Need to enter a mid-measure clef change into your score? Did you know you could do this with one click of the mouse?
Let’s try changing from treble clef to bass clef:
- Select the Clef Tool
- Hold down the number 4 then left-click where you want to place the bass clef in the measure
Voilà!
Why the number 4? We’ve assigned a shortcut key (we call them metatools) to each clef: 1 for treble clef, 2 for C clef, 3 for tenor clef, 4 for bass clef, and so on. To discover which metatool is used for each clef, choose the Clef tool and double-click on a measure. The letter or number in the top left corner of the clef sign in the Clef Selection dialog box is the key to press when you click.
Don’t like the numbers we’ve chosen for each clef? You can change them to anything you like! To do so, select the Clef tool, hold down Shift, and press the number OR letter you’d like to assign to a clef, and then click on the Clef you want associated with that key. We call that “programming a metatool.” As you can see, it only sounds hard! In addition to clef changes, metatools can speed up the entry of many other items in Finale including articulations, expressions, staff styles, repeats, etc.
Want more information? Try Help>User Manual and search for Metatool.