I’m getting crazy with system and frame breaks! I can’t move 3 bars into the previous page, how can something so simple be such a nightmare?
I have space at page 2 of my composition and simply want to move the few bars on top of page 3 to page 2. Any help?
Are you using the Make into Frame command? What you have to realise is that this just creates two explicit frame breaks, and on the first one, activates the Wait for next frame break property. But these two breaks aren’t in any way linked to each other, and if there is already another frame break in between them, it will not get deleted automatically. The same goes for system breaks. Other than this, please share a project file or some pictures to get a more detailed answer.
Hello Stefano,
first thing is: remove all manual adjustments in that layout (Reset Layout).
Manual adjustments are Frame breaks, System breaks, manual moving of staves.
Now: Dorico does its layouting automatically- based on your Layout settings.
First: check the overall Note Spacing, reduce slightly, step by step.
Secondly: slightly reduce the inter system gap.
As you can see I have space at the bottom of the page, but can’t find a simple way to move the 4 bars from 35 to the previous page.
Your screenshots shows, that you have manually moved staves. Once you have done so, Dorico stops applying its layout settings, as it politely thinks the user has other plans.
First thing you could try: make a Frame break at bar 17 and make a Frame break at bar 1.
Go to the property panel - while the Frame brake in bar 1 is still selected - and tick “wait for next Frame break”.
I’ve done that but nothing changed. I’ve got now a fram break at 1 and 17. But 35 is still on page 3 instead of 2.
If you could post your project here, we will be able to point you into the right direction.
This would be most helpful for you.
I don’t know how to do that. I manage to put more lines with the SETUP mode, but only worked for the 1st page. I click on “numner of systems per frame” and by adding one it worked. But it won’t work for the othe pages.
again: it looks as if you have manually moved system 27 and 31.
You can drag your Nel Silenzio project.dorico file into this window, when you reply.
Nel Silenzio Piano Scores.dorico (1.4 MB)
Thank you Stefano.
The first page is overfilled (the percentage at the bottom left shows over 100%):
I notice your interesting approach to use Lyrics text for you cues.
@k_b beat me to it for much of what I was going to say. You also have page overrides on every page. I’d remove them. It looks like you made manual changes to the flow header and page headers. Do that in Engrave mode in the right side under Flow headings. The default page template already has a spot for the flow title so add it in the Project Info, Flow 1 section and it will show up at the top of all the pages after page 1.
I don’t want the pianist having to deal with 7 pages. I think I can squees the piece to 6, but I don’t know how! Moving thing around with Dorico Elements 5 is simply impossible.
As with many aspects of engraving, this part of Dorico is designed around a hierarchy of adjustments going from global to local, and the software expects you to adjust them in that order.
The most global place for adjustments is the Layout Options, where you adjust staff size, frame margins, note spacing and the distances between various kinds of staves and items, for the entire layout. Together with the page template, based on these settings Dorico will usually give you a reasonable layout without any further work.
After that, you have the system and frame breaks, plus the option of having one wait for the next. They are very useful as local adjustments for page turns and such, but if you find yourself nailing down every system manually with them, there is usually a Layout Option you should adjust instead. And since they are a manual override of the global Layout Options, Dorico will not stop you from over- or underfilling your frames and systems.
The Staff Spacing tool is the most local adjustment. The only thing it can do is manually displace staves vertically within a frame. It can’t move systems to another frame. Similar to the breaks, if you find yourself manually adjusting every system, there is probably a Layout Option you should use instead.
edit: and similarly, if you find yourself editing/deleting text frames on every page, there is probably an adjustment in the Layout Options or the Page Template you could make instead. But global settings can only take effect as expected if you get rid of your manual overrides first.
You could reduce the staff size slightly (Layout Options>Page setup>Space size). Setting it to Size 4 (6.5mm) seems to work well, and is perfectly readable for a pianist.
I did it, even to a smaller size (5.5mm), but all it does is reduce the size of the notes, nothing moves around in terms of pages layout. Screenshots attached.
You probably need to reset your layout (remove all the manual interventions you have made)
Is this a specific limitation of the Elements version? Would I be able to move systems around the pages with the Pro version? I don’t know how to remove manual inteventions. I clicked on reset layout but nothing changed.
