Selection Tool

The Selection Tool is Finale's universal editing tool. It can be used to select, move, delete, copy, paste, or otherwise edit any region of measures and virtually any individual item in the score.

Click on a marking to select it, such as a lyric, slur or articulation. Once selected, you can move, nudge, edit or delete it. For more advanced editing, double-click to switch to the appropriate tool. The Selection Tool works on Measures (Measure Tool/Edit Menu/Utilities Menu), Notes & Rests (Simple Entry), Smart Shapes, Expressions, Articulations, Repeats, Lyrics, Chords & Fretboards, Text Blocks, Graphics, Brackets, Measure Numbers, Tuplets, Key and Time Signatures, Clefs, Ossias, Staff and Group Names.

This tool is also used to select regions of your score (from a single note to the entire score) in order to edit all the selected music at once. For example, you can change any selected measures’ spacing, measure widths, layer assignments, stem directions, beaming patterns, and so on. You can also rebeam, rebar, transpose, or apply articulations to every note in any selected region.

You can use this tool to copy music from one place to another—even from one Finale document to another. You can also use this tool for erasing selected musical elements from a region—such as articulations, chord symbols, lyrics, expressions, MIDI controller data, and so on—without disturbing the other existing elements of the music in that region. See Erasing and Copying music.

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

Measures

Edit Measure Attributes	Opens the Measure Attributes dialog box where you can edit measures.
Barline submenu	Opens the barline submenu where you can select a new barline style.
Multimeasure Rest submenu	Opens the Multimeasure rest submenu where you can create, remove, or editmultimeasure rests.
Cut	Places the selected music on the Clipboard and simultaneously removes it from the document. See Edit/Cut.
Copy	Places a duplicate of the selected music on the Clipboard. See Edit/Copy.
Insert	Inserts whatever music you've cut or copied to the Clipboard between two existing beats or measures. See Edit/Insert.
Paste	Pastes whatever music you've cut or copied to the Clipboard to paste over (replace) the selected music in the target file. See Edit/Paste.
Paste Multiple	Opens the Paste Multiple dialog box where you can choose how many times you want to paste the source material.
Use Filter	Check Use Filter to use the settings in the Edit Filter dialog box while pasting.
Edit Filter	Opens the Edit Filter dialog box where you can select elements to include while pasting.
Move/Copy Layers	Opens the Move/Copy Layers dialog box where you can move and/or copy layers.
Clear All Items	Clears all items in the selected region.
Clear Selected Items	Clears all items in the region selected in the Edit Filter dialog box.
Transpose	Opens the Transpose dialog box where you can choose an interval to transpose the selected region.
Add Measures	Opens the Add Measures dialog box where you can choose the number of measures to add.
Insert Measure Stack	Opens the How Many Measures dialog box where you can choose the number of measures to insert.
Delete Measure Stack	Deletes the measure stack.
Key Signature	From this submenu, choose a key signature for the selected measure(s).
Time Signature	From this submenu, choose a time signature for the selected measure(s).
Clef	Opens the Change Clef dialog box where you can select a clef
Staff Style	From this submenu, add, edit, or define a staff style.
Repeats	With this submenu, create, edit, or remove repeats.
Edit Split Point	Displays a Split Point bar, which allows you to adjust the point at which the measure can be split across a system break.
Edit Beat Chart	Displays the Beat Chart, which allows you to edit the spacing.

Articulations

Menu item	What it does
Edit Articulation Definition	Display the Articulation Designer dialog box
Show	Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)
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)	Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts
Delete	Removes selected articulations

Brackets

Menu item	What it does
Edit Group Attributes	Display Group Attributes dialog box
Delete Bracket	Deletes selected bracket
Delete Group	Deletes the group and bracket

Chord Symbols

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)	Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts

Clefs

Menu item	What it does
Edit Clef Definition (when invoked on midmeasure clef)	Display the Midmeasure Clef dialog box
Select Clef (when invoked on highlighted measure(s))	Display the Clef Selection dialog box
Delete	Removes midmeasure clef

Text Expressions

Menu item	What it does
Edit Expression Assignment	Display the Expression Assignment dialog box
Edit Note/Measure Text Expression Definition	Display the Text Expression Designer dialog box
Remove Manual Adjustments	Removes manual adjustments made in the score
Show	Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)
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)	Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts
Delete	Removes selected expressions

Shape Expressions

Menu item	What it does
Edit Expression Assignment	Display the Expression Assignment dialog box
Edit Note/Measure Shape Expression Definition	Display the Shape Expression Designer dialog box
Edit Note/Measure Shape Expression Graphically	Displays bounding box handles for graphically editing the shape expression
Remove Manual Adjustments	Removes manual adjustments made in the score
Show	Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)
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)	Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts
Delete	Removes selected expressions

Key Signatures

Menu item	What it does
C Major	Sets the key signature to C Major
G Major	Sets the key signature to G Major
D Major	Sets the key signature to D Major
A Major	Sets the key signature to A Major
E Major	Sets the key signature to E Major
F Major	Sets the key signature to F Major
Bb Major	Sets the key signature to Bb Major
Eb Major	Sets the key signature to Eb Major
Ab Major	Sets the key signature to Ab Major
A minor	Sets the key signature to A minor
E minor	Sets the key signature to E minor
B minor	Sets the key signature to B minor
F# minor	Sets the key signature to F# minor
C# minor	Sets the key signature to C# minor
D minor	Sets the key signature to D minor
G minor	Sets the key signature to G minor
C minor	Sets the key signature to C minor
F minor	Sets the key signature to F minor
Other	Opens the Key Signature dialog box where you can define a key signature

Lyrics

Menu item	What it does
Align Default	Changes the alignment of the syllables back to Finale’s global setting
Align Center	Changes the alignment of the syllables to centered under the note
Align Left	Changes the alignment of the syllables to the left under the note
Align Right	Changes the alignment of the syllables to the right under the note
Justify Default	Changes the justification of the syllables back to Finale’s global setting
Justify Center	Changes the justification of the syllables to centered relative to each other
Justify Left	Changes the justification of the syllables to the left relative to each other
Justify Right	Changes the justification of the syllables to the right relative to each other

Ossias

Menu item	What it does
Edit Ossia Assignment	Display the Assignment for Ossia Measure dialog box
Edit Ossia Definition	Display the Ossia Measure Designer dialog box
Delete	Removes selected ossia
Show	Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)
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)	Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts

Repeats

Menu item	What it does
Edit Repeat Assignment	Display the Repeat Assignment dialog box
Allow Individual Edits Per Staff	Allows you to edit each occurrence of a repeat marking independently
Align Brackets	Align repeat ending brackets vertically
Reset Bracket Position	Reset ending brackets to default positioning
Edit Repeat Definition (text repeats only)	Display the Repeat Designer dialog box
Show	Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)
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)	Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts
Delete	Removes selected repeat

SmartShapes

Menu item	What it does
Edit	Displays editing handles on selected smart shape
Delete	Removes selected smart shape
Show	Check this option to show, or uncheck to hide (on the printed page)
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

Note: You can undo any Selection Tool operation by choosing Undo from the Edit Menu (Command-Z) immediately afterward.

Metatool	Predefined effects
I (letter)	Drag-Implode Music for multiple staves
2	Explode Music for multiple staves (displays the Explode Music dialog box)
5 (or Command-5 with any tool that allows measure selection.)	Apply Beat Spacing command which respaces notes, lyrics, and accidentals using the settings in Document Options-Music Spacing
4 (or Command-4 with any tool that allows measure selection.)	Apply Note Spacing command which respaces notes, lyrics, and accidentals using the settings in Document Options-Music Spacing
6-9 (or Command 6-9 with any tool other than the Selection Tool that supports measure selection)	(Command-)6 for Down a Second (Command-)7 for Up a Second (Command-)8 for Down an Octave (Command-)9 for Up an Octave