Hiding/Showing used chord diagrams grids

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

You can hide/show grids that contain all chord diagrams used in each flow in each layout independently. By default, used chord diagrams grids display standard guitar tuning chord diagrams but you can change this to show chord diagrams for any fretted instrument or tuning.

Used chord diagrams grids are commonly used in lead sheets for pop and rock music. They are typically shown instead of chord diagrams alongside chord symbols in the music to save vertical space and so they can appear at a larger scale size, making the details of each chord diagram easier to read.

Prerequisite

  • If you want to show chord diagrams using a custom fretted instrument tuning, you have imported the tuning or changed the tuning of a fretted instrument in the project accordingly.

  • We recommend that you have input chord symbols and changed the shape of any chord symbols you want to appear with a specific voicing.

    Note

    It is customary not to show chord diagrams alongside chord symbols when showing a used chord diagrams grid, and you cannot change the chord diagram shape when chord diagrams are hidden.

Procedure

  1. Press Ctrl/Cmd-Shift-L to open Layout Options.
  2. In the Layouts list, select the layouts in which you want to hide/show used chord diagrams grids at the start of flows.

    By default, the layout currently open in the music area is selected when you open the dialog. You can select other layouts by using the selection options in the action bar, clicking and dragging across multiple layouts, Shift-clicking adjacent layouts, and Ctrl/Cmd-clicking individual layouts.

  3. In the category list, click Chord Symbols and Diagrams.
  4. In the Chord Diagrams section, activate/deactivate Show chord diagrams used at start of flow.
  5. Optional: Change the settings for used chord diagrams grids as required.

    For example, you can change the fretted instrument tuning for chord diagrams in the grid, their scale size, and the distance between chord diagrams and/or rows of chord diagrams.

  6. Click Apply, then Close.

Result

Chord diagrams for all chord symbols used in the flow are shown in a grid above the start of each flow in the selected layouts, and are positioned according to the settings for the selected layouts. If flow headings are shown, the used chord diagrams grid appears below them. The order of chord diagrams in the grid is determined by the order in which they first appear in the flow. Each different voicing appears as a separate chord diagram but each voicing appears only once in the grid.

If you input more chord symbols or change the voicing of existing chord diagrams, the used chord diagrams grids update automatically to include them.

Note

  • Even if no chord symbols exist in a flow, vertical space for the used chord diagrams grid is added at the start of the flow.

  • You cannot select or edit individual chord diagrams in used chord diagrams grids.

Example

Used chord diagrams grid at the start of a flow

After Completing This Task

You can change the margins of pages, music frames, and/or flow headings if required to accommodate used chord diagrams grids.