I see no logic in the default position for comma;
Anyone who knows?
I would expect the comma to be placed in bar 2 as in bar 1.
Anyone who knows?
Check this option:
2 Likes
I’m having trouble with the logic of a breath before a rest. 
What does it mean - cut the note short? It might make sense if it matches other parts that don’t have a rest.
2 Likes
I reread the OP a couple of times before I understood we’re talking about the vertical position. (I’m with Ben, not sure what these are supposed to mean.)
The horizontal position is an issue too. These are too close to the rest by default when the notes are this long. Even though I adjust my horizontal distance option, I find I still have to move breath marks horizontally about half of the time to clarify the intent.
In Sibelius I attach a comma (as text, of course) to a beat position in between the notes, so it stays the same proportional distance. (In this example, at the 3rd and 7th quarters – still with some horizontal offset, perhaps +½ space.) I haven’t yet done enough vocal music in Dorico to resort to a different way of writing breath marks, but I certainly do find {a fixed distance from the following beat} too inflexible for really good positioning in a variety of contexts.
1 Like
The “hold” marks do not behave like text. While the anchor moves as instructed the placement of the mark itself remains the same until some threshold is met, and it skips to next “hold point”. Only in Engrave mode do you have control over the position. In Engrave mode the steps are based on (fractions of) spaces and beats are no longer used. Like you say I too use the text comma in Sibelius and perhaps this is the best option in Dorico if you need greater control in Write mode.
From left: Dorico default, Academico Regular, Times New Roman Bold.
IMO TNR is the best-looking of these three. I don’t know if there is any advantage in using Dorico’s default function. Vertical placement is better for the default function as text objects do not (yet) have individual default positions, like in e.g. Sibelius.
Not every publication is an appeal to authority.
3 Likes
Indeed, simply the publisher’s interpretation unless the composer is a pedantic proofreader.