Stop changes in transposed part altering C score?

I’m working on a piece for cl & piano. The clarinet part comes out transposed (and for some reason thinks there is an F# accidental in the part, although it’s not a tonal piece). When I make changes in the part to adjust some spelling problems I end up with enharmonic spellings in the full score. Is there a way to fix the part without it impacting the spelling in the C score? thanks

  1. What key signature did you input at the start of the piece? You need to tell Dorico that the piece is atonal, by invoking the key signatures popover and typing open or atonal.
  2. Unless you’re propagating properties from the part to the score, you shouldn’t find that enharmonic spellings are altered in both places. I’ll take a look later to see if something’s changed in a recent update…

This is my first foray into using a transposing instrument in D2.2. I had assumed that if you don’t input a key sig to start with you wouldn’t get one assigned by default.
I’m unclear as to why propagate properties, which I haven’t specified, would change the spelling (only) in the score. Dorico’s transpositions for atonal music are a bit wobbly in places so fixing spellings in the part shouldn’t (imo) change the spellings in the C score. Did I miss something? I have to admit I don’t keep up with all the changes and only deal with things as I need them.

That assumption is right, but if you set the key signature to C major/A minor somehow, you WILL get a key signature in transposed parts.

One way to inadvertently set a C major key signature would be to import a MIDI or XML file from a program that doesn’t understand the concept of “atonal” properly. If you want to be sure, switch on View / Signposts / Key Signatures, which will show a signpost with “C major” or “Atonal.”

You can get rid of a C major key signature by deleting the signpost, or create a new key signature and type “atonal” (without the quotes) in the popover.

Dorico’s transpositions for atonal music are a bit wobbly in places

It should always produce the right pitches, but there is an option somewhere to simplify accidentals when transposing (or not), so you might not always get the “best” choice if the musical context really needs a double sharp or double flat to make sense.

A further thought: are you definitely using the Respell keyboard shortcuts (Alt± and Alt+=)?
I find, in Dorico 2.2, that if I respell notes in the part layout they ONLY respell in the part layout, as shown with the highlighted notes here:

If you’re actually retyping the notes or nudging an Eb down to a D and then hitting = for sharp (for example), then don’t!

Didn’t know about the alt+ etc. Will give that a try. In your ex. above I would have spelled the first highlighted note as an Eb to avoid the 2 diminished thirds F D# C.

It was an example to demonstrate the function - ignore the fact that it doesn’t make musical sense :wink:

Actually, it’s C-sharp (look at the key signature), so only one dim. third. D-sharp to C natural would be an aug. second.

\End of theory lesson\

Ah, missed the key sig. Sorry