How do I start entering notes for an empty-handed player? I am creating an exercise, and I don’t want to pick an instrument - and I can’t find an option for a blank staff…
I’ve added players, but when I click on the Write tab all I get is options to pick players (as if I were still in setup mode). It seems I can’t add notes until I have assigned an instrument to the players…?
Thanks,
Will
You can safely add a suitable instrument to the Player in order to use it as a staff only… as long as you hide/remove the instrument name and don’t assign any playback to it, it’s just a staff…
I believe you are correct in that in Dorico’s mind, if you have a player, they must de facto have an instrument. It doesn’t make sense to give notes to an instrument that doesn’t exist or give a score to someone who doesn’t have some kind of instrument to “play”.
This is a fundamental difference between the way Dorico works, and many other notation programs.
Other programs are based on the idea of a “score” made up of “staves” and the connection between the staves and human performers is left up to the user.
On the other hand Dorico is based on “players” holding (or playing) “instruments” (note the plural, player might be playing more than one instrument.) The number of staves required to notate the music is not necessarily the same as the number of instruments, and instructions to change instrument etc are generated automatically.
There is no way to have a disembodied “staff” in Dorico - but presumably even an exercise is (at least conceptually) intended to be played on something.
Clearly Dorico is not set up for featherbedding in the orchestra pit. What a pity. 
Thank you for the clarification.