Player labels

Player labels identify the players to which notes on condensed staves belong. They are usually used to indicate a change in how music is condensed, such as going from having different parts to playing in unison or from all players having separate stems to some players sharing a stem.

Player labels show the numbers of the players whose music is included in the corresponding voice. Player labels are placed above the staff for up-stem voices and below the staff for down-stem voices. They have a small horizontal offset to the left of their rhythmic position by default, which reduces pressure on vertical spacing.

Figure 1. Player labels (circled) indicating which music belongs to the first (1) and second (2) players on each staff

In Dorico Pro, player labels are automatically shown at the start of phrases whose condensing is different to the previous phrase and at the start of new systems. By default, they also use the standard indication a, meaning “to”, when multiple players play the same notes.

  • For notes that only belong to a single player, the player label shows the number of that player or the abbreviated instrument name for unnumbered players condensed with different instruments.

  • For notes that belong to all players on the staff, the player label shows the “to” indication followed by the number of players on the staff, for example, a 3.

  • For notes that belong to multiple players, but not all players on the staff, the player label shows the numbers of those players followed by the “to” indication, for example, 1.2 a 2. Player labels for unnumbered players condensed with different instruments show their abbreviated instrument names followed by the “to” indication, for example, Fl. Ob. a2.

Tip
  • You can change the appearance and position of player labels, including their offset and “to” indication, on the Condensing page in Engrave > Engraving Options.

  • Player labels use the Player Labels paragraph style, which you can edit in the Paragraph Styles dialog.