This is an simple example of som bagpipe music. It can be recreated in Dorico but the multiple grace note combinations are very time consuming to input. In Lilypond these combinations are pre-defined (1-3 letters describes each one) which speeds up the process. Is there a way to achieve this in Dorico or are there any plans to include this future updates?
When I do this, it is a matter of selecting the duration and the grace note switch then the notes (either by keyboard or letter), turning off the grace notes, then the duration for my next note…. It seems very quick to me (but then I have not used Lilypond)! What is your workflow? Are you using note before duration (that would add keystrokes…)?
— Jim
Once you’ve input one of the grace note groups, you can select it and then Alt/Opt+click it into place on another note. You can then quickly repitch it either with the various Alt/Opt+arrow combinations, or by using Lock Duration. This might be quicker than explicitly entering each group.
I’m not familiar with bagpipe music, but it looks to me like each main pitch always has the same grace note group. If this is correct, what I would do is something like:
- Input the grace notes before the D in bar 1
- Alt+click to the E in bar 2, and repitch
- Alt+click to the B in bar 2, and repitch
- (repeat for each distinct main pitch)
- Select the grace notes before the D in bar 1 and Alt+click them to every other D in the piece
- (repeat for each main pitch)
Hello John - first of all, there is this app (forgive me if you know about this already)..
CelticPipes – Music Notation Software for Bagpipe & Celtic Instruments
My point being that for the meantime, it may be easier entering your music here first and trying a musicXML export, back into Dorico.? I see it does musicXML import. so would hope it does the export side too…
Maybe it helps..? (free 30-day demo available)
PS:- I don’t know anything about the app or bagpipe music notation 
Though I’d recommend asherber’s advice of copying and repitching the phrase, you might also consider typing it all as ‘real’ notes, and then (with Insert mode on), selecting the grace notes and pressing /
I think it was version 2 in Musescore where Bagpipe embellishments (palette) was added with many of the common combinations. I inputted the main notes, then went back through with the embellishment palette open. Select the first note needing them, then click the required embellishment (or one near to that combination of notes, then arrow to move them to the required ones), arrow to the next note requiring one and so on. It was very quick.
I think there have been more embellishments added since then (now v4, there are quite a few!)
I have just a few various books of bagpipe music and old beginner basic guides with the music notation, spacing, layout very bad (perhaps done by hand, no surprises, no computers back then.) Even downloads of bagpipe music newly engraved look to me, almost the same. Looking a comments on the various current bagpipe notation programs available, there are many who are very happy with their choice, even though the output/layout looks almost as bad to me. I suspect it is what you are used to and if you learnt from some of the ||: reprinted, reprinted, reprinted :|| Method tutor books from way back (I just checked from my shelf, one is 1934, another 1954, and handed down again and again, from piper to beginner piper), so having a current program outputting in a similar way might be typically expected, familiar to read from, and quite satisfying.
Personally I think Musescore shows the notation much more clearly (if that is what you want 
) and if you then want to use Dorico’s layout processes, export it as musicXML, import it into Dorico to take advantage of its own layout engine (uncheck (or at least look at) the options in the input settings in Dorico preferences which is generally the recommended procedure.)
I did a basic test to this myself, Musescore input to Dorico and it works well with the embellishments coming in without problems. I was quite happy with just Musescore, but an olde piper might prefer the more traditional (distressed? squeezed? inconsistent?) look which might take more work to undo what these notation programs do automatically as they are designed for a clean, clear layout as you already know.
I have just played around with a couple of web editors for creating Bagpipe notation (there are a few of them.) In one, I exported the file as .bww which imported into Musescore (looks clearer to me), but I see there are a few convertors available online where you can import, convert, export to various formats like ABC, musicXML so you can import into a notation program for finalizing layout if you prefer a dedicated bagpipe program for inputting your notation but like going through the layout processes of a notation program like Dorico, Musescore.
(I’ve been holding this in for FAR too long now…)
Wait! I’m confused… you used “bagpipe” and “music” in the same sentence!
Boo! Hiss! 
Btw - while this thread seems to be about the highland pipes (going by the sample in the first post), did you know that there are different bagpipe traditions all across Europe? (And maybe elsewhere too? I’m not that much of a pipe expert.) The highland pipes are AFAIK unique in their wall-of-sound. While I don’t mind those, my favourite pipe sound is that of the Northumbrian Smallpipes.
despite the joke, I have Welsh ancestry, so pipes are part of my blood.
I don’t actually hate them, even the big full pipes they have in Scotland.
That’s how I interpreted your evil emoji.
Have you ever heard Galician bagpipes?
I once performed with Silk Road Ensemble with Cristina Pato. She was fantastic. And talk about wall of sound…
I don’t think that I have. Will have to look up Cristina Pato. Do you have a recommended recording?
Not really. The piece i played with her was Golijov’s Rose of the Winds, but I don’t believe it has been recorded yet.
There are plenty of short clips online.
I liked this Muiñeira for Cristina, so I’ll be looking for more by her.
Definitely do! She’s one of the most renowned bagpipe musicians in Galicia. She truly took the instrument to another level.