Table of Contents
Notation reference
Slurs
Slurs are tapered, curved lines that join notes to indicate legato articulation and phrasing.
General placement conventions for slurs
There are different conventions for the placement, endpoint position, shape, and curvature direction of slurs in various contexts.
Slur placement relative to grace notes
There are specific placement rules that affect slurs when they start from a grace note and end on a normal note immediately following the grace note.

Slur placement relative to grace notes

There are specific placement rules that affect slurs when they start from a grace note and end on a normal note immediately following the grace note.

These rules are:

Slurs connect noteheads rather than stems.
Slurs are scaled to match the proportions of grace notes.
Slurs must not obscure ledger lines.
Slurs are placed above notes if they would collide with the accidental of a standard note when placed below the notes.

Due to the general placement conventions of grace notes, slurs in Dorico Elements appear below grace notes and curve downwards by default. Slurs starting from grace notes only appear above notes and curve upwards in up-stem voices in multiple-voice contexts.


Figure 1. Slur curvature direction on grace notes in a single-voice context	Figure 2. Slur curvature direction on grace notes in a multiple-voice context