Juggling notation: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:30, 11 May 2021

Latest revision as of 08:06, 4 January 2025

(One intermediate revision by one other user not shown)

Line 1:

{{redirectsredirect|Beatmap||drum pattern}}

[[File:Juggling 333 ladder alternate.svg|150px|thumb|Diagrams for the cascade pattern, siteswap: 3]]

[[File:Juggling Shannon's theorem Cascade.png|150px|thumb|[[Juggling#Mathematics|Shannon's theorem]] for the cascade pattern]]

'''Juggling notation''' is the written depiction of concepts and practices in [[juggling]].<ref name=newsci>{{cite journal|issue=2479 |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18424792.100 |title= New juggling tricks created by maths (archived, only accessible for paying subscribers)|date=December 25, 2004 |first=Erica |last=Klarreich |journal=[[New Scientist]] |access-date=August 29, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |access-date=August 29, 2009 |journal=[[Scientific American]] |url=http://www2.bc.edu/~lewbel/jugweb/sciamjug.pdf |date=November 1995 |volume=273 |issue=5 |pages=92–97 |title=The Science of Juggling |first1=Peter J. |last1=Beek |first2=Arthur |last2=Lewbel |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican1195-92 |bibcode=1995SciAm.273e..92B |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015074139/http://www2.bc.edu/~lewbel/jugweb/sciamjug.pdf |archive-date=October 15, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Toss juggling]] [[juggling pattern|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.

A juggling notation system (based on [[percussion notation|music notation]]) was first proposed by Dave Storer in 1978 and while the first juggling diagram (a ladder diagram), by [[Claude Shannon]] around 1981, was not printed till 2010, the first printed diagram and second oldest notation system were proposed by Jeff Walker in 1982.<ref name="Lewbel">Lewbel, Arthur (1996). "[http://www.juggle.org/history/archives/jugmags/49-2/v49no2-page%2057.htm The Academic Juggler: The Invention Of Juggling Notations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714182339/http://www.juggle.org/history/archives/jugmags/49-2/v49no2-page%2057.htm |date=2014-07-14 }}", ''Juggle.org''.</ref>

Line 25:

Developed by mathematically inclined jugglers Bengt Magnusson and Bruce "Boppo" Tiemann in 1985,<ref name=newsci/><ref name=nyt>{{cite news|last=Donahue |first=Bill |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/16/science/jugglers-now-juggle-numbers-to-compute-new-tricks-for-ancient-art.html |title=Jugglers Now Juggle Numbers to Compute New Tricks for Ancient Art |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=1996-04-16 |access-date=August 29, 2009}}</ref><ref name=maa>{{cite web|url=http://www.maa.org/reviews/mathjuggling.html |title=Read This: The Mathematics of Juggling |publisher=[[Mathematical Association of America]] |date=2003-12-03 |access-date=August 29, 2009 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016045559/http://www.maa.org/reviews/mathjuggling.html |archive-date=October 16, 2007 }}</ref> [[siteswap]] is by far the most common juggling notation.

A given juggling pattern is represented by a sequence of digits, like "333", "97531", or "744". Each digit represents the number of throws that occur by the time that same prop will be caught. For example, "333" represents a common three-ball [[cascade (juggling)|cascade]], where three props are thrown before the same prop will be caught and thrown again. Within the "531531" pattern, the prop thrown first, the '5' throw, will not be caught until five throws have been made, including itself, where it will be thrown again as a '1'. The prop thrown next, the '3', will be thrown again on the third throw afterwards, the next '3'. And the next prop is thrown with a '1' throw, which is a direct pass to the other hand and will be thrown on the very next throw as a '5'.

Because the number represents the number of throws that occur before that prop will be caught, it also can be thought to describe how high one throws the prop, or how long it remains in the air relative to the other throws, where even numbers inevitably come back to the same hand and odd numbers cross over to the other hand.

Line 34:

*''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. The numbers for the two throws are combined in parentheses and separated by a comma. For example, "(4,4)(4,4)(4,4)".

*''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. A multiplex is described by a digit for each prop in the multiplex throw contained within square brackets. "23[43]23[43]" is a common four ball multiplex.

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.

Line 48:

==External links==

*{{dmoz|Arts/Performing_Arts/Circus/Juggling/Notation_and_Theory/}}

{{Juggling}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Juggling Notation}}

[[Category:Notation]]