I am writing a piano reduction for a large orchestra piece. There is this part with constant tremolo in the celli and double basses, always the same notes. I would like to use bar repeats continuously.
Unfortunately, Dorico does not let me insert it after a measure change. (in this example 4/4) I understand this of course, since it does not make sense to play a 6/4 in a 4/4. However, since it is only tremolo, it would be way better for reading the music to have a bar repeat sign constantly. Otherwise you might think the notes have changed, which they in fact have not.
Is it possible to insert the bar repeat sign manually somehow, or find some kind of workaround? Thank you in advance for your help.
Irrespective of workarounds, as your example shows, it would be illogical. The bar repeat after the time signature change cannot be a repeat of the previous bar. Also, your players would likely be more confused than helped by that notation.
OT. That tremolo is physically impossible to play on either Cello or Bass.
itās a piano reduction. Presumambly the Celli and Basses have a one-note-tremolo on G (or even a held note), written on the same bottom stave line, but the basses sounding 8vb. Itās common in Piano Reductions to indicitate this with such a tremolo on the piano.
Exactly. Of course celli/bass is not playing exactly that. It is a reduction.
Secondly, how would that be confusing to read? You just keep doing the tremolo, this time for 4 beats instead of 6. Right hand has enough notes, so you also wouldnāt get confused with where you are in the bar.
It doesnāt work in Dorico bc Dorico is considering the real note values, which are too big for the bar. You could fake it with a custom playing technique and position it in engrave mode, hiding the rest with 0% transparency.
In any case I personally would also reinstate the tremolo at the meter change, for clarity. I would actually not use any repeat-symbols at all and just write it out. Itās not cluttering anyhow.
There is no āof courseā here. If Cellos are playing the upper tremolo and Basses the lower, there is even less reason to use any repeat bar marks!!!
The purpose of the repeat bar mark is to simplify and/or save layout real estate. Exchanging a single note for a repeat mark achieves neither!
Welcome to the forum @Julius_13 ā Iām away from Dorico so canāt double-check, but does lengthening the bar repeat region so it spans both bars produce the result you want? If my memory serves, you donāt need two separate regions for each time signature: one region that spans both should work.
AFAIK, the % symbol can only mean ārepeat the last bar exactlyā, not āplay something that resembles what you were doing beforeā. Using it after a meter change is semantically wrong. You cannot repeat the 6/4 bar exactly there.
A player thinking āitās just more of the sameā might miss the change in TS, or it could cause raised hands in a rehearsal. My advice: donāt.
Iām sorry. This was not supposed to be a discussion about my arragement of the orchestral score nor about the way to write it down. I have tried many different ways of writing it and checked it with several of my colleagues, who all agreed it would be better NOT to write the notes again as long as the chord/intervall does not change. Once your fingers are there and doing the tremolo there is no point in seeing the notes every bar and you can focus entirely on the other hand.
