Inputting the chords on the bottom staff

Chord input allows you to input multiple notes at the same position; that is, the caret position. In chord input, a + sign appears at the top of the caret.

You can also start chord input by clicking Chords in the Notes toolbox on the left of the window.

As in the previous task, the default note duration of a quarter note (crotchet) is selected in the Notes panel. In this piece, the chords in the first few bars are all quarter notes, so you don’t need to change the duration.

Because this is the first pitch on the staff, Dorico uses the default pitch of the clef to determine the register, and therefore chooses the A♭ closest to the F at the center of the bass clef. However, this piece requires the A♭ below.

Alt/Opt-Down Arrow transposes notes down by staff position; that is, by step. Adding Ctrl/Cmd transposes notes down a larger amount; that is, by octave.

In chord input, Dorico adds new notes above the previous note by default.

In chord input, the caret does not advance automatically, allowing you to build notes into chords at a single rhythmic position. Dorico expects chord input to continue until you stop it.

Because the note duration currently selected is a quarter note, pressing Space advances the caret forward a quarter note.

Now that Dorico has the first chord for pitch reference, the next A♭ would be input in the same octave as the first chord by default, which is not what the piece requires.

Dorico automatically selects notes the smallest interval away from the previous note. Pressing Shift-Alt/Opt as well as the letter for the note inputs that note above the previous note, regardless of the interval. For a lower note, it’s Ctrl-Alt (Windows) or Ctrl (macOS) plus the letter for the note. If you’re not sure whether you need to specify the register, you can always transpose notes up/down octaves after inputting them.

The next bar is very similar to the first bar. However, it starts with the lower A♭ again.