a way to use TN playing Janko

[gguitarwilly]

Hi guys,

Although transcribing TN into clairnote works fine for me, I don't always feel like transcribing a piece before playing it, since it is quite a job to do so.

I experimented with using a pencil to write diatonic numbers next to the notes in TN score. This takes about 1/5 of the time needed to properly transcribe a piece.

The janko keyboard has a diatonic grid of two lines; notes 1, 2, 3 on one row, and 4, 5, 6, 7 on adjacent neighbouring rows.

This makes it easy to visualise intervals and chords once you've added the numbers.

I added numbers to a simple jazz piano accompaniment in the key of Eb, and was able to play it in C as well, using the numbers, and only glancing at the notes to check their relative positions.

I suspect with some training this might become a natural way of reading and transposing TN pieces, which could be used alongside a 6-6 AN.

Of course not all music will lend itself to this practice because there's not always enough room to add numbers, or the music might not be tonal enough.

There are added benefits: when adding the numbers one is studying TN at the same time, and common chords and their substitutions show in the recurring combinations of numbers, showing the structure of music.

Next thing I'll try is doing the same with the melody part in fake books, and adding roman numerals to the chords. This should make it easy to transpose pieces instantly.

Willem

[Corky Peavy]

Interesting.  A picture or two would be nice.   

As a beginner, I've been using letter chords, sort of but more like what you are doing.   i.e.

C,4,7 

is a C, 4 semitones, and 7 semitones, which is a major triad I think?

0 2 4 6

 1 3 5 7

C 2 4 6

Even with my paucity of experience, many of the shapes are familiar as number pairs already.  It's nice that odd numbers and even numbers are different rows, like you say.

[gguitarwilly]

Hi Corky,

I use numbers that show the position of the note in the major scale that the song is built upon.

So in the key of C, C=1, F=4, G=5 (see attachment).

In short time, you will associate the numbers with the various chords of the key: 1, 3, 5 = C major, 4, 6, 1(or 1, 4, 6) = F major, 5, 7, 2, 4 (or 4, 5, 7) = G7

you might try to play the attached example.

Willem 

Op zondag 22 mei 2016 08:33:44 UTC+2 schreef Corky Peavy:

[Joseph Austin]

Corky,

Notation systems are debatable, and there is quite a debate going on over at musicnotation.org.

But let me say that I prefer your system of numbering by half-steps to using "diatonic" numbering.

It's not clear whether you are using scale degrees or just intervals, but either way I think you are on the right track.

I use "dozenal" numbers 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 X E for the twelve tones of the chromatic scale, and sometimes Z for twelve or doZen.

This gives 0 4 7 for a tonic triad in root position, vs. 1 3 5 in diatonic numbering.

For "diatonic" work, I just use the solfedge names: do re mi fa so la ti. or just single letters d r m f s l t .

(There are also solfedge names for the black keys; one system is printed on the Chromatone.)

As for chords, I label my music with the Roman Number chord names:  I ii iii IV V7 vi viiº etc.

OK, so I'm inconsistent!  I should be using chromatic numbers, e.g. 0 5 7  for the tonic, sub-dominant, and dominant!

But old habits die hard!

For Janko, I think you are much better off thinking in terms of chords 0 5 7 than C F G,

since the same chord shapes work in any key.

To use conventional music, you will need to memorize the circle of fifths [that is, of "sevens" or "3:2s"] and get used to translating the chord letters to numbers per key,

e.g in key C, I IV V7 or 0 5 7 is C F G7; in key F, it's F Bb C7, etc.

but if you write the translation on your score, you only have to do it once per song!

Just my 2 cents.

Joe

[gguitarwilly]

Hi Joe,

It's been quite a while since someone posted here.

But with the new Chromatone owners maybe we can dust off this discussion group.

About using numbers for helping one to read TN; I switched to the option you mentioned, using dozenal numbering now.

That way I have both relative and absolute orientation. It really helps playing TN scores. The only problem is that there's often very little room for writing numbers.

I use 0 for C, 10 for B flat and 11 for B

Willem

Op woensdag 11 mei 2016 14:59:36 UTC+2 schreef gguitarwilly: