Exploring different types of musical notation systems: discriminability, iconicity, complexity, and learnability

Abstract

Musical notation transforms auditory art into a visual format, serving as a crucial aid for many musicians. Despite the existence of various musical notation systems, empirical comparisons between them have been lacking. This PhD project is pioneering in its empirical investigation of ten notational systems focusing on their discriminability, iconicity, complexity, and learnability mainly among adult novices. As the first empirical research in this area, only pitch and duration symbols within melodies (i.e., no harmony or counterpoint) were examined.

Three experiments were designed and conducted to explore these core features. The first two experiments evaluated discriminability, iconicity, and complexity. Experiment 1 engaged 213 global participants through online methods. They then undertook a discriminability task requiring them to differentiate between two notation excerpts. Following this, the iconicity task had participants match notation with melodies based on their interpretation. Complexity ratings were collected for each notation system at the end of the experiment. Results highlighted Piano Roll notation for its exceptional performance—characterised by high discriminability, high iconicity, and low complexity. Figurenotes was noted for its high accuracy and quick responses in the iconicity task.
Based on the outcomes of Experiment 1, four notational systems were selected for a deeper examination in Experiment 2, which replicated the original procedures but with longer notation excerpts to assess how discriminability, iconicity, and complexity varied with excerpt length. Targeting novices with limited musical backgrounds, Experiment 2 involved 58 psychology undergraduates. In these longer excerpts, Piano Roll notation maintained its superior performance, demonstrating high discriminability and iconicity alongside low complexity. Comparison analyses of the findings from Experiments 1 and 2 offered valuable insights as well.

In sum, the series of experiments explored in this PhD project investigated various aspects of musical notation systems, including their discriminability, iconicity, complexity, and learnability. The findings underscore the potential of alternative notation systems to complement traditional Staff notation in music education, particularly for beginners. This research not only contributes to the theoretical knowledge in music cognition and education but also has practical implications for curriculum design and notation design, suggesting a more inclusive and diversified approach to teaching music reading and performance.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Western Sydney University
Supervisor	Andrew Milne (Supervisor), Roger Dean (Supervisor), Jose Hanham (Supervisor) & Jennifer MacRitchie (Supervisor)