Ok, So I was browsing around the Sibelius website and I ran across this Color coded Keyboard. This thing is pretty cool and since I just started using Sibelius about 3 Months it might be a good tool to sharpen the learning curve and save some time in the available short cuts without having to consult the manual every 5-10min. LOL! (sometimes I find myself reading more than writing) Either way, just thought it could help someone else. Enjoy!

http://www.sibelius.com/products/keyboard/index.html

I had seen this before but never given it much thought.  Does anyone out there have any experience using it?

I learned how to use a different piece of software with a similar style keyboard.  While I thought it helped a lot, I ended up a cripple when trying to use the same software on another system.  I kept looking for the purple key with the silly symbol and didn't actually learn the software afterall. 

Keyboard shortcuts in Sibelius usually don't require hunting through the manual anyways: ";i"; for instrument, ";t"; for time signature, ";k"; for key signature, etc.  All of the shortcuts for the numeric keypad are already showing in the interface too.  I say just take the time to learn Sibelius the ";regular way.";

Makes sense to me.  I had not even thought of that to be honest...

What we need, is a color coded MIDI keyboard so we don't have to go diving through the VDL key maps all of the time.

[quote author=buehring link=topic=1213.msg5271#msg5271 date=1152196317]
What we need, is a color coded MIDI keyboard so we don't have to go diving through the VDL key maps all of the time.
[/quote]

Interesting idea. :)
If you're a Mac OSX user, Corey Peterson's VDLmidi program is a nice way to enter notes while referencing ";sounds"; rather than ";midi notes."; Just an alternative if you're interested.

I remember quite a few years ago, certain software used to come with a cardboard overlay you would put ontop of your keyboard. Maybe they could look into making something like that, or maybe a picture like the keymaps in the VDL2 manual. I downloaded a pdf file off the Sibelius forum that has all of the shortcuts in one file, that helped me a lot.
Jedi has it right though. If you have been doing Sibelius for 3 months now their really isn't that much left to the learning curve. Coming from Finale I always made things too complicated, I couldn't believe how user friendly it is! You also ought to check out upgrading to Sib 4, they made a lot of great changes.

Ralph

I JUST got the upgrade to Sibelius 4 and it is WELL worth the cash.  What a great program!

Talk about a time saver with the dynamic parts!

I hear the next round of Finale is going to have a similar feature but for my money - Sibelius and the whole Dynamic Parts thing is GREAT!

Well, I really didn't think this thread would stay alive this long....but whatever...

[quote author=Dave Ratliff link=topic=1213.msg5459#msg5459 date=1153714051]
I hear the next round of Finale is going to have a similar feature but for my money - Sibelius and the whole Dynamic Parts thing is GREAT!
[/quote]

I tried to use my Finale 2004 a couple of days ago and felt bad for those who have not switched yet:)

I shed a single tear...

As for a keyboard overlay, I used an 88 key keyboard last year so for the main snare-tenor-bass input keys, I put different colored star stickers on the keys to represent each section. Archaic, I know, but it provided a quick look at a big keyboard and I knew exactly where the RH and LH hits for the snare were located.

Nice idea Ryan! I also had thought of using Dymo labels to label the keys.

That makes complete sense if you are a ";visual person"; (like I know I am)...