Thanks for that I hadn't seen the Jankó keyboard, although the purely physical fix doesn't deal with my bigger frustration that the accidentals and quirks of scale centric notation requires a huge investment in theory learning to learn Western music in more than one key... Having taught theory from scratch a couple of times as well as learned it, it's been a lifelong frustration that the same thing written a different way can be massively more complex even though the semi-tonal pattern is identical. I'd go as far as to say that the language and notation around scales actually obfuscates the patterns and then when you really understand the circle of 5ths you realise it's just a veneer and your mind can just translate it.

Really interesting reference. Will definitely read more into Jankó.

Interesting almost every pro musician I know uses the chord numbers to convey this information orally more than they use the note names. And when I did degree in jazz it was always focused on the numbers.

Musicians clearly understand the patterns, but it's beginners that I'm concerned with. After decades of study / practice most systems are workable.