Grace notes

1. Choose the Simple Entry tool .
2. Click both the Grace Note Tool and the duration of the desired grace note in the Simple Entry Palette.
3. Click to enter the grace note where desired. Alternatively, double-click the Grace Note Tool (so no other tools in the Simple Entry Palette are selected) and click an existing note to change it to a grace note.

1. Choose the Simple Entry tool .
2. Enter a normal note (see Using your computer keyboard to enter music).

   If the note has already been entered, OPTION+click the note to select it.

3. Press OPTION+G to change the note to a grace note. Press OPTION+G again to add a slash to the grace note, and again to change it back to a regular note.

You can also choose the Grace Note Tool (COMMAND+G) and then enter the note as you would normally. After entering the grace note(s), press COMMAND+G again to deselect the Grace Note Tool.

1. Enter the grace notes as “normal” notes.
2. Choose the Speedy Entry tool and click the measure in question. The editing frame appears.
3. Using the arrow keys, position the cursor on the note you want to change to a grace note, and press the semicolon (;) or the G key. The note becomes a grace note.

   On playback, the grace note will play just ahead of the beat—even if there are many grace notes together, forming a run. To change a grace note to a normal note, repeat the above procedure.

1. Choose the Speedy Entry tool and click the measure. Or, choose the Simple Entry tool .
2. Position the cursor on (Speedy), or select (Simple) the second note of any pair you want beamed together, and press the slash (/). Repeat this process for any additional grace notes you want to include in this beam group. (In Simple Entry OPTION-click to select a note.)

This method will only slash flagged grace notes. See also Slash Flagged Grace Notes Plug-in, Slash Flagged Grace Notes (Remove) Plug-in.

1. Choose Document > Document Options > Grace Notes . The Grace Note option appear.
2. Deselect Always Slash Flagged Grace Notes if it is selected. When the check box is deselected, slashes do not appear.
3. Click OK (or press RETURN).
4. Click the Speedy Entry tool and click the measure in question. The editing frame appears.
5. Position the cursor over the flagged grace note requiring a slash and press ` (accent). This will place a slash on the grace note.

Normally, Finale adds slashes only to flagged (unbeamed) grace notes. It’s possible, however, to add slashes to beamed grace notes.

1. Choose the Expression tool and double-click the grace note. The Expression Selection dialog box appears.
2. Choose the Miscellaneous category and click Create Misc. Expression. The Expression Designer dialog box appears.
3. Click Shape, then Create. You are now in the Shape Designer.

   The following instructions give measurements in points (1/72 inch). If you’ve been working in different units, choose Shape Designer > Rulers and Grid and select Points. Also choose Shape Designer > Line Thickness and select “.5 pt”. Because you’re making a very small shape, choose 400% from the View popup menu to magnify your work area.

4. Click the origin (the small white circle); drag upward and to the right, until the H: and V: text boxes both say 6.
5. COMMAND-click the OK button (or press return five times). You can now adjust the slash by dragging its handle.

In addition to the “intelligent” grace notes described above, you can also add a single, stem-up, “slashed” grace note symbol as an Articulation. In the Maestro symbol palette (accessed from the Articulation dialog box), the slashed grace note is #201. The grace note symbol without the slash is #59, and the stem-down grace note is #58. See Articulations for instructions on creating, moving, and deleting articulations.

1. Choose Document > Document Options > Grace Notes. The Document Options - Grace Notes dialog box appears.
2. Enter a new reduction value in the Grace Note Size text box. The size of regular notes is 100%; the default reduction percentage for grace notes is 60%.

You can eliminate slashes from grace notes by doing the following. See also Slash Flagged Grace Notes Plug-in, Slash Flagged Grace Notes (Remove) Plug-in.

1. Choose Document > Document Options > Grace Notes. The Document Options - Grace Notes dialog box appears.
2. Deselect Always Slash Flagged Grace Notes. When the check box is deselected, slashes do not appear; otherwise, slashes appear on every flagged grace note.
3. Click OK (or press RETURN).

When you’re using HyperScribe to notate real-time performances, you may find grace notes in the transcription. The problem is one of quantization—Finale is transcribing too precisely. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution.

1. Choose MIDI/Audio > Quantization Settings. The Quantization Settings dialog box appears.

   If you’re importing a MIDI file, in the Import MIDI File Options dialog box, which appears after you have chosen your MIDI file to open, click Quant Settings to display the Quantization Settings dialog box. If you’ve told Finale not to display the Import MIDI File Options dialog box when opening a MIDI file, you can select MIDI/Audio > Quantization Settings.

2. Click More Settings. The More Quantization Settings dialog box appears.
3. Select either Remove Grace Notes or Convert to Real Notes.
4. Click OK twice.