Differences between conventional musical notation and the derived notation for electronic music

Conventional music notation (i.e. sheet music), as we all know, has been in existence for hundreds of years. And although much maligned for its connection to the academic study of music and vast complexity, it has survived as one of the most popular musical notation forms (probably the most popular). And in keeping with the 20th and 21st centuries, it has undergone some technological advancements. Sheet music is now accessible in a digital format (using programs such as Sibelius) and distributed on a worldwide scale via the internet (in downloadable PDF form).

But such success does not mean sheet music is without its rivals. One rival in particular is the growing community of electronic artistes creating their own music notation - as the notation for electronic music has not yet been standardised.

Here are some examples of the differing types of notation for electronic music:-

Due to technological restraints, I have provided links to images of the following types of notation.

I. Graphic scoring (image) © Hans-Christoph Steiner, 2004

II. Piano Roll Notation (image) © VoxNovus, 2008

Notation shown in reference to the keys on a piano. The length of the bars indicate how long a key is held down for. This notation is commonplace in MIDI editing software such as Cubase.

III. Line staves showing relative pitch (image) © VoxNovus, 2008

IV. Prose Scores

Sometimes referred to as verbal-, instruction- or text- notation, prose scores are used for non-reading musicians - and are intriguing as they do not employ diagrams, but rather just use ordinary text. This in turn leaves the interpretation of the scored music up to the performer. This is especially useful in experimental music - a genre where technology and electronic means of music-making play a key role.

The key difference I have noticed between traditional music notation and the above forms of notation is the performer's interpretation of the music. In traditional sheet music, phrases such as legato and staccato play a heavy part in the way the performer translates the images he/she sees into music. With electronic music notation, the interpretation is appears to be entirely up to the performer. All that is pre-destined about the players performance is the pitch. Things such as tempo, attack and release are left up to the performer - an aspect which is essential to experimental music.