Lyrics Scrunching

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Papa Bear
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 5:35 pm

Post by Papa Bear » Thu Feb 17, 2005 6:38 pm

How do I keep the lyrics from sometimes scrunching together in a choral piece? Doesnt happen all the time, but sometimes it does and I end up spacing words by hand. HELP ME!! thanks, in advance
I am an organist-choirmaster, and do lots of choral composing and arranging. I am getting good at Sibelius,. but need help


Zapruder
Posts: 380
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:39 am

Post by Zapruder » Fri Feb 18, 2005 9:30 am

Okay, first of all, Lyrics in Sibelius will never scrunch together, ever. Unless ....

The factors that influence note spacing can be kinda difficult to trace but sometimes the spacing does not come out the way you (and I) want.
Here are some things to consider:

- Before inputting the lyrics, check if there are any system/page breaks in the score. If there are, remove them. Breaks force the number of bars to stay in a specific lenght on a page/system. Inputting lyrics could confuse the note spacing rules of Sibelius and make lyrics scrunched together.
- Also, it's worthwhile to reset the Note Spacing of the whole score before inputting lyrics: Ctrl+A to select the whole score, then Ctrl+Shift+N to reset the Note Spacing. Now the score is "immaculate" regarding the spacing. Any input of lyrics should influence the note spacing in a positive way i.e. widening the spacing according to the syllables.
- Using two or more voices in one staff can also create havoc when the rhythms of the voices differ. Always make sure that the lyrics are in the right voice.
- If by any chance there are still some bars with crunched up lyrics, first try to Reset Note Spacing for that bar. Note Spacing can change when deleting and re-inputting parts of the lyrics. If you delete/re-input, always do a quick Ctrl+Shift+N.
- After having inputted all the lyrics, check if there are words with extremely long syllables. You might have to adjust Note Spacing by hand for these couple of words.
- When all this is done, then you can go ahead with your layout: inputting system/page breaks where the music/lyrics make it obvious.
- I know that in choral music, most arrangers/copyists try to have as much music on one page as is humanly possible. Singers seem to have a natural dislike of turning pages. Help them overcome this fear of paper and use as much systems and/or pages as the music needs in order to have clear note/lyric spacing.

Maybe a quick way to "repair" your scores:
- Select the whole score Ctrl+A. Then Unlock the Format Layout > Format > Unlock Format.
- Then, do a Reset Note Spacing for the whole score.

Let me know if this answer helped you in any way.


Zap
# I am NOT a "Professional Sibelius Trainer"
# Please state the Chapter(s) of the Sibelius User Guide you already searched in order to solve your problem.
# Remember that this is not an official Sibelius website.

Papa Bear
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 5:35 pm

Post by Papa Bear » Fri Feb 18, 2005 4:01 pm

Hey Zap, you are the man. That is exactly what I needed for the lyric thing. As far as the octave tremolos, it works for a 4/4 bar, but having trouble getting it to work in 3/4. Leaves a rest. However, I was unaware of the third keypad, thanks. I wish I could find the book that comes with Sibelius 2. Maybe I will just have to talk the boss into buying me an actual copy of Sibelius 3. Thanks again.
I am an organist-choirmaster, and do lots of choral composing and arranging. I am getting good at Sibelius,. but need help

Zapruder
Posts: 380
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:39 am

Post by Zapruder » Sat Feb 19, 2005 1:04 am

Okay, try to follow the way Sibelius thinks about tremolo's (which is indeed the way tremolo's should be notated):

- In a 4/4 bar, the tremolo moves between two half notes (which is what you put in at first) but is notated as two whole notes with a tremolo beam in between (which is what Sibelius does for you when you input the tremolo beam.

- This way of thinking can be put in some sort of a rule: Input two notes of half of the duration of the tremolo, then input the tremolo beam.

- So, for a 3/4 bar: input two dotted quarter notes (which is two times half the duration of a 3/4 bar), then input the tremolo beam. This should result in a correct notation: two dotted half notes with a tremolo beam.

The rule above also applies to tremolo's with other durations (Two beats, one beat, etc). It's a "strange" way of thinking, but on the other hand, it is exactly what happens musically.

Let me know if my explanation was clear enough (kinda tough to write in English for me).


Zap
# I am NOT a "Professional Sibelius Trainer"
# Please state the Chapter(s) of the Sibelius User Guide you already searched in order to solve your problem.
# Remember that this is not an official Sibelius website.

Papa Bear
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 5:35 pm

Post by Papa Bear » Sat Feb 19, 2005 1:29 pm

Hi Zap, thanks for the prompt reply. It really solved my problem. Don't worry. You sound fine in english. I am in the US, so I don't really know how to keep track of crochets and quavers etc. Thank god for half and whole notes, eh? Again thanks, might be nice to chat with you sometime. Jim
I am an organist-choirmaster, and do lots of choral composing and arranging. I am getting good at Sibelius,. but need help

Zapruder
Posts: 380
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:39 am

Post by Zapruder » Sat Feb 19, 2005 3:24 pm

I just did send you a private message in which I gave you my AIM name.
let's have a chat sometime, ok?

Zap
# I am NOT a "Professional Sibelius Trainer"
# Please state the Chapter(s) of the Sibelius User Guide you already searched in order to solve your problem.
# Remember that this is not an official Sibelius website.

digitig
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2017 2:28 pm
Sibelius Version: 7.5
Operating System: Windows

Post by digitig » Sun Apr 30, 2017 2:40 pm

I've followed as much of that advice as I can (too late for the things to do before the lyric is entered) and I'm still getting collisions. Is manual formatting my only hope?

Image

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