JSON musical notation

gistfile1.json

{
  "key_signature": {
    "name": "C major",
    "sharps": [],
    "flats": [],
  },
  "time_signature": {
    "upper": 4,
    "lower": 4
  },
  "notes": [
    {"note": "C2", "length": 0.25},
    {"note": "C2", "length": 0.25},
    {"note": "G2", "length": 0.25},
    {"note": "G2", "length": 0.25},
    {"note": "A2", "length": 0.25},
    {"note": "A2", "length": 0.25},
    {"note": "G2", "length": 0.5},
  ]
}

Is this crazy? "Notes" probably needs a more generic name in order to support tempos and tempo changes.

Also, this doesn't show playing multiple notes at once, but I suppose that could just be represented as an array of "note objects" where normally a single "note object" exists.

I'm learning how much I don't know about the domain of musical notation...

Not totally crazy, but I'm wondering how you'd stack notes for chords.

You could nest a chord I guess:

"chord": {
  "length": 0.5
  "notes": []
}

You'd also need a type for rests, and some way to notate ties.

@danmelnick I was kind of a fan of the "implicit meaning" of an array of notes, but this is better. You could add a "name" property for displaying the chords above the staff notation for guitars or whatnot.

Is there a general name for the "atoms" of musical notation (notes, chords, rests, tempo changes, etc)?

http://www.lilypond.org/text-input.html

This is interesting... except for the LaTeX. Thanks to @trptcolin

may I recommend this course & teacher? I took it & found it helpful

http://www.oldtownschool.org/classes/detail/?courseid=2828

http://www.oldtownschool.org/teachers/Cathy-Norden/