Sibelius: A Comprehensive Guide to Sibelius Music Notation Software

Orchestra.

SECTION I Single-Staff Parts

1 Getting Started: Overview

A notation program such as Sibelius can be a huge time-saving tool, after you learn to use it properly. This chapter will get you familiar with the Sibelius interface and how to move around the score. There is no example that will be produced in this chapter; instead, spend your time just getting acquainted with the look and feel of the program.

Section I will include specific recommendations for entering notes and other markings in your scores, based on our experience using the program. This is not to say that our way is the only way. Just like any method book about learning a musical instrument, this book contains our best recommendations for learning and using Sibelius. We hope that by completing the examples that follow, you will able to use the program to suit your own needs.

If you are new to Sibelius, then go through each chapter sequentially. If you have some experience using the program, peruse the chapter examples and select one that seems appropriate for your needs.

Topics and skills to be covered in this chapter include the following:

Using a two-button mouse

Learning keyboard terminology (Mac and Windows)

Installing and launching Sibelius

Selecting menus and submenus

Registering Sibelius

Starting Sibelius

Using the Quick Start menu

Understanding the Navigator, Keypad, and Playback windows

Scaling the size of the page

Entering notation with point and click

Editing notation

Fixing mistakes

Using Undo and Redo

Using the Create menu

Overview of contextual menus

Reviewing View, Notes, Play, Layout, and House Style menus

Navigating the Help menu

The Two-Button Mouse

Sibelius takes full advantage of a two-button mouse. Most computers made today (Windows and Mac) ship with a two-button mouse. If you have an older Macintosh computer or a Mac laptop that only has a one-button mouse, we highly recommend you purchase a two-button mouse. If you are a Mac user and you only have a one-button mouse, it is possible to access the right-click button by holding down the Control key and clicking the mouse.

Mac users with a two-button mouse: you may have to set the Preferences in your OS to recognize the left and right mouse-clicks. Go to System Preferences and click on Keyboard and Mouse. Be sure that the mouse is set to recognize the right and left click.

Keyboard Terminology

Before you begin using this book, become familiar with the key commands that are used in Sibelius.

Mac OS X

.

key and press the letter A.

key and click the left mouse button.

Option-click: Press the Option key and click the left mouse button.

Shift-click: Hold down the Shift key and click the left mouse button in the desired location.

keys and press the desired letter.

CTRL + click (CTRL + click): Hold down the Control key and click the mouse. This can also be accomplished with a two-button mouse that’s available for Macintosh computers.

Right-click: Click the right mouse button.

Click: Click the left mouse button.

Double-click: Click the left mouse button two times in quick succession.

Triple-click: Click the left mouse button three times in quick succession.

Windows

Control + A (CTRL + A): Hold down the Control key and press the letter A.

Control-click: Press the Control (CTRL) key and click the mouse.

Shift-click: Hold the Shift key and click the mouse.

Alt + CTRL-click: Hold down the Alt and CTRL keys and click the mouse.

Right-click: Click the right mouse button.

Click: Click the left mouse button.

Double-click: Click the left mouse button two times.

Triple-click: Click the left mouse button three times.

Selecting Menus and Submenus

Throughout this and subsequent chapters, the menus that appear along the top of Sibelius’s main window are indicated in the book with the main menu name first, then each submenu or choice after that will be preceded by a >. You will see references such as "Edit > Select > Select All." This instruction means to go to the Edit menu, choose the Select submenu, and release the mouse button on the menu choice Select All.

Installing Sibelius

The first step is to read the manual (yes, that is a chore for most of us, but necessary at this juncture). Read the Before You Install and Installing sections for Mac or Windows. Be sure to connect your MIDI keyboard before installation, because Sibelius will see what is connected and help to get the proper connections made.

Take time to install Sibelius Essentials, Photoscore Lite, and Scorch. These will all be addressed in the chapters that follow. Take your time now, and it will save you some headaches later.

You can install Sibelius on two computers as long as they are both used by you. The install disc can be used for Mac or Windows computers.

Registering Sibelius

Sibelius needs to be registered. After you install Sibelius for the first time, you will be asked to register it. Have your registration serial number handy, because this will need to be entered.

Starting Sibelius (After Installation)

Mac OS X. Sibelius installs an icon on the Dock when the program is installed. Simply click on the Dock’s Sibelius icon. The other option is to open the Sibelius folder on your hard drive and double-click on the Sibelius icon.

Windows. Sibelius installs a shortcut on the desktop when the program is installed. Simply click on the shortcut to launch Sibelius. The other option is to go to the Start menu, select the Sibelius folder, and then Sibelius.

Sibelius will always look at your MIDI settings when the program launches. Be sure to review the MIDI setup procedures in the Sibelius manual.

The Quick Start Menu

When Sibelius first launches, the Quick Start window appears. In this chapter, you will explore Sibelius without creating a specific piece of music. This will give you an introduction to the look and feel of the program. If you are ready to write some real music, jump to chapter 2. But do look through this chapter first so that you have an idea of what is in store.

If Sibelius is already open, you can access Quick Start in the following way:

From the File menu, select Quick Start.

Click on the Start a New Score button.

Click OK.

Sibelius next shows the New Score window. From here you have the option of selecting a premade score, or Manuscript Paper, as it is called in Sibelius. The manuscript option includes premade blank scores, or templates. It is also possible to build an entire score from scratch. You will be building scores in the chapters that follow. For this example, you will use one of the built-in Manuscript Paper options.

Scroll down under Manuscript Paper and select Treble Staff.

After clicking inside the Manuscript Paper window to activate it, if you type a letter, Sibelius will automatically jump to the first option beginning with the letter. Type a T, and Sibelius will automatically select Treble Staff.

Click the Finish button. Sibelius will create a score based on the settings that you entered in the New Score window.

Selecting Menus and Submenus

Menus (which are located along the top of the Sibelius windows) are indicated in this book with the menu name first and each submenu preceded by a >. From chapter 3 through the end of the book, you will see references like "Edit > Select > Select All."

This means to go to the Edit menu, select the Select submenu, and release the button on the menu choice labeled Select All. In chapters 1 and 2, however, all of the steps will be written out in the following manner: "From the Edit menu choose Select, and from the submenu choose Select All."

Navigator, Keypad and Playback Windows

In order to use Sibelius effectively, you must be familiar with how to display the various windows. The first one is the Navigator, and it allows you to quickly skip around w ithin a piece of music.

How to check that the Navigator is displayed:

From the Window menu, check to be sure the Navigator is checked. If it isn’t, select it. The Navigator can also be selected by using the shortcuts at the top right of the Sibelius window.

Once the Navigator is displayed, click inside the Navigator window to quickly move from point to point in the music.

and press the letter N (Mac), or hold down CTRL + Alt and press the letter N (Win).

You can also move around the page by clicking the mouse and dragging on the white portion of the music. Do not click on a staff! If you do, you will move the staff location.

Click on the white portion of the manuscript and drag it up or down with your mouse. The cursor will turn into a hand icon.

If you click on a staff and drag, it will move the location of the staff. Try to avoid dragging staves with the mouse unless you are making a final adjustment to the page layout of the score. This will be covered in later chapters.

Being able to drag the Manuscript Paper with the mouse is a default preference. In other words, if you don’t make changes to the Sibelius preferences, this is the way it will work.

Scaling the Size of the Page (Zooming In and Zooming Out)

It is often helpful to make the music larger or smaller for viewing or entering purposes. The view percentage will not change the look of the printout. Changing the size of the printout will be reviewed in later chapters.

How to resize the view percentage:

To resize the view percentage, in the menu bar at the top of the Sibelius screen, click on the arrow next to the percentage and select a percentage size.

(Mac) or CTRL (Win) with your left hand. Press the plus (+) key to zoom out and the minus (–) key to zoom in. The percentage will be displayed in the menu bar.

Return to 100% before moving on to the next step.

Entering Notation with the Mouse (Point-and-Click)

There are several ways to enter notation in Sibelius. They include point-and-clicking, typing letter keys, using a MIDI keyboard, and scanning. All of these options will be discussed in the chapters that follow.

I find the point-and-click note-entry option to be the slowest in most cases. For this reason I rarely use it. It is shown in this initial chapter because it can be helpful in some instances such as editing notation, entering grace notes, and using notation with younger students. For faster entry speeds, however, other methods will be explained in the chapters that follow.

Entering notes and rests using the point-and-click method:

and press the letter K (Mac) or hold down CTRL + Alt and press the letter K (Win).

The cursor will turn blue. This means the cursor is loaded.

Roll the mouse to a measure. Sibelius will display the pitch in gray. When you get to the desired pitch, click the mouse to enter a quarter note.

Enter more quarter notes into the score. No particular musical goal here—you are just getting used to this input method.

You will notice that once a note is entered, Sibelius fills in the rests. If you want to replace a rest with a note, just click on it. You do not need to erase rests first. Also, you can click anywhere in the measure (bar) to enter a note on any beat.

Editing Notation

When you want to do something other than enter notation, such as move the notation with the Navigator, you must first clear the cursor of the current selection.

How to clear the cursor of the current selection:

To clear the cursor, press the Esc (Escape) key in the upper-left-hand corner of the typewriter keyboard. The selected note turns from blue to black.

When entering notes, you may have to press the Esc key twice. The first click removes the cursor line, and the second one removes the blue highlighting.

1. Entering notes (note is blue)

2. Press Esc (entry cursor disappears)

3. Press Esc again (note turns black)

Repeat the above steps. Remember that when you select a note value in Sibelius, the cursor turns blue to indicate it is loaded. To clear the cursor, press the Esc key. Sometimes you have to press the Esc key twice. The cursor is clear when it is black.

Fixing Mistakes

You will inevitably enter some incorrect notes. There are several ways to correct mistakes:

Correcting the Pitch

If you entered the wrong pitch and the note is blue or highlighted,

Use the Up and Down Arrows on the computer keyboard to change the pitch.

If the note is not highlighted (it is black) and you want to change the pitch,

Press Esc one or more times to clear the cursor. Be sure that the cursor is black.

Click on the note to select it (it will turn blue).

Use the Up and Down Arrows on the computer keyboard to change the pitch. You can also drag the note with the mouse, but the arrow keys are faster and more accurate.

Correcting the Rhythmic Value

If you entered the wrong note value (rhythm),

Select the notehead you want to change (it will turn blue).

On the Keypad, select the desired duration: for example, a half note.

Do not delete rests in bars (measures). In Sibelius, when you select a note and press Delete, the selected note turns into a rest of the same value. If you select a rest and press Delete, Sibelius hides the rest. If you delete a hidden rest, it is deleted from the score and leaves a gap in the measure. So, follow the above steps to edit pitch and rhythmic values.

Undo and Redo

One of the best ways to erase mistakes is by using the Undo command:

From the Edit menu select Undo.

Undo can also be selected from the toolbar at the top of the Sibelius window.

+ Z (Mac) or CTRL + Z (Win).

If you keep pressing the Undo command, it will continue to erase your previous steps. And a complete history of the Undo options can be viewed from the Edit menu under Undo History.

The Create Menu

The same process that is used with notation applies to other aspects of the score. Anything that you want to create comes from the Create menu.

How to insert a clef change, time-signature change, or key-signature change:

Press the Esc key to clear any selection (you will be pressing Esc a lot when using Sibelius).

From the Create menu, select Key Signature (shortcut = press just the letter K).

Select the desired key signature and press OK.

The cursor will be loaded and turn blue.

Click in the desired measure.

Press Esc after the key signature is entered to clear the cursor.

Contextual Menus

A contextual menu appears when you right-click with a two-button mouse, or CTRL-click on a Mac with a one-button mouse. Contextual menus are menus that appear within the context of a score (they are used in many other music and nonmusic software programs).

How to access the contextual menus:

Press Esc to clear the cursor selection.

Right-click the mouse. You will notice that the exact options in the Create menu are displayed. This gives you a shortcut to the menu.

Next select a note, rest, or measure. Click on it so it turns blue.

Right-click to show the contextual menu. This is an abbreviated list of items from the Edit menu.

Sibelius has two main contextual menus to remember. When something is selected (it is blue), a portion of the Edit menu appears. This is handy if you want to hide, copy, paste, or use other common editing commands.

When nothing is selected, the Create menu appears when you right-click. That is a fast way to access the Create menu without going to the menu bar.

Sibelius makes frequent use of contextual menus. If you have a Mac with a one-button mouse, purchase a two-button mouse. You will be much more productive using Sibelius with a two-button mouse.

The View Menu

The items in the View menu have no impact on the printed score. They are designed to adjust the computer screen view for a variety of note entry options. These include rulers and display various items. A check next to an item means it is active. You can use the mouse to turn these options on and off. These will be covered in the chapters that follow.

The Notes Menu

This menu is typically used to modify notes that have already been entered. Again, these options will be addressed in the chapters that follow.

The Play, Layout, and House Style Menus

The Play menu is used to change your input and playback options and to select Play or Stop and other functions. It is also the menu that has a link to the Sibelius Built-in Dictionary.

The Layout and House Style menus are used to adjust the look of the printout. This is usually used after the notation, lyrics, and other text have been entered. The House Style menu is where you go to customize the look of your score.

The Window menu controls the various Sibelius tool windows. The windows used so far include the Navigator, Keypad, and Playback. Other options will be introduced in later chapters. The windows that are displayed have a check next to them. I use many of the shortcuts displayed to turn on various windows.

and press the letter X (Mac), or hold down CTRL + Alt and press the letter X (Win). This is helpful when editing and quickly hiding all windows at once. Pressing the shortcut a second time brings back all of the active windows.

Here are two helpful shortcuts to access these windows:

Click on the appropriate icon in the toolbar at the top of the Sibelius screen.

Use the keyboard shortcut commands that are listed next to each menu item (see above):

+ Option + N (Mac); CTRL + Alt + N (Win)

+ Option + K (Mac); CTRL + Alt + K (Win)

+ Option + Y (Mac); CTRL + Alt + Y (Win)

Using the above shortcuts, turn the above options on and off, just for practice. Of course, you can move these around the screen by dragging the bar at the top of the window.

The Help Menu

There will be times when you won’t remember how to do something in Sibelius. Fortunately, there is an excellent manual that can be accessed from the Sibelius Help menu.

From the Help menu, select Documentation and then Sibelius 6 Reference.

This allows you to select concepts by way of the table of contents or the index, or through a specific word search. This is the first place I turn when I have questions about a Sibelius feature. I also purchased the printed hard-copy version of this manual so that I could look things up the old-fashioned way. The reference manual can be ordered from the Sibelius Website. Go to www.sibelius.com, click on the Store link, and then look for the link to the Sibelius 6 Reference Guide (available for $30 at the time of this printing).

Tutorial Videos

Other excellent resources provided to Sibelius users are its tutorial videos, introduced for the first time in Sibelius 4. These videos were part of Sibelius 4 and Sibelius 5. Starting with Sibelius 6, they are no longer bundled with the program, but they can be accessed from the Sibelius Website at www.sibelius.com/products/sibelius/movies/index.html.

These videos provide a short, informative overview of literally every aspect of the program.

Summary

The main objective of this chapter is to help you become familiar with the basic operation of Sibelius. The following chapters will involve real musical applications of the following Sibelius skills:

Using a two-button mouse

Learning the keyboard and menu terminology used in this book

Installing and registering your copy of Sibelius

Accessing the Quick Start menu

Accessing the Navigator, Keypad, and Playback windows

Zooming in and out of the score

Entering notation using the mouse (point-and-click)

Editing notation using Undo and changing the note values and rhythmic values

Using the two Sibelius contextual menus

Accessing the various menus at the top of the Sibelius window

Getting help via the Sibelius Help menu and the online tutorial videos

Review

Go back through this chapter and review the areas that still seem a little foreign to you. Remember, you will have to practice some skills multiple times before you will have them memorized.

Review the keyboard shortcuts: test yourself to see if you remember any of the keyboard shortcuts introduced in this chapter. Go to the Window menu and review the keystrokes to show the Navigator and Keypad windows.

2 Alphabetic Input and Ties (Musical Example: Finlandia by Jean Sibelius)

Each chapter in section I will introduce a specific set of notation skills. I thought it would be fun to learn how to use Sibelius by writing a piece by Jean Sibelius. And so the first piece of music you’ll enter into Sibelius is a single-line example from his composition Finlandia. First, look at the final printout of Finlandia, below. Your goal is to reproduce this using Sibelius.

Finlandia

Notation entered by [your name]

Jean Sibelius

New topics and skills to be covered in this chapter include

Automatically setting the title, composer, time, and key signature

Making sure Magnetic Layout is turned on

Entering the notation by typing the letter names on the computer keyboard

Entering ties

Entering dynamics

Adding and deleting blank measures

Playing back to check for mistakes

Changing the number of measures on a line (page layout)

Saving to disk

Printing the example

Setting Up the Score

If Sibelius is not already launched, launch it now by double-clicking on the Sibelius icon.

How to start a new score:

1. If the Quick Start screen is not visible, go to the File menu and choose Quick Start.

2. In the Quick Start window, click on the Start A New Score option and click OK.

You can also start a new score by clicking the icon at the upper-left-hand corner of the Sibelius toolbar.

3. In the New Score window under Manuscript Paper, choose Blank.

4. Click the Change Instruments button.

5. Select All Instruments > Others > Unnamed (Treble Staff).

6. Click the Add To Score button. Be sure there is an instrument listed in the column to the right, or you will have a blank piece of paper without any lines or spaces.

7. Click OK.

8. This returns you to the New Score window. Click Next.

9. Select the notation style Unchanged.

10. Click Next.

11. Select 4/4 under Time Signature.

12. Click Next.

13. Under Key Signature, select F major (one flat).

14. Click Next.

15. Enter Finlandia under Title, Jean Sibelius under Composer/Songwriter, and "Entered by [your name]" under Lyricist.

When you want to move from one entry area to another in a dialog box, just press the Tab key on the computer keyboard.

16. Before you click Finish, press the Previous button to be sure that you selected the right choices. Taking your time at this stage will save you many headaches. Once you click on Finish, you can’t return to the Score Setup windows except to start over.

17. Click Finish.

Sibelius creates a file with all the information you entered, and it creates a page or so of empty measures.

Magnetic Layout

Sibelius 6 has introduced a revolutionary new feature called Magnetic Layout. It is a wonderful feature that automatically moves objects to avoid collisions. For now, just be sure it is turned on.

To see if it is on, click on the Layout menu. If Magnetic Layout is checked, it is on. If it is not checked, select it from the Layout menu.

Displaying Measure Numbers on Every Measure

Before you learn how to delete the extra measures, stop and make a change to the way the music is displayed. When I work in a score, I always display the measure numbers so that I don’t get lost. Even with a large computer monitor, the measures can be confusing. Sibelius has an option that shows the staff names and measure numbers. They will not print, but the reference numbers are helpful to see during note entry.

From the View menu select Staff Names and Bar Numbers.

Deleting Bars

Sibelius will automatically create bars (measures) when a new file is created. Sometimes not enough bars are created for the score. Bars can be added and deleted from the score. In this case, Sibelius created 80 bars of blank music. Since FinLandia has 24 measures, bars need to be deleted from the score.

To select a bar, click on it. To delete a bar,

(Mac) or CTRL (Win), and click inside measure 25. This will place a double box around the measure.

Press the Delete key on the computer keyboard to delete just bar 25.

How to delete a range of bars:

Zoom out so that you can see the entire score.

(Mac) or CTRL (Win), and click inside measure 25, the left-most measure of the block.

(Mac) or CTRL (Win) key.

Press the Shift key and click inside the last measure in the score. This will highlight a group of measures with the double box.

Press Delete on the keyboard to remove a block of measures.

Finlandia

Be careful not to delete the first bar of a score. All of the titles that are entered using the New Score setup are connected to measure 1. If you delete measure 1, all of the titles at the top of the page will go away with it and will have to be reentered.

(Mac) or CTRL (Win) and press the Delete key, Sibelius will ask you if you really want to remove the selected bars from the score.

Adding Bars

Sibelius automatically creates new bars as notation is entered. You can add bars to the end of the score or insert them in the middle of the score.

+ B (Mac) or CTRL + B (Win).

To insert a bar in the score, select the bar before the bar to be added, and then choose Create > Bar > Single.

Entering Notation by Typing the Letter Names

The fastest way to enter notation in Sibelius is to use a MIDI keyboard or a MIDI keyboard controller. This option will be discussed in chapter 4. If you do not have a MIDI keyboard, then the next fastest way to enter notes is through alphabetic input. Using the mouse to click in notes, as introduced in chapter 1, is the slowest option.

The fastest way to enter music using the computer keyboard is to use your left hand over the letters A through G and your right hand over the numeric keypad. Don’t use the mouse at all. With practice, your entry speed will increase dramatically.

Laptops do not typically have a numeric keypad. Users have a couple of options. The best option is to purchase a USB keypad from any computer store and plug it into a USB port. The next best option is to use your left hand to type the letter names and use your right hand on the numeric keypad to click on the desired duration.

Consider purchasing the Sibelius customized computer keyboard. It can be used with desktop computers and laptops by plugging it into a USB port, and it has a lot of great features including color-coded shortcut keys and it has a numeric keypad. Check out additional information at www.sibelius.com/productsAeyboard/index.html.

How to enter notation via alphabetic input:

Be sure that the first measure of the piece is visible. If it isn’t, use the navigation bar or drag the music with the mouse to make it visible.

Ensure that nothing is already selected by pressing the Esc (Escape) key, the upper-left key on the computer keyboard. The cursor should be black, not blue.

Click inside measure 1 to select it. A blue rectangle will appear around the measure.

Press the letter N on the keyboard to input notes. This can also be selected by choosing Input in the Notes menu.

Next, select the quarter-note value from the Keypad. If the Keypad is not visible, select Keypad from the Window menu or click on the Keypad icon in the toolbar.

Place your right hand over the numeric keypad (if your computer has one). Press the quarter-note value (the number 4) on the keypad. You can also click on the quarter-note value with your mouse. Whichever method you use, be sure to select the note duration before you enter the pitch.

Do not use the numbers across the top of the keyboard to select the values. These numbers are used to enter harmony and will be covered in chapter 3.

Place your right hand over the numeric keypad, with your middle finger over the number 5. With practice you will begin to feel the different note durations: 4 = quarter, 3 = eighth, 5 = half, and so forth.

To enter a quarter rest, with the quarter-note value selected on the keypad, press the number 0 (zero) on the keypad.

Since the next three notes are all quarter notes, type the letters A, G, and A.

since it is in the key signature. You can override that by selecting the appropriate accidental on the Keypad.

To enter the A quarter note in bar 2, press the number 4 on the keypad with your right hand, and type the letter A with your left. Getting the hang of it?

Correcting Mistakes (Edit and Undo)

+ Z (Mac) or CTRL + Z (Win). Unfortunately, the Undo command does not work after you’ve printed out an arrangement and your ensemble plays a wrong note!

Entering the Notation in Measures 3 through 8

Enter the G and A quarter notes on beats 1 and 2 of measure 3.

To enter the F dotted quarter note, select the quarter-note value and press the period on the Keypad before entering the note. Enter the G eighth note to complete measure 3.

In measure 4, enter the G quarter note. To enter the A dotted half note tied to measure 4, select the half-note value and press the period to add a dot. Type the letter A.

After entering the A, press the Enter key on the Keypad to add the tie. Ties are always added after a note has been entered.

Another way to automatically add a tie is to enter a note value that is too large for the bar. For example, if you enter a whole note on beat 2 of bar 12, Sibelius will automatically create a dotted half note and a tie over the bar to a quarter note. Very cool, indeed!

Enter the rest of the notation in measures 5 through 8.

Also enter the notation in measures 9 through 16. Remember—to enter a rest, select the appropriate duration and press the 0 key on the numeric keypad.

Be sure to enter all ties when you are entering the notation. Ties are entered using the tie value on the first Keypad layout. Slurs are handled differently and will be covered in chapter 3.

Copying and Pasting with Shift-click

You can save a huge amount of time when entering notation by using copy and paste. Note that measures 17 through 24 are identical to measures 9 through 16 except for the last two notes. For this example, you will copy the measures. Then in the next example, you’ll use repitch to change the last two notes.

How to copy and paste:

Press Esc to clear the cursor so that it is black, not blue.

Click inside measure 9 on the lines and spaces to highlight it.

Hold down the Shift key and click the mouse in measure 16. Click inside the lines and spaces, not on a note.

Sibelius has a special shortcut to copy what is selected to the very next bar: press the R key on the keyboard to repeat whatever has been selected. Check it out, this is a shortcut to remember!

Correcting Pitches

There are several ways to change pitches once they have been entered. For example, the last two notes in Finlandia need to be changed from two As to two Fs.

Changing the pitch:

Press Esc.

Click on the A eighth note at the end of bar 23.

Press the Down Arrow key on the keyboard two times to move the pitch to an F.

Press the Right Arrow key to move the cursor to the whole note in bar 24, and press the Down Arrow key two times.

Sibelius offers another helpful way to change pitches without altering the duration of notes. This technique is especially helpful if you copy a first part to a second, and then want to change only the pitches. Before trying this option, undo the steps you just took in the previous example.

Undoing Multiple Steps

+ Z (Mac) or CTRL + Z (Win).

It is also possible to view the list of steps that have been done and delete them in one simple click of the mouse:

From the Edit menu select Undo History.

Click the mouse at the desired location in the list—in this case, at the beginning of the last few steps that you took to move the A pitches to F.

Click OK.

Re-Input Pitches

Using the Re-input Pitches option is another excellent way to change pitches without affecting the note value:

Press Esc.

Select the first note in the passage that you want to repitch—in this case, the A eighth note in measure 23.

From the Notes menu choose Re-input Pitches. A dashed cursor line will appear to distinguish repitching from normal note entry.

Press the letter F two times on the computer keyboard. You can also enter the notes from a MIDI keyboard (this will be introduced in chapter 4).

Entering Expressions (Dynamics)

Sibelius handles text in a variety of ways. Dynamics and similar instructions to players, such as legato, marcato, and so forth, are indicated in italics and are entered below the staff. You can easily move anything on the screen by clicking-and-dragging it. In this example, there are several dynamics that are entered using the Expression option.

How to enter dynamics:

Press Esc (just in case something is already selected).

Click on the quarter note on beat 2 in bar 1. It will turn blue.

From the Create menu select Text, and from the submenu select Expression.

A blinking cursor will appear below the staff. Right-click (CTRL-click if you are using a one-button Mac) on the cursor to display the list of dynamics and other markings. Drag to the mp (mezzo piano) dynamic marking. Release the mouse button.

Press Esc.

Since the expression is blue, you can drag it to any location on the screen. Or you can use the Arrow keys on the keyboard to move it more precisely.

Press Esc to clear the selection.

Entering Expressions Using Shortcut Keys

The fastest way to enter expressions is to use the shortcut keys. Remember, the letter E stands for Expression.

How to enter expressions with shortcut keys:

Press Esc (to clear anything that could currently be selected).

Click on the first C quarter note in measure 9 to highlight it.

+ E