Need to change a clef? Transpose a measure? Add a staff style?

Did you know you can do all of this (and much more) directly from the Selection Tool?

Besides the standard functions like copying, pasting, and deleting measures, the Selection tool allows you to perform many other Finale functions without switching to specific tools. For example, let’s say you have an 8-bar section of music that requires the following tasks:

• Copy to the next 8 bars
• Change the key
• Add a staff style
• Create a simple repeated section

Now you could accomplish this using several tools in the Main Tool Palette. You would start by choosing the Selection Tool, then copying the music to the next 8 bars. Then you would have to select three more tools from the palette to finish the rest of the tasks.

Instead, right click (Ctrl + click for Mac) on a measure with the Selection Tool. Here you will find a contextual menu that lists what the Selection Tool can do directly:

Choose Key Signature to select the new key. Choose Staff Style to apply the Staff Style. Lastly, add the repeated section by choosing Repeats > Create Simple Repeat.

By adding the power of the Selection tool’s context menu to your workflow, you may find that you can cut your editing time in half by not having to switch between tools so often for basic tasks.

One final tip – you can always access the Selection tool, without touching a mouse, using the Esc key.

For more information on the Selection Tool, go to Help > User Manual and search for “Selection tool.”