Some really cool guy who does audio programming (among other things, I presume?) that goes by the moniker 0xFE made this really sweet musical notation API called VexFlow. By using a text-based language called VexTab, you can make graphical music staves without needing images!

Why, look below here (make sure you're on my site in order to see the magic happen) and you'll see one:

tabstave
notes 3-5/6 2-3-5/5 2-4-5/4
The C major scale

You just use text to make the awesomeness up above, telling VexFlow what notes you want to see, and how they should be displayed. In short, I believe I might start using this to illustrate some musical ideas I have coming up.

So that this post actually has some original musical content, I'll leave the first 4 bars of Beloved, which is an original piece I wrote for Stringing You Along.

tabstave
notes :8 2/5 4/4 :q 4/3 :h 2v/3 |
notes :8 (2/2.2/3) (3/2.4/3) (2/2.2/3) 4/3 2/3 :q 4v/3 :8 2h4p2p0/3
tabstave
notes :8 2/5 4/4 :q 4/3 :h 2v/3 |
notes :8 (2/3.2/2.5/1) :q 2/1 :q 3/2 :16 2h3p2/2 :8 4/3 2/3
First four bars of 'Beloved'

The spacing and all is a little wonky, but it gets the general gist across. Hell, maybe I'll even fork it and improve it someday. Knowing I at least want to focus on musical programming makes it easier to swallow this whole return to personal development.