Notation Must Die
- Thread starter robgb
- Start date
EvilDragon
KSP Wizard
Yeah, you have to on Youtube.
Peter Williams
Active Member
Wonderful, educational and enjoyable. Inspirational for us voluntary dyslexics to work on our reading skills.
Gingerbread
Senior Member
I admit, I don't have an hour to watch some navel-gazing video, so I skipped to the conclusion to bottom-line it. He advocates for creating tons of different musical notation schemes, so each individual can choose the one that resonates with their soul.
Sounds great, the more languages the better! Except when you want to collaborate with others, or read what someone else wrote. Current music notation is a universal language. Everyone around the globe who learns it can understand exactly what is intended. If everyone is speaking a different language, interfacing with others becomes a lot more difficult.
Sounds great, the more languages the better! Except when you want to collaborate with others, or read what someone else wrote. Current music notation is a universal language. Everyone around the globe who learns it can understand exactly what is intended. If everyone is speaking a different language, interfacing with others becomes a lot more difficult.
Wunderhorn
Senior Member
I already thought notation needed to die when I got put in piano lessons at a young age!
Robin
Active Member
Maybe you should have watched the whole thing because that is definitely not the conclusion of the video.
eakwarren
Eric Warren Hobbyist Composer
Agreed. But it begs the question, who decides the standard? A logical argument could be made that since China has more humans per capita, then Jianpu should be the standard. Or, since more western instruments exist, western notation should be the standard. Regardless of the choice, "musical bitchiness" would still be eternal.
I remember that feeling too!
Sometimes it's best to watch a video before you barge in with your feedback on it. Your impression of the video's conclusion is so wildly off-base that you actually believe the point he made is the exact opposite of what he truly said.
I think you've missed the (main) point. He is advocating for a single digital language that, if done well (a big IF, but as he says, we [the world, not you & I] have got centuries to figure it out), would allow just the kind of collaborations you're talking about. It's already common for, say, a horn player to use "standard" musical notation while collaborating with a guitarist reading tablature. His proposal is a generalization of that, with a universal(*) representation at its core. And, of course, if I understand correctly, it just happens to be something of interest to his company(ies).
(*) potentially much more universal than the current western standard.
Gingerbread
Senior Member
Point taken. I probably also need to get more sleep, and shouldn't be posting in my current state. Especially when not fully watching the video. Apologies.
The point the video makes is that standards shouldn't be necessary in the digital age when no one tool fits every scenario. He argues that the standard should basically be invisible while the person interacting with it can read and write it in whatever format they desire.Agreed. But it begs the question, who decides the standard? A logical argument could be made that since China has more humans per capita, then Jianpu should be the standard. Or, since more western instruments exist, western notation should be the standard. Regardless of the choice, "musical bitchiness" would still be eternal.
It's a bit utopian, but it makes sense.
eakwarren
Eric Warren Hobbyist Composer
I understood his point and agree it's utopian. However, there are still many places on planet Earth where digital technology (instruments, notation describing how to play them) isn't readily accessible. He does acknowledge it may take centuries to develop, so perhaps there's hope for the budding Ethiopian musician. (Bless their heart.)
Gagarin Moore
(formerly Page Lyn Turner)
Terrible clickbait title
Nico5
…
The video is a fantastic overview of historical evolution of current western notation and some of the major alternative concepts that have been proposed over the years, including their limitations (or downright idiocy).
In addition, it is technically incredibly well crafted.
And the video creator is one of the most credible individuals in the notation space and beyond.
It’s not ideal for the attention span of your average tik-tok consumer or fly-by Internet critic or sleep deprived musician.
But it covers what might be material worth an entire university course in a very efficient use of time with awesome writing, cues, fx and superb visuals.
Despite not being able to sight read, or using much notation in my musical life, I found it riveting and came away with a significantly increased appreciation of the subject, history and complexity of communicating musical performance information.
An overall outstanding video with a clickbait title, because as any creator knows, without it your video has no chance against the almighty YouTube algorithm.
In addition, it is technically incredibly well crafted.
And the video creator is one of the most credible individuals in the notation space and beyond.
It’s not ideal for the attention span of your average tik-tok consumer or fly-by Internet critic or sleep deprived musician.
But it covers what might be material worth an entire university course in a very efficient use of time with awesome writing, cues, fx and superb visuals.
Despite not being able to sight read, or using much notation in my musical life, I found it riveting and came away with a significantly increased appreciation of the subject, history and complexity of communicating musical performance information.
An overall outstanding video with a clickbait title, because as any creator knows, without it your video has no chance against the almighty YouTube algorithm.
colony nofi
Senior Member
Oh this is a wonderful video yes yes.
A couple years ago I played theremin (!!) alongside a string ensemble that performed the work of the amazing composer, Cat Hope using their own app to help us all read synchronised visual scores.
Really got me thinking about how utterly hopeless our western notation method is for some (a LOT) of music.
Also got me thinking about how when having scores recorded for TV / Film, I 100% of the time get much better results by being at the session - and while maybe not conducting, going in and talking (sometimes in quite some detail) thru the score with all the players before the big red light turns on. Explaining ideas that cannot be written on the page. And making human connection.
The linked video really sums up so many things I've thought about - and then delves into stuff I never really even considered. Its totally worth the hour for any composer that ever needs to prepare a score for performance.
Anyway - just in case anyone is interested, A short interview about Cat's app
www.cutcommonmag.com
Cat writes some incredible music that I cannot imagine could be scored any other way than with their own piece of technology.
A couple years ago I played theremin (!!) alongside a string ensemble that performed the work of the amazing composer, Cat Hope using their own app to help us all read synchronised visual scores.
Decibel ScorePlayer
ScorePlayer allows for network-synchronised scrolling of proportional colour music scores on multiple iPads. This is designed to facilitate the reading of scores featuring predominantly graphic notation in rehearsal and performance. Key Features: Comes with four built in scores, created by...
apps.apple.com
Really got me thinking about how utterly hopeless our western notation method is for some (a LOT) of music.
Also got me thinking about how when having scores recorded for TV / Film, I 100% of the time get much better results by being at the session - and while maybe not conducting, going in and talking (sometimes in quite some detail) thru the score with all the players before the big red light turns on. Explaining ideas that cannot be written on the page. And making human connection.
The linked video really sums up so many things I've thought about - and then delves into stuff I never really even considered. Its totally worth the hour for any composer that ever needs to prepare a score for performance.
Anyway - just in case anyone is interested, A short interview about Cat's app
Cat Hope: “Use technology to get what you want, not what it lets you have”
Decibel New Music Ensemble used their own iPad app in the creation of this new album.
www.cutcommonmag.com
Cat writes some incredible music that I cannot imagine could be scored any other way than with their own piece of technology.
Marcus Millfield
Senior Member
Don't creators realize that clickbait titles turn people away from videos and not towards them?
