FR: Insert mode to shift lyrics

Sometimes I’ll look up after a bit of lyric entry and realize they’re all shifted because I forgot to account for a melisma, or omitted a hyphen. At present, there’s nothing for it but to delete and re-enter.

I’d love the ability to turn on insert mode, grab the offending lyric, and correct it… and all the syllables that follow. Except they wouldn’t shift by equal rhythmic position, but to the next correct syllabic position.

You can fix this in the Edit Line of Lyrics dialog, can’t you? Put the missed syllable at the end of the line (in the score itself), then go Edit Line of Lyrics, then cut and paste from the end to wherever in the middle the syllable needs to go.

Yes, you’re right! Thanks. But I would find Insert mode in this case more… intuitive. :wink:

And faster. “I” for Insert, Alt-R/L arrow.

Piling on… +1

Interesting idea. I hate when you’ve gone a good line while looking at your source document and realize you forgot one extra space or incorrectly bumped = instead of -. Alas, I had not thought of the edit lyrics dialogue either.

I have wondered in the past whether it would be possible to redirect the hyphen key to something else, like a foot pedal. It’s small and in the corner of the keyboard, while I could hit the spacebar from across the room…

I imagine this is indeed possible via 3rd party software such as autohotkey or keyboard mæstro.

I never type lyrics onto the page. If I don’t have them in digital form already, I assume I’m going to need to have them in a printable format at some point so always prepare for this. As I’ve said before, I’d like to be able to bring lyrics into Dorico in this form and then mark up the text to fit the music but I agree that it would be useful to be able to shift lyrics on the page.

I don’t want to divert this thread but from my limited experiments, voice recognition works. You could just say ‘hyphen’.

Generally, I found there was nothing to be gained from controlling Dorico in this way (I was slower than with other input methods) but it does mean one can keep both hands on a MIDI keyboard. If coupled with pitch then duration, it might suit some people well.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’d have to assume such programs would really struggle with all the partial words involved, unless you’re spelling words letter by letter (in which case I’d much rather type!). Lyrics are just as often split into syllables as they are full words.

I’d like to endorse Dan’s request, and for the same exact reason. Have gotten caught in the same situation twice in the last month.

–L3B

Yes. You can’t add a melisma in the Lyric Window, and if you add a syllable, you’ve got to take one off somewhere else, which requires thought.

Having programmed Command F L to Filter Lyrics, it not too complicated** to do that, Command X to Cut them, and then paste them back in.

** I come from Finale, remember.

One would never enter lyrics like that but if all you want to do is have another way of entering a hyphen (‘I have wondered in the past whether it would be possible to redirect the hyphen key to something else, like a foot pedal’), voice recognition will work.

Anything that can be done with a key press or key combination in Dorico (i.e. almost everything) can be done with the voice. It’s amazing really. As I say though, I found there was no real advantage other than being able to keep both hands on the piano keyboard if necessary, and most operations were slower.

+1 for

Yes, you’re right! Thanks. But I would find Insert mode in this case more… intuitive. > :wink:

And faster. “I” for Insert, Alt-R/L arrow.