I’ve spent several days watching videos (https://www.youtube.com/live/voLK7fy_xLo?si=7bVGUihbZo7BmiVE & @ernestocomposer training) and reading the manual to find the answer but I’m afraid I’m still confused about how to get divisi arrows automatically. In the Discover Dorico video it showed Open Score and then SA & TB as a group, which is what I have done, but no arrows . I’ve attached the portion of the file I’m working on - I’d appreciate any assistance you can provide. Thanks!
There is no native support for your solution with the +sop2 on the alto part – you would have to simulate the arrows in that case, just like you have done.
I did not watch the video, but going between SATB on two staves to SATB on four needs some manual work AFAIK, but maybe someone else has better info on that.
You are not using any divisi. Divisi is when you for example divide the sopranos into two groups. You then right-click the soprano staff and select Staff->Change Divisi. When going back to unison, right-click Staff->Restore unison.
I’ve been singing most of my life, and although the divisi arrows may be helpful to some, most of the choral music I grew up on did not use them, and they were not missed.
Thanks for your reply. I actually am not concerned with the four bars where Sops split, but rather where SA/TB split to open score and then back to closed score again at the DS. I’ve attached some screenshots from the video to show what I’m talking about. I created my score exactly like this but I don’t get arrows.
As @jesele indicated, you’re not using any divisi. When you’re writing in closed score, you’re using one set of players, two voices to a staff (as John Barron starts out doing in his video), and then when you go to open score you’re switching to four different players.
Here’s a project file that I think matches what you’re after, although it’s not exactly what John shows. I deleted your four separate players, and at the point where you go to open score I added divisi on the two existing staves. When I did this, I also customized the divisi labels (in the Change Divisi dialog) to be S/A/T/B instead of 1/2. Finally, in Layout Options > Staves and Systems > Staff Labels > Divisi labels, I ticked the box for “Show section names on first system”. The arrows now display automatically.
Edit: I’ve just gone back and looked more closely at the section of the video you took your screenshots from, around 44:29, and I see what you were trying to emulate. I could be wrong, but I think John added those arrows by hand – they don’t look quite the same size as the ones you get when you do divisi, and they also show up in galley view, which is not what happens with divisi. And he also added the staff labels on the top of the second system by hand.
Almost there! I’ve added the Divisi, but the music is still only in the top staff, even though the second staff is there. Do I need to manually move it? Or …? This will be something I need to do a lot in the future, so figuring out best practices should save me a lot of headaches. Thanks!
Yes. At letter D, it looks like you took the music from your four separate singers and reduced it into single staves at the divisi, in different voices. If you open the file I uploaded and look in Galley view, you’ll see that each staff in the divisi section should get its own music. (Galley view always shows everything on its own staff, without worrying about condensing or divisi or instrument changes.)
I’m not sure I understand the question. If you want two notes in the soprano line, just put them there, either in separate voices or as chords.
You can always make a bracketing change in Engrave mode – but if you did straight divisi, as in the file I uploaded, those brackets shouldn’t be there.
Ahh … I think I’ve got most of it now, but I still end up with extra brackets, even though I just do Staff>Change Divisi. I know I can delete it, but I’d prefer not to get it in the first place. Thanks so much for everything!
Now I notice another issue - at the divisi the tenors have the bass clef, whereas I always use the octave treble clef for the tenors. Can that be changed? I still want the basses to sing on the bass clef though. Here is the pertinent portion of my score showing the brackets.
. I’ve attached the portion of the file I’m working on - I’d appreciate any assistance you can provide. Thanks!
