The key is to send the note to an empty Aria (VST) slot to mute the sound.

I used a separate layer (and would hide the rests and fix the stem direction), but I have been able to do this with one layer in the past IIRC.

Laine Lee,

You are using Mac Finale - right?

You can get the playback effect via with two custom expressions.

One expression will mute, the other will un-mute.

In the Expression Designer, in the Playback chiclet, you can specify that an expression should play on a specific repeat pass only.

Before I can give you detailed instructions, I have to ask:

Take a look in the MIDI/Audio menu.

Are you playing Finale through MIDI, or through Audio Units?

Thanks!

It's MIDI, not Audio Units.

When playing Finale through MIDI, use Controller 11 (Expression).

To mute, set Controller 11 to zero.

To unmute, set Controller 11 back to 127.

OK, thanks to both of you.

Also need help with design. Can I create an expression that combines a double ended bracket with text such as "2nd X only"? Thanks.

You can create the expression as a shape expression (I would de-select Allow Horizontal Stretching which is selected by default).

Finale has a (small, old) drawing environment called the Shape Designer.

Use the Shape Designer’ sub-tool Text Tool to add a text block.

Then, add the bracket with the sub-tool Multiline Tool.

Tip:

For easier use of the Shape Designer’s coordinate system, switch Finale to small Measurement Units, like the (small) units Points, or the (very small) units EVPUs.

Thank you! Can I design the shape in such a way that the bracket length (width, right end only?) can be adjusted horizontally without stretching the text, or will this require that the bracket be added as a separate expression (smart shape) item?

(Actually, never mind. I've discovered that this is the default behavior for a shape design containing both a text element and a multi-line segment. Thanks again.)

… Can I design the shape in such a way that the bracket length (width, right end only?) can be adjusted horizontally without stretching the text, or will this require that the bracket be added as a separate expression (smart shape) item? …

In the Shape Designer the text is a text block (created with the sub-tool Text Tool), and the bracket is a multiline created with the sub-tool Multiline Tool.

If you de-select Allow Horizontal Stretching (which is selected by default), then the bracket will not be stretched, as you adjust the score layout.

In Other Words:

You can customize the bracket (length, width, line thickness), and it will stay put - behave like a font character.

I hope that this is clear?

If not, ask again.

Cross-posted (edited). Thank you again, Peter.

These staff expressions have definitely lost their ability to begin the MIDI control assignment at the mid-measure note they are attached to. If I attach one for setting controller 11 to 0, and assign it to beat 4, now it acts from the start of the measure. This didn't begin until I changed the global measurement units from inches to EVPUs. Can you suggest a way to troubleshoot this other than copying notes and rests only into a new document? I find this extremely vexing. Thanks.

…  These staff expressions have definitely lost their ability to begin the MIDI control assignment at the mid-measure note they are attached to …

You told us that you were using Finale in the 90s.

In “Finale-speak” we no longer use the term “staff expression”.

Instead we have expression categories.

I suspect that the culprit can be found in the expression category.

* Did you create a new, custom expression category for your expression?

* Or did you use an already existing category?

* More important, what are the settings in the expression category? And does the category use a Score List?

(The categories Tempo Marks, Tempo Alterations, and Rehearsal Marks use a Score List)

Created a new category. But I've isolated the problem to the document. Pasting the notes, rests, and repeats into a new document allowed me to again create the expressions and category with expected results. I also switched measurement units a couple of times with no harm to the ability to use the expressions with expected results. I think I'll abandon trying to correct the document, and just save what has taken longest to enter so far. Something may have been corrupted, or maybe not, but I just hope it doesn't happen again as haphazardly as it appears to have the first time. Thanks.

I went back through the process one more time in the original document and discovered that in Edit Expression Assignment in the contextual menu for the expression, Beginning of Measure was designated rather than Alignment Point. I didn't make that selection intentionally.

Yours 'til I never select it unintentionally,

LL

Sorry, one more thing. Because I don't know what I did to changed this value, I don't know how to change it back globally. Each time I add the expression, now I also have to open the dialog to tell it to play from Alignment Point. How can I set this globally for the expression or expression group?

… Each time I add the expression, now I also have to open the dialog to tell it to play from Alignment Point. How can I set this globally for the expression or expression group? …

Please answer my questions:

* Did you create a new, custom expression category for your expression? Or did you use an already existing category?

* What are the settings in the expression category?

* Does the category use a Score List?

New category.
Text font: Times new Roman
Size 12
Positioning
Justification Left
Hor. Alignment- Hor. Click Position
Ver. Alignment - Above Staff Baseline or Entry
Additional Baseline Offset -0.05556
Additional Entry Offset 0.125

No Score list

Laine Lee,

Unfortunately I am unable to reproduce your problem.

I created a new expression category with the same settings as yours.

And the expression defaults to begin Playback at Alignment Point (never at Beginning of Measure).

One more question:

The only way to create a new expression category is to duplicate an already existing category.

* Which category did you duplicate?

Yes, when I first created it, the expression defaulted to the desired settings as well. It appears that some other change that I incorporated while trying to make the default positioning more compatible with my use tripped a setting that isn't easily (or do-ably by any means) reversible. The first thing I did when I discovered that the expression was being applied with Beginning of Measure playback rather than Alignment Point playback was to undo everything I remembered doing since before both the expression and expression group were created. I'm beginning to suspect that whatever switch was tripped may not actually be accessible for reversal through the interface. It wouldn't be the first time that has happened to me with Finale, but it is the first time in nearly 30 years.

I duplicated the Text Expression category, but have tried duplicating several others since encountering this issue in an effort to reverse the behavior. At this point, the only thing that makes sense is to move the music created so far into a new document, because the adverse change doesn't appear to follow the copied elements into a new default or Setup Wizard document. It's just become sort of a personal goal for me to figure out how to undo it. Thanks so much for your help. I'll just copy the music to a new document and put this episode behind me.

MakeMusic support informed me that shape expressions default to Beginning of Measure assignment, while text expressions default to Alignment Point assignment. I thought that I had, in at least one or more instance, created a shape expression which defaulted to Alignment Point, but I can no longer seem to do that. Unless you are readily able to create a shape expression which does default to Alignment Point assignment, I guess I'll have to attribute my mistaken perception to my failure to take into account all the details of the process needed to create the expression I want. Anyway, I guess I should provide feedback to MakeMusic specifying that I would like to be able to select a global preference for whether any expression's default alignment assignment is Beginning of Measure or Alignment Point. Thanks.