I’ve been using Dorico SE 6 on mac after previously using Sibelius on PC. I’m currently trying to create a simple sheet showing various examples of patterns and sequences for jazz improvisation. I’m using a lead sheet template as I literally only need to show one stave for each example.
I want each example to start on a new line/system and assumed I could just notate all the patterns and then deal with the layout later.
Having written all the sequences, I tried adding manual system breaks after each example, but it looks terrible. For example, on the first system, I just want to show a simple major scale in half-notes, which takes 8 bars, but Dorico automatically put 7 measures on the first line and the eighth measure at the beginning of the second line.
If I put a system break at the end of bar 8, it then displays 3 bars on the first line and five on the second. I could theoretically add another system break after bar 4 to make it 2 four-bar systems, but this seems to take up a huge amount of space to show a major scale. It would look way better if the first line was 8 bars long (especially as it’s entirely half notes). I’ve removed the indent at the beginning of the frame, but it makes no difference to the number of bars per line.
The second pattern shows a major scale ascending in alternating thirds, which takes 7 measures. Putting a system break at the end of that, creates a layout with five bars on one line and 2 on the other.
I tired using flow breaks at the beginning of each pattern, but apparently SE won’t put a new flow anywhere other than on a new page.
I think I might be able to create a default number of bars per system using ‘casting off’ setting, but this still wouldn’t help with examples that aren’t 4 or 8 bars long. Each example is predicated on the seven-note major scale over one or two octaves, so some sequences are 3 or 7 bars long.
Is there a way to make Dorico reconsider its layout after adding system breaks so it displays things more logically, or is it impossible without the ‘make into system’ feature? After googling, I understand this feature is not available in SE. Is it available in Elements, or do I have to spend £450 for pro to do something I could do easily 10 years ago in the £20 Finale Songwriter software!?
I’m pulling my hair out here as I’ve just spent about 10 hours reading tutorials and getting used to the workflow and note input conventions and shortcuts of Dorico, but it now it seems like I can’t get a very, very basic couple of pages of music to lay out in a way that doesn’t look ridiculous.
It took some getting used to, but I found I could input notes quite quickly after a while and am open to upgrading to elements if it does what I need, but 99% of what I notate is tuition material for students and lead sheets for jazz combos - I really can’t justify the price of pro for that. Am I doing something wrong, or should I just give up and look for other software?
