A question about tie design in a system break

[Runter_vom_Sofa]

Hi,

I take the liberty to attach only screen shots to this posts, since it is a design question rather than a question of how Dorico deals with the issue.

I have a long C sharp in open key signature, tied over several bars, including a system break. Following Gould’s advice on page 80 in Behind bars, I repeat the accidental after the system break, without brackets. In Engrave mode, I select the note and set the property of the accidental to Show.

The tie over to the new system is very short, Dorico of course seeks to avoid the tie colliding with the repeated accidental. (The score was written in 3.0, I don’t know if 3.5 would design the tie differently – it does not, when I redo the tie and the accidental property in 3.5).

Repositioning the end of the tie is a straightforward operation in Engrave mode. However, observing the good practice of keeping a tie to “almost touch each notehead” (Gould, page 61), the tie collides with the sharp sign. I see a couple of possible solutions, none of them seem ideal to me, so I’m seeking advice.

I could make the arc more curved. But since the starting point of the arch is alligned exactly with the end point, coming of course from the same pitch, it looks awkward.

I could lower the starting point of the arch, but that too does not look pretty.

I could position the tie coming from the system break lower, but then I would have to make the rest of the ties also lower to make them aligned – not good looking.

Maybe the collision looks best after all?

(It seems I was not allowed to include screen shots of more than three pictures, a total attachment size limit I suppose.)

[Runter_vom_Sofa]

Here is another of the possible solutions I mentioned, plus Dorico’s original design.

[Vaughan_Schlepp]

For one thing, I would put the accidental between brackets, despite what Elaine Gould says, although I think that her preference to omit the bracket has more to do with confirming the accidental later in the bar. She does say that bracketing is an option.
As far as the rest is concerned, I would avoid making the tie look like a slur, which repositioning the starting point will do. Lowering the arc makes it look different from the tie after it, which I would also avoid. The original Dorico design produces a nub which is, indeed, quite ugly. You could conceivably increase the horizontal space before the note to avoid the nub, and then a bracketed accidental would look fine, as well. To be honest, I don’t really mind the collision in your solution with both endpoints repositioned. It’s still readable and it adequately reminds the reader what the note is.

[Runter_vom_Sofa]

Thanks, and agreed. The collision is quite unobtrusive and may well pass. Rather that, than trying to reinvent the tie in an artificial way.