Please clarify in the manual, and possibly in the relevant section of preferances the important relation between Notation setting “Respect Clefs” and guitar 8vaba clef.
The issue: the default Classical Guitar Instrument definition correctly identifies notated middle C sounding C2. However, for the music to appear correctly using the traditional 8vaba clef set in the instrument definition, you must go to Notation Options and set the clefs to Not Respect Octave. This is not obvious when trying to solve the problem in the instrument definition and the displayed octave going the opposite direction than anticipated.
That is not correct. Classical guitar music is always notated with the 8vaba treble clef. To do this, the ‘clefs for transposing layouts’ must be set to Treble clef 8va below, and both middle C settings set to C2, and Notation preferences to Ignore Octave Indicator. This produces the correct and professional results.
The statements I made about Dorico’s factory settings are correct.
As I stated above, the factory settings for classical guitar already specify an octave transposition (i.e., C3 if you have middle C set to C4, and C2 if you have middle C set to C3). And the factory setting in Notation Options is already “Ignore”.
So if you want your guitar to have a treble transposing clef, starting from factory settings, then all you have to do is select that clef in the instrument definition. The other two settings are already set the way they should be.
If you had to make changes to your transposition settings and Notation Options, then that implies that you had already changed them previously from the factory settings.
I use C3 middle C. Thus the confusion about that. However, it has been industry standard to use the 8va below sign for guitar music as long as I can remember. Do you have it on good authority that this standard no longer applies?
I don’t work with music for guitar, so I don’t have an opinion about whether or not the transposing clef is standard. My point was just that if you start from factory settings, and you want the transposing clef, the only change you have to make is to change the clef in the instrument definition. You don’t need to change the transposition or the Notation Options setting because they’re already correct – for either clef.
I really don’t know of any standard, but I imagine it has folded into the contrabass/piccolo scenario, i.e., simply understood. Unless you have an editor/publisher clamoring for it, a simple treble clef will suffice. As a guitarist, I don’t even notice if it’s there or not and if it’s for a large ensemble, any respectable conductor should know it transposes (as they know piccolo / contrabass etc.)
The way Dorico works is that instruments like Contrabass, Piccolo, Guitar (and Tenor) have the transposition built-in to the instrument’s definition itself. The clef is essentially irrelevant. And by default, ottava clefs are “cosmetic”: they have no function, only visual appearance.
So you can use either the G8 clef or the G clef, and the instrument will still sound in the same octave, because everyone knows that a guitar is supposed to be transposed.
However, Dorico also provides the option to “respect” the octave in ottava clefs, changing the pitch when they are used. But of course, this will add an additional octave, on top of the “built-in” transposition of the instrument.
To sum up: Dorico will do what you want with factory settings. Respect the Octave is OFF by default. You must have saved your options with Octave ON, if that’s what you are getting.
