FAQ DaCapo

How do I read a 'Da Capo';?

A Da Capo (repeat from the beginning) construction is read as follows according to MusiCAD:

When you encounter Da Capo, D.C., DC al Fine, or Da Capo al Fine e poi la Coda, you go back to the first note of the part (Capo=beginning).
If you encounter 'Fine' during the second time playing, two things can happen:

there is nothing left after the D.C. sign. Fine then means: stop here.
after the D.C. sign there is another piece, the Coda

Fine now means: go to the last piece (coda=tail) everything after D.C. MusiCAD sees as Coda, whether or not a Coda sign is noted. As far as MusiCAD is concerned, D.C. is the same as 'Da Capo al Fine e poi la Coda' or in English: play 'from the beginning to fine and then the coda piece'. MusiCAD only interprets the indication Fine during the second playing, so after D.C.. Instead of Fine you can also use 'al coda: go to the final piece.

MusiCAD does nothing with the Coda sign 'in itself'; the coda part is after all unambiguous: everything that comes after DC...

How should I read a 'Dal Segno' construction?

You can read a Dal Segno (repeat from the sign) construction as follows:

When you encounter D.S., Dal Segno or Dal Segno al Fine e poi la Coda, go back to the or sign in your part (Segno=sign)

What happens with 'Fine' and the

is already described under the previous question.

I think it really needs to be different!

There are many misunderstandings about DC/DS notation. MusiCAD uses the most common(?) and unambiguous form. Every DC/DS form that is more complicated than 'everything again' still needs subtitles for most musicians. You can set MusiCAD so that your own notation no longer produces error messages by choosing under [Options|Music and MIDI|Da Capo audible]=off. MusiCAD will then ignore all 'wrong' constructions. You can - without MusiCAD complaining - spread coda/segno signs around as much as you think is useful. If you find literature in which this is described better, please send an e-mail to bugs@musicad.nl :You can possibly. First write down everything the way MusiCAD wants it to be played back correctly, then make all Da Capo's, Segno's and Fine invisible, and finally write down what you do want as text (so not with the Coda menu).

How do I write down a Da Capo in MusiCAD so that it is played back correctly?

At the note that should be played last the first time, put D.C. in all parts (with coda menu or <alt-D>)
At the place where you stop or where you should jump to a possible coda, write Fine (with coda menu or <alt-F>)
If necessary, you can place a coda sign after the D.C. sign. As far as MusiCAD is concerned, this may also be omitted.

How do I write a Dal Segno in MusiCAD so that it is played correctly?

At the note that should be played last the first time, put D.S. (with coda menu or <alt-S>)
At the place where the repeat should begin, put a segno or paragraph sign (with coda menu or <shift-S> resp. <alt-P> )
At the place where you stop or where you should jump to a possible coda, write Fine (with coda menu or <alt-F>)
If necessary, you can place a coda sign after the D.S. sign (with coda menu or <alt-o>. As far as MusiCAD is concerned, this may also be omitted.

Can I use more than one Dal Segno construction within a piece of music?: MusiCAD can handle up to 10 Dal Segno constructions 'understand'. For a second D.S. construction you use the paragraph sign and the square coda sign. Further signs you will have to number - whether you please the reader with that is another story...

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