You might want to open a support ticket.

What happens if you load a Jazz (handwritten) template like the Jazz Band? Do you have the same problem?

Incidentally, I notice that the Jazz Chord library does not contain the m suffix, but it should contain mi and min (at least it does on my systems).

First off, make sure you have the 25.2 installer. Log into your user account and download. 25.2 will be the version you get.

This is probably a font issue but which font issue (there are a few)?

Try this first. Finale might not install all of the available fonts unless you tell it to—especially if it sees old versions installed already. Run the installer. Select Customize. You should see an option to install all the TrueType fonts. Do so. See if you still have a problem.

There are other problems caused by old versions of the fonts. If the above doesn't do it, let us know.

When you run the general installer, a second one pops up for Garritan. Many close this window thinking it's redundant. Make sure you run that installer also. It's a bit confusing and MM should fix that.

If you suspect that specific chord suffixes are missing from a file, then you can "take inventory" of what chord symbols are in that file's library by typing "C:0" (C + colon + zero) and press Enter. The dialog will show all the suffixes in that file.

I don't have anything in my Chord Suffix Selection dialog box!

Lou Vogel,

Chord suffixes are document specific, not program specific.

In a so called Document Without Libraries there are no chord suffixes.

You can load a chord suffix library, or you can create your own, custom suffixes.

To have your preferred suffixes in all new documents, set up a template with the preferred suffixes, and use that template when creating new documents.

I have a similar issue - this MUST be very simple. (I'm new to Finale but used PrintMusic previously) I can enter Cmaj7 by entering C:0<enter> and selecting the maj7 suffix, but it doesn't recognize if I type in "Cmaj7". Same for mi7, etc. If I enter "C7", it does recognize that. The suffixes are all there in the library window, but why can it not recognize them when I try to enter them? (Windows 10, Finale 25 if that makes any difference). 

James Kangas,

We need more info from you:

Which font is used in your chord suffixes?

You mention the Cmaj7 chord as an example.

The glyph maj7 is not included in the JazzCord font.

I suppose that your chord suffix font is not the JazzCord font, but rather some other font?

Yes, I am using the jazz font as a default (from Document | Set Default Music Font). I don't understand your comment about maj7 not being included in the jazz chord font - the "MA7" is displayed as number 6 in the chord selection box that comes up, so C:6 works as expected. The same is true for mi7, etc. and everything except just a "7" for a dom 7th.

-Jim

James Kangas,

1) Actually there are several fonts: Jazz, JazzCord, JazzText.

2) Choosing the Jazz font as Default Music Font via

Document menu > Set Default Music Font

affects the font used for clefs, flags, noteheads, rests, accidentals.

But it does not affect the font used in already existing chord suffixes.

3) The suffix maj7 is not exactly the same as ma7 - there is one letter more in maj7.

From your description it sounds like you have ma7, but not maj7.

My guess is that the font used in your chord suffixes is the JazzCord font.

Here is the catch:

In the JazzCord font each character is a complete chord suffix.

Example: ma7 is a single font character in the JazzCord font.

Hence you can not enter the ma7 suffix by typing the characters ‘m’ - ‘a’ - ‘7’.

4) If you instead use the JazzText chord suffix library, you get “compound” chord suffixes, composed of individual letters and digits.

In the JazzText library you have e. g. the suffix Maj7 (with Uppercase M).

Hence you can enter a JazzText suffix by typing the characters the suffix is composed of.

You can e. g. type DMaj7 - and get DMaj7.

Thanks for the quick response, Peter. OK, I tried the "Handwritten" style as opposed to "General/Handwritten (jazz font)". Note that I used the latter approach SPECIFICALLY because it was suggested/demonstrated in the "Create A Leadsheet" tutorial video.

So it sounds like you are missing the concept of an input map. I would think that the letters/symbols you enter to designate a font could be independent from the content of a font. Then, I could enter "Maj7", "M7", or "Maj7" (or "X45tq") and have them all map to the appropriate font, regardless of how it is composed. Is that correct? 

James Kangas,

You wrote:

“I would think that the letters/symbols you enter to designate a font could be independent from the content of a font. Then, I could enter "Maj7", "M7", or "Maj7" (or "X45tq") and have them all map to the appropriate font, regardless of how it is composed. Is that correct?”

I am afraid I do not understand your question.

Basically a font is a collection of graphics (= font characters) + some mathematical formulas that allow you to scale the characters up/down.

Each graphic (font character) resides in its own “font slot”.

Each font slot has its own ID number.

For text fonts there are rules for, in which slot each text character should reside.

Examples:

All text fonts have the “blank” “spacebar” character in slot #32.

All text fonts have the “Uppercase A” character in slot #65.

1) What do you mean by your words “to designate a font”?

2) What do you mean by your words “have them all map to the appropriate font”?

3) What do you mean when you talk about how a font “is composed”?

I understand what you are saying, Peter, but I am talking about entering a chord from the keyboard. Let's say I want to enter a Dm7. So I can (only) enter that by typing D:44 (if I know the correct "slot number"). I'm simply suggesting that your software could recognize that when I type "D-7" (or "Dm7") that it might use that to say, "ah, he means D:44". It works this way for the engraved fonts - I would think entering the chord would work identically for all fonts, regardless of what they look like - they still mean the same thing, after all.

Unfortunately you can not type D-7 to get Dm7.

Finale only has very few such “substitution options”.

Generally, to enter a chord suffix from the computer keyboard you must enter exactly the font character slots used in the suffix.

It does not matter, what font is used; only the slot numbers matter.

An example:

In text fonts the uppercase letter H is located in font slot #72.

In the JazzCord font there is the symbol 6/9 in font slot #72.

Thus - with the JazzCord suffixes - you can enter a D6/9 chord by typing DH on the computer keyboard.

Similarly you can enter a Gsus chord by typing GW, since the JazzCord font has the symbol sus in font slot #87.

Obviously, this is not easier than knowing the suffix’ number in the window Chord Suffix Selection.

To enter chord suffixes by typing them “as they are”, use the JazzText suffixes instead of the JazzCord suffixes.

With JazzText suffixes you can e. g. enter a CMaj7 chord by typing CMaj7.

Answer the question with YES!

Then it will add it to the Library, and you can customize the Size. Font, and Spacing.

We play auto harps, but not everybody has the same chords on their harps.I want to enter D as the chord but give Bm as an alternative.  However, when I enter D/Bm . It shows D/Bm on the screen but on the music all I get is D/B.  How do I get the m bit to show on the screen.

We play auto harps, but not everybody has the same chords on their harps. I want to enter D as the chord but give Bm as an alternative.  However, when I enter D/Bm . It shows D/Bm on the screen but on the music all I get is D/B.

Unfortunately you can not use the slash to indicate a chord alternative - since the slash means {Alternate Bass}.

An example: D/B means {D major chord with B as Alternate Bass} (= Bm7).

As a workaround you could use a custom chord suffix: /Bm

The chord suffix is created in the (very technical) dialog box Chord Suffix Editor.

Creating a chord suffix takes some time, but you only have to do it once.

Chord suffixes are document specific (not program specific).

You can save your chord suffixes as a library you can load into other documents:

File menu > Save Library

File menu > Load Library

You can also load the library into the template(s) you use when creating new documents.

In that way you will automatically have the chord suffixes ready made in all new documents.

Thank you, that was very helpful.  I found 'Chord Library' and entered /Bm and entered it as a suffix onto the D chord successfully..

You say that chord suffixes are only document specific.  Does this mean that I need to go into 'chord library' and enter any alternative chords for every new piece of music or would the /Bm still be available for a new piece of music?

 Is there any way that I can specify the size of the alternative chord, as my alternative is slightly smaller that the main chord? I managed to find the correct font i.e. Times New Roman (the default font) but would like to make it the same size as the D.

Also, how do I load the library into the template when I create new documents?  It looks as if I should enter all known alternatives now so that they are ready for future use!

Thanks again - I was getting very frustrated, especially as a friend has a free music program of some sort and she seems to be able to do it automatically

Don't use a slash. As Peter indicates, a slash / has a specific meaning in chord notation. Finale follows this convention, not the other way around. For Autoharp I always used a parentheses around the alternate chord. D (Bm) — leave a space between the two symbols.

I can't say that anything is common in Autoharp notation since so few of us have ever knocked out charts for the chorded zither. Most charts just use text or typewritten chords. I used to teach the instrument and still have a collection of vintage and modern 'harps.

I always liked Harry Taussig's introduction in his 1967 book, Folk Style Autoharp:

"The major difficulty in preparing a book such as this is to invent a notation that is easier to read than the autoharp is to play."

I found that the fastest way to do these was to use a text block with the alternate chord. Since the alternate is used only when the desired chord is not present, there is no musical reason to enter it properly into a notation application. Peter gives you the correct way, however.

You say that chord suffixes are only document specific.  Does this mean that I need to go into 'chord library' and enter any alternative chords for every new piece of music or would the /Bm still be available for a new piece of music?

You can save a chord suffix library containing all your custom chord suffixes.

To do so, first make a duplicate copy of your Finale document.

Open the duplicate copy, and delete - from the Chord Suffix Selection - all suffixes except the suffixes you want to include in the chord suffix library.

Then, go to File menu > Save Library…

Is there any way that I can specify the size of the alternative chord, as my alternative is slightly smaller that the main chord? I managed to find the correct font i.e. Times New Roman (the default font) but would like to make it the same size as the D.

In the Chord Suffix Editor you can set the font size of each and every font character in the suffix.

You can also see, what font and size is used for every single character in the suffix.

Also, how do I load the library into the template when I create new documents?  It looks as if I should enter all known alternatives now, so that they are ready for future use!

To load a library into a document (e. g. a template), open the document, and go to File menu > Load Library…

Don’t forget to save the document (template) when you have loaded the library.

I'm having the same issue with this 3 years later. How can I contact Finale to have this updated? It makes no sense that the suffix "m" is supported in maestro font and not in the jazz font. Why would they program it that way?

As far as I know, MakeMusic licenses but doesn’t own the Jazz font which hasn’t been updated in many years (ever?). Can Broadway Copyist do what you want?