User manual

Arpeggio signs are vertical lines that indicate chords are to be played arpeggiated, or “spread”,
so that the notes in the chord are played very quickly one after another. Arpeggio signs are
normally shown with wavy lines similar to trill extension lines.
Arpeggiated chords can be played in two directions:
●
Upwards, starting from the bottom note in the chord.
●
Downwards, starting from the top note in the chord.
Dorico Elements offers the following types of arpeggio signs:
Up arpeggio
A vertical wavy line that indicates chords are to be arpeggiated from the bottom note
upwards.
Down arpeggio
A vertical wavy line that indicates chords are to be arpeggiated from the top note
downwards.
Non arpeggio
A bracket with straight lines that indicates all notes in the chord are to be played
together, not arpeggiated.
Default up arpeggio
Default down arpeggio Default non arpeggio
It is most common for up arpeggios to be shown with nothing at the top end, because chords
are usually arpeggiated upwards, and for down arpeggios to be shown with an arrow at the
bottom, so this is the default in Dorico Elements. However, it is also accepted practice to show up
arpeggios with an arrow at the top if down arpeggios are also used in the same piece of music.
You can show both up arpeggios and down arpeggios with one of three ends in Dorico Elements:
● Nothing
● Arrow
●
Swash
Arpeggio signs
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