View source for Diamond-MOS notation

Diamond-MOS notation is a notation for MOS systems, which aims to avoid potential conflicts with diatonic notation by introducing a new set of symbols and attempting to make the MOS itself as easy to read as possible. Diamond-MOS notation replaces letters, clefs, accidentals, key signatures, and pitch correspondences with notes, while keeping all other aspects of diatonic notation the same.

== Premise ==
The letters starting from J are used to indicate the nominals in a given MOS. The MOS and its chosen mode and tuning are written at the top of a score notated in diamond-MOS. The mode is for the nominals on middle J, which is the same as middle C. So, to notate blackwood major in diamond-MOS, [15edo] [2-1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2-1] might be used (or a different edo that supports the scale, such as 25). The accidentals for a MOSchroma are @ (which lowers a note, i.e. "flat" = "at") and & (which raises a note, pronounced "am"). That way, J-M-P in blackwood major would be a major triad, and J-@M-P would be a minor triad. Any new accidental cancels all previous ones, similarly to [[Ups and downs notation|ups and downs]] notation.

== Clefs ==
[[File:Diamond mos 1.png|thumb|A diamond-mos clef and barline.]]
Diamond-mos clefs indicate the location of middle J with the large diamond, and additional J notes with the smaller diamonds, indicating octaves. To the right of the diamonds, small boxes are placed to represent steps of the MOS - hollow boxes represent small mossteps and filled boxes represent large mossteps (think of a piano, where small diatonic steps have no black key in between, and large diatonic steps do). Note that the only steps marked are the kind which the MOS has fewer of (so ssLssssLss would be marked with two filled boxes and nothing else). These boxes are repeated on every barline to aid sightreading, and on ledger lines.

== Etc ==
[[File:Imageyh.png|thumb]]
Diamond-mos notation may be combined with [[ups and downs notation]] in an edo.

Key signatures follow similar rules to diatonic key signatures, indicating the number and location of alterations from the listed scale to a different one. For instance, to modify ssLssssLss on J to sssLssssLs, @ symbols are placed on the positions representing the third and eighth degrees of the scale. It is recommended, however, to simply write the transposition explicitly.

Intervals are referred to as in [[TAMNAMS]]; degrees use numerals similar to diatonic notation but zero-indexed (as in TAMNAMS) and with the @ and & accidentals. It is best to notate a chord by specifying each of its intervals, this avoids as much ambiguity as possible.

A larger staff (more than 5 lines) may be used in large MOSes. It is best for the staff to span at least one octave. In this case, one of the staff lines should be bolded; this doesn't mean anything but it serves to act as a point of reference for sight-reading and to indicate that there are more than 5 staff lines.