Month: June 2007

I discovered the existence of Klavarskribo (“keyboard writing” in Esperanto). It’s a development of musical notation intended to make playing keyboard music easier. It turns the staff 90 degrees clockwise, so the music is read top-to-bottom, with higher notes to the right and lower notes to the left, as on a keyboard. It uses a chromatic staff, so it doesn’t need accidentals.

I’m sure that for someone without prior knowledge of the usual notation it would be just as easy to learn to play using this notation. However, I don’t see that it has any advantages for voice or instruments without keyboards. It has one huge disadvantage in that included lyrics would have to be read either sideways or word-by-word down the page. So I don’t think it makes very much sense for anything but keyboard music, and if you want to play or sing anything else, you’ll need to learn the usual notation anyway, so I can see why it never really caught on.

…who ran a red light this morning and almost ran me over:  Pay Attention!

Ended the week in the company of my parents, who, upon achieving that age at which most quit their former labour to rest upon well-deserved laurels, have conceived a desire to peregrinate even unto the farthest reaches of Araby. Some time spent advising in the purchase of a portable Analytical Engine, their current domestic installation being rather too massive to transport across half the globe.

Sunday with Mrs. T. had the pleasure of effecting the introduction of our friends D. & K., who gave every appearance of enjoyment in each other’s company. We await developments.

The moderate indisposition of the past few weeks seeming to dissipate somewhat, spent a quiet day at the office. Dined with Mrs. T. on the remains of Sunday’s trout, and were moderately amused per televisor by this year’s national singing competition. Dipped into Mr. O’Brian’s sea-stories, and thence to bed.

We spent the weekend at the Vancouver Airport Hilton, courtesty of a conference that hired the melodious Andrea to provide some musical entertainment. She even let me sing a bit. It was great fun except for the rain on Saturday that cut short our kite-flying plans. We did manage to see a bit of sun on Sunday though.

Now back to the grind.