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Using this technique, you can create large-note music for beginning readers, or reduce all the notes slightly (with respect to the staff) for a sparser, finer look.

To reduce or enlarge the notes (but retain staff size)

  1. Choose Document > Document Options > Fonts. The Select Default Fonts dialog box appears.
  2. Choose Notation > Noteheads.   
  3. Choose Notation > Set Font. The Font dialog box appears.
  4. Enter a new value in the Point Size text box. The standard size for Finale’s music font (Maestro) is 24 point.
  5. Click OK. If you chose a size that’s not a multiple of 12, the notes may have slightly jagged edges if you print on a non-PostScript printer (unless you use Adobe Type Manager or the TrueType Maestro font; both are described under Fonts). On a PostScript printer, however, the notes will be crisp and smooth.

If you discover that the stems of stems-up notes no longer attach correctly to the newly-sized noteheads, you can adjust their horizontal positions using the Stem Connections dialog box. For full instructions, see Stems—To change the position of the stem relative to its notehead.

 

 

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