Not sure if this is a bug or a feature of engraving options not setup right? I searched it up and seems like it should work (Moving lyric lines vertically)
These lyrics are actually drum stickings. I am not able to adjust them vertically in any of the parts or score. They look mostly correct in the score, it is just this drumset part that has an issue (too far from staff, likely displaced by my bar numbers here)
Assuming you are in Engrave mode, when you click on the leftmost lyric a small edit handle should appear there. Click on that and then use alt + up/down arrows to move the whole line of lyrics vertically.
You see the box only when you select the first syllable, but selecting and moving any syllable on the line has the same effect of moving them all together. At least it does for me! @emusic if you still can’t move them, post a project that demonstrates this and we’ll have a closer look.
So, there are occasions, with ledger lines, that individual lyrics on a line need to be moved lower than the remaining line in order to keep the rest of the lyric line at a reasonable distance from its related staff. Why would there not be an option to move individual lyrics vertically? What is the alternative besides collisions or “too close for comfort” vertical spacing? Singers need to be able to clearly see lyrics on ledger lines below the staff without the entire line being offset an unnecessary distance from the staff.
But this is the exception, not the norm. As such, the restriction of all lyrics moving together prevents far more problems than it causes. Namely, it’s guaranteed that lyrics across a system will never be mis-aligned (I had to check for this in Finale).
If you need this, select the lyrics and put them in a different voice, or a different “line.”
What you are showing is an extreme and that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about just enough pixels between the lyric text and the ledger line note to not collide - that implies just enough white space to show the smallest of separations. Furthermore, it is distracting, for an entire ensemble to see the space between two staves significantly altered in order to accomodate a single voice’s low note (for example). One must not lose sight of the overall appearance for the single ledger line note and lyric appearance…there are no absolute right and wrong here. All I am suggesting is a little flexibility that allow an engraver to do what works best in a given situation. I will not debate the merits of anything other than flexibility in this software.
Right, but Ben was answering your question: “Because it’s not considered correct.” There is no absolute right and wrong in any engraving convention, but conventions are alamgamations of tradition, broad usage, and principles of legibility. And as such, they aren’t meaningless.
There’s a way to work around this if it’s what you really want, as I stated above. But this Dorico “limitation,” as well as a few others that differ from Finale (like stem direction when rests are removed) have made my proofreading infinitely less stressful and error-prone.
I’m not debating here, I’m simply suggesting that there be room for flexibility in the software - not to change what you or others prefer. And, by the way, I was not even thinking of Finale - that ship has sailed as far as I’m concerned. I’m using Dorico 100% of the time now and simply encountering things that cause me to think “hey, there might be an opportunity for some user flexibility in this situation…” I suppose, though, that we recent converts will ever have the scarlet F on our likenesses since we crossed over the great divide into the Dorico world. LOL
