1. Choose the main tool associated with the marking.
2. Select the marking’s handle.
3. Double-press the desired Metatool key. The expression changes to the definition assigned to the Metatool key you used. (A “double-press” simply means pressing the keystroke twice in rapid succession).

To apply an expression to several staves at once, hold down a Metatool key, then click and drag over several staves. When you release the mouse button the expression will appear on all staves in the region. Each of these expressions is a separate occurrence (and not assigned using a Score List).

1. Add some notes to the score.
2. Choose the Articulation tool .
3. Double-click a note to open the Articulation Selection dialog box.
4. Double-click the > (accent) marking. Finale adds the accent marking to the note.
5. Hold down the - (hyphen) key and click another note. Finale adds the accent marking. Now, let's choose a different articulation from the selection dialog box to change the Add Again Metatool assignment.
6. Double-click another note, then double-click the . (staccato) marking.
7. Hold down the - (hyphen) and click another note. Finale enters the staccato.

1. Choose the Selection tool .
2. Press CTRL+SHIFT and a number key (6-9). Finale displays the Transposition dialog box.
3. Set the transposition you want to program.
4. Click OK.

1. Choose the Selection tool .
2. Select the measures you want to affect.
3. Press the appropriate number key on your computer keyboard.

1. Choose the Staff tool .
2. Press SHIFT and a number key or a letter. Finale displays the Apply Staff Style dialog box.
3. Choose the staff style you want to correspond to the number or letter you pressed.
4. Click OK (or press ENTER).

1. Choose the Staff tool .
2. Select a region.
3. Press the number or letter corresponding to the Metatool you programmed. Finale applies the staff style over the range or measures you selected for that measure in both the score and corresponding part(s). Hold down SHIFT+CTRL while pressing the Metatool key to apply the staff style to the current score/part only. See also Staff Styles in Linked Parts.

1. Choose the Key Signature tool .
2. Press SHIFT and a number key or a letter. Finale displays the Key Signature dialog box.
3. Choose the key signature you want to correspond to the number or letter you pressed.
4. Click OK (or press ENTER).

1. Choose the Key Signature tool .
2. Select a region.
3. While pressing the number or letter corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, double-click a measure within the region you selected. Finale changes the key signature over the range of measures you selected.

1. In Simple Entry, with the Simple Entry caret active, or a note selected, hold down CTRL and SHIFT and type K.
2. Type the Metatool key to apply the new key signature.

1. Choose the Time Signature tool .
2. Press SHIFT and a number key or a letter key. Finale displays the Time Signature dialog box.
3. Create the time signature you want to correspond to the number or letter you pressed.
4. Click OK (or press ENTER).

1. Choose the Time Signature tool .
2. Select a region of music.
3. While pressing the number or letter corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, double-click a measure. Finale changes the meter over the region you have selected.

1. In Simple Entry, with the Simple Entry caret active, or a note selected, hold down CTRL and SHIFT and type T.
2. Type the Metatool key to apply the new time signature.

1. Choose the Clef tool .
2. Press SHIFT and a letter or number key. Finale displays the Clef Selection dialog box.
3. Choose the clef you want to correspond to the number or letter you pressed.
4. Click OK (or press ENTER).

1. Choose the Clef tool .
2. While pressing the letter or number key corresponding to the clef you desire, choose one of the following options:
   • Click before the first note of a piece to change the first clef displayed.
   • Click before the first note of a measure to change the first clef for that measure and the remainder of the piece.
   • Click between notes in a measure to set a mid-measure clef for the remainder of the measure and the remainder of the piece.

1. In Simple Entry, with the Simple Entry caret active, or a note selected, hold down CTRL and SHIFT and type C.
2. Type the Metatool key to apply the new clef.

1. Choose the Tuplet tool .
2. Press SHIFT and a number key or a letter key. Finale displays the Tuplet Definition dialog box.
3. Create the tuplet you want to correspond to the number or letter key you pressed.
4. Click OK.

1. Choose the Tuplet tool .
2. While pressing the number or letter corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, click a note (or, if the note is in Voice 2, click below the staff). Finale automatically transforms the note you clicked and subsequent notes into the tuplet grouping you predefined, complete with a bracket or slur (if you specified one) with the positioning you specified.

1. Choose the Smart Shape tool .
2. Hold down the appropriate key on your computer keyboard.
3. With the key down, double-click and drag to create the desired shape. For slurs, glissandi, bends and slides, double-click and drag from note to note.

1. Choose the Articulation tool .
2. Press SHIFT and a letter or number key. The Articulation Selection dialog box appears.
3. Double-click the marking you want to correspond to the letter or number you pressed.

1. Choose the Articulation tool .
2. While pressing the number or letter key to which the desired marking was programmed, click on, above, or below a note or rest. If you have notes in both Voice 1 and Voice 2, click above the staff for Voice 1 or below the staff for Voice 2 to place the articulation. The marking appears at the place you clicked.

Tip: You can also press a Metatool key and drag-enclose the desired notes to apply the articulation to those notes.

1. Choose the Articulation tool .
2. Select the articulation’s handle and press the desired Metatool key twice. The articulation changes to that of the assigned Metatool.

Use this Metatool technique if you plan to place Shape Expressions into the score; doing so will ensure that each occurrence of a shape is individually reshapable, because each time you use a Metatool, it creates a copy of the original shape.

1. Choose the Expression tool .
2. Press SHIFT and a letter or number key. The Expression Selection dialog box appears.
3. Double-click the Expression you want to correspond to the letter or number you pressed.

Additionally, you can assign any number of Metatools from within the Expression Selection dialog box:

1. Select an expression from the Expression Selection dialog box.
2. Hold down SHIFT and type the desired Metatool key. If an expression is already assigned to the key you pressed, it will be reassigned. You can assign as many Metatools as you like in each Expression Selection session.

To use an Expression Metatool

1. Choose the Expression tool .
2. While pressing the letter or number key corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, click on, above, or below a note or rest. If you have notes in both Voice 1 and Voice 2, click above the staff for Voice 1 or below for Voice 2 to place the articulation. The expression appears at the place you clicked.

1. Choose the Repeat tool .
2. Press SHIFT and a letter or number key. Finale displays the Repeat Selection dialog box.
3. Double-click the repeat barline or the text repeat you want to correspond to the letter or number you pressed (or, if the text repeat you want doesn’t appear in the list, click Create and design it at this point).
4. Click OK.

1. Choose the Repeat tool .
2. While pressing the letter or number key corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, click a measure.
   • If the Metatool was programmed to insert a repeat barline, Finale displays the Backward Repeat Bar Assignment dialog box, where you can specify the playback effects of the barline (unless it was the purely graphic Forward Repeat barline).
   • If the Metatool was programmed to insert a text repeat, Finale displays the Repeat Assignment dialog box, where you can specify the playback effects of the text repeat.

1. Choose the Chord tool .
2. Press SHIFT and a letter or number key. The Chord Definition dialog box appears.
3. Create the chord symbol you want to correspond to the letter or number you pressed.

   See To define and enter a chord symbol manually for full instructions on creating chord symbols.

4. Click OK (or press ENTER). When you return to the document, it will appear as though nothing has happened. In fact, you have prepared Finale to enter the chord you just described whenever you use the Metatool.

1. Choose the Chord tool .
2. While pressing the letter or number key corresponding to the Metatool you programmed, click a note, rest, or beat . The chord symbol appears immediately, transposed according to the key signature if necessary.