User manual

Rehearsal marks
Rehearsal marks are an ordered sequence of letters or numbers, which along with bar numbers,
provide a reference point for music that has multiple players, and make the chronological
sequence of the music clear.
They tell performers where they are in the piece, and allow performers to orient and co-ordinate
themselves easily in rehearsals and concerts. Rehearsal marks can also be used to indicate
signicant changes in the music, and you can freely decide their positions.
They can also be useful when preparing parts and scores, as you can use rehearsal marks and
bar numbers to compare quickly a part to the score and check it is correct. In
Dorico SE,
rehearsal marks follow an automatic sequence, ensuring there are never duplicate rehearsal
marks.
In Dorico SE, rehearsal marks are categorized as system objects. Therefore, rehearsal marks
follow your per-layout settings for the visibility and positioning of system objects, which you can
change on the
Staves and Systems page in Setup > Layout Options.
RELATED LINKS
Inputting rehearsal marks on page 283
System objects on page 805
Changing the positions of system objects on page 805
General placement conventions for rehearsal marks
Rehearsal marks should be at noticeable positions in the score so they can be seen easily. They
should use a large, non-italic bold font, and be positioned above the system and outside the
music.
Rehearsal marks should be positioned above barlines, and not below the system. Although you
can input rehearsal marks at rhythmic positions within a bar in Dorico SE, this is not common
practice. Depending on the style of music and the context, it can be helpful to input a double
barline beneath each rehearsal mark.
In order to ensure they are easily noticeable, and cannot be confused with bar numbers if you
are using numbers for rehearsal marks, rehearsal marks should be shown in an enclosure. You
can change the shape and size of rehearsal mark enclosures in
Dorico SE.
The placement of rehearsal marks relative to the music is discretionary, but they are most helpful
to players when they coincide with a change in the music, such as a tempo change or a change in
texture. They are also helpful when placed at a point in the music where players are likely to start
from in order to rehearse a specic section, such as a signicant solo entry or the start of a
dicult passage.
In general, it is good practice to place rehearsal marks at regular intervals as well as at signicant
moments. It is often recommended to have rehearsal marks every 5-20 bars to reduce the
amount of bars players need to count before or after a rehearsal mark.
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Dorico SE 3.1.10