Right Hand 8 String Steel Exercises.dorico (840.4 KB)
I have no idea what I did here but there are a number of non 4/4 measures in this exercise. Can anyone tell me how to make all measures contain 4 beats?
As you can see, there are a LOT of things I don’t understand about the layout, etc of Dorico. Using version 5
One way is to select a barline at the end of a bar with fewer than 4 beats, invoke the barlines popover with Shift+B, and then enter 1q (or however many beats you need – q indicates quarter notes).
After you’ve done this, turn on signposts in the View menu, and then delete any barline that has a red signpost attached to it – the barline will actually stay there, but the signpost will disappear. These are barlines that got inserted when you created those shortened measures.
Here’s a fixed version of the file.
Right Hand 8 String Steel Exercises 2.dorico (525.4 KB)
Thank you Asherber for doing this, but unfortunately it adds rests and I don’t want any rests in the music.
Also when I did what you described to fix this, it didn’t correct the bars, just added empty bars behind the measure line I highlighted.
It is very obvious to me I have no idea how Dorico formats its basic page layouts and associated items with those. I often find I am entering something and the page layout changes to some crazy looking thing when I think I only added some notes in the next measure. And I have no idea even where to begin to look for a solution.
As a LONG time Finale user, I could make each page look exactly like I wanted. As a Dorico user since November, I often have to settle for what Dorico defaults to. I have watched a number of videos and looked at the help file online a lot, but still have no clue. Can anyone share any ideas about how I might start to learn what I need? Any videos you’d recommend. I am not averse to spending time doing this and do want to learn it.
I don’t have big needs. I make leadsheets for Jazz tunes like you’d see in a fakebook, plus need tablature for mandolin and 8 string non pedal steel guitar in a few different tunings for instruction purposes. I wrote 13 instruction books in Finale and would like to do some more, but i don’t have a good enough handle on Dorico to do that yet.
Have you taken the time to work through the Dorico First Steps exercise?
I know it’s not your genre, but I think it would help you a lot.
You have seen this?
After you learn more it will become easier. Any software can be difficult to use jumping straight in doing the same as anyone used to in any previous software they have used for a long time, then wanting the exact same results taking the same time.
This happens after you have used Dorico for a while too 
There are various YouTube videos on creating lead sheets if you have not searched for some already.
Well, I wasn’t sure how you wanted things to look. Did you just want straight 4/4 all the way through? That is, all the notes are correct, you just want the barlines moved?
Edit: Here’s a version that removes all the rests – although I note that not all of your exercises have exact multiples of 4 notes, so some of them have odd endings that you’ll need to adjust. Feel free to ask if you’d like some help figuring that out.
Right Hand 8 String Steel Exercises 3.dorico (525.4 KB)
I second @Janus 's advice to work through the first steps guide, just so that you’re more familiar with what Dorico offers. It’s important to recognize that Dorico and Finale work very differently, even though the end goal of well-engraved music is the same.
Thank you so much Asherber!! This is exactly what I need and I cleaned up each ending.
I have several videos I will watch and take notes, starting with the ones mentioned here.
Can you tell me how you moved the notes and took out the rests? I saw a video that did this but I don’t remember which one.
You all are a great forum!
I turned on Insert mode:
And then I selected each rest and hit Delete.
Thanks so much, this will save a lot of time. 