Whole rests

Finale automatically places a default whole rest in every blank measure. It’s important to understand the difference between a default whole rest and a real whole rest that you’ve entered using any of Finale’s music input methods.

For example, a chord or a lyric syllable can be attached to a real whole rest (although Finale automatically skips rests when assigning lyrics by itself). Only a real whole rest can be moved up or down with the Speedy Entry tool.

Finale considers a real whole rest an entry—something you placed in the score—just like a note or another kind of rest. Therefore, a real whole rest will not be part of a multimeasure block rest in a part; it will be placed in a measure by itself. Furthermore, a real whole rest counts as “music” when you hide empty staves. Even though a staff appears to be empty, Finale won’t hide it if it contains a real whole rest.