Obsession
Schön Musical Notation
I'm obsessed with musical notation because it is so damn hard.
So then I created my own musical notation. The system Ive come up with pleases me much, maybe it will please you too! Here are some excerpts from the introduction to the main document Schön Musical Notation.doc (downloadable below):
This all came about as I was re-learning Beethovens Moonlight Sonata in C#m. Id memorized this piece before, had forgotten it, and went back to the sheet music to pick it up again. Traditional sheet music for the professional musician may not be a problem, but for an untrained, or self trained, music lover it is pure pain.
As an aside, my first efforts at notating Moonlight Sonata were so successful (in terms of the ease with which I could read and interpret) that I started notating a song I had done long ago for piano (it was scored traditionally with MIDI software) and found it incredibly easy to re-learn ( it was done in B Major in which =everything= is a sharp!). Since I proved to myself that the notation was useful for me, then I believe it will be useful for a lot of people, taking the most complex songs and making them available, in the original key, to anyone who can learn where the A, B, C, D, E, F, and G keys are, what octave they are in, what a sharp, flat, and natural are, and the concept of the duration of a note. All the other accents and such can come along later for the novice, but the novice will be able to quickly learn, and perhaps more easily sight read, complex pieces.
While researching my new notation needs I came across a web site entitled MNMA: Music Notation Modernization Association.They note the following deficiencies of traditional music notation:
4 clefs when only one is needed.
It is biased to C Major for easy reading, all tonalities should be as easy.
Numerous accidentals and awkward key signatures.
Tends to place noteheads in a deceptive and confusing manner.
To these I add the following:
Hard to read.
Hard to determine beat and melody.
Must know Italian (you can still know it if you like) for tempo, dynamics, and expression!
Treble clef and bass clef put notes in different positions! Doubles the difficulty since what is a C in the treble clef is an E in the bass clef.
One point I want to emphasize here: clarity, simplicity, readability, easy to handwrite, and, as much as possible, language and cultural independence. The notation is not intended for professionals (though they may find an occasional use for it) nor for the music theorist. But it =is= intended for everyone else. It has the capability to express complex music and simple music, and, as well see in more advanced sections, to expand on music notation so that the synthesizer music of today (so much more variable in its abilities than traditional instruments) can be scored as well.
DOWNLOADS: Feel free to download the documents detailing the musical notation system. All the documents are saved in Microsoft™ Word™ format.
The ZIP file contains all four files (main document describing how the notation is to be used, the addenda, quick start, and the reference sheet).
Schön Musical Notation.doc
The addenda file is provided separately in case youve already read the main document and just want to see whats new.
Schön Musical Notation Addenda (last updated 5/22/2004)
The quick start guide is a simplified discussion of Schön Musical Notation designed to present the most basic aspects of Schön Musical Notation in a simplified manner to get you playing quickly.
Schön Musical Notation Quick Start
The Reference Sheet is a summary of Schön Musical Notation symbols for quick reference.
Schön Musical Notation Reference Sheet
New, November 2, 2004, Sheet Music : Finally finished my Schön Musical Notation editor enough to do simple songs! So finally have a download available that shows a song in its entirety in Schön Musical Notation. This is a simple blues/honky tonk piece that can give you an idea of whether SMN is useful to you for playing/learning songs. Click below to download the sheet music to your computer:
Henry's Honky Tonk Song Sheet Music in Schön Notation
Use of Schön Musical Notation:
Home individual personal use is permitted within the restriction below.
Any use of this music notation system for profit is forbidden without prior written permission and/or licensing.
Feel free to pass these documents to anyone who is interested.
Schön Musical Notation is Copyright © 2004 by Julius Schön, all rights reserved.
The Universe in Perspective
Not too surprising that science obsesses me...I'm a scientist (Biology). A few years ago I was obsessed enough to write a book about the UNIVERSE. Jezus. It was written in the 90's but it still works on Windows 7 so it is on offer.
"The Universe in Perspective" is an electronic "book" and is FREEWARE in that 1/3 of the book is provided free. If you like it the other 2/3 can be unlocked after registration (23 other chapters available, as well as an unlimited bookmark feature).
To get it click here: Download (2 & half Megabytes)
Below are Installation and Registration instruction sections.
The kind of stuff you will find in the book:
(1) How long would it take to drive a car to the Sun? How long if we went the speed of the Earth around the Sun (18 miles/second)? What if we went the speed of light? (2) About how many pounds of TNT does the average person "burn" each day? (3) How much pressure does sunlight exert on the Earth? How about starlight?
Answers: 1) At 75 miles per hour it will take almost 142 years to travel to the Sun, at 18.5 miles per second it will take a bit more than 2 months, and at the speed of light the trip takes 8 1/3 minutes. 2). The average person uses around 2200 Calories a day which is equivalent to 4.4 pounds of TNT! In a year 25,000 people "sweat" the equivalent of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The difference in effect? It takes the people a year to release this quantity of energy, the atomic bomb releases it in millionths of a second. 3). The pressure exerted by sunlight on the Earth is 65,700 tons, by starlight only 4 2/3 ounces.
This electronic "book" is on the scale of the universe. By comparison and analogy an appreciation of the size and scope of the Universe is obtained. Get a "feel" (Gee Whiz!) for distances, masses, and ranges of energy in the Universe. Chapters are "stand alone," meaning you can read the free chapters enjoyably without reading the whole book.
For those interested in science the Freeware version will give you plenty to ponder. It is designed for the science knowledgeable, the science enthusiast, and for those who want to know more about science and it is presented in an entirely different way than usual.
It starts with the nature of large numbers, explains about scientific notation since the numbers are often so large (or so small!). It then progresses to our home, Earth, and gives some perspective on it. Then we examine the nature of the small by swelling an orange to the size of the earth. Then a bit about the Moon, geologic time, then several chapters over the nature of Energy. It then examines, in perspective, the solar system and then the galaxy and universe. Then the nature of matter, and we examine how small "small" can be! It then talks about light and how it is used to discover truths about the stars. Following are chapters on gravitational energy, and then our sun, and then suns, in general. Then some on Relativity, Cosmology (birth of the Universe), and the unbelievable emptiness of our Universe. Finally, it talks about "half-lives" and what they imply for the lifetime of the Universe. All written conversationally, all information clear. The Freeware version gives a sample out of each of these categories and includes all the basic chapters (first 3) that give you the necessary knowledge to understand what follows.
The book also has a tab note area for you to write your own notes (saved each time you read) and has a reference page that contains a ton of physical, chemical, and miscellaneous constants.
I wrote this book (and programmed the software, my first major programming project years and years ago, but it still works great, for Windows 98 and above) because it is the type of book I wanted to read. Since it wasn't available I wrote one! It's great for the science knowledgeable since it presents data in a "perspective" not usually seen. It's also great for those educating themselves re: science, all the basics are there, and all the subjects are covered. But it is not a textbook, it is designed to be fun. Enjoy.
If you like the Freeware chapters and want to read the rest of the book then registration is 20,01 Euros (you can register at the site specified above). Why 20,01? It is a different perspective from the more usual 19,99!
Disclaimer: When I wrote this there was a wide range of opinions on the age of the Universe: 12 billion to 20 billion years. I, liking superlatives, opted to use 20 billion years. Then they launched the Hubble Space Telescope and they say now, with a good degree of certainty, that the Universe is 14 billion years old. Ive not changed the text, I will someday. This wont ruin your reading pleasure, I just wanted you to know.
If you want to register be sure to email me first and make sure Im available and can send you your unlock code then click the buy now link below right.
Install instructions:
The file you download is a EXE file.
Create a folder on your harddrive where you will put the file.
Now just copy the file you downloaded into that folder. For easy access you will want to then put a shortcut on the desktop to this folder to open The Universe in Perspective.
To run the electronic book open the folder where you put the files and double click the 'Universe.exe' file.
Should you decide to register the software no further downloads are needed. Youll receive a registration number via email which is all you need to make the program fully functional.
Windows 7 users (and possibly Vista Users too): Microsoft added protection against files writing to the system. For this reason you need to perform another step on these operating systems.
1) You need to navigate to the UNIVERSE.EXE file in the explorer.
2) Select it and right click and choose 'Properties'. When that window opens go to the 'Compatibility' tab.
3) Near the bottom is a checkbox that says 'Run this program as an administrator'. Check that box and then click OK.
NOTE: If you don't do this series of steps the Windows system will NOT accept the license!
4) Now go and double click the UNIVERSE.EXE file to run it. You will be asked if you are sure you want to run it as an administrator. Click YES or OK.
5) Enter your license as described below. Now you are registered.
6) Close the program.
7) In order not to be asked each time if you want to run the program as an administrator you must repeat steps 1-3 except this time you will uncheck the checkbox that says 'Run this program as an administrator'. You are done, it is registered and the program won't bother you anymore.
UnInstall instructions:
Simply delete the folder where you put the files in the step above.
Registration instructions:
Registration costs 20.01 Euros.
Im just one guy, no secretaries and no employees, so payment methods are limited. I accept PayPal™ , which accepts most major credit cards, payment from your PayPal™ account (if you have one), and bank transfers. PayPal™ is the payment method in use on eBay™, and can accept payment from many countries around the world.
As I mentioned above: my situation is varied, I move around a lot (itinerant Biologist). If youd like to register email me first to see if Im home and available. That way youre not waiting around with money out of pocket. When I respond to you then you can be assured that your registration number will come as soon as I get PayPal™ payment.
If youve tried it out and like it click the PayPal button below right to make payment. It will come up as 20.01 Euros...I'm poor. If you really, really like it you can change the amount and add a bonus. Moltes Gracies if you feel that way.
Once you receive your registration number go to Help on the main menu of the Univerese in Perspective, then Register.
Copy the registration number from the email (highlight the entire number, then hold down the Control key while you press C, or use the emails edit menu and select Copy).
Then paste the registration number in the edit field on the registration form (click inside the edit field so that it has focus and has the cursor blinking in it, then hold down the Control Key while you press V).
Press the OK button and youre done.
Keep the registration number in a safe place and backed up, in case you need to re-install and re-register, or in case you get a new computer and want the software over there too. You are allowed to have the program on up to 4 of your own personal computers for the registration fee.
Buy Now
The Email I sent to my pals when I hit 200,002 pushups! Note: I'm now around 252,000
One could call it one fifth of a million. Or you can call it 0.2 million. Either way Ive hit 200,002 pushups. If there was any time for a retrospective this is it.
I started counting my pushups on 1/3/1996 (no, it wasnt a new years resolution). I pushed my 200,002nd pushup on 6/14/2003. This is 2,719 days which works out to 73.56 pushups/day. That is 3 pushups per hour (or 8 ten thousandths of a pushup per second).
However, I dont do pushups every day (or second). My log shows that Ive written a pushup entry for 1125 days ( about 24.8% of the total time) for 177.78 per exercise day. My workout routine probably runs 45 minutes so that is around 237 pushups per hour (or 6 one hundredths of a pushup per second). Kickin.
My yearly average is 26,867 per year (my first year I did 14,661, so Im getting better). This works out to 2,239 per month. At this rate I will hit 1,000,000 on 3/24/2030 which would be only 6 days before my 78th birthday!!! Kickin.
My favorite pushups: 1, 66,666 ( its a number of the beast thing), 100,000, 123,456, and 200,000 ( I was gonna stop at 200,001 before I wrote this letter, but I was hot [DC is almost unbearable] and confused and did an extra pushup which got me to 200,002).
Looking forward to: #222,222, # 250,000, # 500,000, # 1,000,000.
Humbling note: Recently on NPR (where else) there was a story of a guy who set the new world record of pushups in one hour (see, Im not the only freak). He did 3,669 pushups in one hour. Bastard. However, Ill bet they were the "quick" half arm bend pushups, not the full "touch the chest, fully extend the arm" pushups I do. So there.
Final note: Were I able to do 3,669 pushups per hour then, with the hours Ive logged, Id have done by now about 3,095,718 pushups. That would be so cool, gotta work on it.
Julius "Mr PushUp" Schön
Not actually obsessed but I do get anxious when things get
Blurry
Prime Numbers and Fibonacci Series:
Can't get enough of these two number series. I think about them while falling asleep. Prime numbers are numbers evenly divisible by themselves and 1 only. Like 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29 and so on. Infinite as well. And Fibonacci is derived by starting with 0 and 1, and each remaining number is the sum of the previous two. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 and so on. Often found in nature and when you divide two succesive terms you get increasingly accurate approximations to the Golden Ratio. Also seen in music.
Locked Double Doors at businesses:
You walk up to a double glass door. You reach out to open one of them and its locked! Why? There are two doors there, why not unlock them both? Just too tired? Too lazy? Nothing makes me grimace faster than this.
Being handed religious literature:
In America you find people thrusting christian literature at you. Please, excuse me from your delusion and stop wasting paper! I cant think of anything (other than general ignorance) that has caused more misery, pain, and waste than religion. They cant figure out they live in Paradise now.
Having simplistic literature (which, in my mind, is more wicked than had they handed me pornography) forced on me from these fear mongers used to tick me off. So I came up with a card of my own that I could hand back to them:
Paganism: The real old time Religion
Pantheism: The reality of THE unifying force, call it what you will, literally embraces all: plants, rocks, cats. Even humans.
Questions? Julius 111-222-3333
And the back has this:
Advantages to Paganism / Pantheism:
No required periodic meetings. Religious experiences are constant and meaningful through-out your day!
Dependence on individuality & rationality frees us from neurotic / psychotic need to hurt or maim.
Unifies us all, difference eliminated between groups, cultures, etc., thus freeing us from needless, unproductive hate.
No need to interfere with other peoples lives since we trust them to do the best for themselves.
