I need help to solve a weird behavior in parts view, where the bar length becomes shorter as I put multiple chords in one bar.
Probably it would be easier to understand with visual examples, so I attached screenshots.
As you can see, there are two chords in one bar at bar number 67-68, 75-76, and 83-84.
There are no other elements.
In the score, all bar lengths are distributed evenly, but in the part, the bars with two chords are narrower than the other bars with one chord.
(This also happens when I manually add chords in the part.)
I do not want Dorico automatically change the bar length as long as the chord symbols do not interfere with each other, and even if it does, this behaviour should be the opposite of what it currently does.
I checked the Layout option and Engraving options etc., but could not find a clue…
Could anyone tell me how to fix this?
Dorico calculates bar size (lentgh) by its content and by the Layout Option like Note Spacing. It is not a fixed graphical rastral. You will need to populate the systems with actual music to see the outcome.
By “actual music“, do you mean music notes like quarter notes and rests?
Even if that’s the case, then why does the score not automatically change bar sizes?
Both score and part views should act the same way, shouldn’t they?
This depends on the layout options you gave them. In other words, probably not. Compare Page Size, Page Margins, Rastral Size, Note Spacing.
One can see that it is different. Have a look at your screenshots (percentage indication at the very right).
However, showing only chord progressions without notes is very common especially for a Jazz piece, and I do not want the part to narrow the bar length as I enter more than two chords. This is simply unnatural.
Is there any way to prevent this weird behaviour? I like how the score handles chords and lengths.
Firstly, that is not a weird behaviour, if you understand how Dorico works. Dorico is not a graphical tool, instead a semantic approach to notate music. The visual graphic is generated by the music you input, and is calculated on the spot using your Layout and Engraving settings.
To get to your request: yes you can: use your examples - as in the screenshots - and make the noteheads (and stems) invisible (in Engrave Mode). That will keep the spacing.
Ahhh, OK, I mean I basically like how Dorico automatically adjusts bar lengths in score, but narrowing a bar length with two chords than a bar with one chord is weird. And I do not understand why the part and score act so differently.
IF this cannot be fixed, I would like to request an update.
Hi! I just opened your file and it turns out your layout is completely “freezed” by all the breaks (have you used the lock layout command?). You can select all the breaks and delete them to let Dorico do its thing. If you need to give some bars some air, use note spacing changes in Engrave mode>Engrave menu. You can put a note spacing of 5 or 6 at the start of a “cramped bar”, then reset the note spacing next bar. You’ll see that the “cramped bar” is no longer cramped but appears longer.
Takuto,
Thank you. To add to Marc’s answer: if you want to keep the structure as in your piano part/layout for example, have a look at the percentage to the right:
These percentage numbers should never exceed 100% and turn red. That means there is not enough space for Dorico to do the right calculation, based on your Layout settings. This might lead to unexpected results, but you can easily solve it by using local Note Spacing changes (as suggested by Marc). Try to get the percentage to 100 or slightly below (=green).
Please have a look into the manual, how to do this:
Hi @Takuto_Koide, you changed a plethora of Options. I suggest you change a global option only when you know what you are doing (and which consequences that has). Comparing your file settings to the factory ones, using the Library Manager, tells you what you customised.
In your example, setting this Engraving option>Rests>Multibar rests>Advanced options>Spacing approach for single bar rests to its factory status (Do not scale), solves your spacing in bars with two chord symbols vs one chord symbol (besides all other helpful suggestions above about layout):
@k_b and @MarcLarcher
Thank you so much for your responses. Actually, the suggestion from Christian solved my issue, which is specific to the bars with whole rests, while your suggestions are more specific for bars with actual notes. However, I have never thought about adjusting the note spacing and the percentage at the right end of systems.
Yes, I froze systems as I wanted to adjust bar numbers per system for my preference, and kinda ignored the red alerts. So I really appreciate your inputs and I will be careful of it for any future projects!
That’s it! Thank you so much for checking my project settings and for pointing them out.
I have no idea when and why I changed the setting to be honest, but I would never have thought to check that section without your feedback (it seems to be for multi-bar rests only…) Also, I found the Library Manager useful. I really appreciate it
