G7 Hints & Tips – Inputting Notes

• Inputting Notes, Notation Staff

Click the Tab key at the very start, which automatically selects the first rest of the first bar, or
you can select the rest with the mouse. Then choose a note value from the G7 Keypad (you’ll
see that the rest changes its duration to reflect your choice). Start entering notes with the
mouse directly or by using the Fretboard. Alternatively, you can enter notes using a MIDI
instrument or with the computer keyboard. When using the computer keyboard, type A, B, C,
D, E, F or G to input the corresponding pitches. A blue cursor will show you where you’re
entering notes. Don’t forget to hit the Esc key before and after performing these functions.

• Inputting Tab: Computer Keyboard

Tab can be inputted using the mouse directly or the mouse using the Fretboard, the computer
keyboard, or a MIDI instrument. First select the first bar or the bar rest in the first bar of the tab
staff, then type N (for note). A small blue cursor will appear in the tab staff. You can move the
cursor from string to string by using the / keys. To input the fret numbers, first select a
rhythmic value from the G7 keypad, and then simply type the number from the number keys
across the top of the computer keyboard (not the numeric keypad). Advance by using clicking
the  key. Pressing the space bar will input a rest of equal value to the rhythmic value
selected in the Keypad. Note that if your tab staff is set to not show rhythms, rests will be
hidden. If you want to input chords, then move up or down to the desired string(s) and type
the fret number(s) before advancing with the right arrow key. If you want to change rhythmic
values, do so by selecting the new value from the Keypad before typing the fret number.

• Recording
See Flexi-time Input and Flexi-time Options.

• Flexi-time Input and Flexi-time Options

Flexi-time is the name given for real-time recording in G7. Both Flexi-time Input and Flexi-time
Options are found in the Notes menu and have keyboard shortcuts. Flexi-time Input
(Ctrl+Shift+F or X+Shift+F) starts real-time recording. To stop recording, type O (for off),
press the Esc key, or click the stop button in the toolbar.

Flexi-time Options (Ctrl+Shift+O or X+Shift+O ) is where you can adjust settings to increase
the accuracy of results when recording in real-time. It is highly recommended that you check
out these options before recording.

You can record into a notation staff, tab staff or percussion staff.

• Note Input Options

Note Input Options gives you control over how notes are inputted using the mouse or using a
MIDI instrument in step-time or real-time. To access Note Input Options, select Note Input
Options from the Notes menu. Significantly, the section labeled MIDI Input Filtering gives you

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 the ability to improve note-inputting accuracy when inputting in real-time based on your
playing style. Note the option Use one MIDI channel per guitar string in the MIDI Guitar
Channels section. Also note the Step-time Input option that allows you to correctly input
loosely strummed chords. See the G7 User Guide for more details.

• Triplets/Tuplets
To input a triplet, quintuplet, etc. first enter the base value of the tuplet. For example, if you are
entering an eighth-note triplet, enter an eighth-note first and then use the keyboard shortcut
Ctrl+3 (X+ 3 ) (3 from the numbers across the top of the computer keyboard) to create the
triplet. Choosing 5 will give you a quadruplet. You can choose numbers 2 through 9 to create
the various tuplets.

• Drum Notation
You can have G7 quickly create a drum part for you by choosing Add Drum Pattern from the
Notes menu. Click on Yes in the Cannot Undo window to bring up the Add Drum Pattern
options. Note that you can choose from twenty different drum styles. If you do not like the
result, simply select and delete the part and then try another drum style. Note that you can edit
the auto-created drum part after creating it. You can also input drum notation as you would
regular notes.

• Voices
You can easily change the voice of a selected note or selected notes (including notes in a
chord) by clicking on the number buttons on the bottom of the G7 Keypad, or using the
keyboard shortcuts Alt +1,2,3 or 4 (Option 1,2,3 or 4). Use the Filter menu to pre-select lots of
notes before performing this function. Note that the voices are color-coded for identification:
voice 1 is blue, voice 2 is green, voice 3 is orange, and voice 4 is purple.

Additional Markings and Text

• Create Menu
This menu is where you will find a good many of the markings, etc. that are used when writing
music: things like adding bars, repeat barlines, chord diagrams or guitar frames, first and
second endings (Lines), chord symbols and lyrics (Text), key signatures, and time signatures.
The keyboard shortcut for bringing up the Create menu is Control-clicking or Right-clicking on
a blank portion (not in a bar or on a note, rest or piece of text) of your manuscript paper. Note
that keyboard shortcuts are listed to the right of each item in the menu.

• Slurs
To input a slur, first select the note you want the slur to start from and then type S (for slur).
You can then extend the slur by pressing the spacebar. Shift + spacebar will contract the slur.

• Lines

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 The Lines window includes slurs, crescendo and decrescendo lines, guitar bends, endings and
many other lines, most of which play back. Type the keyboard shortcut L (for lines) or choose
Lines from the Create menu. Scroll through the various lines available. Select a line, click OK
and then click in the bar where you want the line to start. In most cases, you can extend the
line further by pressing the Space Bar. In all cases, you can extend the line using the mouse. If
you want to input a slur, it is recommended that you use the keyboard shortcut S rather than
selecting it off the Lines window.

• Text
G7 comes with many text styles that automatically give you the correct type face, font size and
position for that particular text. For example, when using the text style for Title, the text is
automatically placed in the center of the page where the title belongs. Text styles can be
selected from the Text menu within the Create menu. Many of the common text styles like
Tempo, Chord Symbols and Lyrics can be accessed by using keyboard shortcuts.

• Dynamics
First select the note where you want the dynamic, and then use the keyboard shortcut
Command E or Ctrl+E to select Expression text, which is the text style for dynamics in G7.Then
Control-click or Right-click to bring up a list of dynamic markings and other useful markings
that you can select. Once selected, the marking will appear under the note.

• Chord Symbols
To input chord symbols in your music, first select the note that you would like your first chord
symbol to appear above. Then use the keyboard shortcut X+ K or Ctrl+K to access the Chord
symbol text style. You can also choose Chord symbol from the Text menu within the Create
menu. When you select Chord symbol text, a flashing caret will appear above the selected
note. You can then type your chord symbols or you can Ctrl-click or Right-click to bring up a list
from which you can select your chord symbols. Press the Space Bar to advance to the next
note or beat.

• Chord Symbols from Notes

G7 will analyze your music and input chord symbols automatically. Select Make Chord
Symbols from Notes from the Notes menu. Click on Yes in the Cannot Undo window to bring
up the Add Chord Symbols options and choose the appropriate options.

• Lyrics
Select the note where you want the lyrics to start, then use the keyboard shortcut X+ L or Ctrl
+ L, to access the Lyrics text style. A flashing caret will appear and you can begin typing your
lyrics. Pressing the Space Bar once in between syllables or words will advance you to the next
note. Pressing the Space Bar twice will automatically start a word extension line. For hyphens,
type the – (hyphen) key. You can also type all of your lyrics in a word processing program like
Microsoft Word and then import them into G7. See the G7 User Guide for details.

• Guitar Chord Diagrams/ Frames

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In G7, guitar frames are called chord diagrams. You can create custom chord diagrams and
libraries of chord diagrams in G7. To input a chord diagram, first select the note you would like
the chord diagram to appear above, and then use the keyboard shortcut Shift + K, or select
Chord Diagram from the Create menu. Once in the Chord Diagram window you can select edit
or create chord diagrams. Once in the music, the chord diagram can be moved with the
mouse or with the Arrow keys

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888-4-SIBELIUS (888-474-2354 or 415-438-5160) Email: [email protected]