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Metatools

Note: View the Using Metatool shortcuts QuickStart Video to get acquainted with Finale's powerful Metatools.

Keyboard equivalents for mouse, menu, and dialog box actions (known as macros) can dramatically increase your efficiency in working with Finale. One kind of macro is already built into Finale: Metatools. These Metatools are always programmed to the number keys and the letter keys on your computer keyboard. By using a Metatool to place an expression marking into the score, for example, you can bypass three dialog boxes and several mouse clicks. See the individual tool below for instructions for programming Metatools.

The "Add Again" Metatool

The Add Again Metatool allows you to add the marking you just added. Every time you add a marking, whether choosing it from a selection dialog box, or adding it with a Metatool key, you are also resetting the Add Again Metatool key to the marking you chose.

To use the Add Again Metatool
  1. Add some notes to the score.
  2. Choose the Articulation tool .
  3. Double-click a note to open the Articulation Selection dialog box.
  4. Double-click the > (accent) marking. Finale adds the accent marking to the note.
  5. Hold down the - (hyphen) key and click another note. Finale adds the accent marking. Now, let's choose a different articulation from the selection dialog box to change the Add Again Metatool assignment.
  6. Double-click another note, then double-click the . (staccato) marking.
  7. Hold down the - (hyphen) and click another note. Finale enters the staccato.

Selection Metatools

Selection tool Metatools are program-specific, not document-specific like other Metatools. You can hold down CTRL and press 3, 4, 5, and 6-9 to invoke these Metatools with any tool that allows regional selection. (CTRL 1, 2, and 3 are used to change the view percentage.) The Selection tool Metatools are defined as follows:

Metatool

Predefined effects

1

Implode Music (displays the Implode Music dialog box)

I

Drag-Implode Music for multiple staves (displays the Implode Music dialog box)

2

Explode Music (displays the Explode Music dialog box)

E

Drag-Explode Music for multiple staves (displays the Explode Music dialog box)

3

Show elapsed time based on current tempo (displays the Elapsed Time “Time at the Beginning of…” dialog box)

4

Respace notes, lyrics, and accidentals (Apply Note Spacing command) using the settings in Document Options-Music Spacing

5

Respace notes, lyrics, and accidentals (Apply Beat Spacing command) using the settings in Document Options-Music Spacing

6-9

Transpose (press CTRL+SHIFT 6-9 to program)
To program a Selection tool transposition Metatool
  1. Choose the Selection tool .
  2. Press CTRL+SHIFT and a number key (6-9). Finale displays the Transposition dialog box.
  3. Set the transposition you want to program.
  4. Click OK.
To use a Selection tool Metatool
  1. Choose the Selection tool .
  2. Select the measures you want to affect.
  3. Press the appropriate number key on your computer keyboard.

Staff Style Metatools

To program a Staff Style Metatool
  1. Choose the Staff tool .
  2. Press shift and a number key or a letter. Finale displays the Apply Staff Style dialog box.
  3. Choose the staff style you want to correspond to the number or letter you pressed.
  4. Click OK (or press ENTER).
To use a Staff Style Metatool
  1. Choose the Staff tool .
  2. Select a region.
  3. Press the number or letter corresponding to the Metatool you programmed. Finale applies the staff style over the range or measures you selected for that measure in both the score and corresponding part(s). Hold down SHIFT+CTRL while pressing the Metatool key to apply the staff style to the current score/part only. See also Staff Styles in Linked Parts.

Key Signature Metatools

The Key Signature Metatools are defined as follows:

Metatool

Predefined key signature

Metatool

Predefined key signature

1

G major

A

A minor

2

D major

S

E minor

3

A major

D

B minor

4

E major

F

F# minor

5

B major

G

C# minor

6

F# major

H

G# minor

7

C# major

J

D# minor

8

C major

K

A# minor

Q

F major

Z

D minor

W

Bb major

X

G minor

E

Eb major

C

C minor

R

Ab major

V

F minor

T

Db major

B

Bb minor

Y

Gb major

N

Eb minor

U

Cb major

M

Ab minor
To program a Key Signature Metatool
  1. Choose the Key Signature tool .
  2. Press shift and a number key or a letter. Finale displays the Key Signature dialog box.
  3. Choose the key signature you want to correspond to the number or letter you pressed.
  4. Click OK (or press ENTER).
To use a Key Signature Metatool
  1. Choose the Key Signature tool .
  2. Select a region.
  3. While pressing the number or letter corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, double-click a measure within the region you selected. Finale changes the key signature over the range of measures you selected.
To use a Key Signature Metatool (Simple Entry)
  1. In Simple Entry, with the Simple Entry caret active, or a note selected, hold down CTRL and SHIFT and type K.
  2. Type the Metatool key to apply the new key signature. See also Simple Entry.

Time Signature Metatools

The Time Signature Metatools are defined as follows:

Metatool

Predefined time signature

Metatool

Predefined time signature

Metatool

Predefined time signature

1

Q

A

2

W

S

3

E

D

4

R

F

5

T

X

6

Y

C

7

U

V

8

I

- (hyphen)

Reuse last time signature

9

O

    

0

P

  

 
To program a Time Signature Metatool
  1. Choose the Time Signature tool .
  2. Press shift and a number key or a letter key. Finale displays the Time Signature dialog box.
  3. Create the time signature you want to correspond to the number or letter you pressed.
  4. Click OK (or press ENTER).
To use a Time Signature Metatool
  1. Choose the Time Signature tool .
  2. Select a region of music.
  3. While pressing the number or letter corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, click a measure. Finale changes the meter over the region you have selected.
To use a Time Signature Metatool (Simple Entry)
  1. In Simple Entry, with the Simple Entry caret active, or a note selected, hold down CTRL and SHIFT and type T.
  2. Type the Metatool key to apply the new time signature. See also Simple Entry.

Clef Metatools

To program a Clef Metatool
  1. Choose the Clef tool .
  2. Press shift and a letter or number key. Finale displays the Clef Selection dialog box.
  3. Choose the clef you want to correspond to the number or letter you pressed.
  4. Click OK (or press ENTER).
To use a Clef Metatool
  1. Choose the Clef tool .
  2. While pressing the letter or number key corresponding to the clef you desire, choose one of the following options:
    • Click before the first note of a piece to change the first clef displayed.
    • Click before the first note of a measure to change the first clef for that measure and the remainder of the piece.
    • Click between notes in a measure to set a mid-measure clef for the remainder of the measure and the remainder of the piece.
To use a Clef Metatool (Simple Entry)
  1. In Simple Entry, with the Simple Entry caret active, or a note selected, hold down CTRL and SHIFT and type C.
  2. Type the Metatool key to apply the new clef. See also Simple Entry.

Tuplet Metatools

To program a Tuplet Metatool
  1. Choose the Tuplet tool .
  2. Press shift and a number key or a letter key. Finale displays the Tuplet Definition dialog box.
  3. Create the tuplet you want to correspond to the number or letter key you pressed.
  4. Click OK.
To use a Tuplet Metatool
  1. Choose the Tuplet tool .
  2. While pressing the number or letter corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, click a note (or, if the note is in Voice 2, click below the staff). Finale automatically transforms the note you clicked and subsequent notes into the tuplet grouping you predefined, complete with a bracket or slur (if you specified one) with the positioning you specified.

Smart Shape Metatools

The Smart Shape Metatools are defined as follows:

Metatool

Predefined Smart Shape

Metatool

Predefined Smart Shape

Metatool

Predefined Smart Shape

1

 15ma

Y

 dashed bracket

L

 line

2

 "H"

O

 double-ended bracket

X

 tab slide

3

 "P"

P

 pedal

C

 measure-attached glissando

4

 "B"

A

 artificial harmonic

V

 dashed curve

5

 "R"

S

 slur

B

 guitar bend

6

 bend

D

 dashed line

N

 natural harmonic

8

 8va

F

 note-attached glissando

M

 palm mute

E

 trill extension

G

 glissando

< (,)

 crescendo hairpin

R

 ritardando

H

 pick harmonics

> (.)

 decrescendo hairpin

T

 trill

K

 bracket  

 
To use a Smart Shape Metatool
  1. Choose the Smart Shape tool .
  2. Hold down the appropriate key on your computer keyboard.
  3. With the key down, double-click and drag to create the desired shape. For slurs, glissandi, bends and slides, double-click and drag from note to note.

Articulation Metatools

To program an Articulation Metatool
  1. Choose the Articulation tool .
  2. Press shift and a letter or number key. Finale displays the Articulation Selection dialog box.
  3. Double-click the marking you want to correspond to the letter or number you pressed.
To use an Articulation Metatool
  1. Choose the Articulation tool .
  2. While pressing the number or letter key to which the desired marking was programmed, click on, above, or below a note or rest. If you have notes in both Voice 1 and Voice 2, click above the staff for Voice 1 or below the staff for Voice 2 to place the articulation. The marking appears at the place you clicked.

Tip: You can also press a Metatool key and drag-enclose the desired notes to apply the articulation to those notes.

Expression Metatools

If you use a Metatool to place a Shape Expression into the score, you create a duplicate of that shape. This gives you an important advantage when you’re placing several of the same Shape Expression into a score, because it means that you can reshape or resize each copy individually. If you didn’t use a Metatool to place Shape Expressions into the score—and placed them instead by selecting them from the selection box directly—you would reshape every occurrence of a shape when you adjusted any one of them.

To program an Expression Metatool
  1. Choose the Expression tool .
  2. Press shift and a letter or number key. Finale displays the Expression Selection dialog box.
  3. Double-click the Expression you want to correspond to the letter or number you pressed.

Additionally, you can assign any number of Metatools from within the Expression Selection dialog box:

  1. Enter the Expression Selection dialog box. There are several ways to enter this dialog box. See Expression Selection dialog box.
  2. Select an expression.
  3. Hold down SHIFT and type the desired Metatool key. If an expression is already assigned to the key you pressed, it will be reassigned. You can assign as many Metatools as you like in each Expression Selection session.

To use an Expression Metatool

  1. Choose the Expression tool .
  2. While pressing the letter or number key corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, click on, above, or below a note or rest. If you have notes in both Voice 1 and Voice 2, click above the staff for Voice 1 or below for Voice 2 to place the articulation. The expression appears at the place you clicked.

To change an existing expression to a different one:

  1. Select the expression’s handle.
  2. Double-press the desired Metatool key. The expression changes to the definition assigned to the Metatool key you used. (A “double-press” simply means pressing the keystroke twice in rapid succession).

To apply an expression to several staves at once, hold down a Metatool key, then click and drag over several staves. When you release the mouse button the expression will appear on all staves in the region. Each of these expressions is a separate occurrence (and not assigned using a Score List).

Repeat Metatools

To program a Repeat Metatool
  1. Choose the Repeat tool .
  2. Press shift and a letter or number key. Finale displays the Repeat Selection dialog box.
  3. Double-click the repeat barline or the text repeat you want to correspond to the letter or number you pressed (or, if the text repeat you want doesn’t appear in the list, click Create and design it at this point).
  4. Click OK.
To use a Repeat Metatool
  1. Choose the Repeat tool .
  2. While pressing the letter or number key corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, click a measure.
    • If the Metatool was programmed to insert a repeat barline, Finale displays the Backward Repeat Bar Assignment dialog box, where you can specify the playback effects of the barline (unless it was the purely graphic Forward Repeat barline).
    • If the Metatool was programmed to insert a text repeat, Finale displays the Repeat Assignment dialog box, where you can specify the playback effects of the text repeat.

Chord Metatools

To program a Chord Metatool
  1. Choose the Chord tool .
  2. Press shift and a letter or number key. Finale displays the Chord Definition dialog box.
  3. Create the chord symbol you want to correspond to the letter or number you pressed (see Chord Definition dialog box).
  4. Click OK.
To use a Chord Metatool
  1. Choose the Chord tool .
  2. While pressing the letter or number key corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, click a note or rest. The chord symbol appears immediately, transposed according to the key signature if necessary.

 

 

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