Templates 102: The Parts
Geek-o-meter: 1️⃣ 2 3
After configuring the score settings, we now shift our focus to the individual parts. Choose one to begin.
Part Appearance
Continuing with the theme of implementing as many global changes as possible, we begin by adjusting the appearance of all parts.
I like to set my default staff size to 7.5mm[^1] in the Document Setup pane. Click 'Margins…' if you want to set them globally. Depending on your needs, you can opt for more aggressive margins.
Moving on to the 'Layout' pane, I prefer my multirests to be 'Narrow' as it aids players in penciling in notes and conserves ink. In the House Style pane, I set my Bar Number frequency to 'Every 1 bar', uncheck 'Center in the bar', and select the text style: 'Bar numbers (parts)'. This allows me to use a different font for bar numbers in the score and parts.
Let's exit out of the menus. Select the Title and edit the text style. In 'Vertical Posn', set it to 2 mm from the top margin in parts. Remember, we set the Score to 0 mm.
Notice that Sibelius already had the foresight to have separate text styles for scores and parts, which is what we did with headers in the last segment.
Spreading It Out
For now, simply input a note on the first and second bar and press W to switch from the score to the corresponding part.
Notice how the bar numbers appear. If you prefer them to be closer to the staff, you can adjust that in Engraving Rules → Bar Numbers → Vertical Position. While there, you can also opt to place them below the staff instead.
As my rehearsal marks are always set to bar numbers, this is also where I choose to set the bar numbers of the parts to 'Hide at rehearsal marks'.
Remember, these changes need to be applied to every part (but that's why we're creating a template!)
If you wish to alter the appearance of the bar numbers, you can edit their text style. Since they are separate from the bar numbers in the score, we have the flexibility to customize them however we like. Personally, I prefer mine to be slightly smaller than the default.
Head and Shoulders
This part, like in the post about the score template, is optional. It requires you to think carefully when you edit the text fields but offers more flexibility in your work.
Remember how we changed the headers for the score? Well, we've done the same for the parts. Let's perform a little magic trick.
Click on the part header.
Copy and paste it to the same spot.
With only one of them selected, press W (to switch to the score), right-click → Hide or show → Show in score.
Change the remaining one to 'Instrument name at top left'.
With that one selected, press W, right-click → Hide or show → Show in parts.
(Repeat the same process with the header after the first page. You can find it in the part by either showing hidden objects or by making a system break to navigate to page 2.)
Now we can adjust the appearance and content of the two separately. For example, we can edit the part header like this:
In the score, you can delete the Instrument changes wildcard, as it will contain all the instruments in the score.
Once you're done editing, you'll have all the auxiliary instruments of the part in a neat list. By default, it will be a repetition of the part name itself. We'll want to edit all of them.
Quirk-alert
You might be tempted to double-click the part header of Flute 1, go to Score Info when prompted, and change the Part name to ‘FLUTE 1’ while deleting the instrument change. However, what Sibelius doesn’t tell you is that you are actually editing Flute 2.
Starting from Flute 2 won't help either.
Here’s the correct procedure:
Go to the top flute staff.
Change the part name to ‘FLUTE 2’.
Delete the instrument change.
Now, return to the part, select the previous part (Flute 1), go to Score Info, and rename it ‘FLUTE 1’ while deleting the instrument change.
(It occurs to me that you can circumvent this quirk by only adding one of each instrument. Append their name with ‘1’ and add more instruments.)
Do this for all instruments. Since I prefer all my part names to be uppercase, this is a good opportunity to set it the way I like.
Double Checking
Trying to go back to the score, adding a new instrument, and then opening up its part will quickly reveal the reason for creating the template in this manner. New parts don’t inherit document settings, engraving rules, or show/hide properties.
Using multiple part appearances can efficiently handle some of these issues. House styles can address many of them but won't hide the headers that are only for the score.
My strategy involves having a template that includes the instruments I use for 999.9‰ of my cases. When setting up a project template, I prefer to remove what I don’t use and 'instrument change' my way out of doublings. This way, I understand how the parts behave, and I don’t have to worry about bar numbers not being displayed correctly or other issues.
Make Music!
By now, you have a solid template to start with. We'll explore further tweaks and enhancements later on, but with these settings in place, you've saved yourself many hours of work in the future.
Go ahead and save it as your 'initials + template', for example, and store it in a folder with your other Sibelius assets.
Consider this template as the sourdough starter that gives rise to many delicious recipes. Nurture and cultivate it. Pass it along to your grandchildren with pride. But most importantly, think of how long this took to set up and be grateful that you no longer have to do it for every score you write.
Footnotes
[^1]: Be sure to use the comma. Sibelius likes to be inconsistent in this regard.
[^2]: For some reason, Sibelius has this quirk when two parts have the same name. This has been the case since I can remember.