Slurs

Noteman says: View Tutorial 6: Adding markings for an overview.

Graphically, there isn't a large difference between ties and slurs, but musically and functionally in Finale there is. A tie connects two notes to hold a pitch for the duration of both notes, while a slur phrases two notes together (sometimes on different pitches, but always re-struck). Additionally, slurs and phrase markings technically serve different musical purposes. However, you use the same Finale techniques to create both. In this discussion, the term slur also refers to phrasing.

There are two ways to create a slur in Finale. The simplest way is to use the Slur Tool or the Dashed Slur Tool from the Smart Shape Palette. A Smart Shape slur expands and contracts with the music and automatically breaks in two if it straddles a line break. A bend (with regard to Finale behavior) is just a special case of a slur.

If there are times that you don’t want to create a note-attached slur, choose Smart Shape > Attach to Beats to create beat-based slurs. If you want all note-attached slurs or bends to be over or under, choose the slur direction without any slurs or bends selected. This menu action sets the default direction. See Adding slurs and hairpins for a step-by-step tutorial on adding slurs.

  1. Choose the Smart Shape tool icon. The Smart Shape Palette and Smart Shape menu appear.
  2. Choose the Slur Tool in the Smart Shape palette.
  3. Make sure that Smart Shape > Attach to Notes is selected.
  4. Position the cursor on the slur's beginning note and double-click the mouse, holding the mouse button down on the second click. The note is highlighted and a small slur line appears. Continuing to hold down the button, drag the slur to the right until you reach the note marking the end of the attachment. When Finale highlights that note, let go of the mouse button. The new note-attached slur appears.

To create a slur spanning two consecutive notes, just double-click the mouse on the first note. Finale places the slur on the adjacent notes.

Noteman says: Constrained dragging is temporarily disabled while slurs are edited. If you would like to use constrained dragging press the SHIFT key while you are moving the slur. See Preferences-Edit for more information on the Constrain Dragging option.

  1. Choose the Smart Shape tool icon. The Smart Shape Palette and the Smart Shape menu appear. A small handle appears on all existing Smart Shapes in the score.
  2. Click the handle of the slur you want to modify. You can also use the TAB key to select the desired slur, then hit Enter to modify the slur. The slur displays several diamond handles and a polygon connecting the handles.

  3. To move the slur or change its arc or its end points, drag the appropriate handle. You can modify the slur in a few additional ways if you press SHIFT while dragging:
    • SHIFT+drag an outer curve diamond handle to limit the direction you reshape the slur to one direction.
    • SHIFT-click an outer curve diamond handle or control handle and drag it to the right or left to reshape the slur and change the “sharpness” of the slur’s inset; dragging away from the center of the slur makes the slur “fatter”, and dragging inward makes the slur more “pointed.”
    • SHIFT-click a Bezier control handle and drag it up or down to reshape the arc of the curve.
  4. To remove the slur from the score, press DELETE.
  1. Select the slur whose direction you want to change (for instructions on selecting slurs, refer to To move, reshape, or delete a note-attached slur, above).
  2. Choose Smart Shape > Direction and select the direction (Automatic, Over, Under) that you want for this slur. Or, you can use the keyboard shortcut COMMAND+F to flip the slur.

Using the following technique, you can copy Smart Shape slurs from one place in the music to another, or from one staff to another. Alternatively, you can use the SmartFind and Paint dialog box.

  1. Choose the Selection tool icon.
  2. Choose Edit > Edit Filter. The Edit Filter dialog box appears.
  3. Click Smart Shapes (Assigned to Notes). Click OK (or press RETURN).
  4. Select the region containing the Smart Shapes you want to copy. See Selecting music for some region-selecting shortcuts.
  5. Drag the first source measure so that it’s superimposed on the first target measure. If the first target measure is not on-screen, press COMMAND+C and scroll until you see it. Click the first target measure and press COMMAND+V.
  1. Choose the Smart Shape tool icon. The Smart Shape menu appears.
  2. Choose Smart Shape > Slur Contour. The Slur Contour dialog box appears.
  3. Choose the desired Slur length—short, medium, or long or extra long. A slur appears in the Active display area beside a small square handle (the control point handle). The Staff display area shows the slur in proportion to other elements in your score.
  4. Drag the control point handle vertically or horizontally to change the slur’s height and inset, respectively. If you prefer, you can enter values into the Height and Inset text boxes.

    The height is displayed in the measurement unit you’ve selected. The inset is a percentage of the slur length. Click Reset at any time to return the slur to Finale’s built-in settings.

  5. Click OK (or press RETURN) when you’re ready to save the new settings. Or click Cancel to discard any changes you made to the settings.

All slurs of this type that you create from now on (in this document) will use the Slur Placement settings. The settings also apply to slur end points that haven’t been manually adjusted in all similar existing slurs.

  1. Choose the Smart Shape tool icon. The Smart Shape menu appears.
  2. Choose Smart Shape > Smart Shape Placement. The Smart Shape Placement dialog box appears.
  3. Choose Smart Shape type > Slur.
  4. Select a slur from the list box. The slur appears in the Active display area.
  5. Drag the slur end point vertically and horizontally until the slur attaches to the notes the way you want it to attach to similar types of notes in the score. Instead of using the mouse, you can enter values into the text boxes using the measurement unit you’ve selected.
  6. Drag the other end-point of the slur to adjust it.
  7. Click Reset at any time to return the slur to Finale’s built-in settings.
  8. Click OK (or press RETURN) when you’re ready to save the new settings. Or click Cancel to discard any changes you made to the settings.
  1. Choose the Smart Shape tool icon. The Smart Shape menu appears.
  2. Choose Smart Shape > Smart Slur Options. The Smart Slur Options dialog box appears.
  3. Enter a number in the Avoid Staff Lines by at Least text box to specify the desired distance between the slur and the outside staff line closest to the slur.
  4. Enter a value into the System Start Adjustment and the System End Adjustment text boxes, specifying where the slur should start and end in each of the staff systems spanned by the slur.
  5. Click OK (or press RETURN) when you’re ready to save the new settings. Or click Reset at any time if you want to restore the original built-in settings.

    All slurs created from now on will use these settings for each system break. These settings also apply to end points of existing slurs (from one staff to the next), if the end point hasn’t been manually adjusted.

All slurs you create from now on will use these settings. Also remember that all slurs already in the score will change to reflect these settings.

  1. Choose the Smart Shape tool icon. The Smart Shape menu appears.
  2. From the Smart Shape > Smart Slur Options. The Smart Slur Options dialog box appears.
  3. Enter a number (in a measurement unit you’ve selected) in the Slur Thickness text boxes to specify the desired line thickness and shape of all slurs. Each slur is composed of two curves, an inner curve and an outer curve. These settings determine the relationship between the curves - how fat the slur is, how fast it tapers and whether one side is thicker than the other (for a “hand drawn” look).

    The V setting determines the general thickness of the slur. Equal values give a balanced slur; unequal values make it thicker on one end than the other. The H settings can make the slur taper more or less quickly: a positive value on the left (mirrored by the opposite value on the right) will make it appear to taper more quickly, a negative value less quickly.

  4. Enter a number (in a measurement unit you’ve selected) in the Slur Tip Width text box to specify the desired thickness of the tip of a slur.
  5. Click OK (or press RETURN). Or click Reset at any time if you want to restore the original built-in settings.

Engraver slurs

Engraver slurs avoid collisions with stems, beams, noteheads, “inside slur” articulations, and accidentals. Engraver slurs will make most of your slurs look perfect the first time, although nothing can completely replace an artistic judgment call from a human!

Font annotation is critical to proper functioning of Engraver slurs. If you’re using a MakeMusic font, such as Maestro or Broadway Copyist, we’ve already provided font annotation files. If you’re using a third-party music font, you should create a font annotation file. See Font Annotation dialog box.

Any manual edit to an Engraver slur will make it immune to Engraver slur settings. It will still be marked as an Engraver slur in the contextual menu, but will be frozen. When frozen, Engraver slurs will no longer reshape to changes in the notes. To revert the slur to behaving like an Engraver slur or unfreeze the slur, use the Remove Manual Adjustments command or the Engraver Slur > On command, both found in the contextual menu when the Selection tool or Smart Shape tool are selected.

Because Engraver slurs depend heavily on the spacing of notes, they may appear slightly different between Page View and Scroll View. Many factors, such as locked measure systems, cause this difference. We recommend that you make final adjustments to Engraver slurs in Page View, as this is the view that will print.

See To move, reshape, or delete Smart Shape slurs above.

Engraver slurs can avoid collisions with stems, beams, noteheads, articulations, and accidentals. If you transpose the music, Engraver slurs will reshape to avoid collisions with the new layout.

  1. Choose the Smart Shape tool icon. The Smart Shape menu appears.
  2. Choose Smart Shape > Smart Slur Options. The Smart Slur Options dialog box appears.
  3. Check the Use Engraver Slurs box. The Engraver Slur settings become active.
  4. Make adjustments to the Engraver Slur settings, if desired.
  5. Click OK (or press RETURN) when you’re ready to save the new settings.