Write
Note that none of those searches show a combination containing anything on the “Up” or “Down” arrow, meaning that “Alt+Up/Down” or “Shift+Alt+Up/Down”
Is not a key command that appears to have any assignment in this guide under categories which we may reasonably expect to find a command pertaining to writing a percussion technique as described.
Well, let’s just assign a key command to our percussion/playing technique/notehead action so we can move on.
Let’s search the key commands for “percussion”, “technique”, “cycle” and “notehead” to see if I can find the relevant command:
Not here. This is the dreaded Edit-> notehead method I am supposed to stay away from! (The one that changes the appearance, but not playback- you know, just for kicks!).
Ok. So even if I wanted to add my own key command for this action, I can’t even find the slot in Dorico key commands to assign it to!
This is a fairly thorough investigation. What am I missing? How am I supposed to correct this?
If it does not exist in a menu or sidebar, and I cannot find the action to make a key command for, it seems there is no way to access this feature of Dorico on my end.
I’m going to need a better answer than…
“you should be switching playing techniques by using Shift-Alt-Up/Down”
“If ALT+up/down-arrow is not doing anything, you have things set up wrong.”
“If you’re in note input (with the caret active), it’s Alt-Up/Down to select other playing techniques”
“Outside of note input, it’s Shift-Alt-Up/Down to change the playing technique of existing percussion notes.”
“to change the notehead/technique you can press Alt-up/down to rotate round the various different techniques you have assigned – that will also happen to change the notehead style. If you have already entered a note you can select it and use Shift-Alt-up/down arrow to change the technique”
I can’t send all of my percussion files to John Barron to get them to play back correctly!
It’s also quite important to note that these instructions I have been given for alternate notehead playback only seem to pertain to unpitched percussion instruments. What about all the other instruments that use x noteheads frequently for muting and other techniques? Marimba, guitars, bass, strings, trumpet? Do we just forget about those?
Maybe I can help a little bit with your problem regarding the what I believe to be is a snare drum?
Can you tell me what sound library you are using, what kind of staff you are using (single line instrument, percussion kit, etc.), what the exact instrument is you are trying to use, and any other information that might be helpful to solving the issue?
Robby
VV, I’m really sorry to hear you’re experiencing difficulties with this, even after John looked into your project.
I wanted to make sure everything in the published manual was correct in this area, so I double-checked and here’s how it looks for me in Dorico 3.5, on Mac. I start by using Shift-Alt-Up/Down arrow outside of note input to change an existing note belonging to a snare drum in the basic drum set. I then enter note input and use Alt-Up/Down arrow to select other techniques for the next note I input. I’m not sure why you’re seeing something so different. Have you tried importing the flow into a fresh project just in case?
Regarding your question about other noteheads for non-percussion instruments, like muted notes on guitar - there is a dedicated feature for those, they’re known as dead notes (if I’m understanding you correctly). It’s also possible, if you want to use a specific notehead to imply a particular technique, to e.g. combine changing the notehead with inputting a playing technique that maps to the correct playback technique, and hiding the playing technique if desired.
VV should ask John B to see if he would do a Discover Dorico segment on this (or refer him to one already done) so he can see the process live.
My sense is that VV is trying to impose his own view of how things should work and cannot visualize what needs to be done.
I understand the frustration; but eventually, venting does not solve the problem.
It would also help to know if you are running in Windows or Mac, what OS version, what keyboard layout you have, what input language is selected (which is not necessarily the same as the physical keyboard), etc.
One possibility is that something else is hijacking these key combinations before Dorico gets a chance to see them. For example, some graphics interfaces use hot keys to switch between landscape/portrait mode, etc.
Some of the “lowest level” key commands in Dorico are not customizable. For example in note input, you can’t make pressing the C key input a D, even if you had some reason why that seemed like a good idea for whatever you wanted to do.
I can’t “visualize” how to press “alt-up”?
Are you kidding me?
Did you even read what I wrote? I gave you 16 visual aids to chew on that you have no direct answer to?
“venting does not solve the problem”
So otherwise I should sit here all quiet and never achieve a working percussion map on a piece of software I spent hundreds of dollars on because I can’t speak up when the instructions I have been given and followed to a T are not working because an anonymous * like yourself is incredulous of someone having a different experience than themselves and can’t even bother to read before chiming in?
Nope.
It’s not my forum, as I’m just a lowly fellow user, but I can safely say being rude is not the way to not convince fellow users to help you.
Robby and Rob have both posed questions to you in an attempt to get to a solution. Derrek’s right that taking out your frustration on others won’t achieve what you want.
Somehow I don’t think you are going to help if half of those questions are answered in my post already, and one in particular is absolutely irrelevant (the sound library has nothing to do with the function of a key command on a staff).
And you don’t help at all. So what are you adding here?
Here’s one place your key strokes might have gone. See How to Use Screen Rotation
These all seem to involve the Ctrl key, but Other graphics drivers may have similar (but not identical) hot keys.
All versions of the Intel® Graphics Control Panel support Hot Keys. These keys, when pressed, have the ability to automatically rotate your screen without having to go into the Intel® Graphics Control Panel. By default, the hot keys for rotation are as follows: •0 degrees (normal/upright): Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow
•90 degrees (quarter turn clockwise): Ctrl + Alt + Right Arrow
•180 degrees (upside down): Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow
•270 degrees (quarter turn counter-clockwise): Ctrl + Alt + Left ArrowNote These hot keys can be changed if desired, via the Hot Key Manager located in the Intel® Graphics Control Panel.
Apropos this message (and attached screenshots), the documentation says words to the effect of “select the note in Write mode”. It does not say “select the notes in note input mode”.
In the screenshots the caret is clearly invoked.
Try selecting note without invoking the caret, then typing Shift-Alt-Up. Does that change the notehead and the Playing Technique?
Hahaha.
I’ve done both more times than you can count. I did it the way you mention here first because that is how I read the manual too.
Then I entered note input mode to try it, thinking they didn’t mention that part.
If you go back through the thread, there are instructions given for note selection both in and out of note input mode.
To quote myself:
"Now, what is it I am being told repeatedly is the right way to assign these alternate noteheads?
Alt+Up/Down for note input
Or
Shift+Alt+Up/Down when selecting a note outside input
Well, as I mentioned before, those methods aren’t working.
Neither of those directives yields any result when I use them."
Shall we go in circles some more?
I’d rather not. If you’d like to cut a project down, zip and upload it I’d be very happy to take a look. The easiest way to shave bytes off a Dorico project is to go to Play mode, ago to the Play menu, select Playback Template, set to Silence and close.
If you can’t or won’t upload a project, I shan’t participate in this thread any more.
Looking into this… back in a moment.