Changing the time signature

If you use the Setup Wizard, you should start off with the correct time signature, too. But let’s say you decide your folk song would work better in cut time.

1. Click the Time Signature Tool  , and double-click the first measure. Make sure you click the middle of the measure (within the staff lines). There are two scroll bars in the Time Signature dialog box: the upper bar controls the top number of the time signature, and the bottom bar controls the bottom number.
2. On the upper scroll bar, click the left scroll bar arrow twice, to change the upper number from 4 to 2. You want the meter to be 2/2  two half notes per measure—so you decrease the upper number, which governs beats per measure.
3. Now click the right scroll bar arrow twice on the lower scroll bar. The lower scroll bar sets the rhythmic pulse—the lower number in the time signature. You increase the value from a quarter note to a half note (by changing the lower number from 4 to 2).
4. Click the radio button for “Measure 1 Through End of Piece.” The Time Signature dialog box looks like this:

5. Uncheck Rebar music.Rebar Music redistributes the barlines to fit the same music given the new time signature.  
6. Click OK. That’s it. You’ve now put “Oh, Susannah” into cut time. (Finale defaults to displaying the cut time symbol for 2/2 . If you’d prefer 2/2, see the User Manual under Cut Time.

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