Hi Misha,

I have never in my life seen that type of chord notation before.

All I can think of is that the notation is relating to intervals (or scale number). With this in mind...

(1) Bb1+8 could mean two Bb notes that are an octave apart played together

Editing a BIAB midi track would allow the user to create a chord where octaves play together. I don't know of a simple chord notation that can be entered into BIAB that will do this.


(2) F1+5 could mean F (the 1, tonic note) played with C (the note a perfect 5th above -- which is also the 5th note of the scale)

If this is the case, in BIAB F1+5 would be entered into BIAB as F5 (a power chord that only consists of the tonic and fifth without the third; i.e. F5 = F-C and no A).

Where did you see this notation? I'd like to read some background about how it came into being.

If my above theory is correct, then it's possible that it is a modern form of figured bass. In the days of Bach and Vivaldi, figured bass notation consisted of the written bass note being used as "1" and then the notes to be played above it were written as numerals that indicated the distance between the #1 note and the other notes. For example if 46 (vertically aligned) was placed under a C it would mean to play C+4+6 = C-F-A.

Here's an article on figured bass...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figured_bass

Regards,
Noel


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