# Will Sibelius let me read notes letters on spaces, lines and ledgers?



## HarmonyCore (Feb 17, 2021)

Hey Everyone,

I am currently enrolled to a MIDI string orchestration and arranging course. The course is heavily utilizing Sibelius as a notation software and I am ZERO in reading music. I wonder if there is a setting to show notes letters. The thing is that I know the notes on notation but I am very slow in interpreting them. And this slowness is blocking me from progressing through the course. Because the notation is a software now and not a paper, I am assuming that there is a very simple setting to show notes.

Appreciate your responses


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## d.healey (Feb 17, 2021)

Yes it's possible - https://makingthemostofnotationsoft...ext=Plug-ins > Other > Add,on Mac) to zoom in.



HarmonyCore said:


> And this slowness is blocking me from progressing through the course.


Adding the note names will slow down you're learning of the notes on the staff because your brain will just be looking at the letters. If you want to increase your speed I recommend you keep going without the letters, it will be worth it but it takes time.


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## HarmonyCore (Feb 17, 2021)

@d.healey The problem is that I've been memorizing the locations of note names for a year now and I am still VERY slow. I know it's EGBDF on lines and FACE on spaces in the treble cleff. I know it's GBDFA on lines and ACEG on spaces in the bass cleff. Despite that, I still can't spot a note quickly in the middle of the staff without going through EGBDF and FACE first lol. It's a pain! My brain just refuses it don't know why. The beauty of the notation is I can arrange for strings faster than in DAW. I really don't know what's the solution to this problem 

EDIT: Not to mention the Viola cleff that is completely a different game.


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## d.healey (Feb 17, 2021)

HarmonyCore said:


> @d.healey The problem is that I've been memorizing the locations of note names for a year now and I am still VERY slow. I know it's EGBDF on lines and FACE on spaces in the treble cleff. I know it's GBDFA on lines and ACEG on spaces in the bass cleff. Despite that, I still can't spot a note quickly in the middle of the staff without going through EGBDF and FACE first lol. It's a pain! My brain just refuses it don't know why. The beauty of the notation is I can arrange for strings faster than in DAW. I really don't know what's the solution to this problem
> 
> EDIT: Not to mention the Viola cleff that is completely a different game.


I learned the same way, and I'm pretty slow too. Speed isn't so important unless you're trying to sight-read which is another skill entirely.

One tip I have is try not to use the FACE and Every good boy deserves fun mnemonics, it's a hard habit to break but when you use those mnemonics you HAVE to use them every time for every note and it really slows you down. Force yourself to look at a line and say the note without counting up through the other lines and spaces. Just like you can look at the letter D and know what it is without having to say A, B, C in your head first.

There are also some good apps you can get for your phone to practice reading notes more quickly. I can't remember the one I used to use but just explore the app store and try out different ones.


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## HarmonyCore (Feb 17, 2021)

It's okay! I will figure out how to work fast with note names are shown. Do you know if Avid makes summer sale for Sibelius? Also, is it easy to import a Sib arrangement into Cubase with dynamics applied? For instance, if I used f, mp , p,..etc in Sib, are they imported as well in the form of modulation?


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## d.healey (Feb 17, 2021)

HarmonyCore said:


> It's okay! I will figure out how to work fast with note names are shown. Do you know if Avid makes summer sale for Sibelius? Also, is it easy to import a Sib arrangement into Cubase with dynamics applied? For instance, if I used f, mp , p,..etc in Sib, are they imported as well in the form of modulation?


I have no idea, I haven't used Cubase or Sibelius for years.


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## JJP (Feb 22, 2021)

It may help even more to memorize locations, i.e. treble clef middle line = B, top = F, bottom = E. Then you don't have to do as much counting. If the middle line is B, you know the space below is A and the space above is C.


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## JT (Feb 22, 2021)

HarmonyCore said:


> @d.healey The problem is that I've been memorizing the locations of note names for a year now and I am still VERY slow. I know it's EGBDF on lines and FACE on spaces in the treble cleff. I know it's GBDFA on lines and ACEG on spaces in the bass cleff. Despite that, I still can't spot a note quickly in the middle of the staff without going through EGBDF and FACE first lol. It's a pain! My brain just refuses it don't know why. The beauty of the notation is I can arrange for strings faster than in DAW. I really don't know what's the solution to this problem
> 
> EDIT: Not to mention the Viola cleff that is completely a different game.


Do you play any instrument? I would sit with lead sheets, and just read and play the melody. Repetition works wonders when playing like this.


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## HarmonyCore (Feb 23, 2021)

JT said:


> Do you play any instrument? I would sit with lead sheets, and just read and play the melody. Repetition works wonders when playing like this.


Yes, I play piano and bass guitar. Well yeah, I have a complete classical piano course that explains everything from scratch with tons of videos and audio. The thing is that I am so busy with my cinematic composition and orchestration courses and I apply what I learn on the fly. So time is really limited here. But anyways, I really have to refine my schedule to dedicate one whole day with the classical piano course.


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