# Composing in Sibelius: How to get things done quickly?



## gohrev (Apr 29, 2021)

Hi all,

I am trying to stick to composing in Sibelius, rather than just playing things into my DAW, as it allows for better composition and orchestration for me. One thing that bothers me, is how cumbersome it is just to create a single phrase. Adding notes and slurs by mouse is a slow process, and playing it in by midi keyboard isn't ideal because of latency issues.

Not a rant, just hoping a Sibelius veteran out there has some tips on how to get things done quickly 🙃


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## Jotto (Apr 29, 2021)

Its hard do work quickly in Sibelius imo. I have used it for years and i think my blood preasure is always high after a Sibelius session. If i should buy a notation program now i would look for something else.


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## yiph2 (Apr 29, 2021)

gohrev said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I am trying to stick to composing in Sibelius, rather than just playing things into my DAW, as it allows for better composition and orchestration for me. One thing that bothers me, is how cumbersome it is just to create a single phrase. Adding notes and slurs by mouse is a slow process, and playing it in by midi keyboard isn't ideal because of latency issues.
> 
> Not a rant, just hoping a Sibelius veteran out there has some tips on how to get things done quickly 🙃


Do you use a numpad to enter notes? Its probably quicker


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## Duncan Krummel (Apr 29, 2021)

Not sure if the key commands stayed the same (I ditched Sibelius after version 6 stopped working in favor of Dorico), but that is *the* fastest way with any notation program. Learn the basic key commands that you need, and you're set. Sibelius was, and now Dorico is, the fastest way to write for me, excepting paper and pencil.


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## gohrev (Apr 29, 2021)

yiph2 said:


> Do you use a numpad to enter notes? Its probably quicker


I try to use that more often, but it's annoying that the numpad is home to so many other features/articulations. When you forget to switch back, you are suddenly adding a fermata instead of a quaver...


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## Duncan Krummel (Apr 29, 2021)

gohrev said:


> I try to use that more often, but it's annoying that the numpad is home to so many other features/articulations. When you forget to switch back, you are suddenly adding a fermata instead of a quaver...


Oh yes, I do remember that struggle. Dorico thankfully allows you to use the numbers on the typewriter keys to switch durations. My solution with this in my Sibelius years was to keep my mouse there and performa all other functions with key commands. Note entry, lines, dynamics, cross-staff beaming, symbols, meter/tempi/key changes, and probably several more I'm forgetting are all possible with key commands. If any aren't familiar to you, it can still feel really slow, but of course as soon as it's second nature it becomes very quick indeed.

Alternatively, you could always purchase an external numpad. Not super mobile laptop friendly, but it could help when parked.


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## gohrev (Apr 29, 2021)

Duncan Krummel said:


> Oh yes, I do remember that struggle. Dorico thankfully allows you to use the numbers on the typewriter keys to switch durations. My solution with this in my Sibelius years was to keep my mouse there and performa all other functions with key commands. Note entry, lines, dynamics, cross-staff beaming, symbols, meter/tempi/key changes, and probably several more I'm forgetting are all possible with key commands. If any aren't familiar to you, it can still feel really slow, but of course as soon as it's second nature it becomes very quick indeed.
> 
> Alternatively, you could always purchase an external numpad. Not super mobile laptop friendly, but it could help when parked.


I'm afraid you are right.. I must get on with it and try to make the most of Sibelius. 
It _is_ a beautiful piece of software, although its UI and menus are a bit counterintuitive..


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## Duncan Krummel (Apr 29, 2021)

gohrev said:


> I'm afraid you are right.. I must get on with it and try to make the most of Sibelius.
> It _is_ a beautiful piece of software, although its UI and menus are a bit counterintuitive..


What Sibelius does beautifully, imo, is allow much more intuitive graphic editing of a score than any of the competition. I've worked with Finale, LilyPond, MuseScore, Dorico, and Sibelius. I'll stand by Dorico any day of the week, but while I understand and support how it works (and I love it!), I do miss the ease of placing objects within Sibelius. Granted, Sibelius 6 was pre-ribbon, and I don't very well get along with the ribbon...


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## Dr. Shagwell (Apr 29, 2021)

gohrev said:


> Adding notes and slurs by mouse is a slow process


Avoid the mouse as often as you can. Memorize (computer) keyboard short-cuts, as much as possible.

Speeding up adding notes to create phrases:

Single note lines: Use "R" and the up/down arrows to arrive at the pitches, and the keypad to select the durations you wish

Chords: using the numbers will be faster than the mouse. For example, 4 note c major chord, write first the lowest pitch (c) and then the distance of each following interval: 3,3,4


Not sure why slurs are taking you a long time, but one suggestion is to click on the first notehead you wish the slur to begin, and then use the space bar. Each space bar will move over the slur one pitch. 

Sibelius also allows you to add slurs to more than one instrument at a time, and there is a plug-in that enables copying/paste of articulations


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## BronzeOrbiter (Apr 29, 2021)

You should avoid using the mouse where possible, learn shortcut keys off by heart. Composing in Sibelius can be surprisingly quick once you have mastered it. Having played amateur orchestras in the past I have also had to manually enter parts in order to transpose them / make adjustments. Now that is great practice for entering notes!

P.s I also have no numpad. Never found it to be too much of a big deal with practice


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## cmillar (Apr 29, 2021)

I would recommend getting a 'StreamDeck' keypad, and buying the Sibelius layouts pre-programmed and available from ScoringNotes and their www.notationcentral.com sale site. (and a MIDI keyboard)

Really! It'll change your life. It's easy to customize the layout even further in order to adapt to what you use and require most of the time.

Sibelius has improved and done nothing but become easier and better over the last couple of years in the new updates.

Hey...nothing beats pencil and paper for being in the 'composing/arranging' flow.

Maybe just continue to compose on paper and then transfer it into Sibelius ....using StreamPad to make that part of the job as painless as possible.

Right? Most of us aren't music publishers or inhouse copyists or engravers. We want music to be printed out for our own groups, for composing commissions, for rehearsals, for performances, etc. etc. and we have to do the work ourselves. We're not all big-time Hollywood, NYC, or London film/Broadway copyists. We just want to software that thinks 'musically' and helps us realize what we want.

Sibelius is up to the task. Keep checking out 'Scoring Notes' for tips, and what other musicians like John Hinckley https://hincheymusic.com/ have done to help us all out.


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## cmillar (Apr 30, 2021)

Oh yeah....you should probably buy a numeric keypad to plug into your computer.

Using a MIDI keyboard and numeric note entry is musical and fast. Just decide whether you want to enter notes with the choice of 'pitch before duration' or 'duration before pitch' (in Permissions/Note entry.) See what works best for your brain. ('Pitch before duration' is probably best when you actually use Sibelius for composing, because you can play around with different note/chords before committing them to the score without everything you play getting input while you're not looking!)

If you're right-handed, put the numeric keypad where your left hand can easily access it. (...or, put StreamDeck there!)

As people say, get away from the mouse; except for when you have to edit things, click on a new measure, select something for editing, etc.j

More advice here:


https://midnightmusic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Sibelius-Tips-for-Working-Effectively.pdf


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## gohrev (May 3, 2021)

Dr. Shagwell said:


> {respectfully snipped}


Thank you, your suggestions are now visible on an unsightly post-it on my display


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## gohrev (May 3, 2021)

cmillar said:


> {respectfully snipped}


I will look into that device, thank you!
And while I agree we aren't all Broadway copyists, I do like to _look _at my music, as to better understand the spread of harmonies, orchestration, etc. It helps me 

(and: I have the worst handwriting)

PS: Thank you so much for the cheat sheet pdf, I bookmarked it


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## BlackDorito (May 4, 2021)

Continuing with the theme of using keyboard shortcuts where you can ... I use Sibelius as my DAW most of the time and I found I was constantly needing to add CC ramps (typically Mod or Expression), which was agonizing. I sped it up quite a bit by defining (or actually redirecting) shortcut keys:

'L' draw a 'line' for the currently selected note(s)
'C' go into the 'add continuous controller' plugin to add CC along the line
'T' select the staff text of this bar (typically because I want to hit the Delete key on the CCs I just added and try again with different values)

Sped things up a lot.


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