Will time signatures with an actual note in the denominator (e.g., 4/[quarter-note], 3/[dotted-eighth]; see here https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Orff_time_signatures.gif) be allowed in Dorico? It’s a system I’ve been dying to adopt, but my current notation software does not allow it unfortunately.
Thank you! Looking forward to Dorico.
Yes, Dorico supports these kinds of appearances for time signatures. Simply create e.g. 9/8 as usual, then open the Properties panel, and specify that the denominator should be shown as a note rather than a number. Dorico automatically changes the appearance of the time signature to 3/dotted eighth. It’s pretty neat.
You can also choose whether or not the denominator should appear at all, or whether the numerator should show the total (e.g. 7/8) or the underlying beat grouping (e.g. 3+2+2/8).
Wonderful! This is something I’ve been dying to do for the past couple of years, ever since I realized Sibel— er, the program I’m currently using— could not do. Personally I think it’s much more clear. Good to see it’s going to be implemented! I’m looking forward to trying it on for size.
Would Dorico be able to support, by extension, time signatures of unconventional denominator that’s best expressed as a note value? E.g.
2
[dotted quarter note] [tied to] [quarter note]
= effectively being 10/8, but subdivided as two “beats” of 5/8?
No, at present the note display for the time signature denominator can only be a single note value.
Hey everybody,
I know this is an old thread. I had a question: I have Dorico set to show notes as the denominator for a score. I selected that option under “denominator appearance” in engraving options.
Dorico now automatically shows me a dotted quarter note denominator when I type in 6/8, but I can’t figure out how to get a dotted quarter denominator for something like 3/8.
Any thoughts?
Seems to work for anything but 3/8. 27/8 for example shows 9 dotted quarters.
Jesper
9/8 works! (If it’s 3 / dotted quarter you’re after)
Or are you after 3/8 as 1 / dotted quarter? I’ve lost track across the two threads.
I think he wants 1 dotted quarter.
Jesper
Oh that looks great! But no, I’m trying to do just 3/8.
I wish there was a way to specify beat length when writing meters like this.
Understood. The basic issue is, of course, that 3/8 is a simple meter, where the “denominator” = the beat, not the divided beat as in, say, 6/8.
EDIT: This thread became “cross-pollinated” by another with a solution:
Are there many 3/8 measures? If not, one approach might be to enter it as 1/4 then add the dot to the quarter note as a text item. (A drag to deal with if you have a lot of them.)
EDIT: I just tried it. Once I repositioned a dot in Engrave Mode, then opt/alt - clicking it duplicated the relative positioning:
EDIT #2: What I said above about copying only applies vertically across staves. That means you’d have to tweak the position of each dot on one staff, then each could be quickly copied.
I thought this option in Dorico wouldn’t just be for compound meters. Perhaps it’s something they should add in the properties panel.
As I understand it, that option in the Properties Panel is designed to show the (numerical) beat-count over the value of the beat (hence 6/8 automatically showing as 2 dotted quarters). In order to show 3/8 as one dotted quarter they’d need to add an option for the measure* to be the note-value “denominator.”
