Any way to not get syncopated notes like this?

Anyway to ‘fix’ (e.g. write as quarters) these without forcing duration?

4/4 time

Screenshot 2021-12-11 022507

Hi, i’m not at my computer now.
See the “notation options”

There’s nothing relevant in notation options.

I don’t think there’s any other way. FWIW, you can select those four bars (two bars x two staves), Filter notes & chords (I have a shortcut for this, cmd F3), o, 5, 6. So basically, for me, it’s select and four keystrokes.

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Well, that’s better than nothing, but in just the first 100 bars of this score this rhythm occurs probably at least 70-80 times, if not more.

Try entering the time signature (in the popover) as [2+2]/4. That will probably affect the grouping of other rhythmic patterns, though.

If you need to return to normal grouping, enter a normal 4/4 time signature and hide it (Properties > Time Signatures > Hide time signature).

You might also try inputting the time signature (after the first bar of the piece) as 2/2 and hiding it. Having a different note value as the denominator will probably group notes differently.

Also, using the Force Duration approach - you can press the O key and then just keep entering the rest and note values you want. Force Duration should stay in effect until you exit note input (by pressing esc, for example).

Ironically the piece is “actually” in 2/2 but there’s already a hidden 4/4 in bar 2 because the way Dorico beams 2/2 is…dumb.

I tried @MarcLarcher 's method. It is probably the quickest way of converting what Dorico gives you into the appearance you want - just make sure that only the notes are selected by the filtering process.

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This might sound crazy, but for speed, try…

  1. Enter each passage as minims on the beat (no rests)
  2. select the passage and convert to crotchets (6)
  3. without deselecting the notes, force durations (o) and alt-right move them all a quaver to the right.
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There are many ways to do this. Another: Get one bar as desired in one staff, copy it everywhere else and re-pitch with lock duration.

Agreed, LOL! I would love an Engraving Option checkbox to beam 2/2 like 4/4.

Here is the Dorico default grouping:

Bar 2 is arguable as to whether it’s better to show beat 3 or not and different style guides give differing advice here or say it “may” be used. Can anyone point to any style guide that says bar 3 is correct? I’m guessing there must be some paragraph in Gould or Ross about syncopation with rests that the developers used as a guideline, but I’m honestly not seeing it. How can the grouping in bar 1 and bar 3 both be correct here? Bar 3 just seems wrong to me as a default and I too would love to see a quarter note here. Can anyone provide support for Dorico’s grouping in bar 3 from a reputable style guide? Or is this just wrong?

So, thanks to @MarcLarcher and another thread I was able to piece an acceptable fix together…

First a Macro that does ML’s fix, and then an ntry in keycommands.json to actually run said macro on the current selection.

I suspect this is about as minimally painful as this is going to get.

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We clearly need more options in this regard.

B.