo'' is a unique traditional musical notation system created during the time of [[Sejong the Great]] that was the first East Asian system to represent rhythm, pitch, and time.{{sfnp|Gnanadesikan|2011|p={{Page needed|date=October 2018}}}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Gukak|url=http://english.donga.com/List/3/all/26/251893/1|website=The DONG-A ILBO|publisher=dongA.com|access-date=20 September 2016}}</ref> Among various kinds of Korean traditional music, Jeong-gan-bo targets a particular genre, Jeong-ak ({{lang|ko|정악, 正樂}}).

Jeong-gan-bo tellsspecifies the pitch by writing the pitch's name down in a box called 'jeong-gan' (this is where the name comes from). One jeong-gan is one beat each, and it can be split into two, three or more to hold half beats and quarter beats, and more. This makes it easy for the reader to figure out the beat.

Also, there are many markings indicating things such as ornaments. Most of these were later created by Ki-su Kim.

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[[File:Example of hooks and banners notation.PNG|thumb|right|An example of Znamenny notation with so-called "red marks", Russia, 1884. "Thy [[Crucifixion of Jesus|Cross]] we honour, oh Lord, and Thy holy Resurrection we praise."]]

[[File:Kryuki.jpg|thumb|Hand-drawn [[lubok]] featuring 'hook and banner notation']]

Znamenny Chant is a singing tradition used in the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] which uses a "hook and banner" notation. Znamenny Chant is [[unison]], [[melisma]]tic [[liturgy|liturgical]] singing that has its own specific notation, called the ''stolp'' notation. The symbols used in the stolp notation are called ''{{transl|ru|kryuki|links=no}}'' ({{lang-ru|крюки|links=no}}, 'hooks') or ''{{transl|ru|znamyona}}'' ({{lang-ru|знамёна|links=no}}, 'signsbanners'). Often the names of the signs are used to refer to the stolp notation. Znamenny melodies are part of a system, consisting of Eight Modes (intonation structures; called glasy); the melodies are characterized by fluency and well-balancedness .{{harvsfn|Kholopov|2003|loc=192}}. There exist several types of Znamenny Chant: the so-called ''Stolpovoy'', ''Malyj'' (Little) and ''Bolshoy'' (Great) Znamenny Chant. Ruthenian Chant ([[Prostopinije]]) is sometimes considered a sub-division of the Znamenny Chant tradition, with the [[Grand Duchy of Moscow|Muscovite]] Chant (Znamenny Chant proper) being the second branch of the same musical continuum.

Znamenny Chants are not written with notes (the so-called linear notation), but with special signs, called ''Znamëna'' (Russian for "marks", "banners") or ''Kryuki'' ("hooks"), as some shapes of these signs resemble hooks. Each sign may include the following components: a large black hook or a black stroke, several smaller black 'points' and 'commas' and lines near the hook or crossing the hook. Some signs may mean only one note, some 2 to 4 notes, and some a whole melody of more than 10 notes with a complicated rhythmic structure. The stolp notation was developed in [[Kievan Rus']] as an [[East Slavs|East Slavic]] refinement of the [[Byzantine music|Byzantine]] [[neumatic]] musical notation.

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=== Judea ===

{{Main|Hebrew cantillation}}

[[File:Example of biblical Hebrew trope.svg|thumb|Example of biblical Hebrew Trope]]▼

Ancient Jewish texts include a series of marks assigning musical cantillation notes. Known in Hebrew as Ta'amim and Yiddish as Trope, there are records of these marks from the 6th and 7th centuries, having been passed down as a tradition for Jewish prayers and texts. Traditionally a series of marks written above and around the accompanying Hebrew texts, Trope marks represent a short musical motif. Throughout the Jewish diaspora there are variations in the accompanying melodies. There are three main systems of Hebrew cantillation: The Babylonian System, The Palestinian System, and the Tiberian System.

▲[[File:Example of biblical Hebrew trope.svg|thumb|Example of biblical Hebrew Trope]]

{{clear}}

==Other systems and practices==

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{{Main|Numbered musical notation}}

Cipher notation systems assigning Arabic numerals to the [[major scale]] degrees have been used at least since the Iberian organ tablatures of the 16th-century and include such exotic adaptations as ''[[Siffernotskrift]]''. The one most widely in use today is the Chinese ''Jianpu'', discussed in the [[Numbered musical notation|main article]]. Numerals can also be assigned to different scale systems, as in the Javanese ''[[kepatihan]]'' notation [[#Indonesia|described above]].

'''Online Cipher Notation''' or '''Online Jianpu''': Since the advent of the Internet and the popularization of [[web browser]]-based communication using common [[Computer keyboard|keyboard]] [[input (computer science)|input]], the "Jianpu" cipher notion has been adopted to easier input formats, including one that utilizes mainly ordinary symbols available on an [[ascii]] keyboard. For example, the first stanza of [[Amazing Grace]] can simply be transcribed as below:

: / 005 //

: / 1'0(3'1') / 3'02' / 1'06 / 505 //

: / 1'0(3'1') / 3'0(2'3') / 5'00 / 00(2'3') //

: / 5'0(3'1') / 3'0(3'2') / 1'06 / 505 //

: / 1'0(3'1') / 3'02' / 1'00! / 000 //

===Solfège===

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{{Main|Letter notation}}

The notes of the 12-tone scale can be written by their letter names A–G, possibly with a trailing [[Accidental (music)|accidental]], such as A{{music|sharp}} or B{{Music|flat}}.

====ABC====▼

[[ABC notation]] is a compact format using plain text characters, readable by computers and by humans. More than 100,000 tunes are now transcribed in this format.<ref>{{Cite web |title=abc |url=http://www.music-notation.info/en/formats/abc.html |access-date=2022-05-10 |website=www.music-notation.info}}</ref>▼

===Tablature===

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Tablature was first used in the [[Medieval music|Middle Ages]] for organ music and later in the [[Renaissance music|Renaissance]] for [[lute]] music.{{sfnp|Apel|1961|pp=xxiii, 22}} In most lute tablatures, a staff is used, but instead of pitch values, the lines of the staff represent the strings of the instrument. The [[fret]]s to finger are written on each line, indicated by letters or numbers. Rhythm is written separately with one or another variation of standard note values indicating the duration of the fastest moving part. Few seem to have remarked on the fact that tablature combines in one notation system both the physical and technical requirements of play (the lines and symbols on them and in relation to each other representing the actual performance actions) with the unfolding of the music itself (the lines of tablature taken horizontally represent the actual temporal unfolding of the music). In later periods, lute and guitar music was written with standard notation. Tablature caught interest again in the late 20th century for popular [[guitar]] music and other fretted instruments, being easy to transcribe and share over the internet in [[ASCII tab|ASCII format]].

===KlavarPiano-roll-based notationnotations===

Some chromatic systems have been created taking advantage of the layout of black and white keys of the standard piano keyboard. The "staff" is most widely referred to as "[[Piano_roll#In_digital_audio_workstations|piano roll]]", created by extending the black and white piano keys.▼

====Klavar notation====

{{Main|Klavarskribo}}

Klavarskribo (sometimes shortened to '''klavar''') is a music notation system that was introduced in 1931 by the [[Netherlands|Dutchman]] Cornelis Pot. The name means "keyboard writing" in [[Esperanto]]. It differs from conventional music notation in a number of ways and is intended to be easily readable. Many klavar readers are from the Netherlands.

===Piano-roll-based notations===

▲Some chromatic systems have been created taking advantage of the layout of black and white keys of the standard piano keyboard. The "staff" is most widely referred to as "[[Piano_roll#In_digital_audio_workstations|piano roll]]", created by extending the black and white piano keys.

===Chromatic staff notations===

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===Simplified music notation===

{{Main|Simplified music notation}}

[[Simplified Music Notation]] is an alternative form of musical notation designed to make [[sight reading|sight-reading]] easier. It is based on [[modern musical symbols|classical staff notation]], but incorporates [[sharp (music)|sharps]] and [[flat (music)|flats]] into the shape of the [[note heads]]. [[Musical note|Note]]s such as [[sharp (music)|double sharps]] and [[flat (music)|double flats]] are written at the [[pitch (music)|pitch]] they are actually played at, but preceded by [[symbol]]s called ''history signs'' that show they have been [[transposition (music)|transposed]].

===Modified Stave Notation===

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===Rap notation===

The standard form of rap notation is the "flow diagram", where rappers line up their lyrics underneath "beat numbers".{{sfnp|Edwards|2009|p=67}} Hip-hop scholars also make use of the same flow diagrams that rappers use: the books ''How to Rap'' and ''How to Rap 2'' extensively use the diagrams to explain rap's triplets, flams, rests, rhyme schemes, runs of rhyme, and breaking rhyme patterns, among other techniques.{{sfnp|Edwards|2013|p=53}} Similar systems are used by musicologists Adam Krims in his book ''Rap Music and the Poetics of Identity''{{sfnp|Krims|2001|pp=59–60}} and Kyle Adams in his work on rap's flow.{{sfnp|Adams|2009}} As rap usually revolves around a strong 4/4 beat,{{sfnp|Edwards|2009|p=69}} with certain syllables aligned to the beat, all the notational systems have a similar structure: they all have four beat numbers at the top of the diagram, so that syllables can be written in-line with the beat.{{sfnp|Edwards|2009|p=69}}

▲===ABC===

▲[[ABC notation]] is a compact format using plain text characters, readable by computers and by humans. More than 100,000 tunes are now transcribed in this format.<ref>{{Cite web |title=abc |url=http://www.music-notation.info/en/formats/abc.html |access-date=2022-05-10 |website=www.music-notation.info}}</ref>

===Tin Whistle Fingering Charts===

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* [[Scorewriter]]

* [[Semasiography]]

* [[Sight-reading]]

* [[Sheet music]]

* [[Time unit box system]], a notation system useful for polyrhythms

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* [http://253.ccarh.org CCARH—Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities] Information on Stanford University Course on music representation. Links page shows examples of different notations.

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311024006/http://www.musicmarkup.info/ Music Markup Language]. XML-based language for music notation.

* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Musical Notation |volume=19 |pages=96–87 |short=1}}

* [http://www.senzatempo.de/ston2012070100.html Synopsis of Musical Notation Encyclopedias (An index from topics of CWN into the books of Gould, Vinci, Wanske, Stone and Read.)]

* Gehrkens, Karl Wilson [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19499 ''Music Notation and Terminology'']. Project Gutenberg.