This is a serious turn off for work flow within this software. Quick transposing is a must and having to re-adjust the enharmonic spelling of transposed chords (as per the screen shots) is incredibly time consuming (especially when clients budgets are thin).
It is the same method for all transpositions. Dorico simply asks you to realise that a minor 2nd and augmented unison are not the same!
If you donāt want to use (or donāt know) the correct interval terminology, you can use the Calculate Interval tool, which (as itās name implies) will do it all for you. I use it often.
I see this, although when transposing from A major to Bb major using a āMinor 2ndā transposition, it is enharmonically correct (A becomes Bb, Bm becomes Cm).
Ab major to A Major - Needs an Augmented unison instead of a diminished/ minor 2nd
A major to Bb major - Needs a minor 2nd instead of an augmented unison (otherwise it transposes to A#)
Ab Major to G major - Needs a minor 2nd (down). If using Augmented unison down it becomes Abb major
Ab major to B major - Needs Augmented 2nd (instead of minor 3rd)
A major to C major - Needs a minor 3rd (instead of an augmented 2nd)
To memorise every single interval like this is very cumbersome and a waste of brain power and time. Iām just unsure why there isnāt an option to successfully omit double sharps and flats - or - when transposing, the software transposes to a common key signature for the chords (then have the option to respell the harmonics if transposing to a key like Gb/F# major or Db/C# major)
Yeah, I know music theory. The point stands that itās very uncommon for Bbb major to be used as key signature.
Iām talking about when using the transpose feature. Iāve never in my career have I said to a band āwe are going to transpose up an augmented unisonā.
I know intervals well. If you read the above point, Iām talking about memorising the correct input required to obtain the desired effect of NOT having enharmonic transpositions.
If you read the post properly, Iām not talking about memorising basic music theory. Iām referencing the need to memorise the correct input for using the transpose function to avoid unwanted enharmonic chord symbols. Functionally when transposing, a diminished 2nd and a minor 2nd should (in my opinion) garner the same result.
E.g.
| A | Bm ||
> transpose up - minor 2nd/ diminished 2nd/ Augmented unison - >
Even understanding how this works, there are still a few things that bug me with this.
Transpose / Respell to avoid double and triple sharps and flats is simply broken. It does not work with chord symbols. It would be nice if this worked correctly.
Dorico has no problem wrapping keys when using transposing instruments. Alto Sax transposes up a major sixth. Dorico is smart enough to correctly wrap D# to Eb in this situation ā¦
ā¦ but not this one:
With Transpose key signatures selected, Dorico doesnāt even give me the option to transpose up a major 6th here because of the remote key:
ā¦ yet Dorico has no issue with this when using a transposing instrument. This seems inconsistent to me. Just give us an option to Wrap Keys if Necessary like Finale has, and let us be able to transpose exactly as Dorico already does for transposing instruments. Sure, keep the existing functionality too, but most of the time the user is going to want Dorico to transpose the way it already does for transposing instruments, so give us that option at least, even if itās not the default.
If you find this helpful, when the ābaseā letter name doesnāt change ā as in Ab to A ā then the interval is a unison. Letter names one apart ā such as A and Bb ā span two letter names, and therefore form a second, etc.
Now itās getting into deeper semantics. I fully understand the difference in terminology of the nuance of Augmented v.s minor 2nd. Although to be having these discussions when needing to transpose quickly and efficiently in a music notation software is not helpful.
The semantics takes away from usability. In reality, when I ask a musician to transpose up a minor 2nd from Ab. They are NOT going to be thinking in Bbb major. If so, it would be an incredibly unique case of discussion of transposition.
The simple fact is, when transposing chords, most of the time we are transposing without using double accidentals. Most of the time, we transpose to an harmonicly stable chord (choed with least ammout of enharmonics). The exeptions: Cb, E#, then, Fb and B#.
The average application of chord or note transposition is from one key center to another. When a key signatures is applied (to notes) or chords that contain no double accidentals, there should not be a transposition to double accidentals (as a default).
Dorico is perfectly fine with allowing me to use a Piccolo in Db in this situation. It doesnāt panic and say thereās no way that instrument can be used because itās not possible to transpose by a 1/2 step here. (Ok, actually 13 semitones, but visually the same idea.) Switching from Transposed to Concert works as expected. (Maybe F# is desired or maybe Gb, but at least it does something.)
Yet Dorico says transposition from A to Ab is impossible in this situation:
Itās not impossible Dorico, you literally just did it in the gif above with a transposing instrument! I would love for the devs to just give us the same functionality in the Transpose dialog as we get with transposing instruments via an option to wrap keys. Will the enharmonics be correct 100% of the time? Of course not. But at least we could select all and transpose the entire piece up or down a semitone all at once.
Of course not: they forgive you for making a minor mistake in expressing yourself.
Folks do that all the time in regular life. I donāt correct friendsā grammar at the dinner table.
Dude. No. I work as a professional musician and all my colleagues would scoff if I told them to ātranspose up an augemented unisonā.
Itās also ironic that Finale, musescore and Sibelius all seem to be able to do this function with ease (instead of me wasting time on forums and others showing prime examples of how unintuitive this system is)
Dorico is for creating sheet music. Not programming. Donāt be obtuse. Just google me bro.
We are not ādudesā and really do not care what company you keep, nor what professional status you claim.
It is not ironic. Dorico handles multiple tonality systems and transpositions with ease. But to do so it needs to be strict about how intervals are defined.
Things are only unintuitive until you have learnt how to do them.
