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Exploring Alternative Music Notation Systems

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Notation for the System of Equal Tones...
by Gustave Decher, 1877

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

See more scales, intervals, and melodies with the AudioVisualizer.

The full name of this system is “Notation for the System of Equal Tones Applied to the Chromatic Keyboard,” and an essentially identical system called “Seven-tone or Twelve-tone Notation” was introduced by Hans Krenn in 1910.

Both of these systems use the same seven line staff found in Klaus Lieber’s system, with the top and bottom lines being bold and the intervening five lines standard solid lines. The bottom and top lines represent A. The staff above shows two standard staves stacked for a two octave range.

Decher’s piano staff resembles the traditional grand staff with two standard staves spaced apart vertically. Bar lines extend through to connect the two piano staves, but short bar lines are used within each staff to separate the beats within a measure. All notes have the appearance of traditional quarter notes. Two notes appearing in the same beat are equivalent to two eighth notes, four are equivalent to four sixteenth notes, etc. Notes are tied across beat separations to represent longer durations, the equivalents of half notes and whole notes. Traditional ledger lines are used for notes extending beyond the staff.

Earliest documentation: 1877 (Decher), 1910 (Krenn)

Source: Directory of Music Notation Proposals, section/page: 13/23, 13/46

→ Next 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

← Previous Two Notation Systems ←

Chromatic scale from C to C in 6-6 Trigram Notation by Richard Parncutt C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Ab B C

6-6 Trigram Notation by Richard Parncutt

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

Untitled by Klaus Lieber

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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