xml import of Perc. (tuned and non-tuned)

Dorico
1

I have a large orchestral work, 33 parts. Import over xml from Finale. Everything is fine, except for the percussion staves. Perc. 1 is tuned AND non-tuned percussion (e.g. Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Xylo, Cymbals, BD, Tambourine). Finale writes all in 1 stave. Dorico can’t handle that. Or if, I didn’t manage it yet.

My workaround: Open the xml in Sibelius (I don’t have Finale… Otherwise it would be easier), delete everything except for the Perc. stave, then create single instruments for Xylo, Vib, BD, Cymbals and so on, split the perc stave to all the single instruments, export als xml, import to Dorico.

Is there an easier way? Thanks, Jürgen Grimm

2

Dorico can certainly handle it. Combine the unpitched percussion instruments into a kit. Set the player to use the five-line staff presentation type on the Players page of Layout Options. Now Dorico will automatically produce instrument changes between the pitched and unpitched material.

3

Daniel, I see the problem: The Finale File (or the xml…) seems to have instrument changes to “Percussion”, but then comes the Glockenspiel… Wrong instrument changes!

But: Sibelius xml seem not to work at all (Percussion files). Intstrument changes are not recognised.

Thanks, Jürgen

4

You may well need to do a bit of manual copying and pasting to new instruments held by new players after importing your MusicXML files. MusicXML doesn’t express the relationships between players and insrruments in the same rich way that Dorico does, so a bit of sorting things out afterwards is not unreasonable.

5

Thanks, Daniel. It’s much more clearer with Dorico, the problem ist instrument handling by Sibelius or Finale…

BTW: The only thing I really miss so far is the chord stuff… I mean different chord symbols for different instruments. Piano for example needs more symbols than guitar only playing on 2 and 4. Maybe something like lyrics (different “verses” for different instruments). Then: No chords written when there is no music (in rest bars).

6

Jürgen, the workaround for chords is to enter the chords at different rhythmic locations, then drag them into position in Engrave mode and hide the ones you don’t want. It’s laborious for long sections, of course, but it works in a pinch if you need different chords for different players.

7

Thanks a lot! But I think you’ll change it in future versions, am I right?

8

Well, not me! I’m just a user like you. :wink: I imagine this functionality may be added at some point in the future, though I don’t know when.

9

Aah, sorry! Dorico Training sounded like Steinberg stuff member…

10

We do certainly plan to make it possible to create staff-specific chord symbols in future, but I can’t say when exactly this will be done.