Lyrics

Subjects covered:

• Introduction of lyrics in the score
• Connecting or extending syllables
• Adjusting the position of lyrics lines
• The lyrics fast encoding window

When a melody is sung, each syllable is written under the corresponding note. We will learn how to introduce, modify, erase or adjust lyrics in the score.

Introduction of lyrics in the score

Pizzicato lets you introduce lyrics under the notes of a melody. These lyrics are really attached to the note so as to follow the note displacements. It is possible to add 8 lines of text on each note (for the different verses).

• Open the Ex060.piz example and fill in the 2 following measures :

• In the Main Palette, select the tool. Its shortcut is the lower case letter "p". Click on the head of the first measure first note. A small cursor starts to blink just below the note:

• You can directly fill in text with the keyboard and it will be centered around the note. Type "Hel" on the keyboard and you get:

• To go to the next note, press the tabulator key on the keyboard. The cursor appears on the next note. To go back to the previous note, you may use the tabulator by holding down the SHIFT key. You can also click directly on the head of the note to place the text entry cursor on that note. Fill in the lyrics as follows:

To go from one note to the next, the Return key is also valid. Notice that it is also valid to go from one measure to the next.

We will now add a second verse just below the first. Click on the first note. The cursor blinks to the right of the "Hel" text. With the keyboard, use the key with the down arrow. The cursor blinks now below the first syllable:

The principle of lyrics introduction remains the same, but you move on the second line. Complete the score as follows:

You can similarly introduce up to eight different verses on the same note. To go from one line to the other, use the up and down arrow keys. Complete the measures as follows:

The left and right arrows may also be used to move from one note to the other.

To modify or erase a syllable, click on the note and use the up and down arrow keys to bring the cursor on the correct line. The cursor blinks and you can erase with the erase key and correct the text. Therefore, the lyrics tool must be of course selected.

When you move a note, the horizontal position of the associated syllables is automatically adjusted. It also happens when you justify a measure or if you widen it. When you erase a note, the associated lyrics are also erased.

Connecting or extending syllables

When adding lyrics, 2 characters have a particular role: the minus sign (-) and the underscore sign (_). The first is used to connect two syllables of a word and the second allows to create an extension of a syllable that must be held for example during several notes.

We will start by connecting all the syllables belonging to a word. Place the blinking cursor on the first line of the first syllable and type the minus sign (-). A small line is added between the two syllables:

Its position is automatically adjusted between the two syllables. Notice that you may add this sign at the time you introduce the lyrics. If you wish to remove this sign on a syllable, type it again and it will disappear. Using the arrow keys, complete the score so that the syllables are connected as follows:

• For the 3 syllables attached to the tied F note, we will create an extension. Place the cursor on the first line of this note and type the underscore sign (_) on the keyboard. A small line appears, starting from the bottom of the syllable:

• Do the same with the 2 other syllables attached to this note.

• On the Main Palette, select the tool. This tool is used to modify the length of an extension. Click and drag it, starting from the right end of the line and it will lengthen or shorten by following your movement. Lengthen the extension of the first syllable:

• Now lengthen the two others to get:

Adjusting the position of lyrics lines

Having filled the text, you may adjust the position of the text lines, and this independently for the 8 verses.

• On the main palette, select the tool. This tool is used to move the position of a line. Place the arrow of the mouse cursor on the first syllable of the first note. Click and drag downwards. The syllables located below move together. When you release the mouse button, the positions are readjusted in the full score:

The lines located below the moving line are always moved together.

• Drag now the second line lower, to obtain:

This tool lets you adjust the vertical position of the text lines.

In the two preceding examples, the position of the line was modified in the full score. It is sometimes useful to adjust this position only for one staff, only for one measure or even only for one note. Here is how to proceed:

• By holding down the SHIFT key, move the third syllable of the first note downwards. Only the syllables of the concerned measure are moved:

• By holding down the Control key while moving, you can move the syllables of one staff without affecting the other systems of the score.

• By holding down the SHIFT and Control keys together, move the fourth syllable of the first note downwards. Only this syllable is affected:

The lyrics fast encoding window

Only with Pizzicato Beginner and Professional:

• In the Windows menu, select the Lyrics item. The following dialog box appears:

This dialog box allows to encode or to modify the lyrics in a text area for a whole verse. The encoding rule is that each space, minus sign or line return correspond to a passage to the next note. The absence of a syllable for a note is represented by a star (*).

The Line menu selects the line on which you work and the Staff menu selects the staff (here there is only one). Select successively lines 2, 3, 4 and 5. You see the lyrics introduced previously. The fifth line is presented as follows:

There is one star per note. Replace this text to have:

Notice that when you modify the text, the first two menus become disabled. Click the Apply button to validate the modifications of the current line. These menus are enabled again.

In the upper right corner of the dialog, two buttons are used to select the colour and the characters font used for the current text line. These values can be different for each of the 8 text lines, but they are valid for all staves of the score.

If you click OK, the score contains an added text line:

This dialog box is advised for the encoding of lyrics. It lets you easily shift the lyrics of one or more syllables. Moreover, with the Windows copy/paste functions, you can easily duplicate a whole verse from one line to another.