Defining partial bars as pick-up bars or irregular bars

You can change whether explicit irregular bars at the start of time signatures are defined as pick-up bars. This affects how notes in the bars are beamed and grouped.

Notes in irregular bars defined as pick-up bars are beamed/grouped backwards from the end of the bar, while notes in irregular bars not defined as pick-up bars are beamed/grouped forwards from the start of the bar.

Note

You must input explicit irregular bars and pick-up bars as part of a time signature, such as by entering 4/4,1.5 into the time signatures popover to input a 4/4 time signature with a pick-up bar containing 1.5 quarter note beats, or three eighth notes.

1. Select the time signatures or the signposts of time signatures starting with an explicit irregular bar whose pick-up definition you want to change. You can do this in Write mode and Engrave mode.
2. In the Properties panel, activate Group first bar as pick-up in the Time Signatures group.
3. Activate/Deactivate the corresponding checkbox.

Result

Irregular bars at the start of the selected time signatures are defined as pick-up bars when Group first bar as pick-up and its corresponding checkbox are both activated, and defined as normal irregular bars when the corresponding checkbox is deactivated.

When the property is deactivated, Dorico Pro uses internal heuristics to define them as either pick-up bars or normal irregular bars automatically.