Creating a conductor’s score - tricky!

Dorico
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For the first time I’m creating a classical score with strings and choir.

I hadn’t realised how many considerations there were in creating a proper full score for this setup.

This piece has many changes of divisi, including solo instruments from the sections. So, whether or not I show empty staves, the number of staves per system is constantly changing.

Plus, when a solo divisi starts there needs (at least I think there needs) to be a system break. Otherwise Dorico shows the music from the section players on the solo staff, which the solo player would naturally play as a solo.

Likewise when a solo divisi ends, otherwise Dorico will show rests for the solo player when I want them to rejoin the section.

So the number of bars per system is also frequently changing, or rather, the note spacing is constantly changing.

Plus I still have to get to grips with Dorico’s rules for vertical justification. And the way that Dorico makes a solo instrument the ‘main staff’ in relation to divisi necessitates a fair bit of sorting things out.

Is this a familiar problem? Does anybody have any examples of scores where this kind of issue has been dealt with effectively?

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If your soloists rejoin the rest of the section when their solo finishes, then use solo/gli altri divisi and it will be correctly notated, otherwise use a separate player for the solo parts and hide empty staves.

I wouldn’t worry too much about vertical justification (or any layout matters) until your notes are entered. Dorico defaults do a pretty good job in most cases.

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Thanks Janus. Yes, I’m using the solo / gli altri method. I tried separate players, but it created more additional complexity.

I’ve got all the notes in now, and I’m just working on layout questions. I agree completely that there’s no point in thinking about the layout any earlier.