Unpitched percussion imported from MusicXML files

Unpitched percussion music can be expressed in a number of ways in MusicXML. Scoring applications take different approaches to what data is exported and how it is encoded. Therefore, the results of importing MusicXML into Dorico Pro vary considerably.

Dorico Pro identifies each instrument in kits explicitly and then combines them dynamically onto five-line staves. Other scoring applications and MusicXML have a different approach to how unpitched percussion music is represented. For example, a drum set may be effectively notated as pitched notes on a five-line staff and annotated with additional information to help identify which instrument corresponds to each staff position.

Because of these different approaches, mapping information between the MusicXML representation and the Dorico Pro representation can be challenging, so Dorico Pro employs heuristics to improve the quality of results.

Typically, drum set instruments in MusicXML files exported from both Sibelius and Finale are imported quite cleanly into Dorico Pro.

Results are particularly good, and more likely to be imported correctly, if the voicing of the drum set is consistent, such as consistently notating the snare drum in a down-stem voice. If the voicing changes from bar to bar, it is possible that some notes are either identified correctly or not imported at all.

Other kinds of percussion that are notated on five-line staves produce more variable results. In most cases, Finale includes information about which percussion instrument maps onto each staff position, but Sibelius does not. As a result, you might find that Dorico Pro chooses different instruments than you expected, but you can change instruments using the Edit Percussion Kit dialog.