Shifting an auto hyphen

[Hector Pascal]

I have some automatically generated hyphens, for example between a syllable on the previous page and the next syllable on the following page. I have it set to generate a hyphen after the the first syllable and also before the next syllable (on the next page).

This hyphen before the second syllable on the next page, I'd like to nudge it closer to its word.

Is it possible, or do I have to cheat and create expressions instead.

Cheers,
HP.

[Djard]

For printing, the only alternative of which I can think is to save the file in PDF format and use a PDF editor. If you use a graphics editor, like Paint Shop Pro or Photo Shop, set the resolution to 600 dpi to preserve the image quality as much as possible. You might also download and try the latest (evaluation) copy of TGTools that allows some editing of lyric hyphens.

[Perotinus]

For me the problem is usually the opposite of your case: having the automatic hyphen ram into the start of the syllable on the next page, or on the next system. I haven't found a way to shift the automatic hyphen to the left so it doesn't overlap the syllable.

What I do in these circumstances is to follow the previous syllable with a hard space and a hard hyphen, and precede the next syllable with a hard hyphen followed by a hard space. There's a setting in Lyric Options not to have a hyphen before the first syllable after a system break, but if I want one, the automatically generated hyphens overlap that first syllable. Aggravating. If there's a better way, or if I am not doing this right, I'd love to know.

[Djard]

Finale is a great program but with some oddities. I have never had a hyphen overlap a syllable. Thanks for sharing the option.

[Perotinus]

This is what I mean. It seems not to occur in older files, so I must have some type of setting wrong.

hyphen collision.JPG

[Hector Pascal]

Hi all,
Thanks for your responses. I did not find a way to nudge the automatically created hyphens individually, however I found a workaround within Finale which gets the job done. What I did was retype the word's syllables and omitted the hyphen altogether. Then, using the text tool (assigned text to measure), I type the hyphen making sure to use the same font as the lyrics font (so the hyphen matches the auto hyphens in thickness and length). Then I position the hyphen very carefully. It works perfectly. However, one has to remain vigilant because if any layout or music spacing changes take place, one would need to reconfirm the position of the text hyphen. I tend to leave myself a little "readme" file in the same folder and I list any various things that I need to consider when dealing with the file in the future.

Hope you are all going well.
Cheers,
Hector.

[Djard]

If the issue appears only in new documents, you may want to backup any custom library files, uninstall Finale, purge the registry of Finale footprints, manually delete any residual files with File Explorer then reinstall.

If the issue does not appear in a default document, I would suspect a funky library file.

Another option might be to decrease the space between the first beat and time and key signatures or copy a document without the issue, clear all items in the score then use it as a template.

In your example, the first two notes form a melisma, which, to the best of my knowledge, requires a slur, from F to E. But then I have limited experience writing stemless notes.

If you shift the notes to the right, does the overlapping hyphen move also, or does it separate from the note?

[Perotinus]

Thanks, Djard. I’ll bet it has something to do with the spacing setting at the start of the measure at the beginning of a system. I’ll experiment with that and see what happens.