Chord Tool

When you click this tool, the Chord Menu appears. The Chord Tool lets you create, move, and delete chord symbols in your score. These symbols are musically intelligent; they play back when you play back the piece, transpose when you transpose the music, and can be placed in your score automatically. You can even teach Finale to recognize nonstandard, complex, or unusually spelled chord symbols. See Chord symbols for full instructions.

You can type chords directly into the score using the Type Into Score chord entry command in the Chord Menu. With Manual Input selected, you can also type into the Chord Definition dialog box to create or edit an existing chord in the score. Enter chords according to the Standard chord style. When Finale updates the score, the chords appear in the display style selected in the Chord Style submenu.

Click the staff (but not on a note or rest) to display the four vertical-positioning arrows at the left side of the screen, which you use to adjust the position of the baseline for the chord symbols.
When Manual Input is selected in the Chord Menu, click a note to which no chord symbol is attached to display the Chord Definition dialog box, where you can specify a chord symbol you want to appear at that point.
When Manual Input is selected in the Chord Menu, drag a chord symbol handle to move the chord symbol; press delete to remove the symbol from the score.
When Manual Input is selected in the Chord Menu, double-click a chord symbol handle, or control-click the handle and select Edit Chord Definition from the contextual menu to display the Chord Definition dialog box, where you can change the identity or suffix of the chord symbol.
When Type Into Score is selected in the Chord Menu, click a note to which you want to attach a chord symbol. A flashing cursor appears above the note. Type the chord symbol you want attached to the note.When Type Into Score is selected in the Chord Menu, click a note to select the chord symbol attached to it. The chord symbol you type will replace the selected chord symbol.
When MIDI Input is selected in the Chord Menu, click a note to place the ear-shaped cursor at that spot. Now play a chord on your MIDI instrument; Finale will correctly analyze it and place the corresponding chord symbol into the score. Press a single note above Middle C to advance the ear cursor to the next note. Press a single note below Middle C to move to the previous note.
When One-Staff Analysis (or Two-Staff Analysis) is selected in the Chord Menu, click a note to make Finale analyze the chord at that spot (one staff or two staves deep, respectively) and place the corresponding chord symbol into the score.

You can create Chord Metatools—one-keystroke equivalents for complete chord symbols—that can save you time if you need to insert complex chord symbols into your score.

To program a Chord Metatool

Click the Chord Tool. Press shift and a letter or number key. Finale displays the Chord Definition dialog box; create the chord symbol you want to correspond to the letter or number you pressed (see Chord Definition dialog box). Click OK.

To use a Chord Metatool

Click the Chord Tool. While pressing the letter or number key corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, click a note or rest. The chord symbol appears immediately, transposed according to the key signature if necessary.

Contextual menus are reached by control-clicking on the handle of an object. A contextual menu will be displayed where you can select various items.

Menu item	What it does
Edit Chord Definition	Display the Chord Definition dialog box
Edit Fretboard	Display the Fretboard Editor dialog box
Delete	Removes selected chord symbols
Show Chord	Shows (or hides) individual chord symbols
Show Fretboard	Shows (or hides) individual fretboards
Relink to Score (parts only)	Restore the link to its corresponding score item
Unlink In All Parts (score only)	Break the link between the score and this item in all parts
Relink In All Parts (score only)	Display the Resize Notehead dialog box