Pickup bar question

Hello!
In this example of a folksong I’m arranging, I need to write a 3/16 pickup bar to a 4/8+6/16 rhythm (see attachment). As Dorico currently working with 0.5 beat/1/2 beats system for pickup bars (why, actually?), I could just write the pickup bar as an invisible 3/16 meter. Is it possible to somehow treat this first measure as measure 0 and start the measure counting from the next one, via bar number offset or another workaround? Many thanks for the help.

You need to “insert bar number change” and reset it to 1. I imagine there is a way around this with inputting a proper pickup bar but heaven help me I can’t remember with that type of compound meter.


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Great, thanks a lot!

The right hand side panel only has those options, but in the popover you can type any length for the pickup bar, including longer than a normal bar.

You have to type a decimal value not a fraction, because “/” is already used to define the time signature. So if you want a 16th-note pickup in 2/2 time, you can type 2/2,0.125 for example (a 16th-note is 1/8 of the half note “beat”). 2/2,0.375 gives you three 16th-notes for the pickup, etc.

Thank you Rob! Another question regarding my attachment in my first message: how do I create a y. (dotted eight note) rest for the pickup measure in the other three instruments?

If you figure out how to apply Rob’s popover solution to your specific case, Dorico:

  1. Handles the bar number automatically.
  2. Puts the time signature in the correct place.
  3. Sorts out the rests in the pickup bar.

I don’t really know why you’d do it any other way, but if you’re set on doing it all manually, you can enter explicit rests in the pickup bar. Put the caret at the start of the bar, then type
, (to turn on rest input)
o (to turn on Force Duration)
5 (for an eighth)
. (to make it dotted)
y or any letter a-g, or any key on your MIDI keyboard (to tell Dorico to input the rest).

Thank you so much! I forgot about the fact I need to input a note in order to print the rest, rather than the usual spacebar. All good!