Hi everyone!
If I choose a key signature with no flats or sharps, which one would choose to write in C Major or A Minor, is that the same thing as having no key signature and adding in sharps and flats as necessary? Thank you, my friends.
Mike
Atonal ? Just sayin’… If there is no specific tonal center, best answer 
1 Like
If you don’t enter a key signature, transposing instruments don’t know where to transpose to.
If you do, they can.
1 Like
The difference is that Atonal will stay Atonal (empty key signature) in transposing instruments, where a specified key of C major / A minor would get an appropriate transposition, for example two sharps on a clarinet in Bb.
Edit: @TonH was faster!
Just to clarify: the parts will be correctly transposed, but without key signature (which is probably better if the music is not in C major/A minor).
3 Likes
I still think that, without a tonal center, atonal is the right key signature.
4 Likes
And if one sets the key to atonal, one must say on the layouts whether the layout is Concert or Transposed.
+1, a zillion times over! As someone whose primary instrument is Alto Sax., I’ve had to remember 3 sharps that have nothing at all to do with the music I’m playing more times than I could possibly count. If you want to write in Open key, definitely use that and not C/Am.
5 Likes
Thanks, everyone. Haha, I’m still confused. I heard that John Williams sometimes doesn’t use key signatures and just puts in the accidentals when needed. Because I’ve been playing around with modes and oddball scales lately, I frequently need to negate (with a natural) an accidental or two that’s in the key signature, which seems ludicrous that they are there in the first place. That’s why I’m wondering how other composers handle this situation. Thank you.
Mike
Hi @MikeInBoston,
just a reminder (in case someone reading this thread is not aware) that, besides leaving the key signature empty, you can specify an Atonal key signature writing atonal in the Key Signature popover, so you have a signpost and can keep track of what “key signature” is being currently used (in case you have for example a mixture of “tonal” and “atonal” sections in your piece).
(Transposed Pitch visualisation):
1 Like
I would add that Dorico uses key signatures as a way to interpret certain notes, for example:
If you are in the key of A minor and you input a G#/Ab with a MIDI keyboard, Dorico will write it as a G# because it assumes your tonal center is A and G# is the leading tone of A harmonic minor.
So, even if the score doesn’t show a key signature, the behavior of the program changes based on what key signature you choose.
2 Likes