Re: simplifying chromatic scale notation

[Chris Yate]

On 26 January 2016 at 12:25, musicus <address@hidden> wrote:

"1. I like to know where exactly I am at a given time."

 

Of course there are always some "key positions", which can help to organize yourself while playing (or remembering/ learning etc.). Nevertheless I do think that it is important to reduce the optical impact to the minimum necessary and therefore as far as I'm concerned I don't want to have every single note in a chromatic scale in my perception.

I absolutely agree. As a competent sight reader, the problem with chromatic scales isn't reading chromatic scales but reading the exceptions -- where it's suddenly a tone between notes. 

Now, if you can come up with a consistent and non-confusing way to notate those differences, that could be useful!

As it is, when I mark up confusing music I sometimes use an upside-down "V" to indicate semitones, "=" to indicate 'same note' and a square bracket (like upside down "|__|") between notes to indicate a tone. This is occasionally useful to me as an aide-memoire, in stuff where we have lots of double-sharps and flats, but it's certainly not "standard".

Chris