Plain Music Notation system by Pashkuli

The idea is plain and simple. In 12-TET there are 12 tones that have their names as follows:

Bo, Da, Le, Gu, Ro, Ma, Ne, Pu, Fo, Sa, Te, Vu

The tones are designated according to the first consonant letter of their corresponding names:

B, D, L, G, R, M, N, P, F, S, T, V

The vowels: O, A, E, U have been used as they are the most common and easy to get sung in vocal exercises.

The intervals in the Plain Notation System are also straightforward as follows:

  • zero interval means – unison
  • the smallest interval – first (prime)
  • second
  • third
  • fourth
  • fifth
  • sixth
  • seventh
  • octave (eight)
  • ninth
  • tenth
  • eleventh
  • renova (anew, again)
  • refirst
  • resecond
  • rethird
  • … and so on

The inversions of the intervals obey the formula: Ia + a = 12 (Ia is the inversion of a)
An interval and its inversion sum up to 12, because 12 is the number of the notes we have in 12-TET (so called European and Western music).

Mapping of the noteletters and noteheads on a “standard” layout of a piano keyboard:
PMN Noteheads Map

A small comparison between the conventional notation system and PMN:
*notice the amount of saved space and the improved clarity of PMN in contrast to the standard music notation

PMN-basic chords

For videos about Pashkuli products, please see also: Pashkuli Keyboard Instruments (YouTube channel)

If you’d like to contribute to the software development of PMN, please, visit its GitHub page here:

PMN on GitHub

PMN on GitLab

Below is a fancy visual presentations of the Plain Music Notation (PMN) system.

PMN page 01

PMN page 02

PMNā€‚page 03

PMN page 04

source as .pdf: PMN – introduction

by PASHKULI