Playing Techniques panel

The Playing Techniques panel contains the different playing techniques available in Dorico Pro, divided into instrument families. It is located in the right zone in Write mode. Pedal lines are included in the Keyboard section.

  • You can hide/show the Playing Techniques panel by clicking Panels , then Playing Techniques in the Notations toolbox.

    You can also hide/show the right zone by pressing Ctrl/Cmd-9.

The Playing Techniques panel contains the following sections:

Common

Contains commonly used playing techniques that also apply to multiple different instrument families, such as “mute” and “legato”.

Wind

Contains playing techniques typically only used for wind instruments, such as “key clicks” and “whistle tones”.

Brass

Contains playing techniques typically only used for brass instruments, such as “cup mute” and “stopped”.

Unpitched Percussion

Contains playing techniques typically only used for unpitched percussion instruments, such as “rim” and “scrape”.

Pitched Percussion

Contains playing techniques typically only used for pitched percussion instruments, such as “motor on” and “½ Ped.” for vibraphones.

Keyboard

Contains playing techniques typically only used for keyboard instruments, such as “Ped.” and different pedal depression levels.

Choral

Contains playing techniques typically only used for the voice, such as “mouth open” and “tongue click”.

Strings

Contains playing techniques typically only used for string instruments, such as “col legno battuto” and “down bow”.

Guitar

Contains playing techniques typically only used for guitars and fretted instruments, such as string indicators, “half barré”, and “strum up”.

Tip
  • You can hover your mouse pointer over the options in each section to show the name of each playing technique.

  • You can use the action bars at the bottom of each section to access the Edit Playing Techniques dialog. Edit Playing Technique buttons are available when a playing technique is selected in the music area.