When I import my Finale XML into Dorico and set up a drum kit for Perc. 1 (Snare Drum/Bass Drum) the accents are all on the wrong side of the notes. They are appearing on the note head side and I need the accents to appear on the stem side with Snare Drum accent on top (stem side) and the Bass Drum stems on the bottom (also stem side). I have figured out how to flip those stems on each individual note but it is very time consuming. Is there a global setting that will automatically place stems on the stem side of all notes on a particular staff only in a drum kit?
Thanks for any help.
Hi @ghfagan51, in Dorico Preferences/MusicXML import make sure that you deactivated the checkmarks relative to stems and articulations position, so Dorico can use its own positioning automatically, and reimport your XML.
With Dorico defaults, I have this result (in the Kit I set up Snare Drum as Up-stem voice 1 and the Bass Drum as Down-stem voice 1):
You can also try different settings in Engrave Options/Articulations/Placement:
Dorico file example:
articulation placement in perc.dorico (493.9 KB)
You could also use the properties panel, filtering for notes and chords, and setting all accents to stem side:
Christian,
Thanks so much for the comprehensive and rapid reply. I have been try to use the Properties panel method but often when I highlight a section to flip the accents the Articulation heading does not show up in the Properties panel so I am having to do only about a measure at a time to get that heading to appear in the Properties Panel. With the current piece I have already imported into Dorico I am going to try the “Engrave Options” method you suggest and then on the next piece I Import into Dorico I will try using the Preferences/Music XML import option and see if that saves some time in the work flow.
Thanks again. You are awesome!
Gary
Could you try a fresh import and then copy/paste just the percussion staff from the newer to the older file, or have you already done too much tweaking on the original percussion part?
Having made your selection, you might need to use the filter to narrow that selection down to just notes (often filter deselect tuplets and/or filter deselect grace notes will be sufficient)
Christian,
Hmmm. The Engrave Options method does not seem to do the trick. I made sure that "placement of articulations for Percussion was set to “Always above” but it did not seem to flip the stems. They are still on the note head side. I can just do each measure manually using the Properties Panel method on this piece and then try to set things correctly when importing the next XML.
Thanks again, my friend.
Gary
I will try this new procedure in the properties panel and see where it gets me.
Thanks.
Derrick,
Yes, Tweaking the XML to even get the Snare/Bass staff set up and also the Aux. Perc. staff was a fair amount of work to combine the parts after separating them in the finale file before exporting and the importing the separate lines and combining them into a kit. I hope not to have to re-import anything into the Percussion staves at this point.
Thanks anyway for the advice.
Gary
Janus,
Once I highlight a staff, can you tell me how I go about finding and using the filter in the Properties Panel to narrow things down so I get an articulations heading in the Properties Panel?
Thanks.
After selecting the whole staff, right click to invoke the contextual menu, then choose Filter > Notes and Chords. Since articulations are notes properties, they will appear in the properties panel now (you may need to scroll to the right a little bit, to see the articulations properties section).
Christian.
Got it. Thanks. Have a great week. Just started snowing in VA. First snow of the season. Looks like I will be shoveling tomorrow.
Christian,
It may have something to do with the XML import but I slected the entire Aux. Perc. staff and right clicked and brought up the contextual menu and selected Notes and Chords but “articulations” still does not show up in the Properties Panel. Only Jazz Articulations among others, but not articulations. In the morning, can I send you a file to look at and see if you can make any headway on this procedure?
Thanks.
gary
If you have tuplets you need to deselect them, after the first Notes and Chord filtering (that you do with the filter in Select only mode): open the contextual menu with right click, set the Filter in Deselect only mode (the contextual menu will close). Reopen the contextual menu and choose Filter >Tuplets: all tuplets will be deselected and the desired property should appear:
You can of course share your file.
Christian,
I was finally able to get all the accents to go on the stem side of Perc. 1 and Perc. 2. It was weird though. Sometimes I could selet 3 or 4 measures and set the filter to “Notes and Chords” and it wou;d convert the accents to the stem side. Other times I could only select 1 measure at a time and other times, I had to literally go in and switch things note by note. No tuplets or anything else unusual about those measures. There was just something there that did not want to jive with bringing up the articulations area in the Properties Panel. I will have to think on this and figure out a way to streamline the work flow on this. I have a lot of Finale documents to convert and I am now to the point where I can convert a Concert Band piece over completely in about 4 hours. I’d like to get that time down lower if I can. It will take me months to convert all these pieces.
I am not sending the file to you since I was able to eventually tweak all the accents on my own and I don’t want to take up any more of your time than I already have.
Thanks so much.
Gary
No problem Gary. I love to help 
And through helping I am learning also a lot!.
If you have, now or in future, some other file that you find cumbersome to handle, fell free to post them (or send as private message), so I, or someone else, can indicate precise steps for an efficient workflow.
I am making progress. Today I converted a Finale file entirely into Dorico in about 2 hours. The first one I did a few weeks ago took me two days.
Yay!
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Great!