User manual

Instruments in Dorico
In Dorico SE, an instrument is an individual musical instrument, such as a piano, a ute, or a
violin. Human voices, such as soprano or tenor, are also considered instruments.
In Dorico SE, instruments are held by players, just as real instruments are held by human players.
Section players can only hold a single instrument but solo players can hold multiple instruments.
This allows you to handle instrument changes easily, such as when an oboist doubling the cor
anglais switches from one instrument to the other.
Each instrument automatically gets its own staff, but when instrument changes are allowed, the
music for multiple instruments held by the same solo player can appear on the same staff as
long as no notes overlap.
Dorico SE has a database of information about the properties of each instrument. These include
the playable range, common and uncommon playing techniques, notational conventions,
transposition properties, tunings, clef, number of staves, type of staff, and so on. Having these
properties predetermined makes it easier and quicker to set up projects correctly. For example,
selecting the horn instrument with the appropriate transposition and clef setting for its part
layout means you do not have to input a
layout-specic clef. Similarly, there is a timpani
instrument that automatically hides all key signatures.
RELATED LINKS
Instruments on page 108
Instrument changes on page 109
Transposing instruments on page 111
Popovers
Popovers allow you to input different notations and perform tasks, such as transposing a
selection of notes, using only your computer keyboard. They are temporary value elds that use
text entries for different items and tasks, and there are
specic popovers for different purposes.
The dynamics popover with an example entry
One of the key benets of popovers is that you can use them as you input notes: once you reach
the position where you want to input a new time signature, for example, you can open the time
signatures popover using its key command, input the time signature you want, and then
continue inputting notes.
Although specic entries are required for many notations, the correct entries for different
notations are consistently and logically structured. For example, tuplets are always expressed as
a ratio, such as 3:2 or 5:4. Key signatures are expressed using capital letters for major keys and
lowercase letters for minor keys. Time signatures are expressed as a pair of separated numbers;
common time signatures use a slash, such as 3/4 or 6/8.
During note input, and depending on the notation you are inputting with the respective popover,
notations are input either on the currently selected note, which is usually the last note you input,
or at the current rhythmic position, indicated by the caret.
You can always identify popovers by looking at the icon on their left-hand side. These are the
same icons used in the Notations toolbox on the right of the window, which hide/show the
Notations panel (which is another way you can input notations if you prefer to use the mouse).
Dorico concepts
Design philosophy and higher-level concepts
34
Dorico SE 3.1.10