Measure Attributes

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How to get there

Click the Measure Tool $image\Measure_Tool.gif$ , and double-click the measure you want to edit. Some measure attributes require that you select more than one measure before double-clicking.

What it does

Each measure in Finale can have a number of specific attributes, including its barline type, barline-to-barline width, whether or not it should display the key and time signature, and so on. In this dialog box, you can specify all of these variables for the measure you clicked. Once you’ve specified this information, you can use the Selection Tool to copy some of this information to other measures (namely, measure widths and positioning mode).

You’ll rarely need to use the Position Notes: options, which govern how the notes in the selected measure are positioned—particularly if you’re in the habit of using the Music Spacing command to neatly respace the notes in your scores.

Measure Attributes for Measure__(through__). You can enter the number of the measure you want to edit or use the arrows to select another measure. Or, if more than one measure is selected, you can specify a range of measures.
Barlines • Left Barlines: Normal • Double • Final • Solid • Dashed • Invisible • Tick • Custom: Select. Click the barline icon you want for the right or left barline of the measure. Or, double-click to select the barline and exit the dialog box. Finale automatically updates the display options when you select a barline style. When you select the Dashed, Invisible, Tick, or Custom barline, Finale deselects Break a Multimeasure Rest and Override Group Barlines. When you select the Double, Solid or Final barline, Finale automatically selects Break a Multimeasure Rest and Override Group Barlines. When you select the Invisible barline icon to hide a measure’s barlines, Finale also hides repeat bars assigned to that measure. Select Custom to use a defined shape as a barline. Click on Select to select which shape is used.
Change Width. If you want to change the width of all the measures in the selected measure region, make sure this checkbox is selected. Enter the new width in the text box. The number in this text box specifies the barline-to-barline width of the measure. If you want to specify an extremely precise width value, you can enter it here. It’s much easier, however, to drag the handle on the measure’s right barline to the right or left (when you exit this dialog box). When you drag the barline to change the measure width, Finale automatically enters the correct value in the Width text box.
Add to Width. Select this text box to add the specified amount to each measure in the selected measure region.
Extra Space at Beginning • Extra Space at End. Enter a value after Extra Space at Begin ning to specify the amount of space before music in the measure (between the left barline and the first note). Enter a value after Extra Space at End to specify the amount of space after music in the measure (between the last note and the right barline).
Key Signature: Show if Needed • Always Show • Always Hide. If you choose Always Show from this popup list, you force the key signature to appear in this measure, even if the measure doesn’t fall at the beginning of a system or a key change. On the other hand, Always Hide means that the current key signature won’t appear, even if it appears at the beginning of a new system or at a key change. Show if Needed is the usual setting—the key signature will only appear in the measure at the beginning of a system, or at a key change.
Time Signature: Show if Needed • Always Show • Always Hide. Choose Always Show from this popup list to force the time signature to appear in this measure. Always Hide means that the current time signature won’t appear, even if it appears at the beginning of a new system or a meter change. Show if Needed is the usual setting—the time signature will only appear in the measure at the beginning of a system, or at a meter change.
Position Notes: According to the Time Signature • Manually (by Dragging) • Using Beat-Chart Spacing. These options govern the way Finale spaces notes within the measure you’re editing. According to the Time Signature is the default mode; Finale uses proportional spacing to place the notes in the measure. In linear spacing, a whole note, for example, is allotted exactly as much width as four quarter notes. When music engravers prepare music for publication, however, they generally use non-proportional spacing, where longer values are allotted only as much space as they need, which gives the music a more compact, professional appearance. Select Manually (by Dragging) if you want to drag each note in the measure into place, one by one. When you exit this dialog box, Finale superimposes all of the notes at the left end of the measure; to drag them into place, click the Speedy Entry Tool and click the measure. Drag the notes into place. The Use Beat-Chart Spacing positioning mode works much like According to the Time Signature. However, when you return to the score, you’ll notice a difference: when the Measure Tool is selected, every barline of a measure whose positioning has been set in this way displays two handles at the bottom. (Measures in which you’ve respaced the music using the Music Spacing command also display two handles, because those commands automatically turn on Use Beat-Chart Spacing for the selected measures.) When you click the bottom of the two barline handles, a beat chart appears above the measure, displaying vertically aligned pairs of handles. The top row of handles indicates the positions of the beats according to linear spacing (where a whole note gets exactly as much space as four quarter notes). By dragging a handle on the bottom row, you can reposition a beat in all staves at once.
Change Every ___ Measures. This option is shown only when a range of measures is selected. You can enter the number to specify which measures change. For example, entering 8 would change every eighth barline to the specified type.
Allow Horizontal Split Points. If a measure is very long, you may want to split it, so that the second half of the measure appears at the beginning of a new system. If so, select this option. When you return to the score, you’ll notice a new small square handle at the bottom of the measure’s right barline. Click this handle; a long, thin, horizontal, rectangular strip appears above the measure. Wherever you double-click within this special strip, a small square handle appears. You can drag this handle horizontally (or delete by selecting it and pressing delete). This handle marks a permissible split point; add as many split points as you want by double-clicking in the split point strip. Finale will split the measure at one of them only if necessary for layout purposes. Note, too, that if you’ve specified permissible split points in this way, you can force Finale to split a measure using the Selection Tool in Page View. Click the Selection Tool, then click the measure to be split. If the measure begins a system, press the up arrow to move the first part of the measure up to the previous system. If the measure is at the end of a line, press the down arrow key to move all but the first part of the measure down to the next system.
Begin a New Staff System. Select this option if you want the measure you’re editing to appear at the beginning of a new system (a new line of music on the page). Note, however, that forcing such a system break may result in peculiar spacing of the measure or measures preceding the edited measure, depending on the measure layout. When Begin a New Staff System is checked, a symbol will appear in Page View to indicate that the measure must appear at the start of a system.
Break a Multimeasure Rest. This checkbox has an important effect when you extract parts. If the measures surrounding the one you’re editing are empty, they’ll appear in the extracted part as multimeasure rests (or "block rests"). If Break a Multimeasure Rest is on, however, the right barline of this measure will break such a multimeasure rest into two block rests, one on each side of it. (Such block rests automatically break for key and time changes, clef changes, and so on.)
Break Smart Word Extensions. Check this box to break Smart Word Extensions on the right barline of a highlighted measure. This option is particularly useful if you want to eliminate a word extension that extends through the first ending of a repeat.
Hide Cautionary Clefs, Key and Time Signatures. Select this option if you want Finale to hide any cautionary changes that appear at the end of the measure.
Include in Measure Numbering. Uncheck this box if you want Finale to disregard a measure or region of measures for numbering purposes. Selected measures will be skipped, and finale well resume numbering consecutively at the next measure.
Override Group Barlines. Check this option if you want the barline selected in this dialog box to appear at the end of this measure (for all staves). When selected, this option overrides settings for Use Alternate Group Barlines defined in the Group Attributes dialog box. For more information, see Group Attributes dialog box.
Position Notes Evenly Across Measure. Select this option if the measure you’re editing contains more or fewer beats than are allowed by the time signature; Finale responds by spacing all notes evenly within the measure, no matter how few or how many. This is a useful option if, for example, you’re creating a cadenza whose note values add up to far more than the four beats specified by the measure’s 4/4 meter.
OK • Cancel. Click OK to confirm, or Cancel to discard, your measure attributes settings and return to the score.