I essentially need to learn the language as I write up the program
This is impossible, it is too complex.
i dont have time to sit there and learn the language then go into programming this.
Then you don't have time to do this project, how about taking up knitting?
which is why I have asked for help and not asked people to tell me to learn the language first.
But you said:-
But please understand, im not asking someone to do it for me,
It sounds to me like you are.
OK here is what you need to do:-
Connect a bunch of shift registers and run the shift library:-
http://www.elcojacobs.com/shiftpwm/
The rest is trivial.