The technology I chose to describe is notation. The purpose of this technique is to preserve music for the future. It also enables other musicians to recreate a piece of music. In the earlier days of music notation, it was able to accomplish this goal by using symbols called neumes to represent “single tones or groups of tones.” Ultimately, early music notation helped by offering “an outline of how the music might unfold.” Eventually, however, notation evolved to indicate pitch and rhythm to more deterministically outline how the music should sound.

In the present day, musicians are able to successfully recreate a piece of music by looking at modern notation. They can play it the way the composer intended. I have experience with this technology from my freshman year in high school. I used to be in the band and played the flute. We would look at music notation and play the indicated notes at the pitches and rhythms shown. I remember playing “Reflections on the Missouri River.” The notation included many lower-pitched notes with slow and connected phrases to enhance the sad story behind the composition. Today, almost all music is notated so that the composers’ legacies can continue even after their passing.