New Interactive Gallery of Music Notation Systems, and Updated Guided Tour

[The Music Notation Project Blog]

Have you ever wanted to select the set of characteristics you want in an alternative music notation system, and then quickly see which systems have them? Now you can with our new interactive Gallery of Music Notation Systems.

On this new page you can select the characteristics you prefer, and it will filter and display only those systems on our site that have them. Characteristics like:

• Lines per octave
• Line spacing (intervallic distance between lines)
• Use of bold and dashed lines
• Use of solid and hollow noteheads (for pitch or rhythm)
• Use of different notehead shapes
• Vertical space required

Eventually we will be able to add other characteristics (especially their approaches to rhythmic notation). Are there any others you would like to see that are not in this list? If so, let us know.

As was possible before, you can still sort the systems by line pattern, by 6-6 and 7-5 pitch patterns, and by date. Now this sorting works together with the new filtering function.

We have also updated the Music Notations Guided Tour page.  It now features larger images of a chromatic scale in each system. These illustrations now include the note names under the notes. They are also now presented one at a time under each category, to avoid overwhelming new visitors with too many systems to take in at once. These changes should make the guided tour even more informative and engaging for those who are new to alternative music notation systems.

(And if you have not seen our Intervals Tutorial recently, it has also been updated with new dynamic interactive illustrations.) 

Let us know what you think!

[John]

I like the ability to select the set of characteristics to include in
the gallery, not forcing us to just search for specific ones.
The interactive intervals tutorial makes its point well too ---> our
current system is stupid. The changes of intervals from each button
clicked in the interactive section could be more emphasized though,
maybe I'm unobservant but I didn't really notice much when I clicked
the first few times. Just bolder print perhaps?

[Paul W Morris]

Hi John, Thanks for your comments. Good to know your thoughts on the
interval illustrations. I wonder if others have the same response.
Bolder print might help. I'll give it a try if I find time.

Paul