# My method for Orchestral score checking in Sibelius for any wrong notes etc



## Steve Martin (Jun 26, 2022)

Hi everyone,

just thought I would share a method I've discovered to check through orchestral scores for mistakes wrong notes, or bad clashes, bad voice leading etc.
I save the score in question under a similar name but add "Piano Aural Check" to the name.
I then plug in just one piano for playback, instead of my usual orchestral sound engine. Now all of the sounds playback with a piano sound. When I play it back I get to hear things like bad voice leading, wrong notes as I mentioned before that I didn't notice when I was playing the score back through all of the instruments. I realized it's good idea to also select all of the percussion instruments and silence them by holding down the control key then holding down alt also, then pressing 9, as they will playback pitches that will conflict against all the strings, ww, brass etc. When I do this, I notice clashes and any wrong notes etc that I would not have noticed before.

I don't know how any other notation users check their scores aurally this way, but it seems to help me find things that I didn't notice before.

I hope that is helpful for someone.


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## Rob (Jun 26, 2022)

Only downside is that with everything sounding like a piano, you don't have a clue which instrument is playing the wrong note... I'd rather let noteperformer play the score with the appropriate instruments, so when the wrong note arrives I can tell who is the culprit...


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## Steve Martin (Jun 26, 2022)

thanks for your reply Rob. That's a very good point. I'm also using it to search for anything that could sound better. I've discovered a couple of places that could be improved, however, I have to check if it is better by switching the score back to orchestral playback, and see if the parts in question are now better. I've noticed that parts that clash with the piano playback, will not class in the orchestral playback as the timbres are different, so in those cases, I stick with the original. However, I'm still experimenting with this way of checking, so the point you raised is very valid criticism of the way I'm doing it. I'm not finished with this aural way of checking of the score yet, so I'll let you know if there is any improvement from using this method. Thanks again for your input and reply, I do appreciate the feedback. Makes me think twice about the way I'm doing this! Steve


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## Rob (Jun 26, 2022)

Good point..


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## Saxer (Jun 26, 2022)

The wrong note search using piano sounds works rather good depending on the music. Good for big band but less for slow strings (held notes die on piano). For lower sections like trombones I prefer a Rhodes sound. It sounds more transparent and matches the low interval limit better than an acoustic piano.


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## wonshu (Jun 26, 2022)

And here I thought everyone apart from me was just so much better that they didn't need to check for mistakes and errors...


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## Saxer (Jun 27, 2022)

wonshu said:


> And here I thought everyone apart from me was just so much better that they didn't need to check for mistakes and errors...


I once changed a chord in an arrangement with a string run over it. I couldn't hear any difference in the blurry string run played by the notation app so I forgot to correct the accidentals to get the right scale for the run. In the recording session the conductor just had a little laugh and immediately told the players to add some ♮and *♭*. Not a big deal. But since then I listen through all the parts with a neutral sound.


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## Steve Martin (Jun 27, 2022)

Yes, I think the neutral sound helps identify the errors, as when you have a lot of different timbres playing back, this seems to cover some of the errors that using a neutral sound helps your ear pick up.


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## tressie5 (Jun 27, 2022)

When it comes to score correction, I must admit, I cheat. Cubase and Studio One both have 'snap to scale' abilities so I utilize those when I'm in a pickle or experimenting with alternative scales. I'm guessing Dorico also has this? I haven't looked.


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## Living Fossil (Jun 27, 2022)

Hindemith gave the advice for students to compose exercises for a harmonium, suggesting that the poor sound would force the student to focus on the substance of the music.

But honestly, I think it absolutely depends on the music if such a procedure makes any sense.

Also, i don't think that playing back everything with a piano sound makes it easier to hear wrong notes.
Specially in more complex contexts like polytonality etc. it may even be that things that are wonderful in the orchestra don't work nearly as well - so that's basically the opposite situation to the one you suggested.


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