General placement conventions for rehearsal marks

Rehearsal marks should be at noticeable positions in the score so they can be seen easily. They should use a large, non-italic bold font, and be positioned above the system and outside the music.

Rehearsal marks should be positioned above barlines, and not below the system. Although you can input rehearsal marks at rhythmic positions within a bar in Dorico, this is not common practice. Depending on the style of music and the context, it can be helpful to input a double barline beneath each rehearsal mark.

In order to ensure they are easily noticeable, and cannot be confused with bar numbers if you are using numbers for rehearsal marks, rehearsal marks should be shown in an enclosure. You can change the shape and size of rehearsal mark enclosures.

The placement of rehearsal marks relative to the music is discretionary, but they are most helpful to players when they coincide with a change in the music, such as a tempo change or a change in texture. They are also helpful when placed at a point in the music where players are likely to start from in order to rehearse a specific section, such as a significant solo entry or the start of a difficult passage.

In general, it is good practice to place rehearsal marks at regular intervals as well as at significant moments. It is often recommended to have rehearsal marks every 5-20 bars to reduce the amount of bars players need to count before or after a rehearsal mark.

If a rehearsal mark coincides with a tempo change, you should position the tempo text to the right of the rehearsal mark. However, if space is tight, the text can be positioned above or below the rehearsal mark. The position of the rehearsal mark should remain clear, so it should not be moved away from the barline to which it applies, otherwise its position can be misunderstood. Dorico automatically adjusts staff spacing to ensure rehearsal marks are correctly positioned.