Sibelius MIDI Entry

Connecting a MIDI keyboard to Sibelius

• Go to menu item File→Preferences→Input Devices to select the MIDI input.
• Check the MIDI Thru option box if you want the MIDI keyboard to make sounds on the Computers MIDI synthesizer rather than any that might be built into the keyboard.
• There is a "Test" meter on the input device window. Play notes on the MIDI keyboard, and the monitor should show some activity with a green level indicator.

Step-Time input

• Analog to Speedy Note Entry in Finale (and also Simple Note Entry with a MIDI keyboard).
• Click in a measure or rest where you want to start entering notes.
• Choose a rhythm on the keypad.
• Play a note or chord on the MIDI keyboard to enter notes in that rhythm.
• Use backspace to erase errors.
• To change the enharmonic spelling of a note (such as change C♯ into D♭, press ↵ Enter after adding the note(s) or by clicking on the note(s) later and pressing ↵ Enter. There are also accidental spelling plugins under the menu item Plugins→Accidentals.
• Add cautionary accidentas from the numeric keypad above the note rhythms (7 for ♮, 8 for ♯, and 9 for ♭).
• Beaming can be adjusted later by pressing F10 to set the beaming options on the keypad.

Flex-Time input

• Analog to Hyperscribe in Finale.
• Click a measure or rest at the point where you want to start recording.
• If you are recording on two staves at once, shift-click on the other staff.
• To start recording, press red record button, or choose menu option Notes→Flexi-time, or press Ctrl+Shft+F (or Command+Shft+F on Macs).
• You will hear one measure of clicks before you should start playing.
• Adjust the click-track tempo by dragging the slider on the playback controls.
• Menu option Notes->Flexi-time Options... or Ctrl+Shft+O will open the options for Flexi-time. Try different quantization settings. Probably turn off automatic staccato notation. Turn off tuplets if your music does not have them.

Exercise

• Enter Chopin's Prelude in E minor (Op. 28, No. 4) using Sibelius MIDI input.
• Enter the bottom staff notes first with step-time entry. Correct the accidentals after entering all of the music on the staff.
• Enter the top staff notes with flexi-time (real-time entry).
• For real-time note entry, set the minimum note to an eighth note (depending on the quality of you computer) to minimize funny rhythm notations (then fix notations such as sixteenth notes later).