How do we Display Sharps and Flats While Inputting with MIDI Keyboard

Dorico
1

I’m using Dorico for iPad.

Another newbie question:

How does one have Dorico display the #/b symbols when inputing notes? For example, when I play a C-scale, and hit a “wrong” note (like a B flat), can I have Dorico display the flat sign? (yes, I understand that Dorico would have to decide whether the note is a Bb or A#) (how do we do that?)

Thanks so much

1 Like
2

Hi, David.

Dorico’s heuristics to “guess” which enharmonic might be the right one are pretty good.
It takes its educated guesses based on the given key as well as the surrounding notes.

Bear in mind that the key is the most important thing. “C major” is not the same as “no key”, and “A minor” is different from “C major”.

3

The accidental signs display automatically when you play a black note. If Dorico gives you a sharp and you prefer a flat, or vice-versa, see here.

Of course, if you have set a key signature of, say, C-sharp major, things get more complicated, but the principle remains the same. :smiley:

David

4

Thank you - but, for some reason, when I play the black keys, not sharp or flat signs appear. Must be a setting that I’m missing. (?)

5

Thank you - but, for some reason, when I play the black keys, no sharp or flat signs appear. They don’t display automatically.

Must be a setting that I’m missing. (?)

6

Just to clarify: You play an F#, and Dorico writes an F (or a G), but no flat or sharp signs appear?

7

Correct

8

It writes the base of the # note (F for F#, G for G#, etc.)

9

Have you input a key signature that includes these accidentals? If the accidental is specified in the key signature, Dorico won’t show the accidental on the note.

If you’re on the desktop, you can check the pitch of notes by selecting them individually and checking the read-out in the status bar (bottom left of the window).

10

Sorry - clarification:

On the iPad, when I hit the input button (note symbol with a plus sign) Dorico displays correctly the sharp/flat symbols in Write mode.

HOWEVER, when I also hit the button right below the input button (it has an up and down arrow with a note symbol) no #/b symbols are displayed.

So I’m in the “up and down” mode (when I play, the cursor stays in one place and the notes are just displayed in the same place without moving the cursor down the score) and no sharp and flat symbols are displayed.

Maybe there’s no way to adjust this, and not sure what this mode is for, except that for me, it’s super useful. I use the “up and down” mode with no cursor movement to practice sight reading in reverse - I look at a line or space and then choose the key on the MIDI keyboard to “hit” that line or space. Or I envision a set of lines/spaces on the staff and then figure out what chord it is - then hit the chord and test to see if got it right.

Thanks so much for your help. Sorry for the false alarm - this is probably not an issue for most people.

11

You really should find that when you touch one of the black keys on the on-screen Keyboard, Dorico inputs a note matching that pitch, though it will only show an accidental if that makes sense from the point of view of the current key signature.

But it sounds like you might be using the pitch before duration input method, in which case you specify the flat or sharp after the pitch is chosen and the note has been input.