Daniel, would you consider a setting for staff names to display number ranges instead of lists, when there are more than 2 consecutive instruments?
“French Horn 1-6” instead of “French Horn 1.2.3.4.5.6”
It’s an interesting thought: I’m not sure I’ve seen that in any published scores. Are you aware of any publishers who handle it this way, so I can take a look?
Tell me if I’m OT, but right out of curiosity I’m interested to know about situations in wich condensing the 6 horns playing in unison on one staff is more convenient than having 2-player staves. Is it useful for very large scores ?
Please don’t see any critics in my question. I’m really trying to figure out under which circumstances I would do the same when orchestrating my pieces.
Regards,
Michaël
I think it just depends how large the ensemble is, and how tight the vertical constraints are: if the material is simple enough to show on a single staff and it makes sense to do so from the perspective of allowing more room for other material, then I think it’s a valid choice.
I’m pretty sure it was used in old, hand-engraved Schott or Peters study scores, where vertical space was extremely valuable. I may try to dig out an example, but my main concern is film scores, where I’d like to avoid redundancy and any avoidable page turns. Plus you may always need a large 8 or 12-horn section (for a 100+ orchestra), where using only 2 staves would be beneficial.
That makes sense to me.
Hi Sugar and Daniel, I’ll second the request for number ranges instead of lists. I’m working on a project where 8-horn unisons are a thing and I was asked to keep it all in one stave and a single voice. The source material is written as “hn 1-8” instead of “hn 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8” and when we get into double-digit territory, it can take up even more valuable page space. An option in “Condensing Change” to override the default labeling system would be very welcomed.
Daniel, I’ve emailed you more details and examples.
Best,
César.
Hey folks, I’m thrilled to say that “Consolidate into range” is now available as a Condensing option in the latest 5.1.30 update:
I want to emphasize the significance of this subtle change for my workflow. I understand that there were more pressing issues that required attention, balancing priorities is never easy, but I appreciate the team’s careful consideration. It’s crazy how Dorico has improved and matured over the years.
A huge thank you to the devs for their dedication and effort. Long live Dorico! 
3 Likes