I’ve been experimenting with creating Lyric & Chord charts in Dorico to see what’s possible. While this isn’t the normal application of notation software, I know some programs can handle it, and clients do often ask me for these charts alongside traditional notation. My goal was to make a Lyric/Chord chart in the song’s recorded key and have Dorico automatically generate transposed versions with the same layout in each different key. And then, I also wanted to create a flexible template to work from.
What Worked (and What Didn’t)
I didn’t quite achieve my goal. With workarounds, I did get close to my aim for the Original Key charts, but transposed versions had numerous reflow issues, even after applying Propagate Layout and Lock Layout functions. I might have missed a better approach, and I’d welcome thoughts and input, but I did learn a lot along the way—and thought some of you might be interested in what I tried and found.
Keeping chords aligned with lyrics—or positioned in the spaces between words—proved tricky in transposed layouts. Dorico’s automatic layout adjustment struggled when chord names expanded from simple letters to include multiple flats or sharps, creating horizontal spacing challenges.
To left-align lyrics, I used a single 4/4 measure filled with 16th notes, attaching a word (or syllable) to each note. Chords that fell between words were just attached as chord names. I also skipped a system between song sections and used a custom Paragraph Text Style as rehearsal marks for section headers. Sometimes, these charts need slashes, barlines, diamonds, or fermatas, which I added using visible noteheads, but for the most part, noteheads, stems, beams, time signatures, and key signatures had to be hidden– and most importantly, the staff itself and most barlines needed to be hidden. Big thanks to forum members @FredGUnn for a brilliant 0-Staff Line solution, @dan_kreider for a Hidden Barline workaround, and @D.Galbraith for feedback, encouragement, and inspiration!
I was hoping Dorico’s collision avoidance and system management would take care of most spacing issues—and in many cases, it did! But there were still challenges: Many transposed parts required me to hide accidentals in every measure. Although I didn’t test using Capo chords, it seemed best to use a pitched staff (not percussion) in order to create transposed Layouts. As a result, note positions, even though hidden) raise or lower on transposed parts, causing vertical spacing shifts of chords or lyrics to avoid collisions. Some transposed lyric lines appeared too compressed, others could’ve used more hidden notes (requiring inserting time signature changes).
In some ways, this Nashville Number System example I input solves many of these issues by being key-independent, but that’s not a format all clients are open to. Also, this example is relatively simple. The NNS format also typically includes underlined chord numbers in unevenly spaced measures and tick marks indicating a number of beats for unevenly spaced chords– both proved a bit of a challenge here. One thing I couldn’t do in the template was adding Used Chord Diagrams above the first system. That’s totally possible by adding a full width music frame under the title, but since the number of diagrams changes with each new song and I want a template that doesn’t have to be adjusted with every edit, the extra frame created more spacing headaches than it solved.
Feature Requests
Working on these charts—and other non-traditional notation for method books and teaching materials has made me aware of some features I hope may find their way into a future Dorico version.
- A true 0-line staff (not a workaround that could break in future updates) for both pitched and non-pitched instruments. A 1-line staff for pitched instruments is also needed. And for either, a user needs to be able to specify the vertical length of the barline it pairs with.
- A real hidden/invisible barline (not created as a 0-length dashed barline, which is impossible to select and there’s no gray appearance to mark its location).
- The ability to hide the Clef and Key Signature even on the first system! (Notation Options lets you hide these after the first system.)
- The ability to select multiple measures and change their barline appearance all at once.
- An option to specify a Fixed Vertical Position of chords, lyrics, (possibly other elements) while ignoring collision avoidance.
- User ability to create custom Rehearsal Marks and inclusion of basic song sections (Intro, Verse, Chorus, Turnaround, Bridge, Tag, Outro, etc. with numbers: VERSE 2).
- A text token for All Key Signatures in Current Flow
- A text token for First/Next Key Signature in Current Flow
- The ability to add a border around a selected Time Signature (or Key Signature).
- An alternate Layout Option to Show Chord Diagrams Used at the end of the flow, not just before the first system.
- In Engrave Mode > Staff Spacing, the ability to select multiple systems at once and enter a custom vertical spacing value to distribute those systems evenly.
