reference.

book Page 1 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Reference

reference.book Page 2 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Edition 5.1
September 2007

Reference written by Daniel Spreadbury, Michael Eastwood, and Ben & Jonathan Finn.
See the About Sibelius dialog for a full list of the software development team and other credits.
We would like to thank all those (too numerous to list) who have provided helpful comments and
suggestions for Sibelius and its documentation.
Please email any suggestions for improvements to this Reference to docs@sibelius.com (but please
do not use this address for suggestions or queries about the Sibelius program itself see the separate
Latest information & technical help sheet for the correct address for your country).

Sibelius copyright Sibelius Software, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. and its licensors 1987
2007
Sibelius Reference copyright Sibelius Software, a division of Avid Technology, Inc.. 19922007
Published by Sibelius Software, The Old Toy Factory, 2023 City North, Fonthill Road, London
N4 3HF, UK
All rights reserved. This Reference may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, recording, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher. Although every care has been taken
in the preparation of this Reference, neither the publisher nor the authors can take responsibility for any loss or damage arising from any errors or omissions it may contain.
Sibelius, the Sibelius logo, Scorch, Flexi-time, Espressivo, Rubato, Rhythmic feel, Arrange, ManuScript, Virtual Manuscript Paper, House Style, SoundStage, Opus, Inkpen2, Helsinki, Reprise, magnetic, multicopy, Optical, Dynamic parts, SoundWorld, Panorama, the blue notes and double helix logos,
SibeliusMusic.com, SibeliusEducation.com, The fastest, smartest, easiest way to write music and 99% inspiration, 1% perspiration are all trademarks
or registered trademarks of Sibelius Software, a division of Avid Technology, Inc.. in the USA, UK and other countries. All other trademarks are
acknowledged as the property of their respective owners.

reference.book Page 3 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Contents
About this Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1 Inputting

1.1 Note input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.2 Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
1.3 Flexi-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
1.4 Scanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
1.5 Guitar tab input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
1.6 Selections and passages . . . . . . . . . . . .43
1.7 Input Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

2 Notations

55

2.1 Accidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

2.2 Articulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
2.3 Barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
2.4 Bars and bar rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
2.5 Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
2.6 Brackets and braces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
2.7 Chord diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
2.8 Clefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
2.9 Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
2.10 Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
2.11 Free rhythm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
2.12 Grace notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
2.13 Guitar notation and tab . . . . . . . . . .103
2.14 Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
2.15 Key signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
2.16 Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
2.17 Lute tablature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
2.18 Manuscript paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
2.19 Multirests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
2.20 Noteheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
2.21 Percussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
2.22 Slurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
2.23 Staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
2.24 Stems and leger lines . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
2.25 Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
2.26 Ties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
2.27 Time signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
2.28 Tremolos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
2.29 Triplets and other tuplets . . . . . . . . .160
2.30 Voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164

3 Text

169

3.1 Working with text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

3.2 Common text styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178

3.3 Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

3.4 Chord symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
3.5 Figured bass and Roman numerals . 199
3.6 Bar numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
3.7 Page numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
3.8 Rehearsal marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
3.9 Instrument names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
3.10 Edit Text Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
3.11 Wildcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
3.12 Font equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

4 Playback & video

231

4.1 Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

4.2 Interpretation of your score . . . . . . . . 235
4.3 Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
4.4 Sibelius Sounds Essentials . . . . . . . . . 249
4.5 Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
4.6 Repeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
4.7 Live Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
4.8 Playback dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
4.9 Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
4.10 Timecode and hit points . . . . . . . . . 292
4.11 Playback Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
4.12 MIDI for beginners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
4.13 Virtual instruments for beginners . 312
4.14 Working with virtual instruments . 319
4.15 MIDI messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
4.16 SoundWorld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

5 Power tools

335

5.1 Arrange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

5.2 Edit Arrange Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
5.3 Display settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
5.4 Filters and Find . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
5.5 Focus on Staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
5.6 Hiding objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
5.7 Highlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
5.8 Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
5.9 Menus and shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
5.10 Panorama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
5.11 Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
5.12 Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
5.13 Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
5.14 Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
5.15 SibeliusEducation.com . . . . . . . . . . . 450
3

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Contents
5.16 SibeliusMusic.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
5.17 Transposing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
5.18 Undo and Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
5.19 View menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
5.20 Window menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
5.21 Worksheet Creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
5.22 Adding your own worksheets . . . . . 471

6 Dynamic parts

477

6.1 Working with parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6.2 Editing parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.3 Multiple Part Appearance . . . . . . . . .
6.4 Extracting parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7 Layout & engraving

497

7.1 Layout and formatting . . . . . . . . . . . .

7.2 Music engraving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.3 Auto Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.4 Breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.5 Document Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.6 Attachment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.7 House Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.8 Note spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.9 Staff spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.10 Music fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.11 Default Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.12 Edit Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

479
484
489
493
499
503
508
512
517
521
524
528
532
535
539
543

7.13 Edit Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .553

7.14 Edit Noteheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .555
7.15 Edit Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .557
7.16 Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .559

8 Files

561

8.1 Working with files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .563

8.2 Sharing files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .566
8.3 Splitting and joining scores . . . . . . . .568
8.4 Importing graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .570
8.5 Opening MIDI files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .572
8.6 Opening MusicXML files . . . . . . . . . .577
8.7 Opening Finale 98-2003 files . . . . . . .582
8.8 Opening SCORE files . . . . . . . . . . . . . .586
8.9 Opening Acorn Sibelius files . . . . . . .589
8.10 Opening files from previous versions 591
8.11 Exporting graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . .593
8.12 Exporting MIDI files . . . . . . . . . . . . .599
8.13 Exporting audio files . . . . . . . . . . . . .601
8.14 Exporting Scorch web pages . . . . . .603
8.15 Exporting to previous versions . . . .608
8.16 ASCII tab files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .610

Glossary

613

Index

625

License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .650

reference.book Page 5 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

About this Reference

About this Reference

This Reference is a comprehensive guide to all of Sibeliuss features. For explanations of Sibeliuss
more basic features, and when familiarizing yourself with the program, you will probably find it
easier to refer to your Handbook, or your Upgrading to Sibelius 5 booklet if you have upgraded
from a previous version of Sibelius.
The Reference comes both on-screen, and as an optional printed book, which you can buy from
Sibelius or your countrys distributor (www.sibelius.com/buy). Both forms of the Reference are
identical.

Chapters and topics

Sibeliuss Reference is divided into seven chapters containing smaller topics. You will find a list of
all these topics in the Contents, however you will probably find the Index even more useful for
finding information on specific areas of the program. The Glossary explains musical and technical terms.

On-screen reference
To start the on-screen Reference, click the toolbar button shown on the right, or choose
Help > Sibelius Reference (shortcut F1 or X?).
Whichever application your computer uses to view PDF files will open on Windows this is normally Adobe Reader, and on Mac it is normally Preview and the on-screen Reference will
appear. To navigate the on-screen Reference, you can use the bookmarks and Edit > Find features
built in to Adobe Reader and Preview.
Bookmarks are like a table of contents that you can have open beside the document youre reading, allowing you to jump to any chapter, topic, or even sub-heading in the Reference. To show
bookmarks:
* In Adobe Reader, choose View > Navigation Panels > Bookmarks; a panel like that shown

below left will appear at the left of your screen

* In Preview on Mac, choose View > Drawer; a panel like that shown below right will slide out of
the right-hand side of the window.

reference.book Page 6 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Reference
To search within the on-screen Reference, use the Edit > Find feature, or alternatively:
* In Adobe Reader, you can simply type into the Find box on the toolbar shown below left, then

use the next and previous result buttons to skip forwards and backwards
* In Preview on Mac, you can type into the Search box in the drawer, shown below right, then
click in the list of results to skip forwards and backwards.

Cross-references
b 2.5 Beams means see the Beams topic within chapter 2 of Reference.
v Starting a new score means choose Help > Tutorial Videos and watch the Starting a
new score video.

Refer to the separate Handbook for details of other typography and terminology used.

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Inputting

1. Inputting

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1. Inputting

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1.1 Note input

b 1.3 Flexi-time, 1.5 Guitar

tab input, 2.1 Accidentals, 2.2 Articulations,

2.5 Beams, 2.12 Grace notes, 2.20 Noteheads, 2.24 Stems and leger lines,
2.28 Tremolos, 2.29 Triplets and other tuplets, 2.30 Voices, 7.8 Note spacing.

v Note input, Finding your way around.

There are five ways of creating and editing notes, chords and rests:
* Mouse input see below
* Alphabetic and step-time input see below
* Flexi-time input b 1.3 Flexi-time
* Importing files from other music programs (e.g. MIDI files, Finale and SCORE files, etc.)
b 8.5 Opening MIDI files, 8.6 Opening MusicXML files, 8.7 Opening Finale 98-

2003 files, 8.8 Opening SCORE files, 8.9 Opening Acorn Sibelius files, 8.16 ASCII
tab files
* Scanning printed music b 1.4 Scanning.
Most of these are introduced in the Handbook. This topic is a detailed summary of mouse, steptime and alphabetic input.

Alphabetic and step-time input

Alphabetic (computer keyboard) and step-time (MIDI keyboard) input are perhaps the most efficient ways of writing your music in Sibelius, because you can create other objects (such as time
signatures, key changes and text) as you go along.
To start off alphabetic or step-time input:
* Select a rest (you can also select anything else, such as a text object or a line, which will start
*
*
*

writing notes at that point)

Choose Notes > Input Notes (shortcut N). This makes the caret (a vertical line, colored according to the voice in which youre inputting) appear.
Choose a note value from the Keypad (unless the note value you want is already selected)
If you like, choose other markings on the Keypad:
% Accidentals from the first/fifth layout (not required for step-time input)
% Articulations from the first/fourth layout
% Ties and rhythm dots from the first/second layout (double dots are on the second layout)
% Grace notes and cue notes from the second layout
% Tremolos and beaming from the third layout
All of these buttons stay pressed down for successive notes until you re-choose them, with the
exception of the accidentals on the first and fifth Keypad layouts. This means you can (say)
input several notes with the same articulation.

Inputting

1.1 Note input

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1. Inputting
* You can choose buttons from more than one layout at once theyll all be applied to the note/

*
*
*

chord when you input it. (Cycle through the different Keypad layouts using the + key; F8 on
Windows and on Mac returns you to the first layout.)
Then input the note by:
% typing AG or R (which repeats the previous note/chord, with any alterations made on the
Keypad); or
% playing a note/chord on your MIDI keyboard
To input a rest of the selected note value, simply hit 0 on the F8 Keypad layout. (To continue
creating rests of the same note value, keep hitting 0.)
To input a complete bar rest, hit 0 on the F9 Keypad layout.
Go back to the first step to input the next note/chord.

There are some things you can do to the note you have just input and before you create the next,
which are:
* To correct a mistake, you can adjust the pitch of a note you have input afterwards with 3 or 2;
hold down Ctrl or X to change the pitch by an octave
* To build up a chord using alphabetic input, input one note of the chord, then add further note-

heads using one of these methods:

% hold down Shift and type the letter-name of the pitch you want to add above, so to add a G#,
first type 8 on the first Keypad layout to select the sharp, then type Shift-G to add the note;
or
% type a number 19 (from the main keyboard, not the keypad) to add a note of that interval
above the current note, so to add a note a sixth above, type 6; Shift-19 adds notes below the
current note, so Shift-4 adds a note a fourth below the current note. (Usefully, this also
works for selected passages, e.g. to create octaves); or
% choose the appropriate option from the Notes > Add Pitch or Notes > Add Interval submenus, although its much quicker to use the keyboard shortcuts described above
* To add a tie, hit Enter on the numeric keypad after inputting the note
* To create a tuplet, type Ctrl+29 or X29 (or choose Create > Tuplet) after inputting the first
note of the tuplet
* To respell a note enharmonically (e.g. from a MIDI keyboard), choose Notes > Respell Accidental (shortcut Return on the main keyboard) after inputting it.

Useful keys
A number of other useful keypresses are at your fingertips when creating notes:
* If you make a mistake, hit Delete or Backspace, which deletes the note and selects the preced-

ing one.
(What exactly happens when you delete a note is subtly different depending on the context of
your music: if you delete a note, it is converted to a rest of identical duration; if you delete a rest
or a bar rest, the caret moves past it, leaving it unchanged; if you delete all the notes of a tuplet,
the tuplet bracket/number is selected delete that, and it is replaced with a rest of the duration
of the entire tuplet.)
10

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1.1 Note input

* You can also use 0/1 to move between notes and rests

*
*
*

2, merging it with any notes that may already be in that voice

To add a time signature in the course of creating notes, type T and choose it from the dialog,
then hit Return or click OK to create it at the beginning of the next bar
To add a key change, type K and choose the required key signature from the dialog, then hit
Return or click OK to create it in your score directly after the current note
To add text, type the usual shortcut (e.g. Ctrl+E or XE for Expression text), then type the
required text; type Esc to go back to creating notes. Text is created at its default position above
or below the staff, at the same horizontal position as the note that was selected before creating
it.
You can also add any other object from the Create menu during note input. Symbols and chord
diagrams, for example, all appear at their default position above or below the staff at the same
horizontal position as the selected note.
For lines (especially slurs and hairpins), its only practical to input ones lasting for two notes
without stopping note input temporarily; this is because the right-hand end of the line needs a
note to attach to, and you typically wont have entered that note yet. Hence its usually easiest to
go back and add lines after inputting a phrase or so of notes.
Esc terminates note input (the caret disappears).

Mouse input
Mouse input is essentially the same as step-time and alphabetic input, except that there should be
nothing selected before you start (hit Esc to deselect):
* Choose Notes > Input Notes (shortcut N); the mouse pointer changes color (typically it goes
*

*
*

dark blue, to denote voice 1)

Choose a note value from the first Keypad layout; you can also choose accidentals, articulations
etc. from other Keypad layouts (see above). To create a rest, choose the rest button from the
first layout.
As you move the pointer over the score, a gray shadow note appears, to show where the note will
be created when you click. As you move the pointer vertically over the staff, leger lines are
drawn as necessary; as you move horizontally through the bar, the shadow note snaps to the different beats of the bar (this behavior is configurable see Note input options below). Usefully, the shadow note also shows the notehead type of the note youre about to create.
To input the note, simply click where you want to create it
A caret (a vertical line) appears in the score to the right of the note you just created if you like,
you could now start creating notes in step-time or using alphabetic input, but to continue adding notes with the mouse, simply continue clicking in the score to create more notes, changing
the note value and other properties of the note on the Keypad when necessary. To build up a
chord, simply click above or below the note you just created. If you create a note elsewhere in
the bar, then go back and click above or below an existing note to try and make a chord, Sibelius
will delete whatever was there before and create a new note at that position.
11

Inputting

* You can swap the selected note(s) into another voice by typing Alt+1/2/3/4 or z1/2/3/4; so
you could select one note of a chord in voice 1 and, say, type Alt+2 or z2 to move it into voice

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1. Inputting
* If you input a long note at the start of a bar, and then add a note later in the bar, before the end

of the long note at the start of the bar, Sibelius will replace the first note with rests by default,
but can alternatively create the new note in voice 2 if you prefer switch on Use voice 2 when
rhythms conflict on the Mouse page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac)
* To input a rest, click the rest button (or type 0) on the first Keypad layout, then click in the
score
* You dont have to input strictly from left to right with mouse input you can hop about the
score and click to input notes anywhere.

Re-inputting pitches
Its often very useful to be able to change the pitches of a sequence of notes/chords without re-creating their rhythm. The main use of this is where youre writing for several instruments that have
the same rhythm but different pitches you can just copy one instruments music across, and
then re-input the pitches. You can change the pitch of individual notes using the mouse or the 3/
2 keys, or letters A-G, or by playing a note on your MIDI keyboard, but if you want to re-input a
whole passage:
* Select a note from which you want to start re-inputting pitches (either with the mouse, or by

reaching it with the arrow keys)

* Choose Notes > Re-input Pitches (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+I or xXI)
* A dotted caret appears (rather than the normal solid line), which tells you that Sibelius will
*
*
*
*

*
*
*
*

overwrite the existing pitches, but not their rhythms

Type AG, or play the new note (or chord) on your MIDI keyboard
Sibelius changes the pitch of the first note, then selects the next note (skipping over any rests
and grace notes that may precede it) so you can change its pitch right away
If you need to change the enharmonic spelling of a note after you have changed its pitch, just
choose Notes > Respell Accidental (shortcut Return on the main keyboard) to respell it
When re-inputting pitches using the computer keyboard you must type any accidentals and
articulations after the note-name, not before (unlike when inputting notes or editing individual
notes)
If you dont want to change a particular note, hit 0 on the keypad to move onto the next one
To turn an existing note into a rest, hit 1 to select it without changing its pitch, then hit 0 on the
first Keypad layout (shortcut F8)
To turn an existing rest into a note, use 0/1 to move onto the rest, then input the pitch you
want
When you have finished, choose Notes > Re-input Pitches again, or hit Esc to return to editing
your music, or type N to start inputting more notes.

While re-inputting pitches you can also build chords from existing notes in just the same way as
when inputting notes: select a note and either type Shift-AG, or type 19 or Shift-19 on the
main keyboard see Alphabetic and step-time input above.

Editing note values, accidentals, articulations, etc.

* Select a note, chord or rest (either with the mouse, or by reaching it with the arrow keys)

12

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1.1 Note input

* To change the note value, just choose the new note value on the first or second Keypad layout.

Notes > Respell Accidental (shortcut Return on the main keyboard) respells an accidental
only normally required after step-time/Flexi-time input or when editing a MIDI file youve
imported.

Note input options

The Note Input page of the File > Preferences dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac) has various
note input options:

* Step-time Chords: this setting is for step-time input, especially via MIDI guitar, and deter-

mines how quickly or slowly you have to strum in order for Sibelius to interpret the notes you
play as a chord rather than a series of individual notes. By default the slider is set quite a long
way towards Tight, which is an appropriate setting for inputting via MIDI keyboard (where
typically chords are not particularly spread), so if you use a MIDI guitar, you should try setting
the slider further towards Loose to find the optimal position for your playing style.
* Transposing Staves: when using MIDI to play in music written at transposed pitch, its useful
to set this option to Input written pitches so you wont have to transpose at sight; the default
is Input sounding pitches see Transposing instruments on page 111

13

Inputting

If the new note value is longer than the old one, subsequent notes will be replaced by appropriate rests; if the new note value is shorter than the old one, rests are created to pad out the original note value.
* To change other note properties, such as accidentals or articulations, just choose the appropriate Keypad button, and it will instantly edit the note (e.g. click # or type 8 to make a note
sharp).

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1. Inputting
* Percussion Staves: you can input notes onto drum staves with your MIDI keyboard using

either the actual keys on your keyboard that produce the correct sound, or using the pitches
defined in the instrument definition of the chosen staff b 2.21 Percussion
* The two Editing options allow you to choose whether or not Sibelius should Play notes as you
edit (e.g. when you input, select or edit notes), and whether or not Sibelius should Restore
original item after single-bar selections. If this option is switched off, Sibelius will only
restore the original time signature, key signature or clef at the end of a selection if it is longer
than one bar.
* For details of the guitar tab fingering options, b 1.5 Guitar tab input.
* Omit Wrong Notes: these options allow you to prevent Sibelius from notating very short, or
very high or low, or very quiet notes when inputting from a MIDI keyboard or MIDI guitar:
% Pitches between x and y: this option is switched off by default (because it would be an
inappropriate setting for other MIDI input devices, such as keyboards), but if you are inputting using a MIDI guitar, you may want to switch this option on and adjust the lower and
upper notes you actually intend to be notated. Notes outside this range are ignored.
% Notes with velocities higher than x: to avoid any very quiet notes being notated unintentionally, adjust the minimum velocity. Try playing notes as softly as you can on your guitar;
when the note has a high enough velocity to pass the threshold, the little black indicator in
the dialog will light up. Set this number such that the softest note you are likely to play will be
notated.
% Notes longer than x ticks: to avoid very short notes being notated unintentionally, adjust
the minimum length. 256 ticks = 1 quarter note (crotchet), so the default value of 10 ticks is
a little shorter than a 64th note (hemidemisemiquaver). If this seems to you like the kind of
note value you never think youd write, set this value to be higher.

Hiding notes
You may want to hide notes that nonetheless play back, e.g. a realization of an ornament. Select
the note(s) you want to hide and choose Edit > Hide or Show > Hide (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or
xXH). Any accidental, articulation, stem or beam associated with that note is also automatically
hidden. For more information on hiding notes, b 5.6 Hiding objects.

Turning into rests

To turn a note, chord or passage into rests, simply hit Delete, or choose the rest button (shortcut
0) on the first Keypad layout.
The subtle difference between Delete and 0 is that when turning a passage into rests, Delete consolidates the rests (i.e. groups them into conveniently-sized larger rests or bar rests), whereas 0
just turns each note into an individual rest (which is less useful). For more information on bar
rests, b 2.4 Bars and bar rests.
If you end up with one or more bars that contain only rests of various denominations, you can
turn them back into a bar rest by selecting the bar or passage (so it is enclosed in a light blue box)
and hitting Delete.

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1.1 Note input

Moving rests
For music in one voice you shouldnt have to adjust the vertical position of rests, as the position
Sibelius uses is absolutely standard. However, in multiple voices you should adjust the vertical
position as necessary to allow room for the other voice(s). Sibelius automatically displaces rests
up or down a bit when in multiple voices, but feel free to adjust this.

Hidden rests
If you hit Delete when a rest is selected, it becomes hidden; the gap it occupied remains, and the
music in other staves in the system is aligned as if the rest is still there. If View > Hidden Objects
is switched on (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+H or zXH), the rest will be visible on the screen in light gray.
You can actually delete a rest altogether, by selecting a hidden rest and hitting Delete again, but
there is usually no good reason to do this.
You shouldnt hide rests without a good reason, because it makes the length of the bar look incorrect, which can be confusing if you are careless. However, two good reasons for hiding a rest are:
* To make a voice disappear before the end of a bar or appear after the start. If you hide unwanted

rests in (say) voice 2, the music will revert to being in one voice (with stems both up and down)
b 2.30 Voices.
* In order to replace it with a symbol or a line representing some effect that cant be indicated
with notes. For instance, you could notate taped sound-effects in a modern score by hiding a
rest of the required length and putting a wiggly line in its place.

15

Inputting

You can move rests up/down with the mouse or arrow keys, just like notes.

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1. Inputting

1.2 Keypad
b 1.1 Note input, 2.30 Voices, 5.14 Properties.

The Keypad mirrors on the screen the arrangement of keys on your computers numeric keypad.
It shows and lets you edit the characteristics of the selected note(s), chord(s) or rest(s), or of the
note you are about to create if you are using alphabetic or step-time input.
To hide or show the Keypad, choose Window > Keypad (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+K or zXK).

Keypad layouts
The Keypad has five layouts (see below), which you can switch between as follows:
* click on the tabs at the top of the Keypad; or

on the Keypad to cycle through the layouts in order (shortcut +), and click
to the first Keypad layout (shortcut F8, also Shift-+ on Windows or on Mac); or
* type F8F12 to view the five Keypad layouts.
* click

to return

Youll spend most of your time working with the first Keypad layout, which contains the common
note values and accidentals, but here are all five layouts, for reference:

Common notes (F8)

More notes (F9)

Beams/tremolos (F10) Articulation (F11)

Accidentals (F12)

* The first two Keypad layouts are concerned with inputting and editing notes; ties (not slurs) are

*
*
*

16

created using the Enter key on the F8 layout; cue notes are created using the Enter key on the
F9 layout. Note that the dot on the * key (/ on Mac) is a staccato articulation, and the dot on the
. (decimal point) key is a rhythm dot.
Very short and very long note values, and double and triple rhythm dots, are created on the F9
layout b 1.1 Note input
The third Keypad layout (shortcut F10) concerns itself with editing beams (b 2.5 Beams) and
creating tremolos and buzz rolls (b 2.28 Tremolos)
The fourth Keypad layout (shortcut F11) is for adding articulations; notice the three blank
spaces at the top of the layout, to which you can assign your own on stem articulations
b 2.2 Articulations
The fifth Keypad layout (shortcut F12) is for adding myriad accidentals b 2.1 Accidentals.

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1.2 Keypad

Viewing and editing note characteristics

When you select a note, the Keypad shows you the characteristics of the selection. E.g. when you
select a quarter note (crotchet) in your score, the quarter note button on the first Keypad layout
lights up. Likewise, selecting a dotted quarter note rest will make the quarter note, rest and
rhythm dot buttons on the Keypad light up.
To switch a particular Keypad characteristic on or off for the selected object, you can either:
* click the icon with the mouse; or
* hit the corresponding key on your numeric keypad.

If you are, say, looking at the first Keypad layout, and want to change the selected note into a half
note (minim), you could simply type 5 on the numeric keypad. To add a tie, you could hit Enter
on the numeric keypad, and so on. Similarly, to remove a tie, select the note on which the tie
begins and hit Enter. You can add and remove characteristics from any of the Keypad layouts in
this way so if you wanted to add a fermata (pause) to your half note (minim), you could simply
hit F11 (to reach the fourth Keypad layout), then hit 1 on the numeric keypad to add the fermata.
If a note has characteristics that are not on the currently selected Keypad layout, the tabs for the
relevant Keypad layouts will also be illuminated in blue to show you. For example, if you are looking at the first Keypad layout and select a quarter note that has a quarter-flat and a fermata
(pause), the fourth and fifth Keypad layout tabs will also be illuminated.

Voices
The row of buttons at the bottom of the Keypad is for specifying the voice of notes and staffattached text and lines b 2.30 Voices.

Extra shortcuts for Keypad functions

Though there is a simple and obvious correlation between the items on the on-screen Keypad and
the numeric keypad on your computer keyboard, you can also assign additional keyboard shortcuts to specific items on the Keypad. For example, if you wanted to assign a specific shortcut to the
fermata (pause) on the fourth Keypad layout so that you do not have to hit F11 (to switch to the
appropriate layout) followed by 1 on the numeric keypad (to add the fermata), but can instead
type a single shortcut regardless of the current Keypad layout you can do so, as follows:
* Choose File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac) and go to the Menus and Shortcuts

page
* Having chosen your own feature set in which to create your new shortcut, choose Keypad (F11
articulations) from the Menu or Category list
* In the Feature list, choose Fermata (pause), then click Add to add your own keyboard shortcut.
For further help with defining your own keyboard shortcuts, b 5.9 Menus and shortcuts.

17

Inputting

The 0 key is appropriately used for non-things either rests or for removing all articulations/
accidentals.

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1. Inputting

Accessing numeric keypad functions on a notebook (laptop)

Most notebook (laptop) computers do not have separate numeric keypads. Keypad functions can
be accessed on many notebooks by holding down a key marked Fn together with other keys on the
keyboard. This will work, but Sibelius also has some alternative shortcuts built in, which differ on
Windows and Mac
Windows: use the supplied Notebook (laptop) feature set. Instead of using the numbers on the
keypad, you can use the standard numbers on the main keyboard which will correspond to the
same numbers on the keypad. When this feature set is in use, use Shift-1 to Shift-9 to enter intervals above a note b 5.9 Menus and shortcuts.
Mac: hold down z in conjunction with the keys shown in the diagram on the left to
produce the corresponding keypad keypresses. Not all Keypad buttons have alternative shortcuts; for those you will need to use the Fn key (if available), or click the Keypad on the screen using your mouse.

Using the Keypad on Mac OS X

By default, Mac OS X assigns the keys F9, F10 and F11 to the Expos feature, and F12 to the
Dashboard feature, which means that you may get unexpected results when using these shortcuts
to change between different Keypad layouts in Sibelius.
Use the Dashboard and Expos pane in System Preferences to reassign the Expos and Dashboard shortcuts to other function keys (e.g. F2, F3, F4 and F5).

18

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1.3 Flexi-time

Inputting

1.3 Flexi-time
b 1.1 Note input.
v Note input.

Flexi-time is Sibeliuss unique intelligent real-time MIDI input system.

Real-time input
Real-time input on other computer programs is when the program tries to work out both the pitch
and the rhythm of music played on a MIDI keyboard, and turn it into clean notation.
The big problem is rhythm: people never play rhythms quite as notated because of unconscious
rubato (variation in speed), so real-time input can easily end up with notes tied to extra 64thnotes (hemidemisemiquavers) and other ridiculous things.
A standard improvement is produced by quantization: this is where you tell a program to round
all note values to the nearest sixteenth-note (semiquaver), or whatever unit you specify. The trouble is that this only improves the situation for relatively simple music and if you speed up or slow
down as you play, the computer will get out of time with you in any case and produce garbage.
With Flexi-time, however, Sibelius detects if youre doing rubato and compensates accordingly. It
quantizes automatically theres no need to specify a quantization unit and uses a smart algorithm that varies the quantization according to context. For instance, when you play short notes,
Sibelius will quantize with a shorter unit than when you play long notes.
Even more usefully, thanks to its Live Playback feature, Sibelius separates the printed notation
from the nuances of your recorded performance. This means that playback of music you have
entered in Flexi-time can precisely match what you played right down to the tiny variations in
the length and dynamic of each note while the notation will be clear and uncluttered.

Recording with Flexi-time

* Although you can change the time signature after inputting music, we recommend

*
*
*

that you put the correct time signature in first, so that the metronome click indicates
beats correctly
Click a bar, note or rest from which to start recording, or:
% If you want to record into two adjacent staves (e.g. a piano), select both staves using click then
Shift-click
% If youre just recording from the start of a score for one instrument, you dont need to select
anything first as its obvious where youre recording from
Click the red record button on the Playback window, or choose Notes > Flexi-time (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+F or xXF)
Sibelius will start ticking a metronome to count you in. It gives you one full bar of clicks (by
default) wait for this before you start playing!
You can adjust the recording speed by dragging the tempo slider; the tempo readout on the toolbar changes as you drag the slider. (If you want to record more slowly, start recording, adjust the

19

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1. Inputting
tempo slider to the desired point, then hit Space to stop, and start recording again Sibelius will
remember the tempo you set.)
* Start playing at the keyboard, following the click (at least approximately). As you play, the
music youre playing will appear in notation on the screen.
If you speed up or slow down, the metronome speeds up or slows down to follow you, as long as
youre not too violent with the tempo.
* When youve finished recording, hit Space to stop.
If you add more music with Flexi-time on a different staff or staves, Sibelius plays back the existing music as you record (overdubbing).
If you want to add another melody to the same staff, you can record into one of the other voices
see Voices below.

Click settings
The settings for the metronome click you hear during Flexi-time recording are controlled via the
Window > Mixer window (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+M or M on Mac), or you can access some of them
from the Click button on the Notes > Flexi-time Options dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+O or
xXO).
By default, the click marks the first beat of the bar with a high woodblock sound, and then subsequent beats with a low woodblock. In compound time signatures such as 6/8, it also subdivides
the beat into eighth notes (quavers). For complex time signatures such as 7/8, the default behavior
is to emphasize the beginning of each beat group.
For more information on these settings, b 4.3 Mixer.

Hints
* Listen to Sibeliuss countdown beats, and start in time with them! If you start too soon, or at a
*
*
*

20

different tempo from the countdown, Sibelius will not understand what youre up to.
If you have difficulty recording two staves of music at once, try recording them one at a time.
Play legato (smoothly).
If you want music to be notated with staccatos, make sure the Staccato option is switched on
in Notes > Flexi-Time Options. If this option is switched off then playing staccato will produce
short note values with rests.
People are often sloppy about placing notes simultaneously when playing a chord. If you spread
chords significantly, Sibelius will write out what you played literally rather than (say) adding a
vertical wiggly line.
Sibelius can pick up changes of tempo extremely quickly one beat faster than a human can, in
fact! However, if you make too violent a change of tempo Sibelius wont understand what you
mean. So avoid making sudden tempo changes during recording.
If Sibeliuss beat gets out with you as youre playing, stop and go back to the point where it got
out. If you just blunder on regardless, Sibelius may well get back in time again, but correcting
the rhythm will take far longer than just playing it in again.

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1.3 Flexi-time

Inputting into two instruments

You can input into two staves of different instruments if you like such as Flute and Bassoon so
long as theyre adjacent (and there are no staves in between that have merely been hidden from
the system in question). Just like inputting into a piano, click the upper staff, then Shift-click the
lower staff so both are selected, and start recording as normal.

Recording other MIDI data

When recording via Flexi-time, Sibelius records MIDI controller data along with the notes. For
example, if you use a sustain pedal when inputting via Flexi-time, Sibelius will notate the appropriate MIDI messages and automatically hide them in the score. Other MIDI controller data that
can be recorded include pitch bend, modulation, volume, etc.
If you would prefer these MIDI messages not to be recorded when using Flexi-time input, switch
off the appropriate options on the Notation page of the Notes > Flexi-time Options dialog see
Flexi-time options below.

Live Playback
By default, Sibelius plays back music you have inputted using Flexi-time using Live Playback,
which retains the nuances of your recording (specifically, the precise dynamic and timing of each
note). You can also edit this performance in complete detail. If you want to hear the music exactly
as it is notated instead, switch off Play > Live Playback (shortcut Shift-L).
For more information, b 4.7 Live Playback.

Flexi-time options
To change the various Flexi-time options, choose Notes > Flexi-time Options (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+O or xXO):

On the Flexi-time tab are the following options:

* Flexibility of tempo: controls how Sibelius follows your speed. If youre used to playing to a

click, set this to None (non rubato), and Sibelius will keep a fixed tempo. The higher you set
21

Inputting

* If you find that Flexi-time produces complicated notation and you want to simplify it, try the
plug-ins in the Plug-ins > Simplify Notation folder, especially Renotate Performance
b 5.11 Plug-ins.

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1. Inputting

*
*
*
*

the flexibility, the more Sibelius is inclined to follow your tempo. If you find Sibelius seems to
be changing tempo oddly, its finding you hard to follow, so reduce the flexibility or set it to
None (non rubato).
Introduction ... bars: determines how many bars introduction will be played when you start
recording
Record up to ... bars: if there arent many bars left in the score for you to record into, this automatically adds enough bars when you start recording
The Click button takes you directly to the dialog that determines the behavior of the metronome click during recording b 4.3 Mixer.
Voices options:
% Record into one voice allows you to specify a single voice to use for your Flexi-time recording
% Record into multiple voices is an alternative to specifying a single voice: when switched
on, Sibelius will automatically split the music into two voices where appropriate; see Voices
below.
Replace and Overdub control what Sibelius does if you record over a passage that already contains music: if set to Replace, Sibelius will clear the existing music before notating the new
music you play; if set to Overdub, Sibelius will add the new music you record to the existing
music to make chords.
Internal MIDI time stamps: if you have a computer with dual processors or a hyper-threading
processor, you may find that the rhythm of the notated music becomes increasingly inaccurate
as recording continues. If you encounter this problem, switch on this option (Windows only).

On the Notation tab are these options:

* Note Values options:
% Adjust rhythms makes Sibelius clean up what youre playing. Leave this on!
% Minimum note value: this sets the shortest note value Sibelius will write. This is not a

quantization unit Sibelius quantizes using a complex algorithm that varies with context. As
a consequence, this value isnt enforced rigidly; it acts as a guide. If you set this to (say) quarter note (crotchet) but then play 16th notes (semiquavers), Sibelius has to notate notes
shorter than quarter notes, or youll end up with junk.
% Notate: these are options to notate staccato and tenuto; if you are confident of playing the
articulation exactly as you want it to be notated, switch these on. If you find lots of spurious
staccato or tenuto articulations in your score after inputting with Flexi-time, switch them off,
or adjust the When shorter/longer than thresholds (representing the percentage of the
notated note value) beyond which these articulations are notated.
% Remove rests between notes on drum staves: switched on by default. this option joins
up shorter notes to remove superfluous rests in drum parts.
* Keyboard Staves: when inputting onto two staves, the split point determines which notes go
into each staff (notes on or above the split point go into the top staff, and notes below go into
the bottom staff). If you choose Automatic, Sibelius will guess where your hands are on the
keyboard at any time and assign notes to staves accordingly. Alternatively, you can specify your
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1.3 Flexi-time

Our recommended Flexi-time options are the default values, as follows: Adjust rhythms on,
Minimum note value sixteenth-note (semiquaver), Flexibility of tempo set to Low, Staccato
and Tenuto on with thresholds of 35% and 110% respectively. For tuplets, set 3 to Simple or
Moderate, maybe 6 as well, and the others to None unless youre into playing things like septuplets.

Recording transposing pitch

In the Note Input page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac), switch on the Input
written pitches option if youre recording by playing the written notes from a transposing score;
otherwise, Sibelius assumes youre playing notes at sounding pitch.

Spelling of accidentals
As with step-time input, Sibelius guesses how you want to spell black notes (e.g. as F# or Gb), but
you can alter the spelling of any note or selection of notes afterwards just by hitting Return (on
the main keyboard), or by using one of the accidental plug-ins (b 5.11 Plug-ins).

Voices
As you record, by default Sibelius splits the notes into two voices if necessary (e.g. if you play polyphonic music such as a fugue). In most cases this is desirable, but if you are inputting onto a single
staff or monophonic instrument you may prefer to force Sibelius to notate the music in a single
voice or a specified voice. You can change this setting in the Notes > Flexi-time Options dialog
(see above).
Although Sibelius generally makes good decisions about how to split the music you play into separate voices, you may need to go back and edit certain passages to make the notation more closely
fit your intentions. You could, for example, filter out the bottom note in voice 1 chords
(b 5.4 Filters and Find) and then, say, swap them into voice 2 by typing Alt+2 or z2 see
Splitting voices in b 2.30 Voices for more details.

23

Inputting

own Fixed split point. (Note that in Sibelius, middle C is called C4 which may be different
from how it is described in other music programs.)
* Tuplets: for each of the tuplets listed, you can set Sibelius to detect None/Simple/Moderate/
Complex ones. A simple triplet (say) means one with three equal notes. For tuplets such as a
quarter note (crotchet) followed by an eighth note (quaver), use Moderate, and for tuplets with
rests or dotted rhythms, use Complex.
* MIDI Messages options:
% Keep program/bank messages adds any program and bank changes to the score using
Sibeliuss MIDI message text format. These messages are automatically hidden.
% Keep controller messages similarly adds all controller messages (such as pitch bend, sustain pedal, channel volume, etc.) and hides them in the score.
% Keep other messages similarly adds any other MIDI messages to the score.

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1. Inputting

1.4 Scanning
INTRODUCTION
PhotoScore Lite from Neuratron is a music scanning program designed to work with Sibelius
the musical equivalent of a text OCR (optical character recognition) program.
It is a sophisticated program with many advanced features. If you intend to scan relatively complex scores such as orchestral/band music, or scores of many pages, we strongly recommend that
you start with more simple music until you are proficient with PhotoScore Lite, and then familiarize yourself with the ADVANCED FEATURES section.

On-screen help
In addition to this topic, PhotoScore Lite has its own on-screen help: to access it, choose Help >
Neuratron PhotoScore Help (shortcut F1) from PhotoScore Lites menus.

PhotoScore Ultimate
An advanced version of PhotoScore Lite, called PhotoScore Ultimate, is available to buy separately,
with extra features and enhancements. PhotoScore Ultimate reads many more musical markings
(including tuplets, slurs, grace notes, cross-staff beaming, guitar tab, chord diagrams, repeat barlines etc.) and reads scores with more than 12 staves.
For details of PhotoScore Ultimate, choose Help > PhotoScore Ultimate, or contact your local
dealer or Sibelius.

Scanning
Scanning text is difficult for computers to do, and has only achieved reasonable accuracy in the
last few years. Music scanning is much harder because of the more complicated range of symbols
involved, and because of the complex two-dimensional grammar of music.
The difficulty with scanning music or text is that by scanning a page, a computer does not understand it. As far as the computer is concerned, scanning a page merely presents it with a grid of
millions of black and white dots, which could be music, text, a photograph or anything else.
The process of actually reading or interpreting music, text or pictures from this grid of dots is
extremely complex and poorly understood. A large part of the human brain, containing many
millions of connections, is devoted solely to solving this pattern recognition problem.

Installing and uninstalling PhotoScore Lite

Refer to the separate Handbook for help with installing and uninstalling PhotoScore Lite.

Suitable originals
PhotoScore Lite is designed to read originals that:
* Are printed rather than handwritten (and use notes with an engraved appearance rather than

a handwritten appearance, e.g. from a fake book)

* Fit on your scanner (i.e. the music itself is typically no larger than Letter/A4 size, though the
paper may be slightly larger)
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1.4 Scanning
* Have a staff-size of at least 0.12/3mm

omitted.)
* Are reasonably clear for example, staff lines should be continuous and not broken or blotchy,
half note (minim) and whole-note (semibreve) noteheads and flats should have a continuous
circumference and not be broken or filled in, beams on sixteenth notes (semiquavers) and
shorter notes should have a significant white gap in between, and objects that are meant to be
separate (e.g. noteheads and their preceding accidentals) should not overlap or be blotched
together.
Music that does not match the above will probably work, but with considerably reduced accuracy.
Scanning from photocopies is not particularly recommended unless the photocopier is a particularly good one, as photocopying tends to degrade the quality of an original significantly. You may
be obliged to scan from a reduced photocopy if your original is bigger than your scanner, but you
should expect lower accuracy.

Using PhotoScore Lite without a scanner

In addition to reading music that you scan yourself using a scanner, it is possible to read music
without using a scanner, either by opening individual pages that you have saved as graphics files,
or by opening PDF files.
To work with graphics files, you will need each page of music stored as a separate graphics file on
your computer in .bmp (bitmap) format on Windows, or TIFF and PICT (Picture file) format on
Mac. (PhotoScore UltimatePhotoScore Ultimate can also open PDF files.)
PhotoScore Lite can also read PDF files. Reading a PDF file may be useful if the music you want to
scan is available in PDF format from a web site, or if you want to convert a file from another music
program by producing a PDF file and then opening it in PhotoScore Lite.
Before you decide upon using PDF files as the way of converting files from another music program, check that the program doesnt export a file format that Sibelius can read directly, e.g.
MusicXML, as this would be preferable to using PDF files.
On Windows, PhotoScore Lite requires that you have Ghostscript installed in order to open PDF
files. If you didnt install Ghostscript when you initially installed PhotoScore Lite, you can download it free from www.ghostscript.com.

Copyright music
You should be aware that if you scan someone elses music without permission you are likely to
infringe copyright. Copyright infringement by scanning is illegal, and in any case is forbidden by
the Sibelius license agreement.
Most music states if it is copyright and who the copyright owner is. If you have a piece of music
that you want to scan and you are not sure about its copyright status, please contact the musics
publisher, composer or arranger.

25

Inputting

* Use no more than 12 staves per page, and 2 voices per staff. (Additional staves or voices will be

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1. Inputting

GETTING GOING
Like Sibelius, PhotoScore Lite functions in exactly the same way on Windows and Mac. You can
start PhotoScore Lite either by choosing File > Scan in Sibeliuss menus, clicking the Scan icon on
the Sibelius toolbar, or by running it from the Start menu (Windows) or double-clicking its icon
(Mac). Sibelius doesnt need to be running when you use PhotoScore Lite.

The four stages

There are four stages when using PhotoScore Lite:
* Scanning the pages or opening a PDF file. When you scan a page, PhotoScore Lite takes a photo-

graph of your original. Similarly, when you open a PDF file, PhotoScore Lite takes a photograph of it, so that it can read it in the next step.
* Reading the pages. This is the clever bit, where PhotoScore Lite reads the scanned pages to
work out what the notes and other markings are.
* Editing the resulting music. Here you correct any mistakes that PhotoScore Lite has made. Editing within PhotoScore Lite works in much the same way as editing music in Sibelius. Almost
any marking can be corrected or input in PhotoScore Lite, but it is only essential at this stage to
correct rhythmic mistakes other corrections can be made after sending the score to Sibelius if
you prefer.
* Sending the music to Sibelius. This is done simply by clicking on a button. After a moment the
music pops up as a Sibelius score just as if youd inputted it all yourself.
You can then play the music back, re-arrange it, transpose it, create parts, or print it out.

Quick start
Before we examine how to use PhotoScore Lite in detail, lets run through the process quickly to
introduce the four stages.
The first step is either to scan some music, or to open a page you have already scanned, or to open
a PDF file:
* To scan a page, choose File > Scan pages (shortcut Ctrl+W or XW); your scanner interface will

load. Scan a page and it is added to PhotoScores list of scanned pages.

* To open a graphics file, choose File > Open; when prompted for the resolution the image was

scanned at, choose the appropriate setting and click OK. The graphics file is then added to the
list of scanned pages.
* To open a PDF file, choose File > Open PDFs. You will be prompted to choose the resolution;
normally you can leave this at the default of 300 dpi and click OK. If the PDF is password protected, you will then be prompted to provide the password.
As soon as you scan a page or open a PDF or graphics file, each page appears in the Pages pane,
which is at the left hand of the main PhotoScore Lite window. Each page first appears under
Pending Pages, and PhotoScore Lite immediately proceeds to read the pages you have added,
Reading each page will take a little while (depending on the speed of your computer) and a green
progress bar fills up behind the name of the page in the Pending Pages list. As PhotoScore Lite
completes reading each page, it moves to the list below, Read Pages.

26

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1.4 Scanning
When PhotoScore Lite has finished reading the pages, the main editing window will appear:

Inputting

From this window you can edit any errors in the music.
When you are satisfied with the corrections you have made, choose File > Send to > Sibelius
(shortcut Ctrl+D or XD) to send the music to Sibelius.
If Sibelius is not already running, it will start up, and the Open PhotoScore File dialog will
appear, which allows you to choose various options concerning which instruments will be used in
the Sibelius score. Dont worry about these now just click OK. Moments later, the Sibelius score
will appear, ready for editing, just as if you had inputted it yourself.

1. SCANNING OR OPENING A PDF

Before you scan, choose File > Scanner Setup to choose whether you want to use PhotoScores
own scanning interface in which case choose PhotoScore or your scanners own interface in
which case choose TWAIN (scanner default) and click OK. By default, PhotoScore Lite will use
your scanners own interface, which is fine, since you are presumably familiar with the way your
scanners software works.
Next, measure the size (height) of staves in the page you want to scan and choose a resolution
using the following table, and scan in black & white or gray not color:
Staff size

Resolution

0.25/6mm or more

200 dpi

0.15-0.25/46mm

300 dpi

0.12-0.15/34mm

400 dpi

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1. Inputting
Reading accuracy and speed will be considerably reduced if you scan at too low or too high a resolution. So, for example, do not scan at 400 dpi unless the staves really are small.
Usually, you can choose whether to scan in black & white or grayscale (shades of gray). Scanning
in gray produce significantly more accurate results if the option is not available in your scanning
dialog, consult your scanners documentation.
Now you can scan your first page try a page or two of simple keyboard music or something similar:
* Put the page of music (the original) into your scanner, face-down and with the top of the page

*
*
*
*

*
*

*
*

28

pointing away from you.

Put one edge of the original flush against the raised edge of the glass.
You can put the page on its side if it fits better. PhotoScore Lite will automatically rotate the
page by 90 degrees if necessary. However you should normally align the top of the page with the
left edge of the scanner to ensure it does not turn out upside down. Dont worry though if it is
scanned upside down, as it is easy to correct later on.
If you are scanning in gray, then the page does not need to be completely straight, providing
that it is not more than 8 degrees off PhotoScore Lite will automatically make the page level
(to within 0.1 degrees) without loss of detail. It will still be rotated if scanning in black & white,
but there will be loss of detail, and thus less accurate results.
Choose File > Scan Pages, or click the Scan Pages button on PhotoScore Lites toolbar.
After a moment, the scanner will whir into life and transfer the page to your computer. (If this
doesnt happen, see POSSIBLE PROBLEMS below.)
If you are scanning from a fairly thick book, gently press down the lid (or the book if easier)
during scanning to keep the page flat on the glass.
A window will appear for you to enter a name for the page, which will be something like Score
1, Page 1 by default. You can change this to any name you like (although to avoid any unexpected results it should end with a number) something like Piano p1 would do then click
OK. Subsequent pages you scan will be automatically numbered e.g. Piano p2, and a dialog will
not appear.
Wait a few seconds while PhotoScore Lite makes the image level, chooses the best brightness,
and locates the staves.
PhotoScore will now be ready to scan the next page, so put the page of music in the scanner,
then click the button that tells your scanner to start scanning again, and proceed as for the first
page. If the scanning interface does not reappear, simply click the Scan Pages button again.
Continue until you have scanned all the pages that you want to scan.
A scan of the first page will then appear. The buff paper color indicates that you are looking at a
scanned image (a scan) of the original page.
Check that all the staves are highlighted in blue this shows that PhotoScore Lite has detected
where they are.
If the page has systems of two or more staves, check also that the staves within each system are
joined at the left-hand end by a thick vertical (or near-vertical) red line.

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1.4 Scanning

Scanning summarized
Once youve scanned a few pages youll rapidly get into the routine of it. The procedure can be
summarized as follows:
* Place page in scanner
* Click the scanner button or choose File > Scan Pages
* Choose the resolution, and whether to scan in black & white or gray
* Click Scan
* If its the first page, enter a name for the page (or leave the default name)
* Go on to next page.

Catalog of scanned pages

Its important for you to understand that whenever you scan a page, PhotoScore Lite adds it to a
single list or catalog of scanned pages to be read later. You do not need to save scanned pages or
the catalog it is stored on your hard disk automatically.
This means that whenever you start using PhotoScore, it still remembers any pages you scanned
previously. (You can delete pages that you no longer need to keep.)
Well tell you more about the catalog later.

Hints on scanning
* If you want to read a page of music smaller than the size of your scanner, you should make sure

that only that portion is scanned.

Most scanner interfaces allow you to scan part of a page, usually by clicking a Preview button to
produce a thumbnail image, which may seem a little blocky. You can then adjust the required
area by dragging from the edges of the thumbnail.
Then click Scan to scan the selected area at high resolution. Every time you click Scan after
this, only the selected area will be scanned, until you change it.
Ensure that all of the music on the page you are scanning is on the glass of the scanner.
It doesnt matter if your original is larger than Letter/A4, so long as the music itself will fit onto
Letter/A4.
If you are scanning a page that is smaller than Letter/A4 size, it doesnt matter where on the
glass you position the original. However, it helps if you put the edge of the page flush against the
edge of the glass, to ensure that its straight.
If you are scanning a small music book then you may be able to fit a double-page spread (two
facing pages side-by-side) on the scanner glass, but dont try this PhotoScore Lite can only
read one page at a time. Scan each page separately.
For simplicity, we recommend that you scan all the pages in a piece of music before reading
them all. You are allowed to scan a page, then read it, then scan another and so on (see
29

Inputting

If not all staves are blue, or not all staves within systems are joined with a red line, you can manually tell PhotoScore Lite where they are (see ADVANCED FEATURES below).
(Ignore the other buttons at the top of this window, which are also explained in ADVANCED
FEATURES below.)

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1. Inputting
ADVANCED FEATURES below), but we dont suggest you try anything like this until you are
proficient with PhotoScore Lite.

2. READING
As mentioned earlier, just scanning a page simply presents the computer with a grid of millions of
black and white dots, which as far as its concerned could be anything from text to a photograph.
Reading the music is the clever bit, where PhotoScore Lite works out from the scan where and
what the notes and other markings on the page are.

Pages Pane
On the left-hand side of the PhotoScore Lite window you should see the
pages pane, as shown here. If you cant see this, choose View > Toggle
Pages Pane.
Pages that have not yet been read appear in the upper half of the pages
pane, under the heading Pending Pages. Notice how PhotoScore Lite
helpfully shows you a thumbnail of the scanned page as you hover your
mouse pointer over its name.
When you want to read a page you have scanned, click the little checkbox at the right-hand side, which expands to say Read when you hover
your mouse pointer over it. PhotoScore Lite will start to think, and the
blue bar behind the name of the page will turn green as PhotoScore
reads the page.
If you accidentally scanned the pages in the wrong order, you can correct the order in the list of Pending Pages simply by clicking and dragging the pages into the correct order.
If you just scanned in some pages or opened a PDF, however, your pages have probably already
been read by PhotoScore Lite, and so will be found in the lower half of the pages pane, under the
heading Read Pages. The pages are automatically grouped into scores; you can show and hide the
individual pages in each score by clicking the + or button at the left-hand side. To view a page in
order to edit it, click on its name under Read Pages.

What PhotoScore Lite reads

PhotoScore Lite reads the following musical markings:
* Notes & chords (including tail direction, beams & flags), rests
* Flats, sharps and naturals
* Treble and bass clefs, key signatures, time signatures
* 5-line staves (normal and small), standard barlines, 6-line guitar tab
* The format of the page, including the page size, staff-size, margins, and where systems end.

PhotoScore Ultimate, available separately, also reads text (including lyrics, dynamics, instrument
names, fingering, etc.), a wider variety of clefs and accidentals, tuplets, guitar chord diagrams, and
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1.4 Scanning

Hints on reading
* You should not need to interrupt reading, but you can normally do so if necessary by hitting Esc
or X., or by clicking Cancel on the progress window. PhotoScore Lite will show the part of the
page it has already read. You should delete this page by choosing Edit > Delete page before re-

scanning or re-reading the page.

* If the computer gives a warning message while reading a page, or if a page seems to be taking a
very long time to read, see POSSIBLE PROBLEMS below.
* If you like, you can ask PhotoScore Lite to read just a single scan or a choice of scans instead of
the whole score; see ADVANCED FEATURES below.

3. EDITING
When PhotoScore Lite has finished reading the music, its interpretation of the first page pops up
in a window called the output window. Here you can edit mistakes PhotoScore Lite has made.

Notice how the pages pane doesnt appear in the picture above: in order to give yourself more
room to edit the music, its a good idea to hide it while you edit, by choosing View > Toggle Pages
Pane (shortcut Ctrl+E or XE).
The top part of the window (with a buff-colored background) shows you the original page. The
Full detail view window at the top right-hand corner shows a zoomed-in portion of the original
page, according to where you point your mouse.
The large bottom part of the window (with a light gray background) shows PhotoScore Lites
interpretation of the first scan that is, what PhotoScore Lite thinks the first page of the original
says. Hence this part of the window is where PhotoScore Lites mistakes can occur.
31

Inputting

various other markings such as codas, segnos, ornaments, pedal markings and repeat endings.
PhotoScore Ultimate can even read neat handwritten music!

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1. Inputting
At the top left of the window it says (e.g.) Page 1 of 2, and by clicking on the arrows you can
move through all of the pages that have been read (the output score). It makes sense to edit the
first page completely, then advance to the second page and so on until the whole output score has
been edited.
To the bottom right of the window is the Keypad, similar in function to Sibeliuss Keypad. This
can be repositioned by clicking its title bar, and dragging.
There is a Create menu at the top of the window, which is also similar in function to Sibeliuss
Create menu, though features not appropriate for PhotoScore Lite have been omitted.

What to correct
The minimum level of correction recommended before sending the output score to Sibelius is to
correct key signatures and time signatures. Other mistakes such as pitch can be corrected in Sibelius, but correcting key signatures and time signatures is much easier in PhotoScore Lite, so we
recommend you do that.
In particular, if the score you are scanning is a transposing score, you will need to correct the key
signatures of the transposed instruments to delete a single key signature, select it and type
Ctrl+Delete or X-Delete. Then add the correct key signature to that staff alone: choose Create >
Key Signature (shortcut K), and Ctrl+click or X-click the staff to which you want to add the key
signature.
To correct rhythmic mistakes, add the appropriate time signature if its not already present:
choose Create > Time Signature (shortcut T) and click in one of the staves to add the time signature. Once PhotoScore Lite knows the time signature, any rhythmic inaccuracies are indicated by
small red notes over the barline, showing the number of missing or extra beats. As you correct the
mistakes, these red notes disappear and once your score is free of red notes, you can send it to
Sibelius.
Once you are more proficient with PhotoScore Lite, you can correct the music completely in PhotoScore Lite before sending it to Sibelius. The advantage of this is that you can spot errors by looking at the scanned original on the screen instead of having to refer to it on paper.

Checking for mistakes

Check for mistakes by comparing the bottom part of the window with the original scan at the top.
The top and bottom parts move about to show the region of the page the mouse is pointing at.
Avoid the temptation to compare the output page with the original music on paper it is almost
always quicker to compare with the scan on the screen.
At the top right of the output window is the full detail view window, which shows in close-up the
part of the original that the pointer is over. Ctrl+clicking or X-clicking on this window makes the
view larger or smaller. This window can be repositioned by clicking its title bar and dragging.

MIDI playback
Another way to check for mistakes is to have the output played back to you. Your computer will
need a MIDI device attached to make use of this feature (if you have more than one attached, the
default one will be used).
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1.4 Scanning

By default, all the staves will play back with a piano sound, but you can change this: right-click
(Windows) or Control-click (Mac) the names at the start of the first system (e.g. Staff 1), choose
Instruments from the context menu, then click Rename. You will see a dialog that looks a little
like Sibeliuss Create > Instruments dialog, from which you can choose the correct name (and
therefore the sound) used by that staff.
While the music is playing, the currently played bars will be highlighted in gray.

4. SENDING TO SIBELIUS
Once you have edited all the pages in the score, you should send them
to Sibelius. Choose File > Send to > Sibelius (shortcut Ctrl+D or XD),
or simply click the little
icon next to the Save button at the top of
the output window.
If Sibelius isnt already running, it will start, and the Open PhotoScore File dialog will appear:
* This is a transposing score: switch on this option if your score

*
*

contains transposing instruments, and you will be prompted to

choose the correct instruments when you click OK
Use default instruments: opens the file without trying to work out
which instruments are used in the score
Choose instruments: allows the user to choose an instrument for each staff in the score from a
dialog similar to the usual Instruments dialog; choose the staff in the scanned music that you
want to replace with a Sibelius instrument, then click Add as normal. If you add an instrument
that normally uses two staves (such as a piano), this will use up two of the staves in the leftmost list on the dialog.
Let Sibelius choose instruments: with this option switched on, Sibelius will attempt to work
out which instruments are used in the score; it does this by checking the names of the staves
that are set in PhotoScore if a staff s name doesnt match an instrument Sibelius knows, it
opens the file with the default piano sound
Use scanned page dimensions: this option tells Sibelius to format the score according to the
page size suggested by PhotoScore. By default, the page size of the selected manuscript paper
used for importing will be used instead, but you can switch this on if you like.
The Page size, House style and orientation (Portrait or Landscape) options determine the
document setup of the resulting score.

Once your music has been opened in Sibelius you can do anything you like to it, just as if you had
inputted it yourself but see Multi-staff instruments below for some clarification.

33

Inputting

To play the whole page from the start, ensure that nothing is selected by clicking on an area of the
page with no notation. Then choose Play > Play/Stop (shortcut space), or click the Play button
on the toolbar. Do the same to stop the music. To play from a particular point on the page, select an
object in each of the staves you want playback from. It will commence from the start of the bar
with the earliest selection.

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1. Inputting

Editing rhythmic mistakes

If you send a score from PhotoScore Lite to Sibelius which has bars that dont add up, Sibelius
will lengthen bars that are too short, and shorten bars that are too long.
To do this, Sibelius compares the length of the bars with the prevailing time signature. If a bar is
too short, Sibelius simply inserts rests at the end. If a bar is too long, Sibelius shortens it by omitting one or more notes/rests at the end of the bar.
Although Sibelius adjusts the lengths of bars like this, you are strongly advised to correct faulty
rhythms in PhotoScore Lite in the first place rather than trying to fix them in Sibelius afterwards,
as it will save you extra work.

Format
Sibelius uses Make Into System and Make Into Page to ensure that the format of the music is
the same as the original. However, if the notes seem uncomfortably close together or far apart in
the end result, try changing the staff size in the Layout > Document Setup dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+D or XD). Alternatively, if you dont need the format of the music to match the original,
select the whole score (Ctrl+A or XA) and unlock the format (Ctrl+Shift+U or xXU).

Multi-staff instruments
For instruments that use two staves by default, such as a piano, you may find that it isnt possible
to use cross-staff beaming in music you have scanned. This is because PhotoScore Lite treats all
staves as separate instruments, which means that, by default, multi-staff instruments such as keyboards will be sent to Sibelius as two separately-named staves without a brace.
When you send a PhotoScore file to Sibelius, you can use the Open PhotoScore File dialog to tell
Sibelius that, say, staves 1 and 2 are actually the right- and left-hand staves of a piano either
choose the instruments yourself, or click Let Sibelius choose instruments.
For multi-staff instruments such as Flutes 1+2, if you want them to be written as two sub-bracketed staves with a single name, you could either import each staff as a flute and then change the
name and add a brace in Sibelius, or import both staves as a piano, and then change the name and
the sound (b 4.3 Mixer).
If your original contains instruments that have a different number of staves on different systems
e.g. strings that are sometimes divisi see ADVANCED FEATURES below.

Closing the output score

Once you have finished scanning a score and have sent it to Sibelius, and are satisfied with the
result, you should close the score in PhotoScore Lite before you start scanning a new one. To do
this, simply choose File > Close Score; if the score has unsaved changes, you will be prompted to
save.

Deleting unwanted scans

PhotoScore Lite automatically saves each page you scan as a scanned image. This occupies a not
insignificant amount of hard disk space, so you should regularly delete scans that have been read.
You do not, however, have to delete the scans before scanning the next piece of music.
To delete unwanted scans:
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1.4 Scanning

* Click on the name of the page you want to delete; you can select more than one page at the same

time by holding down Shift and clicking elsewhere in the list. When a page is selected, the word
Remove appears to the right of its name: click Remove to delete the pages.
* PhotoScore will warn you that you are about to delete these pages: click Yes to confirm their
deletion.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS
Scanning takes a long time
If there are no signs of scanning happening i.e. if after clicking on the Scan or Preview button
the scanner remains silent with no lights moving or flashing communication between the computer and the scanner has probably been interrupted.
Check that the scanner is switched on and that the cable between it and the computer is firmly
connected at both ends. If this doesnt help, try reinstalling your TWAIN scanner driver software.
Beware that some scanners need to be switched on before the computer is turned on, otherwise
they are not detected.

Not all staves/systems are detected

If after scanning a page you find that not all staves are highlighted in blue, or the staves are not
correctly joined into systems by a thick red vertical line, this may be because:
* The original has 13 or more staves on a page: only PhotoScore Ultimate can scan scores with
*
*
*

more than 12 staves.

The original was not flat on the scanner glass: always close the lid when scanning, unless scanning a thick book. It may also help if you gently press down on the scanner lid during scanning.
The page was scanned at too low a resolution (i.e. the staves are smaller than you think): check
the staff size, alter the scanner setting accordingly, and re-scan.
You tried scanning a double-page spread: PhotoScore Lite cannot read both pages of a doublepage spread (e.g. from a miniature score) at once. Re-scan each of the pages separately. Ensure
that the music on the facing page is completely off the glass, or not scanned if any of it
impinges on the scan, PhotoScore Lite will not read the music correctly.
The staves are not clear enough in the original to be detected: in this case, you can tell PhotoScore Lite where any missing staves are located on the page see ADVANCED FEATURES
below.

Reading takes a long time

* If the page was scanned without being flat on the glass or with the lid open: you will get a black

border around the page that may spread across and obliterate some of the music. This can make
PhotoScore Lite take an extremely long time to read the page. If this happens, interrupt reading
(see below), then re-scan the page.
35

Inputting

* If the pages pane is not currently shown, choose View > Toggle Pages Pane (shortcut Ctrl+E
or XE)

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1. Inputting
* If not all staves were detected after scanning (i.e. some were not highlighted in blue): this can

slow reading down, see Not all staves/systems are detected above.

Music reads inaccurately

If you find music seems to be reading very inaccurately, this may be because:
* the original is of poor quality, e.g. a photocopy or an old edition;
* the original is handwritten (or uses a music font that looks handwritten): PhotoScore Lite is not
*
*
*
*

designed to read handwritten music;

the music uses more than two voices;
the music was scanned in black & white and was not straight enough: it is recommended that
you scan in shades of gray;
the music was not straight enough when scanned and Make scans level was not selected in the
preferences (see ADVANCED FEATURES below);
the music symbol designs used in the original are of a non-standard shape or size.

ADVANCED FEATURES
PhotoScore Lite has many features and options for more advanced use.
You are strongly recommended to familiarize yourself with this whole section before embarking
on any intensive scanning, such as orchestral/band scores or scores with many pages.

Choosing between scanners

In the unlikely event that you have more than one scanner connected to your computer, you can
choose between multiple scanner drivers by choosing File > Select Scanner.

Adjusting detected staves/systems

When you scan a page, PhotoScore Lite highlights staves it detects in blue, and joins them into
systems with vertical red lines.
However, if the original is of poor quality, PhotoScore Lite may not detect some of the staves/systems, and you should tell PhotoScore Lite where they are.
The easiest method is to select the nearest blue staff (by clicking on it) and copy it by Alt+clicking
or z-clicking over the center line of the missing staff (the horizontal position is not important).
You can create a blue staff from scratch by clicking and dragging it out with the left mouse button.
After creating the staff, ensure that it is joined to any other staves in the same system (see below).
PhotoScore Lite will automatically clip the staff in place, by adjusting the position and size of it,
if it finds an appropriate staff underneath. If it fails to position/size the staff correctly, scale the
image to full size (by clicking on the button at the top marked 100) and adjust it using the blue
handles.
* You can drag any blue staff up and down with the left mouse button. This also causes the staff to

automatically clip in place.

* You can drag the ends of blue staves around, and can even put blue staves at an angle.
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1.4 Scanning
* You can alter the size of any blue staff pull the handles in the middle of the staff up or down.

*
*
*
*

Scan window options

If you have chosen to use PhotoScores scanning interface in File > Scanner Setup, there are various further options and buttons available on the scan window:
* The Read this page button reads just this scan. Clicking the arrowed part of the button opens a
*
*
*
*

menu that lets you choose where in the output score to insert this page once it has been read.
Scale produces a dialog that lets you zoom in and out of the scan. The button to the right of
Scale zooms the image to fit the main window; 50 zooms to 50%; 100 zooms to 100%.
Upside down quickly rotates the image by 180 degrees, in case it was scanned the wrong way
up.
Re-scan re-scans the page.
On side quickly rotates the image by 90 degrees, in case it was scanned on its side.

Omitted staves
In scores for many instruments, particularly orchestral scores, unused staves are often omitted.
If you replace the default instrument names (e.g. Staff 1) at the start with proper names, then on
subsequent systems PhotoScore Lite will allocate instruments to staves in order from the top
down. Hence, if the original page omits an instrument from one system, then in the output window some of the staves will have the wrong names. To correct a name in this situation, Right-click
or Control-click over the existing instrument name against the staff in question, and choose the
correct instrument from the list of current instruments.
On any system that has staves omitted you will probably have to correct several instrument names
like this. Do it with care, otherwise confusion will arise.

37

Inputting

PhotoScore Lite can read pages that have a mixture of staff-sizes, and each blue staff can have a
different size. The top circular handle allows you to change the curvature of the staff. This is
useful when scanning pages from thick books, where it is not possible to prevent the page from
being curved at the edges.
If any scanned staff is left with no blue staff on top of it, the scanned staff and any music on it
will be ignored when the page is read. This can slow reading down, but is otherwise harmless.
To join two adjacent staves together into the same system, click one staff so it goes red, then
Alt+click or z-click the other staff. They will be joined near the left-hand end by a thick vertical
(or near-vertical) red line.
To separate two joined staves into two separate systems, do exactly the same as for joining two
staves.
PhotoScore Lite automatically guesses whether staves should be joined together or not when
you create new ones, or move existing ones.
If youve messed up the blue staves and want to start again, Ctrl+double-click or X-doubleclick the scan, and PhotoScore Lite will reset the blue staves to their original positions.
When you have finished editing the staves/systems, check carefully that the staves are all joined
into systems correctly, as you cannot alter this once the page has been read.

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Multi-staff instruments
For multi-staff instruments such as keyboards and divided wind and strings, PhotoScore Lite
treats each staff as a separately-named instrument.
If the number of staves for a multi-staff instrument varies at all in the original, e.g. where strings
are divisi, then to avoid any confusion between the staves its best to give them slightly different
names, e.g. Viola a and Viola b. You can change the names back once the score has been sent to
Sibelius.
Wherever any of the instruments staves are omitted, follow Omitted staves (above).
N.B. If the number of staves for the instrument increases (say from 1 to 2) during the score, and
the second staff has not occurred before, treat it by following Instruments/staves introduced after the start (below).

Instruments/staves introduced after the start

Some scores include instruments or staves that are not shown on the first system.
When this happens, on the system where the instrument/staff is first introduced you should do
the following:
* First, correct the names of each of the other staves:

Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) each name, and choose the correct name from
the list of current instruments
* Then tell PhotoScore Lite the name of the newly-introduced instrument/staff
* Point over whatever name it has filled in (which may say e.g. Staff 5, or the name of an omitted
instrument). Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac), click New, and click a name from
the list of instruments displayed (similar to Sibeliuss Instruments dialog.) If you want a nonstandard name, you can edit the name at the bottom.
You must do this with care or else a lot of confusion can arise.

Small staves
In the output window, small staves are displayed at full size to make them legible, but they are
indicated by the following symbol at the end of the staff:

Other preferences
The File > Preferences dialog contains various other options, as follows.
On the Scanning page:
% Automatic scanning and Scan more quickly are only available in PhotoScore Ultimate
% PhotoScore: with this selected, PhotoScore uses its own simple scanning interface
% TWAIN (scanner default): when chosen, the standard TWAIN interface (that works with
all scanning programs) will be used when you choose File > Scan pages
% Select TWAIN scanner allows you to choose which scanning device PhotoScore should use

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1.4 Scanning
% Make scans level: with this switched on, PhotoScore Lite will work out how rotated a scan

If you change any of these options, they will remain as the new default settings each time use you
PhotoScore until you change them again.

39

Inputting

is, and then rotate it so that the staves are level. It is recommended that this is left selected.
% Read pages after scanning/opening is only available in PhotoScore Ultimate.
* On the Reading page, most options are disabled (since they are only available in PhotoScore
Ultimate). The only option you can switch on or off is Ties, Slurs and Hairpins, which is partly
enabled, because PhotoScore Lite can only read ties.
* On the Editing page:
% Automatic page margins: creates suitable page margins on each page
% Attach scanned staff panel to current staff: on the output window, this puts the original
scan just above the highlighted staff instead of at the top of the window. This means you have
to move your eyes less when comparing the output with the original, but the effect can be
confusing.
% Drag paper by: allows you to choose whether you drag the paper either by clicking and
dragging, or Holding Shift and dragging (in a similar way to the options in the Mouse
page of Sibeliuss File > Preferences dialog).
* On the Advanced page:
% MIDI playback device allows you to choose which of your computers playback devices
PhotoScore should use for playback
% System playback properties launches your operating systems sound and audio device
properties dialog, allowing you to choose your playback and recording devices for audio, and
your preferred playback device for MIDI
% Skin design: allows you to change the appearance of PhotoScore to match either Sibelius or
its sister program, G7
% Display splash screen at start-up: allows you to switch off the PhotoScore Lite splash
screen when you run the program
% Auto-save to backup file every n minutes: automatically backs up your score regularly at
the time interval specified.

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1. Inputting

1.5 Guitar tab input

b 2.7 Chord diagrams, 2.13 Guitar notation and tab, 2.17 Lute tablature.

This topic explains how to input tab directly using your computers keyboard, a MIDI guitar, or by
converting existing notation into tab. If you want to input tab in another way, by:
* importing a MIDI file, b 8.5 Opening MIDI files;
* importing an ASCII tab file, b 8.16 ASCII tab files;
* scanning printed music, b 1.4 Scanning.

Sibelius automatically writes music as notation or as tab in any tuning. It doesnt have to do
anything to convert between them it treats tab just as a different way of displaying the underlying music. This means that with Sibelius you can do pretty much anything with tab that you can
do with notation you can play it back, transpose it, copy it (onto tab or notation staves) and so
on.
This also means you can input music in tab and turn it into notation, or input it into notation and
turn it into tab, or even change standard guitar tab to a different string tuning, or to bass guitar,
mandolin, banjo or dobro. Or sitar. Or bass theorbo.

Creating a tab instrument

Guitar and other fret instruments are available from the Create > Instruments dialog (shortcut I)
with a tab staff created automatically. On the dialog they are called e.g. Guitar [tab].
Alternatively, you can turn a notation staff into a tab staff using an instrument change: choose
Create > Other > Instrument Change, choose the tab instrument you want to use, and then click
at the very start of the score.

Turning notation into tab or tab into notation

Often you will want to have two staves a notation staff and a tab staff, both showing the same
music or you may want to turn notation into tab or vice versa. This is done simply by copying
the music between the staves.
* Create two guitars, one with notation and one with tab, or just use the Guitar + Tab manu-

script paper
* Input all of the music onto (say) the notation staff
* Select all of this music as a passage by triple-clicking the notation staff
* Copy it onto the tab staff by Alt+clicking or z-clicking onto the first bar. It will all turn magically into tab:

* You can then edit the tab staff to, for example, move some of the notes onto different strings.

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1.5 Guitar tab input

On a notation staff, a guitar is written one octave higher than it sounds; this means that if you
copy music from another staff (e.g. for a non-transposing instrument like a piano), it will appear
an octave higher on the guitar staff, but it will play back at the same pitch.

Inputting tab
Inputting tab using your computers keyboard is very simple, and the basics can be summed up in
just a few points:
* Select the bar in which you want to start inputting, then choose Notes > Input Notes (shortcut

N)
* The caret (a small vertical line) appears, showing you which string youre on
* Choose the length of the note you want to input using the Keypad window, or by typing the cor-

responding key on your keyboards numeric keypad

* Use the 3 and 2 keys to move up and down the strings, and 0 and 1 to move back and forth in
the bar
* To input a note, type the fret number using the number keys on the main keyboard (not the
numeric keypad).
* To create quarter-tones on a tab staff, create the note as normal and then (with the note
selected) type =. A quarter-tone appears on a tab staff as a fret number followed by .5. To create
quarter-tones on a notation staff, use the appropriate accidental from the fifth Keypad layout.
You can change the default note value used when moving around the bar using the 0 and 1 keys
in the Mouse page of the File > Preferences dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac); change
Rhythmic positions to snap to to whatever note value you prefer. Switch off the Snap in guitar
tab input option if youd rather the 0 and 1 keys simply move you the same distance as the currently selected note value on the Keypad, unless theres an existing note between the current caret
position and the next, in which case that note will be selected.

Notes out of range

When copying music between staves e.g. from a 6-string guitar tab staff to a 4-string bass guitar
tab staff, or from a notation staff to a guitar tab staff some notes may be unplayable. In this case
a red question mark (?) will appear on the tab staff, to show you that youll need to correct this
chord yourself.

Guitar tab fingering options

When Sibelius creates tab for you when you copy from a notation staff to a tab staff, copy from
one tab staff to another with a different tuning, input from a MIDI keyboard or guitar, or import a
MIDI file it automatically tries to produce the most playable fingering.
The Guitar Tab Fingering section of the Note Input page on File > Preferences (in the Sibelius
menu on Mac) allows you to specify the preferred range of frets that you would like Sibelius to use
when it works out fingerings. You can specify the lowest and highest frets that Sibelius should
41

Inputting

You can also do this the other way around input the tab, then copy it to the notation staff. Then
if you dont need both staves (and just wanted to convert between notation and tab) you can
delete the original one.

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1. Inputting
attempt to use, whether or not it should try and use open strings where possible, and the number
of frets you can stretch when playing chords.

These options are not obeyed in all cases; they are merely recommendations. For example, if you
switch off the Prefer to use open strings option but then Sibelius needs to create a note that can
only be played using an open string, Sibelius will finger that note as an open string rather than not
write it at all.
Sibelius will not rewrite all the existing tab in your score if you make a change in this dialog. But if
you do want to apply new settings to existing tab, simply use Notes > Reset Guitar Tab Fingering (see below).

Resetting tab fingering

You can reset the fingering of a tab staff to your preferred ranges at any time. Simply select the
passage in which you want the fingering reset and choose Notes > Reset Tab Fingering.
For example, if you decide that a particular passage would be more comfortably played around the
fifth fret rather than at the nut, you could set new preferences in the Note Input page of File >
Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac, see above), then apply those preferences to that passage by choosing Notes > Reset Guitar Tab Fingering.

When does Sibelius automatically reset tab fingering?

Generally speaking, fingering is retained if you are copying within the same staff, or to another
staff with the same tuning. If you copy music to a notation staff or to a tab staff with a different
tuning, Sibelius will recalculate the fingering for you based on the settings in the Note Input page
of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac).
However, in the specific case of scores that consist of a notation and tab staff only (i.e. different
representations of the same music), it is useful to retain the fingering information when copying
between these staves as you may be copying back and forth between them repeatedly. In this case,
you should switch on the Remember fingering when copying to a notation staff option in the
Note Input page of the File > Preferences dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac).

Using a MIDI guitar

Sibelius allows you to input from a MIDI guitar that supports multiple MIDI channels
b 1.7 Input Devices.

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1.6 Selections and passages

Inputting

1.6 Selections and passages

b 5.4 Filters and Find.
v Selecting and copying.

When objects in the score are selected, they go colored, which shows that you can do things to
them using the mouse and keyboard. Most operations in Sibelius involve selections.
There are three main kinds of selection:
* a single selection, where just one object is selected
* a multiple selection, where several separate objects are selected
* a selected passage, where a continuous stretch of music is selected, shown with a light blue box

(staff passage) or purple double-box (system passage) round it.

You can do pretty much the same things to all three kinds of selection. The main difference is how
you select the objects in the first place.
Additionally, you can select a rectangle of music in order to export it as graphics
b 8.11 Exporting graphics.

Selection colors
When an object is selected, it changes color to show that its selected:
* Notes and staff-attached text and lines are colored according to the voice(s) to which they

belong (voice 1 is dark blue, voice 2 is green, voice 3 is orange, and voice 4 is pink). If an object
belongs to more than one voice, or all voices, it is colored light blue.
* Various other staff objects, e.g. symbols, clefs, instrument changes, etc., apply to all voices and
so are also colored light blue.
* System objects (e.g. system text, lines and symbols, time signatures, key signatures, etc.) are
colored purple when selected.

Single selections
To make a single selection, click an object its as simple as that.
* You can also select an object without using the mouse with nothing selected, hit Tab to select
*
*
*
*
*

the first object on the top staff on the page

You can select the next object on the staff using the arrow keys or Tab (to select the previous
item, type Shift-Tab)
If you want to select a particular notehead in a chord, use Alt+3/2 or z3/2 to select the next
notehead above or below the currently selected one
If there are no chords, Alt+3/2 or z3/2 selects the note at the nearest rhythmic position on
the staff above or below
You can also move between the different parts of lines using Alt+0/1 or z0/1
b 2.16 Lines and b 2.22 Slurs.
Another way of making a single selection is to use the Edit > Find (shortcut Ctrl+F or XF) feature b 5.4 Filters and Find.
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1. Inputting
If you have trouble selecting an object with the mouse, because theres another object very close
that you keep selecting instead: first, hit Tab (or Shift-Tab) to move the selection to the object
you want to select, or zoom in very close and try selecting it again; if this fails, move the other
object out of the way temporarily.

Multiple selections
* Click an object, then Ctrl+click or X-click one or more other objects to add them to the selection. Ctrl+click or X-click an object again if you want to remove it from the selection.
* Alternatively, Shift-click or X-click on the paper and drag the light gray box around the objects

you want to select (sometimes called a marquee or lasso selection). If you drag across a
whole staff, youll get a selected passage instead. You can then add/remove objects from the
selection using Ctrl+click or X-click. If you use this function a lot, changing the Drag Paper
setting in the File > Preferences > General dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac OS X) allows
you to select a passage simply by clicking and dragging (without holding down Shift or X).
* With multiple text selections, you can also extend a single selection by choosing Edit > Select >
Select More (type Ctrl+Shift+A or xXA), which selects all similar text objects (i.e. in the
same style) attached to the same staff within that system. This is a quick way of selecting a
whole row of, say, chord symbols, lyrics, fingerings or expression marks.
* If you have a single note of a chord selected, Edit > Select > Select More selects all the notes in
that chord; similarly, if you have a single note, rest or a whole chord selected, Edit > Select >
Select More will select the whole bar.
* You can also use filters to make a multiple selection b 5.4 Filters and Find.
Multiple selections are mainly useful for objects other than notes, chords and rests e.g. to delete
several articulations or bits of text.

Selected passages
A passage is a continuous stretch of music of any length from a couple of notes to the whole
score, and for any number of staves from one to a complete orchestra. You can think of it as a
rectangle of music though this rectangle can run between systems and pages, and you can
even include non-adjacent staves in a passage.
In contrast to multiple selections, selected passages are mainly useful for doing things to several
notes, chords and rests.
There are two kinds of passages: normally, passages are surrounded by a single light blue box and
can include any combination of staves in your score; system passages, by contrast, are surrounded
by a purple double-box and include all the staves in your score.
To select a passage by clicking:
* Click the note/chord/rest at one corner (e.g. the top left-hand corner) of the rectangle you

want to select. If youre selecting from the start of a bar, its quicker just to click an empty part of
the bar.
* Shift-click the note/chord/rest at the opposite (e.g. bottom right-hand corner) of the rectangle. Again, if youre selecting to the end of a bar, just click an empty part of the bar.

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1.6 Selections and passages

* All selected objects will go colored and a light blue box will appear around the selection. The

You can also make a passage selection using the Edit > Select > Select Bars dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Alt+A or zXA). This is useful if you know you want to select, say, the first 16 bars of a
score, or want to select from the current position to the end of the score. The Make system
selection option will make the resulting passage selection into a system passage.
To select a system passage, do the same but start by Ctrl+clicking or X-clicking a blank part of a
bar, then hold Ctrl or X as you click on other notes/chords/rests in other staves to extend the passage.
Naturally, you can also select a passage using just the keyboard:
* With a note selected, type Shift-0/1 to extend the selection horizontally a note at a time, or
Ctrl+Shift+0/1 or xX0/1 to extend it a bar at a time. This is similar to word processors (as

are various other uses of the arrow keys).

* To select multiple staves, type Shift-3/2 to include another staff in the passage
* To turn the current selection into a system passage, choose Edit > Select > Select System Passage (shortcut Shift+Alt+A or xzA).
To select a passage by dragging the mouse: hold down Shift or X and drag out a rectangle starting
from above the top staff at the start of the desired passage and finishing below the bottom staff at
the end. This is only practical for short passages.

Quick cases
There are various ways to select certain types of passage quickly:
* Clicking an empty part of a bar selects that bar on one staff (e.g. to copy a bar)
* Double-clicking an empty part of a bar selects that staff for the duration of the system (e.g. to
*
*

*
*

copy those bars)

Triple-clicking an empty part of a bar selects that staff throughout the score (e.g. to delete a
whole instrument)
After single-, double- or triple-clicking, you can Shift-click another staff to add all staves in
between to the selection, or (as before) add or remove individual staves using Ctrl+click or Xclick
If you hold Ctrl or X while single-, double- or triple-clicking initially, a system passage is
selected (enclosed in a purple double-box)
You can even select the entire score at once by choosing Edit > Select > Select All (shortcut
Ctrl+A or XA). This is particularly useful for transposing the whole score, altering the format
of the whole score, or for selecting particular types of object throughout the score (see below).

45

Inputting

selection will also appear on the Navigator, which is useful for viewing passages that span multiple pages.
* To add further staves to the selection, hold down Ctrl or X and click further staves; this can be
used to add non-adjacent staves to the selection
* You can also exclude certain staves from a passage selection by holding down Ctrl or X and
clicking in turn on the staves you want to remove from the selection.

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1. Inputting
(If you think hard about it, Edit > Select > Select All does the same as Ctrl+triple-click or Xtriple-click. See?)

What can you do with multiple selections and selected passages?

You can do virtually anything to a multiple selection or selected passage that you can do to a single note, and more; for example:
* Copy it elsewhere with Alt+click or z-click very, very handy for arranging or orchestrating.
(Copying overwrites unless you select a passage of bars with Ctrl or X, in which case it inserts)
* Delete it just hit Delete. If the passage was selected with Ctrl or X (and so had a double-box
*
*
*

*
*
*
*
*

round it), the bars themselves will be deleted too.

Repeat it with R see Repeating selections below
Transpose it, either using the Transpose dialog (b 5.17 Transposing) to transpose by a specific interval, or diatonically by step using the 3 /2 keys. Ctrl+3/2 or X3/2 shift by an octave.
Produce chords by adding notes above or below type 19 to add an interval above, or Shift19 to add an interval below (but not the latter if youre using the Notebook (laptop) feature set
b 5.9 Menus and shortcuts)
Play it back by choosing Play > Move Playback Line to Selection or hitting Y, then click on
the play button in the Playback window or hit Space
Arrange the music for a different combination of instruments, explode the passage onto a
larger number of staves, or reduce it onto a smaller number b 5.1 Arrange
Run a plug-in to check, edit or add things to the selection b 5.11 Plug-ins
Add articulations to all notes/chords using the first or fourth Keypad layout
Reset the note spacing to default by choosing Layout > Reset Note Spacing (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+N or xXN).

Multicopying
Multicopying allows you quickly to copy a single selection, multiple selection or passage several
times either horizontally (along the same staff), vertically (onto more than one staff), or both at
once.

Multicopying a single object

You can copy a single object, such as a note or some text, vertically across any number of staves.
This is perhaps most useful for copying dynamic markings (e.g. mf ) across multiple staves at
once:
* Select a single object and choose Edit > Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or XC) to copy it to the clip-

board
* Select a passage in one or more staves and choose Edit > Paste (shortcut Ctrl+V or XV) to copy
the item to the start of the passage only, one copy on each staff.

Multicopying a multiple selection

As an extension of the above, you can select more than one object and copy them vertically across
any number of staves. This is particularly useful for copying a row of dynamics:

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1.6 Selections and passages

copy them to the clipboard

* Select a passage in one or more staves and choose Edit > Paste (shortcut Ctrl+V or XV) to copy

the selection to the start of the passage only, one copy for every staff, with relative distances
between the original objects retained in the new copies. If hidden staves are included in the destination passage, multicopy will copy onto the hidden staves too.

Multicopying a passage
* Select a passage in one or more staves and choose Edit > Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or XC) to copy

it to the clipboard
* Select another passage and choose Edit > Paste (shortcut Ctrl+V or XV) to fill the new passage
with multiple copies of the original passage. The new passage is filled in the following way:
% Horizontally: if the destination passage is longer than the original, a whole number of copies
is pasted into the new passage (with any leftover bars at the end left unchanged). If the destination passage is shorter than the original, only one copy is made.
% Vertically: if the destination passage contains more staves than the original, a whole number
of copies is made from the top downwards (with any leftover staves at the bottom left
unchanged). If the destination passage has fewer staves than the original, only one copy is
made.
Beware that multicopying overwrites the original contents of the destination passage, and copies
onto any hidden staves that are included in the destination passage.

Repeating selections
You can also use Edit > Repeat (shortcut R) to make multiple copies of any selection, as follows:
* Select a note, chord, passage, multiple selection, line, text object, symbol, chord diagram,

imported graphic, instrument change, clef, key signature or barline and type R.
* The selected object(s) are repeated once to the right; to repeat again, keep hitting R.

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Inputting

* Make a multiple selection Ctrl+click or X-click the objects you want to copy or select them
with a filter (e.g. Edit > Filter > Dynamics), then choose Edit > Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or XC) to

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1. Inputting

1.7 Input Devices

b 1.1 Note input, 1.3 Flexi-time.

If you have a MIDI keyboard or other external input device connected to your computer, you can
use step-time and Flexi-time input. For information about setting up your computer for MIDI
input, b MIDI setup for Windows and MIDI setup for Mac in the Handbook.

Choosing input devices

The Input Devices page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac) has options affecting MIDI input:

The table at the top lists any MIDI input devices you have. The options are as follows:
* Use: if the checkbox in this column is switched on, Sibelius will accept input from this device; if

switched off, Sibelius will ignore any input from this device. By default, the Use checkbox is
switched on for all input devices.
* Device Name: this column tells you the input devices name. If your MIDI port is provided by
a soundcard or external MIDI interface, you will normally see the name of the MIDI port itself
(e.g. MIDISport USB 2x2 A or SB Live! MIDI Out) rather than the name of any device connected to the MIDI port or interface. If your MIDI device connects to your computer directly
(e.g. via USB), you will probably see the actual name of the MIDI device (e.g. M-Audio Oxygen
8) instead.
* Type: this shows what type of device this is. When clicked, a drop-down menu appears, allowing you to choose either Keyboard (the default) or Guitar. If you choose Guitar, then the MIDI
Guitar Channels controls below the table are enabled see MIDI guitars below.
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1.7 Input Devices

* Input Map: this allows you to specify exactly what kind of keyboard a particular device is. This

Try playing notes on your keyboard (or other MIDI input device) while the dialog is open. If
everything is working as it should, the little black indicator marked Test should light up green as
you play. If the indicator doesnt light up, check your MIDI connections and ensure that you have
the correct input device selected (if more than one is present).
You should switch on the MIDI Thru checkbox if and only if your keyboard has no built-in sounds
this option makes Sibelius reproduce notes played on your keyboard using your soundcard or
other playback device.
Use low-latency MIDI input allows Sibelius to take advantage of the advanced capabilities of
your input devices drivers in order to provide low-latency input. This option should be left
switched on unless you encounter glitches while using step-time or Flexi-time input.
Echo notes when in background determines whether Sibelius should continue to play back
notes played on your MIDI keyboard when the application is not in focus (e.g. when you are using
another program on your computer). This option is switched on by default, and only has any
effect if MIDI thru is also switched on.

Finding new input devices

If you connect an external MIDI input device, such as a keyboard or control surface, to your computer while Sibelius is running, it may not automatically become available for input. To refresh
the list of available input devices, click Find New Input Devices on the Input Devices page.
Not all devices report their presence correctly to your computers operating system, so if your
device doesnt appear after clicking this button, save your work and quit Sibelius, then restart the
program, making sure your MIDI input device is switched on before you run Sibelius.

Problems with MIDI input

If MIDI input doesnt seem to work, check that MIDI OUT on the keyboard is connected to MIDI
IN on your computer, and (if your keyboard has built-in sounds) MIDI IN on your keyboard is
connected to MIDI OUT on your computer not MIDI OUT to MIDI OUT and MIDI IN to MIDI
IN. If your computer has two MIDI IN sockets, also try connecting the keyboard to the other MIDI
IN socket instead.

Input maps
If your MIDI keyboard has a plethora of buttons, knobs and faders in addition to the usual pianostyle keys, you can use them with Sibelius, e.g. to control the faders in the Mixer, to control playback, and so on.
Simply choose the most appropriate item listed under Input Map in the box at the top of the
Input Devices page. By default, try MIDI keyboard, which will work with many MIDI keyboards,
or if you have one of the specific keyboards listed there, choose the input map for that keyboard
instead.
Input maps for many of the most popular M-Audio keyboards are included, as follows:
49

Inputting

is useful because many keyboards have additional knobs, faders and buttons on them that can
be used in Sibelius see Input maps below.

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1. Inputting
Axiom 25:

Set your Axiom 25 to its default Program. The eight knobs above the keyboard are mapped to the
faders in the Mixer for the first eight staves in your score, and the transport buttons below the
LCD display are mapped to the corresponding functions of the Playback window.
Axiom 49 + 61:

Set your Axiom 49 or Axiom 61 to its default program. By default, the first eight faders above the
keyboard are mapped to the faders in the Mixer for the first eight staves, but you can switch them
to control the virtual instrument output faders by issuing a program change to program 2. The
ninth fader is always mapped to the master volume control. The buttons below the faders solo the
corresponding staff or virtual instrument. The rotary controls to the right of the faders control
pan for the first eight staves in the Mixer. The transport buttons below the LCD display are
mapped to the corresponding functions of the Playback window.
Keystation Pro 88:

Set your Keystation Pro 88 to use Preset 7. The transport buttons above the modulation and pitch
bend wheels to the left of the keyboard are mapped to the corresponding functions of the Playback
window. Button 9 on the keyboard to the right of the LCD display hides and shows the Mixer window. By default, the first eight faders above the keyboard are mapped to the faders in the Mixer
for the first eight staves, but you can switch them to control the virtual instrument output faders
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1.7 Input Devices

MK-425c:

Set your MK-425c to its default program. The eight rotary controls above the keyboard adjust the
volume of the first eight staves in the Mixer, and the buttons numbered 18 to the left of the keyboard solo the corresponding staff.
MK-449 + 461:

Set your MK-449 or MK-461 to its default program. By default, the first eight faders above the
keyboard are mapped to the faders in the Mixer for the first eight staves, but you can switch them
to control the virtual instrument output faders by issuing a program change to program 11 (send
a program change to program 10 to switch back to controlling staff volume). The ninth fader is
always mapped to the master volume control. The buttons to the left of the faders solo the corresponding staff or virtual instrument. The rotary controls to the right of the faders control the pan
settings for the first eight staves.
Oxygen 8:

51

Inputting

by issuing a program change to program 2. The ninth fader is always mapped to the master volume control. The buttons below the faders solo the corresponding staff or virtual instrument. The
bottom row of rotary controls to the left of the faders control the pan settings for the first eight
staves; the middle row controls pan for staves 916.

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1. Inputting
Set your Oxygen 8 to its default program. The rotary controls above the keyboard are mapped to
the faders in the Mixer for the first eight staves. The transport buttons below the rotary controls
are mapped to the corresponding functions of the Playback window.
Oxygen 49 + 61:

Set your Oxygen 49 or Oxygen 61 to its default program. By default, the first eight faders above the
keyboard are mapped to the faders in the Mixer for the first eight staves, but you can switch them
to control the virtual instrument output faders by issuing a program change to program 2 (send a
program change to program 1 to switch back to controlling staff volume). The ninth fader is
always mapped to the master volume control. The buttons below the faders solo the corresponding staff or virtual instrument. The rotary controls to the right of the faders control the pan settings for the first eight staves. The transport buttons below the rotary controls are mapped to the
corresponding functions of the Playback window.
UC-33:

Set your UC-33 to its default program. By default, the first eight faders are mapped to the faders in
the Mixer for the first eight staves, but you can switch them to control the virtual instrument output faders by issuing a program change to program 2 (send a program change to program 1 to
switch back to controlling staff volume). The ninth fader is always mapped to the master volume
control. The buttons labeled 18 to the right of the faders solo the corresponding staff or virtual
instrument. The rotary controls in the bottom row above the faders control the pan settings for the
first eight staves. The middle row controls the volume settings for staves 916, and the top row
controls the pan settings for staves 916. The transport buttons at the bottom right-hand corner
of the surface are mapped to the corresponding functions of the Playback window.
Additional input maps are available from the online Help Center, which you can visit by choosing
Help > Help Center.
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1.7 Input Devices

MIDI guitars

If you have a guitar with a hexaphonic pick-up (such as the Roland GK-2A or GK-3) and a guitar
MIDI interface (such as the Axon AX100, Roland GR-33 or GI-20, etc.), Sibelius can write notes
played on a particular string on the correct string in tab, whether you play in using Flexi-time or
step-time input.
To tell Sibelius that you are using a MIDI guitar that outputs each string on a separate channel, set
Type to Guitar for the appropriate item in the list of input devices. If your MIDI guitar outputs
everything you play on a single channel, leave Type set to Keyboard. Note: when Type is set to
Guitar, the options under Guitar Tab Fingering on the Note Input page of File > Preferences
(in the Sibelius menu on Mac) have no effect during input (though they are still used when you
e.g. copy music from one staff to another).
Then:
* Set the Number of strings as appropriate
* Set the MIDI channel of highest pitched string, if necessary. Sibelius assumes that the strings

of your MIDI guitar are numbered sequentially; if they are not, consult the documentation for
your guitar MIDI interface, and set its options appropriately.
You may also wish to set some of the options under Omit Wrong Notes, described in detail in
Note input options on page 13. One of the traditional problems of inputting using a MIDI guitar is that the software accurately renders every note detected by the MIDI pick-up: even if you are
able to play cleanly, its common for very short or quiet notes that you had not intended to play to
appear in the score; similarly, MIDI pick-ups occasionally detect high or low harmonics and
notate these as very high or very low notes. Sibelius lets you tailor the sensitivity of its notation to
your playing style. (You may also find these options useful for input devices other than a MIDI
guitar.)
For more details on MIDI input (from a keyboard or guitar), see the Handbook or b 1.1 Note
input and b 1.3 Flexi-time.

Tips for successful MIDI guitar input

Sibelius accurately transcribes anything you play, exactly as you play it. However, a few factors
can contribute to imprecise transcription. While Sibelius itself can filter out notes with a low
velocity (see Note input options on page 13), its also a good idea to ensure that your MIDI converter sensitivity settings are set fairly low when using a MIDI guitar; incidental string scrapes,
ghost notes and other anomalies appear when the sensitivity settings are too high.
String buzz against tall frets or a poorly adjusted setup will confuse the MIDI converter and produce errant notes, so make sure to have your guitar adjusted by an experienced technician if your
guitar exhibits symptoms of bad fret buzz.
On your MIDI guitar interface, experiment with the different picking modes. Both Roland and
Axon support the option for pick-style (plectrum) and finger-style input via an internal setting.
53

Inputting

If you are using a MIDI guitar, Sibelius allows you to assign each MIDI channel to a string so that
fingerings will automatically appear on the correct string of a tab staff. You can also set up various
filters to eliminate noise being treated as notes.

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1. Inputting
Make sure to experiment with these settings, as some players find that finger-style input is more
accurate even when using a pick, and vice-versa.
Sibelius does not notate pitch bend information, slides or string bends on input. You can create
them in your score later, but when you enter notes, play cleanly, without vibrato, slides or bends,
to ensure accurate notation.
One last note: flatwound strings consistently produce the cleanest notation into Sibelius.

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2. Notations
Notations

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2. Notations

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2.1 Accidentals

2.1 Accidentals
b 1.1 Note input.

Creating an accidental with a note

Accidentals are automatically created when you input from a MIDI keyboard.

Adding accidentals to existing notes

Select the note(s) in question, then choose an accidental from the first or fifth Keypad layout.
To add accidentals to all the notes in a chord at once, double-click one of the notes in the chord
and then choose an accidental.

Removing particular accidentals

* Select the note(s) in question, then choose the accidental from the Keypad again, to switch it off
* Alternatively, the slow and fiddly way is to select the accidental(s) with the mouse (taking care

not to select the associated note(s) at the same time), then hit Delete.

Removing lots of accidentals

Select the notes in question, then, from the fifth Keypad layout (shortcut F12),
choose the 0 key on the numeric keypad or the corresponding button shown on
the right.

Hiding accidentals
In some situations (such as in passages that use cross-staff beaming b 2.5 Beams) you may
want to hide an accidental rather than delete it (i.e. you want it to sound as if it has an accidental,
but the accidental should not appear on the page).
To do this, select the accidental itself (not the notehead), and choose Edit > Hide or Show > Hide
(shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH). For more details, b 5.6 Hiding objects.

Accidentals in parentheses
Accidentals are sometimes written in parentheses (round brackets) to show that they are cautionary or editorial. To add parentheses to an accidental on a selected note (or group of notes), choose
the parentheses button from the fifth Keypad layout (shortcut F12).
A plug-in called Add Cautionary Accidentals is supplied with Sibelius that checks your score
and adds cautionary accidentals as necessary b 5.11 Plug-ins.
Editorial accidentals are sometimes written in square brackets. To notate these, type the brackets
as Technique text. (Advanced users: if you need to use square-bracketed accidentals frequently,
you can easily create new symbols for common accidentals in brackets, or modify the parenthesized accidentals, which are already available as symbols.)
57

Notations

When you create a note using mouse or keystrokes, you can give it an accidental at the same time
by choosing one from the first or fifth Keypad layout (shortcuts F8/F12) before putting the note
into the score. (You can also add articulations, rhythm dots, tremolos and non-standard beaming
from the Keypad at the same time.)

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2. Notations

Small accidentals
Accidentals automatically go small on cue notes and grace notes. But if you want a small accidental on a normal-sized note, create the accidental from the Create > Symbol dialog and choose
Cue size or Grace note size before clicking OK. Beware that accidental symbols will not automatically play back or transpose.

Double accidentals and quarter-tones

Obtain these from the fifth Keypad layout just like normal accidentals.
Quarter-tones transpose automatically try transposing E quarter-flat up a major 7th in your
head; the answers overleaf. (Then write out the scale of E quarter-flat melodic minor.) Whats
more, Sibelius will respell quarter-tones (see below).
A plug-in to make quarter-tones play back called Quarter-tone Playback is included with Sibelius see Playback of microtonal accidentals below.
Double accidentals
Double accidentals are used in
obscure keys such as G# minor
in order to avoid using too
many naturals. For instance,
the sixth note of Db minor is
Bbb, which means the same as
A.
The symbols b and b# are
occasionally used instead of b
and # when canceling a double-flat or sharp earlier in the
bar.

Other microtones
You can obtain and design further microtones using symbols, but
these will not automatically play back or transpose. You can change
the design of the symbols by editing them for instance, if you prefer
your quarter-tone flats to be filled in in black, replace the backwardsflat in the fourth column in the House Style > Edit Symbols dialog
with a filled-in backwards-flat character see Changing existing
symbols in b 7.15 Edit Symbols for more details.

Spelling of accidentals
When inputting from MIDI (Flexi-time, step-time or MIDI file), Sibelius guesses whether to spell black notes as a sharp or flat, based on
the key signature and context.

To respell notes enharmonically (e.g. from F# to Gb), select the note(s) and choose Notes >
Respell Accidental (shortcut Return on the main keyboard).
This feature respells a double accidental (e.g. Bbb) as a natural (A) but not vice versa, as youre
much more likely to want to eliminate double accidentals than to introduce them. Obscurely, it
even respells quarter-tones. (Most quarter-tones can be written in three ways, e.g. C quarter-sharp
is the same as D three-quarters flat and B three-quarters sharp.)
Sibelius also includes two plug-ins for respelling accidentals called Respell Flats as Sharps and
Respell Sharps as Flats b 5.11 Plug-ins.

Simplifying accidentals
If you transpose your music or add a new key signature to existing music, you may end up with
lots of unwanted accidentals. Use the Plug-ins > Accidentals > Simplify Accidentals plug-in to
fix this for you b 5.11 Plug-ins
In the none-too-likely eventuality that your score contains double accidentals that you want to
eliminate, simply select the whole score (choose Edit > Select > Select All, shortcut Ctrl+A or
XA), then from the Notes > Transpose dialog (shortcut Shift-T) transpose it up by a Major/Per58

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2.1 Accidentals
fect Unison with Double sharps/flats switched off. All double accidentals will then be replaced
with simpler equivalents.

Adding accidentals to notes

Altered unisons
Altered unisons are two noteheads in a chord with the same pitch but different accidentals, e.g.
Gb and G#.
Some composers such as Messiaen notate this as two noteheads side-by-side
preceded by two accidentals, rather like the interval of a second (see left-hand
picture). Create this notation in the obvious way: create a chord with two noteheads of the same pitch, then add an accidental to each as normal.
Other composers add the second notehead on a diagonal stem called a stalk (see right-hand picture). To write this, add the stalked notehead using one of the stalk symbols provided on the
Create > Symbol dialog (shortcut Z). (However, the disadvantage of this notation is that the extra
notehead will not transpose or play back, as it is a symbol.)

Typing accidentals in text

You might want to add accidentals into text objects in your score for example, if you wanted the
title to include the key of the piece.
To type accidentals in text, type Ctrl or X and the numeric keypad key that corresponds to the
accidental on the first Keypad layout (shortcut F8), e.g. Ctrl+8 or X8 produces a sharp sign, and
Ctrl+9 or X9 a flat sign. Note that Num Lock must be switched on in order for this to work.
Alternatively, just right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) and choose the accidental from
the word menu.

Moving accidentals
Accidentals are automatically positioned. For instance, if you add an accidental to a chord that
already has some, the accidentals will shift positions if necessary to avoid colliding.
In the unlikely event that you want to move an accidental, just drag it horizontally with the
mouse, or nudge it by typing Shift+Alt+0/1 or xz0/1. To move in large steps, use
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+0/1 or xzX0/1.
If you need accidentals above the staff (e.g. for ficta) then you can use a symbol from the Create >
Symbol dialog, or if you want the ficta to play back, use the Add Ficta Above Note plug-in
b 5.11 Plug-ins.

59

Notations

Sibelius comes with two plug-ins that allow you to quickly add accidentals to all the notes in a
selection. To add accidentals to every note that doesnt fit in the current key signature, choose
Plug-ins > Accidentals > Add Accidentals to All Sharp and Flat notes. This would, for example, add an accidental to every Bb in C major and to every C natural in E major. You can also add
accidentals to, literally, every note in a selection by choosing Plug-ins > Accidentals > Add Accidentals to All Notes.

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2. Notations

Playback of microtonal accidentals

Most playback devices provide a pitch bend function that can alter a note according to 32 equal
divisions of a half-step (semitone), most easily accessed via Plug-ins > Playback > Quarter-tone
Playback.
To alter the tuning of a note, first add a quarter-tone accidental. Repeat as necessary, then select
the passage you want to retune (make sure to include the next note in normal tuning, so that the
MIDI pitch bend will return to zero). Choose Plug-ins > Playback > Quarter-tone Playback, and
click OK twice.
Now the notes you want to retune have an invisible MIDI pitch bend command attached to them
(these invisible commands appear in gray if you switch on View > Hidden Objects) that raises
the pitch by a quarter-tone: ~B0,80. ~B0,64 returns the affected staff to normal tuning. You can
edit this pitch bend command to apply values other than a quarter-tone by double-clicking it, and
changing it as follows:
* ~B0,64 = normal tuning
* ~B0,80 = quarter-tone sharp
* ~B0,96 = half-step (semitone) sharp
* ~B0,48 = quarter-tone flat, etc.

Each increment is approximately 3 cents, a cent being 1/100th of a half-step (semitone). Therefore, if you want a pitch, say, 15 cents flat, you can edit the pitch bend command to be 5 less (15/3)
than 64: ~B0,59. (Lowering the third of a major triad by this amount will create a more harmonious chord.) If youre not using quarter-tones as such and dont want the quarter-tone accidental,
you may now delete it and the pitch bend MIDI message will remain.
Note that, due to the nature of MIDI channels, only one pitch bend command is possible at a time
per instrument, so that different notes in a chord cannot be retuned by different amounts. If you
attempt to attach different pitch bends to two different notes in a chord, the plug-in will mark the
chord with an X to alert you to the failure to achieve your desired pitch bend.
For more details about the plug-in, see Quarter-tone Playback on page 416. For more information about MIDI pitch bend messages, see Pitch bend on page 327.

Engraving Rules options

In the even more unlikely event that you want to change the spacing between or around accidentals throughout a score, there are excitingly obscure options for this available on the Accidentals
and Dots and Clefs and Key Signatures pages of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog
(shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE).
(Answer to transposing question: D quarter-sharp. Well leave the scale for you to work out.)

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2.2 Articulations

2.2 Articulations
b 1.1 Note input.
v Adding markings.

Unusual articulation marks

Creating articulations with a note

You may not be familiar with the following articulation marks:

When you create a note, you can create articulations with it at

the same time by choosing one or more articulations from the
first or fourth Keypad layout before putting the note into the
score. (You can also add accidentals, ties, rhythm dots, special
noteheads, tremolos and non-standard beaming from the Keypad at the same time.)

Staccatissimo (very short)

Marcato
Medium pause
Short pause
Up-bow (for stringed instruments)

Adding articulations to existing notes

Down-bow
Harmonic, open hi-hat

To add articulations to a selected note or notes, simply choose

the articulation(s) from the first or fourth Keypad layout.

Closed hi-hat (percussion), muted

or hand-stopped (brass), left-hand
pizzicato (strings), trill (some
Baroque music)

When adding articulations to a chord, it doesnt matter which

of the noteheads is selected, as articulations apply to all notes
in a chord.

Removing particular articulations

* Select the note(s) in question, then choose the articulation(s) from the Keypad, to switch them

off.
* Alternatively, the slow and fiddly way is to select the articulation(s) with the mouse (taking care
not to select the associated note(s) at the same time), then hit Delete.
* To remove all articulations at once, choose the note(s) in question, then choose
the fourth Keypad layout (shortcut F11) and hit 0 or click the corresponding
button shown on the right.

Moving articulations
Articulations are automatically positioned. For instance, if you add an articulation to a note that
already has one, they will shift positions to remain in the correct order and allow room for the new
one.
Occasionally you might want to move an articulation. For example, an articulation is sometimes
put at the wrong end if all articulations in the vicinity are at that end; so if there are six notes
with staccatos, five of which have the staccato above the note, you can move the remaining staccato
above the note to follow the pattern even if it should otherwise go below.
To move an articulation, select it and then:
61

Notations

Articulations are symbols above or below a note, chord or rest that indicate a playing technique,
such as staccato, accent and down-bow. You can create and delete articulations in much the same
way as accidentals.

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2. Notations
* choose Edit > Flip (shortcut X) to flip it to the other side of the note, or
* use the arrow keys (or drag with the mouse) to move the articulation vertically. (As usual,
Ctrl+3/2 or X3/2 moves in larger steps.)

When you flip or move articulations, the operation applies to all articulations attached to a note,
and cannot be applied to one articulation individually. (Should you need to do this, delete the
articulation you want to use and create a new one as a symbol. Beware that articulations created as
symbols have no effect in playback.)
If you wish to reposition articulations throughout the score, see Engraving Rules options
below.

Copying articulations
When you copy a note or chord with Alt+click or z-click or Edit > Repeat (shortcut R), the articulations are copied too, which saves time. You can also use the Plug-ins > Notes and Rests >
Copy Articulations and Slurs plug-in to copy patterns of articulations from one passage to
another without affecting the notes themselves b 5.11 Plug-ins for more information.

Articulations on rests
The three types of fermata (pause) are the only articulations you can add to a rest, because the
others dont make a lot of sense.
In the unlikely event that you should want some other articulation on a rest, obtain it using a symbol. (For instance, in scores by Stockhausen and other contemporary composers, accents on rests
have occasionally been sighted, which apparently represent the sharp intake of breath induced by
unexpected syncopation.)
When you add a fermata to a bar rest, it applies to all staves, and as a result is copied to all staves
(and any instrumental parts).

Custom articulations
If you want to change the appearance of articulations, edit them in the House Style >
Edit Symbols dialog b 7.15 Edit Symbols.
There are three unused spaces on the fourth Keypad layout to which you can assign further articulations if desired, corresponding to three spaces in the Articulations rows of the House Style >
Edit Symbols dialog:

Custom Articulation 1

Custom Articulation 3
Custom Articulation 2

Which empty slot you use affects the order in which your new articulation will stack when combined with other articulations; articulation 1 will go nearest the notehead, and 3 goes furtheest
from the notehead. As you can see from the image above, you must define an above and below
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2.2 Articulations
symbol for every articulation, though in most cases these are actually the same symbol instead of
inverted versions.

Keyboard shortcuts
Though all of the articulations can be accessed via the standard keyboard shortcuts for the Keypad, it is also possible to assign extra shortcuts to individual articulations b 1.2 Keypad.

Fermatas (pauses) on barlines

You might want to place a fermata (pause) above or below a barline; to do this, simply create it
from the Create > Symbol dialog (shortcut Z), setting it to attach to System. This creates a system symbol that will appears in all parts.

Articulations above the staff

In music for some instruments for instance, percussion and singers it is preferable to have
articulations always above the staff. Sibelius does this automatically for certain instruments,
although you can still flip articulations with Edit > Flip (shortcut X).
If you need to force articulations to appear above the staff for another instrument, switch on the
option Always position articulations above the staff on the General tab of the Staff Type
dialog (accessible from the Edit Instrument dialog b 7.12 Edit Instruments).

Engraving Rules options

The Articulations page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or
xXE) has various fascinating options:

63

Notations

Having defined your three custom articulations, be aware that the buttons on the fourth Keypad
layout wont update to show your new symbols, and that custom articulations are only available in
the score in which you redefined them; to make them available in other scores, export the house
style (b 7.7 House Style).

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2. Notations
Always above: normally, articulations go below most notes which have stems up. This option is
for jazz and session musicians, who usually prefer articulations to go above as this makes them
more visible.
Allowed in staff: most publishers draw staccatos and tenutos in the staff, some draw harmonics,
a few draw accents. We wouldnt recommend putting other articulations in the staff as they
wouldnt fit between two staff lines and so would be illegible.
The Position of articulation when near the stem options are:
* Center staccatos on stem: this, the default position, positions any articulations that are at the

stem end of the note automatically: it centers the articulations on the stem if the nearest articulation is a staccato, staccatissimo or wedge. If the articulations are at the notehead end, they are
positioned as normal.
* Half-center staccatos on stem: this option is identical to Center staccatos on stem, except
that it centers the articulations halfway between the stem and the middle of the notehead, if the
nearest articulation to the stem is a staccato, staccatissimo or wedge
* Center all on stem: fairly obviously makes articulations center on the stem rather than the
notehead when at the stem end
* Center all on notehead: makes articulations at the stem end centered on the notehead, to one
side of the stem.
The Vertical position options are:
* spaces from notehead: when articulations go at the notehead end of a note/chord, this is the

distance of the nearest articulation. If the articulation is forced outside the staff it will be further
away than this.
* spaces from stem: the corresponding distance when articulations go at the stem end
* spaces between articulations: determines, funnily enough, the distance between articulations when more than one is attached to a note.
You can also control the distance above the staff of fermatas on bar rests by adjusting the Fermatas (pauses) on bar rests option.

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2.3 Barlines

2.3 Barlines
Sibelius supports a wide variety of barlines, suitable for various kinds of music, which you can put
at the end or in the middle of a bar.:

Normal

Double

Start repeat
(winged)

End repeat
(winged)

Dashed

Invisible

Between
staves

Tick

Short

Notations

Final

Barlines at the end of bars

You dont need to put normal barlines at the end of bars into the score: just add bars, and barlines
appear after every bar.
You can move barlines by dragging them left and right, or using the 0/1 keys (with Ctrl or X for
larger steps). This changes the gap after the last note/rest.
You cant delete a barline in order to join two bars together; instead, you should normally double
the length of the time signature (or create an irregular bar) to fit the music into one bar. Similarly,
to split a bar into two, you should normally shorten the time signature instead of trying to draw a
new barline.
Double barlines
Double barlines are used to
denote new sections.
A double barline usually
appears at a key signature
change, but not at a time signature change or to coincide with
rehearsal marks (unless these
occur at the beginning of a new
section).

Other barlines
These include double barlines, dotted barlines, repeat barlines, early
music barlines, and so on. To create one, select the note after which
you want the barline to appear, then choose the type of barline you
want from Create > Barline. Alternatively, you can place the barline
with the mouse if you hit Esc to deselect everything before you create
the barline you want.

When putting a barline in the middle of a bar, input the music in the
bar first; then add the barline between two specific notes or rests. (If
you inputted the barline first, it wouldnt be clear exactly where in the
bar it was meant to go.) The barline may attach to the bar too close to the following note; if this
happens, select the barline and change the X parameter on the General panel of the Properties
window to change its offset.
If a barline occurs in the middle of a bar that has a bar rest in it, then in the interests of good notation you should split the bar rest into separate rests on either side of the barline.
Its common to split a bar between systems at a double barline or repeat barlines (e.g. at the end of
a line of a hymn). To do this in Sibelius, create two shorter (irregular) bars and use a system break
to split them between systems b 2.4 Bars and bar rests and 7.4 Breaks.
You can copy, drag and delete barlines; deleting any of these other barlines at the end of a bar (even
an invisible barline) turns it back into a normal barline.
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2. Notations

Final double barline

When you start a new score you are given a final double barline at the end, but you can delete it if
you dont want it.
Youre entirely permitted to put more than one final double barline into a score, for instance if it
consists of more than one movement, song or piece.

Repeat barlines
Create start and end repeat barlines in the same way as other special barlines. To create 1st and
2nd endings (1st-/2nd-time bars), b 2.16 Lines.
If you want to create winged repeat barlines, common in handwritten and jazz music, switch on
Wings on repeat barlines on the Barlines page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog.

To create a double-repeat barline, which goes between two repeated sections,

put an End repeat barline at the end of the first bar and a Start repeat at the start of the second
bar. You can drag the two repeat barlines further apart or closer together if you really want to.

Early music barlines

Sibelius includes barlines suitable for preparing editions of early music. In vocal music predating
the convention of time signatures, one method used by editors to help present-day performers
understand the metrical divisions of the music is to add barlines between the staves (sometimes
called mensurstriche).
To use these barlines in your score, set the Default barline type to Between Staves on the Barlines page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE).
Some editors prefer the convention that the music should behave as if the barlines are present,
with notes over barlines being tied (as shown below on the left), and others prefer the opposite
convention, with the music written as if there are no barlines at all (as shown below on the right):

tied across the barline

1 bar

1 bar

dotted quarter note (crotchet)

1 bar

Sibelius automatically ties notes across barlines, so your music will, by default, look like the lefthand example above. If you prefer the other convention, use irregular bars where appropriate to
create a single bar of twice the normal length (b 2.4 Bars and bar rests), then add the barline
in the correct place yourself.
You can also create Tick and Short barlines, which are useful for notating plainsong:

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2.3 Barlines
These barlines are most useful in passages of music for a single instrument (or voice), but you can
use them in music for multiple instruments if you want.

Designing your own barlines

Barline joins
For clarity, staves are normally
joined by barlines to group similar
instruments together. These groups
often, but by no means always,
reflect the way staves are grouped
with brackets (b 2.6 Brackets and
braces).
In orchestral scores, staves with the
woodwind, brass, percussion and
string sections are normally joined
by barlines but separated from adjacent sections.
Vocal staves are never joined to each
other, nor to other instruments.
Staves for the same keyboard instrument are joined together but separated from adjacent instruments.
When a score uses just a few instruments (such as a wind quintet), an
unbroken barline is used to avoid
looking fussy.

Barline joins
Sibelius automatically joins staves into groups of similar instruments with barlines (see box). However, you may want to change
this, as follows:
* Preferably find a point in the score where there are no hidden

staves, so you can check all barline joins at once

* Click carefully at the top or bottom of a normal barline (you
cant use special barlines to change barline joins) in the score; a
purple square handle will appear
* Drag the handle up or down the system to extend or contract
the barline. This affects every system in the score simultaneously.
* Youll find that by extending or contracting the barlines down
the system you can reorganize the way staves are joined by barlines any way you like.

Invisible barlines

You can hide a barline at the end of a bar by replacing it with an

invisible barline from the Create > Barline menu. The invisible
barline appears light gray when View > Hidden Objects is
switched on (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+H or zXH), but disappears when this option is switched off.

The main use of an invisible barline is to notate a bar split between two systems (see Split bars
below). Because the bars on either side are still really separate, there are three inevitable sideeffects: some rhythms cant run over the invisible barline (you may have to use tied notes); bar
numbering will apparently get a bar out after the barline (but you can correct this with a bar number change b 3.6 Bar numbers); and bar rests will appear as two bar rests, one on either side.
So use invisible barlines with care.
If you want to hide all the barlines in your score, change the Default barline type to Invisible on
the Barlines page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE).
If you want to hide all the barlines in, say, a single staff, or all the staves belonging to an instrumental family, see Hiding barlines on some staves only below.

Hiding barlines on some staves only

To hide all the barlines in an instrumental family (where the staves are all joined by a continuous
barline), click the top or bottom of the barline so that the purple handle appears, then hit Delete.
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While it is not possible to design new kinds of barlines that will appear in the Create > Barline
menu, it is possible to modify the appearance of normal barlines on an instrument by instrument
basis, using the House Style > Edit Instruments dialog b 7.12 Edit Instruments.

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2. Notations
To restore barlines to those staves, click the top or bottom of the barline on an adjacent staff, and
drag it across the staves with no barlines.
To hide all the barlines in a particular staff, define a new instrument with no barlines
(b 7.12 Edit Instruments):
* Select a bar in the staff in which you want to hide the barlines
* Choose House Style > Edit Instruments
* You should see that the instrument in question is selected in the dialog; click New Instrument,
*
*
*
*

and click Yes when prompted if youre sure you want to proceed
In the New Instrument dialog that appears, change the Name in dialogs to something that
youll remember, then click Edit Staff Type
On the General tab, switch off the Barlines option, then click OK
Click OK in the New Instrument dialog and make sure that your new instrument is in a suitable ensemble so that you can find it.
If you want no barlines in a particular staff throughout the whole score, make sure nothing is
selected, then choose Create > Other > Instrument Change, choose your new instrument, click
OK, then click at the start of the staff on the first page, to the left of the initial barline.
If you want no barlines to appear for a particular passage, select the bar at which you want the
change to occur, then Create > Other > Instrument Change, choose your new instrument, and
click OK.

Initial barlines on single-staff systems

In lead sheets, its customary for initial barlines to be drawn at the start of each system, even
though normally initial barlines only appear where there are two or more staves in the system. To
make an initial barline appear on single-staff systems, switch on Barline at start of single staves
on the Barlines page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog.

Split bars
It is sometimes desirable to split a bar into two halves, the first half at the end of one system and
the second at the start of the next system. To do this, use Plug-ins > Other > Split Bar
b 5.11 Plug-ins.
Because split bars are still really two bars separated by an invisible barline, they have the same
three drawbacks as invisible barlines (see above).

Engraving Rules options

The options on the Barlines page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) allow you to change the default barline in your score to any of the other
designs, which is useful for scores where you want most or all barlines to be invisible, or dashed, or
in between the staves, etc.
You can also choose whether or not to use winged repeat barlines and adjust the thickness of barlines and the separation of double barlines, should you be struck by an irrepressible urge to do this.

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2.4 Bars and bar rests

2.4 Bars and bar rests

b 1.1 Note input, 2.19 Multirests. To copy or delete several bars at once,
b 1.6 Selections and passages.

Adding bars to the end of the score

Choose Create > Bar > At End (shortcut Ctrl+B or XB) to add a single bar to the end of the score.
To add lots of bars, hold Ctrl+B or XB down and, after a short delay, it will auto-repeat.

Adding bars in the middle of a score

Choose Create > Bar > Single (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+B or xXB), then click in the score where you
want to create the bar.
Create > Bar > Single with a note, rest, or other object selected adds a bar after the one containing
the selected object.
Alternatively, select the point in your score where you want to add more bars, choose Create >
Bar > Other (shortcut Alt+B or zB); type in the Number of bars you want, click OK, and Sibelius creates the bars. If you had nothing selected when you chose Create > Bar > Other, the mouse
pointer will change color to show it is loaded with the empty bars, and you can click in your
score to place them.

Changing the length of bars

To change the length of bars because you are changing the time signature they are in
b 2.27 Time signatures.
To change the length of an individual bar (i.e. create/delete notes from it) while retaining the
music:
* Create an irregular bar of the desired length (see below), just before or after the bar in question
* Copy across the music you want to keep, as a passage (b 1.6 Selections and passages)
* Delete the original bar.

Deleting a bar entirely

To delete a bar, simply select it, then choose Edit > Delete Bars (shortcut Ctrl+Delete or XDelete). This deletes everything in the bar and removes the bar itself. You can delete several bars
at once by selecting them as a system passage first b 1.6 Selections and passages.

Deleting a bar in one staff

* Click an empty part of the bar, which ends up with a light blue box around it
* Hit Delete to turn it into a bar rest. This also deletes other objects in the bar attached to that

staff (e.g. text).

You can delete the contents of several bars at once, or a bar in several staves, by selecting the bars
and hitting Delete b 1.6 Selections and passages.
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v Layout and House Style.

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2. Notations

Creating a bar rest in one voice

* Select a note or rest in the bar
* Hit N to make the note input caret appear
* Go to the second Keypad layout (shortcut F9)
* Choose the voice you want the bar rest to go in, using the buttons at the bottom of the keypad
(shortcut Alt+1-4 or z1-4)
* Choose the bar rest button (shortcut 0).

This can be used either to create a bar rest in a voice that didnt previously exist, or to turn notes
back into a bar rest in one voice only. However, this only deletes notes or rests and leaves other
objects alone. If you want to delete text, lines and other objects too, select the bar and hit Delete.
Beware that a bar rest is not the same as a whole-note (semibreve) rest. Bar rests are centered,
while whole-note rests go at the left of the bar, in the same place a whole-note itself would go, as
shown below:

Whole-note rest

Bar rest

Deleting a bar rest symbol

Select the bar rest symbol and hit Delete. If the music was in two voices, this will turn it back into
one voice. If the music was in one voice, the bar becomes blank. Blank bars are useful if you want
to put something else in the bar, such as a funny symbol.
If you want blank bars throughout a score, as in some contemporary music, see Repeat bars and
double whole note (breve)/blank bar rests below.

Creating irregular bars

An irregular bar is one that is not the length specified by the previous time signature. Pick-up
(upbeat) bars are a common example. To create an irregular bar:
* Choose Create > Bar > Other (shortcut Alt+B or zB)
* In the dialog that appears, click Irregular
* From the drop-down menu, choose one or more note values adding up to the length you want,

or type them on the numeric keypad (with Num Lock on)

* You can also specify a Number of bars if you want several irregular bars of the same length
* Click OK
* Click in the score where you want to create the bar(s).

Pick-up (upbeat) bars

Scores often start with a short bar, known as a pick-up bar (upbeat bar) or anacrusis. These are
most easily created at the same time as creating the time signature (b 2.27 Time signatures).
Sibelius will automatically show the correct number of beats within the pick-up bar as rests, and
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2.4 Bars and bar rests

will divide the rests it creates according to the time signatures Beam and Rest Groups. If you
need to add a pick-up (upbeat) bar after creating the time signature:
* First make sure nothing is selected by hitting Esc.
* Choose Create > Bar > Other
* Create a bar of the suitable length and click at the start of the score to put it before the first full

Changing a bar rests width

Just move the barline at the end.

Repeat bars and double whole note (breve)/blank bar rests

To change a bar rest symbol to a repeat bar, double whole note (breve) bar rest or blank (missing)
bar rest: select the bar rest symbol and choose the design you want from the Bars panel of the
Properties window, or alternatively use the keyboard shortcuts Shift-+/ to choose between the
various symbols. You can change bar rests down all staves at once by first selecting the bar with
Ctrl+click or X-click.
If you want blank bar rests throughout the score, switch off Show bar rests on the Bar rests page
of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE).
To make repeat bars play back, b 4.6 Repeats.

Moving a bar rest symbol

(Only really required when using two or more voices.)
Simply select the bar rest symbol and type 3 or 2. Sibelius wont let you move a bar rest left or
right because lets face it its not all that useful.
If you type Ctrl+3/2 or X3/2 the bar rest moves by one and a half spaces, which is the right distance for the slightly larger guitar tab staves.

Split bars
It is sometimes desirable to split a bar into two halves, the first half at the end of one system and
the second at the start of the next system. To do this, use Plug-ins > Other > Split Bar
b 5.11 Plug-ins.

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bar.
* Select the time signature in the first full bar and hit Delete, answering No when asked if you
want to rewrite the following bars.
* Create the time signature again at the start of the new pick-up bar, making sure to switch off
Rewrite bars up to next time signature (b 2.27 Time signatures).
* Finally, use Create > Other > Bar Number Change to create a bar number change to bar 0 at
the start of your pick-up bar (b 3.6 Bar numbers).

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2. Notations

2.5 Beams
Beams are the thick lines used to join short notes into groups. Sibelius beams notes together into
groups for you automatically, though you may sometimes want to adjust beaming yourself.
You can adjust beaming in many bars at once, or change it on a note-by-note basis if you want,
including special notations such as cross-staff beaming.

Beam groups
Sibelius chooses sensible default beam groups for each time signature you create in your score,
but depending on musical context you may prefer different groups. You can change the beam
groups both for new time signatures you create, and for existing passages of music.
* To change the beam groups for a new time signature, choose Create > Time Signature (short-

cut T), select the time signature you want to create, and click Beam and Rest Groups.
* To change the beam groups for an existing passage of music, see Resetting beam groups
below.
In either case, you will see a dialog with the following options:

You can edit the beam groups for different note values independently. Beam groups are represented by the number of notes in each group, separated by commas, and they must add up to the
number listed alongside the box in the Total in Bar column.

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2.5 Beams
For example, in the time signature 4/4 you could set the Group 8ths (quavers) as option as follows:
4,4

2,2,2,2

5,2,1

If you wish, you can override this behavior by setting the other options on the dialog, namely
Group 16ths (semiquavers) differently and Group 32nds (demisemiquavers) differently.
Again, you must ensure that the beam groups add up to the Total in Bar number alongside. Using
our 4/4 example again, here are a few of the possibilities:
Group 8ths (quavers) as:
4,4

2,2,2,2

Group 16ths (semiquavers) differently:

8,8
5,3,1,4,3

5,2,1

4,6,3,3

For any given time signature with a denominator larger than 8 (e.g. 9/16, 15/32, etc.) the longest
note value you can adjust is the note value represented by the denominator (e.g. in 9/16 you cannot adjust eighth note (quaver) beam groups they will always be beamed in pairs by default; in
15/32 you cannot adjust 16th note (semiquaver) groups either; these will always follow the eighth
note beam groups).

Primary and secondary beams

The primary beam is the one furthest from the noteheads; secondary beams are any other beams,
e.g.
primary beams

secondary beams

Notes grouped by secondary beams (which well call sub-groups) should always indicate the
rhythm as clearly as possible; this is achieved by splitting the sub-groups according to the smaller
units of the beat. In simple time signatures, sub-groups typically occur every two eighth notes
(quavers), and in compound time signatures, sub-groups often occur every three eighth notes.
Sibelius handles all of this complexity for you, but allows you to define sub-groups in the Beam
and Rest Groups and Reset Beam Groups dialogs if necessary.

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As you edit the beam groups for one note value, shorter note values often inherit the same beam
groups (except in 4/4 when eighth notes are set to beam in two groups of four, which is a special
case see below). This means that eighth note beam groups of (say) 5,2,1 would produce sixteenth note beam groups of 10,4,2.

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2. Notations
To define sub-groups, switch on Subdivide their secondary beams for 16th notes (semiquavers) and/or 32nd notes (demisemiquavers), and type the sub-groups separated by commas, making sure that they add up to the number under Total in Bar. For example, in 6/8 you could
subdivide 16th note secondary beam groups as follows:
Group 8ths (quavers) as:
3,3

Subdivide their secondary beams:

2,2,2,2,2,2

Sibelius only allows primary beams to be an eighth note (quaver) beam, i.e. a single beam. In
some situations you may want 16th note (semiquaver) primary beams; in this case, add the extra
beam using the line provided in the Create > Line dialog (b 2.16 Lines).

Resetting beam groups

To regroup notes with beams, simply select the notes as a passage, then choose Notes > Reset
Beam Groups; a dialog will appear. If you want to reset the beam groups to Sibeliuss defaults for
the prevailing time signature, simply click OK without making any changes. If you want to regroup
the notes according to your own preferences, change the settings in the dialog (see 2.5 Beam
groups above for details), and click OK.
The settings you choose in the Notes > Reset Beam Groups dialog do not persist in the score
after you apply them; if you edit the note values of the notes in bars you have reset, the beam
groups will be reset to the groups specified in the prevailing time signature. If necessary, you can
create a new time signature with the desired beam groups, click Yes when asked if you want the
following bars rewritten, and then delete it after you finish inputting and editing (this time
answering No when asked if you want the following bars rewritten).

Reusing beam groups

If you set up the beam groups for a time signature (e.g. 7/8) when creating it, those groupings will
persist for all subsequent bars up to the next time signature change. But other 7/8 time signatures
elsewhere in the same score will not necessarily have the same beam groups setting up beam
groups only affects that one time signature. However, if you want other 7/8 time signatures elsewhere in the same score to use the same beam groups, just copy the time signature. If you want
some 7/8 bars to use one beam grouping (e.g. 2+2+3) and others to use another (e.g. 3+2+2), create two 7/8 time signatures with the different groupings, then copy them to the relevant bars or
passages, input the music, and then delete any superfluous time signatures (choosing No when
asked if you want to the music to be rewritten).

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2.5 Beams

Editing beams
To adjust beaming in individual places, rather than setting them throughout the score or in a passage, you can use the buttons on the third Keypad layout (shortcut F10). Simply select the note(s)
or grace note(s) you want to adjust, then choose the appropriate button.
Breaks the beam from the previous note

Notations

Joins to the previous and next notes

Ends the current beam (i.e. breaks the beam from the next note)
Separates the note from those on either side
Joins to the previous note with just a single (primary) beam.

Beams across rests

Sibelius can automatically beam across rests, both within a beam group and at either end, if
required. When creating a time signature, or resetting the beaming of an existing passage, use the
following options in the Beam and Rest Groups dialog:
* Beam from and to rests allows a beamed group to start and/or end with a rest
* Beam over rests means that rests wont break a beam group if they fall within the defined

grouping.
Some examples of these options in action:

Beam from and to rests

Beam over rests

If rests in the middle of a beamed group collide with the beam, you have the option of either moving the rest (by selecting it and typing 3/2) or adjusting the height of the beam see 2.5 Beam
angles below. If a rest at the start or end of a beamed group collides with the beam, hide the rest
(select it and type Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH), and insert an appropriate rest symbol, which you can
then position as required (b 2.25 Symbols).
In modern scores, beamed rests sometimes have stemlets, which are short stems extending
from the beam to the rest (or stopping just short of the rest). Sibelius does not currently support
stemlets automatically, but if you need them, you can create a good approximation by defining a
new silent notehead type in which you replace the notehead symbols with rest symbols, and use
this notehead type instead of rests b 7.14 Edit Noteheads.

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2. Notations

Beams across barlines, system and page breaks

To make a note beam to the note before the previous barline, select the note at the start of the bar,
choose the third Keypad layout (shortcut F10) and hit 8 on the numeric keypad.
If a beam over a barline happens to fall at a system or page break, Sibelius allows the beam to continue across the break, as in this example below from the bass clarinet part of Stravinskys
Petrouchka:

p ma marc., accompagnando

To make a beam continue across a barline, including a system or page break, use the F10 Keypad
layout to set the last note at the end of the system or page to Start of beam (shortcut 7 on the
keypad) or Middle of beam (shortcut 8 on the keypad), and the first note of the note on the following system to Middle of beam (shortcut 8 on the keypad) or End of beam (shortcut 9 on the
keypad).
If you need to adjust the angle of the beam, move the handle of the rightmost notes stem in the
beam group before the break, and the stems handle of the note at the rightmost end of the beam
after the break. When you are not using Optical beam positions (see 2.5 Engraving Rules
options below), adjusting the stem length of notes at the beginning of the beam will also have an
affect on the slant of the beam. If a cross-staff beam is grouped to only one note after the break, its
beam will be horizontal.

Beaming tuplets
If a tuplet falls within a beam group, it typically breaks the beam on either side, in order to keep
the rhythm as clear as possible. The option Separate tuplets from adjacent notes in the Beam
and Rest Groups dialog, switched on by default, controls this behavior. Consider this case:
3

The beam grouping on the left (Sibeliuss default) is much clearer than the grouping on the right,
which has Separate tuplets from adjacent notes switched off.

Beaming eighth notes (quavers) in 4s

By default, Sibelius beams eighth notes (quavers) in fours in simple duple (e.g. 2/4, 4/4, 2/2) time
signatures. Four consecutive eighth notes that fall within beat divisions will be beamed together,
but Sibelius will automatically break the beam groups if the rhythm within the group changes, e.g.

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2.5 Beams
If you want to change this behavior, define new beam groups (e.g. set the Group 8ths (quavers)
as option to 2,2,2,2 etc.) when creating the time signature, or when you choose Notes > Reset
Beam Groups to reset the beaming of an existing passage. In addition, Sibelius does not apply
this rule when the Beam over rests option is switched on.

Beam angles

To move a beam, zoom in close on it so you can see what youre doing, and simply drag either end
up or down with the mouse. When you drag the left-hand end, you alter the height of both ends of
the beam, and when you drag the right-hand end, you alter the angle. Instead of dragging with the
mouse, you can type 3 or 2. Ctrl+3/2 or X3/2 moves the beam by 0.25 spaces. You can also
make quick adjustments to the angle of a beam by selecting the beam itself and dragging up and
down; this does the same as dragging the left-hand end of the beam.
To set a beam back to its normal position, choose Notes > Reset Stems and Beam Positions,
which you can also do to a selected passage or multiple selection.
Adjusting a beams angle is exactly the same thing as adjusting the lengths of the stems the beam
is attached to.

Level beams
In some music (e.g. for percussion) it is customary for beams to always be flat, and never drawn at
an angle. Sibelius always produces level beams on percussion staves by default, but if you want to
use this convention on other instruments, edit the instrument in question using House Style >
Edit Instruments. In the Edit Instrument dialog, click Edit Staff Type and switch on Beams
always horizontal on the Notes and Rests page b 7.12 Edit Instruments.

Reversing beams
To move a beam from above a group of notes to below it that is, to flip the stem-directions of all
the notes along the beam select any note in the group (just one note will do) and flip it by choosing Edit > Flip (shortcut X); b 2.24 Stems and leger lines if youre not clear how. To restore
the stem direction, flip the same note back, or select the group of notes and choose Notes > Reset
Stems and Beam Positions.
If Edit > Flip doesnt seem to work on a beamed note, select all the notes along the beam and
choose Notes > Reset Stems and Beam Positions. Then flip just the first note.

Flipping fractional beams

Occasionally a fractional beam (also called a flag) in a beamed group of notes will end up pointing leftwards when you want it to point right, or vice versa. To flip it the other way, select the note,
and on the Notes panel of the Window > Properties window switch on Flip fractional beam.

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Notations

Occasionally you may want to adjust a beams angle or position, either to prevent it hitting a grace
note or other obstacle, or because you are a music engraver and have your own views on where
beams should go. If you want to adjust many beams, its better to adjust the Engraving Rules for
beams (see Engraving Rules options below) so you can control beam angles en masse.

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2. Notations

Cross-staff beams
Music for keyboard instruments often contains beamed notes flowing between the hands, like
this:

To obtain this result:

* Input all of the music onto the staff that uses most of the music that crosses between the hands

in this case, the top staff:

* Select the notes that should cross over to the bottom staff (preferably as a multiple selection)

in this case, the B and Gs with leger lines

* Cross them to the staff below by choosing Notes > Cross-Staff Notes > Move Down a Staff
(shortcut Ctrl+Shift+2 or xX2).
Unsurprisingly, Notes > Cross-Staff Notes > Move Up a Staff (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+3 or
xX3) crosses notes to the staff above.
* You can put beams above both staves (as in the first beamed group in the first picture above) or
between the staves (as in the last beamed group) simply by flipping the directions of the stems
as appropriate by choosing Edit > Flip (shortcut X).
Dont do this by dragging the stems to the other side of the notes this wont have the effect you
intended!
* In the first picture above, the last three low notes in the left hand were also flipped to avoid colliding with the notes crossing from the right hand.
Note also that:
* Notes do not have to have beams to be crossed to an adjacent staff the B in our example is a

quarter note (crotchet). You can even cross rests over.

* Notes can only cross over to another staff in the same instrument.
* You can beam across three staves by inputting the notes onto the middle staff, then crossing
notes to the staves above and below. (It is not necessary for any notes to remain on the middle
staff!)
* Notes crossing onto another staff do not affect that staff s voices at all. A staff can even have four
voices plus further notes crossing onto it from adjacent staves!

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2.5 Beams
* Notes are in many respects treated as being on the original staff for example, if you transpose

Beams between notes on the same staff

In older scores, particularly for violin music, if a group of notes is very low, then
very high (or vice versa), you will sometimes see the beam running through the
middle of the notes, with some stems pointing up and some pointing down, as

shown on the left.

To achieve this in Sibelius, input the notes as usual, then select the beam, which will either be
above or below the beamed group, and drag it (or use the arrow keys) to move the whole beam up
or down such that it is between the notes. To adjust the angle of the beam, select the right-hand
end of the beam and drag it with the mouse or nudge it with 3/2.

Chords split between staves

It is common in keyboard music to split the notes of some chords between the two staves:
To achieve this, write each note of the split chord onto the staff it
appears on, using a suitable voice; for example, in the case illustrated, put the treble notes of the split chords into voice 2 on the
upper staff, and the bass notes in voice 1 on the lower staff. Then
use Edit > Flip (shortcut X) to point the stems of the notes on the
lower staff downward. Finally, drag the end of each stem in the
right hand downwards so that it meets the stem of the left-hand note.
In the case of chords using notes shorter than a quarter note (crotchet), hide the flags or beams by
selecting them and typing Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH, then extend their stems, flipping them if necessary using Edit > Flip, to meet the rest of the chord.

Feathered beams
In contemporary music, extra beams sometimes splay out from a single
beam to indicate an accelerando. Using nested tuplets (b 2.29 Triplets and
other tuplets) it is possible to create feathered beams that look and play
back correctly. For example, to notate the example shown on the left:
* Create the first note as an eighth (quaver)
* Type Ctrl+3 or X3 to create a triplet
* Input the second note of the triplet, then type Ctrl+3 or X3 to create another triplet, which is

automatically nested inside the first one.

* Input the second note of the nested tuplet, then type Ctrl+3 or X3 again to create another
nested tuplet. Dont worry that the tuplet numbers and brackets look a bit of a mess.
* When you have input all the notes, select the bar and open the Notes panel of the Properties
window
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Notations

a passage on the original staff, then any notes that were crossed from that staff will also transpose.
* In some circumstances you may encounter redundant accidentals when you cross notes to
another staff. Simply select the accidentals and hide them to solve this problem
b 2.1 Accidentals.

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2. Notations
* Set the left-hand combo box at the bottom of the panel to None, and the right-hand combo box

to No bracket
* Each of the notes will now have a flag, so select each of them and choose Edit > Hide or Show >
Hide (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH) to hide them see 2.5 Hiding beams, flags and
tails below
* Now draw in the extra beams using the beam line from the Create > Line dialog (shortcut L). It
helps to zoom in close so you can see more clearly what you are doing.
It is also possible to create feathered ritenutos and figures with more or fewer notes than this
using this basic procedure.

Hiding beams, flags and tails

To hide any beam, select it (not the note) and choose Edit > Hide or Show > Hide (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH). As with other objects, hidden beams are displayed in light gray if View >
Hidden Objects is switched on (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+H or zXH), and invisible if it is switched off.
You can also hide flags and tails, e.g. on single eighth notes (quavers), in the same way: select the
flag or tail and choose Edit > Hide or Show > Hide. If you have beamed notes with flags (say, a
dotted eighth note (quaver) followed by a sixteenth note (semiquaver)), you can even hide the flag
independently of the main beam.
Hiding, say, the beam on a pair of eighth notes (quavers) doesnt actually turn them into quarter
notes (crotchets) it just makes them look like quarter notes!

Engraving Rules options

The Beams and Stems page of House Style > Engraving Rules allows you to control the positions of beams and also their appearance, as follows:

Beam Positions
Most of the Beam Positions options only apply if Optical beam positions is switched on.
(Switching off Optical beam positions will make beams appear as they did in Sibelius 3 and earlier, which are generally not as good.)
Where the interval between the first and last notes of a beam is no more than an octave, you can
specify an ideal angle for each interval under Default slant per interval. For some beams this
angle has to be adjusted because beams are not allowed to appear in certain positions, such as in
between two staff lines. Also when two notes are very close together, producing a steep beam, the
angle may have to be reduced to the value specified in Maximum beam gradient: Up to an 8ve,
1 in n.
Maximum beam gradient: 1 in n controls the angle for intervals greater than an octave. The
beam follows the angle between the first and last noteheads, as long as it is no steeper than this
value.
If notes in the middle of a beam curve towards the beam, producing a concave shape, it is normal
for the beam to be horizontal. You can control this using Horizontal if middle notes intrude by
n spaces (which specifies the distance a note must protrude through an imaginary line between
the first and last notes to make the beam horizontal).
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2.5 Beams
Avoid simple wedges prevents some cases of wedges in groups of eighth notes (quavers).
These are white triangles whose three sides are a beam, a stem and a staff line, and are believed to
look irritating by some music engravers. Other engravers are very unconcerned about them: to
avoid wedges, the stems have to be lengthened, which to some eyes is worse than the wedges
themselves. Therefore this option is truly optional.

Cross-staff beams are always horizontal by default (assuming Optical beam positions is on),
and go in between two staves. If you want cross-staff beams to go at an angle you should drag
them on a case-by-case basis.

Beam Appearance
The options under Beam Appearance are self-explanatory, controlling the thickness and separation of the beam lines, and whether groups of beamed notes should be allowed to begin with a
rest.
Perhaps most notable is the French beams option, where the stems of the notes in
the beamed group only touch the innermost beam, as shown on the right. This
convention is used particularly in music published in France (hence the name).

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The stem lengths specified in Default beamed stem length are typically less than for normal
notes (and will be shortened further for very high or low notes). However, this is offset by the fact
that stems are lengthened again if necessary to move the beam to a good position. You can further
control stem lengths using Minimum length n spaces at the bottom of the page, which affects
both beamed and unbeamed notes.

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2. Notations

2.6 Brackets and braces

Brackets and braces are used at the left-hand side of systems to group similar instruments
together. Sibelius chooses where they go by default, but you can change it if you like.
Brackets and braces
Normally, instruments of the same
family (e.g. woodwind, brass, percussion) are bracketed together. Percussion instruments and solo instruments
are not normally bracketed.
Instruments divided onto two or more
staves, such as divisi strings, are joined
by a sub-bracket (a thin bracket to the
left of the normal one). Sub-brackets
are also sometimes used to group similar instruments, e.g. Flute and Piccolo,
Violin I and II. In older orchestral
scores, curly braces are sometimes used
instead of sub-brackets, particularly to
group horns.
Keyboard staves are joined with a
brace, but an organ pedal staff is not
braced to the organ manuals.
Small groups of instruments are usually not bracketed at all.
Instruments bracketed, sub-bracketed
or braced together normally also have
their staves joined by barlines.

Moving brackets and braces

You can adjust which staves in a score are bracketed or braced
together:
* Preferably find a point in the score where there are no hidden staves, so you can see all brackets and braces at once
* Click on the end of an existing bracket, sub-bracket or brace,
so it turns purple
* Drag it up or down to extend or contract it
* To remove a selected bracket, sub-bracket or brace, simply
hit Delete.

Adding a bracket, sub-bracket or brace

* From the Create > Other > Bracket or Brace menu, click

Bracket, Sub-bracket or Brace

* Click to the left of a staff to put the bracket, sub-bracket or
brace there
* Click and drag the top or bottom of it to extend it onto other
staves.

Hiding a bracket or brace

Sibelius automatically hides brackets and braces if there is no

barline at the left-hand side of the system. For example, if you
hide one staff of a piano part, so that only one staff is visible, Sibelius hides the brace; similarly, if
you hide all but one of a bracketed group of staves in one or more systems, Sibelius hides the
bracket.
If you need to hide a bracket or brace in another situation (e.g. perhaps in a cut-away score), select
the bar after the brace you want to hide, then open the Bars panel of the Properties window and
switch off Brackets. For more information on properties of objects, b 5.14 Properties.

Placing braces mid-system

Occasionally in keyboard music (particularly organ music) it is necessary to show a brace in the
middle of a system. This may also be necessary in cut-away scores (see Staves with gaps in
on page 145), where a braced instrument is introduced halfway across a page.
If you need a brace to appear mid-system:
* Select the bar after whose initial barline you want the brace to appear

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2.6 Brackets and braces

* Open the Bars panel of Properties, and increase Gap before bar very slightly with the arrows

(e.g. to 0.03 or 0.06) until a brace appears. (This effectively creates a divided system, like a
coda, but with a minuscule gap.)
* Then in the same Properties panel switch off Initial barline and Clefs.

Note, however, that this method also causes brackets and braces to be restated for any other staves
that appear at this point, which may not be desirable in a cut-away score. You can change this by
defining a new instrument with the Bracket option (on the General page of the Edit Staff Type
dialog, accessed from Edit Instrument) switched off; then apply an instrument change to the
other staves that appear at this point. For further details, b 7.12 Edit Instruments.

Style of brackets and braces

Various reassuringly obscure options can be found on the Brackets page of the House Style >
Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE), which allow you to adjust the thickness
and position of brackets, sub-brackets and braces. These options are self-explanatory, except that
the Draw as brace option for sub-brackets is for the old-fashioned style in which (for example)
Violin I and II are joined by a brace rather than a sub-bracket.
If you are using Sibeliuss Helsinki font, you will notice its brace is slightly thicker and more curvaceous than Opuss.
To create a bracket without hooks, used occasionally by composers such as Penderecki, modify a
suitable bracket in the House Style > Edit Lines dialog; simply set the Cap to None. Youll have
to create this manually in your score it wont automatically appear at the start of every system.
Braces are drawn by scaling a { symbol, found in the General row of the Create > Symbol dialog.
To change the brace design, substitute a brace character from a different music or text font
(b 2.25 Symbols). Some printers cant print the brace as a stretched symbol; if you find that
you can only print braces with the Substitute Braces option in the File > Print dialog switched on,
then your printer suffers from this limitation and you will not be able to change the design of
braces in Sibelius.

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Notations

You will probably need to move the first note of the bar following the brace left to close the gap
where the clefs would have gone: move it as far left as it will go, then with the note still selected
decrease X in the General panel of Properties until it is correctly positioned (similarly for any
note/rest at the start of the bar in the left hand). Then drag the second note leftwards until the gap
between the first two notes is normal.

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2. Notations

2.7 Chord diagrams

b 3.4 Chord symbols.

Chord diagrams (sometimes known as chord boxes, fretboard grids, guitar frames, and so on) illustrate how to play a particular chord on a guitar or other fretted instrument, by showing which fingers need to be on which fret on each string. They are usually accompanied by text chord symbols,
which Sibelius can include for you.

Creating chord diagrams

To create a chord diagram above the selected note, choose Create > Chord Diagram (shortcut
Shift-K) to get this dialog:

* The Choose a Chord Diagram options at the left-hand side of the dialog allow you to set the

following:
% Chord is the key of the chord you want to use
% The middle list determines the kind of chord, e.g. major, minor, augmented, diminished, etc.
% Bass is the bass note of the chord. By default, its set to the same pitch as Chord, but you can
change it if you are writing, say, a G chord with a B as the bottom note.
% The large white rectangle shows you the available chords based on the settings chosen in the
dialog
% Show fingering text displays the fingerings required to play a particular chord below each
string in the chord diagram. The option will not be available if no fingering has been specified. See Adding fingering text below for more information.
% Show chord symbol adds a text chord symbol above the chord diagram.
% Clicking Edit or New allows you to edit the selected chord diagram or create a new one
which isnt listed. See Editing and saving chord diagrams below for more details.
* The Chords Listed options at the right-hand side of the dialog allow you to specify which chord
diagrams appear in the left-hand side of the dialog:
% Instrument: set this option to the tuning of the guitar you are writing chord diagrams for
% Chords used in this score displays any chord diagrams already used in the score that
match the options currently chosen in the dialog
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2.7 Chord diagrams

% Common chords (standard tuning) shows chord diagrams from a built-in selection for

You can switch on several of the checkboxes at once to list all of their chords together at the lefthand side of the dialog.
When you select one of the chord diagrams at the left-hand side and click OK, the diagram will be
created above the selected note. If you didnt have a note selected before you opened the dialog,
the mouse pointer will change color to show that its loaded with a chord diagram just click on
the page where you want it to go.

Maximum stretch
For the automatically generated chord shapes, you can specify the maximum distance that your
fingers can stretch by setting the Max. stretch option to the desired number of frets.

Copying, editing and deleting chord diagrams

Chord diagrams can of course be copied, moved and deleted in the usual ways. Once created in
your score, you can edit a chord diagram simply by double-clicking it.
You can also cycle through different fingerings for a selected chord without going back into the
dialog: simply click the diagram once so that it is selected, then choose Edit > Change Chord Diagram (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+K or xXK) repeatedly to cycle through different fingerings, from the
choice specified by the Chords Listed options you last chose in the Create > Chord Diagram dialog.

85

Notations

standard 6-string guitar tuning, chosen for their ease of playing; generally, three different
fingerings are provided for each chord type: one at (or close to) the nut, one at around the
fifth fret, and one at around the ninth fret.
% All chords tells Sibelius to automatically calculate all the possible fingerings for a given
chord. Note that the shapes generated will be governed by the Max. stretch setting (see
below). If you are using a special guitar tuning, switching on this option will provide you
with a wide selection of playable shapes for a particular chord, which you can then add to a
library.
% Max. stretch n frets determines the maximum distance between the lowest and highest
frets that can be fingered for automatically generated chord diagrams. See Maximum
stretch below for more details.
% The Chords in library options determine whether Sibelius should display chords from a
custom chord diagram library. See Chord diagram libraries below for more details.

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2. Notations

Editing and saving chord diagrams

If you want to edit a chord diagram shown in the Chord Diagram
dialog, select it with the mouse and click the Edit button. If you want
to create a new chord diagram from scratch, click the New button. In
both cases, youll see the dialog shown on the left.
* To place a dot on a string, simply click where you want the dot to

appear
* To specify that the string should be open or unplayed, click above

the top line of the frame to switch between the O and X symbols
* To draw a barr, click and drag across the strings you want to be
barrd
* To set the fret number at the top right of the diagram, click the
arrows to the right of the window.
* To set a different chord symbol than the provided default, switch on Use custom chord symbol and type the desired chord symbol; see Chord symbols below for more details.
* To specify how the chord diagram should be fingered, enter the fingering into the Fingering
text box; see Adding fingering text below for more details.
When you are happy with the chord diagram, click OK to return to the Chord Diagram dialog.
If you want to use your edited or new diagram in other scores in future, you should save it into a
chord diagram library, which happens automatically when you click OK (as long as you have a
suitable library chosen in the drop-down next to the Add to library checkbox).

Adding fingering text

To add fingering text to a chord diagram, use the Edit Chord Diagram dialog, as described
above. Simply type the desired text in the Fingering text box, as follows:
* Each string may show a single character as its fingering text
* You can type any alphanumeric character (i.e. numbers 0-9 and letters A-Z, either upper or

lower case)
* Type a hyphen (-) for any string that does not have a fingering.

As you type, the preview window shows how the fingering will appear in the score (though the
characters in the preview window are larger in relation to the size of the chord diagram than they
will appear in the score). So for the example shown above, you should type -1342-.

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2.7 Chord diagrams

Appearance of fingering text

The appearance of chord diagram fingering text is specified on the Guitar page of the House
Style > Engraving Rules dialog:

Notations
* Draw fingering text determines whether the fingering text should be drawn Below diagram

(the default) or Above diagram. When fingering text is drawn above the diagram, it is drawn
in line with the O and X symbols. Fingering text takes precedence over the O and X symbols, so
if both a fingering and an O or X should appear over the same string, the fingering text will be
displayed.
* Fingering text n spaces from diagram determines the distance from the bottom or top of the
chord diagram that the fingering text will be drawn (the default is 0.5 spaces). If fingering text is
set to display above the diagram, this parameter also changes the distance of the O and X symbols from the frame, to ensure that the fingering text appears in line with the symbols.
To change the font, style (e.g. bold, italic) and point size of the text used for fingerings, choose
House Style > Edit Text Style and edit the Chord diagram fingering text style.

Chord diagram libraries

Libraries make working with chord diagrams very quick. For example, if you always use a specific
set of fingerings for your chords (e.g. jazz voicings, or very simple fingerings for your guitar students), you can set up a library containing just those chords. This makes it much quicker to find
the diagrams you want, and once youve set up a library, you can use it in every score you write.
You can even send your library to a friend, or add libraries that others have created.
To create a library, choose New Chord Diagram Library... from the drop-down menu in the
main Create > Chord Diagram dialog or the Edit Chord Diagram dialog. You will be prompted
to type in a name make it something memorable like Jazz chords or Easy voicings then click
OK.
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2. Notations
To add a chord to your library, simply select it in the white rectangle at the left of the dialog, and
click Add to Library. (If no library is chosen next to the Chords in library option on the right of
the dialog, youll be prompted to choose or create one.)
To use a chord from a library, switch on Chords in library, choose the appropriate library from
the drop-down, and the chords will be listed at the left-hand side of the dialog.
To remove a chord from your library, make sure Chords in library is switched on (its probably a
good idea to switch off the other three options so only the chords in your library are shown), then
choose the chord you want to remove and click Delete from library.
If you want to share your chord diagram library with somebody, or want to install a library sent to
you by another user, libraries are stored in the Chord Shapes folder inside Sibeliuss application
data folder (see User-editable files in b 8.1 Working with files). Chord library files have
the extension .scl.

Chord symbols
In most cases, you wont need to change the chord symbol above a chord diagram from the default
that Sibelius gives you, but if you want to use a different naming convention, there are two
approaches:
* If you want to change the chord symbol for each type of chord diagram in the score (e.g. major,

minor, sus4, etc.) so that every new chord diagram you create uses your preferred chord symbol, you can define the default chord symbol as part of the house style of the score youre working on.
* On the other hand, if you just want to change the chord symbol above a single chord diagram
(for some special purpose, e.g. creating a very unusual chord such as Cb major), you can create a
custom chord symbol for that individual chord diagram.
To change the chord symbol for each chord diagram type:
* Choose the Guitar page of House Style > Engraving Rules (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE)
* Click Edit Chord Symbols
* In the dialog that appears, choose the Chord type, and edit the Chord Symbol accordingly
* When youve finished, click OK.

This will also change the chord symbols in any chord diagrams youve already created (but wont
affect any text chord symbols which arent part of chord diagrams). If you want to transfer these
chord symbol settings to another score, export the house style from this score and import it into
another one (you can choose to import only the Chord symbols in chord diagrams house style
element if you wish) b 7.7 House Style.
Alternatively, to change the chord symbol for an individual chord diagram:
* In the Create > Chord Diagram dialog, select the chord diagram whose chord symbol you want

to change, and click Edit (or click New to create a new chord diagram based on the selected
one)
* Switch on Use custom chord symbol and type the desired new name, then click OK.

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2.7 Chord diagrams

Be aware that chord symbols above chord diagrams are drawn using the Chord symbols text
style, so characters such as b and # in the dialogs for defining custom chord symbols will translate
into proper musical symbols such as b and # when you create a chord diagram b 3.4 Chord
symbols.

Making chord diagrams play back

Chord diagrams themselves dont play back, but once youve added them to your score, you can
use Plug-ins > Composing Tools > Realize Chord Symbols to generate a simple accompaniment
from them b 5.11 Plug-ins.

Unrecognized chord diagrams

When opening scores created in earlier versions of Sibelius that contain chord diagrams, you may
see a message informing you that some chord diagrams in the score could not be recognized,
which means that the chord diagram isnt one of the standard ones Sibelius knows about. Unrecognized chord diagrams are colored red in the score so you can find them easily.
You may choose to double-click the chord diagram to edit it and match it yourself to one of the
default types, or you may choose to leave well alone. The main reason you may want to edit an
unrecognized chord diagram is so that Sibelius knows how to transpose it if you transpose the
score. In either case, if you want to make the chord diagram black again, select it and choose
Layout > Reset Design (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+D or xXD).

Engraving Rules options

In addition to the chord symbol and fingering text options mentioned above, the Guitar page of
the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog contains numerous self-explanatory options controlling the design of chord diagrams.

89

Notations

Whether you edit the chord symbols globally in the house style or individually on single chord
diagrams, the custom chord symbols are never stored in a chord diagram library (because you
may wish to use the same library in a variety of projects that require different naming conventions). In particular, for individual custom chord symbols, the way to reuse the custom chord
symbol is to create the chord diagram in your score, and then to create it again, switch on the
Chords used in this score option in the Create > Chord Diagram dialog, and choose the chord
from the left-hand side of the dialog.

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2. Notations

2.8 Clefs
v Adding markings.

The clefs at the start of every system are drawn automatically by Sibelius. It puts in the standard
clefs for you when you create instruments. You only need to think about clefs if you want to
change them.

Creating clef changes

* If you want the clef to change mid-bar, input the music for

the bar where the clef change is to go, so you can create it
between the right notes
Select the note or rest before the place where you want the
clef to go, choose Create > Clef (shortcut Q for qlef ), and
click the clef you want from the bewildering list provided.
(The most common clefs are at the top.)
You can tell Sibelius to use a different clef when Notes >
Transposing Score is switched on, which is useful for some
transposing instruments (e.g. low brass and wind instruments); to do this, switch on the Transposed clef option
and choose the clef to use
The Draw on subsequent staves option, as its name suggests, draws the new clef on all subsequent systems; switching this off is useful for special kinds of music such as lead sheets, but normally you should leave
it switched on
Click OK and the clef is created in your score. All the music after the clef will shift up or down to
ensure that it sounds the same as before.

You can also input a clef change with the mouse. Make sure that nothing is selected in your score
(hit Esc), choose the clef you want from the Create > Clef dialog, then point where you want the
clef to go and click. For instance, to change the clef of an entire instrument, put the clef youve
chosen on top of the existing clef at the very start of the score.
You can copy clef changes (e.g. with Alt+click or z-click), though you cant copy the full-size clefs
at the start of staves.

Moving clefs
If you drag a clef change around, youll see that Sibelius automatically shifts the music up or down
as the clef passes over it to keep the notes sounding the same.
Try this out create a clef change somewhere, then drag it left and right along the staff, or up and
down onto other staves, and watch the music instantly leap around. When you have nothing better to do, this can provide hours of harmless (if rather limited) enjoyment.

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2.8 Clefs

Deleting clefs

For unpitched percussion instruments you may want to use the blank clef (the one that consists
of a bit of empty staff). Although this just makes the staff start with a gap instead of a clef, you
position the blank clef just like any other clef instead of trying to delete the clef thats already there.
Once you have put a blank clef change somewhere, you cant select it and delete it theres nothing
there to select. Instead, put a different clef on top and hit Delete.
Available clefs

Clefs

Hiding clefs at the

start of a system
If you want a clef to appear on
the first system but not on
subsequent systems for
example, if youre working on
a lead sheet simply switch
off Draw on subsequent
systems when you create the
clef; dont try and delete the
clef at the beginning of each
system!
If you dont want clefs to
appear at all on a particular
staff, select all the bars in that
staff, then switch off the Clefs
checkbox on the Bars panel of
the
Properties
window
(b 5.14 Properties).

Hiding cautionary clef

changes
If a score contains several
movements or songs, you may want to change clef at the start of one section without a cautionary
clef appearing at the end of the previous section. To do this, select the cautionary clef, and choose
Edit > Hide or Show > Hide (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH).
For more information about hiding objects, b 5.6 Hiding objects.

Octave clefs
Some people write (say) piccolo with a normal treble clef, some with an 8 above (particularly in
avant garde scores) this is a matter of taste. A real-life piccolo playing music with a treble 8 clef
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Notations

Clef changes can be removed with Delete. If the clef you want to delete changes at the start of a
system, delete the clef change that appears at the end of the previous system. (Thats because if
you think about it the small clef on the end of the previous system is the actual change point; the
big clef on the next system is really no more than the standard indication of what the current clef
is.)

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2. Notations
would not sound an octave higher than a piccolo playing the same music with a plain treble clef
they sound at exactly the same pitch. In other words, the 8 is just a hint or reminder to the reader
that this is a transposing instrument.
Therefore in Sibelius clefs with or without 8s (or 15s) on them are all precisely equivalent. The
fact that a piccolo sounds an octave higher than a flute playing the same notes is an attribute of the
instrument, not of the clef (after all, they could both be playing from a plain treble clef). This is
indicated in Sibelius by the fact that a piccolo has a transposition change by default, namely it
transposes up an octave both in a non-transposing score and in a transposing score. You can create
a transposing instrument like this yourself using House Style > Edit Instruments (b 7.12 Edit
Instruments).
A tenor voice instrument in Sibelius is similar it has a transposition change to make it transpose down an octave both in a non-transposing score and in a transposing score. The treble 8
clef for a tenor is again just a hint to the reader its an alternative to a plain treble clef and has no
direct effect on the sounding pitch of the notes.

Engraving Rules options

The Clefs and Key Signatures page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) allows you to change the Gap before initial clef and the Initial clef
width, should you be so inclined.
The Cue note size option on the Notes and Tremolos page of the dialog also determines the
size of clef changes (compared with full size clefs).

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2.9 Color

2.9 Color
b 5.7 Highlight.
v Color and importing graphics.

How to color an object

Changing the color of an object is simple:
* Select the object (or objects) you want to color
* Choose Edit > Color (shortcut Ctrl+J or XJ)
* A standard color picker dialog appears: choose the color you want and click OK.

To color another object the same color as the last color you applied, select the object and choose
Edit > Reapply Color (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+J or xXJ).
You can color objects individually, or a whole bunch of selected objects at once. For example, to
change the color of all the notes in a bar, select the bar so that its surrounded by a single light blue
box, then choose Edit > Color. You can also use filters (b 5.4 Filters and Find) to select, say, all
the lyrics in your song and color them all at once.

Resetting an objects color

To reset the color of an object to black, select it and choose Layout > Reset Design (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+D or xXD).

Viewing notes in color

Whether you can see notes whose color you have changed depends on the option you have chosen
in the View > Note Colors submenu. If you have either Pitch Spectrum or Voice Colors
switched on, all notes will be colored according to this option, and not according to any individual
colors you have chosen. User-chosen colors are only visible if either None or Notes Out of
Range are switched on. b 5.19 View menu.

Printing in color
You can print your score in full color if desired simply ensure that the Print in color option in
the File > Print dialog is switched on. If you have a black-and-white printer, colored objects will
print in shades of gray. If this option is switched off, all colored objects will be printed in black
b 5.13 Printing.

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Notations

Sibelius allows you to color most objects in your scores. This is very useful for producing more
eye-catching scores for example, you might want to color all the tempo directions or rehearsal
marks a particular color to make them stand out for the conductor or performers and also has
educational applications: you could use different colors to differentiate between different fingerings or chord diagrams, or color each pitch on a notation staff differently to help students learn to
read music.

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2. Notations

Which objects can be colored?

With a few exceptions, you can change the color of anything you can select, including notes, lines,
text, chord diagrams, symbols, and more.
When coloring notes, the following constituent parts are drawn in the same color as the notehead
itself: accidentals; articulations; rhythm dots; brackets; and ties.
The following parts ignore the chosen color of the notehead and are always drawn in black:
beams; leger lines; stems; acciaccatura slash; tremolos; and flags/hooks.

Which objects cannot be colored?

* Individual noteheads in chords (if you color one notehead of a chord, all the other noteheads
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

will be colored the same)

Instrument names to the left of the system
Bar numbers (although you can color bar number changes if you want)
Initial clefs at the start of systems (although you can color clef changes if you want)
Initial key signatures at the start of systems (although you can color key signature changes)
Note names denoting the tuning of tab staves at the start of systems
Normal barlines (although you can color special barlines, such as repeat, double and final barlines)
Staff lines.

Storing colors in the Windows color picker

If you want to retain a number of colors so you can re-use them later, you can store them in the
Custom colors section of the color picker. This is not as straightforward as it may seem, as the
new color is always stored as the first custom color (which overwrites your new color on the right
side of the dialog) unless youve previously selected a custom color.
If you want to go through a score looking for several colors youve already used and add them to
the custom colors list:
* Select the object that uses the color you want to store
* Choose Edit > Color (shortcut Ctrl+J)
* Type Alt+C to select the first custom color
* Use the arrow keys to move the focus to the custom color slot in which you want to store the

object color
* Click Add to custom colors.

Storing colors in the Mac color picker

To add a custom color on Mac:
* Select the object that uses the color you want to store
* Choose Edit > Color (shortcut XJ)
* Click and hold down the left mouse button in the box showing the color of the object at the top

of the dialog
* Drag the mouse down into one of the custom color boxes at the bottom of the dialog.
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2.10 Cues

2.10 Cues
b 2.12 Grace notes, b 6.1 Working with parts.

Dont confuse cue notes with grace notes (b 2.12 Grace notes): cue notes occupy rhythmic
space in the bar, and play back like normal notes. Because a cue can contain grace notes or special
noteheads, any note whether its a normal note, special notehead or even a grace note can be
made cue-size. Rests, bar rests and other objects such as text, lines and symbols can also be cuesize.
The other chief uses for small notes are for writing optional keyboard accompaniments in choral
and instrumental music, and the solo part on a keyboard accompaniment, but in these cases you
should not use cue notes. Instead it looks better if you make the relevant staves small, which will
make all the notes and other objects on it small too b 2.23 Staves.
The size of cue notes is proportional to the staff size normally cue notes go on a normal-size
staff, but if you put cue notes on a small staff they will go even smaller. You can even put cue grace
notes on a small staff, to get really, really tiny notes.

Paste as Cue
It only takes a moment to create a cue passage using Edit > Paste as Cue:
* Make sure you are looking at the full score rather than one of the dynamic parts. Although you
can use Edit > Paste as Cue in a dynamic part, its much more convenient to use it in the full

score, so that you can see the staff you are taking material from, and paste the cue into multiple
instruments at the same time
* Copy the music you want to use as a cue to the clipboard by selecting it, then choosing Edit >
Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or XC)
* Select the bar rest or rest in the staff or staves on which you want the cue to appear, then choose
Edit > Paste as Cue (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+V or xzXV). If you select more than one staff,
Sibelius will paste the cue onto all the selected staves using multicopy (b 1.6 Selections and
passages).
Thats all there is to it! A number of useful things are done for you when pasting a cue passage:
* The copied music is pasted into the first unused voice, with all the notes and other markings

made cue-size
* The cue is hidden in the full score but is shown in the parts (though if you want to, you can tell
Sibelius to show the cue in the full score as well see Paste as Cue preferences below)

95

Notations

Cue notes are small notes commonly used for one of two purposes. In instrumental parts, cue passages are included to help the player keep track of where they are, and are not meant to be played.
Cue passages can also indicate optional music, for example a harmonica solo might be cued in a
clarinet part with an indication to play if no harmonica is available.

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2. Notations
* Any awkward transpositions (e.g. cueing a clarinet in A on a horn in F staff) are taken care of,

*
*
*
*
*

and either if necessary a suitable clef or an octave line is added to ensure the cue is easily readable, according to your preferences see Paste as Cue preferences below
The name of the cued instrument is written above the cue, using the Instrument name (cues)
staff text style (which you can edit if you want to change its appearance or default position
b 3.10 Edit Text Styles)
If the staff type (e.g. number of lines) of the cued instrument and the destination staff dont
match, appropriate instrument changes are created at the start and end of the cue
Particular markings (such as lyrics, dynamics, slurs and hairpins) are automatically included or
excluded, according to your preferences see Paste as Cue preferences below
Any instrument changes in the source passage are automatically excluded
The cue notes are set not to play back (by automatically switching off the Play on pass checkboxes in the Playback panel of Properties see When to play back notes on page 270)
Suitable bar rests are added in an unused voice in both the full score and the parts, so that they
look correct (though if you want to, you can tell Sibelius not to add bar rests in the parts see
Paste as Cue preferences below).

About the only thing Sibelius doesnt do is decide which instrument you should use for the cue,
although it can even suggest where cues should be added read on.

Suggest Cue Locations plug-in

When preparing parts for performance, one of the more time-consuming aspects is determining
where cues would be most useful to the performers. You may want to add cues after a certain
number of bars rest, or after a certain length of time. Plug-ins > Other > Suggest Cue Locations
can do this for you see Suggest Cue Locations on page 414.

Check Cues plug-in

Any edits you make to the music in your score after cueing the parts may potentially lead to errors
in the cues, because Sibelius doesnt automatically update the cue passages if the source staves
from which they take their material are subsequently edited. However, a handy plug-in is
included that can check cues against the music from which they are taken and warn you if it finds
any disparities; simply select the passage in question and choose Plug-ins > Proof-reading >
Check Cues see Check Cues on page 419 for more details.

Paste as Cue preferences

Various options for determining exactly what happens when you do Edit > Paste as Cue are
found on the Paste as Cue page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac), as shown
below.
The Pitch of Cue options provide three alternatives for how Sibelius should resolve differences in
range between the source and destination staves:
* Change clef if necessary adds a clef at the start of the pasted cue, if the clefs used by the

source and destination staves dont match. So if you paste a cue from, say, a cello staff onto a
flute staff, Sibelius will create a bass clef at the start of the cue and restore the treble clef at the
end. Note that these clef changes are only visible in the part.
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2.10 Cues
* Add octave line if necessary adds an octave line (up to two octaves up or down, i.e. 8va,

15ma, 8vb or 15mb) over the pasted cue if Sibelius has to transpose the cue by one or more
octaves to ensure that it fits comfortably on the staff.
* Neither will simply paste the cue into the clef of the destination staff without transposing the
music by octaves.

Notations

The Copy into Cue options allow you to choose

whether or not Sibelius should include Slurs, Articulations, Dynamics, Lyrics and Technique text in the
pasted cue.
Its conventional for cue passages in parts to show bar
rests in addition to the cue notes, as an extra visual
indicator to the player that the notes are for informational purposes only, and not to be played. However,
in some kinds of music, including jazz, its common
for cues simply to be written in smaller notes without
adding bar rests. Show bar rests with cue (in parts)
allows you to choose which of these conventions to follow: when switched on (the default), the parts original
bar rests are shown in addition to the cue notes; when
switched off, only the cue notes themselves are shown.
Again, in some kinds of music, commonly jazz, you sometimes see the word Play written after
the cue, to remind the performer that she should now start playing again. Write Play after cue,
switched off by default, does this. It is most useful if you switch off Show bar rests with cue (in
parts).
In most kinds of music its conventional for cues to be shown only in the parts, so Hide cues in
full score is switched on by default. However, scores in some fields of music, such as musical theater, usually show cues in the full score, so switching this option off is useful in those situations.
Be aware that changing the options here will not affect cues you have already pasted; they only
affect cues you subsequently create using Edit > Paste as Cue.

Creating cue notes, rests and other objects

If you need to make a note, rest, line, symbol or staff text object cue-size yourself, select it
and then choose the cue-size button shown on the right (shortcut Enter) from the second
Keypad layout (shortcut Enter). When creating notes with mouse and keystrokes or steptime, notes continue to be cue notes until you switch the button off again.
If you want to make a passage of music cue-sized, simply select the passage and choose the same
keypad button from the second Keypad layout. You can make cue notes and cue-size rests normal
size again by re-choosing the cue note button in the same way.
You cannot make system text, system symbols or system lines cue-size, as these are never
included in cue passages (since they already occur in all parts).

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2. Notations
The General panel of Properties also includes a Cue-sized checkbox, which works the same way
as the cue-size button.

Engraving Rules options

The Notes and Tremolos page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) lets you modify the size of grace and cue notes relative to normal notes.
Grace notes are normally a bit smaller than cue notes (60% of full size instead of 75%).

Big notes
In the unlikely event that you want extra-large notes on normal staves (a notation used occasionally by Stockhausen to denote loud notes) and dont also need cue-sized notes, set Cue note size
on the Notes and Tremolos page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog to, say, 130%,
and input the big notes as cue notes.

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2.11 Free rhythm

2.11 Free rhythm

Normal free rhythm

For free rhythm in just one instrument, or in several where the rhythms align, create irregular
bars of appropriate lengths (choose Create > Bar > Other, shortcut Alt+B or zB) into which to
put the music.
Depending on the type of music, you can input the music in one long bar or in several shorter bars
with invisible barlines. The latter has the advantage that the music can split at any of the invisible
barlines, which will be required for a long cadenza that wouldnt fit on one system. The downside
is that the extra bars will upset the bar numbering, though you can correct this by putting an
appropriate bar number change at the end (b 3.6 Bar numbers).

Independent free rhythms

Sometimes instruments play completely independent rhythms at the same time, like this:

Notate this in the same way as described above, but choose one of the staves as the fundamental
rhythm and input it first. Then add the other rhythms, but change their apparent speed using
tuplets with a suitable ratio i.e. choose None and switch off the Bracket in the Create > Tuplet
dialog (or change it retrospectively from the Notes panel of the Properties window). For example,
in the music above the first three notes on the lower staff are in a hidden triplet, so as to fit against
the first two notes on the upper staff.
Sibelius will even play back the rhythms correctly, as if it were reading the spatial notation.

Music with multiple simultaneous time signatures

...or with barlines in different places on different staves: b 2.27 Time signatures.

Plainchant
To write plainchant, use irregular bars (choose Create > Bar > Other, shortcut Alt+B or zB) of
appropriate lengths, and use stemless notes b Choir in the How to section of the Handbook.

Recitative
Use irregular bars (choose Create > Bar > Other, shortcut Alt+B or zB) of appropriate lengths.
For help on lyrics in recitative, b 3.3 Lyrics.
99

Notations

Music in free rhythm means that there are no time signatures (as in recitative, some avant garde
music, or plainchant), or else the current time signature is ignored (as in a cadenza). Sometimes
several instruments can play free rhythms at different speeds so that the notes dont even line up,
as in aleatory music.

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2. Notations

Cadenzas
Here are a couple of approaches to creating cadenzas in Sibelius. It is helpful if you calculate the
length of your cadenza (in terms of note values) before you start to input it:
* Create an irregular bar, or a series of them, using Create > Bar > Other (shortcut Alt+B or zB).

Remember that each bar you create can be no longer than one system, so you may need to create multiple bars with invisible barlines in between. You can specify the exact duration of the
bar(s), as complex as you like, and fill them with music as normal. You should avoid deleting
(hiding) any unwanted rests if possible, as they will have an effect on note spacing even if they
are hidden.
* If you need to have regular (measured) bars of music and free rhythm simultaneously, see Independent free rhythms above.

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2.12 Grace notes

2.12 Grace notes

b 2.10 Cues.

Grace notes

Creating grace notes...

Grace notes are normally drawn with stems

up, regardless of their pitch. They are only
drawn with stems down to avoid colliding
with other objects, e.g. in the second of two
voices, and in bagpipe music.

Grace notes are always attached to the following normal

note in a bar (so you cannot automatically create grace
notes at the very end of a bar see below). You can create
grace notes in two ways, detailed below.

Acciaccaturas (with a line through the

stem) are normally used only for single
grace notes. Single grace notes, particularly
acciaccaturas, are almost always written as
an eighth note (quaver) regardless of how
long they actually last. Pairs of grace notes
are usually written as sixteenth notes
(semiquavers), with 32nd-notes
(demisemiquavers) being used for groups of
about four or more grace notes.

The quick way is to input the grace notes as you go along

during step-time or alphabetic input; the slow way is to
input the normal notes first, then add the grace notes
afterwards.

Grace notes are usually slurred from the

first grace note to the following main note.
The slur normally goes above if the main
note is higher than the grace note, or if the
grace note or main note has leger lines
above the staff; otherwise the slur is below.

...the quick way

To input grace notes as you go along:
* Start creating notes (b 1.1 Note input)
* When you want to create a grace note, switch to the sec-

ond Keypad layout (shortcut F9) and switch on the appropriate Keypad button:

Acciaccatura

Appoggiatura

* Then create notes as normal, choosing note values from the first Keypad layout (shortcut F8)
* To stop creating grace notes, switch off the grace note button on the second Keypad layout.

...the slow way

To add grace notes to an existing passage of music:
* With nothing selected (hit Esc), choose the note value and the kind of grace note from the first

and second Keypad layouts

* The mouse arrow changes color to show which voice youre going to create the grace note into;
click where the grace note is to go
* If you didnt specify a note value before creating it, the grace note will appear as an eighth note
(quaver). You can modify the note value afterwards in the same way as normal notes.
101

Notations

Grace notes are smaller than normal notes, and are drawn in between them. Unlike cue notes,
grace notes dont count towards the total duration of the bar. This is because the performer is
meant to fit them in between the main notes himself. Grace notes with a diagonal line through the
stem are acciaccaturas, and ones without are appoggiaturas (this is the terminology Sibelius uses,
anyway).

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2. Notations
* Type AG or use your MIDI keyboard to produce more grace notes after it.
* Type 19 (or Shift-19 for notes below) to produce grace note chords, or play the chords on

your MIDI keyboard.

Editing grace notes

Most editing operations work for grace notes in exactly the same way as normal notes, including
dragging, copying, deleting, adding/removing accidentals and articulations, beaming, and changing their note value or notehead.

Grace notes at the end of bars

Because grace notes attach to the note or rest following them, if you try to create a grace note at
the very end of the bar (e.g. after a trill or other ornament), it has nothing to attach to. So to create
a grace note at the end of a bar, enter a note in the next bar and create the grace note(s) before this
note, then alter its position to before the barline using the X parameter in the General panel of the
Properties window (b 5.14 Properties). The main note after grace notes can then be deleted if
necessary. (To move the grace note thereafter, only use the Properties window not the mouse or
arrow keys or the grace note may reattach to a different note.)

Spacing grace notes

In the House Style > Note Spacing Rule dialog, you can specify the Space around grace notes
(i.e. the separation between each grace note) and the Extra space after last grace note (i.e. after
the last grace note and before the next normal note).

Engraving Rules options

The Notes and Tremolos page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) lets you modify the size of grace and cue notes relative to normal notes.
Grace notes are normally a bit smaller than cue notes (60% of full size instead of 75%).

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2.13 Guitar notation and tab

2.13 Guitar notation and tab

b 1.5 Guitar tab input, 2.7 Chord diagrams, 2.17 Lute tablature, 8.16 ASCII tab
files.

You can create these in either tab or notation staves, and they change design automatically when
copied between tab and notation staves (with a few minor exceptions stated below).
Some of the tab markings involve hidden notes on the tab staff, which can be viewed and edited
when View > Hidden Objects (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+H or zXH) is switched on.

Bend
Bends are produced by fretting a string and then pushing the string sideways to
bend the note after playing it. Bends are normally either a half-step (semitone) or
a whole step (tone) up or down, but its possible to bend microtonal intervals too if
you want.
On notation staves, a bend is drawn as an angled line between two notes, a bit like
a crooked slur. On tab staves, it is drawn as an arrow that curves upwards if the
second note is higher than the first, or downwards if the second note is lower than
the first; additionally, for upward bends the second note is not notated on the tab staff, the interval
for the bend instead being given above the curved arrow, in half-steps. A whole step bend is usually written as full rather than 1 (although you can change this in Sibelius from the Guitar
page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog by switching off the Use full on tab bends
option).
To create a bend, select the first note and type J (which looks a little like a bend on a tab staff); the
bend line will automatically be positioned between it and the next note (or will snap to the next
note when you create it). You can also create a bend with the mouse: first ensure that nothing is
selected in your score, choose Create > Line (shortcut L) and select the bend line (shown as if on a
notation staff) from the Staff lines panel. The mouse pointer changes color and you can click in
the score to place the line.
Bend lines behave similarly to slurs: type space to extend the bend to the next note, or Shiftspace to retract it; on notation staves, you can choose Edit > Flip (shortcut X) to move the bend to
the other side of the note. You can also adjust the position of either end of the bend line using the
mouse or arrow keys. Like slurs, bends are magnetic, and position themselves automatically.

Bend intervals
To change the bend interval on a notation staff, simply change the pitch of the second note. On a
tab staff, make sure View > Hidden Objects (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+H or zXH) is switched on, then

103

Notations

Guitar music features a wide array of special markings including bends, pre-bends, slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs, and so on all of which can be produced easily in Sibelius. The most common ones are listed below.

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2. Notations
select the hidden second note and change its pitch (either by playing a note on your MIDI keyboard, or by typing the fret number on the main keyboard).
To create a slight or microtonal bend, create a bend on a note and type Shift-space to retract the
right-hand end so that it attaches to the same note as the left-hand end. A slight bend is drawn as
a curved line on a notation staff, and as a quarter-tone bend on a tab staff.
Should you need to change the font or point size used by the numbers above bends on a tab staff,
simply edit the Chord diagram fret text style b 3.10 Edit Text Styles.
If you prefer bends on a tab staff to be written without an arrowhead, switch off Use arrows in
guitar bends on the Guitar page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog.

Bend and release

A bend and release is a bend upwards followed by a release back to the original
note. To notate this, simply create an upward bend followed by a downward one.
When written on a tab staff, the final note is usually in parentheses (because it
isnt actually played); to add parentheses to the note, select it and choose the
round bracket button ( , shortcut 1) on the second Keypad layout (shortcut F9).

Grace note bends and pre-bends

Both these kinds of bends are notated in the same way: first, from the second
Keypad layout (shortcut F9), create the grace note ( , shortcut * on Windows, = on Mac) or pre-bend note ( , shortcut on Windows, * on Mac); hit
J to create a bend; then create the second note.
On a tab staff, a pre-bend is represented by a vertical arrow.

Pre-bend and release

A pre-bend and release is created in much the same way as grace-note bends and prebends, as above; as you would expect, create a pre-bend note followed by a grace
note, create a bend, then create a full-size note, and create another bend between the
grace note and the full-size note. Remember to add parentheses to the final note on
the tab staff (see Bend and release above).

Unison bend
A unison bend is when you strike the two notes simultaneously, and bend the lower
note up to the pitch of the higher. On a notation staff, the unison bend is written in a
similar way to a pre-bend (see above), with two noteheads for the upper note.
On the tab staff, you will need to add the higher of the two initial notes as text;
choose Create > Text > Special Text > Tablature numbers and type the number.

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2.13 Guitar notation and tab

Slide
A slide is achieved by striking the first note then sliding the same finger up or
down to the second note, which is struck if the slide is a shift slide, and not
struck if the slide is a legato slide.

To create a slide, input the first note of the slide and click the slide button ( , shortcut .) on the
second Keypad layout (shortcut F9), then input the second note. You can also input the slide after
creating both notes just select the first of the two notes and click the slide button. To make a
legato slide, just add a slur in the normal way (b 2.22 Slurs).
Slides are magnetic and position themselves automatically. You can adjust their position by selecting either end and moving the handle with the mouse or the arrow keys.
Where there are several notes in a chord with slides, it is assumed that they are all sliding in the
same direction. Should this not be the case, you should use straight lines from the Create > Line
dialog (shortcut L) to create the slides going in the opposite direction.

Vibrato (whammy) bar dive and return

The pitch of the note or chord is dropped a specified number of whole-steps
(tones), then returned to the original pitch.
On a notation staff, a bar dive and return is written with two bend lines (see
Bend above) and the w/bar line from the Create > Line dialog (shortcut L).
On a tab staff, delete the middle note and add parentheses to the last note. Use
two separate straight lines from the Create > Line dialog for the V (because
bends would appear as arrows). Type the number below the tab staff at the point of the V using
Create > Text > Special Text > Tablature numbers.

Vibrato bar scoop

A vibrato bar scoop is played by depressing the bar just before striking the
note, then quickly releasing it.
To write this, use the symbol from the Guitar row of the Create > Symbol
dialog (shortcut Z). On a notation staff, you should also add a w/bar line
from the Create > Line dialog (shortcut L); to extend the line rightwards, hit
space.

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Notations

On both notation staves and tab staves, shift slides are notated as a straight line
(as shown on the left). Legato slides are notated as a line together with a slur. If
the second note of the slide is higher, the line points upwards; if the second note
is lower, the line points downwards. On tab staves, the line is at a fixed angle, but
on notation staves, the line is angled according to the position of the notes to which it is attached.

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2. Notations

Vibrato bar dip

A vibrato bar dip is played by striking the note, then dropping a specified number of steps, then releasing back to the original pitch.
To notate this, use the V symbol from the Guitar row of the Create > Symbol
dialog, typing the numbers above using Create > Text > Other staff text >
Small text, then, on a notation staff, add a w/bar line from the Create > Line
dialog.

Other techniques
Other guitar markings are easily created as follows:
* Hammer-on and pull-off: use a slur b 2.22 Slurs
* Tapping: use a slur, with a + articulation on the first note if appropriate
(b 2.2 Articulations); for left-hand tapping, use the symbol on the Techniques row of the
Create > Symbol dialog (b 2.25 Symbols)
* Vibrato and wide vibrato: suitable lines are provided near the bottom of the list in the Create >
Line dialog b 2.16 Lines
* Trill: use a trill line b 2.16 Lines
* Arpeggiate: use an arpeggio line b 2.16 Lines
* Tremolo picking: use a tremolo b 2.28 Tremolos
* Shake: use a shake symbol b 2.25 Symbols
* Harmonics: on notation staves, use a diamond notehead (b 2.20 Noteheads), and on tab

*
*
*
*
*
*

staves, write Harm., H.H. (for a harp harmonic), or P.H. (for a pinched harmonic) above the
note in Small text
Slap: write T above the note in Small text
Pop: write P above the note in Small text
X notehead: select a note and choose the X notehead from the Notes panel of the Properties
window
Pick scrape: use an angled wiggly gliss. line from the Create > Line dialog and write P.S. above
the tab staff with Small text; on a notation staff, use a cross notehead
Muffled strings: use cross noteheads b 2.20 Noteheads
Rake: on a notation staff, create grace notes with cross noteheads; on a tab staff, either copy the
music from a notation staff (in which case the noteheads are automatically copied as crosses) or
change the noteheads after creating the notes, and then add a suitable Rake line from the
Create > Line dialog.
Fingering: use Create > Text > Other Staff Text > Guitar fingering (p i m a) and write the fingering above each note or chord

The Create > Line dialog (shortcut L) contains lines for most of the common guitar techniques,
such as w/bar, P.M. (for palm muting), and so on. Should you need to create additional lines
for guitar techniques, b 7.13 Edit Lines.

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2.13 Guitar notation and tab

Showing tunings on tab staves

E
C
G
C
G
C

When using non-standard guitar tunings, it is helpful to show the pitch of each
string directly on the tab staff, as shown on the left (depicting Open C tuning).

Customizing tab, tunings and fret instruments

Sibelius has more than 30 alternative guitar tunings built-in (not to mention half a dozen banjo
tunings, 11 dobro tunings, two sitar tunings and several lute tunings!), but despite this comprehensive collection, you can also create your own, as follows.

Changing the tuning of an instrument

To change the tuning used by a staff in your score, simply change it to a different instrument.
With nothing in the score selected, choose Create > Other > Instrument Change, select the
instrument with the desired tuning, click OK, and then click in the score to the left of the initial
barline at the very start of the score.
But if the tuning youre looking for available in a built-in instrument, you can easily modify one of
the existing tunings or create one from scratch using House Style > Edit Instruments
b 7.12 Edit Instruments.

White out around tab notes

Different publishers have different conventions for whether numbers in tab staves sit directly on
the staff lines or whether they are cushioned by a little white space (so that the staff line does not
go through the number). Naturally, Sibelius allows you to specify this yourself by editing the settings for individual instruments in the House Style > Edit Instruments dialog. Choose the
instrument in the dialog, then click Edit Instrument; if the instrument already exists in your
score, youll be asked if youre sure you want to continue, so click Yes, then in the Edit Instrument
dialog click Edit Staff Type. The relevant option is White out around notes on the Tab page.
Sibeliuss default settings are as follows:
* For tab staff types that show rhythms where stems are drawn in the staff, the White out around

notes option is switched on; this makes the stems clearer.

* For tab staff types that show rhythms where stems are drawn entirely outside the staff, and for
tab staff types that dont show rhythms, the White out around notes option is switched off.

Tab can be fun

Oh yes, it can!
In Sibelius, guitar tab is treated as a special type of staff (rather like a percussion staff), and just as
Sibelius lets you change the number of staff lines mid-score, you can change from notation to tab
mid-score, or even mid-staff or for that matter, change the string tunings mid-score.
Try this out: from Create > Other > Instrument Change, choose a guitar tab instrument, then
click in the middle of a notation staff that has music on it. From there onwards, the notation will
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Sibelius shows these pitches by default for non-standard tunings. If you dont
want them, select a bar in the staff, choose House Style > Edit Instruments, click
Edit Instrument, click Yes, then click Edit Staff Type, and finally switch off the Key signatures
/ Tuning option on the General page (b 7.12 Edit Instruments).

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2. Notations
turn into tab, and youll find that the changeover point is in fact an object (a bit like a clef),
which shows as a purple rectangle when selected. Now try dragging this rectangle left and right, or
up and down from staff to staff, and youll see that Sibelius instantly converts all the following
notation to tab. Most excellent!

Engraving Rules options

The Guitar page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) is
mostly concerned with the esoterica of chord diagrams, but there are a few tab-specific options,
namely:
* Use full on tab bends: with this option switched on, guitar bends of a whole step will be

marked with the text full; switching the option off will make whole step (tone) bends use the
number 1 instead
* Use arrows on tab bends: switch off this option if you prefer bend lines on tab staves to be
drawn without arrowheads
* Draw grace notes with tablature letters text style: this option allows you to adjust the
size of grace notes on tab staves independently from the size of cue notes on notation staves.
When this option is switched on, grace notes on tab staves take their size from the Tablature
letters text style. The option is switched off by default.
You can also edit the text style used for tablature numbers by clicking the Edit Text Style button.

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2.14 Instruments

2.14 Instruments
b 2.23 Staves, 3.9 Instrument names, 7.12 Edit Instruments.
v Layout and House Style.

In the slightly technical meaning of instrument used in Sibelius, an instrument is one or more
staves with a single name appearing at the left. So a piano with two staves counts as one instrument because its name only appears once, between the staves. This also means that Violin 1
counts as one instrument, even though there will typically be many violinists. Even if the Violin
1s divide onto two staves, the name Violin 1 still only appears once between them, so its still only
one instrument as far as Sibelius is concerned. Singers are also instruments. If there is a single
percussion staff, it counts as just one instrument, even though it may be used for snare drum,
cymbals, tom-toms, etc. simultaneously.

Creating instruments
At any time you can create an instrument that isnt already in your score just choose Create >
Instruments (shortcut I).

This is the same as the dialog you get if you click Change Instruments in the File > New dialog
when creating a new score.
The dialog is split into two halves: the left half is for choosing new instruments to add to the score,
and the right half shows you the staves already in the score and allows you to delete them, reorder
them, and add extra staves to existing instruments.
To add a new instrument:
* Set the Choose from list to the option that most closely matches the kind of ensemble youre

writing for, because different ensembles contain different instruments and often in a slightly
different order:
% All instruments lists all 600-odd instruments Sibelius knows about
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Instruments or staves?

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2. Notations
% Common instruments omits esoterica like flageolets and bass viols
% Band instruments includes all the instruments you would find in drum corps, marching,

*
*

*
*

*
*

military, brass or wind bands

% Jazz instruments lists all the instruments you typically find in jazz combos and big bands
% Orchestral instruments has all the woodwind, brass, percussion and strings youd normally find in an orchestra
% Rock and pop instruments has guitars, keyboards, singers, and so on
% World instruments lists ethnic instruments by geographical region.
Choose the instrumental family from the Family list, e.g. woodwind, brass, strings, etc.
Select the instrument you want to add from the Instrument list; click Add to add it to the
Staves in Score list, where it will appear with a + before its name, to indicate its new. It is
listed in the position in which it will appear in the score when you click OK. You can add several
adjacent instruments quickly by dragging down the Instruments list with the mouse before
clicking Add.
If you change your mind, you can select a staff in the Staves in Score list and click Delete
from Score to remove it
You can also select a staff and use the Up and Down buttons to move it in the vertical order. All
staves of a single instrument (e.g. both staves of a piano or harp, or all Violin I staves) always
move together.
If you want to make one or more of the staves small, e.g. for a solo instrument, select it in the
Staves in Score list and switch on the Small staff checkbox.
When you click OK, Sibelius makes all the necessary changes to the score, adding, removing,
and/or reordering staves.

You can also use this dialog to add extra staves to existing instruments in your score see Multistaff instruments in b 2.23 Staves for more details. When you add a new instrument to
your score, Sibelius automatically creates a dynamic part for that instrument too
b 6.1 Working with parts.

Deleting instruments
To delete instruments, choose Create > Instruments, select the staff or staves you want to delete
from the Staves in Score list, and click Delete from Score; or alternatively, select them
throughout the score as a passage by triple-clicking in the score, and hit Delete.
In either case, you will be prompted that this will also delete all music on them; if you want to proceed, click Yes, then click OK to close the dialog.

System separators
System separators are thick double lines drawn between systems, normally at the left-hand side,
to make the format clearer. Right system separators (drawn at the right margin) are very rarely
required but, true to Sibeliuss unrelenting comprehensiveness, are nonetheless available should
you hanker after them.
You can switch system separators on or off using Draw left/right separator on the Instruments
page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog. You can also set the minimum number of
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2.14 Instruments
staves a system should have before the separators will appear, and the distance of the separators
from the margin.

Standard instrument orders

Instrument ranges

Different kinds of music use standard vertical

orders in which instruments usually appear.
For example, in orchestral music woodwind
goes at the top, followed by brass, percussion,
singers, keyboards and strings. Within each
section the order is standard too, as shown on
Sibeliuss Instruments dialog.

Sibelius can draw notes in shades of red if theyre too

high or low for an instruments range (switch on View >
Note Colors > Notes out of Range b 5.19 View
menu). Each instrument has two ranges: the professional range, and the comfortable range, both of which
you can adjust.

There are a few exceptions to these standard

orders:

The professional range, generally speaking, defines the

absolute highest and lowest notes playable on a particular instrument; notes outside this range are colored
bright red. The comfortable range defines the highest
and lowest notes that a typical non-professional player
routinely uses; notes outside this range but within the
professional range are colored dark red.

* Music where a soloist is predominant and

so goes on the top staff

* Percussion: the order of instruments within

the percussion section can vary from score to
score

* Music for two orchestras, choirs etc.

Of course, most instruments do not have a clearlydefined range (think of singers, for example). Commonly used optional adaptations to instruments, such as the double bass low C string, the flute low
B and piano high C (as opposed to A) tend to be included in the professional range but not the
comfortable one.
If you want to adjust the ranges of instruments in your score, b 7.12 Edit Instruments.

Transposing instruments
Sibelius takes care of all the complications surrounding transposing instruments for you:
* You can input music either at transposed pitch or at sounding (concert) pitch. To switch
instantly between the two representations at any time, simply choose Notes > Transposing
Score (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+T or xXT) or click the appropriate toolbar button.
* When copying music between transposing instruments, Sibelius automatically transposes the

music as necessary so that it always sounds the same. This saves big headaches when copying
(say) from Clarinet in A to Horn in F.
* When you look at a part for a transposing instrument from a sounding pitch score, you dont
even need to think about transposing the part Sibelius does it for you automatically
* You can input music from a MIDI keyboard either by playing how it sounds or how its written
e.g. you can play transposed parts into Sibelius to produce a combined sounding pitch score.
Just switch on Input written pitches on the Note Input page of File > Preferences (in the
Sibelius menu on Mac).
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Because this option is copied into parts, you can also use it to control automatically which parts
have separators; e.g. if you want them to appear only in complex percussion parts containing (say)
3 or more staves, you can set the minimum number of staves to 3 in the score, and all the parts will
also get the same setting.

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2. Notations

Accidentals and key signatures for transposing instruments

Sibelius will, by default, notate transposing instruments correctly using appropriate accidentals
for the remote key. If you had, say, an A flat written for alto saxophone in F major and then
switched on transposing score, Sibelius would correctly notate that note as F natural in D major.
In key signatures that change sign when transposed, potential problems with enharmonic spelling
can arise. For example, a score in F sharp major with a part for clarinet in B flat would end up in A
flat major when transposed. Under normal circumstances Sibelius would only need to transpose
notes up by a major 2nd for the clarinet in B flat, but here the transposition degree changes to a
diminished 3rd (i.e. F sharps become A flats as opposed to G sharps).
Sibelius has an option to take care of this rather mind-bending detail automatically for you: switch
on Adjust note spelling in transposing instruments in remote keys on the Clefs and Key
Signatures page of House Style > Engraving Rules.
Normally this option should be switched on, but if your score contains special-case spellings that
you would not write under normal circumstances, you may find that switching off this option
remedies problems in the resulting transposition. For example, an A double-flat on a clarinet in B
flat in F sharp major does not transpose nicely up a diminished 3rd! (It would become C tripleflat, so rarely used that there is currently no accepted standard as to how this should actually be
notated.)
In the situation where a transposing instruments part could be written using either sharps or
flats, Sibelius allows you either to use the key signature resulting from transposing the concert
pitch key, or to simplify the key signature using its enharmonic equivalent.
By way of example, consider a piece in B major that has a part for Clarinet in B flat. The composer
may wish to write that part in C sharp major using seven sharps, or simplify the key signature to D
flat major as it has only five flats. By default, Sibelius will simplify remote key signatures when this
happens. However, if you wish to use the unsimplified form, switch off Respell remote key signatures in transposing score on the Clefs and Key Signatures page of House Style > Engraving Rules.

Multiple players and divisi...

Wind instruments frequently use two or more numbered players, e.g. Trumpets 1, 2 and 3. Strings
often divide onto two staves (divisi) or sometimes onto several staves numbered by string desks.
Choral staves frequently divide onto two staves (semichorus or Dec and Can). There are two ways
to handle these situations, depending on the case:

...easy case
If your score is consistent throughout as to which players use which staves, then theres no problem. For instance, if all three trumpets in a score are always on the same staff, just create a single
Trumpet instrument and rename it (say) Trumpets 1.2.3 at the start.
Similarly, if trumpets 1+2 are always together on one staff and trumpet 3 always has a separate
one, just create two separately-named instruments (called Trumpet 1.2 and Trumpet 3), or
else create a single instrument (Trumpets) and add a second staff to it.

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2.14 Instruments

...more complex case

Complications only arise if players hop around from staff to staff mid-score, because then youll
want to change the names at the left-hand side mid-score.

Because the name at the left-hand side will need to change mid-score, you should create a separate
Trumpet instrument for every different name that you want to use so in a complex score for
three trumpets you might create five instruments called Trumpets 1.2.3, Trumpets 1.2, Trumpet
1, Trumpet 2 and Trumpet 3. Then simply write the music on the appropriate staff, and hide the
spare staves when not in use (b 2.23 Staves).
Indicate where the staves divide or join, or where the players change, using the Technique text
style to write (e.g.) 1.2 or a 2 or div. or unis.
Where the number of staves changes, you should put a system break, otherwise you will find partially-used staves appearing, which looks odd.
If you want to produce separate parts for individual players, b 6.4 Extracting parts.

Doubling instruments
Doubling instruments are two or more instruments played by the same person. In nearly all cases,
you should use Create > Other > Instrument Change wherever the player changes instrument
(see below).
One possible exception is for unpitched percussion, e.g. triangle, snare drum and bass drum on
the same staff. This is discussed in detail in b 2.21 Percussion

Instrument changes
Sibelius makes it easy to change instruments at any point along a staff using Create > Other >
Instrument Change. First consider whether you want the instrument change to take effect up
until the end of the score (or up to an existing instrument change later in the score), or only temporarily for a specific passage.
* To change instrument temporarily, first select the passage for which you want the instrument

change to take effect; Sibelius will automatically revert to the original instrument at the end of
the selection.
* To change instrument permanently, select a single note after which you want the instrument
change to take effect, or make no selection (in which case you can click to place the instrument
change in a moment).
* Once you have selected where you want the instrument change to begin, and optionally where
you want it to end, choose Create > Other > Instrument Change. The dialog shown below
appears.

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For instance, all three trumpets may play in unison on a single Trumpets 1.2.3 staff in some
places, they may divide onto two staves (Trumpets 1.2 and Trumpet 3) elsewhere, and in
complex passages they may even split onto three separate staves.

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2. Notations

* Choose the instrument you want to change to from the list. The two extra options you can set

are as follows:
% If Add clef (if necessary) is switched on, Sibelius will create a clef change at the point where
the instrument change occurs, if the clef of the new instrument is different to that of the original instrument
% If Announce at last note of previous instrument is switched on, Sibelius will create a
warning, To [instrument], at the start of the rests preceding the change.
* Now click OK. If you didnt have a selection before you opened the dialog, your mouse pointer
will now be blue, and you can click in the score to place your instrument change; otherwise,
Sibelius automatically creates the instrument change (or changes) at the selection.
Sibelius always does the following for you when you create an instrument change:
* Changes the playback sound of the staff as appropriate
* Changes the instrument name on subsequent systems (which you can edit if you wish). If you
dont want the instrument name to change, choose House Style > Engraving Rules (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE), go to the Instruments page, and switch on Dont change instrument

names at start of system after instrument changes.

* Writes the name of the new instrument above the top of the staff where it starts playing (you
can edit this if you wish)
* Changes the transposition of the staff, if appropriate (e.g. if switching from a Bb to A clarinet),
showing an appropriate change of key signature if Notes > Transposing Score is switched on
* Changes the staff type, if appropriate (e.g. number of staff lines, tab or normal notation, etc.).
The pictures below show how instrument changes appear in your score, in this case when changing from Clarinet in Bb to Alto Saxophone (in Eb). On the left, View > Hidden Objects is switched
on (so you can see exactly where the instrument changes as a gray rectangle), and Notes > Trans-

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2.14 Instruments
posing Score is switched off (i.e. the music is in sounding pitch); on the right, Notes > Transposing Score is switched on.

Editing instrument changes

You can move the instrument change along the staff by dragging either the gray rectangle or the
key signature to the left or right, or using the 0/1 keys. If a clef change was created alongside the
instrument change, note that it will not move when you move the instrument change itself they
are separate objects. (This also means that if you delete the instrument change, the clef will
remain, and vice versa.)
The text marking above the instrument change can be moved independently of the instrument
change itself, by selecting it and moving it with the mouse or arrow keys. You can edit the text by
double-clicking it, just like any other text object; you can also hide the text by selecting it and
choosing Edit > Hide or Show > Hide (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH).
You can also copy, paste and delete instrument changes just like any other object in Sibelius.

Instrument changes and dynamic parts

By default, instrument changes created in the full score will appear in dynamic parts, but you can
delete them in the parts if you want to without affecting the full score. Instrument changes you
create in dynamic parts, conversely, will not appear in the full score. This allows you to create
multiple dynamic parts for different instruments or different transpositions see Parts in different transpositions on page 488.

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When you switch Notes > Transposing Score on or off, note that the instrument change may
take up more or less space. If you find the spacing looks odd, try selecting the affected bars and
choosing Layout > Reset Note Spacing (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N or xXN).

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2. Notations

2.15 Key signatures

b 5.17 Transposing.

The key signatures that appear at the start of each system are automatic. They are adjusted to suit
the current clef, transposed for transposing instruments and omitted from those instruments that
dont usually have them (e.g. most percussion).
The only key signatures you have to specify are the one at the start plus any key changes that occur
in the music.

Creating key signatures

Choose Create > Key Signature (shortcut K) and click the
key signature you want. Switch between major and minor
keys using the radio buttons to the left of the dialog. (The
distinction between major and minor keys is primarily so
Sibelius knows how best to spell accidentals inputted from
MIDI for instance, in A minor it prefers writing D# to Eb,
whereas in C major it prefers Eb to D#.)
If you select, say, a note or rest and then create a key signature, Sibelius automatically places it after the selected
object.
If you create a key signature change in the middle of a
piece, Sibelius automatically precedes the change with a double barline, which you can delete if
you feel particularly strongly about that kind of thing.
If you want to change key signature for a number of bars and then return to the original key, simply select the bars in which you want the new key to take effect before you create it. Sibelius will
create your new key signature at the start of the selection, and restore the original key signature at
the end of the selection.
If you want to transpose your music as well as change the key signature, use Notes > Transpose
instead b 5.17 Transposing.
To create a key signature at the beginning of your score, make sure nothing is selected, then
choose Create > Key Signature, choose the key signature and click at the start of the score. You
can also use this method to create a key change with the mouse anywhere in the score.
If your score is a transposing score, choose a key signature in sounding pitch it will automatically be transposed for transposing instruments.

Moving and deleting key signature changes

You can move key changes with the mouse or arrow keys.

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2.15 Key signatures

To delete the key signature at the start of a score, either choose it in the File > New dialog when
creating the score, or else create an Open key/Atonal, C major, or A minor key signature and
put it on top of the existing one.

Cautionary key signatures

If a new section, song or movement in a score starts in a new key, you often want to omit the cautionary key signature that would otherwise appear at the end of the preceding system. Its easiest
to do this when you create the key signature at the start of the new movement: just switch on Hide
in the Create > Key Signature dialog.
To hide the cautionary key signature after creating it, select it and choose Edit > Hide or Show >
Hide (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH). In either case, ensure that the preceding system ends
with a system or page break, otherwise if the score reformats the hidden key change may end up
mid-system and it wont be clear where it occurs. For more information about hiding objects,
b 5.6 Hiding objects.

Open key/Atonal
Some transposing scores that are apparently in C major have no key signatures in the transposing
instruments either. The composer has omitted all key signatures because the key changes too
often, the music is in a scale or mode other than major or minor (the only two scales for which key
signatures are designed to be used), or the music has no obvious tonal center.
To use this notation, choose Open key/Atonal at the top right of the Create > Key Signature dialog.
You can switch back to music with key signatures later in the score by creating a normal key signature (e.g. C major). A classic case of this is Stravinskys Rite of Spring, which is mostly atonal but
partly in keys mostly the transposing instruments dont have key signatures, but sometimes they
do.
If your score uses an Open key/Atonal key signature, you will need to show accidentals where
appropriate. There are a number of different approaches to how accidentals should appear:
* At the first occurrence of a sharpened or flattened note in a bar, but not at subsequent repeti-

tions of that pitch within the same bar: this is what Sibelius does by default
* At every sharpened or flattened note, wherever it appears: use Plug-ins > Accidentals > Add

Accidentals to All Sharp and Flat Notes to achieve this

* On every note, including naturals: use Plug-ins > Accidentals > Add Accidentals to All Notes.
b 5.11 Plug-ins for more information.

Instruments without key signatures

Unpitched percussion staves never have key signatures, Timpani and Horn usually dont, and
Trumpet and Harp sometimes dont. Although Sibelius has alternative instruments in the

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To delete a key signature elsewhere (i.e. a key change), select the key change and hit Delete. To
delete a change of key signature that happens at the start of a system, delete the cautionary key
change at the end of the previous system.

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2. Notations
Create > Instruments dialog for all these common exceptions, if you want to specify that some
other instrument doesnt have a key signature:
* Select a bar in the instrument in question, and choose House Style > Edit Instruments
* Click Edit Instrument, click Yes when asked if you want to proceed, then in the dialog that

appears click Edit Staff Type

* On the General page of the Edit Staff Type dialog, switch off Key signatures / Tuning
* Click OK, then OK again, and finally Close.
For further information about editing instruments, b 7.12 Edit Instruments.

Enharmonic key signatures

Occasionally a score will have sharp and flat key signatures simultaneously in order to simplify
the keys of transposing instruments. For example, if a score is in B major (sounding pitch), with 5
sharps, trumpets in Bb will often be written not in C# major (7 sharps) but in the enharmonically
equivalent and easier-to-read Db major (5 flats). Sibelius does this for you automatically when the
Respell remote key signatures in transposing score option is switched on in the Clefs and
Key Signatures page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog.
Another useful trick can be employed for non-transposing instruments, such as harp. For example, in your B major score, youd ideally want the harp to be written in Cb major. To do this:
* Create a Cb major key signature in each of the harp staves using the One staff only option (see

below)
* Select the harp staves, and choose Plug-ins > Accidentals > Simplify Accidentals, which
rewrites the harp staves in Cb major, but leaves all the other staves alone.

Multiple key signatures

In some contemporary scores, different key signatures are used in different instruments (not to be
confused with the more common case of transposing instruments having different key signatures). To create a key signature that only applies to one staff, switch on One staff only in the
Create > Key Signature dialog when creating it. This option can also be useful when writing in
keys with many accidentals (e.g. F# major), where some of the instruments in your score may idiomatically benefit from being written in the enharmonic equivalent using flats (e.g. Gb major).
The note spacing of other staves in the system may be affected by the insertion of a key signature
on a single staff; to correct this, select the bar and choose Layout > Reset Note Spacing (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+N or xXN).

Engraving Rules options

The Clefs and Key Signatures page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) has the usual round-up of the arcane and the obscure. The main option
you might be interested in is Cautionary naturals, which adds cautionary naturals to key
changes to cancel sharps/flats in the previous key.
With this option off, cautionary naturals appear only when changing to C major, A minor or
Open key/Atonal, since (if you think about it) without cautionary naturals in these cases, the key
change would be a bit hard to see.
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2.16 Lines

2.16 Lines
b 2.22 Slurs, 5.4 Filters and Find, 7.13 Edit Lines.
v Adding markings.

Creating lines
All lines are created in the same way:
* Lines are either created automatically at the position of the selected note/rest, or can be placed

with the mouse:

% If you want the line to be automatically positioned, either select the note/rest where you want
the line to start, or select a passage of notes over which you want the line to last
% If you want to place the line with the mouse, make sure nothing is selected hit Esc
Choose Create > Line (shortcut L). The dialog is split into two halves: staff lines (which apply
only to a single staff) on the left, and system lines (which apply to all staves and appear in all
parts) on the right.
Select the line you want to create and click OK. The line will either be placed automatically in
the score at the selected object/passage, or the mouse pointer will change color to show that it is
loaded with an object click in the score to create the line.
To extend the line rightwards a note at a time, hit space; to retract the line leftwards again, type
Shift-space. You can also drag either end of a line with the mouse. System lines cannot be
extended and retracted using the keyboard.
When either end of a line is selected (shown by a small blue box), you can also make small
adjustments to its position using the arrow keys (with Ctrl or X for larger steps).

Slurs
Slurs are a special kind of line b 2.22 Slurs.

Hairpins
Hairpins are created quickly by selecting the note under which you want the hairpin to begin and then typing H for a crescendo or Shift-H for a diminuendo. As
with slurs and other lines, you can rapidly move either end of a hairpin right/left
between notes using space / Shift-space.
The aperture of hairpins widens slightly the longer the hairpin is, and the Lines page of the House
Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) lets you set the exact size of the
aperture under various circumstances. If you want a particular hairpin to have a non-standard
aperture, you can change it using the options on the Lines panel of Properties
(b 5.14 Properties). The dialog also contains dashed, dotted and from/to silence hairpins,
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The Create > Line dialog (shortcut L) contains special lines used in music such as trills, slurs, hairpins, glissandi and so on for entry in your score. You can also edit existing lines and design new
ones b 7.13 Edit Lines.

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2. Notations
and the Create > Symbol dialog contains suitable exponential symbols to add to the end of crescendos if required.
You can adjust the playback of an individual hairpin using the Playback panel of the Properties
window b 4.1 Playback.
Positioning hairpins, trills
and Ped
Hairpins should go below the
staff, along with other dynamics,
unless they are in voice 1 or 3 of
multiple voices, or there are lyrics
below. They go between the
staves of keyboard instruments
when they apply to both hands.
Hairpins should not normally be
diagonal.
Trills go above the staff, except
sometimes when they are in voice
2 or 4.
Pedaling invariably goes below
the lowest piano staff.

Rit. and accel.

Various kinds of rit. and accel. lines are available in the System
lines pane of the Create > Line dialog. To create them in your
score, simply click and drag.
Because they are system lines, rit. and accel. lines are repeated in
your score in the same way as other system objects, e.g. Tempo
text, and are included in every part.
In keyboard and vocal music, rit. and accel. are normally written in
italics. In choral music, this is written on each singers staff, rather
than just at the top. To notate this, create an italic rit./accel. line on
the top staff and use Expression text to write the directions on the
other staves.
In solo keyboard music, the rit./accel. instructions normally go
between the staves. To notate this, simply create a rit./accel. line
above the top staff and drag it down between the staves.

To adjust how rit./accel. lines affect playback, b 4.1 Playback.

Trills
To create a trill, select it from the Create > Line dialog, then click and drag in your score to extend
the trill line rightwards from the tr symbol. If you want a trill without a wiggly line, click and drag
the trills handle in the score as far as it will go to the left.
To adjust how trills play back, b 4.1 Playback.

Pedaling
In addition to a standard pedal line, the Create >
Line dialog includes various other lines to allow
you to write the notch repedaling notation. You
can also create pedal marks with no lines where
the pedal up is denoted by an asterisk from the
dialog.
Pedaling plays back, as long as its written using lines (not symbols or text). To make it apply to
both piano staves, you should ensure that both staves use the same MIDI channel in the
Window > Mixer window (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+M or M on Mac) b 4.3 Mixer.

1st, 2nd and 3rd endings (1st/2nd/3rd-time bars)

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd endings (1st/2nd/3rd-time bars) within the System Line pane of the
Create > Line dialog appear at the top of the system and apply to all instruments.
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2.16 Lines
In large scores, one or more duplicates appear in the middle of the system as well (e.g. above the
strings in orchestral scores) for clarity, as happens with tempo text and rehearsal marks. You can
adjust the positions where these duplicates appear, or delete the duplicates individually
b 7.1 Layout and formatting.

Octave (8/15) lines

These lines are predominantly used to avoid multiple leger lines on a staff. While frequently used
in keyboard music, these lines seldom occur in music for other instruments. 8va and 15va (for
one and two octaves upwards, respectively) and 8vb and 15vb (for one and two octaves downwards, respectively) are included in the Staff lines pane of the Create > Line dialog.
If you prefer not to use Italianate terminology, you can modify the line so that it simply says 8
rather than 8va, or you could modify the 8vb line to say 8va or 8va bassa b 7.13 Edit Lines.
Positioning octave lines
8va and 15va lines are only ever
positioned above a treble clef
staff, while 8vb and 15vb lines
are only ever positioned below a
bass clef staff.
The alignment of the 8va text
itself should be centered on the
notehead, and the end of the
8va bracket should extend
slightly past the last affected
note.
Accidentals which may have
occurred earlier in the bar,
before the octave line, must be
repeated if the note recurs after
the start of the octave line.

Gliss. and port.

Usually a gliss. line is straight and includes the word gliss. at an angle
along its length (although Sibelius automatically omits the word if
the line isnt long enough), or sometimes the line is wiggly instead.
Portamento (port.) is similar but is usually only represented by a
straight line.
If you want to change the thickness of the wiggles used by the wavy
gliss. line, edit the line (b 7.13 Edit Lines) and choose another
kind of line from the Style drop-down menu.
In some scores you may need a gliss. line that does not include any
text along the line, even where the line is long enough for the text to
be included; for example, if you have many glissandos in your score
but only want to mark the first few explicitly with the text. To do this,
edit the port. line and remove the text, and use that as a textless gliss.
line b 7.13 Edit Lines.

To adjust how these lines play back, b 4.1 Playback.

Some printer drivers have a bug that makes angled text or wiggly lines print at the wrong angle; if
you find this happens, b 5.13 Printing.

Arpeggio lines
In keyboard, harp and guitar music, its common to see a vertical wiggly line denoting that the
notes of the adjacent chord should be spread from bottom to top (or in the direction implied by
an arrowhead on the line).
A variety of arpeggio lines is available from the Create > Line dialog. If you want, you can change
the thickness of the wiggles used by these lines b 7.13 Edit Lines.

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Notations

Additionally, a 1.2. ending line is also included (although it only repeats once, not twice, in playback). You can create arbitrary nth-ending lines simply by creating a new line based on an existing one and changing the text at the start of the line b 7.13 Edit Lines.

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2. Notations
Some printer drivers have a bug that makes wiggly lines print in the wrong place; if you find this
happens, b 5.13 Printing.

Brackets for keyboard music and double-stops

Brackets for showing where notes spanning two staves should be played by one hand in keyboard
music, and for showing where notes should be double-stopped on string instruments, are found
in the Staff Line pane of Create > Line. When you create these lines, click and drag to create these
lines at the desired length. Make sure you drag upwards to ensure that the bracket points in the
same direction as shown in the dialog.

Rectangle
A rectangle, which is required for the frame notation used by modern classical composers such
as Lutoslawski, is included in the Staff Line pane of the Create > Line dialog. (To the uninitiated,
a rectangle or frame drawn around a group of notes usually indicates that they should be
repeated over and over again in free rhythm.)
To input a rectangle, first ensure nothing is selected in your score (hit Esc), then simply select the
rather squat rectangle from the Create > Line dialog, click in the score where one corner of the
rectangle is to go, and drag out the opposite corner. If you draw the rectangle around some notes,
it will expand and contract to enclose the notes if the note spacing changes.

Beam line
The Staff lines pane of the Create > Line dialog includes a beam that you can draw onto notes to
create special effects such as feathered accelerandos. b 2.5 Beams.

Dashed lines
These are for showing the extent of a marking such as cresc. Use these lines instead of typing a row
of hyphens, since the lines will automatically stretch or contract if the spacing of the score
changes, whereas a row of hyphens will stay a fixed length.

Guitar lines
Lines for all the common guitar techniques on both tab and notation staves can be found at the
bottom of the Staff lines pane of the Create > Line dialog, plus a complete set of string indicator
lines (a circled numeral followed by a horizontal line with a hook at the right-hand end), suitable
for positioning both above and below the staff. b 2.13 Guitar notation and tab.

Reset Position
Layout > Reset Position (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP) aligns the ends of lines with notes, and
moves them to their default vertical position. b 7.1 Layout and formatting.

Reformatting of lines
As youve probably learned to expect by now, lines behave themselves very intelligently if the note
spacing changes or if the music reformats. Basically, both ends of a line are independently
attached to a note or other rhythmic position, so if you change the spacing of notes then any lines
in the vicinity will expand or contract accordingly.
Try this yourself: simply put a hairpin under some notes, and try dragging one of the notes left
and right to see what happens. Moreover, Sibelius will automatically split lines across two or more
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2.16 Lines
systems, or join the bits back together again, if the music reformats more drastically. See below for
further details about this.
A side-effect of lines smart behavior is that you dont need to spend ages cleaning up lines in
instrumental parts Sibelius will already have taken care of it for you.

Notations

Lines over two or more systems

To input a line that splits across two or more systems using the mouse, such as this slur:

do not input two separate lines! Instead, simply input one line as normal, selecting the note and
typing S at point 1, and then hitting space until the slur extends to point 2. Even when creating
lines with the mouse, you dont need to drag horizontally along the upper staff just go straight to
point 2 without passing GO and Sibelius will take care of the rest.
Sibelius in fact does lots of clever stuff in such cases if you draw an 8va across more than one
system, Sibelius will put a cautionary (8) at the start of the second system. You can modify what it
writes for the cautionary by editing the line (b 7.13 Edit Lines). Similarly, a crescendo hairpin
split between systems will have an open end at the left-hand side of the second system.
With horizontal lines such as 8va, Sibelius also lets you move the second half of the line up and
down independently of the upper half, which is useful in case you need to avoid a high note. Simply select the portion of the line you wish to adjust and move it up and down. This does not apply
to hairpins; if a hairpin goes over more than one system, you cannot adjust the vertical position of
the hairpin independently on subsequent systems, as the hairpin will go diagonal instead.
If a line goes over more than two systems, you can only adjust the vertical position of the portion
on the original system, and all subsequent systems together (in other words, you cannot adjust
each subsequent system independently).
To adjust the horizontal position of the ends of the split portions of lines over more than one system,
see the Lines page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE):
* The RH end option controls the spacing between the right-hand end of the line and the end of

the system
* The LH end checkbox controls whether the continuation of a system line starts aligned with the
start of the key signature. It defaults to off, which aligns with the end of the key signature.

Hiding lines
To hide a line, mainly required for adding hidden hairpins to tweak playback, select the line and
choose Edit > Hide or Show > Hide (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH). For more information
about hiding objects, b 5.6 Hiding objects.
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2. Notations

2.17 Lute tablature

b 2.13 Guitar notation and tab.

Sibelius supports a wide range of lute tablature styles, and several different tunings. By default, all
the lute tablature is in the French/English style, but Italian and Spanish styles are also available by
selecting appropriate instruments.

Creating lute tablature

Inputting lute tablature is just the same as inputting other forms of tab (b 1.5 Guitar tab
input), with the slight complication that you use the numbers on the main keyboard to represent
the tablature letters; e.g. 0 produces a, 2 produces c, 5 produces f, and so on.
When starting a new score, youll probably find it easiest to use the Lute tablature manuscript
paper b 2.18 Manuscript paper.

Different styles of lute tablature

The notational conventions of the three supported styles of lute tablature are as follows:
* French/English: the lowest string of the lute is the bottom line in the tab staff, and letters

between the courses are used to represent the notes.

* Spanish: the lowest string of the lute is the bottom line of the tab staff, and numbers on the
strings (rather like modern guitar tab) are used to represent the notes.
* Italian: identical to the Spanish style, except that the lowest string of the lute is the top line of
the staff, not the bottom one.
German lute tablature (which uses letters to represent notes, but does not include staff lines at all)
is not supported by Sibelius.
To create any of the supported kinds of lute tablature, simply choose your desired lute from the
Create > Instruments dialog b 2.14 Instruments.

Rhythms
When writing rhythms above lute tablature staves, note values of eighth notes (quavers) and
shorter are often left unbeamed. Sibelius automatically beams these notes together, but you can
quickly separate them again by selecting the passage in which you want to separate them (e.g. you
could triple-click the lute staff to select it throughout the score), then hit F10 to choose the third
Keypad layout, and hit 7 on the numeric keypad.
You cannot notate a backwards tail, i.e. half note (minim) this will appear as a tailless stem, like
a quarter note (crotchet).
If you want to remove the stem and beam/flag from a selected note or passage (because its a
repeated note value), choose notehead number 8 from the Notes panel of Properties. (Choose
notehead number 0 to bring the stem and beam/flag back again.)

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2.17 Lute tablature

Diapasons
Diapasons are extra strings not notated on the staff itself. In Italian style lute tablature, diapasons
are written above the staff, in between the top line of the staff and the bottom of the stems that
show the rhythm of the music; use Technique text (shortcut Ctrl+T or XT) to write these letters.

125

Notations

In French style lute tablature, the diapasons are written directly underneath the staff; use Percussion stickings text (choose Create > Text > Other Staff Text > Percussion stickings) to write
them in your score.

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2. Notations

2.18 Manuscript paper

Each time you start a new score you can choose to write it on a particular type of manuscript
paper. This just means an empty score set up with a useful layout so you can use it as a template.
The preset manuscript paper choices have various combinations of instruments, along with other
less obvious settings to improve the look and playback of your score.
You do not have to use the instruments exactly as provided feel free to delete instruments or add
new ones.
Its better to use a manuscript paper containing instruments than to start with a blank page, even
if the instrumentation isnt exactly right, because various other options are already set for you in
the manuscript papers appropriate for the particular type of music.

Types of manuscript paper

There are more than 60 predefined manuscript papers supplied with Sibelius, including:
* Blank has no preset instruments
* Piano
* Bands: a wide range of manuscript papers suitable for concert band, wind band, marching

band, school bands, brass band, drum corps, military band and other ensembles
* Orchestra: Classical, Romantic, Modern, concert, string and film orchestras are all included.

*
*
*
*
*
*
*

The Orchestra, film manuscript paper was designed by The Simpsons composer Alf Clausen
and Kyle Clausen.
Choir: various Choir manuscript papers are included, some (called reduction) with the singers
reduced onto two staves (closed score), some with organ or piano accompaniment.
Voice + keyboard
Jazz: a number of suitable templates using handwritten house styles, including Lead sheet,
Big band, and Jazz quartet b 7.7 House Style
Guitar: various manuscript papers for notation and tab, including Lute tablature
Brass and wind groups of various sizes
String quartet and string orchestra (also usable for string quintet)
Various other ensembles such as handbells, percussion corps, salsa band, pop group and Orff
classroom groups.

Using the options in the File > New dialog (shortcut Ctrl+N or XN), you can choose any of these
manuscript papers, then add and remove instruments, change house style, add time and key signatures, tempo marks, and even create a title page.
If you want to create an educational worksheet from scratch, its usually easiest to start off not by
using File > New, but by choosing a template from File > Worksheet Creator
b 5.21 Worksheet Creator.

Creating your own manuscript paper

If you often need to set up unusual groups of instruments and/or options, you can create your
own manuscript paper to save you time starting new scores. Like real manuscript paper, you can
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2.18 Manuscript paper

choose different paper sizes, shapes and staff sizes, and have the manuscript paper pre-printed
with particular instruments. However, you can also include more sophisticated settings, such as
those in the House Style menu. This means you can get a consistent appearance without having
to set up all the options each time.
* Create a score with all the settings you want to be included in the manuscript paper e.g. page

*
*
*

If you want to create a new manuscript paper to match an existing score (e.g. if youve set up special text styles etc.), export the house style from that score, create a new score, import the house
style you exported, and then export as manuscript paper. b 7.7 House Style for details on
exporting/importing a house style.
If you ever want to rename or delete manuscript paper, you will find the manuscript paper files in
a folder called Manuscript paper within Sibeliuss application data folder (see User-editable
files in b 8.1 Working with files).

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Notations

size/shape, staff size, instruments, Engraving Rules options, text styles, music font, noteheads
Save it anywhere you like, using whatever name you want to call the manuscript paper (e.g.
Choir, Big paper, Sketches)
Then choose File > Export > Manuscript Paper
You can then delete the original file you saved if you like it will still remain as manuscript
paper
Next time you start a new score, your new manuscript paper will appear in the Manuscript
Paper list.

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2. Notations

2.19 Multirests
b 2.4 Bars and bar rests, 3.6 Bar numbers, 6.1 Working with parts, 7.3 Auto Layout.

A multirest is an abbreviation for several consecutive bar rests, with the number of bars written
above. Multirests are normally only found in instrumental parts, though they do very occasionally
appear in full scores (e.g. Sibeliuss Tapiola, bars 2829).

Using multirests
Multirests are really just a display option in Sibelius you can view empty bars either as individual bar rests or consolidated into multirests.
To display bar rests as multirests, choose Layout > Auto Layout and switch on Use multirests.
Sibelius does this automatically for you in parts. There is also a special shortcut for switching Use
multirests on and off Ctrl+Shift+M or xXM.
Sibelius automatically splits multirests at time signatures, rehearsal marks, key changes, clef
changes, tempo marks and so on. If you need to split a multirest manually, see Forcing a multirest to split below.

Creating a multirest
Creating a multirest is the same as creating lots of single bar rests: choose Create > Bar > Other;
type in the Number of bars you want, click OK, then click where you want to put the multirest.
Alternatively, you can just copy an existing multirest selecting it as a system passage using
Ctrl+click or X-click, then using Alt+click or z-click.

Inputting into a multirest

Multirests work just like normal bar rests you can input notes into them, or copy music into
them. As you input notes into a multirest, Sibelius will strip bars off it to put the notes into, and
reduce the length of the multirest accordingly.

Changing the length of a multirest

To adjust the number of bars in a multirest, switch off Use Multirests in Layout > Auto Layout
to turn it back into separate bar rests, then add or delete bars. Finally, switch on Use Multirests
in Layout > Auto Layout again.

Forcing a multirest to split

Sibelius can automatically split multirests for you see Auto layout of multirests below.
If you need to force a multirest to split:
* Switch off Use Multirests in Layout > Auto Layout
* Select a barline and choose Layout > Break > Split Multirest; a small multirest symbol cut in
half will appear on the screen above the barline if View > Layout Marks is on
* Switch on Use Multirests again, and the multirest will now split at the chosen barline.

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2.19 Multirests
If after switching off Use Multirests in Layout > Auto Layout you select a passage and choose
Layout > Break > Split Multirest, the passage will be split at both ends to become a separate multirest (when Use Multirests is switched back on). If there are any notes, text or other objects in
the passage, they will still split up the multirest.

Preventing a multirest from splitting in parts

Determining what causes a multirest to split

Sometimes you may find that a multirest splits unexpectedly in a part. Normally this happens
because a system text object has become attached to the wrong place; to fix it, select the object in
question, hit W to switch back to the full score, then cut the object to the clipboard with Ctrl+X or
XX, then paste it to the right bar with Ctrl+V or XV.
If you cant see why a multirest is split, try selecting the bars in question, then run Plug-ins >
Proof-reading > What Is Where. Check the resulting output for system text items, as this is normally the cause. Once you have identified whats causing the split, repair it using the above steps.

Hiding a multirest
To hide a multirest, simply select it and hit Delete. This deletes the multirest symbol but leaves
the implied bars intact. (What this actually does is to delete the first bar rest which is inside the
multirest.)

Deleting a multirest
To delete a multirest entirely, Ctrl-click or X-click it to make a system passage (surrounded by a
purple double-box), then hit Delete.

Auto layout of multirests

For information about how to automatically split multirests, b 7.3 Auto Layout.

Showing bar numbers on multirests

Sibelius can show the bar numbers of the bars enclosed in a multirest as a range of bar numbers
above or below the multirest see Appearance and frequency in b 3.6 Bar numbers.

Engraving Rules options

The Bar Rests page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or
xXE) has various self-explanatory options.

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Notations

Multirests in parts are automatically split by system objects. If you do not want the object to be
visible in the part, you can prevent the multirest from being split by selecting the item in the part
and choosing Edit > Hide or Show > Hide (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH) b 6.1 Working
with parts.

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2. Notations
Most notably, you can choose to notate multirests as H-bars, narrow H-bars (to leave space on
either side for last-minute additions in session parts), in the old style of funny little rectangles,
or completely blank (for annotations in jazz parts).

H-bar

Narrow H-bar

Old style

Blank

Parts often include a number above all bar rests, whether they are a single bar or many bars in
length. To draw 1 above all single bar rests, switch on Show 1 above bar rests in the Bar Rests
page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog. This option is also available in the Multiple
Part Appearance dialog b 6.1 Working with parts.
Another useful option on the Bar rests page is Draw H-bar using a symbol: this uses a stretched
symbol rather than drawing a rectangle to produce the thick bar of an H-bar. This option is
switched off by default, but you may want to switch it on when using the Reprise or Inkpen2 fonts,
as it will give multirests a handwritten appearance. (Beware though that bugs in some printer
drivers may make H-bars misprint or even possibly cause a crash when printing if this option is
switched on so test to see whether it works with your printer before using it routinely.)
Sibelius allows you to set how far multirest H-bars should be offset into a bar. To change this
value, edit Distance from multirest to barline. The default is 1 space, and entering larger numbers will increase the gap at either side of the multirest in respect to the barlines either side of it.
Multirests can be scaled so that they are proportionally wider as their duration increases. Sibelius
allows you to set how many extra spaces it should add to a multirest spanning ten bars. To alter
this, change Extra space for 10-bar multirests. The default is 12 which means Sibelius will add
12 spaces for a ten bar multirest, and proportionally more the longer a multirest is. The scale used
is logarithmic so that multirests wont become dramatically wider as the number of bars
increases. If you wish to switch off this feature completely, enter 0.
You can also edit the Multirests (numbers) and Multirests (tacet) text styles that are used to
write the numbers and text above multirests, to change, for example, their vertical position
b 3.10 Edit Text Styles.

Positioning multirest numbers below the H-bar

Multirest numbers normally go above the H-bar, however if you want to position the numbers
below, you should change Vertical position relative to staff of the Multirests (numbers) text
style in House Style > Default Positions to (say) -6.

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2.20 Noteheads

2.20 Noteheads
b 2.5 Beams, 2.21 Percussion, 2.24 Stems and leger lines, 7.14 Edit Noteheads.

Noteheads are distinct from note values a cross notehead can be applied equally to an eighth
note (quaver), a half note (minim) or a double whole note (breve), and will slightly change its
appearance accordingly.

Choosing a notehead
To change the notehead type of existing music, select a note or passage and use the drop-down
menu on the Notes panel of the Properties window. You can also choose the notehead by holding
down Shift+Alt or xz and typing numbers from the row along the top of the main keyboard
(not the numeric keypad); see below for the notehead numbers. If the notehead you want is numbered higher than 9 (say, notehead type 13), type both digits quickly one after another. If youre
not sure what youre looking for, type Shift-+/ to cycle forward and back through the complete
choice of noteheads.
You can also choose the notehead type as you create notes: simply choose the desired type from
the Properties window or type the shortcut before entering the pitch of the note. The chosen notehead type will be used by all subsequent notes until you change it again.
Since noteheads are customizable, the shortcuts listed in this topic (and throughout the Reference) may not be correct if you have edited existing notehead types.

Common noteheads
Cross noteheads (shortcut Shift+Alt+1 or xz1) indicate notes of uncertain pitch, usually for
unpitched percussion. A cross half note (minim) can be written as a normal half note with a cross
through it in avant garde notation, or as a diamond in drum set (kit) notation (shortcut
Shift+Alt+5 or xz5).
Diamond noteheads (shortcut Shift+Alt+2 or xz2) usually indicate notes that are fingered but
not played, such as a string harmonic (see Harmonics in b 4.2 Interpretation of your
score), or (in avant garde music) piano keys depressed silently. For guitar harmonics, quarter
notes (crotchets) and shorter notes are written with a black filled-in diamond (shortcut
Shift+Alt+6 or xz6).
Slashes indicate the rhythm of chords improvised to chord symbols in jazz, rock and commercial
music. Two types of slash are provided, one with a stem (shortcut Shift+Alt+4 or xz4) and one
without (shortcut Shift+Alt+3 or xz3). These noteheads dont play back, and dont transpose.
They are usually written only on the middle line of the staff.

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Notations

Sibelius includes numerous special notehead shapes such as diamond, cross and slash, and you can
create your own custom noteheads, too. You can also control whether or not particular notehead
shapes play back, transpose, have stems or leger lines, and so on (b 7.14 Edit Noteheads).

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2. Notations
0 - normal

8 - stemless

4 - beat

12 - back slashed

1623 - shape notes

24 - cross with small circle

28 - large slash with stem

1 - cross

5 - cross or diamond

9 - silent

13 - arrow down

2 - diamond

6 - black & white diamond

10 - small

15 - inverted triangle

29 - cross (bold)

11 - slashed

7 - headless

25 - stick notation

14 - arrow up

3 - beat without stem

26 - large cross

30 - ping

23 is 19 for use with stem down

27 - large stemless slash

Headless notes (shortcut Shift+Alt+7 or xz7) indicate pure rhythms in contemporary music,
either because a previous note or chord is being repeated, or because (like the cross notehead) the
pitch is indefinite or is improvised. Headless whole-notes (semibreves) are hard to see.
Stemless notes (shortcut Shift+Alt+8 or xz8) are useful for arhythmic music such as plainchant.
Silent notes (shortcut Shift+Alt+9 or xz9) look exactly like normal noteheads, but they dont
play back, which can be useful in certain situations.
Cue-size noteheads (shortcut Shift+Alt+10 or xz10) are used to mix normal- and cue-sized
noteheads within the same chord (for normal cue notes, see below). Beware that using this notehead type doesnt make associated objects such as accidentals small too.

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2.20 Noteheads
Noteheads with slashes through them (shortcuts Shift+Alt+11/12 or xz11/12) are used for
things like rim-shots in percussion notation.

Noteheads 1623 are used for shape note music, also known as sacred harp music, formulated
in an American song book by B.F. White and E.J. King in 1844. The technique is called fasola
(i.e. fa so la, a kind of solmization), whereby differently-shaped noteheads are used for different degrees of the scale. Use Plug-ins > Notes and Rests > Apply Shape Notes to create this
notation automatically b 5.11 Plug-ins.
Notehead 24 is an alternative cross notehead with a smaller half note (minim) notehead, occasionally used instead of notehead 1. Notehead 29 is another alternative cross notehead, with a
bolder cross.
Notehead 25 is used for Kodly stick notation.
Notehead 26 is used in marching percussion, generally meaning all drums playing in unison.
Noteheads 27 and 28 are alternative slash noteheads, sometimes used instead of noteheads 3 and
4. Unlike noteheads 3 and 4, these noteheads are set to play back and transpose by default,
because they are also occasionally used in marching percussion. If you want to prevent them from
playing or transposing, b 7.14 Edit Noteheads.
Notehead 30 is sometimes used in percussion notation to represent a ping, a specific kind of
rimshot.

Different sizes of noteheads

You should only create small noteheads with notehead type 10 if normal and small noteheads are
needed in the same chord. To make a single note or whole chord cue-sized, use the cue button
(shortcut Enter) on the second Keypad layout (shortcut F9) instead, as this will also make the
stem and any accents and articulations small b 2.12 Grace notes.
If you prefer a slightly larger notehead design throughout a score, you can use the supplied Blank
(larger notes) manuscript paper b 2.18 Manuscript paper or you can import the Standard (larger notes) house style into an existing score b 7.7 House Style.

Notes in parentheses
You can add parentheses (round brackets) to any notehead (including grace notes) using
the button on the second Keypad layout (shortcut F9). The parentheses will automatically
adjust to enclose accidentals, etc.

Note names inside noteheads

In music for students beginning to learn an instrument, it may be useful to show the name of the
note inside the notehead itself. To do this, see Add Note Names to Noteheads on page 411.

133

Notations

The arrow down (shortcut Shift+Alt+13 or xz13) and arrow up (shortcut Shift+Alt+14 or
xz14) noteheads, which are only suitable for notes with stems pointing up and down respectively, are used to denote unspecified extremely low or high notes. These noteheads are drawn
without leger lines.

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2. Notations

2.21 Percussion
b 2.20 Noteheads, 2.28 Tremolos.

This topic only covers writing for unpitched percussion instruments. Writing for pitched percussion instruments is very much like writing for other pitched instruments, so doesnt require any
special knowledge.
Unpitched percussion can be notated in a variety of ways, depending on the nature of the music
and ensemble being written for. For example, in rock, jazz and commercial music, different
pitches and noteheads are used to notate different unpitched instruments on the same staff; this is
usually called a drum set (or drum kit).
In music for orchestra, band, drum ensemble or drum corps there are further possibilities:
* each instrument (or set of instruments) may have a different staff (e.g. cymbal, bass drum, tri-

angle); or
* only one staff is used, with text showing where the player switches from one instrument to
another; or
* each percussion player has their own staff or set of staves; this is useful for creating separate
parts for individual percussionists to play from.
Sibelius has all the most common pitched and unpitched percussion instruments built-in, and
makes it easy to notate all of the above.

Unpitched percussion instruments

Each unpitched percussion instrument built into Sibelius has its own drum map, meaning a list of
correspondences between each percussion sound it uses (e.g. cowbell, bass drum) and the position on the staff and type of notehead (e.g. normal, cross, diamond) uses to notate it.
For most unpitched percussion instruments, this drum map is very simple. For example, the percussion instruments that use 1-line staves are typically set up to produce the desired sound when
you put a normal, cross or diamond notehead on the staff line itself.
Some percussion instruments, however, are more complex, and have more staff lines, and more
noteheads. For example, drum set, marching snare drum, bass drum and cymbal instruments use
five-line staves, and different noteheads at different positions on the staff produce different
sounds.
Because there are dozens of unpitched percussion instruments built into Sibelius, its impractical
to describe in detail the specific drum maps used by each instrument. So, to look at the drum map
for a particular instrument:
* Select a note or bar in the instrument in question, if you are already using it in your score
* Choose House Style > Edit Instruments
* If you selected a note or bar, you will see that the instrument is selected; if no instrument is

selected, select it from the Instruments in family list

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2.21 Percussion
* Click Edit Instrument; if you are prompted that editing this instrument will change the score,

For more information about this dialog, and about editing existing percussion instruments and
defining your own, b 7.12 Edit Instruments.
Drum set notation, however, is sufficiently standardized that we can look at it in detail read on.

Drum set notation

To create a drum set staff in Sibelius, choose Create > Instruments (shortcut I), and select either
Drum Set or Drum Kit (which are identical other than the name).
The Drum Set and Drum Kit instruments use a notational system based on the recommendations of the Percussive Arts Society (in Norman Weinbergs book, Guide To Standardized Drumset
Notation), as follows:

Pedal
hi-hat

Bass
drum 1

Acoustic
bass drum

High
Side stick Low-mid
tom-tom wood block

Low floor
tom-tom

High floor Low Tambourine

tom-tom tom-tom

High-mid Cowbel l High

tom-tom
tom-tom

Acoustic
snare

Ride Closed
cymbal 1 hi-hat

Low
Electri c
snare wood block

Open Crash
hi-hat cymbal 1

Open
triangle

Note input for unpitched percussion

When inputting into percussion staves, you can use any of Sibeliuss input methods, but if the percussion instrument uses different types of noteheads, it is quicker to use step-time or Flexi-time
input than to use mouse or alphabetic input.
Consider the following simple example, for kick and snare drums with open and closed hi-hats on
a regular drum kit:

The quarter notes (crotchets) are in voice 2 and use the default notehead, and the eighth notes
(quavers) and sixteenth notes (semiquavers) are in voice 1, and use the cross notehead. (If you
dont use the cross notehead, the notes wont play back as hi-hats.)
If you input this music with the mouse or using alphabetic input, you will need to change the voice
1 notes to use the cross notehead after inputting them:
135

Notations

click Yes
* Now click Edit Staff Type, and choose the Percussion page.
* The area at the top of the dialog shows which noteheads are mapped; to see which sound is produced by a specific notehead, select it and look at the Sound read-out below. You can also see
here which key on your MIDI keyboard to play to input this note see Note input for
unpitched percussion below.

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2. Notations
* Select the bars where you want to change the notehead (b 1.6 Selections and passages)
* Either filter for a specific voice, e.g. Edit > Filter > Voice 1, which is what we want in the above
example, or filter for the specific pitch you want to change using Edit > Filter > Advanced Filter.

The pitch filter treats percussion clefs as treble clef, so:

% In 1-line staves, the pitch of the single staff line is B4 (because this line corresponds to the
middle line of a 5-line staff)
% In 2-line staves, the pitches are (from bottom to top) G4 and D5
% In 3-line staves, the pitches are E4, B4 and F5
% In 4-line staves, the pitches are F4, A4, C5 and E5
% In 5-line percussion staves, the middle line is B4.
To find out more about using Sibeliuss filtering features, b 5.4 Filters and Find.
* Change the notehead by typing Shift+Alt+n or xzn, where n is a number on the main keyboard (not the numeric keypad); in the example above, we need to type Shift+Alt+1 or xz1.
Alternatively, you can choose the notehead from the menu in the Notes panel of Properties
(b 2.20 Noteheads).
If you input this music using a MIDI keyboard in step-time or Flexi-time, however, Sibelius automatically maps the pitch of the notes you play on your MIDI keyboard onto the appropriate pitch,
and also chooses the correct notehead (and articulation, if specified). If you play a pitch for which
there is more than one notehead mapped in the staff type, Sibelius will choose the first notehead
listed in the drum map.
You can choose whether to use the pitch mappings determined by the instrument itself, or the
pitches used by your particular MIDI device (i.e. your keyboard or sound module). This is determined by the option under Percussion Staves on the Note Input page of File > Preferences (in
the Sibelius menu on Mac).
By default, Sibelius is set to The instrument, which means that it expects you to play the pitches
set in the instrument definition. With this setting chosen, a l-line staff is treated as the middle line
of a 5-line staff (i.e. pitch B4), a 2-line staff is the 2nd and 4th lines (i.e. pitches G4 and D5), a 3line staff is the 1st, 3rd and 5th lines (i.e. pitches E4, B4, and F5), and a 4-line staff is the spaces
(F4, A4, C5, and E5). Hence a note on the line of a 1-line staff can be inputted by playing the B
above middle C.
If you would rather play the key on your MIDI keyboard that corresponds to the sound you want,
set the Percussion Staves option to The MIDI devices drum map. You will hear the correct
sound as you input it, and Sibelius will automatically translate the pitch you play into the drum set
staff.

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2.21 Percussion

Different staves for different instruments

In orchestral scores, its common to use a different one-line staff for each unpitched percussion
instrument used, like this:

Notations
A wide range of individual percussion instruments is accessible from the Create > Instruments
dialog. For example, to notate a bass drum, cymbals and triangle in your score:
* In the Create > Instruments dialog, choose the Percussion/Drums family and add Cymbals,

Triangle and Bass drum instruments

* Click Create and the instruments are added to your score.
All of these instruments play back automatically with the correct sound. Notice how stems on 1line staves point upwards.

Creating your own drum map

If you want to write multiple percussion instruments on the same staff using sounds, noteheads or
staff positions that arent defined in any of the built-in instruments, you will need to create your
own instrument with its own drum map.
For example, if you want to write:

* Choose House Style > Edit Instruments

* From the Common instruments ensemble, select the Percussion and Drums family, then

*
*
*
*
*

select Drum set (basic) from the Instruments in family list. (It doesnt really matter which
instrument you choose, as were going to edit it in a moment anyway, but well choose this one
because it has the right number of staff lines, and not too many existing noteheads in its drum
map.)
Click New Instrument, and answer Yes when asked if you want to create a new instrument
based on this one
Change Name in dialogs to something like Bass drum, Cymbal, Triangle, so youll be able to
find it again later
Change Full name in score to something like Bass drum\n\Cymbal\n\Triangle (\n\ tells
Sibelius to put the next word on a new line)
Click Edit Staff Type, and go to the Percussion tab in the dialog that appears
In our example we need only three pitches on the staff to be mapped to particular sounds: well
use the top line for the triangle, the middle line for the cymbals, and the bottom line for the bass
drum; select each of the other unwanted pitches and click Delete to remove them
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* For each of the remaining pitches, select the notehead, then choose the correct sound from the
*
*
*
*

*
*

Sound drop-down menu.

You might also want to change the Notehead for a particular instrument, or even specify a different sound when a particular Articulation is used with a notehead, but this isnt necessary
When youve set the sounds, click OK to confirm the changes to the staff type
Click OK to confirm the changes to your new instrument.
Make sure your new Bass drum, Cymbal, Triangle instrument is in the Common instruments ensemble: move it to the Instruments in family list from the Instruments not in
ensemble list by clicking Add to Family, then click Close to close the Edit Instruments dialog
Now choose Create > Instruments, select your new instrument from the list, and click Add to
Score to create it, then click OK
Input the music on the staff using the three pitches defined in the staff type; you can use voices
if you like b 2.30 Voices.

Single staff for each player

If your score requires more than one percussionist, or if one percussionist is expected to change
between instruments, it is useful to notate all the percussion on a single staff, with text indicating
where the changeover occurs. In Sibelius this is done using instrument changes
b 2.14 Instruments.
There are many predefined percussion instruments set up with the appropriate sounds; e.g. the
Cymbal [1 line] instrument plays with a cymbal sound. You can of course create new percussion
instruments if required.

Percussion symbols
Sibelius comes with many useful symbols that graphically represent instruments, types of beaters
and various other playing techniques for a wide range of pitched and non-pitched percussion
instruments. To add such a symbol to your score, choose Create > Symbol (shortcut Z) and click
on your desired symbol from a choice of drums, metallic and other instruments, beaters and techniques b 2.25 Symbols.

Removing borders from percussion beater symbols

Sibelius allows you to remove the borders around percussion beater symbols if you wish:
* Choose House Style > Edit Symbols
* Click on the empty box symbol at the far right of the first row of beaters
* Click Edit, enter 0 into the Number field, then click OK.

Buzz rolls (Z on stem)

Used to indicate multiple stroke rolls in percussion writing, Sibelius allows you to add a buzz roll
symbol to any note or chord. Choose the third Keypad layout (shortcut F10) and hit 6. For more
detailed information on buzz rolls, b 2.28 Tremolos.

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2.22 Slurs

2.22 Slurs
b 2.16 Lines.
v Adding markings.

Sibelius treats slurs and phrase-marks alike. Phrase-marks are pretty much just big slurs, so well
use the word slur to cover both. This terminology is also fairly standard in music engraving.

Magnetic slurs
In Sibelius, slurs snap to notes, so that if you change the pitch of
notes or add articulations, the slur moves: meet the magnetic slur.
(Some other objects are also magnetic, such as tuplets.)
To create a magnetic slur, either:
* select a note (or grace note) and type S. This draws a slur to the next note; or
* select the passage of notes (on a single staff) you want to be slurred and type S, which draws a

slur over all the selected notes.

You can then extend the slur to the following note by hitting space (by analogy with creating lyrics), or contract it back again with Shift-space.
These keys move the right-hand end because it is
selected. Look for the small square handle slurs
have handles when selected; if one end of the slur is
selected, only that end gets a handle). This use of space
and Shift-space also works for other lines.
You can also select and move the left-hand end in the
same way, either with the arrows, mouse or by hitting
space/Shift-space; to select either end of the line, type
Alt+0/1 or z0/1, which cycles through four points:
the left end of the slur, both ends of the slur (to adjust
the vertical position of the entire slur), the mid-point of
the slur (to adjust its curvature), and the right end of the
slur.
Finally, you can change the shape of a slur and even
make it asymmetrical by dragging the middle with the
mouse.

Positioning slurs
Slurs typically go at the notehead end of
notes and chords in one voice, and at the
stem end in two or more voices.
However, in one-voice music, if the slurred
notes have a mixture of stem directions, or
if the slur is long (say, four or more bars),
then the slur should go above the notes.
When a slur starts on a tied note, the slur
should start at the first of the notes that
are tied together. Similarly, if a slur ends
on a tied note, the slur should end on the
last of the tied notes.
To make slurs more visible, the very ends
and the highest or lowest point of the arch
should avoid touching a staff line.

Magnetic slurs follow some complex positioning rules, but Sibelius takes care of all this for you.
You only need to know a few simple things about how they are positioned. Typing S puts the slur
starting at the notehead end of the first note in one-voice music, or at the stem end in two or more
voices. Shift-S puts the slur at the opposite end. Edit > Flip (shortcut X) flips a slur to the other side
139

Notations

Slurs and phrase-marks

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2. Notations
of a note; you may want to do this sometimes if the slur joins notes which have a mixture of stem
directions (see box).
Magnetic slurs do not attach to cross-staff notes. The slur will naturally go to where the note
would be on the original staff, but you can drag the slurs end to the notes actual position.

Non-magnetic slurs
Although we dont recommend it except for special circumstances, you can also create less intelligent non-magnetic slurs by creating a slur with nothing selected with the mouse from the
Create > Line dialog. Non-magnetic slurs dont snap to notes, and nor do they avoid beams and
articulations, but they can be useful in some situations.
Non-magnetic slurs appear in red when selected, as a hint that you should probably use a magnetic one instead.
If you use Layout > Reset Position (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP) to reset the position of a
slur, this also turns it into a magnetic slur if it was non-magnetic.

Slurs over two or more systems

When split between systems, it is conventional to draw each half of the slur as a separate arc
rather than cutting the slur into two half-arcs. This makes it possible for a slur split between two
systems to collide with notes at the end of the first system or the start of the second.
You can adjust this in two ways:
* adjust the vertical position of the ends of the two slur halves: simply click on the end of the half-

slur you wish to adjust, and a square handle will appear; now drag the half-slur to the desired
position. If you want to reset the two halves of the slur back to their default positions, choose
Layout > Reset Design (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+D or xXD). Or
* on the Slurs page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or
xXE), switch on Clip at end of systems, which produces the non-standard cut-in-half slur
design.

Copying slurs
When you copy a passage containing slurs in Sibelius, the slurs are also copied along with the
notes. You can also use the Copy Articulations and Slurs plug-in to copy slurs in a particular
rhythmic pattern to other similar phrases in the score b 5.11 Plug-ins.

Multi-arc slurs
Sometimes in keyboard music you need to write an S-shaped slur with
several arcs that flow above and below the notes.
To draw this, input a normal slur, click either end, and choose Create >
Other > Extra Slur Arc. This adds an extra arc to the slur. Youll find
you can drag either half of the slur to change its shape, or drag the midpoint of the slur to skew it asymmetrically. You can add further arcs to
the slur in the same way, to make it as long and wiggly as you like.
The behavior of multi-arc slurs is non-obvious, so its worth dwelling on this for a moment longer:
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2.22 Slurs
* With either end of a downward-pointing slur selected, choosing Create > Other > Extra Slur

Dashed and dotted slurs

Create dashed or dotted slurs by choosing them from the Create > Line
dialog (shortcut L). If you create them with no note selected, they are
non-magnetic; use Layout > Reset Position to make them magnetic.
You can change the appearance of dashed slurs by editing the length of
the dash and the gaps between them b 7.13 Edit Lines.

Slurs in lyrics
If you want to print a tiny slur after a word in lyrics (e.g. at the end of a line of block lyrics in
hymns), dont use a real slur instead, use the elision character. b 3.3 Lyrics for more details.
To add slurs to vocal staves (to show the underlay of the lyrics more clearly), use the Plug-ins >
Text > Add Slurs to Lyrics plug-in (b 5.11 Plug-ins).

Engraving Rules options

The Slurs page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) has
various reassuringly obscure options concerning slurs:
* Minimum distance x spaces from staff line prevents the ends of slurs touching staff lines
* The Avoiding articulation options specify the distance between ends of slurs and articulations

on the same note.

The Shape options allow you to change the appearance of slurs:
* Shoulder: lets you set the degree of shouldering of slurs. When there is more shoulder, slurs

are flatter in the middle and have more pronounced corners near the ends; with less shoulder,
they are more rounded in the middle and the shape is more controllable by dragging. Sensible
values are between about 60% and 90%.
* Clip at end of systems: produces a chopped-off slur, which looks non-standard.
Finally, various subtle options control how magnetic slurs snap to notes.

141

Notations

Arc adds another downward slur arc to that end. Repeating this adds more downward slurs.
* With either end of an upward-pointing slur selected, choosing Create > Other > Extra Slur Arc
adds a slur arc in the opposite direction to that end. Repeating this adds a new arc in each direction.
* If you flip the slur at any point the direction of further slur arcs (either all down, all up or alternate up and down) depends on the direction of the original slur arc and the direction of the end
of the slur arc you have selected. If the original slur is downward-pointing, the new slur arcs will
all be in the same direction as the slur arc you have selected. If the original slur is upward-pointing, the new slur arcs will be in alternate directions starting in the opposite direction of the slur
arc you have selected.

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2. Notations

2.23 Staves
b 2.13 Guitar notation and tab, 2.14 Instruments, 2.21 Percussion, 6.1 Working

with parts, 5.5 Focus on Staves, 7.12 Edit Instruments.

To move or align staves, b 7.9 Staff spacing.
v Layout and House Style.

Creating staves
To create a staff for a new instrument, choose Create > Instruments (shortcut I)
b 2.14 Instruments.

Multi-staff instruments
Many instruments can have more than one staff:
* Keyboard instruments left hand and right hand
* Wind instruments when there are several players
* Percussion e.g. celesta, complicated marimba writing
* Singers sometimes when divided
* Strings often when divisi.

To add another staff to an instrument:

* If you want to add a staff throughout the score, make sure you have nothing selected; if, on the

*
*
*
*

other hand, you want the new staff to appear only from a certain point in the score, select the
bar at which you want it to start.
Choose Create > Instruments (shortcut I)
In the Staves in score list, select the staff next to which you want to add a new staff
Click Above or Below
Click OK.

You can add further staves in the same way. A single instrument can have any number of staves
(even 5, or 47391082), though you will seldom need more than two or three. If the number of
staves used for an instrument changes throughout your score, you may need to adjust some playback settings b 4.1 Playback.
All of an instruments staves share its name, which is vertically centered on the staves.

Ossias
An ossia is a small bar or so of music above a normal-sized staff to show an alternative way of
playing something. Ossias are incredibly easy to create with Sibelius. Simply:
* Select the passage you want to create an ossia above, e.g. click a bar (you can select just a few

notes, if you like; it doesnt have to be a whole number of bars)

* From Create > Other > Ossia Staff, choose Ossia Above, or Ossia Below.
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2.23 Staves
* The ossia bar(s) automatically appear, already made small for you. Now you can copy the music
from the original (with Alt+click or z-click) and amend as necessary to make your ossia.

What creating an ossia really does is to create a small staff above/below the selected one, with
instrument changes before and after the ossia to hide the staff lines on either side of it. You can
drag these instrument changes to adjust the width of the ossia.

Systems indented at the left-hand side

Systems are automatically indented as necessary to fit in full instrument names, e.g. at the start
and at new sections. You can also indent the first staff of parts automatically b 6.1 Working
with parts.
To indent any system manually, simply drag the initial barline (to the left of the clef) or the leftmost end of the staff rightwards.
The indent is set for that particular barline only, so to keep the format the same youre recommended to put a system or page break at the end of the preceding system, if there is one. (If you
dont do this, then if that barline ends up in the middle of a system Sibelius will put a gap before it
to produce a divided system, like a coda which is ingenious but may come as a surprise.)
To reset the indentation of a staff that you have dragged, select the initial barline or the leftmost
end of the staff and choose Layout > Reset Position (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP).

Systems indented at the right-hand side

It is occasionally useful to be able to make a system stop short of the right margin, e.g. for music
examples, worksheets or exam or test papers. To do this:
* First, its a good idea to force a system break after the bar that will be at the end of the shortened

system, by selecting the barline and typing Return (on the main keyboard)
* Click just to the right of the barline at the right-hand side of the system; you need to click to the
right of the middle staff line. A small blue handle appears.
* Drag the handle leftwards, or use the shortcuts 0/1 (with Ctrl or X for larger steps), to increase
the right-hand indent for that system.
To reset a system to its default width, select the handle and choose Layout > Reset Position
(shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP).

Hiding staves
There are two ways of hiding staves in Sibelius, each with very different purposes:
* If you want to hide staves with music on them temporarily, e.g. when editing scores for large

ensembles and want to work on particular staves without being distracted by all of the others, or
if you want to prepare a special version of your score with hidden staves which play back, use
View > Focus on Staves b 5.5 Focus on Staves
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Notations

Creating an ossia this way always creates an extra staff. If you create two ossias on the same system using the method described above, you will find it difficult to line them up, because Sibelius
will have created a second extra staff above the selected one. Instead, create the second ossia using
an instrument change to whatever instrument the ossia belongs to, then back to No instrument
(hidden) at the end (b 2.14 Instruments).

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2. Notations
* If, on the other hand, you want to hide staves that have no music on them, to save space on the
page and make your score easier to read, use Layout > Hide Empty Staves read on.

Usefully, Sibelius shows you where staves are hidden in your score by drawing a dashed blue line
across the page if View > Layout Marks is switched on b 7.4 Breaks.

Save trees hide empty staves

If a staff only contains bars rest, you can hide it from that particular system, as is done in large
scores:
* Double-click the staff to select it all (or select several staves as a passage)
* Choose Layout > Hide Empty Staves (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+H or xzXH).

You can also do this to several staves, or a passage lasting as many bars as you like, or even to the
whole score. Staves will be hidden only on systems where they have no music, or where all the
music is hidden (e.g. cue passages).
To hide empty staves throughout the score, simply choose Edit > Select > Select All (shortcut
Ctrl+A or XA) and choose Layout > Hide Empty Staves all unused staves throughout the
score will disappear and the whole score will instantly reformat to fit on fewer pages, possibly saving several grateful trees.
When using Layout > Hide Empty Staves, if you include keyboard staves then you may end up
with just one hand hidden, which looks odd. So either check the keyboard part afterwards and reshow the hidden keyboard staff if this occurs, or (if, say, youre hiding staves throughout a score
and cant be bothered to check the keyboard staves afterwards) dont include keyboard staves
when hiding staves.
You cant, of course, hide the only staff in a system, since there has to be at least one staff to show
that theres a system there at all. If you want actually to delete all the bars from a single staff, you
should instead select the bars as a system passage and hit Delete.

Show hidden staves

To re-show staves that youve previously hidden using Layout > Hide Empty Staves:
* Click a bar where you want to show the staves
* Choose Layout > Show Empty Staves (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+S or xzXS)
* In the dialog that appears, click OK to show all hidden staves, or select the particular staves you

want to show.
This shows staves that were hidden using Layout > Hide Empty Staves (because they contain no
music), but it doesnt show:
* staves that were hidden using an instrument change to No instrument (hidden) to make

these reappear, use another instrument change to revert to the original instrument
* staves that were hidden using Focus on Staves to make these reappear, switch off View >
Focus on Staves.

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2.23 Staves

Deleting staves permanently

If you want to get rid of a staff (and any music on it) permanently, choose Create > Instruments
(shortcut I), select the staff (or staves) you want to delete from the Staves in Score list, and click
Delete from Score, then click OK. Alternatively, you can triple-click on a staff in the score to
select it throughout, then hit Delete.

The staff size determines the size of everything in the score. If you double the staff size, all text,
lines and so on will double too. If your score looks too cramped or spaced out, you can alleviate
this by changing the staff size; b 7.5 Document Setup.

Small staves
To make a staff go smaller than other staves, choose Create > Instruments, select the staff in
question in the Staves in score list, and switch on the Small staff checkbox, then click OK.
By default, small staves are 75% of normal size, but you can adjust this on the Staves page of the
House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE).

Staves with gaps in

Penderecki, Stockhausen and some other contemporary composers like to have no staff lines in
bars where an instrument isnt playing. This gives scores a scrap-book (sometimes called cutaway) look, with passages of music dotted about on the page. In choral music, preces and
responses are often written similarly.
This is easy to achieve in Sibelius using instrument changes, as follows:
* First, preferably switch on View > Hidden Objects (shortcut Shift+Alt+H or xzH) if its not

already switched on; instrument changes will now appear as gray rectangles (with this option
switched off they dont appear at all!)
Select the passage of music during which you want the staff lines to disappear: for example, if
you want them to disappear at the start of a bar, select that bar; if you want them to disappear
after a particular note, select that note. Extend the selection to the point at which you want the
staff lines to reappear again using Shift-1 (hold Ctrl or X to extend by whole bars).
Choose Create > Other > Instrument Change. In the dialog that appears, set Choose from to
All instruments, Family to Other, and then select No instrument (hidden) from the list of
instruments.
Click OK and Sibelius creates two instrument changes: at the start of the selection it creates an
instrument change to No instrument (hidden), hiding the staff lines; and at the end of the
selection it creates an instrument change back to the original instrument.
In case Sibelius didnt position either instrument change precisely to your liking, you can select
the gray instrument change rectangle and nudge it left and right with the 0/1 keys (with Ctrl or
X for larger steps), or drag it with the mouse.

Comparing two staves

If you need to compare two staves in the same file to determine any differences between them, use
the Plug-ins > Analysis > Compare Staves plug-in b 5.11 Plug-ins.
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Notations

Staff size

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2. Notations

2.24 Stems and leger lines

Stem directions
It is a common fallacy among
musicians that single notes on the
middle staff line can have a stem
in either direction. In fact the
stem should point down unless
the context makes it look particularly out of place. In vocal music,
however, middle-line stems often
point up, to avoid colliding with
the lyrics. On 1-line staves, stems
always point up.
With pitches on a chord, or notes
beamed together, the stem direction is determined by the average
pitch.
In multiple voices, all notes have
stems up in voices 1 & 3 and
stems down in voices 2 & 4,
regardless of pitch.

Flipping stem direction

The rule for stem-directions (see box) is almost completely rigid.
About the only stem direction you should ever reverse is for notes
on the middle staff line.
To reverse a notes stem, select it and choose Edit > Flip (shortcut
X). This also flips any ties as necessary (although you can also flip
ties independently if you wish).
Dont confuse flipping stems with writing ordinary music in two
voices. If you write in two voices the stems are automatically
reversed for you (b 2.30 Voices).
To flip the stems of all notes joined by a beam, you need only flip
the stem of one of the notes. (Beware that you should select a note
whose stem direction has not been altered by the presence of the
beam.)
If you need to flip the stems of a beamed group in a situation where
multiple voices are present, select the first stem of the beamed
group.

Stems on the middle line

Stems on the middle line of the staff usually point downwards (see Stem directions box on the
left), but the exceptions to this are vocal and choral music, where stems on the middle line often
point upwards, and percussion music written on 1-line staves, on which stems always point up.
Sibelius automatically does this for appropriate instruments. To change this, edit the instrument
b 7.12 Edit Instruments.

Forcing stem direction

In rare cases (e.g. bagpipe music), you may wish to specify that stems always point up or down,
regardless of the pitch of the notes. You can edit an instrument to do this b 7.12 Edit Instruments.

Adjusting stem-lengths
Normally you should never change the lengths of stems, as the rules for stem-lengths are almost
totally rigid and so are followed religiously by Sibelius. But there are occasions when a stem has to
be lengthened in order, for instance, to avoid a collision between a beam and a grace note, or to
allow room in avant-garde music for a special symbol to go on the stem; or shortened to avoid collisions in tight situations, particularly when using multiple voices.
To adjust a stems length, simply drag the end of the stem, or click the end and adjust it with the
arrow keys. Ctrl+3/2 or X3/2 adjusts in steps of 0.25 spaces. It often helps to zoom in close on
the stem so you can see more clearly what youre doing.
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2.24 Stems and leger lines

You can move individual stems right back to the notehead, resulting in a stemless note. However,
its preferable to use proper stemless notes instead b 2.20 Noteheads.
You can even move a stem past the notehead to go backwards, which makes the stem end up on
the wrong side of the note though this is not very useful.

To create stemless notes, use notehead 8 select the note(s) or passage you want to make stemless
and type Shift+Alt+8 or xz8 (on the main keyboard).
Leger lines

Stem symbols

Leger lines for successive

notes above or below the
staff should never touch,
even if the note values are
very short.

In contemporary music, symbols are sometimes added to stems to

indicate special playing techniques; b 2.25 Symbols. However, Sibelius will automatically position and play tremolos and buzz rolls for you;
b 2.28 Tremolos.

To prevent leger lines from

touching, select the affected
passage and increase the
spacing between the notes
slightly.

Hiding leger lines

Sibelius adds leger lines automatically when you create notes above or
below the staff. If you want to hide leger lines, you can do it using either
of two approaches: to hide all the leger lines on a particular instrument,
switch off the Leger lines option in the instruments staff type
(b 7.12 Edit Instruments); if you want to hide leger lines in a particular passage of notes, use a notehead type with the Leger lines option switched off
(b 7.14 Edit Noteheads).

Engraving Rules options

On the Notes and Tremolos page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) you will find these exciting options:
* Leger lines x spaces thick allows you to change the thickness of leger lines; the default is 0.16

spaces. Leger lines are normally slightly thicker than staff lines.
* Leger lines extend beyond noteheads by x% of its width allows you to change the length of
leger lines; the default is 28%.
On the Beams and Stems page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) you will find even more exciting options:
* Stems x spaces thick allows you to change the thickness of stems; the default is 0.1 spaces
* Minimum length x spaces allows you to specify a minimum length for all stems, enabling you

to override (say) the short stems on high/low notes in 2 voices. By default it is set to 2.75.
* Adjust for cross-staff and between-note beams ensures that the stem is always on the correct side of the notehead. This option is switched on by default, and should only be switched off
in scores created in older versions of Sibelius in which you have fixed by hand problems with
stems appearing on the wrong side of the notehead, e.g. in complex cross-staff beaming.
* New stem length rule makes the stems of notes on or either side of the middle staff line 0.25
spaces longer than with the option off, which many engravers and publishers prefer. This option
is switched on by default.
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Notations

Stemless notes

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2. Notations

2.25 Symbols
b 7.10 Music fonts, 7.15 Edit Symbols.
v Adding markings.

All of Sibeliuss standard music symbols are available not only from the Keypad and menus, but
also from the large Create > Symbol dialog, which also includes many extra symbols. Like text
and lines, symbols can attach either to a single staff, or to the system.
The difference between symbols and other objects is that you can position symbols anywhere you
like. This enables you to override any of Sibeliuss positioning rules by putting a symbol such as a
sharp exactly where you want it, even in weird places where sharps shouldnt go.
The disadvantage of symbols is that their IQ is not as high as that of other objects. For instance, if
you put a sharp symbol next to a note, it wont move vertically if the note is dragged up or down,
nor will the note play as a sharp, and nor will it change to a natural (or whatever) if the music is
transposed. The moral of this is: dont use a symbol where a normal object will do equally well.
Symbols are still smart in other ways, though they attach to staves and rhythmic positions, so
that they stay in the right place in parts (b 7.6 Attachment).

Creating a symbol
* Select the note next to which you want to add a symbol, then choose Create > Symbol (shortcut

Z for zymbol)
* Select a symbol from the dialog and, if necessary, adjust the size of the symbol using the four
size options. (Symbols automatically shrink when attached to a small staff, so you should normally leave the size at Normal when putting a symbol on a small staff.)
* Choose whether you want to attach the system to the Staff or the System. You only need to
create a system symbol if you want it to appear all your parts (e.g. a fermata (pause) over a barline, or a coda or segno symbol) or when using symbols that control how repeat structures
behave (e.g. segno and coda symbols).
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2.25 Symbols
* Click OK, and the symbol is created in the score next to the selected note. (Double-clicking the

symbol in the dialog does the same as clicking OK.)

Alternatively, you can place symbols with the mouse. To do this:
* Ensure that nothing is selected (hit Esc), then choose Create > Symbol

Notations

* Select a symbol and click OK

* The mouse pointer changes color, and you click in the score to position the symbol.

Symbols can be copied and deleted just like other objects.

Moving symbols
Its often useful to nudge symbols around in tiny steps using the arrow keys; holding down Ctrl
or X moves in bigger steps, exactly one space in size. Layout > Reset Position (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP) returns a symbol to its default position.

Editing symbols
For details on editing existing symbols and creating new ones, b 7.15 Edit Symbols.

Playback of symbols
Although most symbols dont play back, a handful (such as scoops and falls) will play back if your
current playback device supports it. You can set up playback for other symbols using the Play >
Dictionary dialog b 4.8 Playback dictionary.

Notable symbols
The Create > Symbol dialog is grouped according to categories. Some of the less obvious symbols
are as follows:
Category

Symbols

Meaning

Repeats

Repeat the last groups of eighths (quavers), usually found in handwritten music; repeat last
bar; repeat last two bars. Also includes various barline symbols, useful for scores where some
staves have independent barlines. Two kinds of coda and segno symbols are provided, one
pair in a design usually used in Japan.

General

Parentheses (round brackets) for placing around symbols (e.g. accidentals, 8va, trills); keyboard brace; bracket/winged repeat ends

Ornaments

Includes mordents, turns, and so on, but these do not play back automatically; to create trills
that play back, b 2.16 Lines; to play back mordents and turns, b 5.11 Plug-ins. Further ornament symbols are found in the More ornaments rows further down the dialog
(see below).

Keyboard

Pedal symbols that you can use to change the appearance of the pedal line (b 2.16 Lines);
heel and toe symbols for organ pedals (left and right foot)

Percussion

These rows include most symbols provided in the well-known Ghent font. The first row
includes symbols for various percussion instruments.

beaters

Includes sticks for various instruments (pictured left are soft, medium and hard beaters)

Guitar

Includes frames for various numbers of strings; vibrato bar scoop; vibrato bar dip

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2. Notations
Category

Articulation

Symbols

Meaning
The first two rows are ordered according to relative proximity to the notehead (e.g. a staccato dot goes nearer to a notehead than a down-bow symbol); the symbols on the first row go
above the note, and those on the second row, below the note.
The third row contains other articulations:
Multiple staccatos, for use on repeated notes written as a one-note tremolo; snap pizzicato
for stringed instruments, mainly used by Bartk, and sometimes drawn the other way up
Comma and tick, indicating a breath, usually in choral music (the comma also indicates a
short silence on instruments like the piano, which cant literally breathe); cesuras in two different thicknesses
Stress and unstress marks (above and below), used by Schoenberg; notch staccato, sometimes used in early music

Accidentals

The first nine symbols in both rows (unbracketed and bracketed) are ordered from flattest to
sharpest, including microtones; remember that as these are symbols theyre not automatically transposed, nor do they play back, so use a normal accidental if possible.

Alternative symbols for microtones are available on the More accidentals row further
down the dialog.

Notes

These notes are not used by Sibelius to draw ordinary notes; they are provided purely in case
you want to write notes in totally weird places. Sibelius draws notes using a notehead (from
the Noteheads row), with tails (from the Notes row) for short notes.
Tail aficionados might like to examine closely how weve constructed the tails of sixteenth
notes (semiquavers) and shorter notes, such that the tail nearest the notehead is of slightly
greater curvature. (Tail non-aficionados will have no idea what were talking about.)
Grace note slash for acciaccatura stem; laissez vibrer tie symbol (preferable to using a real tie
in some circumstances), which can also be used for ties going into 2nd endings (2nd-time
bars) and codas; tremolo stroke; rhythm dot
Cluster symbol; by stacking several of them vertically you can make a cluster chord of any
size

Noteheads

To change noteheads, dont use symbols b 2.20 Noteheads. Also contains stalk
symbols for altered unisons b 2.1 Accidentals. More uncommon noteheads for avant
garde and modern classical music can be found in the Round noteheads row further down
the dialog.

Rests

All standard rests, including old-style multirests; also includes constituent parts of H-bars

b 2.19 Multirests

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2.25 Symbols
Category

Symbols

Conductor

Meaning
Hauptstimme: place it above an instruments melody to show that its the most prominent
instrument in that passage; nebenstimme: denotes the second most prominent instrument;
the rightmost corner-piece shows where either passage ends. Used mostly by Schoenberg,
Berg and Webern.

Beat, left-hand beat, right-hand beat, long beat. The leftmost symbol is the only standard
one; the others are used occasionally (e.g. by Lutoslawski), but their meanings vary somewhat. Beat marks appear in the full score to tell the conductor how to beat in tricky circumstances; they also sometimes appear in parts so the performers know when to wait for a beat.
Double and triple beats (for a single beat, use one of the above arrows or a simple vertical
line). They appear over sequences of music to indicate how the conductor will group them;
they are schematic drawings of the shape outlined by the conductors baton. Used e.g. in
Boulezs Le Marteau sans matre. The lower set is for compound beats. Further conductor
symbols are found on the More conductor row further down the dialog.

Clefs

Contains all standard clefs b 2.8 Clefs. The 8 and 15 are separate symbols (at the right
of the second row), which you can alter in order to change all appropriate clefs at once. More
uncommon clefs (e.g. upside down and back-to-front treble and bass clefs) are found on the
More clefs row further down the dialog.

Octaves

Used in 8va etc. lines b 2.16 Lines

Layout Marks

Used by Sibelius to show page/system breaks etc. its unlikely youll want to use these.

Techniques

This row contains a myriad exciting and unusual symbols:

Lift (doit) and fall for jazz notation; mute, for stringed instruments
Wind instrument fingerings: open hole, half-hole and closed hole
Attach to the stem of a note or chord. They mean: whispered or sprechstimme; swished (or
some similar action on percussion instruments); sul ponticello (played on the bridge); harp
buzz (when the pedal is changed while the respective string is still vibrating), also used by
Penderecki to notate an unmeasured string tremolo played as fast as possible. A slightly different z stem marking for buzz rolls is available from the third Keypad layout.
Exponential crescendo curves that fit onto short and long crescendo hairpins

Accordion

25 treble coupler diagrams and 21 bass coupler diagrams for accordion music, plus empty
diagrams and blobs that you can superimpose to produce further combinations

Handbells

All of the symbols commonly used in handbell music are to be found here

More
ornaments

More than 50 additional ornament symbols, including pinc, shake, port de voix, cadence,
cadence coupe, etc., are provided in these four rows.

Clusters
Special stems
Prolations

Symbols for white note and black note clusters for intervals between a second and an octave.
A variety of alternative stem symbols for use with stemless notes, to show different playing
techniques.
Symbols for tempus perfectus, tempus imperfectus, prolatio perfectus (major prolation), prolatio imperfectus (minor prolation), etc. for use in editions of medieval music.

Miscellaneous

Leger line symbols of various widths (normal, whole note, cue note) are provided; line these
up with the regular stave lines to ensure that they look as good as possible

Note names

Special noteheads that show note names inside the notehead shape. To use these,

b 5.11 Plug-ins

151

Notations

Put these at the right-hand end of a staff (e.g. in choral music) to show its going to divide on
the next system. They can stick out into the right margin of the page. You can also use the
arrows individually, pointing the other way around to show that two staves are going to join
together again.

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2. Notations

2.26 Ties
Ties are used in music to indicate that two notes of identical pitch are joined to each other to form
one longer note. Notes at the end or middle of a tie should not be replayed. Ties are distinctly different than slurs, which are used to show phrase structures and, in the case of wind or string
instruments, group notes together that should be played within one single movement of the bow
or in one continuous breath b 2.22 Slurs.

Ties versus slurs

Never use a slur instead of a tie slurs looks similar, but wont behave like a tie in playback or if
you transpose the music. Likewise you should never use a tie instead of a slur, as it is then possible
to tie notes to nothing (i.e. neither to another note nor a rest), resulting in notes being held indefinitely during playback.

Creating ties
Ties are input from the first Keypad layout. Simply select a note and then choose the tie from the
keypad (shortcut Enter). To add a tie to all the notes of a chord, double-click it (or choose Edit >
Select > Select More, shortcut Ctrl+Shift+A or xXA) before selecting the tie from the Keypad.
You can edit the size and position of ties in a number of ways:
* To flip a tie to curve upwards instead of downwards (or vice versa), select it and choose Edit >
Flip (shortcut X); to reset it to its original direction, choose Layout > Reset Position (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP)
* Select either end (use Alt+0/1 or z0/1 to select either end using the keyboard) and drag the
end, or type Shift+Alt+0/1 or xz0/1; hold down Ctrl or X for larger steps. Sibelius always

ensures the tie remains horizontal and symmetrical.

* You can also adjust the position of the ends of ties and their shoulders individually via the
Notes panel of the Properties window (b 5.14 Properties). To adjust them throughout the

score, see Engraving rules options below.

* You can also select and drag the middle of the tie (or move it with 3/2) to make it more or less
arched
* To reset the shape of a tie after adjusting its curvature, choose Layout > Reset Design (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+D or xXD).

Ties across breaks

If a tie crosses a page or system break, note that you cannot move the ends of the tie, or flip each
half independently. In rare cases, this can lead to problems where the tie may collide with note
stems. If this occurs, switch on Clip at end of systems on the Ties 1 page of the House Style >
Engraving Rules dialog.

Laissez vibrer ties

In percussion and piano music, you can create a laissez vibrer effect by tying a note/chord to a rest
in the normal way (using Enter on the numeric keypad) to indicate that the note/chord is to be
held until it dies away. Playback also implements this (by sending a NoteOn but no NoteOff); the
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2.26 Ties
way this sounds (particularly if the note is subsequently re-played) may depend on the sophistication of your MIDI playback device. If you dont like the playback effect this produces, use the laissez vibrer symbols from the Notes rows of the Create > Symbol dialog (shortcut Z) instead.

Ties in arpeggiated music

Beware that Sibelius does not know that these ties should be attached to their respective destinations, so it will not automatically adjust their length if the layout or spacing changes. So you
may wish to adjust the length of the ties once the layout of your score is finalized.
Positioning ties
Although ties may superficially
look like slurs, the engraving
rules concerning how they are
positioned are not the same.
Ties are flatter than slurs, and
always have their ends close to
the noteheads theyre tying
never at the stem end of a note.
To make ties more visible, the
very ends and the highest or
lowest point of the arch should
avoid touching a staff line.
If ties occur together with slurs,
ties should always be positioned nearest the notes.

Notes tied into 2nd ending (2nd-time) bars

When notes are tied over into a 2nd ending (2nd-time bar), you need
to draw ties at the very start of the 2nd ending. To achieve this, you
should use the above-mentioned laissez vibrer symbols, or a nonmagnetic slur (b 2.22 Slurs), although neither of these methods
will play back correctly.

Engraving rules options

There is a bewildering array of options concerning ties on the Ties 1
and Ties 2 pages of House Style > Engraving Rules (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE). Many of the options are unavailable unless
Tie position rule on Ties 1 is set to Optical ties. Unless you have a
good reason not to, you should use Optical ties.
The other options on Ties 1 are as follows:

* The settings under Shape determine the default amount of shoulder

Sibelius should give to ties. You can think of the shoulder as the steepness of the curvature of the tie: a larger shoulder makes flatter ties. Sibelius can automatically
increase the shoulder of longer ties, which prevents long ties from having too great a curvature.
* Normally, ties that cross a system or page break are drawn as two complete ties, one on either
side of the break. If you would prefer Sibelius to draw ties over breaks as two halves of the same
tie instead, switch on Clip at end of systems.
* Ties Above/Below on Notehead Side determines whether or not ties, when drawn curving
away from the stem (as opposed to towards the stem), should go between the noteheads or above
or below them. By default, Sibelius draws ties on single notes above or below (Use on single
notes on), and ties in chords between noteheads (Use on chords off). The other options in this
section allow you to specify the distance of the tie relative to the notehead when not drawn
between the notes, with separate settings for above and below.

153

Notations

In keyboard and harp music its common to see figures such as the one
shown on the right. To achieve this, simply enter the notes as usual, adding a tie to each one. You can then simply extend each tie as far as necessary to meet the destination note.

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2. Notations
The options on Ties 2 continue in a similar vein:
* Ties Above/Below on Stem Side determines whether or not ties should be positioned spe-

cially when they are forced to draw curving towards the stem, which commonly happens in
music that uses multiple voices. Some publishers prefer the innermost tie (i.e. the one closest to
the ends of the stems) to be positioned higher than normal, so that it can also be a little longer.
Sibeliuss default settings are designed to keep ties looking as symmetrical as possible, so it
doesnt treat chords specially (Use on chords off), but does move ties on single notes (Use on
single notes on), using the other options that allow you to specify the horizontal and vertical
distance that the innermost tie should be moved.
* Ties Between Notes are the options that apply when ties are not positioned above or below
when on the notehead side, or when they are moved as a result of the settings under Ties
Above/Below on Stem Side. You can determine how Sibelius decides the direction of curvature of ties in chords, and specify how you want Sibelius to position the left- and right-hand
ends of ties. As aforementioned, Sibeliuss default settings are designed to keep ties looking
symmetrical, so both Align left ends of ties between chords and Align right ends of ties
between chords are on by default, which (particularly in conjunction with the Ties in Spaces
options see below) make ties look good even in complex chords involving intervals of a 2nd or
other clusters.
Ties start after rhythm dots does as its name suggests, and is also on by default (though note
that ties forced onto the stem side do not start after rhythm dots: instead, they typically go
above the rhythm dot and hence can start to the left of the dot). The other options allow you to
control precisely the distances Sibelius uses when positioning ties between notes and chords.
* Ties in Spaces determines whether or not Sibelius should Prefer one tie per space. This is
useful, as it prevents ties from appearing bunched up in chords of more than two notes that
contain intervals of a 2nd or other clusters of notes. If this option is switched on, Sibelius will
ensure that only one tie falls within a single space on the staff, by displacing the other ties
according to the limits defined by the two Maximum options. Its advisable to only allow a
maximum of 1 tie to be positioned beyond the notehead end of the chord, but you could allow
more to be positioned on the stem side (Sibeliuss default value is 2).
If you have strong feelings about how ties should be positioned, you are encouraged to experiment
with these settings to determine the best combination for your own tastes. Once you have set the
options correctly, you should seldom need to edit ties by hand (but if you encounter cases that
need manual adjustment, use the Notes panel of the Properties window).

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2.27 Time signatures

2.27 Time signatures

Creating time signatures
* Select a note, rest, line or other object in your score

Other and use the drop-down lists to create more complex time signatures
* Click OK or hit Return; the time signature is created at the beginning of the following bar.
To create a time signature at the start of your score, its easiest to choose it on the File > New dialog when you first create the score. To create or change it subsequently, make sure that nothing is
selected (hit Esc), then choose Create > Time Signature, select the time signature you want and
click OK. The mouse pointer turns colored to show that it contains an object click at the start
of the score to place the initial time signature.

Pick-up (upbeat) bars

If your score starts with a pick-up (upbeat) bar, its easiest to specify this at the same time as creating the initial time signature. Click Start with bar of length in the Create > Time Signature dialog, and choose the length of the bar from the list, or type it on the numeric keypad (with Num
Lock on). You can choose more than one note value if you want a pick-up (upbeat) bar with a
peculiar length such as a half note (minim) plus an eighth note (quaver).
You will notice that pick-up (upbeat) bars correctly show the number of beats in each bar as rests,
divided according to the Beam and Rest Groups settings you made when creating the time signature.
Should you forget to create a pick-up bar at this stage, you can create it as an irregular bar later
b 2.4 Bars and bar rests.

When music starts with a pick-up bar, its normal to number the first complete bar as bar 1, rather
than bar 2 as it would otherwise be. Sibelius does this for you by automatically numbering the
pick-up bar as bar 0.

Rebarring music
If you put a time signature into some existing music, Sibelius splits the existing music up into new
bar-lengths, with ties across barlines where necessary, unless you switch off the Rewrite bars up
to next time signature option in Create > Time Signature.
Sibelius only rebars the music up to the next time signature change in your score, if there is one.
However, if you start by selecting a passage before creating a time signature, Sibelius will restore
the original time signature at the end of the selection, and only rewrite music up to that point.
This is very useful when you want to change the barring of a few bars in the middle of the score.
In the unlikely event that you have copied some bars into a score that dont match the prevailing
time signature and you would like to rebar them accordingly, select the time signature and delete
it. When asked if the bars following should be rewritten, click No, then reinsert the same time signature, ensuring that Rewrite bars up to next time signature is switched on.
155

Notations

* Choose Create > Time Signature (shortcut T) and click the time signature you want; click

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2. Notations

Cautionary time signatures

Allow cautionary allows a cautionary time signature to appear at the end of the preceding system if the time signature is being put (or subsequently ends up) at the end of a system. Youd normally want to switch off this box if putting a time signature at the start of a new piece, song or
movement within a larger score. (The same goes for cautionary key signatures and clefs.)

Complex time signatures

To create a time signature other than the most common ones illustrated on the Create > Time
Signature dialog, click Other and pick the numbers you want from the lists provided.
If you want the groups shown as an additive time signature, such as 3+2+2/8, simply type 3+2+2
into the box for the top of the time signature instead of picking a number from the list. On Mac,
you must use the + key on the numeric keypad, not on the main keyboard.
Alternatively, if you want the time signature written as 7/8 but to have 2+2+3 (or any other text)
written above the time signature in the same font, add the extra text using the Time signatures
(one staff only) text style see Multiple time signatures below.

Beam and rest groups

Sibelius automatically groups beats appropriately for each time signature you create. You can,
however, change these settings for yourself by clicking Beam and Rest Groups in the Create >
Time Signature dialog, or you can change the beam groups in existing music in the Notes >
Reset Beam Groups dialog. For more details, b 2.5 Beams.

Irregular bars and free rhythm

To create a bar of irregular length (i.e. length different to that specified by the prevailing time signature), b 2.4 Bars and bar rests.
For other cases of music with free rhythm, b 2.11 Free rhythm.

Multiple time signatures

Occasionally scores have two simultaneous time signatures with the same bar-length, such as 2/4
against 6/8. To input this sort of case:
* Create a 2/4 time signature and input the 2/4 music as normal
* Input the 6/8 music as triplet eighths (quavers), but use the Create > Tuplet dialog at least for

the first tuplet, switching on None and switching off Bracket, so it wont show that theyre triplets
* You can copy the first 6/8 bar as a quick way to get the triplet rhythm for subsequent bars
* When all of the music has been inputted, delete the 2/4 time signature and drag the first note
rightwards until theres enough space for a replacement time signature
* Type the 2/4 and 6/8 using text start with nothing selected and use Create > Text > Other
staff text > Time signatures (one staff only)
* Click where you want to put the time signature to type it in as text, with a Return (on the main
keyboard) after the top number.
In cases where two or more time signatures with different bar lengths are required, such as 4/4
and 5/4:
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2.27 Time signatures

* Calculate the lowest common multiple between the two time signatures in this case, 20/4

This method has the advantage of ensuring that systems end at coinciding barlines.
If simultaneous time signatures always have barlines in different places, adopt the same procedure,
but remove the barlines in one staff (see Hiding barlines on some staves only in
b 2.3 Barlines), then use the vertical line from the Staff lines pane in the Create > Line dialog
to draw in suitable barlines where you want them.

Alternating time signatures

To write music in e.g. alternating 2/4 and 3/4 time, signaled by a 2/4 3/4 composite time signature:
* Input a 2/4 time signature and copy it to alternate bars
* Do the same for a 3/4 time signature in the remaining bars
* Input the music
* Then delete all the time signatures except the initial 2/4 (saying No when asked if you want to

rewrite the music)

* Finally write a 3/4 time signature immediately after the initial 2/4 using text, as described in
Multiple time signatures above.

Modifying time signatures

You can copy and delete time signatures like other objects. You can also drag time signatures left
and right to move them even to fairly silly places. We dont recommend you drag time signatures out of the bar they belong to.

Big time signatures etc.

Big time signatures between staves are often used in large modern scores where the meter changes
frequently.
On the Time signatures page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE), click either Time signatures (large) or the even larger Time signatures
(huge). These are actually text styles that time signatures can use instead. These affect all time
signatures throughout the score.
To alter the size, font and positioning of big time signatures, click Edit Text Style; b 3.10 Edit
Text Styles. This also lets you adjust which staves big time signatures go above.
The other exciting House Style > Engraving Rules option confers upon you the ability to adjust
the default gap before time signatures.

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Notations

and create that as the time signature

* When all of the music has been inputted, delete the 20/4 time signature and drag the first note
rightwards until theres enough space for a replacement time signature
* Type the 4/4 and 5/4 using text to do this youll need to create a new text style (see above)
* Add the extra barlines using the vertical line from the Create > Line dialog.

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2. Notations

2.28 Tremolos
b 2.21 Percussion.

Tremolos are an abbreviation for rapidly repeated notes. A one-note tremolo is for a single
repeated note; a two-note tremolo represents two alternating notes; a buzz roll is a special kind of
tremolo used for unpitched percussion.
One-note tremolos

One-note

Adding one tremolo stroke to a

quarter note (crotchet) or longer
note indicates that it is to be
played as two eighth notes (quavers). Adding two strokes means
it should be played as four sixteenth notes (semiquavers), and
so on. Three and four strokes are
also used to mean that the note
should be reiterated as fast as
possible (an unmeasured
tremolo), e.g. to indicate a drum
roll.

One-note tremolos are notated as strokes on the stem of a note or

chord, e.g.

On an eighth (quaver) or shorter

note, one tremolo stroke means
it should be divided into two,
two strokes means it should be
divided into four, and so on.

You can remove the tremolos by choosing the same Keypad button.

To write this, choose the number of strokes you want the note to
have from the third Keypad layout (either before or after you create
the note).
To add tremolos to a note or chord after creating it, select the note/
chord and choose the number of strokes from the third Keypad layout (type 1/2/3/4/5 for 1/2/3/4/5 strokes).

The number of divisions per note in a one-note tremolo is sometimes indicated by placing multiple staccatos above the note, in
addition to strokes through the stem. You can add multiple staccatos
as symbols b 2.25 Symbols.

Two-note
Two-note tremolos are notated as beam-like strokes between two notes or chords, e.g.

On the first note/chord, simply choose the number of strokes you want from the third Keypad layout (type 1/2/3/4/5 for 1/2/3/4/5 strokes), then click the two-note tremolo button
shown on the left (shortcut Enter). You can do this before or after creating the second note.
Each of the notes is written as if it lasted for the whole length
of the tremolo, i.e. it looks as if the note-lengths are doubled.
Sibelius automatically doubles the note values for you. So to
write a two-note tremolo that lasts for a half note (minim)
you would write two quarter notes (crotchets) and then use
the third Keypad layout to add the tremolo:
Before

158

After

Two-note tremolos
These are beams between two notes
or chords that indicate that they
should be repeatedly played alternately. Multiple strokes mean
exactly the same as for one-note
tremolos.

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2.28 Tremolos
You can switch off the tremolos by choosing the same buttons from the Keypad again.
Two-note tremolos can be written between staves (by crossing one or other note onto the other
staff b 2.5 Beams), and across barlines.

The Notes and Tremolos page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) contains three options governing the appearance of two-note tremolos,
should you be struck by a desire to change them:

Between stems

Touching stems

Outer tremolo
touching stems

Buzz roll (Z on stem)

Buzz rolls are notated by adding a Z symbol to the stem of a note or chord to indicate a
multiple stroke roll, as used in percussion writing (see right). To add a buzz roll to a note
or chord after creating it, select the note or chord and, from the third Keypad layout (shortcut F10), hit 6. Sibelius plays buzz rolls back as fast tremolos. b 2.21 Percussion.

The tribulations of tremolo notations

With two-note tremolos, the odd convention of writing each note with the total length of the
tremolo produces various anomalies.
In the 19th century, a crazy convention was in operation whereby the note values were only doubled if the tremolo lasted for a quarter note (crotchet) or more. Thus you could find pairs of
eighths (quavers) tremoloing, and also half notes (minims), but never quarter notes (crotchets).
This was bananas.
However, another idiosyncrasy that survives to the present day is as follows: if you want to notate
a two-note tremolo lasting for two 4/4 bars, you write two whole-notes (semibreves) with a tremolo across the barline, rather than doubling the note values to two double whole notes (breves).
Most people go a lifetime without noticing this weird exception what sheltered lives they lead.

159

Notations

To adjust the angle of a two-note tremolo, drag the stems of the notes at either side. If the twonote tremolo is between two whole-notes (semibreves), drag the tremolo line itself (this has the
same effect as dragging the stem of the first note were it to have one!)

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2. Notations

2.29 Triplets and other tuplets

b 5.4 Filters and Find, 5.6 Hiding objects.

Tuplets are rhythms like triplets, which are played at some fraction of their normal speed.
(Tuplet is not a nice word, though alternatives like irrational rhythm arent too terrific either.
Opinion is divided as to whether tuplet rhymes with duplet or with couplet.)

Creating tuplets quickly

* Input or select the first note (only) of the tuplet, which

must be of the unit length of the tuplet (see box).

For instance, if you want a triplet with a total length of a
half note (minim), the first note you input must be a
quarter note (crotchet).
* Type Ctrl+3 or X3 for a triplet which, lets face it, is
what youre probably after or Ctrl+29 or X29 for
anything from a duplet to a nonuplet
* The tuplet will appear, with the correct number of rests.
Add the other notes in the normal way.
The tuplet has the format and bracket options last set on
the Create > Tuplet dialog (see Creating tuplets
slowly below).

Tuplets with a single number

The simplest case is the triplet; 3 over

q q q means 3 quarter notes (crotchets)
compressed into the time of 2 quarter
notes. The quarter note is the unit of
the tuplet in this case.
Where numbers other than 3 are used,
the tendency is to squash into the next
lowest power of 2 units so 5 means 5
in the time of 4, 15 means 15 in the time
of 8, and so on. The exceptions to this
rule are 2 and 4, which normally mean
2 in the time of 3 and 4 in the time of 6.
When triplets are being used a lot, 3 is
often written over the first few and left
off after that. If your whole score is written like this, you should probably use a
different time signature!

Creating tuplets slowly

* Input or select the first note (only) of the tuplet, which must be of the unit length of the tuplet
* Choose Create > Tuplet
* Type in any number or ratio, as complex as you like (e.g. 13, or 99:64)
* Click Number to write just a single number (or the first number of the ratio), Ratio to write a

ratio (e.g. 5:3), Ratio+note to write e.g. 5:3x, and None to write no number at all
* By default, Sibelius creates tuplets with Auto Bracket
switched on; this means that the triplet bracket disappears
if there is a beam joining exactly the same notes as the
bracket would join, and if the tuplet is at the beam end of
the notes. If you want explicitly to specify that your tuplet
should or should not be bracketed, choose one of the other
options.
* Switch on Full duration if you want the bracket to extend
up to the next note/rest (see box on next page)
* Click OK; the tuplet will appear and you can input the
remaining notes as normal.

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2.29 Triplets and other tuplets

Editing tuplets
A number of plug-ins are provided for editing existing tuplets see page 430 for more details.

Copying tuplets
You can select a tuplets bracket or number and copy it onto another note to turn that note into a
tuplet.

Deleting tuplets
To delete a tuplet, select the number or bracket and hit Delete. This deletes not only the number
and bracket, but also the notes. This is because without the tuplet, the notes would no longer add up.
Tuplet brackets
A bracket is often written over the
notes within the tuplet. The number
used to be written above or below
the bracket, but to conserve space it
goes in a gap in the center of the
bracket nowadays.
In older scores you will often find a
slur used instead of a bracket, even
when the notes are not meant to be
played smoothly; nowadays a slur is
only used when slurring is specifically intended.
A few composers, such as Britten
and Holloway, write just a bracket
on its own to mean a triplet.
In modern scores tuplet brackets are
often extended rightwards, nearly
up to the start of the note/rest following the tuplet. This looks cleaner
when notating, say, simultaneous
triplet quarter notes (crotchets) and
sextuplet eighth notes (quavers),
because it means the brackets will
all end in the same place.

Setting the unit length

Sometimes the first note of the tuplet is not the same as the unit
length: a triplet that is three quarter notes (crotchets) long may
start with an eighth note (quaver), for instance. If this is the case,
you should input a first note with the unit length you want (here,
a quarter note) so Sibelius knows how long the rhythm lasts, then
input the tuplet, then change the note value of the first note afterwards.
Tuplet units cant be dotted, so if you put a tuplet onto a dotted
note the dot is ignored.

Special tuplets
There are cases where you would write a tuplet with a single digit
that denotes something other than what it would ordinarily
mean; for example, in 6/8, you might see this:

This is actually a 7:6 ratio tuplet. To obtain this, use the Create >
Tuplet dialog, type 7:6 (to tell Sibelius what the tuplet really is),
and set Format to Number (which tells Sibelius only to write the
7 in the score).

Elliott Carter and a few other composers write 7 meaning 7:8 and 15 meaning 15:16, since this
way the note values are much closer to how they sound than in the standard notation, so to write
this you would choose a ratio of (say) 7:8 and set Format to Number.

161

Notations

You can also, of course, copy passages containing tuplets. The only thing you cant copy is part of
a tuplet, such as just the first note of a tuplet, as that would produce a chunk of fractional rhythm
that wouldnt make much sense. If you get an unexpected warning that youre copying part of a
tuplet, make sure youve selected the tuplet number or bracket as well as the notes within it.

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2. Notations

Moving tuplets
Tuplets are magnetic that is, automatically positioned like slurs (b 2.16 Lines). Sibelius
decides whether the tuplet should go above or below the notes, and at what angle. The tuplet number and bracket move automatically to avoid collisions with notes at either end of the tuplet, and
articulations on notes in the tuplet. Try dragging the first note in a tuplet up and down and see
what happens! This means that if you transpose your music, the tuplet number and bracket move
automatically to ensure they do not collide with the notes.
If you disagree with where Sibelius puts the tuplet by default, you can flip it to the other side of the
notes by selecting the number (or bracket) and choosing Edit > Flip (shortcut X).
You can also move the whole tuplet up and down by dragging the number (or the middle of the
bracket if there is no number) or using the arrow keys. You shouldnt try to drag a tuplet to the
other side of the notes use Edit > Flip (shortcut X) instead.
You can adjust the angle of the bracket and number by moving either tip of the bracket.
To restore the default position of a tuplet if you move it, select it and choose Layout > Reset Position (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP).

Nested tuplets
Nested tuplets (meaning tuplets within tuplets) are much
beloved of contemporary composers such as Brian Ferneyhough, and can be a little tricky to sight-read. Sibelius automatically notates nested tuplets of just about any depth or complexity, and they even play back
correctly.
Input nested tuplets just like normal tuplets, but input the outermost (i.e. widest) tuplet first, and
work your way in.
Ratio tuplets
In modern notation you can
write things like 5:4 meaning
5 in the time of 4. You can
use this to make simple tuplets
more explicit e.g. writing 3:2
for a triplet or to specify
more unusual rhythms like
5:3. The second number must
be more than half and less
than twice the first number.

Hidden tuplets
You can write hidden tuplets either by hiding the bracket and number (b 5.6 Hiding objects), or by switching off the bracket and the
number from the Create > Tuplet dialog when you create them. This
makes the notes end up spaced in a different proportion from other
staves in the score without anything else to indicate that a tuplet was
present. This is useful for quick flourishes of notes and other examples
of free rhythm where it would be tedious to notate an exact rhythm in
the score. You can also use it to write mixed time signatures such as 4/4
against 6/8. b 2.11 Free rhythm, 2.27 Time signatures.

Changing the appearance of tuplets already in your score

If, after creating a number of tuplets, you decide that you would like to change the way they are
printed, you can do so using filters and the Properties window.
For example, to hide the brackets and numbers of tuplets already in your score:
* Choose Edit > Filter > Tuplets
* All the tuplet brackets and numbers in your score will now be selected. Now:

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2.29 Triplets and other tuplets

% To hide all the tuplet brackets and numbers, simply choose Edit > Hide or Show > Hide
(shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH) or choose Hide from the menu on the General panel of

the Properties window

% To change the appearance of the tuplet, use the options on the Notes panel of the Properties

window.

Horizontal tuplet brackets

If you want your tuplet brackets to always be horizontal, choose House Style > Edit Lines, select
the tuplet bracket line in the Staff lines list, click Edit, and in the Edit Line dialog, switch on the
Horizontal option (b 7.13 Edit Lines). Beware, however, that forcing tuplet brackets to be horizontal will disable some of their magnetic behaviors.

Tuplets over barlines

Although Sibelius cannot automatically notate tuplets over barlines, the effect can be achieved
easily enough, as follows:

* Create an irregular bar of twice the length of the prevailing time signature: choose Create >
Bar > Other (shortcut Alt+B or zB)
* Write the music for the two bars that contain the tuplet which crosses the barline
* Add a suitable barline in the example above you would choose Create > Barline > Normal and

click in the appropriate place

* If you are using bar numbers you should also create a bar number change in the next bar to
compensate for the missing real bar; choose Create > Other > Bar Number Change.

Tuplet design and Engraving Rules options

You can change the design of tuplet numbers and brackets from the House Style > Edit Text
Styles (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+T or xzXT) and House Style > Edit Lines dialogs. If youre
changing the font of tuplet numbers, its normal to use a medium italic serif font. b 3.10 Edit
Text Styles, 2.16 Lines.
A number of options concerning the appearance and positioning of tuplets are found on the
Tuplets page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE):
* Rotate single digits controls whether the single-digit tuplet numbers (e.g. triplets) should be

drawn at the same angle as the bracket; single digits can look better drawn upright, so this
option is switched off by default. Tuplet text consisting of multiple digits (e.g. 12 or 3:2) has to
be drawn at the same angle as the bracket to align with it, and are unaffected by this option.
* The Position on Notes options allow you to choose the default position of tuplets with and
without brackets
* Vertical Distance from Notes controls the default distance tuplets are drawn from notes.
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Notations

Filters are an extremely powerful way of changing lots of objects in your score in a single operation b 5.4 Filters and Find.

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2. Notations

2.30 Voices
What voices are
Music usually has a single voice (or layer) of notes, chords and rests on each staff. The stems
point up or down according to the pitch of the note.:
Just one voice

When music is in two voices, however, the staff has two independent streams of music that can
have different rhythms. The two voices are distinguished by drawing the stems upwards in voice 1
and downwards in voice 2.:
Voice 1

Voice 2

Notice that there are also two different sets of rests, the higher ones belonging to voice 1 and the
lower ones to voice 2. Usually, for simplicity, people only write one rest where two identical ones
occur in both voices.
In guitar and organ music and occasionally elsewhere, you can also have a third voice (with stems
up again) and even a fourth (with stems down again).

Using voices
Sibelius allows four independent voices per staff, which are color-coded: voice 1 is dark blue, voice
2 is green, voice 3 is orange and voice 4 is pink.
Notes, of course, can only be in a single voice, but staff-attached text and lines can either be in a
single voice, a combination of voices, or all voices: this doesnt affect the visual appearance of the
score, but can be useful for playback (e.g. to make a hairpin apply to all voices in the staff).
You can use the mouse to click the voice buttons on the Keypad to change voice, or you can use
the Edit > Voice submenu, or the keyboard shortcuts Alt+1/2/3/4 or z1/2/3/4 (for all voices
use Alt+5 or z5).
To set the voice of a note (either a selected note, or a note you are about to create), click the appropriate voice button on the Keypad, or use the appropriate keyboard shortcut.
To make text or a line apply to all voices, simply type Alt+5 or z5 (or click the All button on the
Keypad). If, however, you need it to apply to a combination of voices, you must click the buttons
on the Keypad with the mouse rather than use the shortcuts; so if text or a line is in voice 1, and
you click the voice 2 button on the Keypad, that object will then belong to both voice 1 and voice 2
(and will be colored light blue in the score to show this).
You cannot automatically create text or lines in a combination of voices: they are always created
in a single voice initially, and you can edit their voices afterwards.
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2.30 Voices
Other objects such as clefs, key signatures, system text (e.g. title, tempo markings) and system
lines (e.g. rit./accel. lines, 1st- and 2nd-endings) always apply to all voices, and so are always light
blue (for staff objects) or purple (for system objects) when selected. It doesnt matter which voice
is chosen when you create these objects.

Viewing voice colors

Starting off an extra voice of notes

To start off an extra voice with the keyboard, or using step-time input:
* Select a note, rest or other object (such as text or a line) at the point where you want the new

voice to start
* Type N (the shortcut for Notes > Input Notes) followed by Alt+2 or z2 for voice 2; the caret
goes green
* Input the note as normal, and it appears in voice 2; the rest of the bar is filled with the appropriate rests
* Now you can continue adding notes in voice 2 as normal.
To start off an extra voice with the mouse:
* With nothing in your score selected, choose the voice button, note value and any other note

properties from the Keypad

* Click in the score where you want the new voice to begin; Sibelius inputs the note, and fills up
the rest of the bar with rests in the new voice
* Now you can continue to input notes in the new voice as normal.
To start off Flexi-time recording in an extra voice, choose the desired voice in the Notes > Flexitime Options dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+O or xXO). If the voice already exists in the score,
you can just select a rest in that voice and then start Flexi-time as normal b 1.3 Flexi-time.

Bars partially in two voices

If you dont want two voices right to the end of a bar, Delete any unwanted rests at the end, to
hide them.
If you want voice 2 to start part-way through a bar that already contains notes in another voice,
simply input the voice 2 note at the point where you want it to start using the mouse. Alternatively, input rests in voice 2 from the start of the bar, followed by the notes, and Delete the rests
afterwards.
In either case, the notes in voice 1 will revert to having stems both up and down where you deleted
the rests.

Deleting voice 2
You can remove parts of bars of voice 2 by deleting rests, as described above. However, if you
want to delete a whole bar of voice 2, you should just put a bar rest into voice 2 from the second
Keypad layout, then Delete it.
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Notations

It is often useful to see to which voice notes belong at all times, not just when selected. To see this,
switch on View > Note Colors > Voice Colors.

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2. Notations
You can also use filters to remove a passage in a particular voice b 5.4 Filters and Find.

Merging voices
If you want to merge all the notes in a passage in multiple voices into a single voice, simply select
the passage and choose the desired voice from the Keypad or Edit > Voice (shortcut Alt+1/2/3/4
or z1/2/3/4):
Before

After

You cant merge voices with tuplets in Sibelius will omit one of the voices where the tuplet
occurs.

Merging staves using voices

If you want to reduce the music from two (or more) staves, each of which uses a single voice, onto
a single staff using multiple voices, you should use the Arrange feature (b 5.1 Arrange)
unless you need to have total control over the resulting reduction, in which case proceed like this:
Imagine you want to reduce two violin staves onto a single violin staff. Heres how you do it:
* Create the new (destination) violin staff
* Select the original (source) staff that you want to end up in voice 1 (stems up) on the destination
*
*
*

*
*

staff as a passage selection (i.e. surrounded by a single light blue box)

Alt+click or z-click the music into the destination staff
Select the other source staff, the one you want to end up in voice 2 (stems down) on the destination staff as a passage selection
Now choose Edit > Filter > Voice 1 (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+1 or xzX1); your passage selection will be converted to a multiple selection (the light blue box will disappear and only the
noteheads will be colored blue)
Choose Edit > Voice > Voice 2 (shortcut Alt+2 or z2); all of the selected notes in the source
staff are swapped into voice 2
Finally, Alt+click or z-click the music into the destination staff.

The important step in the above procedure is the filter operation (b 5.4 Filters and Find): this
converts the passage selection into a multiple selection. If you were to copy a passage selection of
voice 2 notes onto another staff, the existing music on the destination staff would be overwritten
this is because passage selections always overwrite existing music, whereas multiple selections add
to the existing music. For more information on this kind of operation, b 1.6 Selections and
passages.

Splitting voices
Sometimes it is useful to split a passage written in a single voice into two or more voices, for
example if you have played polyphonic music into a single voice using Flexi-time, or imported a
MIDI file.

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2.30 Voices
Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Notations

To split the music in Figure 1 above into two voices (to produce Figure 3), do the following:
* Select the music you want to split as a passage
* Choose Edit > Filter > Bottom Note or Single Notes (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+B or zXB), then
choose voice 2 on the Keypad or Edit > Voice > 2 (shortcut Alt+2 or z2); your music will now

look like Figure 2

* Finally, change the note values to consolidate unnecessarily tied notes (or use the Combine
Tied Notes and Rests plug-in b 5.11 Plug-ins); you should end up with Figure 3.
You cant split voices with tuplets in Sibelius will omit one of the voices where the tuplet occurs.

Voices 3 and 4
Add voices 3 and 4 just like voice 2. If you want three voices, you can use voices 1+2+3 or 1+2+4
depending on the stem directions you want the voices to have. The stems of voices 1 and 3 point
upwards, and those of voices 2 and 4 point downwards.
There are no particular rules for how to position three or more voices, so you may need to move
notes horizontally to avoid collisions. See Crossing voices below.

Swapping voices
If you start creating music into the wrong voice, then instead of scrapping it and starting again
you can just select the music as a passage and swap the voices round.
The various options are in Edit > Voice. Youre only likely to want to swap voices 1 and 2, for
which you can type the shortcut Shift-V.

Copying voices
To copy a single voice from a staff containing notes in more than one voice, select the passage you
want to copy and use, say, Edit > Filter > Voice 2 (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+2 or xzX2) to filter
only the notes in voice 2. Now you can Alt+click or z-click them into another staff as normal.
Sibelius copies notes and rests into the same voice as the voice they came from. However, if you
want to copy from one voice to another...

Copying from one voice to another

Do this by swapping voices. For instance, suppose you want to copy some voice 1 notes into voice
2 elsewhere:

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2. Notations
* Swap voices 1 and 2 in the original youre copying, so that the notes youre copying end up in
voice 2. Do this by selecting the music as a passage and choosing Edit > Voice > Swap 1 and 2

(shortcut Shift-V).
* Select the voice 2 notes to be copied by selecting a passage and filtering to get voice 2, as

described in Copying voices above

* Copy the notes, which will end up in voice 2 as thats the voice they came from
* Swap voices 1 and 2 back again in the original passage.

Rests
When rests appear in multiple voices, Sibelius automatically draws them above or below their
normal positions so its clear to which voice they belong. You can drag the rests up or down further or move them with the arrow keys if they start getting in the way of other voices.
A subtlety: when you delete rests (e.g. in voice 2) they are hidden but not completely removed,
and so can cause the note spacing to be wider than normal if the hidden rests are shorter than
other simultaneous note values. This is unlikely to cause any problems, but if you are concerned
about it, switch on View > Hidden Objects and Delete the hidden rests (shown in gray).

Hiding voices
In some situations you might wish to hide notes in one or more voices, e.g. if you want your score
only to show a written tune but want it, say, to play back with hidden harmonies. To do this, add
the harmonies in a different voice than the melody, then use filters (b 5.4 Filters and Find) to
select all the notes in the extra voice(s), and choose Edit > Hide or Show > Hide (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH) to hide them.

Crossing voices
Although voice 1s notes are usually higher than voice 2s, this is not obligatory; the voices can
cross and if they contain chords they can even interlock. Sibelius automatically tries to position
the two voices so that no collisions occur. However, with three or more voices, collisions are likely
as there are no hard-and-fast rules regarding where to put the third or fourth voice.
Should you want to adjust the horizontal position of notes, rests and chords in these cases:
* Select the note, chord or rest you want to move
* Open the General tab of the Properties window
* Type the distance (in spaces) you want to move the note into the X box positive numbers for

rightwards, negative for leftwards

* If you need to move only the rhythm dots attached to a note, you can select them and drag them
left or right with the mouse.

Engraving Rules options

The rules for positioning notes in multiple voices are very complex and best not contemplated by
humans. Sibelius, however, includes three alternative rules for voice positioning, available on the
Notes and Tremolos page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E
or xXE). The default Version 2 rule is recommended, but should you feel the urge to use one of
the older rules, you can choose them from this dialog.
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Text

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3.1 Working with text

b 3.2 Common text styles, 3.10 Edit Text Styles, 5.4 Filters and Find.
v Text.

This topic explains in detail the different methods of creating and editing text in Sibelius. For a
simple introduction, refer to the Handbook.

Creating text fast

There are several quick ways to create text:

*
*

*
*

styles, namely Expression, Technique and Lyrics line 1

Other text styles with shortcuts are: Lyrics line 2 (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+L or zXL); Chord symbols (Ctrl+K or XK for kord); and Tempo (Ctrl+Alt+T or zXT)
If you have a note or other object selected, Sibelius will automatically create the text at that
point in the score; if you have nothing selected, the mouse pointer will change color to show
that it contains an object, and you can click in the score to place the text
For standard words like cresc., use the menus of useful words see Word menus below
If the same text is used over and over again, just copy it with Alt+click or z-click, or multicopy it, holding Shift to put the copied text at its default vertical position (e.g. to put the same
dynamics on every instrument) b 1.6 Selections and passages
You can copy text to the clipboard and then paste it elsewhere in the same score, into another
score, or even to/from another program see Copying lines of text and text between
programs below
You can also copy the caret itself to start a new piece of text. Find some text on the screen in
the style you require, double-click it to make the caret appear, then Alt+click or z-click somewhere else to start some new text in the same style.

Word menus
To save you time, Sibelius has built-in menus of useful words to type when creating text. Each text
style has its own appropriate word menu. For instance, Expression produces a menu of dynamics
(etc.), and Chord symbols gives various bits from which you can make up any chord symbol.
To obtain the word menu, simply right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) while creating or
editing text. Some of the words and characters on the menus have keyboard shortcuts;
b 5.9 Menus and shortcuts or the menus themselves for a full list.
You can edit the word menus, assign your own keyboard shortcuts to the words, change the display size of each menu, or create your own new ones see Creating and modifying word
menus below.

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Text

* Preferably, first select a note near where you want the text to appear, then type the keyboard
shortcuts Ctrl+E or XE, Ctrl+T or XT and Ctrl+L or XL to get the three most common text

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Text editing
The text editing keys are similar to other programs, plus a few extra keys. The main ones are as
follows:
* To edit an existing text object, double-click it, or hit Return (on the main keyboard)
* To stop editing text, hit Esc
* To select all text in the current text object, type Ctrl+A or XA
* For a new line while editing, hit Return (on the main keyboard)
* To make text bold/non-bold, click B (shortcut Ctrl+B or XB) in the Text panel of the Properties

*
*
*
*
*

window. This (and italic/underlining) affects text you are about to type, a chunk of text you
have selected, or the whole text object (or text objects) if its selected
To make text italic/non-italic, click I (shortcut Ctrl+I or XI) in the Text panel of the Properties
window
To reset a text styles font to its default while editing it, type Ctrl+Alt+Space or ^z-Space
To make text underlined/non-underlined, click U (shortcut Ctrl+U or XU) in the Text panel of
the Properties window. Underlining text is very rare in music.
To change the font or point size of text, change the value in the Text panel of the Properties
window (although you should normally edit the text style instead)
There are various other editing shortcuts: b 5.9 Menus and shortcuts for full details.

If you just want to change the font/bold/italic/underlining/point size of a small amount of text, its
fine to use the options on the Text panel of the Properties window. However, if you need to make
more widespread adjustments, there are much more efficient ways:
* If you want to change all of the text in your score to use another font (e.g. to change the title,

instrument names, lyrics, technique instructions etc. to another font in a single operation),
choose House Style > Edit All Fonts, and choose a new Main Text Font
* If you want to change all the text throughout the score in just one particular text style, you
should edit the text style itself instead (b 3.10 Edit Text Styles), because this will automatically change all existing text and also all new text you create in that style thereafter. For example,
if you decide you want your lyrics in a different font, you should edit the text style rather than
changing all the existing words manually.
* If you want to change quite a lot of text, but not all of it, e.g. to have a chorus in italics, define a
new text style based on the most similar existing one and use that text style instead (see Changing the text style of existing text below if you have already entered the text in your score).

Selecting a line of text

To select all text in a particular text style along a staff, select a single text item and then choose
Edit > Select > Select More (type Ctrl+Shift+A or xXA). This allows you to:
* move all the items together with the mouse or arrow keys
* copy the text to the clipboard for pasting elsewhere in the score, or into another program (see

below)

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* line them up if they end up out of alignment, e.g. lyrics and chord symbols: use Layout > Align
In a Row (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+R or xXR) or Layout > Reset Position (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P
or xXP) b 7.1 Layout and formatting.

Copying lines of text and text between programs

You can copy text objects in Sibelius in a variety of ways:
* within the same score or different scores, either using Alt+click or z-click (optionally holding
Shift to put the text at that text styles default vertical position) or using Edit > Copy and Edit >
Paste the latter method is especially useful with lyrics (b 3.3 Lyrics)

If you copy several text objects into another program at once, they will be pasted one after
another, with a space in between each; for lyrics, separate syllables of the same word are pasted
with hyphens in between b 3.3 Lyrics. When copied into another program, fonts etc. are
ignored, so dynamics and notes in metronome mark (which use the music text font, as defined in
the House Style > Edit All Fonts dialog) will not appear as such when pasted into, say, a Word
document unless you correct the font afterwards.
To copy text into Sibelius from other programs:
* Select the text and copy it to the clipboard with Edit > Copy (shortcut normally Ctrl+C or XC)
* Switch to Sibelius and create a suitable text caret, e.g. select a note and type Ctrl+T or XT for

Technique text
* Choose Edit > Paste (shortcut Ctrl+V or XV) to paste the text.
Pasting lyrics into Sibelius from other programs is slightly different b 3.3 Lyrics.

Changing the text style of existing text

You can change the text style of an existing text object. Select the text and open the Text panel of
the Properties dialog, where you can change the text style from a drop-down menu, with the following limitations:
* You cannot change staff text into system text, and vice versa; and
* You cannot change lyrics into any non-lyrics text style, and vice versa.

Hiding text
To hide text, which is mainly used for hidden dynamics and other playback markings, select the
text you want to hide and choose Edit > Hide or Show > Hide (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH).
For more details, b 5.6 Hiding objects.
Any text following a tilde character (~) is automatically hidden by Sibelius and will not print. This
is normally only used to write MIDI messages (b 4.15 MIDI messages).

Reset Position
Layout > Reset Position (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP) resets text to its default position.

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Text

* into another program (e.g. Microsoft Word): simply select the text to be copied, use Edit > Copy
(shortcut Ctrl+C or XC) to copy it to the clipboard, switch to the other program, and use Edit >
Paste (shortcut usually Ctrl+V or XV) to paste the text.

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Reset Design
If you want to change a text object back to its default font or size (set in House Style > Edit Text
Styles), for example if you have changed the font or made some text italic, select it and choose
Layout > Reset Design (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+D or xXD).

Text at the left of the system

If you want to put text to the left of a system, youre probably specifying which players are playing
an instrument, in which case, b 2.14 Instruments.
However, if you have a special reason to write text to the left of the system, its fine to do so but
you should put a system break at the end of the preceding system, to ensure that the text remains
where it is if the music reformats. b 7.4 Breaks.

Text between staves

When you create text between staves using the mouse, such as for keyboard dynamics, Sibelius
guesses which staff you intend to attach it to depending on the default vertical position of the text
style (b 7.11 Default Positions). This usually produces the right result for example, if you
create lyrics between staves, Sibelius decides to attach them to the upper staff, because lyrics normally belong to the staff above. But if you put text between two staves, make sure that its attached
to the correct one (b 7.6 Attachment), otherwise the text will misbehave if you move the staff
or create a part.
Avoid putting one piece of text between two separate instruments but applying to both (which is
in any case not good notation). Otherwise, if you have separate parts for the instruments, only one
of them will get the text. Its fine to write one piece of text between the two hands of a keyboard
instrument, though, because both hands will end up in the same part.

Multiple pieces of text

You often need pieces of text side by side over different notes, such as fingerings or syllables of
long-drawn-out words like cres cen do. In all cases like this you must use separate pieces of
text: dont just type it all as one bit of text with spaces in between. The reason is that if the music
reformats youll want the separate bits to move closer together or further apart.
When typing a long word as separate syllables over several bars, use a dashed line from the
Create > Line dialog (shortcut L) instead of hyphens. Then as the spacing between syllables
changes, more or fewer dashes will appear. (This is how hyphens in lyrics work, in fact.)

Creating special objects with text

One of Sibeliuss obscure but occasionally useful features is the ability to create special cases of
objects such as rehearsal marks, time signatures and bar numbers, using the Create >
Text > Special Text styles.
This otherwise incomprehensible concept is best illustrated by example:
Supposing you want your score to start with a special rehearsal mark called START. Sibelius wont
let you input this as a normal rehearsal mark because its not in alphabetical or numerical
sequence. The complicated way round this would be to create a whole new text style for large
boxed text, and use it to type the word START.
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But in fact, all you have to do is use Create > Text > Special Text > Rehearsal mark. This creates a
piece of text that is not a real rehearsal mark, but uses the same text style as rehearsal marks and
so will look (and in many ways behave) just like a rehearsal mark. When you type START with the
Rehearsal mark style, the text will appear big and bold in a box, will be duplicated lower down
the score (e.g. above the strings), and will also automatically appear in all parts. Neat, huh?
There are various text styles that can be used to create special objects in this way:
* Time signatures: for creating weird Ferneyhoughesque time signatures such as 5/6 (this will

create the time signature in every staff)

* Rehearsal marks: for writing special rehearsal marks that are not in sequence (though there is
automatic provision for restarting the rehearsal mark sequence).

Text

From here on it gets more tenuous:

* Page numbers: for obscure things like writing folio numbers in an edition of early music
* Tab letters/numbers: not all that useful as its not clear why youd want special ones
* Tuplets: for unusual formats such as 3 in 2.

Creating and modifying word menus

* Choose the Word Menus page of the File > Preferences dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac;
shortcut Ctrl+, or X,)
* Click an existing word menu to edit it, or enter the name for a new word menu in Menu name

and click New below the list of word menus

* To change the name of a new or existing word menu, enter the new name into Menu name and
*
*
*
*

*
*
*
*

click Apply
To add a new word to the menu, click the New button below the Words list, and then type it
into the Text box and click Apply
To change a word in the menu, select it in the list, edit it in the Text box and click Apply
To change the order of how words appear in the menu, use the Move Up and Move Down buttons
When creating or changing words you can also assign a keyboard shortcut: click in the Shortcut box and type the shortcut. You can assign any shortcut you like, but be careful not to use
any key combinations that are already being used by your operating system (for example, you
should not use Ctrl+F4 on Windows or zXM on Mac).
Click Use music text font in the unlikely event that youre typing music characters from the
music text font (as defined in the House Style > Edit All Fonts dialog b 7.10 Music
fonts). This is for things like mf. When editing a word menu the characters are shown in a
plain text font, so they may not look how they will when you create them from the word menu
(e.g. in the Chord symbols or Figured bass word menus)
To delete a word from the list, select it, then click Delete below the list of words
To delete an entire word menu, select it, then click Delete below the list of word menus.
To change the display size of the word menu, choose the desired font size from Menu font size.
When youre finished, click OK.

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If youve created a new word menu and you want to assign it to a text style, go to the General tab
of that text styles Edit Text Style dialog (b 3.10 Edit Text Styles) and set Word menu to the
menu you created.
To customize shortcuts other than for word menus, b 5.9 Menus and shortcuts.

Special characters
In addition to words, many of the word menus also include special characters, such as f , e, ^, and
%.
Most of these characters are taken from the music text font (e.g. Opus Text), regardless of the font
youre using for standard characters. You can change the font used b 7.10 Music fonts.
Chord symbol characters are normally taken from the Opus Chords font; you can change this by
editing the Chord symbol text style. Figured bass characters are taken from the Opus Figured
Bass font.

Creating text in complex scripts

Sibelius uses the Unicode standard character set, which means you can write text in any script in
Sibelius, provided you have fonts that contain the required characters. Unicode guarantees that
text in complex scripts is automatically translated between Mac and Windows.
When creating text in e.g. western European languages that use the Roman alphabet with diacritics, some of these accented characters are available on the word menus b 5.9 Menus and
shortcuts for a full list of accented letter shortcuts.
To write text in non-Roman alphabets (e.g. Japanese, Cyrillic, Greek, Korean, etc.), you will in
general need to use a dedicated input method for the appropriate alphabet, because many of these
alphabets have more characters than fit on a physical computer keyboard. Input methods are software programs provided by your operating system that map sequences of keypresses onto specific
characters from a non-Roman alphabet. The workings of input methods vary depending on the
alphabets for which they are designed.
On Windows, different input methods are provided using software components called Input
Method Editors (IMEs). An introduction to the IMEs provided by Windows can be found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/handson/user/IME_Paper.mspx
On Mac OS X, input methods are chosen from the input menu, which can be enabled as follows:
* Run System Preferences and double-click International
* Click the Input Menu tab and find the alphabet you want to use

in the list of input methods, then switch on its checkbox

* Make sure that Show input menu in menu bar is switched on.
* A menu that uses a national flag as its icon now appears in your
menu bar, as shown on the right, and you can switch to any of
the enabled input methods by choosing it from this menu.
Note that the font you use for your text in Sibelius must contain the
characters of the alphabet you wish to use, or else you will only see empty rectangles in place of
the characters you are expecting. On the Word Menus page of Sibelius > Preferences, you can
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switch on Automatically switch font to match chosen input source (in the input menu),
which allows Mac OS X to automatically set the font most suitable for your chosen alphabet. This
option is switched off by default.
Mac OS X also provides a useful window called the Character Palette that allows you to enter special characters visually. To enable it:
* Go to the Input Menu page of International, and in the list of available input methods, switch

on Character Palette.
* Choose Show Character Palette from the input menu on the main menu bar.
* The Character Palette window will now appear.
* Choose the character you wish to enter and click Insert. The character will be added to the text

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Text

object you are currently editing in Sibelius using the current font. If you find that the current
font does not contain the desired character, undo and then click Insert with Font instead.

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3.2 Common text styles

b 3.1 Working with text, 3.3 Lyrics, 3.4 Chord symbols, 3.5 Figured bass and

Roman numerals, 3.6 Bar numbers, 3.7 Page numbers, 3.8 Rehearsal marks.
Sibelius includes many text styles for use in your score. This topic describes many of these text
styles in detail, though several of them are important enough that they have their own topics see
above.

So what is a text style, anyway?

There are many different kinds of text in used in scores, such as: lyrics, which go below the staff;
expression markings, which are italic and normally go below the staff (except when there are lyrics present, in which case they go above the staff); titles which are big, bold and centered at the top
of the page; and so on.
Each kind of text may use a different font, formatting (such as bold, italic and, rarely, underlined),
justification (such as left-, center- or right-alignment), and positioning (such as whether the text
should appear above or below one staff or all staves, or perhaps at the top or bottom of the page).
These settings together are what make up a text style.
Because Sibelius has text styles for each of the kinds of text you will need to write in your score,
you dont need to set any of this up for yourself: simply choose the appropriate text style, and
Sibelius will produce text that looks right, and that goes in the right place on the page.
The other advantage of text styles is that if you want to change something about the appearance of
text in your score for example, you want to make all your lyrics bigger, or make your tempo
instructions use a different font you need only change the text style itself, and Sibelius will automatically update all the text in the score that uses that text style.
To find out how to edit any of Sibeliuss existing text styles and create new ones, b 3.10 Edit
Text Styles.

Three types of text

There are three types of text in Sibelius (try saying that three times quickly!):
* Staff text: text that applies to a single staff, typically directions for a single instrument
* System text: text that applies to all staves in the score (though it may only be displayed above

one or two of them), and which will appear in all parts (if there are any) typically tempo or
rehearsal directions
* Blank page text: text that can only be created on a blank page, typically performance directions
or other front matter.

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3.2 Common text styles

Important text styles

The table below lists the most important text styles and what they are used for.
Used for

Expression

writing dynamics and expressive markings such as mp, cresc. and legato
Shortcut: Ctrl+E or XE

Technique

writing playing techniques such as mute, pizz., etc.

Shortcut: Ctrl+T or XT

Lyrics line 1, Lyrics line 2 etc.

Plain text

writing lyrics in vocal music b 3.3 Lyrics

Shortcut: Ctrl+L or XL (Line 1), Ctrl+Alt+L or zXL (Line 2)
writing e.g. Cm7 b 3.4 Chord symbols
Shortcut: Ctrl+K or XK
writing blocks of lyrics, editorial commentaries, etc.

Roman numerals

writing chord symbols with inversions in Roman numerals b 3.5 Figured bass

Figured bass

figuring continuo instruments in Baroque music b 3.5 Figured bass and

Fingering

writing fingerings in e.g. keyboard, brass or string music

Guitar fingering (p i m a)

...writing fingerings in guitar music

Boxed text

writing certain playing techniques, e.g. in percussion

Small text

writing certain playing techniques

Nashville chord numbers

writing e.g. 6/3 b 3.4 Chord symbols

Footnote

writing editorial commentaries at the bottom of a single page (not the same as Footer)

Title

writing the title of the piece or movement

Subtitle

writing subtitles (e.g. for a particular movement)

Composer

writing the name of the composer (usually all in CAPITALS) or arranger/orchestrator

(not in capitals)

Lyricist

writing the name of the lyricist, poet, or other source of text

Dedication

writing a dedication (e.g. To the choir of St. Johns)

Tempo
Metronome mark

writing tempo markings such as Andante

Shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+T or zXT
writing metronome marks and metric modulations

Copyright

writing copyright lines in your score

Header etc.

writing a header on every page

Footer etc..

writing a footer on every page (not the same as Footnote)

Rit./Accel.

writing particular tempo instructions

Composer (on blank page)

writing the name of the composer on a title page at the start of the score

Dedication (on blank page)

writinga dedication on a title page at the start of the score

Plain text (on blank page)

writing instrumentation, performance directions, etc. on blank pages

Subtitle (on blank page)

writing a subtitle on a blank page

Title (on blank page)

writing the title of the work on a title page at the start of the score

Staff text

Chord symbol

and Roman numerals

Blank page text

System text

Roman numerals

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Positioning Expression and
Technique text

Expression
This text style is for writing dynamics and other similar instructions to players, e.g. legato, lively, marcato. These are written in
italics.

Expression text goes below the

staff it applies to, but above in
staves with lyrics. Technique text
goes above the staff. For music in
two voices, both Expression and
Technique text goes above the
staff for Voice 1 and below for
Voice 2. If Expression or Technique text applies to both hands of
a keyboard instrument, it should
go between the staves.

Dynamics such as mf or sfz are special bold italic characters that

use a special music text font (b 7.10 Music fonts), normally
Opus Text. You can create these characters from the word menu
(right-click or Control-click), or by holding down Ctrl or X and
typing the letters, e.g. Ctrl+MF or XMF to produce mf. The exception is z, for which you must type Ctrl+Shift+Z or xXZ (because
Ctrl+Z or XZ is the shortcut for Edit > Undo).

The left-hand side of Expression

text normally goes just to the left
of the note to which it applies.

All common expression markings can be created quickly from the

word menu, to save you typing them.

If f has to be written on a staff

(which is best avoided), the crossbar should be positioned over a
staff line for clarity. Similarly, p
on a staff should be centered on a
space.

Although nearly all dynamics you create in your score are played
back automatically, beware that the words cresc. and dim. do not
play back (because its unclear by how much or for how long you
want to get louder/softer) if you need them to play, create hairpins as appropriate and hide them (b 2.16 Lines). A couple of
special effects, e.g. fp, dont play back quite correctly, but you can
achieve the right effect using MIDI messages if playback of this particular marking is very important to you.

Dynamics only apply to a single staff (except in keyboard music b 4.1 Playback), but you can
quickly add dynamics to multiple staves in a couple of ways:
* Copy the dynamic with Edit > Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or XC), then select the staves you want to
copy the dynamic to and type Ctrl+V or XV to paste it to all selected staves. This is called multicopying b 1.6 Selections and passages
* Select the dynamic and use Alt+click or z-click to copy it onto other staves; you can hold down
Shift while you Alt+click or z-click to put each dynamic at its default vertical position; to align
them later, select the bar in which they occur, then choose Edit > Filter > Dynamics (shortcut
Shift+Alt+D or xzD) and use Layout > Align in a Column (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+C or xXC).

Technique
This is for writing technical instructions that are not normally written in italics, e.g. mute, pizz.,
a2, solo, tremolo. You can also write musical symbols such as accidentals in Technique text using
the word menu, which is useful for things like harp music.

Metronome mark
Metronome marks look something like q = 72, and are often accompanied by a tempo marking
(see Tempo below). To write a metronome mark:
* Select an object (e.g. a note or rest) in your score where you want the metronome mark to go,
normally the first note of a bar, and choose Create > Text > Metronome mark; a flashing caret

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appears. (If nothing is selected in your score, choose Create > Text > Metronome mark, then
click in your score to place the text.)
* Write notes in metronome marks by right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac) to
get the word menu. You can alternatively use the Ctrl or X key in conjunction with the numeric
keypad.
* You can then type = 60 or whatever in the normal way. Hit space on either side of the = sign.
When typing a metronome mark after a tempo mark, e.g. Allegro q = 60, you are not advised to
input it using two separate bits of text (Tempo text plus Metronome mark text), or the two separate text objects could collide if the notes in the bar get too close together. Instead, write all the text
in the Tempo text style, and when you get to the metronome mark, switch off Bold and preferably
choose a smaller point size on the Text panel of the Properties window.

Metric modulations
Metric modulations (also sometimes known as listesso tempo markings, meaning the same
tempo) are used to illustrate the relationship between note values in different tempos, e.g.:

Metric modulations are also frequently used to show a swing feel, e.g.

To create a metric modulation, choose Create > Text > Other System Text > Metric modulation. The word menu for this text style contains all the most common metric modulations and
swing markings, both with and without parentheses. This text style uses the Opus Metronome
font.
Typography of tempo
and metronome text
Sudden changes of tempo
should begin with a capital letter to startle you: Molto vivace,
Tempo I, Pi mosso. Gradual
changes of tempo begin with a
lower-case letter: poco rit.,
accel.
If tempo text or a metronome
mark is above a time signature,
the left-hand sides of both
should be aligned.

Tempo
Tempo text usually appears at the start of the score, e.g. Allegro non
troppo, and is often accompanied by a metronome mark (see
above). Its quickest to create these from the File > New dialog when
first setting up your score, though you can easily add them later.
Sibelius knows the meaning of a wide variety of tempo markings and
will play them back even if you dont create a metronome mark
b 4.8 Playback dictionary. As usual, right-clicking (Windows)
or Control-clicking (Mac) while creating Tempo text gives a menu of
useful words.

To create rits. and accels., we recommend you dont type them as text,
but use rit./accel. lines instead (b 2.16 Lines), as these play back.
Beware that A tempo and Tempo I dont play back, so create a metronome mark (which you can
hide if you want) to revert to the original tempo.
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Sibelius includes a plug-in that allows you to add metronome marks to your score by tapping the
desired tempo with the mouse see Set Metronome Mark in b 5.11 Plug-ins.

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In large scores, text in the Tempo and Metronome mark styles automatically appears not just at
the top, but duplicated lower down as well (normally above the keyboard or strings). The two copies mimic each other whenever you edit one of them for instance, if you edit one piece of tempo
text, both will change simultaneously.
However, each piece of text can be dragged up and down or deleted independently. This is useful
to avoid collisions with a high note above the top staff that does not occur lower down the score.
To drag or delete both pieces of text together, do it to the top one. To delete one of the lower pieces
of text, simply select it and hit Delete; to bring it back, select the top one and choose Layout >
Reset Design (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+D or xXD).
You can alter how many copies of the text you would like to appear, and above which staves
b 3.10 Edit Text Styles and 7.7 House Style. Other system objects behave similarly, such
as rehearsal marks.

Lyrics and Chord symbols

These text styles are a bit special. b 3.3 Lyrics and 3.4 Chord symbols.
Rules for fingering
In keyboard music, fingerings for
the right hand go above the notes,
and for the left hand go below the
notes. Triplets and other tuplets
should be moved to the other side
of the notes if necessary, to avoid
collisions.
Fingerings are centered horizontally on the notes. Successive fingerings dont need to line up in a
row they should go up and
down following the pitch of the
notes, so that they are fairly near
each note.

Title, Subtitle, Composer, Lyricist, Dedication

Its quickest to create most of these from the File > New dialog
when first setting up your score, though you can easily add them
later. By default, these text styles are left-, center- or right-aligned
on the page, which means you can only drag text in these styles up
and down, not left or right.
You can put titles above any system in your score, not just at the
start you might want a new title at the start of a new section,
song or movement, say though if you do this it is best to put a
system or page break at the end of the previous system to keep the
sections separated.

Occasionally (e.g. for high-volume copying work) you may want

these text styles to go at a fixed position on the page rather than
relative to the top staff. To achieve this, set the Vertical Posn tab
for each style in the House Style > Edit Text Styles (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+T or xzXT) dialog to a fixed mm from top margin.

Fingering
(In Create > Text > Other Staff Text.) This is for keyboard, brass and string fingerings. Hit
Return (on the main keyboard) after each number. Hitting space advances to the next note.
Sibelius can add brass and string fingering automatically, and reposition fingerings to avoid notes
b 5.11 Plug-ins.

Small text and Boxed text

These are for other technique-like instructions. Boxed text is useful for important instructions
such as changes of instrument.

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3.2 Common text styles

Copyright
A copyright line is normally written on the first page of a score. This text style (choose Create >
Text > Other system text > Copyright) goes at the bottom of the page, centered, and appears in
all parts. The symbol is available from the word menu.
You should create the text on the first bar of the score though it will appear at the bottom of the
page, it will in fact be attached to the first bar, which will ensure it always remains on the first page
even if the score reformats.

Footnote

You can refer to the footnote with an asterisk or numeral using (say) Technique text above the
staff. The footnote you type will always stay on the same page as the bar its referring to. It will also
appear only in the part of the staff in question.

Header and Header (after first page)

Headers are text that goes at the top of every page e.g. the name of the piece, or instrument in a
part.
Header (within Other System Text) produces the same text on every page; if you change the
header on any page, it automatically changes on all other pages. Headers and footers appear on
the page where you place them and all subsequent pages, but not previous pages. So you should
normally place the header/footer on the first page, so they appear throughout. Header (after first
page) works the same but is always shown hidden on the first page, to avoid colliding with the
title. Headers are system text and so appear in all parts.

Footer
Footers are text that goes at the bottom of every page. Create > Text > Other System Text >
Footer (outside edge) goes on the right of right-hand pages and the left of left-hand pages;
Footer (inside edge) goes on the inside edge.
As with headers, you should normally create the footer on the first or perhaps the second page; it
will automatically appear on all subsequent pages (but not previous ones). If you change the
footer on any page, it automatically changes on all other pages. Footers are system text and so
appear in all parts.

Plain text
To create plain text in your score, for example to type miscellaneous performance instructions or
blocks of lyrics, use Create > Text > Other Staff Text > Plain text.

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This positions text at the bottom of the page. To create a footnote, select a note in the staff and bar
you want the footnote to refer to, then choose Create > Text > Other Staff Text > Footnote. The
caret will nonetheless appear at the foot of the page.

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3. Text

3.3 Lyrics
b 3.1 Working with text, 3.10 Edit Text Styles.
v Text.

Lyrics are words written under notes to be sung by a singer. There are three ways of creating lyrics:
* typing them in directly;
* copying lyrics syllable by syllable into Sibelius from a word processor or other program;
* automatically flowing lyrics into the score from a text file, with Sibelius automatically allocating

syllables to notes for you.

Lyrics in a block, for extra verses at the end of a song or hymn, are created differently because
they dont align with the notes see Blocks of lyrics below.

Typing lyrics
To type lyrics directly into Sibelius:

* Input the notes for which you want to write lyrics

* Select the note where you want the lyrics to start and choose Create > Text > Lyrics > Lyrics line
1 (shortcut Ctrl+L or XL)
* Start typing lyrics
* Hit (hyphen) at the end of each syllable within a word
* Hit space at the end of each word
* If a syllable lasts for two or more notes, hit space or once for each note
* If a word is followed by a comma, period or other punctuation, type it before hitting space.

If you need more than one word per note or an elision, see Several words per note and elisions below.

Editing lyrics
You can edit lyrics much like other text. You can alter them, move them, copy them and delete
them.
To edit a lyric, double-click it, or select it and hit Return (on the main keyboard). You can use the
arrow keys and Backspace to move between words and syllables.
If you delete a syllable, this also deletes any lyric line or hyphens to the right of it (which are
attached to the syllable).
You can move a syllable left or right by one note by selecting it (so it goes dark blue, not so the
caret appears) and hitting space or Shift-space. Similarly you can extend or retract a lyric line or
row of lyric hyphens by selecting the right-hand end and hitting Space or Shift-space.
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3.3 Lyrics
Some engraving rules for
lyrics
Lyrics normally go beneath the
staff. They are only written above a
staff if two staves are sharing the
same set of lyrics (e.g. in a hymn),
or if a staff has two voices with different lyrics.

It is common for vocal music to have two or more lines of lyrics

under the same music. Usually this is denoted by the verse number being written before the first word or syllable of each verse,
e.g. 1. The
In this example, you would type 1. The as a single text object
using a non-breakable space (see Several words per note and
elisions below).
To input a second line of lyrics, simply choose Create > Text >
Lyrics > Lyrics line 2 (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+L or zXL) and create
them in the same way as other lyrics; they will automatically
appear beneath the line 1 lyrics.

For translations that require a second line of lyrics, use Lyrics line
2 and edit its text style to use italics (b 3.10 Edit Text Styles),
or you can switch to and from italics temporarily by typing Ctrl+I or XI while entering lyrics. For
choruses in line 1, you could instead use Create > Text > Lyrics > Lyrics (chorus), which is set to
use italics.
Sibelius has predefined text styles for five verses of text. Lyrics for lines 3, 4 and 5 can be obtained
from the Create > Text > Lyrics submenu. You can create even more verses of lyrics using House
Style > Edit Text Styles (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+T or xzXT) b 3.10 Edit Text Styles.
If you want to quickly add verse numbers to your score after inputting the lyrics, use the Plugins > Text > Add Verse Numbers plug-in b 5.11 Plug-ins.

Copying lyrics into Sibelius

You can copy and paste lyrics between other programs (such as word processors) and Sibelius,
from one part of a score to another in Sibelius, or from one score to a different one.
The text you are copying can either be plain, unhyphenated text or already have hyphens between
syllables, e.g.:
Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb,
its fleece was white as snow.

If the text doesnt already have hyphens in, Sibelius will work out how to split it into syllables for
you.
You can tell Sibelius which language your lyrics are typically in, and set up a couple of other
options, on the Others page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac). Similar options
are also found in the Create > Text > Lyrics > From Text File dialog (see Creating lyrics from a
text file below).
To copy lyrics text into Sibelius:
* Select the text you want to copy:
%

If you are copying within Sibelius, select the lyrics you want to copy: either use a lasso selection (b 1.6 Selections and passages) or select a single syllable and choose Edit >
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Syllables sung to different notes are

separated by one or more hyphens.
If the last syllable of a word continues over several notes, a lyric line
is drawn after the final syllable
along the notes sung to that syllable. Any punctuation after the final
syllable comes before the lyric line.

Verses, choruses and translations

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3. Text

*
*
*
*
*

Select > Select More (or type Ctrl+Shift+A or xXA) to select a line of lyrics, then choose
Edit > Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or XC)
% If you are copying from another program, select the text you want to copy and in that programs menus choose Edit > Copy (shortcut normally Ctrl+C or XC) to copy it to the clipboard
Select the note where you want to start pasting lyrics, then choose Create > Text > Lyrics > Lyrics line 1 (shortcut Ctrl+L or XL); a flashing caret appears
To paste a syllable, type Ctrl+V or XV, which pastes text up to the next space or hyphen (i.e.
one notes worth)
You can then edit the pasted text as if you typed it in yourself, or hit space or (hyphen) to
extend the word or syllable over more than one note
When you want to input the next word or syllable, type Ctrl+V or XV again
If you make a mistake, you can choose Edit > Undo (shortcut Ctrl+Z or XZ), which will remove
the last pasted word or syllable from the score and put it back on the clipboard so that you can
paste it again.

If the text you had copied had extra hyphens or spaces between words or syllables, or had syllables
lasting more than one note, this is ignored when pasting. This is useful if, say, youre copying lyrics from one staff to another in Sibelius and the rhythms are different.
Tip: When pasting lyrics like this, you can just type Space every syllable, even in the middle of a
word Sibelius will still write a hyphen where required.

Copying a whole line of lyrics

A quick way of copying a whole line of lyrics to somewhere else in your score where the rhythm of
the words is the same:
* Select the original row of lyrics by selecting one word or syllable, then choosing Edit > Select >
Select More (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+A or xXA)
* Choose Edit > Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or XC)
* Select the first note of the destination passage, where you want to paste the lyrics
* Choose Edit > Paste (shortcut Ctrl+V or XV), without choosing Create > Text > Lyrics > Lyrics

line 1 first, to paste all the lyrics at once.

The destination lyrics may collide, in which case afterwards select the destination notes as a passage, and choose Layout > Reset Note Spacing (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N or xXN).

Copying lyrics from one line (or verse) to another

Its fairly common for songs to have identical lyrics in similar phrases in different verses, so you
may find it useful to copy the lyrics you have already written from one verse to another. Say you
want to copy the lyrics using the text style Lyrics line 1 to Lyrics line 3:
* Make a passage selection around the music containing the lyrics you want to copy
* Choose Edit > Filter > Advanced Filter (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F or xzXF)
* On the dialog that appears, switch off all the Find options apart fromText
* From the list of text styles on the right, click None and then choose Lyrics line 1

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3.3 Lyrics
* Click Select
* Copy the lyrics to the clipboard using Edit > Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or XC)
* Select the note from where you want the copied lyrics to start from and choose Edit > Paste
(shortcut Ctrl+V or XV)
* From the Text panel of the Properties window, change the text style of the copied lyrics from

Lyrics line 1 to Lyrics line 3

* Choose Layout > Reset Position (Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP).

Copying lyrics from Sibelius

* Select the lyrics you want to copy (e.g. select a passage or the whole score and then choose Edit >
Filter > Lyrics) and choose Edit > Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or XC) to copy them to the clipboard
* Now paste the lyrics to the desired location:
% To paste the lyrics in Sibelius, create a suitable text caret, e.g. for a block of lyrics, choose
Create > Text > Other Staff Text > Plain Text and click in the score, then choose Edit >
Paste (shortcut Ctrl+V or XV) to paste the lyrics
% To paste the lyrics into another program, switch to it and choose Edit > Paste (shortcut normally Ctrl+V or XV).

The pasted text will contain hyphens between syllables, so you should remove these.
If you want to save all the lyrics from your score quickly, use Plug-ins > Text > Export Lyrics
b 5.11 Plug-ins.

Creating lyrics from a text file

Sibelius can read lyrics from a text file and flow them into your score automatically, working out
how to hyphenate the words and mapping them onto the notes on a staff, including melismas,
meaning a single syllable or word sung to more than one note, indicated by a slur over the notes.
First, go through your score and check that you have created
slurs in all the places you expect Sibelius to produce melismas.
Next you need to ensure that your lyrics are in a plain text file. If
you are using Microsoft Word, choose File > Save As, and set the
document type to Plain text (or Text only on Mac); if you are
using another application, the steps will probably be similar, but
may not be identical.
Once youre ready, select the bars in the staff or staves to which
you want to add lyrics, then choose Create > Text > Lyrics > From
Text File. A simple dialog appears, as shown on the right.
* Choose the text file containing the lyrics by clicking Browse

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It can be useful to copy and paste lyrics from Sibelius, either into a different program (e.g. a word
processor) or into, say, a block of lyrics at the end of the score in Sibelius (see Blocks of lyrics
below). To do this:

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3. Text
* Lyrics are in should be set to the language used by your lyrics (choices are English, French,

*
*

German, Italian, Spanish and Latin); Sibelius should guess the language automatically, but if it
makes a mistake, correct the setting here before proceeding
Automatically syllabify ambiguous words determines what Sibelius should do when it
encounters words that can be hyphenated in multiple ways (e.g. everything can be hyphenated as ev-er-y-thing or ev-ry-thing). When switched on, Sibelius examines both the phrase
structure of the music to which the lyrics are being added, and the phrasing of the text itself, in
order to try and determine the most musically satisfying result. If this option is switched off,
Sibelius will prompt you to choose the appropriate syllabification for each ambiguous word.
Lyrics text style determines which text style Sibelius should use for the lyrics it adds to the
score
Delete existing lyrics text will remove any lyrics in the selected passage in the chosen text
style before adding new lyrics; this option is useful if you find yourself using this feature successively, e.g. after fixing an error in the music or adding a slur to correct a melisma
Use apostrophes to show combined syllables option tells Sibelius to show where it has chosen to combine two syllables into one for ambiguous words, e.g. if it splits everything into
three syllables rather than four, with this option switched on it will write ev-ry-thing, and
with this option switched off it will write eve-ry-thing. It is more usual to use an apostrophe in
this situation, so it is recommended to leave this option switched on.
If Warn when lyrics wont fit the music is switched on, Sibelius will prompt you if it determines that you either have too many lyrics to fit the available notes, or vice versa, and it will give
you the option to proceed if you wish.

When you click OK, Sibelius will add the lyrics to the selected passage in the score. If Sibelius is
unable to determine how best to deal with ambiguous words, it will prompt you to help it: the
Choose Syllabification dialog will appear, showing the word in question and allowing you to
choose between the different ways of hyphenating it; hover your mouse pointer over the combo
box to see a tool tip that shows the word in context. You can switch on Syllabify similar words
consistently to prompt Sibelius to use the same hyphenation pattern for words with similar characteristics (e.g. the same suffix).
If your lyrics switch between different languages, you can add a special command to your text file
that tells Sibelius where to use the hyphenation rules for another language: just put the name of
the language inside curly braces, e.g. {English} or {German}.
To force a word to hyphenate in a particular way, simply add the hyphens to the word or words in
question in the text file containing the lyrics you want to add.
In some languages, such as Spanish and Italian, it is common to elide the end of one word with the
beginning of the next, treating those two syllables as one (e.g. donde ir in Spanish may be sung
as three syllables rather than four, i.e. don-de_i-r). Sibelius will do this for you automatically
where appropriate.

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Splitting words into syllables

When you split a word of lyrics with hyphens its important to split between the correct letters,
otherwise the syllables can be hard to read. A rule of thumb (though there are exceptions) is as follows:
* Put standard prefixes and suffixes (e.g. un-, -ing, -ed, -ly) as separate syllables
* If there is a single consonant between two syllables (e.g. labor), split before it (la-bor)
* If there are two consonants between two syllables (e.g. better, Batman), split between them (bet-

ter, Bat-man).

Of course, when all else fails you can always look it up in a dictionary!

Checking lyrics hyphenation

Because its all too easy for you to split up the syllables of a word incorrectly if youre typing them
in, Sibelius includes a handy plug-in for checking the hyphenation of lyrics in your score see
Check Lyrics Hyphenation on page 419.

Sharing lyrics
If two staves have identical or near-identical rhythms, you can
write a single line of lyrics between them applying to both; where
the rhythms differ slightly you should position syllables horizontally between the two notes (as in ry and on in the illustration).

Lyrics in two voices

In choral music it is common for two vocal lines to share the same staff (e.g. soprano and alto on a
single staff). Often only one set of lyrics is required for music of this kind since the rhythms of the
two lines tend to be similar; if the rhythms are dissimilar for extended passages, it is clearer to
write each vocal line on a separate staff.
On the other hand, if a staff has two singers with significantly different rhythms or lyrics for only
a few bars, you should write an extra line of lyrics above for voice 1 and a separate line of lyrics
below for voice 2. The extra line of lyrics can appear just for a few notes, though if it isnt present
for the whole system, then its clearest if the extra line of lyrics occurs only where the music splits
into two voices:

When adding lyrics to music in two voices, you can choose the voice into which you want to create
lyrics before you start:
* Create all the notes (both voices 1 and 2)

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As there are exceptions, if in doubt, ensure that each syllable can be read and pronounced correctly on its own; for example, laughter should be split laugh-ter rather than laug-hter
because laug doesnt produce the right sound when read on its own.

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* To create the lyrics for voice 1 above the staff, choose Create > Text > Other staff text > Lyrics

above staff
* To add lyrics in voice 2, select the first note in voice 2 to which you want to add lyrics, then
choose Create > Text > Lyrics > Lyrics line 1 (shortcut Ctrl+L or XL).

Several words per note and elisions

In sung dialog (such as recitative) you often find several words sung to one long note. But if you
type a space or hyphen after the first syllable, the caret would immediately move onto the next
note.
So instead use the special keypresses Ctrl+space or z-space and Ctrl+ (hyphen) or z, which
produce non-breaking spaces and hyphens (i.e. without moving onto the next note). These keypresses are also occasionally useful when creating other kinds of text, such as chord symbols.
Similarly, in Italian and some other languages, two elided syllables are often written on the same
note with an elision character in between, e.g. Ky ri e_e lei son. To achieve this, simply type
_ (underscore) while creating lyrics to get an elision character.
You can also use the elision character as a slur in block lyrics; for example, at the end of a line of a
hymn.
Punctuation in lyrics
When using a poem for lyrics,
include capitals (at the start
of lines) and punctuation (at
the end of lines and elsewhere) exactly as in the original text. Punctuation at the
end of words goes before the
lyric line.
If you repeat part of a sentence that isnt repeated in
the original text, put a
comma before the repetition,
e.g. My sister, my sister, my
sister is a thistle-sifter.

Slurs and beams

Where multiple notes are sung to the same syllable, you can join them
with a slur to make it clearer where syllables start and end. Use Plugins > Text > Add Slurs to Lyrics to do this automatically. Because
unnecessary slurs can clutter the music, a good policy is only to use
slurs if the word-setting is complex or potentially confusing. Phrasemarks should not be used in vocal music.
In older scores, notes sung to separate syllables were never beamed
together, to make it clearer which syllable went with which note. This
convention has all but died out (because it makes rhythms harder to
read) but should you need it in a score, use the Plug-ins > Text > Traditional Lyrics Beaming plug-in to do it automatically.
For more information about these plug-ins, b 5.11 Plug-ins.

Hanging punctuation
If you type the word Oh, as lyrics, then Sibelius will center the letters themselves under the note
and ignore the width occupied by the comma, which hangs to the right. Similarly, if a verse
starts with 1. The then the word The is centered and the 1. hangs to the left. These are examples of a typographical nicety called hanging punctuation.
If you dont want Sibelius to allow for hanging punctuation, switch off Hanging punctuation on
the Text page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE).

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Horizontal position
The horizontal position of lyrics is controlled by Sibelius according to complex rules. While you
type each syllable in, Sibelius adjusts its precise position according to how wide the syllable is and
how many notes it lasts for:
* Lyrics are centered if a word or syllable is followed by another word or syllable on the next note
* Lyrics are not centered if a word or syllable is followed by:
% A new word, two or more notes later; the word is left-aligned with the note to which its

Once youve typed lyrics in, you can drag individual syllables left and right like other text if you
need to adjust their position.
Syllables are attached to the notes they are written under, so if you adjust the note spacing they
move as well. Additionally, if you pull two syllables joined by hyphens apart, more hyphens will
appear the farther apart they get, and the hyphens will shift about so as to remain precisely centered between the syllables.
If you want to adjust the horizontal spacing of lyrics yourself, select the bar or passage in question,
and use Shift+Alt+0/1 or xz0/1 to narrow or widen the spacing accordingly
(Ctrl+Shift+Alt+0/1 or xzX0/1 move in bigger steps) b 7.8 Note spacing.
To reset the spacing to its default, simply select the relevant passage and choose Layout > Reset
Note Spacing (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N or xXN).
The behavior of this function is determined by the Allow space for lyrics option in House
Style > Note Spacing Rule, which must be switched on for Layout > Reset Note Spacing to
avoid lyric collisions. If you switch off this option, Sibelius will completely ignore lyrics when
respacing your music, so we recommend you leave it switched on.
Particularly long center-aligned syllables on the first note of a bar can overhang the preceding barline, which may, in passages with tight spacing, cause a collision with the lyric at the end of the
previous bar; if you would prefer to disable this behavior, switch off Allow first syllable to overhang barline in the House Style > Note Spacing Rule dialog.
Sometimes allowing space for wide lyrics can make the note spacing rather uneven; this is one of
the bugbears of music engraving, and improving it requires something of a compromise between
how best to space the lyrics and how best to space the notes. For examples and advice on this,
b 7.8 Note spacing.

Lyric hyphens
Where syllables are split between notes, a hyphen is normally drawn between those syllables;
where syllables are sung over many notes, more than one hyphen appears, depending on the distance between the syllables.

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attached, with a lyric line trailing.

% A new syllable, two or more notes later; by default, the syllable is left-aligned with the note to
which its attached, followed by one or more hyphens; but the syllable will be centered if
Center all syllables followed by hyphens on the Text page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog is switched on.

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Single hyphens for syllables on adjacent notes are precisely centered between the syllables. Multiple hyphens are governed by the options on the Text page of the House Style > Engraving Rules
dialog see Engraving Rules options below.
In the English language, its often acceptable for the hyphen between syllables to disappear in tight
spacing situations (e.g. where words such as, say, little occur on adjacent, short notes). In other
languages, however, the absence of a hyphen can change the meaning of the text completely. Sibelius will always try to leave sufficient room for a single hyphen between two syllables, but in tight
spacing situations this may not always be possible. (If you dont want Sibelius to try and ensure
that a hyphen will always appear, switch off Allow extra space for hyphens in the House
Style > Note Spacing Rule dialog).
Where words are split over system breaks, opinion is divided over whether a hyphen should
appear at the start of the second system as well as at the end of the first. Sibelius accommodates
both conventions: if you want hyphens to appear at the start of systems, switch on the option in
the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog. Sibelius cannot, however, guarantee that a hyphen
will appear at the start of the second system, even if Allow hyphens at start of systems is
switched on. If you find that a hyphen does not appear when required, increase the space before
the first note on the system after the break a little, and the hyphen will then appear.
If you find that a hyphen is not correctly centered between two syllables, select it and choose
Layout > Reset Position (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP). You can also move hyphens about
click the (rightmost) hyphen and drag left or right.

Vertical position
Sibelius puts lyrics at a standard vertical position beneath the staff. However, you can move syllables individually up and down like other text.
To move a line of lyrics, click one of the lyrics and choose Edit > Select > Select More (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+A or xXA) to select the whole line, then move the lyrics with the arrow keys (Ctrl+3/
2 or X3/2 for big steps). Alternatively, after selecting a line of lyrics like this you can align them in
a row using Layout > Align In a Row (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+R or xXR), move them back to their
default vertical position using Layout > Reset Position (Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP), or Delete them.
To align all the lyrics in your score quickly, use the Plug-ins > Text > Align Lyrics plug-in
b 5.11 Plug-ins.
To change lyrics default vertical position, b 7.11 Default Positions.

Text style
You can change the appearance of lyrics in a variety of ways:
* Use House Style > Edit Text Styles (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+T or xzXT) to change lyrics

text styles globally (e.g. if you want all lyrics in your score to be in a particular font, or all italic)
b 3.10 Edit Text Styles
* Any change you make to the appearance of lyrics via the Properties window
(b 5.14 Properties) while editing lyrics applies to all subsequent text you create, e.g. if you
change to an italic font and then hit space to move on to the next word, the next word and all
subsequent ones will be italic until you explicitly switch it off again or stop typing lyrics.
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3.3 Lyrics
If you want to change the appearance of your lyrics back to their default settings (i.e. those set in
House Style > Edit Text Styles), select them and choose Layout > Reset Design (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+D or xXD).
After changing the font or size of lyric whether by editing the text style, using House Style >
Edit All Fonts or importing a house style (b 7.7 House Style) you may want to choose
Layout > Reset Note Spacing (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N or xXN), as the lyrics will probably
require more or less horizontal space than previously.

Blocks of lyrics
Extra verses of a song or hymn can be written as blocks of words at the end of the score. These
arent the same as normal lyrics because they dont align with notes.

Stem directions
Notes on the middle staff line normally have stems pointing down; however, when there are lyrics the
stem is often drawn pointing up so as to avoid colliding with the words. By default, Sibelius observes
this convention; if you would prefer it not to, see Stems on the middle line on page 146.

Engraving Rules options

On the Text page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE)
you can set the position of lyric lines and spacing of hyphens, and some other options besides:
* Use text hyphens (not symbols) makes Sibelius draw lyrics hyphens with the font used for
creating lyrics, rather than using a special symbol from the Create > Symbols dialog. This
*
*
*
*

option is switched on by default.

One hyphen maximum forces only one lyric hyphen to appear, even if syllables are spaced a
long way apart. This option is switched off by default.
Hyphens allowed at start of systems controls whether a lyric hyphen can appear at the start
of a system if there is a syllable on the first note. This option is switched off by default.
Hanging punctuation controls whether Sibelius takes account of hanging punctuation when
positioning lyrics (see Hanging punctuation above).
Center all syllables followed by hyphens center-aligns melismatic syllables (i.e. held over
more than one note) which are followed by hyphens, rather than left-aligning them as per the
default behavior. This option is switched off by default.
Center all syllables containing East Asian characters is switched on by default. The rules
for aligning lyrics in Western alphabets are not appropriate for East Asian languages, where
most lyrics are single characters.
Draw slurs between East Asian characters draws small slurs beneath any lyric items containing more than one East Asian character, between the first and the last East Asian character
in the syllable, making it clear that they should all be sung to the same note. This option is
switched on by default.
193

Text

To type a block of lyrics, use Create > Text > Other System Text > Block lyrics. Simply type the
lyrics, and hit Return (on the main keyboard) at the end of each line, or copy the lyrics from elsewhere in the score if you can (see Copying lyrics from Sibelius above). Its convenient if you
type each verse as a separate text object, so that you can move them around separately.

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3. Text

3.4 Chord symbols

b 2.7 Chord diagrams, 3.1 Working with text.

Chord symbols are text objects that go below or (more typically) above the staff and describe the
harmony at that point in the music.
Many different chord symbol conventions are in use, depending mainly on the style of music. For
example, the Nashville convention names chords according to their number relative to the root of
the prevailing key signature, while most other conventions use the note name as the basis of the
chord symbol.
Thankfully, all of these kinds of chord symbols are created in more or less the same way.
If you want to input a chord symbol along with a guitar chord diagram, b 2.7 Chord diagrams.

Creating chord symbols automatically

If you want to add chord symbols to your music automatically or turn them into notated music,
use the Add Chord Symbols or Realize Chord Symbols and Diagrams plug-ins
b 5.11 Plug-ins.

Typing chord symbols

To type chord symbols directly into Sibelius:
* Input the notes first, then select the first note above which you want a chord symbol to appear
* Choose Create > Text > Chord symbol (shortcut Ctrl+K or XK for kord)
* You can either type the chord symbol as ordinary text, or right-click (Windows) or Control-click

(Mac) to choose from a word menu of standard chord symbol bits, such as B and m7
* Hit space to advance to the next note or beat.
If you want to write a space within a chord symbol, type Ctrl+space or z-space (as an ordinary
space would advance to the next note or beat instead).
The word menu lists keyboard shortcuts for all the available bits of chord symbol. For example, to
add a flat sign, type a lowercase b; to add a sharp sign, type #; to add superscript numbers, just
type 19; and so on. Here are some other useful keyboard shortcuts:
Diminished symbol (

Ctrl+O or zB

Half-diminished (flat 5th) symbol (

Ctrl+Shift+O or xXO

Augmented symbol (&)

Shift-7 (&)

Major alteration (^) for e.g. major 7ths

Shift-6 (^)

% for chords with added 6ths and 9ths

Shift-5 (%)

Other symbols on the word menu include N.C. for no chord, ' to specify an added alteration,
; to specify that a particular note should be omitted, and so on.
You can change the entries for these in the Chords (standard) word menu if you use them frequently b 3.1 Working with text.
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3.4 Chord symbols

Standard chord symbols

Sibelius has six word menus for chord symbols, allowing you to produce chord symbols in a
variety of formats with ease. For example:
Major triads

Chords (standard)
word menu; root accidental
aligned with baseline

Ab

Abmaj

Abma

Chords (superscript
root accidentals) word

Chords (standard,
maj/min) word menu;

Chords (standard,
ma/mi) word menu;

menu

maj suffix for major

chords

ma suffix for major

chords

Ema7

Chords (standard)
word menu; ma7 suffix
for major 7th chords

Chords (standard)
word menu; Shift-6 for ^

Major triads with added 6th and 9th

D%

Chords (standard)
word menu; % for %

Chords (superscript
root accidentals) word

D69

Chords (standard)
word menu

F9

Chords (BrandtRoemer) word menu;

MA7 suffix

C'9

Chords (standard)
word menu; Ctrl+Shift+A
or xXA for add

C2

Chords (standard)
word menu

Fm

F#min

Chords (standard)

Chords (standard)

word menu

word menu; root accidental

aligned with baseline

Chords (superscript
root accidentals) word

Minor triads with a major seventh

Chords (standard)
word menu; Shift+Alt+6
or xz6 for

E<7

Minor triads

menu

Cm(,7)

Major triads with added 9th only

Dominant 7th and 9th chords

Ab7

E^

Text

Major 7th chords

menu; min suffix for

minor chords

Diminished seventh chords

Fm#7

Chords (standard)

Chords (standard)

word menu

word menu

Chords (standard)
word menu; Ctrl+O
or XO for ; Ctrl+Alt+O
or zXO for

Ddim7

Chords (standard)
word menu

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3. Text
Augmented triads

C+

Suspended triads

Daug

Asus4

Gsus2

Chords (standard)

Chords (standard)

Chords (standard)

Chords (standard)

word menu

word menu

word menu

word menu

Chords with altered fifths and ninths

C7[]

Chords (standard)
word menu

C7[]

Chords (standard,
+/- alterations)

D7[]

Chords (standard)
word menu

word menu

D7[]

Chords (standard,
+/- alterations)
word menu

Chords with altered elevenths and thirteenths

C9(#11)

Chords (standard)
word menu

Cm9(&11)

Chords (standard,
+/- alterations)

C7[]

Chords (standard)
word menu

word menu

C7[]

Chords (standard,
+/- alterations)
word menu

Compound chords

C/E

E7/C

E7
C

Omitted notes

C;3

Chords (standard)

Chords (standard)

Chords (standard)

word menu

word menu

word menu, then use

word menu; Ctrl+Shift+M
Plug-ins > Chord Symbols > or xXM for ;
Chord Symbols as Fractions

Chords (standard)

To change the word menu you see when right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac) while
inputting chord symbols:
* Choose House Style > Edit Text Styles (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+T or xzXT)
* Click Chord Symbols, then Edit
* At the bottom of the General tab, change Word menu, as follows:
% For root accidentals aligned with the baseline (e.g. C) use Chords (standard)
% For superscript root accidentals (e.g. C#) use Chords (superscript root accidentals)
% For stacking alterations that use + and instead of and , use Chords (standard, +/

alterations)

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3.4 Chord symbols

% For chord symbols that follow most of the recommendations of Brandt and Roemers book,

Standardized Chord Symbol Notation, choose Chords (Brandt-Roemer)

% For indicating minor and major with maj and min or ma and mi, use Chords (standard,
maj/min) or Chords (standard, ma/mi)
* Click OK and Close to confirm your choice.

Chord symbol fonts

Sibelius is supplied with no fewer than six different chord symbols fonts, as shown below:
B7[]

Opus Chords

B7[]

Inkpen2 Chords

B7[]

Opus PlainChords

B7[]

Opus Chords Sans

B7[]

Opus Chords Sans Condensed

B7[]

Reprise Chords

* Opus Chords is the standard chord symbol font.

* Opus PlainChords uses non-superscript accidentals and numbers.
* Opus Chords Sans is a sans serif font and is the default in house styles that use Arial as the main

text font.
* Opus Chords Sans Condensed is a condensed font and is useful in scores with many complex
chords, as it takes up less horizontal space.
* Inkpen2 Chords matches the look of the Inkpen2 music font and is the default in Inkpen2 house
styles.
* Reprise Chords matches the look of the Reprise music font and is the default in Reprise house
styles.
You can, however, use any of these chord symbol fonts in any score. To do this:
* Choose House Style > Edit Text Styles (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+T or xzXT)
* Double-click the Chord symbols text style to edit it
* On the General tab, change to whichever of the fonts you want to use.
* Click OK.

Dont, however, change the font to a standard text font unless you are only using simple chord symbols, as doing so gets rid of the special chord symbol characters.

Nashville numbers
Nashville numbers are a much simpler convention than standard chord symbols. Chords are designated by numbers representing the degree of the scale in the present key, so in the key of C major,
a chord of F major is simply represented by the number 4.
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3. Text
Where a chord is inverted, or has a different note in the bass, the bass note is written after a slash,
again as a number, so in C major, a chord of G major with the third in the bass is written 5/3.
Nashville chords are usually represented by normal numbers, but in some cases Roman numerals
(e.g. IV for 4) are used.
To write Nashville chord symbols in Sibelius, choose Create > Text > Other Staff Text > Nashville
chord numbers. If you need to put in accidental symbols, just use the word menu (right-click
(Windows) or Control-click (Mac)).

Playing back chord symbols

Chord symbols dont play back automatically, but Sibelius includes a plug-in that can generate simple accompaniments from the chord symbols and chord diagrams in your score; see Realize
Chord Symbols and Diagrams on page 397 for more details.

Transposing chord symbols

Chord symbols are automatically transposed when you transpose music or switch a score between
concert and transposing pitch. (They dont transpose if you just change the pitch of the note under
the chord symbol.)
Chord symbols always appear at the correct pitch in parts. However, if you edit a chord symbol that
has been transposed, Sibelius will warn you that it is different in the full score. If you continue,
Sibelius will show the chord at concert pitch, and it should be edited accordingly
(b 6.1 Working with parts).

Aligning a row of chord symbols

If youve input chord symbols along a staff and have had to move some to avoid collisions with
notes, its useful to be able to line them all up again.
To do this, select any chord symbol, choose Edit > Select > Select More (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+A or
xXA), which selects all chord symbols along that staff. Then you can:
* Align them in a row by choosing Layout > Align in a Row (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+R or xXR),

after which you can move them all up or down with the arrow keys; or
* Choose Layout > Reset Position (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP) to snap the chord symbols to
their default vertical position.
The same tricks work for other text styles such as lyrics and figured bass.

Frequency of chord symbols

By default, hitting space while creating chord symbols moves to the next beat, or to the next note,
whichever occurs sooner. This means that you can write more than one chord symbol over a note
lasting longer than a single beat. This may not always be the most desirable behavior, so if you
would prefer space always to move to the next note, change the appropriate option in the House
Style > Default Positions dialog b 7.11 Default Positions.

Style of chord symbols

You can edit the size and default vertical position of chord symbols just like other text styles
b 3.10 Edit Text Styles and 7.11 Default Positions.
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3.5 Figured bass and Roman numerals

3.5 Figured bass and Roman numerals

b 3.1 Working with text.

Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is commonly used in music of the Baroque period. Figures are
added to the bass line only where specific inversions and chromatic alterations are required; if no
figures are present, it is assumed that the player should play the notes of the triad formed by the
bass note and the third and fifth above it, according to the key signature.

Creating figured bass

Sibelius includes a comprehensive set of symbols for figured bass in the font Opus Figured Bass,
which is similar in appearance to Times.

7 6 7
e

387 w

6
4

7 7

6 5 7
e

8 7
t

r 8 7
3

6 8 7 87 87

To input figured bass:

* Input the notes onto the bass or continuo staff
* Select the first note, then choose Create > Text > Other Staff Text > Figured bass
* To enter numbers with no accidental alterations, type the numbers from the keyboard in the
*

*
*
*

normal way
To enter numbers followed by a natural, use the lower case letters along the row W to O, where
each letter corresponds to the number above it on the keyboard (e.g. W is w ). To add the natural
on the left side of the number (e.g. W), hold down Shift whilst typing the appropriate key.
To enter numbers followed by a sharp, use the letters S to K, where each letter corresponds to the
number above it (e.g. S is s ). To add the sharp on the left side of the number (e.g. S), hold
down Shift whilst typing the appropriate key.
To enter numbers followed by a flat, use the letters X to M, where each letter corresponds to the
number above it (e.g. X is x ). To add the flat on the left side of the number (e.g. X), hold down
Shift whilst typing the appropriate key.
Hit Return (on the main keyboard) for a new line in a column of figures
Type Ctrl or X with the number keys on the main keyboard to add numbers with slashes. The
only exception to this rule is &, whose shortcut is Shift-7.
To move on to the next note or beat, hit space.

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Text

Roman numerals are normally used for harmonic analysis. Sibelius allows you to create chord
names using either the alphabetic or numeric convention to indicate inversions. For example, Sibelius can display a second inversion tonic chord as Ic or I6$.

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3. Text
Other special characters include:
q

Shift-Q

Shift-P

Shift-A

Shift-L

Shift-Z

<

Shift-,

Shift-;

>

Shift-.

* You will find various other characters available in the word menu (right-click on Windows or

Control-click on Mac), which also lists further keyboard shortcuts

* Hit space to advance to the next note or beat, whichever comes first.
The Opus Figured Bass font was designed by Tage Mellgren (www.editionglobal.com).

Creating Roman numerals

To input Roman numerals, choose Create > Text > Other Staff Text > Roman Numerals.

V7

vi

ii

I6

IV6

V6%

To enter chords containing only alphabetic characters, just type the letters of the chord as you
would normally.
Entering chords including numbers is a little more involved, but once you know how it works, it is
a simple process. Lets say we want to enter the chord VY6, where the 6 is the superscript number
and the 3 is the subscript number:
* First type the root of the chord alphabetically as you would normally (e.g. V)
* If the superscript number has an accidental, hit X (sharp), Y (flat) or Z (natural) as appropriate,
*
*
*
*
*

200

otherwise, go on to the next step

If the subscript number has an accidental, type Shift-X (sharp), Shift-Y (flat) or Shift-Z
(natural) as appropriate, otherwise go on to the next step
If you have entered accidentals for either of the subscript or superscript numbers, advance the
caret along by typing Shift-.
If the chord includes a superscript number, enter it by typing the number (e.g. 6)
If the chord includes a subscript number, enter it by typing the number while holding down
Shift (e.g. Shift-3)
To enter superscript numbers with a slash, type the letters M to U, where M is the number 1, N
the number 2 etc. If you wish to enter a subscript number, hold down the Shift key while typing
the appropriate letter.
To move on to the next note or beat, hit space.

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3.5 Figured bass and Roman numerals

Function symbols
Function symbols are used to describe the harmonic structure of music, using symbols such as T
to mean tonic, D to mean dominant, and so on.

qT wD7 T qS

Sp7

D {qD7}

Tp {wD7} qTp qT6

Sp

Sp

wD7

Use Create > Text > Other Staff Text > Function symbols to create function symbols:
* If the function symbol requires brackets, U and I draw square brackets, while Shift-U and Shift-

I draw parentheses.
* If the function symbol contains a subscript number below the main symbol, type this first, by
holding down Alt or z and typing the number 19, then the main symbol.
* The main symbols are all on the keys you would expect, e.g. d, D, t, T, s, S, g, G. Baseline and
superscript
characters are on a and A.
is on Shift-F;
is on Alt+F or zF;
/ is on
A
f
F
Alt+D or zD.
* If a function symbol has two rows of numbers following the main symbol, type the upper (supersuperscript) number first, then the lower (superscript) number. If the number(s) following the
main symbol are followed < or >, type all the numbers before < or >.
* For superscript numbers, type 19 on the main keyboard. Superscript v is produced by typing
v. < and > characters suitable for following superscript numbers are produced by typing ,
(comma) and . (period).
* For super-superscript numbers, type Shift-1 to Shift-9 on the main keyboard. Super-superscript v is on V. < and > characters suitable for following super-superscript numbers are
produced by typing < and >.

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* Hit space to advance to the next note or beat.

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3. Text

3.6 Bar numbers

Scores can have bar numbers that appear automatically, normally above the first bar on each system. You can adjust their frequency and appearance to suit your preferences.
To see bar numbers on every bar on the screen only so its easier to find your way around a large
score, just switch on View > Staff Names and Bar Numbers; this also usefully indicates the
name of each staff at the left-hand side of the screen b 5.19 View menu.
All of the options you need to adjust bar numbers printed in your score are found on the Bar numbers page of House Style > Engraving Rules (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE).

Appearance and frequency

The options in the Appearance group are as follows:
* The choices under Frequency allow you to choose whether you want to see bar numbers Every

n bars, Every system (the default), or No bar numbers. You can use Every n bars to make bar
numbers appear at any interval; typical values in published music are 1, 5 and 10. Writing bar
numbers on every bar is a convention often used in music examples, handbell music, music for
children (who may be reluctant or unable to count), and parts for session musicians (who may
be reluctant or unable to count).
* Show on first bar of sections, which is switched off by default, determines whether the bar
number is shown on the first bar of the score, and on any subsequent bars that follow a Section
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3.6 Bar numbers

Show on Staves options

The options under Show on Staves allow you to choose which staves Sibelius should draw bar
numbers on. This is similar to how the House Style > System Object Positions dialog works for
other system objects such as rehearsal marks and Tempo text (b 7.11 Default Positions), but
its specifically for bar numbers.
Normally bar numbers go above the top staff of the score and above one or more other instrumental families in orchestral and band music, or sometimes below the bottom staff of the score.
Choose the Specific staves radio button, then select the staff or staves on which you want bar
numbers to appear:
* To select more than one staff in the list, hold down Ctrl or X and click: you can select up to five

staves, including the top staff and Below bottom staff.

* To put bar numbers below the bottom staff, see Placing bar numbers below the bottom
staff below.
* To put bar numbers between the staves of a keyboard instrument (which is occasionally done),
select the top staff in the Selected staves list, then position the bar numbers below the top staff
see Vertical Position options below.
Its very rare for bar numbers to appear on all staves of a score, but if you want to do this, choose
the All staves radio button. If youre only doing this so that you can see what bar youre working
on at all times, theres an easier way: just switch on View > Staff Names and Bar Numbers
(b 5.19 View menu).

Text Style options

If you wish to change the font or point size used by the bar numbers in your score or dynamic
parts, click Edit Text Style. This shows a special version of the Edit Text Style dialog with only
the options appropriate for bar numbers shown b 3.10 Edit Text Styles.

Horizontal Position options

Switching on Center in the bar disables all the other options under Horizontal Position, and also
applies to any bar number changes you create (see below). If your bar numbers arent centered, Sibe203

Text

end (provided the bar is at the start of a system). Switch this option on if you set bar numbers to
appear on every bar; otherwise, no bar number will appear on the first bar of the score.
* Hide at rehearsal marks tells Sibelius to automatically hide bar numbers that fall on the same
barlines as rehearsal marks, to ensure they dont collide.
* Count repeats, which is switched off by default, determines whether Sibelius should take
repeats into account when numbering bars see Bar numbers in repeat structures below.
* Show range of bars on multirests (e.g. 58) allows you to use a convention most often seen in commercial, film and TV music, whereby the bars
enclosed in a multirest are numbered above or below the multirest, as
shown on the right. If the other bar numbers in your score are not centered,
but you want the bar number ranges to be drawn in the center of and below the multirest, switch
on Center ranges on multirest. Specify how far below the multirest the range should appear by
setting Distance below staff n spaces.

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3. Text
lius allows you to choose the positions of bar numbers at the start of the system separately from
other bar numbers.
By default, First bar number of system is set to Left-align with initial barline. If you choose
After clef, Sibelius will place the bar number to the right of the clef, and if you choose Same as
other bar numbers, Sibelius will follow the option set for Other bar numbers.
Other bar numbers are by default set to be Centered, which means that they will appear centered above barlines. Choosing Left will align the left-hand side of the bar number with the barline, and choosing Right will align the right-hand side of the bar number with the barline at the
end of the bar.

Vertical Position options

The options under Show on Staves determine on which staves bar numbers should appear (see
Show on Staves options above), and the options under Vertical Position determine the positioning of bar numbers relative to the chosen staves.
The Above top of staff, Above middle of staff, Below middle of staff, Below bottom of
staff options are identical to those found in House Style > Default Positions (b 7.11 Default
Positions), and determine whether the value for Relative to staff n spaces is measured from
the middle line, or the top or bottom line, of the staff.

Placing bar numbers below the bottom staff

In some kinds of music, such as film scores, it is common for bar numbers to appear below the
staff, and are also often centered on every bar. To achieve this:
* Choose House Style > Engraving Rules and select the Bar numbers page
* Under Appearance, choose Every n bars, and set n to be 1
* Under Show on Staves, choose Selected staves, and select only Below bottom staff (use
Ctrl+click or X-click to deselect any other staves).
* Under Horizontal Position, switch on Center in the bar
* Under Vertical Position, choose Below bottom of staff, and set the Score value of Relative

to staff n spaces to (say) 3 spaces

* Click OK.

If you want a similar look in your dynamic parts, then view one of your parts and repeat the above
procedure in the part. Then, while still viewing the part, choose House Style > Export House
Style and export the house style of that part. Use the Multiple Part Appearance dialog to import
this house style into your other parts see Exporting house styles from parts on page 488
for more details.

Bar numbers in repeat structures

When a score contains repeats, it is most common for the bars to be numbered as if they are all
played once straight through; in other words, the fact that some of the bars are repeated is not
reflected in the way they are numbered.
However, it is not unheard of for scores to have their bars numbered according to the actual order
in which they are played, and Sibelius makes this easy: switch on Count repeats on the Bar num204

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3.6 Bar numbers

bers page of House Style > Engraving Rules, and choose the desired format from the drop-down
menu:
* 10: bar numbers are only drawn once, but any bar numbers after repeated sections take the

number of repeated bars into account

* 10 (20): bar numbers for repeated bars are drawn in parentheses; this is the default option
* 10/20: the repeated bar numbers are drawn after a slash
* 1020: the repeated bar numbers are drawn after a dash.
The effect of each of these options is shown below:

10 (20) 1 (5) (9) (13)

3.

11

D.C. al Coda

12

CODA

15

16

17

2 (6) (10) (14) 3 (7)

4 (8)

11

12

15

16

17

10/20

1/5/9/13

2/6/10/14

3/7

4/8

11

12

15

16

17

1020

15913

261014

37

48

11

12

15

16

17

Text

10

To Coda 1.2.

If you are using Bar number as the format for your rehearsal marks (on the Rehearsal marks
page of House Style > Engraving Rules), note that Count repeats will also change the display of
rehearsal marks.

Selecting bar numbers

You can select bar numbers like any other object, but beware that while you can move and hide
selected bar numbers (see below), you cant copy bar numbers, nor can you delete them. (You can,
however, copy and delete bar number changes see Bar number changes below.)
To quickly select a group of bar numbers, you can:
* Select a single bar number, then choose Edit > Select > Select More to select all bar numbers

along that system; or

* Select a passage of music, then choose Edit > Filter > Bar Numbers to select only the bar numbers in those bars; or
* Make a marquee selection, using Shift-drag or X-drag.
Once you have a range of bar numbers selected, you can move or hide them; see below.

Moving bar numbers

Bar numbers can be moved horizontally or vertically just select one or more bar numbers and
then drag them with the mouse or nudge them with the arrow keys (with Ctrl or X for bigger
steps). To reset bar numbers to their original positions, select them and choose Layout > Reset
Position (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP).
If your bar numbers are also shown above or below other staves in your score, dragging one bar
number also changes the position of that bar number above or below the other staves on which it
appears.

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3. Text

Hiding bar numbers

To hide bar numbers, simply select the bar numbers in question, then choose Edit > Hide or
Show > Hide (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH).
For more information about hiding objects, b 5.6 Hiding objects.

Bar number changes

To make bar numbers re-start at a particular number (e.g. at the start of a new section, song or
movement), or to change to a different bar number format (e.g. to number added bars 1a, 1b, 1c,
etc.), you can create a bar number change:
* If you want to re-start bar numbers at a particular bar, select the bar in which you want the bar
numbers to restart, or ensure you have nothing selected, then choose Create > Other > Bar

Number Change; or
* If you want to change the bar numbers of a range of bars, select the bars whose numbers you
want to change, then choose Create > Other > Bar Number Change. (This is particularly useful
for changing bar number format; Sibelius will helpfully reset the sequence back to the original
format at the end of the selected passage.)
In either case, you will then see the following dialog:

The radio button options are as follows:

* New bar number allows the user to specify a particular new bar number to re-start from; set

this to 1 if you want to restart bar numbering at the start of a new movement
* Follow previous bar numbers is most useful in conjunction with the Change format option
below; it allows you to continue an existing sequence using a new format. For example, if the bar
number of the bar prior to the bar number change is 2, and you choose Follow previous bar
numbers and set Change format to 1a, 1b, 1c..., the bar number change will appear as 2a.
* No bar number (and dont count bar) allows you to specify that Sibelius should completely
skip the bar to which this bar number change is attached, useful if you need to, say, split a bar
over a system break by way of two irregular bars, and want to ensure that the second irregular
bar doesnt upset the subsequent bar numbers. It produces a bar number change that is only visible when View > Hidden Objects is switched on, and displays a bar number inside square
brackets.
The difference between Follow previous bar numbers and New bar number is that a bar number change set to Follow previous bar numbers will update as you drag it around; in our example
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3.6 Bar numbers

above, you could drag the 2a bar number to the right, and it would change to 3a, 4a, 5a, etc.,
whereas a bar number change set to a specific New bar number will always be the same. Like
Follow previous bar numbers, bar number changes set to No bar number (and dont count
bar) update dynamically as you drag them around the score.
When you change bar number format, you will normally want to set Follow previous bar numbers, and to select the passage of bars you want to renumber so that Sibelius can automatically
reset the numbering at the end of the passage.

Change format allows you to specify a new bar number format:

* 1, 2, 3...: the standard bar number format, using numbers only
* 1a, 1b, 1c... and 1A, 1B, 1C...: this format is most commonly used in music for theatre produc-

tions, where last-minute alterations (such as adding extra bars in the overture to allow the actors
more time to get to their marks) cannot be allowed to interfere with the bar numbering of the
rest of the show. So inserted bars are usually numbered after the original bar they follow; if you
insert four bars after the old bar 2, the new bars would be numbered 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, and the next
bar would still be numbered 3. This format is also sometimes used to number the bars in 2nd
endings (2nd time bars).
* a, b, c... and A, B, C...: this format is most commonly used for introductory passages, e.g. the
first eight bars of a song before the vocalist comes in are numbered ah, and the ninth bar is
numbered 1.
Notice that when you set the bar number format to anything other than 1, 2, 3..., Sibelius always
shows the bar numbers on every bar, overriding whatever general choice you may have made in
the Frequency options on the Bar numbers page of House Style > Engraving Rules.
You can copy and delete bar number changes (unlike normal bar numbers), and you can also move
a bar number change horizontally and vertically up to three spaces away from the barline to which
it belongs if you move it further, it will snap to the nearest bar.

Go to Bar
To jump quickly to any bar, choose Edit > Go to Bar (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+G or zXG), type in the
bar number and click OK. Two subtle things to know about this feature:
* You can type in bar numbers in any of the supported formats, and if Sibelius is unable to find a

bar number that matches exactly, it will instead take you to the closest one it can find.
* If the same bar number occurs multiple times in your score (because, say, you have several
movements in the same file), Sibelius will search forwards from the beginning of the score or the
current selection; to go to the next matching bar number, simply choose Edit > Go to Bar again
and click OK without changing the bar number youre looking for.

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Text

The Add text checkbox allows you to specify some text to be added before or after the bar numbers; you could tell Sibelius to add the text new (note the leading space) to appear after the bar
number, producing bar numbers like 1 new, 2 new, 3 new, etc. Alternatively you could add the
text orig (note the trailing space) to appear before the bar number, producing bar numbers like
orig 1, orig 2, orig 3, etc.

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3. Text

First bar number

If you are inputting a section from a longer score, you may want to start with a bar number other
than 1. To do this, input a bar number change at the start (see above).

Pick-up (upbeat) bars

If your music starts with a pick-up (upbeat) bar, its normal to number the first complete bar as bar
1, rather than bar 2 as it would otherwise be. Sibelius automatically numbers pick-up bars as bar 0.

Bar numbers in parts

You can use different text styles for bar numbers in your score and parts as Sibelius has unique text
styles for the score (Bar numbers) and parts (Bar numbers (parts)).
If you wish to change the appearance of bar numbers in all of your parts simultaneously rather
than having to edit each individual part, use the House Style page of the Multiple Part Appearance dialog (b 6.3 Multiple Part Appearance).

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3.7 Page numbers

3.7 Page numbers

Sibelius numbers the pages in your score automatically, by default following the centuries-old conventions (in books as well as music) that right-hand pages are always odd-numbered and left-hand
pages are always even-numbered, and that the first page should not show a page number.

Because Sibelius follows these conventions for you, you will rarely need to do anything at all with
page numbers in your score, but if youre working with complex layouts involving blank pages at
the start of the score or multiple pieces in the same file, you may find that you want to change the
page numbering: thats where Create > Other > Page Number Change comes in.

Page Number Change

Using a page number change, you can switch to one of several page number formats, restart page
numbering at any point, and even hide subsequent page numbers. First, select something (e.g. a
bar) on the page on which you want the page number change to take effect, then choose Create >
Other > Page Number Change. The following dialog appears:

* New page number allows you to specify the first page number in the sequence; if you switch

this checkbox off, the page number change thats created will simply follow the existing sequence
* You can choose from one of four Format options:
% 1, 2, 3... is the default Arabic numeral format
% a, b, c... and A, B, C... use lower and upper case alphabetic schemes respectively, and are useful for front matter
% i, ii, iii... and I, II, III... use lower and upper case Roman numerals, and are also useful for front
matter.
* Finally you can choose which of the page numbers affected by the page number change should
be visible:
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Text

In double-sided printouts, page numbers are normally positioned on the outside edge of the page
(i.e. the edge furthest from the binding), and in single-sided printouts they are normally positioned on the right-hand edge (or sometimes in the center, though this is considered in typographic circles to be in poor taste!); this makes the page number appear nearest to your thumb
when you flick through a score, maximizing their visibility. Whatever the binding, page numbers
usually go at the top of the page.

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3. Text
% Show page numbers will show all page numbers (until the next page number change)
% Hide first page number will hide the first page number of the page number change, and

show all subsequent ones (until the next page number change)
% Hide page numbers will hide all page numbers (until the next page number change).
% Hide page numbers until after next page of music is useful for situations in which your
score starts with one or more blank pages, and you want page numbers to appear from the
second page of music onwards.
When you click OK, Sibelius creates the appropriate page number change. Notice that Sibelius also
creates a page break at the end of the page; this is because you have told Sibelius that you want a
page number change in a specific place, so it has to fix the layout of the score to ensure that the
page number change will stay on the right page.
If you want to change the page number on a blank page (created using a special page break
b 7.4 Breaks), make sure you have nothing selected before you choose Create > Other > Page
Number Change, then after clicking OK in the dialog, click on the blank page from which you
want the page number change to take effect.

Selecting page numbers

Although you cannot select the automatic page numbers that Sibelius creates by default, you can
select page numbers produced via page number changes.
To select all the page number changes in a score, you can e.g. select the whole score with Edit >
Select > Select All (shortcut Ctrl+A or XA), then choose Edit > Filter > Page Number Changes.
You can then hide or delete the selected page number changes see below.

Hiding page numbers

If you decide to hide page numbers after creating a page number change, you dont need to create
the page number change again: simply select one of the page numbers affected by the page number
change, and choose Edit > Hide or Show > Hide (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH).
If you want to hide only the first page number in a page number change, be sure to select that page
number; selecting any other page number will result in all page numbers affected by the page
number change being hidden.
For further information about hiding objects, b 5.6 Hiding objects.

Deleting page numbers

You cannot delete automatic page numbers (though you can hide them), but you can delete the
page numbers produced via page number changes simply select them (see above) and hit
Delete. Deleting the page break to which a page number change is attached will also delete the
page number change, but the reverse isnt true (i.e. if you delete the page number change, the page
break will not be deleted).
If you dont want any page numbers to appear in your score, select a bar on the first page, then use
Create > Other > Page Number Change and switch on Hide page numbers.

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3.7 Page numbers

Page numbers in parts

Normally instrumental parts are numbered from page 1, independently of the score. This is what
Sibelius does by default, but you can make your parts use the same page numbers as the score if
you wish using the options on the Layout page of Multiple Part Appearance b 6.3 Multiple
Part Appearance.
You can also create a page number change in a part, which will affect only the part in which it is
created.

Showing the page number on page 1

First page number

Here are a few recommendations for what the first page number of your score should be in different situations, should you wish to become an expert on the matter:
* If your score is to start with a left-hand page, create a page number change to page 2 on the first

page (or leave it at 1 if your Sibelius file includes a title page).

* If your score has no cover (i.e. the front page has music on), then the front page is page 1.
* If your score is self-covering i.e. the front page is a cover but is made of the same paper as the
rest of the score then that cover is treated as page 1; so if your music starts on the first lefthand page, create a page number change to page 2, unless your score includes a title page.
* If your score has a separate cover made of card, then page 1 is normally the first right-hand page
inside the cover.
Remember that page 1 normally doesnt have a number printed on it.

Positioning page numbers relative to the margin

By default, page numbers are aligned with the page margins on both left- and right-hand pages.
However, some publishers prefer page numbers on left-hand pages to be aligned with the left-hand
side of the staff instead; if you want to use this convention:
* Choose House Style > Edit Text Styles
* Choose Page numbers from the list of text styles, and click Edit
* In the System Text Style dialog that appears, choose the Horizontal Posn tab, then switch on

the (not quite self-explanatory) At left of page, align to No names staff margin option
* Click OK and Close.

Page numbers in single-sided scores

If you intend your score to be printed single-sided rather than double-sided, you should change the
position of your page numbers so that they always appear on the right-hand side of the page:
* Choose House Style > Edit Text Styles

211

Text

By default, Sibelius will number your score from page 1, and will not show a page number on the
first page, though if you have View > Hidden Objects switched on you will see a gray 1 in the
top right-hand corner of the page. To make the first page number visible, should you want to, use
Create > Other > Page Number Change to create a page number change to page 1 on the first
page of the score, and choose Show page numbers.

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3. Text
* Choose Page numbers from the list of text styles, and click Edit
* In the System Text Style dialog that appears, choose the Horizontal Posn tab, and set Align to

page to Right
* Click OK and Close.

Page numbers in text

Page numbers are sometimes shown as part of a running header or footer. If you want to do this,
you can add the current page number to a header or footer (or indeed to any other text) using the
\$PageNum\ wildcard. For example:
* First you need to hide Sibeliuss automatic page numbers. Select the first bar of the score and
choose Create > Other > Page Number Change.
* Click the Hide page numbers radio button, then click OK. (Switch on View > Hidden Objects,

if its not switched on already, and youll notice that the page numbers are still there, only now
theyre all hidden.)
* Now either edit your existing header text, or use Create > Text > Other System Text > Header
(after first page)to create a new one.
* Add \$PageNum\ to the header, e.g. your header may look like this when editing it: \$Title\
\$Composer\ p.\$PageNum\, which produces something like Symphony no. 40 Mozart
p.15. The results are only visible when you stop editing it and Sibelius automatically substitutes
the wildcards.
For more information about wildcards, b 3.11 Wildcards.

Go to Page
To jump quickly to any page, choose Edit > Go to Page (Ctrl+Shift+G or xXG), type in the page
number and click OK. You can type in a page number in any of the formats that Sibelius understands.

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3.8 Rehearsal marks

3.8 Rehearsal marks

Rehearsal marks are large letters or numbers that pinpoint important places in the music. They are
automatically lettered or numbered in sequence by Sibelius you only have to indicate where they
go. This means that you can create and delete rehearsal marks freely without having to worry
about re-lettering or renumbering them yourself.

Creating rehearsal marks

* Choose Create > Rehearsal Mark. The following dialog appears:

Text
* Consecutive means that the rehearsal mark thats created will continue in the sequence already

established (or become the first rehearsal mark in the sequence), using the format specified in
House Style > Engraving Rules (see below). Normally this is what you will want, so this is what
you get when you type the shortcut Ctrl+R or XR, without Sibelius showing you the dialog.
For example, if you put several consecutive rehearsal marks along a staff, they will appear as A B
C D E. If you then delete B, the subsequent marks will be automatically changed from C D E to B
C D to maintain the sequence. Similarly, if you create a new rehearsal mark between two others,
the subsequent marks will be adjusted.
* Start at allows you to create a rehearsal mark out of sequence, and to restart the sequence from
a particular point. Simply type the mark you want into the box; Sibelius will continue the
sequence thereafter for Consecutive rehearsal marks e.g. if you ask it to start with Y2, it will
follow this with Z2, then A3, B3, etc.
* New prefix/suffix allows you to add some fixed text before or after the rehearsal mark, so you
can produce special sequences of rehearsal marks like A1, A2, A3, A4, or 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, etc.
that differ from the standard sequence (you can set a prefix or suffix for all rehearsal marks if
need be see Engraving Rules options below). Type your desired Prefix or Suffix into the
boxes provided. The Override defaults option allows you to choose whether the prefix/suffix
specified here should be used instead of the default prefix/suffix defined in House Style >
Engraving Rules; if you want to replace the default prefix and suffix, switch this option on.
* Now click OK:
% If no note is selected, the mouse pointer will change color and you should click above a barline to place the rehearsal mark
% If a note is selected, the rehearsal mark is automatically positioned above the barline at the
start of the next bar.
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3. Text

Editing rehearsal marks

You can drag, copy and delete rehearsal marks in the normal ways. As you drag them, they snap to
barlines horizontally.
As with tempo text, large scores often have more than one of each rehearsal mark say, one above
the system and another above the strings in orchestral music.
If you move or delete the top rehearsal mark, any duplicates lower down the system will move or
delete with it. However, if you move or delete a duplicate rehearsal mark instead of the top one, it
will behave independently. This allows you (say) to move or delete just the rehearsal mark above
the strings if there is a high note it would collide with.
You can alter which staves rehearsal marks and other system objects appear above see System
Object Positions on page 542.
If you need to move a rehearsal mark slightly left or right of the barline to avoid an obstacle, select
the rehearsal mark and edit its X value on the General panel of the Properties window.

Engraving Rules options

You can choose the format in which all rehearsal marks appear from the Rehearsal marks page of
the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE). The choice is:
* A-Z, A1-Z1, A2...
* A-Z, AA-ZZ, AAA...
* 1, 2, 3...
* Bar number
* Hide all

The format changes for all existing rehearsal marks, so after changing to the third format the
sequence Y Z AA BB would become 25 26 27 28.
(Slight fun: set rehearsal marks to Bar number format. Create a rehearsal mark, and watch what
happens when you drag it from bar to bar.)
The Prefix and Suffix options allow you to specify text to be placed before and after the automatic
part of all rehearsal marks. This is useful if the font you are using for rehearsal marks has special
characters for drawing fancy boxes around letters and numbers; Sibeliuss own Reprise Rehearsal
is one such font (try importing one of the Reprise house styles, for example).
The font, size, box and so on is controlled by clicking the Edit Text Style button. b 3.10 Edit
Text Styles.
Rehearsal marks are automatically shrunk to a smaller size than the score in parts. You can control
the size they end up at by editing the Rehearsal marks text style. Choose House Style > Edit Text
Styles (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+T or xzXT on Mac), select the Rehearsal marks text style and
click Edit. Adjust the Parts size on the General page of the Text Style dialog as required. For
information on working with parts, b 6.1 Working with parts.

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3.9 Instrument names

3.9 Instrument names

b 2.14 Instruments, 7.12 Edit Instruments.

Each instrument has two names the full name that is normally before the first system, and the
short name (abbreviation) that is normally before subsequent systems. If you change one you
should also adjust the other. The names will change throughout the score, not just on the system
where you make the modification.

Editing instrument names

Editing an instruments name doesnt change an instrument from one kind to another, so changing
Violin to Flute doesnt make it a flute. Similarly, changing Horn in F to Horn in Eb doesnt
change the transposition and make it an Eb instrument. To make this kind of change, use Create >
Other > Instrument Change instead b 2.14 Instruments.
You can edit the instrument name at the start of a system following an instrument change just like
any other instrument name.
If you have several identical instruments in your score and you want to make all their names the
same, it may be quicker to use House Style > Edit Instruments rather than editing each name
individually b 7.12 Edit Instruments.

Hiding instrument names

If you dont want instrument names to be shown at all, switch them off from the House Style >
Engraving Rules dialog (see Format and style of names below).
If you want to remove the instrument name just for a single instrument, select the name and hit
Delete if you subsequently want to restore the instrument name, you need to double-click where
the name should be, and the caret will reappear to allow you to type the name back in.

Moving instrument names

You can move an instrument name with the mouse, which will move all instances of the name.
However, its normal to adjust the position of instrument names by changing their alignment see
Format and style of names below.

Format and style of names

To alter the format of instrument names, choose House Style > Engraving Rules (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) and select the Instruments page.
The various options let you choose whether to use the full name, short name or no name at the
start of the score, at subsequent systems, and at any new section (see below).
Recommended settings are as follows:
215

Text

You can edit the name of any instrument in your score to use a foreign language, for instance, or
to name a singing character such as Wozzeck instead of Baritone. Just click the name at the left of
one of the systems, and edit it like any other text.

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3. Text
* For scores with lots of instruments (e.g. orchestral or band), specify full names at the start (and

maybe at new sections), and full or short names subsequently.

* For scores for solo instrument and scores for a few instruments with no hidden staves, specify
full names at the start (and maybe at new sections), and no names subsequently.
* For parts, scores for solo instrument, and music examples, you could specify no names throughout. In parts, by default Sibelius puts no names next to the systems, and instead writes the
instrument name at the top of the page.
Instrument names are governed by a text style, so their font, size, etc. can be adjusted like other
text styles by choosing House Style > Edit Text Styles (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+T or xzXT).
Select Instrument names from the list on the left, and then click Edit. You can adjust the horizontal alignment of instrument names from the Horizontal Posn tab (b 3.10 Edit Text Styles),
and you can adjust how far away from the initial barline they appear by altering the Gap between
instrument names and initial barline option on the Instruments page of House Style >
Engraving Rules.
Instrument names are traditionally centered in a column, but this can make some names end up
far from the staff they refer to if other names on the system are much wider. So instrument names
are sometimes right-aligned instead (or very occasionally, such as in band music, they are leftaligned). Sibeliuss manuscript papers are set up with sensible instrument name settings for you, so
if you use a suitable manuscript paper to create your score you dont need to worry about this.
Here are some more advanced instrument name formats:
You can write this at the start of your score simply by double-clicking the
name to edit it. (You might also want to edit the short form of the name on
a subsequent page.)
To achieve this, simply double-click the instrument name and hit Return
(on the main keyboard) between each name.
In this instance, create a single flute, then add an extra staff below
(b 2.23 Staves), and then edit the instrument name: type 1 Return
Return Fl. space space Return Return 2. The 1 and 2 are correctly positioned vertically but will get slightly mispositioned if you change the gap
between staves from the default.
You can get this effect by creating the name in a right-justified text style
with line spacing set to 50%; type 1 Return Clarinet space space space
Return 2. As you need to set the Instrument names text style to have line
spacing of 50%, other instrument names that span more than one line will
need an extra Return between lines to space them correctly.
Here Violin I is the instrument name, and divisi has simply been added
by typing Expression text in the margin. Beware that this divisi is
attached to the first bar of the staff, so reformatting the score might move
it. For this reason, create a system break at the end of the previous system
to make sure it doesnt get displaced.

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3.9 Instrument names

In some choral scores, no instrument names are used to the left of systems.
Instead they are typed in capitals in Technique text above each staff (starting over the clef) at the start of the piece, and then wherever the singers
used on the system change. This convention is often used in early music
editions and in scores where the same staves occur on most systems.
Instrument names for choral singers are usually written in capitals.

Instrument names at new sections

Scores that include several pieces, songs or movements can be regarded as having several sections, each often starting with a new title. At new sections you often write full instrument names,
even if short names or no names are used elsewhere. To do this:
* Choose Window > Properties (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+P or zXP), open the Bars panel, then switch

on Section end
* On the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog, Instruments page, set the behavior of names At
new sections to Full (or maybe Short).
For more information on scores with multiple sections, b 8.3 Splitting and joining scores.

Instrument names in dynamic parts

It is uncommon for instrument names to be printed at the left-hand side of every staff in instrumental parts; instead, they tend to be printed at the top left-hand corner of the first page, and
thereafter as part of a running header. With dynamic parts, Sibelius handles all of this for you
using wildcards (b 3.11 Wildcards), so you can leave the header alone. However, if youre not
used to working with wildcards and try to edit the headers, its possible for you to undo Sibeliuss
hard work and end up with a mess. There are three common problems:
All parts show the same instrument name at the top left corner of the first page
This happens if you directly edit the existing text object at the top left-hand corner of the first page
of the full score or any of the parts, which you should avoid doing. The wildcard used for the text at
the top of the first page is \$PartName\, which takes its value from the Part name field in File >
Score Info dialog. So to fix this, you simply need to repair the text object:
* Switch to the full score if necessary by hitting W
* Double-click the text object at the top left-hand corner of the first page to edit it
* Delete the existing text and replace it with the string \$PartName\, then hit Esc to stop editing
* Notice that the text now says Full Score
* If the text is shown in the score but you wish it to be hidden there, choose Edit > Hide or Show >

Show in Parts.
If you want to change this text in any of the parts, the secret is to edit the Part name value in
Score Info. There are two ways of doing this:
* Either single-click the name of the part in the Parts window and type the new name, hitting

Enter when youre finished; or

* View the part in question, then choose File > Score Info and edit Part name there.
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Text

* Select the final bar of the preceding section

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3. Text
No instrument names appear in the parts
If you cant see the instrument name at the top left-hand corner of the parts first page or in the
header on subsequent pages, try these steps:
* First, make sure View > Hidden Objects is switched on; then look at the start of the score. The

instrument name should be visible, either in gray (meaning that its hidden) or black (meaning
that its shown).
* If the instrument name is there but grey, select it, then choose Edit > Hide or Show > Show in
Parts, which will hide it in the score but show it in all the parts.
* If no instrument name is there, then youve somehow deleted the required text object. To put it
back:
% Make sure you can see the first bar of the full score or part
% Select the first bar of the score or part so that it is surrounded by a single blue box
% Choose Create > Text > Special Text > Instrument name at top left
% A flashing cursor appears: type \$PartName\ and hit Esc.
In multi-staff parts, the instrument name is missing from the left of each staff
By default, Sibelius doesnt show instrument names to the left of each staff in dynamic parts,
because most parts only contain a single staff. However, in cases where you have multiple staves in
the same part, you may then wish to show instrument names at the start of the first (and perhaps
subsequent systems). To achieve this:
* View the part in which you want instrument names to appear
* Choose House Style > Engraving Rules and go to the Instruments page
* Set instrument names to appear in Full at Start of score (and Short subsequently, if you wish),

and click OK.

If you have many parts in which you need instrument names to appear, rather than repeating this
process in each part individually it may be quicker to export a house style from this part and
import it into the others see Exporting house styles from parts on page 488.
For more information about working with dynamic parts, b 6.1 Working with parts.

Nameless staves
To create nameless staves from the Create > Instruments dialog, select the All instruments
ensemble, and choose the Others family, which includes treble staff and bass staff. These staves
are not intended to represent any particular instrument.
If, however, you simply want to have no instrument names for all the instruments in your score,
change the options on the Instruments page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (see
Format and style of names above).

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3.10 Edit Text Styles

3.10 Edit Text Styles

b 3.1 Working with text, 7.11 Default Positions.

This topic tells you how to change a text styles font, size, alignment and other features.
You can redefine not only normal types of text, but also things like rehearsal marks, tuplet numbers, bar numbers, page numbers and instrument names. Any change you make is instantly
reflected in all text of that style wherever it appears in your score.

Edit All Fonts dialog

To change all the fonts used in your score, choose House
Style > Edit All Fonts. What this dialog actually does is
change the fonts used by lots of text styles, all at once.
* Main Text Font: this is the font family used by text styles

like Title, Composer, Tempo, Expression, Technique, Lyrics

line 1, and so on. Changing this setting can dramatically
alter the appearance of your score.
* Main Music Font: this is the font family used for the
musical symbols in your score, such as notes, rests, clefs,
time signatures, and so on. b 7.10 Music fonts.
* Music Text Font: this is the font used for text instructions that use special symbols, such as
dynamics (e.g. mf). Its a good idea for the music text font to be from the same family as the
music font: if you choose Opus, Helsinki or another engraved music font, choose Opus Text,
Helsinki Text, or that specific music fonts equivalent, if available; if you choose Reprise, Inkpen2
or another handwritten music font, choose Reprise Text or Inkpen2 Text.
When you click OK, Sibelius updates the appearance of your score instantly. If you dont like the
result, simply choose Edit > Undo (shortcut Ctrl+Z or XZ).
After changing the music font, you may find that selecting the whole score and doing Layout >
Reset Note Spacing (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N or xXN) improves the appearance of the score, if
the new fonts youve chosen are significantly wider or narrower than the ones you were using previously. The same is true if your score uses lyrics and you change the main text font.

Edit Text Styles dialog

To change or create a text style, choose House Style > Edit Text Styles (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+T or xzXT).
Lets assume you want to modify an existing staff style, such as Technique; click Technique in the
list, then click Edit.
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Text

If you want to make quick changes to the font of all the text styles in your score, use the House
Style > Edit All Fonts dialog; if, on the other hand, you need to adjust individual text styles, use
the House Style > Edit Text Styles dialog.

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3. Text
If, on the other hand, you want to create a new text style based on Technique, select it in the list,
then click New. Choose a text style similar to the one you want to create, e.g. if you want a new lyrics text style, base it on an existing Lyrics line 1 style. Youll be asked if you really want to create a
new text style based on this existing style; click Yes.
Whether youre editing an existing text style or creating a new one, youll get a tabbed dialog looking rather like this:

Notice that the dialogs caption (in its title bar) tells you what kind of text style youre editing; it will
say Staff Text Style, System Text Style or Blank Page Text Style. You cant change whether an
existing text style is staff, system or blank page text, and nor would you want to but note that
when you create a new text style based on an existing one, the new style will be of the same type
(staff, system or blank page) as the existing style.
When youre satisfied with the style settings, click OK and they will apply instantly to your score,
changing any existing text in that style.

General tab
Name is the name of the style, which you can change if you like. Changing it does not create a new
style, it just renames the current one. Youd want to do this if you were putting one of the styles to a
new use; for instance, if you dont want to use Technique at all but you do want a similar style
called Stage directions, you can just edit the name of Technique to describe the new purpose.
Otherwise, you should create a new style based on Technique, as described above. Special styles
such as Bar numbers will still behave in their special ways even if you change the name.
Font allows you to choose the font, surprisingly. Click on a font in the list to change font. You can
also make the font Bold, Italic or Underlined. Underlining is exceedingly rare in music, so dont
do it unless you really mean it. See below for advice on fonts and styles to use in music.
Angle lets you write text at an angle, which is again a rare requirement. Some printer drivers have
a bug that makes angled text print at the wrong angle; if this happens, click Substitute Arpeggios,
gliss., etc. on the File > Print dialog.
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Size is the point size of the text, which Sibelius allows you to set independently in a score and parts
(b 6.1 Working with parts). Text in music is mostly proportional to the staff size: if the staff
size is large, so are all dynamics, lyrics and so on. So the left-hand number is a relative size: its the
size the text would appear if the staff size were 0.28 (7mm). It is normally easiest to specify text
sizes in music for a standard staff size like this. The right-hand number is the absolute size, that is,
how large the text will actually turn out for the current staff size. You can change either number,
and the other will change automatically.
Keep absolute allows you to create text styles that always remain at the same size, regardless of
the size of the staff. This can be useful for, say, applying a fixed size to titles in parts, or for making
rehearsal marks always appear at the same size so they dont look funny above small staves.

Interpret during playback specifies whether or not text objects using the text style being edited
will be interpreted by the playback dictionary during playback b 4.8 Playback dictionary.
Word menu lets you choose the list of useful words that will appear when you right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) while typing text in the style. b 3.1 Working with text.
Point sizes
In all typesetting, text sizes are
specified in points (pt), which
are equal to 1/72 inch (approx.
0.35mm). Since letters vary in
size even capital letters vary
in height slightly the measurement used to specify the size is
the distance from the top of the
highest letter to the bottom of
the lowest. This is about oneand-a-half-times the height of
capital letters. The size of text in
books is normally around 10 pt.

Border tab
Circled draws a circle around the text. Text in circles is rare in music
(other than for specifying guitar strings), though it is occasionally
used for bar numbers and even rehearsal marks.
Boxed draws a box around the text. This is more common than circles, and is used for rehearsal marks, and less commonly for bar
numbers and for important instructions to players.
Sibelius even lets you have text inside a circle and a box though
this is a very, very, very rare requirement.
The thickness of the line used to draw the box and circle is controlled by Text borders on the Text page of the House Style >
Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE).

Erase background is for text that falls over staff lines or barlines. It is primarily intended for guitar tab numerals, but you could switch this option on for (say) dynamics, if you sometimes need
them to go across a barline.
Position specifies where and how big the circle or box is to be, and the size of the area erased by
Erase background. Sibelius fills in sensible default values for you.

Horizontal Position tab

Because staff text can only be attached to rhythmic positions in a bar, the options under Align to
note are the only options available for staff text. System text can be either attached to rhythmic
positions (e.g. Tempo) or to the page (e.g. Header (after first page)), so either Align to note or
Align to page can be chosen. Blank page text can never be attached to rhythmic positions in a bar
(because there are no bars on blank pages!), so only Align to page can be chosen.
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Text

Transpose chord/note names is only used by things like chord symbols, and tells Sibelius to
change them when the music is transposed.

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For text that uses Align to note, Left / Centered / Right specify how the text is to be positioned
relative to where it is created. These options also affect the alignment of multiple lines of text in the
same text object. Left alignment is the usual setting. However, you may want to align certain types
of text differently such as fingerings, which are often centered above notes.
To set the horizontal distance of the text from where it is created, b 7.11 Default Positions.
The Align to page options (only for system and blank page text) align the text to the left/center/
right of the page as youd expect for instance, the title of a piece is almost always centered on the
page. But you can also choose Inside / Outside edge, which are used for double-sided printing,
and are best explained by an example: when printing single-sided, page numbers are usually put at
the right-hand side; but when printing double-sided, page numbers usually go on the right of
right-hand pages and the left of left-hand pages that is, on the outside edge.
Page-aligned text always attaches to the first bar in a system (e.g. Title text) when created, or the
first bar on the page if the text is aligned to the page vertically (e.g. Footer).
If the text is set to Align to page, there are three further options:
* At left of page, align to No names staff margin is intended for page numbers
b 3.7 Page numbers.
* Snap to margin prevents the text from being dragged away from the margin to which it is

aligned.
* Relative to first page margins only tells Sibelius that it should always align this text to the
margins of the start of the score, ignoring any margin changes later on (produced via special
page breaks b 7.4 Breaks). This is useful for headers, footers and page numbers.

Vertical Position tab

To set the vertical distance of the text from where it is created, b 7.11 Default Positions.
Line spacing sets the distance between lines of text when you hit Return (on the main keyboard)
at the end of a line. It is expressed as a percentage of the point size. 120% is a normal setting for
books, but 100% is more suitable for text in music. Incidentally, line spacing is known in printers
jargon as leading (to rhyme with heading), from the time when extra strips of lead had to be put
in between lines of text to space them out. Those were the days.
Snap to top or bottom of page is useful for positioning text that is in a fixed position on the
page, such as page numbers, headers, footers and footnotes. If you switch this on, you can then set
the mm from top/bottom margin for the text style, and you can enter different values for the
score and parts if you wish (1 inch = 25.4mm) b 6.1 Working with parts.
Titles, rehearsal marks, bar numbers, composer name and so on should normally be positioned
relative to the top staff rather than the page margin. You can also specify that this kind of text
should be positioned Relative to first page margins only, again ignoring any margin changes
produced via special page breaks.
Multiple system object positions, available only for system text, lets you write the text above
more than one staff. For instance, titles only go above the top staff (so click just Top staff),
whereas rehearsal marks in orchestral scores normally go both above the top staff and also above
the strings (so click Top staff and 2nd position). You can set which staves constitute the 2nd, 3rd
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3.10 Edit Text Styles

and 4th positions with the House Style > System Object Positions dialog b 7.7 House
Style.
Bottom staff is occasionally required for putting rehearsal marks below the bottom staff. To do
this, youll also need to switch on Below bottom staff in the House Style > System Object
Positions dialog.

Repeat tab
This is only available for system text, and is useful only for headers, footers, copyright lines and the
like. It makes the text you type appear on multiple pages.

Deleting text styles

The Delete button on the House Style > Edit Text Styles dialog deletes the selected text style,
youll be startled to hear. Predefined text styles cannot be deleted.

Tasteful fonts
In music its usual to use just one font family for all text, with the possible exception of titles and
instrument names. A font family consists of variants on one basic font normally bold, italic and
bold italic versions, though some font families also have heavier (thicker-lined) and lighter (thinner-lined) fonts, and/or condensed (squashed) fonts. You should use only two or at most three font
families in any one score.
By default, all the text styles use the Times New Roman font family (unless you use manuscript
paper or a handwritten house style based on the Reprise or Inkpen2 fonts), because Times looks
good and will already be installed on your computer. If you substitute another family, you are very
strongly advised to use serif fonts, with the possible exception of one or two text styles specified
below. Serif fonts (such as the one used in this paragraph) have pointed cross-strokes called serifs at
the tips of the letters, unlike sans serif fonts. Serif fonts are used in most books and newspapers for
most of the text whereas sans serif fonts are mainly used for titles, if at all.
You are recommended to keep approximately the same point size for each text style as Sibeliuss
defaults (unless otherwise stated below), although when changing font you may want to adjust the
point size slightly because some fonts look a bit larger or smaller than others of the same point
size.
If you intend to change the main text font when creating a new score, its better to start with a
Georgia or Arial house style than Times, as both Georgia and Arial are more similar in size to most
other fonts than Times. This should ensure that your main text font doesnt end up too big in proportion to the rest of the score.
Heres some advice on redesigning the main text styles in good taste:
* Expression: use an italic non-bold font (except for dynamics such as mf, which should use a spe-

cial music text font such as Opus Text).

* Technique: use a non-italic non-bold font.
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Text

Its fairly common for publishers to have different headers or footers on left and right pages for
instance, you might have the name of an anthology or album on each top left page and the name of
the current piece or song on each top right page.

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3. Text
* Lyrics line 1: Times New Roman and Times have the virtue of being unusually narrow, so using

*
*
*
*

*
*
*

224

them for lyrics causes least disruption to the note spacing. Another classic font for lyrics is Plantin, used by Oxford University Press.
If youre writing a second line of lyrics for a translation or a chorus, its normal to use italics. For
second, third etc. verses, use non-italics.
Chord Symbol: by default this uses the specially-designed font Opus Chords (or Reprise Chords
or Inkpen2 Chords, depending on the house style). You could substitute another medium font,
possibly a sans serif one, but beware that some chord symbols require special characters not provided in ordinary text fonts.
Title, Subtitle, Composer, Lyricist, Dedication: for the main title and perhaps subtitle, you
can set the font and size to almost anything you like. For the composer, lyricist and dedication,
you should normally use the same font and a similar size to Technique, but with the dedication
normally in italics.
Tempo and Metronome mark: the sizes of these styles vary quite widely from score to score.
Tempo is almost always in a bold font and larger than Metronome mark, which is usually in a
non-bold font.
Instruments: you may just be able to get away with a tasteful sans serif font, but proceed with
caution.
Bar numbers: usually in italics. You can add a box to draw attention to the numbers, but in this
case use a non-italic font. (Italics might crash into the box.)
Page numbers: use a non-bold non-italic font. b 3.7 Page numbers for advice on positioning.
Rehearsal marks: preferably use a bold font for clarity, but not italics (they might collide with
the box). It often looks good to use the same font as the main title, even if it is an unusual font.
You can omit the box, but to do so is outdated for the very good reason that rehearsal marks
without a box are not visible enough.
Time signatures: by default these use the Opus, Helsinki, Reprise or Inkpen2 font. You could
substitute another standard music font, or even a bold text font. If you try this, you may need to
adjust the line spacing on the Vertical posn tab.
Tuplets: an italic serif font is normal, though non-italic and/or sans serif are sometimes seen in
modern scores that use lots of tuplets.
Other text styles: preferably match similar text styles above, e.g. you should make Boxed text
and Footnote identical or similar to Technique.
Symbols styles (e.g. Common symbols, Percussion instruments): these styles specify the font
used for music symbols, so theyre not like other text. b 7.10 Music fonts for advice, and
dont change these styles unless you know what youre doing.

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3.11 Wildcards

3.11 Wildcards
A wildcard is a code in a text object that inserts some special text from somewhere else. Sibelius
has various useful wildcards that allow you to do things like include a pieces title and page number
in a header, that will automatically update if you change the title (and hence can be used in your
own manuscript paper).

What wildcards look like

Wildcards in Sibelius begin with \$ and end with \ e.g. \$Title\. When you are editing a text
object containing a wildcard, you will see the code itself (as shown below left). When you stop editing the text, youll see the text that the wildcard refers to instead (as shown below right).

Text

Available wildcards
The following wildcards produce the text typed in the File > Score Info dialog (b 8.1 Working
with files), and some of them are also set on the final page of the File > New dialog when creating a new score:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

\$Title\
\$Subtitle\
\$Composer\
\$Arranger\
\$Artist\
\$Copyright\
\$PartName\
\$InstrumentChanges\

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

\$Lyricist\
\$Copyist\
\$Publisher\
\$Dedication\
\$OpusNumber\
\$ComposerDates\
\$YearOfComposition\
\$MoreInfo\

All of these wildcards can be set to different values in the full score and each of the dynamic parts,
if you like. Sibelius uses this ability to good advantage to make sure that each of your dynamic
parts is named correctly see Part name and Instrument changes below.
These additional wildcards are also available:
* \$DateShort\: the current short date in the format chosen by your operating systems regional

settings (e.g. dd:mm:yyyy)

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3. Text
* \$DateLong\: the current long date in the format chosen by your operating systems regional
*
*
*
*
*
*

settings (e.g. dd MMMM yyyy)

\$Time\: the current time in the format hh:mm:ss (24 hour)
\$User\: the username of the person currently logged on to this computer
\$FilePath\: the filename and path of the current score. (This will not work until a score has
been saved.)
\$FileName\: the filename of the current score without its path. (This will not work until a
score has been saved.)
\$FileDate\: the date and time that the score was most recently saved, in the format stipulated
by your systems locale (e.g. dd MM yyyy hh:mm:ss)
\$PageNum\: the current page number.

Part name and Instrument changes

In a full score, \$PartName\ defaults to Full Score, while \$InstrumentChanges\ provides a
list of all the instruments used in the score (it lists the initial instrument of each staff, and all
instrument changes that occur on each staff), separated by carriage returns.
In a dynamic part, both \$PartName\ and \$InstrumentChanges\ provide a list of all the
instruments used in the part, separated by carriage returns.
In addition, there are two further equivalent wildcards, \$HeaderPartName\ and \$HeaderInstrumentChanges\, which separate each instrument name with a comma rather than a carriage
return.
So why are there so many nearly identical wildcards?
* Sibelius uses \$PartName\ for the instrument name (or names) that appear at the top left-hand

corner of the first page of each dynamic part (and the full score, though this text is hidden in the
full score by default)
* Sibelius uses \$HeaderPartName\ for the instrument name (or names) that appear in the running header on page 2 onwards of each dynamic part (and the full score, though again this text is
hidden in the full score by default)
* It is conventional for parts containing doubling instruments that are to be played by a single performer to be given a name like Reeds 1. To do this, you should set Part name in File > Score
Info for the part in question to Reeds 1, which will update the text at the top left-hand corner
of the first page and in the running header. Sometimes you would also want to show the actual
list of instruments used in the part, and this is where \$InstrumentChanges\ comes in handy.
In the images below, fragments on the left shows what you should type into the text object at the
top left-hand corner of the first page; the fragments on the right show what you will see when
you finish editing the text. In both cases, you can see what is entered in File > Score Info.
In the bottom pair of fragments, notice how the \$PartName\ wildcard is bold, and the corresponding REEDS 1 text is also bold. Read on to find out how you can apply other kinds of formatting to wildcards.

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3.11 Wildcards

Clarinet in Bb
Alto Saxophone

\$InstrumentChanges\
\$PartName\
\$InstrumentChanges\
\$PartName\
\$InstrumentChanges\
\$PartName\

REEDS 1
Clarinet in Bb
Alto Saxophone

Text

\$PartName\

Using wildcards
You can use wildcards in any text object, and any number of wildcards within the same run of text.
For example, if you created a text object that read \$Title\ Last edited by \$User\
on \$FileDate\, it might evaluate to Firebird Last edited by Igor Stravinsky on 16 May 1910
02:15:28.
You can also change the formatting of wildcards; for example, if you have a text object that reads
\$Title\ \$Composer\ and wanted the title of the score to be bold:
* Edit the text (e.g. by hitting Return, F2 or by double-clicking it)
* Select just the \$Title\ wildcard (e.g. using Shift+0/1)
* Type Ctrl+B or XB (or switch on B in the Text panel of Properties) to make it bold.

You can use the same procedure to e.g. make a wildcard italic, change its font, make it larger, and
so on.
Some further hints for the successful use of wildcards:
* Wildcards themselves are case-insensitive, so \$TITLE\, \$title\ and \$Title\ are all equivalent.

Furthermore, the case of the wildcard itself has no effect on the case of the substituted text.
* However, wildcards never have spaces in them, so if you type \$Composer Dates\ instead of
\$ComposerDates\, the wildcard wont work.
* If you use a wildcard and it evaluates to nothing, e.g. if you type \$Title\ but havent entered
anything into the Title field in File > Score Info, then when you stop editing the text object, it
may disappear altogether. So its a good idea to make sure that you have provided a value for the
wildcard to show before you attempt to use it.

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3. Text
* You shouldnt type the wildcards themselves into dialogs anywhere, e.g. dont type them into any
of the fields in File > Score Info. Only type them directly into text objects in the score. This

means that you cant, for example, use one wildcard to define another wildcard (though its a
mystery why you should want to do this).

Adding formatting changes to Score Info

Sibelius allows you to add line-breaks and changes of font, character and style at any point within
text in the File > Score Info dialog. Most changes of format are simply sandwiched between backslashes e.g. \n\.
* \B\ bold on

* \b\ bold off

* \I\ italic on

* \i\ italic off

* \U\ underline on

* \u\ underline off

* \n\ new line

* \f\ change to the text styles default font

* \ffontname\ change to given font name (e.g. \fArial\ to switch to Arial)

* \sheight\ set the font size to height x 1/32nd spaces (e.g. \s64\ to set font height to two spaces)
* ^ use the Music text font (as set in House Style > Edit All Fonts) for the next character.

For example, suppose you were working on an arrangement of a piece by another composer and
wanted to include both your names in the Composer field of the Files > Score Info dialog on separate lines. You could enter something like this: J.S. Bach\n\arr. Aran Gerr which, if referred to
by the wildcard \$Composer\ in a piece of text in the score, would evaluate to:
J.S. Bach
arr. Aran Gerr

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3.12 Font equivalents

3.12 Font equivalents

For advanced users only
If you open a score that uses a font that is not installed on your computer, Sibelius will substitute a
similar font instead. This works both for text fonts (e.g. if you dont have Helvetica, Arial is used
instead) and music fonts (e.g. if you dont have Petrucci, Opus is used instead).
You can control which fonts are substituted by using the Font Equivalents page of the
File > Preferences dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac):

Text
Suppose you were given a file by a user that contained the font Didot, which you dont have on your
own computer. You could tell Sibelius to replace the font with Palatino Linotype, after which it will
always use Palatino Linotype in place of the missing Didot font on any score you might open in the
future that includes it.
To enter a missing font name and set up equivalents for it:
* Enter the name of the missing font you wish to substitute into the Font field on the left, or

choose from a list of fonts by clicking the Choose button. When you have entered the fonts
name, click the Add Font button. The font will be added to the list of fonts on the left.
* To set a substitute for the font, select the missing font from the list on the left and, into the field
labeled If font is not available, replace it with one of these, enter the name of the font you
wish Sibelius to substitute for it, or use the Choose button to select from a list of fonts installed
on your computer. When you have entered the name of the substitute font, click the Add Substitute button. Sibelius will add the font to the list of substitutes on the right.
* To add additional substitutes for a font, carry out the above step as many times as necessary.
To adjust the precedence of font substitutes, use the Move Up and Move Down buttons on the
right to shift items in the list of font substitutes up and down. Sibelius will always favor the font at
the top of the list to those lower down; i.e. if the topmost font is installed it will use it, otherwise it
will see if the next font in the list is installed and use that, etc.
To remove a font or substitution from either list, select the font you wish to remove and click the
appropriate Remove button.
You can also use third-party music fonts in Sibelius. For details on how to tell Sibelius about such
fonts, see Using fonts not supplied with Sibelius in b 7.10 Music fonts.
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4. Playback & video

Playback

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4. Playback & video

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4.1 Playback

4.1 Playback
b 4.3 Mixer, 4.7 Live Playback, 4.4 Sibelius Sounds Essentials, 4.15 MIDI messages.
v Playback.

Sibelius will play back your scores beautifully with a minimum of fuss. You dont need to be a MIDI
wizard or a sequencer expert to get great playback from Sibelius, but its worth getting a basic
understanding of the concepts.
This topic introduces various playback features in bite-sized chunks, and tells you which other
topics to read for further information.

Playback devices and playback configurations

To find out more about the different types of playback device and how you set up your own playback configurations using Play > Playback Devices, b 4.11 Playback Devices.
Sibelius also comes with its own set of built-in sounds called Sibelius Sounds Essentials, which
uses a virtual instrument called Kontakt Player 2 to play the sounds. For more details,
b 4.4 Sibelius Sounds Essentials.

Controlling playback
You control playback using the Playback window (shown on
the right), or the corresponding commands in the Play menu
or their keyboard shortcuts. To show the Playback window if its
not already visible, choose Window > Playback (shortcut
Ctrl+Alt+Y or zXY). For more details, see Playback in the Handbook.

Playback line
The playback line is a green line that follows the music during playback, and which shows where
Sibelius will play back from when you next start playback. You can control the position of the
playback line when not playing back using the Playback window. If you want to hide the playback
line when youre not playing back, switch off View > Playback Line.

Following the score during playback

Sibelius automatically follows the score during playback, and automatically zooms out, so that
you can see the music as it plays. You can navigate around the score during playback just the same
as when playback is stopped, including changing the zoom level (and Sibelius will remember your
chosen zoom level next time you play back).

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Sibelius requires one or more playback devices to produce sound. A playback device is a hardware
device (e.g. soundcard, external MIDI sound module) or software device (e.g. virtual instrument,
software synthesizer) that can produce one or more sounds. You may have many different playback devices available on your computer, and you can use them with Sibelius in any combination,
which you set up by way of a playback configuration.

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You can change this behavior using the options on the Score Position page of File > Preferences
(in the Sibelius menu on Mac) b 5.12 Preferences.

Playback during input and editing

Notes play back as you input them, click them and drag them. If you find this annoying, switch off
Play notes as you edit on the Note Input page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on
Mac).

Choosing sounds
Sibelius automatically chooses the best available sounds for playback from the playback devices
you have available, using a revolutionary way of categorising and organising sounds called SoundWorld (b 4.16 SoundWorld).
To change sounds, use the Mixer window, which you can hide or show by choosing Window >
Mixer, or by typing Ctrl+Alt+M or M (b 4.3 Mixer).
You can also change sounds on MIDI devices using special text commands called MIDI messages
(b 4.15 MIDI messages).

Interpretation of your score

Sibelius is designed to automatically interpret all the notations and markings in your score
(b 4.2 Interpretation of your score); normally you dont even need to adjust their effect,
but you can if you want to, using Play > Dictionary (b 4.8 Playback dictionary).
Sibelius can also produces a remarkably human interpretation of your score using Espressivo
and Rubato, which you can control via Play > Performance (b 4.5 Performance).

All Notes Off

Play > All Notes Off (shortcut Shift-O) switches all notes that are currently playing off. This may
be necessary:
* If your computer, soundcard or playback device gets overloaded by fast-forwarding or rewind-

ing (which it may do if your device is not very fast or if youre fast-forwarding or rewinding
through complex music)
* If you stop playback while the sustain pedal is depressed.
If you hear a note hanging while the score is playing, you can even type Shift-O during playback
Sibelius will clear all notes and resume playback.
The most common cause of hanging notes is dangling ties (i.e. a note with a tie not followed by
another note of the same pitch). Sibelius includes a plug-in to check your score and eliminate any
troublesome dangling ties see Remove Dangling Ties on page 409.

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4.2 Interpretation of your score

b 2.16 Lines, 2.21 Percussion, 4.6 Repeats, 4.8 Playback dictionary.

Our philosophy in designing Sibeliuss playback features is that you should be able to write a score
just as you would on manuscript paper, using normal notation and no special commands, and
play it back well without any further setting up.
To achieve this:
* Sibelius chooses the best available sound for each instrument by default
* Whenever you play back a score, Sibelius reads more or less anything youve written in the score,

in whatever format you put it. Sibelius even interprets markings such as ff, pizz., or accel., and
you can change these settings and add your own via Sibeliuss built-in playback dictionary.

Almost all of the notation in a score should play back correctly right away. Sibelius interprets the
following:
* Notes, chords, rests, accidentals, ties, grace notes
* Clefs, key signatures, time signatures
* Instruments these determine the sounds used, which you can change if you like
* Standard articulations, e.g. accent, staccato, marcato, etc.
* Tremolos and buzz rolls (z on stem)
* Text specifying dynamics such as pp, sfz, loud
* Tempo marks such as Allegro, metronome marks such as q = 108, metric modulations such as
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

q=e
Other text, e.g. con sord, pizz., legato b 4.8 Playback dictionary for full details on playback of text
Repeats, including 1st and 2nd endings (1st- or 2nd-time bars), repeat barlines, codas, segnos
b 4.6 Repeats
Lines such as slurs, trills, octave (8va) lines, pedaling, rit./accel., gliss., hairpins
Guitar tab and notations such as bends and slides
Special noteheads used in percussion
Transposing instruments (which always play at their correct sounding pitch)
Text MIDI messages entered for advanced playback control b 4.15 MIDI messages
Hidden objects, e.g. hidden metronome marks, notes or dynamics, or whole staves
b 3.1 Working with text, 5.6 Hiding objects, 5.5 Focus on Staves.

Dynamics
In the real world, different kinds of instruments handle dynamics in different ways. Percussive
instruments (such as piano, timpani, harp, etc.) can only change dynamic at the start of a note,

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What Sibelius reads

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while sustaining instruments (such as most wind, brass and string instruments) can change
dynamic during the course of a note.
Sibelius will play dynamics as realistically as your playback device will allow. Some virtual instruments (such as Garritan Personal Orchestra) are especially set up to allow independent control of
the dynamic level of a sustaining instrument and the attack of the notes it play. Other devices,
including most MIDI sound modules and soundcards, are not set up this way, and on those
devices, Sibelius can only specify the dynamic at the start of the note, and cant vary the dynamic
mid-note.
Because staff objects only apply to the instrument and voice(s) theyre attached to, its particularly
noticeable in playback if dynamics are attached to the wrong staff, as the instruments will play
with incorrect dynamics (b 7.6 Attachment). For instruments with multiple staves, such as
keyboard instruments, see Instruments with multiple staves below.
To change the staff to which a dynamic is attached, move it over the staff you want it to be
attached to so that the gray attachment arrow jumps onto the new staff, and then reposition it to
the correct location. (You can only change the attachment of an object in the full score: if you drag
an object in a dynamic part, it wont reattach.)
To change the voice(s) to which a dynamic applies, select it and click the voice buttons at the bottom of the Keypad (shortcut Alt+1/2/3/4 or z1/2/3/4 to assign it to another voice; Alt+5 or z5
makes the dynamic apply to all voices). If you want to make a dynamic apply to other combinations of voices, click the voice buttons at the bottom of the Keypad window (b 1.2 Keypad).
When you play back a dynamic created using Expression text (see Expression on page 180), it is
interpreted according to the appropriate entry in the playback dictionary (b 4.8 Playback dictionary) e.g. fff equates to the maximum dynamic. But this isnt quite the end of the story
the actual playback dynamic of a note also depends on the level of Espressivo and any articulations (such as accents) present.

Hairpins
When you input a hairpin, by default Sibelius automatically works out its end dynamic. If theres
an actual dynamic (e.g. ff or mp) written at the right-hand end, it uses that; if no dynamic is specified, Sibelius increases or decreases the dynamic by one level (e.g. a crescendo hairpin that starts
at a prevailing mp will go to mf, while a diminuendo hairpin that starts at a prevailing ff will go
to f ).
If you want to specify the end dynamic more precisely, either as an explicit dynamic or as a percentage change to the initial dynamic, select the hairpin whose end dynamic you want to change,
and open the Playback panel of the Properties window (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+P or zXP). Change
the drop-down from auto, which is the default, to choose a new percentage value, and whether
that value is a percentage Change from the initial dynamic or a percentage of the Maximum
velocity. If you specify a particular final dynamic for a hairpin in Properties, that dynamic will
always be used, even if you add, remove or change an Expression text object at the end of the hairpin.
Like Expression text (see Dynamics above), all staff lines, including hairpins, only affect the playback of the instrument and voice(s) to which they are attached.
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Trills
By default, trills alternate 12 times per second with an interval of a diatonic step i.e. either a halfstep (semitone) or a whole step (tone), depending on the pitch of the note relative to the current
key signature.
To change the playback of an individual trill, select it, then change the controls on the Playback
panel of the Properties window:
* To specify an interval in half-steps (semitones), switch off Diatonic, then set Half-steps to the

You can write a small accidental as a symbol above the trill to indicate the interval, but Sibelius
wont read it directly.
Other ornaments dont play back automatically, but Sibelius includes a plug-in to play back mordents and turns see Ornament Playback on page 416.

Tempo
To change the tempo of your score, use a piece of Tempo text such as Allegro, Slow, Presto,
and so on or use a metronome mark such as which should be written in Metronome mark
text. To find out how to type these markings into your score as text, see Tempo on page 181 and
Metronome mark on page 180. To change how fast Sibelius thinks tempo marks like Allegro
are, b 4.8 Playback dictionary.
You can also adjust the tempo of your score during playback using the tempo slider in the Playback window, but dont try to use this as the main way of setting the tempo, because the position
of the tempo slider wont be remembered next time you open the score.

Metric modulations
Sibelius plays back metric modulations provided they are typed using a system text style (e.g.
Tempo or Metronome mark) see Metric modulations on page 181 for details on how to create
them.
Sibelius understands complex formats like q = q._x etc.; any number of notes (with or without
dots) linked with ties or + signs are allowed. The only limitation is that Sibelius relies on the
entries in the Play > Dictionary dialog used for playback of regular metronome marks to recognize metric modulations. This means that if you need a metric modulation with a combination of
notes with ties or + signs on the left-hand side of the = sign, you will need to define new words in
the dictionary for each type of metric modulation you want to use (b 4.8 Playback dictionary).

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desired interval. (To make a trill do a one-note tremolo in percussion, select the trill and set
Half-steps to 0.)
* To change the speed of the trill, set Speed to the desired number of notes per second
* Switch on Play straight if you dont want Sibelius to make tiny variations in the rhythm of the
trill. Its a good idea to leave this switched off, as playing the notes straight can make the trill
sound very mechanical.
* Switch on Start on upper note if you want the trill to start on the upper note rather than the
lower note.

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Rit. and accel.

Sibelius plays rits. and accels. using special lines (b 2.16 Lines).
Rit./accel. lines allow you to specify the amount of rit./accel. and where the rit./accel. ends, namely
at the end of the line. The line can be either a visible dashed line or an invisible one which merely
tells Sibelius how long to rit./accel. for (visible as a continuous gray line when View > Hidden
Objects is switched on). You can also specify the final tempo of the rit./accel. from the Playback
panel of the Properties window (b 5.14 Properties):
* Final tempo: specified either as an absolute tempo in beats per minute, or a percentage of the

initial tempo (by default it is 75% for any rit. line, and 133% for any accel. line)
* You can also specify how the tempo changes during the accel. or rit.:
% Early: changes the tempo most rapidly at the start of the line
% Late: changes the tempo most rapidly towards the end of the line
% Linear: changes the tempo at a constant rate along the duration of the line.

If you want to return to the original tempo after an accel. or rit., you should write some Tempo
text, such as A tempo in Tempo text, at this point. However, Sibelius doesnt automatically interpret A tempo (because its often unclear which tempo it should return to), so you will also need
to create a hidden metronome mark (see Metronome mark on page 180).

Gliss. and port.

Gliss. and port. lines (b 2.16 Lines) play back, defaulting to an appropriate kind of glissando for
the instrument to which they apply, e.g. passing through chromatic steps for wind instruments,
but a continuous slide for strings. If you want to change the way a line plays back, select it and use
the Playback panel of the Properties window:
* Glissando type provides different kinds of glissando. Normally you can leave this set to

Instrument default.
* For the Continuous glissando type (a smooth slide), the way the gliss. is played is specified as follows:
% Early: plays the gliss. quickest at the start of the line
% Late: plays the gliss. quickest towards the end of the line
% Linear: plays the gliss. at a constant speed from beginning to end.

Harmonics
Although Sibelius does not play back harmonics automatically, you can easily make them play
back using the Playback > Harmonics playback plug-in (b 5.11 Plug-ins), or by using hidden
notes and silent noteheads.
Natural harmonics (e.g. on brass instruments) are normally denoted by an o symbol above the
note. To make the harmonic play back, make the printed pitch use a silent notehead, and add the
sounding pitch of the harmonic using a hidden note in another voice for more details,
b 5.6 Hiding objects and 2.20 Noteheads
Artificial harmonics (e.g. on stringed instruments) are denoted by a diamond notehead a perfect
fourth or fifth above the written pitch. Use a silent notehead for the written pitch, and a diamond
notehead for the harmonic. You will probably want to make the diamond notehead silent, too
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b 7.14 Edit Noteheads. As before, add the sounding pitch of the harmonic using a hidden

note in another voice.

Instruments with multiple staves

If your instrument normally uses two staves, such as a piano or harp, you need only create
dynamics attached to one of the two staves, and Sibelius will apply them to both staves on playback if the dynamics are in between the staves. Beware that this also applies to any instrument you
create with two staves (e.g. if you create a flute with two staves, dynamics between the two staves
will apply to both).
In the rare case where you dont want a dynamic to apply to both staves of a keyboard instrument,
position it close to one staff, or outside the staves (i.e. above the right-hand staff or below the lefthand staff). If you dont want dynamics to apply to both staves anywhere, switch off the Affect
adjacent staff option in the Play > Performance dialog. In this dialog you can also adjust the
threshold for how far away from the staff a dynamic has to be in order for Sibelius to make it apply
to the adjacent staff. For more details, b 4.5 Performance.

Silent notes and ignoring text/lines

You can make any object (e.g. dynamics, notes) be ignored during playback by switching off all of
its Play on pass checkboxes on the Playback panel of the Properties window b 4.6 Repeats.
Alternatively, you can prevent particular noteheads playing by using the silent notehead type
(shortcut Shift+Alt+9 or xz9) b 2.20 Noteheads.
You can also specify that all text in a certain text style should have no effect on playback by switching off the Interpret during playback option on the General page of Edit Text Style
b 3.10 Edit Text Styles.

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Where the number of staves used for an instrument changes, such as where an instrument divides
into staves for separate players or later rejoins, you may need to put a hidden dynamic and/or
playing technique (e.g. pizz., mute) at the start of the next system to match the dynamic/technique prevailing just before the staves changed. This is because playback effects are tracked along
each staff Sibelius doesnt know if a player moves from one staff to another.

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4.3 Mixer
v Playback.

Sibeliuss Mixer window allows you to modify sounds for playback, including volume and pan, and
adjust settings in the virtual instruments and effects used in your current playback configuration.
To show or hide the Mixer, choose Window > Mixer, or use shortcut Ctrl+Alt+M (Windows) or M (Mac), or click the toolbar button shown on the right. The Mixer window has
several sections, as follows:
Button strip to hide and show other Mixer
strips, and show CPU usage

Staff strips to adjust volume, solo/mute, pan,

MIDI channel (where appropriate), and initial
sound ID for each staff in the score

Click track strip to adjust the metronome click

during playback and Flexi-time recording

Group strips, to adjust the relative volume of or

solo/mute families of instruments in your score

Virtual instrument strips, to adjust settings

in each virtual instruments own window, solo/
mute all the staves playing through it, and adjust
the amount of signal going to each effects bus

Effects bus strips, to adjust settings in the

effects own windows, and to adjust output level
and trim

Master volume strip, to adjust the overall

volume of all the virtual instruments and effects,
and to adjust settings in each of the master effects
own windows

Though the Mixers width is fixed, you can change its height by dragging its bottom edge (Windows) or bottom right-hand corner (Mac), and you can hide and show each type of strip individually using the buttons on the button strip, so it doesnt have to be as tall as shown here.
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Button strip
The button strip at the top of the Mixer allows you to hide and show each of the other types of strip:
Staff
strips

Virtual instrument
strips

Master volume
strip

Group Effects bus

strips
strips

CPU usage
meter

By default, only the staff and master volume strips are shown when you first open the Mixer. The
buttons for virtual instruments strips and effects bus strips are disabled if your current playback
configuration doesnt use any virtual instruments or effects.

If this happens, you can always export an audio file of your score, which will play back without
glitches (b 8.13 Exporting audio files), but to reduce glitches during playback, see How to
get the best out of virtual instruments and effects on page 316.

Staff strips
Each staff in your score has its own staff strip:
Click arrow to
open or close strip

Staff name

Volume fader and level meter

Solo/mute

Closed staff strip

Open staff strip

Initial sound ID
or program name
used by staff

Pan slider

Device playing
this staff

Show/hide virtual
MIDI
instrument window channel or slot

Test sound

You can open or close each staff strip by clicking the arrow at the left-hand side of the strip. The
controls in each staff strip work as follows:
* The staff name read-out shows you the name of the staff, as it appears in Create > Instruments;
this isnt editable. If you want to edit the instrument name, b 3.9 Instrument names.
* To adjust the volume, simply drag the fader left (to reduce it) or right (to increase it). The fader

has a sticky position at the default volume (100, out of 127). During playback, the fader background lights up to show you the level of playback on that staff. This allows you to correct the
relative balance of staves without having to write louder dynamics for loud instruments and
softer ones for soft instruments. Most devices play all instruments at roughly the same volume
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The CPU usage meter in the button strip gives you an indication of the processor usage of the
audio system, i.e. all the virtual instruments and effects in your current playback configuration
(but not overall processor usage of your whole computer). If this meter goes into the red during
playback, it means that it is taking your computer longer to render the required audio than it is
taking to play it, which means it is likely you will hear glitches or stuttering during playback.

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4. Playback & video

by default, so you should give (say) a complete Violin I section a volume somewhat higher than
a solo flute.
* To hear just one staff, click the solo button (

). The mute buttons for all staves are then disabled (so they look like this: ). You can solo other staves simultaneously by clicking their solo
buttons. When you switch all the solo buttons off again, the mute buttons are re-enabled. See
Mute and solo on page 246.

* To mute a staff, click the mute button (

). Click once to set the staff to be half-muted ( ) and

click twice to set it to be fully muted ( ). A third click makes it unmuted again. See Mute and
solo on page 246.
* To adjust the pan position of the staff that is, its stereo position from left to right first open
the strip by clicking the disclosure arrow, then simply drag the pan slider left or right. The slider
has a sticky position in the middle. It sounds best if you dont position staves too far to the left
or right.
Beware that some virtual instruments (e.g. Vienna Symphonic Library Vienna Instruments)
dont respond to this pan slider, so if you are using such a virtual instrument, youll hear no
effect when changing pan here. You can change the pan of the audio output of that virtual
instrument instead see Virtual instrument strips on page 245.
* The device menu allows you to change the device used to play the initial sound on a given staff,
but it is recommended that you dont change this here: instead, use the Preferred Sounds page
of Play > Playback Devices to tell Sibelius you would prefer it to use another device instead, as
this choice will be saved in your playback configuration and therefore apply to all scores see
Preferred Sounds page on page 302.
If you do decide to change the device used to play back a staff, notice that the menu contains a
list of all the devices in your playback configuration, and an extra entry (Auto) at the top of the
list. If you want to tell Sibelius to choose the device automatically again, choose (Auto).
Once you explicitly choose a device for a given staff, the name of the device no longer appears in
parentheses, and the menu of sound IDs or program names below will only show you those
sounds provided by the specific device you have chosen.
* The button to the right of the device menu (

) is only enabled if the device currently being

used for this staff is a virtual instrument; clicking it shows the virtual instruments window.
Click this button again to hide the window. If you are using Sibelius Sounds Essentials for playback, clicking this button will show the Kontakt Player 2 window see Kontakt Player 2
window on page 251.
* The MIDI channel or slot control only allows you to change the MIDI channel used by a staff if
you have chosen a specific device for that staff, and that device is using a manual sound set (see
Manual Sound Sets page on page 300). If the staff is playing back through Kontakt Player 2,
this will show a read-out of the slot being used for this staff, but you wont be able to edit it. Normally you dont need to change this anyway, because Sibelius intelligently works out which
channel or slot to use for each staff.
* The sound read-out shows you the sound ID or program name used by the staff at the start of
the score. If the staff contains any objects that change the playback sound after the first bar

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* The button to the right of the sound menu (

) allows you to test the current sound choice for

that staff.
During playback, you can only adjust the volume (including solo and mute) and pan for each staff;
in order to change any of the other settings the score must not be playing back.

Click track strip

The click track strip is always found at the bottom of the staff strips:
Volume fader and level meter

Solo/mute

Click Settings
dialog
Device playing
this staff

Show/hide virtual
instrument window

MIDI
channel

Pan slider

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Playback

e.g. instrument changes, text instructions for playing techniques, etc. this read-out doesnt
update.
By default, this read-out shows the sound ID used by the staff (for more information about
sound IDs, b 4.16 SoundWorld). If you would prefer to see the program name instead
whenever possible, change the Display option on the Playback page of File > Preferences (in
the Sibelius menu on Mac) see Playback preferences on page 306.
Notice that, by default, the sound name is displayed in parentheses: this denotes that the choice
of sound is automatically determined by Sibelius. Once you choose a specific sound ID or program name from the menu, the sound name is displayed without parentheses.
To change the initial sound of a staff, click the arrow to open the sound menu:
% If sound IDs are displayed, you will see a hierarchical menu listing all of the sound IDs in the
S3W and any additional sound IDs provided by the devices in your current playback configuration. If a specific device has already been chosen for the staff, then the menu includes only
those sound IDs provided by the sound set used by that device.
% If program names are displayed, you will see a different hierarchical menu. If no specific
device is chosen for the staff, the first level of the menu shows the names of the sound sets in
your current configuration, and the second level then displays the names of the groups into
which the program names are divided; finally, the third level shows the program names
themselves. When you choose a specific program, Sibelius will also set that staff to always
play back through the device on which that program is available.
As with the device menu, you can reset a staff to automatically choose sounds once more by
choosing (Auto) from the menu.
You can also change the sounds used for different instruments in your score by editing the
instrument definition itself in House Style > Edit Instruments; this approach is recommended
if you want to adjust the sound of (say) several identical instruments in your score in one place,
or if you want to export this setting so that you can import it into another score via a house style
(b 7.12 Edit Instruments).

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The click track strip is very similar to the other staff strips,
except that instead of choosing an initial sound ID, you can
click Settings to show the Click Settings dialog, as shown
on the right.
* Subdivide beats is useful in some time signatures such

as 6/8, where it will click lightly on every eighth note

(quaver)
* Stress irregular beat groups accents beats in the bar depending on the beat groups defined for
irregular time signatures such as 7/8 (b 2.27 Time signatures).
* You can also choose the percussion sounds used by the click track on the first beat of the bar
and subsequent beats, either by sound ID or program name, depending on your choice on the
Playback page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac).
In addition to the solo and mute button on the click track strip itself, you can also mute and
unmute the click track staff by clicking the Click When Playing button in the Playback window.

Group strips
Group strips allow you to adjust the relative volume and pan of each family of instruments used in
the score. This makes it very convenient to e.g. boost the volume of the strings relative to the volume of the woodwinds, and so on. The controls in group strips are as follows:
Group name

Volume fader and level meter

Solo/mute

* At the left of the strip is a read-out of the group name. Sibelius determines which staves will be

included in each group, and you cant edit the name of the groups.
* To adjust the volume of all the staves in the group, simply drag the fader left or right (as for
Staff strips above). Sibelius maintains the relative balance of all the instruments in the group
as you adjust the volume.
* To solo all the staves in a group, click the solo button (as for Staff strips above).
* To mute or half-mute all the staves in a group, click the mute button (as for Staff strips above).
If you have staff strips visible while you work with the group strip, you will see that changes made
in the group strip are reflected in each staff strip.

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Virtual instrument strips

Each virtual instrument in your playback configuration has its own strip:
Click arrow to
open or close strip

Virtual instrument name

Show/hide virtual
instrument window

Volume fader and level meter

Closed virtual instrument strip

Open virtual instrument strip

Solo/mute

Amount of signal sent to

each effects bus

Pan slider

* A read-out of the name of the virtual instrument is shown at the left-hand side.
* To show a virtual instruments window in order to adjust its settings, click

Effects bus strips

Sibelius provides four effects buses, each of which is able to load up to two effects, which you specify on the Effects page of Play > Playback Devices see Effects page on page 303. Each bus has
its own strip:
Click arrow to
open or close strip

Bus output gain

Input trim level

Effect names

Show/hide effect window

245

Playback

. Click it again to
hide the window. If you make any changes in the virtual instruments window that you want to
have remembered next time you use Sibelius, remember to save your playback configuration in
Play > Playback Devices (see Editing a playback configuration on page 298).
You can adjust the output level of each virtual instrument by dragging its volume fader.
To solo or mute all the staves being played by a virtual instrument, click the solo or mute button
in the virtual instrument strip. The solo and mute buttons in the affected staff strips reflect the
changes made in the virtual instrument strip.
The four knobs allow you to determine how much signal should be sent from this virtual instrument to each of the four effects buses. Simply drag around in a circle to increase or decrease the
amount sent to each bus. The knob marked FX1 sends to Effects Bus 1, FX2 to Effects Bus 2,
and so on. What this means is that you can send the output from different virtual instruments
to different effects buses. If you want the same effect to be applied to all virtual instruments, use
the master insert effects instead (see Master volume strip below).
Some virtual instruments (e.g. Vienna Symphonic Library Vienna Instruments) do not respond
to MIDI pan messages, so in order to pan them to the left or right, you can adjust the pan slider
in the virtual instrument strip instead. For other virtual instruments this is unnecessary.

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In its closed state, the strip shows a read-out of the name of the bus and a fader to adjust the gain
of the buss output going into the mix.
If you open the strip by clicking the arrow, you will see an extra fader labeled TRIM. This adjusts
the input levels going into the effects bus. You wont normally need to adjust this, as nearly every
effect has its own gain control in its own window, but this is provided for the benefit of those
effects that do not have such a control.
At the left of the open strip is a read-out of each of the effects in the bus. To show an effects window in order to adjust its settings, click . Click it again to hide the window. If you make any
changes in the effects window that you want to be remembered next time you use Sibelius,
remember to save your playback configuration in Play > Playback Devices (see Editing a playback configuration on page 298).

Master volume strip

At the very bottom of the Mixer window is the master volume strip, which allows you to adjust the
volume of all the virtual instruments and effects from a single fader, and to make changes to the
master insert effects, which also apply to the output of all the virtual instruments and effects you
are using:
Click arrow to
open or close strip

Volume fader and level meter

Effect names

Show/hide effect window

When the master volume strip is closed, the only control is the volume fader. During playback, the
fader background lights up to show you the output level. Note that this fader only affects virtual
instruments, so if any of the staves in your score are playing back through your soundcards builtin synthesizer or an external MIDI device, this fader will have no effect on their volume.
If you open the strip by clicking its arrow, you can show the window of each of the four master
insert effects by clicking . For information about master insert effects, see Effects page on
page 303.

Mute and solo

For the purposes of trying out individual instruments or groups of instruments, any staff can play
back at full volume, at half volume or be completely muted (silent). Simply click the mute button
( ) for the staff in question to cycle through the different mute settings.
A good use of this is to produce music minus one recordings: putting one instrument into the
background helps people learn their part from memory. Making a solo instrument totally silent is
useful for practicing your own part while Sibelius plays the accompaniment, or for playing back
music written for bagpipe or accordion.
You can solo a particular staff (muting all the other staves) by clicking the solo button ( ). You
can add further staves by clicking their solo buttons.
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To play back just some of the instruments in the score, you can alternatively select the required
instruments as a passage before you play (b 1.6 Selections and passages). If you play back a
selection of staves in your score, the mute setting of those staves is ignored so if youre working
on a string quartet score and mute the violin staff, but then select, say, that violin staff and a cello
staff to play them both back, they will both sound. Sibelius assumes that if you specifically select a
staff to play it back, you actually want to hear it, even if its muted.

Controlling the Mixer using an input device

If you have an external MIDI input device, such as a dedicated control surface or controller keyboard with extra faders, knobs or other controls, you can use your device to control the Mixer
directly. For more information, see Input maps on page 49.

SoundStage

Imagine you want to recreate the soundstage youd hear when in the audience of a concert hall,
with an orchestra playing on the stage. A number of factors come into play:
* Each instrument is at a slightly different distance from you, and different parts have varying
*
*
*

numbers of players. This affects the relative volume of the instruments.

Each instrument is at a slightly different left-to-right position relative to you.
The acoustics of the building generate reverb, from which you can hear not only the size but
also the shape of the building.
Instruments that are closer to you produce less reverb than others. This is because more of their
sound travels directly to your ears rather than bouncing off the walls. (You can probably imagine this if you mentally compare the dead sound of someone speaking on a normal telephone
with the rather more echoey sound of a speaker-phone.)
An instrument that is a long way off, such as an off-stage trumpet, sounds very reverberant
because none of its sound travels directly to your ears; conversely, however, the instrument
sounds soft, so its volume is low.

You dont need to switch SoundStage on or off its always on. Whenever you create instruments,
Sibelius automatically positions them in 3D space for you as they would be on a concert stage
not only in stereo (i.e. with suitable pan positions), but also with subtle adjustments to the volume
settings to imitate how far or near instruments are.
Sibeliuss SoundStage setting covers standard layouts for orchestra, brass band, choir and string
ensemble and work well for just about any other combination, in fact.

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Given that you have only two ears (probably), your brain works wonders at conjuring up a threedimensional image from just two sound sources. So the fact that your playback device can only
play back in stereo is hardly a restriction, as long as you can recreate the sounds that would go
into your ears if live players were really in front of you. The three-dimensional impression created
by well-prepared stereo sound is sometimes called a soundstage and Sibeliuss SoundStage
feature recreates this automatically.

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Improving playback with lots of instruments

Playback may produce an organ-like effect with large numbers of instruments. This is a pain as
its a giveaway that the sound is not a real recording.
There are four main causes of this problem, which are fairly easy to avoid:
* Incorrect balance. For instance, if you set all the volumes in an orchestral score to maximum,

you may find that some instruments are too loud and others are swamped.
* Not enough expression. Try setting the Espressivo option in the Play > Performance dialog to
Espressivo or Molto espressivo. This will introduce gradations of volume that will help separate the different lines of music, even in a large score. In general, the more instruments that are
playing, the more Espressivo you should add (b 4.5 Performance).
* Phasing an annoying badly-tuned-radio sound caused by two identical instruments playing
the same sound in unison. If two staves in your score often double one another, such as Violins
1 and 2, use the Play on pass checkboxes on Properties (b 5.14 Properties) to silence one of
the staves while they are doubled. This should produce a significant improvement.
* Not enough different pan positions. The ear will find it hard to separate the different instrumental sounds. Change the pan positions accordingly.

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4.4 Sibelius Sounds Essentials

b 4.1 Playback, 4.3 Mixer, 4.5 Performance, 8.13 Exporting audio files.
v Kontakt Player.

Sibelius comes with Sibelius Sounds Essentials, a high-quality sound library consisting of a complete set of 128 General MIDI sounds from M-Audio Session, together with carefully chosen instruments from Sibelius Sounds Rock and Pop Collection, the award-winning Garritan Personal
Orchestra, Garritan Concert & Marching Band and Garritan Jazz and Big Band, and Tapspaces
Virtual Drumline. The result is a versatile collection of sounds well-suited for every genre of music.

You can add further sound libraries for use with Kontakt Player 2 in Sibelius, including the full
versions of all of the sound libraries from which the sounds in Sibelius Sounds Essentials are
taken. Choose Help > Sibelius Sounds to be taken to our web site for more information.

Computer requirements
Kontakt Player 2 has similar computer requirements to Sibelius 5 for details refer to Installing
Sibelius for Windows or Installing Sibelius for Mac in the Handbook.
Be aware that sound libraries can take up a large amount of hard disk space, so ensure that you
have plenty available, and that loading many sounds simultaneously requires more RAM. See
How to get the best out of virtual instruments and effects on page 316 for advice
applicable both to Kontakt Player 2 and other virtual instruments.

Installing Sibelius Sounds Essentials

To install Sibelius Sounds Essentials and Kontakt Player 2, refer to Installing Sibelius for
Windows or Installing Sibelius for Mac in the Handbook.

Setting up Sibelius Sounds Essentials

To play back your scores using Sibelius Sounds Essentials:
* Choose Play > Playback Devices
* From the Configuration menu at the bottom of the dialog, choose Sibelius Essentials (16

sounds), which uses one instance of Kontakt Player 2 and therefore allows 16 different simultaneous sounds, or Sibelius Essentials (32 sounds), which uses two instances and therefore 32
different simultaneous sounds.
* Wait a few moments while Kontakt Player 2 is loaded. You should then see KontaktPlayer2 in
the Active devices list on the right-hand side of the Active Devices page of the dialog. Sound
set will be set to Sibelius Essentials.
* Click Close.
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Sibelius Sounds Essentials requires Kontakt Player 2, a virtual instrument from Native Instruments that is included with Sibelius. Kontakt Player 2 is a sophisticated sample player and can be
used with a wide variety of sample libraries, including those in the Sibelius Sounds range, and
those produced by Garritan, Tapspace and other vendors.

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When you start playback of your score, Sibelius will load the necessary sounds automatically into
Kontakt Player 2 (you will see a series of progress bars on the screen as each sound is loaded),
which normally takes only a few seconds, and the score will then start to play back.

How Kontakt Player 2 works

In order to get the best out of Kontakt Player 2, you need to know a little about the way it works.
Kontakt Player 2 can play up to 16 different sounds at once, with each sound loaded into one of
the 16 available slots, which are like MIDI channels.
At its simplest, this means that it can play back scores with up to 16 different instruments in them
without making any compromises.
However, a staff in your score may potentially use more than one sound due to things like instrument changes (e.g. if a staff starts out as a clarinet, but later changes to a saxophone sound) or
changes in playing technique (e.g. if a violin staff starts arco but later plays pizzicato), which may
increase the total number of sounds used in your score above 16, depending on whether or not
Sibelius can play the sounds using the same slot.
Sounds can share a slot if they are accessed by a switch, meaning that Sibelius can either play a
specific note to trigger a change in sound (known as a keyswitch) or set a MIDI controller to a specific value, or play a note at a certain velocity, and so on. Several of the sounds in Sibelius Sounds
Essentials work this way: for example, the violins from Garritan Personal Orchestra can switch
between arco and pizzicato by way of keyswitches, and the trumpet from Garritan Jazz and Big
Band can switch between normal and muted playing in the same way.
If you need to change to a completely different sound e.g. from clarinet to saxophone this normally requires an extra slot.
What this means in practice is that, if your score uses more than 16 instruments in total, Sibelius
will make some compromise decisions for you about how best to play it back. For staves that are
in the same instrumental family (e.g. woodwind, brass, strings) it will double up staves onto the
same slot so that they all use the same sound so you may end up with clarinets, oboes and bassoons all playing back with (say) a bassoon sound.
If your score requires more than 32 different instruments, you can activate further instances
(copies) of Kontakt Player 2 to avoid Sibelius sharing sounds:
* Choose Play > Playback Devices and go to the Active Devices page
* Select KontaktPlayer2 in the Available devices list and click Activate
* Wait a few moments while Kontakt Player 2 is loaded. Once it appears in the Active devices

list, ensure that the Sound set column is set to Sibelius Essentials.
* Click Save to save the changes to your configuration, then click Close.
Sibelius will automatically make use of as many instances of Kontakt Player 2 as you make available. Each instance, however, adds to the burden on your computer, so you should only use more
than one Kontakt Player 2 if your computer is fast enough and has enough memory.

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Kontakt Player 2 window

You wont normally need to adjust the settings in the Kontakt Player 2 window directly, because
Sibelius automatically loads the required sounds, and automatically sets up reverb. Indeed, many
of the settings in the Kontakt Player 2 window (e.g. the controls on individual instruments, such
as individual brightness, attack or reverb knobs) cannot be saved, so in general it is preferable not
to adjust them directly via the interface. Some of these parameters can be controlled instead by
MIDI controller messages (b 4.15 MIDI messages), so use these wherever possible.
However, should you want to take a look at the Kontakt Player 2 window while working on a
score, open the Mixer window (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+M or M), then click the show interface button (which looks like this: ), and this window will appear:
Main control panel

MasterKontrol

Playback

Instrument rack

Outputs

Keyboard

Browser

Instrument rack
The large area near the top right-hand side of the Kontakt Player 2 window is the instrument rack,
where the controls for each loaded sound can be adjusted.

Notice the buttons at the top right-hand corner of the rack. The numeric buttons allow you to
choose between the four parts of the rack. In theory this allows you to load up to 64 instruments
into the same instance of Kontakt Player 2, but only the first 16 slots are accessible via a host like
Sibelius, so you wont need to press these buttons.
The Aux button shows or hides the auxiliary send faders for each instrument see Outputs below.
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Each loaded instrument has its own set of controls; you can open or close the bottom half of the
panel by clicking the button at the left-hand side. Different instruments provide different controls. In general you should control the instruments using Sibeliuss Mixer window rather than
the controls in Kontakt Player 2s instrument rack.

Main control panel

The main control panel at the top of the window allows you to hide and show the other elements
of the Kontakt Player 2 window.

The Browser, Outputs, Keyboard, MasterKontrol and Options elements are all described in
detail below.
Clicking Load/Save shows a menu allowing you to load and save instruments and multis (a
multi is a combination of instruments, effects and other settings that you can load or save).
However, since Sibelius automatically loads the sounds you need, theres no need to use these
options.
The options in the Purge menu can be used to unload unused samples from RAM. After playing
back your score, you can purge the samples that werent played in order to reduce the amount of
RAM used. Note, however, that if you subsequently change the notes in your score, the samples
required to play them may have been purged, in which case you will need to choose Reload All
Samples from the Purge menu.
The View menu allows you to make the Kontakt Player 2 window Normal Size, Bigger Size or
Large Size. You can normally leave the window at Normal Size.
The system performance meters show the following, clockwise from top
left:
* Notes: the amount of polyphony being used. The left-hand digit

shows the current number of notes being played; the right-hand digit shows the maximum
amount of polyphony.
* CPU: shows how much processor power is being used by Kontakt Player 2; more illuminated
bars indicate greater CPU usage.
* Disk: shows how much disk access Kontakt Player 2 is doing; streaming more data from disk
illuminates more bars.
* RAM: indicates how much memory is being taken up by the samples used by Kontakt Player 2.
The button at the far right of the control panel switches on Instrument Focus view, in
which the window size is reduced to focus on the currently chosen instrument, hiding all
other elements. Click the button again to restore the window to its normal size.

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Browser
On the left-hand side of the window is the Browser. It has three tabs,
Libraries, Engine and Auto.
The Libraries tab allows you to see the details of all the Kontakt Player 2
libraries you have installed. You will see at least Sibelius Sounds
Essentials listed here.
Some sound libraries require authorization in order to use them for
longer than 30 days. You can see the authorization status of an installed
library by its title. If a small yellow caution icon
appears to the left of
the librarys name, then it has not yet been authorized, and will stop
functioning within 30 days if it is not authorized.

To authorize a library, click the librarys Info button, then choose the Register tab in the dialog
and click Launch Service Center to run the separate NI Service Center application. You can then
simply authorize your libraries over the Internet.
The Sibelius Sounds libraries (including Sibelius Sounds Essentials) do not require authorization,
because they can be used only within Sibelius.
The Instruments and Multis buttons in each librarys panel allow
you to see a list of all the instruments and multis contained within it.
Choose an instrument from the menu to load it though you dont
need to do this, because Sibelius loads the instruments for you. Click
Info to show a dialog that provides information about the library.
The Engine tab in the Browser shows real-time information about the performance of the sampling engine, and the Automation tab allows you to assign various types of MIDI automation to
various controls in Kontakt Player 2; you dont need to know anything about this except that you
should leave it set to Host Automation.

Outputs
There are two types of faders in Kontakt Player 2s Outputs panel:

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If you see a red caution icon , then the librarys grace period has
expired, and you must authorize it to continue using it. If you try to use
this library, you will be told that there was an Error acquiring license
for patch.

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Each blue fader represents a stereo output. Sibelius can only address a single output from each
virtual instrument, so you can only route your instruments through the first stereo output, labeled
st. 1. The orange faders (labeled aux. 1 to aux. 4) control the return from the four send effects.
By default, Sibelius loads reverb and chorus effects into the first and second auxiliary return outputs respectively.
You cant usefully add or remove channels, so you can ignore the Add Channel and Delete
Channel buttons. The Hide Inserts button hides the insert effects to conserve space. You can edit
the parameters of a specific effect by selecting it in the list of inserts above the appropriate bus,
then click Edit Effect.
If you make any changes to the outputs and want to save them as your defaults for the future, click
Make Default.

Keyboard
The Keyboard panel displays an on-screen keyboard:

Blue tinted keys show you notes that will play back a sound; red tinted keys show you notes that
trigger keyswitches. You can click on the keys with a mouse to audition the selected sound, but
you cant input notes into the score by clicking on Kontakt Player 2s keyboard.

MasterKontrol
The MasterKontrol panel allows you to adjust some settings that apply to all instruments:

If you want to change the tuning, adjust Master Tune from its default of 440Hz.
You dont need to worry about the Extern Sync, tempo or Reference Tone features, as they have
no practical use in Sibelius.

Options
The Options button in the main control panel displays a dialog with six tabs. On the whole you
dont need to worry about these options, but lets run them down quickly anyway:
* Interface tab:
% You can adjust the pixel dimensions of Small size, Mid size, Big size from the controls here.
% Capture keyboard from host should be switched off; when switched on, this option traps

keypresses from Sibelius and passes them to Kontakt Player 2.

% Capture mouse from host should be switched off; this option traps mouse wheel movements from Sibelius and passes them to Kontakt Player 2.
% Show mapping and keyswitches on keyboard is switched on by default; when switched
off, the keys on the keyboard wont show blue or red tints.

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% Auto-refresh Browser is switched off by default; when switched on, Kontakt Player 2 auto-

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matically detects from the operating system if a library folder is changed or created. You can
safely leave this option switched off.
% Menu font size allows you to choose between Normal and Larger size text.
* Audio Engine tab:
% You can choose whether the default volume for new instruments should be -6dB or 0dB. We
recommend you leave this set to -6dB.
% CPU overload protection determines how Kontakt Player 2 should deal with high CPU
usage. If CPU usage stays at a high level, Kontakt Player 2 will kill off sounding notes to
reduce the polyphony and therefore reduce processor usage. We recommend you leave this
set to Relaxed.
% Multiprocessor support should be switched on if your computer has multiple processors or
a dual- or quad-core processor.
% Send MIDI to outside world determines whether Kontakt Player 2 sends the MIDI data
generated to the host application. We recommend you do not change this setting.
% Offline interpolation quality allows you to adjust the quality of the audio when exporting
an audio track. High-Quality Interpolation (HQI) helps to eliminate digital aliasing sounds
which become particularly audible when you transpose sounds with significant high frequency content upwards. You dont generally need to adjust the default setting, which is
same as real-time, i.e. the same quality as you hear during normal playback.
* Handling tab:
% Switch on Use computer keyboard for MIDI playback to allow your computers keyboard
to trigger sounds in Kontakt Player 2. Normally you should leave this switched off.
% Solo Mode allows you to choose between Solo In-Place (only one instrument can be soloed,
others are muted) and Solo Latch (you can switch several instruments into solo mode).
% Browser: double-click loads instrument is switched on by default; when you double-click
an instrument in the browser, it is loaded.
% Browser: show files before folders is switched on by default; it allows you to change the
sort order of files and folders in the browser.
% Default root key for new zones specifies the default root key for instruments that arent
supplied with this information.
% MIDI channel assignment for loaded patches allows you to specify whether Kontakt
Player 2 should load each new sound onto the 1st free channel or have them accept MIDI on
all channels (omni). You dont need to change this setting.
% Installation base path is the folder in which Kontakt Player 2 was originally installed. You
should avoid moving this folder, but if you do, you can respecify it here.
* Load/Import tab:
% Load instruments/banks/multis in purged mode reloads the parameters of samples
that were purged, but without the sample data itself. Leave this option switched off.
% Force-load pre-2.0 patches in DFD mode forces the engine to use Direct From Disk
(DFD) streaming even for old patches that were not originally set to use it.

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% Unwind automation IDs for additionally loaded patches is an obscure option assign-

ment of automation to the same sound loaded into several slots. Just leave it switched off.
% Library path is the place where user-tweaked instruments and combination multis are
saved.
* The Search/DB tab specifies options concerning Kontakt Player 2s search functions. You dont
need to concern yourself with these.
* The DFD tab allows you to specify the amount of memory to dedicate to Direct From Disk
(DFD) streaming. Although samples stream from disk, it is necessary to store their attacks in
RAM so that they are available instantly during playback. If DFD isnt working properly, try
allocating more RAM to Amount of memory for DFD.

Included sounds
The sounds included with Sibelius Sounds Essentials are as follows:
Name

Techniques/instruments

Range

Violins 1 KS

Keyswitches: arco (C1); pizzicato (F1)

G3 to A8

Violas KS

Keyswitches: arco (C1); pizzicato (F1)

C3 to A6

Cellos KS

Keyswitches: arco (C1); pizzicato (F1)

C2 to E6

Double Basses KS

Keyswitches: arco (C1); pizzicato (F1)

C0 to G4

Guarneri Solo Violin KS

Keyswitches: arco (C1); pizzicato (F1)

G3 to C8

From Garritan Personal Orchestra

Piccolo

D5 to C8

Flute Solo

B3 to D7

Oboe 1 Modern Solo

Bb3 to A6

Bb Clarinet Solo

C#3 to G#6

Bass Clarinet Solo

Bb1 to F5

Bassoon 1 Solo

Bb1 to E5

French Horn Solo 1

E1 to F5

Trumpet 1 Solo

C3 to F6

Tenor Trombone Solo

E1 to F5

Tuba 1 Solo

Bb0 to B4

Basic Orchestral Percussion

Bass drum hit (B1); Bass drum hit 2 (C2), Bass drum roll (C#2); Timpani hit (D2G3); Side drum hit, snares off, left (G#3); Side drum hit,
snares off, right (A3); Side drum hit, snares off, roll (A#3); Side drum
hit, snares on, left (B3); Side drum hit, snares on, right (C4); Side
drum hit, snares on, roll (C#4)

From Garritan Jazz and Big Band

Trumpet

256

Keyswitches: open (C1); harmon mute (F1)

E3 to Bb6

Alto Saxophone

C#3 to F6

Tenor Saxophone

G#2 to C6

Baritone Saxophone

C2 to C6

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Name

Techniques/instruments

Range

From Garritan Concert & Marching Band

Trumpet Ensemble

E3 to Bb6

Mellophone Ensemble

Bb1 to F5

Baritone Ensemble

E2 to F5

Tuba Ensemble

Bb1 to F4

Trombone Ensemble

E1 to F5

From Tapspace Virtual Drumline 2

All with snares on: sustained roll (E6); RH hits (G#5); LH hits (F#5);
RH shots (G5); LH shots (F5); RH rims (Eb5); LH rims (Db5); ride
cymbal (E3); bell of ride cymbal (D3); cymbal crash (C3)

Marching Snares (Auto RL)

All with snares on, automatic RL switching: sustained roll (B5); rim
shots (C5); main hits (B4); rims (A4); ride cymbal (E3); bell of ride
cymbal (D3); cymbal crash (C3)

Marching Tenor Drums (Manual)

Spock 1 RH Hits (E5); Spock 1 LH Hits (Eb5); Spock 2 RH Hits (D5);

Spock 2 LH Hits (Db5); Drum 1 RH Hits (C5); Drum 1 LH Hits (B4);
Drum 2 RH Hits (Bb4); Drum 2 LH Hits (A4); Drum 3 RH Hits (Ab4);
Drum 3 LH Hits (G4); Drum 4 RH Hits (F#4); Drum 4 LH Hits (F4);
Sustained buzz roll spock 1 (Bb3); Sustained buzz roll spock 2 (A3);
Sustained buzz roll drum 1 (Ab3); Sustained buzz roll drum 2 (G3);
Sustained buzz roll drum 3 (F#3); Sustained buzz roll drum 4 (F3);
Spock 1 RH shot/rim (E3); Spock 1 LH shot/rim (Eb3); Spock 2 RH
shot/rim (D3); Spock 2 LH shot/rim (Db3); Drum 1 RH shot/rim (C3);
Drum 1 LH shot/rim (B2); Drum 2 LH shot/rim (Bb2); Drum 2 RH
shot/rim (A2); Drum 3 RH shot/rim (Ab2); Drum 3 LH shot/rim (G2);
Drum 4 RH shot/rim (F#2); Drum 4 LH shot/rim (F2)

Marching Tenor Drums (Auto RL)

Automatic RL switching: Spock 2 shots/rims (Db6); Spock 2 hits (B5);

Spock 1 shots/rims (Ab5); Spock 1 hits (G5); Drum 1 shots/rims (Gb5);
Drum 1 hits (E5); Drum 2 shots/rims (Db5); Drum 2 hits (C5); Drum 3
shots/rims (Bb4); Drum 3 hits (A4); Drum 4 shots/rims (F#4); Drum 4
hits (F4); Roll Spock 2 sustained buzz (A3); Roll Spock 1 sustained
buzz (F3); Roll Drum 1 sustained buzz (D3); Roll Drum 2 sustained
buzz (B2); Roll Drum 3 sustained buzz (G2); Roll Drum 4 sustained
buzz (E2)

Marching Bass Drums (Manual)

Drum 1 RH hits (E5); Drum 1 LH hits (Eb5); Drum 2 RH hits (D5);

Drum 2 LH hits (C#5); Drum 3 RH hits (C5); Drum 3 LH hits (B4);
Drum 4 RH hits (Bb4); Drum 4 LH hits (A4); Drum 5 RH hits (Ab4);
Drum 5 LH hits (A4); Drum 5 RH hits (Ab4); Drum 5 LH hits (G4);
Drum 6 RH hits (F#4); Drum 6 LH hits (F4); Unison RH hits (E4); Unison LH hits (Eb4); Unison RH rims (D4); Unison LH rims (C#4); Unison sustained roll (Ab3)

Marching Bass Drums (Auto RL)

Automatic RL switching: Unison sustained roll (B6); Drum 1 hits (G5);

Drum 2 hits (E5); Unison rims (D5); Drum 3 hits (C5); Unison hits
(B4); Drum 4 hits (A4); Drum 5 hits (F4); Drum 6 hits (D4)

Marching Cymbals

Unison cymbal section: hi hat choke (Bb5); sizzle/suck A (C#5); sizzle

(D5); vacuum suck (C5); crash choke fat (B4); flat crash (Bb4)

Playback

Marching Snares (Manual)

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Name

Techniques/instruments

Unpitched Concert Percussion

Brake drum RL (C7); wind chimes (B6); Finger cymbal (A6); Triangle
roll (G6); Triangle hit sustain/muted (F6); Bell plate (E6); Suspended
cymbal cresc. mp (D6); Suspended cymbal cresc. f (C6); Suspended
cymbal crash (B5); Suspended cymbal crash choke (A5); Suspended
cymbal w/stick tip (ride) (G5); Hand cymbals choke (F5); Hand cymbals crash (E5); Concert snare drum roll (D5); Concert snare drum
hits RL (C5); Tambourine fist hits (B4); Tambourine roll shaken (A4);
Tambourine thumb roll (G4); Tambourine finger hits RL (F4); Temple block high RL (E4); Temple block med-high RL (D4); Temple
block med RL (C4); Temple block med-low RL (B3); Temple block low
RL (A3); Concert tom high RL (G3); Concert tom med-high RL (F3);
Concert tom med-low RL (E3); Concert tom low RL (D3); Impact
drum hits RL (C3); Tam-tam hit p (B2); Tam-tam hit f (A2); Concert
bass drum roll (G2); Concert bass drum hit RL (F2)
C2 to C7

Marimba
Vibraphone

Range

Sustain; Damped

F3 to F6

Xylophone

F3 to C7

Glockenspiel

F3 to C6

Crotales (one octave)

C4 to C5

Chimes

C4 to G5

Timpani

C2 to C4

From Sibelius Sounds World Instruments (sounds from Garritan)

Ewe Drum Ensemble

Sounds are on white notes only

C2 to B4

Djembe Ensemble

Sounds are on white notes only

C3 to C4

From other providers

Steinway piano (Peter Siedlaczek)

A0 to C8

Recorder (Northstar)

A0 to C8

Harp (Northstar)

C1 to G9

Handbells (Northstar)

C1 to G9

Female Choir Ah (Sonivox)

C2 to G7

Male Choir Ah (Sonivox)

F1 to F5

Choir Ooh (Sonivox)

C1 to G7

From Sibelius Sounds Rock and Pop Collection (sounds from Sonivox & Native Instruments)

Drum Kit (Brushes)

258

Loose kick (B1); Tight kick (C2); Snare swirl, long (C#2); Rim shot
(D2); Claps (D#2); Snare swirl, short (E2); Low floor tom (F2), Hi-hat,
closed (F#2); High floor tom (G2); Hi-hat, pedal (G#2); Low rack tom
(A2); Hi-hat, open (A#2); Mid rack tom (B2); High mid-rack tom (C3);
Low crash cymbal (C#3); High rack tom (D3); Low ride cymbal (D#3);
Hi-hat foot pedal (E3); Ride bell (F3); Tambourine (F#3); Splash cymbal (G3); Cowbell (G#3); High crash cymbal (A3); Vibraslap (A#3);
Gong, with sizzles (B3); High bongo (C4); Low bongo (C#4); Muffled
slap (D4); Conga (D#4); Tumba (E4); Timbale, high (F4); Timbale, low
(F#4); Agogo, high (G4); Agogo, low (G#4); Cabasa (A4); Maracas
(A#4); Whistle, low (B4); Whistle, high (C5); Guiro, short (C#5);
Guiro, low (D5); Clave (D#5); Woodblock, high (E5); Woodblock, low
(F5); Cuica, low (F#5); Cuica, high (G5); Triangle, mute (G#5); Triangle, open (A5); Shaker (A#5)

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4.4 Sibelius Sounds Essentials

Techniques/instruments

Drum Kit (Dance)

Metronome bell (A#1); Snare (B1); Tight kick (C2); Side stick (C#2);
Rimshot (D2); Claps (D#2); Snare drum (E2); Low floor tom (F2); Hihat, closed (F#2); High floor tom (G2); Hi-hat, pedal (G#2); Low rack
tom (A2); Hi-hat, open (A#2); Mid rack tom (B2); High mid-rack tom
(C3); Low crash cymbal (C#3); High rack tom (D3); Low ride cymbal
(D#3); Chinese cymbal (E3); Ride bell (F3); Tambourine (F#3); Tambourine, pop (G3); Dance cowbell (G#3); High crash cymbal (A3);
Klick snare (A#3); Table ball (B3); High bongo (C4); Low bongo (C#4);
Muffled slap (D4); Conga (D#4); Tumba (E4); High timbale (F4); Low
timbale (F#4); Zap (G4); Zappy (G#4); Snare synth 2 (A4); Hi-hat 1
(A#4); Hi-hat 2 (B4); Hi-hat 3 (C5); Short guiro (C#5); Future snare
(D5); Clave (D#5); Dance cowbell 2 (E5); Al Snare (F5); Acid bass
drum (F#5); Acid bass drum (G5); Dark bass drum (G#5); Techno
bass drum (A5); Kring bass drum (A#5); Work bass drum (B5); Muffled bass drum (C6); 808 bass drum (C#6); Klick bass drum (D6); Lo-fi
bass drum (D#6); Booch (E6); Real bass drum (F6); Sub-bomb (F#6)

Drum Kit (Modern Rock)

General MIDI-compatible drum kit

World Percussion

Tumba, open (C1); Tumba, mute slap (D1); Tumba tip, round-robin
(E1), Tumba, muffled slap (F#1); Tumba, finger bend (G1); Tumba,
mute tone (G#1); Tumba, bass tone (A#1); Conga, open (C2); Conga,
mute slap RH (D2); Conga, tip (E2); Conga, muffled slap (F#2); Conga,
finger bend (G2); Conga, mute tone round-robin (G#2); Conga, bass
tone (A#2); Qunto, open RH (C3); Quinto, mute slap (D3); Quinto, tip
(E3); Quinto, muffled slap (F#3); Quinto, finger bend (G3); Quinto,
mute tone round-robin (G#3); Quinto, bass tone (A#3); Whistle, low
long (B3); Whistle, high long (C4); Guiro, short (C#4); Guiro, long
(D4); Cabasa (D#4); Crash cymbal (E4); Splash cymbal (F4); Triangle,
mute (G#4); Triangle, open (A4); Shaker (A#4); Maraca (B4); Low
bongo, open (C5); Low bongo, slap (D5); Low bongo, bass tone (E5);
Low bongo, muffled slap (F#5); High bongo, open (C6); High bongo,
slap (D6); High bongo, tip and heel (E6); High bongo, muffled slap
(F#6); Clave (G6), Wood block, round-robin (G#6); Ride bell (A#6);
Ride bell crash (B6); Mambo bell, open (C7); Salsa bell, open (D#7);
Mambo bell, rim (E7); Cha-cha bell, rim (A7), Low timbale (C8), Low
timbale, rim (C#8); Cascara (D8); Low timbale, open tone hand (D#8);
Low timbale, muffled hit (E8); Low timbale, side stick (F8); High timbale, open (F#8); High timbale, rim shot (G8); High timbale, open
tone hand (A8); High timbale, muffled hit (A#8); High timbale, side
stick (B8)

Fender Rhodes Mk.2

Tremolo

Range

Playback

Name

E1 to E7

Hammond B3 Organ

C2 to C7

Clavinet E7

E1 to E7

Electric Bass (Precision)

Keyswitches: pick (C0); slap (D0); mute (E0)

B0 to E5

Electric Guitar (Stratocaster)

Keyswitches: pick (C1); mute (D1)

C2 to F6

Acoustic Guitar (Nylon)

C2 to E6

General MIDI (sounds from M-Audio Session)

Acoustic Grand Piano

C1 to G9

Bright Acoustic Piano

C1 to G9

Electric Grand Piano

C1 to G9

Honky-Tonk Piano

C1 to G9

Electric Piano 1

C1 to G9

Electric Piano 2

C1 to G9

259

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4. Playback & video

Name

260

Techniques/instruments

Range

Harpsichord

C1 to G9

Clavi

C1 to G9

Celesta

C1 to G9

Glockenspiel

C1 to G9

Music Box

C1 to G9

Vibraphone

C1 to G9

Marimba

C1 to G9

Xylophone

C1 to G9

Tubular Bells

C1 to G9

Dulcimer

C1 to G9

Drawbar Organ

C1 to G9

Percussive Organ

C1 to G9

Rock Organ

C1 to G9

Church Organ

C1 to G9

Reed Organ

C1 to G9

Accordion

C1 to G9

Harmonica

C1 to G9

Tango Accordion

C1 to G9

Acoustic Guitar (Nylon)

C1 to G9

Acoustic Guitar (Steel)

C1 to G9

Electric Guitar (Jazz)

C1 to G9

Electric Guitar (Clean)

C1 to G9

Electric Guitar (Muted)

C1 to G9

Overdriven Guitar

C1 to G9

Distortion Guitar

C1 to G9

Guitar Harmonics

C1 to G9

Acoustic Bass

C1 to G9

Electric Bass

C1 to G9

Electric Bass (Finger)

C1 to G9

Electric Bass (Pick)

C1 to G9

Fretless Bass

C1 to G9

Slap Bass 1

C1 to G9

Slap Bass 2

C1 to G9

Synth Bass 1

C1 to G9

Synth Bass 2

C1 to G9

Violin

C1 to G9

Viola

C1 to G9

Cello

C1 to G9

Contrabass

C1 to G9

Tremolo Strings

C1 to G9

Pizzicato Strings

C1 to G9

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4.4 Sibelius Sounds Essentials

Name

Techniques/instruments

Range
C1 to G9

Timpani

C1 to G9

String Ensemble 1

C1 to G9

String Ensemble 2

C1 to G9

Synth Strings 1

C1 to G9

Synth Strings 2

C1 to G9

Choir Aahs

C1 to G9

Voice Oohs

C1 to G9

Synth Voice

C1 to G9

Orchestra Hit

C1 to G9

Trumpet

C1 to G9

Trombone

C1 to G9

Tuba

C1 to G9

Muted Trumpet

C1 to G9

French Horn

C1 to G9

Brass Section

C1 to G9

Synth Brass 1

C1 to G9

Synth Brass 2

C1 to G9

Soprano Saxophone

C1 to G9

Alto Saxophone

C1 to G9

Tenor Saxophone

C1 to G9

Baritone Saxophone

C1 to G9

Oboe

C1 to G9

English Horn

C1 to G9

Bassoon

C1 to G9

Clarinet

C1 to G9

Piccolo

C1 to G9

Flute

C1 to G9

Recorder

C1 to G9

Pan Flute

C1 to G9

Blown Bottle

C1 to G9

Shakuhachi

C1 to G9

Whistle

C1 to G9

Ocarina

C1 to G9

Lead 1 (Square)

C1 to G9

Lead 2 (Sawtooth)

C1 to G9

Lead 3 (Calliope)

C1 to G9

Lead 4 (Chiff)

C1 to G9

Lead 5 (Charang)

C1 to G9

Lead 6 (Voice)

C1 to G9

Lead 7 (Fifths)

C1 to G9

261

Playback

Orchestral Harp

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4. Playback & video

Name

262

Techniques/instruments

Range

Lead 8 (Bass + Lead)

C1 to G9

Pad 1 (New Age)

C1 to G9

Pad 2 (Warm)

C1 to G9

Pad 3 (Polysynth)

C1 to G9

Pad 4 (Choir)

C1 to G9

Pad 5 (Bowed)

C1 to G9

Pad 6 (Metallic)

C1 to G9

Pad 7 (Halo)

C1 to G9

Pad 8 (Sweep)

C1 to G9

FX 1 (Rain)

C1 to G9

FX 2 (Soundtrack)

C1 to G9

FX 3 (Crystal)

C1 to G9

FX 4 (Atmosphere)

C1 to G9

FX 5 (Brightness)

C1 to G9

FX 6 (Goblins)

C1 to G9

FX 7 (Echoes)

C1 to G9

FX 8 (Sci-Fi)

C1 to G9

Sitar

C1 to G9

Banjo

C1 to G9

Shamisen

C1 to G9

Koto

C1 to G9

Kalimba

C1 to G9

Bagpipe

C1 to G9

Fiddle

C1 to G9

Shanai

C1 to G9

Tinkle Bell

C1 to G9

Agogo

C1 to G9

Steel Drums

C1 to G9

Woodblock

C1 to G9

Taiko Drum

C1 to G9

Melodic Tom

C1 to G9

Synth Drum

C1 to G9

Reverse Cymbal

C1 to G9

Guitar Fret Noise

C1 to G9

Breath Noise

C1 to G9

Seashore

C1 to G9

Bird Tweet

C1 to G9

Telephone Ring

C1 to G9

Helicopter

C1 to G9

Applause

C1 to G9

Gunshot

C1 to G9

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4.5 Performance

4.5 Performance
b 4.1 Playback.
v Playback.

Sibelius contains such advanced features to improve the playback of your scores that we prefer to
think that it doesnt just play back it performs!
Options controlling the style of performance are all available from the Play > Performance dialog,
and are described below. These also affect the results you get when exporting a MIDI file
(b 8.12 Exporting MIDI files).

Espressivo

If you play back a score that uses several instruments or even a full orchestra Espressivo produces independent expression for every single instrument.
In the Play > Performance dialog, the Espressivo drop-down menu gives five different degrees of
expression for different styles of music:
* Meccanico (mechanically) plays the score absolutely literally, with no dynamics or articula*

*
*
*

tions except where marked

Senza espress. (without expression) adds only tiny fluctuations of volume and slight accents
at the start of bars and note-groups as a human performer will naturally do even when trying to
play with no expression
Poco espress. (slightly expressively) has slight dynamics following the contour of the music,
suitable for a fast, fairly mechanical style (such as Baroque music)
Espressivo is the default option, with more dynamics added
Molto espress. (very expressively) produces lots of expression, which can be too over the top
for some kinds of music. It works well for large groups of instruments, as it helps to separate the
different lines.

Rubato
Rubato is the rhythmic counterpart to Espressivo. Sibelius can subtly vary the tempo of your score
to add greater expression, in much the same way as a human performer would.
In the Play > Performance dialog, you can choose six different degrees of Rubato from the dropdown list, which are suitable for different styles of music:
* Meccanico: the default option, this plays the score absolutely literally, with no gradations of

tempo except where marked by Tempo text, metronome marks, or rit./accel. lines

263

Playback

Espressivo (Italian for expressively) is a unique feature that enables Sibelius to play back scores
adding its own expression, like a human performer. Sibelius still obeys the dynamics and articulations you write in the score, but adds a whole lot of further phrasing and interpretation over and
above these.

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4. Playback & video

* Senza Rubato: plays the score like a real performer trying to keep the tempo absolutely strict,
*
*
*
*

so there are some barely perceptible tempo fluctuations

Poco Rubato: adds a small amount of Rubato, so the tempo of your score will vary a little over
the course of a phrase
Rubato: produces moderate gradations of tempo
Pi Rubato: adds quite a lot of Rubato
Molto Rubato: adds the maximum amount of Rubato, so Sibelius will exaggerate the rhythmic
phrasing. This can sound over the top for some kinds of music.

The recommended setting for rubato in your score is Rubato (the middle setting). Higher settings
than this can produce an extreme effect in which playback may lurch in particularly busy passages.
Rubato may only be slight in music that is repetitive or uniform, as Sibelius bases it on the shapes
of phrases. The effect of rubato is also lessened the greater the number of instruments in your
score, as heavy rubato is less appropriate (and unlikely to be conductable!) for large ensembles.

Rhythmic feel
Sibelius can play back with a wide range of rhythmic feels suitable for different styles of music,
from jazz to Viennese waltz. Some rhythmic feels involve adjusting the notated rhythm, some
adjust the beat stresses, and some do both.
The Rhythmic Feel options in the Play > Performance dialog are as follows:
* Straight the default setting
* Light / Regular / Heavy swing a jazz convention in which two notated eighths (quavers) are
*
*
*
*
*

*
*
*
*
*

264

performed approximately as a triplet quarter note plus eighth note (triplet crotchet plus quaver)
Triplet swing swings two eighth notes (quavers) as an exact triplet quarter note plus eighth
note (crotchet plus quaver)
Shuffle a light sixteenth note (semiquaver) swing
Swung sixteenths as for Regular swing but swings sixteenth notes (semiquavers) rather
than eighth notes (quavers)
Dotted eighths (quavers) effectively a very extreme swing; were not quite sure why youd
want this, but here it is anyway
Notes Ingales triplet quarter note plus eighth note (crotchet plus quaver), similar to Triplet
swing, for an effect used in some early music (although the conventions required for really
authentic notes ingales are more complex than this)
Light / Viennese waltz shortens the first beat of the bar (to a lesser and greater degree
respectively), for a characteristic waltz feel
Samba a sixteenth note (semiquaver) feel, stressing the first and fourth beats
Rock / Pop stresses the first and third beats of a 4/4 bar, lightens the stress on the second and
fourth, and lightens further still on off-beats, Rock more so than Pop
Reggae a sixteenth note (semiquaver) pattern with a strong emphasis on the 3rd and 4th sixteenths
Funk similar to Pop, but makes the second beat of the bar (in 4/4) slightly early.

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4.5 Performance
You can switch rhythmic feel on or off, or even change from one rhythmic feel to another, for different parts of your score by adding text indications such as Swing or Straight in Tempo text
(which you can hide if necessary) b Playback dictionary.
You might think that you need an option to swing both eighth notes (quavers) and sixteenth notes
(semiquavers) at the same time, but if you think about it, they cant be swung simultaneously
since if you have sixteenths against eighths, the sixteenths would have to be extra-long in an onquaver and short in an off-quaver. What you probably want instead is that in places where the
fastest notes are eighths, playback should swing eighths, and where the fastest notes are sixteenths, it should swing sixteenths. To do this, put suitable hidden text markings where the music
changes between passages of eighths and sixteenths b Playback dictionary.
Incidentally, the option Only change beats on the Play > Performance dialog should be
ignored, since each of the preset rhythmic feels switches it on or off as appropriate. It controls
whether the rhythmic feel only changes the stress or rhythm of notes that fall on the beat; e.g.
Viennese waltz turns this option on, but the swing options turn it off. Theres no reason to
change this, but feel free to experiment if youre particularly bored.

Reverb means echo strictly speaking, the spread-out echo you hear in a room, rather than the
delayed one you hear in the Swiss Alps. Most soundcards and sound modules and some MIDI
keyboards can add reverb. Adding reverb can have a dramatic effect on making your scores sound
lifelike, as the human ear is almost as sensitive to the acoustics of a room as it is to the sound
within it.
Sibeliuss Play > Performance dialog gives six preset degrees of Reverb from Dry to Cathedral.
You can also type an exact percentage into the box at the bottom.
Music for small ensembles may benefit from a small amount of reverb, characteristic of playing in
a medium-sized room, whereas large orchestral works can be given extra depth by greater reverb
settings.
Different devices may react differently to the reverb settings 100% produces an eternal reverb
on some equipment but not on others. Experiment a bit. Some MIDI devices can do a range of
other reverb effects, such as plate reverb, hall reverb and so on; see your MIDI devices manual for
details.

Note durations
You can adjust the length of notes on playback by setting Unslurred notes. By default, Sibelius
plays unslurred notes at full length, so the playback effect is always smooth (legato). If you
lengthen notes beyond 100% so they overlap, this produces enhanced legato on some MIDI
devices but may cause problems on others where a pitch is repeated the overlap can cause the
second note to play very short, or you might find that some notes hang (continue playing indefinitely).
You can adjust the length of notes under slurs using the Staff Lines page of Play > Dictionary
b 4.8 Playback dictionary.

265

Playback

Reverb

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4. Playback & video

The Play ties between voices option (switched on by default) tells Sibelius not to re-play the
second note of a tied pair if the second note is in a different voice than the first note, which happens frequently in music for keyboard instruments.

Dynamics between keyboard staves

Sibelius automatically plays back dynamics between the two staves of keyboard instruments (or
other instruments with multiple staves, e.g. a flute with two staves) b 4.1 Playback for more
details.
The Play > Performance dialog allows you to set the minimum distance away from the staff that a
dynamic must be before it will apply to the adjacent staff (i.e. the staff below if it is attached to the
upper staff, or the staff above if it is attached to the lower staff).
If you dont want dynamics to apply to both staves of keyboard instruments, switch off the Affect
adjacent staff option.

Repeats
The Play repeats option determines whether Sibelius will play back any of the repeat markings in
your score; it is switched on by default, and this is usually the most useful setting.
b 4.6 Repeats.
The Gap after final barlines option determines how long Sibelius should pause after each final
double barline in a score that contains multiple songs, pieces or movements.

266

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4.6 Repeats

4.6 Repeats
b 2.3 Barlines, 2.16 Lines, 2.25 Symbols, 3.1 Working with text, 4.1 Playback,
4.8 Playback dictionary, 5.14 Properties.

Like other kinds of playback, Sibelius understands repeat markings in your score and plays them
back automatically. Sibelius can also play very complicated repeat structures.
Various kinds of object can affect the playback of repeats: barlines; lines such as 1st- and 2nd-endings; text such as D.C. al Coda or 1st time mf; and symbols for codas and segnos. MIDI files
saved from Sibelius also incorporate repeats in exactly the same way as playback.

Playing repeats

Repeat barlines
To create a start or end repeat barline, select the barline where you want the repeat to go, and
choose Create > Barline > Start Repeat or End Repeat. For more details, b 2.3 Barlines.
By default, repeat barlines only repeat once (i.e. any passage with an end repeat barline at the end
of it will be played twice). If you want a repeated section to play back more than twice, select the
end repeat barline and switch on more of the Play on pass checkboxes in the Playback panel of
the Properties window (see below); if you switch on, say, checkboxes 1, 2 and 3, that section will
repeat three times and hence be played back four times in total. However, if an ending line (see
below) is also present at the same bar, its playback properties take precedence, so the barline will
only repeat as many times as dictated by the ending line.

1st and 2nd ending lines

For information on creating these lines, b 2.16 Lines.
Ending lines with brackets that are open at the right-hand end automatically set the Last time
ending option; this tells Sibelius that it has finished playing all of the ending lines preceding that
one. If you have multiple sets of ending lines in your score, to get correct playback you must
ensure that the last ending of each repeated section has an open right-hand end:
Incorrect

Correct

1.

1.

2.

2.

1.

1.

2.

2.

Sibelius sets the playback properties of these lines automatically when you create them; it reads
the numbers under the bracket and sets the Play on pass checkboxes (see Properties below)
267

Playback

Repeats are only played back if Play repeats is switched on in the Play > Performance dialog.
This option is switched on by default, but if you find that repeats dont play back, you should
check this first.

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4. Playback & video

appropriately. For example, an ending line with the text 1.3. will set checkboxes 1, 2, and 3 automatically; a line with the text 1, 3, 5 will set checkboxes 1, 3 and 5; and so on.

Codas
Codas music that comes at the very end of a song with a repeating structure are normally separated from the preceding music by a gap. To create a coda:
* Create the bars where the coda music will go
* Select the barline just before the coda
* Choose Create > Barline > Double (because codas are normally preceded by double barlines, to

show the end of the previous section)

* You would also normally add a text direction here informing the player what to do when they get

to this double barline the first time through see Dal segno (D.S.) and da capo (D.C.)
below
* Choose Layout > Break > Split System. This creates a gap after the selected barline. You can
drag the barline at the start of the second half of the system in order to increase or decrease the
gap (to remove the gap entirely, select the barline after the gap and choose Layout > Reset Position). To control whether the clef, key signature etc. are repeated after the gap, select the barline
at the end of the first bar after the gap and open the Bars panel of the Properties window
(b 5.14 Properties).
* To write the word CODA above the start of the coda, hit Esc to make sure nothing is selected.
Then choose Create > Text > Tempo (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+T or zXT) and click above the start of
the coda. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) to see the word menu, which includes
the coda symbol, then type the word CODA in the normal way.

Dal segno (D.S.) and da capo (D.C.)

The Italian term dal segno literally means from the sign. In most music you will see either
D.S. al Fine (which means go back to the $ sign and play the music again until you come to the
bar marked Fine, then stop) or D.S. al Coda (which means go back to the $ sign and play the
music again until you come to the bar marked To Coda, then jump to the coda).
Similarly, da capo literally means from the head, i.e. the start of the song or piece. Just as with
D.S., in most music you will either see D.C. al Fine or D.C. al Coda.
You may also see simply D.C. or D.S. in the final bar of a score, which means to repeat from the
start of the score or the $ sign respectively, then stop at the end.
In music, these instructions always appear at the end of the bar from which you have to jump back
(either to the $ sign or to the start of the piece). To input these instructions:
* Select the barline where the player has to jump back in the song
* Choose Create > Text > Other System Text > Repeat (D.C./D.S./To Coda). (Its important to

use this text style rather than Tempo because it automatically attaches to the end of the bar.)
* A flashing caret appears. Now right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) to see the word
menu, which includes the text you need enter it in the score simply by clicking it in the menu.
If you type the words yourself, be sure to use the correct case (i.e. type Fine, not fine, as the
latter wont play back correctly).
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Creating a segno
If the player has to jump back to a segno, you do of course need to put the segno symbol in the
right place. To do this:
* Select the note at the start of the bar to which the player has to jump back
* Choose Create > Symbol (shortcut Z for zymbol)
* The segno symbol ($) is right at the top of the dialog, in the row labeled Repeats. Click it once

to select it, and make sure the Attach to option is set to System.
* Click OK, and the segno is created in your score.

Fine and To Coda

The final special pieces of text used in repeat structures are Fine (which shows where the player
should stop playing the song if theyve previously jumped back from a D.S. or D.C. instruction),
and To Coda (which shows where the player should jump forward to the coda, if theyve previously jumped back from a D.S. al Coda or D.C. al Coda instruction).

Repeat bars
To create a repeat bar, b 2.4 Bars and bar rests. Sibelius does not play back repeat bars automatically, but you can easily achieve the effect for yourself. Well assume you want to write a pattern in the first bar of a drum staff, then tell the drummer to repeat it for the next few bars:
* Input the first bar of the pattern as normal
* Select the first bar and hit R (the shortcut for Edit > Repeat) to repeat it in the next bar
* With the copied bar selected, type Alt+2 or z2 to set all the music into voice 2; youll probably

now have a bunch of rests in voice 1 too

* Now choose Edit > Filter > Voice 2 (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+2 or xzX2) to filter just the
*
*
*
*

voice 2 notes
Choose Edit > Hide or Show > Hide (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH) to hide the voice 2 notes.
Select one of the voice 1 rests, and type F9 to choose the second Keypad layout, then 0 on the
keypad to turn the voice 1 rests into a bar rest
Select the whole copied bar again, and type R repeatedly to make as many copies as you need
Finally, select all the repeated bars, open the Bars panel of Properties, and choose the repeat bar
symbol from the drop-down list to turn the normal bar rests in voice 1 into repeat bar symbols.

You can even automatically number the repeated bars using the Plug-ins > Text > Number Bars
plug-in.

Properties
The Playback panel of the Properties window contains the main controls
for adjusting the playback effect of lines, text and even notes.
* Play on pass: these checkboxes control whether the selected object will

be played on a given pass through the score, up to a total of eight repeats.

For repeat barlines and 1st and 2nd ending lines, Sibelius sets these proper269

Playback

Both of these instructions occur at the end of bars, and are entered the same way as D.S. and
D.C. see Dal segno (D.S.) and da capo (D.C.) above.

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ties automatically (see Repeat barlines and 1st and 2nd ending lines above). For text, you
can set this option yourself (see When to play back text and lines below).
* Last time ending applies only to ending lines with open right-hand ends (i.e. no hook at the
right-hand end) see 1st and 2nd ending lines above.
* Jump at bar end tells Sibelius whether to obey a jump (e.g. from a text instruction such as
D.C. al Coda) at the precise point in the bar the text is attached to, or at the end of the bar (the
default option). You only need to switch off this option if you need a repeat instruction to be
obeyed in the middle of a bar.

When to play back text and lines

The Play on pass checkboxes can be used to tell Sibelius when staff text that affects
playback (typically Expression and Technique) should play back. For example, you could create
Technique text such as To sax (2nd time only), and switch on the 2 checkbox under Play on
pass, which will make Sibelius switch to a saxophone sound the second time it plays back that bar;
similarly, you could create some Expression text 1st, 3rd, 5th times: mf (switching on Play on
pass checkboxes 1, 3, and 5) and another object 2nd, 4th times: pp (switching on checkboxes 2
and 4) at the start of a repeated section, and Sibelius will obey the dynamics appropriately. In a
similar vein, you could create a staff line (such as a hairpin or glissando) and set it to play back
only on a single pass through the score.
System text (typically in the Tempo or Repeat (D.C./D.S./To Coda) text styles) is unaffected by the
state of the Play on pass checkboxes: Sibelius decides intelligently when to take notice of these
instructions. Similarly, system lines other than repeat endings, e.g. rit./accel., always play back on
every pass through the score.

When to play back notes

The Play on pass checkboxes also apply to notes, which opens up some exciting possibilities: for
songs which have, say, different rhythmic underlay in the vocal line in different verses, you could
create cue-sized notes that follow the rhythm of the verse 2 lyrics, and set them to play on the second pass only; for jazz, you could create a little solo passage in the horns that should only play
back on the repeat; and so on.
You can even make a note totally silent by switching off all of the Play on pass checkboxes! (If you
need to make just one notehead of a chord silent, you can use a silent notehead instead
b 2.20 Noteheads.)

Skipping bars
In some circumstances, you may not want a particular bar to play back at all. For example, your
score may start with a prefatory staff (such as a handbells used chart), or you may have a guitar
fill box on one page of your score, and you would prefer these bars not to play back.
This is easy to arrange, using system text to form a pair of markers one text object to set the
place you want to jump from, and another to set the place you want to jump to:
* Decide on a name for your pair of markers; it doesnt matter what it is. For the sake of argu-

ment, lets use the word cat.

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* At the end of the bar immediately preceding the bar(s) you dont want to play, create a new

Repeat (D.C./D.S./To Coda) text object, consisting of the words jump to and the name of your
marker, e.g. jump to cat
* At the start of the bar you want playback to jump to, create a new Tempo text object, consisting
of the word marker and the name of your marker, e.g. marker cat.
You will probably not want either text object in your marker pair to appear when you print, in
which case you can either select them and hide them (using Edit > Hide or Show > Hide) or by
inserting a tilde character (~) at the start of each text object, which will hide it.
Sibelius will always obey a marker pair when it encounters it during playback, i.e. like all system
text objects, they ignore the Play on pass checkboxes.

Optional endings & Repeat to fade

In sheet music for some pop songs, you will sometimes see alternative endings; one will typically
be Repeat to fade, and the other will be Optional ending (the idea being that those musicians
who cant magically make their own performances repeat to fade use the optional ending instead).

* Use ending lines with closed right-hand ends for both the Repeat to fade and Optional end-

ing bars
* Set the Repeat to fade ending line to play back (say) twice using the controls in the Playback
panel of Properties; ensure the Last time ending checkbox is switched off
* Select the Optional ending line and switch on the Last time ending option in the Playback
panel of Properties.
When you play back the score, Sibelius will play the Repeat to fade ending twice, then play the
Optional ending bars to finish.
Alternatively, heres how to simulate a repeat to fade:
* Set the final section to repeat a number of times by selecting the end repeat barline and adjust-

ing the Play on passes checkboxes in the Playback panel of Properties

* Create a diminuendo hairpin over the length of the repeated section, and set it to play back during the last repetition of the closing section; in the same panel, set its dynamic change to be
100% of maximum
* Hide the hairpin by selecting it and choosing Edit > Hide or Show > Hide (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH).

Finding problems in complex repeat structures

In scores with complex repeat structures, it can be useful to switch on timecode Above every bar
in Play > Video and Time > Timecode and Duration. In repeated sections, you will see more
than one timecode stacked vertically, one for each pass; by looking at the timecodes you can therefore tell at a glance what order and how many times Sibelius will play back the bars in your score.
For more details, b 4.10 Timecode and hit points.

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You can make Sibelius play these back in a number of ways; here is one way to play using the
optional ending:

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4.7 Live Playback

b 1.3 Flexi-time, 4.1 Playback, 4.5 Performance, 8.5 Opening MIDI files.
v Playback.

In real life, a musical performance never precisely matches what is notated in the score; there are
all manner of nuances of tempo, dynamic and rhythmic flexibility that cannot easily be reproduced even by smart features like Espressivo, Rubato and Rhythmic feel (b 4.5 Performance).
So if you provide Sibelius with an actual, human performance either from a real-time recording
using Flexi-time (b 1.3 Flexi-time) or by importing a MIDI file (b 8.5 Opening MIDI
files) it can preserve it for you using Live Playback.
Live Playback stores exactly how you play each note (even individual notes in chords), right down
to the tiniest variations in velocity (how loud a note is), duration (how long you played it for), and
start position (how much it deviates from precisely where the beat is).
You can also edit your performance, or create a Live Playback performance for music that you
have inputted in other ways (e.g. using step-time or alphabetic input, or from scanning printed
sheet music) using the Playback panel of the Properties window, or the Play > Transform Live
Playback dialog.

Hearing Live Playback

Live Playback is switched on by default in all new scores. To switch it on or off, choose
Play > Live Playback (shortcut Shift-L), or click the button in the Playback window
(shown on the left), which lights up when Live Playback is on, and is black when its off. When you
save and re-open your score, Sibelius remembers whether you had it switched on or off.
Live Playback is totally separate from Sibeliuss own interpretation of your score. For example,
when Play > Live Playback is switched on (and when Live Playback data is stored in your score),
Sibelius plays back the score exactly as it was originally performed. Items added to the score that
would usually affect dynamics or timing such as dynamics, hairpins, other text directions (such
as MIDI messages), and options such as Espressivo, Rubato and Rhythmic Feel are not played
back, unless they apply to notes with no Live Playback data.
So if you, say, import a MIDI file and then add a dynamic to one of the staves using Expression
text (b 3.1 Working with text), it wont be played back unless you switch off Play > Live Playback (shortcut Shift-L).
Conversely, if you input a score using step-time or alphabetic input and then play it back, youll
hear no difference between playback with Live Playback switched on or off, because no Live Playback data is stored in your score see Creating Live Playback data below.
Tempo instructions such as Tempo text, metronome marks, and rit./accel. lines and repeats
are always observed, whether or not Live Playback is switched on.

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4.7 Live Playback

Viewing Live Playback velocities

To see the Live Playback velocities stored in your score, switch on View > Live Playback Velocities. This option is only available when Play > Live Playback is switched on. Notes that have Live
Playback data (and have the Properties checkbox Live velocity switched on) display a vertical
column above the staff, a little like the columns you see in a bar graph. The height of the column
represents the maximum possible velocity (127), and the colored section rising from the bottom
of the column represents the Live Playback velocity of the note or chord in question. Sibelius can
display Live Playback velocities for single notes and chords, in any number of voices, as follows:
Voice 1 chord

Voices 1 & 2 single notes

Voices 1 & 2 chords

Playback

Voice 1 single note

Voices 14

Editing Live Playback

There are three main ways of editing Live Playback data:
* By directly editing the values stored for each note in the Playback panel of the Properties win-

dow
* By dragging the vertical bars shown when View > Live Playback Velocities is switched on
* By using the Play > Transform Live Playback dialog.

Properties
You can use the Playback panel of the Properties window (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+P or zXP) to edit
the Live Playback data for individual notes, multiple selections, or selected passages. These controls are only available when Play > Live Playback is switched on.
* Live velocity is in the range 0127; 127 is the loudest, 0 is the softest

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* Live start position is measured in ticks; 256 ticks = 1 quarter note (crotchet). A negative value

causes the note to sound earlier than its notated position in the bar (e.g. 64 will cause it to
sound one sixteenth note (semiquaver) earlier than notated), and a positive value causes the
note to sound later (e.g. 128 will cause it to sound one eighth note (quaver) later than notated).
You can even set a note to sound in a bar different to its notated position, but typically you
would only make small adjustments that affect the feel of the rhythm, e.g. how loose or tight it
sounds.
* Live duration is also measured in ticks. You can set a note to have an arbitrary duration, and
changing the duration here will not affect its notated appearance (so you can have a written half
note (minim) that only sounds for a quarter note (crotchet), or even a written quarter note that
sounds as long as a half note).
To edit Live Playback data for an individual note, simply select the note and adjust the values in
the Playback panel. You can select individual noteheads in chords and adjust their data independently.
If you select a passage or multiple selection, the options in the Playback panel will normally display --, showing that different values are stored for different notes in the selection (unless all the
notes in the selection have identical data, in which case that will be shown). When you change
Live Playback data for a selected passage or multiple selection, you are effectively making the data
identical for all selected notes.
You can override any or all of the Live Playback parameters for individual notes simply by switching off the appropriate checkbox in the Playback panel of Properties see Switching Live Playback on and off for sections of a score below.
To perform more sophisticated transformations on the data across a selected passage (i.e. to
manipulate it in ways other than simply switching it on or off, or setting it to a constant value
across the whole passage), see Transform Live Playback below.

Editing Live Playback velocities

You can drag the vertical bars drawn when View > Live Playback Velocities is switched on in
order to edit velocities graphically. Its a good idea to zoom in close before editing velocities so you
can see what youre doing more clearly.
* To edit the velocity of an individual note (or note within a chord), select the note, then click and

drag the vertical bar up and down.

* To set the same velocity for all the notes in a passage, select the passage in which you want to set

the velocities, then click one of the vertical bars; all of the other vertical bars will be set to the
new value.
* To set different velocities across a range of notes, dont make a passage selection: instead, click
on the vertical bar of the first note whose velocity you want to edit, and keeping the mouse
button held down drag it across the vertical bars on subsequent notes. As the mouse pointer
moves over the vertical bars, the velocities are set according to the height at which the mouse
pointer crosses them. Its possible to create expressive curves across a passage in this way.
(Beware that if the passage contains chords, all of the notes in the chord will be set to the same
velocity.)
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* If you want to edit the velocities for notes only in (say) voice 2, select the passage, filter voice 2
(b 5.4 Filters and Find), then use either of the methods just mentioned.
* To change how far above or below the staff the vertical bars appear, hold Ctrl or X and drag one

of the vertical bars with the mouse. This changes the position of the vertical bars throughout the
score for that staff, and they can be dragged up to 20 spaces above or below the staff.
As with every operation in Sibelius, if you change your mind after editing velocities, simply
choose Edit > Undo (shortcut Ctrl+Z or XZ).

Transform Live Playback

The Play > Transform Live Playback dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+L or xzXL) allows you
to apply sophisticated transformations to the Live Playback data in your score.
To use this dialog, select the passage you want to transform and choose Play > Transform Live
Playback (if you dont make a selection, you are asked if you want the operation to apply to the
whole score).

Playback
The dialog is split into two pages, Velocities and Timings. You can set up one transformation on
either or both of these pages, so you can transform velocities and timings simultaneously if you
like. The options are as follows:
* Velocities tab:
% Leave unchanged: select this option if you only want to perform a transformation on the

Timings tab
% Constant velocity (range 0-127): sets all the notes in the selection to the same velocity
% Louder: adds the specified velocity to all the notes, up to the maximum value (127)
% Softer: subtracts the specified velocity from all the notes, down to a minimum of zero
% Crescendo/Diminuendo: specify the desired velocity of the first and last notes in the selection, and Sibelius will scale the velocities of the intervening notes to produce a crescendo or
diminuendo
% Scale dynamic range: compresses or expands the velocities of the notes in the selection so
they range between the specified minimum and maximum; this allows you to make the
dynamic range narrower or wider.
* Timings tab:
% Leave unchanged: select this option if you only want to perform a transformation on the
Velocities tab
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% Scale live durations: scales the durations of all the notes in the selection by the specified
%
%
%
%
%

percentage, allowing you to make their live durations longer or shorter

Set live durations n% of the notated durations: changes the live durations of the selected
notes to a percentage of their notated durations (i.e. regardless of their current live durations)
Constant live durations: sets the live duration of every note to the specified number of
ticks (256 ticks = 1 quarter note (crotchet))
Move earlier: reduces the start position of the notes by the specified number of ticks; you
can use this option to make the music sound ahead of the beat
Move later: increases the start position of the notes by the specified number of ticks; you
can use this option to make the music sound behind the beat
Scale start positions relative to notation: allows you to exaggerate or reduce the effect of
the start positions in the selected passage. The Keep durations constant option (switched
on by default), as the name suggests, allows you to choose whether to keep the original durations. The musical effect of rescaling the notes start positions makes the music sound more
or less behind or ahead of the beat, i.e. tighter or looser.

To apply the chosen transformations, click OK, then type P to hear the results.

Creating Live Playback data

If you didnt create your score using Flexi-time or by importing a MIDI file, no Live Playback data
will exist. You can easily create Live Playback data, however, as follows:
* Select the passage of music you want to create Live Playback data for
* Open the Playback panel of the Properties window
* Switch on the checkboxes next to Velocity, Position and Duration. Sibelius automatically cre-

ates Live Playback data with sensible defaults (all start positions are set to 0, durations are set to
the equivalent number of ticks for the notated duration, and velocities are set to 80).
You can then edit the Live Playback data in the normal way.

Switching Live Playback on and off for sections of a score

Naturally you can switch Play > Live Playback on and off to switch between the Live Playback
interpretation of the score and Sibeliuss own interpretation. However, in some circumstances
you may wish to switch off the Live Playback data for part of a score. To do this:
* Select the passage in which you want the Live Playback data to be switched off
* Open the Playback panel of the Properties window
* Switch off one or more of the checkboxes next to Live velocity, Live duration and Live start

position.
You can switch these options off independently, with different effects on the resulting playback. If
you switch off both the Live duration and Live start position checkboxes, then Sibeliuss own
smart Rubato and Rhythmic feel playback options will play back; if you switch off the Live velocity checkbox, Sibelius will use Espressivo for playback, and respond to Expression text, etc. This
means that you can pick and choose which parts of the Live Playback performance you want to
retain, and which parts you want to leave up to Sibeliuss own interpretation.
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4.8 Playback dictionary

4.8 Playback dictionary

b 4.1 Playback, 4.15 MIDI messages, 4.16 SoundWorld.
v Playback.

Sibelius reads and interprets not only text (such as mf, pizz. and legato) when playing back, but
also many other markings in your score, including lines (e.g. octave lines, slurs, trills, pedal markings), articulations (e.g. staccato, tenuto, accent), and symbols.
Though you wont normally need to do so, you can modify exactly what effect these markings
have on playback using Sibeliuss Play > Dictionary dialog, and even add your own markings to
the dictionary. The dialog has six pages, each dealing with a different kind of item that can affect
playback:
* Staff Text, for playing instructions that apply only to a single staff, e.g. ff, legato
* Staff Lines, for lines that apply to a single staff, e.g. trills, octave (8va) lines, slurs, hairpins
* Articulations, e.g. staccato, tenuto. Note that one-note tremolos and buzz rolls are also han-

dled on this page.

* Noteheads, for effects produced by noteheads, e.g. harmonics, ghost notes
* Symbols, e.g. scoops, falls, mallets and beaters for percussion.
Each of these pages is described in detail below.

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* System Text, for instructions that apply to all instruments, e.g. Fast, Swing, Adagio

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4. Playback & video

Staff Text page

The words are listed at the left-hand side of the dialog. You can change the order of words in the
list by clicking the Up and Down buttons; though this has no effect on how Sibelius handles them
in playback, it is useful to be able to add words in alphabetical order, and in any case you may be
able to derive some limited amusement from clicking these buttons.
To edit a word, click Rename, which shows a simple dialog in which you can change the text. To
add a new word, select a word that has a similar effect to the one you wish to create, and click
New, which shows a simple dialog in which you can specify the new word. To make a copy of an
existing word, click Duplicate. To remove a word altogether, click Delete.
Each word can also have a combination of the following options set:
* Case sensitive: in most cases, you will not want your word to be treated as case sensitive (i.e.

you want swing, Swing and SWING to be equivalent), so this should normally be switched
off
* Whole word means that the word is not an abbreviation. However, most musical terms can be
abbreviated, so it is common to switch this option off. For example, Sibelius will change to a
pizzicato string sound when confronted with any word beginning with the letters pizz, so that
pizz, pizz. (with a period) and pizzicato will all produce the same effect. (pizza will also
work, but is unlikely to occur in your score.) Dont put a period (full stop) at the end of your
word in this dialog if its an abbreviation. If your word is not an abbreviation, switch this on
instead.
* Regular expressions allow sophisticated matching of patterns inside text strings, but arent for
the faint of heart. Youll normally never need to switch on Regular expression but if youre
curious, see Regular expressions below.
To determine the playback effect of a particular word, select it, then choose the type of Effect
from the list on the right. The Effect Values group below updates to show what you can change
for each type of Effect:
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* Control change sets a MIDI controller to a certain value:
% MIDI controller specifies the number of the MIDI controller to change (e.g. controller 1 is

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modulation, controller 64 is sustain pedal, controller 91 is reverb, etc.)

% Controller value specifies the value to set the chosen MIDI controller to; 0 is the minimum
and 127 is the maximum.
Dynamic allows you to change the prevailing dynamic; this is the effect used for text such as
mf, ff and loud:
% Dynamic specifies the volume at which the following music should be played, using a range
between 0 and 127. Depending on the playback device, this may be played using note velocity, or MIDI expression (controller 11), or modulation (controller 1), or something else.
% Attack specifies the sharpness of the attack of notes at this dynamic, using a range between
0 and 127. Depending on the playback device, this may or may not have an audible effect.
% Sound ID change allows you to specify an optional sound ID change in addition to the
change in dynamic; see Sound ID changes below
Dynamic change allows you to change the dynamic for one note or for the following music,
relative to the current dynamic (rather than setting it to an absolute level, as Dynamic does):
% Dynamic n% of current dynamic allows you to specify the change in dynamic in terms of
a percentage of the prevailing dynamic
% Attack n% of current attack allows you to specify the change in attack in terms of a percentage of the prevailing attack
% Sound ID change allows you to specify an optional sound ID change in addition to the
change in dynamic; see Sound ID changes below.
% Change for is a list containing two choices, either one note only (meaning the dynamic
only affects the note to which the text instruction is attached) or all subsequent notes
(meaning that the change sticks until the next dynamic is encountered)
Dynamic envelope is for effects where the dynamic increases and decreases over time, e.g. sfz
or fp:
% Initial dynamic specifies the dynamic at the start of the note
% Decay determines the length of time over which the dynamic returns either to its original
level or to the optional End dynamic, expressed as a percentage of the length of the note
% End dynamic optionally specifies the dynamic at the end of the note.
Program change allows you to change MIDI program number, in order to change the sound
used by a staff. In general you shouldnt use this mechanism: either use instrument changes
(b 2.14 Instruments) or a sound ID change (see below). But should you have a good reason
to use it:
% Program specifies the program number, using a range between 0 and 127
% Send bank change allows you to choose whether or not a MIDI bank change message
should be sent in addition to the program change. If you switch this on, Bank High and
Bank Low are then enabled.
% Bank High and Bank Low allow you to set the most significant (high) and least significant
(low) bits required to effect a MIDI bank change message.

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* Sound ID change allows you to add or remove techniques from the present sound. You can

choose one or more sound ID elements from the menu see Sound ID changes below.

System Text page

The System Text page has similar controls to the Staff Text page (see Staff Text page above),
but the types of Effect are different:
* Metronome is used to specify the meaning of the characters to the left of the equals sign in a

metronome mark. For example, in the metronome mark q = 120, the quarter note (crotchet)
character is actually a letter q in Sibeliuss music fonts, so q = is defined to use the Metronome effect and is set to 1 beats (quarters). Similarly, in e = 160 the eighth note (quaver) is
a letter e, so e = is defined to mean 0.5 beats (quarters). However, because all the standard
note durations (including dotted notes) are defined for you, youll never need to set up any
more Metronome words unless you invent some new note durations, of course.
* Repeat is used to specify the kind of effect a word should have on the playback of repeated sections in the score. For example, a word defined to have the Repeat effect D.C. al Coda will tell
Sibelius to jump to the start of the score and keep playing until it finds a word defined to have
the Repeat effect To Coda, which in turn causes Sibelius to jump to the place in the score
where it finds a word defined to have the Repeat effect Coda, signifying the start of the coda
itself. Repeat words are the only predefined ones to use the Regular expression option see
Regular expressions below. As with Metronome words, you wont need to set up any
Repeat words, because all the common ones are already set up for you. For more information
about how Sibelius plays back repeats, b 4.6 Repeats.
* Rhythmic Feel words change the rhythmic feel setting of the score at the specific point at
which the word is encountered. For example, the word Swing is defined to set rhythmic feel to
Regular Swing. For more information about rhythmic feel, b 4.5 Performance.
* Rit./Accel. words allow you to specify a rit. or accel., though it is recommended that you use the
lines provided for this purpose instead, as they provide greater control see Rit. and accel. on
page 238. Should you decide you do want to define a Rit./Accel. word, set Scale tempo to n%
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of current tempo to an appropriate value, and set Over n beats (quarters) to the length of
time following the text that you want the change of tempo to occur.
* Tempo words allow you to set a specific tempo. For example, Allegro is defined to Set
tempo to 120 quarters/min, while Lento is defined to Set tempo to 60 quarters/min.
* Tempo Scale words allow you to scale the current tempo by a specified percentage. For example, Slower is defined to scale the tempo to 90% of the original tempo, while Faster sets the
tempo to 110% of the original tempo.

Staff Lines page

Playback
The Staff Lines page allows you to specify a Sound ID change for each type of line that exists in
your score. For example, you might specify a sound ID change of +legato for a slur, which would
automatically choose a special, smooth violin sound on your playback device if you then put a slur
on a violin staff in your score, and a different smooth trumpet sound if you then put a slur on a
trumpet staff, and so on see Sound ID changes below
Failing that, if Sibelius is unable to find a suitable sound to play the specified sound ID change, or
if no sound ID change is specified, it will do whichever of the default effects is specified under If
no matching sound ID is available. The choices are as follows:
* Adjust durations of notes under line is useful for slurs, which typically lengthen the notes

under them to make them legato, with the exception of the last note under the slur, which is
shortened (so that it is separated from the next note). To change these options:
% If you want to change the lengths of the notes under the line, switch on Adjust durations by
n%; durations greater than 100% increased the duration, and less than 100% reduce it
% To shorten the last note under the line, switch on Shorten last note by n seconds.
* Transpose up/down 1/2 octaves is used by octave (8va, 15mb, etc.) lines. Simply set whether
you want the notes under the line to be transposed up or down, and by one or two octaves.
* Spread chord up/down for n milliseconds is for arpeggio (spread chord) lines, or lines you
want to behave like arpeggio lines.
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* Play crescendo or diminuendo is for hairpins. You can determine the precise playback effect

*
*

*
*

of an individual hairpin by selecting it in the score and using the options on the Playback panel
of Properties (see Hairpins on page 236).
Play trill is for trills. You can specify the playback speed and interval of an individual trill by
selecting it in the score and using the options on the Playback panel of Properties (see Trills on
page 237).
Play sustain pedal is for pedal lines.
Play glissando/portamento is for gliss. and port. lines. You can specify the playback speed and
interval of an individual line by selecting it in the score and using the options on the Playback
panel of Properties (see Gliss. and port. on page 238).
Play guitar bend is for bend lines (see Bend on page 103).
No playback effect means that Sibelius will simply ignore the line during playback.

Any one of these options can be applied to any line, so you can make a slur behave like an octave
line, or a guitar bend behave like an arpeggio line, if you really like.
Note, however, that those lines that have individually adjustable playback via the Playback panel
of the Properties window i.e. hairpins, trills, gliss. and port. lines can only be adjusted in the
Properties window if they are based on the appropriate type of line. In other words, although you
can tell Sibelius to make, say, a Box line play back as a hairpin, it will always play back in the
default way, and you wont be able to adjust its effect on playback in the Properties window.

Articulations page

The Articulations page allows you to specify a Sound ID change for each type of articulation or
tremolo. For example, you may specify upbow and downbow articulations to give rise to +upbow
and +downbow sound ID changes, which would automatically choose special upbow and downbow sounds from your playback device, if available see Sound ID changes below.

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Failing that, if Sibelius is unable to find a suitable sound to play the specified sound ID change, or
if no sound ID change is specified, it will do whichever of the default effects is specified under If
no matching sound ID is available. The choices are as follows:
* Play repeated notes is for tremolos and buzz rolls (z on stem). You can determine whether it

As with staff lines, you can apply any one of these options to any articulation, so you can make a
staccato behave like a fermata if you like.

Noteheads page

The Noteheads page allows you to specify a Sound ID change for each type of notehead in your
score. For example, you might define a diamond notehead to give rise to the sound ID change
283

Playback

should be played measured in which case choose Subdivide and set n times to the appropriate value or Unmeasured, which means to play the note repeatedly as fast as possible.
* Adjust dynamic, attack and/or duration is for most other articulations. For example, by
default, staccatos shorten a note by 50%, accents boost the dynamic by 50%, and downbows
both boost the dynamic by 10% and shorten the note a little, too.
% To change the dynamic of the note on which the articulation occurs, switch on Adjust
dynamic to n% of current dynamic and set the value appropriately.
% To change the attack of the note on which the articulation occurs, switch on Adjust attack
to n% of current attack and set the value appropriately.
% To change the duration of the note, switch on Adjust duration to n% of the written duration. This isnt intended to be used for fermatas (pauses) they have their own special
options.
* Extend duration by n times written duration is for fermatas. By default, a regular fermata is
set to 1.5 times written duration, a long (square) fermata is set to 1.75 times written duration,
and a short (triangular) fermata is set to 1.25 written duration, but you can change these settings if you like.
* No playback effect means that Sibelius will simply ignore the articulation during playback.

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+harmonic, which would automatically choose a harmonic sound on your playback device if one
is available see Sound ID changes below.
Failing that, you can define each notehead to have a default playback effect. In the case of noteheads, you can only specify a given notehead to adjust the current dynamic; this is useful for socalled ghost notes in guitar music, which are normally written with a cross notehead and sound
much quieter than normal notes.

Symbols page

The Symbols page allows you to specify a Sound ID change for each type of symbol in your
score. For example, a fall symbol can give rise to a sound ID change +fall, which will automatically trigger (say) a trumpet fall sound in your playback device, if one is available see Sound ID
changes below. No other playback effects are available for symbols.

Sound ID changes
For an introduction to sound IDs, b 4.16 SoundWorld.
Sound ID changes allow you to add or remove one or more
playing techniques from the current sound on a staff at any
point. For example, the word pizz may be defined to produce a sound ID change of +pizzicato, while arco may be pizzicato. You can also define something in the dictionary to
add one element and subtract another simultaneously, such
as -mute +sul ponticello.
To define a sound ID change, you can either type the sound
ID elements you want to add or remove into the box, or
choose them from the menu of common sound ID elements
provided.

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To add an element, put + directly before it, with no space between; to remove an element, put
directly before it, with no space between. To remove all current elements, type [reset] (include the
square brackets).
On the Staff Text and Symbols pages, you can specify whether the sound ID change should take
effect Until the next sound ID change, Until the start of the next note, or Until the end of
the next note. Normally a sound ID change takes effect until another instruction to the contrary
(e.g. the instruction mute, or a symbol denoting snares on for side drum), but occasionally
you may want a sound ID change to take effect for a single note (e.g. scoop or fall symbols, or a
text indication above a single note on an unpitched percussion staff).
Similarly, on the Staff Lines page you can specify whether the sound ID change should take effect
Until end of line (which is suitable for e.g. trill lines) or Until end of last note under line
(which is suitable for e.g. slurs, octave lines, hairpins, and so on).

When dictionary items take effect

When you insert words from the playback dictionary in your score using text, be aware that Sibelius treats words from the Staff Text and System Text pages differently.
Words entered in system text (e.g. tempo markings or rhythmic feel) take effect at the start of the
bar to which they are attached.
Words entered in staff text (e.g. dynamics and words such as pizz.) take effect on the note to
which they are attached; staff lines similarly affect playback from the point at which they are
attached to the point at which they end.

Regular expressions
Regular expressions define, using symbols that have special meanings, patterns to match within a
text string. Sibelius uses regular expressions to match terms used for playing back repeat structures such as D.C. al Fine and D.S. al Coda (b 4.6 Repeats).
You can use regular expressions in the playback dictionary yourself, but you should exercise
extreme caution in doing so its all too easy to create one that breaks playback of every other
word in your score (e.g. the regular expression a matches any string that has an a in it, and ^. or
$ will match anything at all).
* ^ means the match must occur at the start of the string, e.g. ^In the beginning; see below
* $ means the match must occur at the end of the string, e.g. Amen$; see below
* . means match any single character, e.g. c.t (which would match cat, cbt, cct, cdt and so on!);

to search for a literal period (full stop), use \.

* * matches any number of occurrences of the previous character (or choice of characters surrounded by square brackets [ ]). This can also include no occurrences, so the regular expression
a* is matched by the string b, in addition to a, aaaaa, and so on. A useful regular expression is
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Note that simply defining a new sound ID change in Play > Dictionary does not guarantee that it
will be played back Sibelius can only play those effects that are available in the devices in your
current playback configuration but the beauty of sound IDs is that they are device-independent,
so the sound may be available on another computer or using a different configuration later, at
which point Sibelius will play it back automatically.

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*
*

*
*

.*, which means match anything, so you can do ^begin.*end$, which matches anything that
is surrounded by begin and end
+ matches one or more occurrences of the previous character, so the regular expression a+ is
matched by the strings a, aaaaa and baaa, but not b or an empty string
[ ] are the grouping operators, meaning match any character in the group, so you can find digits with [0-9]. Punctuation characters lose their special meaning when within these brackets, so
you can write things like D[.$S]* al Coda
\xNN matches the hexadecimal character NN
(x)|(y) are exclusive choice operators, where the string must match either x or y. You can use
these to match whole words, e.g. (apple)|(banana)

Regular expressions match any part of the string, so a matches (say) a long string and cat. To
explicitly match a alone, you need to add the start and end anchors: ^a$
Many punctuation characters (. $ ^ [ ] ( ) * + \) have special meaning in regular expressions, and
to match them literally (i.e. to match a string containing one of these characters), they need to be
preceded by \

Copying playback dictionary entries to other scores

Once youve edited entries in the playback dictionary, you can transfer your updated dictionary
into other scores. Simply export the house style from the score in which you edited the dictionary,
then import it into the new score b 7.7 House Style for more details or save your score
as a manuscript paper b 2.18 Manuscript paper.

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4.9 Video
b 4.1 Playback, 4.10 Timecode and hit points.
v Video.

This topic explains how you can attach a digital video to your score, giving you the ability to write
to picture using Sibelius.
Being able to compose directly to synchronized video is extremely useful both to professional
composers and in education. Many school music syllabi include modules where students are
required to compose music to video, and Sibelius provides an integrated platform on which to
score, realize and print their work. The Sibelius DVD-ROM even includes a range of videos to
compose music for, and you can download more from SibeliusEducation.com

Adding a video
* Choose Play > Video and Time > Add Video. A dialog appears asking you to locate the video

file you want to add to the score. Once youve found the file, click Open.
* The video will now appear in Sibeliuss Video window, along with the filename of the video in
the title bar of the window.

Removing a video
To remove a video from your score:
* Choose Play > Video and Time > Remove Video
* Sibelius will warn you that the video will no longer be associated with the score and allow you to

cancel the operation if you so wish.

Synchronization
Once a video has been added to a score, it will maintain synchronization with the score at all times
during playback, and will also update the video whenever the position of the playback line
changes. This means you can easily jump to a particular point in the video using the Playback
windows timeline slider, as well as the Rewind and Fast-forward buttons.
When pressed once, Rewind and Fast-forward (shortcuts [ and ]) move by exactly 0.2 seconds;
hold them down to accelerate. With some computers and video formats, you may find rewinding
video is rather slower than fast-forwarding. For pinpoint accuracy when moving through the
video, use Shift-[ and Shift-] to advance through the video a single frame at a time.

Example videos
Sibelius comes with a variety of short videos for students to compose music to. Some of these are
on the Sibelius installation DVD, and you can download higher-resolution versions of these plus
additional videos from www.sibeliuseducation.com.
Some of the example videos have Sibelius scores that go with them, others have video soundtracks
or are silent. In each case you can compose your own soundtrack. The videos include:
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4. Playback & video

* Chaplin: Charlie Chaplin tries to teach people his famous walk
* South: during his legendary Antarctic expedition, Shackletons ship Endurance is crushed by
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

pack ice (with score)

Mr Bean (on SibeliusEducation.com): an animated excerpt of the well-known comedy character, with the original score by Howard Goodall
Marching Band: Santa Clara Vanguard playing Sheherezade (with score; listen to it using the
video soundtrack rather than MIDI playback)
Shadowscan: a medical emergency
More is Less: montage of London
Blue Pullman: footage of the famous 1960s train
Jazz Age: musicians and a dancer entertain some polar bears
Holiday: vintage holiday camp footage
Box Clever: an animated battle between two boxes (with score)

To find the videos on the Sibelius DVD, insert it in your DVD-ROM drive, then:
* Windows: from the dialog that appears, choose Browse this disc. The videos are in the folder

called Videos.
* Mac: open the folder called Example scores & Documentation. This contains a folder called
Videos, containing the videos.
Copy the videos onto your hard disk before using them with Sibelius.
To download the additional videos from SibeliusEducation.com, just visit the site, or choose
Help > SibeliusEducation.com in Sibelius.
The footage clips from the films Holiday, Blue Pullman, Jazz Age, More Is Less and Shadowscan are all supplied with kind permission from the British Film Institute. All rights reserved.

File formats
Sibelius will play any video file format supported by your operating system. On Windows this will
normally include .avi, .mpg, .wmv and, if you have QuickTime installed, .mov files. Mac users
should be able to play .avi, .mpg and .mov files. Sibelius also requires that you have the necessary
codecs installed on your system in order to play back the video file you have selected, so you may
find that some files fail to play back, even though they use one of these file extensions, and other
files with the same extension play without problems. However, if this happens you will probably
find that the video also fails to play in other video players on your computer as this is due to a lack
of the required codec. If Sibelius cannot recognize the format of a file, it will notify you and the
video will not be attached to the score.

Saving and opening scores with video files

When you save a score with a video added, Sibelius saves the file location of the video in the score.
If you need to give your score to another Sibelius user, you must also supply them with the video
file itself if you want them to be able to view it (the video is not embedded in the Sibelius file).
When opening a score with a video added, Sibelius first looks for the video file in the folder it was
opened from. If it cant find the video file, it will ask you whether you wish to locate the video file
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4.9 Video
manually. If you click Yes, a dialog appears in which you can set the new path of the file. If you
click No, then Sibelius wont attempt to play the video.

Hiding and showing the Video window

When you add a video to a score, Sibelius will automatically show the Video window. If you wish
to hide or show the Video window, choose Window > Video (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+V or zXV).
There is also a button on the toolbar that will switch the Video window on and off.

Hit point

Full screen

Double size

Volume slider

Hiding the Video window does not remove the video from the score. In fact, the video will still
continue to play back along with the score whilst remaining invisible, so you will still be able to
hear the videos soundtrack. If you wish to remove the video from the score permanently, see
Removing a video above.

Setting the volume level of the video

Sibelius allows you to adjust the volume of the videos soundtrack independently of the score by
changing the position of the volume slider at the bottom of the Video window. When set to its leftmost position, the soundtrack of the video will be completely silent.

Setting the size of the Video window

The Video window has four size presets so that you can select the most suitable dimensions for
the video. These four buttons can be found at the bottom of the Video window (see above) and
options are also in the Play > Video and Time submenu. The video can be set to 50%, 100% or
200% of its original size, or alternatively can be in Full Screen mode (see below).

Full screen mode

Using full screen mode for videos can be useful, but you should be aware that precisely
what happens depends almost entirely on the codec used by the video itself and the behavior of
the hardware or software being used to render the video.
* If you have a dual-display system, you may find that you are unable to choose which display you

want the video to appear on, in which case it may be impossible for you to watch the video on
one display and the score on the other. You may also experience problems such as Sibeliuss
playback line not drawing properly, or the Video window appearing frozen on one display with
the video itself running full screen on the other, etc.
* On Windows, if you are using a QuickTime codec to play back your video, it will play in full
screen on your primary display, regardless of the display the Video window happens to be on
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Half size

Full size

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* On Windows, if you are using Windows Media to play back your video, switching to full screen

mode will play the video at full screen on the display on which the Video window was previously located. If you click on the Video window or stop playback on Sibelius, the video will
immediately exit full screen mode: this is a feature of the Windows Media codec.
On single-display systems, full screen mode works largely without problems. However, if you do
encounter problems, you can normally restore the window back to its previous size by hitting Esc.

Windows Media and QuickTime (Windows only)

Some videos play back better using Windows Media and others with QuickTime. Sibelius allows
you to choose your preferred player from the Display page of File > Preferences. If you do not
have QuickTime installed, you will not be able to choose this option.
If you attach a video that is not supported by your chosen video player, Sibelius will try to use the
other player, overriding your setting. This may happen if, say, you try to play a QuickTime .mov
file using Windows Media.
Sibelius will display the name of the video player it is using in parentheses in the title bar of the
Video window after the videos filename.

Translucency of the Video window

Sibelius allows you to make the Video window translucent along with the other tool windows. This
setting can be found on the Display page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac).
Unlike the other tool windows, however, it is possible to switch off the Video windows translucency independently. This is sometimes necessary as some hardware configurations and codecs
may cause flickering or ghost images in the Video window during playback when it is translucent.
For more information about translucent windows, b 5.3 Display settings.

Start time
You can set the video to start playing from some point other than the start, in order to (say) skip a
trailer that you are not scoring in Sibelius. You can also tell Sibelius only to begin playing the video
back from a certain point in the score. There are three settings in Play > Video and Time > Timecode
and Duration that allow you set up the exact correlation between the score and video, as follows:

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* Timecode of first bar: this setting tells Sibelius the time position of the first bar.
* Start video at: this is the time position at which you want the video to start playing back in the

score. This is expressed as an absolute time, so the position must always be higher than or equal
to the Timecode of first bar. If you want the video to begin playing back at the very start of the
score, then choose start of score.
* Start video from: this setting is used when you want the video to start playing back from a
point other than its very beginning. For example, if you had a video file that starts with two seconds of lead-in tape, you would probably want to ignore the first two seconds completely and
tell Sibelius only to start playing the video from after that point. To do this, you would set Start
video from to two seconds.
The dialog can understand a variety of formats. 100, 00:01:00:00 and 1:00 are all equivalent to
one minute. Additionally, Sibelius will interpret any single whole number entered into any of
these fields as seconds, so entering 18 will always evaluate to 00:00:18:00. When entering values
involving frames, you should ensure you use the same frame rate as selected in Frames.

Adding your music to video files

Both Windows and Mac OS X come with inexpensive or free software that enable you to add the
music youve written in Sibelius to the video file itself. First you need to export your score as an
audio file in Sibelius b 8.13 Exporting audio files. Then you can import the file
Sibelius creates, along with the video file you wrote the music to, into your movie editor.
Windows Movie Maker is included on all Windows systems, and iMovie comes free with any Apple
computers originally purchased with the Mac OS X operating system. Visit www.apple.com/
ilife/imovie for more information.
If you are using Windows and would like to have a go at composing some music to your own visuals for a bit of fun, visit www.picasa.com and download the free software that allows you to
quickly generate smart video slideshows from your own digital photo albums.

Playing back an audio track in sync with your score

You can use Sibeliuss video feature to play an audio track back in sync with your score, which can
be useful for transcription, or even for adding real recorded audio to the playback of your score
(e.g. a recording of an acoustic instrument or singer playing the melody).
To add an audio track, choose Play > Video and Time > Add Video, and in the dialog that appears
set the file type menu to All files. You can then choose any audio file in a suitable format (e.g.
.wav, .mp3, .aiff, etc.), and it will be linked to your score. Notice that when you add an audio
track to your score, the Video window shrinks down so that only the buttons and the slider to control the volume are visible.
You can use Plug-ins > Other > Set Metronome Mark to match the tempo of your score to the
tempo of your audio track. Beware, however, that when you adjust the tempo of your score using
the tempo slider in the Playback window, the pitch of the audio track will change as it is sped up
or slowed down.
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For further information on working with timecode and hit points, b 4.10 Timecode and hit
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4.10 Timecode and hit points

b 4.1 Playback, 4.9 Video.
v Video.

Timecode means the position in time of a point in a score or video. It is usually measured from the
start of the score, or in film/TV scoring from the start of the reel or some other convenient point.
When you play back a score, a timecode read-out is displayed in the Playback window, together
with a read-out of the current tempo in beats per minute (b 4.1 Playback).
Sibelius can also display timecode automatically as text above every barline in your score. It calculates the time position of barlines based on the number of bars, bar lengths and metronome marks
up to that point. Timecode is particularly useful for working out precise timings of particular passages of music, or for synchronizing musical events with hit points (events in a film).
Sibelius does not synchronize playback with or display an incoming SMPTE or MTC data stream.
This functionality is provided by professional sequencers such as Pro Tools, which can be used to
play back music in this way if you export it from Sibelius as a MIDI file (b 8.12 Exporting MIDI
files). Sibelius will, however, synchronize playback with digital video files which can easily be
attached to any Sibelius score (b 4.9 Video).

Timecode read-out
During playback, timecode and tempo readouts appear on the Playback window:

You can switch the Playback window on and off using Window > Playback (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Y
or zXY) or with the toolbar button . The timecode display (on the bottom left) shows the time
elapsed since the start of the score (rather than the time elapsed since playback started) in other
words, it shows the absolute score time values specified by Play > Video and Time > Timecode
and Duration (see below), rather than real time.

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Timecode and Duration dialog

The Play > Video and Time > Timecode and Duration dialog contains various options relating
to time, which are saved in the score.

Playback

Notating timecode in the score

To write timecode in your score, switch on Above every bar or At start of every system. To
change the staff it appears above, choose from the list under Position. This automatically displays
timecode as text over every barline in your score; to move the timecode higher or lower, choose
House Style > Default Positions and adjust the vertical position of the Timecode text style
accordingly (b 7.11 Default Positions).

Units
Timecode can be displayed in several formats:
* Frames (e.g. 01:23:04:13), which is the standard format used for film/TV scoring
* 0.1 seconds (e.g. 1:234.5), which is more legible but not quite as precise
* Seconds (e.g. 1:234), which is rather imprecise but useful for rough timings.

If your score includes repeats, repeated bars will show two or more timecodes in a pile, one for
each pass of the music b 4.6 Repeats.
Timecodes are printed when you print your score, but by default are not displayed in parts. If you
wish to switch timecode on in parts, use the House Style page of the Multiple Part Appearance
dialog (b 6.3 Multiple Part Appearance).
Because film and video can run at different speeds, timecode can be calculated based on the number of frames per second. 15, 24, 25, 29.97 (non-drop), 29.97 (drop) and 30 (non-drop) are
all used in various kinds of film or video, and 100 (centiseconds), while not a standard film or
video speed, is included as you may find it useful.

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Start time
Timecode of first bar specifies the timecode of the start of the score (in the format Hours:Minutes: Seconds:Frames).
This is used as an offset for all displayed times (i.e. both for the timecode read-out during playback in the Playback window, and any timecode text in the score). If you are using a frame-based
timecode format, the frames value of the start time is interpreted according to the current frames
per second setting in the dialog.
Changing the Timecode of first bar has two uses:
* If your score is intended for film/TV work, the start time is often required to specify the location

of a particular cue in the film

* If your score is part of a larger work, such as one movement of a symphony, set the start time of
the score to the end time of the previous movement (given as the duration on the last page of
the previous movement). Then all timecodes will be relative to the start of the symphony rather
than the start of this movement.
For details of the Start video at and Start video from options, b 4.9 Video.

Duration at end of score

This calculates and writes the duration of your score on the last page, e.g. 433, in whatever format you have chosen for units.
If you set a start time for the score, it is added to the duration so if you split a work into two files
and set the start time of the second to the duration of the first, then the duration of the second file
tells you the cumulative time up to that point. (See Start time above.)

How timecode and duration are calculated

The timecode and duration of score values take account of repeats (b 4.6 Repeats), tempo text
(e.g. Allegro) and metronome marks (b 3.1 Working with text), fermatas (pauses) and rit./
accel. lines (b 2.16 Lines) and are instantly updated whenever you create or edit these. Try it
and see!
However, timecode values do not take account of adjustments to playback speed made with the
tempo slider.

Hit points
Hit points are time references in the score that pinpoint important events that occur in a film or
video, to make it easier for you to write music that fits in with these points. Sibelius allows you to
add named hit points that even move around to show the corresponding point in the film or video
if the timings in your score change.

How to add hit points to your score

When you add a hit point to your score, it will be added at the current position of the playback line.
Suppose you had a video where an important event happens at 0432: you would use the timeline
slider on the Playback window to navigate to this point in the video, and then use the rewind and
fast-forward buttons to advance in either direction in finer (0.2 second) steps if necessary.
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When the frame you wish to mark is showing in the Video window, click the Add Hit Point button
on the Video window, or choose Create > Other > Hit Point. A hit point will be added
above that point in the score.
You can also add hit points to your score using the New button in Play > Timecode and
Duration > Hit Points. Adding hit points this way will always add them at the very beginning of
the score, regardless of the current position of the playback line, and you can then type in the
timecode position you want (see below).
You can move the hit points up or down in the score by changing the Vertical position of the Hit
points text style in House Style > Default Positions b 7.11 Default Positions.

Editing the time position and name of hit points

You can edit any hit point in your score by choosing Play > Video and Time > Hit Points (shortcut Shift+Alt+P or xzP). This dialog lists all the hit points in your score:

Playback
* The Timecode column shows the absolute time position at which each hit point falls. The format of this display will depend on the timecode setting you have chosen in Play > Video and
Time > Timecode and Duration. This field is editable by double-clicking the time value you

wish to change.
* The Bar.beat.100ths column shows the location of the hit point in the score in terms of bars,
beats and hundredths of a beat. For instance, 64.2.96 would be bar 64, beat 2.96. If a hit point
falls precisely on a beat, the hundredths value will be omitted. You cannot change this value
manually, but it will update automatically if you reposition the hit point by editing its Time.
* The Name column shows the name of each hit point in your score. You can edit the name of
any hit point by double-clicking its current name. Note that you must press Return after entering a new name to enter it into the table.

Deleting existing hit points

If you wish to remove a hit point from the score, you can do so from Play > Video and Time > Hit
Points. Select the hit point you wish to delete, then click Delete. If you wish to delete all hit points
from your score, click Delete All.
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Fit selection to time

If you want to make a particular hit point arrive at a specific point in the score, you need to adjust
the tempo of the score. Sibelius has a plug-in to perform the necessary calculations for you see
Fit Selection to Time on page 402.

Shifting all hit points

There may be some instances where your scores hit points fall out of sync with the video if you
have made changes to the score start time or video start time settings. In order to rectify this problem, you can offset all the hit points you have created by the same time value by clicking Shift All
in Play > Video and Time > Hit Points. You can enter any positive or negative offset using a variety of formats (100, 00:01:00:00 and 1:00 are all equivalent to one minute). Also, Sibelius will
interpret any whole number entered into any of these fields as seconds, so entering -4 will always
evaluate to -00:00:04:00. When entering values that specify frames, you should ensure you use the
same frame rate as selected in the Frames section of Play > Video and Time > Timecode and
Duration (see above).

Showing hit points on a staff

Some composers find it useful to relate the position of each hit point to the closest beat position in
the music, often by adding cross noteheads to a single line staff at the top or bottom of the score.
Sibelius has a plug-in to do this for you see Add Hit Point Staff on page 400.

Text styles
Timecodes are written using the Timecode text style, and hit points using the Hit points text style.
Their height above the staff is determined by the value of the relevant text styles vertical position
in House Style > Default Positions (b 7.11 Default Positions). You can also adjust the vertical position of the scores duration as it appears below the final bar of the score by editing the
Duration at end of score text style.

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4.11 Playback Devices

MIDI setup for Windows, MIDI setup for Mac in Handbook; b 4.3 Mixer,
4.4 Sibelius Sounds Essentials, 4.14 Working with virtual instruments.
v MIDI setup.

This topic introduces the concept of playback configurations, and details how to set up configurations using the Play > Playback Devices dialog.

Playback devices
A playback device is a hardware or software device that provides one or more sounds. There are
several types of playback device, including:
* External MIDI hardware, such as sound modules and keyboards with sounds built-in;
* Virtual instruments that use VST or Audio Unit technology, including the supplied Kontakt

Player 2.
Sibelius can play back using any combination of hardware and software playback devices, even
within the same playback configuration.
If you have any external MIDI devices (e.g. sound modules or synthesizers) that you want to use
for playback in Sibelius, you need to connect them to your computer before Sibelius can see
them see MIDI setup for Windows or MIDI setup for Mac in the Handbook.
If youre not familiar with MIDI terminology, b 4.12 MIDI for beginners.
For an introduction to the world of virtual instruments and effects, b 4.13 Virtual instruments for beginners.

Playback configurations
A playback configuration is a collection of settings that determines which of the playback devices
available on your system should be used for playback, which sound set each of them should use,
and how to use their particular capabilities (e.g. that you prefer to use the violin sound from one
device, and the brass sounds from another), so that Sibelius can work out which sounds to use for
each of your scores with as little intervention from you as possible.
You can set up as many playback configurations as you like, each one suitable for different purposes, and switch between them at any time. For example, you may want to use your computers
built-in sounds while composing or arranging so that you dont have to wait for large samples to
load before you can get working, but need to be able to switch easily to using an orchestral sample
library to produce an audio demo or rehearsal CD. This can be achieved simply by creating two
playback configurations and switching between them.
When you switch between playback configurations, you dont need to make any changes to your
score: Sibelius automatically works out the best way to play back your score using the current
playback configuration, so you never need to laboriously re-assign playback sounds.
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* Internal MIDI hardware, such as some soundcards built-in synthesizers;

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Sound sets
A sound set is a file that lists all of the sounds available on a particular MIDI device or virtual
instrument, and tells Sibelius what real instrumental sounds those sounds correspond to, so that
Sibelius can automatically make the best possible use of them.
Note that the choice of available sound sets will be different based on the type of device you have
selected, and Sibelius does not come with sound sets for every possible MIDI device or virtual
instrument. If your device isnt listed in the Sound set column of the Active devices list on the
Active Devices page of Play > Playback Devices, a sound set file may be available from Sibeliuss
online Help Center choose Help > Help Center.
If you have a device for which no sound set is available, you can still use it with Sibelius, by creating a manual sound set. A manual sound set is like a miniature sound set that describes a very specific set of sounds. For example, if you have a virtual instrument that provides a single piano
sound, you dont need a complete sound set file; instead, you create a manual sound set to tell
Sibelius that this device can only play a piano sound. Alternatively, you may be using a virtual
instrument that can provide many sounds, but for which no sound set is available, in which case
you can create a manual sound set that tells Sibelius what sound is available on every channel provided by the device.
You can even create your own sound set file using the separate Sound Set Editor application,
available for download from the online Help Center.

Creating a new playback configuration

To create a new configuration, choose Play > Playback Devices, and choose an existing configuration upon which to base your new one. Click New at the bottom of the dialog, and you will be
prompted to choose a name: type one and click OK. Depending on the devices in use, you may
find that Sibelius is busy for a few moments after you click OK.

Changing the current playback configuration

To use a different playback configuration, choose Play > Playback Devices, and choose an item
from the Configuration list at the bottom of the dialog. Depending on the devices in use, you may
find that Sibelius is busy for a few moments, particularly if the new configuration uses one or
more virtual instruments.

Renaming and deleting playback configurations

To rename an existing configuration, simply choose it from the list at the bottom of the dialog,
then click Rename. Similarly, to delete an existing configuration, choose it from the list, then
click Delete and answer Yes when prompted.

Editing a playback configuration

To make changes to an existing playback configuration, you work with the four pages of the Play >
Playback Devices dialog, which are discussed in detail below.
Notice that when you make any changes in the dialog, an asterisk is appended to the name of the
configuration in the menu at the bottom. To save your configuration, simply click Save.

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Active Devices page

On the Active Devices page, you can choose which of the devices available on your system should
be used by this configuration:

device is listed by its Name and its Type, which may be one of MIDI, VST, AU or Kontakt.
Only Kontakt Player 2 and the full Kontakt 2 program will ever be recognised as type Kontakt.
Other virtual instruments will normally be of type VST; on Mac, some virtual instruments use
the Audio Unit technology, and these will show as type AU. Normal MIDI devices, such as
internal soundcard synths or external keyboards and sound modules, will show as type MIDI.
To activate a device in the current configuration, select it in the Available devices list and click
Activate. When you activate a MIDI device, it is moved from Available devices to the Active
devices list on the right. But when you activate a Kontakt, VST or AU device, it remains in the
Available devices list and is copied to the Active devices list: you can therefore activate more
than one instance of a virtual instrument, but you can only ever have one instance of a MIDI
device.
* The Active devices box on the right lists the playback devices that are activated, i.e. available
for Sibelius to use during playback. In addition to the Name and Type columns in common
with the Available devices list, there is an extra Sound set column. You can click on the sound
set column to choose between the available sound sets. If no suitable sound set is available for
the virtual instrument you are using, set Sound set to (none), and then use the Manual Sound
Sets page to tell Sibelius how to play back using this virtual instrument see below.
You can rename the devices in the Active devices list by double-clicking their names; Sibelius
will append the original name of the device to the name you choose. This can be helpful if you
are using multiple instances of the same virtual instrument, each loaded with a different sound
set or individual sound.
To deactivate a device, select it in the Active devices list and click Deactivate to remove it
from the list.

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* The Available devices box on the left lists the playback devices available on your system. Each

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Manual Sound Sets page

Unlike MIDI devices, it is generally not possible to tell a virtual instrument to play a specific
sound automatically. Sibelius is able to do this for Kontakt Player 2 because it has special support
built-in. However, for other virtual instruments you have to tell Sibelius which sounds are available, by effectively creating a miniature sound set for each virtual instrument. You need to use the
Manual Sound Sets page:
* If you are using a virtual instrument or MIDI device for which there is no sound set available; or
* If you are using a virtual instrument or MIDI device for which there is a suitable sound set, but

which has a fixed set of sounds, e.g. because you are required to load the sounds yourself.
Once you have told Sibelius which sound is available on each channel of your device, it can treat
that device like any other, and automatically route the playback of each staff to the most appropriate available sound.
The options on the Manual Sound Sets page are as follows:

* First choose the virtual instrument from the Device menu at the top of the dialog. You can cre-

ate a manual sound set for any type of device with any kind of sound set; note, however, that
you cannot create a manual sound set for Kontakt Player 2 or the full Kontakt sampler unless
you switch on Allow manual sound sets on the Playback page of File > Preferences (in the
Sibelius menu on Mac). Manual sound sets are unavailable by default for Kontakt Player 2
because you are recommended to allow Sibelius to load the sounds itself.
* Click Show to make the virtual instruments interface appear in another window. There is tremendous variation in how the interfaces of virtual instruments appear and behave, so its
impractical to attempt to provide any help for working with them. Refer to the documentation
that accompanied your virtual instrument for help working out which things to click on. Leave
the window open youll need it again in a minute.

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* If you have already chosen a sound set for this device on the Active Devices page, it will now be

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chosen in the Sound set menu; if not, you can choose it here now. If no suitable sound set is
available, choose (none).
Switch on Use manual sound set to tell Sibelius that it should follow the choices you make
here. If you switch this option off, your manual sound set will not be used, but the settings will
be saved as part of the playback configuration, so that you can restore them again later.
If your device has a sound set, No. channels will be set to the appropriate number of different
channels, slots or sounds the device can play at once. Some virtual instruments are designed to
emulate only a single instrument, such as a specific electric piano or synthesizer, in which case
they can normally play only one sound at once, and therefore No. channels should be set to 1.
Other virtual instruments, particularly those supplied with sample libraries, can play a number
of sounds simultaneously, so No. channels may need to be set to 8 or 16. Notice that the table
on the right of the dialog is updated with the appropriate number of channels chosen here.
If No. channels is not automatically set correctly for your device, set it manually.
Now go back to your virtual instruments interface and load a sound, or set it to an appropriate
preset. If your virtual instrument can play back multiple sounds simultaneously, start by loading a sound into the first channel or slot.
Now look at the Sound Settings options on the Manual Sound Sets page. Either click on the
first row in the table on the right or use the Channel spin control next to choose the appropriate
channel.
If you have chosen a sound set for this device, the Program menu will be enabled and the
Sound ID menu will be disabled.
% If Program is enabled, choose the name of the program you have loaded into your virtual
instrument, then click Apply.
% Switch on Send program change if your device has a sound set chosen but you know that it
requires an explicit program change message to be sent at the start of playback (in which
case Sibelius will send the program change stipulated by the sound set), or if you have no
sound set chosen and know that the sound you want can be chosen with a specific program
change when starting playback (in which case the Program number control will become
enabled, and you can specify the program change to send).
% If Send program change is switched on, you can also switch on Send bank change if necessary; as before, if your device has a sound set, switching on Send bank change will send
the bank change stipulated by the sound set, and if it does not, you can specify the Bank high
and Bank low components of the bank change message to send when starting playback.
% If Sound ID is enabled, choose the sound that most closely matches the sound you have
loaded into your virtual instrument by clicking ... to see a menu. For example, if you have
loaded a violin ensemble sound, choose strings.violin.ensemble from the menu; if its a
Steinway piano sound, choose keyboard.piano.grand.steinway. Be as specific as the menu
allows, as this will help Sibelius to use the sound most appropriately. Once you have chosen
the closest match, click Apply.
% Switch on General MIDI-compatible drum map instead of choosing a single sound ID or
program name if you know that the program on that channel is an unpitched percussion
map that matches the General MIDI standard. If the device is not General MIDI-compatible,

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you will need a sound set file for your device in order to be able to address its unpitched percussion sounds.
* You will see that the first row of the table on the right of the dialog is updated. If your device can
handle another sound simultaneously, repeat the above steps until you have loaded as many
sounds as needed and set up their mappings in the manual sound set.
Dont forget to click Save at the bottom of the dialog to avoid losing what youve just done!
Sibelius needs to be given a sound ID (or program name if a sound set is available) in order to be
able to route playback to a channel automatically. If you dont want Sibelius to route each staff in
your score to a channel automatically because you have (say) a pre-existing template that you
use for all your projects and youre comfortable assigning staves to channels by hand you can set
up an empty manual sound set. Simply set No. channels to the appropriate number and switch
on Use manual sound set, but make no other choices.
To make Sibelius use those channels in playback, you must open each staff s strip in the Mixer in
turn, and explicitly choose the device it should use (so that the devices name does not appear in
parentheses), then explicitly choose the channel explicitly using the arrows at the right-hand side
of the channel read-out. For more details, see Staff strips on page 241.

Preferred Sounds page

Having chosen which devices to use for playback, and set up any manual sound sets as necessary,
you can now tell Sibelius which devices to use for which kinds of sounds. For example, if you prefer the brass sounds of one device and the string sounds of another, you can tell Sibelius to use
these devices for these kinds of sounds whenever possible.
Setting up the Preferred Sounds page is completely optional: Sibelius is designed to choose the
best available sound in any given situation. So you can ignore this page of the dialog altogether
and just let Sibelius get on with sorting out which of your sounds to use.
But if you want to do so, you can set your preferences on the Preferred Sounds page of Play >
Playback Devices:

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* Using the Sound IDs tree view on the left of the dialog, select the group of sounds for which you

want to specify a preferred device. When you select a branch of the tree, you also implicitly
select all sub-branches within it. This means that if you select, say, Strings, you are also selecting Strings.Violin and everything underneath it, as well as Strings.Violoncello and everything
within that.
* Once you have chosen the appropriate branch, you will see that For this sound ID shows the
complete sound name you have chosen. Now make your choice from the Prefer this device list
and click Add to set your preference.
* Notice that the preference you have set up is now shown in the list on the right of the dialog. If
you want to remove any of your existing choices, simply select it in the list and click Remove.
You can be as specific as you like in your preferences: if you generally want brass sounds to be
played by a particular device, just select Brass and set a preference; if, on the other hand, you want
to always use a particular device that closely emulates the sound of a Hammond B3 organ when
your score uses such an instrument, you can select keyboard.organ.drawbar.percussive.with
rotary speaker, and then set a preference for that sound only.

Effects page
The Effects page allows you to load effects into the various buses provided:

Master Insert Effects are effects that are applied to the entire audio signal just before it is output
by your sound device and, shortly afterwards, makes its way to your ears. Effects such as compressors and limiters can usefully be added as master insert effects, as you would normally want them
to apply to all of the sound produced by all the virtual instruments you are using. You may also
want to use reverb as a master insert effect, though doing it this way means that you cannot alter
the amount of reverb virtual instrument by virtual instrument. You can chain up to four master
insert effects: the audio signal is passed through each effect, one after the other.

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As with the settings on the other pages of this dialog, dont forget to click Save to save your
changes.

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Sibelius also provides four effects send buses, which can be used to direct some of the audio signal
to one or more effects. These buses are post-fader, meaning that the amount of signal sent to the
effect depends on the level of the volume fader for the output of the virtual instrument. You
choose how much of each virtual instruments output signal is sent to each of the send buses using
the controls in the Mixer window (b 4.3 Mixer). You can chain up to two effects in each of the
four send buses.
You can use the send buses to add effects to the output of individual virtual instruments. For
example, you may have a guitar virtual instrument and want to add a stomp box effect: load the
stomp box effect into one of the send buses, and send some of the output from your virtual instrument to that send bus.
Adding an effect to your playback configuration is very simple: simply choose it from the dropdown list for the appropriate slot in whichever bus you want it to appear. To show an effects
graphical interface, click the Show button. Any changes you make in the effects interface are
saved when you save your configuration.
Note that effects can only affect the sound produced by virtual instruments, because the sound
produced by MIDI devices isnt part of the same audio stream (indeed, for external MIDI devices
the sound is never inside your computer at all).

Audio Engine Options

To set up the audio interface Sibelius should use for playback, click Audio Engine Options at the
bottom of Play > Playback Devices. This dialog appears:

* Choose the device you want to use for playback from the Interface drop-down. On Windows,

you may see the same device listed several times, with different acronyms in parentheses at the
end:
% If you see a device with (ASIO) at the end of its name, use this one. ASIO (which stands for
Audio Stream Input Output) provides a low latency interface, and so is ideal when you are
using virtual instruments and effects for playback and input.
% Devices with (DS) at the end of their name use Microsofts DirectSound technology. DirectSound doesnt provide such low latency as ASIO, but is recommended if no ASIO device is

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*
*

The Use virtual instruments and effects option at the top of the dialog allows you to disable
Sibeliuss support for virtual instruments and effects altogether. Switch this option off, then
restart Sibelius if you want only MIDI devices to appear in Play > Playback Devices.
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available. Depending on the specific hardware, a DirectSound device may or may not provide
low enough latency for use when inputting via Flexi-time.
% Devices with (MME) at the end of their name use Microsofts MultiMedia Extension technology, a predecessor of DirectSound and ASIO. Some inexpensive soundcards or built-in
sound hardware (in laptops or low-end desktop computers) only support MME, which will
generally work adequately for playback, but will definitely not provide low enough latency
for use when inputting via Flexi-time.
On Windows, Sibelius will automatically choose an ASIO device if one is available; it will otherwise choose a DirectSound device, or a Multimedia device as a last resort.
On Mac, practically every device supports Mac OS Xs built in Core Audio standard, so you will
normally only see (CoreAudio) at the end of each devices name. Core Audio is similar to ASIO
in that it provides a low latency interface. Sibelius will use the device chosen on the Output tab
of the Sound pane of System Preferences by default.
On Windows, when you are using an ASIO device, the ASIO Setup button is enabled. Clicking
this button opens your devices ASIO control panel, where you can modify various comfortingly
technical settings specific to your device.
Outputs allows you to choose which of your devices outputs to use for playback. Most soundcards have a single pair of stereo outputs, so you will see only 1/2 in this menu. If you have a
soundcard or other audio interface with multiple pairs of outputs, each pair will be listed here.
Buffer size, as you might expect, determines the size of the buffer provided by your audio interface for data to be streamed into, which has an effect on the latency of the device: the larger the
buffer, the higher the latency. The buffer sizes provided by your hardware may vary, but for
most ASIO and Core Audio devices, a reasonable buffer size is 1024 samples.
Sample rate is the frequency at which the audio is played back through the audio interface.
Normally this should be set to 44100Hz.
Latency is the amount of time, in milliseconds, it takes for the audio device to play a note after
Sibelius tells it to. You cant edit the latency directly; its calculated by the combination of buffer
size and sample rate.
On Windows, you will also see an option to choose the folder from which Sibelius should load
your virtual instruments and effects. By default, it looks in C:\Program Files\Sibelius Software\VSTPlugins. You can change this by clicking Browse if you already have virtual instruments and effects in another location on your computer, but note that Kontakt Player 2 is
installed into Sibeliuss VSTPlugins folder by default, so you may need to copy the Kontakt
Player 2 DLL from the default location to your preferred location if you want to use it. (On Mac,
all virtual instruments and effects live in a single location specified by Mac OS X, so there is
never any need to change it.)
Click Rescan if you have added or removed any virtual instruments or effects from the folder
Sibelius is using. When you next restart Sibelius, it will re-examine each of the virtual instruments and effects in the specified folder. Beware that this can take a little while!

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Click Close once you have finished making changes in the Audio Engine Options dialog.

Presets for virtual instruments and effects

Some virtual instruments and effects have a number of built-in presets provided by their designers. You can see which presets are available by opening the menu at the top left-hand corner of the
virtual instrument or effects window:

If the menu is empty or only contains a single item, then the virtual instrument or effect you are
using doesnt provide any presets. If you choose a preset from the menu and want to ensure that
your choice is remembered, dont forget to save your playback configuration in Play > Playback
Devices.
To the right of the menu are two further buttons, to load and save .fxp VST preset files. Saving a
preset file saves the state of the virtual instrument or effect to disk, and loading it again restores
the virtual instrument or effect to the same exact state. This is useful if you need to adjust a virtual
instrument or effects settings, and then use those same settings in another playback configuration within Sibelius, or even in another application.

Playback preferences
The Playback page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac) provides the following
options:
* In the Default Playback Configuration group, you can tell Sibelius to always load a specific

playback configuration when you start the program.

* In the Kontakt Player 2 Options group:
% Switch off Load sounds when opening scores if you dont want Kontakt Player 2 to load

the sounds required to play your score until you either start playback or select a note.
% Re-use sounds that are already loaded tells Sibelius not to reload every single sound
when you switch between different scores. You should leave this switched on.
% Switch on Allow manual sound sets if you want to control the loading of sounds into Kontakt Player 2 or the full Kontakt package yourself. Unless you know what youre doing, you
should leave this switched off.

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* In the Slot and Channel Sharing group:
% Switch off Use same slot for all staves of keyboard instruments if you want to adjust the

* In the MIDI Messages group:

% Send reset controllers at start: tells Sibelius whether to reset all the MIDI controllers

when it starts playback; if you use the Proteus 2, switch this option off
% Send bank high (controller 0) and Send bank low (controller 32): these options tell
Sibelius whether to send bank numbers when sending program change messages; if you use
the Roland SC-88 or Korg 05RW, you might want to switch this option off if you find that
sending bank messages changes the mode of the MIDI device or chooses a non-GM bank.
(These settings give global control over whether Sibelius sends bank messages, but you can
also change this on a staff-by-staff basis from the Window > Mixer window
b 4.3 Mixer.)
% Send program changes: tells Sibelius whether to send program changes when it starts playback. You might want to switch this option off if you need to specify the patch used by a particular MIDI channel in your score (e.g. if you are using a program like Gigasampler for
playback).
% Convert Live Playback velocities to dynamics on sustaining instruments means that
Live Playback velocities are converted to dynamics rather than to attack for sustaining
instruments that use the modulation wheel for volume (e.g. in Garritan Personal Orchestra).

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sound, volume or pan of each staff of a multiple staff instrument (e.g. piano, organ, etc.)
individually.
% Switch on Use same slot for similar instruments if you need to limit the number of slots
or channels Sibelius uses to play back your score. With this option switched on, Sibelius will
actively try to share similar instruments (e.g. all woodwinds, all brass, all strings) onto the
same slot or channel.
% Use variant sounds for identical instruments tells Sibelius to try and find different equivalent sounds when you have several instruments that use the same basic sound (e.g. first and
second violins in an orchestral score, or four alto saxophones in a big band score) to reduce
the homogeneity of the sound. The effectiveness of this option depends on the capabilities of
the playback devices you are using.
% Switch off Automatically allocate slot for click track if you never use Flexi-time recording or never want to hear a metronome click during playback. When this option is switched
off, Sibelius will not reserve a slot or channel for the click track, freeing it up for another
sound (and, if you are using Kontakt Player 2 for playback, preventing Sibelius from loading
an otherwise unnecessary percussion patch). However, if you subsequently start Flexi-time
recording or unmute the click track during playback, Sibelius will not load an appropriate
click sound unless you switch this option back on. It is therefore recommended that you
leave this option switched on.
* In the Display group, you can tell Sibelius whether you want it to display Sound IDs (the
default setting) or Program names. If you choose to display program names, Sibelius will show
them in the Mixer and House Style > Edit Instruments dialogs whenever possible.

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* In the Error Reporting group, you can decide whether Sibelius should Warn when MIDI

devices return errors. Switching this option off suppresses the errors returned by the operating systems MIDI system. It is recommended that you leave this option switched on, as the
error messages can be very useful in troubleshooting problems with playback and note input
from external MIDI devices. On Windows, errors relating to playback include the code
MMSYSTEM/OUT, while errors relating to input say MMSYSTEM/IN.
If you see an error message when starting Sibelius or during playback, you should try to obtain
a driver update from the manufacturer of your soundcard or other audio device. If no update is
available, or if it makes no difference, check to see if you actually experience any problems with
playback or input: some of the error messages are harmless, and if that applies to you, you can
either suppress individual errors by switching on Dont say this again when they appear, or
suppress them altogether by switching off Warn when MIDI devices return errors instead.

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4.12 MIDI for beginners

This topic assumes that you know very little about anything at all. (It was originally entitled
MIDI for idiots, which could give offense but does have certain poetic qualities.) Read this topic
if you know little or nothing about MIDI. Skip this topic if you know quite a lot about MIDI.
For information on plugging your MIDI devices into your computer and setting it up,
b 4.11 Playback Devices, and MIDI setup for Windows and MIDI setup for Mac in the
Handbook.

Basic question what is MIDI?

MIDI is supposed to make your life easy, in the same way that plugging a printer into your computer is now quite easy. Remember the good old days, when you couldnt even work your printer
without a computing degree, and the manual disconcertingly included a complete circuit diagram
in case you needed to solder on extra components? Ah, those were the days!
Unfortunately, in the sphere of MIDI those days are still with us. People using MIDI devices are
still expected to have a working knowledge of technicalities like MIDI channels, program numbers, banks and worse knowledge that in most cases can and should be hidden from everyone
except the experts.
(*This superficially obvious point does need spelling out, as we have on a number of occasions been asked questions such as: How big is a MIDI?)

Program numbers and General MIDI

The sounds available from MIDI devices are referred to by numbers, typically in the range 0 to
127. The piano sound might be number 0, and the flute sound number 73. It would be nice if these
were called instrument numbers or sound numbers, but in practice theyre called program numbers for obscure historical reasons. (They are sometimes called program changes, patch numbers or voice numbers instead, confusingly.)
Until recently program numbers werent standardized. Though program 0 happens to be a piano
sound on most devices, program 73 might be anything. Before standardization, you used to have
to tell computers the program numbers you wanted for each instrument in each score, which
could be very tiresome. Also, if you played the same score on other MIDI devices, you might get
the wrong sounds not very satisfactory.
Fortunately a standard list of 128 sounds has emerged, called General MIDI (known as GM to its
friends). These sounds start with piano as program number 0, and pass through most of the
instruments you can think of, with a very final gunshot as program number 127. Virtually all
soundcards and a lot of new MIDI devices follow this standard, maybe with extra sounds too. Professional MIDI devices are less likely to be General MIDI compatible.
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MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It is a standard, not a thing* the universal
standard for connecting electronic musical instruments together. MIDI keyboards, synthesizers,
sound modules, samplers and other electronic music gadgets can all be plugged into one another
with MIDI cables, and can also be plugged into your computer. Soundcards, software synthesizers
and virtual instruments are also MIDI compatible, and as theyre already in your computer you
dont need to attach cables at all in order to play music back.

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More recently, the MIDI manufacturers have got together again and ratified some additions to the
General MIDI standard, resulting in General MIDI 2, or GM2 for short. GM2 adds an extra 128
sounds to the standard set, among other things, but it isnt yet in very widespread usage. You can
usually tell if your own MIDI device is GM- or GM2-compatible by seeing if it includes the appropriate logo on its front panel.
Within Sibelius program numbers works like this: whenever you create a flute staff Sibelius normally sets it to program number 73, which is the General MIDI program number for a flute sound.
When you play back the score on any General MIDI-based device, this produces the right sound.
Its as simple as that.
Moreover, if you connect a different device and tell Sibelius what type of device it is, Sibelius will
alter the program number to produce that devices best flute sound. Sibelius can be used with any
MIDI device.

Counting from 0
A pointless complication of MIDI is that some manuals list program numbers in the range 0-127
and others in the range 1-128. (This is because for obscure technical reasons, computer programmers count from 0, so when designing the internal workings of MIDI devices they tend to get carried away and forget that normal people count from 1.)
The annoying consequence of this is that sometimes when setting up MIDI devices you find you
get the wrong sound and have to add or subtract 1 from a program number to correct the problem. Sibelius almost always makes the adjustment for you, so try not to think about this.

Banks: variants of sounds

Some MIDI devices can play back hundreds of different sounds, even though program numbers
only go up to 127. This limitation is overcome by arranging the extra sounds in groups or banks of
program numbers. To access these, you specify the bank number as well as the program number.
A bank number consists of 2 values, though often MIDI devices only specify one of the values (the
other one being implicitly 0).

Channels
If youve had enough of MIDI technicalities, you can skip this bit.
Channels are often the first thing youre told about MIDI, but with Sibelius they are largely irrelevant. Most MIDI devices can only play back up to 16 different sounds at once (that is, only 16 different timbres), even though the maximum number of notes that can play at once might be 32 or
more. You can think of the MIDI device as containing 16 staves called channels that can only play
one timbre at a time. Sibelius, or whatever else is plugged into it, produces different timbres by
saying which channel each note or chord is playing on. Some other things like the overall volume
control (shown as a fader on Sibeliuss Mixer window), pan (= stereo) position and piano pedaling also apply to the channel, not to individual notes.

Other MIDI terms

Some other MIDI terms that we wont explain here but are in the Glossary are: aftertouch, control
change, NoteOn, NoteOff, pan position, pitch bend, track, velocity, volume.
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MIDI files
MIDI files are music files in a standard format sometimes called the Standard MIDI File (SMF)
format, in fact. Almost all music programs and some keyboards can save (export) MIDI files and
open (import) them. Nowadays, you can even buy MIDI files of your favorite music on floppy disk
from your local music shop. The Internet is also full of MIDI files, but beware that many of these
infringe copyright and so are illegal.
You can use MIDI files as one way to transfer music between Sibelius and virtually any other
music program. However, MIDI files are designed for playing music back rather than notating
and printing it. Hence they dont include lots of notational information, such as slurs, articulations and page layout. Even the distinction between F# and Gb is ignored.
These restrictions mean that MIDI files are not a terrific way of transferring music notation from
one computer program to another, though its the only universal standard.

If you want to convert music into Sibelius from Finale, Allegro, PrintMusic or SCORE, Sibelius
transfers much more information than can be done with MIDI files. To do this, b 8.6 Opening
MusicXML files, 8.7 Opening Finale 98-2003 files, and 8.8 Opening SCORE files.

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Fortunately, however, Sibelius does a good job of turning MIDI files into notation or vice versa in
a matter of seconds; b 8.5 Opening MIDI files and 8.12 Exporting MIDI files. But dont
expect miracles: converting a score into MIDI and back again is rather like converting a complex
text document to ASCII (plain text) format and back again the basic information is retained but
layout and other niceties are lost.

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4.13 Virtual instruments for beginners

Music making has been revolutionized by the advances in computer technology over the past two
decades, and nowhere is that more evident than the rise of virtual instruments computer programs that emulate the performance of a real instrument which are increasingly replacing dedicated hardware devices (such as MIDI synthesizers and sound modules).
Taking advantage of the rapidly increasing power of the computers we have on our desks and in
our studios, virtual instruments are attractive because they allow an almost infinite range of
sounds to be produced by the same hardware. With nearly every hardware device, your choice of
sounds is limited to those that the original manufacturer included; when you are working in the
software realm, your sonic palette is limited only by the range of virtual instruments at your disposal, and you can always install a new one.
There are literally thousands of virtual instruments of one kind or another that you can use with
Sibelius, but this landscape can be confusing and intimidating to the beginner. Lets try and sketch
out a map.

What is a virtual instrument?

As weve already touched upon, a virtual instrument is a computer program that emulates the
performance of a real instrument, be it an electronic instrument like an analog or digital synthesizer, or (perhaps of most interest to us) an acoustic instrument.
Generally speaking, virtual instruments perform this emulation by one of two means: playback of
sampled sounds, or sound synthesis. A sample is simply a digital recording of a sound, in this
case usually a single note, and it is the most straightforward way to reproduce the sound of an
acoustic instrument (because the original recording was of that acoustic instrument). Synthesis
means that the sound is produced by mathematical means rather than from a recording, and is
either based on a model that describes the actual sound (e.g. additive synthesis), or on a model
that describes the production mechanism of sound (e.g. modeled synthesis).

Sample-based virtual instruments

A good example of a sample-based virtual instrument is Kontakt Player 2, which is included with
Sibelius 5: it is able to load collections of samples (normally called libraries) and play music
back with them, loading up to 16 different programs, or sounds, at once.
In the olden days of MIDI, a single program would only mean a single sound e.g. a violin arco
sound would be one program, and a violin pizzicato sound would be another. In the world of sample-based virtual instruments, however, a single program may include many related sounds to
continue the violin example, not only arco and pizzicato but also other playing techniques (sometimes known generically in the world of virtual instruments as articulations) such as legato,
staccato, spiccato, col legno, tremolo, and so on all of which are loaded into the same channel
and arranged in layers, meaning that they are part of the same program but hidden away until
called upon.
You switch between the different layers using a variety of special techniques, such as playing a
very high or (more usually) very low note on your MIDI keyboard (this is known as a keyswitch,
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because the sound switches at the press of a specific key), or adjusting a continuous MIDI controller (e.g. using the modulation wheel on your MIDI keyboard). The most sophisticated samplebased virtual instruments can assign any sound to any combination of keyswitches, MIDI controllers, and even esoterica like MIDI breath controllers (which makes the wearer look as if he is playing an invisible harmonica).
Fortunately, Sibeliuss playback engine is powerful enough that it knows how to insert keyswitch
notes, modify MIDI controllers and so on for many of the popular sample-based virtual instruments in order to select the most appropriate sound at every point, so you dont normally need to
worry about this.

Sample-based virtual instruments tend to require a lot of hard disk space and a lot of RAM to use
them effectively. Some of the samples are so large that you can only use a few sounds at the same
time on a single computer (and it can take upwards of 10 minutes even to load them all from disk
before you can play anything!), so it is important to strike the right balance between sound quality
and pragmatism. For some hints on these considerations, see How to get the best out of virtual instruments and effects below.

Synthesis-based virtual instruments

Although synthesis-based virtual instruments have long been fantastic at reproducing the analog
and digital synthesizers of the 1970s and 1980s in some cases improving upon the original hardware versions and are also able to faithfully reproduce some other famous sounds, such as the
Hammond organ, it is only recently that great improvements in physical modeling techniques
have begun to bear fruit in producing really convincing renditions of acoustic instruments.
Synthesis-based virtual instruments are attractive because they do not require huge libraries of
samples in order to produce great sound: instead of recording musicians playing each note with
each desired articulation, these virtual instruments build a complex mathematical model of how
the sound is produced, and the result is a faithful simulation of the actual sound. Modeled instruments can respond in real time to the way they are played by the performer almost as well as the
instruments they simulate; this approach can also take account of subtle factors like sympathetic
reverberation and combinations of harmonics in ways that simply playing samples cannot. By
tweaking the model in small ways to account for, say, differences in the design of similar instruments from different manufacturers (such as the differences between pianos from Steinway and
Bechstein), its possible to produce a wide variety of sounds without having to go and record every
note of every instrument.
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Other sample-based virtual instruments include the famous Vienna Symphonic Library, Garritan
Personal Orchestra, EastWest Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra, Sonivox Symphonic Orchestra, Miroslav Philharmonik and thats just a handful of the ones dedicated to reproducing the
traditional orchestra! In addition there are virtual instruments targeted at every group of instruments and genre of music, from marching bands and battery percussion (e.g. Virtual Drumline
from Tapspace) to beautiful pianos (e.g. Synthogy Ivory) to ethnic and rare instruments (e.g. EastWest Quantum Leap Ra) to massed choirs (e.g. EastWest Symphonic Choirs) to traditional swing
and big bands (e.g. Garritan Jazz & Big Band, Sonivox Broadway Big Band) to 1960s beat combos
(e.g. EastWest Fab Four), and so on. Fortunately you can use practically any of these virtual
instruments with Sibelius, so the possibilities are almost limitless!

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Some of the more impressive virtual instruments to take this physical modeling approach include
Pianoteq (which models a number of modern grand and period pianos), Lounge Lizard (which
models Wurlitzer and Rhodes electric pianos) and String Studio (which models a variety of
stringed instruments, including guitar, clavinet, and harp).
An interesting kind of hybrid virtual instrument is also emerging, combining both samples and
synthesis to produce virtual instruments that capture the real character of sampled sounds without the requirement for large libraries of samples. A great example of a virtual instrument that
takes this approach is Synful Orchestra.
Synthesis-based virtual instruments, particularly those that employ physical modeling, tend to
require more CPU power than sample-based virtual instruments, but they also require substantially less hard disk space, and somewhat less RAM.

Virtual instrument technologies

There are a number of confusingly-named technologies used by both sample- and synthesis-based
virtual instruments; some are specific to Windows PCs, others are specific to Macs, and still others only allow their virtual instruments to work with certain software packages.
Sibelius currently supports virtual instruments that follow the VST and Audio Units standards.
VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology, and was invented by Steinberg. VST virtual instruments (sometimes shortened to VSTi) can be used on both Windows and Mac. Audio Units
(sometimes shortened to AU) were invented by Apple, and Audio Unit virtual instruments can
only be used on Mac.
There are several other virtual instrument formats, including RTAS (Real Time Audio Suite) and
TDM (Time Division Multiplexing), both of which are formats used by Digidesign Pro Tools, DXi
(DirectX Instrument) and MAS (MOTU Audio System). At present Sibelius doesnt support any of
these. However, most virtual instruments are available in both VST and Audio Unit formats.
Although there are significant differences between VST and AU (and indeed the other formats) as
technologies, as far as the user is concerned there is no practical difference.

Virtual instruments as plug-ins

You will commonly hear virtual instruments that adopt the VST standard in particular called
VST plug-ins. The word plug-in is used to describe any piece of software that can operate
inside another software environment (a program within a program, if you like). For simplicity,
however, when you see the word plug-in in this Reference, it will only mean the plug-ins you
can run from Sibeliuss Plug-ins menu (b 5.11 Plug-ins), and not to virtual instruments.
In addition to being used within another so-called host application, such as Sibelius or Pro
Tools, many virtual instruments also operate in so-called stand-alone mode, meaning that they
can be run on their own with no need for a host, which is ideal for live performance.

Effects
Sibelius can also use effects in addition to virtual instruments, so you should know a bit about
effects. Effects are computer programs that process an audio signal in order to change one or
more characteristics of a sound. Like virtual instruments, sometimes they emulate devices from

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the real world, such as guitar amplifiers or tube compressors, and sometimes they emulate naturally-occurring sound phenomena, such as reverb.
Here are some of the common kinds of effects you may come across:
* Filter effects attenuate (reduce) some frequencies in the audio signal, while letting other fre-

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quencies through unchanged. In truth, most effects (including many of those listed below) are
filters of one sort or another, but when people talk about filters they tend to mean things like
wah-wah, which produces its characteristic sound by varying the frequencies that can pass the
filter, and equalization or EQ effects, which attenuate certain ranges of frequencies and boost
others. Using EQ you can compensate for imperfections in an audio signal or unbalanced frequency response in audio reproduction equipment.
Compressors compress the dynamic range of an audio signal, making the quiet sounds louder
and the loud sounds quieter. The goal is to achieve a more uniform, consistent sound. Compression is especially useful for drums, bass guitars and other rock instruments, though most
records whether in rock and pop, jazz or classical music make use of this effect. You may
also come across limiters, which are simply compressors that provide a greater amount of compression, and which are designed to prevent distortion (or clipping) at high volumes .
Distortion effects alter the original shape of the waveforms that comprise the audio signal.
Although distortion is generally undesirable, it is what gives electric guitars their characteristic,
aggressive sound. The more extreme kinds of distortion effects emulate the loud, harmonically
rich sound of amplifiers, speaker cabinets and fuzz boxes, but subtler distortion effects can also
be useful, such as those that mimic the attractive warmth of sound produced by old-fashioned
vacuum tube (valve) amplifiers or analog tape.
Delay effects take the audio signal as an input, then play it back again after a specified (usually
quite short) period of time. The delayed sound may be played back multiple times, or played
back into the delay again, creating the sound of a repeating, decaying echo. Dont confuse delay
with reverb (see below).
Modulation effects multiply the incoming audio signal, either with copies of itself or with other
waveforms. Common modulation effects include chorus, flanging and phasing. Chorus effects
mix the incoming audio signal with one or more delayed, pitch-shifted copies of itself, simulating the sound of several instruments or voices where there is really only one. Flanging produces
a whooshing sound by mixing the audio signal with a slightly-delayed copy of itself, varying
the delay continuously. It is so named, legend has it, because it was discovered by accident
when a tape machine was being used to produce a delay effect in one of the Beatles recording
sessions, and somebody touched the rim of the tape reel (called a flange), changing the pitch
slightly. Phasing is similar, except that it passes the input audio signal through a filter simultaneously rather than after a varying delay. The filter itself responds differently to different frequencies, resulting in tiny delays of varying lengths at different frequencies. The result is a
sound with a less pronounced whooshing characteristic than is typically produced by flanging.
Reverberation effects, or reverb for short, simulate the way that sounds reflect off the different
surfaces in a room. Sound reaches our ears via many routes, some (e.g. a direct path from a performer to your ear) more direct than others (e.g. bouncing off the wall before arriving at your
ear). Sounds that take a longer route to our ears are attenuated more than those that take a

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direct route, but the time and volume differences involved are so small that we dont perceive
each reflected sound as a copy of the original; rather, we perceive the effect of the entire series of
reflections as a single sound. The most realistic simulations of reverb are produced by convolution, which take a recorded impulse response (a recording of the reverberation of a space,
such as a concert hall, in response to an ideal sound, or impulse) and combines it with the
audio input, producing an output signal that simulates playing your input sound in a specific
room or environment. Convolution reverb is much more complex than other kinds of digital
reverb, which typically use multiple feedback delay circuits to produce a large, decaying series
of copies of the original signal.
If your head is spinning after all this, dont worry. Start small by experimenting with reverb,
which is perhaps the effect that makes the biggest difference to the sounds produced by virtual
instruments. Kontakt Player 2 has its own reverb, or you can add a separate reverb effect if you
like. Once you feel comfortable with reverb, you might want to dabble with compression, which
smooths out the dynamic range. You could even try adding a limiter set to -3dB or -6dB, to ensure
that your overall mix doesnt clip. (See, youre already an expert!)
If you want to try effects out, you can download many free ones from the web, including the
Kjaerhus Classic series (www.kjaerhusaudio.com; Windows only) or Smartelectronixs free
Audio Unit effects (mda.smartelectronix.com/effects.htm; Mac only).
But beware! If you get deeply into the world of effects, pretty soon youll find yourself talking
about the warmth and touch-sensitivity of sound, spouting jargon like riding the gain,
enthusing about slapback echoes... and then there will truly be no hope for you.

How to get the best out of virtual instruments and effects

The downside of using virtual instruments is that they are yet another thing to use up your computers resources, on top of essentials like running the operating system and, more importantly
still, Sibelius. You will find that the more sample-based virtual instruments you want to install,
the more hard disk space you will need; and the more sample-based virtual instruments you want
to run simultaneously, the faster the processor and the greater the amount of RAM you will need.
(With synthesis-based virtual instruments there is less dependence on hard disk space and RAM,
and a greater dependence on processor speed.)
Providing enough disk space is a simple problem to solve: hard disks are inexpensive, capacious
and easy to add (you dont even need to open up your computer if you have a USB 2.0 or Firewire
connector). Its usually recommended to install samples on a separate drive from your operating
system and applications, as this improves disk-streaming performance.
The RAM requirements get complicated more quickly, not to mention technical so if talk of 32bit this and 64-bit that frightens and confuses you, then skip down a couple of paragraphs: the
most important recommendation for RAM is that you should buy as much as you can afford, and
ideally 2GB or more.
Most Windows computers sold for the past decade or so have used 32-bit microprocessors, which
can address a maximum of 4GB RAM (they wont see any more than that, even if you install it),
but Windows itself is only able to make limited use of memory above 2GB, so this is the recommended maximum. Once you take away the memory required to run your operating system and
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Sibelius, you will find you have approximately 1GB RAM left into which you can load samples.
The situation is similar on Macs: though theoretically Mac OS X can easily address more than 2GB
RAM, at the time of writing only one Mac in the current range will accept more than 2GB RAM
(the Mac Pro desktop), and that is really a 64-bit computer, which complicates things still further.
Computers that use 64-bit processors can in theory address up to 16 exabytes of memory (thats
more than 16 million GB!), though in practice the most any computer available today will accept
is 16GB. However, in order to take advantage of the extra power of a 64-bit processor, you also
need a 64-bit operating system, and all your applications, including the virtual instruments themselves, also need to be updated to take advantage of the greater capacity. So at the moment the
benefits are largely theoretical, and it may be another couple of years before support for these
kinds of systems is commonplace.
As a result of the above complications, true power users of virtual instruments often have several
computers ganged together in their studios, each running different virtual instruments, all controlled from yet another computer. This is definitely not something for the faint of heart (or those
without deep pockets) to attempt.

What all this means to mere mortals like us is that there are limits on how many virtual instruments, or how many sounds, can be used simultaneously on one computer, because a great deal of
computational work is required to play them back.
Assuming you have a recent computer with 2GB RAM, a rough estimate would be that you could
play around 3240 simultaneous sounds in real time, though this is highly dependent on the
nature of the sounds you are using.
There are a couple of neat tricks you can use with Sibelius to improve on this, however. Firstly,
you can very easily switch between different sets of virtual instruments, so you can use a lightweight combination for inputting, editing and aural proofing, then switch to a more complex and
demanding combination when you want to hear that special performance. Secondly, even if your
computer struggles to keep up with the demands of playback in real time, you can use Sibeliuss
File > Export > Audio feature to export an audio file of your score, and Sibelius will effectively play
the score back internally, slower than real time, allowing your computer to keep up
b 8.13 Exporting audio files.
In addition to concerns about hard disk space, RAM and processor speed, to consider using virtual instruments exclusively you will also very probably need a high quality audio interface or pro
audio soundcard; this is especially important on Windows PCs (the audio hardware built into
todays Macs is adequate for playback), particularly if you want to use virtual instruments to produce sound during note input as well as playback.
When you input notes using a MIDI controller keyboard, especially in Flexi-time, you need to
hear almost instantaneous feedback (otherwise you will end up playing out of time to compensate
for the delay in hearing what you are playing). The delay between telling the computer to play a
note and you actually hearing it is called latency, and a latency of more than around 20ms is too
high and will lead to input errors.
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If your eyes have glazed over reading the above, pull yourself together now, because heres where
things get interesting again.

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To reduce latency you have to reduce the amount of time it takes to get the MIDI note input messages into your computer and, crucially, the audio out again. A high quality audio interface or
soundcard can reduce latency to 5ms or less. Soundcards primarily intended for playing video
games are not particularly suitable for real-time audio applications and use with virtual instruments; instead, look for cards specifically intended for audio applications. For Windows soundcards, ASIO support is essential (ASIO is another of Steinbergs technologies, and provides good
support for low-latency playback). Soundcards with good ASIO support include products manufactured by M-Audio, Digidesign, Presonus, RME, Echo Digital, and others. An entry-level pro
audio sound card, such as M-Audios Audiophile 2496, will cost considerably less than $200, and
can usually coexist peacefully alongside your existing sound hardware, but will perform much
better than even a high-end gaming-focused soundcard that costs twice as much.

For further information

There are hundreds of web sites and other resources available that can help you deepen your
understanding of the world of virtual instruments and effects. Here are just a few of them:
* Virtual Instruments magazine (www.virtualinstrumentsmag.com)
* Sound on Sound magazine (www.soundonsound.com)
* KVR Audio, a great source of free virtual instruments and effects, and up-to-date information

about commercial products (www.kvraudio.com)

* Northern Sound Source, one of the largest music technology and composer forums on the web
(www.northernsounds.com)
* BigBlueLounge.com, another of the largest music and audio production resource and communities on the web (www.bigbluelounge.com)

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4.14 Working with virtual instruments

This topic provides some examples of how to use different virtual instruments with Sibelius.
If you need an introduction to the world of virtual instruments, b 4.13 Virtual instruments
for beginners before you get started. If you are not yet familiar with the Play > Playback
Devices dialog, b 4.11 Playback Devices.
There are two kinds of virtual instruments discussed in this topic:
* those that can play back different sounds simultaneously, which we will call multi-channel vir-

tual instruments, including Kontakt, Steinberg Halion, MOTU MachFive, EastWest Play, etc.
* those that can play back only a single sound at once, which we will call single-channel virtual
instruments, including Vienna Symphonic Library Vienna Instruments, TruePianos, Pianoteq,
Garritan Steinway, B4, Lounge Lizard, etc.

Sibelius Sounds Essentials

Sibelius Sounds Essentials is the library of sounds that comes with Sibelius, and plays back using
Kontakt Player 2 b 4.4 Sibelius Sounds Essentials.

Other Kontakt Player 2 libraries

There is a growing number of sample libraries available that use Kontakt Player 2, all of which can
be used within Sibelius. Kontakt Player 2-based libraries have the advantage that Sibelius is able to
load the sounds required to play back your score automatically, provided a sound set is available.
The most popular Kontakt Player 2 libraries include Garritan Personal Orchestra, Garritan Jazz
and Big Band, Garritan Concert and Marching Band, and Tapspace Virtual Drumline, as well as
the other libraries in the Sibelius Sounds range, Sibelius Sounds Rock and Pop Collection, Sibelius
Sounds World Music, and Sibelius Sounds Choral.
The simplest way to get started with one of these libraries is to choose one of the existing playback
configurations, e.g. Sibelius Essentials (16 sounds), then click New and type a new name, e.g.
GPO. Then change the Sound set column to the appropriate choice for the library you are using,
and click Close.
For further information:
* Garritan libraries: see the Garritan Wiki at http://www.garritan.info/.
* Virtual Drumline: see http://www.tapspace.com/support/.
* Sibelius Sounds: see the separate printed User Guide that accompanied the product.

Combining different Kontakt Player 2 libraries

You may find it useful to combine sounds from multiple Kontakt Player 2 libraries within the
same playback configuration. For example, Garritan Personal Orchestra does not provide any

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Kontakt Player 2 falls into the former group, but is treated specially, because Sibelius can load
sounds automatically into this virtual instrument. For all other virtual instruments, whether they
are multi-channel or single-channel, you have to load the sounds yourself.

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vocal sounds, so for a score consisting of orchestra plus chorus, you may wish to use the sounds
from Sibelius Sounds Choral in conjunction with your orchestral sounds.
To do this, simply create a new playback configuration with at least two instances of Kontakt
Player 2: choose the Sibelius Choral sound set for one instance, and choose the Garritan Personal Orchestra sound set for the remaining instances. Sibelius will automatically choose to play
the vocal staves using Sibelius Sounds Choral, and the rest of the staves using GPO.
Alternatively, you may wish to combine two libraries whose sounds overlap to some extent. For
example, Garritan Jazz and Big Band does not provide as many keyboard and guitar sounds as
Sibelius Sounds Rock and Pop Collection, so lets imagine that you want to combine the electric
guitar sounds from Rock and Pop Collection with the Jazz and Big Band sounds.
To do this, create a playback configuration with at least one instance of Kontakt Player 2 set to
Garritan JABB and at least one set to Sibelius Rock and Pop. You may find it helpful at this
point to rename the devices in the Active devices list, by clicking twice slowly on each name and
then typing your preferred name.
Now, to tell Sibelius to use the guitars from Rock and Pop, choose the Preferred Sounds page of
Play > Playback Devices, and using the hierarchical list of sound IDs on the left-hand side of the
dialog, select Guitar > Electric. On the right-hand side, choose the Kontakt Player 2 that is set to
play back using Sibelius Sounds Rock and Pop Collection, and click Add. Finally, click Close.

Treating Kontakt Player 2 the same as other virtual instruments

By default, Sibelius always loads sounds into Kontakt Player 2 automatically. If you want Sibelius
to treat Kontakt Player 2 (and the full Kontakt sampler) the same as other virtual instruments,
switch on Allow manual sound sets on the Playback page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius
menu on Mac).
When this option is switched on, you can choose Kontakt Player 2 and switch on Use manual
sound set on the Manual Sound Sets page of Play > Playback Devices, in order to follow any of
the procedures described below.

Using a multi-channel virtual instrument with a sound set

In order for Sibelius to take best advantage of the advanced features of todays sample libraries,
including keyswitches to choose between playing techniques and automation of controllers to
manipulate the quality of the sound (e.g. dynamics) its recommended to have a sound set for the
library. Lets assume youre using the sounds from EastWest Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra (EWQLSO to its friends). It doesnt matter whether youre using them inside its original eightchannel Kompakt player, or within the new EastWest Play player, or even within another sampler,
such as Kontakt.
You now have to load the sounds yourself. To get started, create a new playback configuration,
and add one or more instances of your chosen sampler to the Active devices list. Choose the
appropriate sound set (e.g. EWQLSO Silver) from the menu in the Sound set column.
Now choose the Manual Sound Sets page of Play > Playback Devices. This is where you tell
Sibelius which sound is loaded into each slot or channel of your sampler. Click Show to show
your samplers own window, and proceed to load the desired patch into each channel. In the
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Manual Sound Sets page, switch on Use manual sound set, then ensure No. channels is set to
the appropriate value. Now for each channel, choose the appropriate Program from the list provided, and click Apply after each one. When you have finished loading sounds into your sampler
and choosing the same program for each channel in the Manual Sound Sets page, click Close.
Sibelius will now automatically route playback of each staff in your score to the appropriate program loaded into your sampler, and will be able to take advantage of the keyswitches and other
controller information defined in the sound set.
If you want to manually assign a specific staff to a particular channel, you can do so using the
Mixer: first expand the staff strip, then choose the device from the device menu (so that its name
is not shown in parentheses), then choose the desired sound from the sound menu. You can also
use the arrows to the right of the channel number to change the channel directly.

Using a multi-channel virtual instrument without a sound set

The procedure to set this up is the same as in Using a multi-channel virtual instrument
with a sound set above, until the point at which you show the samplers interface and load the
programs into each channel. On the Manual Sound Sets page of Play > Playback Devices, switch
on Use manual sound set: note that the Program menu is disabled, because you dont have a
sound set.
If you want Sibelius to attempt to route each staff to each channel automatically, you must now
choose an appropriate sound ID for each channel. For example, if you have a sectional violin
sound loaded into the first channel, choose a sound ID of strings.violin.ensemble; if you have an
oboe sound loaded into the second channel, choose wind.oboes.oboe, and so on. Click Apply
after choosing each sound ID, then click Close when you are finished.
If, on the other hand, you are happy to allocate each staff manually, simply make sure that Use
manual sound set is switched on, and that the correct number of channels is chosen, then click
Save and Close. When you now play back, you will most likely hear nothing but silence, since
Sibelius doesnt know which sound is provided by which channel. Using the Mixer, you must now
explicitly choose the device to be used by each staff (so that the devices name is not shown in
parentheses), and then set the channel using the arrows to the right of the channel number.
The biggest drawback of using a sample library with no sound set is that you cannot play back
unpitched percussion without a sound set unless the unpitched percussion program is mapped
the same way as General MIDI percussion. To play back other unpitched percussion, you must
create a sound set file, at least for those programs.

Using a multi-channel virtual instrument with multiple programs per channel

Some samplers allow you to set up banks, which allow access to multiple programs on the same
channel, switching between these programs using MIDI program changes. This means that you
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It is also possible to use a sample library such as EWQLSO without a sound set, although this precludes Sibelius from automatically issuing keyswitch notes and other automation data. Provided
you know the capabilities of your sample library and are comfortable doing the extra programming by hand (e.g. adding ~Nx,y MIDI messages for keyswitch notes, and using Plug-ins >
Playback > Add Continuous Controller Changes for automation data), this can work
quite successfully.

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can, for example, set up different playing techniques for the same instrument (e.g. for a violin
bank you may have legato bowing, staccato bowing, tremolando and pizzicato programs loaded,
accessible via program changes 1 through 4).
As before, you have to load each bank directly in the samplers interface manually.
If you want Sibelius to route playback automatically, there are two approaches: if you have a
sound set file, Sibelius can not only route each staff to the correct channel automatically, but also
switch between the different playing techniques for you; if you dont have a sound set, you can
choose the appropriate sound ID for the basic sound on each channel, and then use explicit MIDI
messages in the score to switch playing techniques (e.g. ~P2 for staccato bowing).
(An aside about creating a sound set for an arrangement of banks: you must decide before you
begin which bank will be loaded into which channel in your sampler, so that you can set up the
channel mask appropriately for each program. In our example, lets assume that the violin bank is
loaded into channel 3: this means that each violin program accessible within the bank must also
have a channel mask set that allows these programs only on channel 3.)
If you want to route playback yourself, then you need only ensure that Use manual sound set is
switched on, and that you have the appropriate number of channels chosen. If your banks require
a specific program change to be sent at the start of playback to ensure the default program is
selected, you can achieve this by switching on Send program change and setting the Program
change value accordingly.
Now you must use the Mixer to explicitly choose the appropriate device for each staff (so that its
name does not appear in parentheses), and set the channel using the arrows to the right of the
channel number read-out. To switch to other programs within the bank, youll need to use explicit
MIDI messages in the score.

Using single-channel virtual instruments

Single-channel virtual instruments can only provide one instrumental sound at once, but
are otherwise identical in operation to multi-channel virtual instruments.
Lets use Vienna Symphonic Library as an example. To build up an ensemble, you must load a
separate Vienna Instrument sample player for each instrumental sound you wish to use. Lets
assume were setting up a playback configuration to play back a string quartet. On the Active
Devices page of Play > Playback Devices, therefore, activate four instances of VSL. They will
appear in the right-hand list as VSL, VSL (2), VSL (3) and VSL (4), so you may find it helpful to
rename them (e.g. to Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello). Set the sound set for each instance of VSL
to the appropriate sound set, e.g. VSL Special Edition.
Now go to the Manual Sound Sets page. Click Show to show the Vienna Instrument interface
and load the appropriate program, then switch on Use manual sound set and choose the corresponding entry from the Program menu, clicking Apply afterwards. Repeat this process for the
other three instances of VSL, then click Close to complete your configuration. When you play
back your score, Sibelius will route each staff to an instance of VSL automatically.
Another example: you may have a virtual instrument that provides an excellent piano sound, e.g.
TruePianos, and want to use it in conjunction with (say) Kontakt Player 2. To achieve this, create
a new playback configuration with one or more instances of Kontakt Player 2, with the appropri322

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4.14 Working with virtual instruments

ate sound set chosen for each, then activate TruePianos. In the right-hand Active devices list, set
Sound set to (none), then choose the Manual Sound Sets page. Switch on Use manual sound
set, and set Sound ID to something appropriate, e.g. keyboard.piano.grand, then click Apply.
Finally, go to the Preferred Sounds page, and choose Keyboard > Piano > Grand from the hierarchical list on the left, before choosing TruePianos from the prefer this device menu and clicking
Add to confirm your choice. Now click Close to complete your configuration.
When you play back your score, Sibelius will use TruePianos for any piano instruments, and Kontakt Player 2 for the other instruments.

Using soundfonts with virtual instruments

Soundfonts are collections of sampled sounds, usually in one of two formats (SF2 and DLS). Initially intended to provide a way of changing the sounds available on soundcards from some manufacturers, it is now possible to use soundfonts without the need for a specific soundcard.
Many soundfonts are available for download from the web. The most useful ones are complete
General MIDI banks, which require no special configuration in Sibelius.

Mac OS X includes built-in support for soundfonts. To use a soundfont on Mac OS X:

* Copy the .sf2 or .dls file into the /Library/Audio/Sound/Banks folder on your hard disk
* Choose a playback configuration that includes the built-in DLSMusicDevice in the list of
Active devices in Play > Playback Devices (e.g. Sibeliuss standard Default configuration)
* Show the DLSMusicDevices interface, e.g. via the Mixer, and choose the desired soundfont

from the Sound Bank menu.

You can only use a single soundfont bank in each instance of the DLSMusicDevice, but you can
activate multiple instances of the DLSMusicDevice in Play > Playback Devices, and set each one
to use a different sound font.

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There is no built-in support for soundfonts in Windows, but the simplest way to use soundfonts
in Sibelius is to use a multi-channel virtual instrument that can load and play them back. For
example, RGC Audios sfz (freeware; available for download from http://www.rgcaudio.com/
sfz.htm) can load SF2 and DLS soundfonts.

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4.15 MIDI messages

For advanced users only
b 4.8 Playback dictionary

MIDI is that most rare of beasts, a standard set by a number of different manufacturers that is
universally implemented and supported. This sounds too good to be true, and it is, because in
order to understand exactly how MIDI works, you need to be able to speak Martian.
MIDI devices (such as your computers soundcard or your MIDI keyboard) send and receive
MIDI messages, which consist of a status byte and one or two data bytes. MIDI bytes can have a
decimal value of 0-127. In order to be device-independent, numbers in MIDI messages (including
program changes) always count from 0, even if your MIDI devices manual counts from 1.
MIDI messages are classified either as channel messages, which affect a single channel (in Sibelius,
this translates to the staff to which they are attached), or system messages, which affect all channels (in Sibelius, all staves).
Channel messages carry the majority of the musical data (e.g. which notes to play, how long they
should last, which sound to use), while system messages are used for more technical things like
synchronization with other MIDI devices.
Sibelius supports all MIDI messages (including control changes, pitch bend, SYSEX, and so on).

Creating MIDI messages in Sibelius

Because Sibelius reads almost all markings in your score and automatically turns them into
appropriate MIDI messages when playing back (b 4.1 Playback), youll generally only need to
enter messages manually in Sibelius in very specific circumstances. These include changing the
sound of a staff mid-way through a score, e.g. when, say, a clarinetist doubles on saxophone in the
same piece, or if you need to use a different sound for different timbres on the same instrument,
e.g. muted and unmuted. The clearest way to do this is to define a new word in the playback dictionary (b 4.8 Playback dictionary).
However, you can also tell Sibelius to send any MIDI message you like at any point, by typing it in
as text using the simple MIDI message commands described below.
These MIDI messages can be appended to ordinary text and are hidden, so if you write 2nd time
molto vibrato ~C1,90 in, say, a repeated section of your music, Sibelius will reset controller 1
(modulation) to zero to silence the staff at the exact point where 2nd time molto vibrato
appears on the printout. The ~C1,90 is automatically hidden (and will disappear completely if
View > Hidden Objects is switched off so its a good idea to switch this on before working with
MIDI messages).
If you need to mute lots of staves, you can of course copy 2nd time molto vibrato ~C1,90 using
Alt+click or z-click to save you retyping, or you can add it to the word menu obtained when you
right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac), and assign it a keyboard shortcut at the same time
b 3.1 Working with text.
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4.15 MIDI messages

When you import a MIDI file, you can choose to have MIDI messages in the file written into your
score, in which case any control changes etc. will appear as if youd typed them in yourself.

Should I use the dictionary or MIDI messages?

Most situations are more conveniently dealt with using the Play > Dictionary dialog. Only the
most esoteric adjustments require MIDI messages, typically to exploit subtle behaviours of specific devices. Certainly if you want your score to play back acceptably on other devices, you should
avoid using MIDI messages wherever possible.

Syntax
You can type MIDI messages into your score using any staff text style typically Technique or
Expression text. MIDI messages can be written on their own, or put at the end of any other text
(such as mute).
Messages take the form: ~ followed by a single command letter, followed by one or more numbers, which are usually separated by commas.

(~ is informally called a swung dash or tilde, but the technical term is twiddle.)
Although using decimal (e.g. 0-127) is the most human-readable way of specifying the values,
some manuals for MIDI devices specify values for MIDI messages in other ways, which can also be
entered directly in Sibelius. Values can be specified using seven decimal bits (preceded by b, e.g.
b0111101) or hexadecimal up to 7F (preceded by h, e.g. h5C), but unless youre a computer, you
wont want to think about this for too long.
Note that:
* MIDI messages are case sensitive (i.e. you must type capitals or small letters as indicated) so

~C0,0 is correct but ~c0,0 wont work

* Hex digits themselves (e.g. 5C) are case insensitive, but the h that precedes the digit must

always be lower case

* You can write multiple messages in the same piece of text, separated by a space or Return (on
the main keyboard), and with just one tilde at the start, e.g.: ~P43 A65 C64,127
* If you like you can also put spaces or Returns around commas and numbers.
You may wish to switch off the Transpose chord/note names option in House Style > Edit
Text Styles for your chosen text style to prevent the capital letter at the start of MIDI messages
(e.g. ~C) being transposed as if it were a chord symbol b 3.10 Edit Text Styles.

Channel messages
Channel messages are split into two types: channel voice messages, which carry the musical data;
and channel mode messages, which affect how the MIDI device responds to the musical data.
Lets examine each of the channel messages in turn:

Program and bank changes

A program change controls which sound is used to play subsequent notes on a particular channel.
Sibelius automatically sends the correct program change for each staff, as set in the Window >
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Mixer window, when it starts playing. However, if you want to change the sound a staff uses midway through your score, you can use a program change message.
Sibelius also allows you to change the bank and program in the same MIDI message. If your playback device only supports General MIDI sounds, youll never need to use a bank and program
change together, but if it has a wider selection of sounds (such as General MIDI 2 or Roland JV1080), you may want to use a sound from a different bank.
There are three kinds of program change message, as follows:
* Program change only: ~P program e.g. ~P76
* Program and bank change, sending bank number: ~P bank,program e.g. ~P24,76
* Program and bank change, specifying MSB and LSB for bank number: ~P MSB,LSB,program,

e.g. ~P64,2,36
(For an explanation of MSB and LSB, see Bank numbers below.)
In all of the above cases, the value of program assumes your MIDI device counts program numbers from 0 rather than 1 (b 4.12 MIDI for beginners). If your MIDI device counts from 1, use
~p instead of ~P.
With a message in the form ~P bank,program, only the LSB is sent if bank is less than 128. If bank
is greater than 128, MSB and LSB are sent according to the formula bank = (MSB x 128) + LSB.
With a message of the form ~P MSB,LSB,program, if you specify a value of 1 for either MSB or
LSB, that byte will not be sent; this allows you to specify sending just the MSB or LSB (if you dont
want to send either, just use a simple program change).
You can find out whether your device counts from 0 or 1 and the values for MSB and LSB in its
documentation. MSB and LSB may also be listed as Coarse and Fine, or CC (Control Change) 0
and 32, respectively.
This is quite a lot to get your head around, so lets take a couple of examples:
Lets say that we want to change the sound of one of our staves to that of a dogs bark midway
through our score, using the Roland SC-88 sound module. The SC-88 manual lists Dog, PC =
124, CC00 = 001. Roland devices count program numbers from 1 (since their manuals list the
first GM sound, Acoustic Grand Piano, as program number 1). The SC-88 is peculiar in that it can
do weird things using the LSB. It uses this to determine whether Roland SC-55 compatibility
mode is used (which is mostly the same as the SC-88 but has fewer sounds available). For this reason, the LSB should normally be 0, and the MSB determines the bank to use.
To change to a dog sound mid-score, enter ~p1,0,124, ~p128,124 or ~P1,0,123 each of these
does exactly the same thing. You could also define a word in the playback dictionary to do the
same thing: add an entry dog, and specify Value to be 123 and Unit to be 128.
By contrast, devices that use Yamahas XG standard keep the MSB constant (at 0) and change the
LSB according to the type of variant of the basic bank 0 sound (e.g. LSB 1 = panned, 3 = stereo,
etc.). Program numbers count from 1. To access the sound PianoStr (bank 40), a variant of the
basic piano sound (bank 0 program 1) use ~p0,40,1.

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Bank numbers
Bank numbers are calculated from two other numbers, known as the Most Significant Byte (MSB)
and Least Significant Byte (LSB, sometimes called Coarse and Fine, or CC (Controller Change) 0
and 32, respectively). The formula for calculating bank numbers is (MSB x 128) + LSB. These values will be given in the manual for your MIDI device. For example, your MIDI devices documentation might say something like:
Bank number

MSB

LSB

Bank 0

64

Bank 1

64

Bank 2

64

So to calculate the bank number for bank 2 in the above example, the calculation is (64 x 128) + 2,
which gives a bank number of 8194, which is the number you can use in a ~P MSB,LSB,program
MIDI message (see above).

Control changes
Control changes are used to control a wide variety of functions in a MIDI device. Although the
function of each control change is clearly defined, not all MIDI devices support every control
change. These are split up into groups, including:
* Control changes 031: data from switches, modulation wheels, faders and pedals on the MIDI
*
*
*
*
*

device (including modulation, volume, expression, etc.)

Control changes 3263: optionally send the LSB for control changes 0-31 respectively
Control changes 6467: switched functions (i.e. either on or off) such as portamento, sustain
pedal, damper (soft) pedal, etc.
Control changes 9195: depth or level of special effects such as reverb, chorus, etc.
Control changes 96101: used in conjunction with control changes 6 and 38 (Data Entry), these
can be used to edit sounds
Control changes 121127: channel mode messages (see Channel mode messages below).

The syntax for control changes is ~Cbyte1,byte2, where byte1 is the number of the control change
(from 0127) and byte2 is the control value (also from 0127).
For full details of the control changes supported by your MIDI device, consult the manufacturers
manual.
The most commonly used control changes are as follows:

Pitch bend
Pitch bend normally allows you to alter the pitch of a note by up to a whole step (tone) up or
down, although there are a couple of ways to increase this range see below.
The syntax of pitch bend is ~B0,bend-by, e.g. ~B0,96.

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Some manuals will present bank numbers as single values rather than as separate MSB and LSB,
in which case you dont need to get your calculator out.

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Bend-by is a number between 0 and 127, where each integer represents 1/32nd of a half-step
(semitone). ~B0,64 produces a note at its written pitch; values lower than 64 flatten the note, and
values higher than 64 sharpen it. To make a note sound one half-step (semitone) higher than
written, use ~B0,96; to make it sound one half-step (semitone) lower, use ~B0,32.
You could, for example, use this control change to make a note play back sharp or flat without
adding an accidental, e.g. if you want to make ficta editorial accidentals above the staff play
back, you can insert the accidental from the Create > Symbol dialog, and then use a MIDI message of e.g. ~B0,96 to play the note a semitone sharp. Dont forget to use ~B0,64 to return the
channel to its normal tuning on the next note! This is, in fact, what the Add Ficta Above Note
plug-in does for you b 5.11 Plug-ins.
You can also use the pitch bend control change to create a portamento or glissando effect by creating a number of MIDI messages one after another. The pitch bend does not last for just one note
it remains indefinitely, so you usually put a pitch bend in the opposite direction on the next note
to revert to normal pitch.
If you want finer control over the pitch bend, you can change the initial byte, also in the range 0
127, to give very small deviations in temperament (1/128 x 32 half-steps) e.g. ~B127,64 will
sharpen the written note by a small amount.
To create a pitch bend effect over an interval wider than a whole step (tone), you can either use the
portamento control change (see Control changes below) to make a pitch bend, or use the following method:
* First, set up the range over which the pitch bend can operate: insert the MIDI messages

~C101,0 C100,0 C6,half-steps in your score, where half-steps is the total range of the pitch
bend in half-steps (semitones), from 0-12. For example, to set up pitch bend with a maximum
range of an octave, use ~C6,12. (Its best to put these messages at the start of your score.)
* When you want to add a pitch bend to your score, insert a ~B0,bend-by command as usual,
except that now you must divide the bend-by parameter into the number of half-steps (semitones) set up with your ~C6 command, e.g. if you entered ~C6,12, each half-step (semitone)
adds or subtracts 5.3 (64 divided by 12) to bend-by. So to bend upwards by four half-steps
(semitones), you would enter ~B0,85.
This method requires that your MIDI device supports standard Registered Parameter Messages
(RPMs), which is common but not universal. If you intend to use other RPMs in the same score,
you should remember to close the parameters, by adding ~C101,127 ~C100,127 after the
~C6,half-steps message.

Aftertouch
Aftertouch refers to the amount of pressure used when e.g. a key on a MIDI keyboard is pressed.
This information can be used to control some aspects of the sound produced by playback, e.g.
vibrato on a violin sound. The precise effect of this controller is dependent on the MIDI device
used.
Aftertouch can be applied either to a particular note (polyphonic aftertouch), or to all notes on a
channel (channel aftertouch). Polyphonic aftertouch is not as widely implemented in MIDI
devices as channel aftertouch.
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The syntax is as follows:
* Channel aftertouch: ~A pressure e.g. ~A64
* Polyphonic aftertouch: ~a pitch,pressure e.g. ~a60,64

Modulation
Control change 1 controls the vibrato wobble generated by a modulation wheel. For lots of wobble, use ~C1,127; for no wobble, use ~C1,0.

Breath
Control change 2 is only recognized by certain MIDI devices, such as wind synthesizers, and corresponds to the breath pressure used to play a note.

Portamento

So you must first set up the portamento effect with a ~C5 message, and then attach the ~C84
message to the note on which the portamento occurs.
This control change is not supported by all MIDI devices.

Volume
Control change 7 determines the volume of a given note, e.g. ~C7,127 is the loudest and ~C7,0 is
the softest.
In MIDI, volume is not the same as velocity. Velocity is set when the note is played (part of the
NoteOn message see above), and is analogous to, for example, how hard you strike a note on the
piano. Sophisticated MIDI devices will play the same pitch with a different timbre depending on
the velocity of the note. Volume, on the other hand, is like an overall volume control knob on an
amplifier. So a trumpet playing a fortissimo note (i.e. with a high velocity) but with low volume
still sounds like a trumpet playing fortissimo, but with the volume turned down.
The faders in the Window > Mixer window change the volume controller to specify the volume of
staves in the score. You should only need to enter this MIDI message manually in your score if
you want to achieve a change of dynamic over the course of a held note the Cresc./Dim. Playback plug-in enters these messages for you (b 5.11 Plug-ins).

Pan
Control change 10 determines the pan position of a particular channel, e.g. ~C10,0 is absolute
left, ~C10,64 is center, and ~C10,127 is absolute right.
You dont need to use this MIDI message unless you need to change the pan position of an instrument during playback the initial pan position is set in the Window > Mixer window.

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Portamento is a smooth glide from one note to another (rather like a glissando played on a
trombone). This effect is actually controlled by two control changes: ~C5,0127 controls the
length of time taken to perform the portamento (0 is fastest, 127 is slowest), and ~C84,0127
determines the distance of the portamento (values below 60 start below the note, values above 60
start above the note; the precise interval depends on the MIDI device).

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Expression
Control change 11 takes a fraction of the channel volume specified by controller 7, so ~C11,127
uses 100% of the channel volume, ~C11,64 uses 50% of the channel volume, and so on. Functionally ~C7 is intended to act something like a volume knob and ~C11 is a way of temporarily
tweaking the main volume.

Sustain pedal
Sibelius automatically products MIDI messages for the sustain pedal if you use the Ped. lines from
the Create > Line dialog (b 2.16 Lines). However, if you want to make playback of your score
sustain without using these lines, use ~C64,127. Switch the pedal off again with ~C64,0. Values
between 0 and 127 produce half-pedaling on some MIDI devices.

Soft pedal
Control change 67 simulates the effect of using the una corda (left) pedal on a piano: to switch on
the soft pedal, use ~C67,127; to switch it off, use ~C67,0. This control change does not work on
all MIDI devices.

Channel mode messages

Youll probably never need to use control changes 121127 in Sibelius, but just in case:
* ~C121: resets all controllers
* ~C122: Local Control on/off
* ~C124127: Omni mode on/off, Mono/Poly mode

NoteOn/NoteOff
These messages control which pitch is played, how loud the note is, and how long it lasts for. You
should never need to use these messages in Sibelius, because you can make notes play just by
inputting notes (and hiding them if appropriate).
However, for completeness sake, they can be entered in the form: ~Nnote,velocity for NoteOn,
and ~Onote,velocity for NoteOff. (You must insert a NoteOff message, or your note will sound
forever!)
note is the MIDI key number (e.g. 60 is middle C) and velocity is a value between 0 and 127 (127 is
the loudest). With NoteOff, many MIDI devices ignore the velocity but some interpret it as the
abruptness with which the note is released; if in doubt, use (say) 64.

System messages
These dont need a channel, so the staff they are attached to only determines which MIDI device
they are sent to.
System messages are split into three types: system common messages, system real-time messages,
and system exclusive messages. Typically, only the last two are useful in Sibelius the first one is
largely connected with synchronizing MIDI with clock-based MIDI components. It is therefore
not currently possible to enter system common messages in Sibelius.
System exclusive messages are used to send data that is specific to the particular MIDI device you
are using, and they may vary from device to device.
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4.15 MIDI messages

To enter system messages in your score:
* System exclusive: ~X bytes e.g. ~Xh40, h00, hf7. Normally you should put hf7 at the end to

terminate the system exclusive, unless youre going to follow it with a D command containing
more data.
* System exclusive continuation data (without any command byte): ~D bytes e.g. ~Dh40, h00,
h7f
* System real-time: ~S bytes. These messages are useful for syncing Sibeliuss playback with other
sequencers or samplers. The three most useful commands are ~ShFA (sequencer start), ~ShFB
(sequencer continue/pause), and ~ShFC (sequencer stop).

Hiding MIDI messages

Any text that begins with a tilde (~) is automatically hidden by Sibelius, so you dont need to
worry about hiding MIDI messages individually. Only the ~ and the messages after it are hidden,
so you can still read preceding instructions to the players such as mute that are meant to be visible. When you edit the text the ~ message reappears.

Further information
If this topic hasnt exhausted your appetite for strings of letters and numbers, you can find more
information on MIDI messages at http://www.harmony-central.com/MIDI/

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The MIDI messages are displayed in gray if View > Hidden Objects (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+H or
zXH) is switched on.

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4. Playback & video

4.16 SoundWorld
For advanced users only.

SoundWorld is a new standard developed by Sibelius Software for naming and classifying sound
timbres. This replaces the messy patchwork of patch numbers and (often cryptic) names used by
MIDI keyboards, sound modules and sound libraries to specify their sounds. Instead you can
choose the sounds you want using standardized, user-friendly names. Because the names are
independent of a particular playback device, Sibelius can play a score which was originally created
for different devices than the ones in your system. Also, if a sound is not available in the current
playback configuration Sibelius can intelligently find the best alternative and use that instead. It
can also play instrumental techniques (such as slurs and accents) using specialized sounds if they
are available, rather than just approximating them by changing duration or volume.
If you want to find out how SoundWorld works, read on. You dont need to understand this to use
Sibelius, but you may be interested all the same.

Sound IDs, SoundWorlds and sound sets

SoundWorld refers to each sound using a structured name called a sound ID, such as woodwind.flutes.flute, woodwind.flutes.piccolo.flutter-tongue or strings.violin.ensemble.pizzicato. Notice how each sound ID usually starts with an instrument family then the instrument
name, sometimes followed by playing techniques specific to that instrument.
A SoundWorld simply means a collection of sound IDs, organized into a tree structure. The specific SoundWorld that Sibelius uses is called the Sibelius Standard SoundWorld (or S3W for
short), which is a fairly comprehensive list of sounds available on leading sound libraries and
MIDI devices. As more sounds become available, new sound IDs will be added to S3W.
To play a particular sound ID, Sibelius needs to know which sounds are available on its playback
devices. To find out, for each device Sibelius has a sound set, an XML file that lists all the sound
IDs the device can play and the MIDI messages (e.g. program changes, controller changes, even
keyswitches) needed to play them. A sound set also lists various other capabilities of the device,
such as how many sounds it can play simultaneously and whether there are any special channels
(e.g. the percussion-only channel 10 on General MIDI devices).

Where sound IDs appear in Sibelius

Sound IDs appear in Sibelius wherever you specify sounds. For example:
* Each instrument has a preferred sound ID, which you can change in House Style >

Edit Instruments
* The Mixer shows the sound ID of each staff in the score
* Each notehead on a percussion staff has a preferred sound ID, which you can change by editing
the instrument
* All playing techniques and articulations for instruments are described by sound IDs, which you
can change in Play > Dictionary.
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4.16 SoundWorld

How Sibelius chooses which sound ID to use

pizz.

con
senza sord.
sord.

+pizzicato

-upbow

-legato
+accent
-accent
+downbow
-downbow
+upbow

-mute
+legato

-staccato

+mute
+staccato

To play a staff, Sibelius starts with its initial sound ID (as shown in the Mixer): for instance, a solo
violin by default starts with the sound ID strings.violin. Markings in the score, such as articulations, slurs, text instructions for specific playing techniques like pizz. and so on, all modify the
sound ID by adding or subtracting elements of it. These changes are specified in the playback dictionary. In the example below you can see the changes to the sound ID above the staff, and the
resulting sound IDs below the staff:

As an example, suppose Sibelius wants to play strings.violin.staccato.mute (as shown above)

but this isnt available. To find the best alternative sound ID, Sibelius uses a substitution rule
which relies entirely on the tree structure of all the sound IDs in the SoundWorld. It makes use of
the fact that, say, strings.violin.staccato.mute is a type of violin staccato sound (a child of
strings.violin.staccato), which is in turn a type of violin sound (a child of strings.violin). The
rule also relies on an order of priority between siblings such as (say) strings.violin and
strings.viola.
So, starting from the unavailable strings.violin.staccato.mute, Sibelius first tries to find its first
descendant sound ID that is available, which means trying its first child (which might be
strings.violin.staccato.mute.stradivarius), then the first child of that sound ID; when it reaches
a sound ID with no children, Sibelius tries its first sibling instead and its children. If no descendants of the original ID are available, it then tries its parent, in this case strings.violin.staccato,
followed by the parents first child and other descendants in the same way; then eventually the
grandparent strings.violin, and so on until it reaches the first sound that can actually be played.
S3W has been structured so that this will be the closest possible approximation to the original
sound.

333

Playback

ato

bo

zic

piz

in.

iol

s.v

ing

str

in

iol

s.v

ing

str
bo

wn

up

in.

nt

ce

do

in.

iol

s.v

ing

str
iol

ac

in.

iol

s.v

ing

str

s.v

ing

str

te
ute

.m

ato

ato

leg

cc

mu

in.

in.

iol

iol

s.v

ing

str

s.v

ing

str
sta

in.

iol

in

iol

s.v

ing

str

s.v

ing

str

Sibelius now has the sound IDs that would produce ideal playback. However, it is very common
that a sound ID is not available to be played, either because you dont have the sound on any playback devices, or there arent enough available slots or channels to play every required sound ID at
once. Sibelius then has to find the best possible alternative sound given the limitations.

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4. Playback & video

Structure of the tree of sound IDs

Why is the sound ID were looking for called strings.violin.staccato.mute and not strings.violin.mute.staccato? To make substitution work well, one convention adopted in S3W is that different types of playing techniques appear in sound IDs in a specific order as follows, in descending
order of priority:
* Macro quality (e.g. pizzicato, pizzicato.snap, pizzicato.secco, bisbigliando, col legno,

snares on, snares off, etc.)

* Ensemble (i.e. the presence of the element ensemble means that the sound is an ensemble
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

sound; its absence means that the sound is a solo sound)

Duration (e.g. staccato, staccato.wedge, staccato.detach, spiccato, portato, legato)
Attack/dynamics (e.g. accent, crescendo, diminuendo, fortepiano, sforzato,
sforzato.sforzatissimo, non vibrato, vibrato, etc.)
Micro quality (e.g. sul tasto, sul pont, sul tasto.flautando, mute, mute.harmon, mute.cup,
mute.straight, open, etc.)
Ornament (e.g. trill, tremolo, mordent, turn, flutter-tongue, glissando, scoop, fall, etc.)
Players (e.g. 2 players, meaning an ensemble sound of a specific number of players)
Repetition speed (e.g. slow, fast)
Length modifier (e.g. long, short)
Variant n (e.g. strings.violins.violin.solo.1 and strings.violins.violin.solo.2, for sounds that
are almost identical but which nevertheless need unique sound IDs)

So duration elements (like staccato) are more important than micro quality elements (like
mute) and are listed first in the sound ID. This means that when Sibelius has to find a substitute
for strings.violin.staccato.mute, it will find strings.violin.staccato before it finds strings.violin.mute; so if both are available it will actually choose the former, which is a better substitute.
Additionally, the techniques in each group of elements listed above are treated as mutually exclusive. This means that if a staff is currently using strings.violin.pizzicato and a text instruction
col legno is reached, Sibelius knows to replace the pizzicato element with col legno (rather
then add col legno to the end), producing strings.violin.col legno (rather than strings.violin.pizzicato.col legno).

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Power tools

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5.1 Arrange

5.1 Arrange
b 5.2 Edit Arrange Styles.
v Arrange.

Arrange is designed to assist students with arranging and orchestration, and to save time for
professionals who already know what they want to do.
It intelligently copies music from any number of staves into any other number of staves, deciding
(if necessary) which instruments to use. It can be used to produce piano reductions, and to
explode chords onto multiple staves. Most importantly of all, this sophisticated feature even
helps you arrange and orchestrate for a wide variety of styles and ensembles, from choral music to
band and orchestral scoring.
You can be as specific or unspecific as you like as to how you want to arrange. For example, if you
already know which instruments you want to use, you can use Arrange just as a quick way to copy
music onto them, e.g. to split up chords onto brass intelligently. However, students and others can
use the numerous ready-made Arrange styles to experiment with arrangement and orchestration
at any level.

Arrange is, in effect, a special kind of copy and paste operation:

* Copy the music you want to arrange to the clipboard using Edit > Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or
XC). Its important that the source material should use a constant number of voices (i.e. either

all in one voice throughout, or all in two voices throughout, but not alternating between one
and two voices in different bars). Dont copy unpitched percussion staves as Arrange only handles pitched material.
* Select the staves into which you want to paste the resulting music, either elsewhere in the same
score or in another score. You dont have to select the right number of bars in the destination
staves its sufficient just to select a single bar.
If you want to arrange a passage starting mid-bar, create suitable rests in all the destination
staves so that you can select the precise point at which you want the arranged music to be
pasted.
If you select a range of adjacent staves using Shift-click, Arrange will also arrange onto any hidden staves which may lie in the range. If you dont want this to happen, select the staves to
arrange onto one by one with Ctrl+click or X-click.
* Choose Notes > Arrange (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V or xXV)
* The Arrange Style dialog appears; choose the desired style from the drop-down list, and click
OK.
A progress bar appears, and within a few seconds, Sibelius has completed the arrangement for
you, choosing which music is best suited to which instruments, and transposing the music by
octaves as necessary to suit their ranges.
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If you havent already done so, try out Arrange by opening the example score Arrange in the
Other folder within the Scores folder and following the instructions at the top of the score. This
should give you a flavor of what Arrange can do.
The above is just a brief summary of Arrange keep reading to understand the different ways to
use this feature before you try it out in practice.

Using Arrange musically

Like composing, arranging and orchestration are advanced musical skills that inevitably require
human involvement. Hence the Arrange feature is not intended to produce a completely finished
result all by itself. It is up to you to:
* Choose the passage you arrange carefully a phrase or less is usually best (more detail below).

*
*

You dont have to arrange all the source staves at once you could arrange the right hand of a
piano piece onto woodwind and the left hand onto strings, if you know thats what you want.
Consider adapting your source music before arranging to make it more suitable for the instruments you are using Arrange never alters your basic material, and something which suits a
piano may not be suitable for arranging onto a wind band or string section without adaptation.
See Preparing music to be arranged below for advice on how to improve your basic material, and After arranging music for some tips on what to do after arranging.
Choose the Arrange style and the staves you select carefully; Arrange styles to use for different
ensembles are detailed later. If you dont like the arrangement, choose Edit > Undo and try
again with a different Arrange style and/or selected staves.
Vary the Arrange style and selected staves often to produce an interesting arrangement dont
always arrange onto all instruments at once!
You should also modify the results of Arrange as appropriate, such as adjusting octaves or
applying orchestration techniques such as dovetailing music from one instrument to another.

Its important for you to understand that Arrange keeps the same instrumentation and pitch
throughout each passage you arrange for example, if a line of notes starts very high and goes
very low or vice versa, Sibelius wont dovetail (jump) it from one instrument to another, or
change its octave mid-passage. Arrange will however vary the instrumentation between each passage you arrange as it sees fit.
Because of this, you should normally arrange no more than (say) a phrase of music at a time, otherwise the results may force some instruments into difficult or unplayable ranges. Arranging
short passages allows Sibelius to change the instrumentation and pitch, to keep the music within
the range of the instruments (and also to keep the arrangement sounding interesting). Sibelius
warns you if the passage you arrange is probably too long.

How Arrange arranges

Specifically, Arrange does the following (except for the special Explode and Reduction styles,
explained later):
* Chooses appropriate instruments to arrange onto from the destination staves you selected.

Most or all of the selected staves are normally used, unless the Arrange style is for a specific

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5.1 Arrange

*
*

choice of instruments (e.g. the Family and Mixed Ensemble styles described below) in which
case any others youve selected are ignored.
Sibelius divides the music up among the instruments, normally with a single line of notes per
staff if possible
Some of the music may be transposed by octaves to get it into an instruments comfortable playing range or for coloristic effect. (You can set playing ranges yourself, which will affect how
Sibelius arranges music b 2.14 Instruments.)
Sibelius may put different kinds of material onto different kinds of instrument (e.g. fast music
on woodwind, slow music on strings), depending on the Arrange style you choose. In particular
there are Block and Mixed styles of orchestration, explained below.
Sibelius may orchestrate using appropriate doublings, e.g. piccolo an octave above flute. Again
this depends on the Arrange style.

Other than splitting it up and transposing it, Arrange will not change the source music.

Arrange styles
The specific way in which Sibelius arranges your music is determined by the Arrange style. The
Arrange style specifies which instruments can be used, instrumental doublings, and which kinds
of material go onto different instruments.

The Arrange styles are named as follows:

* first, they mostly specify the kind of ensemble or instruments they will arrange onto (e.g.

Orchestra, Band,1 Family: Brass);

* second, they may name the particular style of arrangement (e.g. Impressionist or Film);
* third, they specify any particular instruments that are included or omitted (e.g. no trumpets,
or solo woodwind and strings);
* and fourth, some styles state whether they will use a Block or Mixed orchestration (see below).
Each Arrange style also has a more detailed description on the right-hand side of the Arrange dialog when you select the style; this gives useful information and advice about what the style does
and how best to use it.

Block and Mixed styles

Arrange styles designed for orchestration are of two types Block and Mixed:
* Block puts different kinds of musical material onto different families of instruments. The mate-

rial is split up according to its speed so in an orchestral arrangement, the woodwinds could
play, say, the fastest music, and the brass could play the slowest. Typically the tune is faster than
the accompaniment, but by no means always.
In many cases we have provided two styles for the same families, e.g. one with woodwind playing the faster music, and an alternative one with woodwind playing the slower music.

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A wide-ranging list of over 130 Arrange styles is supplied, and you can even create your own
(b 5.2 Edit Arrange Styles). In basic terms, the styles encompass explode and reduction operations, and arranging/orchestrating for a wide variety of ensembles, from choir to band.

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* Mixed styles allow instruments in different families to double each other, so instruments with

similar ranges, such as violins and flutes, play the same material.
Where neither Block nor Mixed is stated, the Arrange style will produce a Mixed orchestration.

Explode
To explode chords (i.e. separate out their notes) onto a larger number of staves:

* Select the material you want to explode (which can be in one or more staves), and copy it to the
clipboard by choosing Edit > Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or XC)
* Select the staves you want to explode onto (either elsewhere in the same score, or in a different
score). Choose Notes > Arrange (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V or xXV)
* Choose the Explode Arrange style, and click OK. Sibelius will then instantly explode the music

onto the destination staves.

If there are fewer staves than notes, Sibelius will put two notes on a staff in separate voices. If you
subsequently want to merge these two voices into chords in a single voice, simply select the passage and choose, say, Edit > Voice > 1 (shortcut Alt+1 or z1).
Sibelius will also transpose notes by octaves if necessary to make them playable on the destination
instruments.
If you explode a long passage, Sibelius may warn you saying We recommend you arrange no
more than a few bars at a time ignore this and click Yes.
If you are exploding music from a single staff onto a maximum of four staves and want greater
control over precisely how Sibelius distributes music to each of the destination staves (in particular if you do not want the music transposed by octaves), use Plug-ins > Composing Tools >
Explode instead see Explode on page 401.

Reduction
To reduce music from multiple staves onto a smaller number of staves (sometimes called
imploding as the counterpart of exploding):

* Select the material you want to reduce and copy it to the clipboard using Edit > Copy (shortcut
Ctrl+C or XC)
* Select the staves you want to reduce onto (either elsewhere in the same score, or in a different
score). Choose Notes > Arrange (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V or xXV).

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5.1 Arrange
* Choose one of the Reduction Arrange styles, and click OK.

Several Reduction styles are provided that are intended for slightly different uses; read the
description of each style to find out which one is most suitable for the result you are looking for.
For keyboard reduction, the most suitable style will depend on the complexity of the source material. For most purposes we recommend the Keyboard reduction: Up to 2 voices per staff style,
but if you find the resultant reduction too complex, try the 1 voice per staff style instead; you
should also consider omitting any staves in the source passage which would be too hard to play on
a keyboard instrument.
If you reduce a long passage, Sibelius may warn you saying We recommend you arrange no more
than a few bars at a time ignore this and click Yes.
After using one of the Reduction styles, you may find a number of duplicate dynamics are placed
on top of one another in the resulting music (because they appeared on separate source staves); if
so, select the music as a passage and choose Edit > Filter > Dynamics (shortcut Shift+Alt+D or
xzD), then hit Delete to remove them. (In rare cases you may also find redundant slurs after
making a reduction, in which case use filters to remove them too.)
If the music you want to reduce includes triplets or other tuplets, or if you want greater control
over how Sibelius should reduce your music, use Plug-ins > Composing Tools > Reduce instead
see Reduce on page 404.
The 1 Family and 2 Families styles will only arrange onto the instruments specified in the name
of the style so, for example, you could choose all the staves in an orchestral or band score and
then use the 1 Family: Woodwind Arrange style, and music will only be arranged onto the
woodwind instruments. However, if you select (say) all woodwind staves except flutes, flutes will
not be used.
These styles are also suitable for arranging music for smaller ensembles, e.g. wind quartet, brass
quintet or string orchestra.
The 2 Families styles are provided in both Block and Mixed configurations, to give different textures and colors.

Arranging for orchestra

The Orchestra styles are grouped according to musical style. A variety of styles for music ranging
from Baroque to Modern, with Impressionist and Film along the way, is provided.
Most of the Orchestra styles produce tuttis if you select all the staves, although you can select any
number of destination staves; hence if you select only, say, the flute, clarinet and viola staves as
the destination passage, only those instruments will be used when you Arrange. To avoid getting
tutti orchestration throughout, we recommend you vary the staves you select and the Arrange
style you use!
Other styles, such as the Family and Mixed Ensemble styles, can be used for orchestra as they
use smaller groups of instruments to produce particular coloristic effects. You dont have to select
particular staves when using these styles you can just select all of them, and the style will only
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5. Power tools
use the instruments its designed for. Read the description of each Arrange style carefully to see
which instruments it expects to use.
Try out some of the more exotic styles you may find some very attractive results with more
unusual instruments.
None of the styles include unpitched percussion, although a few styles do use pitched percussion
instruments for added color (e.g. timpani in the Romantic styles, and mallet percussion in the
Modern styles). You can of course omit pitched percussion by not selecting any pitched percussion destination staves.

Arranging for band

The Band styles are equally suitable for wind bands, concert bands, symphonic bands, school
bands, marching bands and drum corps. Read the descriptions: some of the styles produce tuttis,
and some use combinations of fewer instruments. Many of the styles include mallet percussion,
but unpitched percussion instruments are not included.
The Brass Band styles, as the name suggests, are for arranging onto standard brass bands.
Read Arranging for orchestra above for general advice about using a variety of instruments
and Arrange styles (including Family and Mixed Ensemble styles) to produce the most interesting arrangement possible.

Arranging for mixed ensembles

The Mixed Ensemble styles are mainly provided as ready-made orchestrations for use with
orchestra, band or other large ensembles. They use just a few instruments each. As with the Family styles, use them for variety to avoid arranging onto all the instruments too much of the time!

Arranging for choir

The Choir styles produce various standard choral effects, such as sopranos doubled by tenors at
the octave, or the melody on one of the inner voices with the other parts providing an accompaniment, and so on. The styles can be used to arrange onto any combination of voices, so you can create arrangements for SSAA or TBB choirs just as easily as SATB settings.
If you want to create a piano reduction of choral music, simply use the appropriate Keyboard
reduction Arrange style.

Arranging for jazz ensembles

Different Jazz styles for a variety of ensembles, including quintet (which can also be used to
arrange for quartet and trio), big band, and trad jazz band, are provided. The Family styles are
also suitable for big band and jazz band. Again, vary the style and the staves you select, to produce
an interesting arrangement.

Arranging for rock and pop ensembles

The Rock and Pop styles include standard guitar/bass/keys combinations (although they dont
arrange onto drums). Give the styles that include an orchestra a try!

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Arranging for solo instrument(s)

The Solo with accompaniment styles put the melody onto a solo instrument and the remaining
music onto other instruments. To use the styles, you must select the accompanying instruments
as specified by the style (guitar, harp, keyboard or strings) and also select the solo instrument
staff. You can select more than one solo instrument staff (e.g. Flute and Clarinet), in which case
they will end up doubling each other.
The plain Solo styles are provided as a quick way of putting the melody onto a single specified
instrument. The accompanying music is not used (and can be arranged separately onto any other
instruments using other Arrange styles).
All of these styles assume that the melody is the fastest music in the source material, which is typically but by no means always the case; if not, you can use filters instead, e.g. to select the topmost
line of notes from the source music (b 5.4 Filters and Find).

Arranging for other ensembles

If the ensemble you want to arrange for is not listed, e.g. cello sextet, simply choose the Standard
Arrangement style, which produces reasonable results on any combination of instruments.

Preparing music to be arranged

Its worth spending a little time optimizing your music before you use the Arrange feature to
improve the results.

* Try to make the source music have a constant number of voices on each staff. (It can change

number of voices between different passages that youre arranging separately.) For example, in
this case:

where voice 2 is only used occasionally in the right hand, you should separate off the bottom
notes of the voice 1 chords into voice 2. To do this, select the affected passage (here, in the upper
staff) and choose Edit > Filter > Bottom Note and then swap the music into voice 2 by choosing
Edit > Voice > 2 (shortcut z2 or Alt+2), which will leave you with:

This ensures that Sibelius will put the new voice 2 line of notes into the same instrument(s). If
you dont do this then Sibelius will first warn you, and will then put the two notes originally in
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Sibelius doesnt change the source music (other than transposing it by octaves to suit the destination instruments), so you should make any other adjustments required to make it more appropriate to the instruments you want to arrange onto. Though you can do this after arranging, its
better to do it beforehand so you dont have to make the same changes on several different instruments. Some things to bear in mind:

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5. Power tools
voice 2 into a separate instrument with rests on either side. This is because Sibelius treats voice
2 as running throughout the passage, and it will add rests where there are no voice 2 notes to
create a continuous line of notes.
* The Arrange styles such as Orchestra: Baroque are designed for music of that period you
cant make jazz music sound Baroque just by orchestrating it onto Baroque instruments!
* You may wish to split existing music into different voices to make it more suitable for the
instruments youre arranging for. For example, an oom-pah-pah bass figure works best if the
oom lasts for the duration of the bar in, say, voice 2, while the pah-pah chords are in voice 1:

* Arrange copies dynamics and other staff objects (such as symbols, lines and so on) but it

doesnt copy system objects (such as key signatures and time signatures). If the music you are
arranging contains changes in time signature, you should create the time signature changes in
the destination point (preferably before rather than after arranging).
* Delete unnecessary objects. For example, if youre arranging piano music for wind instruments,
you should delete any pedal lines before you start but dont delete things like dynamics, slurs
and trills, which youll want copied to the destination staves.
* Delete any octave (8va) lines in your score and make them explicit in other words, by transposing the music by the appropriate number of octaves before you arrange. This is because
octave lines are rarely used for most non-keyboard instruments, and Sibelius ignores octave
lines when trying to decide which instruments best suits the range of the notes.
* If youre feeling very adventurous, you could try using Edit > Filter > Advanced Filter to, say,
select just the first beat of every bar in your source music before you arrange. By copying just
some of the music in the source passage, you can quickly create light accompanimental textures.

After arranging music

* Arrange tries to keep music within each instruments range, but in some cases this isnt possi-

ble: so if you end up with some notes out of range, you should either dovetail those notes onto
another instrument with a more suitable range, or change the octave of the notes out of range.
* If you end up with a lot of notes out of range, youre probably trying to arrange too much music
at once. Try arranging a phrase at a time, as this will reduce the amount of cleaning up you will
have to do afterwards.
* If a particular staff requires two voices, after arranging you will find that Sibelius has written the
music in two voices throughout the destination passage (even if the voices are mostly in unison). Voice 2 may be above voice 1 for all or part of it, so you may need to swap the voices using
Edit > Voice > Swap 1 and 2 (shortcut Shift-V). If the voices are in unison or homophony, you
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5.1 Arrange
may want to make it look cleaner by merging most or all of the music on that staff into a single
voice; just select the music as a passage and choose Edit > Voice > 1 (shortcut Alt+1 or z1).
* If you try arranging some music and find that some instruments end up playing unsuitable
material (e.g. fast low notes on Horn), Undo it and arrange again, either omitting those instruments from the selection so they won't be used, or else using a different style. For example, with
the styles for 2 families of instruments in blocks, there are alternative versions provided with
(say) the brass playing the faster notes or the slower notes.

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5.2 Edit Arrange Styles

b 5.1 Arrange.

For advanced users only

More than 130 predefined Arrange styles are supplied with Sibelius, but should you want to define
your own, this topic will tell you how.
In order to create effective Arrange styles, you first need to understand how Sibeliuss Arrange
feature works.

How it works
Sibeliuss Arrange algorithm is complex, but it basically involves splitting the selected music into
separate monophonic lines of notes, each consisting of single notes and rests. These are then
distributed among the chosen destination staves, possibly transposed by octaves, doubling other
staves (in unison or octaves), or using multiple voices as necessary.
Sibelius determines the lines of notes as follows:
* Any voice on any staff that contains one or more note (or rest, or bar rest) is treated as one or

more lines of notes

* If the number of notes in the voice is not constant (for example, if a passage of thirds is followed
by a passage of single notes), Sibelius puts upper notes of chords into more lines than lower
notes
* Each line of notes also includes all other objects attached to that staff or voice, so all notes retain
any articulations, ties, notehead types, etc., plus objects such as text and lines.
These lines of notes are then arranged to fit the destination staves according to the selected
Arrange style. Arrange styles specify groups of instruments into which similar music will be
arranged.
These general principles apply:
* Sibelius will try to put all of the source music into the selected staves, which may result either in

a lot of doubling (if there are too few lines of notes for the number of staves selected) or many
staves with multiple voices (if there are too many lines of notes for the number of staves).
* Sibelius will only assign one line of notes to each group, unless there are fewer lines than groups
for example, in an extreme case, if the source music consists of a single monophonic line,
which is subsequently arranged for full orchestra, Sibelius will not compose music to accompany the single line; it will simply double it across all the staves
* Sibelius adjusts the pitch of each line of notes to fit the comfortable range of the destination
instrument. (Optionally, the user can also specify that Sibelius should stretch the source
music across a determined range of pitches see below.)
When arranging, Sibelius sorts the lines of notes in four basic ways, determined by the Arrange
style:
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5.2 Edit Arrange Styles

* Fastest to slowest: the lines of notes with the shortest average note values are given to the first

listed group of instruments, with the last listed group getting the lines of notes with the longest
average note values
* Highest to lowest: the lines of notes with the highest average pitch are given to the first group of
instruments, etc.
* Busiest (playing the most notes): the lines of notes with the most notes are given to the first listed
group of instruments, and the lines with the fewest notes to the last listed group
* Busiest (playing most of the time): the lines of notes that play for the longest proportion of the
total duration of the source material are given to the first listed group of instruments, etc.

Editing Arrange styles

* Choose Notes > Edit Arrange Styles:
% To edit an existing style, select it from the drop-down list and click Edit
% To create a new style, select the most suitable existing style on which to base your new style,

then click New

* This dialog appears:

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At the top of the dialog you can edit the Name for the style and write a suitable Description if
you like. The lower half of the dialog lists the groups of instruments into which Sibelius will
arrange the music.
* Remove an existing group of instruments by selecting its name and clicking Delete; change the
ordering of the groups by selecting one and clicking Move Up or Move Down

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* To add a new group of instruments, click New, and choose the instruments to include in the

group:

You can approach this in a variety of ways; you might place melodic instruments (e.g. high
woodwinds and strings) in one group, and supporting instruments (e.g. brass, horns and lower
strings) in another.
You can also specify that an instrument should double the instrument listed above at a specified
interval (e.g. if you want your flute doubled at the octave by a piccolo, or if you want particular
instruments to play in thirds).
If you want to have two instruments doubling a single instrument, for example, if you want
your flutes doubled by piccolo and clarinet, the instruments would be listed in the Instruments
in Group field as follows:
Flute

not set to double

Piccolo

doubles up one octave

Clarinet

doubles at the unison

In other words, you can have multiple instruments doubling the same instrument. The instrument that will be doubled when you switch on the Double the instrument above this option
will be the first instrument above the selected instrument that is not set to double another
instrument.
Even if you dont specify instruments to double each other, they may end up doubling anyway
(if you arrange lines of notes onto a larger number of staves).
* When youve finished adding instruments to the group, click OK
* Give the group a name (e.g. Vln1+Fl) by double-clicking the blank space in the Name column
* If you want to specify a range of pitches into which Sibelius should arrange the music for that
group, set Fill range to Yes and then choose the Min Pitch and Max Pitch as appropriate. Sibelius will then transpose the music by octaves so that its in the stated range, and so that the different instruments in the group collectively fill the entire range.
Fill range is useful if, say, your source material is a piano piece, which of necessity uses a narrow range for chords (generally a compass of less than a tenth in each hand), and you want the
music to be played by a string section across its entire range; or to ensure that the material ends
up in a particular range, e.g. high woodwind, even if the instruments could play it at other
pitches.
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* Min Lines determines the minimum number of lines of notes that may be assigned to the

selected group. The default setting of 0 is recommended; this means that the group does not
have to play at all times.
* Max Lines determines the maximum number of lines of notes that may be assigned to the
selected group. The default setting (blank) allows any number of lines to be assigned to the
group.
You should only change this setting if you want particular effects, e.g. setting Max Lines to 1
forces all the instruments in the group to double the same material.
* Max Lines per Staff and Max Voices per Staff control the distribution of lines of notes
among the instruments within the group. The default settings (of 2 and 2 respectively) are suitable for most kinds of music.
Generally, Sibelius will only use multiple voices on the same staff if it has to, for example if there
are more lines of notes assigned to a particular group than there are staves within the group.
If Max Lines per Staff is set to a greater number than Max Voices, then Sibelius will merge
lines of notes into chords in the same voice. (Obviously, theres little point in setting Max Lines
per Staff to a smaller number than Max Voices.) If you only want single notes on each staff,
set both these options to 1.
Some useful settings for these options:
Max Lines per Staff = 4, Max Voices = 2

Single woodwind

Max Lines per Staff = 1, Max Voices = 1

Double woodwind

Max Lines per Staff = 2, Max Voices = 2

Brass

Max Lines per Staff = 2, Max Voices = 2

Strings

Max Lines per Staff = 2, Max Voices = 2

Singers

Max Lines per Staff = 1, Max Voices = 1

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Keyboard

* All the instruments in a group are assigned similar music. The way in which lines of notes are

assigned to groups is defined by the Which lines go into the first group option; for example,
if this is set to Highest, the highest lines go to the first listed group, the second highest to the
next listed group, and so on. Change the order of the groups of instruments by clicking Move
Up or Move Down. (See below for more detail on this.)
* When you have finished defining your Arrange style, click OK.
Arrange styles are automatically saved in the Arrange Styles folder within your user application
data folder, so if you like, you can share them with other users simply by sending them the appropriate .sar files from that folder User-editable files in b 8.1 Working with files.
If you are creating styles for other people to use, you should include all possible appropriate instruments in each style (weve done this in the predefined styles). For example, a brass Arrange style
should preferably include rare instruments like piccolo trumpet and horns with crooks, in case
someone else wants to arrange for these.

Which lines go into the first group

The Arrange styles provided are suitable for most kinds of arrangement, but should you need to
define your own, its important to understand how the distribution of lines of notes affects the
resulting arrangement.
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The four methods of sorting the lines of notes which are determined by the Which lines go
into the first group option give rise to very different distributions of the music. In general
terms:
* If sorting by pitch (i.e. Highest), the groups should be disposed such that the instruments in

each group should be able to play in the correct register, e.g. the first group would be high
instruments (such as violins and flutes), a second group medium instruments (e.g. violas, clarinets, horns), and a third group bass instruments (e.g. cellos, bassoons, trombones). Sorting by
pitch allows conventional doublings in a mixed orchestration (e.g. violins doubled by flutes
and clarinets, violas doubled by oboes, cellos doubled by bassoons, etc.) to be set up most easily.
Typically this kind of Arrange style should contain three or four groups. The Mixed styles are
defined like this.
* If sorting by speed (i.e. Fastest or Busiest), each group should contain a spread of instruments
able to play across the entire range of pitches, such as instruments from the standard instrumental families (woodwind, brass and strings). This allows for a block orchestration, in which
each family plays a particular kind of material (e.g. woodwinds play the fastest music, brass play
the slowest music). Typically this kind of Arrange style should contain two or three groups. The
Block styles are defined like this, sorting by Fastest, which is our recommended setting for
block orchestration.
* If in doubt about which method of sorting to use, Highest (i.e. mixed orchestration) generally
gives the best default results.

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5.3 Display settings

5.3 Display settings

b 5.19 View menu.

Its worth spending a few moments setting Sibeliuss display to suit your preferences and to make
sure it runs as quickly and smoothly as possible on your computer.

Screen resolution
Sibelius requires a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, and we recommend a higher
resolution where possible. To change your screen resolution:
* On Windows:
% Minimize any open programs, then right-click on the desktop, and choose Properties from

Number of colors
On Mac, Sibelius should look good at any color depth (number of colors), from 256 colors right
up to millions of colors. You should only have to change the number of colors used by your display if you find redraw particularly slow at a certain color depth.
On Windows, however, we recommend that you set your display to a color depth of at least 16-bit
color. This is because some of the buttons on the Keypad may display incorrectly on displays
using 256 (or fewer) colors.
To change the color depth used by your display, follow the same procedure described in Screen
resolution above.

Textures
Within Sibelius, both the virtual paper and desk use high-quality textures to make them easier on
the eye. You can easily change the textures from a huge range of papers, woods, marbles and so
on, using the Textures page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac).

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the context menu

% Click the Settings tab
% Drag the Screen Resolution slider right to increase the screen resolution, and click Apply to
try out your changes. If your computer is more than a couple of years old, you may need to
reduce the Color Quality value in order to display higher resolutions but see Number of
colors below.
* On Mac:
% From the dock, launch System Preferences, and click the Displays icon
% Choose a new screen resolution from the available list; your Mac is automatically set to use
the new resolution.
Depending on your computers graphics card, higher resolutions may cause screen redraw to slow
down a bit; if you find this to be the case, try reducing the number of colors used in your display,
as this reduces the work that your graphics card has to do.

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5. Power tools
By choosing from the Edit textures for menu you can set the textures for the Score, Parts and
editing Ideas independently.
There are some fun textures to choose
between try Tiger skin for your desktop,
or Paper, coffee-stained for your paper if
youve been up all night writing music! Perhaps more useful is the Paper, graph texture, which is very good for visually aligning
objects in your score the grid lines are 1
space apart when viewed at 100%.
If screen redraw seems particularly slow, try switching on the Alternative texture drawing
option in this dialog, then quit and restart Sibelius; this may make Sibelius faster on some computers, but slower on those with limited memory. (This option is not available on Mac when
smoothing is switched on.)
If screen redraw is still slow, you will probably find that switching textures off (by setting the
options to Use color, not texture) makes screen redraw quicker.
You can even add your own textures to Sibelius if you like just create a folder called Textures
inside your computers application data area (User-editable files in b 8.1 Working with
files), and drop some suitable Windows bitmap (BMP) files into it. When you next run Sibelius,
the new textures will be available on the Textures page of the File > Preferences dialog.

Smoothing
On Windows, you can set how and to what extent Sibelius should smooth the appearance of your
score as it appears on your display by choosing File > Preferences and selecting Display.

You can choose a smoothing preset from the Settings menu (Sibelius will use Smooth and Fast
by default), or you can change the settings individually, i.e. whether or not to smooth Slurs and
ties, Beams, Angled lines (e.g. hairpins) and Straight lines (e.g. staff lines). Smoothing of symbols and text can either be switched off, use the system default or be switched on. The system
default can be changed by clicking the Effects button on the Appearance page of your systems
Display properties. (Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel and double-click Display.)
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5.3 Display settings

Use Precise text positioning to ensure that all text drawn on your display will be positioned
accurately. This is done at the expense of system performance, so you should find that Sibelius is
much faster when this option is switched off.
On Mac, Sibelius uses Mac OS Xs built-in Quartz display, which is always beautifully smooth. No
options are necessary for Quartz display, so the Smoothing options do not appear on Mac.

Speed tips
Here are a few ways you can improve the speed at which Sibelius runs on your computer:
* If dragging the paper seems slow, try Alternative texture drawing or switch off the paper and

desk textures (see Textures above). You could also try changing the smoothing level and color
depth, and switch on Translucent Windows.
* On Windows, using Adobe Type 1 (PostScript) versions of the Opus, Reprise, Inkpen2 and Helsinki fonts can also slow down the time it takes to redraw the screen so wherever possible use
TrueType fonts. (These are installed by default, so unless youve specifically changed the fonts
Sibelius should use, you dont need to worry about this.)
* If selecting objects seems slow, close up any open panels on the Properties window youre not
specifically using, or hide it completely by choosing Window > Properties (shortcut
Ctrl+Alt+P or zXP). You will also find that switching off rulers in the View > Rulers submenu
speeds things up too (b View menu in Reference Guide).
You can switch on the Translucent tool windows option on the Display page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac) to make the Navigator, Keypad, Mixer, Video and Properties windows translucent so that you can see your music through them. If you experience
flickering or other problems during playback, switching on Except video window to prevent the
video window from being translucent should resolve this issue (b 4.9 Video).
Sibelius also allows you to set how transparent windows should be using the Translucency slider.
A value of 0% means the windows are completely opaque, whilst 100% makes them rather uselessly invisible.
Using translucency usually speeds up screen redraw, so we recommend that you switch this
option on.

Multiple monitors
You can run Sibelius across multiple monitors, which is very useful as you can, say, have a different score open on each monitor, or even view two pages of the same score across both displays.

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5. Power tools

5.4 Filters and Find

b 1.6 Selections and passages.

One of Sibeliuss smart features is the ability to find objects with particular characteristics such as
all hairpins, or the top notes only from a passage of chords, or all text in the Expression text style that
says cresc., or all eighth note (quaver) middle Cs in voice 2 that have a down-bow and a marcato.
You can either select all the objects that match the characteristics you choose using options from
the Edit > Filter submenu, or find each matching object in turn using the Edit > Find (shortcut
Ctrl+F or XF) and Edit > Find Next (shortcut Ctrl+G or XG) functions. Having done that, you
can do anything you like with the selection edit it, copy it, delete it or whatever.

How to use filters

* Select the passage of music you want to select objects from, or the whole score (Ctrl+A or XA)
* Choose one of the quick filters from the Edit > Filter menu, or choose Advanced Filter
(shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F or xzXF) to select more complex characteristics (details below)
* You can then do what you like with the selection e.g. delete it, copy it, move it with the arrow

keys, add articulations, change note value

* Alternatively, you may want to choose another characteristic from the Edit > Filter menu to
narrow down the selection further (see below).

Quick filters
The Edit > Filter menu contains a selection of standard filters for quick access:
* Bar Numbers: selects all bar numbers and bar number changes
* Chord Symbols: selects all chord symbols
* Dynamics: selects all Expression text and hairpins (shortcut Shift+Alt+D or xzD)
* Expression Text: selects all text in the Expression style
* Chord Diagrams: selects all chord diagrams
* Hairpins: selects all hairpin lines, but not dashed, dotted, or bracketed hairpins or hairpins to/
*
*
*
*
*
*

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from silence
Lyrics: selects all lyrics
Notes and Chords: selects all notes and chords (along with their accidentals, articulations,
etc.), but doesnt select other objects such as text
Page Number Changes: selects all page number changes
Slurs: selects normal slurs (magnetic and non-magnetic), but not dashed or dotted slurs
Tuplets: selects tuplet brackets and numbers; useful for hiding, showing, or resetting the position of tuplet brackets in a single operation
Voice 1/2/3/4 (shortcuts Ctrl+Shift+Alt+1/2/3/4 or xzX1/2/3/4): selects all objects in that
voice (e.g. notes, rests, text, lines, etc.), including objects that are not exclusively in that voice
for example, if you filter Voice 1, text objects that apply to, say, both voices 1 and 2 will also be

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5.4 Filters and Find

Using filters for copying and deleting

The chief uses of filters are for copying and deleting music, which is reflected in the range of quick
filters built into Sibelius. The distinction between using filters for copying and deleting may be
less than obvious at first, so lets take a real-world example.
You have a passage for, say, two flutes written on the same staff in two voices, and you decide that
what you actually want is for Flute 2s line to be played by a clarinet. To do this quickly, select the
passage in the flute staff, then choose Edit > Filter > Voice 2, which will select all of Flute 2s notes
and any associated dynamics, slurs and so on. Now simply copy the music into the clarinet staff
with Alt+click or z-click, and swap the new clarinet music into voice 1 with Alt+1 or z1. To
delete the Flute 2 music from the flute staff subsequently, select the passage again and choose
Edit > Filter > Voice 2 Only. This selects all the notes, but only the dynamics and so on that apply
only to voice 2, so when you Delete, you dont lose text (etc.) that should also apply to voice 1.
When you delete a voice, hit Delete twice the first Delete turns the notes into rests, and the second Delete deletes these rests.

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selected. This is particularly useful for copying a single voice onto another staff, since you want
associated objects such as dynamics to be copied with the notes.
Voice 1/2/3/4 Only: selects objects that are only in that voice, so it will not select objects that
are in multiple voices for example, if you filter Voice 2 Only, text objects that apply to both
voices 1 and 2 will not be selected. This is mainly used for deleting a particular voice from a passage, since you would not generally want to delete any object that also applies to a remaining
voice on that staff.
Top/2nd/3rd/Bottom Note: selects only the specified notehead from chords in all voices in
the staff; if you choose the Top Note or Bottom Note filters, single notes will also be selected.
This is useful if you want to delete notes from chords but leave, say, the melody intact. 2nd and
3rd mean the second or third notehead counting down from the top, not up from the bottom.
Top/2nd/3rd/Bottom Note or Single Notes (shortcuts Ctrl+Alt+1/2/3/B or zX1/2/3/B):
if a passage contains both chords and single notes, this filter will select the specified notehead
from chords and the single notes in all voices, so you end up with a continuous line of music.
Useful for arranging from a keyboard sketch, where you want to copy lines of music onto other
staves.
Player 1/2 (For Deletion): these filters are designed to make it easy to separate a staff for (say)
Flutes 1 and 2 into individual parts for each player. You can also use it to separate two players
from one staff onto separate staves in a score, in complex situations not handled by other filters
such as where the music is sometimes in one voice and sometimes in two. See Extracting individual players on page 495.

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Advanced Filter dialog

If you want to apply a more complex filter, such as one using a combination of characteristics, you
should use the Edit > Filter > Advanced Filter dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F or xzXF).:

This dialog allows you to select or deselect any objects in the selected passage or the whole score.
It is split into two halves: on the left are general values that need to be set for the filter operation
such as whether to Find in the whole score or a selected passage, which general object types to
include (Text, Lines etc.), and which voices to include; on the right are detailed values for each
general object type these are in four pages, selected from the View list box.
The four Voice boxes indicate which voices in your score will be filtered; by default, all four voices
are filtered.
If you select a passage or multiple selection before choosing Edit > Filter > Advanced Filter, you
will be able to choose whether your filter applies to the Selection or the Whole score. If you
dont select anything before filtering, it will automatically apply to the whole score.
Build up as complex a filter as you like by using the four pages of options accessed via the View
list at the left. Switch on the Find box for a particular page to add it to the filter; switch it off again
to remove it. Obviously enough, at least one of the Find boxes must be switched on to perform a
filter operation!
The four pages contain the following options:
* Notes and chords: although the options here are more or less self-explanatory, lets take a

quick look at them anyway:

% Notes/Chords with n noteheads: filters chords with the specified number of notes
% Note in chord: filters the specified notehead(s).
* Pitch (sounding)/Octave: filters only notes of the specified pitch, and optionally in a specified
octave. (C4 is middle C.) Sibelius in fact searches by sounding pitch, so you dont need to worry
about transposing instruments. So that you dont get confused when working with transposing
scores, its a good idea to switch off Notes > Transposing Score before using pitch filters. (Note
that octave lines are ignored by this filter when searching for pitch.)
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5.4 Filters and Find

% Note value: selects only notes/rests of the specified length. Pick note values from the list or

Clicking Reset in the dialog sets all the filter options back to their defaults, so you can start afresh.
Once you have set the options you want, check that the appropriate Find boxes are selected, then
click Select to select all objects in the selection or whole score that match the filter characteristics,
or Deselect to remove all objects that match the filter characteristics from the selection.

Selecting objects with characteristics x and y

Lets suppose you want to select all half note (minim) middle Cs in a passage, in order to put an
accent on them. Think of this as selecting everything that is both a half note and a middle C.
To do this, you select all half notes and then filter all middle Cs from those, like this:
* First, select a passage
* Choose Edit > Filter > Advanced Filter (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F or xzXF)
* From Note value choose a half note
* From the Pitch (sounding) list choose C, and from the Octave list choose 4
* Click Select, and the filter is performed on your score, leaving only middle C half notes selected
* Add accents using the first Keypad layout.

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type them on the numeric keypad (with Num Lock on). Ties are ignored for this purpose, so
a half note (minim) tied to an eighth note (quaver) is treated as two separate notes.
% Position in bar: filters notes/rests with the specified position after the start of the bar. So if
you choose quarter note (crotchet), only notes/rests that are one quarter note into the bar
(i.e. begin on the second quarter note) will be filtered. If you also choose Plus multiples,
every note/rest on a quarter note (crotchet) beat will be filtered. Leave the Position in bar
box empty to filter just notes/rests at the start of bars.
% Articulations: filters notes/chords according to their articulations. If Any of these is
selected then a note/chord will be filtered if it has any of the selected articulations attached to
it; if All required is selected, a note/chord will only be filtered if it has all of the specified
articulations.
* Rests and Bar Rests: you can choose whether the filter should operate on normal rests, bar
rests, or both, by ticking the appropriate boxes. The drop-down lists allow you to specify the
duration of the rests you want to filter.
* Text: enter a particular word (e.g. legato, mf ) to filter all matching text in the selection, but
this field is case sensitive (e.g. Legato and legato are different). You can optionally specify
one or more text styles to filter click on the text style to add it to the selection, and click on it
again to remove it from the selection. The All or None buttons should be fairly self-explanatory!
* Lines: if this page is included in the filter, the selected line in the boxes on the right will be
selected; you can filter either all kinds of line (if All lines is switched on) or just one kind of line
at once (not multiple line types). If you want your filter to ignore lines altogether, ensure that
the Lines box under Find is not selected.

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Selecting objects with characteristic x or y

Lets suppose you want (for some unearthly reason) to select all notes in a passage that are either
half notes (minims) or middle Cs, to put an accent on them. This sort of case is rather unlikely,
and so there is no direct way to do it. However, the indirect method is:
* Select a passage, then using the Edit > Filter > Advanced Filter dialog, select all half notes
* Put an accent on them using the first Keypad layout
* Select the passage again, then using the Edit > Filter > Advanced Filter dialog select all middle

Cs
* Put an accent on them, too.

Finding objects
Finding works in much the same way as filtering, except that it selects matching objects one by
one rather than all at once. The Edit > Find dialog is very similar to the Advanced Filter dialog. To
find objects:
* Choose Edit > Find (shortcut Ctrl+F or XF) and choose the combination of characteristics you

want to find in your score see Advanced Filter dialog above for details on how to use this
dialog
* Click Find to find the first object in your score that matches the criteria you have chosen; if no
matching objects are found, Sibelius pops up a message telling you so.
Once youve set up a Find operation, you can use Edit > Find Next (shortcut Ctrl+G or XG) to
find the next matching object in your score.
The search order is as follows:
* The search starts at the beginning of the score, with the first bar in the top staff
* Sibelius searches to the very end of that staff (at the end of the score), then moves down to the

next staff and searches from the start of the score in that staff to the very end again, and so on
* If the end of the score is reached (in other words, the end of the bottom staff), you are asked if
you want to stop the search, or continue searching from the top staff at the beginning of the
score.

Finding and replacing text

If you want to find and replace particular text in your score, use the Plug-ins > Text > Find and
Replace Text plug-in b 5.11 Plug-ins.

Finding motives (motifs)

If you want to find a particular melodic or rhythmic motive in your score, use the Plug-ins >
Analysis > Find Motive plug-in b 5.11 Plug-ins.

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5.5 Focus on Staves

5.5 Focus on Staves

b 2.23 Staves, 4.1 Playback, 5.10 Panorama.
v Focus on Staves and Properties.

When working on scores for large ensembles such as orchestra or band, its often useful to see just
one or a few staves that youre working on; for example, you might want to see just the string
staves, or just the horns. This works particularly well in conjunction with View > Panorama.
Similarly, sometimes its useful to prepare scores where some staves with music on are hidden for
the purposes of playback; for example, you might want to prepare a simple lead sheet for printing,
but want to hear a hidden accompaniment during playback.
Sibeliuss View > Focus on Staves (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+F or zXF) feature allows you to accomplish both of these tasks with ease.

Choosing which staves to work on

Using Focus on Staves is very easy:
* Select the staff or staves you want to see (i.e. leave all the staves you want to be hidden unse-

*
*
*

* To leave focus mode, simply click the toolbar button or type the shortcut again, or switch off
View > Focus on Staves.

If your initial selection of staves included any staves hidden with Layout > Hide Empty Staves
(b 2.23 Staves), these staves will be shown when View > Focus on Staves is switched on, and
will disappear again when you switch it off if theyre still empty.
Sibelius remembers the last combination of staves you chose to focus on, so you can focus on the
same staves again simply by switching on View > Focus on Staves with nothing selected.

Playback
If you start playback while Focus on Staves is switched on, all the staves in your score will sound,
not just the ones youre focused on. This can be very useful, as it allows you to create scores in

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lected). You only have to select a single bar in each staff you want to focus on: use Shift-click to
select adjacent staves, or Ctrl+click or X-click to select non-adjacent staves
(b 1.6 Selections and passages). To focus on a single staff, you need only have a note or
other object selected.
Click the toolbar button (shown on the right), or choose View > Focus on Staves
(shortcut Ctrl+Alt+F or zXF)
Instantly, the staves you didnt want to focus on are hidden
You can now work on the remaining staves in exactly the same way as normal, inputting and
editing notes, adding text, and so on
Try switching on View > Panorama, which lays out the staves as a single continuous system on
an infinitely-wide page, ignoring the layout of the score (b 5.10 Panorama)

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5. Power tools
which staves cannot be seen, but do play back such as a hidden realization or lead sheet accompaniment.
If you dont want to hear the hidden staves during playback, use the Mixer window to mute them
(b 4.3 Mixer).
Because the View > Focus on Staves setting is saved in your score, you can use this feature to
great effect with Sibelius Scorch (b 5.16 SibeliusMusic.com), producing versions of your
scores that play back one way, but print another.

Selections and passages

When View > Focus on Staves is switched on, dashed blue lines may appear between the focused
staves, showing you where staves are present but not shown. (Notice that the same dashed lines
appear when you use the Layout > Hide Empty Staves feature b 2.23 Staves for more
details.)
Beware that when you make a selection across multiple staves when View > Focus on Staves is
switched on, any such hidden staves between the visible staves you have selected will also be
selected. This can have unintended side-effects: for example, when you copy such a passage elsewhere in the score, you will find that music on the hidden staves has also been copied.
Because of this, we recommend that you should:
* Leave View > Layout Marks on so that you can see where staves are hidden before doing any

copying;
* Preferably only copy single-staff passages, to avoid copying music you cannot see;
* Switch off View > Focus on Staves if you want to do complex copying operations involving
multiple staves, unless you can see that no hidden staves are included in the selection.

Multirests
If you switch on Use Multirests when focusing on staves, its exactly the same as switching on
multirests when youre not using Focus on Staves. In other words, youll only see a multirest if you
have at least two consecutive bars rest in all the staves in the score (not just in the staves youre
focusing on).

Possible confusions
Dont confuse Focus on Staves with Layout > Hide Empty Staves (b 2.23 Staves). Focus on
Staves can hide staves with music on, affects staves on every page, and is normally used temporarily (unless youre hiding an accompaniment or realization for playback purposes). Layout >
Hide Empty Staves works on individual systems, only works with staves which are empty or in
which all items are hidden, and is primarily intended for saving space in full scores.

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5.6 Hiding objects

5.6 Hiding objects

It can be useful for certain objects to be present in parts but hidden in your scores. For example,
you often want cue passages to appear in parts, but these should be hidden in the full score.
Or you may want some music to be played back that isnt visible, such as a jazz or figured bass
realization.
Sibelius allows you to hide any object, and to control whether that object should be visible in the
score, or in parts, or in neither.

Hiding an object
To hide an object, select it and choose one of the options in Edit > Hide or Show, as follows:
* Hide/Show (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H or xXH): hides or shows an object in the current score or

part
* Show in Score: shows an object in the full score only (and hides it in all parts)
* Show in Parts: shows an object in all parts (and hides it in the score)
* Show in All: shows an object both in the full score and all of the parts.

When you hide an object or select a hidden object, it will be shown in a pale color on the screen.
Once you deselect the object, it will disappear, although you can choose to see all hidden objects in
gray see Viewing hidden objects below.

What can be hidden

Any object in your score can be hidden, including notes, rests, text, time and key signature
changes, lines, and so on. Hiding a note also hides any associated accidentals, beams, stems and
articulations. (But you can hide accidentals, flags, and beams independently if necessary
b 2.1 Accidentals and 2.5 Beams.)
For details on hiding particular objects, see the relevant topic in this Reference, so to find out
about hiding lines, b 2.16 Lines.
Some uses for hidden objects:
* Notes: create cue passages that are hidden and silent in the full score, but that appear in parts
(b 2.12 Grace notes); have improvised solos and realizations that play back but arent vis-

ible.
* Text: hide metronome marks or dynamics that still play back; add directions for players that
arent visible in the score but are shown in parts; add notes to the conductor that appear in the
score but not in parts
* Lines: add markings, e.g. hairpins or accel./rit. lines, which play back but are hidden.

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Hide/Show is duplicated on the General panel of the Properties window; select the object you
want to hide or show and choose the appropriate option from the drop-down menu.

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5. Power tools

Viewing hidden objects

To be able to see hidden objects on the screen, switch on View > Hidden Objects (shortcut
Ctrl+Alt+H or zXH); this option is switched off by default. When this option is switched on,
hidden objects appear in light gray in your score (but they do not print see Playing and printing hidden objects below). Hidden objects can then also be selected and edited in exactly the
same way as normal ones.
When View > Hidden Objects is switched off, hidden objects in your score are completely invisible and cannot be selected or edited individually (although they do show up if you make a passage
or system selection say, if you type Ctrl+A or XA to select all and you can still move between
hidden and visible objects using the arrow and Tab keys).
This option also controls whether or not various objects that are not normally notated are shown.
For example:
* invisible barlines (b 2.3 Barlines) are shown as a gray barline
* key changes (b 2.15 Key signatures) and instrument changes (b 2.14 Instruments)

that result in no accidentals appearing are shown as a gray rectangle

* rests and bar rests that are hidden by the instruments staff type, such as in some guitar tab

instruments, appear in gray.

Note also that if you delete a rest it is initially hidden, so it will appear in light gray if View > Hidden Objects (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+H or zXH) is switched on. If you delete it again, it then disappears entirely.

Hidden objects in parts

When an object is hidden in the full score but visible in a part, or vice versa, and
View > Differences in parts is switched on, the visible version of it will appear in orange (to show
its not identical in the score and part); the hidden version will appear in gray as usual when
View > Hidden Objects is switched on, but will turn a pale orange when selected.

Playing and printing hidden objects

By default, hidden objects dont print and do play back, regardless of whether View > Hidden
Objects is switched on or off. You might not want certain hidden objects to play back, for example a cue passage that is hidden in the full score but shown in parts; if so, use silent noteheads or
switch off the objects Play on pass checkboxes in the Properties window b 2.20 Noteheads
and 4.6 Repeats.
If you want to print hidden objects, e.g. to help with proof-reading, switch on View > Hidden
Objects and then print your score, making sure to switch on Print View menu options in the
File > Print dialog (b 5.13 Printing).

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5.7 Highlight

5.7 Highlight
b 2.9 Color.

Sibelius allows you to draw highlights on your music to remind you of sections you are working
on, or simply to draw attention to a particular feature of your score.
Some plug-ins (e.g. Find Motive) highlight parts of the music automatically b 5.11 Plug-ins.

Creating a highlight
To create a highlight in your score, either:
* Choose Create > Highlight, then click and drag along the passage you want to highlight; or
* Select a passage, then choose Create > Highlight to create a highlight for the duration of that

passage. You can only highlight a passage in a single staff at once, so if you choose a passage
containing multiple staves, the highlight will only appear on the top staff in the selection.
(Though you can highlight the other staves individually.)
Highlights are yellow by default, but you can change their color after creating them just like other
objects b 2.9 Color.

Selecting highlights and highlighted objects

Moving a highlight
* To move a highlight left or right, click on the top or bottom edge of the highlight and drag with
the mouse, or use the 0/1 keys (with Ctrl or X for larger steps)
* To adjust the length of a selected highlight, click on the left or right line of the box around the

highlight and drag the mouse, hit space to extend it by a note (Shift-space retracts by a note),
or use the 0/1 keys (with Ctrl or X for larger steps).

Deleting a highlight
To delete a highlight, click the edge of the highlight and hit Delete; to remove all the highlights in
a score, use the Plug-ins > Other > Remove All Highlights plug-in (b 5.11 Plug-ins).

Viewing highlights
You can specify whether highlights are displayed in your score by choosing View > Highlights.

Printing highlights
You can choose whether or not to print highlights.
* If you dont want to print them, make sure that the Print View menu options setting in the
File > Print dialog (shortcut Ctrl+P or XP) is switched off when you print your score
* To print highlights, switch on View > Highlights (and switch off any other View menu options

that you dont want to be printed), then print your score, making sure that the Print View
menu options setting in the File > Print dialog (shortcut Ctrl+P or XP) is switched on.
For further information about printing, b 5.13 Printing.
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You can select, move and delete highlighted notes or other objects just the same as any other. To
select the highlight itself click its edge, so you can move, copy and delete it.

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5.8 Ideas
When writing music you often come up with a bit of melody, rhythm, accompaniment or chord
progression with some potential. Arrangers and copyists may use and reuse a large number of
specific chunks of notation, such as text markings, specific chord symbols or diagrams, and so on.
We call these fragments ideas: snippets of any length, any kind and for any number of instruments. Just tap a key to capture an idea and store it for later. Once youve captured an idea you can
edit it, tag it with your own keywords (e.g. canon, lyrical, riff) to help find it again, or even colorcode it. The Ideas window lets you browse and search through all the available ideas, and even
play them back. Using an idea is as simple as pasting from the clipboard; Sibelius even transposes
them into the right key and range.
You can import and export sets of ideas to share with others even via the Internet. If youre a
teacher or educator, you can save a set of ideas inside a score in order to create a compositional
worksheet for your students.
Furthermore, Sibelius comes with more than 2000 built-in ideas, spanning many instruments and
musical genres, so if youre stuck for inspiration or are looking for something stylish to kickstart
your creative process, youll find something suitable in seconds.

Whats in an idea
An idea can consist of practically anything you can write in Sibelius. You can select any amount of
music from a single note on one staff up to hundreds of bars on any number of staves and capture it as an idea. You can also select other kinds of objects such as lines, symbols, text objects
and even imported graphics and capture them as ideas, with or without notes.
As well as music, an idea also contains tags. Tags are how you label your ideas using keywords to
describe each idea so that you can easily find it later on. This is useful when you have thousands of
ideas to sift through! In addition to the tags that you specify, Sibelius automatically tags each idea
with other information, including:
* Key signature
* Time signature
* Tempo
* Length of the idea, in bars
* Instruments used in the idea
* Creation date
* Modification date

You can search for ideas using any of the tags you have chosen yourself or the ones Sibelius adds
automatically. You can also assign a specific color to any idea.

Ideas window
The main way of working with ideas is the Ideas window, which you can show and hide by
choosing Window > Ideas (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+I or zXI), or by clicking the toolbar button
shown on the right.
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5.8 Ideas
The Ideas window has two views, compact and detailed. By default, it opens in compact view,
which looks like this:
Type tags here...

...or click the arrow to see a list...

...then choose whether to

show ideas from the current
Score, the Library, or All
Selected idea has a border around it;
use 2/3 to move the selection after
clicking on one

Switch to
detailed view

Capture Idea
Copy
Paste

Edit

Delete

Edit Idea Info

Add to Library
Add to Score Ideas

The Score and Library buttons allow you to choose whether you want the ideas shown in the window to come from the current score, or the library, which is a repository of ideas available to every
score you work on (including the built-in ideas, and other ideas you put into the library), or both
(see Where ideas are saved below). Notice that if the score youre working on has no ideas in
it, the Score button will be disabled, and you wont be able to switch off the Library button.
The main part of the window shows you the ideas that match the tags you typed, with the most
relevant ideas at the top, or, if you havent typed anything into the box at the top of the window, it
shows all available ideas (from the score and/or library), with the most recently captured or edited
ideas at the top of the list.
Each listed idea shows a small preview of the music or other objects contained within it; normally
you will see two or three bars of the top staff. Important tags are shown in the four corners around
the notation preview: at the top left, the ideas name; at the top right, the letter L appears if the idea
is located in the library rather than the current score; at the bottom left, the time signature of the
idea; and at the bottom right, the tempo of the idea. If you hover your mouse over the idea, a tool
tip appears showing the other tags, including instrumentation. If you dont want to see the nota365

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To search for ideas, you simply type one or more tags into the box at the top of the window. If you
dont know what to type, click the little arrow at the right of the window, and a drop-down menu
will appear, listing the most frequently used tags in the available ideas. You can simply click one of
the tags in the list to add it to the box. Once you have one or more words in the box, you can still
pull down the menu again, and Sibelius will show you the tags that occur most often in ideas that
also use the tags youve already chosen. Each time you add a word to the box and hit Return, Sibelius updates the list of ideas in the main part of the window.

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5. Power tools
tion preview, you can switch off Show notation preview in Ideas window compact view on
the Ideas page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac), in which case you will see just
the name of the idea and its tempo.
Each idea is shown on a colored background, which you can change to categorize them further.
(New ideas you capture yourself have a white background by default.)
You can right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) on an idea in the list to see a menu that
includes a number of useful options. These do the same as the buttons at the bottom of the window, as follows:
* Copy: copies the selected idea to the clipboard, so that you can paste it into your score; see
*

*
*
*
*
*
*

Pasting an idea below

Paste: pastes the current clipboard contents into the score; if you have a selection in the score,
the clipboard contents will be pasted directly at that position; if there is no selection, the mouse
pointer will turn blue and you can click in the score to paste at that position
Edit: edits the selected idea; see Editing an idea below
Edit Idea Info: allows you to edit an ideas tags and color, as well as see the tags that Sibelius has
automatically given to the idea
Delete: deletes the selected idea from the collection of ideas saved in the score or in the library,
as appropriate
Add to Score Ideas: only enabled if the selected idea is in the library, this allows you to copy
the idea from the library to the collection of ideas in the current score
Add to Library: only enabled if the selected idea is in the collection of ideas in the score, this
allows you to copy the idea from the current score to the library
Detailed View: switches the window to detailed view, which looks like this:
Click the column names to sort the list
by that column; drag columns left and
right to re-order them

Drag the divider up and down to change

the height of the list and preview panes

Import Export

Switch back to compact view

Detailed view offers much the same functionality as compact view, but (not surprisingly) with
more detail. Instead of seeing a short notation preview for each idea, you can see a complete preview of one idea in the pane at the bottom of the window. The list in the upper pane of the window
shows you all the tags belonging to each idea, and can be sorted by clicking on any of the column
headings. You can change the width of the columns (or indeed the order of the columns) by drag366

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5.8 Ideas
ging them around. You can also change the height of the two panes in the window by dragging the
divider in between them up or down.
Notice that you can only change the height of the Ideas window in compact view, but in detailed
view you can resize the window in both directions.
Detailed view adds two extra buttons not present in compact view, for importing and exporting
ideas see Where ideas are saved below.

Auditioning ideas
If you want to hear what an idea sounds like, simply click on it in the Ideas window and hold your
left mouse button to audition it; Sibelius will play the idea as a loop, repeating it up to eight times.
If you would prefer Sibelius to play your idea just once instead of as a loop, switch off Automatically repeat ideas when auditioned on the Ideas page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius
menu on Mac).

Capturing an idea
You create an idea by selecting some music in the score and choosing Edit > Capture Idea (shortcut Shift-I). You can capture an idea from any kind of selection, including:
* Passage selections of any numbers of bars and staves. If you have a system passage selection,

(For more information about different kinds of selections, b 1.6 Selections and passages.)
There are certain obvious things you cant capture as ideas. For example, you cant capture an
accidental, beam or articulation without capturing the note or notes to which its attached. A good
rule of thumb is that if you can copy and paste it, you can capture it as an idea.
If the Ideas window is shown, and provided you dont have any tags typed into the box at the top
of the window, you will see your idea appear at the top of the window. Sibelius automatically
chooses a name for your idea (taken from the scores title or filename, plus a number to ensure its
unique). You can change the name later if you like.

Finding an idea
To find an idea, type one or more tags into the box at the top of the Ideas window, then choose an
idea from the list.

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beware that system objects (such as time signatures, repeat barlines, Tempo text, etc.) will be
excluded from the idea ideas cant contain system objects. Also, you cannot capture an idea
from a selection that includes discontiguous staves.
* A single selected object, e.g. a note, text object, line, etc. Again, beware that you cannot capture
a system object as an idea.
* Multiple selections of notes, e.g. the first and third beats of a bar, selected via Ctrl+click or Xclick, or by a filter. Multiple selections are turned into passage selections when they are captured as ideas, so you will find that when you edit or paste your idea, it is padded out with
appropriate rests.
* Multiple selections of things other than notes, e.g. a series of Expression text objects and hairpins, selected via Ctrl+click or X-click, or by a filter.

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As you type in the box, Sibelius drops down the menu below so that you can see tags that match
what you have typed (e.g. if you type cl you may see clarinet, closed, classical, and as soon
as you add a, closed will disappear from the list). You can either keep typing, or use the arrow
keys or the mouse to select one of the tags from the list. As soon as you have chosen a tag or hit
space to show that you have finished typing one tag, the list of ideas in the main part of the window is updated.
You can then type another tag. When you add a second tag, only those ideas that match both your
original tag and your new tag will be shown in the list. As before, when you start to type into the box,
the menu drops down to show you the possible tags that match the letters you have typed so far.
Each time you add another tag, the choice of ideas in the main part of the window is reduced
accordingly to show only those ideas that match all the tags you have typed into the box. You can
then select the idea you want in the list by clicking on it.
Ideas are listed in the main part of the Ideas window in descending order of relevance. If the tag
you typed is in the ideas Name, then it is considered highly relevant; if the tag occurs in the general list of Tags, then it is considered quite relevant; if the tag occurs in the tags generated automatically by Sibelius, it is considered a little relevant.

Pasting an idea
Before you can paste an idea, you have to copy it to the clipboard. To do this, simply select it in the
Ideas window, then either type Ctrl+C or XC, or click the Copy button at the bottom of the window, or right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) and choose Copy from the context menu.
Pasting an idea into a score is just like any other kind of pasting: either select the place in the score
where you want the idea to appear, then choose Edit > Paste (shortcut Ctrl+V or XV); or make
sure you have nothing selected, then choose Edit > Paste, and click in the score where you want
the idea to go. You could also click the Paste button at the bottom of the Ideas window.
As with any other kind of pasting, you can use multicopy to paste lots of copies of an idea (see
Multicopying a passage on page 47), or choose Edit > Repeat (shortcut R) immediately after
pasting to repeat the idea after itself.
Unlike normal pasting, when pasting an idea Sibelius does some extra things for you by default:
namely, it transposes the idea to match the prevailing key of the score at the point where you
paste, and it also transposes by octaves to ensure that the music fits the playable range of the
instrument into which you paste the idea.
When Sibelius transposes an idea to match the current key, it simply transposes all the notes up or
down by the same interval, meaning that if your idea is in a major key and you paste into a minor
key, the pasted idea will still sound major (though you can do modal transposition if required
using the Transform Scale plug-in see Transform Scale on page 405). If you would rather
Sibelius didnt transpose your ideas at all, switch off Transpose to match current key signature
on the Ideas page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac).
Similarly, if you dont want Sibelius to try and make your idea fit the range of the instrument
youre pasting into, switch off Transpose by octaves to fit within instrument range in the
same place.
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5.8 Ideas
When you paste an idea that uses an unpitched percussion instrument onto a different unpitched
percussion staff in your score, Sibelius will automatically create an instrument change at the start
of the pasted idea (and restore the original instrument at the end of the idea), so that the playback
of the idea is correct. If you dont want Sibelius to do this, switch off Create instrument changes
for unpitched ideas.
If you want to keep track of where you have used ideas in your score (or if youre a teacher and you
want to see where students have used them), switch on Create colored highlight, which is also
on the Ideas page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac). This creates a highlight in
the ideas background color where you paste it.

Built-in ideas
Sibelius includes more than 2000 ideas, designed to provide inspiration to composers of all ages,
and covering as wide a range of genres as possible at a basic level.
Each idea has a unique name, normally the genre name, followed by the instrument (or instruments) in the idea, followed by a number. In general, the higher the number, the more complex
the music in the idea. The built-in ideas are also color-coded by genre (as shown in the list below).
To find ideas in a specific genre, first type one of the following tags:
* Groovy (pastel pink)

* Chill Out (pastel green)

* Hip Hop (pastel blue)

* Classical (lime green)

* Jazz (mid-pink)

* Concert Band (bright green)

* Latin (orange)

* Country (yellow)

* Marching Band (turquoise)

* Dance (gray)

* Modern Classical (dull green)

* Film (light blue)

* Motown (beige)

* Folk (olive)

* Pop (bright blue)

* Funk (gray-pink)

* Reggae (violet)

* Garage (misty blue)

* Rock (bright pink)

Power tools

* African (peach)

You can then further narrow down the matches using tags like the following:
* Instrument, e.g. guitar, drum, piano
* Tempo, e.g. fast, slow, moderato
* Idea type, e.g. melody, accompaniment, rhythm
* Complexity, e.g. basic, moderate, complex
* Mood, e.g. happy, sad, reflective
* Characteristics, e.g. exciting, lively, relaxed, majestic, major, minor, swing, dramatic, humorous

Type one or more tags from one or more of these categories and youll soon find ideas that suit
your purpose.
Some further hints for using the built-in ideas in your own scores:

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* The ideas vary in length, typically between two and eight bars. The longer ideas are suitable for

e.g. demonstrating particular points of composition, style or playing technique, while the shorter
ideas are more suitable for adapting, repeating or otherwise using in your own compositions.
* Nearly all of the ideas are for single instruments (as specified in their names), and will work best
when pasted onto that instrument, or a closely related one. However, you can paste an idea onto
any staff in your score, and Sibelius will transpose it to fit the instruments range as appropriate,
so dont be afraid to experiment.
* All of the ideas within each genre have been designed to work together, though they do not necessarily share the same harmonic structures or chord sequences. Ideas with the same number
for different instruments, e.g. Reggae Bass 1 and Reggae Keyboard 1, will generally fit
together.
* The built-in ideas have been designed to sound at their best when played back through Sibelius
Sounds Essentials (b 4.4 Sibelius Sounds Essentials) with Play > Live Playback switched
on (b 4.7 Live Playback), but you can of course play them back on any device.

Using ideas in your teaching

If you are a teacher, you have probably already come up with dozens of ways to use Sibeliuss ideas
features creatively in your teaching, but here are a few practical suggestions about how your students can get the best out of it:
* Audition notated ideas: Students who are not good readers of music notation will find that the
*

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ability to audition ideas simply by clicking on them in the Ideas window will spark their creativity.
Create ostinatos in ABA form: Show them how to create an appropriate instrument in the score
using Create > Instruments (shortcut I), then paste an idea onto the staff. Show them how to
quickly repeat an idea after pasting it using Edit > Repeat (shortcut R). With these simple techniques, students will quickly be able to build up their own compositions using the built-in ideas
provided.
Keep track of their creativity with colored highlights: You may find that switching on Create colored highlights (on the Ideas page of File > Preferences, in the Sibelius menu on Mac) helps
students to see the patterns produced by using ideas together, and you can also see where students have used ideas or created their own music by the presence or absence of these highlights.
Create score templates: You can create simple projects for your students by setting up a score
template that includes some carefully chosen ideas. For example, you could create empty staves
for a small jazz combo (drums, keyboard, bass, and a lead instrument like a saxophone). You
could then take appropriate ideas from the built-in library and add them to the score (by selecting them and choosing Add to Score in the Ideas window) to give the students the raw material to build a 12-bar blues, e.g. a few bass lines, some keyboard riffs, and a handful of drum
patterns. If you switch on Show ideas from this score only (on the File page of File > Score
Info) then students will only be able to choose from the ideas you have selected for them when
working with this file.
Improvise a melody: Encourage your more able students to try improvising a melody in the lead
instrument after they have constructed a suitable bass, piano and drums backing using the supplied ideas.

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5.8 Ideas
Sibeliuss ideas feature also lends itself to:
* Elements of music study
* Using ideas as a call and/or response
* Experimenting with changing instrument sounds
* Aural training through loop recognition and dictation
* Students capturing their own ideas to make a resource bank for younger students
* Helping students to create music in the pop/dance music genre.

A number of the built-in ideas (particularly those tagged Classical) have been designed as very
specific starting points for composition tasks, covering a large number of composition topics for
GCSE and AS / A2 Level Music.
For more guidance, visit www.sibeliuseducation.com.

Limiting access to the library

If you never want to see ideas from the library when working on a specific score (e.g. if you are preparing a lesson for your students in which they should be allowed to work only with a set of ideas
determined by you and saved within the score itself), switch on Show ideas from this score
only on the File page of File > Score Info.

Editing an idea
You can edit both the music and the tags of ideas.
To edit an ideas tags, select it in the Ideas window, then click the
Edit Idea Info button at the bottom of the window, or right-click
and choose Edit Idea Info from the context menu. The dialog
shown on the right appears.
You can edit the ideas Name and Tags simply by typing into the
boxes provided. To change the background color of the idea,
click Color and choose the colour from the picker that appears.
You can also see all the automatic tags that Sibelius has created
in this dialog, though you cant edit them; they are automatically
updated if you edit the music in the idea.
To edit the music in an idea, select it in the Ideas window, then
click the Edit Idea button at the bottom of the window, or rightclick and choose Edit Idea from the context menu.
A new window will appear, as if you had opened another score. Your idea is shown in Panorama
(b 5.10 Panorama), and you can edit it just like any other score
When you have finished editing your idea, simply save it by choosing File > Save (shortcut Ctrl+S
or XS), then close the window by choosing File > Close (shortcut Ctrl+W or XW) to return to
your original score.
371

Power tools

When this option is switched on, the Library button in the Ideas window is switched off and disabled, so that only those Ideas saved in the score itself will be visible when working on that score.

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5. Power tools
If you want to discard any unsaved changes in your idea, simply choose File > Close, then click No
when asked if you want to save your changes.

Where ideas are saved

An idea can be saved either in the current score, or to the library. When an idea is saved in a score,
it can only appear in the Ideas window when that score is open, and when the Score button is
switched on. When an idea is saved in the library, it can appear in the Ideas window when any
score is open, provided the Library button is switched on.
By default, when you capture an idea, it is added to your current score, which means that it is available only to that score, unless you select it and click Add to Library in the Ideas window. If you
would prefer all your ideas to go directly to the library instead, set Add captured ideas to Library
on the Ideas page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac).
The library is a big repository of ideas you may want to keep for use in many different scores,
rather than a single score; it is also where all the built-in ideas are saved; if you dont want to see
them, and only want to see your own ideas in the library, switch off Show built-in ideas.
The built-in ideas are saved inside the Sibelius program folder (Windows) or application package
(Mac) and you shouldnt interfere with them. Ideas that you save to the library yourself are saved in
a folder called Ideas in your user accounts application data folder, but you should never need to
interfere with these files directly (see User-editable files on page 564), because Sibelius has
built-in features to import and export them for sharing them with other users.

Sharing ideas
If you want to share your ideas with others, there are two ways to achieve this: either save the ideas
you want to share to a specific score, and then distribute that score (this is useful for setting
projects for students see Using ideas in your teaching above); or export a selection of ideas
as an .ideas file that can be imported into someone elses ideas library.
To save ideas to a score, select the ideas you want to travel with the score and click the Add to
Score button at the bottom of the Ideas window, or right-click and choose Add to Score from the
context menu. You can only select multiple ideas at once if youre using the detailed view of the
Ideas window, so you may find that most useful for this kind of operation. Check that the right
ideas are in the score by switching off the Library button in the Ideas window, which will then only
show those ideas saved in the score.
To export a selection of ideas, you need to be using the detailed view of the Ideas window. Select
the ideas you want to export in the usual way using Shift-click to select a continuous range of
ideas from the list, or Ctrl+click or X-click to select multiple ideas dotted around the list then
click the Export button at the bottom of the window, or right-click (Windows) or Control-click
(Mac) and choose Export from the context menu. You will be prompted for a filename and a location to save the ideas; when you click Save, an .ideas file is saved to your chosen location. You can
then send that .ideas file to somebody (e.g. by email) or upload it to SibeliusEducation.com.

372

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5.8 Ideas

Importing ideas
To import ideas into your library, e.g. if you have received an .ideas file from another Sibelius user,
switch to the Ideas windows detailed view, then click Import. You are prompted to choose the
.ideas file you want to import; click Open and a simple dialog appears, allowing you to specify
whether the incoming ideas should be added to the library or to one of the scores you currently
have open.

Power tools
373

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5. Power tools

5.9 Menus and shortcuts

Nearly every function of Sibelius can be performed using just the keyboard. Once youve learned
the keyboard shortcuts for the features you use most often, youll find using Sibelius much
quicker and easier.
You can find most of the shortcuts in Sibeliuss menus; theyre referred to in this Reference each
time we mention a feature that has a shortcut; theres a comprehensive list of shortcuts on the
next few pages; and the essential shortcuts are also listed on the back cover of the Handbook.
You can customize most of the keyboard shortcuts if you want, and you can also enable or disable
particular features in Sibeliuss menus, which is useful in schools see below.
For details of the conventions used in this Reference for naming menus and shortcuts, refer to the
beginning of the separate Handbook.

Shortcut patterns
Here are some general patterns to shortcuts that make them easier to remember:
* Standard operations common to all programs (e.g. New, Copy, Print, Find, Save, Undo) use
standard shortcuts, which are mostly Ctrl or X plus the initial letter of the operation (the notable exceptions being Undo, which is Ctrl+Z or XZ, and Paste, which is Ctrl+V or XV)
* Most Create menu shortcuts (other than text) are a single letter, usually the initial letter (e.g. L
*
*

*
*

for Line, K for Key Signature)

Create > Text menu shortcuts are Ctrl or X, or Ctrl+Alt or zX, plus the initial letter (e.g.
Ctrl+E or XE for Expression, Ctrl+T or XT for Technique, Ctrl+Alt+T or zXT for Tempo)
Most Notes, Layout and House Style menu shortcuts are Ctrl+Shift or xX plus the initial
letter. For Layout > Reset... options they use the initial letter of the thing to be reset (e.g.
Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP for Reset Position)
Tool window shortcuts are Ctrl+Alt or zX plus the initial letter (or a letter from the name) of
the window you want to show or hide
Ctrl or X with the arrow keys or Home/End/Page Up/Page Down means large steps, e.g.
with a note selected, Ctrl+3 or X3 transposes by an octave; with a bar selected,
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+1 or xzX1 increases note spacing by a large amount
Shift with arrows or mouse click means extend selection, e.g. with a bar selected, Shift-3
extends the selection to the staff above.

Windows/Mac differences
Sibelius and the keyboard shortcuts are virtually identical on Windows and Mac. The Command
key (X) on Mac keyboards is equivalent to the Ctrl key on Windows keyboards, and the Option
key (z) on Mac is equivalent to the Alt key on Windows. As a result, almost all shortcuts are
interchangeable as long as, for example, X is substituted for Ctrl as appropriate. There are a few
exceptions, but these are clearly explained where they arise.
Likewise, the standard Mac mouse only has one button, so Mac users must use Control-click to
access the context-sensitive menus, while Windows users use right-click.
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5.9 Menus and shortcuts

School features
Sibelius comes with a ready-made educational feature set called School features, which disables
all of the programs advanced features. To use this feature set, select the Menus and Shortcuts
page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac), select School features from the list,
then click OK.
The features that remain enabled are the main ones likely to be used by students (e.g. inputting of
notes and other common objects, basic playback, printing), but with more advanced features (or
features you dont want students to waste time playing around with!) disabled, e.g. most House
Style and Layout menu features, advanced playback features, plug-ins, and Help menu web links.
The features enabled are consistent with Sibelius Notes, a complete pack of educational resources
to help you teach music in the classroom with Sibelius; see b 5.15 SibeliusEducation.com for
more details.
Sibelius doesnt prevent students going into the Preferences dialog themselves to switch the disabled features back on, but you can threaten them with punishment if they try this.
You can also use School features as the basis for your own custom feature set see Enabling
and disabling features below.

Notebook (laptop) features (Windows only)

Customizing keyboard shortcuts

You can customize the existing shortcuts in Sibelius as you like. For instance, if you use lots of
triplets and find Ctrl+3 or X3 a pain to type, you could assign a single key, preferably an unused
one, such as U.
To get started, choose the Menus and Shortcuts page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius
menu on Mac) to see this dialog:

375

Power tools

Sibelius comes with a feature set especially designed for Windows laptop users who dont have a
keypad on their computer. To use this feature set, choose File > Preferences and select the Menus
and Shortcuts page. Select Notebook (laptop) features from the list, then click OK. See Accessing numeric keypad functions on a notebook (laptop) on page 18 for more information.

reference.book Page 376 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

5. Power tools
Before you can define a new shortcut, you need to create a new feature set, a specific set of keyboard shortcuts and enabled features (see Enabling and disabling features below). By
default, Sibelius uses the Standard menus and shortcuts feature set (though other sets are also
included see above), but you can have as many different feature sets as you like. Lets create one:
* Pull down the list at the top of the dialog and click Add feature set to create a new feature set
* In the New Feature Set dialog, type a suitable name. The Base on default set option

(switched on by default) is recommended: this retains all of Sibeliuss standard shortcuts and
allows you to add to them if you switch this option off, youll have to define every single shortcut from scratch.
* Click OK, and your new feature set is automatically chosen in the Menus and Shortcuts dialog
* If you need to delete or rename a feature set, choose Edit feature sets from the list. You can
also duplicate an existing feature set, which is useful for e.g. basing a new set on the School
features set supplied.
Now you can get down to the serious business of defining your own shortcuts:
* All of the features for which you can customize shortcuts are organized according to their
*
*
*

*
*

Menu or Category; choose the appropriate option in the list for example, choose Tuplets
The Feature list shows the available features within the chosen menu or category; choose Triplet
In the Keyboard Shortcuts box at the right, any current shortcuts for that function are displayed; the standard shortcut for creating a triplet will be shown
You can select the existing shortcut and click Delete to remove it, but theres seldom need as
you can define multiple shortcuts for the same feature (the first shortcut listed is the one that
will be shown in Sibeliuss menus, if that feature has a menu item). So lets just add another
shortcut click Add
The Add Keyboard Shortcut dialog appears. Type your own shortcut (in this case, just U),
then click OK. You can type a single key or a combination (such as Ctrl+Alt+U or zXU), but
single key shortcuts will reduce your stress levels enormously.
If the shortcut you choose is already used by another feature, Sibelius will ask if you want to
override it
When you have finished customizing shortcuts, click OK to close the Menus and Shortcuts
dialog.

Here are a few things to bear in mind when customizing shortcuts:

* You can theoretically reassign keys on the Keypad (this could be useful for emulating other

music programs), but the Keypad on the screen wont magically rearrange itself to show this: so
if you make 3 on the Keypad the shortcut for a triplet, you dont get a little triplet drawn there
* On Mac, you cant assign a number of combinations, since they are intercepted by the operating
system, including: xX09, F1F12, zXT, XM and XH.
* On Windows, the main keys that cannot be assigned are Alt+F, Alt+E, Alt+V, Alt+N, Alt+C,
Alt+P, Alt+L, Alt+S, Alt+U, Alt+W, Alt+H these are the shortcuts for each of Sibeliuss
menus. You should also not attempt to re-assign other standard Windows shortcuts such as
Ctrl+F4, Alt+F4, Ctrl+Esc, Ctrl+Tab, Alt+Tab and so on.
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5.9 Menus and shortcuts

To customize shortcuts for items in word menus, b 3.1 Working with text.

Finding unused keyboard shortcuts

There are various possible keyboard shortcuts left unused by Sibeliuss standard set. Generally
speaking, most of the combinations of single letters, Ctrl or X plus letters, and Ctrl+Shift or xX
plus letters (and a smaller number of Ctrl+Shift+Alt or xzX plus letters) are already used by
default, but without affecting these you could use:
* Ctrl+Shift or xX, or Ctrl+Shift+Alt or xzX, plus the numbers on the main keyboard
* Ctrl or X, Ctrl+Shift or xX, or Ctrl+Shift+Alt or xzX plus most of the function keys
* Single-key shortcuts using punctuation keys (e.g. , . / # ; etc.)

A list of all the shortcuts in use by default in Sibelius is available for download; choose Help >
Help Center to visit the online Help Center.

Enabling and disabling features

As well as allowing you to customize keyboard shortcuts, the Menus and Shortcuts page of the
Preferences dialog also allows you selectively to disable individual features, which may be useful
in schools when you dont want students to be able to use particular functions of the program.

Sharing feature sets

Feature sets are saved in the Menus and Shortcuts folder inside your systems application data
folder (see User-editable files on page 564), and have the file extension .sfs. You can transfer
feature sets from one computer to another simply by copying this file, then choosing the copied
feature set on the second computer from the Menus and Shortcuts page of the
File > Preferences dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac).
Feature set files are platform-dependent; that is, a feature set created on Windows will not work
on Mac, and vice versa (because the keys on Windows and Mac keyboards are different).

Restoring default keyboard shortcuts

To restore keyboard shortcuts to their default settings, simply reselect the Standard menus and
shortcuts feature set in the Menus and Shortcuts page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius
menu on Mac), and click OK.

377

Power tools

To do this, create a feature set (e.g. based on the supplied School features set you cant disable
features in the default feature set) see Customizing keyboard shortcuts above. Then
choose the feature you want to disable from the Feature list and switch off the Enable feature
option. Disabled features do not disappear from Sibeliuss menus, but they are grayed out and
cannot be accessed by their keyboard shortcuts.

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5. Power tools
Feature

Windows shortcut

Mac shortcut

New

Ctrl+N

Open

Ctrl+O

Close

Ctrl+F4 / Ctrl+W

Close All

Ctrl+Alt+W

Files

Save

Ctrl+S

Save As

Ctrl+Shift+S

XN
XO
XW
zXW
XS
xXS

Creating notes
Input Notes
y/x/e/q/h/w

N
1/2/3/4/5/6 (on keypad)

1/2/3/4/5/6 (on keypad)z

/ # / b (on/off)
> . (on/off)
Rhythm dot
Create note

7/8/9 (on keypad)

/*. (period)
A/B/C/D/E/F/G or play note/chord
on MIDI keyboard
0 (on keypad)
1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9
(on main keyboard)
Shift+1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9
(on main keyboard)

7/8/9 (on keypad)

=/*
. (period)
A/B/C/D/E/F/G or play note/chord
on MIDI keyboard
0 (on keypad)
1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9
(on main keyboard)

Add Pitch above

Shift+A-G

xA-G

Tie (on/off)
Start a new voice

Enter (on keypad)

N Alt+2/3/4

N z2/3/4

Flexi-time
Flexi-time

Ctrl+Shift+F

xXF

Stop Flexi-time
Flexi-time Options

Space
Ctrl+Shift+O

Space

Create rest
Add Interval above
Add Interval below

Editing notes
Re-input Pitches
Edit pitch
Edit note value: y / x / e / q / h / w;
start/stop re-inputting pitches
Edit accidental: / # / b (on/off)
Edit articulation(s): > . (on/off)
Turn into rest(s)
Turn into individual rest(s)
Respell Accidental
Cross note/chord/rest to staff above/below

Enter (on keypad)

xXO

Ctrl+Shift+I

xXI

A/B/C/D/E/F/G or play note/chord

on MIDI keyboard
1/2/3/4/5/6 (on keypad)

A/B/C/D/E/F/G or play note/chord

on MIDI keyboard
1/2/3/4/5/6 (on keypad)

7/8/9 (on keypad)

/*Delete / Backspace
0 on first Keypad layout
Return (on main keyboard)

7/8/9 (on keypad)

=/*
Delete / Backspace
0 on first Keypad layout
Return (on main keyboard)

Ctrl+Shift+3/2

xX3/2
xz0 (on main keyboard)
xz 0/1/2/3 (or two digits)

Standard notehead

Shift+Alt+0 (on main keyboard)

Change notehead
Next notehead/bar rest type

Shift+Alt+0/1/2/3
(or two digits)
Shift+=

Previous notehead/bar rest type

Shift+

Swap voices 1 and 2

Shift+V

Transpose

Shift+T

Arrange

Ctrl+Shift+V

378

x1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9
(on main keyboard)

x=
x
xV
xT
xXV

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5.9 Menus and shortcuts

Feature
Creating objects
Create menu

Windows shortcut

Mac shortcut
Control-click
(with nothing selected)

Bar at end

Shift+F10 / right-click
(with nothing selected)
Ctrl+B

Single bar (in mid-score)

Ctrl+Shift+B

XB
xXB
zB

Other bar (multiple/irregular)

Alt+B

Clef
Chord diagram

Q
Shift-K

Instruments
Key signature
Line
Slur/flipped slur

I
K
L
S/Shift+S (then space to extend)

I
K
L

Crescendo/diminuendo hairpin

H/xH (then space to extend)

Rehearsal mark

H/Shift+H
(then space to extend)
Ctrl+R

Symbol
Time signature
Triplet

Z
T
Ctrl+3 (on main keyboard)

Z
T

Tuplet

Ctrl+29 (on main keyboard)

Creating text
Chord symbol

Ctrl+K

Expression

Ctrl+E

Lyrics line 1

Ctrl+L

xK

S/xS (then space to extend)

XR

X3 (on main keyboard)

X29 (on main keyboard)

Ctrl+Alt+L

Technique

Ctrl+T

Tempo

Ctrl+Alt+T
Return (on main keyboard) / F2 /
double-click
Esc

Return (on main keyboard) /

double-click
Esc

0/1

0/1
z0/1

Editing text
Start editing
Stop editing
Move left/right a character
Move left/right a word

Ctrl+0/1

Move to start/end of line

Move to start/end of text

Home/End
Ctrl+Home/End

Select word
Select next/previous character

double-click

double-click

Shift+0/1

Power tools

Lyrics line 2

XK
XE
XL
zXL
XT
zXT

none

X0/1

Select to end/beginning of word

Ctrl+Shift+0/1

Select to end/beginning of text

Ctrl+Shift+Home/End

Select All text

Ctrl+A

x0/1
xz0/1
xX0/1
XA

Delete previous/next character

Delete previous/next word

Backspace / Delete
Ctrl+Backspace/Delete

z-Backspace/Delete

Replace selected text

New line
Bold/italic/underline on/off

type new text

Return / Enter
Ctrl+B/I/U

Default font

Ctrl+Alt+Space

XB/I/U
^z-Space

Advance to next note/beat (lyrics/chord symbols/

figured bass/fingering)
Hyphens to next note (lyrics)

space

space

(hyphen)

(hyphen)

Backspace
type new text
Return / Enter

379

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5. Power tools
Feature
Elision (lyrics)
Non-breaking space/non-breaking hyphen (lyrics/chord symbols)
Word menu
f / m / n / p / r / s / z (Expression text)

Windows shortcut
_ (underscore)
Ctrl+space/hyphen

Mac shortcut
_ (underscore)

Shift+F10 / right-click
Ctrl+F/M/N/P/R/S, Ctrl+Shift+Z

Control-click

cresc. / dim. (Expression text)

Ctrl+Shift+C/D

y/x/e/q/h/w//#/b

Ctrl+1/2/3 (on keypad)

////

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+A/E/I/O/U

////

Ctrl+Shift+A/E/I/O/U

////

/ (smart quotes)

Alt+number from Character

Map
Alt+number from Character
Map
Alt+number from Character
Map
Alt+number from Character
Map
Alt+2 / Shift+Alt+2

/ (smart single quotes)

Alt+ / Shift+Alt+

(ellipsis)

Alt+0133 (on keypad)

////
/
Other special characters

z-space/hyphen

XF/M/N/P/R/S, xXZ
xXC/D
X1/2/3 (on keypad)
z` followed by letter (e.g. z`A)
zE followed by letter
zU followed by letter
zI followed by letter
zC / xzC
use Keyboard Viewer utility

' / ; (chord symbols)

Ctrl+Shift+A / Ctrl+Alt+O

z] / xz]
z[ / xz[
z;
xXC
xXP
xX4 ($)
X0 (zero)
X[ / ]
zX7/8/9/+ (on keypad)
x5 (%)
XO / xXO / x6
xXA / zXO

[ ] (for stackable alterations in chord symbols)

Guitar tab
Change fret

[]

[]

0/1/2/3 (or two digits, on main

keyboard)

0/1/2/3 (or two digits, on main

keyboard)

0/1
3/2
Ctrl+3/2

0/1
3/2
X3/2

J (then space to extend)

J (then space to extend)

* /. (period) / 1
on second Keypad layout

Ctrl+Shift+C

| (Lyricist/Title/Copyright)

Ctrl+Shift+P

$ (Tempo)

Ctrl+Shift+4 ($)

(Tempo)

Ctrl+0 (zero)

< / > (in metric modulations)

Ctrl+[ / ]

Harp pedal diagrams (Technique text)

Ctrl+Alt+7/8/9/+ (on keypad)

% (chord symbols)

Shift+5 (%)

/ / ^ (chord symbols)

Ctrl+O / Ctrl+Shift+O / Shift+6

Move left/right through bar

Move up/down a string
Move to top/bottom string
Bend
Pre-bend / slide / notehead in parentheses

/ . (period) / 1
on second Keypad layout
= (on main keyboard)

Quarter-tone sharp (shown as 0.5)

Playback & video
Play or Stop
Replay

Space
Ctrl+Space

Space

Play From Selection

Rewind/fast-forward (in 0.2 second steps)
Move backward/forward by a single frame

P
[/]
Shift-[ / ]

P
[/]

Stop

Esc

All Notes Off

Shift+O

380

= (on main keyboard)

z-Space

x[ / ]
Esc / X.
xO

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5.9 Menus and shortcuts

Feature
Move Playback Line to Start

Windows shortcut
Ctrl+[

Move Playback Line to End

Ctrl+]

Move Playback Line to Selection

Go to Playback Line

Y
Shift+Y

Live Playback

Shift+L

Transform Live Playback

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+L

Mixer (show/hide)
Hit Points

Ctrl+Alt+M
Shift+Alt+P

Editing objects
Undo

Ctrl+Z

Redo

Ctrl+Y

XZ
XY
xXZ
xXY
XX
XC
z-click
xz-click

Undo History

Ctrl+Shift+Z

Redo History

Ctrl+Shift+Y

Cut

Ctrl+X

Copy

Ctrl+C

Copy to where you click

Alt+click

Copy to where you click, putting copy at default

vertical position
Capture Idea

Shift+Alt+click

Paste

Ctrl+V

Shift-I
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+V
R
Backspace / Delete

Delete Bars

Ctrl+Backspace

Flip (stem, slur, tuplet, tie, etc.)

Voice 1/2/3/4/All Voices

X[
X]
Y

xY
xL
xzXL
xzP

xI
XV
xzXV
R
Backspace (0) / Delete
X0 (Backspace)

Hide/Show

X
Alt+1/2/3/4/5 (on main keyboard)
Ctrl+Shift+H

Color

Ctrl+J

Re-apply Color

Ctrl+Shift+J

Navigation
Select first object on page (if nothing selected)
Select next/previous object

Tab
Tab/Shift+Tab

Tab

0/1
Ctrl+0/1
Alt+0/1
Alt+3/2

0/1
X0/1
z0/1
z3/2

Select previous/next note/chord/rest

Select start of previous/next bar
Select end/mid-point/whole of line
Select note/rest above/below (in chord or adjacent staff)
Move score
Go up/down a screenful

drag Navigator/paper
Page Up/Down

Go left/right a screenful or page

Home/End

Go up/down a little

Alt+Page Up/Down

Go left/right a little

Alt+Home/End

Go to top/bottom of page

Ctrl+Page Up/Down

Go to first/last page

Ctrl+Home/End

Go to selection start

Shift+Home

z1/2/3/4/5 (on main keyboard)

xXH
XJ
xXJ

Tab/x-Tab

drag Navigator/paper

8/9 or Page Up/Down

4/7 (x4) or Home/End
z8/9 or zPage Up/Down
z4/7 or zHome/End
X8/9 or X-Page Up/Down
X4/7 (xX4) or X-Home/
End

x4 or xHome

381

Power tools

Paste as Cue
Repeat (note/chord/passage/text/line/etc.)
Delete

Mac shortcut

reference.book Page 382 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

5. Power tools
Feature
Go to selection end

Windows shortcut
Shift+End

Go To Bar

Ctrl+Alt+G

Go To Page

Ctrl+Shift+G

Zoom in/out

Ctrl+=/ or +/ on keypad (or

click/right-click with zoom tool)

100% zoom

Ctrl+1

Fit to page zoom

Ctrl+0

Moving objects
Move object(s) (in larger steps; 1 space by default)

3/2/0/1 (Ctrl+3/2/0/1)

Mac shortcut

x7 or xEnd
xzG
xXG
X=/ or +/ on keypad (or click/
z-click with zoom tool)
X1
X0
3/2/0/1 (X3/2/0/1)
x-drag

Move objects, snapping to good positions while

moving
Move staff/staves up/down
(in larger steps; 1 space by default)

Shift-drag
Alt+3/2 (Ctrl+Alt+3/2)
or drag

z3/2 (zX3/2) or drag

Move staff/staves up/down independently

(in larger steps; 1 space by default)

Shift+Alt+3/2
(Ctrl+Shift+Alt+3/2)
or Shift+drag

xz3/2 (xzX3/2)
or x-drag

Move note/rest/accidental/rhythm dot/end of tie

(in larger steps; 1 space by default)

Shift+Alt+0/1
(Ctrl+Shift+Alt+0/1)

xz0/1 (xzX0/1)

Move line (either end) or lyric to next/previous

note
Multiple selections & passages
Select bar
Select bar in all staves

space/Shift+space

space/x-space

click staff (avoiding notes etc.)

Ctrl+click staff

click staff (avoiding notes etc.)

Select all bars in staff (on one system)

Select all bars in all staves (on one system)

double-click staff
Ctrl+double-click staff

double-click staff

Select all bars in staff throughout score

Edit > Select > Select Bars

triple-click staff
Ctrl+Alt+A

Select System Passage

Shift+Alt+A

Extend passage to object

Shift+click

Extend passage by a note/rest

Shift+0/1

Extend passage by a bar

Ctrl+Shift+0/1

Extend passage by a staff

Shift+3/2

Select All of score

Ctrl+A

Select all noteheads in chord (Select More)

Ctrl+Shift+A or double-click

Select all text on staff in same style (Select More)

Ctrl+Shift+A

Select objects with marquee

Shift+drag on paper

Add/remove object to/from selection

Ctrl+click

Select Graphic

Alt+G

Select None

Esc

Filters and Find

Advanced Filter

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F

Filter Dynamics

Shift+Alt+D

Filter Voice 1/2/3/4

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+1/2/3/4

Filter Top/2nd/3rd/Bottom Note or Single

Notes
Find

Ctrl+Alt+1/2/3/B
Ctrl+F

Find Next

Ctrl+G

382

X-click staff
X-double-click staff
triple-click staff

zXA
xzA
x-click
x0/1
xX0/1
x3/2
XA
xXA or double-click
xXA
X-drag on paper
X-click
zG
Esc / X.
xzXF
xzD
xzX1/2/3/4
zX1/2/3/B
XF
XG

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5.9 Menus and shortcuts

Feature
Layout
Instruments
Focus on Staves

Windows shortcut

Mac shortcut

I
Ctrl+Alt+F

Document Setup

Ctrl+D

Hide Empty Staves

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+H

Show Empty Staves

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+S

System Break on/off

Shift+Return (on main keyboard)

Page Break on/off

Ctrl+Return (on main keyboard)

Special Page Break

Lock Format

Ctrl+Shift+Return (on main keyboard)

Ctrl+Shift+L

Unlock Format

Ctrl+Shift+U

Make Into System

Shift+Alt+M

Make Into Page

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+M

Align in a Row/Column

Ctrl+Shift+R/C

Reset Note Spacing

Ctrl+Shift+N

Reset Position

Ctrl+Shift+P

Reset Design

Ctrl+Shift+D

Reset to Score Position

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+P

zXF
XD
xzXH
xzXS
x-Return (on main keyboard)
X-Return (on main keyboard)
xX-Return (on main keyboard)

Reset to Score Design

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+D

Condense/expand note spacing

(in larger steps)

Shift+Alt+0/1
(Ctrl+Shift+Alt+0/1)

Use Multirests (in Auto Layout) on/off

Ctrl+Shift+M

xXM

House Style
Engraving Rules

Ctrl+Shift+E

Edit Text Styles

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+T

xXE
xzXT

View & Window menus

Panorama

Shift-P

Hidden Objects (show/hide)

Ctrl+Alt+H

Object Rulers (show/hide)

Shift+Alt+R

Staff Rulers (show/hide)

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+R

Transposing Score

Ctrl+Shift+T

Navigator (show/hide)

Ctrl+Alt+N

Keypad (show/hide)

Ctrl+Alt+K

Playback (show/hide)

Ctrl+Alt+Y

Mixer (show/hide)
Ideas (show/hide)

Ctrl+Alt+M
Ctrl+Alt+I

Parts (show/hide)

Ctrl+Alt+R

Video (show/hide)

Ctrl+Alt+V

Properties (show/hide)

Ctrl+Alt+P

Power tools

xXL
xXU
xzM
xzXM
xXR/C
xXN
xXP
xXD
xzXP
xzXD
xz0/1 (xzX0/1)

xP
zXH
xzR
xzXR
xXT
zXN
zXK
zXY
M

zXI
zXR
zXV
zXP
zXX

Hide/Show Tool Windows

Ctrl+Alt+X

Switch between full score and part

Next Part

W
Ctrl+Alt+Tab

Previous Part

Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Tab

zX~
xzX~

Full Screen (Windows only)

Ctrl+U

none

383

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5. Power tools
Feature
Menus and dialogs
Go into menu
Choose from menu
Choose from dialog
Move to next/previous box in dialog

Windows shortcut

Mac shortcut

Alt+underlined letter
underlined letter
Alt+underlined letter
Tab/Shift-Tab

none
none
none

Select consecutive items from list

Select separate items from list

Shift+click or drag
Ctrl+click

OK (or default button)

Cancel

Return/Enter
Esc

Keypad layouts
Next Keypad layout
Back to first Keypad layout
Contextual edit menu
Change window

F8F12
+ (on keypad)
F8 / Shift-+
Shift+F10 / right-click on selected
object(s)
Ctrl+Tab

Hide application

none

Minimize window

none

Miscellaneous
Sibelius Reference

F1

Print

Ctrl+P

Preferences

Ctrl+,

Quit/Exit

Alt+F4 / Ctrl+Q

384

Tab/x-Tab
drag

X-click
Return/Enter
Esc / X.
F8F12
+ (on keypad)
(on keypad) / F8
Control-click on selected object(s)

X~
XH
XM
X?
XP
X,
XQ

reference.book Page 385 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

5.10 Panorama

5.10 Panorama
b 5.5 Focus on Staves, 5.19 View menu.

Panorama is an alternative way of viewing your score. Instead of being laid out on the screen in
pages, exactly as it will be printed out, you can view your score as a single system of music, laid out
on an infinitely-wide piece of paper. This kind of view is sometimes called scroll view or galley view
in other programs.
Using Panorama allows you to concentrate on inputting and editing without thinking about the
page layout. Note input in Panorama is also very convenient, particularly if you have more than
one system per page in normal view; Panorama eliminates the vertical movement of music from
system to system, and so the score only ever moves horizontally. This reduces the disorientation
you can sometimes feel when working quickly in normal view.

Switching on Panorama
To switch on Panorama, simply choose View > Panorama (shortcut Shift-P), or click the
toolbar button shown on the right. When viewing your score like this, Sibelius also does
the following:

Power tools

* Disables the Navigator, because theres only one page

* Switches on View > Scroll Bars
* Switches on View > Staff Names and Bar Numbers.

To switch off Panorama, simply choose View > Panorama again.

If you switch off scroll bars or Staff Names and Bar Numbers while in Panorama, Sibelius only
changes the settings for as long as youre in Panorama, but remembers them the next time you use
Panorama.

Moving around in Panorama

Working in Panorama is as close as possible to working in normal view; you can use all the same
navigation shortcuts (e.g. Home, End, Page Up or 8, Page Down or 9, etc.) and features like
zoom. Try the Fit page height zoom level, which is particularly useful as it makes sure that you
can see all of the staves on the screen at once.
Notice that as you drag the start of the music off the left-hand side of the screen, you will see a useful reminder of the current clef and key signature on each staff, drawn in light blue.

Inputting and editing in Panorama

Inputting and editing in Panorama is practically the same as in normal view. There are a few things
you cant do in Panorama, because they dont make sense when there are no pages:
* You cannot see or input page-aligned text (such as Title, Header (after first page), etc.) in

Panorama
* If View > Layout Marks is switched on, Sibelius draws layout marks above barlines, and though
you can create system or page breaks if you want to, you wont see their effect in Panorama
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5. Power tools
* Scores cannot be printed in Panorama (because few printers can handle infinitely-wide paper!),
so when you choose File > Print, Sibelius will print the score in normal view instead
* Layout > Hide Empty Staves cannot be used to hide staves on specific systems in Panorama,

because there is only a single system; so any staves that are hidden in normal view will appear in
Panorama
* Edit > Go to Page and Create > Other > Page Number Change are disabled
* Layout > Align Staves is disabled
* When you choose File > Export > Graphics, you can only export a Graphic selection, and not
specific systems or pages b 8.11 Exporting graphics.

Note spacing in Panorama

In Panorama, Sibelius uses a fixed justification factor in its note spacing; in other words, Sibelius
loosens the note spacing by a fixed amount, specified by an option on the Files page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac), rather than the variable justification factor on every system in normal view required to make the music fit the width of the page.
Notice, though, that any manual adjustments you make to note spacing are shown in Panorama, so if
you widen the spacing of a bar in normal view (e.g. to avoid collisions between chord symbols),
those adjustments will be shown in Panorama as well. Be aware also that if you adjust the note spacing in Panorama, the adjusted spacing may be narrower or wider when you switch back to normal
view, because Sibelius then has to justify the spacing to make the music fit the width of the page.

Staff spacing in Panorama

In Panorama, Sibelius uses the space between systems as defined on the Staves page of House
Style > Engraving Rules, multiplied by a fixed justification factor as specified by an option on the
Files page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac). Because there is no fixed page
height, Sibelius ignores the value of Justify staves when page is x% full, with the result that
staves can sometimes appear closer together in Panorama than in normal view. If you find them
too close together, change the value in Preferences.
Usefully, however, you can adjust the distance between staves in Panorama without it affecting
normal view, which you may want to do if notes or other objects above or below the staff collide
with other objects: just drag or otherwise nudge them in the usual ways (b 7.9 Staff spacing).

Using Panorama with Focus on Staves

When you use View > Focus on Staves to look at just a couple of staves from your score, the layout in normal view can be a little odd due to the other staves missing; try switching on View > Panorama at the same time, which makes Focus on Staves considerably more convenient.
b 5.5 Focus on Staves.

Opening scores in Panorama

When you save a score, Sibelius remembers whether or not Panorama was switched on, and when
you re-open it later on, it will automatically switch on Panorama if required. You can tell Sibelius to
always use Panorama or normal view instead if you prefer on the Files page of File > Preferences
(in the Sibelius menu on Mac) b 5.12 Preferences.

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5.11 Plug-ins

5.11 Plug-ins
Sibelius supports plug-ins, which are extra features created using a built-in programming
language called ManuScript. A number of very useful plug-ins are provided in the Plug-ins menu,
organized into further submenus by category. You can also assign keyboard shortcuts to plug-ins
that you use frequently b 5.9 Menus and shortcuts.
You can stop a plug-in while its running: just click the Stop plug-in button that appears in the top
left-hand corner of the screen. You can also undo whatever a plug-in does to your score in the
usual way, by choosing Edit > Undo (shortcut Ctrl+Z or XZ) after running it.

Additional plug-ins
New plug-ins are constantly being developed for Sibelius. Extra free ones are added to the Sibelius
web site from time to time choose Help > Check For Updates or go to www.sibelius.com/
download/plugins to see whats available.
If you write a plug-in that you think would be useful to other Sibelius users, please email details to
sibhelpUK@sibelius.com and well consider including it on our web site or with future versions
of Sibelius. We pay good money for good plug-ins!

Installing new plug-ins

To install a new plug-in, copy the plug-in file (with extension .plg) to the Plugins folder in your
application data folder. The plug-in will automatically be loaded the next time you run Sibelius.
For further help with installing plug-ins, go to www.sibelius.com/download/plugins.

Edit plug-ins
Plug-ins > Edit Plug-ins lets you unload, reload, delete, edit and create new plug-ins.
Select a plug-in from the list and click the appropriate button:
* Unloading a plug-in removes it from Sibelius; this doesnt delete it from your hard disk, but does

save memory. Unloaded plug-ins are described as such in the list.

* Reloading a plug-in gets it back again after unloading it
* Deleting a plug-in removes it from your hard disk
* New and Edit are for creating your own plug-ins.

Creating your own plug-ins

This requires a knowledge of the ManuScript language, which is straightforward enough to learn
but beyond the scope of this Reference. Full documentation for ManuScript is included as an
Acrobat PDF file in the Extras folder within your Sibelius program folder on Windows, and on
your installation DVD-ROM on Mac.
Plug-ins > Show Plug-in Trace Window shows a trace window, which is useful for debugging
plug-ins you are developing yourself. See the ManuScript documentation for further details.

387

Power tools

Alternatively, if you have an original idea for a plug-in but dont feel up to writing it yourself, let us
know.

reference.book Page 388 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

5. Power tools

ACCIDENTALS
Add Accidentals to All Notes
Forces accidentals to be placed before every note, even naturals, or sharps/flats that are already in
the key signature, or even if the note is tied to the preceding note. This notation is sometimes used
in atonal scores, or other scores that dont use key signatures.
To use the plug-in, select the passage in which you want to add accidentals, and choose Plug-ins >
Add Accidentals to All Notes. Its a good idea to do Layout > Reset Note Spacing afterwards to
make room for all the newly-added accidentals.
Quarter-tone accidentals are not currently handled by this plug-in: these will be labeled with the
text Q, which you can search for using Edit > Find to ensure that all notes on the same line or space
later in the bar are preceded with the appropriate symbol.
Plug-in written by Peter Hayter.

Add Accidentals to All Sharp and Flat Notes

This plug-in adds accidentals to all sharp and flat notes, even if they occur earlier in the same bar,
but not if they already exist in the key signature.
Plug-in written by Stefan Behrisch (www.werklabor.de).

Add Cautionary Accidentals

If a pitch has an accidental in one bar of a score and then reverts to the pitch determined by the key
signature in the following bar, it is normal to place a cautionary accidental before the relevant note
in the second bar. This plug-in does this for you, either on a selected passage or an entire score,
with the option to mark each added cautionary accidental with the text [CA] or a highlight (so you
can proof-read the changes).
To apply the plug-in to an entire score, choose Edit > Select > Select All (shortcut Ctrl+A or XA),
then choose Plug-ins > Accidentals > Add Cautionary Accidentals.
You can set how cautious the plug-in should be by entering the Maximum number of intervening notes. 0 means that accidentals will only be entered in the most glaringly obvious cases (i.e.
only when the accidental changes between consecutive notes); a high enough value (use 99)
means they will be inserted throughout a bar (i.e. there can be up to 99 different notes between the
two notes whose accidental is changing).
Switching on Add cautionaries to notes of the same pitch in different octaves will make the
plug-in add cautionaries to notes of the same pitch, even if the accidental has changed at a different octave. You can also choose whether this option should apply when the accidental changes in
the same bar only, when the notes are in different bars, or always.
If Put parentheses around cautionary accidentals is selected, the plug-in will add round
brackets around any cautionary accidentals it creates.
The plug-in includes a built-in Help function that gives further information on using its other
options.

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5.11 Plug-ins
The plug-in can respace individual bars which may help improve the spacing around any notes
that have had accidentals added to them. If you dont mind the plug-in affecting the original spacing of your score, choose Reset note spacing of bars that change.
If your score is very long, you could use Sibeliuss Edit > Find feature to find all the [CA] annotations the plug-in added to it.
Plug-in written by Stefan Behrisch (www.werklabor.de), and improved by Michael Eastwood.

Add Ficta Above Note

In early music, accidentals are often implied but are not explicitly written in the original manuscript because of the performance practices of the day. Modern editions often show these so-called
musica ficta by placing small editorial accidentals above the notes in question.
This plug-in inserts accidental symbols above the note and also the pitch bend MIDI messages
required to make the notes sharper or flatter as appropriate.
To use the plug-in, select the note(s) to which you want to add the ficta and choose Plug-ins >
Accidentals > Add Ficta Above Note. A dialog appears: choose whether you want to add sharps,
flats or natural signs, and then click OK.
The plug-in hides the notes regular accidental, then adds an appropriate symbol above the note.
Plug-in written by Chris May.
Alters the spelling of accidentals in the selected passage. Simply select a passage, choose Plug-ins >
Accidentals > Respell Flats as Sharps or Plug-ins > Accidentals > Respell Sharps as Flats, and
all flats/sharps in the selected passage will be respelled. Special noteheads and Live Playback data
will be lost when using this plug-in.

Simplify Accidentals
This plug-in respells all accidentals in a score or selected passage according to the prevailing key
signatures; it is very useful for removing stray accidentals that may be left over after certain editing
operations (e.g. transposing, or adding a key signature to existing music).
To use the plug-in, select a passage (or the whole score) and choose Plug-ins > Accidentals > Simplify Accidentals.
Plug-in written by Peter Hayter.

ANALYSIS
Add Schenkerian Scale Degrees
This plug-in analyses your score and adds Schenkerian scale degree notation above or below the
staff.
To use the plug-in, select a passage in a single key (i.e. containing no key signature changes), or
your whole score (if it is in a single key), and choose Plug-ins > Analysis > Add Schenkerian
Scale Degrees. A simple dialog appears:
389

Power tools

Respell Flats as Sharps/Respell Sharps as Flats

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5. Power tools
* Stack vertically determines whether the ^ or v symbols should be drawn above the scale

degree (i.e. this option switched on), or to the left of the scale degree (i.e. switched off)
* Voice allows you to choose which voice on the staff to analyze
* Text style determines the appearance (e.g. boxed, italic, etc.) of the scale degrees and where
they will be written: all text styles except Figured bass place them above the staff, Figured bass
places them below
* Add to selected passage/whole score allows you to define the scope of the plug-ins operation; only choose the whole score option if your score does not contain any changes of key.
When you click OK, scale degrees are added to your score with the chosen settings.
Plug-in written by John Kennedy.

Compare Staves
Compares any two staves in the same file and highlights the differences between them. To use this
plug-in, select a passage in any two staves in your score (use Ctrl+click or X-click to select two
non-adjacent staves if you like), then choose Plug-ins > Analysis > Compare Staves. A simple dialog appears:
* Notes and rests: looks for differences in note value, pitch, voice, etc.
* Lines: looks for differences in line types, length, etc. Naturally this only works for staff lines,
*
*

*
*

since system lines apply to all staves anyway.

Clefs: looks for different clefs in the two staves.
Text: looks for differences in text objects; it does not spot differences in font or point size
between two staves, but it will spot differences in the words themselves, which makes this plugin very useful for (say) checking lyrics on two vocal staves that share the same rhythms. As with
lines, this only works for staff text, not system text.
Highlight differences in: allows you to choose whether you want the highlights to be drawn in
the Top staff, the Bottom staff, or both (by switching on both options).
Selected passage/Whole score: choose whether to compare staves just in the selected passage, or throughout the whole score.

When you click OK, the plug-in will examine your score; at the end of the process, a message box
will pop up, telling you how many differences were found.
If you want to remove the highlights created by this plug-in at a later stage, see Remove All
Highlights below.
Plug-in written by Neil Sands.

Find Motive
Examines your score for motives (motifs) that match either the intervallic relationships or the
rhythms (or both) of a selected passage, and marks each match with a highlight
(b 5.7 Highlight). This is very useful for analysis, such as finding all the occurrences of a fugal
subject, or examining how a particular rhythmic pattern is used in a piece.
To use this plug-in, select the motive that you want to match, and choose Plug-ins > Analysis >
Find Motive. A dialog appears allowing you to set a few options:
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5.11 Plug-ins
* Match rhythm: switch this on if you want to find rhythmic matches; you can specify how much

variation from the specified motive you will allow (a value of 0% means that you will only accept
exact matches).
* Match pitches: switch this on if you want to find intervallic matches. Again, you can specify
how much variation you will allow; if this is set to 0%, only exact transpositions of the motive are
matched, but diatonic or other inexact transpositions are not; so (for example) in a fugue the
plug-in would find real answers but not tonal ones. Increase the allowed variation setting from
0% to find inexact transpositions.
* Original motive is in voice x: allows you to choose in which voice the plug-in should find the
original motive. (This option only determines where the example motive to be matched with is
found the plug-in will always match all voices throughout the rest of the score.)
Switch on both Match rhythm and Match pitches to find only occurrences that match both.
Click OK and a progress bar appears, telling you which staff the plug-in is examining. After a few
moments, the plug-in will tell you how many matches it found, each of which will be highlighted
in yellow.
Plug-in written by James Larcombe and Byron Hawkins.

Find Range

To run this plug-in, select a passage (or triple-click a staff to calculate its range throughout the
score) and choose Plug-ins > Analysis > Find Range.

BATCH PROCESSING
Calculate Statistics
Creates a report listing how many bars, staves, pages and other objects are in the current score or
all the scores in a given folder; this is useful for copyists to work out rates for copying jobs.
To run the plug-in on a single score, choose Plug-ins > Batch Processing > Calculate Statistics
and then click Current Score in the dialog that appears. If you want to calculate statistics for, say,
one movement of a multi-movement piece within the same score, select the bars in question before
you run the plug-in, then click Current Score.
To run the plug-in on a folder, choose Plug-ins > Batch Processing > Calculate Statistics, then
click Process Folder. Choose the folder for which you want to calculate statistics, and when you
click OK, Sibelius processes each of the files in turn (no changes are made to the scores themselves).
When the current score or all the scores in the folder have been processed, Sibelius shows a dialog
listing how many of each kind of object have been found. Click Write Text File to save the results
as a text file in the chosen folder or the same folder as the current score.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.
391

Power tools

Calculates the range (i.e. lowest and highest notes), average pitch and the most frequently occurring pitches, all expressed in concert pitch, of a selected passage. This is useful if, for example, you
are writing vocal music and want to know what kinds of demands you are placing on your singers.

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5. Power tools

Convert Folder of Acorn Sibelius Files

Batch converts all Acorn Sibelius files found in a specified folder, re-saving them with the same
filenames but a .sib extension b 8.9 Opening Acorn Sibelius files.

Convert Folder of Finale Files

Batch converts all PrintMusic 1.0, Finale and Allegro 98/2000, Finale Guitar, and Finale 2001/
2002/2003/2004 ETF files in a specified folder, re-saving them with the same filenames but a .sib
extension b 8.7 Opening Finale 98-2003 files.

Convert Folder of MIDI Files

Batch converts all MIDI files in a specified folder, re-saving them with the same filenames but a
.sib extension. These files should be Standard MIDI Files (with the file extension .mid on Windows) rather than in other sequencer formats b 8.5 Opening MIDI files.

Convert Folder of MusicXML Files

Batch converts all MusicXML files in a specified folder, re-saving them with the same filenames
but a .sib extension b 8.6 Opening MusicXML files.

Convert Folder of SCORE Files

Batch converts all SCORE files in a specified folder, re-saving them with the same filenames but a
.sib extension b 8.8 Opening SCORE files.

Convert Folder of Scores to Graphics

Batch converts all scores in a folder into graphics files of a specified format b 8.11 Exporting
graphics.
To use the plug-in, choose Plug-ins > Batch Processing > Convert Folder of Scores to Graphics, and choose the folder you want to convert. You will be prompted to choose the graphics format; you can also choose whether or not to use the default settings. Generally you can leave Use
default settings switched on and simply click OK to save all the files. If you switch off Use
default settings, you will be prompted to choose the settings for each file in the folder.

Convert Folder of Scores to MIDI

Batch converts all scores in a folder into standard MIDI files, using the same filenames but with a
.mid extension b 8.12 Exporting MIDI files.

Convert Folder of Scores to Web Pages

Saves Scorch web pages for all the files in a folder, and also creates an index page with links to all of
the individual scores, ready for uploading to your web site b 8.14 Exporting Scorch web
pages.
To use the plug-in, choose Plug-ins > Batch Processing > Convert Folder of Scores to Web
Pages. A dialog appears:
* Choose the source folder for the scores by clicking the Browse button under Convert all scores

within; if you want to include scores in subfolders, make sure Also convert scores in subfolders is switched on

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5.11 Plug-ins
* Choose the destination folder by clicking the Browse button under Put web pages in, or switch
*
*
*
*

on the Use same folder option to save the web pages into the same folder as the original scores
Switch off Create index page if you dont want the plug-in to generate an index page with links
to all of the other Scorch web pages; we recommend you leave this option switched on
Choose the Style of web pages from the list provided; these templates are built in to the plugin and cannot be changed, even by editing the templates in Sibeliuss Manuscript paper folder
Size of score in web page sets the width of the actual Scorch window in each of the web pages;
the default value of 720 pixels is fine for most purposes.
If you would like people to be able to print and save your score from your web page, choose
Allow Printing and Saving.

Click OK, and Sibelius will process each file in turn. When the plug-in has finished, you will have a
complete folder of files, ready for uploading to your web site or intranet!
Plug-in written by Neil Sands.

Import House Style into Folder of Scores

Applies a specified House Style file to all the files in a selected folder.
To use the plug-in, choose Plug-ins > Batch Processing > Import House Style into Folder of
Scores. You are prompted to select the House Style library file (.lib) you want to apply, then you
are prompted to select the folder of files to which the house style should be applied.

Plug-in written by Michael Kilpatrick.

Print Multiple Copies

Allows you to print multiple copies of a selection of scores in a folder (plus any subfolders that also
contain scores, if desired). To print multiple copies of parts, its easier to use the Copies and Print
Part(s) features on the Parts window (b 6.1 Working with parts).
To use the plug-in, close all open scores, then choose Plug-ins > Batch Processing > Print Multiple Copies. You are first given a warning about scores created in older versions of Sibelius (by
default, these pop up a warning message when opened in Sibelius 4), which you can set not to
appear again, and then you are asked to choose a folder. Make your selection, and the following
dialog appears:

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Power tools

A number of predefined house styles are supplied in the House Styles folder within your Sibelius
program folder b 7.7 House Style.

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5. Power tools
* Choose the folder from the Folders containing scores list at the left
* Select from the Scores in selected folder list, set the Copies drop-down to the number of cop-

ies of this file you want to print, and click Add File. Click Add All to add all of the scores in the
chosen folder to the Print queue list, with the chosen number of copies.
* Build up the list in the Print queue at the right by adding more files, and when youre ready to
print, click Print.
The plug-in will print all the scores in the queue the specified number of times with the default
options (its not possible to set options such as booklet printing etc. from the plug-in).
The Read Copies button opens each file in the chosen folder and looks for the text ~copies=n
attached to any of the first five bars in the first five staves, where n is the number of copies that
should be printed, and adds them to the Print queue list with the appropriate number of copies
set. If a file contains more than one text object of the form ~copies=n it is assumed to be a score
before part extraction and so is not added.
Plug-in written by Peter Hayter and Gunnar Hellquist.

CHORD SYMBOLS
Add Capo Chord Symbols
Adds one or more sets of extra chord symbols, typically above the existing chord symbols, corresponding to the chords that a guitarist would need to play with a capo on a particular fret. This is
useful for players who may find it difficult to play in the written key; the guitarist can instead put a
capo on his guitar and then play easier chords.
To run the plug-in, select the staff that contains the existing chord symbols, and choose Plug-ins >
Chord Symbols > Add Capo Chord Symbols. A dialog appears allowing you to choose at which
fret the capo is placed, and helpfully shows you which key that corresponds to. You can choose
whether or not the new chord symbols should be bold, italic or shown in parentheses, and also
choose another text style if you wish (though the default of Chord symbols is normally appropriate).
The plug-in has its own Help dialog, if you need further assistance.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Add Chord Symbols

Analyzes the harmony of your music and automatically adds appropriate chord symbols above the
selected staves. You can choose to analyze any or all of the staves in your score, and choose where
the chord symbols will be created.

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To run the plug-in, select the staves in which the harmony occurs (e.g. the two piano staves) and
then choose Plug-ins > Chord Symbols > Add Chord Symbols. A dialog will appear, as follows:

You can generally leave these settings at their defaults simply click OK to add chord symbols to
your score.
* Add chord symbols: at the start of every bar or every note value from the start of the

bar (where note value is selected from a drop-down list): this option determines how often the
plug-in will add chord symbols to the score.
* How to find root note and Root note analysis options: these options control how the plugin determines the root note of the chord, which is the most important step in naming the chord.
For instance, C6 and Ami7 are effectively the same chord (they contain the same notes), but
have different root notes.
If the Always try to find root note by analyzing the notes option is selected, the plug-in will
attempt to guess the root note by various methods (controlled by the Root note analysis
options). Sibelius cannot always guess the root note correctly (since any note in a chord is a
potential root note, and Sibelius cant read the composers mind yet!).
If you dont like the plug-ins guesses for the root notes, try using the Take root note to be the
lowest sounding note option. As its name suggests, this assumes that all chords are in root
position, with the root note at the bottom of the chord. Alternatively, you can use the Take root
note to be lowest note in the following staff number option, which reads the root of the
chord from a particular staff.
* Root note analysis options:
% Prefer 7ths to 2nds: if there is an interval of a 2nd between any of the notes in the chord, the
plug-in will try to place it as 7th Tonic rather than Tonic - 2nd' or any other interval. This
option ensures, for example, that the notes Bb - C - E - G from bottom to top are recognized as
C7 rather than Bb% (b5) or Emi+(#11) or something else equally improbable.

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If you wish to change the settings, there are many options for controlling the results, as follows:

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5. Power tools
% Prefer chords containing a triad: when this checkbox is selected, the plug-in will choose

the lowest root note that gives the chord a major or minor triad (from the root) if possible. If
no such note is present, the plug-in will use other methods to try to find the root note, unless
Use bottom note if chord has no triad is selected, in which case the plug-in uses the lowest note in the chord as the root.
* Notation options: these options control whether to write a chord symbol at every position
specified by Add chord symbols (at the top of the dialog) or whether to omit redundant ones:
% Insert chord symbol at every specified position always writes a chord symbol, regardless
of whether or not the actual chord has changed.
% Only insert chord symbol if the root note has changed: with this option selected, the
plug-in will not create a new chord symbol if the root has not changed since the last chord
symbol. The chord itself could change, e.g. C to C7, but the chord symbol would still be omitted with this option selected.
% Only insert chord symbol if the chord name has changed: with this option selected, the
plug-in will only omit a chord symbol if it would be identical to the last chord symbol created,
e.g. the second of two consecutive C chords would not be created, but a C7 following a C
chord would be written.
% Put chord symbols on the following staff number: this option determines the number of
the staff in the score where the chord symbols will be created, relative to the top selected staff,
i.e. if you select three staves and want the chord symbols created above the second of these
three staves, you would enter 2 here. As with all staff numbers in this plug-ins dialog, the
numbering counts from the top selected staff (number 1) downwards, and includes any hidden staves that may be included in the selection. If the plug-in seems to add no chord symbols to the score, it may be that you have chosen to create the chord symbols onto a hidden
staff.
* More notation options:
% Use slash inversion marks: when selected, the plug-in will notate different chord inversions
in the standard way, by writing the chord symbol followed by a slash or oblique (/) and the
name of the note at the bottom of the chord. For example, a C major chord in first inversion
would be written as C/E.
% Only write chords with 3 distinct notes: when selected, only chords with 3 or more different notes will be notated as chord symbols. This avoids adding ridiculous chord names
with lots of omissions at points where only one or two notes are sounding. However, with this
option selected, power chords (e.g. C5) will not be created.
% Notate omissions of: these options control which intervals are marked as omissions if they
are missing from a chord in which they would normally be expected. If, for example, the 5ths
option is switched on, the chord C-E-Bb will produce the chord symbol C7 (; 5).
% For 7ths/9ths/11ths/13ths, an interval is expected if the chord name contains a highernumbered extension. For example, a C13 chord is by default expected also to contain a 7th, a
9th and an 11th. Such a chord is unlikely to be fully-voiced in practice, so it is useful to switch
off the omission options for some of these higher extensions they are off by default.

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5.11 Plug-ins

Chord Symbols As Fractions

Converts chord symbols that have bass notes in slash format (e.g. Fmaj7/G) into fractional format, where the chord name, an underline, and the bass note are stacked vertically, like a fraction
(

Fmaj7
_____
G

). To use this plug-in, select the music containing the chords whose format you want to

change and choose Plug-ins > Chord Symbols > Chord Symbols As Fractions. You can choose
whether the plug-in should split each element individually, creating three individual text objects
for each chord (Use Separate Underscore Character), or whether it should create only two
objects, the uppermost of which will be underlined (Use Font Underlining). To adjust the gap
between the chords, click the Engraving Rules button. Click OK to start the conversion.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Realize Chord Symbols and Diagrams

Creates simple guitar or piano accompaniments in a variety of styles, based on the chord symbols
and/or chord diagrams in your score.
Choose Plug-ins > Chord Symbols > Realize Chord Symbols and Diagrams. If you dont have a
passage selected, youre asked if you want the operation to apply to the whole score. The following
dialog then appears:

Power tools
* You can choose between three different instruments to add: Piano, which adds two staves to

your score and splits the chords across the two staves; Piano (left-hand only), which writes an
accompaniment on a single staff, suitable for use if the melody youre realizing is in the righthand staff; Guitar (notation), which adds a single notation staff to your score; and Guitar
(tab), which adds a tab staff using standard 6-string guitar tuning (although you can change this
later if you want). For other instruments, you should select one of these options and then copy
the music across to your desired instrument after running the plug-in.
* The Chord style menu lets you control how the chords are realized: Chord every chord symbol creates a new chord every time the chord changes; Chord every beat creates a new chord in
every beat (regardless of how often the chord changes); Chords follow score rhythm allows
you to realize the chords in the same rhythm as one of the existing staves in your score; 8th note
Alberti creates an Alberti-style pattern using eighth notes (quavers); 16th note Alberti creates
the same kind of pattern using 16th notes (semiquavers); 8th note arpeggios creates rising
arpeggio patterns in eighth notes, and 16th note arpeggios creates rising arpeggios using 16th
notes.

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5. Power tools
The results you would get for each of the six options on a guitar notation staff are shown below:
F

C/E

red, redrose thats

red,

Chord every chord symbol

F

red,

C/E

redrose thats

Chord every beat

C/E

red rose

thats

red,

redrose thats

red,

red rose thats

8th note Alberti

C/E

8th note arpeggio

red,

Chords follow score rhythm

C/E

red, redrose thats

16th note Alberti

C/E

C/E

red rose

thats

16th note arpeggio

* Options for Chords follow score rhythm allow you to choose which staff (and which voice

on that staff) to use as the basis of the rhythm for the Chords follow score rhythm chord style
* If you choose any of the Alberti or arpeggio chord styles, you may not want the final chord of the
song to be arpeggiated; if so, ensure Do not arpeggiate final chord is switched on
* Warn about unrecognized chord symbols pops up a message box if the plug-in encounters a
chord symbol that it doesnt know how to interpret.
Click OK, and a progress bar appears for a moment as the chords are written into your score. The
plug-in creates a new instrument in which to write its realization, and you may find that it overlaps
your chord symbols or chord diagrams. To move the staves further apart, triple-click on a bar in
your melody staff so that it is surrounded by a light blue box throughout the entire score, then simply drag it downwards. This increases the distance between the two staves throughout the score in
a single operation.
You can use this plug-in more than once in the same score to build up different layers of accompaniment for example, you might want to add a piano playing block chords, and a guitar playing in
fingerpicked style. To do this, just run the plug-in again, and it will create a new instrument each
time you run the plug-in. If you dont like the results, you can always delete the newly-added staves
using the Create > Instruments dialog.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

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COMPOSING TOOLS
12-Tone Matrix
Generates a 12-tone matrix from a specified tone row (note row) that can either be entered manually into the plug-in, or taken from a selection made in the current score. Choose Plugins > Composing Tools > 12-Tone Matrix. The following dialog will appear:

When Adjust matrix so P0/I0 are first row and column is on, the plug-in will transpose the
row so that the first note of the row is pitch class 0. This will have no effect when reading the row
from a score.
The table will be filled to show you all the possible variants of the row. The first row, when read
from left to right, shows the prime tone row; reading it from right to left shows the retrograde. The
first column, when read from top to bottom, shows the rows inversion; reading it from bottom to
top shows the retrograde-inversion. Subsequent columns and rows show the same information
using all the possible rotation permutations.
The plug-in can also notate all the rows it has generated in notation. To do this, click the Rows in
Notation button.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

399

Power tools

To enter the row manually, type the pitch classes using the numbers 0 to 11, separated by spaces,
into the field at the top, then click Typed Row (you can think of the numbers 0 to 11 representing
the notes C to B respectively). To read the row from the score, just click Score.

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5. Power tools

Add Drum Pattern

Creates a drum staff in your score and writes a drum pattern in one of 24 pre-defined styles. To use
the plug-in, simply choose Plug-ins > Composing Tools > Add Drum Patttern. (You dont need to
create a drum staff first.) The following dialog will appear:

* Choose a Style from the drop-down list. The styles available in the list which include blues,

*
*
*

rock, pop, jazz, Latin and country are appropriate for the time signature, so youll never be
offered a waltz drum pattern in 4/4, or a blues shuffle in 3/4! The patterns all indicate a recommended tempo at which they sound best, so its a good idea to choose a pattern that is intended
for the same kind of tempo as your score.
Add metronome mark creates a metronome mark at the start of the score (or selected passage
if you are working on part of a score), setting the playback tempo to the recommended tempo
for the chosen drum pattern
Start with intro bar determines whether you want the pattern to start with an introductory fill,
leading into the regular pattern
Fill/break bar every n bars allows you to choose whether the pattern should include a fill or
break bar, and how often it should do so
End with outro bar specifies whether the plug-in should end the pattern with either one or two
concluding bars (depending on the pattern).

When you have set the options appropriately, click OK. A progress bar appears for a few moments
while the plug-in creates the drum pattern, and then youre ready to play it back. If you decide that
you want to change the pattern, you can simply choose Plug-ins > Composing Tools > Add Drum
Pattern again; the existing drum pattern is deleted and replaced with the new one automatically.
Beware that if your score uses a variety of time signatures, when you choose Notes > Add Drum
Pattern a message will appear asking you to select a passage in a single time signature, then try
again.
Plug-in written by Gunnar Hellquist.

Add Hit Point Staff

Adds a percussion staff to the bottom of the score with cross noteheads at the closest rhythmic
position to the location of each hit point. To use the plug-in, simply choose Plug-ins > Composing
Tools > Add Hit Point Staff.
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This makes the relationship of the hit point to the music easier to see. Sibelius adds a note within
one sixteenth (semiquaver) of the location of each hit point. If you change the tempo of the score
or add or remove hit points, you can run the plug-in again; it will overwrite the existing notes with
new ones.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Add Simple Harmony

Adds a simple harmonization to the melodic passage selected in the current score.
* Choose your accompaniment style from Chord style, which can be Block chords, arpeggios or

Alberti bass
* The plug-in will detect the key of the piece automatically, but cant detect relative minors, so if

*
*

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich, Andrew Davis and Daniel Spreadbury.

Explode
Explodes (i.e. separates) music from one staff onto a larger number of staves. To use this plug-in:
* Either select a passage from a single staff, copy it to the clipboard with Ctrl+C or XC, then select
the staves you want to explode onto, and choose Plug-ins > Composing Tools > Explode. Sibel-

ius explodes the music onto the destination staves, using the current default settings;
* Or select the passage on a single staff you want to explode and choose Plug-ins > Composing
Tools > Explode, which will show a dialog asking how many staves you wish to explode to, followed by a dialog asking which staves to explode the music onto. There are options to create new
staves, or to use existing ones (see below).
You can also run the plug-in with no selection, which shows a dialog allowing you to set up how
the music should be exploded:
* When Overwrite existing material is switched on, the plug-in will overwrite any existing

music in the destination staves.

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Power tools

the key displayed is, say, G major instead of E minor, you will need to choose the correct key
manually.
Change Melody is in voice in the unlikely event that the melody you wish to add the harmonization to is not in voice 1
Change chord allows you to set the rate of the harmonic rhythm generated by the plug-in. Each
beat group generally works best, but if the changes of harmony are too frequent or infrequent,
you may find that choosing Each bar or Each beat respectively produces better results.
Write harmony for allows you to choose the instrument (piano or guitar) that the plug-in
should use for the harmonization. You can of course copy or arrange the harmony onto other
instruments afterwards.
Force mid-range accompaniment can be useful if youre asking the plug-in to harmonize a
melody that spans a particularly large range, or if you are harmonizing a melody on an instrument that is very low or high. This is because, without this option switched on, the generated
harmonization will be written at a similar tessitura to that of the melody being harmonized. So if
youre harmonizing a melody for the piccolo, youll probably benefit from switching this on,
unless you want the next door neighbors dog to come running.

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5. Power tools
* When Put notes in all parts unless specified (by a1, 1, etc.) is switched on, the plug-in

*
*

assumes that single notes should go into all parts (and where there is more than one part or
voice it puts notes into all of the parts, doubling the specified note). When this option is
switched off, single notes only go into one part.
When a single note passage is marked with specific directions in Technique text (such as 1., 2.,
3., 4., a1., a2., a3., a4.), the plug-in interprets these and takes them into consideration when
exploding. This continues until another direction is found, or a chord. After a chord, the plug-in
reverts to its default setting for single notes (as specified by the Put notes in all parts... option)
unless another direction is encountered.
Double part n if necessary allows you to choose which of the notes should be doubled if there
are fewer notes at any point.
Extra notes go into part n allows you to specify which part gets the extra notes if there is a
greater number of notes at any given point. The plug-in automatically distributes notes when
there are twice the number of parts or more (e.g. in an eight-note chord, four parts each get two
notes).
When Copy text, lines and symbols from all voices is switched on, the plug-in copies objects
in any voice on the source staff to the destination staves. When switched off, the plug-in adds
only objects from the voice that contain the notes it is copying (or objects in all voices).
Cue solos in other parts will create cue passages, and you can choose whether the cue should
be labeled with the full or short instrument names, or with no instrument name at all. If Only
whole bars is switched on, the plug-in only creates a cue in a bar if it would otherwise have
been left empty. Otherwise, Create bar rest in voice 2 will add a full size bar rest in bars that
only contain cues. If you want the text Play to be created at the end of the cue, switch on Add
Play text.

If you need to explode music from more than one staff onto a greater number of staves, or if you
need to explode music into more than four parts, you should use Sibeliuss Arrange feature instead
see Explode on page 340.
Plug-in written by Dave Foster.

Fit Selection to Time

Changes the tempo of the selected passage in order to make it either finish at a specific timecode,
or last for a specific duration.
To run the plug-in, select the music whose duration you want to change, and choose Plug-ins >
Composing Tools > Fit Selection to Time. A simple dialog appears, allowing you to choose
whether you want to specify a New end time or a New duration. The plug-in will insert a tempo
change at the start of the selection to ensure that it matches your specified end time or duration.
You can alternatively choose an existing hit point from the Time of selected hit point list; the
plug-in will insert a tempo change to move the hit point to the end of the selection.
The plug-in removes existing metronome marks in the selection, but if you want a gradual tempo
change you can create rit./accel. lines as appropriate before running the plug-in, which will make
use of them.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.
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5.11 Plug-ins

Invert
Performs an inversion on the selected passage around a specified pitch. This plug-in overwrites the
original music.
To run the plug-in, select the music you want to invert, and choose Plug-ins > Composing Tools >
Invert. A dialog appears, in which you can set the pitch around which to invert the material, and
whether to invert Chromatically or Diatonically.
Plug-in written by James Larcombe and Jrgen Zimmermann.

Pitch Mapping
Sometimes you may want to generate variations on an existing passage, transposing it into, say, the
minor mode. This plug-in allows you to specify new pitches for each degree of the chromatic scale,
and changes (maps) the pitches in the selected passage accordingly.
To use the plug-in, select the passage you want to map, then choose Plug-ins > Composing Tools >
Pitch Mapping. Choose the desired pitches from the drop-down menus in the plug-in dialog, and
click OK.
By default, the plug-in treats all notes of the same pitch identically (so Gb and F# are the same), but
if you need to map equivalent enharmonic pitches differently, click the More Choices button,
which allows you to do so.

The plug-in examines all the notes in the selection, and calculates the pitch of each note relative to
C (so 0 for C, 1 for C#/Db, and so on). It then alters the pitch of each note according to the settings
from the plug-ins dialog. Suppose you set D to map to A# in the dialog: any D in the selection will
be replaced by A# in the same octave as the original (octaves go from C up to B).
So if you set, say, G to map to D, it will map to the D below the original note. This isnt always
whats required, hence the Move everything above the following note up to the next octave
control. With this option switched on, if a note is higher than the pitch set here, it will be mapped
to the new pitch, and then transposed up an octave.
Plug-in improved by Bob Zawalich.

Realize Figured Bass

Reads the figured bass text in your score and creates a simple realization.
To use the plug-in, simply choose Plug-ins > Composing Tools > Realize Figured Bass. A series
of simple dialogs will appear:
* First, youre asked if you want the plug-in to find the Figured bass text automatically, or if you

want to specify which staff its attached to. Make your choice, and click OK.
* If you chose to specify the staff yourself, or if the plug-in finds Figured bass text on more than
one staff in the score, a dialog showing the names of the staves in your score appears. Type in the

403

Power tools

You can also choose whether Sibelius should map existing notes to higher or lower notes by clicking New Pitch Higher?. This shows another dialog allowing you to choose whether or not Sibelius should map all notes higher or lower, or if not how large the interval between the old and new
pitches should be before the notes are transposed up or down.

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5. Power tools
number that corresponds to the staff to which the figured bass you want to realize is attached,
then click OK.
* Now the Rhythmic Basis and Texture dialog appears, with the following options:
% Choose whether to Harmonize each bass note individually (suitable for sections with
slow-moving bass parts) or Ignore bass notes shorter than a given note value; this latter
option means that the plug-in will assume that notes shorter than the specified value with no
specific figure should be assumed to use the prevailing harmony.
% Use light texture tells the plug-in to write two- or three-note chords in the realization, keeping the texture lighter (generally by omitting the fifth)
% A single # always indicates a major third allows you to choose whether the figure # indicates a major third, regardless of how many half-steps (semitones) the third of the chord has
to be raised to make it so, or whether a # on its own means simply to raise the third of the
chord by a single half-step (semitone).
% Retain original bass octave tells the plug-in to keep the bass line in the left-hand of the
realization in the same octave as the original notes; if you switch this option off, the plug-in
may transpose the bass notes by an octave to move them closer to the right-hand notes.
* Click OK when you have set these options, and the plug-in will create its realization, clearing any
previous realization before it does so.
One aspect of figured bass notation not automatically handled by the plug-in is the horizontal line
written between sets of figures, denoting that the previous figure should prevail over all the notes
over the length of the line. To achieve this, add Figured bass text consisting of a hyphen () under
each note to which you want the previous figure to apply; you can hide this text (using Edit > Hide
or Show > Hide) and the plug-in will still recognize it you can then also add actual horizontal
lines using the Create > Line dialog if you want to.
Plug-in written by Eric Froggatt.

Reduce
Reduces music from a greater number of staves onto a single staff. To use this plug-in:
* Either select a passage from multiple staves, copy it to the clipboard with Ctrl+C or XC, then
select the staves you want to reduce onto, and choose Plug-ins > Composing Tools > Reduce.

Sibelius reduces the music onto the destination staves, using the current default settings;
* Or select the passage from multiple staves you want to reduce and choose Plug-ins > Composing Tools > Reduce, which will show a dialog asking whether you want to reduce onto an existing staff (and if so, which one) or whether you want to create a new staff.
You can also run the plug-in with no selection, which shows a dialog allowing you to set up how
the music should be reduced:
* Choose whether to Use minimum number of voices or to Separate all parts into separate

voices; the default is to combine notes into the minimum possible number of voices, and to
indicate solo and duplicate notes using 1. and a 2 (the precise appearance of which you can
choose from a menu of preset choices).

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* Switch on Ignore cue passages if you want to ensure that the plug-in will not attempt to reduce

cue passages in the source staves into the destination staves

* Ignore duplicate text, lines and symbols within allows you to tell Sibelius to ignore identical
markings on the source staves if they occur at the same or very close rhythmic positions on multiple staves. Set the distance at which Sibelius should ignore identical markings to either a quarter (crotchet), eighth (quaver) or 16th (semiquaver).
* When Overwrite existing material is switched on, the plug-in will overwrite any existing
music in the destination staff.
If you need to reduce music onto a smaller number of staves but more than a single staff, you
should use Sibeliuss Arrange feature instead see Reduction on page 340.
Plug-in written by Dave Foster.

Retrograde
Creates a retrograde version of the selected passage in other words, it turns the music backwards.
For example, this plug-in rewrites the following passage:

as:

To use this plug-in, select the passage you want to retrograde, and choose Plug-ins > Composing
Tools > Retrograde. A dialog appears, advising you of the limitations of the plug-in. When you
click OK, a new score will be created containing the resulting music.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Show Handbells Required

This plug-in, only relevant for scores containing music for an ensemble of handbells, will add a bar
to the start of your score showing all the handbells required to perform the piece. To use the plugin, choose Plug-ins > Composing Tools > Show Handbells Required. After you have run the
plug-in, you may find it necessary to delete rests or clefs in the bar that the plug-in creates.
Plug-in written by Neil Sands.

Transform Scale
Changes pitches in the current score from their current scale to a new scale, e.g. to change the
modality of a melody from major to minor, or change a pentatonic melody to use the whole-tone
scale, and so on.
To use the plug-in, select the passage you want to transform, and choose Plug-ins > Composing
Tools > Transform Scale. A dialog appears in which you specify the current scale of the music and
the new scale into which you want to transform it. Snap non-scale tones to scale tones determines whether the plug-in should snap a note that is not in the scale to the nearest note that is in
the scale (e.g. Eb is not in the scale of G major, so you can choose whether the plug-in should leave
this pitch unchanged, or snap it to the nearest note that is in the scale, e.g. D). Make your choice,
and click OK.
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The plug-in has many further options, which you can see by clicking Show Options in the dialog
that appears:
* Define additional types of scales by clicking Add/Edit Scales
* Save and retrieve transformations you use often by clicking Save/Restore Map
* Determine the direction in which Sibelius should transpose the notes when transforming the

scale by clicking New Pitch Higher?

Each of these dialogs contain detailed information on their use, and the plug-in also has a Help
button that displays further details.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

NOTES AND RESTS

Add Slash Noteheads for Parts
When using slash noteheads in parts for transposing scores, its conventional for the slashes to be
placed in the middle of the staff. However, because Sibeliuss slash noteheads transpose when
Notes > Transposing Score is switched on, the slashes can end up in the wrong position on the
staff in either the full score or the part. This plug-in solves the problem, by creating new slashes in
the part that are hidden in the full score, and hiding in the part the transposed slashes from the
score.
To use the plug-in, first ensure that you are looking at the full score rather than a dynamic part.
Then choose Plug-ins > Notes and Rests > Add Slash Noteheads for Parts. The plug-in allows
you to choose which voice Sibelius should use to insert the new slashes.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Apply Shape Notes

Changes the noteheads according to their pitch to use either the 4-note or 7-note shape note conventions.
To use the plug-in, simply choose Plug-ins > Notes and Rests > Apply Shape Notes; choose the
shape note convention you prefer, and click OK. If you subsequently want to return to regular
notation with normal noteheads, run the plug-in again and choose Restore normal noteheads.
Plug-in written by Gunnar Hellquist.

Boomwhacker Note Colors

This plug-in colors notes according to the color scheme of Boomwhacker tuned percussion tubes
(visit www.whackymusic.com for details). To use the plug-in, choose Plug-ins > Notes and
Rests > Boomwhacker Note Colors. Sibelius will change the color of all the notes in the score
and remind you that if you want to print your score in color, you should switch on Print View
menu options in the File > Print dialog.
The plug-in works by changing the colors used by the View > Note Colors > Pitch Spectrum feature and switching it on, so it does not actually change the score itself. This means that the first
time you want to print a score using the Boomwhacker note colors after running Sibelius, you will
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need to run the plug-in; you dont then need to run the plug-in again during that session of using
Sibelius. Because the plug-in switches on the View > Note Colors > Pitch Spectrum option, youll
find that every score you work on uses the Boomwhacker note colors if you dont want this,
choose one of the other options from the View > Note Colors submenu, or run the plug-in again,
which resets the Pitch Spectrum colors back to their defaults.
Plug-in written by Andrew Davis.

Color Pitches
This plug-in colors notes according to their pitch, a convention occasionally used in educational
music. To use this plug-in, choose the passage in which you want to change the color of notes (or
leave nothing selected if you want the operation to apply to the whole score), and choose Plug-ins >
Notes and Rests > Color Pitches. A simple dialog appears, in which you can choose a color for
each of the twelve pitches of the chromatic scale. When you have made your choices, click OK and
the colors are applied to the notes in the selection.
Beware that all notes in any chords in the selection will be colored according to the pitch of the
highest note in the chord.
Plug-in written by Andrew Davis.

Convert Simple Time to Compound Time

To use this plug-in, select the passage you need to convert and choose Plug-ins > Notes and
Rests > Convert Simple Time to Compound Time. You are given the option of running the
Straighten Written-Out Swing plug-in (see below) before running this one, which has the effect
of turning dotted note swing into compound time.
If theres no time signature in the passage you select, the plug-in will assume that it is in 4/4.
The converted notation is added to the score at the end of the selection. Where a tuplet has not
been converted, a text warning is added to the score indicating the bar number that contained the
original tuplet, so you can correct it. The plug-in only copies notes: articulations, lines, special barlines, lyrics, etc. will not be copied, so you will need to copy or re-create these after running the
plug-in.
Plug-in written by Peter Hayter.

Copy Articulations and Slurs

This plug-in allows you to copy articulations and slurs from one musical phrase to others with the
same or similar rhythm.
To copy a musical phrases articulations and slurs to the clipboard:
* Select the phrase whose articulations and slurs you wish to copy as a passage
* Choose Plug-ins > Notes and Rests > Copy Articulations and Slurs
* From the Choose an action list, select Copy to clipboard

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Rewrites passages in 4/4, 3/4 etc. time signatures as 12/8, 9/8 etc., by doubling the length of the
odd-numbered eighth notes (quavers) in each bar. (The exception to this rule is that triplet eighth
notes, quarter notes and half notes are kept straight.)

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* Select the voice in which the notes with the articulations and slurs you want to copy occur
* You can choose to Copy articulations and Copy slurs independently, if you want to copy one

but not the other

* Click OK.
The plug-in will now copy the articulations and slurs within the phrase you selected to its clipboard. After doing so, a message will appear instructing you to choose Close or OK on the main
dialog depending on whether you want to copy the articulations and slurs to the whole score, or
another similar phrase.
To copy the articulations and slurs to any matching rhythms throughout the whole score:
* Make sure the Choose an action list is set to Paste to whole score
* If you want the plug-in to remove any existing articulations on any notes it needs to copy articu-

lations to, choose Replace existing articulations

* If you want the plug-in to copy articulations and slurs to passages with note values that are double or half those of the original selection, choose Also copy to augmentations and diminutions
* Click OK.
The plug-in will copy the articulations and slurs from the original selection to all similar passages
throughout the entire score.
To copy the articulations and slurs to matching rhythms within a particular passage:
* Click the Close button
* Select a passage containing the notes you wish to copy the articulations and slurs to.

*
*
*
*
*

You can copy articulations and slurs to multiple phrases at once by including them all in the passage you select. (You dont have to be exact about the start, end and staves enclosed in the passage, as articulations and slurs will only be copied to phrases within it that match the original
rhythm.)
Choose Plug-ins > Notes and Rests > Copy Articulations and Slurs
From the Choose an action list, select Paste to selection
If you want the plug-in to remove any existing articulations on any notes it needs to copy articulations to, choose Replace existing articulations
If the selection you are copying to has longer or shorter note values than the original, switch on
Also copy to augmentations and diminutions
Click OK.

The plug-in will copy the articulations and slurs from the original phrase to all matching phrases
in your subsequent selection.
Plug-in written by Neil Sands.

Double/Halve Note Values

It is sometimes useful to halve or double all the note values in your score, e.g. if you are transcribing early music in which note values are twice as long as they would be written in modern editions.
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To run these plug-ins, select a passage of music and choose Double Note Values or Halve Note
Values from the Plug-ins > Notes and Rests submenu. A dialog appears, warning you of the
plug-ins limitations.
When you click OK, a new score will be created with the selected passage copied into it in augmented or diminished form. The plug-ins also copy time signatures (doubling or halving them as
appropriate), and create ties as appropriate.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Make Pitches Constant

Sets all the notes in a selection to the same pitch, optionally changing the notehead type used, and
filling the bar with notes in another voice (e.g. to fill a bar with slash notes while showing a specific
rhythm that the player may wish to vamp on). For example, this plug-in can transform the bar on
the left into the bar on the right in just a few clicks:
Dsus4

D7

Dsus4

D7

To use this plug-in, select the passage of pitches to be made constant, then choose Plug-ins >
Notes and Rests > Make Pitches Constant. A dialog appears, split into two halves:
want to transpose belong, and if you want to change the noteheads too, set the desired notehead
type. The Move rests with notes option moves any rests in the passage vertically to match the
pitch of the transposed notes.
* The bottom half of the dialog allows you to add new notes to another voice in the same passage;
this is especially useful for creating slash notation. Choose the voice to be used for the new notes
(making sure its different from the voice of the notes youve asked it to transpose), set the pitch,
notehead type, and the note value, then click OK.
Plug-in further developed by Stefan Behrisch (www.werklabor.de).

Remove Dangling Ties

Sometimes a note will continue to sound indefinitely during playback if you have inadvertently
used a tie when you meant to use a slur; this plug-in checks your score for notes with ties that are
left dangling in other words, not tied to a subsequent note.
To use the plug-in, select the passage you want to correct and choose Plug-ins > Notes and Rests >
Remove Dangling Ties.

Split Dotted Quarter Rests

In compound time signatures such as 6/8, Sibelius will notate a beats rest as, say, a dotted quarter
note (crotchet), which is the modern convention. Some musicians find it easier to read these rests

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* The upper half of the dialog modifies the existing notes. Specify the voice to which the notes you

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if they are split into separate quarter note (crotchet) and eighth note (quaver) rests. This plug-in
automatically replaces such rests, as follows:
Default

After running plug-in

To use the plug-in, select the passage in which you want to split the rests, and choose Plug-ins >
Notes and Rests > Split Dotted Quarter Rests. The passage may of course include notes, which
are left alone.

Straighten Written-Out Swing

Converts the written-out swing rhythm

into even eighth notes (quavers).

To use the plug-in, select the passage you need to convert and choose Plug-ins > Notes and
Rests > Straighten Written-Out Swing. You are given the option of whether to add the Tempo
text Swing to the rewritten passage.
Beware that the rewritten passage will lose articulations; lyrics are not re-written and may end up
in the wrong position in the bar. Other items that were lined up with the original rhythm may also
need to be adjusted by hand.
Plug-in written by Peter Hayter.

OTHER
Add Harp Pedaling
Automatically adds appropriate harp pedal diagrams or pedal change text instructions to harp
parts, and warns when pedal changes are too close together to be played comfortably, or when the
music is unplayable.
To use the plug-in, first select the passage to which you want to add pedaling (select only the harp
staves), then choose Plug-ins > Other > Add Harp Pedaling. A simple dialog appears:
* Add to allows you to choose between processing the Whole score or just the Selected passage
* Quarter note (crotchets) required to change pedals allows you to adjust the time you

would expect it to take to change all the pedals; for music at faster tempi, you should increase
this number appropriately
* You can choose whether the pedaling added to your score will be in the form of Diagrams or
Boxed text
* Finally, choose whether you want the inserted pedaling to be highlighted (this makes them easy
to spot if you want to check them afterwards in a long score). Highlight other changes refers to
pedal changes that have to be made immediately before a note is needed; the plug-in will try to
avoid these if it can find a place for the change to be made in advance.
When you click OK, the plug-in adds the pedaling. Beware that double sharps and double flats
cannot be set using harp pedals; if you have written any of these in your music, the plug-in will
warn you about them when it has finished writing other changes in.
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Plug-in written by Neil Sands.

Add Note Names to Noteheads

Writes the name of the note inside the notehead, using the supplied Opus Note Names font, like
this:

To use this plug-in, either select the passage in which you want to write note names, or the whole
score, and choose Plug-ins > Other > Add Note Names to Noteheads. A simple dialog appears,
in which you can choose whether you want the note names written inside the noteheads to include
accidentals. Click OK and the score is updated.
If you add more notes or change the pitches of the notes already in the score, youll need to run the
plug-in again to update the note names inside the noteheads.
Plug-in written by Neil Sands

Groovy Music Mark-up

Select a single-staff passage or one or more single notes, then choose Plug-ins > Other > Groovy
Music Mark-up. You are asked to choose which Groovy Music product you wish to export to. In
the dialog that appears, choose whether you want to mark a Melody, Bass, Rhythm, Chord,
Arpeggio etc. element, then click OK. Make a new selection and run the plug-in again to mark
another element, and repeat in this way until you have completed marking up your score.
Once you are satisfied that the score is fully marked up, choose File > Export > MIDI File and
export a MIDI file (b 8.12 Exporting MIDI files), then load the resulting MIDI file into
Groovy by clicking Open Song.
If you need further help, the plug-in has a Help button that provides more details.

Make Layout Uniform

Forces your score to have a specified number of bars per system and systems per page. The default
of 4 and 4 is suitable for voice or solo instrument with keyboard accompaniment. Solo keyboard
music typically has 4 bars per system and 6 systems per page. Music for a single-staff instrument
typically has 4 bars per system and 10 systems per page.
The first page of a score often has fewer systems than subsequent pages, to make room for the title;
this plug-in allows you to set the number of systems on the first page independently from the rest
of the score.

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Adds annotations (in the form of MIDI messages) to the current score that act as special markers
when importing a MIDI file generated from the score into either Groovy Jungle or Groovy City.
Groovy Music is a series of three programs that make teaching music to primary children easy and
fun see www.sibelius.com/products/groovy for more details.

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Sibelius can automatically lay out your entire score with a uniform number of bars per system, and
will reformat the score dynamically when it changes (b 7.3 Auto Layout). Hence you should
normally only use this plug-in if you want to make just part of a score have a layout uniform.
Select the passage you want to make uniform, and choose Plug-ins > Other > Make Layout Uniform.

Make Piano Four Hands Layout

Takes a score written for two pianos (or indeed any two keyboard instruments), and creates a new
score in the conventional format for four hands piano music, with music for the lower player (secondo) on left-hand pages, and music for the higher player (primo) on right-hand pages.
To use the plug-in, first prepare your source score. It should contain only two keyboard instruments. Next, use Create > Title Page to add a title page to your score, if it doesnt already have one,
or else ensure that the first page of music is a left-hand page. This helps the plug-in produce correct page turns in the created score. Finally, select the whole score and do Layout > Format > Lock
Format, then choose Plug-ins > Other > Make Piano Four Hands Layout.
A simple dialog appears, in which you can choose the instrument names to use for each instrument in the newly created score. The Keep facing pages in sync option tells the plug-in to ensure
that the same bars appear on each system on left-hand and right-hand pages. Click OK, and watch
as progress bars whizz across the screen. Moments later, your new score is created.
Some tidying up will probably be required after running the plug-in: it helpfully creates text
objects beginning P4H at each point where tidying up is required, which you can find with Edit >
Find in order to decide what to do in each case.
Plug-in written by Hans-Christoph Wirth.

Preferences
This plug-in is only intended for use by plug-in developers. See the separate ManuScript documentation for more information.

Remove All Highlights

This plug-in simply removes all highlights from the score. To use the plug-in, just choose Plugins > Other > Remove All Highlights.

Scales and Arpeggios

Creates worksheets containing dozens of scales and arpeggios in just a few clicks. To use the plugin, choose Plug-ins > Other > Scales and Arpeggios. You are guided through a series of dialogs,
as follows:
* If a score is already open, you are first asked if you want to add the scales to the existing score, or

create a new score. Make your choice and click Next.

* If you are creating a new score, youre asked whether you want to create scales for a single-staff
instrument, or for a keyboard instrument. (You can also ask the plug-in to produce a single
example of each type of scale and arpeggio it can create.) Make your choice, then click Next.

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* You are asked to choose between several different types of scale or arpeggio: major scales, minor

Plug-in written by Gunnar Hellquist.

Set Metronome Mark

Allows you to create metronome marks at specific speeds by clicking the pulse with the mouse. To
use the plug-in, select the bar in which you want to create the metronome mark (or have nothing
selected if you want to create it in the first bar), then choose Plug-ins > Other > Set Metronome
Mark.
In the dialog that appears, click the large button at the desired tempo. After twelve clicks, the plugin will tell you the average tempo you just clicked, and allow you to create a metronome mark
either with that precise tempo, or the nearest tempo that you would find on a traditional metronome.
Plug-in written by Neil Sands and Michael Eastwood.

Split Bar
Splits a bar into two irregular bars of appropriate lengths, inserts a suitable bar number change
and, if you choose to insert a system break where you split the bar, inserts an invisible barline
between the two halves of the bar.
Simply choose the note before which you want the bar to be split, and choose Plug-ins > Other >
Split Bar.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

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scales, modal scales, altered scales, jazz scales, and arpeggios. Again, make your choice and click
Next.
* The next dialog allows you to set specific options about the scales or arpeggios you want to create: the type of scale, how many octaves and in which octave it should begin, the direction, the
note value to be used, the clef, and so on. Include key signature inserts a new key signature at
the start of each scale.
If you want to create keyboard scales, you can specify whether you want to add an interval of a
third or an octave above the notes in the right-hand staff.
If you want to create a series of scales, you can choose whether each new scale should be in the
key of the new starting note, or whether it should stay in the original key but simply begin on a
different degree of the scale.
When you are satisfied with the options:
% If you are creating scales or arpeggios for a single-staff instrument, click Finish.
% If you are creating scales for a keyboard instrument, click Next. You can make a few further
choices, such as whether the scales should be created in similar or contrary motion, whether
the left-hand staff should start in the same or a different octave than the right-hand staff, and
so on.
* After you click Finish, the plug-in creates the desired scales or arpeggios within just a few seconds.

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Suggest Cue Locations

Marks your score with suitable locations for cue passages, based on a minimum number of bars
rest or a minimum length of silence in seconds.
Select the passage in which you want the plug-in to suggest suitable locations for cues, e.g. tripleclick a staff, then run the plug-in, or if you want to process the entire score, just choose Plug-ins >
Other > Suggest Cue Locations. A dialog appears:

Although you can ask the plug-in to suggest locations after both a number of bars rest and an
amount of elapsed time, it is generally more useful to choose one or the other.
The three Mark cue locations in options present the results of running the plug-in:
* Score as text creates a Technique text object, colored red, above the first note following each

suggested location for a cue

* Text file creates a text file called filename cue locations.txt in the same folder as your score
file, listing the suggested cue locations
* Plug-in Trace Window writes each suggested cue location into the Plug-in Trace Window.
If you use the Score as text option, you can use Edit > Find and Edit > Find Next to find text
beginning with Cue: to move to each suggested cue location.
Plug-in written by Neil Sands.

PLAYBACK
Add Continuous Control Changes
Generates MIDI controller messages in your score, making it easier to apply the continuous controller changes required for tweaking playback, e.g. for some third-party virtual instruments or
other playback devices.
To use the plug-in, first create one or more lines in the score at the position or positions where you
want to apply automation data. Use the horizontal line from the Staff lines pane of the Create >
Line dialog, and ensure it starts and ends above the notes over which you want the MIDI controller
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data to be written. Then select either a line or a passage containing one or more of these lines, and
choose Plug-ins > Playback > Add Continuous Control Changes.
The plug-in is supplied with a number of presets for several third-party sample libraries. Select a
preset if a suitable one is available, and click Load Preset. If you dont need to make any further
changes, click OK, and the plug-in will write out the appropriate MIDI controller messages in the
score.
You can, of course, adjust the existing presets and create your own. Set up the options in the dialog
as you want them, then click Add Preset. Youre asked to choose a name of the preset; do so and
click OK. If you subsequently change this preset, click Save Preset to make sure your changes are
saved.
The plug-in allows you to write controllers that describe a number of waveforms and curves (e.g.
sine, square, triangle, sawtooth, exponential, etc.), which you can choose from the Signal Type
drop-down. Depending on your choice of Signal Type, different parameters need to be specified
in the options on the right-hand side of the dialog. Refer to the plug-ins Help dialog for more
information.
Plug-in written by David Budde.

Cresc./Dim. Playback

To run this plug-in, first create hairpins where you want the volume to change, then select a bar or
a passage containing the hairpin(s). If you just want to process one hairpin, the best way to do this
is by selecting the hairpin.
When you have made your selection, choose Plug-ins > Playback > Cresc./Dim. Playback. A dialog will appear, allowing you to choose whether you wish to process every hairpin in the selected
passage or just the first hairpin, and to specify the start and end dynamic of the cresc./dim.
You can also choose whether to use MIDI controller 7 or 11 to produce the dynamic change. By
default, the plug-in uses controller 7 (volume) since this is supported on all MIDI devices, whereas
controller 11 (expression) is not so widely supported. You may find that after creating the series of
MIDI messages, you need to insert a further MIDI message yourself to reset the volume or expression level on that particular staff b 4.15 MIDI messages for further information.
The plug-in requires you to put a hairpin in your score before running it, so if you dont want a
hairpin to appear you can temporarily create one and then delete it after you have run the plug-in
(which will not delete the MIDI messages).
The MIDI messages created by the plug-in are automatically hidden, so they will only be visible if
you have View > Hidden Objects switched on (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+H or zXH).

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Enables the playback of crescendos and diminuendos over single held notes for appropriate instruments (particularly wind, strings and singers). Sibelius does not automatically play back hairpin
markings over single notes because it uses MIDI velocities to achieve gradations of dynamic on
successive notes. This plug-in inserts a series of MIDI volume or expression messages in order to
change dynamics during a single note.

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Harmonics Playback
This plug-in enables playback of harmonics, e.g. on string staves, using Sibeliuss Live Playback
and MIDI messages features. To use the plug-in, select the passage in which you want the harmonics to be played back, and choose Plug-ins > Playback > Harmonics Playback. A simple dialog
appears, in which you can choose what kind of harmonics you want the plug-in to process; generally you can just accept the defaults and click OK. You will be warned to save your score, and then
the plug-in will process the selected passage.
Make sure Play > Live Playback is switched on when you play back your score to hear the harmonics. Beware that if you transpose the music or otherwise change the pitches of the notes with harmonics after running this plug-in, you should delete the MIDI message text above the notes and
run the plug-in again to ensure correct playback.
Plug-in written by Michael Eastwood.

Ornament Playback
Inserts the necessary MIDI messages to make mordents and turns play back. To use the plug-in,
select the note (or notes) to which you want to add an ornament, and then choose Plug-ins >
Playback > Ornament Playback. A simple dialog will appear, with the following options:
* Mordent or Turn: allows you to choose the type of ornament you wish to add
* If you choose Mordent, Lower and Upper control whether the mordent should play the note
*
*
*
*

below the written note, or the note above the written note.
If you choose Turn, Inverted controls whether or not the turn should be inverted.
Chromatic: produces a chromatic ornament; when this option is switched off, the ornament
produced is diatonic
At end of note: intended for turns only, this option makes Sibelius insert the turn at the end of
the selected note (i.e. just before the following note)
Add symbol: this option adds the appropriate symbol for the ornament above the selected note
(or notes).

When you have chosen the desired options, click OK, and appropriate MIDI messages are added to
your score (switch on View > Hidden Objects to see them).

Quarter-tone Playback
Inserts MIDI messages to make quarter-tones play back. To use this plug-in, either select a passage
or the whole score (using Ctrl+A or XA), then choose Plug-ins > Playback > Quarter-tone Playback.
A dialog appears, allowing you to choose the amount of pitch bend required to produce a quartertone. Usually you should leave this at the default so just click OK.
The MIDI messages created by this plug-in are automatically hidden, so you will not be able to see
them unless you have View > Hidden Objects switched on (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+H or zXH).
This plug-in has a built-in Help dialog that describes its operation and limitations in more detail.

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Strummer
Changes the Live Playback properties of notes in chords to provide a realistic strumming effect.
The plug-in is designed with guitar in mind, but can be applied to other instruments too (you
might like to experiment by using it on harp, harpsichord or pizzicato string parts).
To run the plug-in, select a passage then choose Plug-ins > Playback > Strummer. A dialog
appears with options for choosing which chords to strum (chords with four or more notes are
best), how to alternate down and up strums (in guitar terminology, where a down strum spreads a
chord from the lowest notated pitch to the highest), by how much to spread the chord, 256 ticks
being equivalent to a quarter note (crotchet), and how to annotate the strumming pattern (with a
choice of no annotation, adding text d or u for down or up respectively, or using articulations, in
which case the down bow and up bow symbols are used).
The half note (minim), quarter note (crotchet) and eighth note (quaver) options place downstrums on every specified beat, with up-strums on the chords found on every other beat. Strictly
alternating, all down and all up options are self-explanatory.
The "use pattern" option is the most flexible, and can be used to produce impressive flamenco-style
strumming patterns. Input the pattern as a string (with "d" for down-strum, "u" for up): this pattern will be applied sequentially to all chords selected, repeating as often as necessary (so if you
enter the three-letter pattern dud and have selected eight chords, the result will be a pattern dudduddu).

Power tools

Plug-in written by David Harvey.

PROOF-READING
Proof-read
This plug-in allows the user to run any combination of six other proof-reading plug-ins that are in
the same menu:
* Check clefs writes warnings in the score where a clef is repeated unnecessarily, e.g. an alto clef
*
*
*

*
*
*

would be repeated if you omitted a change to treble clef in a Viola part

Check cues see below
Check for Parallel 5ths/8ves see below
Check harp pedaling writes warnings in the score if any notes in the selected passage are
unplayable on a harp with the pedal configuration specified in the dialog. For best results, you
should select just the harp staves before running this particular plug-in, and specify a passage
that contains no pedal changes. The plug-in can also optionally add a harp pedal diagram to
your score corresponding to the pedal combination you specify in its dialog.
Check multiple stops see below
Check pizzicatos writes warnings in the score where an arco or pizz. seems to be surplus or
missing
Check repeat barlines writes warnings in the score where a start or end repeat seems to be surplus or missing (i.e. the repeat barlines dont match up).
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If your score is very long, you could use Sibeliuss Edit > Find feature (b 5.4 Filters and Find) to
step through the warnings the plug-ins put in your score.
If you wish, you can run any of these plug-ins individually by choosing them from the Plug-ins >
Proof-reading submenu.

Check Attachments
This plug-in is very useful for locating those instances where you may have, say, incorrectly placed
an expression marking so that it is erroneously attached to the staff above or below the one
intended. To use the plug-in, choose Plug-ins > Proof Reading > Check Attachments. The plugin can either check the current score, or look at a batch of files in a specified folder at the same
time. Select the appropriate option from the first dialog shown by the plug-in, then click Next. The
following dialog appears:

* Removing existing marking color before coloring is for when you have already run the plug-

*
*
*
*

in before and want to confirm that the changes you have made to fix previous problems have
been rectified. This option ensures that all objects that are currently colored in the score are set
back to black before the plug-in makes its checks.
Write to log file logs any potential problems in a text file called Sibelius Attachment Log.txt
which is located your Scores folder
Write to plug-in trace window logs any potential problems in Sibeliuss Plug-in Trace window
Use this color to mark suspect attachments allows you to choose the color the plug-in
should use to make problems visually apparent in the score
The Special location options settings allow you to set where the most common text styles are
positioned in your score by default, so that the plug-in is able to ascertain attachment problems
effectively.

When you have set the above options as appropriate, click the OK button and the plug-in will scan
your score(s) and bring any potential attachment problems to your attention.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

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Check Cues
Checks that cue passages in the score match the notes in the staves from which they have been
copied. This is useful if you have continued to make edits to the score since adding cues to the
parts, and now want to check that those edits are also reflected in the relevant cues.
Select the passage in which you want to check your cues, e.g. triple-click a staff, then run the plugin, or if you want to process the entire score, just choose Plug-ins > Proof-reading > Check Cues.
A dialog appears:

The three Mark suspect cues in options present the results of running the plug-in:
cue
* Text file creates a text file called filename suspect cues.txt in the same folder as your score file,
listing the location of each suspect cue
* Plug-in Trace Window writes the location of each suspect cue into the Plug-in Trace Window.
If you use the Score as text option, you can use Edit > Find and Edit > Find Next to find text
beginning with Suspect cue: to move to each suspect cue in turn.
Plug-in written by Neil Sands.

Check for Parallel 5ths/8ves

Checks for fifths and octaves between notes in any voice on any staves. The plug-in even checks for
hidden fifths and octaves (i.e. where they occur in contrary motion).
If you want to check the entire score, choose Edit > Select > Select All (shortcut Ctrl+A or XA),
then choose Plug-ins > Proof-reading > Check for Parallel 5ths/8ves; otherwise, just select the
passage you want to check before running the plug-in. In the dialog, choose whether you want to
check for fifths or octaves, or both. Click OK and after a few moments of busy activity, Sibelius
tells you how many errors it found, which are marked in the score as text. (The warning text starts
just over the first offending note of the parallel 5th/8ve.)
If your score is very long, you could use Sibeliuss Edit > Find feature to find all the annotations the
plug-in has put in your score.

Check Lyrics Hyphenation

Checks the lyrics in your score for incorrect hyphenation, using Sibeliuss built-in lyric syllabifier.
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* Score as text creates a Technique text object, colored red, above the first note of each suspect

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To use the plug-in, select a specific passage of your score if you like, then choose Plug-ins > Proofreading > Check Lyrics Hyphenation.

You can choose whether to check the whole score or a selected passage, and choose the language
that your lyrics are in (from English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Latin).
Choose whether you want the plug-in to Color incorrect hyphenations red, and whether you
also want it to Correct lyrics in score (which will overwrite the incorrectly hyphenated lyrics
with correctly hyphenated ones). The List corrections options will save a text file listing the incorrectly hyphenated lyrics into the same folder as the score, or list them to the Plug-in Trace Window.
Plug-in written by Neil Sands.

Check Multiple Stops

Checks your score for chords that require unplayable multiple stopping. Each chord (which may
either be in a single voice or as part of a contrapuntal passage) is either easy, difficult or impossible:
easy chords are passed over, and difficult or impossible chords are marked as such in the score.
To use the plug-in, select a specific passage of your score if you like, then choose Plug-ins > Proofreading > Check Multiple Stops. A dialog appears, in which you can choose whether to check the
selected passage or the whole score, and whether you want to check staves belonging to stringed
instruments (the recommended setting) or all staves. Click OK, and a progress bar appears as the
plug-in examines each staff in turn.
Each difficult or impossible chord is labeled appropriately with Technique text; use Sibeliuss Edit >
Find and Edit > Find Next features (b 5.4 Filters and Find) to find each chord the plug-in has
identified.
The plug-in assesses each possible arrangement of each note of the chord on each string of the
instrument, played by each finger, and determines the easiest arrangement for the chord; this is the
label that is then applied to the chord in the score. In order to do this, some assumptions have had
to be made about how far players can stretch on each instrument; you will find that some players
(with long fingers!) would be able to play some of the chords labeled impossible by this plug-in.
Chords with more than four noteheads are automatically deemed impossible, since all string
instruments only have four strings.
Because bows are straight and the fingerboards of string instruments are curved, in fact only two
notes can ever sound simultaneously when played on a real instrument; the plug-in allows for this,
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but stipulates that the upper two notes of any chord must be on adjacent strings, otherwise they
cant both be held. Any chord that has its top two notes on non-adjacent strings is labeled as
impossible.
Chords labeled as difficult generally involve an uncomfortable (but not impossible) stretch, or an
awkward hand position (the ideal hand position is for the first finger to go on the lowest used
string, the second finger on the next lowest used string, etc.; so two-string chords are generally
playable, but three- and four-string chords must be fingered in the right order to be easy).
The plug-in operates regardless of musical context, e.g. a passage consisting of 24 easy doublestopped chords in a row will be processed without comment. Similarly it does not take into
account issues such as tempo.
Plug-in written by Neil Sands.

What Is Where?
This plug-in creates a set of statistics showing which objects exist within the selection made in the
current score. You can choose which objects should be included in the statistics, and also choose
whether the plug-in should color the objects it has included in its analysis. When Write to Log
File is on, the analysis is saved to a text file named where.txt, that you will find in the same folder
as the score under analysis. You can also view the plug-ins output in the Plug-in Trace Window by
switching on Write to plug-in trace window.

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

SIMPLIFY NOTATION
Change Split Point
Changes the split point of notes between the right-hand and left-hand staves of a piano or other
instrument that uses two staves. This is useful for cleaning up keyboard music inputted via Flexitime or MIDI import.
To use the plug-in, select the passage in which you want to change the split point, and choose
Plug-ins > Simplify Notation > Change Split Point. In the dialog that appears, specify the new
split point, and whether you want notes above the split point to be on the right-hand or left-hand
staff, then click OK. The plug-in moves notes between the staves as appropriate.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Combine Tied Notes and Rests

Consolidates tied notes and groups of rests into longer note values. This is useful for cleaning up
heavily-edited scores, or scores inputted via Flexi-time or MIDI import.
To use the plug-in, choose Plug-ins > Simplify Notation > Combined Tied Notes and Rests. If
nothing is selected, you will be asked if you want the operation to apply to the whole score; otherwise, the plug-in will operate on the selected passage.
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Use Remove existing marking color before coloring when you have previously used the plugin and want to clear its previous colorings before the next analysis.

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You can choose whether you want to combine either tied notes or rests, or both, and because this
plug-in can dramatically alter the appearance of your score, you also have the option of creating a
text file log that lists all the changes it made (you can even create a log file that lists all the changes
the plug-in will make without actually making those changes).
This sophisticated plug-in has extensive built-in documentation: click Help in the initial dialog for
further information about the rules it uses for combining tied notes and rests, and about its limitations.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Duplicates In Staves
Operates on a selection containing two staves, coloring any similar notes that occur at the same
time in both staves. You can choose the color used to mark duplicated notes, and the plug-in will
inform you of the duplicates it finds in the Plug-in Trace window. A message telling you the number of duplicates the plug-in has found is shown when it completes.
This can be useful to (say) easily identify any instruments in a score that may be doubling each
other at a given point.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Move to Other Staff

Moves a single selected note or chord on a keyboard or other grand staff instrument to the staff
above or below. This is useful for correcting split point errors on a note-by-note basis if you want
to change the split point for a longer passage of music, see Change Split Point above. To use the
plug-in, simply select the note or chord you want to move from its current staff to the staff above or
below and choose Plug-ins > Simplify Notation > Move to Other Staff.
Plug-in written by Geoff Haynes.

Remove Overlapping Notes

This plug-in removes overlapping notes in a staff, and is intended for cleaning up music that was
inputted via Flexi-time (especially from a MIDI guitar) or by importing a MIDI file. It works by
cutting off notes that are already sounding when the next note starts to sound, and it also checks
for and removes dangling ties (i.e. ties that do not tie to a following note).
To use the plug-in, select the staff or staves on which you want the plug-in to be operated (or leave
nothing selected to apply the plug-in to the whole score), then choose Plug-ins > Simplify
Notation > Remove Overlapping Notes. You will be warned to save your score, and when you
click OK, the plug-in will process the selected passage or the whole score. When the plug-in has
finished, you will be told how many overlapping notes were removed.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Remove Rests
Removes rests in the selected passage of music. If you find that you end up with unwanted rests
after Flexi-time input or importing a MIDI file, you can use this plug-in to clean up the music.

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For example, this plug-in rewrites the following music:

as:

To use the plug-in, simply select the passage from which you want to remove rests, and choose
Plug-ins > Simplify Notation > Remove Rests. A dialog appears, reminding you of the plug-ins
limitations; when you click OK a new score is created, containing the cleaned-up music, which you
can copy back over the original.
The plug-ins limitations are as follows:
* Tuplets are omitted, but the rest of the bars in which they appear are copied correctly
* Grace notes are not copied
* Custom beamings appear using default beam groups
* User-flipped stems are not copied
* Special noteheads, articulation marks and special barlines are not copied
* Bars of irregular length, such as pick-up (upbeat) bars may not be copied correctly.

Remove Unison Notes

Removes unison notes (two noteheads of the same pitch on the same stem, or of the same pitch in
different voices), which sometimes appear after importing a MIDI file or using Arrange to produce
reductions of existing music.
To use the plug-in, choose Plug-ins > Simplify Notation > Remove Unison Notes. If there is no
selection, you are asked if you want the operation to apply to the whole score; otherwise, it will
apply only to the selected passage. A dialog appears, in which you can set some options:
* Choose whether to remove unisons Only within each voice (i.e. two notes of the same pitch at

the same rhythmic position but in separate voices would be left intact) or Within and between
all voices (i.e. if two notes of the same pitch in separate voices occur at the same rhythmic position, one of them would be removed)
* Choose whether or not you want to create a text log file, detailing all of the changes the plug-in
has made so that you can check them later (you can even ask the plug-in to create a log file of the
changes it would make, without actually changing the score). You can choose whether to use
American or British note names in the log file.
Click OK, and the plug-in processes the score.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Renotate Performance
Rewrites the notation produced by a Flexi-time performance or imported from a MIDI file to
make it more legible. This plug-in indirectly does the same jobs as both Remove Overlapping
Notes and Remove Rests, so you wont need to run those plug-ins as well as this one. The plug-in
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Plug-in improved by Geoff Haynes

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is most useful with a pair of keyboard staves, but you can use it with any other instrument if you
wish. The plug-in can fix the following kinds of problems:
* Notes are written on the wrong staff, giving them too many leger lines
* Chord voicings are unplayable, because the stretches are too wide
* Inconsistent voicing due to the Use multiple voices option for Flexi-time input
* Short notes being notated as chords because the Flexi-time Minimum duration option was set

too high
* Notes are notated with shorter values than ideal, because they were played too staccato.
The plug-in aims to produce notation that is rhythmically and visually simpler than the original,
while still notating every note that was part of the original performance, by revoicing and requantizing the music. As the plug-in revoices your performance, it reduces the notes to a single voice on
each staff; inner voices are suggested by adding the notes where they best fit, without using ties to
notate their duration. The music is requantized using the same Minimum duration unit as was
used for the original Flexi-time input or MIDI import, but this unit is automatically decreased
where necessary, e.g. where you played sixteenths (semiquavers) but where the Minimum duration unit was set to eighths (quavers), or where you played a spread chord, grace note, or other
ornament.
To use the plug-in, simply select a passage in the staff or staves you want to renotate, then choose
Plug-ins > Simplify Notation > Renotate Performance. A simple dialog appears, allowing you to
override the plug-ins choice of quantization unit, and specify whether or not to Overwrite
selected passage. If this option is switched on, the selected music is overwritten; if it is switched
off, Sibelius will add a new instrument and write the renotated music on that staff, useful for the
purposes of comparing the original and renotated passage.
Plug-in written by Geoff Haynes.

TEXT
Add Brackets to Reprise Script
In some handwritten scores, text is marked with brackets that show whether the text applies to the
staff above or the staff below, like this:

{W`i`t`h` `A` `L`i`v`e`l`y` `S`w`i`n`g`}

[O_p_e_n_ _F_o_r_ _S_o_l_o_s_]

Sibeliuss Reprise Script font includes special characters that can produce these kinds of brackets,
and the simplest way of achieving them is to select the passage containing the text to which you
want to add brackets, then choose Plug-ins > Text > Add Brackets to Reprise Script. A simple
dialog appears, allowing you to choose whether you want to add or remove brackets: make your
choice and click OK. The plug-in determines whether the text is above or below the staff and creates the right kind of bracket automatically.

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If you subsequently change the font of the text that has brackets, you will find that the brackets no
longer look correct: run the plug-in again and choose Remove brackets to correct the scores
appearance.
Plug-in written by Dave Foster.

Add Brass Fingering

Adds appropriate fingering for a number of common brass instruments, including trumpets in Bb,
C, D and Eb, horns using F and Bb fingerings, and 3- and 4-valve euphoniums.
To use the plug-in, select the passage for which you want to add fingering (e.g. triple-click the staff
of the brass instrument in question) and choose Plug-ins > Text > Add Brass Fingering. Choose
the instrument from the dialog and click OK to add the fingering to your score in the Fingering
text style; if you find that it collides with notes or other markings, use the Reposition Text plug-in
to adjust it (see below).

Add Note Names

Writes A, C#, etc. above every note in the score.

If you find that the added text collides with notes or other markings, select one text object and
choose Edit > Select > Select More (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+A or xXA), and move the whole row
together using the 3/2 keys.

Add Slurs to Lyrics

It is customary for words sung over more than one note to be slurred, which makes it easier for the
singer to see when the word next changes. This plug-in adds slurs to staves with lyrics, following
this convention.
To use the plug-in, select the passage on which you want the plug-in to operate (though it will only
look at staves with lyrics, so if you want to run the plug-in on the whole score, you dont need to
select anything), then choose Plug-ins > Text > Add Slurs to Lyrics. A dialog appears, allowing
you to choose whether you want to add normal slurs or dotted or dashed ones, and giving you the
option of highlighting existing slurs if theyre in the wrong place, or highlighting suspect lyric melismas (e.g. without hyphens or lyric lines). Click OK, and slurs are added to your score.
Plug-in written by Michael Kilpatrick.

Add String Fingering

This plug-in adds appropriate fingering to music for violin, viola, cello and double bass.
To use the plug-in, select the passage for which you want to add fingering (typically, triple-click the
staff of the instrument in question) and choose Plug-ins > Text > Add String Fingering. Choose
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To run the plug-in, simply select a passage (or make sure nothing is selected if you wish to add
note names to all staves throughout your score) and choose Plug-ins > Text > Add Note Names. A
simple dialog appears, allowing you to specify whether the note names are added in upper or lower
case, which text style is used, whether it should use sounding or written pitch (for transposing
instruments), whether it should include the octave number as well as the note name, and whether
note names should be added to the selected passage or the whole score. You can also choose the
language that should be used to write the note names.

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the desired instrument from the dialog; you can also choose the fingering position(s) to be used
(the default setting is 1 and 3, which will add the fingerings for first position and then go back and
attempt to fill the gaps with fingerings from third position). Click OK to add the fingering to your
score in the Fingering text style; if you find that it collides with notes or other markings, use the
Reposition Text plug-in to adjust it (see below).

Add Tonic Sol-Fa

Adds tonic sol-fa notation to a selected passage or the entire score. Tonic sol-fa is both a form of
musical notation used in vocal music and a system of teaching sight-singing that depends on it.
Pioneered by John Curwen in 1840s England, and since modified by Kodly in the twentieth century, tonic sol-fa notation is based on the moveable doh system of solmization. The notes of the
major scale are named (in ascending order) doh, ray, me, fah, soh, lah, te, where doh is the tonic,
other notes being thus related to the tonic of the moment, which changes if the piece modulates.
Minor keys are treated as modes of the relative major, the minor scale being solmized as lah, te,
doh, ray, etc. In notation, the notes are abbreviated as d, r, m, f, s, l, t. Sharps and flats are indicated
by change of vowel, sharps to e, flats to a (pronounced aw); e.g. doh sharpened is de; me flattened
is ma. Colons (:) separate one beat from the next, single dots (.) are used when a beat is divided
into two half-beats, and commas divide half-beats into quarter-beats. Horizontal lines show that
notes are to be held over a beat (or sub-beat) boundary; blanks indicate rests.
The following example, taken from John Curwens snappily titled The Standard Course of Lessons
on the Tonic Sol-fa Method of Teaching to Sing, shows how the notation looks in practice:

To use this plug-in, select a passage and then choose Plug-ins > Text > Add Tonic Sol-Fa. A dialog
appears, in which you should specify the key of the selected passage. You can also specify which
voice to solmize, and various options concerning the way the tonic sol-fa notation will look. When
you are ready to proceed, click OK, and the sol-fa notation will be added to your score.
If your score includes changes in key signature, the plug-in cannot read these automatically, so you
should run the plug-in for each section of your score in different keys. Note also that, by default,
the tonic sol-fa notation is added in the Lyrics line 1 text style, so you should either add the real
lyrics to your music using the Lyrics line 2 text style, or manually move any existing lyrics before
running the plug-in, to prevent the sol-fa notation appearing on top of the lyrics.
This plug-in has the following limitations:
* The spacing of barlines may not be correct (these can easily be adjusted by hand afterwards)
* Empty pick-up (anacrusis) bars may not be notated correctly
* The plug-in uses non-standard bridge note notation for modulation; it is usual to use subscript

and superscript characters, but these cannot be created, so the plug-in instead writes [old note]
new note
* The plug-in also uses non-standard tuplet markings (> instead of an inverted comma)
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* Some of the rhythmic markings may be spaced too close (again, this can easily be adjusted by

hand afterwards).

Add Verse Numbers

Adds verse numbers at the start of verses of lyrics, aligned in a column and using the appropriate
Lyrics line n text style.
To use the plug-in, select the bar containing the start of the lyric verses, and choose Plug-ins >
Text > Add Verse Numbers. There are no options; the plug-in goes ahead and adds the numbers
automatically.
If you wish subsequently to select the verse of lyrics, including the verse number, select the verse
number and choose Edit > Select > Select More (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+A or xXA). If you click on
a syllable instead, the verse number will not be selected. Edit > Filter > Lyrics will likewise not
select the verse numbers.
Plug-in written by Peter Hayter.

Align Lyrics
Adjusts the vertical spacing of multiple verses of lyrics such that:
* the first verse lyrics are vertically aligned with the lowest placed syllable in that verse;
* the last verse lyrics are vertically aligned with the highest placed syllable in that verse; and

The plug-in is designed to help when you have moved lyrics up or down to avoid colliding with
notes. If this is done carelessly, or if the system reformats afterwards, you can end up with misaligned lyrics or unevenly spaced verses.
To use the plug-in, select the bar containing the start of the lyrics, and choose Plug-ins > Text >
Align Lyrics. There are no options; the plug-in goes ahead and aligns the lyrics automatically.
If there is only one verse then the lyrics are aligned in a row and positioned at the mean of the
highest and lowest positioned syllable in the selected passage. In general, you would apply this
plug-in to a score on a system-by-system basis, since lyrics are usually positioned independently
on different systems.
Plug-in written by Peter Hayter.

Change Dynamics
Adjusts all dynamics in a selection or the entire score up or down by a step e.g. all mp dynamics
to p, or all mf to f or you can define a custom mapping of existing dynamics to new dynamics.
To use the plug-in, select the passage on which you want it to operate (or dont make a selection if
you want to apply it to the whole score), and choose Plug-ins > Text > Change Dynamics. A dialog
appears, in which you can choose the music text font for your dynamics (typically Opus Text or
Helsinki Text for engraved scores and Inkpen2 Text or Reprise Text for handwritten scores),
and whether you want the dynamics to get one step louder, one step softer, or use a custom mapping; when you click OK, if you chose to set up a custom mapping, you then specify the new
dynamics to which you want existing dynamics to be mapped.
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* there is an equal amount of space between each verse of lyrics.

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This plug-in has an informative Help window, to which you can refer for more assistance.
Plug-in written by Michael Kilpatrick.

Export Lyrics
Exports the lyrics from your score as a plain text file. To use the plug-in, choose Plug-ins > Text >
Export Lyrics. A simple dialog appears, allowing you to choose whether the plug-in should try to
Separate lines (i.e. add line breaks after punctuation that is followed by a capital letter or number), and whether the plug-in should Save as Unicode text (which you should switch on if you are
using lyrics which dont use the Roman alphabet, such as Japanese). When you click OK, a text file
is created in the same folder as the Sibelius file.
If you want to copy lyrics from a particular passage or staff, select it before running the plug-in;
otherwise, the plug-in will save lyrics only from the topmost staff in the score that contains lyrics.
Consistent use of text styles in your score will lead to the best results when using this plug-in, as it
will enable it to separate out each verse. Use Lyrics line 1 for verse 1 lyrics, Lyrics line 2 for verse
2 lyrics, etc.; use Lyrics (chorus) for choruses; use the Block lyrics text style for blocks of lyrics at
the end of the score, etc.
If the score contains repeats, 1st- and 2nd-ending bars, etc., the text file created will probably
require editing. The plug-in is also not designed to cater for scores containing multiple songs: for
each song in turn, select just that song as a passage and run the plug-in.
If you run the plug-in more than once on the same score (e.g. to export lyrics from different staves
or songs), be sure to rename the saved text file, or it will overwrite any file created by running the
plug-in previously.
Plug-in written by Lydia Machell.

Find and Replace Text

Searches for specific text in your score and replaces it with other text. To use the plug-in, choose
Plug-ins > Text > Find and Replace Text. A dialog appears: enter the text you want to find, and
the text with which you want it to be replaced; specify whether the plug-in should match the text
only if it is found on its own as a text object, as a whole word within a text object, or as any part of
a word within a text object. Click OK, and the plug-in finds and replaces the specified text
throughout the entire score.
Plug-in written by Stefan Behrisch (www.werklabor.de).

Number Bars
Adds numbers above bars; this is useful for numbering repeated bars, or bars rest. To use the plugin, select the passage you want to number, then choose Plug-ins > Text > Number Bars. A dialog
appears, in which you can set various self-explanatory options, such as which text style to use for
the numbers, how often the numbers should appear, whether numbering should restart at special
barlines or rehearsal marks, and so on.
When you click OK, the plug-in numbers all the bars in the selection according to the options chosen in the dialog. The numbers will be approximately centered within each bar, but because (like

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5.11 Plug-ins
all text) they are attached to rhythmic positions, you may need to adjust where they are, particularly if the music reformats.
Plug-in written by Stefan Behrisch (www.werklabor.de).

Number Beats
This plug-in numbers the beats in a bar for a selected passage; for example:

To use the plug-in, select the desired passage, and choose Plug-ins > Text > Number Beats. The
beat length is taken from the time signature, e.g. 6/8 has dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats. The
text is added in the Technique text style; if you find that it collides with notes or other markings,
select one text object and choose Edit > Select > Select More (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+A or xXA),
and move the whole row together using the 3/2 keys.

Reposition Text
General-purpose plug-in that can adjust the position of staff text, e.g. to prevent dynamics from
colliding with notes above or below the staff, or to position keyboard fingering text precisely. To
use this plug-in:
* To reposition a single text object (e.g. a dynamic), select it, then choose Plug-ins > Text > Repo-

If you choose to reposition lots of text, a dialog appears, allowing you to choose whether you want
to place the text always above the note, always below the note, above or below the note (useful for
e.g. Fingering text), or whether you want the text to only be moved horizontally.
Either click OK to process the text, or click Advanced Options to give the plug-in further instruction: you can specify a single text style to reposition in the selected passage, and adjust the size and
vertical/horizontal offset of the text, which affects the distance the plug-in will move the text to
avoid collisions with notes.
The plug-in has two useful Help windows, to which you can turn for further assistance.
Plug-in written by Marc Nijdam.

Smarten Quotes
Replaces quotes and apostrophes of text objects in the current score, or in a set of files in a specific
directory, so they appear curly with a more pleasing shape. The first dialog of the plug-in allows
you to choose whether the operation should apply to the current score or a set of files. Clicking
Next shows the following dialog:

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sition Text. The plug-in will automatically adjust the position of the selected text object, moving it above or below the note.
* To reposition lots of text, either make sure nothing is selected (to process the whole score), or filter the specific text you want to reposition (b 5.4 Filters and Find), or select a passage; then
choose Plug-ins > Text > Reposition Text.

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Here you can choose which text styles should be smartened, whether the plug-in should run in
proofreading mode only (in which only a log will be generated with no changes will be made to the
score), set logging options and choose how any quote or apostrophe characters found in the score
should be changed. If you switch on Write to log file, a log of all changes made to the score will be
saved in a file called Sibelius Quotes Log.txt, which you find in your Scores folder.
Unlike many programs, this plug-in also deals with complex cases like Twas, as well as nested
quote marks.
Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Traditional Lyrics Beaming

Beams notes according to the underlay of the lyrics, i.e. beams are broken at every new word or
syllable. To use this plug-in, select the staves on which you want it to operate (or leave nothing
selected if you want to process the whole score; it will only change notes with lyrics attached, so
staves for non-vocal instruments will not be affected), and choose Plug-ins > Text > Traditional
Lyrics Beaming.
A dialog appears, allowing you to choose whether to process just the selected passage or the whole
score, and whether or not to break the beams of notes with no lyrics (in which case you can highlight any such changes to check them). Click OK, and the beaming in your score is changed.
Plug-in written by Michael Kilpatrick.

TUPLETS
All the plug-ins in the Plug-ins > Tuplets submenu can operate on music using any number of
voices. When you invoke the plug-ins with a passage selection, they will only affect notes in voice
1. If you want to manipulate notes in voices 2, 3 or 4, make a multiple selection instead, e.g. select
the first note of the tuplet in voice 2, then Ctrl+click or X-click the last note of the tuplet before
running the plug-in.
Tuplets plug-ins written by Hans-Christoph Wirth.

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Add Notes to Tuplet

Adds notes to the current tuplet, leaving it at the same overall duration (i.e. increasing its ratio). To
use the plug-in, select as many notes in an existing tuplet as you wish to add (e.g. if you have a septuplet and want to make it into a nontuplet, select two of the notes in the septuplet), then choose
Plug-ins > Tuplets > Add Notes to Tuplet.

Change Tuplet Ratio

Changes the ratio of the current tuplet, leaving it at the same overall duration. You can double or
halve either side of the ratio (e.g. make a 3:2 tuplet 3:4, 6:4 or 6:8, and so on). To use the plug-in,
either make a passage selection enclosing all the notes of the tuplet or select the tuplet number, and
choose Plug-ins > Tuplets > Change Tuplet Ratio. A simple dialog appears; choose the desired
ratio and click OK. The dialog has an Options button; clicking this shows the Tuplet Preferences dialog (see below).

Lengthen Tuplet
Lengthens a tuplet by combining the tuplet with notes either side of it. To use the plug-in, select all
the notes of the existing tuplet and the notes (either before or after the tuplet) you want to add to
the tuplet, and choose Plug-ins > Tuplets > Lengthen Tuplet. If you select all the notes of two or
more adjacent tuplets, they will all be joined into a single tuplet.

Make Into Tuplet

Remove Notes from Tuplet

Removes notes from the current tuplet, leaving it at the same overall duration (i.e. decreasing its
ratio). To use the plug-in, select as many notes in an existing tuplet as you wish to remove (e.g. if
you have a quintuplet and want to make it into a triplet, select two of the notes in the quintuplet),
then choose Plug-ins > Tuplets > Remove Notes from Tuplet.

Shorten Tuplet
Shortens a tuplet by taking notes out of the tuplet and rewriting them outside the tuplet bracket. To
use the plug-in, select as many notes in an existing tuplet you want to remain in the tuplet, then
choose Plug-ins > Tuplets > Shorten Tuplet. The notes in the tuplet that were not selected are
written as normal notes either before or after the shortened tuplet. If you select only one or two
notes, running the plug-in will remove the enclosing tuplet altogether and replace it with regular
notes.

Split or Join Tuplets

Either splits a single tuplet into two shorter tuplets, or joins two or more adjacent tuplets into one
longer one.
To split a tuplet, select the note you want to become the first note of the second tuplet, then choose
Plug-ins > Tuplets > Split or Join Tuplets.
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Turns a selection of notes into a tuplet. To use the plug-in, select the notes you want to make into a
tuplet, then choose Plug-ins > Tuplets > Make Into Tuplet. A simple dialog appears, allowing you
to choose the ratio of the resulting tuplet, and whether to pad the tuplet with rests at the left-hand
or right-hand side. The dialog also has an Options button; clicking this shows the Tuplet Preferences dialog (see below).

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To join tuplets together, make a passage selection containing two or more adjacent tuplets, then
choose Plug-ins > Tuplets > Split or Join Tuplets. When joining tuplets, the plug-in avoids altering the precise playback timing of the notes in the new, joined tuplet, so in some cases the resulting
tuplet may be more pleasing to a mathematician than a sight-reading performer. If you dont like
the result, do Edit > Undo, select both tuplets, then try Plug-ins > Tuplets > Lengthen Tuplet (see
above).

Tuplet Preferences
Specifies preferences that are used by all of the other plug-ins in
the Plug-ins > Tuplets submenu. You can also access this plug-in
by clicking Options in the dialogs shown by Make Into Tuplet
and Change Tuplet Ratio.
The options are fairly self-explanatory. The first two affect the
ratios of the tuplets created by the plug-ins, as there are always two
alternative ways to describe the ratio of the same tuplet. For example, five notes in the time of three will be notated as 5:3 or 5:6 when you set Keep tuplet ratio in
interval to 1:1 ... 2:1 or 1:2 ... 2:2 respectively. To change the ratio of a single tuplet, use Plugins > Tuplets > Change Tuplet Ratio (see above).

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5.12 Preferences

5.12 Preferences
b 1.1 Note input, 3.1 Working with text, 4.1 Playback, 4.9 Video, 5.3 Display set-

tings, 6.1 Working with parts, 5.9 Menus and shortcuts, 5.19 View menu,
5.20 Window menu, 8.11 Exporting graphics.

Preferences are options that affect the Sibelius program as a whole, and which remain permanently
set until you change them again, rather than being saved in individual scores. They include things
like display settings, keyboard shortcuts and word menus for speeding up text entry.
If Sibelius is used on the same computer at different times by different users, then Sibelius automatically remembers a different set of preferences for each person if they log on to the computer
as a different user.
The File > Preferences dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac; shortcut Ctrl+, or X,) contains various miscellaneous preferences categorized into 13 pages.

Display

Files
The Files page allows you to set how Sibelius should behave when opening, saving and printing
files:

* When switched on, Warn if configuration used in score is different to the active configu-

ration prompts you if the score youre opening was last saved using a different playback configuration. If this option is switched off, Sibelius will simply open the score without making any
changes to the sounds.
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The Display page allows you to adjust how Sibelius smooths objects in your score, whether and to
what degree tool windows (such as the Mixer, Navigator and Keypad) are translucent and, on Windows, which video player Sibelius should prefer b 5.3 Display settings and 4.9 Video.

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* Open at zoom level allows you to determine whether Sibelius opens scores at the zoom level

specified here, or at the zoom level you were using when you last saved the score
* Open scores using allows you to choose whether Sibelius should open scores in Panorama
(b 5.10 Panorama), normal view, or the view last used in the score (the default)
* Print Date and Time Footer specifies the contents of the optional footer that may contain a
combination of the current date or the date the score was last saved, its filename and the users
name on each page. You can choose from a variety of date and time formats and choose whether
Sibelius should print just the filename or include its entire path b 5.13 Printing.
* Enable Auto-saving controls Sibeliuss auto-save feature b 8.1 Working with files.

Ideas
For details on the Ideas page, b 5.8 Ideas.

Font Equivalents
For details on the Font Equivalents page, b 3.12 Font equivalents.

Input Devices
For details on the Input Devices page, b 1.7 Input Devices.

Menus and Shortcuts

For details on the Menus and Shortcuts page, b 5.9 Menus and shortcuts.

Mouse
The Mouse page allows you to choose how Sibelius should behave when inputting music with the
mouse:

* When you create an object determines whether It appears near the current selection (the

recommended setting) or whether you should Click the mouse to position it. This option is
included for those users familiar with Sibelius 1.4 or earlier in which objects were always placed
with the mouse; however, this Reference assumes throughout that this option is set to the
default (It appears near the current selection).

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* Enable copying with the mouse (Windows only) controls whether clicking the middle mouse
*
*
*

Music Fonts
For details on the Music Fonts page, b 7.10 Music fonts.

Note Input
For details on the Note Input page, see Note input options on page 13.

Paste as Cue
For details on the Paste as Cue page, see Paste as Cue preferences on page 96.

Playback
For details on the Playback page, see Playback preferences on page 306.

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button, left and right mouse buttons together, or the scroll wheel does the same as Alt+click
To drag the paper instead of making a selection box defaults to Drag, but if you prefer you
can set this to Hold Shift and drag (or Hold Command and drag on Mac).
Show shadow note: determines whether shadow notes are shown during mouse input
b 1.1 Note input
Use voice 2 when rhythms conflict in mouse input: with this switched on, if you input a
note halfway through the duration of an existing note, Sibelius will create the new note in voice
2, leaving the existing note alone; if you switch this off, Sibelius will shorten the first note instead
Snap Positions: these options control how bars are divided up for inputting notes using mouse
input or guitar tab input:
% Rhythmic positions to snap to: this defaults to quarter notes (crotchets); this is the unit by
which bars are divided
% Snap in guitar tab input: when this option is switched on, typing 0/1 when inputting guitar tab into empty bars using the computer keyboard will advance through the bar by the unit
specified in Rhythmic positions to snap to; with this option switched off, typing 0/1
moves through the bar by the note value chosen on the Keypad see Guitar tab input on
page 40
Snap in note input: when this option is switched on, you are able to create notes or rests at any
of the snap positions created by the units specified in Rhythmic positions to snap to; with this
option switched off, you can only create notes/rests with the mouse at the beginning of existing
notes, rests, or bar rests.

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Score Position
The Score Position page allows you to set how and when Sibelius should reposition your score:

* Sibelius follows the score during playback with a green line that shows the current position. If

*
*

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youd rather Sibelius didnt do this (e.g. to use up less processor capacity when using Kontakt
Player), switch off Follow playback line.
Hide unnecessary tool windows is switched on by default; all except the Playback, Video,
Kontakt and Navigator windows will be hidden during playback when this option is on
Use different zoom allows you to set a specific zoom level for playback, independent of the
zoom level used during editing. You can set the desired zoom level directly using the list in this
dialog; alternatively, if you change the zoom level during playback with this option switched on,
the zoom level that you end up with will be remembered the next time you play back.
Move n beats early allows you to choose how early Sibelius should reposition the score when
the next passage of music it is going to play will be out of view. This can be useful if youre using
Sibelius as an accompanist, or for when you are closely following a score during playback, as it
will ensure that you are always looking at a passage of music before Sibelius actually plays it.
When Follow selection is switched on, Sibelius will ensure that the current selection is always
in view. When switched on, you will be able to switch the following options on or off:
% During note input follow caret means that the caret will always be visible before a note is
entered
% Center selection will force the current selection to be centered in your display at all times.
Some people may like to work with this option switched on, as it provides a means of working
to a focal point rather than from left to right. This option is particularly recommended for
users who are visually impaired.
% Avoid tool windows ensures that Sibelius will try not to position the current selection
underneath one of the tool windows
% View whole width of system ensures that, whenever possible during note input, Sibelius
will position the current view so that the entire width of the system you are working on is in
view. If the system is wider than the width of your display, Sibelius retains the horizontal
position of the score.
% View whole height of system ensures that, whenever possible during note input, Sibelius
will position the current view so that you can see the entire height of the system you are
working on.

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5.12 Preferences
* If you would prefer that Sibelius never repositions your score for you automatically, switch off

Follow selection. (You can assign a keyboard shortcut to this option if you want to
b 5.9 Menus and shortcuts.)

Textures
For details on the Textures page, b 5.3 Display settings.

Word Menus
For details on the Word Menus page, see Creating and modifying word menus on
page 175.

Others
The Others page allows you to change miscellaneous other options:

Power tools
* Rulers determine the units of measurement used by the on-screen rulers b 5.19 View
*
*

*
*
*

menu
Undo allows you to set how many changes to your score Sibelius will remember
b 5.18 Undo and Redo
The options under When Sibelius Starts control whether Sibelius plays a short musical excerpt
when you run it, whether you want the File > Quick Start dialog to appear automatically on
start-up, and whether you want Sibelius to check for updates every 90 days b Help in your
Handbook
View parts in new windows allows you to choose whether Sibelius opens parts in the same
window, or whether it creates a new window for each part b 6.1 Working with parts
Show all messages resets warning messages youve suppressed see Warning messages
below
Paste Graphics into Other Programs allows you to choose whether Sibelius should export
graphics on the clipboard in Monochrome, and also gives you control over the images resolution, which you can change using Dots per inch b 8.11 Exporting graphics.

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* The options in the Paste Lyrics from Clipboard group determine whether or not Sibelius

should automatically split lyrics into syllables when pasting them into the score
b 3.3 Lyrics.

Warning messages
A number of the helpful messages that pop up in the course of using Sibelius can be suppressed by
switching on Dont say this again in the message boxes if they start to get on your nerves.
If you suddenly forget how to use Sibelius and want all these messages to appear again, click Show
All Messages. This will make all of the messages you suppressed reappear in future.

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5.13 Printing
For details of standard paper sizes and advice on what page and staff sizes to use for particular
types of music, b 7.5 Document Setup.
If you want to produce quantities of high-quality printed scores, b 7.16 Publishing.

Setting the paper size

Before you print from Sibelius, you should check that your printer driver is set to use the correct
paper size. On Mac, each program on your computer maintains its own default paper size, so you
simply need to ensure that the correct size is set in the File > Page Setup dialog.
On Windows, you can change the paper size via Sibeliuss File > Print dialog, but this only affects
documents printed from Sibelius, and only until you quit the program. The next time you start up
Sibelius, its paper size is reset to your printer drivers default again. This means that you should
ensure your printers default settings are correct. To do this:
* On Windows XP:
% Choose Start > Printers and Faxes
% Select the default printer, then choose File > Printing Preferences
% In the printer driver dialog, click the Layout tab, then click Advanced (in the bottom right-

Printing
Choose File > Print (shortcut Ctrl+P or XP). A standard Print dialog appears, with some extra
options on.
* On Windows, if you have more than one printer connected to your computer, you can choose

which one you want to use from the drop-down list at the top of the dialog. You can also alter
specific driver options by clicking Properties.
* On Mac, you should choose the Sibelius page of options to get the dialog containing options for
booklets, spreads, etc. You can also set which pages to print on the Copies & Pages page.
Set the print options described below as you want them, then click OK (Windows) or Print (Mac)
and the printing will begin.
Hint: on Windows, you can print Sibelius files without running Sibelius: right-click on the files
icon and choose Print from the menu that appears.

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hand corner of the dialog)

% Choose the correct default paper size, then click OK twice to confirm the changes.
* On Windows Vista:
% Choose Start > Control Panel, then click Printers
% Right-click on the printers icon and choose Select printing preferences
% In the printer driver dialog, click the Layout tab, then click Advanced (in the bottom righthand corner of the dialog)
% Choose the correct default paper size, then click OK twice to confirm the changes.

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The options in the File > Print dialog are as follows. Unless otherwise stated, the options are found
on the main File > Print dialog on Windows, or the Sibelius page of the File > Print dialog on Mac:

Print range
If you dont want to print the whole score, you can type a list of pages to print (e.g. 1, 3, 8), and/or
a range of pages (e.g. 5-9), which can be backwards to print in reverse order (e.g. 9-5).
The page numbers you specify here are not necessarily the page numbers displayed in the score if
your score uses page number changes. Instead they refer to the physical pages in your score: if you
want to print the second, third, and fourth pages of the score, even though they may be numbered
ii, iii and iv, you type 2-4 in the Pages control. b 3.7 Page numbers.

Copies and Collate

By default, one copy will be printed, though you can set any other quantity you want in the Copies
box (on the Copies & Pages page on Mac). Multiple copies are done of each page in turn, so if you
choose two copies the pages will come out in the order 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, etc.
However, if you switch on Collate, each copy of the score is collated properly, so the pages come
out in the order 1, 2, 3, 4... 1, 2, 3, 4.... This saves you having to sort the pages into order yourself,
but on laser printers printing may take a little longer.

Border
This option prints a thin border around the page. When printing on outsize paper, this makes the
pages easier to visualize, and easier to guillotine, than just using crop marks. Its also very useful to
proof-read scores scaled to (say) 65%, with Border and Spreads (see below) switched on.

Crop marks
These are little cross-hairs used in professional publishing to point to the corners of the page. Crop
marks are required because books are printed on oversized paper that is subsequently trimmed to
the required size.
Its only sensible to use crop marks if youre printing on paper that is larger than your scores pages.

View menu options

This prints options switched on in the View menu, such as highlights, hidden objects and note colors b 5.19 View menu for more details of these options.

Print in color
When switched on, Sibelius will print any objects that you have colored in your score in color (or
gray if you have a black-and-white printer). Colors in any graphics you may have in your score will
also be printed. When switched off, colored objects print in black.

Date and time footer

Sibelius will print date and time footers on each page of your score when this option is switched
on. This is useful for keeping track of different versions of a score. For details on setting up and
customizing this footer, b 5.12 Preferences.

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Fit to paper
This scales the score down in size, if necessary, so that the music fits within the print margins of
the paper, to avoid the edges of the music being clipped. This is particularly useful for printing Letter sized scores on A4 paper (and vice versa), and for reducing Tabloid/A3 scores onto Letter/A4
paper. Fit to paper does not however expand the music to fill the paper if it is larger than the page
size.
Beware that US paper sizes such as Letter and Tabloid are not quite the same shape as each other,
so the page margins may turn out differently than you expect. No such problem arises with European paper sizes.
This option automatically adjusts the Scale setting (see below), so if you have Fit to paper
switched on, you shouldnt change the Scale setting yourself.

Scale
Your music is normally printed at 100% size, though you can set any other scale factor you like. To
reduce the music to fit onto smaller paper, simply switch on Fit to paper instead of working out
the scale factor yourself.

Substitute options

The options are as follows:

* Lines: some printer drivers do not print staff lines evenly, and may even fail to print them alto-

gether; some drivers draw lines such as barlines and stems with rounded instead of flat ends.
Some PostScript printers may give out of memory errors when printing many pages at once.
Turning this option on may solve these problems and should increase print speed, but may make
staff lines slightly uneven in thickness.
* Braces: some printer drivers print braces either in the wrong place or using the wrong symbol.
Switch on this option if you have these problems.
* Arpeggios, gliss., etc.: some Windows printer drivers have a bug that makes angled text and
wiggly glissando and arpeggio lines print at the wrong angle or in the wrong place; if you find
this happens, switch on this option.
* Symbols (Windows only): this option affects how symbol fonts used for e.g. notes, time signatures, clefs and other symbols in your score are rendered by your printer. Symbol fonts include
Opus, Reprise, Inkpen2, Opus Percussion, Opus Special, and so on, and fonts such as Symbol,
Wingdings, and other dingbats fonts. If this option is set wrongly for your printer, then symbol
fonts may not display or print at all. The four choices are as follows:
% Automatic: Sibelius detects whether symbol fonts are in TrueType or PostScript (Type 1) format and renders them accordingly; this is the recommended setting on Windows
% PostScript: Sibelius assumes all symbol fonts are in PostScript (Type 1) format
% TrueType: Sibelius assumes all symbol fonts are in TrueType format.

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These options fix various printer problems and/or may improve the print speed or quality. When
you have time to test them, try various combinations of these options to see if you can gain any
improvements.

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Double-sided printing
To print your music double-sided:
* Under Format, select Normal and Odd. Print the score. Only odd-numbered (i.e. right-hand)

pages will be printed.

* Feed the pages back into the printer, possibly face up (depending on how your printer feeds it). If
the first page of your score is even-numbered that is, if it is a left-hand page you should feed
in one extra blank sheet at the start, since the first page shouldnt end up with anything printed
on the front.
* Now select Even. Print the score again, to print the even-numbered (i.e. left-hand) pages on the
back of the odd-numbered ones.
If the pages come out of your printer face down, you may have to reverse the order of the sheets
before printing the second side, or alternatively just print the second side in reverse order (by typing a backwards page range such as 81). You will have to try and see, as this varies from printer to
printer.
Laser printers tend to wrinkle paper slightly when printing on it. This can make printers misfeed if
you put paper back in to print on the other side. This problem will be reduced if you leave the
paper to settle for an hour or so after printing the first side, or if you feed the paper manually sheet
by sheet for the second side (which is a bore). Some misfeed problems are also caused by residual
static from the corona charge in most laser printers; it may be alleviated by riffling the paper
before re-feeding.

Spreads
This prints two consecutive pages side by side on each sheet of paper, and
odd-numbered pages are always printed at the right-hand side of the
paper. This format is suitable for proofing.

Difference between
spreads and 2-up on
a six page document:

With Spreads selected, either:

Spreads

* make sure your paper is at least twice the size of your pages in Sibelius

(e.g. Tabloid/A3 paper for Letter/A4 pages); or

* use the same page size as paper size but reduce the Scale accordingly,
e.g. print Letter/A4 pages at 68% on Letter/A4 paper.
Then print as normal, using any other options such as Border.

2-Up

2-Up

5 6

Similar to Spreads, except that the first page you specify is always
printed on the left.

Booklet
A booklet is a small book consisting of double-sided pages stapled in the middle. Booklets are
printed with two pages side-by-side on sheets of paper that are twice the size of the ultimate pages.
The pages have to be numbered strangely when printed so that it all works when the booklet is
assembled. For instance, the outermost sheet of a 16-page booklet would have pages 16 and 1 on
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5.13 Printing
the front (in that order) and pages 2 and 15 on the back. Fortunately this complicated layout procedure, known technically as imposition, is done automatically for you by Sibelius.
To print as a booklet, either:
* make sure your paper is twice the size of your music pages in Sibelius (e.g. A3 paper for A4

pages), or
* use the same page size as paper size but reduce the Scale accordingly, e.g. print two A4 pages at
70% on A4 paper.
Then:
* Click Booklet and Outward pages
* Print as normal. One side of the paper will be printed.
* Click Inward pages
* Feed the paper back into the printer, and print again to do the other side.

As with ordinary double-sided printing, if the pages come out of your printer face down, you may
have to reverse the order of the sheets before printing the second side, or alternatively just print the
second side in reverse order (by typing a backwards page range such as 81). You will have to try
and see, as this varies from printer to printer.

Sibelius assumes that the finished booklets first page is numbered 1, even if your scores first page
number is not 1. Thus if your score starts on page 2, this will appear as the inside left-hand page of
the booklet, not on the front. This lets you leave the front page blank in case you want to add a special cover produced using a different program.
When printing Outward pages Sibelius first prints the double-page containing page 1, then 3, 5, 7
etc. Similarly, when printing Inward pages, Sibelius starts with the double-page containing page
2, then 4, 6 etc.
For example, the printing order of an 8-page booklet is like this:
* Outward pages: 1 & 8 (together, page 1 on the right), 3 & 6
* Inward pages: 2 & 7, 4 & 5.

Note also that two adjacent page numbers on a sheet always add up to the total number of pages
(rounded up to a multiple of four), plus 1; in the above case, 9.
If you want to print a specific double-page from a booklet e.g. pages 8 & 1 from an 8-page booklet just specify one of the pages (e.g. page 1) and Sibelius will know to print the other next to it.

Printing multiple scores or parts at once

You can print multiple files at once (e.g. a whole folder) using the Print Multiple Copies plug-in;
b 5.11 Plug-ins. To print multiple parts, use File > Print All Parts to print all of them, or the
Print Part(s) button on the Parts window to print the selected parts; b 6.1 Working with
parts.

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You can use all the other options when printing booklets too, e.g. Pages, Crop marks, Odd and
Even, etc. Collate is particularly useful for producing a stack of copies that you only have to fold.

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Choosing good paper

Investing in very good paper can make your printouts look twice as good. Good paper is bright
white, is very opaque so the music doesnt show through the back, and is reasonably stiff so it
doesnt flop on a music stand. Avoid ordinary thin typing paper or photocopier paper we recommend paper of about 26 lb/ream or 100 gsm.

Problems with margins

Some printers may cut off the edges of your music, particularly the bottom edge. This is because
most printers need room to grip the paper.
One solution is to move the music further away from the edge by increasing the musics page margins on the Layout > Document Setup dialog (shortcut Ctrl+D or XD).
If your musics layout is sensitive to reformatting, and you find that only (say) the bottom of the
page is being cropped off, you can prevent the music reformatting by decreasing the top page margin by (say) 0.2 inches (5mm) when you increase the bottom margin by 0.2 inches (5mm), so that
the music just moves up the page a little. Alternatively, use Lock Format before adjusting the margins (b 7.1 Layout and formatting).

Problems with double-sided printing

If your printer misfeeds, try any or all of these:
* Leave the paper to cool for a while after printing the first side
* Manual feed the second side
* Open the exit flap (if there is one) on the printer, which provides a straighter feed path.

If toner on the first side slips off when printing the second side:
* Leave the paper to cool for a while after printing the first side
* If there are settings to feed the paper faster (e.g. a lower print resolution), try these for the sec-

ond side.

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5.14 Properties

5.14 Properties
v Focus on Staves and Properties.

For advanced users only

Almost every object in a score has properties that can be edited in various subtle ways using the
Window > Properties window (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+P or zXP).
For instance, the font and point size of a text object can be changed from the Text panel of the
Properties window; the horizontal offset of a particular note can be changed from the General
panel; and so on.
In general these properties are more easily set when you create the object, but it is sometimes useful to see or edit properties subsequently. Many of the properties can also be viewed/edited from
the normal menus, or edited using shortcuts.

Viewing properties
By default, the Properties window is not shown on the screen, because you wont often need to
adjust settings in there. If you find yourself using the Properties window a lot, then you can congratulate yourself on being a power user!

The title of the Properties window reflects the current selection so with nothing selected it says
No selection; with the title or tempo marking of your piece selected it says Edit Text; with a single note selected it says Edit Note; with a passage selected it says Edit Passage; when the caret is
visible it says Create Note/Rest; and rather than try to list all the types of object in a multiple
selection, it will simply read Edit Multiple Selection.
If you have a multiple selection or selected passage, only those properties that are common to all
the selected objects will be shown. For instance, if you select two notes, only one of which has an
accent, the accent button on the Keypad will not light up. If you click the accent button, both notes
will end up with an accent, so the accent button will then light up.
To open and close each of the six panels, click the appropriate title bar. You can open each panel
independently, so they can be viewed together in any combination. If you try to open more panels
than will fit vertically on your screen, Sibelius will automatically close one or more panels so that
the Properties window always fits on the screen.
The options on each panel are detailed below.

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You can show the Properties window (and subsequently hide it again) by choosing Window >
Properties (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+P or zXP), or by clicking its button on the toolbar. You can move
the Properties window anywhere on the screen by dragging its title bar.

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5. Power tools

General panel
The General panel of the Properties window lets you change the position
etc. of the selected object(s), hide it if you like, and also gives you a read-out
of the current staff and bar number.
The options on this panel are as follows:
* The first line on the panel tells you the name of the staff to which the
*
*

*
*

*
*

object is attached (or says System for system objects)

Page x of y tells you on which page(s) of your score the selection is located
Bar and Pos tell you the bar and rhythmic position within the bar to which the object is
attached. The Pos readout is always in quarter notes (crotchets) regardless of the time signature;
for lines and tuplets, this refers to the position of the left-hand end; if no Pos is stated, the object
is attached to the start of a bar. You cant edit these parameters directly just move the object
with the mouse or arrow keys.
Show and Hide etc. determine whether or not the object is hidden; b 5.6 Hiding objects.
X tells you the horizontal displacement of the object from the position its attached to. (For
example, the end of a hairpin can be attached to a note even if its slightly left or right of it.)
You can edit this value, which is particularly useful for positioning notes, rests and chords out of
alignment when using two or more voices, or for displacing rehearsal marks from a barline.
Y means different things for different objects. For notes and chords, this determines the stem
length. For lines and text, it is the distance above the default vertical position.
Flip allows you to change the stem direction of selected notes, and flip certain objects above or
below notes, such as slurs, tuplet brackets, articulations, and the curvature of ties. To flip an
object, use this option, or choose Edit > Flip (shortcut X), rather than trying to drag it with the
mouse.
Cue-sized allows you to set the selected notes, lines, symbols and staff text objects to be cuesized, equivalent to using the cue-size button on the second (F9) Keypad layout; b 2.10 Cues.

Text panel
The Text panel allows you to change the text style of the selected text object,
and also alter its font, point size, and whether the text is bold, italic or
underlined. The options are as follows:
* The first drop-down menu shows the text style of the selected text object;

change the style simply by choosing another one from the menu. You can
only choose compatible styles so you cannot change a system text object (e.g. Tempo text) into
a staff text object (e.g. Expression text). b 3.1 Working with text for more details.
* The second drop-down menu shows the font of the current text object; change the font simply by
choosing another from the menu. To change the font (or size) of all text in that style in your
score at once, b 3.10 Edit Text Styles.
* Size is the size of the font (in points)
* B, I and U control whether the selected text is bold, italic and/or underlined respectively. The
shortcuts for these are Ctrl+B/I/U or XB/I/U.
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5.14 Properties

Playback panel
The Playback panel allows you to adjust the playback of lines, and change
repeat playback settings. The options are as follows:
* Play on pass: these checkboxes, numbered 18, determine whether the

*
*
*

*
*
*

Lines panel
The Lines panel allows you to change the properties of the selected slur. The
options are as follows:
* Middle controls the curvature of the selected slur
* End controls the horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) offset of the right-hand
end of the selected slur. b 2.22 Slurs for more details.
* Hairpin end apertures and Hairpin continuation apertures control

the four possible points of a hairpin, shown here split across a system or
page break:

% Closed (a. in the above example) is the closed end of the hairpin, and can be set larger than 0

if desired, to make the hairpin open at one end

% Open (d. in the above example) is the open end of the hairpin
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selected text object, line or note should play back on a given repetition
through a passage b 4.6 Repeats for more details
Last time ending determines whether or not an ending line is the last
one in a repeat structure b 4.6 Repeats for more details
Jump at bar end is for making repeat jumps take effect in the middle of
a bar b 4.6 Repeats for more details
Live velocity, Live start position and Live duration are the three
parameters of a note that you can change using Live Playback
b 4.7 Live Playback
Gliss./Rit./Accel. allows you to change the playback effect of these types
of lines. b 4.1 Playback for more details.
Hairpin allows you to set the final dynamic, or percentage change in dynamic, of a selected hairpin; the default, Auto, allows Sibelius to do this for you. b 4.1 Playback for more details.
Trill allows you to choose whether or not playback should be Diatonic; if you want to set the
interval yourself, switch off Diatonic, then choose the interval in Half-steps (semitones),
Speed (in notes per second), and whether playback should Start on upper note of a selected
trill. By default, Sibelius plays back trills with subtle rhythmic irregularities to make them sound
more natural if you dont like this effect, switch on Play straight. b 4.1 Playback for more
details.
Tremolo allows you to determine whether or not Sibelius should play a one-note tremolo or
buzz roll (z on stem). You should only switch this off if your playback device plays tremolos via
dedicated samples, and you dont want Sibelius to play multiple notes itself.

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5. Power tools
% Small (c. in the above example) is the segment of the hairpin that uses the Small continuation aperture (as defined in House Style > Engraving Rules); this only has an effect if the

hairpin is split across a system or page break

% Large (b. in the above example) is the segment of the hairpin that uses the Large continua-

tion aperture; this only has an effect if the hairpin is split across a system or page break.

Bars panel
To change the properties of a bar, select the bar so that it is surrounded by a
light blue box (or, for some options, the barline at the end of the bar), and
then change the options on the Bars panel, which are as follows:
* Brackets/Initial barline/Clefs/Key signatures determines whether

*
*

*
*

these are drawn at the start of the bar when the bar is at the start of a system or occurs after the gap in a divided system such as a coda or prefatory staff (or incipit).
Split multirest forces this barline to break a multirest
b 2.19 Multirests for more details
Section end marks the barline as the end of a section for the purposes of the instrument name
formats chosen in the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE).
You should also create a system or page break at the same point.
The first drop-down menu shows you which breaks (if any) occur at the barline so you can add
or remove a system or page break at the selected barline. This can also be done from the
Layout > Breaks submenu (or using shortcuts). Ignore Middle of system/page, which are used
by Lock Format, Keep Bars Together and Make Into System/Page.
The second drop-down menu allows you to change the type of bar rest used in the selected bar;
b 2.4 Bars and bar rests for more details
Gap before bar alters the indent before the selected bar when it is at the start of a system, or the
size of the gap just before the bar in a split system such as a coda.

Notes panel
The Notes panel allows you to change the notehead of the selected note(s),
alter the horizontal position of accidentals, and adjust the position and
shape of ties. To adjust an accidental or tie from this panel, you should
select its note (not the accidental/tie itself). The options are as follows:
* The drop-down menu at the top of the panel shows the selected notehead;

to change the notehead, choose it from the drop-down menu. To change

noteheads using the keyboard, hold down Shift+Alt or xz and type the
notehead number on the main keyboard b 2.20 Noteheads.
* Accidental: X controls the horizontal offset of the accidental attached to
the selected note. Positive values move the accidental right, negative values move it left. You can
also move accidentals by selecting them and typing Alt+0/1 or z0/1.
* Tie shoulder: % controls the curvature of the tie. Higher numbers will produce ties with flatter
bottoms, whereas lower numbers make the shape more like a boomerang. Click Def (for default)
to revert the ties shoulder back to its original value as set on the Ties 1 page of the House
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5.14 Properties

*
*

*
*

Style > Engraving Rules dialog, which can be useful if your boomerang didnt come back
b 2.26 Ties.
Tie middle: Y controls the height of the ties middle. You can also adjust this by selecting the tie
and typing 3/2.
Tie ends: Y controls the vertical position of the right-hand end of a tie attached to the selected
note. L and R control the horizontal position of the left- and right-hand ends of the tie respectively. You can also adjust this by selecting the end of the tie and typing Shift+Alt+0/1 or
xz0/1.
Tuplet allows you change the appearance of the selected tuplet, such as whether or not the
bracket is displayed. b 2.29 Triplets and other tuplets for more details.
Flip fractional beams allows you to flip a fractional secondary beam, b 2.5 Beams.

Power tools
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5. Power tools

5.15 SibeliusEducation.com
b 5.16 SibeliusMusic.com, 5.21 Worksheet Creator.
v Publishing on the Internet.

SibeliusEducation.com is a web site for sharing and downloading teaching and learning resources
and communicating with other teachers worldwide.

Who is it for?
You and your students may find it convenient to access worksheets and resources via the Internet.
This will make it easier for you to organize your teaching materials, will save you having to print
out or photocopy lots of copies of worksheets, and will help prevent your students losing work they
have been set.
Because the music is displayed using Scorch, your students can play the music back to hear how it
sounds much more engaging than using a paper worksheet. Additionally, if they use Sibelius (at
school) or Sibelius Student (at home), they can download and complete the work on computer.

Features
As SibeliusEducation.com grows well be adding more and more features to it over time. You can:
* Assemble worksheets and teaching materials you like to use
* Your students can then view, print and download work you have set them. They can either com-

plete it on paper, or if they are using Sibelius (at school) or Sibelius Student (at home), they can
do the work on computer and then upload their completed work to the site
* Access teaching materials produced by other teachers and schools
* Chat to other teachers worldwide to exchange information and ideas

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5.15 SibeliusEducation.com
* Get additional resources and information from Sibelius Software, such as extra worksheets and

videos to compose to
* Get resources for the Sibelius Educational Suite range of products.
Full details of these are on the web site.

SibeliusEducation.com services
To sign in to SibeliusEducation.com, simply choose Help > SibeliusEducation.com, or visit
www.sibeliuseducation.com. By creating an account you can benefit from additional services
such as posting messages on the forum and uploading worksheets to the site.

Publishing worksheets onto SibeliusEducation.com

* Once youve created your worksheet, save it to disk
* If you want students to be able to open the file with an earlier version of Sibelius or Sibelius Student, choose File > Export > Sibelius 2, 3, 4 or Student to save the file
* Choose File > Publish on SibeliusEducation.com, then when your web browser opens, sign in,

and go to the My work section of the site. (You will need to sign in to be able do this.)
* Follow the instructions on the screen for uploading your file to the site in the worksheet area.

SibeliusMusic.com

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SibeliusMusic.com has tens of thousands of scores created by composers, arrangers, teachers and
students. You may want to get music from the site for teaching purposes. These are free to view
and play. Many are free to print and some are for sale. b 5.16 SibeliusMusic.com for details.

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5. Power tools

5.16 SibeliusMusic.com
b 5.15 SibeliusEducation.com, 8.14 Exporting Scorch web pages.
v Publishing on the Internet.

The Internet is the ideal way to reach a worldwide audience for your music. Sibelius is the only
music notation program with the free web browser plug-in Scorch, which lets anyone view, play
back, transpose, and print scores on the Internet.
Composers, arrangers and anyone else can publish on our self-publishing web site SibeliusMusic.com from piano pieces to orchestral scores, from early music to avant garde and rock/pop. Its
entirely free to publish scores, plus you can make money from it if you want to sell your music
(rather than provide it for free) youll be paid a generous 50% of the price!
You can also publish your music on your own web site, or publish teaching materials on our education site.

Scorch
Sibelius Scorch is the amazing free web browser plug-in that allows anyone to view, play back,
change key and instruments, and even print scores directly from the Internet, whether or not they
have Sibelius.
People visiting your site will be prompted to download Scorch automatically, and in just a couple of
minutes theyll be able to see and hear the music on your own site and hundreds of others, including sites from major publishers such as www.sheetmusicdirect.com (rock/pop songs) and
www.boosey.com (classical/educational music).
For details of how to install Scorch, see Installing Sibelius in the Start here section in Handbook. Scorch only installs automatically on Internet Explorer for Windows but Scorch also
works with other browsers, including Firefox and Opera, on both Windows and Mac.

The Scorch toolbar

Playback controls and tempo slider.
Click Play to start playback, or click anywhere on the
score to start playback from that point.

Turn pages

Choose which sound device

you use for playback

* option not available in all scores

452

Change key*

Change top
instrument*

Print the
score*

Save the score Scorch information and

to disk*
updates

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5.16 SibeliusMusic.com

Recommended settings
To make your score look and sound as good as possible when other people look at your music, you
should standardize the following before you publish it on the Internet:
* Fonts not all fonts can be assumed to be available on all computers
* Page size the score must print acceptably on various kinds of paper
* Playback the score must make minimal assumptions about the computers sound capabilities.

Limit the fonts used for text in the score to common ones, such as Times, Times New Roman, Arial
and Helvetica (although Scorch will substitute the nearest equivalent fonts if the person viewing
your web page doesnt have the fonts you have used). Also ensure that the only music fonts you use
are Sibeliuss standard Opus, Helsinki, Reprise and Inkpen2 fonts, since these will be available on
every computer with Scorch installed.
When preparing your scores for publishing on SibeliusMusic.com, where they can be printed, use
portrait format and preferably a standard page size (e.g. Letter, Tabloid, A4 or A3). Scorch will
scale the music to fit on the printers page size.
You should also bear in mind that a score that sounds good on your own soundcard or MIDI
devices may not sound good on different computers. So you should at least try listening to your
score using standard General MIDI sounds, to get an idea how your score will sound when played
back through Scorch.
To get started, open the Sibelius file you would like to publish online, and choose File > Publish on
SibeliusMusic.com.
* If you havent saved the file recently, you will be prompted to do so first; save it, then choose
*

*
*
*

Publish on SibeliusMusic.com again

Your web browser will open and display a web page for you to specify basic information about
your score, such as its title (this is automatically filled in for you if you have previously filled it in
on the File > New or File > Score Info dialog)
Find on your hard drive the score you wish to publish online click Browse to find your score
When you have found the score, click Next. Your computer will then connect to the Internet and
upload your score to SibeliusMusic.com.
You will be asked to provide further information about yourself and your score simply follow
the instructions on the screen.

SibeliusMusic.com will only publish music to which you hold the sole music copyright, i.e. original
compositions or arrangements of out-of-copyright music. You are not permitted to publish transcriptions or arrangements of copyright music, verbatim transcriptions or editions of out-of-copyright music, or scores containing copyright lyrics that are used without permission. For further
details about the copyright restrictions on scores you can publish, see the information provided at
SibeliusMusic.com.
If you experience any problems or have any queries about self-publishing on SibeliusMusic.com,
please email info@sibeliusmusic.com.

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5.17 Transposing
For details of transposing instruments and transposing scores, b 2.14 Instruments.
For information on simplifying key signatures and enharmonic spellings, b 2.15 Key signatures.

To transpose music:
* Select whatever you want to transpose usually a passage or the whole score (shortcut Ctrl+A
or XA)
* Choose Notes > Transpose (shortcut Shift-T)
* Choose whether you want to transpose by Key or by Interval
* If you choose to transpose by Key:
% Choose the key you want to transpose to from the menu
% Decide whether you want Sibelius to transpose by the smallest required interval (Closest), or

Up or Down.
* If you choose to transpose by Interval:
% Click Up or Down.
% From the second box, choose the main interval.
% In the first box, Major/Perfect leaves the main interval unaltered, Augmented adds a halfstep (semitone), Minor/Diminished subtracts a half-step.
% Diatonic moves the notes within the key specified by the current key signature; so transposing up a diatonic 2nd makes the third note of the key into the fourth, makes the flattened fifth
into the flattened sixth, etc.
* Set the other options if you like:
% Transpose key signatures (available when transposing a system passage or the whole score)
transposes any key changes within the selected passage. Normally leave this on. If switched
off, transposed notes acquire accidentals that would otherwise be specified in the key signature.
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5.17 Transposing
% If Transpose key signatures is on, you can also switch on Change key at start, which will

create a new key signature at the start of the transposed passage if you like.
% If you dont want Sibelius to create a restorative key change at the end of the transposed passage back to the original key, switch on Allow change of key to persist.
% Use double sharps/flats makes Sibelius notate remote keys using double sharps and flats
rather than naturals. Switch this off for atonal music. Leave it on if youre Rachmaninov, or
Alban Berg in his youth.
* Click OK, and Sibelius instantly transposes the music.

Shifting without accidentals

To shift notes that you dont want to end up with accidentals, simply select the music and type 3/2
one or more times.

Transposing by one or more octaves

The quick method is to select the music and type Ctrl+3/2 or X3/2.

Transposing by more than two octaves

For brevity, the Notes > Transpose dialog (shortcut Shift-T) only lists intervals up to two octaves.
For bigger intervals, transpose by further octaves by typing Ctrl+3/2 or X3/2 before or after
transposing from the dialog.

Although most transpositions are straightforward, this particular case merits a little explanation. If
you have a score in, say, D major, and want to transpose it into D flat major, you should not transpose it down by a minor 2nd, which produces C# major instead, transpose it down by an augmented unison.

Extreme transpositions
To do extreme transpositions for which the interval required is not listed, e.g. B to D flat (up a doubly-augmented third), split it into two less extreme transpositions: first transpose up a minor third
to D, then down an augmented unison to D flat.

Chord symbols and chord diagrams

These automatically transpose.

Moving other objects

When transposing, Sibelius will move other objects as it sees fit. For instance, ties and slurs automatically move to follow the notes. If music is transposed so far that lots of notes stem-directions
change, some slurs may need to be flipped with Edit > Flip (shortcut X) so as to fit over the notes
smoothly.

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Transposing by a half-step (semitone)

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5. Power tools

5.18 Undo and Redo

Undo
Click the toolbar button shown on the left or choose Edit > Undo (shortcut Ctrl+Z or
XZ) to undo the last thing you did.
The Edit menu tells you what the last thing you did was, in case you have a very short
memory. (Well, it tells you the last thing you did in Sibelius it wont say Undo Sneeze, entertaining though that might be.)
Undo is multi-level you can carry on undoing steps almost indefinitely far back. Edit > Undo
History (see below) jumps back to a particular earlier point.

Redo
Redo undoes undos (or rather, Redo redoes undos). To redo an operation you didnt
mean to undo, click the toolbar button shown on the left or choose Edit > Redo (shortcut
Ctrl+Y or XY).
Again, the Edit menu tells you what it was you just undid.

Undo History
Edit > Undo History (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Z or xXZ) lists all the recent operations youve done,
and lets you hop back to a particular earlier point in time.
The most recent operation is at the top of the list, so click the top item to undo one step, the second
item to undo two steps and the bottom item to undo as far back as you can go. The antiquity of the
undo history is customizable see Undo level below.

Redo History
Edit > Redo History (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Y or xXY) is like Undo History, but lists all the
things you can redo after youve done a load of undoing.
The most recent operation you undid is at the top of the list, so (as with Undo History) click the
top item to redo one step, the second item to redo two steps and the bottom item to redo everything you undid and get back to where you were. (If you see what I mean.)

Undo level
To set how far back you can undo, choose the Other page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius
menu on Mac) and drag the slider. You can undo up to 20,000 operations, so if you set the undo
level large enough you can undo right back to when you started writing the current score.
If you set it larger still, you can even undo back to before you bought Sibelius.

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5.19 View menu

5.19 View menu

b 5.3 Display settings, 5.20 Window menu.
v Finding your way around.

The View menu has various options controlling how scores and the Sibelius interface look on the
screen.
If you want to, you can print your score with the options from the View menu included (with, for
example, hidden objects in gray, highlights in yellow and layout marks in blue)
b 5.13 Printing.

Panorama
This displays your score as a single continuous system on an infinitely-wide page.
b 5.10 Panorama.

Focus on Staves

Staff Names and Bar Numbers

When working on scores for large-scale ensembles, or when zoomed in, it is very useful to be able
to tell which staff you are working on, and which bar you are working in, without having to cast
about looking for the instrument name and bar number.
This option draws bar numbers in blue above every bar of the top visible staff of each system, and
draws the name of each staff at the left-hand side of the screen when the instrument names are off
the left-hand side of the screen.

Layout Marks
This shows system and page breaks as icons in the score, draws other icons to show where the layout has been altered, and shows where staves are hidden by drawing a dashed blue line across the
page. b 7.4 Breaks.
Because its useful to be able to see e.g. where staves are hidden when using View > Focus on
Staves, Sibelius allows you to have View > Layout Marks switched off when working on the full
score and switched on when using Focus on Staves, and vice versa simply switch it on or off as
required, and Sibelius will remember its state for you.

Page Margins
This option draws a dashed blue rectangle to show where the margins set in Layout > Document
Setup are. b 7.5 Document Setup.

Rulers
The options in the View > Rulers submenu switch on and off three kinds of ruler:
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This shows just the selected staves, hiding all intervening staves. It is useful for inputting and editing (particularly in conjunction with Panorama), and for hiding staves with music on for playback.
b 5.5 Focus on Staves.

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* Selection Rulers: displays a ruler between the selected object(s) and the staff to which it is

attached
* Object Rulers (shortcut Shift+Alt+R or xzR): displays a ruler for all objects attached to
staves, e.g. text, symbols, lines, etc., whether they are selected or not
* Staff Rulers (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+R or xzXR): displays rulers between staves and page
edges, and between adjacent staves.
Staff rulers show the distance
between adjacent staves, and the
distance between staves and the
page edges

Selection rulers show the distance

between selected objects and the
staff to which they are attached

Set the unit of measurement used for rulers from the Other page of the File > Preferences dialog
(in the Sibelius menu on Mac). You can choose between inches, points (1 point = 1/72 inch), millimeters and spaces.
Object and staff rulers can slow screen redrawing down significantly, so switch these off if Sibelius
seems to be running slow.
In addition to rulers, Sibelius can display the music on graph paper ruled in spaces by choosing the
graph paper texture; b 5.3 Display settings.

Attachment Lines
This draws a dashed gray arrow to show which staff and rhythmic position the selected object is
attached to. For clarity, no attachment line appears for certain objects such as notes, rests and system objects. b 7.6 Attachment.

Hidden Objects
With this option switched on, hidden objects are displayed on your score in light gray and are editable; with it switched off, they are invisible and uneditable. Its quicker to use keyboard shortcuts
than menus, so memorize Ctrl+Alt+H or zXH. b 5.6 Hiding objects.

Differences in Parts
When switched on, Sibelius will show objects whose position or appearance in a part is different
than the score by coloring them orange. If used in a score, Sibelius will color any objects that have
a different position or appearance in one or more parts. b 6.1 Working with parts.
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5.19 View menu

Highlights
If you have created any highlights in your score, use this option to control whether they are displayed on the screen. b 5.7 Highlight.

Note Colors
The View > Note Colors menu contains four options that affect the on-screen display of your
score:
* Pitch Spectrum: colors each note according to its sounding pitch relative to the circle of fifths.

When this option is switched on, selected notes are colored gray to avoid confusing them with
the colored noteheads. Quarter-tones are colored the same as adjacent half-steps (semitones).
* Voice Colors: colors all notes in a dark shade of their voice color, so voice 1 notes are dark blue,
voice 2 notes are green, voice 3 notes are orange, and voice 4 notes are pink (b 2.30 Voices)
* Notes out of Range: the default setting; automatically reddens notes that are too high or low
for an instrument to play. Notes that are uncomfortable but playable by professionals are shown
in dark red. This means you can spot tricky or impossible notes at a glance and correct them
before rehearsals (b 2.14 Instruments).
* None: shows notes in black; selected notes are colored according to their voice (i.e. voice 1 is
dark blue, voice 2 is green, etc.).

* Similar key areas have similar colors; for example, a piece that is in C major with a G major mid-

dle section uses a consistent color scheme

* Close pitches are not confusable when viewing a score zoomed out; for example, C and G are

similar colors but far apart on the staff, while C and C# are close on the staff but very different
colors.
The intention is that you should be able to zoom out and get an overview of your score. For example, instruments playing the same sounding pitch will be marked with the same color, so its possible to see
doublings very easily especially for instruments with different clefs
or transpositions. Conversely, a chromatic scale looks literally chromatic (multi-colored, from Greek chroma for color) because each
note is not harmonically related to those on either side, and so has a
starkly different color.
We recommend that you try using Sibelius with Pitch Spectrum switched on for a few hours and
learn the colors. As soon as youre used to them, youll find this a very useful way of working.
Interestingly, some composers, such as Messiaen and Skryabin, associate sounds with particular
colors; this mingling of the senses is known as synesthesia. The Pitch Spectrum option might
just bring you one step closer to an understanding of this phenomenon! For further information
about synesthesia, point your web browser at:
http://web.mit.edu/synesthesia/www/synesthesia.html

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The Pitch Spectrum option is surprisingly useful for professionals as well as beginners. The color
scheme is determined according to the circle of fifths, so:

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Live Playback Velocities

This shows colored columns above each note or chord in your score that has Live Playback data,
representing their MIDI velocities. b 4.7 Live Playback.

Playback Line
Switch this off to hide the green playback line when youre not playing back.

Full Screen (Windows only)

Choosing this (shortcut Ctrl+U) makes menus and the taskbar (the bar at the bottom showing
which programs youre running) disappear to save space.
You can still get at the menus by moving your mouse to the very top of the screen, and the menus
reappear.

Scroll Bars
This adds vertical and horizontal scroll bars to the main score editing window. Its preferable not to
use these, as scrolling around your score using the Navigator is quicker and easier.
If you have a mouse with a wheel button, you can also use the wheel to scroll around the score,
whether or not you have View > Scroll Bars switched on:
* Scroll the wheel up and down to move the page up and down; hold down Alt or z to move a

screen at a time
* Hold Shift and scroll the wheel to move the page left and right; hold down Alt or z as well to
move a screen at a time (or a page at a time if the width of the page fits on the screen). If you
have an Apple Mighty Mouse, scrolling the wheel horizontally moves the page left and right,
with no need to hold down Shift (Mac only).
* You can also use the wheel to zoom by holding down Ctrl or X.
On Windows, to change the scrolling speed, use the Mouse applet in Control Panel. The precise
options available depend on the drivers installed for your particular mouse, but many mouse drivers offer the option of accelerated scrolling; increasing this allows you to scroll around the score
more quickly using the wheel.

Toolbar
This makes the toolbar disappear or reappear. Switching off the toolbar can save quite a bit of
space on the screen, and nearly all the toolbar buttons have simple keyboard shortcuts anyway.

Zoom
The options in the View > Zoom menu duplicate the behavior of the Zoom tool on the toolbar.
You can use the zoom functions of Sibelius in a variety of ways:
* Use the shortcuts Ctrl++ or X+ (zoom in) and Ctrl+ or X (zoom out). You can either use the

+ and keys on your numeric keypad or on the main keyboard.

* If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can hold down Ctrl or X and scroll the wheel up
and down to zoom in and out
* Click the zoom button on the toolbar, and click on the score to zoom in; right-click (Windows)
or z-click (Mac) to zoom out again.
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* Click the zoom button on the toolbar, and drag on the score to select the area you want to zoom

into
* Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+0 or X0 to change the zoom level to Fit page, and Ctrl+1 or
X1 to set the zoom level to 100%. You can also define your own shortcuts for other zoom levels
b 5.9 Menus and shortcuts.
When the zoom button on the toolbar is switched on, it remains switched on after you click or drag
on the score, so you can click again; to stop zooming, hit the Esc key, or switch the zoom button off
again.
A zoom factor of 100% does not display the music at the size it will actually print; it shows it at a
convenient average size for editing. The Actual size option (in the list on the toolbar) does show
the music supposedly at the size it will print, though this depends on the exact size of your monitor.
The options such as Fit page width do what they say. However, its best to stick to the numerical
zoom factors as these have been chosen to display notes as clearly as possible, by ensuring that all
the staff lines are equally spaced. You can type in your own zoom factor onto the toolbar, in which
case Sibelius will round it up or down to the nearest factor that displays well.

The Files page of the File > Preferences dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac) includes an option
to set the default zoom factor used when opening scores; b 5.12 Preferences.

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By default, Sibelius switches the zoom level to Fit page width during playback, but you can
change this if you like (or stop Sibelius from changing the zoom level during playback at all) in the
Score Position page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac), or simply by changing
the zoom level while its playing; b 4.1 Playback.

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5.20 Window menu

b 5.19 View menu.

The Window menu contains the following:

New Window
New Window creates a new view of the current score. This allows you to look at different places
in the same score at once, or look at the same score at different zoom factors, or look at multiple
parts at once. For instance, you could have one view at 25% to keep an eye on the overall layout of
the page, and another view at 200% for close-up work. This is particularly useful if your computer
has multiple monitors.
Windows only: The Window menu also has all the standard Windows options for tiling scores, e.g.
if you have more than one score open, or a score and part, Tile Horizontally allows you to see
them both at once.

Tool windows
Navigator

Keypad

Playback

Mixer

Ideas

Parts

Video

Hide Tool
Windows

Properties

* Navigator: this makes the Navigator disappear or reappear; you can use the toolbar button
(above) or the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+N or zXN to do the same job. If you know the shortcuts for
moving around the score (Page Up or 8, Page Down or 9, etc.) you should be able to survive

quite happily without the Navigator.

You can move the Navigator around just drag its title bar; the same goes for the other tool windows.
* Keypad: this switches the Keypad on and off, but its quicker to use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+K or
zXK.
Youd have to be quite adept at Sibelius to know what all the keys on all the Keypad layouts are
without looking, but when youve used Sibelius for a bit you can try switching the Keypad off to
see how much you can remember. Its a good idea to learn at least the first Keypad layout this
way.
* Playback: this switches the Playback window on and off, or you can type Ctrl+Alt+Y or zXY
b 4.1 Playback.
* Mixer:this makes the Mixer appear and disappear, although its much easier to simply type
Ctrl+Alt+M or M on Mac to switch the Mixer on or off b 4.3 Mixer.

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* Ideas: displays the Ideas window; you can also use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+I or zXI
b 5.8 Ideas.
* Parts: use this option to switch the Parts window on and off, although you can type Ctrl+Alt+R
or zXR instead if you wish b 6.1 Working with parts.
* Video: this switches the Video window on and off, but its quicker to use the shortcut
Ctrl+Alt+V or zXV b 4.9 Video.
* Properties: it should come as no surprise to learn that this makes the Properties window appear
and disappear. Usefully, you can also type Ctrl+Alt+P or zXP to show or hide the Properties

window. The Properties and Keypad windows disappear (by default) during playback, to keep
the screen clear. b 5.14 Properties.
* Hide Tool Windows: if you are (say) using the Kontakt player, adjusting settings on the Mixer
and composing to video, the screen can become rather cluttered when lots of tool windows are
open. Sibelius allows you to hide all your open tool windows simultaneously, then re-open the
same set of windows later on. Use Window > Hide Tool Windows or the keyboard shortcut
Ctrl+Alt+X or zXX.

Switch to Part/Full Score

Next Part
Brings the next part in the currently open score into view, or you can use Ctrl+Alt+Tab or zX~.
If you are viewing the last part, Sibelius will show the full score.

Previous Part
Brings the previous part in the currently open score into view, or you can use Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Tab
or xzX~. If you are viewing the first part, Sibelius will show the full score.
For more information on working with parts, b 6.1 Working with parts.

Minimize (Mac only)

Minimizes the currently open score to the righthand side of the dock (the same as clicking the yellow icon at the top left of the scores window), shortcut XM.

Zoom (Mac only)

Zooms the window of the currently open score (the same as clicking the green + icon at the top left
of the scores window).

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When you are working on a score with parts, this options enables you to switch between the full
score and a part. The part that will be shown depends on the selection you have made in the score
prior to using Switch to Part/Full Score. Sibelius always tries to show the part most relevant to
your selection, so if you select a note in (say) your 2nd Flute part, Sibelius will helpfully show you
the 2nd Flute part. If you have not made a selection, or if the selection contains objects in more
than one part, Sibelius will show the part most recently viewed instead. The menu will show
Switch to Full Score when you are looking at a part, and Switch to Part when you have the full
score open. You can also switch between score and parts using the shortcut W.

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5.21 Worksheet Creator

v Worksheet Creator.

Music teachers need a steady supply of teaching and learning material to support the curriculum
they follow. The Worksheet Creator lets you choose from over 1700 ready-made worksheets,
projects, exercises, repertoire pieces, posters, reference materials and other resources. These are
carefully designed for the curricula of the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and suitable for school students of all ages. Some of the materials (such as Selected repertoire and Reference) are also useful at college and university level.
You can produce both a worksheet for the student and a completed answer sheet to aid with marking. You can even generate worksheets with random questions that are different each time, so
you'll never run out of materials to use. And it all takes you just a few seconds.
You can also add your own worksheets to the Worksheet Creator (in your own or your colleagues
copies of Sibelius) b 5.22 Adding your own worksheets.

Using the Worksheet Creator

To get started, choose File > Worksheet Creator. The following dialog appears:

* Choose whether you want to create Teaching and learning materials or a Template. A tem-

plate is a worksheet with no music in, which you can use as a basis for creating your own materials; see below.
* Extra worksheets, supplementary materials and much more are available at SibeliusEducation.com, which you can visit by clicking the Visit SibeliusEducation Web Site button shown
in the dialog b 5.15 SibeliusEducation.com
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* Choose the page size of the worksheet you want to create: you can choose between A4 and Let-

ter
* The options under Add to Worksheet determine various extra things to print on the student
worksheet and the teachers answer sheet. On the students sheet:
% Todays date prints the date in the form 18 April, 2005. (This option is available both for
the student worksheet and for the teachers answer sheet.)
% Spaces for students name and class prints lines in the top right-hand corner of the student worksheet for the student to write his or her name and class.
* On the teachers sheet:
% How to complete prints a reminder of whether a particular activity is designed to be completed on paper, at the computer, or by performing
% Teacher involvement prints a reminder of whether the teacher needs to be involved in the
completion of the activity, and whether the teacher needs access to Sibelius
% Group size prints a reminder of whether the activity is designed to be completed by an individual, a small group, or a larger group
% Curriculum levels prints details of the specific curriculum that an activity is targeted
towards, where this information is available.
If you plan to print anything from the Resources, Reference, Selected repertoire or Posters,
Flashcards and Games sections, its best to switch all of these options off.

Because there is such a wide variety of material in the Worksheet Creator, you can choose to find
only materials that meet certain criteria. For example, if you only want to find materials suitable
for a group of students rather than individuals, choose Materials for Small groups and Groups
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Having chosen to create Teaching and learning materials and made your choices, click Next to
narrow down the type of material youre looking for:

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of any size, and click Next. If you only want to find worksheets that are to be filled in using Sibelius, choose Can be completed At the computer and click Next.
(The Find by filename option is useful if you have already printed out a particular worksheet and
want to use it again. Each teachers answer sheet contains the Filename: in the bottom right-hand
corner of the first page. Type it here and click Next to go directly to that item so you can print it
again.)
If this is the first time you have used this feature since installing Sibelius, it may take a minute or so
for Sibelius to generate a list of available materials.
Youre then shown the categories from which you can choose your material:

The materials are split into 6 main categories:

* Elements of music covers 14 core areas of music theory and musicianship, from pitch and
*
*

*
*
*

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rhythm to sight reading and ear training

Writing and creating music covers notation, transposing, arranging, composing
and improvising
Selected repertoire has over 400 pieces for voice, piano and other instruments, including
songs in 14 different languages and 50 Bach keyboard pieces, suitable for study, arranging, performance, and your own worksheet creation. There are also 45 poems for students to set to
music.
Reference contains a huge library of musical information, from over 80 scales and modes to
ranges of different instruments
Posters, Flashcards & Games has nearly 200 of these to help teach musical concepts. Topics
range from notes and keys to dozens of pictures of instruments
UK KS3 & GCSE Projects has UK-specific projects covering performing, listening and composing, with topics from African drumming to serialism!

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5.21 Worksheet Creator

For more details on the categories, see the Categories table below.
Each of the categories and sub-categories are numbered with a prefix, e.g. 16 Sight Reading. This
makes it easier to find your way around the large amount of supplied material, and also shows the
pedagogical progression of materials within each category, moving from the simpler to the more
advanced.
The numbers at the end of each category name, e.g. (8 of 27), show how many of the total number
of materials in the category match the selection criteria you have specified (shown near the bottom
of the dialog.) The number zero, e.g. (0 of 27), means theres no point choosing that category, as
nothing within it matches. If you find that there are very few matching items and you require a
wider choice, try changing your criteria by clicking the Change Type of Material button.
Choose the category you want to explore, and either double-click it in the list at the left-hand side
of the dialog, or click Next. The same page of the dialog will appear again, this time showing you
the sub-categories within your chosen category as well as the path you took to get there. If you
want to return to the parent category of the sub-category you are in, just click Previous.
When you get to the final sub-category in a given category, you will be able to choose a specific
worksheet or other material from a list:

Power tools
When you choose an item from the list, the right-hand side of the dialog gives information about
it. The Description field gives details of what the students must do to complete the worksheet or
activity.
There are three options at the bottom of this page that are enabled or disabled depending on the
chosen material:
* Number of questions allows you to choose the number of questions to be included on the

printed worksheet. This option is only available if the worksheet has a large number of questions
available from which it will pick at random. You can re-use these worksheets, because even if
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you choose to include, say, 10 questions, if you come back and make this worksheet again in the
future, Sibelius will choose another 10 at random (though there may be some overlap).
* Include box of possible answers is available if you choose a worksheet based around matching each question with a choice of answers
* Create answer sheet too creates an answer sheet for the teacher (with answers already filled
in to save time when marking) together with the student sheet. This option is not available for
materials such as posters, repertoire, etc. Note that many worksheets do not have single correct
or incorrect answers, in which case the answer sheet will contain an example of a possible
answer with the indication that answers may vary.
Having made your choices, click Next to see a preview:

The student worksheet is shown on the left. If an answer sheet is available and you have chosen to
create one, it is shown on the right.
If the worksheet isnt quite what you want, click Previous one or more times to go back and revise
your choices. Otherwise, click Finish to create the worksheet.
If you chose to create both a student worksheet and an answer sheet, Sibelius will create two scores.
You can now print them out, save them for later, or edit them to produce your own customized
worksheet.

Rhythm levels (RL1-4) and scale levels (SL1-4)

Various worksheets are classified by rhythm level and scale level, depending on the complexity of
the rhythms and scales they contain. In summary, the rhythm levels are:
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* RL1: 2/4 and 3/4 time signatures, eighth notes (quavers) to dotted half note (minim), simple

rests
* RL2: also 4/4, whole note (semibreve), 16th notes (semiquavers), more rests
* RL3: also 6/8, C (common time), dotted notes, simple 6/8 rhythms, syncopation, Scotch snap,
more dotted rests
* RL4: all other time signatures, triplets, complex 6/8 rhythms
The scale levels are:
* SL1: major, natural (aeolian) minor, major pentatonic, minor pentatonic
* SL2: also chromatic, ionian hexatonic (i.e. pieces using just the first 6 notes of major scale)
* SL3: also harmonic minor, melodic minor, dorian, dorian hexatonic
* SL4: also all other church modes/jazz scales, Blues scale, whole tone scale

Some of the scale terminology is provided for your own pedagogical interest rather than in order
to teach the terms to students. Complete details of all the levels are on www.sibeliuseducation.com
(or choose Help > SibeliusEducation.com).

Templates

Choose the template you want to create, and click Finish. A score will be created that you can modify or add music to create your own worksheet. If youre feeling ambitious, you can add your own
worksheets to the Worksheet Creator for future re-use (particularly if you want to generate random questions) b 5.22 Adding your own worksheets.

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If you want to create a blank template on which to base your own materials, then on the first page
of the File > Worksheet Creator dialog, choose the Template option and click Next. You are
shown the available templates, with a preview of each:

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Categories
Main category

Contains

Description

01 Elements of Music

01 Notes & Rests

02 Dynamics
03 Timbre & Tone Color
04 Meter & Tempo
05 Rhythm
06 Scales & Key Signatures
07 Intervals, Chords, Progressions &
Cadences
08 Score Analysis,
09 Conducting
10 Dictation/Transcription,
11 Sight Reading
12 Ear Training
13 Auditory Discrimination
14 Aural Recall

Activities arranged in learning sequences to

cover the core areas of music. Introduces the
language and terminology of music, helps
develop basic musicianship, introduces
aspects of theory, and teaches analysis of
tonality, form and structure, texture, and
genre.

02 Writing and Creating

Music

01 Notation
02 Adapting, Transposing & Arranging
03 Composing
04 Improvising

Activities leading to the acquisition of basic

notation skills and a wide range of creative
exploration, including work with sounds,
rhythms, melodies, accompaniments, textures, lyrics, and orchestration.

03 Selected Repertoire

01 Bach Piano Repertoire

02 Other Piano Repertoire
03 Instrumental Repertoire
04 Songs for Teaching
05 Rounds and Canons Collection
06 Poetry for Lyrics
07 Texts for Incidental Music
08 Rhythm Collection

Nearly 500 pieces of music and poetry, many

used in worksheets, and all available for extensions, other classroom use, and your own
worksheet creation. Includes nearly 100 pieces
of keyboard repertoire including 50 by Bach
and a sampling from other masters; over 150
songs, including nearly 50 rounds and canons
and works in 13 world languages; and 45
poems.

04 Reference

01 Encyclopedia of Scales & Modes

02 Chord Library
03 Instrumental & Vocal Ranges
04 US & British Music Terms Compared
05 Keyboard Handouts

A handy library of musical information,

including over 80 scales and modes and nearly
150 chords with their chord symbols. To be
used for research, exploration, and incorporation into creative activities.

05 Posters, Flashcards &

Games

01 Posters
02 Flashcards
03 Games

Nearly 200 posters, flashcards and games to

help teach and review musical concepts. Topics include notes, rests, scales, key signatures,
circle of fifths, symbols, terminology, stick
notation, and nearly 100 pictures of instruments that can both be used to decorate the
classroom, and in preparing your own learning materials.

06 UK KS3 & GCSE Projects

01 African Drumming KS3

02 Blues (12-bar) KS3
03 Composing to Create a Specific Mood
KS3/GCSE
04 Pop Songs (Reggae) KS3/GCSE
05 Pop Songs (Dance Grooves) GCSE
06 Serialism GCSE
07 Blues (Arranging) GCSE

Seven UK-specific projects supporting the

three main areas of study performing, composing and listening for Key Stage 3 and
GCSE, with comprehensive teachers notes
and ideas for extension.

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5.22 Adding your own worksheets

5.22 Adding your own worksheets

b 5.21 Worksheet Creator.

Adding your own worksheets

Sibelius allows you to create your own intelligent teaching materials and add them too the Worksheet Creator (in your own copy of Sibelius, of your colleagues). You can easily create scores that
contain both questions and answers, and create files that produce random questions, allowing
them to be re-used over and over again.

Page size and margins

In order to produce good-looking materials, you should bear in mind a few points when laying out
and formatting your score.
You could base your worksheet on a ready-made template if one is suitable (b 5.21 Worksheet
Creator); if so, choose A4 paper size rather than Letter. (Once the worksheet is added to the
Worksheet Creator you will be able to create it at Letter size.) Alternatively, if you create a worksheet from scratch, then in Layout > Document Setup:
* Use A4 as the page size

pensate for the differences in dimensions between A4 and Letter.

* Use 12mm as the top staff margin and 24mm as the bottom staff margin. These staff margins
allow room for the text created by the Worksheet Creator at the top and bottom of the page.

Answer sheet
If you want to produce an answer sheet for your worksheet, you need to use voices consistently in
the score so that Sibelius can delete one or more voice(s) to remove the answers from the students
sheet. Use different voices for items you want to appear only on the students sheet, for items on the
answer sheet, and for those on both sheets. So, for example, imagine a worksheet in which the student has to write the name of a given interval below the staff, and you want to print an answer
sheet too.
* Put the each interval in (say) voice 1. The notes will be included in both the student sheet and

the teachers answer sheet. Its usually best to use voices 1 and 2 (the normal voices for writing
music) for anything meant for both sheets.
* Create the answer using (say) Lyrics line 1 text, in voice 4. You can specify later that voice 4
items will only appear on the teachers sheet.
* You may also want to include a line under each interval for the student to write his or her answer
on. Create horizontal lines (say) in voice 3. Again, you can specify later that this voice will only
appear on the students sheet.

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* Use top and bottom margins of 24mm and left and right margins of 15mm. These margins com-

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Random and fixed questions

There are two basic kinds of worksheet: those with random questions and those with fixed questions. Those with fixed questions are easier to produce, because you can lay them out exactly as
you want them to appear when they come out of the Worksheet Creator, but for both kinds of
worksheet you need to use voices carefully.
If you plan to produce a worksheet with random questions, you shouldnt add any additional text
to the score, and you dont need to spend so long adjusting the layout, because the Worksheet Creator can do it all for you. So dont put a title at the top of the page, or number the questions, or add
an instruction for the student.
If you plan to produce a worksheet with fixed questions, you should now add various other bits of
text to your page, possibly including:
* A title in our imagined example you may type Name Intervals in Title text
* Some text to give the student instructions e.g. you might you create some Technique text above

the first bar of the score that says Write the name for the given interval in the space provided.
* Question numbers e.g. you may want text above every bar with the question number. You can
do this quickly using Plug-ins > Text > Number Bars.
You will probably want to create each of these text objects in voice 1, so that they appear in both
the student and the answer worksheets.
For both fixed and random worksheets, you may also need to make some further layout adjustments. For example, you should ensure theres plenty of room above the top staff on the page so
that the Worksheet Creator has enough room to add the date and the spaces for the student to
write his or her name and class. You may also want to make gaps between each question, which
you can do by selecting a bar and typing (say) 4 into Gap before bar on the Bars panel of the
Properties window. You may even want to enforce a particular number of bars per system, using
auto system breaks (from Layout > Auto Layout).
Once youve added text and adjusted the layout, youre ready to add your worksheet to the Worksheet Creator.

Using ideas in worksheets

Sibeliuss Ideas feature can be a powerful tool for producing exercises and worksheets for your students b 5.8 Ideas for an introduction.
Its possible to use ideas from Sibeliuss built-in library of more than 1500 ideas, or indeed any
ideas of your own creation, in any score. In particular, you can save a certain set of ideas in a score,
and then prevent students from using any ideas other than those you have saved in the score. This
is useful if you want your students to build a composition using ideas you have carefully chosen.
For more details, see Limiting access to the library on page 371.
For more general information about how you might use ideas in your teaching, see Using ideas
in your teaching on page 370.

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5.22 Adding your own worksheets

Adding to the Worksheet Creator

Once you have created a worksheet and you want to add it to the Worksheet Creator, choose File >
Add to Worksheet Creator:

* First, choose the type of material youre adding. To add a template, simply choose Template and

click OK. Otherwise, choose Teaching and learning materials.

*
*

*
*

*
*
*
*
*

appropriate. This affects which fields are available in the rest of the dialog.
Name (in dialog) is the name that will appear in the Worksheet Creator. You should try to keep
this name as short as possible.
Title (in score) is what Sibelius will create in the score as its title if you choose Random questions. (If you choose Fixed questions, you should put the title in the score yourself before adding it.)
Description (for teacher) is the text that will appear in the Worksheet Creator to describe the
worksheet
Instructions (for student) is what Sibelius will create above the first question in the student
worksheet if you choose Random questions. (If you choose Fixed questions, you should create
the instructions for the student in the worksheet yourself before adding it.)
Curriculum level should contain information about the specific curriculum your worksheet is
targeted towards, if applicable
Make a selection under Can be completed to specify the way (or ways) in which you intend the
worksheet to be completed
Choose the level of Teacher involvement as appropriate
Specify the Size of group for which the worksheet is intended
The Bars per question option is only available if you choose Random questions. This option
tells Sibelius how many bars each question occupies: its very important that this option is set
correctly.
The Questions per system option tells Sibelius how best to lay out your worksheet. If your
questions are 1, 2 or 4 bars long, you can leave this option set to Default. Otherwise, you should
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Power tools

* Skip over to the right-hand side of the dialog and set Random questions or Fixed questions as

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5. Power tools
set this option to tell Sibelius how many questions it should allow on a system before it inserts a
system break.
* Voices shown in student sheet specifies which voices Sibelius should leave in the student
worksheet. In our imagined example above, you would set this to 1 and 3.
* Answer sheet determines whether or not you want Sibelius to offer the choice of making an
answer sheet for your worksheet. If you switch it on, you also need to specify the Voices shown
in answer sheet. In our example above, you would set this to 1 and 4.
* Finally, you choose the place in the Worksheet Creator you want to put the worksheet. Use the
Choose and Back buttons to traverse the categories. When you find the correct spot, click OK to
add your worksheet.

Edit Worksheets
If you need to create a new category or want to modify a worksheet you have previously added, you
use the Edit Worksheets dialog, which is accessed by clicking the Edit button in the Add to
Worksheet Creator dialog, or by choosing File > Edit Worksheets:

The options on the left of the dialog deal with the categories and sub-categories rather than the
worksheet files themselves:
* Choose Teaching and learning materials or Template at the top of the dialog to choose

between the two types of content

* Choose and Back traverse through the list of categories on the left of the dialog, as in the Add

to Worksheet Creator dialog

* Move Up and Move Down move the selected sub-category up and down in the order within
the current category
* Add adds a new sub-category: click the button to choose its name
* Rename renames the selected sub-category
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5.22 Adding your own worksheets

* Delete removes the selected sub-category, and any further sub-categories and worksheets it

contains, permanently. Be careful with this option!

* Import imports a category of material obtained from elsewhere, e.g. downloaded
from SibeliusEducation.com (b 5.15 SibeliusEducation.com).
* Export exports the selected category and its sub-categories and worksheets to a new folder
inside your Scores folder, so that you can share it with your colleagues, who can then Import it.
The options on the right-hand side of the dialog are concerned with the worksheets and templates
themselves. (The list will only contain items when you reach a sub-category that contains worksheets.)
* Move Up and Move Down move the selected sub-category up and down in the order within
*

When youve finished making changes, click the Close button.

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Power tools

the current category

Edit Details opens the Edit Activity Details dialog, so that you can make changes to the settings you chose when you exported the worksheet. The options in Edit Worksheet Details are
the same as in the Add to Worksheet Creator dialog, except that you cannot change from a
worksheet to a template, or vice versa see Adding to the Worksheet Creator above.
Open Score opens the chosen worksheet score so that you can make changes to the musical
material in it or the answers, etc. When youve finished editing the score, simply save and close it
no need to add it to the Worksheet Creator again.
Rename renames the selected worksheet, changing the Name (in dialog) field.
Delete removes the selected worksheet permanently. Be careful with this option!

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6. Dynamic parts

Parts
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6. Dynamic parts

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6.1 Working with parts

6.1 Working with parts

v Dynamic parts.

Music for several instruments is normally produced both in a full score and in separate parts
that each contain the music of just one instrument (or sometimes several). Parts are rather different than full scores: they only contain notation relevant to the instrument; parts for transposing
instruments can be in a different key; and the music is laid out differently, often on paper of a different size.
Fortunately, Sibelius takes care of all of this for you, automatically formatting, transposing and
laying out parts.

What are dynamic parts?

Other notation programs require you to extract parts for each instrument as separate files, which
means that if you need to make changes to the full score (after a first rehearsal, for example), you
either have to make the same changes in the parts, or even extract them again, wasting hours.
However, Sibelius uses a revolutionary approach by which any change made in the score is automatically made in the part, and vice versa: allow us to introduce dynamic parts.
You can edit dynamic parts in exactly the same way as you would a score. You can move, add and
delete notes, add slurs, expression markings etc. just as you would normally. But whenever you
change something in the score, the parts are instantly updated, and vice versa.
You dont need to extract dynamic parts, and in fact, theyre all kept in the same file as the full
score so theyre easier to organize, too.

After creating or opening a Sibelius file, the full score will be displayed. Switching to and from
parts is most simply done using the drop-down list marked Full score on the toolbar. When
clicked, a list will appear, starting with the full score followed by the names of all the parts. Click
the name of the part you wish to view and Sibelius will open it in a new window.
You can also switch quickly between the score and the most recently viewed part by clicking the
Switch Between Full Score and Part button on the toolbar
(shortcut W). If you select a note
or other staff object before using Switch Between Full Score and Part, Sibelius will show you
the part containing it. If there is nothing selected, Sibelius will show you the most recently viewed
part. You can also switch to a part by double-clicking it on the Parts window (see below).
It is also possible to cycle through the parts using Window > Next Part and Previous Part (shortcuts Ctrl+Alt+Tab or zX~ and Shift+Ctrl+Alt+Tab or xzX~). Once you get to the last part
and advance to the next, Sibelius will show the full score.

Viewing multiple parts

By default, Sibelius will only create two windows per score: one for the full score, and the other for
the parts. When switching between parts, Sibelius will always re-use the window displaying the
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6. Dynamic parts
previously viewed part. If you would prefer Sibelius to create a separate window for each part, perhaps so you can see them tiled on a large screen, switch on View parts in new windows on the
Other page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac), shortcut Ctrl+, or X,.

Distinguishing the score from a part

Sibelius uses different desk and paper textures for scores and parts so that you can instantly differentiate between the two. By default, Sibelius shows parts with a cream-colored paper and the
score with white paper. To change the appearance of these textures, use the Textures page of File
> Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac) b 5.3 Display settings.

The Parts window

The Parts window allows you to print, create, modify, delete and extract parts. You shouldnt need
to use this window often (since, for example, you can print parts just using File > Print or File >
Print All Parts), so you should generally leave it switched off. But to show the Parts window,
choose Window > Parts (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+R or zXR), or click the relevant toolbar button.

Number of copies
to be printed (click
to edit)

Name of part
(click to edit)

Print
Part(s)

Copy Part New

Layout

Delete

Extract

Staves in Part

Multiple Part
Appearance

Similar to the drop-down list on the toolbar, this contains a list of all the existing parts in the
score. You can switch to a part from the Parts window by double-clicking on the name of the part
you wish to view.
You can apply some changes to multiple parts at the same time. To select a single part, click its
name. If you wish to select more parts, use Ctrl+click or X-click to add a part to the selection, or
Shift-click to extend the selection.
Once you have one or more parts selected, you can click any of the six buttons at the bottom of the
window:
* Print Part(s): prints the currently selected parts; the Copies column allows you to specify how

many copies of each part you wish to print see Printing multiple parts below

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6.1 Working with parts

* Multiple Part Appearance: Sibelius will ask whether you want to make changes to all parts in

*
*
*
*
*

the score or just those currently selected, after which it will allow you to change the appearance
of all the chosen parts in a single operation b 6.3 Multiple Part Appearance
Copy Part Layout: copies the layout of the currently viewed part to the part(s) selected in the
Parts window see Copying part layout on page 487
New Part: allows you to create a new part manually, containing any number of staves from the
full score
Staves in Part: use this option to add or remove staves from a part. (This will only work with a
single selection.)
Delete Part(s): removes the currently selected part or parts
Extract Parts: extracts parts into separate Sibelius files b 6.4 Extracting parts.

Printing multiple parts

When printing an orchestral score, you typically need one copy of the first flute part, but many
more copies of the first violin part to hand out to all the players. Sibelius allows you to set the
number of copies you wish to print for each part. Select the appropriate part in the Parts window
and click once in the Copies column. A cursor will appear; type the number of copies, which can
be any number between 0 and 99.
As Sibelius allows you to specify a number of copies for each part, printing a complete set of parts
can literally be done with only two mouse clicks. You can print any combination of parts in one
print job.
To print all the parts, choose File > Print All Parts. To print just some parts, select the part(s) in
the Part window and click the Print Part(s) button ( ). You can alternatively print a single part
in the normal way using File > Print. If you are printing more than one part, you will not be able to
adjust the page range or number of copies settings in the Print dialog.

Creating new parts

Sibelius automatically creates a part for each instrument in the score. When you open a score created in Sibelius 3 or earlier, you will be given the option whether or not to create a set of parts
(b 8.10 Opening files from previous versions).
If you need to manually add a further part to your score for some reason, click the New Part button ( ) on the Parts window. You will see a dialog where you can choose which of the available
staves in the score you wish to be visible in your new part. This is identical to the Staves in Part
dialog (see below).

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Parts

You can print your parts directly to PDF files, which is handy if you need to send them via email.
On Windows, you need to install a PDF printer driver to use this feature (see Creating PDF files
on page 598). On Mac, simply click Save As PDF in the Print dialog. On both Windows and Mac,
Sibelius will automatically save each part to a separate PDF file, choosing an appropriate filename
each one.

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6. Dynamic parts

Adding or removing staves from parts

Sibelius allows you to include any number or combination of staves from your full score in a part.
For example, you might make a vocal score of an opera by creating a part containing all the singers plus keyboard accompaniment.
To achieve this, make sure your full score contains all the instruments that you will need, including the keyboard staves. However, keyboard reduction staves are not usually printed in the conductor's score, so as well as the part for the vocal score, you should also create a part for the
conductor's score, which contains all of the instruments except the keyboard accompaniment.
When you come to print your scores, print the conductors score part and the vocal score part
instead of the full score.
To change the staves in an existing part, select the part and click the Staves in Part button (
on the Parts window. The following dialog appears:

The Staves available list on the left shows the staves available in the full score which are not contained in the part. When a staff has been added to a part, it appears in the Staves in part list on
the right. To add staves to a part, select the relevant staves in the list on the left and click the Add
to Part button. Similarly, to remove staves from a part, select them in the list on the right and
click the Remove from Part button (this does not remove the instrument from the score).
When you add or remove a staff or staves from a part, the note spacing of the entire part is reset,
to ensure that the spacing is correct throughout.

Deleting parts
To delete a part, select it in the Parts window and click the Delete button ( ). Sibelius will ask
you for confirmation before going ahead. If you wish to delete more than one part at a time, simply click the Delete button with a multiple selection. Deleting a part does not delete the instrument from the score.
However, it is harmless to have parts listed even if you dont intend to use them, so dont feel any
compunction to delete unwanted parts.

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6.1 Working with parts

Appearance of parts and score

The following things are always the same in the score and all parts so it doesnt matter whether
youre viewing the score or a part, changing any of these will change it everywhere:
* Text styles: you can, though, set different point sizes for the full score and for all parts in Edit

Text Styles
* Default positions: though similarly, you can set these to be different in the full score and parts in
the Default Positions dialog
* Many rules in House Style > Engraving Rules (e.g. positioning of accidentals, rhythm dots,
articulations, brackets, clefs, key signatures, tuplets; appearance of barlines, chord diagrams,
hairpins, rehearsal marks, slurs, ties; beam positions; sizes of notes; text borders and lyrics
options).
However, the following things may be set in each part quite independently of the other parts and
of the score, so changing them only affects the part (or score) youre viewing:
* Page and staff size etc. (in Layout > Document Setup)
* Layout, including breaks and Layout > Auto Layout
* Note spacing (including House Style > Note Spacing Rule)
* Text sizes (see Text styles in parts on page 486)
* Some rules in House Style > Engraving Rules (e.g. format of bar numbers, multirests, instru-

ment names, time signatures; appearance of system separators; first page number; staff and system spacing)
* Appearance of timecode and hit points (Play > Video and Time > Timecode and Duration
and Hit Points).

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Parts

Its useful to be able to change things in different parts independently of each other like this. However, its also often useful to make the same changes in all parts or a group of parts at once, rather
than having to do so to each part in turn. This is what the Multiple Part Appearance dialog is for
b 6.3 Multiple Part Appearance.

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6. Dynamic parts

6.2 Editing parts

Editing a part works in exactly the same way as editing a score; in fact, almost anything you can do
in a score will work in the same way in a part. Creating and deleting objects in a part automatically
does the same to the score, and vice versa.

Moving objects in parts

However, moving objects (other than changing the pitch of notes) is another matter. You can
position things slightly differently in the score and part, for layout reasons and to avoid collisions
that may arise in one but not the other. The way it works is this:
* If you move an object in the score, it also moves in the relevant part(s) (as youd expect)
* But if you move an object in a part, it doesnt move in the score. The same applies to changing

the design of an object if you drag the middle of a slur to change its shape in the part, it wont
change in the score. This is so you can make final adjustments to parts without affecting the
score. The object goes orange in the part to show that its different than the score (see Differences in parts below).
* Having moved an object in a part like this, moving it in the score wont subsequently move it in
the part again (because that would mess up the part when youd just got it looking right)
unless, that is, you move it so far in the score that it attaches to a different note (otherwise the
score and part wouldnt match at all), or unless you reset the object to be the same in the part
and score again (see Resetting objects in parts below).
* You shouldnt move an object very far in a part (e.g. to a different note), because it wont move
in the score and so wont match the score. If you try to, the gray attachment line will go red, to
warn you that the object is too far away from where it is in the score.
So in general, the way you should work is to input music into the score, rather than the parts; and
then tweak the position and design of things in the parts in the course of making final adjustments.
Note though, that you can make layout changes such as moving staves, adjusting system and page
breaks and changing note spacing quite freely in parts this doesnt count as moving objects
around, because it doesnt matter that the score and part end up with a quite different layout.

Differences in parts
When you edit or move an object in a part, Sibelius helpfully shows you that it is now different
than the score by coloring it orange. (If this bothers you, switch off View > Differences in Parts.)
For example:
* Staff objects (e.g. Expression text, hairpins, accidentals, etc.) appear orange if they have been

moved in parts
* Notes that have been flipped or made cue-sized in parts appear orange
* Objects that are shown in the part but hidden (or absent) in the score, or vice versa, appear
orange.

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6.2 Editing parts

You can also switch on View > Differences in Parts in the full score and Sibelius will color any
object that has been moved or edited in one or more of the parts. This makes it easy, for example,
to see which objects you may want to use Layout > Reset to Score Position on (see below).

Resetting objects in parts

If you need to reset the position of an object in a part, you can either reset it to its default position,
or to the same position as in the score.
* To reset to the default position (i.e. the values defined in House Style > Default Positions),
choose Layout > Reset Position (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP).
* To restore an objects position back to the score, choose Layout > Reset to Score Position
(shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+P or xzXP). If View > Differences in Parts is switched on, the

object will no longer be drawn in orange.

When editing the full score, you can use Layout > Reset to Score Position to reset an object to
the scores position in all the parts in which it appears.
You can also reset the appearance of an object in a part (such as a slur) either to its default design,
or to the design of the same object in the score:
* To restore one or more objects back to using its default design, choose Layout > Reset Design
(shortcut Ctrl+Shift+D or xXD)
* To reset back to the design of the same object in the score, choose Layout > Reset to Score
Design (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+D or xzXD). Again, the object will no longer be orange

(unless you had also changed its position).

As with restoring the scores position, choose Layout > Reset to Score Design while editing the
full score will reset the design of the selected object back to the scores appearance in all the parts
in which it appears.

Apart from in a few cases (such as clef changes and cue passages), every object in your score will,
by default, be visible in both the score and any parts which should contain it. If you wish to hide
an object in a score so that it only appears in a part, select the appropriate object (in the score or
part) and choose Edit > Hide or Show > Show in Parts. Similarly, if you want an object to appear
only in the full score and not in the parts, choose Edit > Hide or Show > Show in Score.
When viewing the full score, choosing Edit > Hide or Show > Hide hides the object in the score
and all the parts. When viewing a part, choosing Edit > Hide or Show > Hide hides the object in
that part only, leaving the score unaffected. (And you can hide/show objects in individual parts if
necessary from the General tab of Properties.)

Editing part names

Part names can be edited directly from the Parts window by editing the Name field, or in the
File > Score Info dialog when viewing a part. To edit from the Parts window, choose the part you
wish to rename and click once in the Name column. A cursor appears, allowing you to type the
new name for the part. Editing the part name also updates the name on the first and subsequent
pages of the part.
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Hide and show in parts and score

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6. Dynamic parts
If you need to add line breaks to a part name in order to list multiple instruments on separate lines
in the page header, use \n\. You can also tell Sibelius to use the music text font for individual
characters by prefixing the character whose font you wish to change with a ^ (e.g. Clarinet in
B^b would appear as Clarinet in Bb) see Adding formatting changes to Score Info on
page 228 for details of other special characters you can type.
For further information about part names, see Part name and Instrument changes on
page 226. For more general information about instrument names, b 3.9 Instrument names.

Text styles in parts

Each text style in Sibelius has two sizes: one for the score and the other for all the parts. To change
the size of text in your parts independently from the score, click Edit Text Styles, either in the
House Style menu or on the House Style page of Multiple Part Appearance. The Edit Text
Styles dialog will appear. Select the name of the text style you wish to edit, and click Edit. The following dialog appears:

To adjust the size of the text style in parts, enter a new point size, either relative to a 7mm staff
or as an absolute value. If you do not want the text to scale according to the size of the staff,
switch on Keep absolute. For more information on editing text styles, b 3.10 Edit Text
Styles.
If you need text to appear at a different size in the score and parts, as you would for (say) Title text
which is typically larger in the score than it is in the parts you should never adjust its size
using the Text panel of Properties. Any change you make to the size of a text object in this way
will affect both the score and the part. Therefore, you should instead change the default sizes for
your text style using House Style > Edit Text Styles.
If you encounter text that is far too big or small in your score or part, you probably changed the
size using Properties, so select it and choose Layout > Reset Design (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+D or
zXD), then go to House Style > Edit Text Styles and set up suitable sizes for the score and the
parts.

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6.2 Editing parts

Clef changes in parts

Sibelius allows you to create clef changes in parts that do not appear in the full score; such clefs
appear colored orange (if View > Differences in Parts is switched on). Beware, however, that if
the initial clef in the part is different from the initial clef for that instrument in the full score, the
Omit clef changes option on the House Style page of Multiple Part Appearance
(b 6.3 Multiple Part Appearance) may prevent any new clef changes you create in the part
from appearing, in which case Sibelius will warn you.
Also beware that if a clef change exists in the full score and is visible in the part, if you drag the clef
in the part, it will also move in the score too. If you need to move the clef in the part without moving the clef in the score, create a new clef in the part directly on top of the existing clef; this new
clef will be independent for that specific part, and can then be moved independently of the clef in
the full score.

Codas in parts
Sibelius allows you to set whether the split in the system that customarily appears before a coda
should also appear in parts. A coda is marked as such by a barline that has Split multirest
switched on with a Gap before bar of greater than 0. (When you choose Layout > Break > Split
System, Sibelius will do this for you automatically b 4.6 Repeats.) If you would like the system to split automatically at the same place in parts, switch on Keep gaps before codas (that
have split multirests) on the Layout page of Multiple Part Appearance. To suppress the split
in parts, switch it off b 6.3 Multiple Part Appearance.

Copying part layout

* First, adjust the layout of one of the parts, including the vertical positioning of system objects

such as rehearsal marks, tempo markings, and so on, until its how you want it for the other
parts too
* While viewing the part whose layout you want to copy:
% To copy the layout to all the other parts, click the Copy Part Layout button (

) with all
(or no) parts selected in the window
% To copy the layout to one or more parts, select the parts you want to update, and click the
Copy Part Layout button
* Youre asked if you want to proceed: click Yes.
Instantly, the layout of the current part is copied to the selected parts. Page and staff size, orientation, page and staff margins, system, page and special page breaks, Layout > Auto Layout settings, and the positions of system objects are all updated to match the chosen part.

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Parts

In some kinds of music especially music for film, TV and stage shows its common for the layout of all the instrumental parts to be very similar, with system breaks and page turns in the same
place in all the parts. Sibelius makes it easy to copy the layout from one part to any or all of the
others:

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6. Dynamic parts

Exporting house styles from parts

Having set up the appearance of a part via the Multiple Part Appearance, Auto Layout and
Engraving Rules dialogs, you can then export its house style, either to import into other parts in
the same score or to import into parts in another score in future.
To export a house style from a part, make sure youre viewing that part, and choose House Style >
Export House Style.
To import the house style into other parts in the same (or a different) score, select those parts in
the Parts window, click the Multiple Part Appearance button, then click Import House Style
on the House Style page of the dialog.
When you export a house style from a part, it includes things like the Auto Layout and
Document Setup settings that make it look like a part. Therefore the house style is only suitable
for importing into other parts, not into a full score. Likewise, if you export a house style from a full
score, it is not suitable for importing into parts. So you should export different house styles for full
scores and for parts.

Parts in different transpositions

You may need to have the same part in several different transpositions (e.g. wind bands may
require some brass parts in both Bb and Eb, depending on the instruments available), which Sibelius makes easy:
* First, create a new part containing the instrument for which you need to create a part in a differ*
*
*

ent transposition see Creating new parts on page 481

Change the name of the part so that you can tell it apart, e.g. 1st Horn (Eb) see Editing part
names above
Now view the part, by double-clicking its name in the Parts window, or by choosing it from the
menu on the toolbar
To change the transposition of the part, make sure nothing is selected in the part (hit Esc), then
choose Create > Other > Instrument Change. Choose the variant of the instrument that has
the desired transposition and click OK, then click at the very start of the first staff of the part to
create it. This instrument change exists only in this part, and does not affect the full score, or
any of the other parts.
You may also need to change the key signature used by your newly-transposed part. Again first
making sure that nothing is selected (hit Esc), choose Create > Key Signature (shortcut K),
select the desired key signature, and click OK, then click at the very start of the part. Like the
instrument change, this key signature exists only in this part.
Finally, for particularly extreme transpositions, you may need to adjust the clef. With nothing
selected, choose Create > Clef (shortcut Q), select the desired clef, and click OK, then click at the
start of the part. You may also need further clef changes see Clef changes in parts above.

Though it is required less often, you can also create instrument changes, clef changes and key signature changes at any point in a dynamic part without affecting the full score or any other parts
based on the same instrument in the score. Beware, therefore, that if you add a key signature to a
part, it will affect only the part you are working on, and will not be created in the full score. If you
want to add a key change to the full score and all parts, create it in the full score.
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6.3 Multiple Part Appearance

6.3 Multiple Part Appearance

The Multiple Part Appearance dialog can be used to change the appearance of any number of
parts in a single operation. First select the part(s) you want to change in the Parts window, then
click

If you are changing the appearance of multiple parts, there may be instances under which some
settings are different in different parts, in which case they will appear blank. If no changes are
made to the settings in this state, then the individual values for each of the parts in the selection
will be left unchanged.
The dialog consists of three tabbed pages:

Document Setup page

The Document Setup page allows you to set the page size, orientation and staff size of your parts:

Parts
* Setting the page size to Same as score will set both the page size and orientation of the parts to

be identical to the score. If you wish to use different settings, then choose the desired size from
the drop-down list and click either Portrait or Landscape.
* Setting the staff size to Same as score will ensure that all staves in your parts are identical in
size to the staves in the score. However, parts generally have larger staves, so to set a different
value choose from either mm or inches and enter the desired staff size.
* Clicking Margins allows you to change the page and staff margins for the parts independently
of the score see Page margins and Staff margins on page 519. This is especially useful for
increasing the top staff margin on the first page to make room for the title text, etc.
* On Mac, you can click Page Setup (and extra button not shown here) to set up the printing
defaults for your parts, e.g. setting them to require a particular paper size for printing
b 5.13 Printing.

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6. Dynamic parts

Layout page
The Layout page has the following options; if in doubt, leave them at the default settings (which
are sensible ones):

* To change your Auto Layout settings, click Auto Layout. This dialog allows you to choose
how Sibelius should lay out systems, pages and multirests (b 7.3 Auto Layout).
* System breaks, page breaks and special page breaks that have been manually added to the score

can be suppressed, retained or modified in parts (if in doubt, just leave these options alone):
% If you want blank pages at the start of the score (i.e. before the first bar of music) to appear in
your parts, switch on Keep title pages
% If you want other blank pages (i.e. those that occur after the first bar of music) to appear in
your parts exactly in the same way as they do in the score, switch on Keep other special
page breaks
% If you would prefer they were changed into other kinds of breaks, switch on the but turn
into checkbox, and choose whether they should be changed into page breaks or system
breaks
% If you want page breaks to appear in parts in exactly the same way as they do in the score,
switch on Keep page breaks
% If you would prefer they were changed into system breaks, switch on but turn into system
breaks
% If you want system breaks in the score also to appear in parts, switch on Keep system
breaks
% Other formatting (e.g. locked systems, bars kept together) in the score can also appear in
the parts if you switch on Keep other breaks
% Keep gaps before codas (that have split multirests) see Codas in parts on page 487
for more information.
* It is fairly common for the start of the first staff in a part to be indented rightwards. Sibelius
allows you to indent all your parts automatically by setting Indent first system by to (say) 4
spaces. When set to zero, the stave will appear in its usual position.
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6.3 Multiple Part Appearance

* To set how staves should be justified in your parts, set Justify staves when page is n% full.

(See Staff and system spacing on page 532.)

* Adjusting the Distance between systems controls the standard distance between systems in
the select part or parts. Decreasing the number saves space in parts. On pages where the music
is vertically justified, the distance between staves can be larger than the numbers specified.
* To change the appearance of multirests in your parts, choose the appropriate style from
the Appearance list. If you would like Sibelius to include the number 1 above single bar rests,
switch on Show 1 above bar rests (b 2.19 Multirests).
* By default your parts will all have their pages numbered from 1. If you want a different first page
number, specify it by changing First page number. If, more unusually, you want your parts to
use the same page numbers as the score:
% Keep page number changes from title pages from score, which is only available if Keep
title pages is switched on (because page number changes are always attached to page
breaks), makes the page number change attached to the title page in the score (if present)
appear in the parts.
% Keep other page number changes from the score, which is only available if Keep other
special page breaks is switched on, makes page number changes that occur after the start of
the full score appear in the parts.
If you want to hide all page numbers in your parts, switch on Hide default page numbers in
parts. For more information about page numbers, b 3.7 Page numbers.

House Style page

The House Style page has the following options:.

Parts
* Sibelius can add instrument names to each of your parts. By default, these will appear at the top

left of the First Page, and at the top of Subsequent pages. If you dont want instrument
names, switch off either or both of these options.
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6. Dynamic parts

*
*

492

(Instrument name headers are automatically generated from each parts name using text wildcards b 3.11 Wildcards and will always exist in every part. If you switch the headers off
here, Sibelius will hide the relevant text objects in the parts, not delete them, so you can switch
them back on again later.)
By default, timecode and hit points are not displayed in parts. If you wish to make timecode visible, then choose from either Above every bar or At start of every system in Display timecode. If you want hit points to show, then switch on Show hit points (b 4.10 Timecode
and hit points).
Time signatures will appear as normal, snuggled between the top and bottom staff lines, by
default. If you wish to use Large or Huge time signatures in parts, then choose the relevant
option from Time signature size (see Big time signatures etc. on page 157).
Clicking the Edit Text Styles button will take you directly to the Edit Text Styles dialog (see
Text styles in parts on page 486)
You can import a house style into all the selected parts by clicking Import House Style see
Exporting house styles from parts on page 488. Only the Engraving rules and Document setup and Note spacing rule options are enabled when importing into a part.
Switching off Omit clef changes will ensure that all clef changes in the score will appear in the
parts. To suppress all clef changes in every instrument in parts, switch on Omit clef changes
and choose Always. Some transposing instruments (such as bass clarinet) may use a different
clef in parts to the score, so clef changes that are necessary in the score may not make any sense
in the part. Sibelius gives you the option to omit such clef changes by choosing Omit clef
changes and clicking If score and part have different clefs. You can manually add any necessary clef changes to a part, and they will not appear in the score see Clef changes in parts
on page 487.
It is the style of some composers to hide segments of a stave where an instrument is not playing
(this is known as a cut-away or scrapbook look see Staves with gaps in on page 145).
This convention, however, does not usually apply to parts, so Sibelius gives you the option to
suppress all instrument changes to hidden (no lines) instruments in parts; to do this, switch on
Omit No instrument (hidden) instrument changes.
To set the frequency of bar numbers in your parts, choose from Every n bars, Every system or
No bar numbers. You can also center the numbers by choosing Center in the bar. If you do
not want bar numbers to appear on the same bars as rehearsal marks, switch on Omit at
rehearsal marks. If you wish to make bar numbers look different in the parts than in the score,
choose the text style you want to use from the Bar number text style drop-down list. (The Bar
numbers (parts) text style is intended for this purpose.) But normally, this should just be left
set to Bar numbers.

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6.4 Extracting parts

6.4 Extracting parts

Extracting parts simply means that any dynamic parts chosen for extraction will be exported as
individual files, retaining their music, formatting and layout precisely. The original dynamic parts
themselves remain unaffected.

Why extract parts?

In practice, you should rarely need to extract parts from your score, and should not bother doing
so unless you have to; however, there are some situations in which you may find it necessary:
* Parts that have variable numbers of staves in the score or staves containing music for multiple

players: if a score has a staff for Horns 1+3 and also separate staves for Horn 1 and Horn 3
that are used at different points in the score for the sake of clarity, you will not be able to create
a part for Horn 1 or Horn 3 automatically, though you can create a combined Horn 1 and
Horn 3 dynamic part.
If a single staff in the score contains music for two players, such as Flutes 1.2., you will not be
able to create individual parts from Flute 1 and Flute 2 automatically. You may need to
extract the Flutes 1.2. part as two separate files, then edit each of them to remove the
unwanted player but see Multiple players on the same staff below before you go ahead
and extract parts.
* If you want the parts to be opened by Sibelius Student or an earlier version of Sibelius: You will
need to extract the parts from the score and subsequently export them as version 2, 3, 4 or Student files as appropriate.
* If you want to publish the parts on SibeliusMusic.com: Because Scorch cannot currently view
dynamic parts, you will need to extract the parts from the score and upload them separately to
SibeliusMusic.com.

If you make quite a few revisions to the score later, it may be quicker to re-extract some or all of
the parts than to revise them.

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Parts

You should always aim to extract parts as late as possible. If you need to revise a score at a later
date, this will keep any corresponding changes you need to make to the parts to a minimum.

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6. Dynamic parts

Extract Parts dialog

To extract parts, click the Extract Parts button (
below appears:

) on the Parts window. The dialog shown

At the left of the dialog you can select the parts to extract. You can select one part to extract just
that one, add individual parts to the selection with Ctrl+click or X-click, add consecutive parts
with Shift-click, or click and drag down the list to add consecutive parts with the mouse.
Ignoring the remaining options (which well deal with in a minute), click OK, and in just seconds
the part(s) will be saved and re-opened in Sibelius as separate files.
The other options in the dialog are as follows:
* Sibelius saves the extracted parts into the path entered in Save to folder. You can enter a path

manually or click Browse to locate the directory.

Sibelius allows you to create useful filenames for each of the parts being saved using codes. Sibelius lists its recognized codes on the dialog. By way of example, if your score were called Opus 1
and you were extracting the 2nd oboe part, entering a filename of %f - %p (part %n of
%o).sib would evaluate to Opus 1 - 2nd Oboe (part 4 of 29).sib.
By default, Sibelius names the parts in a sensible format including the scores filename, the part
name and the date and time the parts were saved.
* If you switch View parts now off, you can extract and save a set of parts without having them
appear on the screen. If you leave this option switched on, you will have to close all of the parts
(using e.g. File > Close All) after they have been extracted.

Multiple players on the same staff

Though dynamic parts arent always suitable for situations where multiple players (e.g. Horn 1+2)
share the same staff, they can provide some efficiency gains if you keep both the Horn 1+2 staff
and two separate Horn 1 and Horn 2 staves in the score, so that you can easily make edits to all
three staves while being able to see them all at once. To do this:
* In the full score, write the music on a combined Horn 1+2 staff (or alternating this with sepa-

rate staves)
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6.4 Extracting parts

* When youve finished the music, add separate Horn 1 and 2 staves and copy/filter the music

across to them from the combined Horn 1+2 staff, as described in Extracting individual
players below.
* Create a dynamic part (called, say, Conductors score) consisting of all the instruments
except the new separate Horn 1 and 2 staves (see Adding or removing staves from parts
on page 482). Print this for the conductor. Print the separate Horn 1 and 2 staves (rather than
the combined staff) as the horns parts.
* If you need to revise anything in the horns in future, just make the same revisions (in the full
score) to the combined Horn 1+2 staff and the separate Horn 1 and 2 staves.

Extracting individual players

As described in b 2.14 Instruments, sometimes you will have separately numbered players in
the score for which you need to extract individual parts e.g. Trumpets 1, 2 and 3. How this is
done depends on the case:
* If the players jump from staff to staff, youll need to extract more than one staff into the same

part. For instance, if your score has instruments called Trumpets 1.2.3, Trumpets 1.2 and
Trumpet 3, and you want to get the Trumpet 3 part, you should extract Trumpets 1.2.3 and
Trumpet 3 into the same part, then delete any notes not played by Trumpet 3. You can use filters to help with this last stage (b 5.4 Filters and Find). As in the score, you may need to put
system breaks in the part where a player jumps from one staff to another, so that you can hide
the unused staves on either side of the changeover point.
* If there are just two players (e.g. Flutes 1 and 2) that sometimes or always share the same staff,
you can extract both players into the same part and then remove the unwanted notes using filters read on.

In this example, the music is sometimes in two-note chords, sometimes in unison (a 2) and sometimes in two voices.
Sibelius has built-in filters to make extracting individual players as simple as a few mouse clicks.
The Edit > Filter > Player 1 (For Deletion) and Player 2 (For Deletion) filters are specifically
designed for this purpose.
* View the Flute 1 & 2 staff or staves as a single dynamic part. You should at this point make any

changes that you know you will need to make to both players, such as removing collisions
between objects, or adding cues.
* Extract the part
* Make a copy of the extracted part using File > Save As, calling it, say, Flute 2

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Parts

The most common of the above cases is the last one, where two players share the same staff, as in
the example below for two flutes:

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6. Dynamic parts
* To make the Flute 1 part, select in turn each section that is for both flutes as a passage, choose
Edit > Filter > Player 2 (For Deletion), then hit Delete twice to delete the Flute 2 music the

first Delete turns unwanted notes in extra voices into rests, and the second Delete hides these
rests. If your music contained sections of chords in one voice, as in the example above, you will
need to filter for the rests specifically, as simply hitting Delete again will also delete some of the
Flute 1 notes, which remain selected after you hit Delete for the first time.
* Leave any sections of music where only Flute 1 is playing, as indicated by e.g. 1. above the staff.
But any sections where one flute plays and the other has explicit rests (using two voices) can be
handled by the Player 2 (For Deletion) filter.
* Youll be left with the Flute 1 part, all dynamics, text and so on intact. Edit the instrument name
to read Flute 1:

* To make the Flute 2 part, open the copy of the extracted part and follow the same procedure,
using Edit > Filter > Player 1 (For Deletion). After adjusting the instrument name, checking

articulations and so on, you should have:

One case that these filters cannot automatically deal with is where a mixture of two-note chords
and multiple voices occur in the same bar, such as:
In this instance, filtering, say, Player 2 (For Deletion) would leave the
two eighth notes (quavers) at the end of the bar unselected. Sibelius
always assumes that, within a single bar, if there are multiple voices then
each voice constitutes a player; so to get the correct results, you should
ensure that voices are used consistently within the same bar. In this particular case, simply selecting the lower pair of eighth notes and swapping them into voice 2 (shortcut Alt+2 or z2) would
do the trick.
These Player filters can only cope with separating two players, not three (such as our three trumpets described above).
Dont try to use the Player filters to select a particular player and then copy it this may well not
copy all the music you intended. For further details about filters, b 5.4 Filters and Find.

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7. Layout & engraving

Layout
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7. Layout & engraving

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7.1 Layout and formatting

7.1 Layout and formatting

b 2.23 Staves, 6.1 Working with parts, 5.19 View menu, 7.2 Music engraving,
7.3 Auto Layout, 7.4 Breaks, 7.5 Document Setup, 7.6 Attachment, 7.8 Note spacing, 7.9 Staff spacing.
v Layout and House Style.

Layout means how music looks on the page. Formatting is the process of creating a good layout.
Sibelius knows so much about music engraving that it automatically formats music to produce an
instant, excellent layout. In most other music notation programs, formatting is largely left up to
the user, which can waste hours of time.
But Sibelius also lets you adjust the layout manually. Described below is the armory of methods at
your disposal; most of these options are on the Layout menu. For instance, you can put your own
page-turns into parts, or force a score to fit into a convenient number of pages.
Because Sibelius reformats the score in a fraction of a second, you can instantly adjust the layout
at any stage, even when the music is finished, which eliminates the need to plan layout in advance.
The three main weapons in your formatting armory are to adjust the page and staff size, the vertical spacing, and the horizontal spacing. There are also options to force a passage of music to fit
into a system or page, and to lock the music so that it cant reformat.

Page and staff size

The bluntest tools are changing the staff, margin and/or page sizes in the Layout > Document
Setup dialog (shortcut Ctrl+D or XD). Altering these is one way to increase or reduce the number of pages in a score, or to free up some space between the staves.

Equally, a small adjustment to the margins or even the page size can have a large effect on the layout. Of course, for practical reasons altering these may not be options open to you.
For detailed instructions on these options, b 7.5 Document Setup.

Vertical spacing
Changing the vertical spacing means, in effect, moving the staves. The various options open to
you are:
* Moving staves up and down to change the gap between them b 7.9 Staff spacing
* Moving systems up and down, by dragging the top staff of the system b 7.9 Staff spacing
* Modifying the House Style > Engraving Rules settings for staff and system justification
b 7.9 Staff spacing

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Layout

Adjusting the staff size (the distance between the top and bottom staff lines of a 5-line staff) is
generally the most effective. You will find that a tiny adjustment often has a dramatic effect on the
amount of music that can fit on a page, without affecting the legibility of the notes. For instance,
in an orchestral score this might tip the balance between fitting one system per page and fitting
two, thus halving the length of the score.

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7. Layout & engraving

* Hiding empty staves b 2.23 Staves
* Creating a page break; this is an easy way to reduce the number of staves on a page, particularly

in parts. The remaining staves will be spaced out proportionally without you having to drag
them b 7.4 Breaks.

Horizontal spacing
Changing horizontal spacing means changing the distance between notes, rests and barlines
b 7.8 Note spacing.

System and page breaks

If you need to change Sibeliuss default formatting, you can insert manual system and page breaks
at any barline b 7.4 Breaks.

Make Into System/Page

You can force any passage to fit into a system or a page. Simply select the passage, then from the
Layout > Format submenu choose Make Into System (shortcut Shift+Alt+M or xzM) or
Make Into Page (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+M or xzXM). It will remain locked as a system or
page thereafter, even if you reformat the score.
To undo this, unlock the format (see below).
As with other formatting overrides, you should not routinely make passages into systems/pages.
Doing so can produce undesirable formatting elsewhere if you dont know what youre doing it
is intended for special circumstances only.

Keep Bars Together

It is sometimes desirable to ensure that two or three bars should always appear on the same system. To achieve this, select the bars you want to keep together, and choose Layout > Format >
Keep Bars Together.

Make Layout Uniform

If you want to set a constant number of bars per system, and/or systems per page, choose
Plug-ins > Other > Make Layout Uniform. For details on how to use this plug-in, b 5.11 Plugins.

Lock Format
If you have input a passage of music that requires very special formatting that you dont want to
mess up, you can lock it. This stops the bars from reflowing onto other systems (though it doesnt
prevent spacing changes within a system, e.g. moving a note left or right). To lock the format, simply select the passage in question and choose Layout > Format > Lock Format (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+L or xXL).
When you lock the format or use Layout > Format > Make Into System/Page, invisible elves and
pixies place little layout symbols on each barline to stop the bars moving around. These icons are
visible when View > Layout Marks is switched on.

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7.1 Layout and formatting

Unlock Format
To undo Lock Format, re-select the bars and choose Layout > Format > Unlock Format (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+U or xXU). This makes the blue icons disappear, and the bars are free to flow
from system to system once more.
Unlock Format also removes page breaks, system breaks, and undoes Make Into System/Page,
Keep Bars Together and the effects of the Make Layout Uniform plug-in.

Auto Layout
The Auto Layout dialog lets you specify various sensible places for Sibelius to put system and page
breaks for you, particularly in parts b 7.3 Auto Layout.

Indenting staves
You can drag the left-hand and right-hand ends of systems to indent them b 2.23 Staves.

Reset Position
You can move objects to their default position by making a selection and choosing Layout > Reset
Position (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP).
The specific effects this has for some particular objects are:
* Text and rehearsal marks: aligns with notes, and realigns rows of lyrics and chord symbols
* Symbols: aligns with notes e.g. for putting an ornament over a note
* Lines: snaps the ends to notes, and makes any non-magnetic slurs go magnetic. The House
Style > Default Positions dialog lets you set the exact default position relative to the note.
* Tuplets: makes any non-magnetic tuplets (such as any created with Sibelius 1.4 or earlier) go

magnetic
* Accidentals: resets the horizontal position of accidentals
* Beam angles and stem lengths: resets these to the default settings (as with Notes > Reset Stems
and Beam Positions).

You can also hold down Shift when copying objects with Alt+click or z-click, which automatically puts the copied objects directly in their default positions.

Reset to Score Position

Acts in the same way as Reset Position, except that objects in the part are set to use the same
position as they appear in the full score. If this feature is used in a full score, Sibelius will reset the
position in all the parts in which the object appears.

Reset Design
If you make changes to the appearance (rather than the position) of an object, you can reset an
items design to its default using Layout > Reset Design (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+D or xXD).

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Layout

You can also use the mouse to move objects to sensible positions: hold Shift, then drag the
selected object. For text, lines, and symbols, this snaps them to their default vertical position, and
then constrains their movement vertically (i.e. you can only move them horizontally). Beware that
Shift-drag only works on single objects.

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7. Layout & engraving

The specific effects on particular objects are as follows:
* Unhides hidden beams, flags or hooks
* Unhides deleted instances of system text (e.g. Tempo text or rehearsal marks)
* Resets the scale factor of imported graphics
* Resets the curvature and symmetry of slurs and ties
* Resets text objects to their default formatting.

Reset to Score Design

Acts in the same way as Reset Design, except that objects in the part revert to the same appearance as they have in the full score. If this feature is used in a full score, Sibelius will reset the design
in all the parts in which the object appears.
For more information on Reset to Score Position and Reset to Score Design, b 7.3 Auto
Layout and Resetting objects in parts on page 485.

Align objects
To align several selected objects in a row/column, choose Layout > Align in a Row (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+R or xXR) or Layout > Align in a Column (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+C or xXC). The
line the objects end up in is the average of their original horizontal/vertical positions.
This is particularly useful for aligning lyrics, chord symbols, chord diagrams, etc. along a staff.
Usefully, if you select a number of objects attached to different staves (e.g. with Ctrl+click or Xclick), Layout > Align in a Row aligns them to the same distance above or below the staff to which
they are attached.
Layout > Align in a Row also works on system text styles: you can use it to align e.g. tempo and
metronome marks. However, it cant be used to align system objects with staff objects, and nor
can you use it to align text styles with different default vertical positions with each other (e.g. you
cant align Composer text with Subtitle text, etc.).
If you need to quickly align lots of lyrics, use Plug-ins > Text > Align Lyrics b 5.11 Plug-ins.
Hint: to select all similar text objects (e.g. all lyrics, or all rehearsal marks) in a staff or system
before aligning, select one object and choose Edit > Select > Select More (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+A
or xXA).

Rulers and graph paper

Sibelius can draw rulers on the screen to help you align objects and make precise adjustments to
the layout of your score b 5.19 View menu.
You can also choose the Paper, graph texture in the Textures page of File > Preferences (in the
Sibelius menu on Mac), which draws a grid on your score. The grid lines are 1 space apart when
viewed at 100%.

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7.2 Music engraving

7.2 Music engraving

b 7.1 Layout and formatting, 7.7 House Style, 7.8 Note spacing, 7.9 Staff spacing.

This topic summarizes the key principles of music engraving, the subtle art that underlies most of
what Sibelius does. Although this is only a very brief introduction to this huge subject, learning a
little about it will improve the appearance of your scores and help you to acquire an eye for good
music engraving.

Brief history
Sibelius represents the latest stage of a tradition that is many centuries old. Music notation dates
from the 12th century, and music printing from the 15th century. Various methods that have
been used to reproduce (engrave) music include:
* Hand copying
* Plate engraving: cutting or stamping music directly onto printing plates using special tools.

This high quality but extraordinarily laborious technique was the leading technology for centuries.
* Moveable type: also widely used since the 15th century
* Music typewriters, brushing ink through stencils, and Not-a-set (dry transfer symbols on a
translucent sheet, like Letraset) were also in use during the 20th century.
Music engraving technologies changed little in centuries; a hand-copyist writing out music for
publication in 1990 would have been easily recognizable to a monk performing the same task in
1190.
But during the 1990s, computerization brought about a sudden and total revolution in music
engraving, with Sibelius playing a major part. In just a decade, the old technologies were almost
entirely abandoned (with the exception of the oldest technology of all writing out music by
hand).

What music engraving is

Music engraving is the art of reproducing music notation clearly. It is rather like typography just
as typography is about the design and positioning of letters and the layout of text on the page,
music engraving governs the design and positioning of musical symbols and the layout of music
on the page.
Music engraving is not the same as music notation anyone who can read music knows about
music notation, but few musicians know about music engraving. Continuing the analogy with
text, music notation is like spelling and grammar it says in general how to write music down,
but not the specifics of precisely how and where to draw the symbols; those crucial details are the
domain of music engraving.
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Layout

Even printing on paper is no longer an essential end result of music engraving, thanks to electronic publishing via the Internet (b 5.16 SibeliusMusic.com). History is in the making.

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7. Layout & engraving

It takes considerable experience to be able to recognize and gauge the subtleties of music engraving. The trained eye can easily tell which publisher a score is from, or which computer program or
other method was used to produce it whereas to most musicians, the engraving of all scores
looks much the same. (This is because good engraving should be invisible to the untrained eye;
engraving only sticks out when its badly done.)
This also means that music engraving is a highly refined art, concerned with subtleties many of
which may seem pedantic (and a few of which are). Fortunately Sibelius handles most of these
subtleties automatically, so you dont need to know about them.

Engraving rules
Few books are available on music engraving it is a tradition that for centuries has been handed
down mainly by word of mouth, from master to apprentice. It is governed by hundreds of socalled engraving rules, many originating in the 19th century when music publishing attained a
really high level of quality.
A set of engraving rules, together with things like music symbol designs, constitute a music publishers house style. Though called engraving rules, most are actually just conventions, as few are
used universally and even the most respected publishers differ in the rules they adhere to. Nonetheless, engravers and publishers can become very attached to the particular rules they use themselves, and protest bitterly that theirs are the best or even the only correct ones.
Sibelius automatically applies hundreds of engraving rules to your score, some of which have
never been formulated before. It uses the most standard rules by default, and advanced users can
adjust these to their taste from the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog. Sibelius reformats
your entire score using these rules in a tenth of a second whenever you change it in any way
even if you make a drastic alteration such as changing the page size.
Even so, Sibelius is not a perfect music engraver.
This is simply because engraving rules themselves are imperfect: some are too vague to computerize, and many dont deal with all cases, sometimes requiring adjustment by eye (i.e. to look right).
Sometimes rules conflict, making it necessary to break one rule in order to avoid breaking a more
important one. These situations are best left to human engravers to resolve; Sibelius can be no
better than the engraving rules themselves. We can put this as an Aristotelian syllogism:
* Music engraving rules are imperfect (and sometimes need adjustment by eye)
* Sibelius uses music engraving rules
* Therefore Sibeliuss music engraving is imperfect (and sometimes needs adjustment by eye).

There are however a few universal rules, and one absolutely fundamental one:

Rule 1: Clarity
The music should look as clear as possible.
No other engraving rule can override this one; if something looks unclear, it is incorrect. Because
of this, adjustments to the dictates of engraving rules are often made by eye; and in the various
situations for which no specific rule has been formulated, the fallback is also to go by eye.

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When you are more experienced at music engraving, you should expect to make quite a few
adjustments to your score by eye. But for now its sufficient to rely on Sibelius to follow the rules.
Why is clarity the fundamental rule? The purpose of music engraving is to enable you to read a
score without conscious thought, such as having to consider what a particular rhythm or chord is,
which note a particular lyric, dynamic or articulation applies to, and so on. By contrast, a poorly
engraved (unclear) score can easily trip you up and cause mistakes, particularly in sight-reading,
without your quite knowing why. We have all come across scores like this even published ones.

Rule 2: Avoid collisions

When objects in music notation overlap they become hard to read, and unclear. So to avoid
breaching Rule 1, you should follow this second rule:
Avoid collisions between different objects.
Many engraving rules are effectively ways of avoiding collisions, and fortunately Sibelius incorporates most of these. For example, when two voices cross, Sibelius displaces one to the left or right
to avoid colliding with the other; when writing long syllables in lyrics, Sibelius allows extra room
for them by increasing the gap between the notes.
Even though Sibelius incorporates these rules, it cannot always avoid collisions, because there are
not strict rules for how to resolve all collisions in tight situations the engraving may have to be
reorganized by eye to fit an object in. For example, if a dynamic collides with the stem of a note,
you may want to move the dynamic left or right or possibly into the staff, depending on how clear
these would look; or in a very tight situation you may even decide to leave the dynamic where it is,
and shorten the stem instead.
Such high-level decisions cannot be formulated into rules, and so they are your responsibility to
resolve, not Sibeliuss. Even though you may not be an experienced music engraver, you should
nonetheless remove any collisions that occur.
A few types of collision are permitted as they are almost unavoidable and arent particularly
unclear. The main ones are ties, slurs and hairpins crossing a barline that joins two staves. Slurs
are also permitted to go into staves, though text and most lines and symbols are not (except in
very tight situations).

The main unit of music engraving is the space, which is the distance between adjacent staff lines.
This unit is relative rather than absolute because everything in music is in proportion to the staff
size; the absolute size of notes, text etc. is less important. (Sibelius even uses a relative rather than
absolute point size for text.) Almost all engraving rules use spaces as their unit; inches and millimeters are only really relevant when deciding page and margin sizes.

Horizontal layout: note spacing

The horizontal layout of music is basically about note spacing. There are lots of objects other than
notes, but they are mostly positioned relative to notes; e.g. articulations, slurs, lyrics and dynamics go above/below the notes they apply to.

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Notes and rests are spaced depending on their note values. The spacings Sibelius uses are in its
House Style > Note Spacing Rule dialog. For example, a quarter note (crotchet) has 3.5 spaces
after it, a half note (minim) has 5.94 spaces, and a whole note (semibreve) has 8.19 spaces. Different publishers use slightly different spacings.
A quick mental calculation will prove to you that the space after a note or rest is not proportional
to its note value: if it were, a whole note (semibreve) would have 4 x 3.5 spaces (for a quarter note)
= 14 spaces after it, rather than 8.19. The reason note spacing is not proportional is that, if it were,
very short notes would have to be crammed illegibly close together, and long notes would waste
huge amounts of space.
If several simultaneous staves or voices have different rhythms at the same time, which ones
notes are used to set the note spacing? The answer is that the shortest note or rest at any point
determines the spacing: so if a piano right hand is playing quarter notes (crotchets) while the left
hand is playing whole notes (semibreves), its the quarter notes that determine the spacing, and
the whole notes are just positioned in alignment with them. However, it gets much harder to keep
the spacing looking good when there are lots of staves (e.g. orchestral/band scores) and complicated cross-rhythms such as tuplets.
Because note spacing is not proportional, bars are not of equal width bars with shorter notes are
wider (perhaps paradoxically):

This means that there is not normally a constant number of bars per system. (Jazz and commercial music is often written out with e.g. four bars per system, but this is an exception.)
One adjustment made to the basic note spacing is justification: notes need to be spread out somewhat to ensure that a whole number of bars fills the width of the page. The way this is done is that
as many bars as possible are fitted into the width of the page (using the note spacings above), and
then any leftover space is added evenly between all the notes, spreading them out until they reach
the right margin. This is exactly like the justification of words to fill a line in a word processor.
Various other spacing adjustments are also made: extra room needs to be allowed for things like
accidentals, rhythm dots, leger lines, tails on up-pointing stems (as they stick out), barlines, grace
notes, back-notes (noteheads on the wrong side of the stem in clustery chords), crossing voices,
lyrics, and changes of clef, key and time signature.
Again, Sibelius automates all of this using a complex algorithm called the Optical spacing rule
though thats not to say that you shouldnt sometimes adjust it by eye. In particular, you should
consider adjusting the note spacing if it gets particularly uneven due to widely varying note values
or complicated lyrics; b 7.8 Note spacing for advice on this.

Vertical layout: staff spacing

Vertical layout is rather less precise than horizontal layout. But just as horizontal layout is basically about where notes go (other objects being positioned relative to them), vertical layout is basically about staff spacing. The vertical positions of other objects such as notes, rests, clefs, time
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signatures, instrument names, titles, bar numbers and rehearsal marks are determined relative to
the staves they belong to.
Broadly speaking, staves should have the same distance between them, with a slightly wider gap
between systems, and often a wider gap between instrumental families in large scores (e.g. for
orchestra or band). As it happens, Sibelius does not automatically add this latter gap, but you can
do it easily enough yourself (by selecting the top staff of a family throughout the score and moving
it down).
Scores are often justified vertically to spread staves down to the bottom margin, in a similar fashion to the horizontal justification of notes. Sibelius does this automatically if the page is more than
half full (and, as usual, you can adjust the specifics from the Engraving Rules dialog).
However, its sometimes necessary to allow extra space between staves or to reposition other
objects to avoid collisions between (say) high or low notes on one staff and objects on an adjacent
one. This is a classic case of adjustment by eye, which you should do yourself.
Another reason to move staves around is to align corresponding staves on facing pages. This is
useful for orchestral/band scores, to make it easier for the conductor to read a particular instruments music across from one page to another. Sibeliuss Layout > Align Staves dialog automates
this for you (b 7.9 Staff spacing).

Further information
In particular, b 7.8 Note spacing and 7.1 Layout and formatting for various ways to
improve your scores appearance in Sibelius.
There are numerous other engraving rules, too many to bore you with here; though many of them
are summarized in other topics in this Reference, either in boxes (particularly for non-automatic
rules) or under the Engraving Rules options heading at the end of the topic. Most rules are
automatically handled by Sibelius, so you dont need to know much about them.
Should you be slavering for further information on music engraving, a good book on the basics for
those new to the subject is the small, inexpensive but very readable Essential Dictionary of Music
Notation (Alfred Publishing). There are various large, expensive and not-so-readable books for
the more advanced engraver.

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If you leave this topic with just two morsels of information, please apply Rules 1 and 2 given
above: avoid collisions, and above all else, make your score look clear.

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7.3 Auto Layout

b 2.19 Multirests, 6.1 Working with parts, 7.1 Layout and formatting, 7.4 Breaks.
v Dynamic parts.

Sibelius can create system and page breaks for you automatically at a musically convenient place
using Layout > Auto Layout, which saves a lot of time when formatting parts. You can also use
these options in scores if you wish.

Laying out parts

In parts, its helpful to put page breaks where there are one or more bars rest on the right-hand
page, so that the player has time to turn the page. Sibeliuss Layout > Auto Layout feature takes
care of all this for you, and updates the layout whenever necessary, so if you insert bars, put notes
in empty bars etc., the layout may change to put a page break at a different convenient point.
Its also useful to put system breaks at particular points in the music, such as at changes of tempo,
key, rehearsal marks or multirests, to make these objects easier to see at a glance.
By default, auto layout is switched off in scores, but Sibelius switches it on in parts. To change how
Sibelius lays out the page, choose Layout > Auto Layout, or you can change one or more parts
simultaneously by clicking Auto Layout on the Layout page of Multiple Part Appearance
(b 6.3 Multiple Part Appearance). In either case you will see this dialog:

Auto system breaks

* Use auto system breaks allows the user to choose whether or not to use auto system breaks.

Sibelius can either create system breaks regularly after a specified number of bars, or otherwise
add system breaks at points in the part where a separation of the material either side of the
break is likely to assist in visually representing a musical change

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* If you wish Sibelius to add system breaks at regular intervals, choose Every n bars and enter the

number of bars you want per system. If you want regular system breaks for only a section of
music rather than the whole score, use the Make Layout Uniform plug-in instead
(b 5.11 Plug-ins).
* Using At or before, Sibelius will add system breaks where specific objects appear:
% Rehearsal marks: when switched on, Sibelius makes rehearsal marks go at the start of a system
% Tempo text: Sibelius will make tempo text appear at the start of a system
% Double barlines generally indicate the end of a section, so if you wish to make the musical
division more obvious, switch on this option to add a system break where a double barline
appears
% Key changes: when switched on, Sibelius will add a system break before a change of key, so
that the new key signature is displayed at the start of a system. (This only applies to key or
instrument changes at the end of a bar, not in the middle of a bar.)
% Multirests of n bars of more: to add system breaks after multirests of a given length,
switch on this option
% System must be n% full: to prevent Sibelius from spacing the music too widely, use this
option to set a minimum threshold for an auto break to appear.

Auto system breaks appear as a dotted system break mark, like this:
They are orange because
they appear in the part but not the score (if View > Differences in Parts is on).

Auto page breaks

* Use auto page breaks allows you to choose whether Sibelius should create automatic page

* Page must be n% full prevents Sibelius from putting auto page turns very early in the page

because the page wouldnt have enough music on and would look odd
* Add warnings at difficult page turns puts a printed warning in the margin after the final bar
of the page if there isnt a suitable place for an auto page break. The default warning is V.S.
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breaks at convenient places. All the other Page Break options will be disabled if Use auto page
breaks is switched off.
* At final barlines: when switched on, Sibelius will add a page break after a final barline. This is
useful when working on scores that contain more than one movement, piece or song.
* At bar rests: makes Sibelius add a page break after rests to enable easier page turns, with these
options:
% Choose whether you want Sibelius to look for auto page breaks After every page or After
right-hand pages (i.e. odd-numbered pages). If the players will be reading off single sheets,
you should choose After every page; if they will use two-page spreads, choose After righthand pages.
% After n or more bar rests determines the minimum number of bar rests before an auto
page break (and hence the time needed to turn the page)
% Prefer longer rest before page break makes Sibelius break the page after a longer multirest rather than a shorter one (given the choice) to allow more time for turning, even if this
means fitting less music on the page.

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(which stands for verso subito, Italian for turn quickly), but you can also use your own text or
the Spectacles symbol if you wish.
(If you want to use a different symbol, edit the spectacles symbol in the Layout Marks row of
the House Style > Edit Symbols dialog b 7.15 Edit Symbols.)
If you want to remove a warning from the end of a particular page, just put a manual page break
there (see below), to show that the break is intentional.
If you switch on View > Layout Marks, a symbol showing whether Sibelius has found a good ( )
or a bad ( ) page break will appear on the screen (but wont print) at the end of right-hand pages
(or every page).

Suppressing auto page and system breaks

There may be some circumstances under which you want to suppress an automatic system or
page break. To do this:
* Select the barline whose auto break you wish to suppress
* In the Layout > Break submenu, choose System Break (shortcut Return, on the main keyboard) or Page Break (shortcut Ctrl+Return or X-Return). The auto break symbol will appear

with a cross through it to indicate it has been suppressed.

Because Sibelius obeys normal page breaks, system breaks and other formatting when deciding
where to put an auto break, you can override auto breaks by selecting the bars you want to be on
the page or system and using Layout > Format > Make Into Page or (less likely) Layout >
Format > Make Into System.
If you select the barline on which there is an auto system or page break and change its break type,
the break will go through three states: auto, suppressed and manual.

Multirests
Layout > Auto Layout also contains options for determining the appearance of multirests in your
parts (or even the score if you wish):
* Use multirests: as already mentioned, when switched on, Sibelius will notate multiple consec-

utive bars rest as multirests. This is switched on by default in parts. When switched off, the
other settings regarding the appearance of multirests are disabled.
* Empty sections between final barlines: if a passage of music between the start of a score and
the final barline or between subsequent final barlines is empty, Sibelius can prevent multirests
from being broken at time signature changes, Tempo text and the like, and simply display
a single tacet multirest spanning a systems width. You can use this option in both scores and
parts that contain no music. You can also manually set the text that appears above the multirest.
* Automatically split multirests: by default, Sibelius will only split multirests at points in the
score or part where this is absolutely necessary (e.g. at changes of time signature or at double
barlines). However, if your piece follows a regular phrasing pattern, you may find it useful to
switch on this setting, choosing one of these two options:

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% Split into groups of n bars: when switched on, Sibelius will divide multirests up into

groups of n bars. For example, if a part has 14 bars rest and this option is set to 8, Sibelius
will write two multirests, the first of eight bars length and the second, six.
% Split where bar numbers are multiples of n breaks a multirest at multiples of n bars from
bar one, taking any bar number changes into account. For example, if you type 8 here, and a
12-bar multirest begins at bar 3, the multirest will split into two multirests of 6 bars each, the
division between the two falling at bar 9; this means multirests will always split at the end of
regular 8-bar phrases, such as in much jazz, pop and show music.
For more information about multirests, b 2.19 Multirests.

Layout
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7.4 Breaks
b 3.7 Page numbers, 7.1 Layout and formatting, 7.3 Auto Layout, 7.5 Document

Setup.
v Layout and House Style.

Breaks are points in the music where you force a system or a page to end, such as at the end of a
section. Think of them like starting a new paragraph or a new page in a word processor: generally,
a word processor takes care of flowing the words and sentences in paragraphs automatically, and
you only need to hit Return when you want to start a new paragraph; more rarely, you need to hit
Ctrl+Return or X-Return to insert a page break and start a new page.
Its much the same in Sibelius: it takes care of flowing bars and systems into pages for you automatically, and you only need to insert a break when you need a particular bar to occur at the start
of a new system or page, except in special cases like for title pages or other pages with no music on
(e.g. to facilitate a page turn in an instrumental part). To emphasize the analogy with word processors, Sibelius even uses the same shortcuts for breaks as most word processors.
Sibelius can even insert explicit system and page breaks for you automatically, which can be a
huge time-saver, particularly for parts b 7.3 Auto Layout.
For general advice on the layout of your score, b 7.1 Layout and formatting.

Adding or removing manual system or page breaks

To add a manual system or page break at any point in the score or part:
* Select the barline at which you want to break
* In the Layout > Break submenu, choose System Break (shortcut Return, on the main keyboard) or Page Break (shortcut Ctrl+Return or X-Return).

The music will spread out so it ends at the specified point more specifically, Sibelius spreads out
the two systems leading up to the break. Thereafter, the bar ending with the break will always go
at the end of a system or page.
To remove a break that you previously created, just do exactly the same as above, or select the layout mark symbol that appears above the barline (see Viewing breaks below) and hit Delete.

Where to put system breaks

Though Sibeliuss Auto Layout feature can do most of this for you, you may wish to force system
breaks:
* at the end of sections of music (e.g. at a repeat barline)
* at the end of sections in parts, especially when the next section has a new title at the start. In

parts, its usually better to use system breaks instead of page breaks so you dont get huge gaps
in the part.
* where instruments divide onto two staves or rejoin onto one, so you dont get sequences of bar
rests that arent performed by anyone.
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7.4 Breaks
Do not routinely put system breaks at the end of normal systems as this will cause formatting
problems if you change the music. If in doubt, dont use a system break.

Where to put page breaks

Though Sibeliuss Auto Layout feature can do this for you, you may wish to force page breaks:
* at a convenient point on right-hand pages in parts, so that the performer doesnt have to turn

the page while playing

* at the end of sections, especially when the next section has a new title at the start.
Do not routinely put manual page breaks at the end of every page, as this will be likely to impair
the formatting if you change the music in any way. If you really must use a break, normally you
can use a system break (because a system break on the last system on a page is effectively the same
as a page break, but will have less impact on layout if you reformat the score); if in doubt, dont
use a page break.

Special page breaks

Sometimes its necessary to have pages without music on in your score; for example, you may
want one or more title pages at the front of your score, or perhaps a page for performance directions between movements, or even a blank page to facilitate a page turn later on in an instrumental part. You may also need to change the margins on different pages of the score, e.g. to leave
more room for titles and other text at the top of the first page.
Sibelius makes it easy to create all of these using a special kind of page break, called (funnily
enough) a special page break, which allows you to create one or more blank pages, as well as
change the page and staff margins of subsequent pages (you dont have to create a blank page to
change the margins).
To create a special page break:
* Select the barline at which you want the break to occur; if you want to create blank pages at the

* If you want to create one or more blank pages, switch on the Blank page(s) checkbox, then

choose from the three kinds of blank page you can create:
% Number of blank pages n inserts a fixed number of blank pages
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start of your score, select the initial barline of the first bar (i.e. the barline to the left of the initial
clef and key signature), or use Create > Title Page instead see below
* Choose Layout > Break > Special Page Break (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Return or xX-Return). A
simple dialog appears:

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% Music restarts on next left-hand page will only insert a blank page if the barline to which

the special page break is attached is at the end of a left-hand (i.e. even-numbered) page. This
option is useful when preparing instrumental parts and you want to ensure a certain pair of
pages will appear together as a spread without needing a page turn between them. As the layout of the score changes (e.g. you add or remove bars before the bar where the special page
break occurs), the blank page will appear and disappear as appropriate.
% Music restarts on next right-hand page will only insert a blank page if the special page
break comes at the end of a right-hand (i.e. odd-numbered) page. As above, this is useful in
some situations when preparing instrumental parts.
* If you want to change the margins on the pages following the special page break, switch on New
margins, then click Margins, which shows another dialog see Changing page and staff
margins with special page breaks below. (Notice that you can choose Blank pages and
New margins independently of each other, allowing you to change the page and staff margins
without inserting a blank page, and vice versa.)
* Click OK and the special page break is created. As with other kinds of breaks, Sibelius shows a
helpful light blue symbol above the barline where the special page break occurs.
Alternatively, if you simply want to create a single blank page, you can select the barline after
which you want the blank page to appear (or choose the initial barline at the start of bar 1 to create
a title page before the first page of music), then choose Special Page Break from the menu in the
Bars panel of Properties (b 5.14 Properties).

Creating a title page

You can create a title page when you first create your score by switching on the Create title page
option on the final page of the File > New dialog. If you want to create a title page later, simply
choose Create > Title Page. You can choose how many blank pages to add at the start of the score,
and Sibelius will also add title and composer text for you on the first blank page.
When adding title pages for parts, you may also want to print the name of the instrument the part
is for on the title page, in which case switch on the Include part name option.

Creating text and graphics on blank pages

Having created a page with no music on, chances are you wont want it to stay blank for long.
Note that you cant create normal staff text, lyrics or system text on a blank page because all those
kinds of text attach to bars or notes, which dont exist on blank pages. (As a consequence, its also
impossible to copy and paste staff or system text from a page with music on to a blank page.)
But instead, you can add text to blank pages using the text styles listed in the Create > Text >
Blank Page Text submenu b 3.1 Working with text. Running headers and footers (e.g.
page numbers, or Header (after first page) text) will appear on blank pages, the same way they
appear on pages with music on.
You can also add graphics to blank pages using Create > Graphic. Unlike text, you can copy and
paste graphics between pages of music and blank pages if you want to. For more information on
importing graphics, b 8.4 Importing graphics.

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Editing special page breaks

If you want to edit an existing special page break (e.g. to change the number of blank pages, or to
adjust the margins), simply select the barline at which the break occurs, or the layout mark above
the barline, and choose Layout > Break > Special Page Break.
The Special Page Break dialog will appear, showing you the current options for that special page
break. Make the required changes, then click OK. If you reduce the number of blank pages, Sibelius will warn you that any text or graphics on those blank pages will be deleted. When deleting
blank pages, Sibelius trims from the right, i.e. it deletes the rightmost blank page.

Deleting special page breaks

To delete a special page break, either select the layout mark above the barline at which the break
occurs and hit Delete. Alternatively, you can replace the special page break with another kind of
break (e.g. a system or page break) in the usual way.
When you delete a special page break that produces one or more blank pages, any text or graphics
on those blank pages is deleted too.

Changing page and staff margins with special page breaks

You can change the either or both the page and staff margins on the pages following a special page
break. In the Special Page Break dialog, switch on New margins, then click the Margins button.
The dialog that appears is based on Layout > Document Setup, but with the page and staff size
options disabled. For help with using this dialog, b 7.5 Document Setup.

Breaks and dynamic parts

Breaks that you create in the full score will affect the dynamic parts differently, depending on the
options you have chosen in Multiple Part Appearance (b 6.3 Multiple Part Appearance).
By default, though:
* Special page breaks in the full score are not shown in the parts, because you probably dont want

title pages and other front matter to be printed in every part

* Page breaks in the full score are turned into system breaks in the parts, because page breaks are

You can also create any break in a dynamic part without it affecting the full score. So if you need
(say) a blank page to facilitate a page turn, simply create it in the normal way in the part in question.
Notice that the layout marks that appear above barlines to show you which breaks are present can
appear in different colors in parts see Viewing breaks below.

Removing lots of breaks

To remove page and system breaks in the score or in a passage of bars:
* Select the bars in question (or type Ctrl+A or XA to select the whole score)
* Choose Layout > Format > Unlock Format (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+U or xXU).

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normally used to mark the start of a section or movement in the full score, which are normally
indicated just with system breaks in parts to save space
* System breaks in the full score are not shown in the parts, because system breaks are normally
used to tidy up the formatting in the full score and are irrelevant to the layout of the parts.

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The music will reformat back to how it was originally, including removing formatting produced
by the Layout > Format options. However, special page breaks are not removed by Unlock Format.

Viewing breaks
The View > Layout Marks option (on by default) shows system and page breaks and other formatting in the score like this:

It is possible to suppress auto system and page breaks, simply by toggling the break (e.g. to suppress a system break, select the barline and hit Return to suppress it). Sibelius shows that a break
has been suppressed by drawing a cross through it.
Layout marks can appear in different colors:
* Blue marks means breaks that are in the score, or showing through to the parts.
* Orange marks only appear in parts and mean breaks that exist only in the parts (when View >
Differences in Parts is switched on) b 6.1 Working with parts.
* Red break marks only appear when using auto page breaks, and mean a bad auto page break,
i.e. an unsuitable location b 7.1 Layout and formatting.

Notice that layout marks appear at both sides of a break: a system break, for example, shows a
symbol above the barline at the end of the system, and above the initial barline at the start of the
next system; a special page break shows a symbol above the barline at the end of the page, and
above the initial barline at the start of the next page with music on. You can select any layout mark
symbol and hit Delete to delete the break.

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7.5 Document Setup

7.5 Document Setup

b 5.13 Printing, 7.1 Layout and formatting, 7.4 Breaks.
v Layout and House Style.

The Layout > Document Setup dialog (shortcut Ctrl+D or XD) allows you to set up the page size,
staff size and margins of your score. Sibelius will reformat your score instantly for the new settings,
so you can try out different sizes or shapes of paper, or different staff sizes, to see what looks best.
Since this affects the amount of music per page and the number of pages in the score, you can use
Layout > Document Setup to fit your score onto any number of pages you want. b 7.1 Layout
and formatting for general advice on layout.

Changing the page settings

Choose Layout > Document Setup (shortcut Ctrl+D or XD). You can then adjust the page size,
page shape and staff size, as detailed below.

When you click OK, the score will be instantly reformatted using the new measurements. (If you
dont like how it ends up, just choose Edit > Undo!)

517

Layout

The preview shows how the first page will look with the settings youve chosen; click the arrows to
look through subsequent pages.

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7. Layout & engraving

Paper sizes
The Paper size list includes the following US and European paper sizes (although you can specify
any width or height you like):
Letter

8.5 x 11

216 x 279mm

Tabloid

11 x 17

279 x 432mm (sometimes known as B size)

A5

5.9 x 8.3

149 x 210mm (A4 folded in half)

B5

6.9 x 9.8

177 x 250mm

A4

8.3 x 11.7

210 x 297mm

B4

9.8 x 13.9

250 x 354mm

A3

11.7 x 16.5

297 x 420mm (twice as big as A4)

Band

5 x 7

127 x 178mm (usually landscape format)

Statement

5.5 x 8.5

140 x 216mm

Hymn

5.75 x 8.25

146 x 205mm

Octavo

6.75 x 10.5

171 x 267mm

Executive

7.25 x 10.5

184 x 266mm

Quarto

8.5 x 10.8

215 x 275mm

Concert

9 x 12

229 x 305mm

Folio

8.5 x 13

216 x 330mm

Legal

8.5 x 14

216 x 356mm

Part

9.5 x 12.5

241 x 317mm

Part

10 x 13

254 x 330mm

(The terms Octavo and Quarto refer to various other paper sizes too.)
You can switch between inches, millimeters and points using the buttons provided. 1 inch =
25.4mm (absolutely exactly), 1mm = 0.0397 inches (almost exactly), and 1 point = exactly 1/72
inch = 0.353mm (approximately).
Here are some recommended paper and staff sizes:
* Keyboard, songs, solo instrument: Letter/A4, 0.250.3/67mm staves
* Orchestral/band scores: Letter/Tabloid/A4/A3, 0.10.2/35mm staves
* Parts: Letter/Concert/A4/B4, 0.250.3/67mm staves
* Choral music: Letter/A4 or smaller, 0.2/5mm staves
* Books for beginners: Letter/A4, 0.30.4/810mm staves

All these page sizes are portrait format; landscape format is seldom used, except for organ, marching band and brass band music. Youll find that published music often doesnt correspond exactly
to any standard paper size.

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7.5 Document Setup

Staff size
The staff size is the distance from the center of the top staff line to the center of the bottom staff
line. Everything in a score is scaled to be in proportion to the staff size notes, clefs, text, etc.
You can either type in a staff size or click the little arrows to change it in small steps. Click and
hold the little arrows and watch the preview to see the effect of the staves growing and shrinking.
Although staff sizes vary considerably, you should take care to set one appropriate to the kind of
music you are writing. In general, if you set the staff size too small the performers will feel uncomfortable without necessarily knowing quite why. See above for recommended paper and staff sizes.
Sibelius wont change the staff size without your permission, so with lots of instruments on a
small page the staves may have to squash very close together (or even overlap!). To alleviate this,
simply pick a smaller staff size (or a larger page size).

Page margins
You can also set the page margins on the Layout > Document Setup dialog. Music can go right
up to the page margins, but not outside.
To make these margins visible in the score (as dashed blue lines), choose View > Page Margins.
Your score can have the Same margins on left- and right-facing pages (recommended for singlesided printing), Mirrored margins (sometimes called inside and outside margins), or Different margins on left- and right-facing pages. The top and bottom margins are always identical on
left- and right-facing pages.
Specifically, the margins are defined as follows (if Same is chosen):
* Top margin: where the top of the page number normally goes, if its at the top of the page
* Bottom margin: where the bottom of the page number normally goes, if its at the bottom of the

page
* Left margin: the left-hand side of the leftmost instrument name
* Right margin: the right-hand end of the staves.

Staff margins

It is common to require different top and bottom staff margins on the first page of a score, to
accommodate things like the title and the name of the composer at the top, and copyright or publisher details at the bottom. Fortunately this is easily done:

519

Layout

Staff margins control the distance between the top and bottom staves on a page and the top and
bottom page margins, and also the distance between the left-hand page margin and the left-hand
side of the system. This allows you to set the default position of the staves on the page.

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7. Layout & engraving

Type the staff margins you want to use for the first page of music in the score into the boxes on the
left, then switch on After first page and type the values you want to use for subsequent pages into
the boxes underneath the checkbox.
For the left-hand margin there are three different values, depending on whether the staves have
full instrument names, short instrument names (e.g. after the first page) or no instrument names.
(Settings for instrument names may be found on the Instruments page of the House Style >
Engraving Rules dialog b 2.14 Instruments.)
These values update automatically if you change the staff size or change the length of the instrument names themselves (e.g. by editing an existing name, adding new instruments, or creating an
instrument change). You cant specify these separately for different pages in the score, as they
update based on the width of the longest instrument name used in the entire score.

Changing Document Setup partway through a score

You cannot change the page size, orientation or staff size partway through a score, but you can
change the page and staff margins at any point using special page breaks see Changing page
and staff margins with special page breaks on page 515.

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7.6 Attachment

7.6 Attachment
In Sibelius, every object in a score, including notes, lines, text and so on, is attached both horizontally and vertically to the music so that it moves correctly when the format of the score changes.
This makes the music immune to any layout changes that may occur in future, which means you
dont have to go around cleaning everything up after making a major change to a score, such as
adding a new instrument.

Viewing attachment
When an object is selected, you can see what its attached to as a dashed gray arrow. This indicates
the staff the object is attached to and the rhythmic point on the staff. If you find the dashed arrow
irritating, switch off View > Attachment Lines. On the other hand, if you want to see all attachments in your score, type Ctrl+A or XA to select all the objects in the score. Likewise, if you want
to see all the objects attached to a single staff, simply triple-click it.
Sibelius can also draw rulers to show the precise distances between staves and attached objects
b 5.19 View menu.

Viewing attachment in parts

Viewing attachment in parts works in exactly the same way as it does in a full score. However,
attachment lines may be colored red with increasing intensity as the object is moved further away
from the place to which it is attached, to warn that you shouldnt be moving it that far
b 6.1 Working with parts.

Horizontal attachment
All objects are attached horizontally to a rhythmic position in the music. If you move a note left or
right, all notes at the same rhythmic position will move with it.
If an object is attached to a note, its attachment arrow will point to the note (or to the notes horizontal position). Anything you put directly over or near a note will remain attached to that note,
so if (say) a slur starts or ends at a note, the whole slur will stretch or contract in the future if necessary to follow the note around.

Because Sibelius copes with this itself, it saves you a large amount of cleaning up when making
major changes to the layout, such as creating bars or adding system or page breaks.

521

Layout

If an object is in between two notes, it will attach to an in-between rhythmic position. This means
that an object halfway between two notes will always stay halfway in between, even if the size of
the gap changes. Heres a classic case, where the ends of the hairpins and the f stay proportionally
positioned between the notes even when the spacing changes:

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7. Layout & engraving

Vertical attachment
Most objects apply to a particular staff and are vertically positioned relative to it. For instance, a
trumpet trill applies only to the trumpets staff, and should stay above the trumpet staff if that
staff moves. Objects that belong to a particular staff are called staff objects.
If you move a staff up or down, all the attached objects follow it. Most importantly, all the objects
attached to the appropriate staves appear in the relevant part or parts. So its important that every
staff object is attached to the correct staff.
To ensure this, keep an eye on the dashed attachment arrow particularly when text is in an
ambiguous position between two staves and could be attached to either.

Attaching to another staff

If an object between two staves is attached to the wrong staff, drag it to touch the other staff and it
will re-attach itself to that one instead the dashed arrow jumps to show this. Then move the
object back to its original position.
Sibelius comes with a plug-in called Check Attachments that cleverly detects where you may
have unintentionally dragged it too far away from the intended staff b 5.11 Plug-ins.
A word of warning: dont put objects between two separate instruments meaning them to apply to
both. This is a convention sometimes used in manuscript but never in publishing, as it is incorrect
notation. Any staff object will only attach to one staff, so it will not appear in any parts containing
the instruments stave that the object has failed to attach to.
But its fine to write an object applying to both staves of the same instrument, such as dynamics
between keyboard staves, because they will end up in the same part.

Adjusting attachment in parts

It is impossible to change the attachment of any object in a part. If you drag an object away from
its default position in a part, its attachment point will remain fixed; only its horizontal and vertical
offsets will be affected. If you wish to change the attachment of an object, move it to its new position in the full score, and it will also move in the part.

System objects
Some objects apply to all the staves in a system, not any particular staff, and are called system
objects. System objects are colored purple when you select them. Typical examples of system
objects are titles, tempo marks, rehearsal marks and 1st and 2nd endings (1st-/2nd-time bars).
Although these objects appear at the top of a system (and are sometimes duplicated lower down as
well), they really refer to every staff in the system. For instance, they should go into every instrumental part, not just the instrument at the top of the score.
Some menus and dialogs distinguish between staff and system objects. For instance, on the
Create > Text menu, the text styles that are system objects are listed below the staff objects.
To adjust which staves system objects appear above, see System Object Positions in
b 7.11 Default Positions.

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7.6 Attachment

Putting objects in weird places

Occasionally you may want to put a piece of text or other object somewhere far from the music,
such as off into a margin. It is fine to do this so long as you bear in mind that all objects are
attached to the music, rather than being fixed to a particular point on the paper. For example, staff
objects in the margin are usually attached to the nearest bar in the nearest staff, and will stay a
fixed distance from that bar.
If the music reformats, the bar will move somewhere else and so the object could end up in an
even weirder place than you anticipated. So you may want to lock the format of the system or page
to stop it from reformatting; b 7.1 Layout and formatting.

Layout
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7. Layout & engraving

7.7 House Style

b 2.18 Manuscript paper, 3.10 Edit Text Styles, 4.10 Timecode and hit points,

7.2 Music engraving, 7.1 Layout

7.16 Publishing.

and

formatting, 7.11 Default

Positions,

v Layout and House Style.

Exactly how a printed score looks is defined by its house style; different publishers have their own
house styles, and Sibelius allows you to modify the house style of your scores to an almost unlimited degree.
Aspects of a house style include:
* Engraving Rules options see below
* Text styles b 3.10 Edit Text Styles
* Symbol fonts and designs b 2.25 Symbols, 7.10 Music fonts, 7.15 Edit Symbols
* Notehead designs b 2.20 Noteheads, 7.14 Edit Noteheads
* Instrument definitions and ensembles b 7.12 Edit Instruments
* Line designs b 2.16 Lines, 7.13 Edit Lines
* Object positions b 7.11 Default Positions
* Note spacing rule b 7.8 Note spacing
* Document setup (e.g. page and staff size) b 7.5 Document Setup
* Playback dictionary words b 4.8 Playback dictionary
* Default Multiple Part Appearance settings b 6.1 Working with parts

Most of these may be edited from the House Style menu.

Predefined house styles

When creating a new score or importing a house style (see below), you can choose from a list of
ready-made house styles depending on the type of music and the overall look you want to give the
score.
Each house style name says the type of music its for (e.g. jazz), the music font used (Opus, Helsinki, Reprise or Inkpen2) and optionally the text font (Times, Georgia or Arial). Opus is a standard-looking music font, Helsinki is more traditional, and Reprise and Inkpen2 are handwritten.
Times is a very standard text font, Georgia is a less common (and perhaps more traditional-looking) serif font, and Arial (also called Helvetica) is a modern sans serif font, for a much more contemporary (and perhaps less elegant) look. The Reprise house styles all use Reprise for the text as
well as the music; similarly, Inkpen2 house styles all use Inkpen2 for the text too.
The types of music are as follows:
* Standard the style used by the Blank manuscript paper; suitable for most kinds of music

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7.7 House Style

* Jazz as Standard but with winged repeat barlines and all articulations above the staff, as used
*
*
*
*

in jazz music
Keyboard for solo keyboard music. Same as Standard but with dynamics exactly between the
hands, no instruments names, no staff justification.
Larger notes as Standard but with an alternative notehead shape that follows the design recommendations of the US Music Publishers Association
Lead sheet same as Jazz but with initial barlines drawn on single-line systems
Vocal for vocal and choral music. Same as Standard but with dynamics above the staff, no
system separators, centered instrument names.

We recommend you make a note of the Layout > Document Setup (page size, staff size and margins) settings of your score before importing them into existing scores. Then import the house
style including the Engraving Rules and Document Setup settings; this will set your score to use
A4 paper and 6mm staves, so after importing, change the Layout > Document Setup settings
back to how they were previously.

Reprise and Inkpen2 house styles

The Reprise house styles have a lot of special settings. For example, rehearsal marks appear boxed
with a drop shadow, titles use a special rubber stamp font called Reprise Title (in which all the
characters are capitals, but typing lower and upper case produces the same letter form with different imperfections), while the instrument names at the top left-hand corner of the first page of
dynamic parts use another rubber stamp font called Reprise Stamp. You can also add special
curved brackets to text instructions above or below the staff see Add Brackets to Reprise
Script on page 424.
The Inkpen2 house styles arent quite as dramatic as Reprise, but you may prefer the slightly
thicker characters in Inkpen2 over the characters of Reprise, which look like they were drawn with
a thinner nib. Other lines, such as staff lines, barlines, slurs and so on, are also thicker in general
in the Inkpen2 house styles than in the Reprise house styles.

For keyboard music, try printing with Substitute Braces switched off in the File > Print dialog
(shortcut Ctrl+P or XP), to make braces look hand-drawn (as they do on the screen). However,
this wont work with some printers.
Similarly, for parts, try switching on Draw H-bar using a symbol on the Bar Rests page of
House Style > Engraving Rules (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) to make multirests look handdrawn, though some printer drivers have bugs in which may prevent this printing correctly (and
in extreme cases may even cause a crash).

Engraving Rules
Sibelius incorporates numerous music engraving rules that you can customize as part of designing
your own house style, or to make different house styles for different kinds of music. These rules
are all defined in the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE).
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Layout

When using one of the Reprise or Inkpen2 handwritten house styles, to get a really authentic look
as you work on your score, why not change the paper texture to Paper, white crumpled on the
Textures page in File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac).

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7. Layout & engraving

Engraving rules options include preferred positions for articulations, distances between notes and
other objects, staff justification, and so on.
Details of the options are scattered among relevant sections throughout this Reference. For
instance, the options on the Bar numbers page are detailed in b 3.6 Bar numbers. Check the
Index under Engraving Rules for a list of page references.

Setting house styles for all your scores

The house style settings apply only to the score you are working on, so if you want to use the same
settings for all your files, you have two options:
* Set up manuscript papers for the instrumentations you most often use, containing your preferred house style (b 2.18 Manuscript paper), or
* Export your preferred house styles using House Style > Export House Style (see below) and

import them into other files. You can import a house style into multiple files at once (see
Import House Style below).

Export House Style

You can export a house style file from a score or part to disk so it can be imported into other scores:
* Choose House Style > Export House Style
* Enter a name for your house style and click OK.

Sibelius will save the new house style in the user application data folder (see User-editable files
in b 8.1 Working with files). Unless you want to share the house style with somebody else,
you do not need to worry about the location of the file as Sibelius will detect it as an available
house style each time the program is run.
If you are a music publisher, you can send house style files to all of your composers, arrangers and
copyists to base their scores on, or you can import your house style into any scores you receive
from them to ensure a consistent appearance.
For more details about exporting house styles from dynamic parts, see Exporting house styles
from parts on page 488.

Import House Style

To import a house style into the current score:
* If the score has parts, ensure you are viewing the full score rather than a part (so as to import the

*
*
*

526

house style into the score and all parts). You can also import a house style into parts see
page 492.
Choose House Style > Import House Style
Select the house style you want to import from the list
Switch off any options you dont want to import, so that they dont override the existing settings. This allows you (say) to transfer just text styles from one score to another. Some options
are required by others and so cannot be independently switched off.
Click OK

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7.7 House Style

* The music text font (which is used for dynamics, metronome marks, etc.) wont automatically
be updated, so you should choose House Style > Edit All Fonts and choose the correct one

from the Music Text Font list (Opus Text, Helsinki Text, Reprise Text or Inkpen2 Text,
depending on the music font you choose).
Several predefined house styles are supplied with Sibelius see Predefined house styles
above. Sibelius also includes a plug-in that allows you to import a particular house style file into a
folder full of files at once b 5.11 Plug-ins.
If you wish to use a particular house style often, put it in the House Styles folder in your user
application data folder, which will let you choose it from the File > New dialog when you start a
new score. For more information, see User-editable files on page 564.
If you import a new note spacing rule into a score, the existing spacings are unaffected. The new
rule is only used when you create more notes or use Layout > Reset Note Spacing (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+N or xXN). This means that you can use different spacings for different sections of a
score.
When you import a house style that alters the default position of objects, most objects will not be
repositioned unless you select them (e.g. using a filter) and choose Layout > Reset Position
(shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP).

Layout
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7. Layout & engraving

7.8 Note spacing

b 7.2 Music engraving, 7.1 Layout and formatting, 7.9 Staff spacing.
v Layout and House Style.

Changing the note spacing means, in effect, adjusting the spacing between notes, chords, rests
and barlines. You can do this in various ways:
* Move individual notes and rests left or right with the mouse or by typing Shift+Alt+0/1 or
xz0/1, with Ctrl or X for big steps
* To squash a passage of music closer together or spread it out, select the passage and type
Shift+Alt+0/1 or xz0/1 a few times. Again, hold down Ctrl or X at the same time to move

in bigger steps.
* Use Layout > Format > Make Into System/Page to condense or expand the selected passage to
fill a system or page b 7.1 Layout and formatting
* To alter the note spacing rule, see below
* If youve messed up some note spacing and want to reset it to default, select a passage, and
choose Layout > Reset Note Spacing (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N or xXN). This also takes
account of the space required by clefs, accidentals, lyrics, etc.

Note spacing rule

Sibelius uses a sophisticated note spacing algorithm called Optical spacing. This is rather more
complex than just a series of spacings for different note values; however, you can specify these
basic spacings in the House Style > Note Spacing Rule dialog:

* For each note value you can specify the unjustified space after it. (Unjustified because horizon-

tal justification increases the space after notes/rests by an amount that depends on the context.)
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7.8 Note spacing

* Spacings are measured from the left-hand side of one note to the left-hand side of the next (i.e.
*
*

*
*

they include notehead width)

You can specify the gap before the first note/rest in a bar, and the width of an empty bar
Allow extra space for colliding voices is for the specific case where a note in an opposing
voice at the interval of a second has to be displaced to the right; with this option switched on,
Sibelius adds extra space to accommodate for the displacement, which might otherwise cause
the spacing to appear tighter than it actually is
The Grace Notes options control the default space around grace notes and the space after the
last grace note, before the next regular note
The settings under Minimum Space define the smallest gap that Sibelius will leave around
notes, accidentals, leger lines, tails (flags on unbeamed notes), and at the start and end of bars in
the case of extremely tight spacing these are typically much smaller than the ideal spacing
values at the left of the dialog. Sibelius will include these defined minimum spacings in its spacing calculations, with the result that collisions between solid objects will be rare, even in very
tight situations. Only if Sibelius cannot fit the total minimum spacings for all objects on the system will it have to squash them even closer together, at which point collisions may begin to
occur.
The Ties options control the minimum length of ties to prevent them becoming squashed or
invisible when spacing is tight. You can set different minimum lengths for ties positioned above
or below notes and ties between notes.
The Lyrics options determine whether the width of lyrics should be taken into account when
spacing the music, together with options for the default gap between lyrics, leaving extra room
for lyric hyphens, and whether long syllables at the start of the bar should be allowed to overhang the previous barline b 3.3 Lyrics.

For more details on how these settings control the spacing, b 7.2 Music engraving.
The House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) includes settings for
the gap between objects other than notes and rests. Additionally, the Notes and Tremolos page
lets you allow Sibelius to contract the note spacing slightly in order to fit bars more neatly onto a
staff.

Notes out of alignment

Sibelius handles the alignment of notes automatically, even in complex cases involving multiple
voices. However, sometimes you might wish to change the horizontal position of an individual
note within a bar. To do this, select the note, open the General panel of the Properties window,
and alter the X parameter, which adjusts its horizontal offset. Negative numbers move the note
left, positive numbers move it right. The units are spaces. b 5.14 Properties.

529

Layout

Beware that values you enter in the Note Spacing Rule dialog may appear to have changed
slightly when you re-open the dialog; this is because Sibelius measures spacings in 1/32nds of a
space, but decimal divisions of a space are easier for mortals to understand than 1/32 fractions, so
whatever value you type in the dialog will be rounded to the nearest 1/32nd of a space.

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7. Layout & engraving

Optimizing note spacing

Like so much else in music engraving, note spacing is an esoteric art for which the rules are not
hard and fast (b 7.2 Music engraving).
Notes are not and should not be spaced proportionally to their note values (b 7.2 Music
engraving), so its normal for bars to get wider and narrower as the music changes. However, if
there is wide variation in note values, particularly involving cross-rhythms between different
staves, the spacing can get fairly uneven e.g. these boxed notes:
Default spacing

This requires a compromise between using this uneven default spacing, and using proportional
spacing throughout to make the second half of bar 1 like the first, which would make bar 2 too
narrow by comparison.
A good strategy is to make the note spacing look even on a beat-by-beat or bar-by-bar basis. Here
we can make the first bar roughly even and the second bar even but not too much narrower than
the first, like this:
Better: after manual adjustment

Uneven spacing due to at

In fact we have made the second half of bar 1 slightly narrower than the first half, to produce a
smoother transition into the still narrower spacing of bar 2. There is extra space between the G
and Bb sixteenth notes (semiquavers) in the lower staff to allow for the accidental; this is quite
acceptable in tight spacing.

Optimizing lyric spacing

Music with lyrics presents special note spacing problems, especially if the note values are short
and the lyrics are wide. If you were to space the music just according to the notes, you might get
results like this:
Spaced according to notes only

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7.8 Note spacing

Fortunately, Sibelius automatically allows extra space between notes for extra-wide syllables, to
ensure that they dont collide. However, if some syllables are wide and others arent, this could
make the note spacing very uneven, like this:
Sibelius default: wider spacing for wide lyrics (to avoid collisions)

Notice how the lyrics are nicely spaced, but as a result the notes arent and in fact vary wildly in
spacing, particularly the ones in the box. Of course, this is a particularly awkward example. In fact,
scratched and stretched are, at nine letters each, among the widest syllables in English (an
accolade they share with squelched), but through is almost as troublesome, and occurs often.
Making both the lyric spacing and the note spacing acceptable requires something of a compromise. As when evening up note spacing (above), a good strategy is to make the note spacing look
even on a beat-by-beat or bar-by-bar basis; so if you have a beat or a bar with an extra-wide syllable in it, adjust the spacing of all notes in that beat or bar to match.
In very tight situations, it can also help to move some syllables horizontally a little, in order to take
advantage of free space around earlier or later syllables. Perhaps the best result you can get with
the above example is this:
Better: note and lyric spacing evened up

Layout
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7. Layout & engraving

7.9 Staff spacing

b 2.23 Staves, 5.19 View menu, 7.1 Layout and formatting, 7.2 Music engraving,
7.3 Auto Layout, 7.4 Breaks, 7.5 Document Setup.

This topic explains how to alter the vertical position of staves in your score. Other layout and formatting tools are detailed in b 7.1 Layout and formatting, 7.3 Auto Layout, 7.4 Breaks
(e.g. system breaks), 7.5 Document Setup (e.g. page and staff size), 7.8 Note spacing.
You can alter the vertical spacing of staves and systems as follows:
* Change the settings on the Staves page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE) to alter the default staff and system spacing and justification throughout
*
*
*
*

your score
Move staves vertically to adjust the space above and below them; if necessary, Sibelius will
squash the other staves together slightly to allow room as you do this
Move staves vertically without affecting the position of other staves
Apply the position of staves on a particular page to other pages using the Layout > Align Staves
dialog
Reset the spacing back to the default.

These are detailed below.

Gaps between staves
Gaps between staves need
not be constant throughout a
score adjust them wherever
necessary to allow room for
low/high notes etc.
In larger scores for many
instruments, an extra gap is
usually left between instrumental families such as
woodwind, brass and strings.

Staff and system spacing

Staves and systems are often spread out (justified) to fill a page right
down to the bottom. You can alter the rules governing this from the
Staves page on the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+E or xXE):
* spaces between staves/systems: these numbers control the stan-

dard distance between staves and systems. You may want to increase
the staves number if your score has lots of leger lines or multiple
verses of lyrics. Decreasing the systems number saves space in parts.
On pages where the music is vertically justified, the distance between
staves and systems will be larger than the numbers specified.
* Justify staves when page is at least n% full: controls how inclined Sibelius is to justify.
Smaller values make Sibelius spread out just a few staves and systems to fill a page, which can
look silly. Larger values make Sibelius more inclined to put staves and systems at the top rather
than spread them out. The default value is 65%, i.e. the staves are justified if the page is at least
two-thirds of music. Set the number to 100% to switch off justification entirely.
* System spacings may be contracted to n%: lets Sibelius squash systems closer together
than normal in order to allow an extra system onto a page, as long as the spacing between systems does not fall below the specified percentage of the default spacing value.

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7.9 Staff spacing

Moving staves
Most staff operations, including moving them, require that you first select which staff or staves
you want to work with:
* Click on a blank part of a bar to select that bar (double-clicking selects the staff, but selecting a

bar is sufficient for moving staves etc.)

* Triple-click on a blank part of a bar to select a staff throughout the score
* Select a passage to work on several staves (useful for altering gaps between keyboard staves or
instrumental families throughout).
For more information on selections, b 1.6 Selections and passages.
The basic ways of moving staves are:
* Normal move select a staff or staves and drag with the mouse (shortcut Alt+3/2 or z3/2,
with Ctrl or X for larger steps): changes the distance between the selected staff/staves and the

staff above (or the top page margin if the top staff is selected) and retains the spacing between
all other staves. Sibelius may have to squash up other staves to allow room if the page is full.
* Independent move select a staff or staves and use Shift-drag (shortcut Shift+Alt+3/2 or
xz3/2, with Ctrl or X for larger steps): moves only the selected staff/staves, leaving all other
staves in the same place on the page. Although you can use this to move staves almost on top of
one another, you cannot move one staff beyond another staff in either direction and thus
change the order of the staves in your score (to do this, b 2.14 Instruments).
You might find it useful to switch on View > Rulers > Staff Rulers (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+R or
xzXR) before moving staves b 5.19 View menu.
Precisely which staves and systems move is determined by the extent of your initial selection. This
means that you can alter staff spacing between staves on the same system, the same page, or any
number of pages, simply by selecting the passage for which you want to change the spacing. (You
can even select a passage containing multiple staves and move it up and down independently,
which changes the gap above the top selected staff and/or below the bottom selected staff.)
For example:
ple-click the topmost brass staff and move it down
* to alter the spacing between the bottom staff on a page and the page margin, e.g. to make space

for a footnote or copyright line, click the bottom staff and move it independently
* to change the distance between the alto and tenor staves on a single system of a choral score, in
order to accommodate lyrics in a particularly low passage for the altos, double-click a tenor bar
and then move it down.

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* to allow extra space between the woodwind and brass families throughout an entire score, tri-

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7. Layout & engraving

Align Staves
To apply the staff and system spacing on one page in your score to other pages, select a passage
extending across the pages you want to alter and choose Layout > Align Staves.

Any changes made from this dialog apply to all pages that the selected passage appears on, so you
can select from any bar on any staff of the first page you want to alter to any bar on any staff of the
last page. The options are as allows:
* Lock format before making changes: locks the format of all bars in the selected pages, thus

ensuring bars stay on the same pages after staves have been aligned
* Reset position of staves: these options restore the default gap above the top or bottom staff
on a page to the staff margin positions (as specified in Layout > Document Setup)
* Align staves on selected pages: when switched on, you can choose between any one of the
four available options:
% With first selected page: aligns all subsequent pages with the first page of the selection
% With last selected page: aligns all preceding pages with the last page of the selection
% Right pages with facing left pages: aligns each right-hand page with the left page it is facing
% Left pages with facing right pages: aligns each left-hand page with the right page it is facing.
To use these options, you must select more than one page.
Aligning staves via this dialog is only possible if the pages being aligned with each other have the
same number of systems and the same number of staves on each system. If not, then only the top
and bottom staves are aligned. If one or both of the pages have only one system, then only the top
staff is aligned.

Restoring default staff spacing

To restore the default staff spacing (i.e. the settings on the Staves page of the House Style >
Engraving Rules dialog) to a staff or staves, select the desired passage and choose Layout > Reset
Space Above Staff or Layout > Reset Space Below Staff.
If you need to reset the space above or below the top or bottom staves on a number of pages at
once, its quickest to use the Layout > Align Staves dialog (see above).

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7.10 Music fonts

7.10 Music fonts

b 3.10 Edit Text Styles, 7.7 House Style, 7.15 Edit Symbols.

Noteheads, clefs, accidentals and most other objects that appear in Sibelius scores are drawn using
a symbol, which itself is a character or combination of characters from a music font.
Music fonts have proliferated rather messily over the years; different fonts often have a semi-random selection of musical symbols present (or often woefully absent). Different people have different preferences as to which music fonts they like; moreover, each font has its strong and weak
points, so none is ideal.
Because of this, weve taken extreme care to make Sibeliuss music fonts include just about every
symbol that youre likely to want or that is available in other fonts, and moreover to have symbol
designs suitable for the highest quality publishing.
However, as music font tastes differ wildly (and sometimes violently), weve also sorted out the
complex confusion inherent in other music fonts, and designed Sibelius so that its compatible
with any other music font youre likely to have including Petrucci, Chaconne, Sonata, Susato, Jazz, Franck, Maestro, November, Partita, Swing, Tamburo, Piu and Ghent. You
can even mix all of these fonts together in the same score.

Changing music font

The simplest way to change the music font used by your score is to choose House Style > Edit All
Fonts, choose a new music font from the Main Music Font list provided, and click OK.
The following fonts will appear as options in the Edit All Fonts dialog, if they are installed on
your system: Opus, Helsinki, Reprise, Inkpen2, Maestro, Petrucci, Sonata, Partita, Franck, Virtuoso, Chaconne, November, Jazz, Swing, LeeMusic, RussMusic, and AshMusic.
To enable further music fonts to appear in this list, see Using fonts not supplied with Sibelius below.

You can also use Sibeliuss Helsinki music font, which has a more traditional and elegant appearance. As with the Reprise and Inkpen2 fonts, you should import a Helsinki house style to benefit
from the many subtleties the house style makes to other aspects of your scores appearance
b 7.7 House Style.

Changing font of a subset of symbols

If you want to change music font to a different one, you dont have to change all of Sibeliuss symbols. You can change just the clefs, or the percussion symbols, or even just a single symbol.
Each symbol in Sibelius is drawn using the font specified by a particular text style. By changing
the text style settings you can change the appearance of whole sets of symbols at once:
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Layout

Most Sibelius scores use the Opus font. If you want to change to the handwritten appearance of
Reprise or Inkpen2, its best to import one of the Reprise or Inkpen2 house styles, as this will also
change the appearance of other objects, such as staff and barlines, slurs, hairpins, and so on
b 7.7 House Style.

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7. Layout & engraving

* Common symbols: this covers pretty much all the symbols normally used standard notes,

*
*
*

accidentals, clefs, articulations, etc.

You may want to change Common symbols to Reprise, Inkpen2, Helsinki, Petrucci, Susato or
Sonata. Sonata has clefs in non-standard places, but you can easily move them.
Special noteheads etc.: this includes unusual noteheads and microtones. You may want to
substitute Reprise Special, Inkpen2 Special, Helsinki Special, Tamburo or Piu.
Percussion instruments: weird pictures of mallets, brushes, coins and anything else you can
hit things with. You may want to substitute Ghent.
Special symbols: this contains symbols not found in any other font except Opus Special,
Reprise Special, Helsinki Special and Inkpen2 Special, so you wont want to substitute any other
font (unless you design your own).
Note flags: you can change between Opus, Helsinki, Reprise, Inkpen2, and Petrucci Susato,
Sonata, etc. are unsuitable as they have incompatible flags.

To change the font of one of these sets of symbols:

* In the House Style > Edit Symbols dialog, click Music fonts
* Click the symbol set you want to modify, and click Edit
* Change the font and possibly also size, then click OK and OK again to close the Edit Symbols

dialog.
If you intend to change the size, the standard size for all symbols is 19.8pt (relative) if you
increase or decrease this, the symbols get bigger or smaller. You can use this (say) to make noteheads extra-big in beginners books, or to scale a symbol (by creating its own symbol text style)
see Creating a new symbol text style in b 7.15 Edit Symbols.
(For the curious: changing the music font and size takes place in the House Style > Edit Text
Styles dialog. This is because the above symbol sets are in fact treated by Sibelius as text styles,
even though the font and size are the only options you can usefully change. Dont think too hard
about it.)
For more information about customizing Sibeliuss symbols, b 7.15 Edit Symbols.

Music text font

Various musical symbols such as f, p and q can be typed into text such as Expression text and
metronome marks. These so-called music text characters are by default drawn using the Opus
Text font, as are the numerals 09 and : (colon) used in tuplets.
You can change the font used for music text in the House Style > Edit All Fonts dialog. We recommend you only change it to an italic or bold italic text font, and only change it to a normal text
font if you are not using metronome marks, as text fonts do not contain little pictures of notes.
(However, if you really want to change the music text font and also really want to use metronome
marks, you can manually change the font of metronome marks back to Opus Text, Helsinki Text,
Reprise Text or Inkpen2 Text as you type them in.)
When you change the music text font, theres an option for whether or not you want to apply the
change to existing text in your score. This allows you, for example, to change the font used for
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7.10 Music fonts

dynamics already in the score. (You cant do this by editing the Expression text style as text styles
only define the font used for normal text such as cresc., not music text characters such as mf.)

Using fonts not supplied with Sibelius

Sibelius allows you to use any compatible music font to render notation in your score if you so
wish. Because as far as your computer is concerned a font is just a font, you need to tell Sibelius which of the fonts on your system are valid music fonts before it is able to use them.
Supported music fonts are listed in the House Style > Edit All Fonts dialog; when you tell Sibelius about a new music font, it will appear in the Main Music Font list.
Choose the Music Fonts page of the File > Preferences dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac). The
following dialog appears:

The list of fonts on the left shows those that Sibelius recognizes as music fonts. If you wish to add
a new font to the list:
* Type the name of the new music font into the Music font font field on the left, or click the

Very few available music fonts have separate fonts suitable for all of Sibeliuss symbol text styles,
so it is normally only necessary to substitute your chosen font in Common Symbols.

Installing Type 1 music fonts

The Opus, Helsinki, Reprise and Inkpen2 music fonts are supplied in both TrueType and Adobe
Type 1 (PostScript) format, and TrueType fonts are installed by default. You can print to PostScript printers and create EPS files using either of these font formats.
However, for some publishing purposes, Adobe Type 1 fonts are preferable to TrueType fonts,
though you typically need to install extra software to use them. On Windows, Type 1 versions of
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Layout

Choose button to select from a list of the fonts installed on your computer. When you have
entered the name of the font, click the Add Font button. The font will be added to the list.
* With the new font selected in the list on the left, enter the name of the font you want to use for
each aspect of the notation into the various fields on the right, or click the Choose button to
select the font from a list. When you have filled all the fields, click the Set Substitutions button.

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7. Layout & engraving

Opus, Helsinki, Reprise and Inkpen2 are included in the PostScript Fonts folder (in the Extras
folder within your Sibelius program folder). On Mac, Type 1 fonts are located in the Other
Applications folder on your Sibelius 5 DVD-ROM.

Designing your own music font

For designing fonts of any kind we recommend the FontLab program (www.fontlab.com); however, font design is a sophisticated art, so this is not recommended for the faint-hearted.
The Opus, Helsinki, Reprise and Inkpen2 font families are copyright, so you are not permitted to
include symbols from them in any new font you design.

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7.11 Default Positions

7.11 Default Positions

For advanced users only
The House Style > Default Positions dialog allows you to change the positioning behavior of
text, lines, and various other objects, when creating and moving them and resetting their positions. Sibeliuss default settings are sensible, and you wont usually need to change them, but
should you be overcome by the urge to do so, this topic will tell you how.
The dialog looks like this:

To change the default position of an object, choose the category in the top-left corner (either Text
styles, Lines or Other objects), and then select the desired text style or object from the list. You
can even select multiple styles or objects to modify their common properties at the same time.
Options that are not applicable to the selected text style or object are disabled, as you might expect
(so for text styles, you wont be able to set the Creating Lines options, and vice versa). Likewise, if
you select multiple lines (say), then values that all the selected objects have in common are shown
on the dialog, and values that are not in common are shown blank.
The options on the dialog are as follows:

There are separate options for creating objects with the mouse and keyboard. When you create
objects with the mouse, you can click precisely where you intend them to go; when you create
objects with the keyboard, you cant indicate precisely where you want the object to be created, so
they appear at a sensible position near to the caret (if inputting notes) or selected object.
Objects can be set to appear in a different place by default in parts than they do in the
score. Usually this isnt necessary, but objects such as rehearsal marks generally look better if they
are positioned closer to the top of a staff in parts than they are in the score. Sibelius allows you to,
say, position rehearsal marks five spaces away from staves in the score and only two spaces away
from staves in parts.

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The With keyboard (or Reset Position) options control the rules for positioning of the object
when it is created via the keyboard, or when you select it and choose Layout > Reset Position
(shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP):
* Horizontal position relative to note sets the default horizontal position for both a score and

parts; enter negative numbers if you want to position objects to the left of the note to which they
are attached (for, say, dynamics)
* Vertical position relative to staff automatically positions the object vertically for you, relative to the option chosen at the bottom of the dialog under Vertical Position (Above top of
staff, Below bottom of staff, Above middle of staff and Below middle of staff). You can
enter different values for the score and its parts, if you wish.
The With mouse options simply determine whether, when created with the mouse, the object
should be positioned at its default horizontal and/or vertical position (as determined in the With
keyboard settings above) instead of at the mouse position, for example:
* Text such as chord symbols, figured bass, fingering, and lyrics, are all most usefully created at

their default horizontal and vertical positions;

* System text such as title, composer, copyright, footnote and so on are all most usefully created

at their default vertical positions;

* Some other text styles, such as tempo and metronome mark text, are best created at the position
you click with your mouse to obtain this behavior, simply switch off both of the With mouse
options.

Moving Object
Although all objects can be dragged using the mouse in a score, a finer degree of control is possible by moving objects with the arrow keys and their modifiers (e.g. 0/1 for small steps and
Ctrl+0/1 or X0/1 for large steps). The Moving Object options allow you control over the
behavior of these operations:
* Arrows move is the distance an object moves when moved with the arrow keys
* Ctrl+arrows/Command-arrows move is the distance an object moves when moved with the
arrow keys in conjunction with the Ctrl or X key
* Mouse drag threshold is how far you have to drag an object with the mouse before it moves

from its present position; set this to a large number if you want to make objects stickier and
less likely to be dragged by mistake.
You can adjust these options for text styles and lines separately, but not for individual text styles
or line styles; so any change you make to these settings will affect all similar objects (e.g. change
the drag threshold for Technique text and you also change it for all other text styles). The Moving
Object options (unlike the others on this dialog) are global preferences and are thus not associated with any particular score they apply to every score you work on in Sibelius.

Creating Lines
Horizontal position of right hand end does what the name suggests: it determines how many
spaces to the right of the end of the line the right-hand end will appear by default.

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7.11 Default Positions

Creating Text
Above/Below top/middle/bottom of staff specifies the position of the baseline (i.e. bottom of
the capital letters), relative to the specified staff line. The distance from the staff-line is specified
under With keyboard (or Reset Position) at the top of the dialog.
Some text styles, such as lyrics, figured bass and chord symbols, are created by jumping from note
to note using the space bar (b 3.3 Lyrics, 3.1 Working with text). The options under Lyricstyle input control this behavior:
* Space / Hyphen moves to next note do what they say
* Space moves to next beat is used by chord symbols, so that you can write different chord

symbols on each beat of the bar, even if the note is several beats long.
If both of the bottom two options are switched on, hitting space while creating text will move to
either the next note or the next beat, whichever occurs sooner.

Special cases
There are a few special considerations to bear in mind when using the House Style > Default
Positions dialog, as follows:
* The Creating Object options have no effect on clefs, key signatures, special barlines, time sig-

541

Layout

natures or transpositions. To reset the position of any of these, make a system selection around
the object and choose Layout > Reset Note Spacing (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N or xXN).
For system objects (e.g. text styles such as Title, Tempo, rit./accel. lines, etc.), the default vertical
position and Above/Below top/bottom/middle of staff settings are retroactive in other
words, any change you make to these settings will automatically change all system text objects
in your score
However, for staff objects (e.g. Chord Symbols, Lyrics line 1 text, or bracket lines) the changes
affect only newly-created objects if you have, say, some Expression text in your score and then
change the Expression text styles default position, the existing Expression text in your score
will not automatically change position.
So if you want to change the position of some or all existing objects as well as new ones, use filters to select them (b 5.4 Filters and Find), then choose Layout > Reset Position (shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+P or xXP).
The settings in the House Style > Edit Text Style dialog for aligning text relative to the page
take precedence over the settings in the House Style > Default Positions dialog
For slurs, if neither of the Create at default horizontal/vertical position options are
switched on, creating slurs with the mouse produces non-magnetic slurs. If you switch on either
or both of these options, the mouse creates magnetic slurs. Creating magnetic slurs with the
mouse can be a little confusing for example, if you want to input an up-arching slur (shortcut
S) and try to put it over some notes whose stems point upwards using the mouse, the slur will
appear below the noteheads instead. However, if youre married to your mouse, this could be a
useful feature for you!
For rehearsal marks, their horizontal position is determined by the settings in the Other
objects section, and their vertical position is determined by the settings in the Text styles section

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7. Layout & engraving

* The positions of some other objects with complex positioning rules (such as magnetic slurs and
tuplets) can only be modified via the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog, rather than the
House Style > Default Positions dialog.

System Object Positions

In large scores, some system objects such as rehearsal marks and tempo text can appear in several
positions down a system simultaneously, e.g. at the top and above the strings in orchestral music.
To edit the positions where these objects go:
* Choose House Style > System Object Positions
* Click the staves you want system objects to appear above up to five in total. The top staff is

compulsory. System objects can also go below the bottom staff.

System objects dont all have to appear at all of these positions. The Vertical posn tab of House
Style > Edit Text Styles (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Alt+T or xzXT) lets you specify which of these
positions a particular text style will actually appear at. This allows you (for instance) to have
rehearsal marks at the top, above the strings and below the bottom staff, but tempo text at the top
only. b 3.10 Edit Text Styles.
You can also delete individual instances of system objects, so, for example, if a Tempo text marking appears three times down your score, you could Delete the bottom two instances individually
deleting the top instance deletes all other instances. To restore instances of system objects that
you have deleted, select the top instance and choose Layout > Reset Design (Ctrl+Shift+D or
xXD).

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7.12 Edit Instruments

7.12 Edit Instruments

b 2.14 Instruments, 2.23 Staves, 3.9 Instrument names.

Even though Sibelius has an exhaustive list of more than 600 built-in instruments, you may sometimes
need to edit an instrument type that is used in your score (for example, if you need a particular combination of percussion instruments on a single staff not accommodated by Sibeliuss built-in instruments), or, more rarely, create an instrument type that isnt listed in Create > Instruments at all.
Sibelius makes this easy, using House Style > Edit Instruments. Any changes to the existing
instruments or new instruments you create are then saved in the score you are working on, and
can be used in other scores by exporting a house style or saving them in a manuscript paper.

Edit Instruments dialog

House Style > Edit Instruments allows you to create, edit and delete instrument types, and organize them into ensembles, which is just a fancy word for the groups of instruments that appear in
the Choose from list in Create > Instruments. Each ensemble contains one or more families
(which are normally arranged according to instrument families, such as Brass, Woodwind,
Strings, etc.) and each family then contains one or more instruments.
With a score open, choose House Style > Edit Instruments. This dialog appears:

Layout

Read the dialog from left to right:

* The Ensembles list at the left-hand side of the dialog lists all the ensembles available in the cur-

rent score; the Families in ensemble list to the right lists the families in the selected ensemble;
* Instruments in family lists the available instruments in the selected family;
* Finally, Instruments not in ensemble lists all the instruments that are defined in the score but
are not currently in any of the families in the selected ensemble. This is useful, as it means you
can set up your own ensembles containing just the instruments you use. (Note that the All
instruments ensemble must always contain all the instruments defined in the score.)
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All Sibelius scores contain several pre-defined ensembles (see Creating instruments on
page 109 for a list), and you cannot rename or delete these; however, you can change the families
and instruments contained within them.

Creating and deleting an ensemble

You dont need to create an ensemble in order to create a new instrument or edit an existing one,
but if there is a particular set of instruments you use often, or you have strong feelings about the
order in which instruments should appear vertically in the score, it can be convenient to create
your own ensemble containing any number of instruments, in an order of your choosing.
To create a new ensemble:
* Select an existing ensemble in the Ensembles list to base your new ensemble upon
* Click New Ensemble; Sibelius will ask you if you want to create a new ensemble based upon

this one; click Yes

* A simple dialog will appear in which you can give your ensemble a name; type a name and click
OK.
To delete an ensemble you created, simply select it in the Ensembles list and click Delete
Ensemble; Sibelius will ask you if youre sure, and if you click Yes, the ensemble will be deleted.

Creating and deleting a family

To create a new family in an ensemble:
* Choose the ensemble in the Ensembles list, then click New Family
* A simple dialog will appear for you to type the name of your new family; do so and click OK
* The new family will be empty by default
* Move the family up and down in the list of existing families with the Up and Down buttons

below the Families in ensemble list. The order of families is significant because it determines
the default vertical order when instruments are created in the score; if the Brass family is above
the Strings family, then any instrument added to the score from the Brass family will be positioned above any instrument added from the Strings family.
To rename a family, simply select it and click Rename Family, type the new name into the dialog
that appears, and click OK. To delete a family, select it and click Delete Family; after a warning
the family will be deleted.

Adding and removing existing instruments

To add instruments (that have already been defined) to a family:
* Find the instrument or instruments you want to add in the Instruments not in ensemble list

and select them. Note that you cannot add the same instrument to more than one family in the
same ensemble, so if the instrument is already in another family, it wont appear in the Instruments not in ensemble list. (You can, however, create a new instrument based on an existing
instrument if you want similar instruments to appear in different families.)
* Click Add to Family to move the selected instrument(s) from Instruments not in ensemble
to the Instruments in family list.
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7.12 Edit Instruments

* Move the instrument(s) up and down in the list with the Up and Down buttons below the

Instruments in family list. Just as with the order of families, the order of instruments here
determines the vertical order when instruments are created in the score.
To remove instruments from a family, simply select the instruments in the Instruments in family list and click Remove from Family (or to remove all instruments from a family, you can simply delete the family itself).

Creating, editing and deleting instruments

You can only delete an instrument altogether if it is not used in the score and if it is not one of the
predefined instrument types included in all scores Sibelius will only enable the Delete Instrument button if the selected instruments can be deleted.
You can edit an existing instrument by selecting it in either the Instruments in family or Instruments not in ensemble list, then clicking Edit Instrument. If the instrument is used in your
score, you will be warned that editing the instrument may change the appearance of your score;
click Yes to proceed.
To create an entirely new instrument type, select the instrument your new instrument most
closely resembles, then click New Instrument. You will be asked if you want to continue; click
Yes to proceed.
Whether you are editing an existing instrument or creating a new one, you see the same dialog:

Layout

The Name options allow you to set up the three forms of instrument name used in Sibelius:
* Language cannot be changed unless you are using a localized (non-English-language) version

of Sibelius. In localized versions, you can choose between displaying instrument names in your
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7. Layout & engraving

score in English or in the language of your copy of Sibelius, but in English versions, Language is
always set to English.
* Name in dialogs is the name that appears in House Style > Edit Instruments and Create >
Instruments. These names can be more descriptive than the ones that appear in the score itself,
perhaps describing an unusual transposition or the fact that this instrument doesnt display a
key signature.
* Full name in score is the default name that appears to the left of the staff, normally on the first
system and then at the start of new sections b 3.9 Instrument names
* Short name in score is the default name that typically appears to the left of the staff after the
first system of the score.
If you want to use music text font characters in the instrument names in your score, e.g. for the
flat symbol in a name like Clarinet in Bb, then type a caret (^) before the characters that correspond to flat (letter b) and sharp (hash symbol #) indeed, you can use any of the formatting
codes listed under Adding formatting changes to Score Info on page 228.
The options in the Notation Options group determine how the instruments staff or staves will
behave in the score:
* Choose the appropriate Type of staff:
% Pitched instruments can have either one staff (e.g. flute, clarinet, violin) or two staves (e.g.

piano, harp, celesta, marimba); set Number of staves appropriately

% Unpitched percussion instruments (e.g. drum kit, woodblock) can only have one staff, and

*
*

*
*

546

you cant set Transposed pitch clef, Range or Transposition options for them
% Tablature instruments (e.g. guitar, lute, dulcimer) can only have one staff, and, like
unpitched instruments, you cant set Transposed pitch clef, Range or Transposition
options for them.
To edit the detailed properties of the staff to be used by the instrument, click Edit Staff Type
see Edit Staff Type below
Sounding pitch clef determines the normal clef to be used. For a two-staff pitched instrument
such as piano, this is the clef used on the top staff. Click Choose to pick the clef b 2.8 Clefs
if you need help working out which is which.
Transposed pitch clef determines the clef to be used by a single-staff pitched instrument, if it is
a transposing instrument, and if it transposes by a sufficiently large interval that it is helpful to
use a different clef in sounding pitch than at transposed pitch (e.g. for low brass and wind instruments). To use this option, switch on Transposed pitch clef, then click Choose to pick the clef;
the clef you use here will be used when Notes > Transposing Score is switched on. This option
is not available for two-staff pitched instruments or for any unpitched or tablature instrument.
Clef for second staff determines the clef to be used by the lower staff of a two-staff pitched
instrument, e.g. bass clef for piano left hand. Click Choose to pick the clef.
Bracket with determines how Sibelius should bracket the instrument when it is created in the
score. Sibelius follows the usual conventions for how instruments should be bracketed together
by instrument family. The list here doesnt reflect the families in a particular ensemble (because
they can be different in every ensemble in your score) but rather it is a list of the standard

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7.12 Edit Instruments

instrumental families. So if you want, say, your instrument to be bracketed with other string
instruments, choose Strings.
Be aware, though, that the Bracket with option does not determine the order in which your
instruments will be created in the score, which is instead determined by the order of the instruments within families and, in turn, families within the ensemble. All it does is tell Sibelius that
when your instrument is created, if its created next to another instrument with the same
Bracket with setting, they should be bracketed together. One further little detail: two-staff
pitched instruments (e.g. piano) are always given a brace and hence arent bracketed with any
other instruments.
The options under Range are used by Sibelius to show notes in red when View > Note Colors >
Notes Out of Range is switched on (see Note Colors on page 459). You can only set the range
for pitched instruments; for tablature instruments, the range is described by the pitches of the
strings defined in the instruments staff type.
The options under Transposition allow you to set how transposing instruments transpose:
* Instruments that are sometimes referred to as being in a particular key, e.g. Clarinet in A/Bb, or

The options under Playback Defaults tell Sibelius how to play back music written for this instrument:
* Best sound is the sound ID that describes, as specifically as possible, the sound that this instru-

ment produces. Think of this in terms of the actual sound produced by the real instrument,
rather than a specific sound on a playback device. For more information about sound IDs,
b 4.16 SoundWorld.
* Pan is the default pan position of the instrument when you add it to your score; -100 is full left
and 100 is full right
* Distance is the distance of the instrument from the listener, and determines the relative
amount of reverb the instrument should get by default
* Volume specifies the default volume level for the instrument when you add it to your score
547

Layout

families of instruments that are identical other than in size and hence produce different pitches,
e.g. Tenor/Alto Sax, or (if you live in the nineteenth century) Horn with crooks, transpose when
Notes > Transposing Score is switched on. For these kinds of instruments, set the Transposing score drop-downs appropriately; e.g. for a Clarinet in A, set this to A in octave 3, because
written middle C on Clarinet in A sounds as the A below middle C. Middle C = C4.
* The Non-transposing score option is required only for instruments such as piccolo, double
bass and tenor voice, which are customarily notated an octave higher or lower than they sound,
even in non-transposing scores. The option lets you specify which octave such an instrument
sounds in. As all such instruments are pre-defined for you, you neednt use or even think about
this option under any normal circumstances.
However (takes big breath): if you do use this option, and if you want to give that instrument a
clef with a little 8 or 15 on, bear in mind that Sibelius deliberately ignores the little 8 or 15
because it is optional, and instead takes its information about which octave the instrument
plays in from this setting instead. This is because the octave transposition is a property of the
instrument (e.g. the piccolo), not of the clef.

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7. Layout & engraving

* Glissando type determines whether the instrument should play glissandi using Continuous

pitch bend, using discrete notes (Black notes, White notes, Chromatic), or not at all (None).
When youve finished, click OK to confirm your changes.
If you were creating a new instrument, it is automatically added to the All instruments ensemble,
in the same family as the instrument upon which you based your new one.

Edit Staff Type

When you click Edit Staff Type in the New/Edit Instrument dialog, you will see a dialog with
either two or three pages. The pages are:
* General applies to all kinds of instruments; allows you to set up the number of staff lines, etc.
* Notes and Rests also applies to all kinds of instruments; allows you to determine stem direc-

tions and stem lengths, etc.

* Percussion is only available for unpitched instruments, and allows you to specify a mapping

between noteheads on the staff and unpitched percussion sounds

* Tab is only available for tablature instruments, and allows you to specify the pitch of each
string, etc.
The options on each page are described below.

General page

* Number of staff lines allows you to choose any number of staff lines (or strings on a tab staff)
* Gap between staff lines allows you to change the distance between staff lines, and thus the

height of the staff. Note, however, that changing this parameter does not make other objects
larger or smaller to match the new staff height, so theres no reason to change this unless youre
after a particularly strange effect. (For the proper ways to change a staff s size,
b 2.23 Staves.)
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7.12 Edit Instruments

* Bracket controls whether brackets and/or braces are drawn at the beginning of the staff
* Initial clef refers to the clef at the start of each system, not just the initial clef at the very start of
*
*

the score. Lead sheets and marching brass band parts often omit clefs from most systems.
Key signatures/Tuning determines whether key signatures and guitar string tunings are
shown on the staff. Again, these are often omitted in lead sheets and marching brass band parts.
Extend above center of staff by n staff line gaps determines how far above the center staff
line of the staff the barline should extend. For a 5-line staff, you would set this to 2 to make the
barline extend as far as the top staff line.
Extend below center of staff by n staff line gaps determines how far below the center line of
the staff the lower half of the barline should extend. You can use negative numbers here to
shorten the lower half of the barline such that it does not reach the middle line of the staff.
Initial barline determines whether the initial barline is drawn at the start of each system. (This
option doesnt determine the presence of an initial barline on a system consisting of a single
staff; you control this from the Barlines page of the House Style > Engraving Rules dialog.)
Barlines controls whether or not barlines are drawn on that staff.

Notes and Rests page

Layout
* Rhythms (stems, beams, ties etc.) controls stems, flags, and rhythm dots. Its generally only

switched off for tab staff types where rhythms are not indicated (i.e. where theres usually an
accompanying notation staff to show the rhythms).
* Bar rests can be switched off if you dont want bar rests to appear in a particular staff. This
option should usually be switched off if Rhythms is also switched off.
* Articulations always above the staff is useful for vocal and single-line percussion staves;
positioning articulations above the staff avoids collisions with e.g. lyrics

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7. Layout & engraving

* Beams always horizontal forces all beams to be level. This is especially useful in percussion

*
*

550

music, and is also often used in some styles of tab that show rhythms using stems and beams
outside the staff.
Leger lines determines whether leger lines will appear when notes go above or below the staff.
This is usually switched off for percussion staves.
The Stem Lengths options allow you to choose whether stems should have normal stem
lengths (the default setting for most staff types), or whether they should extend outside the staff
(which is useful for tab staff types where rhythms are shown).
If Extend stems outside staff is switched on, you can choose whether stems should be drawn
entirely outside the staff (i.e. not extending to the fret number/letter or notehead) by switching
on Only draw stems beyond extra space; this look is commonly used in lute tablature and in
some rhythmic guitar tab.
Allow space for n beams determines how far outside the staff stems should be extended; by
default, enough space is allowed for three beams, i.e. a 32nd note (or demisemiquaver). The
Extra space to allow option is most useful for determining the distance between the outermost staff line and the innermost point of the stem above or below the staff if Only draw
stems beyond extra space is switched on.
The Stems on notes in a single voice options determine whether stems in a single voice
should point down for notes on the mid-line (the conventional behavior for most staff types),
point up for notes on the mid-line (conventional for single-line percussion staves), whether all
stems in a single voice should point down (conventional for banjo tab), or up (conventional for
most guitar and lute tab, and for bagpipe music). Where two or more voices are used, these settings are ignored and stems will point up or down according to the voice in the normal way.
The options under Rest Positions allow you to determine how rests should be positioned on
this staff.
Normally, bar rests sit hang from the second staff line of a 5-line staff, though you can adjust
this by setting Distance of bar rests from staff center n staff line gaps to something other
than 1; values greater than 0 mean staff positions above the middle staff line, while negative
values mean positions below the middle staff line.
Other rests are (roughly speaking) centered on the middle staff line, though you can also adjust
this, by setting Offset of other rests from staff center n staff line gaps to something other
than 0.
You can also adjust the positions of displaced rests, meaning rests that have been moved from
their natural position by the presence of notes or rests in another voice. Sibelius will only automatically displace notes and rests in voices 1 and 2. Notice that, for example, displaced voice 1
bar rests normally hang from the top staff line, and displaced voice 2 bar rests normally hang
from the fourth staff line.

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7.12 Edit Instruments

Percussion page

* The graphical representation of the staff shows the drum mapping (see Unpitched percus-

*
*
*
*

551

Layout

sion instruments on page 134) notice how you can set different noteheads, or even the
same notehead with different articulations, to produce different sounds on the same line or
space
To remove an existing notehead, select it (by clicking it) and click Delete
To change a notehead, select the notehead you want to change, then use the drop-down Notehead menu to choose the desired design
To add an articulation to the notehead, use the drop-down Articulation menu
The sound used by the selected notehead is displayed either as a sound ID (e.g.
unpitched.wood.high.woodblock) or as a drum sound name from a specific device (e.g. High
Woodblock), depending on whether you have the Display option on the Playback page of
File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac) set to Sound IDs or Program names (see
Playback preferences on page 306).
To change the sound used by the selected notehead, click the Choose Sound button. If you are
working with sound IDs, you will see a hierarchical menu of unpitched sound IDs, from which
you should choose the sound ID that most closely matches the sound you want to hear. Thanks
to Sibeliuss SoundWorld system, Sibelius will choose the best available matching sound during
playback (b 4.16 SoundWorld).
If, on the other hand, you are working with program names, you will see a hierarchical menu in
which each of the sound sets in your active playback configuration are listed in the first level,
then the drum programs from each sound set in the second level, and finally the names of the
individual drum sounds in the third level. Note that you should not choose sounds from different programs within the same staff type, as Sibelius can only use a single drum program to play
back all the sounds required by a given instrument.

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7. Layout & engraving

* To add a new notehead, choose the notehead and sound you want from the Notehead, Articu-

lation and Sound lists, then click New. The mouse pointer changes color; now click on the
staff to place the new notehead.
* If you create drum set notation using step-time or Flexi-time input, you should check that the
setting for each notehead in the Input using pitch menus corresponds with the key you press
on your MIDI keyboard to produce the same sound (see Note input for unpitched percussion on page 135)
* When you add a new notehead to the drum map, the Input using pitch settings default to the
pitch as if notated on a treble clef staff. If a notehead is already present on the line or space,
Sibelius adds a sharp to the pitch.

Tab page

* To change the tuning of a string, click the string in the large window at the top of the dialog,

then choose the new pitch from the drop-down Pitch menu underneath
* You can specify whether the note should be spelled as a sharp or a flat (occasionally required in
unusual tunings) by selecting the appropriate radio button
* If you need to change the number of strings, click the General tab and change the number of
strings, then switch back to the Tab page to adjust their tunings
* The Tab Notes options determine whether the tab staff should Use numbers (conventional
for guitar tab) or Use letters (conventional for most lute tablature styles); Draw notes
between staff lines or not (on the lines is conventional for guitar tab, between the lines is conventional for lute tablature); whether the numbers or letters should have a white background
behind them (useful for tab staff types which depict rhythm); and whether stems should be
drawn between notes in chords (by default, stems extend through all the notes of a chord, but in
some rhythmic tab styles the stem is only drawn as far as the first note it reaches).

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7.13 Edit Lines

7.13 Edit Lines

b 2.16 Lines, 2.22 Slurs, 7.7 House Style.

For advanced users only

Sibelius lets you edit the design of lines and create your own new ones. If you edit an existing line,
any change you make to the design of the line will affect all existing instances of that line in your
score, and all instances you subsequently create.

Editing a line
To edit a line, choose House Style > Edit Lines. Once youve selected a line from the list, you can
Edit it, Delete it (if its one youve defined yourself), or click New to create a new line based on it.
When creating a new line, base it on one with similar playback and positioning characteristics; for
instance, to create a line that you want to play back like a trill, base it on a trill.
Clicking Edit brings up a dialog where you can change a lines characteristics.:

* An optional start either a symbol (such as Ped) or item of text (such as 1.2.), plus an

*
*
*
*

optional arrowhead or a short line at right angles called a hook, such as on a 1st ending (1sttime bar)
The actual line itself this can be continuous, dotted, dashed or wiggly, of various possible
widths, and can be horizontal or diagonal
Some optional text running along the line, e.g. gliss.
An optional continuation symbol this is what appears at the start of the system when a line
continues on from an earlier system, such as (8) for an 8va line
An optional end bit like the start, this can be a symbol, a hook or an arrowhead.

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Layout

In all its generality, a line consists of five bits:

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7. Layout & engraving

Its reasonably self-explanatory how you modify these five bits from the dialog., but lets spell it
out anyway:
* Line options control the appearance of the line itself:
% Style: specifies whether the line is continuous, dotted, dashed or wiggly
% Dash: the length of the dashes for dashed lines
% Gap: the size of the gap between dashes/dots in dashed/dotted lines
% Horizontal: forces the line to be horizontal (e.g. a trill)
% Smooth on screen: anti-aliases (smoothes) the line as it appears on the screen (depending

on your overall smoothing settings), but doesnt affect how it prints (Sibelius always prints
smoothly!) you should leave this option switched on
% Right of symbols/text: puts the left-hand end of the line after the start bit.
* Start options define whether the line begins with a cap, symbol or text object:
% None/Text/Symbol: its obvious what these do. Clicking the Text radio button brings up a
dialog from which you can choose the text that should appear, the text style to use, and the
position of the text relative to the line.
To position the text so the line appears mid-way up, change the x spaces up parameter;
using the Small text style, a value of 0.5 spaces is ideal.
% spaces right/up: used to adjust the position of the symbol, text or hook
% Cap allows you to choose a hook (and define its offset from the line) or an arrowhead from a
defined list.
* Continuation options determine what the line does if it continues over a system or page break:
% Symbol: allows you to start the continuation with a symbol
% spaces right/up: used to adjust the position of the optional symbol
% The Text button sets any text running along the line
* End options are similar to the Start options, except that you cant end a line with text.
The preview shows the line as it would appear when split over two systems, so you can see the
continuation bit as well as the start, middle and end.
As an example of using this dialog, to change the symbol at the beginning of a standard 8va line
(as in the picture above) to, say, just 8, click Select in the Start section of the Edit Line dialog to
choose a new symbol. You can change the Continuation symbol in the same way.

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7.14 Edit Noteheads

7.14 Edit Noteheads

b 2.20 Noteheads, 2.24 Stems and leger lines.

For advanced users only

To modify a notehead design or define a new one:

* Choose House Style > Edit Noteheads
* On the dialog that appears, click New to create a new type of notehead, or click one of the listed

types and click Edit to change it. (You can also click and Delete notehead types youve defined.)
The Notehead dialog that then appears allows you to configure every aspect of the notehead:

* Name: this is the name of the notehead type (although you dont really need to know what its
*

*
*
*

Below the notehead symbols there are separate options for the positioning of stems and noteheads
when stems are pointing up and down:

555

Layout

called)
Plays: determines whether the notehead type plays back. Some noteheads (e.g. slashes) dont
play back by default
Accidental: switch this off if you want the notehead not to have accidentals (e.g. for slashes)
Transposes: determines whether the notehead transposes (e.g. if you alter Notes > Transposing Score, if you transpose your music, or in parts). Some noteheads (e.g. slashes) dont transpose by default.
Leger lines: determines whether the notehead should ever appear with leger lines
Stem: determines whether the notehead should appear on a stem
To change the symbol used for the notehead, select one of the note values, click Change Symbol
and select the symbol to use for it from the Symbols dialog that appears (b 2.25 Symbols).
The quarter note (crotchet) notehead is also used for eighths (quavers) and shorter note values.

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7. Layout & engraving

* Shorten stem by: lets you make a neater join between the stem and certain noteheads such as

crosses (this option is only available if Stem is switched on above)

* Move notehead x spaces right/left: moves the notehead the specified number of spaces right
or left from the stem, again to make a neater join
* Move notehead x spaces up/down: moves the notehead the specified number of spaces up or
down from the stem.
When youre done, click OK followed by OK again to close the Edit Noteheads dialog.
One subtlety is that the Leger lines and Stem options take effect based on the notehead type of
the top note of a chord; so if you have, say, a chord with two notes that would normally be written
on leger lines, but you set the top notehead to use a notehead that doesnt use leger lines, neither
note will have leger lines. Conversely, if, in the same situation, you set the lower of the two notes
on leger lines to use a notehead that doesnt use leger lines, both notes will be printed with leger
lines (because the notehead at the top of the chord does use leger lines).
If you created a new notehead type, it will appear at the bottom of the House Style > Edit Noteheads dialog and the notehead list in the Notes panel of the Properties window, and can be typed
as a numerical shortcut like other noteheads.

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7.15 Edit Symbols

7.15 Edit Symbols

b 2.25 Symbols, 7.10 Music fonts.

For advanced users only

The symbols that Sibelius uses for standard objects such as noteheads, clefs and articulations can
all be found in the Create > Symbol dialog (shortcut Z), and you can edit them in the House
Style > Edit Symbols dialog.

Changing existing symbols

Not surprisingly, the symbols in the House Style > Edit Symbols dialog for standard objects have
particular meanings. If you change the sharp symbol to a dollar sign, Sibelius will still treat it as a
sharp (e.g. when playing back or transposing).
It will even treat it as a sharp if you change the symbol design to look like a flat (because it interprets the symbols based on where they are in the grid, not what they look like). This causes Sibelius no conceptual difficulties, but it may cause you some, so to avoid confusion only change
existing symbols to designs that look like they mean the same thing as the previous design.
One use for this might be to change the symbols used for microtonal accidentals. The first nine
symbols on the Accidentals row of the Create > Symbol dialog correspond to the symbols on the
fifth Keypad layout (shortcut F12). See the table of notable symbols in the 2.25 Symbols topic
for a list of the various alternative symbols. If you change a symbol used on the Keypad in the
House Style > Edit Symbols dialog, the Keypad will still show the original symbol but will input
your new one.

New symbols
If, however, you want a new symbol that isnt just a different design of an existing one, there are
various convenient gaps in the House Style > Edit Symbols table you can put the new symbol
into. Use a gap in an appropriately-named row, or in the User-defined row at the bottom.

Composite symbols
Some symbols include one or more other symbols. This has two benefits:
* It means you can create a new symbol even if it is not available in a music font, by piecing

together other symbols. For instance, the symbol for a tenor voice clef (treble clef with an 8
below) is made up from a treble clef plus an 8.
* It means that if you change the font, size or design of a symbol (such as a treble clef), then all
symbols based on this will also change, to ensure a consistent appearance and to avoid your
having to change lots of other symbols at the same time.

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Layout

If you use up all the gaps in the User-defined row, click New on the House Style > Edit Symbols dialog to create a new symbol on a new row.

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7. Layout & engraving

Editing and creating new symbols

* Choose House Style > Edit Symbols
* Select a symbol to edit and click Edit;

*
*
*

to create a new symbol, select an empty slot

in the dialog and click Edit, or click New to
create a new symbol in a new row
To change the symbol to a different character, click on a new symbol in the table at the
left of the dialog or type a character number
into Number. (If you are using a mixture of
music fonts you can also choose which font
to use from the Music font list, explained
below.)
To make the symbol blank, or to make it just
a composite of existing symbols (without also having a character chosen directly from a music
font), set Number to 0
You can also change the Name of the symbol; this name is useful for identification when
including this symbol in a composite symbol
To move the symbol with respect to its origin, click the arrow buttons to the right of the dialog
To add another symbol to make a composite, click Add, then click another symbol and click Add
Symbol. You can move these extra symbols independently using the arrow buttons.

Creating a new symbol text style

This important but rather abstract concept is best described by example. Lets suppose you want
all of your clefs to use a special music font of their own that youve obtained from somewhere,
called TrebleFont. (For more information on music fonts and how they relate to symbols,
b 7.10 Music fonts.)
To make this happen, you cant just change the font of the Common symbols text style, as that
would change notes, accidentals and so on, too. Instead, you should create a new text style called
(say) Clefs, set this to TrebleFont, and set all clef symbols to use the Clefs text style so that they
all use this font. To do this:
* In the House Style > Edit Symbols dialog, click Music Fonts
* In the Music fonts dialog, select an existing text style (say, Common Symbols) to base your

new one on, click New, then click Yes

* In the dialog that appears, type Clefs as the name for your new text style, and change the font to
TrebleFont
* Click OK, then OK again to close the Music fonts dialog
* Then, for each clef in the House Style > Edit Symbols dialog, select the clef, click Edit, change
Music Font (meaning the text style that specifies the symbols font and size) to Clefs, and click
OK.
You should follow the same procedure even if you just want a single symbol in a special font or size.
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7.16 Publishing

7.16 Publishing
b 5.16 SibeliusMusic.com, 8.14 Exporting Scorch web pages.

This tells you how to produce high-quality printed scores in small or large print runs, so that you
can do your own music publishing from start to finish.

Being your own publisher

Most music is never published. Even well-known composers belonging to leading music publishers sometimes find that much of their music exists only in photocopies of their original manuscript, which only see the light of day if someone hires it out for a performance. Certainly a lot of
the classical music of the last 50 years or so that gets published is done as a loss-making promotional exercise, in the hope that its presence on a bookshelf might bring it to the attention of
potential performers. This is also sometimes true of more commercial scores such as musicals. So
the situation for lesser-known composers and arrangers can be very frustrating.
Fortunately Sibelius changes all this. If you want to distribute your music quickly and easily, you
can publish it via the Internet b 5.16 SibeliusMusic.com for details. But Sibelius can also
help you to bring a score right from its gestation in your head to a warehouse-full of scores and
parts, printed and bound, as well as any publisher can do it. This is because even large publishers
often have no more equipment than you do. What they do have is a famous name, a logo and the
attendant mystique. All you need is a little know-how and a friendly local printers.

Music engraving and house style

Good publishers all have high standards of music engraving. It takes time and experience to
acquire the expertise to produce high-quality engraving; however, for a start, try reading
b 7.2 Music engraving and 7.1 Layout and formatting.
Additionally, publishers often establish their own house style. b 7.7 House Style will give
you some pointers on doing this. Simply choosing tasteful and distinctive text fonts will help considerably; b Tasteful fonts on page 223.

If you only want to produce, say, 100 copies of a score it is probably uneconomic to have it printed
on a press. You can either print out copies on your own printer, or produce a master copy and get
it photocopied and bound.
Nowadays short print runs are normally done using digital printing techniques, not dissimilar
from a laser printer you might use yourself at home, but typically of a higher quality. Unlike litho
printing (see below), which requires a set of plates to be made before anything can be printed, digital printing uses your digital file (typically a PDF) directly, and it costs the same whether you are
printing one copy or 100 copies.
Provided you have a good quality laser printer, you can achieve similar results at home, though
you may find the finishing normally folding and stapling or saddle-stitching sufficiently
laborious that it is worth asking a printing company to do this for you.
559

Layout

Short print runs

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7. Layout & engraving

Longer print runs

To publish music in quantity (say hundreds of copies or more) it should be printed by a printing
company using a digital printing process. This used to be done by giving them a high quality printout that they would photograph; these days, the norm is to provide the artwork as a PDF file
(b 8.11 Exporting graphics) on CD-R or sent via email.

Litho printing
For very large runs (say thousands of copies), the printing company may use an imagesetter (a
special high-resolution printer 2540 dpi or more) to output your music onto transparent film,
which is then made into printing plates. But many companies can produce plates straight from
your disk, without producing film first.
The plates then go into the printing press. Litho printing is done onto large sheets of paper that
are then trimmed to size. Hence printing companies will much prefer your artwork to have crop
marks, which are cross-hairs at the corners of the page showing where the paper should be cut.
You can switch on crop marks when you save your score as EPS files or produce a PDF file.
The printing company should be able to print, collate and bind as many copies as you want. The
cost per copy tends to drop rapidly as the number of copies increases, because there is quite a significant initial setting-up cost.

Factors affecting print quality

* Resolution: when you get above 600 dpi, the resolutions of printouts are hard to distinguish on

large staff sizes, but with smaller staves the difference is perceptible. For instance, there is a just
perceptible difference between 1200 dpi and 2540 dpi.
* Paper: most books and music are printed on white bond plain white uncoated (non-glossy)
paper. lb/ream (North America) and g/m2 or gsm (Europe, meaning grams per square
meter) indicate the weight and hence the thickness of the paper. About 21 lb/ream or 80 gsm is
used for typing paper, photocopy paper and fairly thick books. Around 26 lb/ream or 100 gsm is
preferable for music because its less translucent and single sheets are less likely to flop over on
music stands.
* Plates: litho printing plates are made out of various materials. Generally your printer will decide
which is best. Metal plates produce the highest quality, polyester plates are cheaper but nearly
as good, and paper plates are of lesser quality and only suitable for posters and other undetailed
documents.

Summary
To recap, if you want publication-quality artwork suitable for mass-printing you must either:
* Invest in a laser printer of 600 dpi or higher quality and print it yourself; or
* Create a PDF file of your music and give it to a printing company on CD-R (or send it via email)

for them to print digitally or using litho printing. If possible, also give them a paper printout of
the score as a proof. In general, litho printing is more expensive (except for large quantities)
than digital printing, but will give very high quality results.

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Files
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8.1 Working with files

This topic explains saving scores in Sibelius format, and (for more advanced users) how to access
files containing custom Sibelius settings (e.g. house styles). The other topics in this chapter will tell
you how to share files with other people, whether or not they have Sibelius, and how to import and
export files in various formats.

Creating a score
For details of how to start a new score in Sibelius, see the Handbook.

File size
Sibelius files typically occupy around 20K plus 1K per page (excluding any imported graphics),
even for band or orchestral music. This means you can fit literally millions of pages on your hard
disk, and even huge scores can easily be sent by email. So even if your name is J.S. Bach, disk space
is unlikely ever to present a problem when using Sibelius.

Saving
Saving works just like in any other program, using File > Save As (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+S or
xXS) and File > Save (shortcut Ctrl+S or XS). In addition to being able to save Sibelius scores,
you can also export other formats, such as MIDI, audio, graphics, and ASCII tab; for more details,
see the relevant topics in this Reference. To save lyrics, b 5.11 Plug-ins.
A convenient place to save is the Scores folder that Sibelius has helpfully created for you. On
Windows, the Scores folder is created inside your My Documents folder; on Mac, it is inside
your user Documents folder.
You can change which folder is the default for saving scores on the Files page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac).
When you next open the score after saving, it will open at the point at which you were working on
it when you saved, even at the same zoom factor. If youd prefer Sibelius to open scores at a default
zoom level rather than the last zoom level you were working at, switch on Open at default zoom
level on the Files page of the File > Preferences dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac).

Auto-save

If Sibelius doesnt shut down correctly (for example, if your computer crashes or there is an interruption in power), the next time you start the program, it checks the AutoSave folder, and if it
finds any scores in that folder, you will be asked if you want to restore them.
When you close Sibelius normally, it deletes all the files in the AutoSave folder so its essential
that you dont save any files in there yourself!

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Sibelius can automatically save your score at timed intervals so that, should your computer crash,
the most work you can lose is a few minutes worth. Rather than saving your actual file, Sibelius
makes a copy of your score and saves it into a folder called AutoSave within the Backup Scores
folder (see below).

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8. Files
Auto-save is switched on by default, but if for some reason you want to switch it off, do so from
the Files page of the File > Preferences dialog (in the Sibelius menu on Mac). You can also specify in this dialog how often Sibelius automatically saves your score; the default is 10 minutes.

Backups
Each time you save, the score (with a version number added to the name) is also saved in Backup
Scores in your Scores folder. If you ever accidentally delete or mess up a score, look in this
backup folder to get the latest version you saved, or earlier versions too. This folder stores the last
40 scores you saved; older copies are progressively deleted to stop your disk from filling up, so
dont use this folder to store your own backups!
Backup scores are created when you save manually, not each time Sibelius auto-saves; but unlike
auto-saved scores, backup scores are not deleted when you close Sibelius.

Score Info
The File > Score Info dialog can be used to enter information about your score, such as its title,
composer, arranger, copyright, and so on, which is automatically used when you publish your
score on the Internet (b 8.14 Exporting Scorch web pages). You can also enter this information on the final page of the File > New dialog when creating a score. The File tab of File > Score
Info shows you useful details about your score, such as the date it was created, when it was last
saved, how many pages, staves and bars it contains, and so on. This tab only appears after you have
saved your score at least once.
The values you enter into the fields on the Score Info dialog can also be used as wildcards in text
objects throughout your score. For details on wildcards and how to use them in Sibelius,
b 3.11 Wildcards.

User-editable files
Sibelius allows you to create your own:
* Ideas (b 5.8 Ideas)
* House styles (b 7.7 House Style)
* Plug-ins (b 5.11 Plug-ins)
* Worksheets (b 5.21 Worksheet Creator)
* Arrange styles (b 5.2 Edit Arrange Styles)
* Chord diagram libraries (b 2.7 Chord diagrams)
* Text and music font equivalents (b 3.1 Working with text, 7.10 Music fonts)
* Manuscript papers (b 2.18 Manuscript paper)
* Feature sets (b 5.9 Menus and shortcuts)
* Word menus (b 3.1 Working with text)

As Sibelius comes with its own sets of each of these kinds of files, any additional ones you create
are saved in a location separately from those supplied with the program. The standard files
included with Sibelius are non-deletable; you should not change anything inside the application
folder itself (or the application package sometimes known as a bundle on Mac), which is
where they are stored.
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8.1 Working with files

Your own (user-editable) files are stored in specific folders inside your user accounts application
data folder of your computer, the location of which will differ depending on the operating system
you are using:
* Windows Vista: C:\Users\username\Application Data\Sibelius Software\Sibelius 5\
* Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\

Sibelius Software\Sibelius 5
* Mac: /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Sibelius Software/Sibelius 5
Note that on Windows, the application data folder is hidden by default and will not be visible in
Windows Explorer. If you wish to access this folder, choose Tools > Folder Options from any
open Explorer window. Click the View tab and from the Files and Folders list choose Show hidden files and folders.
Inside the Sibelius application data folder you will find various folders whose names indicate the
content they contain. (It is possible for there to be no folders at all, as they are only created when
you create or edit a file that is saved in that location.)
You can copy any appropriate file to the user area directories and Sibelius will use it when you
next start the program. Files you have added or created can also be deleted with no ill side-effects.

Scorch templates and textures

You can create your own Scorch templates and paper/desk textures. Place them inside the relevant folder in the application data folder, and Sibelius will detect them. Scorch templates go in the
folder called Scorch templates, and textures in the folder called Textures.

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8. Files

8.2 Sharing files

Its easy to share music you have written in Sibelius with other people.

Sharing files with other users of Sibelius

If the person you are working with also has Sibelius, then simply send the file by email (see
below), or on removable media such as a CD-R.
Find out what version of Sibelius the person youre sending files to is using. If they have the same
or a later version of Sibelius as you, you can simply save your file as normal and send it to them. If,
however, they have an earlier version of Sibelius, or are using Sibelius Student or G7, you will need
to export your score in an earlier file format b 8.15 Exporting to previous versions.

Sharing files with people who dont use Sibelius

If the recipient doesnt have Sibelius, there are a number of other means of sharing files with
them:
* Ask them to download and install the free Sibelius demo from www.sibelius.com, then send

*
*
*
*
*

the file to them. Beware that the demo version can only print a single, watermarked page, so if
you want them to be able to print your score, this isnt the best way.
Publish the music on SibeliusMusic.com, SibeliusEducation.com or on your own web site
b 5.16 SibeliusMusic.com, 5.15 SibeliusEducation.com and 8.14 Exporting
Scorch web pages.
Create a PDF of your score and send it to them see Creating PDF files on page 598
Export the music as a graphics file from Sibelius and send it to them b 8.11 Exporting
graphics
Save the music as a Scorch web page and attach both files to an email (see below)
If the recipient has another music program and wants to listen to and perhaps edit your music,
send them a MIDI file b 8.12 Exporting MIDI files
If you want to send your music to somebody else so they can hear it, but you dont need them to
see the score, you could also export an audio file from Sibelius and then either burn it to an
audio CD or compress it into an MP3 file and send it via email b 8.13 Exporting audio
files.

Sending files via email

Sending files by email is very simple, but the exact procedure differs according to the email program you use:
* Windows Mail, Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird: start a new message, then click the

Attach button (with a paperclip icon), find the file and click Attach to attach it to the message.
Then send it as normal.
* Apple Mail: start a new message, then simply drag and drop the file you want to attach to the
message into the message window, and send it as normal.

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8.2 Sharing files

* Netscape Messenger: start a new message, then click the Attach button and choose File from the

drop down list. Find the file you want to attach, and double-click its name to attach it to the
message, which you can then send as normal.
* Eudora: start a new message, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) on the message
body, and choose Attach file. Find the file you want to attach, and double-click its name to
attach it to the message, which you can then send as normal.
If you dont use any of the above programs, consult the documentation for your particular email
client for details on sending file attachments.
If you want to send a Sibelius file as a Scorch web page to somebody via email:
* First, export it (b 8.14 Exporting Scorch web pages)
* Remember to attach both the .sib and .htm files to your email message
* Tell the recipient that they will need to have Scorch installed on their computer; tell them to

save both files to a folder on their computer (e.g. the Desktop), and then to double-click the
saved .htm file to view the score in their web browser.

Files on Windows or Mac

Sibelius for Windows and Sibelius for Mac use exactly the same file format. You can move a Sibelius score between Mac and Windows without any conversion at all see below.
Both file formats use Unicode, a standard international character set, which means that special
characters (like accented letters) are automatically translated between Mac and Windows. Music
and text fonts are also substituted intelligently b 3.12 Font equivalents.
Sibelius files have a .sib extension. On Mac, Sibelius files are also of kind Sibelius document
(internally the Creator is SIBE and the Type is SIBL).

Opening Mac scores on Windows

If you are trying to open a score created on the Mac given to you on a CD-R or another disk, make
sure the disk is formatted for Windows although the Mac can read Windows disks, Windows
cannot read Mac disks.
To open the file in Sibelius for Windows, you may have to add the file extension .sib. Although
Sibelius adds this file extension by default on both Windows and Mac, some Mac users prefer not
to use file extensions; this causes a problem on Windows, because the file extension tells Windows
this is a Sibelius file.

Once you have renamed the file, you can open it in the usual way by double-clicking.

Opening Windows scores on Mac

To open a file created using Sibelius for Windows, simply choose File > Open and double-click the
name of the file in the dialog.
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You can add the file extension in Windows by right-clicking on the file icon (in My Computer or
Windows Explorer) and selecting Rename. Change the extension, and then hit Return (on the
main keyboard). You may be prompted that changing file types can render them unusable,
because Windows assumes that you dont know what youre doing. If asked whether you are sure
you wish to proceed, click Yes.

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8. Files

8.3 Splitting and joining scores

You can write several movements, songs or pieces inside the same score file, or write them in separate scores and combine them later. You can also split a score containing several pieces into individual scores.

Several movements, songs or pieces

Its preferable to put several sections (e.g. movements, songs or pieces of music) into one score
instead of having a separate score for each. Moreover, if you want any new sections to be on the
same page as each other, in the score or in parts, you must input them in the same file.
If you have different sections in two or more files that you want to join together, see Append
Score below.
To write, say, a couple of two-system exercises on the same page:
* Input the first exercise as normal
* Select the barline at the end of the first exercise and hit Return (on the main keyboard) to create
*
*
*

a system break
If you also need full instrument names and an indented staff, select the bar at the end of the previous system, open the Bars panel of the Properties window, and switch on Section end
Create a double or final barline at the end of the first exercise if desired (Create > Barline > Final
or Double)
If the key signature is different at the beginning of the second exercise, create a new one in the
usual way, making sure to switch on Hide in the Create > Key Signature dialog; this will hide
the key change at the end of the previous system
Similarly, if you require a different time signature in the next exercise, create it in the usual way,
making sure to switch off Allow cautionary in the Time Signature dialog; this prevents a cautionary time signature from being drawn at the end of the previous system
Reset the bar number at the beginning of the second exercise if desired (Create > Other > Bar
Number Change).

Inputting a score in several files

If you want to input a single score in several separate files perhaps if several people are copying
or orchestrating it simultaneously you will probably want to adjust the first bar number, first
page number and first rehearsal mark of each file so that the bars, pages and rehearsal marks follow on from the previous one.
Beware that if you plan to use parts, each section into which the full score was divided will start on
a new page in every part, which may produce inconvenient page-turns. So once the score is finished, its best to join the files together using the File > Append Score feature see below.

Append Score
You may want to join two scores together if, for example, you are creating songbooks out of separate song files. Sibelius has a feature to append a score to the end of an existing score, automati-

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cally checking that the two scores have matching staves, and ensuring that the appended score
starts on a new page.
To use this feature, open the first score and choose File > Append Score. A dialog appears from
which you can choose another score to append (the file you choose to append will not itself be
changed).
If it doesnt have the same number of staves, Sibelius will tell you (it wont append a score unless
the staves match exactly). If the number of staves is the same but some of the instrument names
are different, Sibelius will warn you but let you continue if you like (in which case the instrument
names in the first score will be used).
Text styles, symbols, noteheads etc. are merged between the two files; if two text styles have the
same name but are set up differently, the one in the first score is used. Sibelius does several things
to make sure the join between the scores is neat: changes of time signature, key signature, clef and
instrument are created at the join if necessary. The final barline in the first score is set to be a page
break and a section end, so that the appended score starts on a new page with (typically) full
instrument names. Thus the appended scores layout will normally be just the same as it was.
You may want to hide the cautionary clef, time and key signature changes where the two scores
join, particularly if its at a break between two movements or pieces b 5.6 Hiding objects.

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8.4 Importing graphics

v Color and importing graphics.

This topic explains how you can add graphics to your scores by importing bitmap images in TIFF
format into Sibelius.
If you want to turn a graphics file (e.g. a scanned image or PDF file) of printed music into a score,
b 1.4 Scanning.
If you want to turn a score into a graphics file (e.g. an EPS file) for publishing or to add music
extracts to a document, b 8.11 Exporting graphics.

Importing a graphic
To import a TIFF file:
* Select a note, rest, bar or other object in your score where you want the graphic to appear
* Choose Create > Graphic. A dialog appears prompting you to find the TIFF file you want to

import. Once youve found the file, click Open.

* The graphic is created in the score and you can move it, copy it, and so on
* If you want to place the graphic with the mouse or put a graphic on a blank page
(b 7.4 Breaks) instead, ensure nothing is selected in your score before you choose Create >
Graphic; the mouse pointer will then change color to show that it is loaded with an object:
click in the score to place the graphic.
Imported graphics often look best on the screen with the paper texture set to plain white, so that
the white background around non-rectangular shapes blends in (b 5.3 Display settings).
However, graphics will print fine whatever the screen texture is.
Weve provided a lot of useful ready-made graphics files that you can use if you cant be bothered
to create your own. They are found in the Graphics files folder inside your Example Scores
folder, and include things like:
* Pictures of instruments
* Sibelius toolbar buttons and Keypad layouts, for making your own Sibelius worksheets
* Handwritten colored rings for circling important text etc. (Due to the way these are drawn they

need to be positioned with care to avoid erasing objects underneath them; they are not suitable
for ringing notes as they will erase the staff.)
* Various endlessly useful and amusing graphics such as watch out! specs, hands, rings, smiley
face, etc.
The folder also includes a Sibelius file called Graphics examples that illustrates many of the
graphics.

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8.4 Importing graphics

File formats
Sibelius can import graphics files in TIFF format, at any color depth (in other words, it can be
black and white, grayscale, or full color using any number of colors).
If your graphic is not in TIFF format, you can convert it into a TIFF file using a graphics program
such as Graphic Converter for Mac (available for download from www.lemkesoft.com), Paint
Shop Pro for Windows (available for download from www.jasc.com), or Imaging for Windows
(included on many PCs in the Start > Programs > Accessories menu).

Copying, editing and deleting graphics

Once the graphic appears in your score, you can manipulate it in much the same way as any other
object:
* copy it with Alt+click or z-click
* move it by clicking on the graphic so that it is shaded blue, then drag it with the mouse or use
the arrow keys (with Ctrl or X for larger steps)
* scale it, while keeping its proportions, by clicking on the small handle at the bottom right-hand
corner, so that it is surrounded by a light blue box, then drag the mouse or use 3/2 (with Ctrl
or X for larger steps)
* scale it, while altering its proportions, by holding Ctrl or X before clicking on the bottom righthand corner of the graphic (where the handle appears); release Ctrl or X, then drag the mouse
or use 3/2 (with Ctrl or X for larger steps)
* delete it with Delete.

To reset a graphic after manipulating it, choose Layout > Reset Design (shortcut Ctrl+Shift+D
or xXD), which puts the graphic back to its original size and proportions.

File size
Importing a graphic into your score will increase its file size considerably. To keep the file size as
small as possible, Sibelius compresses the TIFF file when it imports it, and if you use the same
graphic multiple times in your score, you can and should just copy it instead of importing it again.

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8.5 Opening MIDI files

If you dont know much about MIDI, b 4.12 MIDI for beginners, which explains what MIDI
files are. If youre wondering where you can get MIDI files from, see Downloading MIDI files
below.

Importing a MIDI file

Open a MIDI file just like a normal Sibelius file: simply choose File > Open (shortcut Ctrl+O or
XO), locate the file (on Windows, MIDI files usually have the file extension .mid), and click
Open.
A dialog appears with importing options you can set (detailed below). Normally, you should just
click OK, and then wait a few seconds for the MIDI file to open.
Some MIDI files contain no program changes (even though they contain instrument names),
which means that the instruments have to be guessed. If so, Sibelius warns you that the instrument names, sounds, clefs, and other details may be wrong. You should either adjust the instruments clef etc. by hand, or (preferably) make or obtain a copy of the MIDI file that does contain
the necessary program change information, and import that MIDI file instead.
If you find that the imported MIDI file doesnt look as good as you had hoped, try changing some
of the import settings see Import options below.
Once the MIDI file is imported you can play back, edit, save, print and create parts from it just as
if youd inputted the music yourself. Imported MIDI files play back with every nuance of the original sequence the exact velocity and timing of each note thanks to Sibeliuss Live Playback feature (b 4.7 Live Playback).

Import options

The options on the MIDI File tab of the Open MIDI File dialog are as follows:
* MIDI file uses this sound set allows you to specify whether the program and bank numbers

use General MIDI or another sound set. This helps Sibelius guess what the instruments are.

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*
*
*

*
*
*

Normally you can leave this option at General MIDI, or switch it off altogether if you simply
want to import the MIDI file as is.
Only one staff per track is useful if you open a MIDI file which notates a piano (say) as two
separate piano tracks, one for the left hand and another for the right hand. Switch on this option
and each hand will be written as one staff, not two; you can then clean it up by creating a new
piano and copying the two hands into it. Finally, delete the original two pianos.
Keep track order is switched off by default; this makes Sibelius choose the order of the instruments. Switch it on to keep the instruments in the same order as the tracks in the MIDI file.
Keep track names makes Sibelius use the name of each track as the instrument name; switch it
off to use the default instrument names for the instruments Sibelius guesses
Hide empty staves is switched on by default; this makes Sibelius hide empty staves throughout the resulting score, which is often useful because many MIDI files have tracks that are
empty except for short passages; as a result, hiding empty staves can make the score easier to
read
Import markers as hit points makes Sibelius convert all markers in the MIDI file into hit
points in the score it creates. When switched off, Sibelius will import the markers as standard
text objects.
Use frame rate from SMPTE header tells Sibelius to set the frame rate settings in Play > Video
and Time > Timecode and Duration according to the settings in the MIDI file see SMPTE
offset below.
Use tab for guitars specifies whether Sibelius should import any guitar tracks in the MIDI file
onto tab staves; if the option is switched off, guitars will be imported onto notation staves
Use multiple voices determines whether Sibelius should use two voices where appropriate to
produce cleaner notation; normally this option should be switched on
Show metronome marks makes all metronome marks visible. If there are lots of changes of
tempo (e.g. rits. and accels.) then you may want to switch this option off, which will hide the
metronome marks in the score, making it look cleaner but still playing back the same.
The Document Setup options allow you to choose the Page size, House style and orientation
(Portrait or Landscape) of the resulting score.

For details of the options on the Notation tab, see Flexi-time options on page 21.

Recommended import options

The precise combination of options you should choose in the Open MIDI file dialog will depend
on a number of different factors, for example:
tab options to notate staccatos and tenutos, and try a number of different Minimum note
value settings until you get the cleanest result
* If you are importing a MIDI file for playback only, it doesnt matter which options you choose,
as Sibelius will always play back the MIDI file exactly as it sounds, using Live Playback
* If you are importing a file created by someone else, probably on a different device (e.g. a MIDI
file you have downloaded from the Internet), you should set MIDI file uses this sound set to
the device it was created for
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8. Files
* If you are importing a file that you know uses the General MIDI sound set, make sure you have

chosen General MIDI under MIDI file uses this sound set.
The default Notation tab settings work well in most cases, as follows: Adjust rhythms on, Minimum note value sixteenth note (semiquaver), Staccato and Tenuto on. If you are reading a
MIDI file in which the rhythms are completely exact (if its already quantized, say), switch Adjust
rhythms off.
If you set Minimum note value unrealistically long e.g. if its set to eighth notes (quavers)
when the MIDI file contains long runs of sixteenth notes (semiquavers) Sibelius obviously cant
render the runs properly using eighth notes and may be forced to produce junk. (Sibelius will have
to approximate the runs of sixteenth notes using tuplets of eighth notes or by joining some pairs
of sixteenth notes together to form eighth note chords.)
The tuplet options are up to you:
* Simple means tuplets are notated only if they contain equal note values
* Moderate and Complex for more irregular rhythms.

Remember that if a particular tuplet (say a triplet) is used in a MIDI file, you must set this option
to at least Simple, or it wont be read correctly! Beware however that if, say, you set all the tuplets
to Complex, Sibelius may discover elaborate tuplet rhythms where you werent expecting them,
so be cautious.

Batch conversion
Sibelius includes a plug-in to convert a complete folder full of MIDI files at once. To use it, choose
Plug-ins > Batch Processing > Convert Folder of MIDI Files. You are asked to find the folder to
convert; find it and click OK. All MIDI files in the folder will be converted to Sibelius files.

Cleaning up MIDI files

Because MIDI files dont contain any notation data, they can end up looking a little messy after
opening them in Sibelius. Here are some hints for getting better results, both before and after conversion:
* If the MIDI file uses non-standard program numbers (e.g. if it is set up to play on an unusual

MIDI device), Sibelius will not be able to identify the instruments correctly and they may
appear with unexpected characteristics, such as with the wrong clefs or in the wrong order.
Similarly, if the MIDI file uses channel 10 for pitched instruments, these may be imported by
Sibelius as percussion instruments. This depends on whether or not you selected an appropriate
MIDI device when opening the MIDI file.
* If this happens, try importing the file again, changing the MIDI file uses this sound set setting
* If the MIDI file is not fully or properly quantized, you may find that the rhythms are not notated
as cleanly as you might expect. If you have access to a sequencer, you could try re-quantizing
the file and opening it in Sibelius again. Alternatively, try using Plug-ins > Simplify Notation >
Renotate Performance, which can both revoice and requantize the music intelligently (see
Renotate Performance on page 423 for more details).

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The kind of cleaning up that is most commonly required after opening a MIDI file is making
unpitched percussion staves more legible b 2.21 Percussion for more details.
When Sibelius imports unpitched percussion in a MIDI file, each drum sound is converted to the
notehead and staff position (i.e. line or space) defined in the 5 lines (drum set) instrument. If a
drum sound is used where the notation isnt defined in this instrument type, Sibelius makes up a
notation using normal, cross and diamond noteheads in empty positions on the staff.
Sometimes you may find that you end up with unwanted rests between notes, or with unwanted
unisons (two noteheads sharing the same pitch). Use the Plug-ins > Simplify Notation >
Remove Rests and Plug-ins > Simplify Notation > Remove Unison Notes plug-ins to correct
this b 5.11 Plug-ins.

SMPTE offset
The MIDI SMPTE offset event is imported (if present) and sets Start Time in the Play > Video
and Time > Timecode and Duration dialog. It can also be used to set the frame rate to be used
for timecode in the score; however, because the MIDI SMPTE offset event doesnt describe all of
the frame rate formats used by all sequencer programs, if you know the frame rate you actually
want to use, choose Set frame rate on the MIDI File page of the Open MIDI File dialog, and
select the desired frame rate from the menu instead. (If you have no idea what any of this means,
dont worry just leave these options as they are.)

Technical details
Sibelius imports MIDI files of types 0 and 1. When importing, Sibelius intelligently works out
which instruments to use (using track names if they are present, otherwise using the sounds), and
is able to distinguish between, say, Violin and Viola, Clarinet and Bass Clarinet, or Soprano and
Alto by the range of the music in each track. Sibelius cleans up the rhythm using the Flexi-time
algorithm, and retains as much or as little MIDI message data as you specify (e.g. metronome
marks, program changes and so on). Sibelius also automatically reduces the staff size if there are
too many instruments for the page size.

Downloading MIDI files

There are many online resources for MIDI files. If you are looking for a particular piece, you can
try a search using www.google.com, e.g. typing the name of the piece followed by the words
MIDI file. Or you could try visiting one of the following sites:
* www.prs.net: more than 16,000 or so classical music files, all public domain
* www.musicrobot.com: a search engine for locating pop music MIDI files on the web

Files

* www.cpdl.org: an excellent choral music public domain site with thousands of files
* www.cyberhymnal.org: every major hymn tune, with downloadable lyrics too.

Not all the files on these sites are in MIDI format some may be in Finale, PDF or another format.
Some may even be in an audio format, like MP3, which cannot be opened by Sibelius. So look
carefully to see what the actual format of the file is, before you try and download it. (Sibelius can,
however, open files in various formats check the other topics in this chapter for details.)

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8. Files
Once youve found the MIDI file youre looking for in your web browser, identify the link to
download it; links are normally underlined. Do not click on the link directly, as that will simply
make the MIDI file play inside your web browser: we want to download it, not play it. Instead:
* Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) the link, and a menu will appear.
* Choose Save Link As, Save Target As or Download Link (the exact wording depends on

which web browser you are using)

* Depending on your web browser, you may be prompted to choose where to save the file, in
which case choose somewhere easy to remember, like your Desktop
* Now the file will be downloaded. MIDI files are normally very small, so this will probably take
only a second or two.
Congratulations! Youve now downloaded a MIDI file and in fact the above steps can be used to
download any type of file from the web.
Make sure you know what the MIDI file is called and where you saved it (normally to your Desktop), then open Sibelius, and follow the steps in Importing a MIDI file at the start of this topic.
You should be aware that if you download or publish MIDI files of someone elses music without
permission you are likely to infringe copyright. Copyright infringement is illegal, and in any case
is forbidden by the Sibelius license agreement.
Most music states if it is copyright and who the copyright owner is. If you have are unsure of the
copyright status of a MIDI file you have downloaded, please contact the musics publisher, composer or arranger.

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8.6 Opening MusicXML files

8.6 Opening MusicXML files

b 8.7 Opening Finale 98-2003 files.

Sibeliuss built-in MusicXML 2.0 file convertor allows you to open MusicXML files created in a
number of music applications, including Finale version 2003 and later and SharpEye.
For Finale 2003 files (only), it may or may not work better if you open an ETF (Enigma) file see
b 8.7 Opening Finale 98-2003 files. You could try both methods, but the quality of the
results you get will depend on the file you are importing.
The purpose of the file convertor is to save you time, not to convert every score so that it is identical to the original.

What is MusicXML?
MusicXML is an interchange file format for music notation applications. It provides a better way
to transfer notation between different programs than other formats such as MIDI files.

Creating MusicXML files in Finale

How you create MusicXML files in Finale depends on the version of Finale you are using:
* Finale 2006 or later: choose File > MusicXML > Export
* Finale 2003, 2004 or 2005 (Windows only): choose Plug-ins > MusicXML Export

If you are using Finale 2004 or Finale 2005 on Mac OS X, or are using a version earlier than Finale
2003 on Windows, you will require the Dolet plug-in to export MusicXML files. If you are using
Dolet, you can export a MusicXML file by choosing Plug-ins > MusicXML > Export MusicXML.
The full Dolet plug-in also allows you to benefit from additional Finale file format support
(including MuseData files), greater accuracy in translations from MusicXML files saved using
Dolet for Sibelius, and support for exporting percussion notation, tablature, staff styles, custom
lines and brackets. For more details, see www.recordare.com.

Opening a MusicXML file

MusicXML files typically have one of two file extensions: uncompressed MusicXML files have the
extension .xml, and compressed MusicXML 2.0 or later files have the extension .mxl. Sibelius can
open MusicXML files with either extension.

Files
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8. Files
Open a MusicXML file just like a normal Sibelius file: simply
choose File > Open (shortcut Ctrl+O or XO), locate the file,
and click Open. Sibelius will show a dialog, shown on the right,
with the following options:
* Use page and staff size from MusicXML file is switched

on by default if the MusicXML file you are opening is version

1.1 or later; this tells Sibelius to try and preserve the page and
staff size of the MusicXML file. If you switch this off, you can
set the paper size and orientation for the imported
MusicXML file, and Sibelius will use the default staff size as
determined by the house style chosen below in the dialog.
* Use layout and formatting from MusicXML file is also switched on by default if the
MusicXML file is version 1.1 or later; when switched on, Sibelius will try to preserve the layout
and formatting (e.g. distances between staves, system and page breaks, etc.) of the original
MusicXML file. If you switch this off, Sibelius will effectively unlock the format of the resulting
score, using its default layout and formatting.
* House style allows you to import a specific house style into the resulting score; if you leave this
set to Unchanged, Sibelius will use its default house style. If you choose another house style,
note that the page size and staff size specified in the house style will not be used in the resulting
score unless you switch off Use page and staff size from MusicXML file.
* Let Sibelius choose instruments tells Sibelius to attempt to automatically identify the instruments in the MusicXML file. If you find that Sibelius creates the wrong instruments, import the
file again, and switch this option off, which will prompt Sibelius to show you the following dialog after you click OK:

% The Instruments in file list at the left-hand side shows the individual parts in the

MusicXML file
% In the order that the staves are displayed in the Instruments in file list, use the Ensemble,
Family and Available lists to choose the Sibelius instruments you want to use for each part
(rather like in the Instruments dialog); either double-click the instrument or click Add to
add it to the Instruments to create list at the right-hand side of the dialog.

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8.6 Opening MusicXML files

% When all of the parts have been mapped onto Sibelius instruments, the OK button becomes

enabled; click this to finish opening the file.

* Use instrument names from MusicXML file tells Sibelius to set the instrument names at the
start of systems to the names specified in the MusicXML file. If you want Sibelius to use its own
default instrument names instead, switch this option off.
When you have set the options as you wish, click OK, and the MusicXML file will be imported.
You can then check and edit the file as necessary.

Warning messages
Some MusicXML files may contain errors, which will be displayed in a dialog listing each error and
the location at which it occurred in the file you are opening. Each error may be one of three kinds:
* Fatal errors: if the file is not valid XML, this is a fatal error, and it cannot be opened at all
* Validation errors: if the file is valid XML, but the specific syntax of the MusicXML elements

contains errors or inconsistencies, then Sibelius will attempt to open the file, but the resulting
score may have unexpected problems in it, and you should proceed with caution
* Warnings: the XML validator sometimes reports warnings about the XML files when they are
opened. These should not normally prevent the file from opening correctly.
The warning list is useful for editing the file after converting it. You can also use the
Save Messages button to save the list of errors to a text file, which you can then print or send to
a proof-reader.

Importing MusicXML files saved in a sequencer

Sibeliuss MusicXML importer is optimized to give the best results when opening MusicXML files
saved directly from Finale or using Finales Dolet plug-in. In extreme circumstances, some XML
files, especially those created in sequencers with no notation capabilities, may fail to produce any
legible notation at all.

Supported versions
Sibeliuss MusicXML converter is based around MusicXML 2.0. Files created in earlier MusicXML
formats open correctly, provided they are valid. Files created with future versions of MusicXML
should also open, though the majority of the new features will not be imported.
Sibelius can only open MusicXML files that use the partwise.dtd top-level DTD (Document Type
Definition). If your file uses the timewise.dtd DTD, you will need to use XSLT to convert your
timewise MusicXML file into a partwise MusicXML file. One such convertor is available online at:
www2.freeweb.hu/mozartmusic/pttp/converter.html.
Sibelius includes a plug-in to convert a complete folder full of MusicXML files at once. To use it,
choose Plug-ins > Batch Processing > Convert Folder of MusicXML Files. You are asked to find
the folder to convert; find it and click OK. All MusicXML files in the folder will be converted to
Sibelius files.

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8. Files

Quality of the results

The quality of the results is generally good: most MusicXML elements are imported by Sibelius.
The limitations are summarized below:
Feature

Limitation

Articulations

Breath-marks, caesuras, scoops, plops, doits and falloffs are not imported.
Some articulations may be positioned on the wrong side of a note or chord.
The technical and ornaments elements are not imported.

Barlines

If different staves have different barline types simultaneously, Sibelius will use the barline type of the
uppermost part.
Heavy, heavy-light and heavy-heavy barlines are not imported.

Beams

Sub-beams do not import.

The repeater attribute is not imported (for tremolos).

Chord symbols

The Dolet plug-in for Finale only exports chord symbols when chord playback is correctly defined.
Some chord symbols may not be imported (when they are using a function element).
MusicXML specifies that all chord symbols go above the top staff in a part only.
The kind instances Neapolitan, Italian, French, German, pedal (pedal-point bass) and
Tristan are all imported as major chords.
If the function element is not present in the harmony element, the chord symbol is not imported.
If a chord has its inversion specified, this will be ignored.

Clefs

Special percussion and tab clefs available in MusicXML will be replaced with the closest matching clef
available in Sibelius.
MusicXML is not capable of differentiating between clefs at the start or end of a bar.

Color

The color attribute is not imported, so colored objects are imported as black.

Cross-stave notes

MusicXML files that use a number of voices across staves may import some notes on the wrong staff.
Files containing chords with notes in different staves are not imported correctly.

End repeat lines

Sibelius may import complex end repeat lines incorrectly.

Only end repeat lines existing in the uppermost part of the XML file will be imported.
The positioning of end repeat lines may need manual adjustment after they have been imported.

Guitar tab

The staff-type element is not imported.

Hammer-ons, pull-offs and bends are not imported.
Almost all the child elements of the technical element are not imported.

Key signatures

Only major and minor modes are recognized for the mode element.
If the fifths element is missing, the key signature will be imported as an atonal key signature.
Other key child elements (e.g. key-step and key-alter) are ignored.
If a part has more than one staff, key signatures may be omitted from one or more of those staves.
Key signatures that fall after the barline in some other music notation programs may fall behind the
barline in Sibelius.

Layout

Sibelius can only use one page size for the entire score being imported.
Objects that are only graphically offset in the file may have an impact on playback in Sibelius.

Lyrics

The laughing, humming, end-line, end-paragraph and editorial elements are ignored.

Metronome marks

Metronome marks containing 256th, 128th, 64th and long (breve) notes are not imported by Sibelius.
All metronome marks adopt Sibeliuss default positions.
Only metronome marks in the top staff of the uppermost part are read by the XML importer.
Metronome marks may be duplicated if the uppermost part in the file has more than one staff.

Ornaments

Some ornaments will not be imported. Mordents, trills and turns are imported.

Rests

Extra rests resulting from multiple voices on the same staff are automatically removed, but some
extra rests may still occur, e.g. in cross-staff passages.

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8.6 Opening MusicXML files

Feature

Limitation

Slur

The continue attribute is not imported.

The entity attributes position and bezier are not imported.
Dashed and dotted slurs are not imported.
placement and orientation are not imported.

Symbols

Symbols are not imported.

Staves

Changes of staff type are not imported.

Stems

The stem values none and double are not imported.

Text

Some text items are imported via the dynamics element, but none of the dynamics attributes are
imported.
Specific figured bass elements such as parentheses, elision and extend are not imported.
The directive element is not imported.

Ties

The tie element is ignored completely; only ties specified by the tied element are imported.
The number attribute is ignored.
All ties are imported as solid ties.
The position, placement, orientation, bezier-offset, bezier-x and bezier-y attributes are not
imported.

Time signatures

Sibelius will not import compound time signatures (e.g. 2/4 + 6/8), but beat divisions that occur only
in the numerator (e.g. 2+3 / 4) will be imported.
Senza-misura elements are not imported.
The single-number attribute value for symbol is not imported (if present it is imported as normal)
If different time signatures occur in different staves simultaneously, Sibelius will use the time signature from the uppermost staff.

Tuplets

Some versions of the Dolet plug-in for Finale dont place the start and stop elements of tuplets in the
right place, which may cause tuplets to import incorrectly.
The tuplet attributes placement, position, show-type, show-number, bracket and lineshape are not imported.

Files
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8. Files

8.7 Opening Finale 98-2003 files

Sibeliuss built-in Finale file converter allows you to open files created in Finale, Allegro, PrintMusic, and Finale Guitar, including Finales ETF (Enigma) files. The purpose of the file converter is to
save you time, not to convert every score so that it is identical to the original. As with any file converter, this is unrealistic, since Finale/Allegro/PrintMusic/Finale Guitar and Sibelius work in different ways and have different features.
If the file you need to open originates from Finale 2004 or later, we recommend that you export a
MusicXML file from Finale and import that instead, as it will work better b 8.6 Opening
MusicXML files.

Supported versions
Sibelius can open the following kinds of files:
* .mus files from Finale 98/2000, Allegro 98/2000, PrintMusic 1.0
* .etf files from Finale 98/2000/2001/2002/2003/2004/2005, Finale Guitar.

With files from versions earlier than Finale/Allegro 98, the converter asks you to re-save the file
from a newer version of Finale/Allegro to update it; Sibelius can then open it.
For Finale 20012005 and Finale Guitar, you must save your file as an .etf (Enigma Transportable
File), though MusicXML is preferable if available; Sibelius cannot open .mus files from Finale
2001 or later, or Finale Notepad.
If your file originates from Finale 2003, consider exporting the file in MusicXML format instead if
possible; you may get better results, depending on the file. If it is saved in Finale 2004 or Finale
2005, you should export from Finale as MusicXML and import that instead, as it will work better.
If it is saved in Finale 2006 or later, it cannot be opened by Sibelius; you must use MusicXML
instead. b 8.6 Opening MusicXML files.

Converting a file
In Sibelius, choose File > Open (shortcut Ctrl+O or XO), find the Finale, Allegro, PrintMusic or
.etf file and simply click Open. A dialog with a few simple options will appear; click OK, and after
a short delay the file will open. You should then check it and edit it as necessary.

Warning messages
Some files will contain notations that the file converter is aware may not be converted correctly. If
so, during conversion a dialog appears with a list of warnings, giving the severity of each problem
and the staff and bar number where it occurred. Staves are numbered such that the topmost staff
is 1 (hidden staves are still counted for a list of all staves you can look in Sibeliuss Create >
Instruments dialog, shortcut I).
The warning list is useful when editing the file after converting it: you may want to use it as a basis
for proof-reading the score.

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8.7 Opening Finale 98-2003 files

The warning dialog has a Save button to save the warnings as a text file to print out or give to a
proof-reader. You can save the warnings at any point if converting a series of files, the warnings
accumulate so you can wait till the end before saving.

Layout
Sibelius tries to maintain the same layout as the original file after conversion, but in cases where
the original layout information cannot be determined, Sibelius will warn you and then lay out the
score itself. If you need to ensure that the layout in Sibelius matches the original file, open the
original file in Finale, go to the last page, and choose Edit > Update Layout, then re-save the file
as an .etf. Sibelius will then be able to determine the layout of the file correctly.

Supported languages
Files created in Finale Guitar and Finale 2003 or later may contain Unicode text in any language;
on both Windows and Mac, Sibelius will correctly import English, German and Japanese text from
such files.
Sibelius will also try to determine the language of text in Finale 2003 or later files by checking the
codepage used for encoding the text in the file. Text may not be imported correctly or may not display at all if your operating system does not support that language. If the file contains text of an
unknown language, you can choose the Default language of the file you are opening in the
options dialog that appears when you open a file. Use default language for all text forces Sibelius to treat all text (except that which uses music fonts, such as Petrucci) in the Finale file as if it
were in the selected default language; this should normally be switched off.

Batch conversion
Sibelius includes a plug-in to convert a complete folder full of Finale files at once. It works equally
well with Allegro, PrintMusic, and Finale Guitar files.
To use it, choose Plug-ins > Batch Processing > Convert Folder of Finale Files. You are asked to
find the folder to convert; find it and click OK. All relevant files in the folder (including Enigma
.etf files) will be converted to Sibelius files.
If the files were created by versions of Finale or Allegro prior to Finale/Allegro 98 you should
update the files by opening and re-saving them using a newer version of Finale/Allegro before
running the plug-in.

Quality of the results

The limitations of opening Finale files are summarized below. Most of them dont occur often
because they tend to be obscure features in Finale that are seldom used in practice, e.g. mirrored
notes.

583

Files

The quality of the results is generally good: standard notations normally convert well, and the
converter even understands various fakes that are commonly used in Finale and turns them into
proper notations in Sibelius.

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8. Files
Feature

Limitations

Accidentals

In some obscure situations involving tied notes in multiple voices, or notes tied to nothing, an accidental may be wrongly converted

Articulations

The following Finale articulations are omitted (some of these are not normally notated as articulations
anyway): trill extension, trill, broken chord, double slash, grace note, diamond, brackets, tenuto +
accent (as a single articulation)
Articulations input using the Finale Expression tool are not imported
Articulations that convert to standard Sibelius articulations (accents, tenuto, staccato, etc.) go at Sibeliuss default position

Bar numbers

You can choose whether to convert them to Sibelius native bar numbers or to Sibelius text in the
Options dialog when you open a file; converting to text allows more Finale options to work correctly,
but this may make the score harder to edit and in some instances, may cause all the bar numbers to disappear completely

Barlines

Manual horizontal barline adjustments with the Finale Measure Tool are ignored
Graphic barlines are omitted
Thick barlines import as double barlines
Ticks import as regular barlines
Final barlines are omitted (version 2003 and later)

Beams

Secondary beam breaks are converted to continuous secondary beams

Brackets and braces

Line brackets import as regular brackets

Brackets that have been manually repositioned in Finale are imported using Sibelius spacing
Second individual placements of brackets are not converted (this is set globally in the Sibelius House
Style > Engraving Rules dialog)

Chord diagrams

Chord diagrams faked using guitar font characters typed into text (e.g. using the Seville font) are
imported correctly.
Native Finale chord diagrams are converted with the following limitations: if the voicing of chord
suffixes is changed in Finale so that they display a different chord diagram, Sibelius will always convert
the default appearance of the standard chord suffixes; new chord suffixes added by the user are not
converted; and there may be some quirks due to Finales limited number of supported frames, e.g. the
frame displayed in Finale for the chord D (no 3rd) includes a 3rd, despite its name. Sibelius retains the
original appearance of the chord diagram, i.e. in this case it displays a chord diagram with a 3rd, just as
Finale does.

Chord symbols

Chord symbols in transposing parts will not be transposed correctly when imported unless the Finale
file is saved in its transposed state

Drum staves

Drum mapping of percussion staves may not be correct

Grace notes

Grace note beaming may not always convert accurately

Guitar tab

Finale stem adjustment options in tab do not convert; Finale TAB clef options are not supported.
New guitar tab notations included in Finale 2003 and Finale Guitar are imported, but note that: notes
which are automatically assigned a string may not be on the same string in Sibelius, but the pitch will
be correct; notes that have a string specified in Finale will be imported to the same string in Sibelius; if
the Finale file uses user-defined guitar tunings, Sibelius will import the affected staves as if they used
the standard guitar tuning and generate a Serious warning message the pitches will be correct but
the fret numbers will be wrong, due to a bug in Finales ETF file format; files that contain standard
Finale guitar tunings that have been edited by the user will get correct pitches but the wrong fret numbers in Sibelius no warning will appear in this case because Finale guitar tuning information is lost
when saving as ETF, so its impossible to tell that it has been edited; some of the standard Finale guitar
tunings are incorrect (i.e. the strings are tuned wrongly in Finale) and therefore will import with correct pitches but incorrect fret numbers.

Instruments

Instrument names may sometimes be incorrect on Mac if the codepage is not set correctly on importing

Key signatures

Independent key signatures on different staves import as default key signatures

Non-standard key signatures (e.g. 3 sharps + 2 flats) are omitted. Finale scores that use these key signatures will import with incorrect enharmonic spellings
Finale key signatures hidden on a per-bar basis are not converted

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8.7 Opening Finale 98-2003 files

Feature

Limitations

Layout and spacing

Margins are adjusted to avoid spilling off the page

Finales horizontal note spacing is ignored; Sibeliuss default spacing rules (which are often better) are
used instead
Finale systems that overlap vertically will import as two separate systems with 0 separation

Lines

Lines designed using the Finale Shape Designer are not imported
The positioning of trill extensions is not always accurately imported
Lines that begin and end on different staves are omitted
Flipped stem directions can cause slurs to be incorrectly positioned
Finale slur thickness option is ignored
Values specified by the Finale function Avoid Staff Line by at Least x amount are ignored
Slurs created as Finale Shape Expressions are not imported
Slurs attached to grace notes may have inaccurate positions
Custom designed repeats do not convert

Lyrics

Finale lyric alignment (left, right, center) imports as Sibelius default alignment
Lyrics are respaced according to Sibeliuss rules
Formatting of Lyrics may not be automatically updated if you edit the Lyrics text style so choose
Edit > Filter > Lyrics and then use Layout > Reset Design after changing the text style
Syllables of some words may occasionally be written in the incorrect order
Lyrics can sporadically become garbled

Metronome marks

Metronome marks may sometimes be incorrect on Mac if the codepage is not set correctly on importing

Notes and ties

You can set the notehead size (as a percentage of Sibeliuss normal size) in the Options dialog when you
open a file
Default Finale stem directions import as Sibelius default stem directions, so in some cases they may
point in the other direction
Cross-staff notes are implemented using Sibeliuss rules, so the following are left on the original staff:
notes in a chord individually crossed to another staff, and notes crossed to a staff in another instrument
or in a non-adjacent staff

Page numbers

Converting page numbers to text items may sometimes result in all the page numbers disappearing
completely

Part extraction

Some part extraction options are not imported (e.g. markings that are extracted into only some parts)

Playback

MIDI playback settings are imported from layer 1 of Finale staves. Settings in other layers are ignored

Rehearsal marks

Rehearsal marks convert as text in the Rehearsal Marks text style. This means they will not automatically renumber/reletter if subsequently edited
Scores containing rehearsal marks using bar numbers as their text wont open in Sibelius

Rests

The vertical position of rests is converted to Sibeliuss default position

Staff Expression tool symbols are omitted
Finale text items with embedded current date and time are imported with the date and time of conversion
Certain text characters (e.g. accented letters) will import more accurately if the Finale file is imported
on the same platform (Mac or Windows) as it was originally created on (because the Finale file format
is not properly platform-independent)

Transposition changes

The following features in the Finale Staff Transpositions dialog are ignored: Simplify key; Chromatic
transpositions; Set to clef

Tuplets

The vertical position of tuplet brackets is not imported

Finale tuplets with no bracket by default are imported with a bracket
Finale ratios are imported with the second figure of the ratio
Finale brackets drawn as slurs import as square brackets
Tuplets are not imported magnetically by default

Voices

Mirrored notes (rarely used) will not import correctly. This can be worked around by converting all
notes to normal notes before importing the file
Finales 4 layers and 2 voices are mapped onto Sibeliuss 4 voices. This works for all practical cases, but
one can contrive obscure situations where this mapping cannot be done and notes are omitted (e.g.
where you are using 5 or more layer/voice combinations in Finale at once)

Files

Symbols
Text

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8. Files

8.8 Opening SCORE files

Sibeliuss built-in SCORE file converter allows you to open files created in the SCORE music
engraving program.
The purpose of the file converter is to save you time, not to convert every score so that it is identical to the original. As with any file converter, this is unrealistic, since SCORE and Sibelius work in
different ways and have different features. SCORE files are particularly difficult to convert well.

Converting a file
You can either convert a single page (typically with a .mus file extension) or a SCORE file list
(with a .tmp extension), which is a list of separate pages comprising a score. If converting a file
list, you must put the .tmp file in the same folder as the individual files that are the pages of the
score, otherwise they cannot be found.
In Sibelius, choose File > Open (shortcut Ctrl+O or XO), find the .tmp or .mus file and simply
click Open. (If the file is not visible in this dialog, make sure that the filename has the correct
extension.)
You will be presented with an Options dialog containing a few self-explanatory options; change
any settings as necessary, and then click OK. After a short delay the file will open. As the file is
converted, a dialog will appear listing any errors that occur if the converter encounters features it
is not able to convert, to aid subsequent proofreading of the file.
After the file has opened, you should check it and edit it as necessary.

Batch conversion
Sibelius includes a plug-in to convert a complete folder full of SCORE files at once. To use it,
choose Plug-ins > Batch Processing > Convert Folder of SCORE Files. You are asked to find the
folder to convert; find it and click OK. All SCORE files in the folder will be converted to Sibelius
files.
Note that the SCORE plug-in converts file lists (not individual pages): therefore to convert several
SCORE files you have to put all the files in a single folder, including a file list for each score. The
plug-in will convert the file lists and produce Sibelius scores.

SCORE file lists

SCORE files normally consist of just a single page. If your score has more than one page, in order
to convert it you should make a SCORE file list, which is a file with a .tmp extension containing a
list of other SCORE files. Many scores should have file lists already, as they are needed for some
operations in SCORE (such as extracting parts).
You can create a file list easily with a SCORE utility called FList. Alternatively, you can just list the
individual pages in a text editor (such as Windows Notepad) and save it with a filename ending in
the .tmp file extension. For example, if you have a four-page score made up of files called
page01a.mus, page02a.mus, page03a.mus and page04a.mus, the file list should read like
this:

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8.8 Opening SCORE files

page01a.mus
page02a.mus
page03a.mus
page04a.mus

1
1
1
1

After each filename is the number of files that make up the page, which is usually 1. In some cases
it can be more than 1 if the score contains many staves that have to be split between files.
The files listed in a SCORE file list can have any file extension (i.e. they are not limited to the
extensions .mus, .pag and .pge in the same way as files opened directly).

Instrument numbers
If your score is optimized (i.e. not all systems have the same number of staves), Sibelius has to
work out which staves correspond to which instruments. You can indicate this by opening the
files in SCORE and setting parameter 9 (instrument number) for every staff; this is what you have
to do anyway when extracting parts from SCORE.
If you do not set this information, the converter will ask you whether you want the instrument
numbers to be filled in automatically, or you can optionally specify missing instrument numbers
yourself.

Transposing scores
If your SCORE file contains transposing instruments, you should ensure that the Show transposition dialog option is switched on in the SCORE Converter Options dialog that appears when
you open a SCORE file. After you click OK, the following dialog appears:

Time signatures
Because SCORE does not indicate the lengths of bars, a time signature is necessary at the start of
the score so that Sibelius knows how long to make the bars. If no time signature is present, the
converter will display a dialog allowing you to specify what the implied time signature is; this time
signature will not be added to the converted score.
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Files

This dialog allows you to tell Sibelius which instrument to use for each staff in your score. Select
each instrument in the left-most Instruments in file list, then choose the appropriate instrument
from the Family and Available lists, and click Add. When you have assigned instruments to all of
the items in the Instruments in file list, click the OK button to convert the file.

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8. Files

Single-page scores
As well as reading file lists, the converter will read single-page files with the .mus, .pge, and .pag
extensions. If the file does not have one of these extensions, edit its filename so that it does. However, files referred to by a SCORE file list may use any extension.

Optimizing your score before conversion

Although file conversion generally works quite successfully without adjusting the files in SCORE
first, sometimes a few alterations can substantially improve the quality of the resulting Sibelius
score:
* Make sure that the beats in every bar add up to the bar duration, and that each bar duration

adds up to the value of the time signature for that bar

* Make sure barlines align vertically in each system. The best way to ensure this is to use SCOREs
Line up and Justify routine (L J).
* Add instrument numbers to all staves by adding a value to parameter 9. This ensures that Sibelius will put music in the correct instruments.
* Use SCORE version 3 or later for best results. Open and re-save files created in earlier versions
of SCORE using at least version 3. The file converter cannot open files from SCORE version 1 at
all, and files from SCORE version 2 are not as reliably imported as those from version 3.

Limitations
A complete list of the limitations of the SCORE file converter is as follows:
Feature

Limitation

Beams

Beams sometimes do not convert exactly; complex groupings of partial beams may be interpreted differently by Sibelius

Chord diagrams

Some chord diagrams convert as a plain grid without a heavy line, or nut at the top

Instrument names

Multi-staff or complex instrument names (e.g. Horns I & II) do not convert

Key signatures

SCOREs extended key signature parameters 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 are not converted; their use may produce
pitch errors in the relevant staves

Lines

Pedal lines convert as Technique text rather than lines, so they do not affect playback; SCORE version 4
line offsets are not converted

Lyrics

May be incorrectly imported in certain circumstances when a lyric line finishes on the following system at
a different vertical height to the previous system

Notes & rests

Quarter-tones do not convert; staves with three different voices may have stems pointing in the wrong
direction

Playback/MIDI

All staves play back with a piano sound; use the Mixer window (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+M or zXM) to set
the correct instrument sound for each staff after conversion

Slurs

SCORE version 4 slur offsets are not converted

Staves/systems

A Coda appearing on the same staff as the D.S. bar may not convert correctly

Symbols

Some special symbols (especially percussion) may not convert correctly

Text

Subtitle Text usually converted as Title text use the Text panel of the Properties window to change the
text style to Subtitle

Ties

In tied triplets, the tie sometimes overshoots the next note

Tuplets

Triplet number (e.g. 3) may clash with beams; complex tuplets may not convert, giving the error The
duration is not supported.

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8.9 Opening Acorn Sibelius files

8.9 Opening Acorn Sibelius files

To open scores created with earlier versions of Sibelius for Windows or Mac, b 8.10 Opening
files from previous versions.
Sibeliuss built-in Acorn file converter allows you to open files created in the original Acorn Sibelius programs (Sibelius 7, Sibelius 7 Student, Sibelius 6 and Junior Sibelius), version 3.01 or later.
With files earlier than version 3.01, the converter asks you to re-save the file from version 3.01 or
later to update it; this enables Sibelius for Mac/Windows to open them.
The purpose of the file converter is to save you time, not to convert every score so that it is identical to the original. As with any file converter, this is unrealistic, since the Acorn and the Mac/Windows versions of Sibelius work in different ways and have different features.

Transferring files from Acorn to PC or Mac

The simplest way to transfer the files is as follows:
* Format a floppy disk as DOS 1.44Mb format (you can do this on your Acorn or your PC/Mac;

new disks are normally formatted like this anyway). Then just copy the Acorn files onto the
floppy disk, click the Menu button on the floppy drive icon (marked :0) on the icon bar, and
choose Dismount, to ensure the files are fully saved.
* Eject the disk and insert it in your PC or Mac
* Copy the files from the floppy disk onto your PC or Macs hard disk before converting, as they
will then convert quicker
* If you like, you can add .s7 to the filename to show that they are Acorn Sibelius files (use .s7 for
Sibelius 6 files as well). Alternatively, you can rename them when theyre still on your Acorn:
add /s7 to the end instead, and the slash will appear as a dot on your PC/Mac.

Converting an Acorn Sibelius file

In Sibelius for Mac/Windows, choose File > Open (shortcut Ctrl+O or XO), find the Acorn Sibelius file (with its .s7 extension) and click Open. We recommend that you dont open a file direct
from a floppy disk copy it to your hard disk first. After a short delay the file will open. You
should then check it and edit it if necessary.
If the file is earlier than Acorn Sibelius version 3.01, you will be asked to re-save the file from version 3.01 or later to update it, then try again.

Batch conversion

If the Acorn Sibelius files were prior to version 3.01 format, you should load them into Acorn
Sibelius version 3.01 or later and re-save them prior to converting them.

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Files

Sibelius includes a plug-in to convert a complete folder full of Acorn Sibelius files at once. To use
it, in Sibelius for Mac/Windows choose Plug-ins > Batch Processing > Convert Folder of Acorn
Sibelius Files. You are asked to find the folder to convert; find it and click OK. All Acorn Sibelius
files in the folder will be converted to Sibelius for Mac/Windows files.

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8. Files

Limitations
The main limitations are summarized below some very technical limitations are omitted.
Feature

Limitations

Accidentals

In two voices, an accidental on a note in one voice is not implicitly applied to notes of the same pitch in the
other voice; it must appear in both voices to convert correctly.
Accidentals tied across barlines may convert incorrectly on the second note (see Notes and ties, below)

Articulation

Some pauses on bar rests are not imported

Bar number changes

Bar number changes are not imported

Chord diagrams

Not currently imported (these were a late addition to Sibelius 7 and are little used)

Clefs

Perhaps some problems with octave clefs in some cases

Erasers

Not imported (no direct equivalent) can usually be replaced in Sibelius for Mac/Windows with a divided
system, ossia, hidden instrument change, or hidden object

Grace notes

Imported in most cases

Guitar tab

This is converted in a basic way by converting the text that makes up Sibelius 7 guitar tab, even though the
result is not real Sibelius for Mac/Windows guitar tab

House Styles

Mostly set to the Sibelius for Mac/Windows default, e.g. page numbers are reset to start at 1

Layout / Spacing

System/page breaks are converted but otherwise the pagination may change. You can correct this using
Sibelius for Mac/Windows Make Into System/Page features; gaps between staves may not be the same;
note spacing uses Sibelius for Mac/Windows standard spacing, which is slightly different than on Acorn

Lines

Not all lines are converted to equivalents; ones that are not are converted to simple straight lines

Notes and ties

Slurs and ties are the same in Acorn Sibelius, so the converter guesses which ones to convert to ties in Sibelius for Mac/Windows; occasionally the converter will mistakenly convert a slur to a tie, because it happens
to look like one in context its easy enough to edit them back, though the appearance is often correct even
if you leave them as ties.

Part extraction

If parts are extracted from a converted Acorn Sibelius file, a few transposing instruments may appear in
the wrong octave. These can easily be corrected by transposing the affected parts by an octave

Playback

MIDI playback settings are not imported, so most instruments default to a piano sound. Use Sibeliuss
Window > Mixer window to set up the sounds correctly

Rehearsal marks

Not imported

Rests

Double whole note (breve) bar rests are imported as normal bar rests

Staves

Occasional hidden staves may reappear after conversion, and can be suppressed using Layout > Hide

Empty Staves
Symbols

Symbols (Transfers) are not imported

Text

Duplicated tempo text is imported as a single text item; text style definitions are not imported; this means
that text fonts are re-defaulted; player text is not imported (no direct equivalent in Sibelius for Mac/Windows); figured bass text is not imported; if the title appears to have disappeared after conversion, it may
have been placed off the top of the page: try dragging the top staff down until it appears, then drag the title
down to a suitable distance from the staff and drag the staff back up

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8.10 Opening files from previous versions

8.10 Opening files from previous versions

Sibelius can open scores created in all previous versions of Sibelius for Windows or Mac. Simply
choose File > Open and open the score as normal.

Update Score dialog

As each new version of Sibelius comes with a new set of features, when opening an existing score you will be presented
with the Update Score dialog so you can choose which
aspects, if any, of your score you wish to update. (You will only
be able to choose options that were not available in the version
of Sibelius that your score was saved in.)
By default, Sibelius wont do anything that would affect the
appearance of the score, but it will create a default set of
dynamic parts if Create dynamic parts is switched on
(b 6.1 Working with parts).
Use same sounds as previous version (where possible) allows you to choose whether Sibelius
should attempt to retain the same sound for each staff in your score as was used to play it back in
whatever previous version of Sibelius it was last saved in. This option will only take effect if you
have Sibelius 5-compatible sound sets installed for the devices you were using when you last saved
the score.
Play repeats determines whether Sibelius should pay attention to any repeat barlines in the score.
Normally this checkbox will be disabled, since the option has been switched on by default in all but
the earliest versions of Sibelius, but if it is enabled, you should switch it on to ensure correct playback and display of bar numbers in the score.
Clicking the House Style button allows you to use new options that may improve the appearance
of your score:
* Magnetic slurs on normal notes makes slurs above or below normal notes magnetic, so that
either end of each slur is attached to the closest note or chord (b 2.22 Slurs)
* Magnetic slurs on cross-staff notes works similarly, but applies only to slurs on cross-staff
notes (e.g. in keyboard music) (b 2.22 Slurs)
* Version 1.3 stem length rule makes the stems of notes on or either side of the middle line 0.25

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spaces longer than with the option off, which many engravers and publishers prefer
* Sibeliuss voice positioning rule was improved in Sibelius 2, so to apply the new rule to older
scores, switch on Version 2 voice positioning rule (b 2.30 Voices)
* Magnetic tuplets ensures that the numbers and brackets of tuplets are positioned correctly
above or below the notes of the tuplet according to their position on the staff (b 2.29 Triplets
and other tuplets)
* Adjust note spelling in transposing instruments in remote keys makes sure that the spelling of notes in transposing instruments will be enharmonically correct (b 2.14 Instruments)

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8. Files
* Allow note and staff spacings to be contracted takes advantage of the improvements in

*
*
*
*

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Sibeliuss spacing algorithms to tighten the horizontal and vertical spacing of older scores
(b 7.8 Note spacing)
Optical beam positions applies Optical beam positions (b 2.5 Beams)
Optical ties applies Optical tie positions (b 2.26 Ties)
Optical note spacing overrides any manual adjustments made to note spacing in your score
and applies Sibeliuss Optical rule (b 7.8 Note spacing)
Hidden notes and rests dont affect stem directions and rests should be switched on,
unless you know you have flipped stems and changed the vertical position of rests in the score
and want those changes to be retained.
Version 5 vertical text positioning rule should be switched on, unless you know you have
adjusted the vertical position of text objects (such as bar numbers) to compensate for the text
appearing too close to the staff following instrument changes along a staff that change the number of staff lines.

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8.11 Exporting graphics

8.11 Exporting graphics

v Exporting graphics.

Sibelius can export (save) a passage or page of music as a picture in various standard graphics file
formats, and you can even just copy and paste graphics from Sibelius directly into another application such as Microsoft Word. This means you can easily include music in other documents, e.g.
articles, worksheets, essays, music books, cover designs, posters and program notes.
All music examples in this Reference were exported directly from Sibelius into Adobe
FrameMaker no scissors and glue were required!
If your final document will consist mostly of music, you can alternatively use Sibelius itself as the
program in which to assemble music and graphics, e.g. to create worksheets or scores with a
graphical cover page b 8.4 Importing graphics.

Copying graphics to the clipboard

Sibelius allows you to copy an area of a score to the clipboard, which you can then paste directly
into another application as a graphic.
* If you want to export a specific bar or passage, select it first
* Choose Edit > Select > Select Graphic (shortcut Alt+G or zG)
* If you made a selection, a dashed box appears around the selection. If you didnt make a selec-

tion, the cursor will turn into a crosshair and you can click and drag around the area of the score
you wish to export.
* Adjust the size of the marquee (see below) so that it encloses exactly what you want to copy
* Choose Edit > Copy (shortcut Ctrl+C or XC)
* Switch to the destination application, and choose Edit > Paste (shortcut normally Ctrl+V or
XV) or Edit > Paste Special.
You can set the resolution of the graphic and choose whether Sibelius should export in monochrome or color from the Other page of File > Preferences (in the Sibelius menu on Mac)
b 5.12 Preferences.
When you use copy and paste graphics export, Sibelius produces a bitmap graphic. If you want to
use a vector graphic, use the Export Graphics dialog instead see Export Graphics below.

Files

Adjusting the marquee

To adjust the marquee, you can:
* Click and drag a handle to extend the marquee in that direction
* Hold down Ctrl or X and drag either left- or right-hand handles to snap the ends of the mar-

quee to barlines
* Hold down Shift and drag any handles to enlarge the marquee proportionally in both directions, e.g. to make the marquee taller both above and below the staff, grab one of the top handles and hold down Shift as you drag to extend the marquee both upwards and downwards.
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8. Files
If you have a passage or system selection in the score prior to carrying out the above steps, Sibelius
will automatically draw a box around that area when you choose Edit > Select > Select Graphic.
The box will snap to the top and bottom of staves and so you will probably find it necessary to
extend the selection both up and down. To do this, hold down Shift and drag the top handle of the
box up.

Inserting graphics into Microsoft Word

To place a graphic created in Sibelius that you have copied to the clipboard using the steps above
into a Word document:
* Position the caret in your Word document where you want the graphic to go
* Choose Edit > Paste, shortcut Ctrl+V or XV. The graphic will appear in your document.
* Now, increase or decrease the size of the music by dragging any corner of the box. Do not drag
an edge, otherwise the music will stretch and lose the correct aspect ratio. (Type Ctrl+Z or XZ

to undo if you do this by accident.)

In some versions of Microsoft Word, you may find that attempting to paste a graphic from
another application does not work correctly. If you find this to be the case, choose Edit > Paste
Special and, from the list of available formats, choose Bitmap.
Beware of editing the graphic within Word its graphics editor does not handle music well and
might produce unexpected results. Use a dedicated graphics program instead.

Export Graphics
Instead of using the clipboard, you can export a graphics file to disk.
Because most of us prefer not to think about technicalities, Sibelius takes the strain out of exporting graphics files you generally dont even need to know which kind of graphics file you need to
export; just which program you want to use it in.
Sibelius allows you to export the whole score, a single page, one or more systems or a specific area
of the score just as easily:

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8.11 Exporting graphics

* If you want to export one or more systems, first select the desired systems as a passage, then
choose File > Export > Graphic. On the Export Graphics dialog, click Selected systems.
* If you want to export one or more whole pages, or the whole score, just choose File > Export >

Graphic. On the Export Graphics dialog, click All or Pages and enter the page numbers you
wish to export as appropriate.
* If you want to export a specific area of the score, make a passage selection around the area you
wish to export, then choose Edit > Select > Graphic (shortcut Alt+G or zG). The cursor will
change into a cross, at which point you can fine-tune the selected area by dragging any of the
marquees handles (see above). Now choose File > Export > Graphic and click Graphic selection.
The Export Graphics dialog has the following options:
* Program/Format: lists the programs Sibelius directly supports, together with the various

*
*

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graphics file formats that it can save, so if your chosen program isnt listed, you can choose the
most appropriate format for your software
Filename: determines the name of the file given to the exported graphics file; if you save multiple pages, the name entered here forms the basis of the name of each file (which will be followed
by the page number of the score), and optionally also the name of the folder
Save to folder: allows you to choose where the exported graphics file(s) will be saved; click
Browse and choose the desired folder
Create subfolder: if you choose to export a range of pages or the whole score and you switch
this on, Sibelius will create a folder to put all the graphics files in, by default taking its name
from the Filename specified above and appending the name of the format; so if you specify a
filename of, say, Concerto 1st movt and export EPS files, the folder will be called Concerto
1st movt EPS (although you can change this if you like)
EPS Graphics: these options are (as the name would suggest) for exporting EPS files:
% Include TIFF preview: allows you to include a monochrome TIFF preview (compressed
using the CCITT modified Huffman RLE scheme) in the EPS file, which will enable most
graphics programs to show you a low-resolution preview of the EPS file before printing
% Embed fonts: with this option switched on, Sibelius will embed all the fonts used in the document in the EPS file. Although embedding fonts increases the size of each EPS file you create, it ensures that the publisher or printer who wants to use your EPS files can print them
correctly without requiring separate copies of the fonts themselves. It is recommended that
you switch on this option, unless you have a good reason not to.
Size: these options control the size of the saved graphics file; different options are available for
different formats:
% Dots per inch (TIFF, PNG, BMP only): allows you to control the resolution of exported bitmap images. The higher the dpi setting, the higher the resolution of the exported file. The
value here gives the quality of the bitmap as compared with a laser printer; so choosing 300
will look the same quality as a 300dpi laser print.
% Adjust size to improve staves (TIFF, PNG, BMP only): this option allows Sibelius to make
slight adjustments to the chosen Dots per inch/Scale settings in order to ensure that the

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8. Files
distance between all the staff lines in the exported file will be an even number of pixels,
which improves their appearance
% Use smallest bounding box: defines the dimensions of the resulting graphics file. If this
option is switched off, the graphics file will use the page dimensions of the score (including
the margins) as the bounding box. With the option switched on, the file will be cropped to
the smallest size possible, i.e. just to the edges of the music.
* Options: further options, some of which are only available for certain formats:
% Monochrome (TIFF, PNG, BMP only): unless you need to export a score that contains colored objects (or imported graphics that use color), its a good idea to leave this switched on.
Saving monochrome graphics files keeps the size of the resulting file down to the minimum,
but doesnt compromise any quality (provided you dont need color).
% Include View menu options: this option specifies whether the current options from the
View menu (such as hidden objects, highlights, note colors and so on) should be included
visibly in the graphics file(s). By default this option is switched off.
% Include colored objects: if you have this option switched off (or if Monochrome is
switched on), any colored objects in your score will be colored black in the exported graphics
file
% Substitute: these options do the same as for printing (b 5.13 Printing), namely fix bugs
in certain graphics programs that can make lines and braces draw incorrectly.
When youve chosen your options, click OK to export the graphics file(s).

Batch conversion
Sibelius includes a plug-in that can automatically save graphics files for all the scores in a folder
see Convert Folder of Scores to Graphics in b 5.11 Plug-ins.

Graphics formats
Graphics file formats fall into two kinds: vector graphics and bitmap graphics.
Vector graphics are scalable in other words, you can make them larger or smaller without any
degradation in quality and the files also tend to use less memory than bitmap graphics.
Bitmap graphics are lower quality than vector graphics (unless you use a very high resolution) and
usually occupy more memory, but are supported by a wider variety of programs.
The specific formats available in Sibelius are as follows:
* Vector: EPS (Windows and Mac)
* Bitmap: TIFF, PNG, BMP (Windows and Mac).

Each of these formats is detailed below. You can also create PDF files from Sibelius see Creating
PDF files below.

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) files

Most publishers and printers prefer to receive music in EPS or PDF format for publication, and
Sibelius allows you to export your music directly as an EPS file.

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8.11 Exporting graphics

EPS files will not print on non-PostScript printers from most programs. Printing an EPS file to a
non-PostScript printer may result either in a blank page, a message informing you that you cannot print EPS files on a non-PostScript printer, or a low-resolution printout of the TIFF preview
image embedded in the EPS file.
We recommend that you embed fonts in your EPS files; you are licensed by Sibelius to supply the
Opus, Helsinki, Reprise and Inkpen2 fonts to your publisher or printer in order to print your EPS
files, but you must ensure that you have permission to distribute fonts from other companies.
You can create EPS files in Sibelius whether you are using TrueType or Type 1 fonts; the TrueType
fonts are installed by default (you cannot have both TrueType and PostScript Type 1 fonts
installed simultaneously) see Installing Type 1 music fonts in b 7.10 Music fonts.
There are, however, some limitations on the fonts that may be embedded in EPS files from Sibelius, as follows:
* Type 42 fonts are not supported. The Type 42 font format is PostScripts version of the True-

*
*
*
*

Type standard. All PostScript Level 3 interpreters (such as printers) can display TrueType fonts
as long as they are packaged inside the PS Type 42 font format.
TrueType font outlines have a different representation to PS font outlines so when they are converted from TrueType to Type 3 in order to embed them in the EPS file, some information
might get lost. There might be very slight differences in appearance between the embedded font
in the EPS file and the original TrueType font, although in almost all cases these differences will
be undetectable.
Only fonts with Latin character sets can be embedded
OpenType fonts with PostScript outlines can be embedded; OpenType fonts with TrueType outlines cannot be embedded
Multiple Master fonts can be embedded, but the embedded font wont look exactly the same as
the multiple master instance used
Macintosh PostScript Type 1 enabled font suitcases (SFNT) and Macintosh PostScript Type 1
CID enabled font suitcases (SFNT/CID) cannot be embedded.

Some graphics programs on the Mac (e.g. Corel Draw 8) may give errors when opening EPS files
from Sibelius; if you get an error message, try saving the EPS file from Sibelius again with the TIFF
preview option switched off.
If you import EPS files into Adobe Illustrator version 9.0 or later, we recommend that you switch
off Type > Smart Punctuation, as this changes certain font characters, causing some of the music
symbols to disappear.

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If you import EPS files into Adobe PageMaker, you may see a message when you print the document containing the EPS file warning you that the fonts in the EPS file could not be found. Provided your EPS file has fonts embedded, this doesnt matter, and the document will still print
correctly despite this warning.

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8. Files

TIFF files
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a widely-supported bitmap format particularly suitable for
music because it can be compressed efficiently. If you cant use EPS graphics (e.g. because you
dont have a PostScript printer), then we recommend using TIFF instead.
TIFF export can use quite a lot of memory as files are exported; however, it should be possible to
export whole pages at up to 1200dpi without problems. Unless you need color in your TIFF files,
keep the Monochrome option switched on, as this minimizes the size of the saved file.

PNG files
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is another widely-supported bitmap format with excellent
compression. PNG is not as widely supported as TIFF in desktop publishing applications, but it is
the ideal format for putting images of your music on the Internet.

BMP files
BMP format is similar to TIFF and PNG, though less widely supported. The color depth of the
saved BMP file will be the same as the color depth of your current display settings, unless you
switch on the Monochrome option in the File > Export > Graphics dialog, which will make the
file much smaller. In general, it is recommended to use PNG instead of BMP format, because the
resulting files will always be smaller, even with color.

Creating PDF files

Portable Document Format (PDF) files allow documents generated by programs such as word
processors and desktop publishers to be published electronically, preserving their original appearance, for viewing and printing on any system.
On Mac, no additional software is required. To save a PDF of your score, choose File > Print, and
click the Save as PDF button.
On Windows, Sibelius supports the creation of PDF files provided you have a suitable PDF creator
installed on your computer. The official PDF creator is Adobe Acrobat, which is a commercial
product available from www.adobe.com for both Mac and Windows, but there are several free
alternatives available, including PDFCreator, which you can download from:
http://pdfcreator.sourceforge.net
PDF files are generated by software that installs and behaves like a printer driver. This means that
creating a PDF is as simple as printing a file from Sibelius, choosing the PDF printer as you do
so. For further instructions, consult the documentation that accompanies your PDF creation software.
To view PDF files, you need to have the free Adobe Reader installed on your computer (on Mac
you can use the built-in Preview application instead). You can download the latest version of
Adobe Reader from:
http://www.acrobat.com

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8.12 Exporting MIDI files

8.12 Exporting MIDI files

You can export a score as a MIDI file, so you can easily transfer music into virtually any other
music program. You do not need a MIDI interface or any MIDI devices in order to export a MIDI
file.

Exporting a MIDI file

* Choose File > Export > MIDI File. A simple dialog appears,
*

as shown on the right.

You can choose whether you want to export the MIDI file
for The current playback device or A different playback device. By default, Sibelius will choose to export a
MIDI file suitable for playback on a General MIDI device,
which is appropriate for e.g. sending a MIDI file to somebody else for them to listen to. However, if youre using a
virtual instrument and want to export a MIDI file to open
in, say, a sequencer like Pro Tools in order to continue
working on the MIDI performance, then choose the appropriate sound set from the A different playback device list. Sibelius will export the MIDI file
with all the appropriate MIDI controller changes, keyswitches and so on.
You can also choose whether you want to export a Type 0 or Type 1 MIDI file. For nearly every
purpose, a Type 1 MIDI file is recommended. However, there are certain devices, such as some
electronic pianos and keyboards, that can only play Type 0 MIDI files. Refer to your devices documentation to find out whether it requires Type 0 or Type 1 MIDI files; if in doubt, choose Type
1.
Tick resolution is a comfortingly obscure option. The default of 256 PPQN (Pulses Per Quarter Note) matches Sibeliuss internal resolution and is recommended. Again, however, there
are certain devices that can only play MIDI files with specific PPQN settings. Refer to your
devices documentation to find out whether it requires a specific value; if in doubt, leave this set
to 256. (Choosing a higher PPQN value doesnt make the exported MIDI file any more accurate, since Sibeliuss internal resolution is fixed at 256.)
Once you have chosen the right options, click OK. Then type in the File name you want to use
make it different than your original Sibelius file to avoid confusion! Find a suitable place to
save, then click Save.

Batch conversion
Sibelius includes a plug-in to save MIDI files of all the Sibelius scores in a folder see Convert
Folder of Scores to MIDI on page 392.

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Files

When exporting MIDI files, Sibelius includes all of the playback options such as Espressivo,
Rubato and Rhythmic feel. So you can even use Sibelius as an ingenious MIDI file improver
just open a MIDI file, switch on some interesting playback settings and save an improved version
as a MIDI file in a moment!

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8. Files

Rubato
If Rubato is switched on in the Play > Performance dialog, and the score is saved as a MIDI file,
the timing changes made by Rubato will appear in the file, and consequently the notes will be out
of alignment when the file is opened in a MIDI sequencer.
This is because Rubato manipulates note start times directly, rather than creating tempo changes.
So if you want to save a MIDI file for use in other programs, and you want it to be correctly quantized, set Rubato to Meccanico before you save the MIDI file.

Repeats
By default, MIDI files saved from Sibelius will include any repeats present in the original score. If,
for some reason, you would prefer repeats not to be included, switch off Play repeats in the Play >
Performance dialog before saving the MIDI file.

Scores with more than 15 staves

For advanced users only!
Because Sibelius uses the same code to export MIDI files as for playing back your scores, it is able
to incorporate effects like Espressivo into MIDI files. However, a major difference comes into play
only for scores with more than 15 staves.
A standard MIDI file may only contain 16 channels (but a much larger number of tracks), which
means that, theoretically, only 16 different sounds can be playing at once. Sibelius allows more
than one instrument to share the same MIDI channel thanks to a complex system that inserts
appropriate program change messages before notes in order to make them play back with the correct sound.
However, when exporting MIDI files, each staff corresponds to a different MIDI track in a type 1
MIDI file; in other words, two staves sharing the same channel in Sibelius occupy two different
tracks in the MIDI file, both assigned to the same channel. This means that if you play back a
MIDI file containing more than 15 staves, one or more of the staves may play back with the wrong
sound.
The only way to avoid this would be to insert program changes before every note in the score,
which is undesirable since some MIDI devices (e.g. the Roland JV series) respond very slowly to
program changes, and the MIDI file would not play back smoothly. Inserting program changes
before every note would also make the MIDI file very difficult to edit in a sequencer program; so
instead, Sibelius simply exports the file with shared channels. You can open the MIDI file in a
sequencer and reallocate some of the channels that are shared to use other playback devices (since
it is fairly normal for MIDI devices to offer 32 channels rather than 16 nowadays).
There is no ideal solution to this problem since MIDI simply wasnt designed to play back largescale scores, any solution is a compromise and an attempt to fit a quart into a pint pot. Sibeliuss
method, however, is the most useful for users who need to edit their music in a sequencer, and
provides the best playback possible within the limitations of MIDI.

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8.13 Exporting audio files

8.13 Exporting audio files

b 4.4 Sibelius Sounds Essentials.
v Kontakt Player.

Sibelius can save a digital audio file of your score, ready to burn straight onto CD or turn into an
MP3 file to post on the Internet. You must be using a playback configuration that uses one or
more virtual instruments in order to save audio files from Sibelius, such as the supplied Sibelius
Sounds Essentials library that uses Kontakt Player 2 (b 4.4 Sibelius Sounds Essentials).

Export Audio
To create a digital audio file of your score in WAV (on Windows) or AIFF (Mac) format:
* If you are using virtual instruments simultaneously with other MIDI devices for playback, only

*
*

the staves that are played back through virtual instruments can be exported as audio. Therefore,
you should preferably ensure that your current playback configuration only uses virtual instruments before you start (b 4.11 Playback Devices).
Choose File > Export > Audio or click the toolbar button shown.
A simple dialog appears, allowing you to set where the audio file should be saved and
what it should be called. Sibelius tells you how long the audio file will be, and approximately how much hard disk space it will occupy.
When you are happy with these settings, click Save and export will begin. Sibelius exports the
audio file off-line, meaning that it does not play the score back audibly while it works; instead, it
streams the audio data direct to your hard disk. Depending on the complexity of the score and
the speed of your computer, export may be faster or slower than real time. This has the advantage that if the score is too complex for your computer to be able to play back in real time without glitching or stuttering, you will still be able to export a glitch-free audio track: it will just take
longer to export than it would take to play the score back directly.
If you want to stop the recording at any point, click Cancel in the progress window that
appears. The partial audio file will be saved in the specified location. You can use this to record
e.g. the opening of a larger score.

Burning audio files to CD

Creating MP3 files

MP3 (or MPEG Audio Layer 3 to give it its full name) is the most widely-used format for sharing
music on the Internet or via email, as it is much smaller than a WAV or AIFF file. Once you have
saved an audio file from Sibelius, you can easily convert it into an MP3 file using freely-available
software. For example:
601

Files

If you have a CD-R/RW drive (or CD burner as they are often known) in your computer, it
should have come supplied with some software for creating data and audio CDs. The exact process for burning audio files saved from Sibelius onto an audio CD will vary according to the program supplied with your CD burner; see its manual for details.

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8. Files
* Mac: mAC3dec (http://sourceforge.net/projects/mac3dec/) converts between AIFF and

MP3 with a simple, drag-and-drop interface

* Windows: dbPowerAmp Music Converter (http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc.htm) converts between many different audio formats, simply by right-clicking on the file in Windows
Explorer.
Many other programs can convert to and from MP3, including the audio editor Audacity (http://
audacity.sourceforge.net/), and QuickTime Pro (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/pro/).

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8.14 Exporting Scorch web pages

8.14 Exporting Scorch web pages

b 5.15 SibeliusEducation.com, 5.16 SibeliusMusic.com.
v Publishing on the Internet.

The Internet is the ideal way to reach a worldwide audience for your music. Sibelius lets anyone
view, play back, transpose, and print scores from your own web site, using the free Scorch plug-in
(b 5.16 SibeliusMusic.com).

Recommended settings
b 5.16 SibeliusMusic.com for various settings you should make to your scores to ensure other

people can view, play and print them whatever equipment they may have.
When preparing scores for publishing on your own web site, you might also consider changing
the page and staff size of your score to ensure it is as legible as possible on the screen. For portrait
format scores for small ensembles, try setting your page size so that only one system fits on each
page; this means that visitors to your web site wont have to scroll up and down the page to see
each system of your music. There are web templates provided which are set to show just one system at a time see Web page templates below.

Exporting
* First, choose File > Score Info, click the Composer/Title tab, and enter some information

*
*

*
*

about your piece (if you didnt do so on the New Score dialog when you created the score originally) the web page you are about to generate assumes youve filled in the Title and Composer fields so that it can include them in the web page
Choose File > Export > Scorch web page
Enter a filename. Sibelius removes any spaces from the filenames of both the Sibelius (.sib) and
HTML (.htm) files and shortens the name to 27 characters plus a 3 character extension to make
them safe for all web servers.
If you havent entered anything in the File > Score Info dialog, you will be warned, for example,
that the Title and Composer fields are blank
You are asked to choose a template web page to insert the score into see Web page templates below. You can also adjust the width and height of the score as it will appear within the
web page. If you dont feel ambitious, just choose the Classic web template, leaving the other
settings alone, and click OK.

Files
Setting a larger Width makes the page and hence the music bigger; theres no need to enter a
Height value if you want the page to be the same shape, which is advisable.
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8. Files
The Snap Zoom Level option (switched on by default) automatically adjusts the size of the
score to ensure that the staff lines always appear equidistant. Leave this option switched on.
Allow printing and saving, as the name suggests, allows you to choose whether visitors to
your web site can print and save your music, or simply play it back see Printing and saving
from Scorch below.
* Sibelius then saves two files in the chosen location: an HTML file (with the file extension .htm),
and a Sibelius score (with the extension .sib).
Youre now ready to upload these two files to your web site. Depending on how your web site is
hosted, you may need to use an FTP client or upload them via your web browser.
You must include both the actual Sibelius score file and the web page in the same folder on your
web site, and dont rename the Sibelius file the HTML in the web page refers to the Sibelius file.

Batch conversion
Sibelius includes a plug-in to save Scorch web pages for all the scores in a folder, as well as to generate an index page with links to all the individual scores see Convert Folder of Scores to
Web Pages on page 392.

Printing and saving from Scorch

If you switch on the Allow printing and saving option when saving your score as a Scorch web
page, visitors to your site will be allowed to print your score to their computers printer, and also
save the score as a Sibelius file to their hard disk so that they can open it in Sibelius themselves.
This makes it easy to share your music with others: teachers can put worksheets on their school
web site, and students can print them out directly from their web browser, or, if they have Sibelius
themselves, download the music to their computer and complete the worksheet in Sibelius.
The Allow printing and saving option does not have some of the benefits of publishing your
music on SibeliusMusic.com:
* You are not permitted to put Scorch to commercial use on your own web site without a special

license from us i.e. you may not charge money for allowing visitors to your site to print and
save your music
* Music on your own web site is not securely encrypted, so any visitors who use Sibelius themselves can download your music to their computers simply by clicking the Save button in
Scorch, and they will then be able to edit it in Sibelius.
Beware that even if you dont allow printing and saving, your scores are still downloaded to the
visitors computer in unencrypted form. Whenever you view something in your web browser
whether it is text, an image, or even a Sibelius score using the Scorch plug-in it has been downloaded to the temporary Internet files folder on your computers hard disk. This means that anybody who views your music on your personal web page will potentially be able to edit the original
file (if they have Sibelius).
In other words, if you publish your music on your own web site, you will be doing so in an insecure way. However, if you publish your music on SibeliusMusic.com, your music is secure.

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8.14 Exporting Scorch web pages

SibeliusMusic.com uses an encrypted file format understood only by the Scorch plug-in this
means that even if somebody were to find the file on their hard disk, they couldnt open it with
any program apart from Scorch (not even Sibelius). This also ensures that even if somebody looks
at an encrypted Sibelius file in Scorch, they cant print it out, because printing these files relies on
communication between Scorch and the SibeliusMusic.com server.
If you want to publish securely on your own web site, contact Sibelius Software about licensing
Sibelius Internet Edition, a special version of Sibelius for commercial Internet publishing.

Score information
You can include catalog information such as the composer, title and so on in your web site. All
you have to do is type the details into the File > New dialog when creating your score, or subsequently into the File > Score Info dialog; then when you save a web page, Sibelius can include this
information automatically as HTML tags, as well as putting the main information as text in the
web page.
First you have to design a template web page that displays the kind of catalog information you
want to include (see Customizing your web site below).
If you have a knack for programming, you can write a program to create an on-line catalog (or
even a search engine) of the scores on your web site automatically from these tags, with links to
the scores.

Web page templates

A number of web page templates are provided for you, in a variety of styles and color combinations. Some templates use one of Scorchs most useful features: split playback. Split playback is
designed to allow you to play along with Scorch without having to worry about turning pages its
like having an intelligent page turner at your beck and call.
As Scorch reaches the end of one system during playback, it automatically replaces the system its
just played back with a system from further down the page. Your eye naturally follows the music
down the page, and when you reach the bottom of the page, youll find that the next few systems
are already visible at the top of the Scorch window.
Split playback works best with music for solo instruments, or small ensembles (such as solo
instrument and keyboard). Choose from the 2 system split playback, 3 system split playback
or 4 system split playback templates to try out this feature.

If you have enabled printing and saving from Scorch, your scores will save and print exactly the
way they appear in Sibelius in other words, split playback has no effect on the actual scores
themselves; it is simply an alternative way of viewing the scores in Scorch.

605

Files

The 1 system playback and 1 system view templates only keep one system in view: this is useful if you want visitors to your web site to be able to follow your music without having to scroll
their web browser window up and down. (1 system playback shows a full page when Scorch
isnt playing back, but just one system during playback.)

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8. Files

Customizing your web site

If you dont want to use Sibeliuss provided web page templates, or would like to improve them,
you will need a very basic knowledge of HTML (or an HTML-speaking friend).
The web page produced by Sibelius is very straightforward, and you can make any changes you
like to it you may want to add your own background or graphics, further information, links, or
whatever.
You can design your own template web pages and save them with a .htm extension in the Scorch
Templates folder inside your application data folder (see User-editable files on page 564).
They will then appear in the list of web page templates.
A web page template is a standard HTML file with some special tags where the filename and
image size are inserted when you save as a Scorch web page. There are also optional tags that are
replaced by the Title, Composer etc. fields from the File > Score Info dialog. The full list of tags
(not all used in the sample templates) is:
$FILENAME$

Filename + extension of the Sibelius file

$PATHNAME$

Path of the Sibelius file

$WIDTH$, $HEIGHT$

From Export Scorch Web Page dialog

$TITLE$, $COMPOSER$,
$ARRANGER$, $LYRICIST$,
$ARTIST$, $MOREINFO$

From File > New and File > Score Info dialog

See the web page templates provided for examples of how to use these tags.
The only required elements are the nested <object> and <embed> tags, which should look
something like this:
<object id="ScorchPlugin"
classid="clsid:A8F2B9BD-A6A0-486A-9744-18920D898429"
width="x"
height="y"
codebase="http://www.sibelius.com/download/software/win/ActiveXPlugin.cab>
<param name="src" value="filename.sib">
<embed src=filename.sib
width=x
height=y
type=application/x-sibelius-score
pluginspage=http://www.sibelius.com/cgi/plugin.pl>
</object>

where filename.sib is the path to the Sibelius file, x is the width of the Scorch window in pixels,
and y is the height of the Scorch window in pixels. You can get these filled in automatically when
you use File > Export > Scorch web page in Sibelius if you set them in your web page template to
$FILENAME$, $WIDTH$ and $HEIGHT$ respectively.
Dont change the classid, codebase, type or pluginspage attributes, as these tell the browser
about Scorch and where to get it if it hasnt been installed yet.

Problems and solutions

Some web servers may not display Scorch web pages, in which case you may be warned by your
browser that a suitable plug-in could not be found. This is because the server doesnt recognize
Sibeliuss .sib file extension.
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8.14 Exporting Scorch web pages

If this happens on your web site, contact your ISP or the system administrator of your web server
and ask them to add the Sibelius MIME-type to the servers configuration, which will fix the problem.

Using email and CD-ROM

If you want to send someone a Sibelius file via email to view in Scorch, b 8.2 Sharing files.
You can equally well use Sibeliuss Internet publishing facility to promote your music via CDROM. Simply save your web site to a CD other people can then access it from the CD in exactly
the same way as over the Internet.
Note, however, that people will still need to download Scorch from the Internet, which they can do
just by following the link in any Scorch web page on the disk. You are not allowed to distribute
Scorch yourself (see Legal notice below).

Legal notice
It is illegal to place copyright music on the Internet without permission from the copyright owner.
This is the case even if you have made your own arrangement of a copyright piece of music.
Sibeliuss Internet publishing facility is licensed to you for non-commercial use only. (See the
Sibelius license agreement for details.)
You are not allowed to distribute Scorch, e.g. to put it on your own web site people visiting your
site must follow the link supplied in order to download Scorch. Licensing conditions for the plugin are shown when you install it.

Files
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8. Files

8.15 Exporting to previous versions

Sibelius is fully backwards compatible. Sibelius 5 can open files from all previous versions of Sibelius, including files saved in Sibelius Student and G7.
Older versions cannot open files saved in the present version, but you can use File > Export > Sibelius 2, 3, 4 or Student to save files that can be opened by Sibelius 2, Sibelius 3, Sibelius 4 and
Sibelius Student. (The guitar program G7 also uses the same format as Sibelius 3 and Sibelius Student.) Note, however, that these earlier versions dont have all the features of Sibelius 5, so scores
may not look precisely the same when opened in them as they look in Sibelius 5. In particular, the
following elements are omitted or changed (i.e. not exported in the file).

Differences in Sibelius 2, 3, 4, G7 and Sibelius Student

The following are omitted or changed when exporting files to all previous versions of Sibelius:
* Bar numbers:
% If bar numbers are set to appear every n bars, n will be turned into one of the existing options

*
*

*
*
*

608

in earlier versions, so bar numbers may appear on different bars;

% Bar number changes that include new bar number formats will be turned into normal bar
number changes;
% Bar number changes that include text before or after the number will be turned into normal
bar number changes;
% Bar numbers automatically hidden at the same locations as rehearsal marks will not be hidden;
% Bar numbering will not take repeats into account;
% Bar numbers will appear on the staves set in Layout > System Object Positions, not the
staves set in House Style > Engraving Rules.
Special page breaks are converted into regular page breaks, and any text items, symbols or
graphics set to appear on the blank pages are deleted from the score, together with blank page
text styles
Page number changes are omitted; when opened in earlier versions, the pages will simply be
numbered from the first page
Margin changes (including those produced by the First page only option in Layout > Document Setup, and by special page breaks) are omitted; all pages in the score will use the margins
defined on the first page of the score
Stem directions and rest placement may change, if Hidden notes and rests dont affect stem
directions and rests is switched on (on the Notes and Tremolos page of House Style >
Engraving Rules)
Cue-sized objects other than notes will appear at normal size
Ideas saved in the score will be omitted
Multirests in parts may split differently in Sibelius 4 and earlier, due to page-attached system
text not splitting multirests in Sibelius 5.

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8.15 Exporting to previous versions

* Instrument changes are converted into appropriate staff type and transposition changes. Note,

however, that the playback sound will not change at the point of the instrument change when
the score is played back in the earlier version of Sibelius.
* All new instrument definitions, staff types, and ensemble data are omitted (b 7.12 Edit
Instruments).

Differences in Sibelius 2, 3, G7 and Student

The following are retained in Sibelius 4, but omitted or changed in earlier versions:
* Dynamic parts: any parts that exist in your score are omitted (b 6.1 Working with parts),
*
*
*
*
*

though you could extract parts in Sibelius 5 and then export those in the same way as the score
Auto Layout options: all Auto Layout options are omitted. This includes auto system breaks,
splitting of multirests and tacet multirests, and advanced page break settings.
Optical beam positions: beams will slightly change position when opened in earlier versions
(b 2.5 Beams)
Optical ties: ties will slightly change position when opened in earlier versions (b 2.26 Ties)
Justification: the horizontal and vertical justification of notes and systems may change when
opened in earlier versions (b 7.9 Staff spacing)
Text styles whose sizes are set to Keep absolute will not scale correctly on small staves
(b 3.10 Edit Text Styles).

Further differences in Sibelius 2

The following are retained in Sibelius 4, Sibelius 3, G7 and Sibelius Student, but omitted or
changed in Sibelius 2:
* Note spacing: the newer note spacing options (e.g. minimum space around notes, flags, etc.) are

*
*

Sibelius 1.4 users

If you know people who use Sibelius 1.4 and you want to share files with them, they must update
to the current version, as you cannot export a Sibelius 5 file in version 1.4 format.

609

Files

omitted; note spacing may adjust slightly when the file is opened, especially when the spacing is
particularly tight or loose, but the overall layout (number of bars per system and page) will not
change
Playback: all Live Playback data will be omitted (b 4.7 Live Playback); Play on pass options
(b 4.6 Repeats); Play > Dictionary terms that use repeat behaviors or regular expressions
(b 4.8 Playback dictionary); gaps between movements in the same score
(b 4.5 Performance); Kontakt Player settings in the Mixer (b 4.4 Sibelius Sounds
Essentials)
Layout: Focus on Staves state will be omitted (b 5.5 Focus on Staves);
Engraving rules: Allow beams after rests option is omitted (b 2.5 Beams), Center staccatos on stem is converted to Half-center staccatos on stem (b 2.2 Articulations)
Colored objects (including the color of highlights) will not appear colored when you open the
score in Sibelius 2, but will be preserved and reappear in color if you open the file in Sibelius 3
or 4 (provided you havent resaved it in Sibelius 2 since).

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8.16 ASCII tab files

b 1.5 Guitar tab input, 2.13 Guitar notation and tab.

ASCII tab is a popular format for sharing guitar tab on the Internet. Hundreds of thousands of
songs are available in ASCII tab format for downloading, and Sibelius allows you not only to open
these files, but also to save them so that you can share your own songs on the Internet and by
email.

What does an ASCII tab file look like?

Because ASCII tab files are written by hundreds of different people, and usually by hand, the
information they can contain varies a good deal between different files. Some files simply show
the chords used by a particular song, while others may attempt to convey every technique used in
the original song, including slides, bends, hammer-ons and pull-offs, harmonics, and so on. However, all ASCII tab files use the same basic syntax: hyphens represent each string of the staff, numbers represent the fret numbers, and vertical bars (or pipes as theyre sometimes known)
represent barlines. For example, a single bar of ASCII tab might look something like this:
e
B
G
D
A
E

P
|--0----------0---x-0-------|
|--0--2/3-----1---x-1--3-2--|
|--0-----1/2--2---x-2-------|
|--2----------0-------------|
|--2----------0-------------|
|--0------------------------|

Importing ASCII tab files

ASCII tab filenames normally end in the file extension .tab (although they may simply have the
normal text file extension, .txt in which case you should change the extension to .tab yourself so
that Sibelius can open it or they may be specifically for bass guitar, in which case they may have
the extension .btab).
To open a tab file in Sibelius, choose File > Open (shortcut Ctrl+O or XO), select the tab file you
want to open, and click Open. A dialog with some simple options will appear:
* Always import rhythms means that Sibelius will always try to determine rhythm in the tab

file, even if it isnt sure that any rhythms are actually indicated.
* Only import rhythms when they are indicated means that Sibelius will only try to deter-

mine the rhythm if it thinks rhythms are indicated somehow.

* Never import rhythms means that Sibelius will ignore the rhythm of the tab file and simply
import every note or chord as an eighth note (quaver), whether or not it thinks rhythms are
indicated in the file.
By default, Sibelius is set to Only import rhythms when they are indicated. If in doubt, use
this option.
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8.16 ASCII tab files

Sibelius also tries to locate chord symbols and text labels (e.g. showing where verses and choruses
begin) in the tab file, but it doesnt import lyrics (since its not usually obvious where they belong)
or techniques such as bends, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs and so on (since theres no agreement
about how these should be notated in ASCII tab files anyway).
When you import an ASCII tab file, what you will normally get is a score that contains all the right
notes and chords, but not the right rhythms. This is because most tab files dont include rhythms,
and even when they do, there is little consistency in how rhythms are indicated. This means that
ASCII tab files are very useful for looking at in order to get the chord shapes under your fingers,
but if you play them back, more often than not you wont be able to recognize the original song!
Think of ASCII tab files as a useful step towards being able to play a particular song somebody
else has taken the time to work out what the chords and fingerings are, and now you can sit down
in front of Sibelius with your guitar and hear how each chord sounds.
ASCII tab files may often have a lot of extra, unnecessary text at the top (e.g. comments about the
person who created the transcription). Sibelius will normally ignore this text, but if you encounter
unexpected results, try removing the extra text at the top of the file using a text editing program
(such as Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac), and try importing it again.

Exporting ASCII tab files

You can also use Sibelius to create ASCII tab files of your own songs. To do this, simply choose
File > Export > ASCII Tab, enter a filename and click Save.
Sibelius will then immediately pop up the resulting tab file in a text editor so you can see how it
looks. (If this annoys you, switch off Preview ASCII tab file after saving it in the Files page of
the File > Preferences dialog, or in the Sibelius menu on Mac.)
ASCII tab files saved from Sibelius include rhythms (shown with letters above each note or chord,
e.g. E for eighth note, S for sixteenth note, etc.), repeat structures (such as start and end repeat
barlines, 1st- and 2nd-ending lines, etc.), chord symbols, and so on.
If your score contains a mixture of tab and notation staves, only the tab staves will be saved (and if
you have, say, two tab staves in your score, they will both be saved).

Copyright music
You should be aware that if you download or publish ASCII tab files of someone elses music without permission you are likely to infringe copyright. Copyright infringement is illegal, and in any
case is forbidden by the Sibelius license agreement.

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Files

Most music states if it is copyright and who the copyright owner is. If you have are unsure of the
copyright status of an ASCII tab file you have downloaded, please contact the musics publisher,
composer or arranger.

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8. Files

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Glossary
This explains musical and computer terms used in this Reference that are uncommon, technical
or have a special meaning in Sibelius. Cross-references are in bold.
acciaccatura a short grace note normally played before the beat, drawn with a line through its
stem.
accidental a symbol (e.g. flat, sharp) indicating that a pitch is to be adjusted up or down by a
small interval usually by a half-step (semitone), but occasionally by a whole-step (tone) or a
microtone.
aftertouch in MIDI, the degree of pressure exerted on a key after you press it, normally used to
control modulation (vibrato).
alphabetic input creating music with the computer keyboard, mainly using the letters AG and
the numeric keypad. See step-time input, mouse input, Flexi-time.
appoggiatura a long grace note normally played on the beat; unlike an acciaccatura, it is drawn
without a line through its stem.
articulation a symbol appearing above or below a note or chord that indicates how it should be
played e.g. staccato, tenuto, up-bow, accent, fermata (pause).
attachment notes, text, lines, symbols, etc. are said to be attached to particular staves and
rhythmic positions in the music. This means that they belong to that staff/position and move with
it when the music is reformatted. When you select most objects, a dashed gray arrow shows what
the object is attached to.
Audio Unit (or AU) the name of a format for virtual instruments and effects invented by Apple.
Audio Units are only compatible with Mac computers.
bank a set of up to 128 program numbers. MIDI devices that have more than 128 sounds
group them into banks.
bar (or measure) is a segment of time defined as a given number of beats of a given duration.
beams the thick lines connecting groups of eighth notes (quavers) and shorter note values. A
fractional beam is another term for a flag.
BMP file a standard Windows bitmap graphics format.
brace the { to the left of keyboard instruments and other instruments that use a grand staff (also
used in place of a sub-bracket in older orchestral scores, particularly to group horns).

(b) The horizontal [ that sometimes groups notes in tuplets.

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bracket (a) the thick vertical [ that groups together the staves of instruments in the same family.
The thin vertical [ that groups divided instruments is a sub-bracket.

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Glossary
break see page break, system break.
caret the vertical line that shows where you are when youre creating notes or typing text; sometimes called a cursor or insertion point.
channel the MIDI equivalent of a staff, usually specified by a number from 1 to 16. Most MIDI
devices only allow 16 channels. Each channel can only be set to one specific program number,
pan position, etc. at a time.
chord in this Reference, chord means specifically two or more noteheads on a single stem (or,
in the case of double whole notes (breves) and whole-notes (semibreves), in the same voice).
Noteheads in different voices or staves count as being in different chords.
chord symbol text above a staff specifying a chord for the performer to play or improvise
around, e.g. Bbm (meaning B flat minor).
clipboard an (invisible) place where cut or copied music is temporarily stored before being
pasted to another location in the score.
codec acronym for compressor/decompressor or coder/decoder, a software component that translates video or audio data between its uncompressed and compressed forms.
configuration (for playback) a collection of playback device settings that determines which
devices are available to Sibelius and how they should be used for playback.
control change a MIDI message that controls effects such as reverb, pan position and sustain.
controller a MIDI input device, such as a keyboard, sustain pedal, modulation or pitch bend
wheel, etc.
convert to change the format of a file.
crop marks (crops) thin cross-hairs used in litho printing to pinpoint the corners of a page
appearing on a larger sheet of paper. The paper is then trimmed along the lines indicated by the
crop marks.
cue note a small (cue-size) note, so named because it is most often used for writing cues in
instrumental parts. Unlike grace notes, cue notes have a real duration that is, they take up
rhythmic space in the bar. Any note, rest or bar rest can be made cue-size whether its a normal
note, special notehead or grace note. You can even write cue notes on a small staff, which makes
them go smaller still.
default whatever an option is provisionally set to until you change it. Sibelius is designed to have
intelligent defaults, so you dont often need to change things it does automatically.
dialog (or dialog box) a window asking you for information, with buttons (such as OK or Cancel) to press when youve finished.
diatonic a diatonic scale is a major or minor scale. To transpose diatonically means to shift notes
up or down the scale, so in the scale of C major, transposing a G major triad up a diatonic 2nd produces A minor, or up a diatonic 3rd produces a B diminished triad.
dpi (dots per inch) the unit of printing and scanning resolution. The more dpi you print or
scan at, the higher the resolution is, and the more detailed the resulting printout or scan.
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When printing, 1200 dpi or higher produces publishing quality print in which the dots are invisible. 600dpi (the standard resolution of most laser printers) is almost as good and is often good
enough for publishing music.
For scanning music, 200 dpi to 400 dpi is a normal range of resolutions. Higher resolutions such
as 600 dpi are used for scanning photos and graphics at high quality.
dynamic part see part
dynamics text (e.g. mf) or hairpins specifying loudness or changes of loudness.
element part of a Sound ID between two periods (full stops), e.g. the elements of the sound ID
strings.violin.ensemble are strings, violin and ensemble.
effect a computer program that processes an audio signal in order to change one or more characteristics of a sound, e.g. to produce reverb.
EMF (Enhanced MetaFile) a standard Windows vector graphics format.
engraving rules rules used for music engraving. Sibelius incorporates all of the standard
engraving rules, which you can choose between using the many options provided in the House
Style > Engraving Rules dialog and elsewhere.
ensemble a set of instruments, grouped into one or more families, and each family then contains one or more instruments. Several ensembles appear in Create > Instruments.
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) a standard vector graphics file format very similar to the
PostScript file format. But unlike a PostScript file, an EPS file is used to place a single page of
text or graphics as an illustration into a page layout program such as Quark XPress. EPS files are
mainly used in professional publishing.
explode to split the notes of a chord or passage of chords from one or two staves onto a larger
number of staves. Opposite of reduce.
export to save in a file format used by a different program. Opposite of import.
extract to create a separate file of a part.
fader a sliding knob used in audio equipment such as mixers, which controls (e.g.) the volume of
a particular audio channel. Sibeliuss Mixer window has faders for controlling the volume and pan
position of individual staves.
family instruments of a similar kind that appear together in a score, such as woodwind, brass,
percussion and strings. Also called an instrumental section.
filter a feature in Sibelius that selects objects of a particular kind (e.g. hairpins, text) or that have
particular characteristics (e.g. three-note chords).
flag the short bit of beam that appears in dotted rhythms; also called a fractional beam.

Flexi-time Sibeliuss intelligent real-time input feature. b step-time input, alphabetic

input, mouse input.
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footer text that appears at the bottom of every page of a document; sometimes called a running
footer. See also header.

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Glossary
formatting spreading out music to fill systems and pages. Sibelius instantly reformats the whole
score whenever you make any change, so you always see it as it will be when finally printed.
full score a score that contains every instrument playing a piece of music, as opposed to a
part.
General MIDI (GM) the name of the most widely-used sound set.
grace note a small note that (unlike a cue note) does not subtract from the duration of a bar
in performance it is crushed into the previous or following note. Grace notes with a diagonal
line through the stem are called acciaccaturas; ones without lines are appoggiaturas.
grayscale (scanning) shades of gray, as opposed to color or plain black and white.
group a list of instruments into which Sibelius will copy similar lines of notes as part of its
Arrange feature.
H-bar the thick horizontal line, normally used for multirests.
hairpin a crescendo or diminuendo written as a hairpin-shaped double-line.
header text that appears at the top of every page of a document when it is printed; often called a
running header. See also footer.
hit point an event in a film (e.g. a gun firing) that is to be synchronized with a musical event in
the score (e.g. a loud chord or climax of a phrase). Hit points are indicated by special boxed text in
the score.
house style the overall look of a score, as defined by a publisher; in Sibelius, the house style is
mostly determined by the items in the House Style menu, including engraving rules, text
styles, line and notehead types, etc.
imagesetter a high-resolution (typically 2540 dpi or higher) printer used to produce litho printing plates. Imagesetters use PostScript, usually go by the brand name Linotronic, and can output very large pages.
import to open or incorporate a file that is in a format used by a different program. Opposite of
export.
initial barline the barline at the very left-hand end of each system that joins all the staves
together; Sibelius automatically adds these. The initial barline is normally omitted in single-staff
systems.
instrument as far as Sibelius is concerned, anything that has its own name at the left of a system,
so the term includes singers, electronic tape, etc. Instruments can have more than one staff (e.g.
keyboards), and can also have more than one player (e.g. wind instruments in orchestral/band
music).
justified spread out horizontally or vertically to fill a page up to the margins. E.g. most of the text
in this Reference is justified horizontally so that it reaches the right margin; bars of music are
almost always justified horizontally in the same way. Staves are often justified vertically so they
spread down to the bottom margin of the page instead of leaving a gap at the bottom.

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Glossary
Keypad the window from which you can pick notes, articulations, accidentals, etc. using the
mouse or numeric keys. By clicking the five little buttons at the top underneath the numbers (or
typing + on the keypad, or F8F12) you can choose between five different Keypad layouts, called
the first Keypad layout, second Keypad layout, etc.
keyswitch a technique used by many virtual instruments, normally meaning a very low note
that produces no sound when played, which instead tells the virtual instrument to use a different
sound for subsequent notes played in the normal range.
Kontakt Player 2 a sample player built into Sibelius that lets you play high-quality instrumental sounds and produce audio files for burning to CD.
latency the delay between Sibelius sending a message to a sound device to trigger a note and the
sounding of that note; latency is generally higher (i.e. a longer delay) with software devices, such
as Kontakt Player 2, than hardware devices, such as sound modules.
layer used by some notation programs to mean voice; can also mean different sounds within the
same program in a virtual instrument, accessed by way of techniques such as keyswitches
and control changes.
line spacing (technical term leading, rhymes with wedding and not with weeding) the distance between successive lines of text. A standard line spacing in books is 120%, meaning that the
separation between lines of text is 1.2 times the point size; in music, 100% is often preferable.
line a hairpin, slur, 8va, glissando or any other object in the Create > Line dialog.
line of notes a succession of single notes and rests taken from the source passage as part of the
Arrange features processing, e.g. a series of three-note chords is turned into three separate lines
of notes.
Live a special kind of playback that captures every nuance of your original performance, right
down to the velocity and timing of each note.
lyric line the horizontal line that follows any word whose final syllable is sung to more than one
note.
magnetic describes the intelligent behavior of slurs, tuplets, accidentals, articulations, ties,
slides, bends, etc., which stick to notes and reposition themselves if the notes change pitch.
manuscript paper whenever you create a score it is written on a particular type of manuscript
paper that you choose at the start. Manuscript paper specifies the instruments, plus other
options such as house style settings.
microtone a fraction of a half-step (semitone), used in some avant garde and ethnic music. The
most common microtone is the quarter-tone, which is half of a half-step (semitone). Microtones
are indicated by a wide range of odd-looking accidentals, generally made from sharps, flats and
naturals cut up or with extra bits stuck on. In order to produce microtones, some instruments
need to be cut up or have extra bits stuck on.

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MIDI (rhymes with giddy) Musical Instrument Digital Interface the worldwide standard for
electronic musical instruments and computer soundcards. b MIDI file (below).

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Glossary
MIDI file a file in Standard MIDI File format, which is understood by virtually every music program. MIDI files are designed specifically for playback, and so are not ideal for transferring music
notation between programs.
MIDI messages commands sent to MIDI devices used to achieve particular playback effects
such as program number changes and pitch bend; Sibelius generates these automatically during playback and you can also add explicit ones to your score using slightly arcane text objects.
Mixer the window in Sibelius that lets you adjust the volume, pan position and muting of
staves.
mouse input creating music with the mouse. This is generally the slowest way of inputting.
b alphabetic input, step-time input, Flexi-time.
multirest the marking for several bar rests, used in parts; longer multirests are usually drawn as
a number above an H-bar.
music engraving the art of drawing music notation, covering topics such as the design of music
symbols, the positioning and spacing of notes and other objects, the layout of pages, and the use of
particular text fonts and sizes. Much (but not all) of music engraving has been formulated into
engraving rules.
music text font a special font (such as Opus Text) containing musical symbols that occur in
text, such as mf or = 60.
MusicXML a file format for transferring music notation between different programs. It is the recommended way of moving music from Finale 2004 or later to Sibelius.
Navigator the miniature view of the score in the bottom left-hand corner. You can drag the
white rectangle with the mouse to move through the score.
note a single notehead with a stem (unless the note is a whole-note (semibreve) or double
whole note (breve)). Notes can also have accidentals, articulations, rhythm dots, beams, leger
lines and tremolos. Individual pitches on a chord are properly called noteheads, not notes.
note value the length of a single note, chord or rest, e.g. eighth note (quaver), half note (minim).
notehead a blob or other shape (e.g. cross or diamond) in a note or chord that specifies the
pitch, note value and sometimes the playing technique.
NoteOn / NoteOff the MIDI messages that start or end a note.
object anything you can put in a score a note, accidental, clef, piece of text, slur, etc. b staff
object, system object.
OCR (scanning) optical character recognition; usually applied to scanning text, but also to music.
Optical describes several special engraving rules unique to Sibelius that produce very highquality engraved results, such as for the positioning of notes, ties and beams.
original (scanning) the page or score you are scanning from.
ossia a small bar or so of music above a normal-sized staff to show an alternative way of playing
something.
output (scanning) music that has been read from scans.
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Glossary
page (a) one side of a sheet of music as it appears when finally published. The page size is not
necessarily the same as the paper size, as you can print a small page on a large sheet of paper.
(b) a complete set of options within a dialog (e.g. House Style > Engraving Rules) accessible
either by clicking a tab or an item in a list.
page break the forced termination of a page at a particular barline, often made at the end of a
section, or to avoid inconvenient page-turns in parts. b system break.
pan position (or pan) the left-to-right direction of a sound, specified for the purposes of stereo
playback.
part the music of one or more instruments extracted from a full score, sometimes called an
instrumental, orchestral or band part. Performers read off parts so that they only have to see the
music they play. A dynamic part is a part that is stored in the same file as the full score and is automatically updated whenever you edit the score. An extracted part is a part in a separate file from
the score that is not automatically updated.
passage a continuous stretch of music along one staff or along several simultaneous staves,
which may or may not be adjacent vertically (e.g. Flute and Cello in an orchestral score). In its
simplest form, you can think of it as a rectangle of music. A passage can extend over several systems, or even an entire score. Usually passages are enclosed by a light blue box; there is also a special kind of passage called a system passage that contains all instruments and is drawn with a
purple double-box.
PDF (Portable Document Format) a common file format that allows documents generated
by programs such as word processors and desktop publishers to be published electronically, preserving their original appearance, for viewing and printing on any computer. Most often used by
Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader.
PhotoScore the program for scanning printed music into Sibelius. There are two version PhotoScore Lite is included with Sibelius; PhotoScore Ultimate has additional features and can be
bought separately.
PICT a standard Mac vector graphics file format.
pitch bend in MIDI, the effect of bending a pitch up and down, achieved by operating a lever
or wheel, or by sending a pitch bend MIDI message.
playback line the green vertical line that shows where in the score Sibelius is playing back or
will play back. This line is also used when recording with Flexi-time, when it is red.
players several performers sharing the same staves but distinguished usually by a number. For
instance, horn players usually share one or two staves and are often numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) a standard bitmap graphics file format.

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Glossary

plug-in a piece of software that can operate inside another software environment. In Sibelius, a
plug-in is a small program which adds an extra Sibelius feature, written in a scripting language
called ManuScript. The word plug-in is also often used to describe virtual instruments that
can be loaded into host applications like Sibelius.

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Glossary
point size the height of a font, measured from the top of the capital letters to the bottom of the
lower-case descender letters (such as p). This height is specified in points (1 point or pt = 1/72
inch = about 0.353mm).
PostScript a vector graphics file format used by some laser printers and most imagesetters.
See also EPS.
program a sound (or collection of sounds in different layers) accessed by a single program
number.
program change a MIDI message that changes a MIDI channels program number.
program number (or patch number, or voice number) a number specifying an instrument
sound on a MIDI device. Program numbers go from 0 to 127 or from 1 to 128. If more than 128
program numbers are available, these are grouped into extra banks.
properties the characteristics of objects in your score such as position, playback behavior, font
and size, and so on accessible from the Properties window.
read (scanning) to work out what all the notes and other objects in the scan are.
real-time input inputting music on a MIDI keyboard in time to a click in order to specify
rhythms as well as pitches. Sibeliuss real-time input method is Flexi-time.
reduce (or implode) to put the notes of several instruments onto one or two staves, e.g. to create
a keyboard accompaniment or reduction. Opposite of explode.
reformat b formatting.
rehearsal mark a big letter and/or number, normally in a box, used in long scores to aid
rehearsing.
resolution the level of detail at which a page is printed or scanned, measured in dpi; or the
number of pixels displayed on a computer screen, e.g. 1024 x 768.
reverb (pronounced ree-verb) an effect like a blurred echo within a room. Bigger rooms produce more reverb. The amount of reverb is sometimes specified by the reverb time, which is the
time it takes a sound to die away (by 60 decibels).
roman font (or Roman font) any medium-weight non-italic serif font.
sample a digital recording of a sound, typically a short fragment such as a drum loop or a single
note.
sans serif font (or sanserif font. Pronounced san-serrif, but without a French accent) a font
without serifs, generally considered suitable for short pieces of text such as titles.
scan (a) to get a page of music, text or graphics into a computer program using a scanner.
(b) the image produced when a page has been scanned. In PhotoScore Lite, scans are always displayed with a buff background to distinguish them from music that has been read, and from
music in Sibelius.
scanner driver the program that tells the computer what type of scanner you have; analogous to
a printer driver.
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Glossary
score any music notation document; sometimes used loosely to mean a full score. See full
score, part, transposing score.
section a subdivision of a score, such as a song from an album or a movement from a symphony.
New sections often start with a new title and with full instrument names, and sometimes bar
numbers restart at 1 and rehearsal marks restart at A or 1.
select to click an object (or objects or passage) you want to edit, copy, move or delete, and
thereby turn it colored. The color indicates which voice the object is in, or whether its a system
object.
selection anything that is selected. A single selection consists of one selected object; a multiple
selection consists of two or more selected objects. See passage
sequencer a computer program designed primarily for recording, editing and playing back
music using MIDI. Most sequencers can also print notation to some extent, but as they are
designed around MIDI rather than notation, they are quite distinct from music notation programs. Many sequencers also record and edit audio (such as singing) in addition to MIDI.
serif the spike on corners and tips of letters in certain fonts, known as serif fonts. Serif fonts are
considered more legible than sans serif fonts for large quantities of text, such as books.
shortcut menu slightly confusing term for the menu you get when you right-click (Windows)
or Control-click (Mac). (Nothing to do with keyboard shortcuts.) Sometimes called a contextsensitive menu, because the menu contents depend on what you click on.
sound ID a structured name that describes a particular sound timbre; examples might be woodwind.flutes.flute, woodwind.flutes.piccolo.flutter-tongue or strings.violin.ensemble.pizzicato. A collection of sound IDs is called a SoundWorld.
sound set the complete set of sounds available on a MIDI device or virtual instrument. Thus
Sibelius lets you choose between a General MIDI sound set, a sound set for Garritan Personal
Orchestra, and so on.
soundfont a collection of sampled sounds, usually in one of two formats (SF2 and DLS). Initially
intended to provide a way of changing the sounds available on soundcards from some manufacturers, it is now possible to use soundfonts without the need for a specific soundcard, normally by
loading them into a virtual instrument.
SoundWorld a standard designed by Sibelius Software to replace the messy patchwork of program names and program numbers used by MIDI devices and virtual instruments. A
SoundWorld is a collection of sound IDs, organized into a tree structure.
space the distance between two staff lines, used as the main unit of measurement in music
engraving. For instance, beams are normally 0.5 spaces thick, and a staff size is four spaces by
definition.

spreads the printing format in which pairs of consecutive pages are printed side-by-side on the
same sheet of paper to show how the finished score will look when opened flat.
621

Glossary

spelling the way in which a pitch is written as a note-name with an accidental. Most pitches have
three spellings, e.g. C natural can also be spelled as B# or as Dbb.

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Glossary
staff the British word for this is stave.
staff objects objects that are attached to (and refer to) a particular staff. These include notes,
chords, rests and clef changes, and most lines, text styles, and symbols. b system objects.
staff size the height of a five-line staff, measured between the middle of the top and bottom
lines. The size of everything in a score notes, lines, most text and all other objects is proportional to the staff size. The staff size equals 4 spaces by definition.
stem the vertical line, sometimes inaccurately called a tail, on notes and chords. b tail.
step-time input inputting notes and chords by specifying pitches on a MIDI keyboard and note
values etc. on the keypad. b Flexi-time, alphabetic input, mouse input.
sub-bracket b bracket.
symbol an object of fixed shape that you can put anywhere in the score; used for miscellaneous
objects such as ornaments and percussion symbols. Symbols are customizable: they can be any
character from any font, or a composite of any number of existing symbols.
synthesis producing sound by mathematical means.
system a group of staves that are played simultaneously and usually joined at the left-hand side
by an initial barline. Music for a solo instrument is often written on one staff, in which case the
words system and staff refer to the same thing.
system break the forced termination of a system at a particular barline, often at the end of a
musical section. b page break.
system objects objects that apply to all instruments rather than to just one staff, such as time
signatures, key signatures, tempo and title text, rehearsal marks and some lines and symbols.
Most system objects are drawn just above the system, and sometimes in the middle as well. System objects are not attached to any particular staff, and appear in all parts. b staff objects.
system passage a selected passage spanning all staves in the score, surrounded by a purple
double-box. The main differences between a system passage and a normal passage are: copying a
system passage inserts into the score rather than overwriting existing music; copying a system passage copies system objects in addition to staff objects; and deleting a system passage deletes
the bars themselves, rather than turning them into bar rests.
system separators thick double diagonal lines drawn between systems in large scores to
emphasize where there is more than one system per page.
tab (a) guitar tab (short for tablature) is a notation in which staff lines represent the guitar
strings, and fret numbers indicate where to position the fingers.
(b) One of several buttons along the top of a dialog that flick between different pages of options.
The Keypad also has five tabs that choose different Keypad layouts.
tail the curved hook of an unbeamed eighth note (quaver) or shorter note. (Sometimes used inaccurately to mean a stem.)

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text style the text style of each piece of text in a score specifies the font, size, positioning, etc.
Different uses of text have different styles; for instance, dynamics (e.g. mp) are in the Expression
style.
tick A tick is the smallest unit of time in Sibelius. There are 256 ticks per quarter note (crotchet).
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) a standard bitmap graphics format.
timecode numbers that indicate the time position in a score or video; timecode typically shows
hours, minutes, seconds and either tenths of a second or frames.
timeline slider a slider on the Playback window that lets you move the playback line (and
video) to any point in the score.
track the MIDI file equivalent of a staff. (MIDI channels served this purpose in older (type 0)
MIDI files but had the drawback of being limited to 16, whereas the number of tracks is unlimited
in type 1 MIDI files.)
transposing instrument an instrument that sounds at a different pitch from how its music is
written, such as a clarinet, horn or piccolo. The transposition (or key) of the instrument is specified by the pitch produced when the performer reads a C; for instance, when a trumpet in Bb
reads a C, it produces a Bb.
transposing score a score in which the music of transposing instruments is not written at
the pitch at which it sounds. A non-transposing score is said to be a score in C, or written at sounding pitch or concert pitch.
tuplet (most people rhyme it with duplet, some with couplet) a rhythm that is played at a
fraction of its normal speed, such as a triplet. It is drawn as a single number or a ratio above or
below the notes, often with a bracket to show which notes it applies to, occasionally with a little
note to indicate the rhythmic unit referred to by the number(s).
Tuplet is actually music software jargon in the real world of music, tuplets are usually called
irrational rhythms or occasionally polyrhythms or countermetric rhythms.
TWAIN the communications standard used between programs and scanners; analogous to MIDI.
USB (Universal Serial Bus) most modern computers have two or more USB sockets, allowing the
connection of a wide range of peripheral hardware, including printers and MIDI devices.
velocity in MIDI, the speed (and hence force) with which you press a key on a MIDI keyboard,
which determines the loudness of that note. (The word is also occasionally used for the speed with
which you lift a key, which controls how quickly the note dies away.)
virtual instrument a program that emulates the sound of a real instrument, whether it is a synthesizer or analog instrument, generally using either samples or synthesis to produce sound.

Two voices are written on the same staff when two independent rhythms need to be shown simultaneously. The voices are distinguished by stem direction voice 1s notes and chords have stems
up, and voice 2 has stems down.
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Glossary

voice a series of notes, chords and rests in rhythmic succession on a staff (sometimes known as a
layer, or more loosely as a part or line). Normally there is just one voice on a staff, in which
case the stems can point up or down depending on the pitch of the notes.

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Glossary
In guitar and (occasionally) keyboard music, third and fourth voices can be used. These also have
stems up and down.
When you select a note or other object, the selection color tells you which voices its in.
volume in MIDI, the general loudness of a MIDI channel, as opposed to velocity, which
determines the loudness of individual notes.
VST (Virtual Studio Technology) the name of a format for virtual instruments and effects
invented by Steinberg. VST virtual instruments and effects can run on both Windows and Mac
computers.
wildcard a code used in a text object that inserts a special bit of text from elsewhere (e.g. the
date, instrument name, page number).
worksheet a sheet of paper with an exercise on it for a student to do in class or for homework.
In Sibelius the term is used more generally for anything produced by the Worksheet Creator,
which can also include reference materials, posters etc.
zither a jangly stringed instrument shaped like a box, popular in Hungary, unpopular outside
Hungary. (Not actually referred to in this Reference, but it does begin with a Z.)

624

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Index
12-Tone Matrix plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
1st and 2nd ending lines (1st-/2nd-time bars) .120, 267
8va . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see octave lines
15va . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see octave lines

A
a tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181, 238
A4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see paper sizes
accelerando
beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see feathered beams
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120, 238
accent . . . . . . . . . . . . . see articulations, accented letters
accented letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176, 380
acciaccaturas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
see also grace notes
accidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
above notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Add Cautionary Accidentals plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . 388
adding to notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
altered unisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
bracketed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
cautionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
adding automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
double sharps/flats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57, 389
ficta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
in parentheses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
microtonal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 150
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60, 416
mouse input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
on every note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
respelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
simplifying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 389
small . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
spelling of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 389
spelling of (Flexi-time) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
typing in text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
accompaniment
generating automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
see also realizing, reduction
Acorn Sibelius files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589
Actual size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
acute accent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see accented letters
add
accidentals to all notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
accidentals to all sharp and flat notes . . . . . . . . . . 388

brass fingering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425

cautionary accidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
chord symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
drum pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
ficta above note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
fingering
brass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
string . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
harp pedaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
interval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
note names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Schenkerian scale degrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
slurs to lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
string fingering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
tonic sol-fa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
verse numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Add Accidentals to All Notes plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Add Accidentals to All Sharp and Flat Notes plug-in 388
Add Brackets to Reprise Script plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . 424
Add Capo Chord Symbols plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Add Cautionary Accidentals plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Add Continuous Control Changes plug-in . . . . . . . . 414
Add Drum Pattern plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Add Ficta Above Note plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Add Note Names to Noteheads plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . 411
Add Notes to Tuplet plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Add Schenkerian Scale Degrees plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Add Simple Harmony plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Adobe Acrobat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
Advanced Filter dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
aftertouch
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
AIFF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
aleatory music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
align
lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
Align in a Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Align in a Row . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
All Notes Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
allottava lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see octave lines
Allegro files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
alphabetic input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
altered unisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
alternating instruments . . . . see instruments, doubling
ametric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see free rhythm
anacrusis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see bars, pick-up (upbeat)

625

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Index
analysis
comparing staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
functional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
motivic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Roman numerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
scale degree notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Schenkerian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
angle
text at an . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
anti-aliasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
apostrophe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see smart quotes
append score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
Apply Shape Notes plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
appoggiaturas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
see also grace notes
arpeggio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 121, 412
problems printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
see also lines
Arrange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Edit Arrange Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
arranging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
arrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
articulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
above the staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
copying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62, 407
customizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
on rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
over barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
ASCII tab files
exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611
importing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610
ATM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see Adobe Type Manager
atonal music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117, 455
attachment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446, 521
checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
in parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .521
text between staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458, 521
AU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see Audio Units
audio files
exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
importing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
audio track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Audio Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613

626

augment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
augmentation dot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see rhythm dot
Auto Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412, 501, 508
auto-backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564
auto-save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563

B
B4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see paper sizes
backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564
balken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see beams, tab
Band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see paper sizes
banjo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
see also chord diagrams, guitar tab
banks
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
bar numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
alignment above barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
at the start of a system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
below the staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
in parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
in repeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
on multirests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
recommended fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
selecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
text style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
viewing on every bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
bar rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
breve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
double whole note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
beaming across . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
customizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67, 549
early music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
final . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
initial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68, 448
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
invisible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
joins between . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
on some staves only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
repeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66, 267
short . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
systemic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see barlines, initial

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Index
tick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
winged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
adding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
changing length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
deleting contents only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
fixed number per system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .411, 500
gap before . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
going to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
inserting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
irregular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
keeping together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
multiple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see passages
numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see bar numbers
numbering repeated bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
pick-up (upbeat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70, 155
numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
rebarring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
repeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71, 120
playing back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
skipping on playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
split . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68, 71, 413
bass guitar . . . . . . see chord diagrams, guitar, guitar tab
batch processing
file conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
printing parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
according to lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
across barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
across page breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
across rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
across system breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
beam line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
between notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
changing grouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
cross-staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
editing individually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
fanned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see beams, feathered
feathered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
flipping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
horizontal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
primary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
reset groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
reversing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

secondary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
splayed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
stemlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
sub-groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
tuplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
beat groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
beats
number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
unison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
bend and release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
big notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
bind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see ties
birds eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see fermata
bitmap graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
blank pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
block copying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see passages
blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see voices, selections and passages
BMP files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
bold (text) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see text
booklet printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Boomwhacker Note Colors plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
bowing marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see articulations, slurs
box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
boxed text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
braces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
problems printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
bracketed accidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
brackets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
for double-stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
for keyboard music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
Brandt Roemer notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
brass band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see band music
breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .500, 513
automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512
automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457, 516
breath marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
breve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see note values
buss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see effects bus
buzz roll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

C
C, scores in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see transposing scores

627

reference.book Page 628 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Index
cadenzas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
caesura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Calculate Statistics plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
capo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
capture, real-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Flexi-time
caret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 11, 41, 70, 165
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
following during input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171, 594
casting off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see formatting
catalog information . . . . . see scores, information about
cautionary markings
. . . . . . . . see accidentals, clefs, key signatures,
time signatures
CDs
making . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
cedilla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see accented letters
cesura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see caesura, tab
Chaconne font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
Change Dynamics plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Change Split Point plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Change Tuplet Ratio plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
channels
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
Character Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
characters
accented . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see accented letters
special . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176, 380
chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see score
check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
attachments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
clefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
harp pedaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
lyrics hyphenation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
multiple stops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
parallel 5ths/8ves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
pizzicato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
proof-reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
repeat barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Check Attachments plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Check For Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
choral music
breath marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
divide arrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
divide symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
chord boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see chord diagrams
chord diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
copying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
fingering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

628

maximum stretch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

playing back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
unrecognized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
chord names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see chord symbols
chord symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171, 194
above chord diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
adding automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
aligning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Brandt Roemer notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Nashville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
no superscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
plain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
recommended fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Roman numerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
text style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
transposing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198, 455
Chord Symbols As Fractions plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
explode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
out of alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
rolled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see arpeggio
split between staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
see also notes, voices
chorus hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see brackets
circumflex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see accented letters
clefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
cautionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
octave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
click track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
clipboard
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
clusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150, 151
coda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268, 448
collisions
between text and notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
see also music engraving
color
notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406, 407, 459
objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
of selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
paper and desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
see also highlight
Color Pitches plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Combine Tied Notes and Rests plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . 421
common time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see time signatures
Compare Staves plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

reference.book Page 629 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Index
Composer text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
compound time
rest groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
compressors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Concert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see paper sizes
concert pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see transposing scores
concertina format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see spreads
conductor symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
configuration
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
contrametric rhythms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see tuplets
control changes
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
controllers (MIDI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
Convert Folder of Acorn Sibelius Files plug-in . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of Finale Files plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of MIDI Files plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of MusicXML Files plug-in . . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of SCORE Files plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of Scores to Graphics plug-in . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of Scores to MIDI plug-in . . . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of Scores to Web Pages plug-in . . . . 392
converting
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
folders of files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see plug-ins
simple time to compound time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
see also importing, exporting
Copy Articulations and Slurs plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
copying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
articulations and slurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
between scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
chord diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
multiple objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see multicopying
part layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487
voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
copyright lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183, 223
copyright symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
countermetric rhythms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see tuplets
counterpoint on one staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see voices
courtesy accidentals . . . . . . . see accidentals, cautionary
courtesy markings . . . . . . . . . . . see cautionary markings
Create menu
Bar submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Barline submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Chord Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Clef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Graphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570
Highlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109, 142
Key Signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Other submenu
Bar Number Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Bracket or Brace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Extra Slur Arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Hit Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Instrument Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Ossia Staff submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Page Number Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Rehearsal Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Lyrics submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
From Text File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Time Signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Title Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
Tuplet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
creating
bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
objects with the mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
see also Create menu, the name of the object to
be created, inputting
credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
crescendo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
exponential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
playback on held notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
see also hairpins
crop marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
cross-staff beaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
see also beams, cross-staff
crotchet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see note values
cue notes
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
hidden in the score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
in parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
proof-reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Suggest Cue Locations plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
text style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
cursor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see caret, mouse
cut-away scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Cyrillic text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

D
D.C. (da capo) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
D.S. (dal segno) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
decrescendo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see diminuendo
Dedication text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
default
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539
changing existing objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541
delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

629

reference.book Page 630 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Index
deleting
chord diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
selectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
see also the name of the object to be deleted
device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see MIDI devices
diacritics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see accented letters
dialog
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
diatonic
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
transposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
dictionary, playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see playback
dieresis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see accented letters
differences in parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362, 484
digital video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
diminish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
diminuendo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
playback on held notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
see also hairpins
directional quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see smart quotes
disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see backups, files, loading, saving
distortion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
divisi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
divisi dots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see tremolos
dobro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see chord diagrams, guitar tab
Document Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517
doit symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Dolet plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see MusicXML
Dont say this again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
dot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see staccato, rhythm dot
dotted rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
dotted rhythms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see rhythm dot
double dots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Double Note Values plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
double whole note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see note values
double-sided printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222, 442
double-stops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
doubling instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
down-bow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see articulations
downloading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575
dpi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
drag (drums) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see grace notes
drum mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see percussion
drum notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see percussion
drum patterns
adding automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
drum roll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see tremolos
drum set (drum kit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see percussion
duplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see tuplets
duplex printing . . . . . . . . . . . . see double-sided printing
Duplicates in Staves plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
duration of score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

630

DXi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
dynamic parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
see also parts
dynamics
between keyboard staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
selecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
see also Expression, Live Playback, hairpins

314
479
615

266
427
615
235
354

E
early music
barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
ficta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
notch staccato symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
see also barlines, incipits, figured bass, clefs
EastWest Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra . . . 313
Edit All Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Edit menu
Capture Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
Change Chord Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Delete Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Filter submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Advanced Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Find . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Find Next . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Flip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146, 162
Go to Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Go to Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Hide or Show submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Paste as Cue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Reapply Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Redo History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Repeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Select submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Select Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Select Graphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593
Select More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172, 198
Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Undo History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Voice submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Edit Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Edit Text Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Border tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
General tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Horizontal Position tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Repeat tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Vertical Position tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Edit Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
editing . . . . . . . . see customizing, changing, Edit menu

reference.book Page 631 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Index
effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303, 314
buses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
eighth note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see note values, beams
electric guitar . . . . . . . . . .see chord diagrams, guitar tab
element
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
elisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190, 380
ellipsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
emailing files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566
EMF files
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
endings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see 1st and 2nd endings
Engraving Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
accidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
articulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
bar numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
brackets and braces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
chord diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
clefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536
grace notes and cue notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98, 102
guitar tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
key signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
leger lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
multirests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
note spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
rehearsal marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
slurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
staves and systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145, 532
stems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
system separators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
ties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
time signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
tuplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
see also music engraving
enharmonic spelling . . . . . . . see accidentals, spelling of
Enigma files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Finale files
ensembles
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544
entering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see creating, inputting
EPS files
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
erase background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
erasers . . . see erase background, ossias, codas, incipits,
staves

errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see help

Espressivo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248, 263, 599
EWQLSO . see EastWest Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra
exam paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
example scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see scores
excerpts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see music examples
Executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see paper sizes
explode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340, 401
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
Explode plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
exporting
ASCII tab files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611
audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593
BMP files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
EPS files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
PDF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
PNG files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
TIFF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
via clipboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593
house styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
manuscript paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
MIDI files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599
music examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593
older versions of Sibelius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608
Scorch web pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
Expression text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
recommended fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
extension lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see lyric lines
extract
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
extracting parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
extracting players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
eyebrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see tie, slur

F
fader
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
see also Mixer
fake notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
fall symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
families
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544
family
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
fanned beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see feathered beams
fasola music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
feathered beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
fermata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
over a barline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

631

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Index
ficta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
see also accidentals
figured bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
realizing automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
file conversion
Finale, Allegro & PrintMusic files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
file conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see importing, exporting
File menu
Add to Worksheet Creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
Append Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
Edit Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
Export submenu
ASCII Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611
Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593, 594
Manuscript Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
MIDI File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599
Scorch Web Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
Sibelius 2, 3, 4 or Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608
Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591
Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
Print All Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
Publish on SibeliusEducation.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
Publish on SibeliusMusic.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Score Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453, 564, 605
Worksheet Creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563
AIFF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
auto-backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564
auto-save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563
opening
Mac files on Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567
see also importing
saving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563
see also exporting
sending by email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566
sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566
WAV files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
see also exporting, importing, scores
fill box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
quick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see also effects
Finale conversion . . . . . . . . . . . see importing, exporting
Finale files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
find . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
and replace text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
motives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
ranges of notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Find Motive plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

632

Find Range plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

fine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
fingering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
brass instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
resetting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
string instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
first ending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see 1st and 2nd endings
first-time bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see 1st and 2nd endings
Fit page width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
Fit Selection to Time plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
flags
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
flam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see grace notes
flat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Flexi-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
cleaning up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
inputting into two instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
recording transposing pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
flip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
see also Edit menu, Flip
Focus on Staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Folio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see paper sizes
fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148, 219
Adobe Type 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172, 219
installing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
point size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
PostScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
sans serif . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
serif . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
TrueType . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
footers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183, 223
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
footnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
foreign languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see accented letters
formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
frame notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
frame rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575
see also timecode
frames, guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see chord diagrams
Franck font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
free rhythm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
French notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see grace notes
fretboard diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see chord diagrams
full score
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616

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Index
Full Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107, 214, 291, 352
functional analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

G
G.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see general pause
Garritan Personal Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
General MIDI (GM)
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
general pause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Ghent font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
ghost note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Ghostscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
glissando . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
GM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see General MIDI
go to
bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
GPO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Garritan Personal Orchestra
grace notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
after trills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
at the end of bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
bends (guitar tab) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
grand pause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see general pause
grand staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see keyboard instruments
graphics files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593
importing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570
PDF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
see also exporting, importing
grave accent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see accented letters
gray objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see hiding
grayscale
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
Greek text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see voices, playback line
green line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see playback line
grid lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352, 502
grids, guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see chord diagrams
Groovy Music Mark-up plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
group
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
groups of notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see passages
guitar
arpeggio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
bend and release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
capo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
fill box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
fingering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
hammer-on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
harmonics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
muffled strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
pick scrape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
pop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
pre-bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
pre-bend and release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
pull-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
rake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
shake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
slap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
slide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
step-time chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
strumming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
tapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
tremolo picking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
trills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
tunings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
unison bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
vibrato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
vibrato bar dip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
vibrato bar scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
guitar frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see chord diagrams
guitar tab
creating a tab instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
customizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
fingering options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
inputting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
tunings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
turning into notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
vibrato bar dive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
white out behind notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

H
hairpins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
half note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see note values
Halve Note Values plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
hammer-on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
handbells
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
handwritten music . . . . . . see house styles, Inkpen2 font
harmonics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 131
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238, 416
Harmonics Playback plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
harp
pedal diagrams
adding automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
checking pedaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
hat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see articulations
Hauptstimme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

633

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Index
H-bar
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
see also multirests
headers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183, 223
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
headless notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
help
arpeggio lines not printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
braces not printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
buttons drawn incorrectly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
edges cut off music when printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Internet publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 606
notes hanging in playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234, 409
notes or symbols not printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
on-screen reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
printing double-sided causes printer jams . . . . . . 444
red question marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
repeats dont play back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
setting the optimum screen resolution . . . . . . . . . 351
staff lines not printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
video wont play full screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
wrong rhythms in Flexi-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
see also Help menu
Help menu
Check For Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Sibelius Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Helsinki font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
hidden objects
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
hiding
empty staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
MIDI messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
staves in the middle of a system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
highlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
hit points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
adding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
hook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see tail
horizontal
attachment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521
beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
note spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
position of text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
House Style menu
Default Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539
Edit All Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172, 219, 535
Edit Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543

634

Edit Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553

Edit Noteheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555
Edit Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557
Edit Text Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engraving Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Export House Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
Import House Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
Note Spacing Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506, 528
System Object Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542
house styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
exporting from parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
importing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
into a folder of scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
HTML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604
hyphens
allowing extra space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
at start of systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

I
ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
imagesetters
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
IME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Input Method Editor 176
implode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see reduction
Import House Styles into Folder of Scores plug-in . 393
importing
Acorn Sibelius files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589
ASCII tab files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
Finale 98-2003 files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
graphics files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570
house styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
MIDI files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572
music into Word documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594
MusicXML files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577
SCORE files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586
imposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
incipits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
indented systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
initial barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see barlines, initial
Inkpen2 font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223, 525
Input Method Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
inputting
alphabetic input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
file conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see file conversion
Flexi-time input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
guitar tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
in multiple voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
keystroke input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

reference.book Page 635 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Index
lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
mouse input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
scanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
step-time input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
with MIDI guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
see also the name of the object to be inputted, creating
insert. . . . . . . . . . see Create menu, inputting, passages 9
insertion point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see caret
installing
music fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
instrument names
at new sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
recommended styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
instrumental parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see parts
instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
changing order in the score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
choosing sounds for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
defining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
doubling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543
ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
selecting throughout a score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
transposing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111, 116, 118
enharmonic transposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
inputting into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
see also staves
Internet publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .392, 452
Invert plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
inverted commas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see smart quotes
irrational rhythms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see tuplets
irregular bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
italic (text) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see text

J
Japanese text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
jazz
fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
lift (doit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Jazz font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
joining scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
justification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143, 532
text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Edit Text Styles

K
key signatures
cautionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
enharmonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117, 448
in parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
multiple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
see also transposing
keyboard beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see beams, cross-staff
keyboard input . . . . . . . . see Flexi-time, step-time input
keyboard instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
customizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
restoring defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Windows/Mac differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
if your keyboard has no keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
layouts
1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57, 61
2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 101
3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
keystroke input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see alphabetic input
keyswitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
Kirschennoten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see altered unisons
kit notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see drum set
Kodly stick notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Kontakt Player 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249, 312
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
Korean text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

L
listesso tempo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see metric modulations
laissez vibrer tie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150, 152
landscape format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
laptop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see notebook
lasso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
latency
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
laundry sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see spreads
layers
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see voices

635

reference.book Page 636 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Index
layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487, 499
aligning staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508
Make Layout Uniform plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
making uniform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
page breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
page size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
staff justification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
staff size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
system breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512
vertical spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516
see also music engraving
Layout menu
Align in a Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Align in a Row . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Align Staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
Auto Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508
Break submenu
Page Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510, 512
Special Page Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
Split Multirest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Split System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268, 448, 487
System Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510, 512
Document Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499, 517
Format submenu
Keep Bars Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Lock Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Make Into Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Make Into System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Unlock Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Hide Empty Staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Reset Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174, 501, 502
Reset Note Spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 527, 528
Reset Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173, 501, 501
Reset Space Above Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
Reset Space Below Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
Show Empty Staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
layouts, Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see Keypad, layouts
lead sheet symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see chord symbols
lead sheets
initial barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
leading
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
see also line spacing
Legal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see paper sizes
leger lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
adjusting thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
avoiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Lengthen Tuplet plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
let ring tie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see laissez vibrer tie
let vibrate tie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see laissez vibrer tie

636

Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see paper sizes

lift symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
ligatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see beams, slurs, ties
line of music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see systems, voices
line spacing
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
8va . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see octave lines
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
cue-sized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
dashed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553
filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
octave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see octave lines
problems printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
Live Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
of Flexi-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Lock Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
longa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see note values
longs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see note values
lute tablature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
rhythms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
lyric lines
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
Lyricist text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
adding slurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
aligning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427, 502
beaming to match underlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
elisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
from a text file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
hyphenation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
inputting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
optimizing spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530
recommended fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
selecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
verse numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427

M
Maestro font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
magnetic
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
slurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
tuplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Make Into Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Make Into System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Make Into Tuplet plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Make Layout Uniform plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

535
617
139
162
500
500
431
411

reference.book Page 637 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Index
mandolin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see chord diagrams, guitar tab
ManuScript language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
manuscript paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
marcato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see articulations
margins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444, 499, 517
changing partway through a score . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
marquee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
MAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see bars
measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see bars
melisma lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see lyric lines
Mensurstriche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Menus and Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Notebook (laptop) features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
School features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
see also keyboard shortcuts
merging voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
meters
simultaneous . . . . . . . . . .see multiple time signatures
meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see time signatures
metric modulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
metronome click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 307
see also click
metronome marks
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235, 237
setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Microsoft Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594
microtones
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
see also accidentals, microtonal
MIDI
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see program numbers
playback devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
real-time input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Flexi-time
step-time input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see step-time input
MIDI files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572
cleaning up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574
converting to audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
downloading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575
exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599
importing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572
MIDI guitars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 53
MIDI input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Flexi-time
MIDI messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 307, 324

aftertouch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
modulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
pitch bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
portamento . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
program and bank change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
recording in Flexi-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
sustain pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Mighty Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Miroslav Philharmonik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
modulation effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
mordent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
mouse
using the wheel button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
mouse input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
Move to Other Staff plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
movements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
muffled strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
multi-arc slurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
multicopying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
multiple selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
passages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
single objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
multimeasure rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see multirests
multiple
copies, printing plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
endings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see 1st and 2nd endings
key signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
pieces of text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
stops
checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
text positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
time signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99, 156
voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
multirests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
inputting into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
scaling width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
showing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

637

reference.book Page 638 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Index
splitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128, 129
style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
showing bar numbers on . . . . . . .see bar numbers 129
music engraving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
music examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593
see also graphics files
music fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148, 535, 558
installing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
music text font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536
MusicXML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
staves in Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

N
Nachschlag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see grace notes
Nashville chord numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Native Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Kontakt Player 2
natural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Navigator
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
Nebenstimme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Neuratron PhotoScore Lite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
non-magnetic slurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
note clusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
note input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
note spacing rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
see also music engraving
note values
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
doubling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
halving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
notebook
accessing Keypad functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
noteheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555
larger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
mixing sizes in a chord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
slash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
smaller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
X (guitar tab) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
NoteOff
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
NoteOn
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Add Note Names plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
adjust position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
big . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

638

bracketed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
clusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
coloring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93, 406, 407, 459
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
explode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
fake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
hanging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
headless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
in parentheses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
in text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
inputting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
out of alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168, 446, 529
out of range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41, 111, 459
playback durations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
re-inputting pitches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 12
removing overlaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see shape notes
silent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
small . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see cue notes, grace notes
spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
see also music engraving
stemless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132, 147
turning into guitar tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
unisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see unisons
see also noteheads
Notes menu
Add Interval submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Add Pitch submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Arrange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Cross-Staff Notes submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Edit Arrange Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Filter submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Flexi-time Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Flexi-time Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Re-input Pitches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Reset Beam Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Reset Stems and Beam Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Respell Accidental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Transpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Transposing Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
November font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
Number Bars plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Number Beats plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
numbering
bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
numeric keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Keypad

O
objects

reference.book Page 639 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Index
aligning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
selecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see selections
staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
OCR
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
see also scanning
octave
clefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121, 151
open key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see key signatures
opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see also importing
Optical
beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
note spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
ties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
optimize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Hide Empty Staves
Opus font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180, 219, 524, 535
Opus Metronome font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Opus PlainChords font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
orange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Differences in Parts, voices
orchestral parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see parts
organ music
pedal symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
original
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
ornaments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149, 151
playing back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
trills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
ossias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
ottava . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see octave lines
output
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
overdubbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

P
page
breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see breaks, page
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
fixed number of bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
starting with left-hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
see also Document Setup, page size, paper sizes
page margins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
changing partway through a score . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
page numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
in parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211, 491
recommended fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
page size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499

pages
blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
page-turns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see breaks, page
pan position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242, 329
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
see also MIDI messages
Panorama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
paper
choosing good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
paper sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .439, 517
A3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
A4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
A5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
B4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
B5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Concert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Folio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Hymn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Legal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Octavo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Quarto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Tabloid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
parallel 5ths/8ves
check for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Partita font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
copying layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487
cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
extracting players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494, 495
for different transpositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
for individual players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
page numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211, 491
Parts window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
passages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 44
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
system
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
patch numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see program numbers
patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see program numbers
pause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see fermata
PDF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481, 598
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
reading with PhotoScore Lite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
pedaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120, 149
see also harp pedal diagrams, MIDI messages

639

reference.book Page 640 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Index
percussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134, 142
drum mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551
noteheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
trill playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see playback
Petrucci font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
PhotoScore
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
PhotoScore Lite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
phrase-marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see slurs
piano
beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see beams, cross-staff
duet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
see also keyboard instruments
pick scrape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
picking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see articulations
pick-up (upbeat) bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70, 155
pinc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
pitch
editing without changing rhythms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
making constant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
recording transposing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
unison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see unisons
see also notes
pitch bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
Pitch Mapping plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
pitch spectrum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see notes, coloring
Piu font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
pizzicato
playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
plain text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
plainchant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66, 99
plainsong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see plainchant
Play menu
All Notes Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Live Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Move Playback Line to Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Playback Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Transform Live Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Video and Time submenu
Add Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Double Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Full Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Full Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Half Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Hit Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Timecode and Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
play notes as you edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 234
play on pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

640

playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
chord diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
cresc./dim. on held notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235, 277
dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . .see Expression text, hairpins
dynamics between keyboard staves . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Espressivo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
hairpins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see hairpins
improving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Kontakt Player 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Live Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
note durations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
of repeat bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
ornaments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see trills, plug-ins
play notes as you edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
quarter-tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
repeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
reverb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see reverb
Rubato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
skipping bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
slurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
swing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see swing
tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
ties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
zoom level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
playback configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . see configuration
playback dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see under playback
playback line
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
following during playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
moving to selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
see also instruments, staves
plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . .see also virtual instruments, effects
Plug-ins menu
Accidentals submenu
Add Accidentals to All Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Add Cautionary Accidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Add Ficta Above Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Respell Flats as Sharps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Respell Sharps as Flats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Simplify Accidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Analysis submenu
Add Schenkerian Scale Degrees . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Compare Staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Find Motive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Find Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

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Index
Batch Processing submenu
Calculate Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Convert Folder of Acorn Sibelius Files . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of Finale Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of MIDI Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of MusicXML Files . . . . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of SCORE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of Scores to Graphics . . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of Scores to MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Convert Folder of Scores to Web Pages . . . . . . . 392
Import House Style to Folder of Scores . . . . . . . 393
Print Multiple Copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Chord Symbols submenu
Add Capo Chord Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Add Chord Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Chord Symbols as Fractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Realize Chord Symbols and Diagrams . . . . . . . . 397
Composing Tools submenu
12-Tone Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
Add Drum Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Add Hit Point Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Add Simple Harmony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Explode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Fit Selection to Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
Invert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Pitch Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Realize Figured Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Reduce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Retrograde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Show Handbells Required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Edit Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Notes and Rests submenu
Add Slash Noteheads for Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Apply Shape Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Boomwhacker Note Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Color Pitches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Convert Simple Time to Compound Time . . . . 407
Copy Articulations and Slurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Double Note Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Halve Note Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Make Pitches Constant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Remove Dangling Ties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Split Dotted Quarter Rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Straighten Written-Out Swing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
Other submenu
Add Harp Pedaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
Add Note Names to Noteheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
Groovy Music Mark-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
Make Layout Uniform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
Make Piano Duet Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Remove All Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Scales and Arpeggios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Set Metronome Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291, 413

Split Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Suggest Cue Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
Playback submenu
Add Continuous Control Changes . . . . . . . . . . . 414
Cresc./Dim. Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Harmonics Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
Ornament Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
Quarter-tone Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
Strummer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Proof-reading submenu
Check Attachments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Check Clefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Check Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Check for Parallel 5ths/8ves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Check Harp Pedaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Check Lyrics Hyphenation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Check Multiple Stops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Check Pizzicatos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Check Repeat Barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Proof-read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
What Is Where? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Show Plug-in Trace Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Simplify Notation submenu
Change Split Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Combine Tied Notes and Rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Duplicates In Staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Move to Other Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Remove Overlapping Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Remove Rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Remove Unison Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Renotate Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Text submenu
Add Brackets to Reprise Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424
Add Brass Fingering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Add Note Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Add Slurs to Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Add String Fingering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Add Tonic Sol-Fa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
Add Verse Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Align Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Change Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Export Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Find and Replace Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Number Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Number Beats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Reposition Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Smarten Quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Traditional Lyrics Beaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
Tuplets submenu
Add Notes to Tuplet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Change Tuplet Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Lengthen Tuplet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Make Into Tuplet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Remove Notes from Tuplet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431

641

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Shorten Tuplet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Split or Join Tuplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Tuplet Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
PNG files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
point size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
polyrhythms . . . . . see multiple time signatures, tuplets
pop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
pop chord symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see chord symbols
port de voix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Portable Network Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . see PNG files
portamento . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
MIDI messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
portrait format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
positioning
defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539
lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see lines
notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see notes
text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see text
PostScript files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
PostScript fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see fonts
pre-bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
pre-bend and release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
prefatory staves
see also incipits
preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
display settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
font equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
guitar tab fingering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366, 367, 368
input devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
menus and shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
music fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
note input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Paste as Cue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
score position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
smoothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
word menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Preferences plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
prima volta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see 1st and 2nd endings
primary beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Print Multiple Copies plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439

642

2-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
all scores in a folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
booklets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
borders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
crop marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
double-sided . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222, 442
Fit to Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
from Scorch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604
hidden objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
multiple copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
PDF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
scale factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
spreads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Substitute options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
View menu options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
PrintMusic files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see help
program changes
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
see also program numbers
program numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
programs
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
prolations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
protraction lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see lyric lines
publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559
pull-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
purple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see voices, system passages

Q
quantization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
quarter note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see note values
quarter-tones
playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
see also accidentals, microtonal
Quarto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see paper sizes
quaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see note values, beams
queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see help
question marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
QuickTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
quintuplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see tuplets
quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see characters, special

R
rake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
rall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see rit.

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Index
range
checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
notes out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see notes out of range
of bar numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
read
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
Realize Chord Symbols and Diagrams plug-in . . . . . 397
Realize Figured Bass plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
realizing
chord symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
figured bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
real-time input
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
see also Flexi-time
rebarring music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
recitative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
recording
onto CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
transposing pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
see also Flexi-time
recovering files . . . . . . . . . . . see auto-save, auto-backup
rectangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
red . . .see notes out of range, attachment, playback line
Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Reduce plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166, 340, 404
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
reformatting
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
reformatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see formatting
rehearsal marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213, 221, 222, 522
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Engraving Rules options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
recommended fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Remove All Highlights plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Remove Dangling Ties plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Remove Notes from Tuplet plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Remove Overlapping Notes plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Remove Rests plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Remove Unison Notes plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Renotate Performance plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
repeat bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71, 120
repeat last bar symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
repeat last two bars symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
winged repeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
repeat signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see repeat bars
repeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
1st and 2nd ending lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
bar numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
D.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
D.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

da capo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
dal segno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268, 269
fine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
repeat barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
to coda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Reposition Text plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Reprise font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214, 223, 424, 525
Reprise Stamp font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Reprise Title font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Reset Beam Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Reset Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Reset Note Spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46, 527, 528
Reset Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Reset to Score Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Reset to Score Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
resolution
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
Respell Flats as Sharps plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Respell Sharps and Flats plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
respelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see accidentals, respelling
rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
beam across . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
combining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
cue-sized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
grouping into beats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72, 156
hidden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
out of alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
Remove Rests plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
splitting dotted quarter note rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
stemlets on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
see also bar rests, multirests
Retrograde plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
reverb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265, 315
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
rhythm
augment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
diminish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
slashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
see also note values
rhythm dot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57, 61
moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
rhythmic feel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
rit.
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120, 238
roll, drum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see tremolos, trills
rolled chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see arpeggio
roman font
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
Roman numerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199, 200
RTAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Rubato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
ruff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see drag

643

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Index
rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
units of measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437

S
sacred harp music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see shape notes
sample
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
sans serif font
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
saving
changing default location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563
lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
trees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
see also auto-backup, auto-save, exporting
scale degrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Scales and Arpeggios plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
scanner driver
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
scanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
School features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Scorch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
Scorch web pages
exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
SCORE files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586
Score Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
scores
appending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
calculating duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
in C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see transposing scores
information about . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605
joining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
transposing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
see also files, example scores
scrap-book look . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
screen resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
scroll bars
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
second ending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see 1st and 2nd endings
Second Viennese School
Hauptstimme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Nebenstimme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Sprechstimme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
stress and unstress symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
secondary beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
second-time bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . see 1st and 2nd endings
Section end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217, 448, 512
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
secunda volta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see 1st and 2nd endings
segno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
selecting

644

bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
slurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
see also filters, selections
selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
multiple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
single . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
septuplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see tuplets
sequencer
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
serif
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
Set Metronome Mark plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291, 413
sextuplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see tuplets
shadow notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
disabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
shake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 151
shape notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133, 406
sharp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
shortcut menu
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
see also word menu
shortcuts, keyboard . . . . . . . . . . .see keyboard shortcuts
Shorten Tuplet plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Show Handbells Required plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Sibelius 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589
SibeliusEducation.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
SibeliusMusic.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
silent notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Simple Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see alphabetic input
simple time
converting to compound time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Simplify Accidentals plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
singing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see lyrics, choir, choral music
size . . . . see page sizes, paper sizes, point size, staff size
slap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
slashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131, 406, 409
slide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
slurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
copying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
dashed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
dotted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
in lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
magnetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
matching lyric underlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
multi-arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
non-magnetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
small notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see grace notes, cue notes
smart quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see characters, special
Smarten Quotes plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429

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Index
SMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see MIDI files
smoothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575
sol-fa notation
adding automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
Sonata font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
Sonivox Symphonic Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
sostenuto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see tenuto
Sound IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
sound IDs
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
sound module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see MIDI
sound sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
soundfonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
sounding pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see transposing scores
SoundStage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
SoundWorld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
spacing
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
horizontal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
see also music engraving
special characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see accented letters
spectrum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see notes, coloring
speed of playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
speed tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
spelling
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
see also accidentals, spelling of
splayed beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see feathered beams
Split Dotted Quarter Rests plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Split or Join Tuplets plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
split point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .421, 422
spread chord line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see arpeggio
spreads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
Sprechstimme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
staccato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see articulations
staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see staves
staff margins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
changing partway through a score . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
staff objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
staff size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145, 499, 519
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
staff system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see system
Standard MIDI Files (SMF) . . . . . . . . . . . . see MIDI files
Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see paper sizes
statistics
calculating for a folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
for a score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see score info

staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
aligning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
chords split between . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
comparing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Focus on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
hide empty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
hiding in the middle of a staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
justification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
left justified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
merging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533
muting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
ossias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
prefatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
problems printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
removing gaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
restore default spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
selecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533
show empty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
small . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
stopping early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
viewing staff names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
see also instruments, staff
stemlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
stems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
cross-staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
flipping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
force direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
on middle line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
on single-line staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
step-time input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
stereo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
stick notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Straighten Written-Out Swing plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
strands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see voices
stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see tenuto
Strummer plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524
see also house style, Edit Text Styles, Edit Arrange
Styles, Engraving Rules
sub-brackets
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
see also brackets
Substitute options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
arpeggios, gliss., etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
braces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441

645

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Index
subtitles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Susato font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
swap voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
swing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
writing out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
Swing font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
composite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557
handbells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
light blue above bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516
synesthesia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
synthesis
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
system
breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
see also breaks, system
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
fixed number of bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
fixed number of bars per . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
gap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
indented . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .522, 542
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
separators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
see also staves
system exclusive (SYSEX) messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
systemic barline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see barlines, initial

T
tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see guitar tab, lute tablature
tab input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
tablature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see guitar tab, lute tablature
Tabloid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see paper sizes
tacet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
tail
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
see also stems
Tamburo font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
tap tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
tapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Tapspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
TDM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Technique text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
recommended fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
templates
worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
see also manuscript paper
tempo

646

setting by tapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

toolbar readout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Tempo I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
tempo marks
playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Tempo text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
test paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
angled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
at multiple positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
between staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
bold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
boxed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
changing style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
copying between programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
creating notes in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
cue-sized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Cyrillic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
find and replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
footers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Greek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
headers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
in complex scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
input method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
instrument names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
italic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Japanese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Korean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
plain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
repositioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
reset design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
reset position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Roman numerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
selecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
styles
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
styles in parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486
text styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Edit Text Styles, fonts
timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
typing accidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
underline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
wildcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
word menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
see also lyrics
textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
third ending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see 1st and 2nd endings
third-time bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see 1st and 2nd endings

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Index
thoroughbass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see figured bass
tied notes
combining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
ties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
in arpeggiated music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
into 2nd-time bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
laissez vibrer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
TIFF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
tilde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
time signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
alternating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
beam groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
beat groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
cautionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
complex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
compound
rest groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
converting between . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
multiple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99, 156
recommended fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
frames per second . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
notating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
score duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
start time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
toolbar readout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
timeline slider
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
title pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
Title text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182, 522
tonic sol-fa notation
adding automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
tool windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
toolbar
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
track
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
Traditional Lyrics Beaming plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
transposing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
8va lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see octave lines
all notes to a single pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
by a half-step (semitone) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
by key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
by octaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
chord symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198, 455
diatonically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
instruments
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623

instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see instruments

modal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
pitch
recording at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
tremolos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
buzz roll (z on stem) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138, 159
picking (guitar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
using a trill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
trills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106, 120
followed by grace notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
triplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
see also tuplets
troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see help
TrueType fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see fonts
tunings
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Tuplet Preferences plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
tuplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
add notes to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
beaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
change ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
combining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
copying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Engraving Rules options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
hidden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
in Flexi-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
in imported MIDI files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
joining together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
lengthening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
magnetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
nested . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
over barlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
recommended fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
removing brackets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
removing notes from . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
shortening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
splitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
turning notes into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
unit length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
turn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
playback of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416

647

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Index
TWAIN
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
Type 1 fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see fonts

U
Umlaut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see accented letters
underlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see lyrics
underline (text) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see text
Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Unicode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176, 567, 583
unison bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
unisons
altered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
removing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Unlock Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
upbeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see pick-up (upbeat) bars
up-bow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see articulations
USB
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623

V
V.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509
variations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
VDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see Virtual Drumline
vector graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
velocity
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
verso subito . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see V.S.
vertical
attachment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
position of text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
staff spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
vibrato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
bar dip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
bar dive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
bar scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
adding a video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
file formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
full screen mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
hiding and showing the Video window . . . . . . . . 289
removing a video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
setting the size of the Video window . . . . . . . . . . . 289
setting the volume level of the video . . . . . . . . . . . 289
start time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
translucency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Windows Media and QuickTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Vienna Symphonic Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
View menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
Attachment Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458, 521
Differences in Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
Focus on Staves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Full Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460

648

Hidden Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362, 458

hidden objects in parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363, 459
Layout Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457, 516
Live Playback Velocities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Note Colors submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Notes out of Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Pitch Spectrum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Voice Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165, 459
Page Margins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457, 519
Panorama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Playback Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233, 460
Rulers submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
Scroll Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Staff Names and Bar Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Zoom submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
virgules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see slashes
Virtual Drumline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
virtual instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
vocal music . . . . . . . . . . . . see choir, choral music, lyrics
voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
copying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
creating bar rest in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
crossing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Keypad buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
merging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
recording in Flexi-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
splitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
swapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
ties between . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
voices (singers) . . . . . . . . . . see choir, lyrics, vocal music
volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241, 329
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624
VSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see Vienna Symphonic Library
VST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624
presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

W
warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
WAV files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
web pages
batch creation of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
wedge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see articulation, hairpin
Whacky Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406

reference.book Page 649 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:40 PM

Index
whammy bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see vibrato bar
What Is Where? plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
wheel mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
whole note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see note values
whole rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
wildcard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624
wildcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Window menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .364, 463
Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 462
Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240, 462
Navigator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
New Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
Next Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
Previous Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .445, 463
Switch to Part/Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
Windows-specific options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462

Windows Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

winged repeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see Microsoft Word
word menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
modifying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
words (for singing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see lyrics
worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143, 412
adding your own . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
Worksheet Creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
written pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .see transposing scores
www.sibeliuseducation.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
www.sibeliusmusic.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452

Z
z on stem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
zither
defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624
zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
default level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563
during playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436

649

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License Agreement

License Agreement
By installing or using any component of the Software, or by registering the Product, you (an individual or legal entity) agree with the Licensor to be bound by the terms of this License which will
govern your use of the Product. If you do not accept these terms you may within 14 days of purchase return the Product, its packaging and documentation unused and intact to your supplier
together with dated proof of purchase for a full refund.
The Product is copyright Sibelius Software, a division of Avid Technology, Inc., and its licensors
19872007.
This license agreement does not apply to Sibelius Internet Edition.
1. DEFINITIONS
In this License the following words and expressions have the following meanings:
"Documentation":

the Sibelius Handbook, Sibelius Reference, Latest Information & Technical Help leaflet, tutorial videos and any other documentation relating to the Software supplied to you in any form by the Licensor or with the Software.

"License":

this agreement between you and the Licensor and, if permitted by the context, the conditional license granted to you in this
agreement.

"Licensor":

Sibelius Software Limited, an English company (registered no. 3338819) of The Old Toy Factory, 20-22 City North, Fonthill
Road, London N4 3HF, UK.

"Network Copy":

a Product provided for use on multiple computer terminals on a network.

"Product":

the Software and the Documentation.

"Single Copy":

a Product provided for use on a single computer terminal.

"Software":

Sibelius for Windows/Mac, Sibelius Scorch, Opus, Helsinki, Reprise and Inkpen2 font families, example music files & videos,
PhotoScore Lite, Kontakt Player Silver, installers, demonstrations of other software, and any other programs or files supplied
to you on or with the Sibelius DVD-ROM or download.

"Stand-Alone Site License": a Product provided for use on multiple non-networked computer terminals.

2. License
2. License
2.1 (1) The Licensor grants to you a non-exclusive non-transferable license to use the Software in accordance with the Documentation, subject to
the terms of any educational or other discount, offer or scheme which the Product may have been obtained under. Additionally, educational discount copies are not for commercial use. Some components of the Software may be subject to separate license agreements which you will need
to agree to in order to use them.
(2) If the Product is a Single Copy, you may install the Software on a single computer. You may also install the Software on one additional computer, provided that you ensure that you are the only person who uses the Software on either computer, and that the Software is never used on
both computers simultaneously.
(3) If the Product is a Stand-Alone Site License, you may use the Software only as a non-networked application and only on the licensed number
of computer terminals located on a single geographical site.
(4) If the Product is a Network Copy, you may only install the Software on computers on a single network and located on a single geographical
site (unless otherwise authorized in writing by the Licensor), and may use it on no more than the licensed number of computer terminals simultaneously. Any further use is prohibited.
(5) Title to the Product is not transferred to you. Ownership of the Product remains vested in the Licensor and its licensors, subject to the rights
granted to you under this License. All other rights are reserved.
(6) If the Software was supplied as an upgrade or update from an earlier version, the license to use that earlier version is hereby terminated.
2.2 You may make one printout for your own use of any part of the Documentation provided in electronic form. You shall not make or permit any
third party to make any further copies of any part of the Product whether in eye or machine-readable form.
2.3 You shall not, and shall not cause or permit any third party to, translate, enhance, modify, alter, adapt or create derivative works based on the
Product or any part of it for any purpose (including without limitation for the purpose of error correction), or cause the whole or any part of the
Product to be combined with or incorporated into any other program, file or product for any purpose, except as expressly permitted by the Documentation.
2.4 You shall not, and shall not cause or permit any third party to, decompile, decode, disassemble or reverse engineer the Software in whole or in
part for any purpose.

650

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License Agreement
2.5 You shall not, and shall not cause any third party to, translate, convert, decode or reverse engineer any file in any version of the Sibelius or Sibelius Scorch formats (whether created by your copy of the Software or not), or modify any such file (except by using the Software in accordance
with the Documentation), in whole or in part for any purpose.
2.6 In accordance with the Documentation and subject to compliance with Section 2.1, the Software's "Save as Scorch Web Page" feature and Sibelius Scorch web browser plug-in may be used to publish music scores on the Internet or by means of DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, floppy disk or by
other similar means; provided, however, that you shall not and shall not permit any third party to, directly or indirectly, charge or receive any
fee, payment or other consideration for the viewing, playing, printing or other use via Sibelius Scorch or via the Internet of any file which is created by (or based on any file created by) the Software, unless expressly permitted by the Licensor in writing.
2.7 The Product or any part of it must not be used to infringe any right of copyright or right of privacy, publicity or personality or any other right
whatsoever of any other person or entity, including without limitation infringement of any such right by use of the Product in conjunction with
any of the scanning programs PhotoScore Lite, PhotoScore MIDI or PhotoScore Ultimate, or by use of the Product's Internet publishing capability.
2.8 Teaching materials, Ideas content, music files and videos provided in the Product are solely for private use by you and/or your students or educational institution. You shall not publish or make commercial use of them in whole or in part.

3. Copyright
3.1 You acknowledge that copyright in the Product as a whole and in the components of the Product as between you and the Licensor belongs to the
Licensor or its licensors and is protected by copyright laws, national and international, and all other applicable laws. Further details of the ownership of all copyright in the components of the Product are set out in the Product.

4. Liability of the Licensor

4.1 The Licensor warrants that the Product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship and perform substantially in accordance with
the Documentation under normal use for a period of 90 days after the date of original purchase (the "Warranty Period"). If a defect in the Product shall occur during the Warranty Period, the Product may be returned with dated proof of purchase to the Licensor who will at its sole discretion either return the price paid or repair or replace it free of charge.
4.2 The Licensor shall not be liable for any claim arising from:
(1) any failure or malfunction resulting wholly or to any material extent from your negligence, operator error, use other than in accordance with
the Documentation or any other misuse or abuse of the Product;
(2) any loss of or corruption to any data, however caused, where such loss or corruption could have been avoided or corrected or substantially
reduced if you had taken and retained in a secure place appropriate backup copies;
(3) the decompilation or modification of the Software or its merger with any other program or any maintenance repair adjustment alteration or
enhancement of the Software by any person other than the Licensor or its authorized agent;
(4) the failure by you to implement recommendations previously advised by the Licensor in respect of, or solutions for faults in, the Product;
(5) any loss or damage whatsoever resulting from any omissions or inaccuracies in any information or data contained in the Product.
(6) Except as otherwise expressly provided in Section 4.1, all conditions, warranties, terms representations and undertakings express or implied,
statutory or otherwise in respect of the Product are hereby expressly excluded.
(7) Except as expressly provided in Section 4.1, the Licensor shall have no liability to you for loss of profits, revenue or goodwill or any type of
special, indirect or consequential loss (including loss or damages suffered by you as a result of an action brought by a third party) whether such
loss is caused by the Licensor's breach of its contractual obligations hereunder or any negligence or other tortious act or omission.
(8) The Licensor's entire liability for breach of its covenants and warranties in this License and for any defect or errors in the Product shall
(except as expressly provided in Section 4.1) be limited to the price paid by you for the Product.

5. Termination
5.1 This License shall terminate automatically upon your destruction of the Product. In addition, the Licensor may elect to terminate this License in
the event of a material breach by you of any condition of this License or of any of your representations, warranties, covenants or obligations
hereunder. Upon notification of such termination by the Licensor, you will immediately delete all copies of the Software from your computer(s),
destroy any other copies of the Product or any part thereof, and return the Product to the Licensor.

6. Miscellaneous
6.1 No failure to exercise and no delay in exercising on the part of the Licensor of any right, power or privilege arising hereunder shall operate as a
waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, power or privilege preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege. The rights and remedies of the Licensor in connection herewith are not exclusive of any rights or remedies provided by law.
6.2 You may not distribute, loan, sub-license, rent, lease (including without limitation renting or leasing a computer on which the Product is
installed) or otherwise transfer the Product to any third party without the Licensor's prior written consent, which the Licensor may grant, condition or withhold in the Licensor's sole discretion.

651

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License Agreement
6.3 You agree to provide accurate personal data when registering the Product and to the use of this data in accordance with the Licensors privacy
policy (available from the Licensor or on www.sibelius.com) which may change from time to time.
6.4 This License is intended by the parties hereto to be a final expression of their agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof and a complete and exclusive statement of the terms of such agreement. This License supersedes any and all prior understandings, whether written or
oral, between you and the Licensor relating to the subject matter hereof.
6.5 (This section only applies if you are resident in the European Union:) This License shall be construed and governed by the laws of England, and
both parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
6.6 (This section only applies if you are not resident in the European Union:) This License shall be construed and enforced in accordance with and
governed by the laws of the State of California. Any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or in any way related or connected to this License
shall be brought and maintained only in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, sitting in the City of San Francisco. Each party irrevocably submits to the jurisdiction of such federal court over any such suit, action or proceeding. Each party knowingly,
voluntarily and irrevocably waives trial by jury in any suit, action or proceeding (including any counterclaim), whether at law or in equity, arising out of or in any way related or connected to this License or the subject matter hereof.
(License v5, 10 April 2007)

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License Agreement

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License Agreement

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