User manual

Stacking of accidentals
If multiple accidentals are required for a chord in a single voice, or for notes in multiple voices at
the same rhythmic position, they are stacked to the left of the chord in columns.
For chords with multiple accidentals, accidentals are generally stacked as follows:
1.
The highest accidental is inserted in the rst column immediately to the left of the notes.
2. The lowest accidental is added to the same column, provided that it does not collide with the
rst accidental.
3.
The remaining highest and lowest accidentals are alternated in successive columns located
further left from the chord.
In Dorico SE, additional rules help to produce a stack of accidentals that uses as few columns as
possible. The following list contains some of the rules that are applied:
●
Columns closer to the notes contain more accidentals than columns further from the notes.
●
Accidentals on notes that are an octave apart are stacked in the same column. This also
applies to accidentals that are a sixth or more apart, depending on the combination of
accidentals.
●
Accidentals in the same column never collide. The minimum interval between accidentals
that is required to prevent collisions depends on the types of accidentals.
● Accidentals that are a second apart are arranged in adjacent columns, with the higher
accidental in the right-hand column.
These rules minimize the amount of extra space that is required between successive notes or
chords and ensure that accidentals appear as close as possible to the noteheads to which they
apply. At the same time, they produce a contour that resembles a C-curve on the left-hand side of
the chord.
Accidental stacking rules for dense chords
Dorico SE uses special stacking calculations in dense chords with multiple accidentals to ensure
legibility. Chords are considered dense when they have six or more accidentals within the span of
an octave.
For dense chords, accidentals are stacked as follows:
1. The highest accidental is inserted in the rst column to the left of the notes.
2. The next accidental on a note that is located at least a seventh below the highest note is
stacked into the same column. This continues with the remaining notes until no more
accidentals t into the rst column.
3. Steps 1 and 2 are repeated for the following columns until all accidentals are stacked.
4.
The columns are grouped, interspersed, and re-stacked. This results in a stack with
alternating accidentals, reminiscent of the way accidentals are arranged in a key signature.
NOTE
By default for dense chords, Dorico SE uses a lattice arrangement of accidentals rather than the
usual zig-zag arrangement. In very dense chords, the lattice arrangement can be wider and
require more columns.
Accidentals
Stacking of accidentals
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Dorico SE 3.1.10