Altering the shape and direction of slurs and ties

This section describes how to alter the “regular” slur and tie symbols.

There are two types of slurs and ties in the Symbols Inspector. The up/down variation of each actually represent the same symbol but with different initial direction. You can perform the following editing to slurs and ties:

  • By dragging the middle handle up/down and left/right you can change the shape of the curve.

  • By selecting a slur or a tie and clicking the “Flip” symbol on the extended toolbar or by selecting “Flip Position” on the context menu, you can change the direction and positioning of the slur or tie.

    Actually, there are three “modes” for a slur or tie. You step through these three modes by clicking the button.

  • By dragging the end points of a slur or tie, you can change its shape without affecting its “relation” to the notes it belongs to.

    In other words, the end point of the slur/tie keeps its relative distance to that note when the note is moved with the Layout tool or when the measure width is adjusted.

  • By holding down Ctrl/Cmd and dragging the end points of a slur or tie, it can be detached from the notes it belonged to.

    Note

    To restore the default shape of a symbol, right-click on it and select “Default position” from the context menu.

  • To change the default shape and spacing of slurs and ties, open the Score Settings dialog on the Project–Spacings subpage and edit the “Slur’s Start & End Distance from Note Head” and “Slur’s Middle Distance from Note Head” settings.

    These settings are used for all new slurs and ties you create, as well as for all existing slurs for which you have not manually changed the shape.