diff --git a/qtgui/mainwindow.py b/qtgui/mainwindow.py
index dfa3917..6552a0f 100644
--- a/qtgui/mainwindow.py
+++ b/qtgui/mainwindow.py
@@ -597,12 +597,19 @@ class MainWindow(TemplateMainWindow):
         self.ui.splitter.setSizes([1,1])
 
     def toggleFollowPlayheadInPattern(self):
-        """We do not need to do anything here at the moment. Pattern.playhead will just check
+        """Toggling is done by Qt. We do not need to do anything here at the moment. Pattern.playhead will just check
         the menu checkbox"""
         pass
         #now = self.ui.actionPatternFollowPlayhead.isChecked()
         #self.ui.actionPatternFollowPlayhead.setChecked(not now)
 
+    def toggleVelocitiesAlwaysVisible(self):
+        """Toggling is done by Qt."""
+        #now = self.ui.actionVelocitiesAlwaysVisible.isChecked()
+        #self.ui.actionVelocitiesAlwaysVisible.setChecked(not now)
+        self.patternGrid.decideYourselfIToShowVelocities()
+
+
     def halftoneTranspose(self, value):
         if self.songEditor.currentHoverStep and self.songEditor.currentHoverStep.isVisible():
             if value == 1: #only +1 and -1 for the menu action.
@@ -665,6 +672,7 @@ class MainWindow(TemplateMainWindow):
         self.menu.addMenuEntry("menuView", "actionMaximizePatternArea",  QtCore.QCoreApplication.translate("menu", "Maximize Pattern Area"), self.maximizePatternArea)
         self.menu.addMenuEntry("menuView", "actionEqualSizeSongPatternArea",  QtCore.QCoreApplication.translate("menu", "Equal space for Pattern/Song Area"), self.equalizeSongPatternAreas)
         self.menu.addMenuEntry("menuView", "actionPatternFollowPlayhead",  QtCore.QCoreApplication.translate("menu", "Follow playhead in pattern-view by scrolling."), self.toggleFollowPlayheadInPattern, checkable=True, shortcut="f")
+        self.menu.addMenuEntry("menuView", "actionVelocitiesAlwaysVisible",  QtCore.QCoreApplication.translate("menu", "Velocity numbers are always visible"), self.toggleVelocitiesAlwaysVisible, checkable=True, shortcut="v")
         #self.menu.addSeparator("menuEdit")
 
         self.menu.orderSubmenus(["menuFile", "menuEdit", "menuView", "menuHelp", "menuDebug"])
diff --git a/qtgui/pattern_grid.py b/qtgui/pattern_grid.py
index 9d0eddb..9fdd952 100644
--- a/qtgui/pattern_grid.py
+++ b/qtgui/pattern_grid.py
@@ -308,9 +308,19 @@ class PatternGrid(QtWidgets.QGraphicsScene):
         for patternStep in self._steps.values():
             if patternStep.status:
                 patternStep.velocityNumber.show()
+
     def hideVelocities(self):
-        for patternStep in self._steps.values():
-            patternStep.velocityNumber.hide()
+        if not self.parentView.parentMainWindow.ui.actionVelocitiesAlwaysVisible.isChecked():
+            for patternStep in self._steps.values():
+                patternStep.velocityNumber.hide()
+
+    def decideYourselfIToShowVelocities(self):
+        """Called by the menu action to always show velocities"""
+        if self.parentView.parentMainWindow.ui.actionVelocitiesAlwaysVisible.isChecked():
+            self.showVelocities()
+        else:
+            self.hideVelocities()
+
 
     def mousePressEvent(self, event):
         self._middleMouseDown = False
@@ -519,7 +529,11 @@ class Step(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
         self.velocityNumber.setParentItem(self)
         self.velocityNumber.setBrush(self.parentScene.labelColor)
         self.velocityNumber.setPos(offset*2,offset*2) #that is not pretty but you can see it under the cursor
-        self.velocityNumber.hide() #only visible during mouse wheel event
+
+        if self.parentScene.parentView.parentMainWindow.ui.actionVelocitiesAlwaysVisible.isChecked():
+            self.velocityNumber.show()
+        else:
+            self.velocityNumber.hide() #only visible during mouse wheel event
 
         #The data section. On creation all the steps are uninitialized. They are off and hold no musical values
         #self.velocity = set in self.useDefaultValues . We don't set it at all here to have a clear Exception when the program tries to access it.
@@ -602,6 +616,9 @@ class Step(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
         else: #User clicked on an empty field.
             self.useDefaultValues()
 
+        if self.parentScene.parentView.parentMainWindow.ui.actionVelocitiesAlwaysVisible.isChecked():
+            self.velocityNumber.show()
+
         self.exceedsPlayback = exceedsPlayback
 
         assert self.factor > 0
@@ -679,7 +696,8 @@ class Step(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
         """Hover events are only triggered if no mouse button is down. The mouse got grabbed
         by the item. Which makes sense because we want to receive mouseRelease on an item even
         if the mouse cursor is not on that item anymore"""
-        self.velocityNumber.hide()
+        if not self.parentScene.parentView.parentMainWindow.ui.actionVelocitiesAlwaysVisible.isChecked():
+            self.velocityNumber.hide()
         self.statusMessage("")
         if self.status:
             event.accept()