> Can the beginner's question be answered, except by saying, "uh, trust me, it's great, just keep practicing"?
Basically: not really.
Musical notation... notates a bunch of stuff, not only pitches.
Unless you have a basic understanding of all the factors involved in reading and writing music, you won't be able to understand the choices fully, and you'll have to accept them.
TLDR: music notation needs to express the five qualities of sound: pitch, duration, loudness, intention and timbre. You can't just look at pitch.
Basically: not really.
Musical notation... notates a bunch of stuff, not only pitches.
Unless you have a basic understanding of all the factors involved in reading and writing music, you won't be able to understand the choices fully, and you'll have to accept them.
TLDR: music notation needs to express the five qualities of sound: pitch, duration, loudness, intention and timbre. You can't just look at pitch.