Find Intervals From Keys

Version 01.10.00
Added 01 Aug 2005 (last updated 22 Jun 2012)

For use with Sibelius 3.x, Sibelius 4, Sibelius 4.1, Sibelius 5, Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

Find Intervals From Keys calculates the intervals needed to transpose from one key to another. The calculated intervals can then be used in Notes > Transpose. It also provides information on how to produce intervals that Notes > Transpose cannot produce directly.

• Download FindIntervalsFromKeys.zip (11K, downloaded 14107 times)

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Multirests and Empty Bars

Version 03.60.00
Added 01 Aug 2005 (last updated 23 Jun 2012)

For use with Sibelius 3.x, Sibelius 4, Sibelius 4.1, Sibelius 5, Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

Multirests and Empty Bars creates a text file showing the locations of:

• Multirests and their terminators (for the entire score; process parts as separate files)
• Empty bars (bars without notes)
• Empty bars without bar rests (probably notation errors)
• Occupied bars
• Irregular bars (whose length differs from the time signature)

This information may be useful for proofreading, for determining why multirests split, or for managing rehearsals and allocation of players to instruments. Copyists may also find it to be useful.

Changes in version 3.6:

• Now handles unsaved scores, or scores with \"untitled\" in their filenames

Changes in version 3.16:

• Fix to show terminators of certain 1-bar \"multirests\"
• Added warning about multirests that are split by Auto Layout options

Changes in version 3.0:

• A new option, Multirests in Selected Staves Only. Previously, all staves in the score were checked, and multirests were reported only when the multirest was present in all staves. This was intended to report only on multirests that could be visible at the moment that the plugin was run. To check a specific staff, you had to extract a part. With the new option (on by default), you can check individual staves in the full score. (The multirests will still not be visible in the score until you extract a part). Note that even when the Selected Stave option is selected, the system staff is checked as well, since contents of the system staff (system text like composer and title and headers) often influence the breaking of multirests.
• Since the plug-in is used most often to check multirests, the empty bar checkboxes are now off by default.
• A number of minor bugs have been fixed.

Changes in version 3.12:

• When run in Sibelius 4, the plug-in makes a better determination of what terminates a multirest
• When run in Sibelius 4, if there are bar number changes present, the log file will show both the \"displayed\" and \"consecutive\" bar numbers

Changes in version 3.1:

• There was an error that if you choose the \"selected staves only\" option, but have no selection, it continues but only processes the system staff, with the result that the multirests are wrong. Now fixed.

Changes in version 3.5:

• Can now detect hidden objects that do not break multirests (Sibelius 4.1 only)
• Adds staff name to location of object breaking a multirest
• Download MultirestsAndEmptyBars.zip (18K, downloaded 12503 times)

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Copy Signatures To New Score

Added 01 Aug 2005 (last updated 06 Sep 2009)

For use with Sibelius 3.x, Sibelius 4, Sibelius 4.1, Sibelius 5, Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

This plug-in copies all the time and key signatures from the current score into a new score.

To use the plug-in, open the score from which you want to copy the key and time signatures, choose the plug-in from Sibelius\'s menus, then follow the on-screen instructions.

Updated 21 February 2007: Can now also copy metronome marks from the current score to the new score.

• Download CopySignaturesToNewScore.zip (3K, downloaded 10183 times)

Plug-in written by Neil Sands.

Add Pickup Bar

Version 01.76.00
Added 09 May 2008 (last updated 19 Oct 2012)

For use with Sibelius 5, Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

Adds a pickup bar of a specified length before a specified bar. It moves any system objects (title, copyright, time signature, etc.) formerly attached to the following bar to the pickup bar.

Specify the pickup bar length by choosing from the list box or typing the first letter or number (key) in the list, with optional plus signs or spaces separating multiple entries.

Updated 2 April 2009 for internal code cleanup

Updated 15 May 2010 to fix incorrect copying of special barlines.

Updated 29 November 2011 to add . (dot) as an allowable duration.

Updated 24 January 2012 to fix issues with bar number changes.

Updated 26 February 2012 to fix dialog text overflow in Sib 7

Updated 14 March 2012 to add warnings where score starts with a page number change or with hidden staves.

Updated 19 October 2012. For Sib 7.1.3 and later, the plugin will now restore the Hide Empty Staves state of all the staves that were hidden before adding the pickup bar.

• Download AddPickupBar.zip (9K, downloaded 2183 times)

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Musical Dice

Added 27 Sep 2009

For use with Sibelius 5, Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

This plug-in emulates musical dice. Click to roll and you get a random pitch, a random rhythm, or both. A fun little way to randomly compose music.

• Download MusicalDice.zip (3K, downloaded 5328 times)

Plug-in written by Roman Molino Dunn.

Bagpipes Suite

Added 01 Jan 2011 (last updated 22 Feb 2013)

For use with Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

A set of plugins, house styles, manuscript papers, and a document explaining various issues involved with notating music for the Great Highland Bagpipes.

Includes the plugins Add Pipe Ornaments and Add Pipe Ornaments 2, and Play Pipe Ornaments, among others.

The tools were developed with the help of pipers Janette Montague and Jim McGillivray, to both of whom this suite is dedicated.

Updated January 17, 2011. Updated PDF doc to include more descriptions for how to use the plugins, and fixed a bug in Repair Bagpipe Notation that caused only the first staff in the score to be processed.

Updated 25 April 2012. Fixed bug in Play Pipe Ornaments plugin that gave bad results if there were multiple ornaments in a bar and later ones started before the beat.

Updated 14 June 2012 to fix multiple keystroke bug in Sib 7 on Mac.

Updated 22 Feb 2013. Restored missing House Style and Manuscript Paper files to the zip file.

• Download BagpipesSuite.zip (1696K, downloaded 770 times)

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Shift Horizontal

Version 01.02.00
Added 24 Jan 2011 (last updated 11 Jan 2013)

For use with Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

Shifts all selected objects left (-) or right (+) by the specified number of spaces. You can optionally shift only selected grace notes.

To move grace notes to the right past the main note, try taking the Dx value of the leftmost grace note, making it positive, and adding 2 to it.

Updated 11 January 2013 to add text about moving grace notes to the dialog

• Download ShiftHorizontal.zip (3K, downloaded 811 times)

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Timing for Selection

Version 02.21.00
Added 23 May 2011 (last updated 18 Oct 2012)

For use with Sibelius 5, Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

Displays the time at the start and end of a passage selection and the duration of the selection. This plugin uses a different (and slower) mechanism to determine time than the Fit Selection To Time plugin uses, and will give correct timings even when the score contains repeats.

Updated 9 August 2011 for Sib 7 font compatibility

Updated 26 September 2012. For Sib 7.1.3 and later, the plugin now recognizes the timing for each pass, and the user can specify which pass timings should be relative to. It does not need to use Hit Points for timing and more, and will be spectacularly faster than it was previously, and likely more accurate.

Thanks to Michael Eastwood for making this possible.

Updated 18 October 2012. The previous version gave the timing to the start of the last selected object, rather than to the end of that object. This update gives timing to the end of the last selected object.

• Download TimingForSelection.zip (18K, downloaded 974 times)

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Delete Pickup Bar

Version 01.90.00
Added 01 Nov 2011 (last updated 22 Jun 2012)

For use with Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

Deletes the first bar in a score or the first bar in a selection after moving any system text or objects attached to that bar to the following bar. Can be useful for deleting a pickup bar and handling all the required cleanup.

Updated 2 December 2011 to retain title page when first bar is deleted.

Updated 17 Match 2011 to allow deletion of all selected bars rather than just the first in a selection.

• Download DeletePickupBar.zip (8K, downloaded 2131 times)

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Copy Notes as Grace Notes

Version 01.09.00
Added 19 Jun 2012 (last updated 01 Jul 2012)

For use with Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

Makes a grace note from each note in a passage selection, and copies the generated grace notes to the clipboard.

The plugin works by adding each note as a grace note to a "base" note in a temporarily added bar. All the grace notes will paste as if attached to the same note. The duration will match the original duration, or optionally, will be all 8th notes/quavers.

Notes that were in tuplets will be copied as if not in a tuplet. Selected grace notes and rests are skipped.

• Download CopyNotesAsGraceNotes.zip (5K, downloaded 1352 times)

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Respell Accidentals Allow Doubles

Version 01.09.00
Added 07 Aug 2012 (last updated 07 Aug 2012)

For use with Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

Respells selected notes to their enharmonic equivalent (same sounding) spelling. Unlike the Return key Respell Accidentals in Sibelius, this plugin can change a note to a note with a double accidental.

If the key signature contains flats, the plugin favors double flats when starting with a note without an accidental. For other keys (sharp, C/Am or atonal), it favors double sharps.

Quartertones are not respelled.

It is probably going to be most useful if assigned to a keystroke shortcut, so you can run it again quickly if the first respelling is not what you want.

This plugin is dedicated to Daniel Spreadbury and the Sibelius development team.

• Download RespellAccidDoubles.zip (7K, downloaded 1107 times)

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Explode Staff To Parts

Version 01.07.00
Added 26 Sep 2012 (last updated 26 Sep 2012)

For use with Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

Splits a staff into 2 or more staves, then sets the resulting staves to show only in parts. The effect is that you can have 2 violin parts as both the original combined staff in the score and parts and separate instruments visible only in the parts.

You need to make a passage (box) selection of the staff that you would like to split. You only need to select a single bar (the plugin will select the entire staff).

The plugin will call the Explode plugin to split the staves. You will choose which staves the split notes should go into. The plugin will then select the resulting staves and make all objects in those staves appear only in parts.

In Sibelius 7.1.3 or later, these staves will be hidden using Hide Empty Staves. In earlier versions of Sibelius, staves will remain selected, and you can the use Hide Empty Staves to hide the original staves in the score (the plugin was not able to invoke Hide Empty Staves).

This plugin can be run only from a full score, not from a part.

This plugin is dedicated to John Hinchey, Daniel Spreadbury, and Michael Eastwood, each of whom helped make it possible.

• Download ExplodeStaffToParts.zip (5K, downloaded 1459 times)

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Reduce Staves To Full Score

Version 01.07.00
Added 26 Sep 2012 (last updated 26 Sep 2012)

For use with Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

Combines 2 or more staves into a single staff, then sets the original staves to show only in parts. The effect is that you can have 2 violin parts as both a combined staff visible in the score and parts, and separate staves visible only in the parts.

You need to make a passage (box) selection of 2 or more staves that you would like to combine into a single staff. You only need to select a single bar (the plugin will select the entire staff), and the selected staves do not need to be adjacent.

The plugin will call the Reduce plugin to combine the staves. You will choose which staff the combined notes should go into. The plugin will then reselect the original staves and make all objects in those staves appear only in parts.

In Sibelius 7.1.3 or later, these staves will be hidden using Hide Empty Staves. In earlier versions of Sibelius, staves will remain selected, and you can the use Hide Empty Staves to hide the original staves in the score (the plugin was not able to invoke Hide Empty Staves).

This plugin can be run only from a full score, not from a part.

This plugin is dedicated to John Hinchey, Daniel Spreadbury, and Michael Eastwood, each of whom helped make it possible.

• Download ReduceStavesToFullScore.zip (5K, downloaded 1342 times)

Plug-in written by Bob Zawalich.

Paste to Chord Symbols

Added 18 Oct 2012 (last updated 18 Oct 2012)

For use with Sibelius 6 and Sibelius 7

This is designed for educational and general use.

This plugin copies an accompaniment pattern in accordance with given chord symbols.

To use it:

• Add chord symbols to any instrument in a passage of music.
• Write the accompaniment of the first bar or two, making sure that this matches the chord symbols you have written. (The bars following should be empty.)
• Select the accompaniment bars and extend the selection to the point where you want the accompaniment pattern to end.
• Run the plugin, click OK in the dialog and the accompaniment pattern will "fill out" the selection, following the given chord symbols.

Dialog Options

• Chord Instruments/Bass Instruments - The plugin uses the initial clef to determine how an instrument is treated. You can override this here.
• Staff Containing the Chord Symbols - The lowest stave which contains chord symbols is automatically selected. This can be changed here if you want you try out alternative harmonisations etc.
• Put added bass notes into chord instruments - When this is selected the bass notes of chords such as C/D are included in chord (treble clef) instruments.
• Omit root of the chord in chord instruments - This omits the root of a chord from a chord (treble clef) instrument when the chord has a certain number of notes. This option can be useful for improving the voice leading when the number of notes per chord varies (e.g. triads followed by 7ths or 9ths). Also, 9th chords and above often sound better when the root is confined to bass instruments.
• Voice leading in chord instruments - This governs the extent to which parallel 5ths and octaves are avoided.
• Max amount of drift - In some situations when "Best" voice leading is selected the register of the chords will move unacceptably. This setting determines the maximum amount allowed before a correction factor is applied.
• Range of notes used - This prevents the plugin writing unplayable notes. (The setting refers to the original instrument so Ignore instrument range might be more appropriate if you have inserted an instrument change.)
• Return to Panorama View (Sibelius 7 only) - Because of a bug in the Manuscript language the plugin has to switch to Normal View when run in Sibelius 7. If you are using Panorama View and want to the plugin to switch back then tick this box. (This setting has no effect when using Sibelius 6.)

For best results

• Make sure that the voice leading is as good as possible in the initial accompaniment pattern. (Use only one chord if you wish.)
• Make sure the chords have similar numbers of notes, (e.g. triads, 7ths, 9ths). This tends to be true for most styles of music. Check also that chords with the maximum number of notes are present in the initial accompaniment or else create an extra bar at the beginning of the selection to create a match between your accompaniment pattern and chord symbols. (The Omit root option can compensate for this.)
• If the results are not satisfactory, press undo, change some of the option settings and try again.

• Download PasteToChordSymbols.zip (16K, downloaded 1068 times)

Plug-in written by Kenneth Gaw.