Options for Double Dotted Notes (Request?)

Dorico
1

I’m not sure if I’m in the minority on this one, so this request may be a complete stab in the dark.

Is it possible to have a few more Notation Options related to which circumstances Dorico will produce double dotted notes?

My personal preference would be to allow double dotted notes (in simple meters) within the confines of a single beat but not beyond. So for instance (in 4/4 time) a double dotted 8th note followed by a 32nd note would be ok, but I wouldn’t want to see a double dotted quarter note followed by a 16th note, I’d rather see that as a quarter tied to a dotted 8th then a 16th. Nor would I want to see a double dotted half note followed by an 8th note.

This seems like a low priority kind of request because you can get around this with some force durations and what not, but… just a suggestion.

2

Seems like a pretty sensible request, to me :slight_smile:

3

They have their uses. I don’t see that filling up a bar like this with tied chords instead of a triple-dot adds any value…
triple dots.png

4

Well, the triple dot is certainly an acceptable way of notating that rhythm and I wouldn’t judge you for using it. But it is an aesthetic choice to use a second or third rhythm dot. Dorico even acknowledges that by giving you some options for the maximum number of rhythm dots allowable. I’m just hoping for a few more refinements of those options.

5

In the meantime (if that request is ever accepted and implemented), there is a fast workflow to change a double-dotted quarter that you don’t want :
• select it
• make sure the grid is the same value as the last dot, and shorten the double dotted quarter
• press o
• lengthen the dotted quarter still selected
Force duration after-the-fact is a real improvement, for which I thank the team :slight_smile:

6

Another way to split a note: put the note entry cursor where you want the split and press U (untie). That assumes there is a rhythmic grid marking where you want the split - change the grid spacing if not.

Then select the first note and press OT (force duration, and tie).

7

Forced Duration will let you create more dots than the limit set in the notation options. (Alt+. adds another rhythm dot to a note).

So you might try setting the Dorico limit to 1, and overriding it for your double dotted notes in half bars.

8

I must confess I’ve never seen a triple dot before. Feels much the same as the one time I saw a triple sharp. It’s like finding musicological gold. In this circumstance, I can see why it was chosen. Interesting.

9

You can find triple-dotted notes in Chopin’s G-major prelude (op. 28, no. 3).

10

Bruckner’s fourth symphony, first movement, is littered with triple dotted notes.

11

As in the Liszt example, multi-dotted notes are useful in multi-stave instruments where the rhythm is clear from the other stave.