Making selections into systems

You can make systems that contain all musical material between two selected rhythmic positions.

Procedure

  1. Select an item at the rhythmic position that you want to be the start of the system.
    Note

    We recommend that you select noteheads or barlines. Selecting other items, such as slurs, can cause system breaks to be inserted earlier/later than you might have intended.

  2. Ctrl/Cmd-click one of the following:

    • A notehead that you want to be at the end of the system

    • An item that you want to be at the start of the next system

  3. In the Engrave toolbox, click Graphic Editing to show the Formatting panel.
  4. In the Format Systems section, click Make into System.

Result

A fixed system is created by inserting system breaks at the start/end of your selection. The system contains all musical material between the two selected items.

  • If you selected items, such as barlines or slurs, the start of your first selected item is positioned at the start of the system and the end of your last selected item is positioned at the start of the next system.

  • If you selected noteheads, the last selected notehead is also included in the system, rather than being positioned at the start of the next system.

  • If you selected ties, all musical material between the first and last notes tie chains is included in the system, regardless of where in the tie chains you made selections.

Note

The system break inserted at the start of the selection has Wait for next system break activated in the Format group of the Properties panel by default. Because this property tells Dorico Pro to include all music in the system until the next system break or the end of the flow, if you later delete subsequent system breaks, this can create very full, tightly spaced systems.

Deactivating Wait for next system break allows Dorico Pro to cast off subsequent music as normal.