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.
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Stave notation uses symbols which vary a lot in size.
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Reading notation often takes more concentration, and requires more fluency, than reading words.
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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.
Enlarging 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 Modified Stave Notation can 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
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The font size for fingerings is increased much more than the size of note heads.
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The thin lines for note tails and the stave can be made thicker, as can be slurs.
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Articulation marks can be made much bigger.
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Text is usually written in Arial bold font.
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Dynamics are consistently placed below or above the stave.
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Any unusual signs or placing of symbols have a print note to help make sure you do not miss them.
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The music is usually printed in landscape format rather than portrait, to minimize the number of times you need to track back to the beginning of the next line, and so that the top of the page is less far away from your hands, if you are a keyboard player.
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Also the music can be printed on coloured paper and bound on whichever side you wish.
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There will probably be more page turns than in the original, but these are placed at a convenient place.
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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.
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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.
MSN in practice
George has been an enthusiastic violinist all his adult life, playing second violin for over 25 years in the Solllihul Symphony Orchestra. When the damage affecting his eyes, due to age related macular degeneration, began to take its toll, and George found his music really hard to read, he started his researches into what could be done. The account below describes how George was assisted by RNIB and colleagues at his orchestra to continue playing in concerts using MSN.
Guidelines for producing MSN
Guidelines for producing MSN are published by UKAAF - UK Association for Accessible Formats. They can be found on page 59 of G003 Creating Clear Print and Large Print Documents which can be downloaded from the UKAAF Guidance Download Page.
How MSN is 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 to get MSN
RNIB Transcription Centre Southwest
If you don't use a computer and there is no one locally who can help, try the RNIB transcription centre Southwest. They offer a personal service to musicians who need MSN. They 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 modifications.
RNIB Ivybridge can discuss your particular requirements and produce modified scores for you as required, subject to demand.
For further details, please contact
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
RNIB National Library Service
A collection of the most requested choral works are now available to loan in 16mm MSN from the RNIB National Library Service, as well as pieces for piano and other instruments. You can read more on the Library Services page.
Taking exams
If you use MSN and wish to take an exam, contact the exam board prior to entering to discuss your requirements. See the music exams page for further details.
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. Visit our page on memorising music to read more and feel free to share your own experiences.
Enjoy getting back into reading stave notation!
How we can help
For information about producing your own or requesting Modified Stave Notation from RNIB, please contact:
RNIB Music Advisory Service
Telephone: 020 7388 1266
Email: mas@rnib.org.uk
How RNIB produces Modified Stave Notation
Ruth Frampton works at RNIB's transcription centre in Ivybridge, Devon. We asked her how the centre produces music in different formats for blind and partially sighted people.
How many people work in the music transcription team?
We have a team of 16 volunteers, four of whom work at home, supervised by two members of staff.
Roughly how many pieces do you transcribe a year?
Each year we produce more as word gets out! In 2008, we produced nearly 8000 large print pages, from full choral vocal scores to sheet music songs and instrumental pieces.
What happens to a piece when I send it in?
First we check the database to find out precise details of the client's preferred template. Each client has his or her own template to ensure the music is laid out in a way to suit his or her particular needs. This might include the spacing between the stave lines, the placing of dynamics or words, and even the colour paper the music is printed on. If you're a new client, we will send you a book of samples to determine what size and format is needed.
Then we check to see if the music has already been transcribed; if it has, we check which edition it is. If the music is the same, we copy and reformat into the new template.
If the music is not already available, we set up a new piece in Sibelius according to the template requested by the client. Then we assign one or more volunteers to input the music. When this is complete, we assign another volunteer to proofread and edit the music. Lastly, a member of staff will make one final check before printing on the colour of paper requested.
The music is then bound and dispatched. We then archive the music on the computer ready for the next person who requests that particular piece.
If the music was for a new client, we ring them after a few days to check that the template meets their needs.
Have there been any pieces which have presented particular difficulties for transcribing?
The Associated Board "Music Theory in Practice" workbooks have stretched our technical expertise with Sibelius to the limit!
Do you have a particular favourite piece of music you have transcribed?
I have a soft spot for Handel's Messiah. It was the first full choral score we achieved and saw the start of our "See to Sing" library.
Do you have any opportunities for volunteers who would like to help transcribe music?
Yes, indeed, if you can read music and are familiar with a music software programme, preferably Sibelius. Volunteers come to the office to use the computers here to input music or, if you have a copy of Sibelius at home, you can work from home and communicate with the centre by email. We'd love to hear from you!
More information
Please contact Ruth Frampton for further information by telephone on 01752 69 00 92 or by email at ruth.frampton@rnib.org.uk