Swap selected notes between instruments

Dorico
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1

In the later stages of composing a multi-instrument piece, I often need to swap passages between instruments – to increase contrast, add nuance, etc.

Swap instrument notes
The example image is of two selected bars of viola and cello notes: Does Dorico have a command to swap the notes between the staves/instruments? Two bars may seem trivial, but I often have to swap a dozen or more measures. And that requires three steps, the third having five sub-steps:

  1. cut and paste one instrument’s selected notes to some empty bars at the piece’s tail;

  2. use Alt+M or Alt+N (Windows) to move the other instrument’s selected passage to the staff below or above it as required; and

  3. (A) find the passage I temporarily pasted at the piece’s tail, (B) select it, (C) cut, (D) go back to the bars in question, and (E) paste to finish the swap.

Instead of the above cumbersome process, it would be great to just execute a single command for this! Thanks for any thoughts. :slight_smile:

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Edit (or right click) > Paste Special > Swap.
Or J Swap Enter.

(You don’t need to copy anything first - just make the selection.)

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Thanks, @pianoleo – Are you perhaps using Dorico Pro? I have Dorico Elements 4, which doesn’t bring up a Swap command when I select the two passages and right-click:

Screenshot 2023-02-19 114520
Screenshot 2023-02-19 114520757×458 69.3 KB

4

I’m definitely using Dorico Pro. I guess in Elements you’re stuck doing it by hand.

You don’t need empty measures at the tail (or wherever), though.

  1. Select and cut Instrument A.
  2. Select Instrument B and Alt-click to Instrument A’s currently empty bars.
  3. Delete contents of Instrument B.
  4. Paste into Instrument B.

I guess steps 2 and 3 can be combined as Alt-M or Alt-N. The point is that this uses a similar mechanism to copying and pasting but it doesn’t affect the contents of the actual clipboard. There’s no need to paste immediately after you cut, as in your original steps.

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Thanks so much, @pianoleo! I’d forgotten about Alt-clicking to copy-and-paste in a single step. You’ve saved me the aggravation of temporary pastes and hunting around for them. One day I’ll have Dorico Pro. . . .

1 Like