Selection Tool

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The Selection Tool is Finale's universal editing tool. It can be used to select, move, delete, copy, paste, or otherwise edit any region of measures and virtually any individual item in the score.   

Click on a marking to select it, such as a lyric, slur or articulation. Once selected, you can move, nudge, edit or delete it. For more advanced editing, double-click to switch to the appropriate tool. The Selection Tool works on Measures (Measure Tool/Edit Menu/Utilities Menu), Notes & Rests (Simple Entry), Smart Shapes, Expressions, Articulations, Repeats, Lyrics, Chords & Fretboards, Text Blocks, Graphics, Brackets, Measure Numbers, Tuplets, Key and Time Signatures, Clefs, Ossias, Staff and Group Names.

This tool is also used to select regions of your score (from a single note to the entire score) in order to edit all the selected music at once. For example, you can change any selected measures’ spacing, measure widths, layer assignments, stem directions, beaming patterns, and so on. You can also rebeam, rebar, transpose, or apply articulations to every note in any selected region.

You can use this tool to copy music from one place to another—even from one Finale document to another. You can also use this tool for erasing selected musical elements from a region—such as articulations, chord symbols, lyrics, expressions, MIDI controller data, and so on—without disturbing the other existing elements of the music in that region. See Erasing and Copying music.

 

For special mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts related to selecting regions of measures, see Selecting music.

To use a Selection Tool keyboard shortcut, select a region of measures and use the appropriate keystroke on your computer keyboard.

 

Metatool

Predefined effects

I (letter)

Drag-Implode Music for multiple staves

2

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

5

(or Command-5 with any tool that allows measure selection.)

Apply Beat Spacing command which respaces notes, lyrics, and accidentals using the settings in Document Options-Music Spacing

4

(or Command-4

with any tool that allows measure selection.)

Apply Note Spacing command which respaces notes, lyrics, and accidentals  using the settings in Document Options-Music Spacing

6-9

(or Command 6-9 with any tool other than the Selection Tool that supports measure selection)

(Command-)6 for Down a Second

(Command-)7 for Up a Second

(Command-)8 for Down an Octave

(Command-)9 for Up an Octave

To program a Transposition Metatool

Finale's default transposition key commands are listed in the table above.

To change the transpositions of these shortcuts,

  1. Click the Selection Tool.
  2. Press Command-Shift and a number key (6-9). Finale displays the Transposition dialog box;
  3. Set the transposition and click OK.

Contextual menus are reached by control-clicking on an object. A contextual menu will be displayed where you can select various items.

Measures

Edit Measure Attributes

Opens the Measure Attributes dialog box where you can edit measures.

Barline submenu

Opens the barline submenu where you can select a new barline style.

Multimeasure Rest submenu

Opens the Multimeasure rest submenu where you can create, remove, or editmultimeasure rests.

Cut

Places the selected music on the Clipboard and simultaneously removes it from the document. See Edit/Cut.

Copy

Places a duplicate of the selected music on the Clipboard. See Edit/Copy.

Insert

Inserts whatever music you've cut or copied to the Clipboard between two existing beats or measures. See Edit/Insert.

Paste

Pastes whatever music you've cut or copied to the Clipboard to paste over (replace) the selected music in the target file. See Edit/Paste.

Paste Multiple

Opens the Paste Multiple dialog box where you can choose how many times you want to paste the source material.

Use Filter

Check Use Filter to use the settings in the Edit Filter dialog box while pasting.

Edit Filter

Opens the Edit Filter dialog box where you can select elements to include while pasting.

Move/Copy Layers

Opens the Move/Copy Layers dialog box where you can move and/or copy layers.

Clear All Items

Clears all items in the selected region.

Clear Selected Items

Clears all items in the region selected in the Edit Filter dialog box.

Transpose

Opens the Transpose dialog box where you can choose an interval to transpose the selected region.

Add Measures

Opens the Add Measures dialog box where you can choose the number of measures to add.

Insert Measure Stack

Opens the How Many Measures dialog box where you can choose the number of measures to insert.

Delete Measure Stack

Deletes the measure stack.

Key Signature

From this submenu, choose a key signature for the selected measure(s).

Time Signature

From this submenu, choose a time signature for the selected measure(s).

Clef

Opens the Change Clef dialog box where you can select a clef

Staff Style

From this submenu, add, edit, or define a staff style.

Repeats

With this submenu, create, edit, or remove repeats.

Edit Split Point

Displays a Split Point bar, which allows you to adjust the point at which the measure can be split across a system break.

Edit Beat Chart

Displays the Beat Chart, which allows you to edit the spacing.

 

Articulations

Menu item

What it does

Edit Articulation Definition

Display the Articulation Designer dialog box

Show

Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)

Relink to Score (parts only)

Restore the link to its corresponding score item

Unlink In All Parts (score only)

Break the link between the score and this item in all parts

Relink In All Parts (score only)

Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts

Delete

Removes selected articulations

 

Brackets

Menu item

What it does

Edit Group Attributes

Display Group Attributes dialog box

Delete Bracket

Deletes selected bracket

Delete Group

Deletes the group and bracket

 

Chord Symbols

Menu item

What it does

Edit Chord Definition

Display the Chord Definition dialog box

Edit Fretboard

Display the Fretboard Editor dialog box

Delete

Removes selected chord symbols

Show Chord

Shows (or hides) individual chord symbols

Show Fretboard

Shows (or hides) individual fretboards

Relink to Score (parts only)

Restore the link to its corresponding score item

Unlink In All Parts (score only)

Break the link between the score and this item in all parts

Relink In All Parts (score only)

Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts

 

Clefs

Menu item

What it does

Edit Clef Definition (when invoked on midmeasure clef)

Display the Midmeasure Clef dialog box

Select Clef (when invoked on highlighted measure(s))

Display the Clef Selection dialog box

Delete

Removes midmeasure clef

 

Text Expressions

Menu item

What it does

Edit Expression Assignment

Display the Expression Assignment dialog box

Edit Note/Measure Text Expression Definition

Display the Text Expression Designer dialog box

Remove Manual Adjustments

Removes manual adjustments made in the score

Show

Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)

Relink to Score (parts only)

Restore the link to its corresponding score item

Unlink In All Parts (score only)

Break the link between the score and this item in all parts

Relink In All Parts (score only)

Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts

Delete

Removes selected expressions

 

Shape Expressions

Menu item

What it does

Edit Expression Assignment

Display the Expression Assignment dialog box

Edit Note/Measure Shape Expression Definition

Display the Shape Expression Designer dialog box

Edit Note/Measure Shape Expression Graphically

Displays bounding box handles for graphically editing the shape expression

Remove Manual Adjustments

Removes manual adjustments made in the score

Show

Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)

Relink to Score (parts only)

Restore the link to its corresponding score item

Unlink In All Parts (score only)

Break the link between the score and this item in all parts

Relink In All Parts (score only)

Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts

Delete

Removes selected expressions

 

Key Signatures

Menu item

What it does

C Major

Sets the key signature to C Major

G Major

Sets the key signature to G Major

D Major

Sets the key signature to D Major

A Major

Sets the key signature to A Major

E Major

Sets the key signature to E Major

F Major

Sets the key signature to F Major

Bb Major

Sets the key signature to Bb Major

Eb Major

Sets the key signature to Eb Major

Ab Major

Sets the key signature to Ab Major

A minor

Sets the key signature to A minor

E minor

Sets the key signature to E minor

B minor

Sets the key signature to B minor

F# minor

Sets the key signature to F# minor

C# minor

Sets the key signature to C# minor

D minor

Sets the key signature to D minor

G minor

Sets the key signature to G minor

C minor

Sets the key signature to C minor

F minor

Sets the key signature to F minor

Other

Opens the Key Signature dialog box where you can define a key signature

 

Lyrics

Menu item

What it does

Align Default

Changes the alignment of the syllables back to Finale’s global setting

Align Center

Changes the alignment of the syllables to centered under the note

Align Left

Changes the alignment of the syllables to the left under the note

Align Right

Changes the alignment of the syllables to the right under the note

Justify Default

Changes the justification of the syllables back to Finale’s global setting

Justify Center

Changes the justification of the syllables to centered relative to each other

Justify Left

Changes the justification of the syllables to the left relative to each other

Justify Right

Changes the justification of the syllables to the right relative to each other

 

 

Ossias

Menu item

What it does

Edit Ossia Assignment

Display the Assignment for Ossia Measure dialog box

Edit Ossia Definition

Display the Ossia Measure Designer dialog box

Delete

Removes selected ossia

Show

Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)

Relink to Score (parts only)

Restore the link to its corresponding score item

Unlink In All Parts (score only)

Break the link between the score and this item in all parts

Relink In All Parts (score only)

Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts

 

Repeats

Menu item

What it does

Edit Repeat Assignment

Display the Repeat Assignment dialog box

Allow Individual Edits Per Staff

Allows you to edit each occurrence of a repeat marking independently

Align Brackets

Align repeat ending brackets vertically

Reset Bracket Position

Reset ending brackets to default positioning

Edit Repeat Definition (text repeats only)

Display the Repeat Designer dialog box

Show

Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)

Relink to Score (parts only)

Restore the link to its corresponding score item

Unlink In All Parts (score only)

Break the link between the score and this item in all parts

Relink In All Parts (score only)

Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts

Delete

Removes selected repeat

 

SmartShapes

Menu item

What it does

Edit

Displays editing handles on selected smart shape

Delete

Removes selected smart shape

Show

Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)

Relink to Score (parts only)

Restore the link to its corresponding score item

Unlink In All Parts (score only)

Break the link between the score and this item in all parts

 

Note: You can undo any Selection Tool operation by choosing Undo from the Edit Menu (Command-Z) immediately afterward.

 

See Also:

Main Tool Palette

 

 

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