We’ll start with an introduction to articulations (staccatos, accents, fermatas) and dynamic expressions (Moderato, F , solof, etc.).
You must be in the same layer as your notes to attach anything to them, such as lyrics, articulations, expressions, or chord symbols.
Incidentally, some symbols, such as <, have been defined to flip upside-down automatically when a note’s stem direction changes (as a result of a transposition, for example). Articulations with an associated upside-down symbol appear above one another in their selection square.
When you return to the score, you can see that Finale not only centered the accent on the notehead, but it also knew which side of the note (top or bottom) to use. You can override Finale’s placement decision, of course—to move the mark, drag its handle. (You can also delete a mark by clicking its handle and pressing Delete.)
So that you understand what’s happening behind the scenes, try this experiment:
Now let’s add a couple dynamic markings.
To add an expression while entering with the caret in Simple Entry, press the X key.
Note the categories on the left side of this dialog box (“Dynamics,” “Tempo Marks,” Etc.). Each of these categories include markings similar in appearance and positioning. Settings for a category can be changed, altering the appearance and/or positioning of all expressions in that category. You will learn more about editing categories soon.
You can change the positioning settings of expressions by clicking the Edit Categories button in the Expression Selection dialog box to open the Category Designer. For example, if you are notating a choral score, you will want Finale to automatically place the dynamic markings above the staff. To make this change, you would click Edit Categories and then change the Vertical Alignment setting to “Above Staff Baseline or Entry.” See Category Designer dialog box in the User Manual for more details.
Use the Assign button and adjacent drop-down menu to assign dynamics, expressive text, and technique text to multiple staves. To define a list of staves, choose Assign to Staves. The Assign to Staves dialog box opens where you can select specific staves for expression entry.
Tempo marks, tempo alterations, and rehearsal marks apply to all staves of the score, but are shown on a select few as defined by the expression's Score List. The Score List is part of the category definition and can be edited in the Category designer dialog box.
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