WYSIWYP addresses the challenges of reading traditional notation by:
Having a standard octave format across all staves.
Having the minimum number of staff lines per octave (two).
Having explicit noteheads shapes to define naturals, sharps, and flats, which eliminates the need for key signatures.
Having a visually intuitive timeline for identifying the beat, note duration, and note interrelationships across staves.
The main goal of the WYSIWYP design is to make the notation as intuitive to read as possible by reducing the mental gymnastics required to go from eyes on the page to fingers on the keyboard. Ultimately, its success will be measured via dropout rates.
Why is WYSIWYP easier to read than other alternatives?
There are fewer lines and spaces on the octave (and thus on an entire staff) to interpret.
The staff lines map to the keyboard.
Rhythm is visually intuitive.
The Great Challenge of Breaking Tradition is enormous. But it has been done, at least on a regional basis (i.e., Klavarskribo in the Netherlands). To be accepted, an alternative notation must convince the music world of its worth.
If music instructors can be convinced that an alternative provides a more effective, enjoyable, and efficient learning experience, then perhaps they will realize that they can attract and retain more students. And hopefully, that will provide an incentive to consider breaking tradition. But they are not going to adopt alternatives without some persuasive evidence of their value. And this is where academic research comes in.
Target Audience. Those aspiring to have a career in music will still need to read traditional notation for the foreseeable future. But there are many candidate players who just want to enjoy making music for their own pleasure without the stress of learning and using it. These would include adolescents, adults, music student dropouts, retirees, the curious, and those with disabilities.
It appears that younger players are at the forefront of those searching for an easier way by their use of tablatures and Synthesia as alternative learning tools. And they demonstrate that:
Ideas can be quickly spread on the internet and adopted thanks to websites and social media.
They will experiment with new tools, techniques, and apps.
They are not bound by tradition.
And thus, the take-away is that a well-designed and easy-to-read music notation app might also appeal to a large segment of tablature and Synthesia users as well as all beginners in general. And the notation could might too spread virally.