I’d like to request the ability to type this dynamic (meaning, in this case, somewhere between piano and mezzo piano) into the dynamics popover without having to resort to workarounds. I’ve had to do this often for a particular composer but I can no longer remember how I did it!
In the meantime, until it’s possible from the popover, you can fake it as a playing technique. If you find the file where you originally created it, you can select this PT and mark it as a favorite (star icon at the bottom of the left column). It will then be available in all your projects.
(Sorry, I made mp-p instead of p-mp, but the workaround is the same!)
I understand the need for this, Vaughan.
I often wish there was another dynamic between mp and mf!
For that, I sometimes simply use in-between modifiers like poco and meno, and whichever volume direction I want it to go in.
As you can see in the dynamics lane it interprets it as literally in between!
also meno mp results in the exact same dynamic rendering, although my brain usually prefers the additive modifiers rather than the subtractive ones.
though regarding Vaughn’s post, I think this notation can be a little open to interpretation. I’m in the camp that doesn’t see it as an in-between dynamic (which would be so hard to interpret accurately anyway), but more like a subito style marking, play the first note p and the rest a little louder at mp… I’ve also seen others interpret it as a repeat variation. So if the developers add this, which path will they choose for playback?
I agree - for me mp-p would seem to indicate a quick(ish) diminuendo.
I wouldn’t know how to intetpret your notation without guidance, but creating poco f and hiding it would be a good way to adjust playback dynamics without manually adjusting things in the play editor.
The composer I’m referring to likes to use p-mp to mean somewhere between the two dynamics. My point is that I find it kind of arbitrary that we can type mp-mf directly into the popover without any problem but that p-mp is impossible and requires a complicated workaround using a playing technique. I say complicated because it wasn’t easy to find the glyph for the separator. I had to use a third-party program to scroll through all the glyphs in the music font I was using.
I agree it should be allowed, but it’s actually not completely arbitrary – each side of the dash represents one of each side of the soft and loud spectrum. In other words, piano-based dynamics, and forte-based dynamics. This is why you can combine mp-mf but not p-mp, nor f-mf, since Dorico doesn’t allow two dynamics from one side (yet).
My point about playback was that whenever the devs add this feature, there would have to be a decision made as to how its actually interpreted by Dorico. As of now, dashed dynamics represent a subito playback style, completely unlike the interpretation of the composer you work with. Of course, playback is of no concern in this regard, that could be ignored.
Either way I would like to see the option too!
Oh yes, and my example above was quickly executed to illustrate the variations in the automation lane, but I wouldn’t really ever put anything like that in a real score back to back as such. I do think players know what to do when they see “poco f”, but most of the time when I use them, I hide them as well (i.e., for playback purposes only).