I just finished my first project in Dorico coming after > 30 years in Finale. It was a fairly ambitious big band arrangement. I feel good.
Overall: Sure, I didn’t want to be “forced” learn a new system, but I’m glad I am.* I genuinely think this will be faster and better for me in the end. I’ve never loved copywork, but it is an absolute necessity to do what I do, and I need to do it at a particularly high level.
Here’s some thoughts/tips no one asked for:
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Don’t make your first project one you ported over from Finale. Ok, it’s what I did, (stupidly on a deadline) and I don’t recommend it at all. Most Dorico folks are saying this. Listen to them.
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There’s a nice way to put this next thought, and a less nice way:
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NICE: I read a chapter years ago in “Zen and the Art of Tennis” that explained the ancient concept of “emptying your cup” when starting with a new teacher. You need room in your glass for the new teachings. Let go of what you know w/Finale while you are learning the new tool. https://www.learnreligions.com/empty-your-cup-3976934
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LESS NICE: Give in. Let your back go slack. (<-- Quote from a favorite song, “Give In” by the Buddy Scott Trio…) Just shuddap and do it their way! You won’t be able to figure out if it works for you unless you learn it correctly the way it was designed. Learning new things is good for you. Good musicians know how to do this. To play an instrument one learns how to learn.
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After I really learn the system, I will be able to better judge whether this system works for me or not – which is the heart of the “emptying your cup” approach. But I gotta learn the system first.
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For all the little things that you were so familiar with that you’re like WTF about now: First, take a deep breath. Then…I used the extensive Dorico Help (search function is better than Finale’s IMHO) quite a bit. I watched videos. I searched Google. The internet is so much better now for finding answers to technical questions… even exponentially better than it was 10 years ago.
- When I was in a real jam I asked for help on the forum. I took a deep breath first tho. I did not frame my questions like “WHY CAN’T I DO XXX IN DORICO THAT I COULD FART OUT IN MY SLEEP IN FINALE?” “Amazingly” I got very helpful answers quickly. The community is really great, they are worthy of being treated with respect, and they’re being extra patient with us right now haha.
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Also for those little things you’re like WTF about: Take it one thing at a time. The hardest part is getting started on each new little hurdle. Once you get started with the RTFM-ing and the googling and the video watching, each little hurdle will be cleared. Some take longer than others, but most the time I was like “oh that wasn’t that bad” and I moved on. But I had to stop fretting and start the work. (Honestly this is no different than writing music on a deadline haha)
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Chords and slashes are a totally different animals in Dorico. Spend the time searching, reading, and watching documentation.
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Drag handles for slash regions and even hairpin dynamics are kinda buggy in my experience. Learn the key commands to move things. It is not the Finale way, and it is an improvement, IMHO. The key command system is logical and once I started getting the gist of it, I found it to be quite intuitive. Sure , my muscle memory is slow, but thems the breaks.
- Note: If I change my mind in the future, that’s ok too… and I’m totally open to that. This concept that “flip flopping” is a bad thing comes from a closed minded place, IMHO.
