Tablature Staff Attributes dialog box

How to get there

Choose Window > Score Manager. The Score Manager appears.
Choose Notation Style > Tablature.
Click Settings.

What it does

Use this dialog box to make custom settings for a TAB staff including string tuning. You can use Finale to create tablature notation (for guitar or banjo, for example), where small numbers appear on a special "staff" to indicate fret numbers.

Instrument: Standard Guitar • Lute; Edit Instrument. Select the type of tablature staff you want to create from this drop-down menu. Click the Edit Instrument button to define a different fretboard instrument. See Fretboard Instrument Definition.
Default Lowest Fret. Type in this text box to indicate the lowest fret to use in the staff by default.
Capo Position. Type a fret number in this text box to indicate the location of a capo.
Show Tuplets. Check this box to display tuplet definitions in the TAB staff.
Show Clef Only On First Measure. Check this box to display the TAB clef on the first measure only, and not at the beginning of subsequent systems.
Vertical Offset. Use this field to specify the vertical offset for the positioning of fret numbers on the strings of the staff. Click the drop-down list to specify a different measurement unit.
Use Letters. Check this box to use fret letters in the TAB staff instead of numbers.
Break Tablature Lines At Numbers. Select this option to have space between the tablature lines and the tablature numbers.
On "OK", Reset Staff’s Attributes To Tablature Defaults. Check this box to revert to Finale’s default TAB staff settings.
OK • Cancel. Click OK (or press enter) to confirm, or Cancel to discard, your tablature settings. You return to the Score Manager. If you clicked OK, Tablature will be selected in the Notation Style drop-down menu.