I have a project where the best option for labeling chord tones calls for text within the staff. The paragraph tag I created uses the background color feature to briefly interrupt the staff so that the labels are easier to read. So far, so good. (Thank you, Dorico!)
But I can’t find a way to adjust the height of the text background. It extends higher than I’d like. I tried all the settings avaiable in the paragraph styles, but nothing affects the vertical span of the background.
Am I missing something?
Something like this?
There is a small space before the 3 that is set with a smaller font size;
Change size and character spacing to get an even “padding”.
Yes, this is the desired result. But I cannot replicate it using your instructions (and variations thereof). I’m using Windows 10, if that matters? If I begin with space in a smaller point size, then switch to the larger size I need for my chord tone label, I still get a vertical background the same size as if I used no initial small space.
Thank you very much for your help. If you could please send a clue as to what I’m not doing correctly, it would be appreciated.
Could it be that you just have the cursor “standing idle” there when you alter the numbers? SHIFT-ARROW (left or right depending where you have the cursor) so you have the space selected, then alter the numbers. The same for “cutting off” the top white space over the 3, select the “3” and alter the numbers and you will see the 3 moving upwards. If you take a too great value it will scalp the 3, but then just reduce the value again.
You can change the padding around each edge of text items using Properties rather than the paragraph style.
However, would using fingerings inside the staff, or perhaps string indicators that you’ve modified not to show enclosures, be simpler than using text items that you have to move manually?
Thanks so much for this. I tried it, but could only add space, not take any away, which is what I need to do. Amazing, though, all the many options Dorico does offer!
Right. That’s the ticket. Thanks to your suggestion, I can indeed get the effect I desire, albeit a one-at-a-time situation. Probably too much to hope that Dorico could accommodate every whim we have. But I’ve found that it’s good to ask questions in case someone has solved some puzzle we run into.
Thank you so much for your kind help and attention!
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I should add that copy and paste is a dependable standby. Once I get a chordtone label as I need it in a particular flow, I can copy and adjust it almost as easily as uising a key command to call it up.