After a well-deserved holiday break, I’m easing back into the creative flow. December proved especially productive as I completed a new Love Letter composition for piano and revisited the other piano works in the collection. In January, I continued this momentum by successfully transferring six additional pieces—excluding the orchestral works—from Finale to Dorico, bringing me closer to completing the transition of my catalog.
Revisiting Love Letters
The transfer process was smoother than I anticipated, though not without its quirks. For the piano pieces, I had to completely redo the pedaling, as Dorico handles it differently than Finale. However, the template system made it straightforward to ensure a consistent look across the collection, maintaining the cohesive aesthetic I’d originally envisioned.
While Dorico’s interface is often touted as user-friendly, I frequently find myself frustrated by how unintuitive certain tasks can be. After importing one of my Love Letters, I needed to fix a tremolo that didn’t translate well from Finale. In Finale, you simply specify the note values in each voice, apply the tremolo as an articulation, and adjust spacing. Dorico, however, requires you to input two notes in the same voice to fill the time (e.g., two quarter notes for a half note duration), then use the Repeat popover (Shift+R) to create a tremolo. Why is this a “repeat” instead of an articulation? I’ll never understand. It seems decisions in Dorico often favor the programmers’ logic over what makes sense musically.
Another puzzling design choice is the scissor icon for breaking ties. For 30 years, that icon has represented “cut” in cut-copy-paste workflows. A razor blade is a more obvious symbol that would make far more sense. These small frustrations make Dorico feel like a constant research project rather than an intuitive tool.
The Bright Side of Dorico
Despite these gripes, Dorico’s playback engine is a game-changer. It functions more like a proper MIDI performance system, offering a realism that Finale never managed. I’ve barely scratched the surface of its capabilities, but even the basics have been a huge improvement. Though playback isn’t my primary focus when using the tool, it’s exciting to see how much potential this feature offers as I explore it further.
Planning for 2025
This time of year, I like to map out my creative goals, even though they often shift with commissions and opportunities. Having a roadmap helps me focus, so here are some of the objectives I’m setting for 2025:
- Building the Solo Circle-Music Collection: Finish the pieces for the woodwinds I play, possibly record them, and release a CD or digital album. I’d also like to create a recombinant work using these pieces. Thanks for the idea, Joe.
- Symphony No. 4: Complete the fourth movement and rework the percussion in the third movement for a larger ensemble.
- Pierrot Ensemble Piece: Well, a Pierrot with alto sax instead of clarinet—thanks, Chris. Write a piece I’ve been thinking about for some time now.
- Other Chamber Works: Explore new ideas for chamber music and see where inspiration leads.
- 10 Circles: Make revisions to improve this work.
Looking Ahead
The year is already shaping up to be an exciting one. I’ll be starting with the new solo circle-music pieces, so keep an eye out for updates on those. It feels good to be back at work, and I’m eager to dive into these projects and see what the year brings!
