Although it is fairly common practice to beam 8th notes into groups of four in common time, there are times that you do not want Finale dictating this beaming for an entire document.

As with most aspects of Finale, this option can be easily undone.

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Whether you would like your 7/8 measure to beam 2+2+3, 2+3+2 or even 3+2+2, you can use the Time Signature Tool to set the pattern of your beaming before or even after you have entered your music.

Here are the steps:

• Click on your Time Signature Tool and then highlight the measure(s) that you would like to set the beaming pattern of.

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There is one feature that I wish Finale had as a menu item: unbeam.

While there isn’t an “unbeam” per se, there is a quick and easy way to achieve the same results.

Let’s use this example:

• Click on your Selection Tool and then highlight the measure(s) that you wish to remove the beaming from.
• Go up to your Utilities Menu and select Rebeam >> Rebeam to Time Signature.
  This will open the Rebeam to Time Signature Window.
• Move the top slider all the way to the right, and the bottom slider all the way to the left.
• This will remove the beaming for 8th notes to 32nd notes. You can also adjust it to remove only the 8th or 8th & 16th by readjusting the bottom slider from 32 to the smallest note value that you would like included.
• Now your measure is free of beams and ready for customization.