SSP CP33 Sibelius 5 User Manual page 17

Lines
Staff lines are similar to articulation marks with two notable differences: they may act
on multiple sequential notes, and the length of the line determines the point at which
the technique or effect ends. Staff lines require less discussion than articulations or text
instructions, but the behavior of three common lines deserves a mention.
Playback of slurs is dependent on a minimum of two notes, the first note to which the
slur is attached and the last note (and any notes in between). While the slur marking
will create a sound ID change at the beginning of the first note, the legato transition
will not be heard until a subsequent note has been triggered. The transition will then
sound for each note under the slur line.
Glissando and portamento lines react the same way as slurs but are worth mention-
ing on their own because the effect of "waiting for the second note" is much more
pronounced. When written, glissando and portamento lines often indicate a transi-
tion should be applied in the space between the notes to which the line is attached.
Live players accomplish this by looking ahead, finding the desired ending pitch, and
applying the transition accordingly. By contrast, Sibelius is not able to look ahead to
determine the ending pitch and instead must wait for that note to be triggered before
applying the transition effect. The result is a transition that triggers in the space of the
second note rather than the space between notes.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way of overcoming this (short of entering hidden
pitches between the notes in an effort to "fake it"), but with the growing number of
libraries offering true glissando and portamento transitions, many include the ability
to control the speed of the transition. Though not a perfect solution in every situation,
when this control is available, altering the speed of the transition may help to disguise
this effect in some small way.
Yamaha CP33 - Sibelius Sound Set User Manual | 17