Why are there options for setting the default distances of start/end positions on horizontal lines but not for vertical ones?
I ask this because it would be really nice if Dorico’s placement of arpeggiation lines were better. As it is, the lines overflow too far above and below the chord they affect.
It would be nice if we had the option of setting default top/bottom positions for at least that specific marking to a default that suits our needs. It gets tedious to have to go in and find every arp marking to then change the top or bottom positions.
In Engraving Options > Arpeggio Signs > Endpoint Positioning , you can set how far outside of notes arpeggios extend, depending on whether the highest/lowest note is on a line or in a space.
thank-you Lillie.
I seem to have found a minor fault in how the Dorico arpeggiation line is designed, however. It has absolutely no “Stretch” built-in. In other words, every distinct little “curvy” element must be either present or absent. There appears to be no half-way point.
I tried adjusting the arp. lines in the example posted above, but either the entire arp has to be lowered or raised, or nothing can be done. If I wanted, for example, the top of the line to remain where it is, but needed to raise the bottom a bit… Dorico won’t let me. it jumps up by an entire little “curve element” (the graphic element that makes up the squiggly line).
This is not a fault, but the very deliberate design. It is a small shape that is copied vertically; this is how all music software does it. I suppose you could draw your own custom wiggly lines and import them as graphics, but that would be many times more work. At reading-size one doesn’t notice the difference when an arp line is half a space higher to accommodate one more wiggle. It suspect you are editing at a zoom level that shows more detail than a player will see on the page.
Observing your image above, FWIW arp lines in engraved scores always encompass at least the entire height of the noteheads, not just to a ledger line.
yes, I realized after posting the image that the top little red line I added was in the wrong place.
however, Finale’s font for creating the arpeggiation line allows a certain give and take which lets you get the squiggles exactly where you want them. A tiny bit of overlap within the small curve element spread across an entire arpeggio line tends to hide the fact that there’s overlap. but at least the line begins and ends where it should, instead of protruding past the notehead (either above or below).
It would be nice if Dorico’s function for arpeggio lines also allowed for this tiny adjustment, which would make getting the perfect engraving that much easier.
As it stands, to get as close an effect of correct placement, one has to play with the vertical position of the entire line, and accept bits of overflow, both above and below. Which is less than ideal.
