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I am working with Sibelius again after a long absence. I can't find anything in the ribbon or the manual that explains how to put italic notations "R.H." or "L.H." above a note or notes on a piano staff. (I can write text, but it comes out Roman.) Also, is there some way to include those notations in the list of expressions that come up? I know this is pretty basic, but, as I have said, I can't find it in the manual. Thanks.

Re: RH/LH
Posted by Robin Walker - 17 Nov 04:18PM

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Write them as Technique Text, then make them italic in ribbon tab Text -> Format -> Style. Or define a new Text Style, based on Technique, which has Italic pre-selected.

The list of items that is available in the right-click context menu for Technique text entry can be edited in Preferences -> Word Menus -> Technique text.

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Re: RH/LH
Posted by Salieri - 17 Nov 04:52PM

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Thank you, Robin. That worked. Perhaps you can answer another question. The Sibelius manual says that for an extended crescendo (or decrescendo) you should write out the word in separate syllabus with hyphen-like marks between. But it doesn't explain how. The verbal instruction is not included in the "lines." Can you help? Thanks again.

Re: RH/LH
Posted by Robin Walker - 17 Nov 05:34PM

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Write the separate syllables as separate text items. Fill the spaces between them with plain dashed lines.

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Re: RH/LH
Posted by Salieri - 17 Nov 11:43PM

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Thanks again, Robin. But I don't think that will be reflected in Playback. For that,it needs to be a "line." And I can't find the verbal version of the line.

Re: RH/LH
Posted by Mark Isaacs - 18 Nov 01:32AM (edited 18 Nov 10:13PM)

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Indeed, that won't reflect in Playback.

So use text as Robin described for the "visual" aspect of your score, and for playback create a long crescendo (or diminuendo) "line" (hairpin) for the same bars and just hide it.

Text "cresc." & "dim." do not play back in Sibelius. That's just the way it is. There is no "verbal version" of that kind of line that plays back, in the way that Tempo Text and certain playing techniques in Technique Text do effect playback.

So you need to add the Line (hairpin) as well, and hide it.

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Re: RH/LH
Posted by Mark Isaacs - 20 Nov 12:44AM

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I wonder if my post above was helpful to the OP? Did any others have a better idea?

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Re: RH/LH
Posted by Salieri - 20 Nov 01:37AM

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I'm still struggling with extended crescendos and diminuendos. Nothing in the manual explains how to do them, and the options in the ribbon never seem to be what I'm trying to do. But I have put this aside for the moment. Thanks for the suggestions.

Re: RH/LH
Posted by Laurence Payne - 20 Nov 01:51AM

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For a crescendo, of any length, that you want to have playback effect, use the 'hairpin' Line. If this isn't what you want to see on the page, Hide it and insert whatever (non-playing) text you like.

Re: RH/LH
Posted by Mark Isaacs - 20 Nov 04:27AM (edited 20 Nov 04:28AM)

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> For a crescendo, of any length, that you want to have playback effect, use the 'hairpin' Line. If this isn't what you want to see on the page, Hide it and insert whatever (non-playing) text you like.

It's really that simple, as Laurence (and I) have said, so you shouldn't really have to "struggle" with it once you get back to it.

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A composer www.markisaacs.com
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Sibelius 6.2.0 build 88, Bob Zawalich plugins, Windows 10 64-bit, Intel Core i5 7400 Quad Core Processor (3GHz-3.5GHz 6MB), 8GB RAM, 27'' monitor, NotePerformer 3.3.2, Sibelius Sounds, Sibelius Sounds Essentials, Sibelius Gold (Kontakt), Garritan Personal Orchestra 3, Garritan Authorised Steinway, Bose Computer Music Monitor speakers, ASIO4ALL.

Re: RH/LH
Posted by Adrian Drover - 20 Nov 07:01AM

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I think it is probably more difficult for a player to interpret a very long cres or decres, or the conductor to direct it, than it is to actually write it. In performance, it would be easy to reach the peak or trough before the intended time.

Re: RH/LH
Posted by Mark Isaacs - 20 Nov 07:12AM

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A case for breaking it up with intervening stages of dynamics as markers to its progress?

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Re: RH/LH
Posted by Salieri - 20 Nov 02:21PM

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Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I have gone through my library of scores, and it’s certainly true that there are not many extended crescendos or diminuendos. There’s one in Liszt that extends over two full systems.
The closest model I’ve found is in the Sibelius Second Symphony, fourth movement, at rehearsal mark O (p. 288, available on IMSLP). (I was pretty sure that if I’d find an example anywhere, that’s where it would be.) The passage starts forte; Sibelius then writes (italic) “dim. poco a poco al” followed by two bars of music (no hyphens or dashes), then piano. I’ll see if something like that can work for me.

Re: RH/LH
Posted by Jody Hughes - 20 Nov 02:40PM (edited 20 Nov 02:44PM)

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Hi there

(I am a professional music editor and engraver.) Instead of breaking up either words (cre-scen-do) or phrases (cresc. … poco … a … poco) I would *always* write the full text where the dynamic begins, and then add reminders in parens – eg (cresc.) or (cresc. sempre) – at new systems/pages, as required.

(Edit: I can't remember where I saw, I think in Debussy, this marking: "poco … a … poco … " and then there was a page turn. This is an absurd worst case, but the reasoning is the same: it is important to put the whole instruction where the musician can read and understand it all at once.)

I only very rarely use dashed lines in dynamics. In the (new) Baerenreiter Beethoven Symphony editions, the specialist editor, Jonathan Del Mar, showed Beethoven's dashed lines for crescendos and diminuendos, where the extent was not clear without them. He didn't (in the examples I have seen) split words/phrases up with dashes. Aside from such an Urtext usage, I might also use a dashed line after dynamic text if there were eg small hairpin diminuendos during an overall cresc – though there are other ways to make the hierarchy of the dynamics clear.

Hope that's of some use
Jeremy
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Re: RH/LH
Posted by Laurence Payne - 20 Nov 09:24PM

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> Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I have gone through my library of scores, and it’s certainly true that there are not many extended crescendos or diminuendos.

Try a Rossini overture. Or look out an example of a 'Mannheim Roller'.

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Messages in this thread

RH/LH - Salieri, 17 Nov 03:53PM

Re: RH/LH - Robin Walker, 17 Nov 04:18PM

Re: RH/LH - Salieri, 17 Nov 04:52PM

Re: RH/LH - Robin Walker, 17 Nov 05:34PM

Re: RH/LH - Salieri, 17 Nov 11:43PM

Re: RH/LH - Mark Isaacs, 18 Nov 01:32AM

Re: RH/LH - Mark Isaacs, 20 Nov 12:44AM

Re: RH/LH - Salieri, 20 Nov 01:37AM

Re: RH/LH - Laurence Payne, 20 Nov 01:51AM

Re: RH/LH - Mark Isaacs, 20 Nov 04:27AM

Re: RH/LH - Adrian Drover, 20 Nov 07:01AM

Re: RH/LH - Mark Isaacs, 20 Nov 07:12AM

Re: RH/LH - Salieri, 20 Nov 02:21PM

Re: RH/LH - Jody Hughes, 20 Nov 02:40PM

Re: RH/LH - Laurence Payne, 20 Nov 09:24PM