Download Pitch Symbols. Pitch Symbols indicate pitch within a 13 note scale

Pitch Symbols.
Pitch Symbols indicate pitch within a 13 note scale. They do not indicate length of pitch.
The apple symbol represents the pitch A which corresponds to A in SWMN.
The banana symbol represents the pitch B which corresponds to A#/Bb in SWMN.
The carrot symbol represents the pitch C which corresponds to B in SWMN.
The dog symbol represents the pitch D which corresponds to C in SWMN.
The egg symbol represents the pitch E which corresponds to C#/Db in SWMN.
The flag symbol represents the pitch F which corresponds to D in SWMN.
The giraffe symbol represents the pitch G which corresponds to D#/Eb in SWMN.
The hat symbol represents the pitch H which corresponds to E in SWMN.
The ice cream symbol represents the pitch I which corresponds to F in SWMN.
The jolt symbol represents the pitch J which corresponds to F#/Gb in SWMN.
The kite symbol represents the pitch K which corresponds to G in SWMN.
The leaf symbol represents the pitch L which corresponds to G#/Ab in SWMN.
The Measure
The Measure is made of a several different parts. It indicates dynamic level and tempo. Placement of
symbols within the measure also indicates note value.
The measure is made of several different parts.
pp
p
mp
mf
f
ff
The top of the measure indicates volume.
The bottom of the measure marks the passing of one second of time.
The number of symbols within the
measure indicates how many equal
portions the measure is divided into.
This is determined by the shortest note within any given measure.
Rhythm symbols within the measure.
How to indicate mixed note values and silence
The sustain symbol is placed after a pitch symbol
to indicate that the pitch is to be held. One
arrow is used for each division it is sustained
through.
=
Indicates silence for one division of a measure.
=
Pitch placement and direction indicators
ML
Letters placed in the dynamic line of the first measure indicate the placement of the first pitch or
the highest pitch of a chord. M=Medium indicates the A—L in the center of the piano. From
lowest 13th to highest 13 they are: LL=Low Low, L=Low, ML=Medium Low, M=Medium,
MH=Medium High, H=High, HH=High High.
Pitch direction is shown vertically. Only change in direction is indicated. For example if a series
of five pitches are going up only the first symbol will be in a higher position
with the other symbols on the same level indicating the same direction of
movement.
A line placed vertically between two notes played at the same time indicates an
interval of more than a 13th.
=
A line placed diagonally indicates a leap of more than a 13th.
If the jump is more than two 13th two lines would be used.
The next page contains two examples of Joy to the World. The first example is the entire stanza notating just the
melody. The second example contains all four of the parts as written in a standard hymnal. Copies of the original are
included for comparison.
MELODY LINE OF JOY TO THE WORLD
MH
ALL PARTS OF JOY TO THE WORLD
MH
ML
Design:
Designing a notational system that worked in a variety of situations was the biggest challenge. Since the
notational system needed to have the ability to notate past music some rules did carry over. For example the
division of an “octave” into even half steps remained. However, rather than using accidentals, each “half-step”
has its own distinct symbol. Therefore, A—A is no longer an octave but a thirteenth. The symbols are
pictograms which represent a word that begins with the letter of the pitch. They are arranged to be read from
left to right and also show pitch relation through movement up and down on the page. A symbol’s meaning
changes only in how it is related to a measure. The more symbols within a measure the shorter value each
symbol has. Melodic movement is not followed pitch by pitch, but changes in direction are indicated by the
placement of symbols higher or lower in the measure. Once a symbol is placed higher all following notes are
ascending or repeating until a change in direction is indicated by the symbol being placed lower.
Several areas of the invented notation are different than SWMN. Notes indicate pitch, but do not
indicate duration. A measure indicates a measure of one second of time. Duration of pitch and silence are both
indicated through the use of single symbols rather than a serious of symbols. The main area that the invented
notation does not take into account is a time signature/meter. One area that is represented differently is
dynamic level. Rather than being added to the score after completion, dynamics are included as part of the
score and are visually represented by the use of graduated colors. Tempo is also more clearly dictated since any
piece of music would be notated with the same amount of time within each measure.
This notational system addresses several problem areas with SWMN. One is the need to memorize note
names, their location on the instrument, and their multiple representations on the staff. By using pictures of
things that begin with the letter of the pitch name students would have one less thing to memorize. Duration of
pitch is also more clearly represented once you realize that each measure indicates the same amount of time.
Some areas of the new notational system may also cause some difficulty in reading. For example, fast
pieces could potentially have more than eight notes in a second which could make these measures difficult to
read. It may also be difficult to indicate pitch movement within a series of chords without making the measure
unreasonably tall. Once solution may be only indicating the movement of the top note, however this could make
it easy to miss moving parts in inner voices. Since the signs correspond to English words this notational system
is limited to those who speak English. The limited visual clues of pitch direction would also be an area to watch
for possible confusion.
Instruction:
With any notational system there is a need for some previous knowledge in order to relate the new
information. For this notational system it would be important for students to be familiar with the alphabet and
which letters make which sounds. It would also be helpful if they could already recognize some or all of the
symbols being used. Though not a requirement students that already had experience in division would find
counting in this notational system easier.
The main elements that make up this notational system are the notes themselves and their placement
within the measure. The description that follows is specifically designed for the piano, but the overall order
would remain the same for any instrument. Because of the complexity of the measures students should be taught
to recognize rhythmic patterns apart from reading the pitches. Instruction would begin by teaching students by
rote how to clap measures of one, two, three, and four divisions. Next, students would learn the names of the
notes and their location on the keyboard.
Much of the technology being used in the musical classroom could be adapted to this new notation.
Particularly helpful would be matching games that match symbols to the keyboard or rhythms to measures.
Both of these are games that already exist for SWMN and seem to benefit the learning process. One device that
would need to change somewhat would be the metronome. Instead of indicating the number of beats in a minute
it would need to indicate the number of beats/divisions in a second.
Reflection:
Because of the complexity of my invented notation I decided to begin instruction with rhythm rather
than reading of notes. As I think through my own teaching, I think my students would benefit from more
rhythm instruction early in their learning process. Too often I get caught up in getting them to read what is on
the page and miss developing their rhythmic ear. This project and this class was a reminder of just how
complex our notational system is. In trying to decide on an invented notation I went through at least 5-6 ideas
before I found one that I could make work in several different settings. Even then I found myself adding layers
as I went so that important elements were not left out.
I do not think there is anything about the project itself that I would change. As I worked I found myself
going back over some of the material from earlier in the class to remind myself of terms and such so it seems to
be a good end of study project. One thing about that class in relation to the project I might change would be
getting through the material a little faster so that we had two full weeks of no other assignments to dedicate to
the project. First, because I had a hard time getting the last couple things done because I wanted to spend time
on the notation and second because the video and reading for this week would have been helpful before I started
working on the project. Several of the things in the video sparked ideas, but I was too far into my current
notation to make big changes.