"How Do I" Directory

Click on a category to jump to that section, or scroll down to browse all of the questions. Each question provides a link to the relevant section of the manual.

Notes

• How do I enter notes? See Simple Entry, Speedy Entry, Recording with HyperScribe, To import a MIDI file, or Scanning.
• To reapply music spacing over a region

Clefs

• To insert a clef change at the beginning of a measure

Accidentals

• How do I add a sharp or flat? See Accidentals (Simple Entry) or Accidentals (Speedy Entry).
• To create a quarter-tone scale or key signature

Percussion

• How do I enter a percussion part with different noteheads and percussion sounds? See Percussion.

Tempo

• How do I set the initial playback tempo? See Tempo (for playback).
• How do I insert a tempo change? See To define a tempo marking for playback.
• How do I add a metronome or tempo indication, like q=200? See Metronome markings.
• How do I insert a ritard or rallentando? See TempoTap and Human Playback.

Markings

• How do I add dynamic markings, such as or ? See To insert a dynamic marking into the score.
• How do I add articulations, such as staccatos (.) or accents (>) or fermatas ()? See To put one articulation mark in the score.
• How do I add a metronome or tempo indication, like q=200? See Metronome markings.
• How do I add a rehearsal mark? See Rehearsal marks.
• How do I add test questions, large speaking sections, or notes to the conductor? See Titles.
• How do I move manage the placement of markings in linked parts? See Linked Parts.

Lyrics

• How do I enter two lyric syllables under the same note? See Elisions.
• How do I add lines after my lyrics when the word is held over two notes? See To draw “word extension” underlines.

Playback

• How do I make it sound legato? See Human Playback.
• How do I make a crescendo or decrescendo? See Human Playback.
• How do I make my piece swing when I play it back? See Swing Playback.
• How do I synchronize my music with a movie? See Syncing Finale to Video.

Time Signature

• How do I change the time signature? See To change the time signature.

Key Signature

• How do I change the key signature? See To change the key.
• I already entered my music and I forgot to set the key signature. How do I change the key signature without changing the music I already entered? See “Hold Notes to Original Pitches” under Key Signature dialog box.

PDFs

• How do I create a PDF of a Finale file? See Adobe PDF documents.

Printing

• How do I print my music? See Printing.

Instrumental Parts

• How do I make instrumental parts? How do I edit markings in linked parts without changing the score? See Linked Parts.
• I broke the link to an item and now need to restore it so score changes to that item also apply to the part. How do I restore the link? See Relinking part items to the score.
• I’ve created my parts, but how do I insert page turns? See Page turns.
• One of my score staves includes multiple voices (e.g. “Flutes 1 & 2”). How do I print the part so only one voice is showing? See Part Voicing.
• How do I use the same score staff for both my bass clef baritone and treble clef baritone part? See To display a staff differently in one part than another.

Beaming

• Why won’t 6/8 (or 9/8 or 12/8) beam right? See Compound meters.
• How do I beam two notes together? Or how do I beam grace notes? See Beaming.
• How do I beam over barlines? See Beaming across barlines.

Speed Tips

• Use keyboard shortcuts. See Keyboard Shortcuts and Special Mouse Clicks.
• Use Metatools. See Metatools.

Pickups/Anacrusis/Upbeats

• How do I make a pickup measure? See Pickup measures.
• How do I make the measure numbers skip my pickup measure? See Pickup measures.

Shape Notes

• How do I create shape note music? See Shape Note music.

Copying Music

• How do I copy music? See Copying music.
• How do I add the measures of one file to the end of another file? See To combine two files.
• How do I copy music to MS Word (or other program)? See Graphics.

Shortcuts

• How do I find shortcuts? See Keyboard Shortcuts and Special Mouse Clicks.

Troubleshooting

• I’m having trouble. Where can I start with troubleshooting? See Troubleshooting.

Chords

• How do I enter a chord with Simple Entry? See Simple Entry. With Speedy Entry? See Speedy Entry.
• How do I add a Chord Symbol like FMaj above the staff? See Chord symbols.
• How do I add a fretboard diagram? See Fretboard diagrams.
• How do I create custom fretboards? See Fretboard Editor dialog box.
• How do I enter chords in a measure with no notes? Or how do I enter a chord change between a single note? See To enter a chord symbol when there’s no note below it.

MIDI

• I’m having trouble with my MIDI. What can I do to troubleshoot it? See Setting up your MIDI System.
• How do I use Inter-application MIDI to communicate between MIDI applications? See To use Inter-application MIDI.

Scanning

• How do I scan music and edit it in Finale? See Scanning.

Page Numbers

• How do I add page numbers? See Page numbers.

Repeats

• How do I add a repeat? See Repeats (barlines and text indications).
• How do I add a first and second ending? See First and second endings.
• How do I add a D.S.? See D.S., D.S. al Coda.
• How do I add a D.C.? See D.C..
• How do I add a mid-measure repeat? See Mid-Measure Repeats Plug-in.

Guitar Tablature

• How do I create and edit guitar tablature? See Tablature.

Ties and Slurs

Graphically, there isn’t a large difference between ties and slurs, but musically and functionally in Finale, there is. A tie means to hold the pitch for the duration of both notes. A slur means to phrase the two notes together, sometimes on different pitches but always re-struck.

• How do I tie a note or chord? See Simple Entry and Speedy Entry
• How do I move or adjust a tie? See To adjust the placement of an individual tie.
• How do I break a tie for a key or time signature? See To break ties across time and key signature changes globally.
• How do I add a slur? See Slurs.

Staves

• How do I add more staves? See To add or insert a single staff.
• How do I change the space between my staves for just one system? See To create variable-distance systems.

Systems

• How do I move a system? See Systems.
• How do I space systems evenly? See Space Systems Evenly dialog box.
• How do I move a system to the next page? See To force a system onto the next page.
• How do I insert a page turn? See Page turns.
• How do I apply changes to system margins and spacing to multiple parts? See Page layout in linked parts.

Barlines

• How do I change the barline to a double barline? See Double barlines.
• How do I create a final, solid or dashed barline. See To create one double, dotted, final, or other barline.
• How do I draw a double barline along the left side of a new system? See Left barlines.
• How do I draw a barline between staves? See To draw the barline on a group.

Measures/Bars

• How do I add measures? See Measures.
• How do I delete measures (remove from all staves in the score)? See To erase or remove measures.
• How do I delete a measure from a single staff? See To delete a measure from a single staff.
• How do I clear measures of notes? See Erasing.
• How do I move a measure from one system to another? See To move a measure to the previous (or next) system.
• How do I set the number of measures per system? See Measures per line.
• How do I change a measure’s width? See To change one measure’s width.
• How do I split a measure across a line break? See To split a measure across a system break.

Measure Numbers

• How do I add measure numbers? See Measure numbers.
• How do I skip a measure in my measure numbers, like for a pickup measure? See Pickup Measures.

Triplets

• How do I add a triplet? See Tuplets (Simple Entry), To enter tuplets with the Speedy Entry tool, and To transcribe tuplets from a real-time performance.
• How do I change my triplet? See To adjust, move, or delete a tuplet.
• How do I hide the bracket and number? See Tuplet Definition dialog box.

Piano Music

• How do I put notes in the right hand staff and the left hand staff but beamed together? See Cross-staff notes.
• How do I create a piano reduction? See Piano Reduction Plug-in.

Fonts

• How do I change the music font on my existing document to Jazz font? See To change music fonts.

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