Simplified Music Notation
Encyclopedia
Simplified Music Notation is an alternative form of music notation designed to make sight-reading easier. It is based on classical staff notation
, but sharps
and flats are incorporated into the shape of the note
heads. Note
s such as double sharps and double flats are written at the pitch
at which they are actually played, but preceded by symbol
s called History Signs to show that they have been transposed
. The key signature and all other information in the original score is retained, but the player does not need to remember the key signature
and accidentals whilst playing.
The notation was originally designed to help players who struggle with sight-reading, including those who suffer from working memory
impairments, dyslexia
and other learning difficulties
.
, Canada
, the son of a diplomat
. He attended RADA and began his career as an actor
playing roles such as the lead in Charles Frank
's screen adaptation of Trollope's
Malachi’s Cove and the juvenile lead in Peter Brook's
West End production ‘Dark of the Moon
’. In the 1960s he gave up acting as shortcomings with his working memory
made it difficult for him to accept major lead roles with long speeches.
Having studied music for teachers at Los Angeles City College in 1962, George took up the piano. He thought that that since musicians can keep the music in front of them whilst playing, his memory
problems would present no difficulty. However, he discovered that musician
s must remember to modulate each musical note according to the key signature
, to continue any accidentals
through the bar
, and to cancel them at the end of the bar
. He also found difficulty in transposing
notes such as double sharps
and double flats.
Simplified Music Notation was designed in response to this. The original concept was formed in 1977 and the notation was developed over the next 30 years. The first series of music books in Simplified Music Notation was published
in September 2008.
should be able to play what they see, without having to adapt for key signature
or complex accidentals
.
and flat symbols in the key signature
are replaced by the sharp and flat note
heads of Simplified Music Notation: a triangle
for sharps and a rhombus
for flats:
The traditional oval
notehead is used when a note is natural
.
, History Signs are not repeated within a bar
.
History Signs allow anybody studying the music to see how it was originally written and to analyse the harmonic progression
of the piece. However, they can be ignored whilst sight-reading.
are replaced by the sharp and flat noteheads of Simplified Music Notation:
If there is a key change in the middle of a piece, the new key signature
is shown without naturals to ‘neutralise’ the previous key
:
The exception to this is where the key changes to C major
or A minor
, where ‘neutralising’ naturals are used to make this clear. Instead of the traditional natural symbol, an oval notehead is used:
Modern musical symbols
Modern musical symbols are the marks and symbols that are widely used in musical scores of all styles and instruments today. This is intended to be a comprehensive guide to the various symbols encountered in modern musical notation.- Lines :- Clefs :...
, but sharps
Sharp (music)
In music, sharp, dièse , or diesis means higher in pitch and the sharp symbol raises a note by a half tone. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously...
and flats are incorporated into the shape of the note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
heads. Note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
s such as double sharps and double flats are written at the pitch
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
at which they are actually played, but preceded by symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
s called History Signs to show that they have been transposed
Transposition (music)
In music transposition refers to the process, or operation, of moving a collection of notes up or down in pitch by a constant interval.For example, one might transpose an entire piece of music into another key...
. The key signature and all other information in the original score is retained, but the player does not need to remember the key signature
Key signature
In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
and accidentals whilst playing.
The notation was originally designed to help players who struggle with sight-reading, including those who suffer from working memory
Working memory
Working memory has been defined as the system which actively holds information in the mind to do verbal and nonverbal tasks such as reasoning and comprehension, and to make it available for further information processing...
impairments, dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
and other learning difficulties
Learning disability
Learning disability is a classification including several disorders in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner, usually caused by an unknown factor or factors...
.
History
Peter Hayes George, the inventor of Simplified Music Notation, was born in 1927 in QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the son of a diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
. He attended RADA and began his career as an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
playing roles such as the lead in Charles Frank
Charles Frank
Charles R. Frank is an American actor noted for playing Bret Maverick's cousin Ben Maverick in the 1978 TV-movie The New Maverick with James Garner and Jack Kelly, and in the short-lived 1979 television series Young Maverick. Graduated with the class of 1969 from MIddlebury College.-Career:From...
's screen adaptation of Trollope's
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire...
Malachi’s Cove and the juvenile lead in Peter Brook's
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
West End production ‘Dark of the Moon
Dark of the Moon
Dark of the Moon may refer to:*Transformers: Dark of the Moon, a 2011 film, third in the Transformers series*Transformers: Dark of the Moon , a video game based on the 2011 film...
’. In the 1960s he gave up acting as shortcomings with his working memory
Working memory
Working memory has been defined as the system which actively holds information in the mind to do verbal and nonverbal tasks such as reasoning and comprehension, and to make it available for further information processing...
made it difficult for him to accept major lead roles with long speeches.
Having studied music for teachers at Los Angeles City College in 1962, George took up the piano. He thought that that since musicians can keep the music in front of them whilst playing, his memory
Working memory
Working memory has been defined as the system which actively holds information in the mind to do verbal and nonverbal tasks such as reasoning and comprehension, and to make it available for further information processing...
problems would present no difficulty. However, he discovered that musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s must remember to modulate each musical note according to the key signature
Key signature
In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
, to continue any accidentals
Accidental (music)
In music, an accidental is a note whose pitch is not a member of a scale or mode indicated by the most recently applied key signature. In musical notation, the symbols used to mark such notes, sharps , flats , and naturals , may also be called accidentals...
through the bar
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
, and to cancel them at the end of the bar
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
. He also found difficulty in transposing
Transposition (music)
In music transposition refers to the process, or operation, of moving a collection of notes up or down in pitch by a constant interval.For example, one might transpose an entire piece of music into another key...
notes such as double sharps
Sharp (music)
In music, sharp, dièse , or diesis means higher in pitch and the sharp symbol raises a note by a half tone. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously...
and double flats.
Simplified Music Notation was designed in response to this. The original concept was formed in 1977 and the notation was developed over the next 30 years. The first series of music books in Simplified Music Notation was published
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
in September 2008.
Instructions
The basic concept of Simplified Music Notation is that playersMusician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
should be able to play what they see, without having to adapt for key signature
Key signature
In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
or complex accidentals
Accidental (music)
In music, an accidental is a note whose pitch is not a member of a scale or mode indicated by the most recently applied key signature. In musical notation, the symbols used to mark such notes, sharps , flats , and naturals , may also be called accidentals...
.
Sharps and Flats
The traditional sharpSharp (music)
In music, sharp, dièse , or diesis means higher in pitch and the sharp symbol raises a note by a half tone. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously...
and flat symbols in the key signature
Key signature
In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
are replaced by the sharp and flat note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
heads of Simplified Music Notation: a triangle
Triangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
for sharps and a rhombus
Rhombus
In Euclidean geometry, a rhombus or rhomb is a convex quadrilateral whose four sides all have the same length. The rhombus is often called a diamond, after the diamonds suit in playing cards, or a lozenge, though the latter sometimes refers specifically to a rhombus with a 45° angle.Every...
for flats:
The traditional oval
Oval
An oval is any curve resembling an egg or an ellipse, such as a Cassini oval. The term does not have a precise mathematical definition except in one area oval , but it may also refer to:* A sporting arena of oval shape** a cricket field...
notehead is used when a note is natural
Natural (music)
In music theory, a natural is an accidental which cancels previous accidentals and represents the unaltered pitch of a note.A note is natural when it is neither flat nor sharp . Natural notes are the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, and are represented by the white notes on the keyboard of a piano...
.
History Signs
Double sharps, double flats, B and E sharps, F and C flats are written at the pitch at which they are actually played. To show that these notes have been transposed, they are preceded by a symbol called a History Sign. As in traditional notationModern musical symbols
Modern musical symbols are the marks and symbols that are widely used in musical scores of all styles and instruments today. This is intended to be a comprehensive guide to the various symbols encountered in modern musical notation.- Lines :- Clefs :...
, History Signs are not repeated within a bar
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
.
History Signs allow anybody studying the music to see how it was originally written and to analyse the harmonic progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of the piece. However, they can be ignored whilst sight-reading.
Key Signatures
The traditional sharp and flat symbols in the key signatureKey signature
In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
are replaced by the sharp and flat noteheads of Simplified Music Notation:
If there is a key change in the middle of a piece, the new key signature
Key signature
In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
is shown without naturals to ‘neutralise’ the previous key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
:
The exception to this is where the key changes to C major
C major
C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
or A minor
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
, where ‘neutralising’ naturals are used to make this clear. Instead of the traditional natural symbol, an oval notehead is used: