When a syllable’s note is tied over to another note or sustained through several notes (as in a melisma), a common practice is to draw an underline following the syllable to indicate its extension.

As you enter lyrics, word extensions are defined automatically where appropriate. These underlines are called Smart Word Extensions because they expand and contract along with the music as you enter additional lyrics and modify the page layout. They can also automatically extend over a system breaks. You can edit the default visual appearance of Smart Word Extensions, such as the baseline and offset from the left or right syllable, in the Word Extensions dialog box. Changes made in this dialog box apply to existing word extensions, as well new ones added to the score.

A Smart Word Extension underline will extend to the next syllable of the same lyric type and number regardless of the baseline difference of the individual syllables. A word extension underline will extend to any syllable of a different type (verse, section, or chorus) provided it lies on the exact same vertical baseline as the previous syllable. Word extensions do not terminate at the start point of the next syllable if it is of the same type, but a different number (verse 1, verse 2) regardless of the next syllable’s baseline position.

Note: Old documents (those created in Finale version 2003 or earlier) that contain lyrics retain all word extension positioning information when converted to Finale 2014 format. However due to possible conflicts with existing word extensions, Smart Word Extensions are not active in converted documents by default. If you want to activate Smart Word Extensions in an older Finale Document, from the Document menu, choose Document Options, select Lyrics, and then click Word Extensions. Check Use Smart Word Extensions. Then click OK twice to confirm your settings. Old word extensions disappear and are replaced with Smart Word extensions. (Uncheck this option to revert back to the old word extensions that existed in a document prior to turning Smart Word Extensions on).

After word extensions appear in the score, each can be edited manually. To edit word extensions individually:

To draw word extension underlines

1. Click the Lyrics tool . The Lyrics menu appears.
2. Choose Lyrics > Edit Word Extensions.
3. Click near the syllable to be extended. A handle appears at the end of the syllable.
4. Drag the syllable’s handle to the right. As you drag, you create an underline. To remove the underline, click its handle and press DELETE. To clear manual positioning, press BACKSPACE.

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