Keyboard Shortcuts

Here is a list of all VBR's shortcuts

The 'Escape' key: Stops playing a score.
The Left and Right arrow keys: Move the cursor one slot to the left or right. If the Shift key is pressed the cursor moves one bar to the left or right.
The Up and Down arrow keys: Move the cursor one line up or down. If the Shift key is pressed the cursor moves one stave up or down.

With regard to the 'Insert' and 'Delete' actions described next, the behaviour of the Shift key differs as to what is being inserted or deleted. As far as notes are concerned, the Shift key helps determine the stalk of the note which is inserted or deleted. For more details of this, see the relevant sections concerning the selected symbols. In general, pressing the Shift key has the same effect as clicking on the action buttons with the right hand mouse button.

The Numpad1 key: Inserts the currently selected symbol to the left of the cursor by creating a new slot.
The SPACE key, the Numpad0 key and the Numpad2 key: Inserts the currently selected symbol at the cursor position.
The Numpad3 key: Inserts the currently selected symbol to the right of the cursor by creating a new slot.
The Delete key and the Numpad Delete key: Deletes the currentl;y selected symbol under the cursor.
The Enter key and the Numpad Enter key: Adds the currently selected not to the score in the next appropriate slot.

When entering text, the following functions apply:

The 'Enter' key: enters the text at the cursor, cleats the text box and moves the cursor one slot to the right
The Left and Right arrow keys: move the cursor left or right one slot
The Up and Down arrow keys: move the cursor up or down one line
The 'Home' key: turns autospacing on
The 'End' key: turns autospacing off

Please note that as the left and right arrow keys are used to move the cursor in the score, they are not available for their usual function of moving the caret in the text.

The following standard shortcuts are provided.

Ctrl-X: Clears everything from the marked block
Ctrl-Z: Performs an UNDO operation. Pressing the Ctrl-Shift-Z key performs a REDO operation.

Also:

Ctrl-J opens the Edit Stave Dialog box
Ctrl-O plays the score from the beginning
Ctrl-Shift-O plays the cursor stave from the beginning
Ctrl-P plays the score from the cursor
Ctrl-Shift-P plays the cursor stave from the cursor

There are a large number of shortcuts to the Quick Edit icons.

Ctrl-A: Realigns a bar (ie shifts notes about so that notes sound in the right places)
Ctrl-Shift-A: Recalculates the timings in a bar but does not realign it. Warnings will be issued if the bar is inconsistent.
Ctrl-K: Kerns a bar (ie adjusts the slotwidths to make the best use of available space.)
Ctrl-Shift-K: Unkerns a bar
Ctrl-Delete: Deletes the whole slot under the cursor
Ctrl-Shift-Delete: Deletes the whole bar containing the cursor

All of the following keys modify in some way the note nearest to the red arrows on the cursor. In general, the Alt key determines the kind of note (normal or alternative) while the Shift key determines the precise action taken

Ctrl-S: Swaps the tail of the whole note cluster under the cursor. (if there are two clusters with opposite stalks, both clusters have their tails reversed). If the Shift key is pressed, only that note under the red arrows has its tail swapped. (NB If there are two clusters in the slot, it will join the other cluster. This may cause its length to change.)
Ctrl-F: Forces a beam between this note and the next. Pressing the Shift key removes the 'Force beam' directive.
Ctrl-B: Breaks the beam between this note and the next. Pressing the Shift key removes the 'Break beam' directive.
Ctrl-D: Makes this note slurred. Pressing the Shift key removes the slur. directive.
Ctrl-G: Makes this note into an 'alternative' note. Pressing the Shift key removes the note 'normal' again.
Ctrl-H: Cycles through the six different notehead styles. Pressing the Shift key cycles ion the opposite direction.
Ctrl-L; Makes the note 'stemless'. Pressing the Shift key restores the stem.
Ctrl-N; Changes a note enharmonicall: eg it turns a Bb into an A#. (Pressing the Shift key has on effect.)
Ctrl-M; Reverses the direction in which ties curve. Pressing the Shift key has a similar effect on slurs.
Ctrl-Q; Joins this note and the next together. Normally, the two notes being joined would be at the same pitch. If they are not the pitch of the second note is lost. Pressing the Shift key, however, preserves the pitch of the second note.
Ctrl-W; Splits a note into two roughly equal notes. Pressing the Shift key ties the new notes together.
Ctrl-E; Makes the rhythm of a pair of notes equal. Pressing the Shift key has no effect.
Ctrl-R; Turns a pair of notes into a note and a rest. Pressing the Shift key has no effect.
Ctrl-T; Makes the rhythm of a pair of notes dotted. Pressing the Shift key has no effect.
Ctrl-Y; Makes the rhythm of a pair of notes syncopated. Pressing the Shift key has no effect.
Ctrl-U; Makes the rhythm of a pair of notes tripleted. Pressing the Shift key has no effect.
Ctrl-I; Makes the rhythm of a pair of notes into a syncopated triplet. Pressing the Shift key has no effect.
Ctrl-UP: Moves a single note up one line. Pressing the Shift key moves the whole cluster up one line.
Ctrl-DOWN: Moves a single note down one line. Pressing the Shift key moves the whole cluster down one line.
Ctrl-LEFT: Moves a whole notecluster or rest one slot to the left. Pressing the Shift key has no effect.
Ctrl-RIGHT: Moves a whole notecluster or rest one slot to the right. Pressing the Shift key has no effect.
Ctrl-MINUS: Decreases the width of a slot by 4 units
Ctrl-Shift-MINUS: Decreases the width of a slot and moves all notes to the left by 4 units
Ctrl-EQUALS: Increases the width of a slot by 4 units
Ctrl-Shift-EQUALS:Increases the width of a slot and moves all notes to the right by 4 units
Ctrl-9 or Ctrl-[: Moves a note cluster or rest a small amount to the left within the slot.
Ctrl-0 or ctrl-]: Moves a note cluster or rest a small amount to the right within the slot.
Ctrl-shift-9 or Ctrl-Shift-[: Moves an accidental a small amount to the left within the slot.
Ctrl-Shift-0: (Should move an accidental to the right but it doesn't actually work.)
Ctrl-Shift-]: Moves an accidental a small amount to the right within the slot.
Ctrl-7: Moves an accent small amount downwards. (In the case of sf and fp marks, the accent can be put below the note.) Pressing the Shift key has no effect.
Ctrl-8: Moves an accent a small amount upwards. (In the case of sf and fp marks, the accent can be put below the note.) Pressing the Shift key has no effect.
Ctrl-SPACE, Ctrl-Numpad0 and Ctrl-Numpad2 alters the length of the note or rest under the cursor. For this to work, the correct note/rest value must be selected from the 'Notes and rests' panel. Secondary dots and N-tuplets may be added as required.
Ctrl-Home, Ctrl-End sets and resets the autospace flag of any text under the cursor.
Ctrl-PageUp, Ctrl-PageDown enlarges and reduces the size of the score as seen on the screen.

The following group of keys selects some commonly used symbols

The numeric keys 0-8: Selects a dynamic level from tacet to fff
The 'Pipe' key (in the top left hand corner of the keyboard): Toggles the 'Don't print' checkbox when entering dynamics
The function keys F1-F8: Selects a note. NB pressing the key twice (or three times) in quick succession will select a dotted (or double dotted) note.
The function keys F1-F8 together with the SHIFT key: Selects a rest. NB pressing the key twice (or three times) in quick succession will select a dotted (or double dotted) rest.
The function keys F9-11: Selects or deselects an additional accidental (#, b or natural).
The function keys F9-11 together with the SHIFT key: Selects one of the three stem direction modes.
The function key F12: Enables and disables MIDI capture from a keyboard.