Main Tool Palette

How to get there

The Main Tool Palette is almost always open on the screen. If it’s not, choose Main Tool Palette from the Window menu.

What it does

This palette contains all of Finale’s primary tools, which you can rearrange or hide. You can move, resize, reshape, or hide the palette itself. You hold the mouse over any of the tools to find out what the name of the tool is. Click on the name of the Tool in the picture below to view that section of the manual.

• [Close box]. Click this small button at the upper-left corner of the palette to close the palette. Once it’s hidden, you make the palette reappear by choosing Main Tool Palette from the Window menu.
• [Title bar]. Drag the strip across the top (or left) edge of the palette to move the entire palette to a new screen location.
• [Sizable frame]. Click on the very edge of the palette and drag the sizable frame to reshape the entire palette. As you drag, the palette snaps into new configurations: tall and thin, short and stout, square, and so on. If your monitor is wider than it is tall, for example, you might consider rotating the palette so that it’s a short horizontal strip.

If you drag the resize box inward toward the upper-left corner, you hide tools. Drag the resize box outward again to bring them back into view.

• [Tool icons]. See the individual tool for a complete discussion of each tool and what it does. In the meantime, note that you can rearrange the icons within the palette. To do so, press shift and drag an icon into a new position; it will trade places with the icon onto which you drop it. Keep in mind, too, that you can save these configurations of tools for quick access; see Customize Toolbar dialog box for instructions. See the .

Articulation Tool  

Click a note to attach a marking; click a handle to move or delete one.

Chord tool  

Choose an input method from the menu; click a note to add or edit chord symbols.

Clef tool  

Double-click a measure to insert a clef change.

Expression Tool  

Double-click a measure, note or rest to attach text or a shape to one or more staves.

HyperScribe Tool  

Set up menu, then click a measure and play, for an instant transcription.

Key Signature Tool  

Double-click a measure to insert a key change.

Lyrics Tool  

Use the menu to create or edit lyrics and position them in the score.

Measure Tool  

Double-click a measure to set characteristics; drag to move a barline. Click or double-click the tool icon to add blank measures to the end of the score.

Page Layout Tool  

Click the page to adjust margins or systems.

Repeat Tool  

Double-click a measure to create repeats, ending brackets or text such as 'To Coda'.

Resize Tool  

Click a note, to the left of a system or top left page corner to change its size.

Selection Tool  

Double-click an object to go to its editing tool. Click and drag to move an object.

Simple Entry Tool  

Click or use keystrokes to select values from the palette, and then use your mouse, computer keyboard, or a MIDI keyboard to enter notes.

Smart Shape Tool  

Click a shape on the palette; double-click and drag to draw it in the score.

Speedy Entry Tool  

Click a measure to edit or insert music, with or without a MIDI keyboard.

Staff tool  

Use the menu to add or edit staves -- names, transpositions, groups, brackets, etc.

Text tool  

Double-click to add text blocks. Use menus to change fonts, borders and so on.

Time Signature Tool  

Double-click a measure to insert a meter change.

Tuplet Tool  

Click the first note of a group to create or edit a triplet.

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