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Clairnote DN has the same line pattern as Beyreuther’s Untitled system, but differs from it in the following ways. The staff is more vertically compact by allowing the note heads of adjacent pitches to “overlap” to a greater degree than is common on a traditional staff. (This approach is also used in Express Stave.)  On a Clairnote DN staff two notes an octave apart are about 1.3 times as far apart as they are on a traditional staff. (This is less than the 1.714… (12 divided by 7) which is the case for a “standard” chromatic staff.)  Rhythmic notation follows traditional notation, except for a double stem that indicates half notes (see Using Notehead Color for Pitch). Noteheads alternate between solid and hollow, with the solid notes falling on the lines to highlight the 6-6 pitch pattern.  Noteheads are the traditional oval shape rather than circular.  Clairnote DN also has a system of alternative accidental signs, key signatures, and clefs.  The “DN” is for “Dual Noteheads” in contrast to Clairnote SN, “Standard Noteheads”.

Earliest documentation: 2006

Source: Paul Morris

Website: Clairnote DN Music Notation

Historical notes: When Morris first introduced this system in 2006 it did not include the “more vertically compact staff” aspect (which was introduced in December of 2013 when Morris changed the system’s name to “Clairnote”).  It was originally intended as a companion to Black-Oval Twinline (and was called “Expanded Black-Oval Twinline” to reflect this).  Since these systems shared the same line pattern and the same solid/hollow note pattern, it would be easy to learn to read either one interchangeably.  Musicians could prefer one while still being able to easily read the other.  Now Clairnote DN is intended as a “stand-alone” system, although it still retains its basic compatibility with Black-Oval Twinline.  This system was briefly known as “Expanded TwinNote” between June and December of 2009, before the introduction of Morris’ new version of TwinNote. It was also known as “Expanded White-Triangle Twinline” before being renamed to “Expanded Black-Oval Twinline” in February of 2011. In December of 2013 it was renamed “Clairnote” with the addition of the more vertically compact staff aspect and the alternative key signatures and accidental signs. With the introduction of Clairnote SN in April 2018, “Clairnote” was renamed to “Clairnote DN” to avoid confusion between the two variants.

Similar Notations: Clairnote SN by Paul Morris, Black-Oval Twinline by Paul Morris, Chromatic 6-6 Notation by Johannes Beyreuther

Manuscript Paper: Discontinuous Staves Continuous Staves