Figured Bass - Fast Input “for Dummies”

Hello, I am copying a manuscript and want to include the original Figured Bass numbers.
I quite often have to input suspensions, like 6, 4->3

64-3

I am aware the original copyist did not care much about the exact positioning of the numbers, and I would like to replicate this ambiguity by just literally copying what I see.

In Dorico by using the Figured Bass Popover I would type:
[Shift]+G 64 [Enter] 3 [Enter] and get this result:

dorico 64-3

If I instead type:
[Shift]+G 6,4->3 [Enter] I get this result:

dorico 6,4-3

… which looks close to my source.

However, if I would decide to edit the edition and move the suspended 3 later into the bar, how would I actually place the 3 onto beat 2 or beat 3 - without inputting complicated code - and without extension/suspension lines appearing? So basically moving the 3 onto beat three for example, I could just input it on beat three. How could I easily put it onto the second line (where the 4 sits)? I tried [Shift]+G ,3 [Enter], but Dorico does not recognise the comma here.
I have a lot of these…

Hi !
If you click on the figured bass of the last picture, there’s a handle. You can move it with the mouse (I could not find the keyboard shortcut) according to the rhythmic grid.
Capture d’écran 2021-07-02 à 10.46.07

There is also the workaround proposed by Augustin Szokos, using “19” (or another unused figure) as a placeholder.

Augustin Szokos

I use that quite frequently.

You can specify the ‘beat distance’ of the resolution in the popover, so 64_3,d=1

(Also note: underscore _ is marginally faster than ->)

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Thank you Marc,
yes I tried this without the mouse first - but it does not seem to work, as [shift]+[alt]+[right arrow] will create extension lines. Strange that there is no shortcut for this and one has to grab the mouse…

Thanks Ben, this is still manageable, not too many keys to press. I might copy the figure and paste it into my other occasions.

Bear in mind that you can only copy the figures to the SAME bass note. If you copy 64 on G to an A, you get 53, because you’re copying “C and E”.

You can of course copy the text of the popover, if you have it to hand.

Excellent solution, I am going to use this from now on (thank you lu for the link):

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