User manual

Changing how altered unisons appear
You can change how individual altered unisons appear, including within chords containing other
altered unisons.
PROCEDURE
1. Select the altered unison notes whose appearance you want to change.
2. In the Properties panel, activate Split stem in the Notes and Rests group.
3. Activate/Deactivate the corresponding checkbox.
RESULT
The selected altered unison notes are shown with split stems when the checkbox is activated,
and with single stems when the checkbox is deactivated.
TIP
Split stem applies to individual notes. You can have altered unisons appear differently within the
same chord by setting their properties independently.
Microtonal accidentals
Microtonal accidentals indicate pitches beyond the standard accepted chromatic scale in Western
tonality, such as a quarter sharp or quarter at. Microtonal accidentals are only available in
Dorico Elements if you import a project that already contains them.
Accidental duration rules
Accidental duration rules determine how long accidentals apply, such as within a bar, at a
different octave, or just for a single note. Dorico Elements uses the common practice accidental
duration rule.
Common practice
In common practice, an accidental applies for the duration of a bar and only to the
pitch at which it is written; each octave requires a separate accidental.
RELATED LINKS
Common practice accidental duration rule on page 372
Double accidental cancellation
There are two generally accepted practices for the cancellation of double accidentals, which are
archaic and modern.
By default, Dorico Elements uses modern cancellation. This means that if a double sharp is
cancelled by a single sharp, or a double at is cancelled by a single at, then no natural sign is
shown in front of the single sharp or single at, as these accidentals are unambiguous.
Modern cancellation
Accidentals
Microtonal accidentals
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