User manual

Time signatures
Time signatures indicate the meter of music, and apply to all bars from where they rst appear
until a subsequent change of time signature. Meter describes the rhythmic pulse of music, and
its division into beats and bars.
A time signature is made up of two parts: numerator on top, and denominator underneath.
These are the same mathematical terms as are used for fractions due to their similar
arrangement.
1
Numerator
Species the number of beats in each bar for the time signature. The duration of beats is
specied by the denominator.
2 Denominator
Species the beat duration for the time signature. The denominator doubles for every
halving of the beat duration: 1 is a whole note (breve), 2 is a half note (minim), 4 is a quarter
note (crotchet) and so on.
For example, a 4/4 time signature tells you the bar is made up of four beats, and each of those
beats is a quarter note in length. A time signature of 4/2 contains four half notes in each bar, and
4/8 contains four eighth notes (quavers) in each bar. Both 3/4 and 6/8 contain six eighth notes,
but it is understood that a 3/4 bar contains three quarter note beats, whereas a 6/8 bar contains
two dotted quarter note beats.
Bars are rhythmic groups, divided according to the time signature, and they make following the
music much more practical and easier to read. Notes are beamed differently in different time
signatures for the same reasons.
By default, time signatures apply to all staves. However, there are some situations, such as in
polymetric music, that require some parts to have their own time signature, independently of the
rest of the ensemble. You can input time signatures that apply to all staves or only apply to single
staves in Dorico SE.
Time signatures apply until the next time signature change or the end of the ow, whichever
comes
rst.
NOTE
●
Beat lengths are xed across all staves in your project, regardless of the time signature. For
example, if you have a 2/4 time signature on one staff and a 6/8 time signature on another
staff, then one quarter note in the 2/4 time signature equals one quarter note in the 6/8 time
signature, meaning their barlines do not match.
●
Dorico SE does not automatically add beats to ll bars when you input time signatures unless
Insert mode is activated.
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Dorico SE 3.1.10