Custom Playing/Playback Techniques Problem with Played Duration Notes

I’m currently building an expression map, and have encountered a problem when triggering custom playing/playback techniques.

Here is a minimal working example.

I’ve created a new playing technique, called New Playing Technique, linked it to a new playback technique called New Playback Technique, with an Attribute articulation type, and inserted this as a switch into the HSO Flute Solo expression map.

A simple piece of music for solo flute with four articulations, two notes each, looks fine.

Now, adjust the start of the played duration notes. I’ve moved the first note back and the second note forward within each pair.

The second note of the New Playing Technique pair has had its playing technique revert back to Natural. My feeling is that the playing technique is attached to the start of the written note, rather than the played note.

I noticed this while working on a brass “rip” custom playing technique, in which I intended to move the start of the played note earlier than the written note to line up the peak of the rip with the beat.

I’m hopeful that I’ve missed something in the settings. Does anyone have any ideas? I’ve attached my example.

Custom Playback Technique Problem.dorico (622.2 KB)

Yes, your diagnosis is correct: the playing technique will be played at the position at which it actually occurs in the music, which is exactly at the point where the written quarter note appears.

Thank you for your reply, @dspreadbury. I’m afraid I’m still trying to get my head around this.

Might I ask why there is a difference in behaviour between say, a trill, and the downbow/upbow playing techniques? In this example, I’ve inserted some simple Downbow and Upbow switches into the HSO Violin Solo expression map.

I have found that when I change the downbow/upbow playback techniques’ articulation type to Direction (rather Attribute), I achieve the desired behaviour (provided I include a natural playing technique to terminate the downbow/upbow playing technique).

This works even if I move the first note to before the playing technique.

Perhaps the question I should be asking is why there is a difference in behaviour between the triggering of an Attribute-type playback technique and a Direction-type playback technique.

Anyway, I’m just looking to build some expressions maps which will work for notes that are slightly off-grid. It’s not a problem for the basic articulations, like staccato, slurs, trills, accents, etc, but once I want to use something from outside this main set, I’m running into this problem.

Thank you for your time. :slight_smile:

The difference between Attribute and Direction is that Attribute takes its played duration from the note at the same position as the playing technique, and it automatically returns to the prevailing state at the end of that note. Direction, on the other hand, continues indefinitely until it is countermanded by another playing technique, or if you set the playing technique to have an explicit duration (e.g. by lengthening or shortening it with Alt+Shift+left/right arrow), in which case it will then behave like the Attribute technique and return to the prevailing technique at the end of that explicit duration.

Thank you again, @dspreadbury, though it’s the difference in the behaviour at the very start of the Attribute and Direction playing techniques that I’m questioning, with respect to played notes.

I’ll construct a better minimal working example to highlight the exact difference I’m questioning.

When Attribute is used, the downbow playing technique does not trigger the downbow playback technique for my third note, as it is slightly ahead of the beat.
image

When Direction is used, the downbow playing technique does trigger the downbow playback technique for my third note, even though it is slightly ahead of the beat.
image

This is the exact difference that has been causing me difficulties. Thank you. :slight_smile:

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Sorry to take a while to come back to this one. I have looked into this further, and identified a small bug that prevents Dorico from being able to identify the note at the same position as the attribute-based playback technique if that note has a start offset. This should be fixed for our next update, when it arrives.

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Wonderful, thank you!