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Chapter 15 Score Editor 361
Precise Positioning
It’s advisable to work at high zoom levels when positioning slurs. You can quickly
switch to an extremely zoomed display by holding down Control while rubber band
selecting an area of the score. This activates the magnifying glass tool, and the selected
area is displayed at maximum zoom level. Do all your positioning and layout work at
this zoom level, and return to the regular view by Control-clicking on any free spot.
Key Signatures
Key signature changes can be inserted at any point in a song, by dragging one of the
key symbols from the Part box, as shown above, onto any staff. Watch the Help Tag, to
ensure accurate placement. Remember that key signatures and key signature changes
are effective globally, for all instruments, on all display levels.
Natural symbols are automatically displayed with a new key signature, when necessary
(when changing from A flat major to F major or A major, for example).
Display transposition of the key signature (for notation of non C instrument parts) is
achieved by selecting an appropriate Score Style (see “Basics” on page 380). For atonal
music, there is the option to deactivate Automatic Key Transposition for transposing
Score Styles, in Layout > Clefs & Signatures (see “Clefs & Signatures” on page 416). This is
effective for the whole song. If it is deactivated, all sharps and flats are displayed
directly with their notes. There is a similar option in the Score Style window (Key) which
allows you to switch off the key signature for a particular Score Style, or even for
individual staves in multi-staff Score Styles.
The basic key signature of a piece should, however, be set by double-clicking on the
first staff, between the clef and time signature. This opens a dialog box that allows you
to set any major or minor key. This window also lets you disable the use of double flats
and sharps.
This method applies not only to the first staff, but for all staves. If the piece already
contains other key signature changes, however, any newly inserted key signature only
changes the key from the insertion point until the next key signature change. As with
the starting key signature, inserted key signatures affect all Regions, on all levels.