User manual

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TIP
If you want to show lyrics in an italic font because they are intended to be either chorus lyrics or
translation lyrics, you can change their lyric type instead.
If you want all normal lyric lines to appear in an italic font project-wide, you can change the font
style of the Lyrics Font.
RELATED LINKS
Changing the line number and type of lyric lines on page 489
Changing the type of individual lyrics on page 480
Positions of lyrics
Dorico Elements automatically positions lyrics and makes adjustments to accommodate
variations in the length of lyrics, including adjusting the horizontal alignment of lyrics in
melismatic music. However, you can also move lyrics manually and also change their default
positions project-wide.
You can move lyrics to different rhythmic positions in Write mode. They are positioned by default
according to your chosen options on the Lyrics page in Engrave > Engraving Options.
You can move individual lyrics graphically in Engrave mode, but this does not change the
rhythmic positions to which they are attached.
NOTE
The horizontal position of lyrics is automatically adjusted in Dorico Elements to minimize changes
to the note spacing. Syllables are moved by small amounts either left or right to accommodate
longer syllables without distorting the appearance of note rhythms.
Moving lyrics graphically in Engrave mode overrides the automatic spacing for the selected lyrics.
If you move a lyric whose position was automatically readjusted, the note spacing at that
rhythmic position might change.
You can change the default positions of lyrics project-wide on the Lyrics page in Engraving
Options.
The default settings for lyrics on the Lyrics page in Engraving Options are optimized for scores
with comfortable spacing. If your project requires note spacing to be narrower, with less room
for each note, change these settings to achieve a clearly legible result without the need for lots of
editing in Engrave mode.
For scores that have less horizontal space, the following changes often improve the appearance
of lyrics and rhythmic space:
Make minimum gaps smaller, such as the minimum gap between lyrics and hyphens, in
the Hyphens section of the Lyrics page in Engraving Options.
Increase the amount that lyrics can be adjusted by in the Spacing section of the Lyrics
page in Engraving Options.
Positions of syllables
The number of notes sung on syllables or words determines how the lyrics are positioned:
Single syllables, which are whole words or parts of longer words that are sung on only one
note, are centered on their corresponding note.
Melismata, which are syllables or words that are sung on more than one note, are left-
aligned with the left side of the rst note to which they apply.
Lyrics
Positions of lyrics
483