Invention: Music Text Form
Inventor: Brian Kirk, 2021
Summary: A concise and precise way to write down the ‘barebones’ of a tune or song, including both the harmonic form and the tune such that it can be played in any music key.
Purpose: this assumes that the musician is familiar with the tune and it’s phrasing. The timing of the notes is omitted to avoid copyright infringement and dire threats from Publishers. It is just an extension of the familiar Chord Chart (e.g. iReal) but simple to type into any word processor or editor.
Definition:
For representing harmony (chords) the usual Roman Numerals of scale degrees are replaced with numbers 1 to 7, the number is followed by a colon to show it refers to a scale degree. Each chord can have modifiers as usual, for example:
1: //first note of the current scale, depends on the chosen key
2m.7: // the Dorian Minor 7th chord of the current key, IIb7 classically
5.7#11: // the Mixolydian chord of the current key, with raised 4th
6m: // the Natural minor of the current key
7m.7b5: // the half diminished chord on the 7th degree of the scale
For representing melodies (tunes) for each bar there is the chord with modifiers as needed. An optional bar transposition indicator which includes the floating degree of the chord-scale and then the sequence of notes. The … symbol represents the continuation of a tied note, usually across a bar line.
The Music Text Form Syntax (or Format)
This ‘syntax’ definition is included for the more formally minded …
| a bar line, optional, for clarity
[] a grouping of items of stuff
() the stuff in the brackets is optional
{} repeat the stuff in the brackets
/ a beat
4: current chord-scale relative to the home key 1:,
add m for minor, 4m:
gn grace note, with – to its real note
7m.7b5: chord with modifiers
t4 notes transposed as if from the numbered degree of the chord
until end of bar
b flat
# sharp
… tied note carried over
End is a marker for the last bars of the performance.
Example:
This is the tune is Blue Monk by Thelonious Monk in Music Text Form.
Can you play it just using this?
Blue Monk in mtf
The Harmony
1.7 4.7 1.7 1.7
4.7 4.7 1.7 1.7
5.7 5.7 1.7 5.7(1.7)
Or with optional bar lines and repeats
{1.7 | 4.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
|4.7 | 4.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
|5.7 | 5.7 | 1.7 | 5.7(1.7)}
End| 1.7 |
The Melody
2 bars per line, first the chord and then notes relative to it
1.7: 3 4 b5 5 4.7: 3 4 b5 5
1.7: 5 6 5 b5 4 1 #9 3 |… #9 9
4.7: 3 4 b5 5 | 5 b6 6 b7
1.7: 5 6 5 b5 4 1 #9 3 |… gnb5-5 5 5
5.7: … 1 5.7:t1 5 6 5 b5 4 1 #9 3
1.7: … 5 6 5 b5 4 1 | #9 3 (1: …)
You have to listen to several versions of the song/tune to get the phrasing and timing of the melody. Note how the phrases when transposed like this show similarities you would not see otherwise, the last 4 bars being a prime example. The simple regular form of the melody relative to the current chord becomes clear.
Feedback Please !
If you see any ways to make it
- simpler
- clearer
- more flexible
Then please send them to b.r.kirk@gmail.com