Is there a way to change the key signature mid-score to display all accidentals for a phrase (about 24 measures) and then go back to a traditional key signature afterward? In this phrase, the music shifts tonality quickly, and I’d prefer not to change the key signature nonstop. Thanks!
Yes, just add the required key signatures as and where you need them.
Dorico doesn’t transpose music when you add key signatures so your existing pitches will remain, they’ll just show accidentals or not as determined by the key signature.
Do you mean putting it in C or having no key sig (“atonal”) then back to being in an earlier key?
I meant having it atonal for that section.
You can type Shift + K, then “atonal” as your key sig. But I’ve been trying to coax out any notational differences from using C major via different accidentals settings in Notation Options, and haven’t had any success.
Collective wisdom, are C major/A minor and atonal (Dorico-) functionally equivalent vis-à-vis Second Viennese/Atonal/Modernist settings? I was trying to get all accidentals (including naturals) to appear only in an atonal section. Is that possible?
If I remember correctly, the main difference between atonal vs C major vs A minor is how note spellings are determined when inputting via an ambiguous source, like a MIDI keyboard (ie you would basically never want Ab instead of G# in A minor, but you fairly likely would in an atonal passage).
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Regarding the difference between atonal or C major/A minor, I imagine it makes a huge difference for transposing instruments. E.g. the difference between having no key sig or 2 sharps for B-flat instrument parts.
I’ve actually seen this in concert band works from time to time, where the score was intended to be atonal, but the composer/engraver actually chose C major in their notation software, resulting in a lot of parts with key signatures that got cancelled in every bar.
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