Measure layout

Note: View the Changing the number of measures per system QuickStart Video for an overview.

For information regarding the relative widths of the measures in a particular system, see To adjust measure widths in a system.

Note: See Music spacing and measure layout for a step-by-step tutorial on changing the measure layout.

You can easily control the page layout of measures in Finale so that measures remain locked in a particular system. This kind of control over measure layout is especially useful when you’re fine-tuning a piece’s layout—avoiding an awkward page turn, forcing a key change to fall at the beginning of a system, and so on.

Note that the measures you rearrange in the following instructions become locked into the arrangement you specify; they won’t be affected by future measure-rearranging commands like Update Layout or even Begin a New Staff System (see To create a system break, below). To lock measures into place, select the systems you wish to affect and press+L. These locked measures will not be affected by updating the layout (unless Remove System Locks is selected in Preferences-Edit) or rearranging the measures in other systems.

To remove the system locks from the piece, choose Update Layout from the Edit menu, or highlight the systems or region with the Selection tool and press +U. If Maintain System Locks is selected in Preferences-Edit, select Update Layout while pressing shift.

To specify a number of measures per system

See Measures per line.

To split a measure across a line break

See To split a measure across a system break.

Finale User Manual Home Leave feedback on this topic Finale 2014 for Windows

7615 Golden Triangle Drive, Suite M Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3848