Bar numbers and repeats

Dorico Pro Help

Product
Dorico Pro
Version
4.3
Language
English
Document type
Webhelp
ft:openMode
fluidtopics

By default in Dorico Pro, repeats are not included in the bar number count. For example, if the first ending ends in bar 10, the second ending starts in bar 11, even though the first section is repeated and therefore more than ten bars have been played.

Including repeats in the bar number count, so that bar numbers reflect the total number of bars played rather than the number of bars written on the page, can make music with multiple playthroughs clearer, as you can refer to a specific bar number for each playthrough instead of, for example, “bar eight the third time round”.

Bar number for subsequent repeat shown in parentheses beside the initial bar number

In Dorico Pro, you can include repeats in the bar number count automatically when repeats are included in playback. This applies to any presentation of multiple playthroughs, including repeat endings and repeat markers, such as D.C. al Coda.

Because it is important that all players refer to the same bar numbers, this affects all layouts project-wide.

When you include repeats in the bar number count, multiple bar numbers apply to the same notated bars. To reflect this, Dorico Pro shows the initial bar number as normal but adds bar numbers for subsequent repeats to the right by default. You can change which playthroughs are included in bar numbers, and the appearance of bar numbers for subsequent repeats, in each layout independently. By default, they are shown in parentheses.

Example

Bar numbers not counting repeats with only initial bar numbers shown
Bar numbers counting repeats with bar numbers for subsequent repeats shown alongside the initial bar numbers