Tie chains

When notes are longer than the maximum duration of a bar in the prevailing time signature, ties can extend over multiple bars. In Dorico, such ties are known as tie chains.

For example, if you input a note that is longer than a whole note in a 4/4 time signature, it becomes two or more notes tied together in a chain across multiple bars.

In Write mode, you can only select whole tie chains. In Engrave mode, you can select individual ties within tie chains. Any changes you make to tie chains in Write mode only affect the first tie in the chain.

Note

Dorico automatically adjusts tied notes in the following circumstances:

  • If you change the pitch of a tied note, which includes adding or removing an accidental, the change is applied to all the notes that are tied together.

  • If you add or remove an articulation, the articulation is added only to the start or the end of the tie chain as appropriate, for example, to the last note for an articulation of duration or to the first note for an articulation of force.

Articulations relative to tie chains

The positions of articulations relative to tie chains depend on the type of articulation. You can change the positions of articulations relative to tie chains project-wide and for individual tie chains.