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Exploring Alternative Music Notation Systems

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Douzave System
by John Leon Acheson, 1936

Chromatic scale from C to C. C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Ab B C

The standard six-line staff is constructed from the bottom with two normal staff lines, followed by a bold line, followed by two more normal staff lines, followed by a dashed line on top.   The bold line represents C.  The dashed line represents F#. This standard one octave staff has been repeated twice in the image above to show a span of two octaves.

Source: Directory of Music Notation Proposals, section/page: 10/1, 11/4, 13/1

Earliest Documentation: 1936

Manuscript Paper: Discontinuous Staves, Continous Staves

→ Next Two Notation Systems →

Chromatic scale from C to C in Notagraph by Constance Virtue C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Ab B C

Notagraph by Constance Virtue

Chromatic scale from C to C in Note for Note by Walter H. Thelwall C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Ab B C

Note for Note by Walter H. Thelwall

← Previous Two Notation Systems ←

Chromatic scale from C to C in Untitled by Franz Grassl C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Ab B C

Untitled by Franz Grassl

Chromatic scale from C to C in Ambros System by August Ambros C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Ab B C

Ambros System by August Ambros

Notation System Groups

  • Lines a Whole Step Apart, 5 Lines per Octave
  • Lines a Whole Step Apart, 4 or 3 Lines per Octave
  • Lines a Whole Step Apart, 6 Lines per Octave
  • Lines a Whole Step and Major 3rd Apart, 4 per Octave
  • Lines a Minor 3rd Apart, 3 or 4 Lines per Octave
  • Lines a Major 3rd Apart, 3 Lines per Octave
  • Lines a Major 3rd Apart, 2 Lines per Octave
  • Lines a Major 3rd Apart, 2 per Octave, Compact Staff
  • Lines a Tritone Apart, 2 per Octave, or 1 Line per Octave
  • 7-5 Line Pattern, 3, 5, or 6 Lines per Octave
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