Just out of curiosity and ocd.
Is it possible to have the red signpost stating E Phrygian instead of C Major?
Not that I know of, but personally I think it would indeed be awesome if we could define more “keys” or modes for Dorico to think in beyond minor and major (and how accidentals should be interpreted from MIDI keyboard input for a specific scale/mode/key) .
1 Like
I just did some research: It is indeed possible to create custom key signatures and to tell Dorico which note is its tonic. The way to go is here:
Under Tonality System, click + to open the tonality system dialog which will also allow you to create a custom key signature.
However, there are some shortcomings with regard to modal music: The signpost will read “Custom” rather than the name you gave your custom key signature, although the given name will be displayed when mousing over it under Custom Key Signatures in the panel pictured above.
There are other minor shortcomings regarding vocabulary:
-
The dialog to create a custom key signature requires the user to define “accidentals”, which - in my humble opinion - is not a very precise term for what is actually meant with it. As far as I understand, accidentals in the narrower sense are those notes that are not part of the scale defined by the key signature and thus need to be indicated with symbols (like sharp, flat or natural) before them. As English is not my native language, I cannot tell how sharp the distinction is in English, but in my native German we have a clear definition of “Vorzeichen” (“prefixes”) being the general term for all those pitch-defining symbols, while “Akzidentien” only means the described case of indicating those notes that are not part of the key signature’s scale. In German, one would never talk about “Akzidentien” as the sum of symbols that make up the key signature.
-
The term “root” for the defining note of a key is misleading, as keys or scales do not have a root as chords do. (For the record: In matters of scales I am not considering jazz in this context, I do know that things are handled a little different there.) “Tonic” would be the appropriate term for scales - or “finalis”, if you’re a chant afficionado.
It would nevertheless be great if actual accidentals (in the narrower sense, like in German) could be defined in a custom key signature, as an instruction for Dorico how to interpret those notes from a MIDI keyboard that are not part of the scale.
EDIT: And an opportunity to define a custom popover entry for a custom signature would be helpful as well!
(P.S. While we’re at it, we could as well take this a little further: If I want to write a piece in one of Messiaen’s “modes of limited transposition” and I want it to be as barely readable as the Maître decided to do it for - understandable - structural reasons, this would require me to write a specific pitch always in the same enharmonic interpretation throughout a whole section remaining in one transposition, although this may make an F#-minor chord be spelled F#-A-Db for example. If the Custom Key Signatures dialog would allow us to commit such shenanigans that would be truely awesome!)
2 Likes