So what’s this thing called a Noteshot? A Noteshot is the closest visual representation to standard music notation. The biggest difference is that each note of a particular key of music/chord
tone has a different color. Second to that, the notes are not on a staff. There are however chord symbols, bass & treble sign, and key signatures to put the groups of colored notes into context as they progress through the music.
What is the purpose of coloring notes and deleting the staff? Unlike Keyshots, Noteshots are able to provide rhythmic information because they are based on note values of standard music notation. But unlike standard written music, I avoid using note and rest values that are smaller than a 16th note (most of the
The only way to identify notes on a staff is where they are relatively positioned…
time).
Playing music in the context of chords is all about structure. Using Noteshots require you to know the elements that make up the chord(s). The ultimate goal is not to learn how to read music in a different format but to know how to build voicings and play chords without having to depend on any notational information.
…but if you take them out of context, you can’t identify what notes they represent
Most aspiring keyboard players will write out chords/voicings in simple letters and may or may not include a chord symbol. It’s a common sense approach but still requires you to read and can get really cluttered. If you’ve ever watched Youtube tutorials of songs or progressions, it too is a very visual approach. The biggest challenge with having only the video information is that it’s transitory and requires you to continually pause and rewind the video over and over. The less you know about chords and voicings, the more difficult this can be.
The other side of the Noteshot format are Keyshots. Click here and get a free Color Notes Ezine Subscription.
