NOTATIO

NUME is a new transcription method. Go to https://mikeellismusicinstruction.com/Nume/index.html to see video examples of students who have used it to learn songs, a complete tutorial, transcription examples, the reason NUME was created in the article "Transcribing Music in Western Culture and the Introduction of NUME," as well as downloadable NUME Manuscript Paper for you to use.

It is featured in The Music Notation Project (formerly The Music Notation Modernization Association) because as they wrote to me, "...it is certainly possible to solve problems in a different manner, as you have done with your carefully designed system, which is one reason why we want to maintain a link to your Web site on the MNP page" and "Another reason is that you've come up with a novel rhythmic notation, and rhythmic innovations are under-represented on the MNP Web site."

Professional Music Instructor Dan Anderson sent the following comment about NUME. "Your NUME notation system is so sensible it makes me feel guilty for putting kids through our convoluted traditional system."

I'd love to hear your responses.

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I had pretty much the same reaction as Fred G. Unn.

It's pretty hard for one person to come up with a notational system that's as good as what has evolved through the shared experience of so many musicians over hundreds of years. It is a remarkable system that allows musicians to communicate their ideas easily and over a wide range of styles and genres. Tough to beat.

Fred G. Unn wrote: ↑04 Aug 2025, 23:29 … … …

4) You wrote: "notice that the C# in the D major scale is called Db in the Ab major scale. ... Although these are the same note, they are not even displayed on the same line or space of the staff line." These are the same note in the sense that a keyboard player on an equal-tempered instrument presses the same key, or a mallet player strikes the same bar, but these are not the same to any vocalist, wind instrumentalist, or string player and they are not going to perform these the same. (The equal-tempered C# in the key of D major will be substantially more sharp, either as a 7th of D or as a 3rd of an A chord.) Those musicians will constantly be using their ears and adjusting pitch based on their knowledge of the harmony and what other instruments they have to blend with. How the note is spelled enharmonically certainly can make a difference to performers not playing keyboard or mallet instruments so your method of treating all accidentals enharmonically is not very helpful … … …

This is a killer (one of several) for me. I think of equal temperament tuning as a tyranny which keyboard players (not me: I'm a trombonist) are forced to suffer. Even in music that is seemingly atonal, C sharp and D flat are not necessarily the same (context and all that).

I think Fred and John have summed things up. There are inconveniences in our standard notation, especially (but not only) when it comes to non-diatonic intervals, microtones &c, but no-one has managed to come up with something better.

Imagine if I were to invent a completely new set of symbols for the spelling and pronunciation of English, which remove many of the inconsistencies and problems of the current alphabet.

I'm sure we could teach it to children, and they'd pick it up really quickly. But, we'd have to persuade all the adults to learn it; change all the roadsigns and shop fronts; translate every piece of literature over the last 1000 years.

Or, we'd have to teach children the old system at some point after they've learnt this one; or just leave them only able to read those works that have been transcribed into the new system.

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I detest the reasoning that "children have difficulty learning the old way" warrants inventing a new method of notation.

Teach the standard method properly and children won't have any difficulty.

To me, this new "system" is stupid and lazy.

With NUME, the bottom line can be designated as any of the twelve notes for clarity and ease of notating. Also notice that there are six beats per measure which equates to twelve half-beats (eighth notes). As said before, NUME considers a beat as laymen consider foot taps.
So here is how I would have transcribed your example:

Another consideration in reading it is reading the intervals. From the starting note, go up a half step, then up a whole step, then down a whole step and a half step, etc. This type of reading also makes transposing totally simple, especially since there are no sharps or flats to consider.
Thanks, Fred.

And to MichelRE, in spite of your opinion ("stupid and lazy"), thanks for the response.

Oops, I said "transcribed" instead of "notated." Also, I put a rest markers where I should have put hold markers everywhere except the first half beat.
Slip of the wrist.

OK

Now notate the first page of Brahms' Symphony No.1.