Changing direction of grace note slurs

[filmcomposer]

I can right-click to flip the direction of a phrase mark or tie, but when confronted with a grace note (acciaccatura or appoggiatura)'s slur or tie, that technique does not seem to work.

Grace note slur showing wrong direction

grace_tie.jpg (23.98 KiB) Viewed 2319 times

Finale does not follow the music rule for slur directions (slur/tie/phrase mark travels from side of head of first note). Does anyone know how I can flip the direction of grace note slurs, or better still, get Finale to put them the right way round the moment they are introduced?

Thank you.

[motet]

It looks like you've made a tie, not a slur. Slurs by default are in the direction you want (see below), but you can flip a slur after creating it with Ctrl+F (or later, by selecting the handle).

[Djard]

If it is a tie, click on the Tie Tool in the Special Tools palette then in flip it with the "Tie Direction" option in the Special Tools menu. If it is a slur you are using, best to drag it outside the stave -> click on the Slur Tool -> drag the handles until obtaining the shape you want then drag the middle handle of the slur to move it into place, or use the arrow keys to nudge it into place. Remember that a slur has a more pronounced arch, while a tie is flatter.

[motet]

No reason to use a tie for a grace note.

[Djard]

If consistency is valued then technically a tie is correct as without it the note on the beat is indicated as played separately. But many will disagree, arguing that a tie is implied. I'm OK with either rule. My old Oxford Music Dictionary insists on a tie if only the grace note is played.

[John Ruggero]

No reason to use a tie for a grace note.

You probably mean instead of a slur. Actual tied grace notes are not uncommon.

[motet]

I'm not familiar with that. What does it mean--anticipate the beat a little?

[David Ward]

I'm not familiar with that. What does it mean--anticipate the beat a little?

Yes. In my experience anyway: John?

[Djard]

The value of a grace note seems arbitrary, as some highly accomplished performers play the grace note almost simultaneously, others render a more pronounced anticipation. Interesting that the human ear finds an early note more agreeable than a late one.

[John Ruggero]

I'm not familiar with that. What does it mean--anticipate the beat a little?

Right. It can show "breaking between the hands", a style of playing that became an affectation in the late 19th and early twentieth century.