Sibelius 6 lyrics Quick Tip 6: Verse and Chorus

Multiple Verses

To create a song with multiple verses, use the lyrics line 2 etc from the Create/Text/lyrics. The new lines will appear under the 1st line:

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The text style setting for lyrics can be found in House style/Edit Text Styles:

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ahere you can create as many verse lines and chorus lines as you need.

The vertical distance to the staff is set in House style/Default positions:

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This is important because you don’t want to have the 1st verse on top of the 2nd!

Verse Numbers

Every line starts with a verse number:

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Use alt+space bar to create a space between the number and first word/syllable without that the cursor jumps to the next note. So the number and first word are connected. Then use the space bar to jump to the next note to enter the rest of the lyrics as usual. You can also add verse numbers to your score after inputting the lyrics, with the plug-in Text/Add Verse Numbers:

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Melisma in one of the verses

When one of the verses has a melisma, use a dashed slur on these notes:

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You can find the dashed slur in Create/Line in the Staff lines column and you can choose for a slur above or under:

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Chorus

Chorus text is being created the same way as the lyrics lines by choosing it from the Create/Text/Lyrics menu:

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The only difference is that the chorus text style is italic:

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As with the verse text style, you can create as many extra chorus lines as you need in House style/Edit Text Styles and adjust the vertical distance to the staff in House style/Default positions.

That’s all! Have a look at the video below to see everything in action.

For information about engraving, please send me an e-mail.

André van Haren

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