Voices with separate volume, sometimes possible, sometimes not

[DirkMM]

The image above is a fragment of bar 22 of a percussionist playing the Tubular Bells (and triangle). I wrote the Tub in two voices to give them separate volumes (mf in the lower voice, p in the upper).

I wanted to do the same in the score of another percussionist. He plays SuspCymbal, Tamtam, Claves, and GranCassa. Each instrument has its own line of a four-line staff and also has its own voice in the percussion kit.

In bar 7, pictured above, he plays the Tamtam and the GranCassa simultaneously. But here I did not succeed in assigning separate volumes to these voices — which is all the more remarkable, considering that effectively two different instruments are involved.

Is there a way to do this after all?

[jesele]

I guess you already have independent voice playback turned on?

Jesper

[DirkMM]

Both fragments are from the same score. The screenshots were taken from each players score. I guess when it necessary to have “independent voice playback” turned on for the second player, that it’s also necessary for the first.
Do I have to turn it on for each individual player, or is it for the whole score in one setting?
(I’m still pretty unexperienced with Dorico…)

[jesele]

Each player that has more than one voice, or perhaps rather different dynamics. If it’s a percussion kit, you might have to enter the dynamics with the alt/opt key held down.

Jesper

[DirkMM]

I don’t quite understand this, Jesper. Normally I enter dynamics with Shift+D. I tried any combination I could think of, with Alt held down (Alt+Shift+D and Alt+D), but none of them gave me the opportunity to add dynamics. A solution that I could think of is to place the second dynamic to the note just before or after, flip it if necessary, and then move it in Engrave mode. But I do find that a somewhat clumsy solution…

[asherber]

@DirkMM

Normally I enter dynamics with Shift+D. I tried any combination I could think of, with Alt held down

Opening the popover is the same – Shift+D. But then you close it with Alt/Opt+Enter, instead of just Enter.

[jesele]

Here’s a thread about dynamics in percussion.

Jesper

Multi-voice Dynamics on Percussion staves

Hi, I have been searching the help documentation and quite a few forum posts, but have not found the instructions I am looking for. Could someone please create a video tutorial how to add different dynamics to percussion instruments in the same stave? It should look like this:: [image]

and

Balancing Percussion

So, If I take a Percussion staff containing multiple instruments and break it down to single lines so that every instrument is on it’s own staff and then indicate new dynamic marks (say I mark the Triangle staff ff and the Crash Cymbal staff mp instead of the mf I used in the combined staff) will that make the Triangle louder and the Crash Cymbals softer than when both parts shared the same 5 line staff? Thanks for any help.

[DirkMM]

Sorry. If I enter it with the Alt key held down, the dynamic is not been written.
But since I performed the music in Cubase, I only use the score in a graphic way. And then my clumsy solution is OK.
However, I have been thinking of trying out the ‘sound’ in Dorico as well. If I could make that work out, I probably could spare a lot of time for following projects.. But then, I guess, a ‘clumsy MO’ is no longer allowed…

[hannuala]

Type the dynamic normally without holding down Alt key. Then close it with Alt+Enter.

[DirkMM]

To all. After further thinking and trying, here’s what I come up with. Look at this picture, which still show something odd…

What I did was:

1. click on the half note in bar 139, write mf and flip it upwards.
2. click on the eight note below it, go one to the left with Alt + ←, write f adn move it to the right with Alt + → (I kept the f active, as you can see).
   Odd fact: the dotted line goes upwards from the f to the half note, to which I added the mf. Graphically it’s OK in print mode, but I wonder what it would do, if I’d let the music play from the score…

When I, thereafter, activate the half note again, the dotted line goes to that note as well.

BUT, when I look very sharp, I think both the dotted lines go to the centre of the staff, halfways between the the second and third line. I’m in fact pretty sure that this is what happens. Still, it would be great if someone (connected to Dorico) could confirm this. The only thing is: I still wonder if the ‘playback module’ will actually perform those two different volume levels…

[Derrek]

I would expect this technique to work if the kit used independent voices, but without some maneuvering Play does not offer independent voices for the Basic Drum Kit even when using GASE.