Can’t tell if this is a bug or. if I’m doing something wrong.
In my orchestral scores I like my woodwind barlines to break between flute and oboes, between oboes and clarinets, etc.
I’ve successfully set this up in my score. As is common, my second flute player doubles on piccolo. So my score starts likes this:
Here is the Galley view of the same bar - as you can see the sub-brackets are probably drawing the barline through flute 1, flute 2 and the piccolo:
But here’s the issue. When the the player switches from piccolo to flute, the bar lines are now broken between the two flutes:
Yes, I know I can make a bracket change on that page as a workaround - but I shouldn’t have to do that, should I? The sub-bracket is properly applied and working at all times in Galley view. Why does it change when switching instrument?
thanks.
Could you attach a small example project that demonstrates the issue?
Sorry for the delay. Here’s a score that shows the issue. Score starts with the second flute on piccolo. When the player switches to flute, the bar line connecting all the flutes disappears. This, despite the fact that a) the second flute line is ‘above’ the piccolo line and b) all the flute lines (1st flute, 2nd flute and piccolo) remain ‘barred’ together in Gallery view.
Again, I know I can make a bracket change on that page as a workaround - but I shouldn’t have to do that.
score to show bracket issues.dorico (1.9 MB)
Ah, I see what’s going on here. You’ve started the score with a Bracket and Barline Change. The problem with this is that Bracket and Barline Changes only apply to the specific set of instruments that are visible at the location that they live. As different instruments come and go later on then you will potentially have to create new Bracket and Barline Changes to account for the new instruments (or new combinations of instruments, in the case that you have condensing turned on). That’s not a bug, that’s just the way they work.
In this case, though, I wonder whether you can get closer to what you want by setting this option:
On the “Brackets and Braces” page of Layout Options. That will in effect set the default behaviour for those instruments that were not present at the point that the Bracket and Barline Change was created.
On the “Brackets and Braces” page of Layout Options. That will in effect set the default behaviour for those instruments that were not present at the point that the Bracket and Barline Change was created.
If I select the option you’re suggesting, my primary woodwind bracket then draws the barline across all the woodwinds. I dislike this option as it forces the composer or conductor to constantly have to trace from the instrument names at the left to know which line they are working on or looking at. That is why I like the barlines to break between flutes, oboes, clarinets, etc.
But if use primary brackets on each to the woodwind sections (and the various brass sections as well, I then have nothing to distinguish the woodwinds and the brass at a glance. Now I have 10 pairs of staves with nothing grouping them by families.
So for the clearest appearance I was trying to use one primary bracket for woodwinds and one for brass, and use the sub-brackets for each type of instrument. This makes for the clearest geography.
Is there an option to say "break the barlines by sub-bracket instead of by primary bracket?
Also - in theater and film we do not hide staves that are not being used. The music is often being revised in the pit and in the studio, so the score layout only hides extra strings lines or percussion lines when not in use. Lines may be hidden for publication after the fact, but not for first use.
And of course, as a writer, I am never hiding lines as I am doing my actual writing. Having a layout where I can find things quickly speeds up my work and prevents me from writing on the wrong line. Again, this is a case where the process for writing asks something different from Dorico than what a copyist or engraver might need.
