# NotePerformer Sibelius Two Harmonics on one Stave don't play



## Wegg (Apr 4, 2020)

I use Sibelius Ultimate version 2019.12 on a MAC with NotePerformer 3.

Has anyone noticed that If you have more than one harmonic note on a stave of a string instrument neither note plays back. This is the case with separate parts as well as writing a divisi chord. Using other configurations than NotePerformer doesn't have this problem so I assume the problem is with NotePerformer not Sibelius. Does anyone have a work around other than putting each note on a separate stave?

Thanks

Jonathan


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## leslieq (Apr 10, 2020)

Can you share a screenshot of the bar/measure in question?


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## wwwm (Aug 29, 2021)

Well, I'm not the op, but I just started having the same problem. I stuck with Noteperformer 2.whatever until recently when I tried installing the latest version side-by-side so I could use it with Dorico. That broke the older installation, so I did a clean install of the newest Noteperformer. Now, having two harmonics on the same staff doesn't play back (it worked in older versions). I've tried using both different voices and the same voice, and neither produces any sound.


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## Wallander (Aug 31, 2021)

Two simultaneous harmonics on the same staff will always be interpreted by NotePerformer as artificial harmonics notation (plain+diamond noteheads). Diamond note and circle harmonics both trigger the exact same sound ID, and cannot be distinguished.

If there's no sound, that's _usually_ a sign that the interval does not resolve to a possible harmonics fingering. The interval must to be exact, including accidentals, or NotePerformer won't accept it.

A workaround/tradeoff for circle harmonics chords (you want multiple sounding harmonics notes on a single staff) is to go to

Dictionary > Articulations > Harmonics/Open

and change the sound ID from "+harmonic" to +"non vibrato"

That will produce all the correct pitches for circle harmonics chords, and no vibrato as a partial effect.


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## wwwm (Sep 1, 2021)

I've done some more testing, and it seems two harmonics on the same staff won't play back if the fundamentals (in two different voices) are within a second of each other. (edit: unless they are a different harmonic, in which case only the higher sounding note plays back).


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## wwwm (Sep 1, 2021)

I did a breakdown of harmonics behavior when sharing a staff here:


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## Wallander (Sep 2, 2021)

I see! Overlapping intervals won't work, unfortunately. The voice setting in the notation program is only a visual setting. All those notes are collapsed into a single chord for playback (C+E+F+A with the harmonics articulation).

In the first bar, NotePerformer doesn't understand that you wrote:

E/A + C/F

but it will actually be interpreted as:

C/E + F/A

So unfortunately we won't be able to make that work reliably.


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## wwwm (Sep 2, 2021)

Ah. That's disappointing. Shouldn't trust my ear in hearing what I thought I heard in that first bar. Hopefully this might work in Dorico in the future.


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## Wallander (Sep 3, 2021)

wwwm said:


> Ah. That's disappointing. Shouldn't trust my ear in hearing what I thought I heard in that first bar. Hopefully this might work in Dorico in the future.


In Dorico, it's possible that it will work if you activate the feature to route different voices to different channels.


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