How to Read Sheet Music with Dodeka's Intuitive and Simple Music Notation

For quite a few people, reading sheet music can be difficult. Between memorising symbols, counting lines and keeping in mind key signatures and the likes, it is definitely not an easy task - even for the most passionate of us. This is why we’ve created a simple and intuitive music notation: Dodeka.

Ok great, we’ve reinvented music notation, but now you’re probably wondering how do we read sheet music with Dodeka alternative music notation. Here is a quick guide to Dodeka Music - listen up!

Pitch

Reading music is a lot about recognition. When you read music and see a specific note, you should be able to place it on your keyboard or strings to produce the corresponding sound without much efforts. So to make recognition seamless, we use 12 notes that we put on 4 lines. Starting with C on the lower line, notes go on, above, below or between the lines, which give the following sequence:

Rhythm

With Dodeka, rhythm is also more intuitive. It relies on visual cues that indicate the duration of a note through its horizontal length. This way, when you look at a note, you instantly know how long you should hold it. It looks like a sequencer, doesn’t it? For rests, it is exactly the same principle. The only difference it is that they look thinner - but you’ve probably already figured that out.

So when put all together, this is how the simplified piano version of the famous song “Happy Birthday to You” looks like.

And this is how we write the first measures of “Bourrées” by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Think you’ve got it? Have a try at our quick demo and learn how to play “Happy Birthday to You” in 2 minutes or download our free iPad app here for more Dodeka sheet music.



** We are currently working on the Dodeka Music Library project, which seeks to translate as many as possible sheet music into the Dodeka notation. Check out our progress and get early access to the first ever Dodeka music library. **