<P> Klavarskribo (sometimes shortened to klavar) is a music notation system that was introduced in 1931 by the Dutchman Cornelis Pot . The name means "keyboard writing" in Esperanto . It differs from conventional music notation in a number of ways and is intended to be easily readable . Many klavar readers are from the Netherlands . </P> <P> Some chromatic systems have been created taking advantage of the layout of black and white keys of the standard piano keyboard . The "staff" is most widely referred to as "piano roll", created by extending the black and white piano keys . </P> <P> Over the past three centuries, hundreds of music notation systems have been proposed as alternatives to traditional western music notation . Many of these systems seek to improve upon traditional notation by using a "chromatic staff" in which each of the 12 pitch classes has its own unique place on the staff . Examples are the Ailler - Brennink notation, Jacques - Daniel Rochat's Dodeka music notation, Tom Reed's Twinline notation, Russell Ambrose's Ambrose Piano Tabs, Paul Morris' Clairnote, John Keller's Express Stave, and José A. Sotorrio's Bilinear Music Notation . These notation systems do not require the use of standard key signatures, accidentals, or clef signs . They also represent interval relationships more consistently and accurately than traditional notation . The Music Notation Project (formerly known as the Music Notation Modernization Association) has a website with information on many of these notation systems . </P> <P> The term' graphic notation' refers to the contemporary use of non-traditional symbols and text to convey information about the performance of a piece of music . Practitioners include Christian Wolff, Earle Brown, Anthony Braxton, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Krzysztof Penderecki, Cornelius Cardew, and Roger Reynolds . See Notations, edited by John Cage and Alison Knowles, ISBN 0 - 685 - 14864 - 5 . </P>

How many pitches do musicians have to work with in the western musical system of today