Hello Dorico team,
I would like to request support for decimal time signatures, such as 2.5/4, 3.5/4, and 4.5/4.
In Japanese choral music, these kinds of time signatures are sometimes used in published scores. They are not merely another way of writing 5/8 or 7/8. For performers, 2.5/4 clearly communicates “two and a half quarter-note beats,” while 5/8 often suggests a different eighth-note-based feeling.
The current workaround is to create a real time signature such as 5/8 or 7/8, hide it, and add a text object like “2.5/4.” However, this is only a visual workaround and can become inconvenient for spacing, beat grouping, copying passages, playback, MusicXML exchange, and future editing.
It would be very helpful if Dorico could support decimal or fractional time signatures either structurally or as an official display option. For example:
- real meter: 5/8
- displayed meter: 2.5/4
- beat grouping: based on quarter-note pulse plus half a beat
This would be especially useful for Japanese choral scores and contemporary vocal music.
Thank you for considering this.