Juggling Notation
Encyclopedia
Juggling notation is the written depiction of concepts and practices in juggling. Toss juggling
patterns have a reputation for being "easier done than said" – while it might be easy to learn a given maneuver and demonstrate it for others, it is often much harder to communicate the idea accurately using speech or plain text. To circumvent this problem, various numeric or diagram-based notation systems have been developed to facilitate communication of patterns or tricks between jugglers, as well the investigation and discovery of new patterns.
is by far the most common juggling notation. In its most basic form, "vanilla siteswap", it is very easy to use, as each pattern is reduced to a simple sequence of digits, such as "3", "97531" or "744". However, vanilla siteswap can notate only the most basic two-handed patterns.
For more slightly more complicated patterns, extra rules and syntax are added to create the following two siteswap extensions:
Vanilla, synch, and multiplex siteswap are the "standard" forms of siteswap. Not only are they understood by jugglers, there are also many computer programs capable of animating juggling patterns entered in siteswap notation.
Other extensions to siteswap have been developed for specific purposes. These are far less common than the "standard" forms of siteswap, understood by far fewer jugglers and only specialized software.
. While there are some similarities between beatmap and synch siteswap, there are also fundamental differences. The most important is that beatmap notates every "hand" on every beat during a pattern, unlike all forms of siteswap, which only notate each hand on every other beat. This means that beatmap can notate any number of hands and in any rhythm with no added complexity, unlike siteswap, which needs many extended sets of rules and syntax to be able to communicate the same patterns.
Beatmap notates not only each throw, but also the time and place of each catch. By including a simple indication of crossing and uncrossing arms, beatmap can notate Mills Mess
–style patterns. Within beatmap it is also possible and easy to notate not only the balls in a pattern, but also the hands or arms of the juggler, as well as the position, location or orientation of the body of a juggler. Users claim that beatmap can more accurately describe more patterns than all ladder diagrams, causal diagrams, Mills Mess state transition diagrams, vanilla siteswap, synch siteswap, passing siteswap, and multi-hand notation combined.
So far use of beatmap has been very limited, as most jugglers and juggling software understand only variations of siteswap.
Toss juggling
Toss juggling is the form of juggling which is most recognisable as 'juggling'. Toss juggling is at once: a performing art, a sport, a form of exercise and meditation, a recreational pursuit and often is a hobby....
patterns have a reputation for being "easier done than said" – while it might be easy to learn a given maneuver and demonstrate it for others, it is often much harder to communicate the idea accurately using speech or plain text. To circumvent this problem, various numeric or diagram-based notation systems have been developed to facilitate communication of patterns or tricks between jugglers, as well the investigation and discovery of new patterns.
Diagram-based systems
While diagrams are the most visual and reader-friendly way to notate many juggling patterns, they rely on images, so are complicated to produce and unwieldy to share via text or speech.- Ladder diagrams - Each rung on the "ladder" represents a point in time (or "beat"). The juggled objects are represented as lines, their paths through time and between a pair of hands.
- Causal diagrams - Similar to the ladder diagram but doesn't show the props held in a juggler's hands. Instead it only shows each "problem" — an incoming prop — and what the juggler should do to make space in his or her hands to catch that incoming prop. It is usually used for club passingPassing (juggling)Passing is the act of juggling between more than one person. It is a very social part of juggling and is very impressive to watch. It is possible to pass with any juggling prop, but ball passing is fairly rare and club passing is very popular...
and can be displayed or edited in some juggling software. - Mills Mess State Transition Diagrams - Mills MessMills MessIn juggling, the Mills Mess is a popular toss juggling pattern, typically performed with three balls although the number and objects can be different...
is a popular pattern in which the arms cross and uncross. Mills Mess State Transition Diagrams can be used to track these basic arm movements.
Numeric systems
The following notation systems use only numbers and common characters. The patterns can easily be communicated by text. Most numeric systems are designed to be processed by software juggling simulators — for example, to view juggling patterns as computer animations.Siteswap
Developed by mathematically-inclined jugglers Bengt Magnusson and Bruce Boppo Tiemann in 1985, siteswapSiteswap
Siteswap is a notation used to describe juggling patterns. It encodes the number of beats of each throw, which is related to their height, and the hand to which the throw is to be made...
is by far the most common juggling notation. In its most basic form, "vanilla siteswap", it is very easy to use, as each pattern is reduced to a simple sequence of digits, such as "3", "97531" or "744". However, vanilla siteswap can notate only the most basic two-handed patterns.
For more slightly more complicated patterns, extra rules and syntax are added to create the following two siteswap extensions:
- Synchronous Siteswap, or "Synch" Siteswap. This is used to notate patterns where both hands throw at the same time, rather than alternating left and right hands.
- Multiplex Siteswap. "Multiplex", in the world of juggling, means "more than one ball is in the hand at the time of the throw". Multiplex Siteswap allows you to notate such patterns, and also can be mixed with synchronous siteswap.
Vanilla, synch, and multiplex siteswap are the "standard" forms of siteswap. Not only are they understood by jugglers, there are also many computer programs capable of animating juggling patterns entered in siteswap notation.
Other extensions to siteswap have been developed for specific purposes. These are far less common than the "standard" forms of siteswap, understood by far fewer jugglers and only specialized software.
- Passing siteswap - used for simple passing patterns.
- Multi-Hand Notation (MHN) - Developed by Ed Carstens for use with his juggling program JugglePro, MHN can describe patterns with any number of hands and at any rhythm, but use is limited due to its being as complex as a computer programming language.
- Generalized Siteswap (GS) - Developed by Ben Beever, GS places siteswap into a matrix that uses optional, additional rows to describe any desired attributes of the throws or catches within a pattern, such as timing issues (e.g. for synch patterns), number of spins (e.g. for clubs) and hand position/orientation (e.g. for backcrosses, claw catches etc.).
Beatmap
Beatmap is a new juggling notation system, developed in 2004 by Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
Luke Burrage is a British juggler, musician, entertainer and author. He was born in Kent though lived most of his life in the North East of England...
. While there are some similarities between beatmap and synch siteswap, there are also fundamental differences. The most important is that beatmap notates every "hand" on every beat during a pattern, unlike all forms of siteswap, which only notate each hand on every other beat. This means that beatmap can notate any number of hands and in any rhythm with no added complexity, unlike siteswap, which needs many extended sets of rules and syntax to be able to communicate the same patterns.
Beatmap notates not only each throw, but also the time and place of each catch. By including a simple indication of crossing and uncrossing arms, beatmap can notate Mills Mess
Mills Mess
In juggling, the Mills Mess is a popular toss juggling pattern, typically performed with three balls although the number and objects can be different...
–style patterns. Within beatmap it is also possible and easy to notate not only the balls in a pattern, but also the hands or arms of the juggler, as well as the position, location or orientation of the body of a juggler. Users claim that beatmap can more accurately describe more patterns than all ladder diagrams, causal diagrams, Mills Mess state transition diagrams, vanilla siteswap, synch siteswap, passing siteswap, and multi-hand notation combined.
So far use of beatmap has been very limited, as most jugglers and juggling software understand only variations of siteswap.
External links
- Juggling notation entry at The Internet Juggling Database
- Juggling notation interactive graphic at Boston.comBoston.comBoston.com is a regional website that offers news and information about Boston, Massachusetts and its surroundings. It claims to be one of the most visited regional websites in the United States....