Hello Folks, I am having a heck of a time w/ transposing inst. I am adapting a cello part to be played by a viol da gamba that plays at “original” pitch, so it is a half step low. I need to see the cello part and the new, transposed gamba part in the full score. I did manage to get a part to show in an altered key signature that reflected a transposition, but now I cant get it to do it again. I go into the player and select the pitch to which it is transposed, repeatedly and simply, nothing happens at all. Anyone know what I could be doing wrong? Thanks for your help!
Hi. First, you don’t need to insert any new key signature. The sound (concert pitch) the gamba will produce is the same as the cello, they are in the same key. What you need to do is edit the gamba instrument so that it is a transposing instrument. In the instrument sub menu (you need to click on the chevron next to the player to open its “card” and reveal the instrument name and sub menu, in Setup mode left panel), you can Edit the instrument. There, you can tell Dorico that when it plays a C4, the audience hear a B3. In transposition view (there is a button at the bottom of your screen to toggle between that and concert pitch) Dorico will show the key signature the player needs to use to play in the right key. It’s automatic.
Hi Marc, thank you so much for your help! This players’ gamba sounds one half step low, in the old style pitch which was lower. I is not an educated composer - and I was assuming that it would then need a different key signature. Isn’t that right? A used to be nearly a half step lower. He needs to see it written a half step high. Oh I think I should have said, the other instruments are playing in A=440.
Yes. As long as the instrument is correctly set up (C4 sounding as B3) Dorico will do the transposition bit automatically. Please ask if you have trouble following the instructions.
Depending on the key signature of the piece, it can be convenient to set C4 played is heard as Cb4 (if the piece is in Ab, it will be shown as A instead of Bbb!)
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Marc I am sorry I must be being dense. Did you see my amended text above? If he plays what looks like a C in the key of C it will be a B. The problem is immediately (though I couldn’t get it to change) not aural, but visual.
And I must have problems with my explanation. I have already engraved a whole opera with a gamba in B. I know that the gambist will play a half step higher than the others. It is automatically solved by Dorico in transposing view. As long as your instrument is correctly set up, as I explained (edit instrument>transposition).
Aha! I had not noticed or read about those buttons on the lower left. Hang on please…
Marc I am sorry I hadn’t followed what you said about the buttons, thinking I hadn’t explained properly. So now I can see the new staff in a transposition - but it is the wrong one, I goofed when I made it, I think. I have gone into the clef & transpose dialog, I have selected C#4 as the ptich to which middle C is transposed - now it is showing 5 flats, and the part is pitched one half step lower. Is this correct? Seems to transpose in the wrong direction. So - I have now selected C flat 4 instead 0- and click OK but nothing happens. So there are two new problems I have located. Sorry to be having so much trouble here.
Do you mean the Edit Instrument dialog?
As @MarcLarcher wrote: you need to make it “written C sounds as B3”.
Hi Daniel thanks for your help - no I meant the clef & instruments dialog.
You don’t need to do anything in that dialog. (EDIT: That dialog allows you to show the music of the same player with different clefs and/or transpositions in different layouts.)
Have a look at the screenshots I posted further up and let me know if it is unclear.
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Well Daniel and Marc thank you both so much! It is ok now, I think. So now the key of D with two sharps is showing in the gamba part as key of E flat with three flats. is this right?
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Yes!!! 
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Oof da! I wrote you a message. Thank you so very much for your help!
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