The Csapo Music Notation System is designed to efficiently support performing musicians. The system aids the musician to be able to easily read structures and important note motives of songs. The songs can be written in a basic text editor program on a computer and could be displayed on a monitor of a computer, ipad or a mobile phone; or printed with a basic black and white printer.

Table of contents
1. Structure and note notations
2. Instrument specific notations
3. Lyrics / Text notations

Structure and note notations

Structure and note notations are always bold to be able to easily read them in other texts, like lyrics. Other texts but titles are never bold.

For example:

Bm F# A E G D Em F#
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim I had to stop for the night

Part signs

Structure notations are marked as two letters/numbers and a semicolon.
Verse: Vs:
Bridge: Br:
Chorus: Ch:
Intro: In:
Outro: Ou:
Part 1: P1:
Part 2: P2:
Part 3: P3:
…
Part A1: A1:
Part A2: A2:
…
Part Z9: Z9:
etc…

Note signs (Version 1)

Traditional notes are displayed with their lower case letter sign.
Notes: c d e f g a b Where the a note is the normal a=440hz
sharp notes: c# d# e# f# g# a# b#
Flat notes: cp dp ep fp gp ap bp

Note signs (v2, this could be used instead of v1)

Chords: c h d i e f j g k b l a

Where c=c h=c# d=d i=d# e=e f=f j=f# g=g k=g# a=a l=a# b=b

Octaves above and below

Notes an octave above: c’ d’ e’ etc…
Notes an octave below: c, d, e, etc…
Notes two octaves above: c” d” e” etc…
Notes two octaves below: c,, d,, e,, etc…
Notes three octaves above: c^ d^ e^ etc…
Notes three octaves below: c_ d_ e_ etc…
Notes four octaves above: c’^ d’^ e’^ etc…
Notes four octaves below: c,_ d,_ e,_ etc…
Notes five octaves above: c^’ d^’ e^’ etc…
Notes five octaves below: c_, d_, e_, etc…

Notes played together

Notes played together in the same time are displayed with [ ] brackets
For example: [cg]

Other signs

Brake / Silence: z
Mute / Dead note: x
Slide up: / Slide down: \

Chord signs (Version 1)

Traditional Major chords are displayed with their capital letter sign.
Chords: C D E F G A B where for example C=[ceg] or any octave of these notes
Sharp chords: C# D# E# F# G# A# B#
Flat chords: Cp Dp Ep Fp Gp Ap Bp

Chord signs (v2, this could be used instead of v1)

Chords: C H D I E F J G K A L B

Where C=C H=C# D=D I=D# E=E F=F J=F# G=G K=G# A=A L=A# B=B

Repeating

Repeat the previous block: <
For example: A B< C D means A B A B C D
Never leave a space bar before the < sign and always leave a space bar after the < sign except if there is a chord with a special note. For example: A D { [Ge]< {A

Alternate repeats: {
For example: A B {C< {D E {F
Means: A B C A B D E A B F
Always leave a space bar before the { sign and never leave a space bar after the { sign.

Repeat more than once: <3 or <4 etc…
For example: A B<3 Means: A B A B A B
For example: A B {C< {D Means: A B C A B D
For example: A B {C<4 {D Means: A B C A B C A B C A B D
Never leave a space bar between the < sign and the following number. Always leave a space bar after the number. If there is a { sign after the repeat then the last repeat is always this part.

Repeat the inner part more than once then the next part more than once: <2,2
Means repeat twice with the first { part and twice the second part {
For example: A B {C<2,2 {D Means: A B C A B C A B D A B D
For example: A B {C<1,3 {D Means: A B C A B D A B D A B D
For example: A B {C<1,3,2 {D {E Means: A B C A B D A B D A B D A B E etc…
Repeat part of the line: > < Always leave two space bars before and one after the > sign.
For example: A B > C D< Means: A B C D C D For example: A B > C D<3 Means: A B C D C D C D
Part repeats could be used like () brackets in mathematics: For example: A B > C D<3 < Means: A B C D C D C D A B C D C D C D

Repeat from the beginning of the row: %
For example: A B< >C D< % Means: A B A B C D C D A B A B C D C D
For example: A B< >C D< %3 Means: A B A B C D C D A B A B C D C D A B A B C D C D Continue with another part: >Pt:
For example: >Vs or: >Vs, Br, Ch or: {>Vs {>Ch { >Vs

Blocks and tempo

Structure elements could be displayed in blocks, separated by four or more space bars, so parts could be easily red.
For example: A D A E A E

Faster changes could be displayed without or with less space in between the chords or notes.
For example: A D AD

Faster chord changes could also be displayed using ( ) brackets.
For example: A (G) B where A and B are the main chords and there is a short G in between.

Slower changes / longer or multiple chords of the same could be displayed with periods in between the chords or notes.

For example: A D A . . D Means: A D A A A D
For example: A D . . . AD D . . . C A Means: A D D D D AD D D D D C A
For example: Vs:A D . . . AD D . . . C A Means: Vs:A D D D D AD D D D D C A
For example: A D . . z AD D . z z C A Means: A D D D z AD D D z z C A

Chord with extra notes

Displayed with [ ] brackets.
For example: [Cd] means C chord with an addition of a d note
For example: [Cde] means C chord with an addition of a d and an e note
For example: [Cd,] means C chord with a low d bass note

Chord missing a note
Displayed with a [ – ] sign The – notes are always the last ones in the brackets.
For example: [C-e] means C chord without the e note
For example: [Cdb-e] means C chord with d and b notes and without the e note

Traditional chord signs
Traditional chord signs could be used with slight modifications.
For example:

Cm= C minor = [Cep-e]
Cu= C augmented = [Cg#-g]
Co= C diminished = [Cepgp-eg]
C2= C sus2 = [Cd-e]
C4= C sus4 = [Cf-e]
C5= C fifth (no e note) = [C-e]
C6= C sixth = [Ca]
C7= C seventh = [Cbp]
Cmaj7= C major seventh = [Cb]

Sequences of notes after a chord
Displayed with a + sign and ( ) brackets
For example: C+(e f) means C [Ce] [Cf] or with words: C chord then C chord with an e and then with an f note.
For example: [Cd]+(e f) means [Cd] [Ce] [Cf] or with words: C chord with an addition of a d then with an e then with an f note.
For example: [Cda]+(e [fg] b) means [Cda] [Ce] [Cfg] C[b]

The location of structure notations

Structure notations could be displayed alone; before the text or in line with the text.

Version 1, whole song without text:
Vs: Bm F# A E G D Em F#
>Vs
Ch: F C Dm {Am7< {E >Vs >Vs >Ch >Vs >Vs >Ch

Version 2, whole song without text, less space:
Vs: Bm F# A E G D Em F# >Vs
Ch: F C Dm {Am7< {E >Vs >Vs >Ch >Vs >Vs >Ch

Version 3, music notes before a block of text:
Bm F# A E G D Em F#
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim I had to stop for the night

F C Dm {Am7< {E
Welcome to the Hotel California. Such a lovely place, such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California Any time of year, you can find it here

Version 4, music notes before small blocks of text:
Bm F# A E
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air
G D Em F#
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night

Version 5, music notes inline with text, this case () brackets should be used.
(Bm) On a dark desert highway, (F#) cool wind in my hair
(A) Warm smell of colitas (E) rising up through the air
(G) Up ahead in the distance, (D) I saw a shimmering light
(Em) My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
(F#) I had to stop for the night

Instrument Specific Notations

Guitar Specific Notations

Notes: B string: 0,, E string: 0, A string: 0 D string: 0’ G string: 0” B string: 0^ E string: 0’^
Where 0 is a number which represents the fret.
For example: 5” means the 5th fret on the G string

These notes could be displayed the same way as ordinary notes, like using [ ] brackets or the repeating system

Other Stringed Instruments Specific Notations

Similar as the guitar specific notations, but the main string has no sign.
The note octave above and below signs can be applied here if more strings are in use.

Lyrics / Text Notations

The similar structure signs and rules are used as for structure notations. The notations are always bold, while the rest of the text is never bold.

Part signs

Similar to the structure signs.
Structure notations are marked as two letters/numbers and a semicolon.
Verse: Vs:
Bridge: Br:
Chorus: Ch:
Intro: In:
Outro: Ou:
Part 1: P1:
… etc…

Repeats

Similar to the structure signs.
Repeat the previous block: <
Alternate repeats: {
Repeat more than once: <3 or <4 etc…
Repeat the inner part more than once then the next part more than once: <2,2
Repeat part of the line: > <
Repeat the whole part (block of text, where there is no blank line in between the lines): %
Continue with another part: >Pt:

Types of text notations

Version 1
Write out the first few words of a block of text
Version 2
Write out the first lines of a block of text
Version 3
Write out the first few words of a block of text and everything else you need to remember
Version 4
Write out the whole text