User manual

Table Of Contents

Kerning of accidental columns

Dorico SE applies kerning to accidental columns to ensure that the columns to the left of a chord

occupy as little horizontal space as possible.

In typography, kerning adjusts the space between individual characters to increase legibility. In

Dorico SE, as well as in music engraving in general, kerning allows accidentals to interlock.

EXAMPLE

If a low note is followed by a high note with an accidental, the accidental can be tucked above the

low note to prevent the note spacing from being distorted.

Similarly, in the case of multiple columns of accidentals on a chord, the overall width of the stack

of accidentals is reduced if, for example, a at in the second column is kerned underneath a

sharp in the rst column belonging to a note a third higher. This also reduces the need to distort

note spacing to accommodate accidentals.

Altered unisons

Altered unisons occur when two or more notes of the same name in the same octave have

different accidentals in the same chord, such as D♯ and D♭.

In Dorico SE, this is notated with a split stem by default. Split stems show the main body of a

chord with a stem branch coming off the main stem that connects noteheads in altered unisons

to the chord. This allows all notes to appear with their corresponding accidental directly beside

them. A split stem is also known as a “cherry stalk” or a “tree”.

You can change individual altered unisons appear with a single stem, meaning noteheads appear

directly beside each other, and the two accidentals are shown beside each other to the left of the

chord.

NOTE

If a chord contains notes a second interval apart and one of those notes has an altered unison, it

is always shown with a split stem, regardless of your setting. This is to ensure clarity in clusters.

EXAMPLE

A single stem altered unison

A split stem altered unison