Inputting accidentals

You can input accidentals during note input and by adding them to existing notes. You can also change the accidentals of existing notes.

Note

  • Accidentals that are part of the prevailing key signature are input automatically. For example, if you press F in G major, an F♯ is input automatically. You would only need to specify an accidental if you want to input an F♮, for example.

    This also applies if you are using a MIDI keyboard, though you can respell notes if the accidentals chosen automatically are not the ones that you expected.

  • These steps describe selecting accidentals before inputting each note. However, you can change this setting if you prefer to specify accidentals after inputting notes.

Procedure

  1. In Write mode, do one of the following:

    • Start note input.

    • Select the existing notes to which you want to add accidentals or whose accidentals you want to change.

  2. Select the accidental you want to input in one of the following ways:

    • Press - for flat.

    • Press = for sharp.

    • Press 0 for natural.

    • In the Notes panel, click the accidental you want.

    Tip

    You can find uncommon accidentals, such as double sharps and flats, or microtonal accidentals, in the Accidentals section of the Key Signatures, Tonality Systems, and Accidentals panel on the right of the window.

  3. Optional: During note input, input the note you want with your selected accidental.

Result

The accidental is added to the selected existing notes. If you selected existing notes with different accidentals, they are changed to have the accidental you selected.

During note input, the selected accidental is only input on the next note you input. You must reselect the accidental for each subsequent note.

Note

  • Due to the default accidental duration rule in Dorico Elements, subsequent accidentals for the same note in the same register do not appear in the same bar.

  • If you input notes using a MIDI device, Dorico Elements automatically shows an accidental if necessary. It selects a sharp, flat, or natural based on key signature and context. You can later respell notes so they are shown as their enharmonic equivalents with different accidentals.