reference.book Page 189 Monday, August 31, 2009 2:47 PM
2.31 Symbols Category
Articulation
Symbols
Meaning The first two rows are ordered according to relative proximity to the notehead (e.g. a staccato dot goes nearer to a notehead than a down-bow symbol); the symbols on the first row go above the note, and those on the second row, below the note. The third row contains other articulations:
Comma and tick, indicating a breath, usually in choral music (the comma also indicates a short silence on instruments like the piano, which can’t literally breathe); cesuras in two different thicknesses Stress and unstress marks (above and below), used by Schoenberg; “notch” staccato, sometimes used in early music
Accidentals
The first nine symbols in both rows (unbracketed and bracketed) are ordered from flattest to sharpest, including microtones; remember that as these are symbols they’re not automatically transposed, nor do they play back, so use a normal accidental if possible.
Alternative symbols for microtones are available on the More accidentals row further down the dialog.
Notes
These notes are not used by Sibelius to draw ordinary notes; they are provided purely in case you want to write notes in totally weird places. Sibelius draws notes using a notehead (from the Noteheads row), with tails (from the Notes row) for short notes. Tail aficionados might like to examine closely how we’ve constructed the tails of sixteenth notes (semiquavers) and shorter notes, such that the tail nearest the notehead is of slightly greater curvature. (Tail non-aficionados will have no idea what we’re talking about.) Grace note slash for acciaccatura stem; laissez vibrer tie symbol (preferable to using a real tie in some circumstances), which can also be used for ties going into 2nd endings (2nd-time bars) and codas; tremolo stroke; rhythm dot Cluster symbol; by stacking several of them vertically you can make a cluster chord of any size
Noteheads
To change noteheads, don’t use symbols – 2.25 Noteheads. Also contains “stalk” symbols for altered unisons – 2.1 Accidentals. More uncommon noteheads for avant garde and modern classical music can be found in the Round noteheads row further down the dialog.
Rests
All standard rests, including old-style multirests; also includes constituent parts of H-bars –
2.24 Multirests
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Notations
Multiple staccatos, for use on repeated notes written as a one-note tremolo; snap pizzicato for stringed instruments, mainly used by Bartók, and sometimes drawn the other way up