Hi there, I’ve looked at several posts regarding this topic, but I have been unsuccessful. I am trying to transpose this whole file up a major third. When I go to Write → Transpose, a major third is not an option, and neither is calculating from G to B major. I’ve tried Command + A to select all and I’ve also tried highlighting the whole system track. Thanks for any guidance.
Old Friends - Barbershop Mixed Voices.dorico (1.2 MB)
Welcome to the forum, @hasthemelody !
In the Transpose dialog box, the Quality dropdown shows the appropriate choices based on the current value of the Interval dropdown. So you first need to select “Third” as the interval and then “Major” as the quality.
Hi @hasthemelody , welcome to the forum. After playing around with your file I’ve found that it is the key signature at bar 134 that’s causing you trouble. Transposing that one a major third up would result in a D-sharp major key with 9 sharps while Dorico, IIRC, only goes up to 8 sharps or flats. If you select all, then Cmd-click (windows: Ctrl-click) on that particular key signature to deselect it, you can then transpose as expected. Presumably you’ll want to then put in a fresh key signature and respell the last section as E-flat major using Opt/Alt=.
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@asherber I should have been more specific, that is what I have been trying to do as well–when I get to the Transpose dialogue box, my only options after selecting Third are Minor and Diatonic. When I use Diatonic, it does not transpose any of my key signatures, even while the “transpose key signatures” box is checked.
@hrnbouma , interesting–is there no way to tell Dorico to respell key signatures like that while transposing a full file?
Not that I know of, although I recall seeing a thread about this not too long ago. Can’t remember if it was here or in the FB group. It would be a reasonable feature request to at least throw up an error message instead of quietly refusing to transpose.
It seems the wise option is to transpose each key section (or occasionally perhaps two) individually, some by a major third, the others by a diminished fourth to produce “intelligible” key signatures.
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First of all, key signatures with 8 accidentals (i.e. with a double sharp/flat) should also be forbidden by law. Is there any literature attested using these abominations?
FR: When transposing, Dorico obviously knows the resulting number of accidentals. In order to avoid a ridiculous or impossible KS, it would be nice if it could automatically flip it to the corresponding one from the ‘other side’ of the circle of fifths.
In the OP example: where you’d get D# major, change it to the more reasonable Eb major. Without asking, I mean. Or maybe with a warning.
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Yes, there is an Ewald brass piece (quintet?) in D-flat minor.