Dorico Handbook

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Glissando

  • Select the starting note, then Shift+click (or Ctrl/Cmd+click) the ending note so both are selected. Then go to Write → Notations → Glissando Lines and pick the style you want (straight line or wavy).
  • The keyboard shortcut is simpler: with both notes selected, press Shift+O to open the Ornaments popover and type gliss, then hit Enter.
  • You can switch between a straight line and a wavy line after the fact in the Properties panel at the bottom. You can also change the text (e.g., “gliss.” vs. no text) from there.

Pedal

In Dorico, you can add sustain pedal markings (and other pedal lines) via the Playing Techniques panel:

Select the note or rest where the pedal should begin. Open the Playing Techniques popover with Shift+P. Type Ped and press Enter. This creates the pedal start marking. To end the pedal line, you can select the note where it should release and use Shift+P → type * (or just drag the end of the pedal line in Engrave mode).

Alternatively, you can use the Lines panel (Shift+L) or the Playing Techniques section in the right-hand Properties/Panels area to insert pedal retake marks, half-pedal indications, etc. A few useful details:

Dorico supports both the traditional Ped / ✱ markings and the bracket/line style. You can switch between them in Engraving Options → Playing Techniques → Pedal Lines. For retakes (lifting and re-depressing mid-phrase), you can add retake points by selecting a note within an existing pedal line and invoking the popover again, or by clicking the retake icon in the properties panel. Half-pedal and other nuanced pedal techniques are also available through the playing techniques popover or panel.

If you want to change the default appearance globally (e.g., always use bracket notation instead of “Ped”), go to Library → Engraving Options → Pedal Lines.

Voices

Adding a Second Voice Above the Bass Line in Dorico 6 (Piano LH)

Since the bass line is already entered, here’s the cleanest approach:

  1. Click on the first note in measure 4 of the LH staff to select it.
  2. Press N to enter note input mode — the caret will appear at that position.
  3. Press Shift+V to create a new voice. You’ll get a new up-stem voice (Voice 2 with stems up works well for a line above the bass).
  4. Enter your melody notes as normal.

One Subtlety: Stem Direction

By default Shift+V gives you a down-stem voice. For a line that sits above the bass, you probably want an up-stem voice. To get that, after pressing Shift+V press it once more — Dorico cycles through:

  • new down-stem voice
  • new up-stem voice
  • back to existing voices

Watch the caret’s stem indicator to confirm the direction.

Correcting After the Fact

If you’ve already entered the notes and want to change the voice, select them, then:

Right-click → Voices → Change Voice → New Up-stem Voice

The bass line notes will automatically have their stems pushed downward once the second voice is active above them.

Making a Half-Note Triplet in Dorico 6

A half-note triplet means 3 notes in the time of 2, where the total duration is a half note — so each note is a “triplet quarter” lasting ⅓ of a half note.

Steps

  1. In note input, position the caret where you want the triplet.
  2. Select quarter note duration — press 6 (since 3 quarter notes fill a half note’s space).
  3. Press ; (semicolon) to open the tuplet popover.
  4. Type 3:2 and press Enter.

The 3:2 means “3 notes in the time of 2” — i.e. 3 quarter notes where 2 quarter notes would normally go, which is exactly one half note of space. Dorico will create the triplet bracket and you can then enter your three notes.

Note

If you want to make the tuplet basis explicit, Dorico also accepts 3:2q (the q specifying quarter note as the unit), though 3:2 is usually sufficient.