Hi - I want to re-do the layout on this very simple piece for soprano w/piano accompaniment. First try in Dorico. The layout is all wrong. I need three staves on the first page, four on the second and the final three on the last page. I have adjusted margins, space sizes between systems, vertical systems and the rastral size. all to no avail. I’m happy to send you the score - but I also don’t know how to do that. LOL Thank you in advance. PS - I watched the ENTIRE “Create your perfect music layout | Discover Dorico” on YouTube but all my attempts are not working.
You should be able to drag the Dorico project file into the edit box where you create a post on the forum. If that doesn’t work for you (you need to have spent a certain amount of time on the forum in order to have upload privileges), you can always upload to Dropbox or something similar and post the link here.
Hi @joanjohnsondrewes, yes, if you post your Dorico Project, or just a link to it from some cloud service (as @asherber described), you will become instant help on how to setting things up
01 - Full score - The Song Maker.pdf (91.9 KB)
DID THIS WORK?
It worked – but that’s a PDF. Can you upload the actual Dorico file?
I do not know how to do that… so sorry.
Well, you successfully dragged the PDF into the edit window, or you used the upload button.
Do the same thing, but select the Dorico file that is saved on your computer.
The Song Maker.dorico (1.0 MB)
Hi @joanjohnsondrewes, thank you for the file. here two possibilities:
in Layout options/Page Setup/Space Size, reduce slightly the Space Size
or
In Layout Options/Note Spacing reduce the Default space for crotchet/quarter note: to 2 5/8
or use a combination of the two methods
Here are two versions of your project.
The first thing I did was to reset the positioning of the systems on p.2. In Dorico, manually moving systems should be the very last thing you try, after you’ve adjusted the settings for the layout.
In the first version, all I did after that was change the rastral size to 5, which makes all the music smaller. It fits nicely on two pages now, although there are only 2 systems on the last page instead of 3.
In the second version, I changed the rastral size to 4 and then changed some of the vertical justification settings in Layout Options to get things closer together.
You can take a look at what I changed by using the Library Manager to compare your file with mine. I’m not suggesting that these are perfect layouts, and obviously there are some compromises to get what you want, but hopefully it gives you some ideas about what is possible.
The Song Maker adjusted layout 1.dorico (886.1 KB)
The Song Maker adjusted layout 2.dorico (874.2 KB)
Very Helpful. I’m not in a location at this very moment to explore in detail… but Thank you. I like layout 2. Let me ask this - what you have done - is not on my file? Can I save your version to my Dorico files?
Yes, the two files I uploaded have different names from your original file, so you can save them to your computer without replacing your file.
I am grateful! I have another soprano w/piano that I’m going to do the exact same thing with - based on your recommendations and expertise. Wish me luck!
Good luck! Just keep in mind the principle that in Dorico it’s usually best to adjust global settings first, and then tweak things locally only if needed.
Note also @Christian_R 's helpful video, which gets the music to fit on fewer staves by changing the note spacing.
As you can see, there are lots of ways to approach layout issues – ultimately, it’s a question of what looks better to you.
(Well, ultimately it’s what helps the players to learn the music with the least unnecessary pauses for questions during rehearsal–and what makes the conductor and players happy. )
Best of luck, Joan, on soon becoming a Dorico star.