Abstract This article reconsiders music notation as a continuum between prescriptive staff notation and open graphical scores. Rather than opposing “graphical” and “visual” as distinct categories, I frame notational practices as points along a spectrum: from systems encoding micro-level detail, through hybrids that supplement staff notation with visual cues, to abstract forms that guide gesture and texture. I argue these approaches redistribute rather than abolish control, fostering collaborative performer agency. Drawing on Trio (2008), Finding Takahashi (2009), and Dark Passenger (2012), I show how visual “elements-lines”, shapes, proportional spacing, and “colour-function” as interactive guides. By situating these works within historical, cross-cultural, and digital contexts, I advocate hybrid notational models that balance structure and flexibility.
Benoît Granier (Mon,) studied this question.