I like SN (Standard Notation). I learned it later in life than I should have liked but, once I got used to it - and the more I used it - the easier it became to read and write.

I like the way that you can look at the clustering of notes vertically, the linear spacing, and the rise and fall of the harmonies, and "see" the tune as a kind of picture. I start by looking at the whole page and getting the feel of it, and then work through it.

My sight reading of SN on guitar is still slow, as I don't do it enough, but my sight reading on mandolin is reasonable. (Reading complex guitar chord names at sight is no problem at all - a legacy of playing jazz for years).

One of the things that speeded up my reading and writing in SN was the use of the computer software that I mentioned before - Harmony Assistant.