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Exploring Alternative Music Notation Systems

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Numbered Notes, Numbers-Only Version
by Jason MacCoy, 2009

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 image above shows the “Numbers-Only” version of the Numbered Notes system. As its title indicates, this system emphasizes the use of numbers for identifying pitches, and this version uses the numbers themselves as noteheads. (A version presented on the Numbered Notes website, has numbers printed in front of each notehead, the way accidentals are in traditional notation, as an optional learning aid.  The “Notes-Only” version uses noteheads without numbers.)

Rhythmic notation is the same as in traditional notation, except that a novel means of distinguishing between half and quarter notes is introduced. The Numbered Notes notation system is rare in that it spaces its lines a minor third apart.  (See the “Notes-Only” version for a discussion of other systems that have this minor-third spacing.)

Website: http://numberednotes.com/

First Introduced: 2009, Numbered Notes Website

Source: Jason MacCoy, Numbered Notes Website

Similar Notations: Untitled by Robert Stuckey, which also uses numbers for noteheads.

On the version that has numbers printed in front of each notehead, see our criterion 17.

→ Next Two Notation Systems →

Chromatic scale from C to C in Lautus Notation by Bruce Allen Dickey C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Ab B C

Lautus Notation by Bruce Allen Dickey

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

← Previous Two Notation Systems ←

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

DA Notation by Rich Reed

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

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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