The fermata, bird's eye, or hold (
or 
) is an articulation. Finale includes the fermata articulation automatically in any document created through the Setup Wizard, from a Default document, or from a template.
To add a fermata to a note or rest
- Choose the Articulation tool
. - Click the note or rest that you want to attach the fermata to. The Articulation Selection dialog box appears.
- Choose the fermata symbol and click Select. The fermata is added to the note or rest.
To attach a fermata to an empty measure, see To place a fermata on an empty measure (whole rest) below.
Tip: Alternatively, you can choose the Articulation tool, hold F on your computer keyboard, and click a note or rest (see Articulation Metatools).
To move or delete a fermata
- Choose the Articulation tool .
- Drag the handle to move the fermata. Select it and press the arrow keys to “nudge” it for fine positioning; select it and press DELETE to remove it.
To place a fermata on an empty measure (whole rest)
- Choose the Selection tool
and select the empty measure. - Choose Plug-ins > Note, Beam, and Rest Editing > Change to Real Whole Rests.
There is no visual indication that the measure has changed from containing a default whole rest to a real whole rest.
- Choose the Articulation tool .
- Click the rest in the center of the empty measure. The Articulation Selection dialog box appears.
- Choose the fermata symbol and click Select. The fermata is added to the whole rest.
To place a fermata over a barline
There are several ways to place a fermata over a barline. For most situations, the recommended method is to create a new expression rather than using the predefined fermata articulation, since articulations must be attached to notes.
Noteman says: This method is for display only and not playback.
- Choose the Expression tool
. Double-click the measure to the left of the barline where you want to place the fermata. The Expression Selection dialog box appears. - Choose the Miscellaneous category and click Create Misc. Expression.
- Change the font to Maestro size 24.
- In the Text field, type U.
- Choose the Positioning tab.
- Change the Justification to Center, the Horizontal Alignment Point to Right Barline, the Vertical Alignment Point to Staff Reference Line, and the Additional Vertical Offset to 12e.
By choosing these settings, Finale centers the fermata over the barline at a vertical distance of 12
EVPUsEVPUs, or ENIGMA Virtual Page Units, are Finale's flexible units of measurement used to calculate the size and spacing of your music, defined as 288 EVPUs per inch or 24 EVPUs per space. You can display the measurements in more common units such as inches, centimeters, points or spaces. (1/24 inch). These settings are meant for positioning the fermata over a standard single barline. For thicker barline styles such as a double barline, you may need to adjust the horizontal positioning after completing these steps. - Click OK.
- Click Assign to place the fermata on the selected staff, or click the arrow button to assign the fermata to all staves or a staff list.
