How NN Works

Numbered Notes Info

1. Numbered Keyboard

Each note in the octave is assigned a number 1 to 12. This eliminates the need to use accidentals and key signatures.

2. 12 Note Staff

The number in front of the stave indicates the octave range. Middle "C" is defined as the 4 octave like in traditional MIDI (Music Instrument Digital Interface) formatting. The notes 1-12 are written from bottom to top. 3 notes are assigned to each line and are placed: bellow, on or above the line.

This diagram shows how multiple octave ranges relate to sheet music. Notes 1-12 repeat up the keyboard and are grouped with an octave number that precedes the stave and tells you what range the notes are in. The notes are placed consistently on the stave no matter what octave range it is in, so...once you learn the placement of the numbered note you will know how to read it in any octave range.

3. Example of Numbered Notes

This example shows the song Ode to Joy written in the Numbered Notes format.  It is in the middle 4 octave range.

Summary:

Numbered Notes uses numbers to clarify elements of music. The number preceding the stave tells you the octave range, the numbers in the stave tell you the note to be played. People can learn to play music easily because numbers effectively define the note.

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Traditional vs Numbered Notes Method

1. Letters with Accidentals vs Numbers

Our current music notation system originally only had 7 notes ABCDEFG. The word "octave" comes from the 7 notes A-G with the next A above, making 8 notes or an "octave". Years later, 5 additional notes were added to achieve the complexities possible in our current musical system. The problem is that our current music notation system was not updated to uniquely label these new notes, instead,...accidentals i.e. "sharps and flats" were used with the original 7 letters to adjust the notes up or down making the system more convoluted than it should be. It would have made more sense just to give them their own letter name. To make matters worse, traditional music notation also defines accidentals differently depending on their context related to the key signature. So in one key signature you may call the second note a C# but in another key signature you may call it a Db. Numbered Notes effectively solves this labeling issue by using numbers 1-12. So, C#/Db is always 2!

2. Traditional staves VS the "12 Note Stave"

The Traditional stave groups notes into the G (Treble) and F (Bass) staves. Notes are assigned differently to each stave requiring unique memorization for deciphering notes in each stave.

3. Key Signatures

Key signatures adjust notes by one or two half steps by using sharp or flat symbols. Because each Key has its own signature it creates a staggering amount of information to be memorized and deciphered.  The diagram below shows all 15 different variations.

By contrast, the 12 Note Staff simply lists the numbers 1-12 from bottom to top and is the same for each octave. Key signatures are not needed!

4. Comparisons

Comparison of Ode To Joy written in Traditional vs. NN. Overall, Numbered Notes looks and works similar to traditional music but is easier to learn and use because of the numbers and the 12 note stave.

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