Is it possible to write a melody which can't be notated?

Question

Is it possible to have a piece which can't be notated using the musical notes we currently have?

Answer 1

Absolutely! However, it does depend on what you mean by 'notes we have currently'. For example, in college, I studied non-Western music (focusing extensively on Gamelan and Indian music); whereas Western music has 12 notes per octave (A - G, with enharmonic sharps and flats to match), an important division of pitch in Indian classical music is the shruti (I highly recommend at least starting with the wiki on shruti here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shruti_(music)).

Short answer to your question - Western music can use microtones (usually half-of-a-half tone), but this is just an extension of the host note (e.g. A 1/2b, or G3/4#). Displaying this type of notation on a computer usually requires some kind of score-building software (like Finale or Sibelius).

If you can hear it, you can definitely find a way to notate it - it just depends on the style of music and the notes available to you from that music.

I hope this helps! Please feel free to add a comment if you would like more information or would like to clarify anything.

Answer 2

Yes! In fact, there have been many successful attempts to compose music without using standard notation or the standard, twelve-note chromatic scale. Check out the avant-garde composer/instrument-builder Harry Partch, an inventive personality who famously composed music using 43-tone scales! For unconventional notation, "search" any of the following composers: Karlheinz Stockhausen, Iannis Xenakis, and Mark Applebaum to name a few.