Unstressed Mark

[konradh]

Dorico has this symbol

available in the palette on the left, and it is labelled unstessed. I have never seen this in sheet music. I am curious if any of you use it, and if so, in what circumstances.

There is no problem here. I am simply hoping to learn something.

Thank you.

[jesele]

See this thread.

Jesper

What is "Unstressed" articulation, looks like "U", in Dorico side panel?

What is it? What is it’s purpose? [Screen Shot 2024-05-05 at 6.00.01 PM] I have asked a dozen+ musicians and professional composers (including symphony performers at the highest level, and professional jazz players) and no one knows what this “U” mark means. I have never seen it in a score either. I replaced the default shortcut which applies it, because it sounds like I will never use it. It has a prominent space in the panel, so it would be assumed to be popular use. While oth…

[konradh]

Thank you, @jesele! Double-sharp and double-flat would seem like a better use of space, as noted in the thread you linked. It’s odd that we have to hunt for those.

[billstevns]

I use that fairly often in choral music, especially in chant-like passages, with the U for unstressed and tenuto for stressed.

[jaskarbong]

Oh, Duh! I never really paid attention to that! I would have expected to see that as a jazz figure (a dip?) in with the other ornaments! I guess I learned something new today, too!

— Jim

[DavidWard]

It’s used regularly in the scores of Schoenberg and Berg. In the ‘Explanation of Signs and Abbreviations’ for the 1958 edition of Moses and Aaron it’s defined as ‘unaccented, like a weak beat’. The musicians I know mostly do seem to understand it.

[DavidWard]

Here is a page from Moses and Aaron showing both the unstressed mark and it’s opposite which looks similar to an acute accent. (This slightly odd short score was how the opera was first published after Schoenberg’s death. There is a more conventionally laid out score available now.)

[konradh]

To all: I did not consider choral music. I can see how this mark would make sense.

That said, I still think double-sharp and double-flat should be more accessible. They are needed often. Is there a keyboard shortcut?

[TonH]

@konradh

Is there a keyboard shortcut

There are default shortcuts for flat(-) and sharp(=), not for doubles.

But, you can set those in Preferences

[benwiggy]

@konradh

That said, I still think double-sharp and double-flat should be more accessible. They are needed often.

If you’re working in a key like B major, and you play F#, G, G#, then Dorico will assume the “G” is an Fx. (And if it doesn’t, then it’s an enharmonic change.)
I rarely, if ever, use the actual accidental icons or keys.

Without a MIDI keyboard, then perhaps having dedicated keys for doubles would be slightly faster, I’ll agree.