Stenza Musical Notation
Modern Stenza musical notation has many of its origins in the tablature used during the early days of the Sunrise Drum, to keep track of which side a drummer struck and when to produce a certain effect (namely the union chords that are foundational to Stenza sacred music). Therefore it is written vertically, around a central stave representing the drummer themselves (in modern convention this central stave is where the rhythm bone section is written, as the bones are typically used for keeping time and structuring the rest of a piece of music). Each side represents a hand a note is played with, but only for the Sunrise Drum; all others have their tablature recorded on one side or the other, preferentially the right (therefore bilateral notation is set apart as a record of a piece of sacred music).
History
The original tablature was developed to keep track of the notes a Sunrise Drum could play and the union chords it could produce, while the process of manufacture of the drums was being developed and understanding of the union explored in Stenza musical theory. So, it was required that the notation be split in half, with the center representing the drummer (or more abstractly, the drum itself) and each side being one side of the drummer or one half of the instrument. This allowed people to make note of which side a note was played on and, relative to the drummer and the rim of the instrument, where the strike occurred on the head. The Stenza's overall acute hearing allowed extremely fine nuances to be recorded, which ultimately contributed to what "counted" as a union and was therefore acceptable in sacred music.
The system slowly spread outward to other, more secular forms of music and even found use as a note taking system for the Rhythm Bones and their use in Khe'drakha study. The tablature has been modified over time to accommodate different types of drums constructed by the Stenza, with carvings and other records of notation showing certain changes which have been made.
Execution
Initial documentation of a piece of music begins in the snow or on some other temporary medium (in modern times this can be a file on a data chip which can be easily overwritten or edited), beginning with drawing the central line. Notes are marked by distance from the line on either side (usually one or the other but in special cases, both), with the rhythm bone section, if there is one, placed along the line itself. Shape and position of the markings may indicate duration between notes or other actions, such as scraping the rim of the drum or tapping the barrel with one's claws.
The final work is saved (as a file or carved directly onto a stone or such) for later use or study. Some of these carvings have been contained in clan museums as unique renditions of common pieces or as unique pieces in their own right.
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