The Music Notation Project

Exploring Alternative Music Notation Systems

Main menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Home
    • About, FAQ, Contact Info
    • Blog
    • Community
    • Contribute
  • Notation Systems
    • Guided Tour
    • AudioVisualizer
    • Gallery
    • More Notation Systems
    • Criteria for Systems
    • Evaluative Research
  • Tutorials
    • 6-6 and 7-5 Pitch Patterns
    • Noteheads and Pitch
    • Intervals: Traditional System
    • Intervals: Reading and Playing
    • Intervals: 6-6 Systems
    • Chromatic Staves Example
    • Enharmonic Equivalents
    • Numerical Notation Systems
  • Software
    • Software Overview
    • LilyPond
    • Finale
    • MuseScore
    • Sibelius
    • Open Source Strategy
  • MNMA
    • MNMA Overview
    • Research Project
    • Publications
    • Conferences
  • Wiki
  • Forum

Post navigation

← Previous Next →

Lautus Notation
by Bruce Allen Dickey, 2011

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

Bruce Allen Dickey’s Lautus notation system has minor-third line spacing, but unlike Jason MacCoy’s Number Notes systems (above), which use three staff lines plus a ledger line, Lautus uses four staff lines per octave. The lines are G#, B, D, and F, and the top line (F) is bold. This pattern is similar to the four lines (G, B, D, and F) at the top of the traditional treble staff or the bottom of the traditional bass staff. Staves can be stacked to cover more than one octave as shown above, although Dickey recommends using a single octave staff with ledger lines to reduce visual density.

In place of a clef, a large Arabic numeral indicates the octave number.

Rhythmic notation is mostly traditional, but half, whole, and double whole notes are nontraditional, having solid black noteheads and multiple stems (hollow noteheads are not used). Half notes have one regular stem with a neighboring stem of half the height. Whole notes have a double stem, and double whole notes (breves) a triple stem. Quarter rests and shorter rests are traditional. Half rests and longer rests are nontraditional, having a similar appearance to the stems of the notes of corresponding duration, but with the rightmost line (or two) being thicker than the leftmost line. An optional variant of Lautus uses traditional rhythmic notation without any of these modifications.

Source: Bruce Allen Dickey, 2011

Similar Notations: Untitled by Arnold Schoenberg and 6-6 Klavar by Cornelis Pot, which also use a single bold line per octave.

→ Next Two Notation Systems →

Chromatic scale from C to C in Chromatic scale from C to C in Hass Notation by Peter Hass C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Ab B C

Hass Notation, 3-Line Version by Peter Hass

Chromatic scale from C to C in Trilinear Music Notation by José A. Sotorrio C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Ab B C

Trilinear Notation by José A. Sotorrio

← Previous Two Notation Systems ←

Chromatic scale from C to C in Numbered Notes, Notes-Only Version by Jason MacCoy C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Ab B C

Numbered Notes, Notes-Only by Jason MacCoy

Chromatic scale from C to C in Numbered Notes, Numbers-Only Version by Jason MacCoy C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Ab B C

Numbered Notes, Numbers-Only by Jason MacCoy

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
The Music Notation Project
A not-for-profit organization sustained by the contributions of volunteers and supporters. Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Creative Commons License
  • Home
  • Notation Systems
  • Tutorials
  • Software
  • MNMA
  • Wiki
  • Forum
Return to Top

Contact Us
Our Blog
Google Group (Forum)
Facebook
Twitter