# Numbered Musical Notation **URL:** https://forum.troygrady.com/t/numbered-musical-notation/87164 **Category:** General Music Discussion **Created:** [April 26, 2025, 5:25pm UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/numbered-musical-notation/87164 "2025-04-26T17:25:47Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 9
### Author: ![Riffdiculous](https://forum.troygrady.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@Riffdiculous](https://forum.troygrady.com/u/Riffdiculous) #### Post date: [April 26, 2025, 10:19pm UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/numbered-musical-notation/87164/9 "2025-04-26T22:19:26Z")
> [@kgk](#): > > it seems great for simple transposition from one key to another with no effort Not just that, but you could use the same sheet of music (if you went pure jianpu with no other notation) for guitar, bass, accordion, xylophone… anything that isn’t a transposing instrument (like clarinet for example). > [@kgk](#): > > But while I have you here, I have a question: > 1=Ionian, supposedly “happy” > 3=Phrygian, supposedly “exotic” > 6=Aeolian, supposedly “sad” > > Is it really worthwhile to redefine “1” in each of the modes Well, I think having two categories, major and minor, is a necessity, and therefore “1” would need to shift. True modal pieces really aren’t all that common though, but if I came across something like Lydian, I’d just keep it as major and throw in an accidental for the augmented fourth. There is a post here where modal key signatures were discussed, whether it made more sense to write C Lydian as G major, for example, or C and use F# where needed in the music. Getting a little out into the weeds from this topic, but if you’re curious: > [@Perry Mason Theme harmony – which modes / chord?](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/perry-mason-theme-harmony-which-modes-chord/71750/4): > > So to put this another way, the best key signature is the one that needs the fewest accidentals? --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/numbered-musical-notation/87164)._