As seen in this screenshot, I designated 1 sharp (key of G), as well as swing time. However, the chart does not show the 1-sharp key signature, and playback is in straight time.
If you’re using the panel to choose the key signature, you first need to click an item in the music area where you want it. Did you do this?
I’ll try that. In the meantime, I watched Anthony Hughes’ video on swing time. He said:
PLAY MODE / PLAY MENU / PLAYBACK OPTIONS. There is no “playback options” in that menu. He also said, CTRL SHIFT P. That brings up a screen saver menu.
Thank you, Daniel. That worked for changing the key signature. I was afraid the notes would be transposed when the key signature changed. In Finale (as well as in Band in a Box), one has the option of changing the key signature either with or without transposing the notes. In addition, one has the option of portraying a part as if it were intended for a transposing instrument (Bb, Eb, etc.) without changing the concert key signature.
Library > Playback Options is the menu, I think.
In Write mode select notes, a section of music, or the whole staff (for example, click the first note, Edit menu: Select to End of system … End of flow etc.) then:
Write menu, Transpose. The transpose option opens, you will see the key signature check box among the others there.
You will find information on transposing in the user manual.
For transposing instrument, if you have added a transposing instrument in Setup, then any notes can be input or viewed in its instrument key or in Concert, bottom left (but not showing in Print mode) or use the Edit menu to switch between them.
No need to actually transpose it unless for some reason, you have entered the notes in the wrong key/wrong display (Concert or Transposed) setting which you did not check as you were entering them.
Both of these are possible.
The key signature/transposing happens in the Transpose dialog:
The layout transposition is done via clef/transposition overrides:
Thank you all for your patience with this new beginner. Your assistance is truly a life saver. This is a lot to take in, so I have begun saving the links to these forum posts in a Word doc under the appropriate headings, so they will be readily available in the future.
(You could simply bookmark them here in the forum)
1 Like
Idea:
you might like to use Zotero or I sometimes use Scrivener (there are many others.)
This type of software is designed for gathering information for research. Scrivener is primarily designed for book or research paper writing (and related) but can be used for anything similar, like learning new software. On Mac, some use Apple Notes.
I was actually going to post something with a little more detail (than the below) at some point, but might as well put something here now.
In this kind of software, you create folders, headings, have text pages, add in PDFs, screenshots, jpgs etc. all organized how you think you might like it for later search and recall. The advantage of doing this is that it contains all kinds of information, your forum links, anything you see anywhere by adding a URL, any visual or other information, photos, links to YouTube…
Mostly I am on Mac using Cleanshot as my screenshot app, which gives me a key command to drag a section of the screen (or full screen) for my screenshot, then places a floating thumbnail on my screen, where I can simply drag it into a Zotero page. Very quick where I do not need a URL; or other times, I will copy/paste the URL into a research page, then do a screenshot of the beginning text of it and place underneath so I know exactly what that URL was about.
Sample examples
Here is an example in Zotero:
In the middle you see the Title, which is in this case text pages, the Options dialogs selected relates to any quotes, reference URLs or comments etc.
[Note: To learn Zotero itself, I made a folder on the left called Zotero, and in it I have some references related to setting it up and using it, the URL to the User manual etc.]
You see Dorico as the folder at the top left column, and hierarchy underneath, and as you would expect, you can have folders in folders. Set it up as you learn, progress and rearrange it and change it as you move forward.
PDFs folder
You can have PDFs scattered about in any folder, but this folder has most of the ones I need in one place.
For example I often refer to the Version history (with each update, information is available (it lists in the Steinberg Download Assistant usually at the bottom of the Dorico Application installer, so click to download it with each update, including minor updates) about new features added and how to do something new, changes, improvements etc.) This is often useful to refer to if the user manual has not quite been updated that far for that update, and it is written in a different way (more practical?) than the rigid specifications the manual has to adhere to. So I keep them, trash as the next one is released.
Here is a Scrivener screenshot as a comparison:
(I mention Scrivener because many use it for other purposes and it can be used just as well for this)
The whole file for Dorico has its own window (no Dorico folder showing top left, but top middle instead.) My SMuFL text information page has a URL reference there as you see, PDFs folder on the left, shows what are there similar to Zotero.
Often with the forum it is a simple copy/paste of the URL, actually Zotero has a (Mac) Safari button to save into there (haven’t tried it yet):
Then with a search, it can be quick to find something you have saved.
With the complexity of Dorico and other software, or for research and learning, something like this type of software is easy to set up and quick to maintain.
It is too much to expect our minds to learn and retain, especially like more complex software like (Finale) Dorico and especially since we are in a state of confusion and frustration. There are so many varied aspects to music notation, it does take time. Having some kind of easy reference to what you have seen, where, I think makes it much easier to find information you saw at some point previously (obviously you have to actually add things to it as you see them) but if it becomes automatic over time to add them, then you have your own “memories” and references, searchable on your computer to help (and works even if you are off-line.)
I hope this might be useful for some 
(Written in a rush, will probably come back to edit and tidy up at some point.)
1 Like
Those are fabulous tools. I’m going to explore using them not only as I master Dorico but also for other research projects, such as my ear training method, “New Ears Resolution.”