As a jazz musician, creating a lead sheet in Dorico was a new challenge for me, especially since I only started using the program a week ago. Here are the things I had to learn to navigate this software and bring my music to life on paper. If you see better ways to do any of these, please feel free to let me know!
Adding Rehearsal Marks:
- Position the caret where you want the rehearsal mark.
- Press Shift+A to insert a rehearsal mark.
- By default, rehearsal marks will use letters (A, B, C, etc.).
- To change rehearsal marks to numbers:
- Go to Engraving Options > Rehearsal Marks .
- Change “Sequence type” to Numbers .
Changing Beaming in Time Signatures:
- Write a time signature with the desired beaming . For example, in 6/4 it could be 2+2+2/4 or 1+1+1+1+1+1/4.
- In the bottom section, select “Numerator style” and choose “Number” . This will still display 6/4 but with your chosen beaming.
Hiding Cautionary Time Signatures:
- Select everything , right-click to access the filter.
- Ensure the filter is enabled and select (not deselect) the ‘Time Signatures’ option.
- All time signatures in your part will be highlighted.
- In the lower menu, click on ‘Hide Cautionary Time Signature’ .
Preventing the Last System from Extending to the End:
- Go to Layout > Note Spacing .
- Uncheck the option “Only justify final system in flow” .
Fixing a Bar that Won’t Move Systems:
- Go to View > Signposts and enable Signposts .
- If there’s a system break attached to the bar, click on it and remove it .
Copying and Pasting Everything:
- Click in the System Track .
- Select the first and last measure .
- Click on the square icon and copy.
- Paste to your desired location.
Removing Multi Rests from Parts:
- Go to Setup .
- On the right, right-click on the part .
- Go to Layout > Players > Bar rests and Multi Bar rests .
- Choose to consolidate or make another choice.
Selecting Only Chord Symbols:
- Go to Edit > Select All .
- Right-click on the part and choose “Chord symbols” .
More Shortcuts and Tips:
- Changing a Note from B♭ to A#: Use Option + [key], then Option with Ç. Add or remove a flat as needed.
- Changing Text Size (Title, Composer, etc.): Go to Library > Paragraph Styles.
- Changing Chord Symbol Style: Go to Engrave > Font Style. Choose “Chords Symbol Font” and “Chords Symbol Music Text Font” and set them to your desired size.
- Changing Chords’ Horizontal Placement: Go to Engrave Options > Chords Symbol > Position. Adjust the horizontal position.
- Adding or Removing a Tie: Select a note, then press “o” and “t” (“o” keeps the same value and doesn’t combine notes). To remove a tie, select the note and press “u.”
- Combining Two Notes into One Rhythm: Select the notes and press “t.”
- Transposing a Section Chromatically: Select the notes. Use Option with the arrow up or down to move diatonically. Use Option + Command with the arrow up or down to move octaves. Use Option + Shift with the arrow up or down to move chromatically.
- Changing the Spacing of All Staves: Select the part and go to Engrave mode. On the left, choose “Staff Spacing,” then go to the “Engrave” menu at the top. Scroll down to “Staff Spacing,” select “Copy Staff Spacing,” choose the model page, and apply the settings.
- Editing Chords: Go to Library > Chord Symbols > Project Default Chord Symbol Appearance. Enter a recognized chord symbol (e.g., “Csus9-Add13”) and modify as desired. To create an unusual chord, modify an existing symbol and remember which one you redefined.
- Adding Bars: Click on a bar and type Shift + B, then enter the number of bars.
- Changing Instrument Sounds: In Setup mode, select the instrument. Go to Play mode > VST Instrument > Garritan Instruments, and choose the desired sound.
- Changing the Key of an Instrument: In Setup mode, click the arrow next to the instrument’s name. Choose “Edit Instrument Definition” and adjust the transposition.
- Removing Key Signatures: Click on the key signature and delete it.
- Choosing a File from the Parts Menu: Go to Window > Hub.
- Setting Four Staves Per System: Open Layout Options (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + L). Go to “Staves and Systems” > “Casting Off,” and set to four staves per system.
- Toggling Between Concert and Transposed View: Go to Edit > Change Layout Transposition > Toggle Layout Transposition.
- Moving Measures to Different Systems: In Engrave mode, select a note and press “,” or “.” to move it.
- Moving Elements: Use Option + Command + Arrow Keys while selecting.
- Searching for Elements: Press J to use the Jump Bar.
- Text Input Shortcuts: Shift + Option + X: System-wide text. Shift + X: Staff-specific text.
- Removing Left Margin Indentation: Open Layout Options (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + L). Go to “Staves and Systems,” set “Indent first system of flow by [n] spaces” to 0.
- Adjusting Keyboard and Rhythms Settings: Go to Preferences > Note Input and Editing > “Pitch and Duration.”
- Changing 4/4 Time Signature to Common Time: Open the menu at the bottom of the score, click on the time signature, and select “Common.”
- Moving a Note from One Staff to Another: Select the note and press “N” to move it to the same layer. Cut with CMD-X and paste into the desired staff with CMD-V.
- Changing Staff Size: Go to Edit > Notations > Staff Size > Custom > Change Custom Factor.
- Setting a Fixed Number of Systems Per Frame: Go to Layout > Staves and Systems > Casting Off > Fixed number of bars per system.
- Inserting a Graphic Frame: In Engrave mode, click on the left frame. Insert a graphic by clicking the mountain icon.
- Writing on Multiple Parts Simultaneously: In Write mode, click a stave and use Shift + up or down to add staves.
- Adding or Removing Bars: In Write mode, select a bar. Use Shift + B to add or remove bars.
- Creating a Triplet: Hit “;” then select the rhythm (e.g., 5:3). Delete by removing the triplet number.
- Rebeaming Notes: Use Shift + Option + 8 to beam or Shift + Option + 7 to unbeam.