Fretboard diagrams

1. Choose the Chord tool . The Chord menu appears.
2. Choose Chord > Show Fretboards. If you have already added chord symbols to your piece, the guitar diagrams now appear. Individual chords with Show Fretboards unchecked in the Chord Definition dialog box will not have fretboards.

If you haven’t yet added chord symbols, add them as described in Chord symbols; as you add each chord, its fretboard diagram will also appear.

Fretboards must be set to display globally to allow regional fretboards; see To create or show fretboard diagrams globally, above. See also Change Chord Assignments dialog box.

To show fretboards on all chords, choose Chord > Show Fretboards. When selected, fretboards will appear on all chords in the score, except for those chords where you specifically hide the fretboard.

1. Choose the Chord tool . The Chord menu appears.
2. Choose Chord > Manual Input.
3. Click on the note containing the chord you want to edit.
4. Double-click the handle of the chord. The Chord Definition dialog box appears.
5. Under Show, uncheck Fretboard. Click OK. You return to the document, where the fretboard no longer appears for that chord. (If you later decide you want the fretboard to appear, check the Show Fretboard box.)

1. Choose the Chord tool . The Chord menu appears.
2. Choose Chord > Show Fretboards. The diagrams disappear, and there should no longer be a checkmark next to Show Fretboards in the Chord menu.

1. Choose the Chord tool . The Chord menu appears, and four small triangles appear at the left edge of the screen. These control the baseline of the chords (against which the bottom edges of the symbols line up).
2. Choose Chord > Position Fretboards. You’ve just told Finale that the triangles should adjust the baseline for the diagrams instead of the textual chord symbols.
3. Drag the triangle handles up or down.
   • Drag the leftmost triangle to set the baseline for the entire piece. As you drag it, the other three triangles move with it.
   • Drag the second triangle up or down to set the baseline for this staff, all the way through the piece. As you drag it, the two triangles to its right move with it.
   • Drag the third triangle up or down to set the baseline for this staff, this system only. As you drag it, the rightmost triangle moves with it. Use this third triangle only in Page View (so you can see the system you’re affecting).
   • Dragging the rightmost triangle doesn’t move any existing fretboards; instead, it sets the position for the next one you enter.

1. Choose the Chord tool . Handles appear on all chord symbols and fretboards.
2. Click the fretboard handle and drag (or press arrow keys to nudge) the fretboard diagram. The fretboard moves relative to the chord symbol.

Click the chord symbol's handle and drag to move both the chord symbol and fretboard uniformly. See To move chord symbols vertically.

1. Choose the Chord tool . The Chord menu appears.
2. Choose Chord > Show Fretboards and Chord > Manual Input.
3. Double-click on a note. The Chord Definition dialog box appears.
4. Type in a chord name in the Chord Symbol text box.

   For this example, type Cmin. If you now hit the TAB key (this lets Finale know you’re done typing the chord name), Finale automatically selects a fretboard for the chord you entered. If you click OK, that fingerboard appears in the piece. For our example, let’s assume you want a different fingering of Cmin.

5. Under Fretboard, click Select. The Fretboard Selection dialog box appears.
6. Click Create. The Fretboard Editor dialog box appears.
7. Under Fretboard Group, enter the name of the group you will be creating.

   In our example, type “min. - root on the 5th string.” The name is only for your convenience, but you should select a name that will help you identify this fretboard in the future.

8. From the Instrument dropdown menu, choose an instrument.

   If the desired instrument isn't listed, see To define an Instrument for Custom Fretboards.

9. Click the Show Group button. The dialog box expands to show the fretboards for this group, one for each root.

   One function of the group is to allow you to specify what fretboards should appear if your piece is transposed.

10. Click on the C fretboard. The C fretboard now appears in the editing window.
11. If the fretboard you’re creating isn't positioned at the nut, click Show under Fretboard Number and enter a fret number.

    For this example, enter 3.

12. Using the tools to the left of the fretboard editing window, you may now design your fretboard. For more details, see the Fretboard Editor dialog box.
    • If you want a dot, click on the Dot tool, then click on the fretboard in the fretboard editing window to place the dot. All the other marking are entered the same way, except the Barre.
    • A Barre is entered by choosing the Barre Tool and then clicking at the desired beginning point and dragging to the desired ending point. While you are dragging you will see the barre being created.
    • To erase a marking select either the Eraser Tool or the tool associated with the mark to be removed, and then click on the mark. All marks on the fretboard can be removed by click on the Clear Items button.
13. If this fingering will be used for all the roots in this group, then click the Generate button. Finale fills in the fretboards for the other roots.

    In case you want to use one fingering for a certain set of roots and a different fingering for other roots, add each fingering at the first root where the fingering change happens. Let's say the standard third fret Cmin for the C fretboard, and the open position Emin for the E fretboard. Now clicking Generate uses the nearest fingering to fill in each fretboard.

14. Click OK, Select and OK to return to the document.

    You could select a chord from the group you’ve created (or from another group) to appear in the piece by double-clicking on it then clicking OK.

    The fretboards you have designed can be saved in a Chord & Fretboard library: see Save Library dialog box. Chords & Fretboards libraries are designed so that duplication of suffixes will be eliminated and only new fretboards will be added to the existing library as long as suffixes match exactly in font attributes and positioning.

1. Choose the Chord tool . The Chord menu appears.
2. Choose Chord > Show Fretboards and Chord > Manual Input.
3. Double-click on a note. The Chord Definition dialog box appears.
4. Type in a chord name in the Chord Symbol text box.

   For this example, type Cmin. If you now hit the TAB key (this lets Finale know you’re done typing the chord name), Finale automatically selects a fretboard for the chord you entered. If you click OK, that fingerboard appears in the piece. For our example, let’s assume you want a different fingering of Cmin.

5. Click Select in the Fretboard section of the dialog. The Fretboard Selection dialog box appears. You could select from existing fretboards or create a new one.
6. Click Create. The Fretboard Editor dialog box appears.
7. Click Edit Instrument. The Fretboard Instrument Definition dialog box appears.
8. Click New, and then enter the name of the instrument. Use a descriptive name such as Guitar - DADGAD, or whatever is appropriate.
9. Enter the number of strings and the number of frets.
10. Enter the pitches on the strings. If you want, you can play the pitches by clicking in the appropriate text field and then clicking the Listen button.
11. If this is the instrument you will be using most of the time, then click Set as Default.
12. Click OK. You return to the Fretboard Editor with your newly defined instrument.

    Fretboard instruments can be saved in a Chord & Fretboard library: see Save Library dialog box. Chords & Fretboards libraries are designed so that duplication of suffixes will be eliminated and only new fretboards will be added to the existing library as long as suffixes match exactly in font attributes and positioning.

1. Choose the Chord tool . The Chord menu appears.
2. Choose Chord > Show Fretboards and Chord > Manual Input.
3. Double-click on a note. The Chord Definition dialog box appears.
4. Click Edit Styles. The Fretboard Styles dialog box appears. Think of Fretboard Styles as “templates” for future fretboards you will be making.
5. Click New and give the style a name. Here you can control just about everything having to do with the way your fretboards will look.
6. If this is the Style you will be using most often, then click Set As Default.
7. Click OK and OK to return to the document.

   Fretboard Styles can be saved in a Fretboard Style Library. See Save Library dialog box.