Most complex “block†of sheet music notation
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
up vote
10
down vote
favorite
Wondering how complex a single piece of sheet music can get, and what it looks like. For example, on the guitar, theoretically you could define the following:
- a chord
- bend from another chord
- bend to another chord
- hold for 3 beats (dot)
- wiggle string
I don't have the music software to write the notation at the moment, but a chord might look like:
or
I'm wondering if you also took into account the following, how complex you can make it look while still being readable and realistic:
- How hard you hit the notes.
- Different sheet music notations for different stringed instruments
- Guitar petal notations.
- Temporary time signature changes.
- Screaming if it is vocals
- Other vocal features.
- Etc.
Those are just some ideas to add to the complexity of the sheet music. But basically I'm wondering how complex sheet music can get when it tries to encode every feature possible.
By "complex" I just mean the visible look of the notation, rather than how hard it is to play. Doesn't matter the instrument, just whatever results in some of the more complex notations you can construct.
notation sheet-music
add a comment |Â
up vote
10
down vote
favorite
Wondering how complex a single piece of sheet music can get, and what it looks like. For example, on the guitar, theoretically you could define the following:
- a chord
- bend from another chord
- bend to another chord
- hold for 3 beats (dot)
- wiggle string
I don't have the music software to write the notation at the moment, but a chord might look like:
or
I'm wondering if you also took into account the following, how complex you can make it look while still being readable and realistic:
- How hard you hit the notes.
- Different sheet music notations for different stringed instruments
- Guitar petal notations.
- Temporary time signature changes.
- Screaming if it is vocals
- Other vocal features.
- Etc.
Those are just some ideas to add to the complexity of the sheet music. But basically I'm wondering how complex sheet music can get when it tries to encode every feature possible.
By "complex" I just mean the visible look of the notation, rather than how hard it is to play. Doesn't matter the instrument, just whatever results in some of the more complex notations you can construct.
notation sheet-music
2
You might find the musicologist Don Byrd's work to be of interest: Extremes of Conventional Music Notation; More Counterexamples in Conventional Music Notation; Gallery of Interesting Music Notation.
– Michael Seifert
2 days ago
For pure aesthetic delight, see: reddit.com/r/sheetmusicporn
– Kilian Foth
2 days ago
2
Something that typically comes up in these discussions (but probably doesn't count as it was written as a joke) is "Faerie’s Aire and Death Waltz" by John Stump.
– R.M.
2 days ago
Oh wow hahaha..
– Lance Pollard
2 days ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
10
down vote
favorite
up vote
10
down vote
favorite
Wondering how complex a single piece of sheet music can get, and what it looks like. For example, on the guitar, theoretically you could define the following:
- a chord
- bend from another chord
- bend to another chord
- hold for 3 beats (dot)
- wiggle string
I don't have the music software to write the notation at the moment, but a chord might look like:
or
I'm wondering if you also took into account the following, how complex you can make it look while still being readable and realistic:
- How hard you hit the notes.
- Different sheet music notations for different stringed instruments
- Guitar petal notations.
- Temporary time signature changes.
- Screaming if it is vocals
- Other vocal features.
- Etc.
Those are just some ideas to add to the complexity of the sheet music. But basically I'm wondering how complex sheet music can get when it tries to encode every feature possible.
By "complex" I just mean the visible look of the notation, rather than how hard it is to play. Doesn't matter the instrument, just whatever results in some of the more complex notations you can construct.
notation sheet-music
Wondering how complex a single piece of sheet music can get, and what it looks like. For example, on the guitar, theoretically you could define the following:
- a chord
- bend from another chord
- bend to another chord
- hold for 3 beats (dot)
- wiggle string
I don't have the music software to write the notation at the moment, but a chord might look like:
or
I'm wondering if you also took into account the following, how complex you can make it look while still being readable and realistic:
- How hard you hit the notes.
- Different sheet music notations for different stringed instruments
- Guitar petal notations.
- Temporary time signature changes.
- Screaming if it is vocals
- Other vocal features.
- Etc.
Those are just some ideas to add to the complexity of the sheet music. But basically I'm wondering how complex sheet music can get when it tries to encode every feature possible.
By "complex" I just mean the visible look of the notation, rather than how hard it is to play. Doesn't matter the instrument, just whatever results in some of the more complex notations you can construct.
notation sheet-music
notation sheet-music
edited 2 days ago


Richard
31k667132
31k667132
asked 2 days ago


Lance Pollard
22418
22418
2
You might find the musicologist Don Byrd's work to be of interest: Extremes of Conventional Music Notation; More Counterexamples in Conventional Music Notation; Gallery of Interesting Music Notation.
– Michael Seifert
2 days ago
For pure aesthetic delight, see: reddit.com/r/sheetmusicporn
– Kilian Foth
2 days ago
2
Something that typically comes up in these discussions (but probably doesn't count as it was written as a joke) is "Faerie’s Aire and Death Waltz" by John Stump.
– R.M.
2 days ago
Oh wow hahaha..
– Lance Pollard
2 days ago
add a comment |Â
2
You might find the musicologist Don Byrd's work to be of interest: Extremes of Conventional Music Notation; More Counterexamples in Conventional Music Notation; Gallery of Interesting Music Notation.
– Michael Seifert
2 days ago
For pure aesthetic delight, see: reddit.com/r/sheetmusicporn
– Kilian Foth
2 days ago
2
Something that typically comes up in these discussions (but probably doesn't count as it was written as a joke) is "Faerie’s Aire and Death Waltz" by John Stump.
– R.M.
2 days ago
Oh wow hahaha..
– Lance Pollard
2 days ago
2
2
You might find the musicologist Don Byrd's work to be of interest: Extremes of Conventional Music Notation; More Counterexamples in Conventional Music Notation; Gallery of Interesting Music Notation.
– Michael Seifert
2 days ago
You might find the musicologist Don Byrd's work to be of interest: Extremes of Conventional Music Notation; More Counterexamples in Conventional Music Notation; Gallery of Interesting Music Notation.
– Michael Seifert
2 days ago
For pure aesthetic delight, see: reddit.com/r/sheetmusicporn
– Kilian Foth
2 days ago
For pure aesthetic delight, see: reddit.com/r/sheetmusicporn
– Kilian Foth
2 days ago
2
2
Something that typically comes up in these discussions (but probably doesn't count as it was written as a joke) is "Faerie’s Aire and Death Waltz" by John Stump.
– R.M.
2 days ago
Something that typically comes up in these discussions (but probably doesn't count as it was written as a joke) is "Faerie’s Aire and Death Waltz" by John Stump.
– R.M.
2 days ago
Oh wow hahaha..
– Lance Pollard
2 days ago
Oh wow hahaha..
– Lance Pollard
2 days ago
add a comment |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
22
down vote
accepted
It's interesting you use the word "complex." I was hesitant to answer for fear that this question was too opinion-based (and it might still be), but your use of this term made the answer very clear: consider the music (and notation) of the New Complexity movement.
To quote directly from an opening line of the Wikipedia article:
Though often atonal, highly abstract, and dissonant in sound, New Complexity music is most readily characterized by the use of techniques which require complex musical notation. (emphasis my own)
Take, for example, this excerpt from Brian Ferneyhough's "Unity Capsule," which only involves two instruments (played by one performer!):
Ferneyhough is one of the leaders of the New Complexity movement, and any score of his you find will be among the most complex out there.
16
So, class, for your test today... Sight-reading... aand.....9, 10, 11... ;)
– Tetsujin
2 days ago
3
There are four kinds of people in the world: those that can play Ferneyhough; those that can do a pretty convincing job of bluffing this kind of music; those that can tell when someone is bluffing this kind of music; mere mortals. [I jest, of course...]
– Bob Broadley
2 days ago
2
Not even as many as that! Unity Capsule is for solo flute. The lower line is for "voice" -- breathing-instructions, I guess, I can't read that pic of the score.
– Rosie F
2 days ago
@RosieF Oh, I didn't realize that; thanks!
– Richard
2 days ago
3
I had a choir director hand out a piece that looked visually similar to this once... we eventually gave up because no-one had a clue how to interpret it.
– Selvek
2 days ago
 |Â
show 2 more comments
up vote
3
down vote
Among other things, the sheet music might indicate
- a tempo indication (in bold above everything else) e.g. Allegro
- a mood indication e.g. espressivo
- an absolute dynamic, e.g. mf
- a relative dynamic, e.g. poco cresc.
- a phrasing slur
- an articulation mark e.g. . (staccato) or - (tenuto). You sometimes get . and - combined.
- which finger to use
- which string to play on
- (for vocal music) the words
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
I've seen some interesting stuff from Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Check out these links for some more ideas:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=stockhausen+notation&t=ffab&iax=images&ia=images
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_notation_(music)
New contributor
Prima is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
5
While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - From Review
– Richard
2 days ago
add a comment |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
22
down vote
accepted
It's interesting you use the word "complex." I was hesitant to answer for fear that this question was too opinion-based (and it might still be), but your use of this term made the answer very clear: consider the music (and notation) of the New Complexity movement.
To quote directly from an opening line of the Wikipedia article:
Though often atonal, highly abstract, and dissonant in sound, New Complexity music is most readily characterized by the use of techniques which require complex musical notation. (emphasis my own)
Take, for example, this excerpt from Brian Ferneyhough's "Unity Capsule," which only involves two instruments (played by one performer!):
Ferneyhough is one of the leaders of the New Complexity movement, and any score of his you find will be among the most complex out there.
16
So, class, for your test today... Sight-reading... aand.....9, 10, 11... ;)
– Tetsujin
2 days ago
3
There are four kinds of people in the world: those that can play Ferneyhough; those that can do a pretty convincing job of bluffing this kind of music; those that can tell when someone is bluffing this kind of music; mere mortals. [I jest, of course...]
– Bob Broadley
2 days ago
2
Not even as many as that! Unity Capsule is for solo flute. The lower line is for "voice" -- breathing-instructions, I guess, I can't read that pic of the score.
– Rosie F
2 days ago
@RosieF Oh, I didn't realize that; thanks!
– Richard
2 days ago
3
I had a choir director hand out a piece that looked visually similar to this once... we eventually gave up because no-one had a clue how to interpret it.
– Selvek
2 days ago
 |Â
show 2 more comments
up vote
22
down vote
accepted
It's interesting you use the word "complex." I was hesitant to answer for fear that this question was too opinion-based (and it might still be), but your use of this term made the answer very clear: consider the music (and notation) of the New Complexity movement.
To quote directly from an opening line of the Wikipedia article:
Though often atonal, highly abstract, and dissonant in sound, New Complexity music is most readily characterized by the use of techniques which require complex musical notation. (emphasis my own)
Take, for example, this excerpt from Brian Ferneyhough's "Unity Capsule," which only involves two instruments (played by one performer!):
Ferneyhough is one of the leaders of the New Complexity movement, and any score of his you find will be among the most complex out there.
16
So, class, for your test today... Sight-reading... aand.....9, 10, 11... ;)
– Tetsujin
2 days ago
3
There are four kinds of people in the world: those that can play Ferneyhough; those that can do a pretty convincing job of bluffing this kind of music; those that can tell when someone is bluffing this kind of music; mere mortals. [I jest, of course...]
– Bob Broadley
2 days ago
2
Not even as many as that! Unity Capsule is for solo flute. The lower line is for "voice" -- breathing-instructions, I guess, I can't read that pic of the score.
– Rosie F
2 days ago
@RosieF Oh, I didn't realize that; thanks!
– Richard
2 days ago
3
I had a choir director hand out a piece that looked visually similar to this once... we eventually gave up because no-one had a clue how to interpret it.
– Selvek
2 days ago
 |Â
show 2 more comments
up vote
22
down vote
accepted
up vote
22
down vote
accepted
It's interesting you use the word "complex." I was hesitant to answer for fear that this question was too opinion-based (and it might still be), but your use of this term made the answer very clear: consider the music (and notation) of the New Complexity movement.
To quote directly from an opening line of the Wikipedia article:
Though often atonal, highly abstract, and dissonant in sound, New Complexity music is most readily characterized by the use of techniques which require complex musical notation. (emphasis my own)
Take, for example, this excerpt from Brian Ferneyhough's "Unity Capsule," which only involves two instruments (played by one performer!):
Ferneyhough is one of the leaders of the New Complexity movement, and any score of his you find will be among the most complex out there.
It's interesting you use the word "complex." I was hesitant to answer for fear that this question was too opinion-based (and it might still be), but your use of this term made the answer very clear: consider the music (and notation) of the New Complexity movement.
To quote directly from an opening line of the Wikipedia article:
Though often atonal, highly abstract, and dissonant in sound, New Complexity music is most readily characterized by the use of techniques which require complex musical notation. (emphasis my own)
Take, for example, this excerpt from Brian Ferneyhough's "Unity Capsule," which only involves two instruments (played by one performer!):
Ferneyhough is one of the leaders of the New Complexity movement, and any score of his you find will be among the most complex out there.
edited yesterday
answered 2 days ago


Richard
31k667132
31k667132
16
So, class, for your test today... Sight-reading... aand.....9, 10, 11... ;)
– Tetsujin
2 days ago
3
There are four kinds of people in the world: those that can play Ferneyhough; those that can do a pretty convincing job of bluffing this kind of music; those that can tell when someone is bluffing this kind of music; mere mortals. [I jest, of course...]
– Bob Broadley
2 days ago
2
Not even as many as that! Unity Capsule is for solo flute. The lower line is for "voice" -- breathing-instructions, I guess, I can't read that pic of the score.
– Rosie F
2 days ago
@RosieF Oh, I didn't realize that; thanks!
– Richard
2 days ago
3
I had a choir director hand out a piece that looked visually similar to this once... we eventually gave up because no-one had a clue how to interpret it.
– Selvek
2 days ago
 |Â
show 2 more comments
16
So, class, for your test today... Sight-reading... aand.....9, 10, 11... ;)
– Tetsujin
2 days ago
3
There are four kinds of people in the world: those that can play Ferneyhough; those that can do a pretty convincing job of bluffing this kind of music; those that can tell when someone is bluffing this kind of music; mere mortals. [I jest, of course...]
– Bob Broadley
2 days ago
2
Not even as many as that! Unity Capsule is for solo flute. The lower line is for "voice" -- breathing-instructions, I guess, I can't read that pic of the score.
– Rosie F
2 days ago
@RosieF Oh, I didn't realize that; thanks!
– Richard
2 days ago
3
I had a choir director hand out a piece that looked visually similar to this once... we eventually gave up because no-one had a clue how to interpret it.
– Selvek
2 days ago
16
16
So, class, for your test today... Sight-reading... aand.....9, 10, 11... ;)
– Tetsujin
2 days ago
So, class, for your test today... Sight-reading... aand.....9, 10, 11... ;)
– Tetsujin
2 days ago
3
3
There are four kinds of people in the world: those that can play Ferneyhough; those that can do a pretty convincing job of bluffing this kind of music; those that can tell when someone is bluffing this kind of music; mere mortals. [I jest, of course...]
– Bob Broadley
2 days ago
There are four kinds of people in the world: those that can play Ferneyhough; those that can do a pretty convincing job of bluffing this kind of music; those that can tell when someone is bluffing this kind of music; mere mortals. [I jest, of course...]
– Bob Broadley
2 days ago
2
2
Not even as many as that! Unity Capsule is for solo flute. The lower line is for "voice" -- breathing-instructions, I guess, I can't read that pic of the score.
– Rosie F
2 days ago
Not even as many as that! Unity Capsule is for solo flute. The lower line is for "voice" -- breathing-instructions, I guess, I can't read that pic of the score.
– Rosie F
2 days ago
@RosieF Oh, I didn't realize that; thanks!
– Richard
2 days ago
@RosieF Oh, I didn't realize that; thanks!
– Richard
2 days ago
3
3
I had a choir director hand out a piece that looked visually similar to this once... we eventually gave up because no-one had a clue how to interpret it.
– Selvek
2 days ago
I had a choir director hand out a piece that looked visually similar to this once... we eventually gave up because no-one had a clue how to interpret it.
– Selvek
2 days ago
 |Â
show 2 more comments
up vote
3
down vote
Among other things, the sheet music might indicate
- a tempo indication (in bold above everything else) e.g. Allegro
- a mood indication e.g. espressivo
- an absolute dynamic, e.g. mf
- a relative dynamic, e.g. poco cresc.
- a phrasing slur
- an articulation mark e.g. . (staccato) or - (tenuto). You sometimes get . and - combined.
- which finger to use
- which string to play on
- (for vocal music) the words
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Among other things, the sheet music might indicate
- a tempo indication (in bold above everything else) e.g. Allegro
- a mood indication e.g. espressivo
- an absolute dynamic, e.g. mf
- a relative dynamic, e.g. poco cresc.
- a phrasing slur
- an articulation mark e.g. . (staccato) or - (tenuto). You sometimes get . and - combined.
- which finger to use
- which string to play on
- (for vocal music) the words
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
Among other things, the sheet music might indicate
- a tempo indication (in bold above everything else) e.g. Allegro
- a mood indication e.g. espressivo
- an absolute dynamic, e.g. mf
- a relative dynamic, e.g. poco cresc.
- a phrasing slur
- an articulation mark e.g. . (staccato) or - (tenuto). You sometimes get . and - combined.
- which finger to use
- which string to play on
- (for vocal music) the words
Among other things, the sheet music might indicate
- a tempo indication (in bold above everything else) e.g. Allegro
- a mood indication e.g. espressivo
- an absolute dynamic, e.g. mf
- a relative dynamic, e.g. poco cresc.
- a phrasing slur
- an articulation mark e.g. . (staccato) or - (tenuto). You sometimes get . and - combined.
- which finger to use
- which string to play on
- (for vocal music) the words
answered 2 days ago


Rosie F
817211
817211
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
I've seen some interesting stuff from Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Check out these links for some more ideas:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=stockhausen+notation&t=ffab&iax=images&ia=images
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_notation_(music)
New contributor
Prima is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
5
While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - From Review
– Richard
2 days ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
I've seen some interesting stuff from Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Check out these links for some more ideas:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=stockhausen+notation&t=ffab&iax=images&ia=images
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_notation_(music)
New contributor
Prima is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
5
While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - From Review
– Richard
2 days ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
I've seen some interesting stuff from Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Check out these links for some more ideas:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=stockhausen+notation&t=ffab&iax=images&ia=images
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_notation_(music)
New contributor
Prima is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I've seen some interesting stuff from Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Check out these links for some more ideas:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=stockhausen+notation&t=ffab&iax=images&ia=images
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_notation_(music)
New contributor
Prima is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Prima is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 days ago
Prima
91
91
New contributor
Prima is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Prima is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Prima is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
5
While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - From Review
– Richard
2 days ago
add a comment |Â
5
While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - From Review
– Richard
2 days ago
5
5
While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - From Review
– Richard
2 days ago
While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - From Review
– Richard
2 days ago
add a comment |Â
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2
You might find the musicologist Don Byrd's work to be of interest: Extremes of Conventional Music Notation; More Counterexamples in Conventional Music Notation; Gallery of Interesting Music Notation.
– Michael Seifert
2 days ago
For pure aesthetic delight, see: reddit.com/r/sheetmusicporn
– Kilian Foth
2 days ago
2
Something that typically comes up in these discussions (but probably doesn't count as it was written as a joke) is "Faerie’s Aire and Death Waltz" by John Stump.
– R.M.
2 days ago
Oh wow hahaha..
– Lance Pollard
2 days ago