Nested slurs

Nested slurs are two or more slurs used simultaneously, where the overarching slur shows the structure of the phrase and the inner slurs show the articulation within the phrase. They are also known as “slurs within slurs”.

Depending on the stem directions within the overarching outer slur, inner slurs may appear on the opposite side of the staff to the outer slur.

Figure 1. A phrase with nested slurs

You can input nested slurs in the same ways as inputting standard slurs. By default, Dorico for iPad makes automatic adjustments to their positioning to avoid collisions if you have not activated Disable auto curve adjustment in the Slurs group of the Properties panel in Engrave mode.