Clefs

See also Courtesy clef changes. 

The clefs in Finale are intelligent: if you change a clef, the music that follows it is automatically renotated to reflect the change. Finale can use eighteen different kinds of clefs per piece, shown below (see “To design a new clef,” below), but you can re-define any of these symbols or their effects on the notated music.

To set the starting clef for a staff

This method is suggested when you are also setting up other attributes of the staff, such as its instrument name and transposition. Keep in mind, though, that you can also use the Clef Tool (as described below) to perform the same function.

1. Click the Staff Tool , and then double-click the desired staff. The Staff Attributes dialog box appears.
2. Click the Select button near the words First Clef. The Clef Selection dialog box appears.
3. Double-click the clef you want. Click OK (or press return).

To insert a clef change at the beginning of a measure

You can also use this method to set the clef at the beginning of a staff.

1. Click the Clef Tool  . Double-click the measure where you want the clef to change. The Change Clef dialog box appears.
2. Click to highlight the clef you want.
3. In the Measure__ Through __ text boxes, enter the measures you want to be affected by this clef change. When you enter the dialog box, both text boxes show the current measure number. If you want the clef to change all measures to the end of the piece, choose the second measure region button in the dialog box.
4. Click OK (or press return).

To apply a clef change to a region of measures

1. Click the Clef Tool  .
2. Highlight a region of measures.
3. Double-click the highlighted region. The Change Clef dialog box appears.
4. Choose the new clef and click OK.

Also, after selecting a region, press the metatool key assigned to the clef you want apply to the region. The clef change applies to the highlighted region. See Metatools.

To insert a mid-measure clef change

1. Click the Clef Tool  .
2. Highlight a measure region that begins where you would like to place the clef change. See Selecting Music.
3. Double-click the highlighted region (or press Enter). The Change Clef dialog box appears.
4. Choose the new clef and click OK. You return to the document with the clef—which now has a handle—at the beginning of the staff. Drag the clef’s handle right or left to position it as desired. The notes before and after it will be renotated automatically.

To change a clef you’ve inserted in mid-measure

1. Click the Clef Tool  .
2. Double-click the handle; on the second click, hold the button down and drag left or right. As you drag the clef, its identity cycles through the eighteen standard clefs.

Another way to edit the clef is to control-click its handle and choose Edit Clef Definition. You reenter the Mid-Measure Clef dialog box, where you change the clef itself, its size, or its position.

To change the default clef

When you add a staff to the score, it initially appears with a treble clef. You can change this default clef, so that any new staff appears with another clef.

1. From the Document Menu, choose Document Options, then select Clefs. The Clef options appear.
2. Under the heading Default Clef Change, click Select. The Clef Selection dialog box appears.
3. Double-click the desired default clef. Click OK (or press return). Now any new staff you create with the Staff Tool will appear with the default clef you specified.

To hide a clef

1. Click the Clef Tool  . Double-click the measure where you want hide the clef. If you want to hide a mid-measure clef, right-click the mid-measure clef handle. The Change Clef dialog box (or the Mid-measure Clef dialog box) appears.
2. Select Never in the Show Clef section.  
3. Click OK.  

To design a new clef

You’re not limited to using the traditional clefs in Finale; you can create your own clef, using any symbol, with any notational meaning. You can even create your own clef in the Shape Designer; see To design a shape clef. Each document you create can have eighteen clefs; in order to create your own, therefore, you’ll have to replace one of the eighteen default clefs. You can save your newly designed clef into a Clef library, so you can use the same clef in new documents. See Save Library dialog box.

1. From the Document Menu, choose Document Options, select Clefs, then click the Clef Designer button. The Clef Designer dialog box appears.
2. Click on the clef whose characteristics you want to alter.
3. Next to Character, click Select. A palette of all available characters in the currently selected font appears. To change the font for this clef, click on Set Font and choose a different font. To change the font for all clefs, see Document Options-Fonts. If you don’t see a font character you want, see To design a shape clef.
4. Double-click the desired symbol.
5. Set the middle-C line for this clef by typing a number into the Middle C Position text box. A value of zero places middle C on the top line of the staff; this number indicates the number of lines or spaces that middle C is to be positioned away from this top line. For example, the treble clef, which places middle C one ledger line below the staff, has a Middle C Position value of –10, because one ledger line below the staff is ten lines and spaces down from the top line of the staff (whose number is zero).
6. Set the vertical positioning of the clef symbol by typing a number into the Clef Position text box. This value, measured in lines and spaces, determines where the new clef will sit on the staff. A value of zero places the baseline of the clef on the top line of the staff. Note that the baseline of a clef is based on its musical meaning, and isn’t quite the same as the baseline for regular text. For example, the baseline of the treble clef isn’t the bottom of the character—it’s the “curl” that sits on the G line of the staff; the baseline of the bass clef is centered between the two dots (the F line), and so on. Thus the Clef Position for the treble clef is –6, six lines and spaces lower than the top line of the staff.
7. If you’re using a font other than Maestro, Petrucci, Engraver or Sonata, select Musical Baseline Offset and type a value into the text box. This number sets the distance, in lines and spaces, between the normal baseline for the clef (as defined in the previous step) and its vertical position when it occurs as a clef change in the middle of the score, and hence at a reduced size. Finale positions clefs automatically if the Maestro, Petrucci, Engraver or Sonata music font is selected as the default music font, but symbols from a font you design yourself might require this extra adjustment.
8. Click OK (or press return). From now on in this document, any time you access the palette of clefs, you’ll see the new clef represented as one of the eighteen available. Any music that follows it will be notated according to the definition of middle C (and the “stem-flipper” value) you’ve created. If you want to use this clef in other documents, see Save Library dialog box.

To design a shape clef

You’re not limited to a shape found in a font; you can combine font characters, draw free-hand or mix-and-match shapes. Each document you create can have eighteen clefs; in order to create your own, therefore, you’ll have to replace one of the eighteen default clefs.

1. From the Document Menu, choose Document Options, select Clefs, then click the Clef Designer button. The Clef Designer dialog box appears.
2. Click on the clef whose characteristics you want to alter.  
3. Set the middle-C line for this clef by typing a number into the Middle C Position text box. A value of zero places middle C on the top line of the staff; this number indicates the number of lines or spaces that middle C is to be positioned away from this top line. For example, the treble clef, which places middle C one ledger line below the staff, has a Middle C Position value of –10, because one ledger line below the staff is ten lines and spaces down from the top line of the staff (whose number is zero).
4. Set the vertical positioning of the clef symbol by typing a number into the Clef Position text box. This value, measured in lines and spaces, determines where the new clef will sit on the staff. A value of zero places the baseline of the clef on the top line of the staff. Note that the baseline of a clef is based on its musical meaning, and isn’t quite the same as the baseline for regular text. For example, the baseline of the treble clef isn’t the bottom of the character—it’s the “curl” that sits on the G line of the staff; the baseline of the bass clef is centered between the two dots (the F line), and so on. Thus the Clef Position for the treble clef is –6, six lines and spaces lower than the top line of the staff.
5. Select Musical Baseline Offset and type a value into the text box. This number sets the distance, in lines and spaces, between the normal baseline for the clef (as defined in the previous step) and its vertical position when it occurs as a clef change in the middle of the score, and hence at a reduced size.
6. Click on Shape, then Select, then Create. The Shape Designer appears. Finale provides a template of the staff lines, to give you an idea of size and position when your clef appears in the score. A small origin circle marks where Finale will begin the clef horizontally and the Clef Position vertically. You’ll probably want to draw your shape close to the origin circle, unless you want extra space before this clef. If you want to create extra space after this clef, insert a blank character to the right of the clef. (For extra space before or after all clefs, see Document Options-Clefs.) To change the line of the origin circle, see the Clef Position earlier in this text. To insert a text character, click on the Shape Designer Menu and choose Set Font. Select a font, then return to the Shape Designer. You can now click on the Text Tool, then click on the window to type a character in the selected font. For more details about using the Shape Designer, see See Shape Designer.
7. Press return twice. You return to the Clef Designer dialog box.
8. Click OK twice. You return to the document. From now on in this document, any time you access the palette of clefs, you’ll see the new clef represented as one of the eighteen available. Any music that follows it will be notated according to the definition of middle C (and the “stem-flipper” value) you’ve created. If you want to use this clef in other documents, see Save Library dialog box.

To change the horizontal positioning of starting clefs

1. From the Document Menu, choose Document Options, then select Clefs. The Clef options appear.
2. Enter new values in the Spacing text boxes. There are two text boxes next to the word Clef, both of which affect the horizontal placement of clefs throughout the piece. The Before text box determines how much space Finale will insert between the left barline and the clef itself. The After text box determines how much space will be between the clef and the key signature. The units are whatever you’ve selected using the Measurement Units command (Edit Menu). (To change the global vertical positioning of clefs, see “To design a new clef,” above.)
3. Click OK (or press return).

To globally change the position and size of inserted clefs

When the clef for a staff changes in mid-score, it’s customary to print that inserted clef at a slightly reduced size. Depending on the symbol and font you’re using, you may also need to adjust the reduced clef’s horizontal position (distance from the barline) on the staff. The vertical position of such a clef is determined in the Clef Designer (see “To design a new clef,” above). Here’s how to modify the percentage reduction and position of an inserted clef.

1. From the Document Menu, choose Document Options, then select Clefs. The Clef options appear.
2. Enter a new percentage value in the Default Clef Change/Percent text box. The number here is the reduction (or enlargement) you want applied to an inserted clef, relative to 100% (normal size).
3. To adjust the horizontal placement of an inserted clef, enter a new value in the Default Clef Change/Offset text box. This number determines the distance between the clef and the following barline or notes. (Again, the units are the currently-selected Measurement Units.) A negative number moves the clef farther to the left.
4. Click OK (or press return).

To specify the location of key-signature accidentals in a nonstandard clef

If you create your own clef, you can specify which octave each accidental appears in as you cycle through the circle of fifths. For example, on which F sharp line or space should the first sharp appear (in the key of G)? To specify this parameter, see Accidental Octave Placement dialog box. See also, Middle C Position in the Clef Designer dialog box.