Learning

Modified Stave Notation - Music

Summary: How to access sheet music if you have a sight problem, and how RNIB can help with transcription.

• Reading music: some problems
• What happens when you enlarge printed music?
• How can Modified Stave Notation help?
• How is MSN produced?
• Where can I get MSN?
• How we can help

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• Is a sight problem making it difficult for you to read sheet music?
• Do you want to keep playing but find it difficult to play by ear?

If so, Modified Stave Notation (MSN) may be helpful.

Reading music: some problems

Stave notation is music written down on sets of five parallel lines (“staves”). The way that music is usually written down presents problems if you're blind or partially sighted.

• Stave notation uses symbols which vary a lot in size.
• Reading notation often takes more concentration, and requires more fluency, than reading words.
• What's more, when you're playing music and holding an instrument, you may have less choice of where you position the music than if you are reading a book.

What happens when you enlarge printed music?

If you've tried photocopying and enlarging your music yourself, you've probably ended up with huge sheets of paper that fall off the music stand. You may also find that there are big spaces on the sheet which you can get lost in.

Some of the signs can become too densely packed for comfort, eg the note heads on crotchets, or fingering numbers. In different pieces, symbols are placed in different places, so you miss them even though they are bigger.

How can Modified Stave Notation help?

MSN enlarges the music generally and makes a score more consistent, but it also alters the proportions involved. For example, the gaps between notes from left to right are not enlarged as much as the vertical gaps between the stave lines.

Other differences

• The font size for fingerings is increased much more than the size of note heads.
• The thin lines for note tails and the stave can be made thicker, as can be slurs.
• Articulation marks can be made much bigger.
• Text is usually written in Arial bold font.
• Dynamics are consistently placed below or above the stave.
• Any unusual signs or placing of symbols have a print note to help make sure you do not miss them.
• The music is usually printed in landscape format rather than portrait, so that there are fewer ends of lines of music to find your way back to the next one, and so that the top of the page is less far away from your hands, if you are a keyboard player.
• Also the music can be printed on coloured paper and bound on whichever side you wish.
• There will probably be more page turns than in the original, but these are placed at a convenient place.
• For ensemble scores, such as the vocal line for a choir, rehearsal numbers or letters are made as clear as possible, and in all longer pieces bar numbers are made larger and clearer.
• You can request certain things to be made bolder, larger or placed somewhere specific, and this can be set up and applied to all your pieces.

Reading may still have its hassles, but your music will appear in a consistent format and you can develop learning routines which may help.

How is MSN produced?

Most modern computer packages for writing stave notation have lots of variables within them. Sibelius, the package used by RNIB, is so flexible that almost every sign’s size, shape and location can be altered.

Once decisions have been taken on each symbol or element, a pro forma can be set up and then other music reformatted in a similar way. The original piece of music is scanned, played or typed in and then put through the transformation.

If you have a music software package yourself, experiment with the engraving rules and see what changes you can make, both on screen and for printing. If you don't have the software, see if friends, family or a local society can help. The local society may have a link with a school or college with suitable software.

Where can I get MSN?

RNIB Ivybridge

If you don't use a computer and there is no-one locally who can help, try the transcription centre at RNIB Ivybridge. They offer a personal service to musicians who need MSN. Ivybridge can send you a sample booklet of different layouts, formats and sizes. You can then discuss your particular requirements with the people who make the adaptation.

RNIB Ivybridge use Sibelius software and can set up the preferred symbol sizes for you and produce different pieces for you as required, subject to demand.

To find out how this is done, see interview - producing Modified Stave Notation.

Ruth Frampton
RNIB Transcription Centre South West
2 Whiteoaks Court
Davids Lane
Ivybridge
Devon PL21 0DW
Telephone 01752 69 00 92
Email: ivytcsw@rnib.org.uk

Memorising music

When you get your music in your preferred format in Modified Stave Notation you may still find it difficult to read and play at the same time. You may need to memorise the music before playing it.

We are currently researching into how different people memorise music in different ways. Please give and share your experiences and keep checking the website to see the variety of strategies used.

Enjoy getting back into reading stave notation!

How we can help

For information about getting hold of Modified Stave Notation please contact:

RNIB Music Advisory Service
Telephone: 020 7388 1266
Email: mas@rnib.org.uk

Music homepage

Content author: mas@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 31/07/2008 14:49