space-time notation

In music, a form of graph notation pioneered by Earle Brown in which notes are individually lengthened to give a precise visualization of relative durations. It involves the performer ‘reading time’ instead of counting beats, and is useful where musical time is measured chronometrically, as in Stockhausen's instrumental score for the electronic composition Kontakte/Contacts (1959–60).

It originates with piano-roll music, which is cut from an original paper roll representing pitches and durations by pencilled lines (see player piano).