gaan2 pou2簡譜简谱
Jyutpinggaan2 pou2
Yalegáan póu
Definition
Numbered musical notation, where digits 1 to 7 represent the musical notes.
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How it's used
Numbered notation is the standard for amateur music education and casual instrument playing in Hong Kong. It is preferred over staff notation for its simplicity, as it represents pitches with numbers instead of symbols on a grid. You will often see it in songbooks or online tutorials for pop songs.
Measure word
fan2份fánExamples
Do you usually use numbered notation to sing?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with staff notation, which is called 五線譜. Learners sometimes mistakenly use 簡譜 to refer to any kind of sheet music, but it specifically refers to the system using numbers.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
