XY Music Notation

I've been playing around with a new kind of isomorphic music keyboard that uses a base-12 notation, and wanted some sheet music to learn some new music for it.The idea is to represent each note in 12-TET as a number, so N ∈ (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,X,Y).I used codex to build a music score rendering backend based on MuseScore with custom note heads that display the pitch class of each note.I've found it pretty helpful for learning how to play my own instrument, so wanted to share in case anyone else was interested.

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FL score

55

out of 100

Verdict

SKIP

high confidence

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A custom music notation tool for a niche isomorphic keyboard using base-12 pitch class notation.

The pain

Learning and reading music for a non-standard instrument is difficult without tailored notation support.

The gap

Existing music notation tools do not support base-12 pitch class notation or this specific keyboard layout.

Build angle

A technically feasible backend and rendering system can be built by one developer using existing tools like MuseScore and Codex.

Strengths

  • Unique approach to music notation for a novel instrument
  • Leverages existing open-source tools to reduce development effort
  • Potentially valuable for early adopters and experimental musicians

Risks

  • Very small target market limits growth and revenue
  • Low willingness to pay as users may prefer free or traditional notation
  • Niche technical complexity may deter wider adoption

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