Any workaround how to align the Pedal lines? Sounds like D4 doesn’t yet align them.
I don’t think Dorico ever aligned them because… they don’t have to be aligned. Their position depends on the content. cf p.333 in Gould’s Behind Bars
1 Like
are you in absolute need of the pedals to show as they do in your image? (just aligned)
a suggestion I might make, one I’ve used in piano writing, would be to mark a single pedal for the entire system, then put in the pedal lifts individually where they belong (in this case, every 3 beats).
you would in effect get
1 Like
Thanks Marc, but there are some of Gould’s ideas that I don’t like… (it’s another topic. 
1 Like
I can understand that. But the team has used it as a reliable source, and that would explain why aligning pedal lines has never been an option. I wanted to share an image but it’s not possible with the iPhone
1 Like
In some cases pedal lines without aligning looks terribly. Thats why I am searching on this forum for that rights now…
2 Likes
I would also like this feature very very much because I don’t use the old-style P… * markings, I use lines which look far, far cleaner when vertically justified.
1 Like
Individual piano pedal lines should be aligned if there is no pressing reason why they shouldn’t. But the fact is that there are pressing reasons for non- aligned pedal markings, the most common being to keep them close enough to the lowest notes. It is very displeasing to see great empty spaces between the pedaling and the music itself.
One of the great advantages of the old Ped. * system is that the * can be placed on a different level from the Ped. and thus closer to the notes each symbol is under. This is not only aesthetically more pleasing, but much easier for the player to read, since it narrows the area that the eyes have to take in.
1 Like
I’m afraid (and you’re not going to like it) this is not possible with Dorico. Ped and the * are always aligned… unless I’ve missed something!
1 Like
[Edit]
Yes, I know. That’s why I told you
And I know you know. 
The examples were for general consumption.
1 Like
Not entirely true:
It’s possible to enter the Ped and the * as separate symbols.
How? As text objects? Or individual playing techniques? Or is there some sort of way to tell Dorico that Shift-P, Ped should create two independant signs?
As two independent playing techniques.
You could create a Shift-P shortcut for the * sign, but yes, you would need to enter them separately. If they do need to be aligned in places, you could group them together.
1 Like
As alternative, one can create just one playing technique with the pedal asterix gliph, set its default placement to “Below”. Set the continuation type of the Pedal line to “None” in the properties panel when needed, and then move them independently in Engrave mode.
When using hooks instead of the old-fashioned marks, pedal lines can be messy if not aligned. Here is an example where I needed to manually align them throughout the piece:
I know these are not typical, but a lot of supplemental music will put in way more for a student in the learning process. (I personally wouldn’t even pay attention to pedal marks in this kind of music.)
@gplumblee All-bracket pedal indications don’t have to be aligned either. While the ones in your example are acceptable, the first ones look a little far from the notes they pertain to for my taste because you are aligning them with the final one, which is at the proper distance. Again, I think a good rule is that pedal indications should be aligned if there is no good reason that they shouldn’t be. And the best reason for not aligning them is to keep them within the player’s field of vision. This would be especially true for educational editions.
Here is the default alignment of these pedal marks:
I personally like the first example better, but in any case, I have to do what the editors prefer.
@gplumblee If that is the default alignment, then I think that all but two are too close to the staff. I would adjust the first one so it doesn’t overrun the bass note, split the difference in the distance from the staff between the two versions for the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. The 3rd and 7th look good to me.