Inputting ties

You can input ties manually to join two notes of the same pitch, both during note input and by joining two existing notes with a tie. You can tie existing notes in different voices or on different staves belonging to the same instrument, or that are not rhythmically adjacent.

For example, you might have input a melody across multiple voices in order to accommodate passing notes, but want to tie two notes together even though they are in different voices. Similarly, you might have written multiple notes before a chord that are all held down and want to reduce the number of tied notes.

Tip

Dorico Elements automatically creates ties as required for note durations in each meter. For example, if you want to input a tie between two quarter notes across a barline, you can input a half note at the rhythmic position where you want to input the first quarter note. Dorico Elements automatically splits the half note into two quarter notes, one on each side of the barline, and joins them with a tie.

Prerequisite

If you want to preserve the durations of existing notes, you have forced their duration. For example, if you want to specify subdivisions within a tie chain that are different than the prevailing meter.

We also recommend starting ties from the first note in the tie chain, as tied notes become a single note whose settings, including forced durations, come from the first note.

Procedure

  1. In Write mode, do one of the following:
    • Start note input.

    • Select the note from which you want the tie to start. If you want to input a tie between two specific notes or between a grace note and a normal note, select those two notes.

      Note

      The two notes must be the same pitch, but can be in different voices or on different staves belonging to the same instrument.

  2. Optional: During note input, input the note that you want at the start of the tie.
  3. Input a tie in any of the following ways:
    • Press T.

    • In the Notes toolbox, click Tie .

  4. Optional: During note input, input the note that you want at the end of the tie.
    Note

    The second note must be the same pitch as the first note.

Result

During note input, the two notes input are joined by a tie.

If you selected a single existing note, it is joined by a tie to the next note of the same pitch in the same voice and staff. If you selected two existing notes, they are tied together, provided they are the same pitch and belong to the same instrument.

Note
  • During note input, Dorico Elements ties the first note you input after inputting the tie to the previous note of the same pitch in the same voice and staff, even if there are other notes of other pitches between them.

  • Depending on the prevailing time signature, the position of the start of the note in the bar, and your settings on the Note Grouping page in Notation Options, inputting a tie between two notes can instead create a single note of a different duration, such as a half note instead of two tied quarter notes. You can override your note grouping settings and fix your notated rhythm by forcing their duration. Dorico Elements then notates your input notes with the rhythmic durations specified, as long as they can fit inside the bar.

Example

Figure 1. Ties between adjacent notes
Figure 2. Ties between non-adjacent notes
Figure 3. Ties between grace notes and normal notes