Shorthand Tabs on Violin (SToV)

Music representation system

Shorthand Tabs on Violin (SToV) is a system for tabs readers to learn classical stringed instruments, such as the violin. Without frets, left hand finger placement for the violin may seem intimidating, but it can be broken down in the same way as frets on the guitar. Unlike both tabs and traditional Western notation, SToV was designed to be highly condensed and easy to type out on a keyboard, even on a cellphone.

Though it can be used for monophonic pieces, this system excels at condensing polyphonic music such as Bach's Chaccone. Take the first phrase for instance:

In SToV, this would be notated as:

One element of the original notation lost with conversion to SToV is different note lengths within one chord. While the first two notes of the Chaccone are played as a dotted quarter followed by an 8th, having the lower two voices notated as half notes gives important context for phrasing and other performance nuances.

Each line of SToV has two streams of data: rhythm and pitch, with the former enclosed in curly braces. Double spaces indicate bar lines. Hyphens delineate left hand formations (“segments”), with numbers representing the “fret” played on each string. The strings are read left to right, lowest to highest. An x indicates no note is played on that string, while [x] is shorthand for xxx, indicating the three lowest strings are silent. Silent upper strings are implicit (e.g. 730 is equivalent to 730x). Transitions between pitches are described using guitar tab terminology: p indicates a pull-off (descending notes on the same string), while h indicates a hammer-on (ascending). Mordents are further condensed using parentheses, such that A(B) is equivalent to AhBpA. To maintain clarity about which strings are indicated, a new segment must be started when switching strings after a hammer-on, pull-off, or mordent.

The rhythm and pitch streams must have the same number of segments in each line. This allows for differentiation between arpeggiation and double stops. For example, {4.} 730 indicates a dotted quarter chord, while {888} 730 indicates 8th note arpeggiation. Durations are notated numerically (2 = half, 4 = quarter, 8 = 8th, etc.), with dots augmenting them accordingly. An x in the rhythm stream indicates an 8th note rest, with longer rests being notated as multiples (e.g. xx = quarter rest) and shorter rests being half or quarter Xs (e.g. > = 16th rest, \ = 32nd rest). Repeated durations are notated in square brackets (e.g. 16[2] = two 16th notes).

Monophonic example: