Notation System

Why use numeric notation?

Numeric notation is an attempt to simplify music notation. Barbershop music is hard enough to sing, if we can abstract away some notation and save mental load while reading music, maybe we can spend more time singing.

Many of the decisions are made to be clear and concise, even when it breaks with some musical tradition.

How does it work?

numtags uses a movable-Do system: numbers represent scale degrees relative to the tonic, so the same notation works in any key.

1 = Root (Do)
2 = Second (Re)
3 = Third (Mi)
4 = Fourth (Fa)
5 = Fifth (So)
6 = Sixth (La)
7 = Seventh (Ti)
      

This system works in any key signature, making it incredibly flexible for different vocal ranges and arrangements.

Which note is it?

To indicate a higher or lower octave, add ' (up) or , (down) after the number — once per octave. numtags shows these as dots above or below the digit. Octaves are understood in relation to the key, not relative to the previous note: 5, 5' in the key of C4 means G3 G5, not G3 G4. Stack them for two octaves: 5'' or 5,,.

Flats and sharps are written in front of the number as b and # — #2 or b3, shown as ♯2 and ♭3. Of course, #2 and b3 are the same note. Numeric notation tries to keep it clear - if the previous note was #2, we keep using #2. Otherwise we choose the one that best explains the note in relation to the chord or the key. Every note is spelled explicitly every time: three sharp-twos are #2 #2 #2 (not #2 2 2). This also means that the symbol ♮ (natural) is no longer needed, breaking with musical tradition.

Rhythm

The notation is a beat grid, not an engraving: each symbol is one cell, read as roughly one beat (a quarter note). It is intentionally loose — a memory aid for singers who already half-know the tune — so beats need not sum exactly to the time signature. Get the pitches and contour right; precise rhythm is the reader's job.

A | marks a measure boundary. - holds the previous note one more beat — repeat it for longer holds (3 - - is three beats). It is the only hold symbol: earlier versions used a longer dash for a half-note hold; that distinction is gone.

Faster notes get a slash: 3/ is an eighth, 3// a sixteenth — and two fast notes are two cells (6/ 5/), never packed into one. 3. is dotted (add one half). 0 is a rest. ~4 ties the note to the previous beat — same pitch and syllable, no re-attack — shown with a tie arc. X is a posted note: hold until the director cuts, no beat-counting required.

Typing a tag

What you type is what's stored: the notation is plain ASCII you can write on any keyboard, in any editor. The pretty marks — ♯ and ♭ signs, octave dots, tie arcs — are drawn by numtags when it displays a tag. There are no special characters to hunt for.

Spacing between symbols is cosmetic: only the symbols themselves, | boundaries, and the lyric line's cells carry meaning. The live preview in the editor shows the beat grid snapping into alignment as you type.

Layout

As with all barbershop music, the order of the voices (from top row to bottom row) is tenor, lead, baritone, bass.

The lyrics go on a line below the four voices. In the lyric line, a space advances to the next beat, _ marks a beat with no new syllable (a held note or a rest), and a hyphen splits a word across consecutive beats: slee-py is two beats.

Four voice lines plus their lyric line(s) make a staff; long tags use several staffs separated by a blank line. Beats before the first | are a pickup — they tuck in just before the first full measure.

On screen, a tag can be shown as wrapped systems (like printed choral music, scrolling down) or as one continuous line (swiping sideways) — toggle between them on any tag page.

Example

Tenor:     3 - 3 - | 4 ~4 3 - |
Lead:      1 - 1 - | 1 ~7, 1 - |
Baritone:  5, - b7, - | 6, ~5, 5, - |
Bass:      1, - 5, - | 4, ~2, 1, - |
           "My town, my town."
        

Tenor:     E - E - | F ~F E - |
Lead:      C - C - | C ~B C - |
Baritone:  G - ♭B - | A ~G G - |
Bass:      C - G - | F ~D C - |
           "My town, my town."
          

Tenor:     A - A - | ♭B ~♭B A - |
Lead:      F - F - | F ~E F - |
Baritone:  C - ♭E - | D ~C C - |
Bass:      F - C - | ♭B ~G F - |
           "My town, my town."
          

Glossary