How to get there
Click the Chord Tool 
to make the Chord Menu appear.
What it does
Finale can add chord symbols automatically to your piece, if you like. In the Chord Menu, you can choose from three automatic chord analysis methods, in addition to the manual method.
Type Into Score allows you to add chords directly to the score. Use the Substitute Symbols command to enter alterations (sharps or flats) and diminished symbols. Select a command in the Chord Style submenu to change the display style for all your chord symbols. You can choose Standard, German, European, Roman, Nashville, Scandinavian or Solfeggio spelling styles.
All of the analysis methods work best if you’ve already loaded a Chords & Fretboards Library (by choosing Load Library from the File Menu). If your Maestro Font Default file is in place in the Finale folder, you don’t have to load this library, since the most common chord suffixes and fretboards have been loaded already.
If you’re entering chord symbols using any of the automatic methods and Finale doesn’t recognize a chord, it will display the Unknown Chord Suffix“Finale cannot find a match” dialog box. If you click Let Finale Do It, Finale will attempt to create the proper chord suffix and place the chord symbol in the score. For most chord qualities (M, m, Maj7, m7, dim, m7f5, aug, sus4, and so on), Finale will arrive at the right solution.
For the few chords Finale doesn’t identify correctly, you can “teach” them to Finale as new chords. When you see the Unknown Chord Suffix“Finale cannot find a match” dialog box, click I’ll Do It to access the Chord Suffix Editor dialog box; then create the chord symbol (and its suffix, if necessary) in the Chord Definition dialog box (see Chord Definition dialog box). The next time you play the chord (in any octave and any voicing), Finale will know what chord symbol to display. (This custom teaching feature is “root-specific,” however; if you only teach Finale to recognize a C major sixth chord in the key of C, it will only recognize major sixth chords built on C. But it will recognize, for example, a Gmaj6 in the key of G and an Amaj6 in the key of A.)
Finale can add chord symbols automatically to your piece, if you like. In the Chord Menu, you can choose from two manual typing methods in addition to three automatic chord analysis methods. All of the methods work best if you've already loaded a Chords & Fretboards Library (by choosing Load Library from the File Menu). If your Finale default file is in place in the Finale directory, you don't have to load this library, since the most common chord suffixes and fretboards have been loaded already.
If you're entering chord symbols using either of the typing methods -- Type Into Score, or Manual Input, Finale lets you type your chord symbols directly on screen -- or type the chord symbols in the Chord Definition dialog box. If you're typing chord symbols and Finale doesn't recognize a chord, it will give you the option of creating the suffix. If you click OK, Finale will display the Chord Suffix Editor dialog box with the suffix already entered. You can make changes then return to the score with the new suffix placed on the chord symbol.
If you're entering chord symbols using any of the automatic methods and Finale doesn't recognize a chord, it will display the Unknown Chord Suffix dialog box. If you click "Let Finale do it," Finale will attempt to create the proper chord suffix and place the resultant chord symbol in the score. For most chord qualities (M, m, Maj7, m7, dim, m7b5, aug, sus4, and so on), Finale will arrive at the right solution. See Unknown Chord Suffix dialog box.
For the few chords Finale doesn't identify correctly, you can "teach" them to Finale as new chords. When you see the Unknown Chord Suffix, click "I'll do it" to access the Chord Definition dialog box; then create the chord symbol (and its suffix, if necessary) in the Chord Definition dialog box. The next time you play the chord (in any octave and any voicing), Finale will know what chord symbol to display. See Unknown Chord Suffix dialog box and Chord Definition dialog box.
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See Also:
