Table of Contents
Notation reference
Articulations
Articulations are markings that are drawn above or below notes and chords. Articulations tell a performer how to attack a note or how long to play a note relative to its notated duration.
Positions of articulations
There are established conventions for the position and placement of articulations relative to notes, the staff, and staff lines, which ensure articulations are always clearly visible. For the smallest articulations, such as staccato marks, correct placement relative to staff lines in particular is vital.
Moving individual articulations vertically
You can move individual articulations graphically upwards/downwards so they are closer to/further away from notes.

Moving individual articulations vertically

You can move individual articulations graphically upwards/downwards so they are closer to/further away from notes.

Procedure

In Engrave mode, select the articulations that you want to move.
Move the articulations in any of the following ways:
- Press Alt/Opt-Up Arrow to move them upwards.
- Press Alt/Opt-Down Arrow to move them downwards.
  
  Tip
  If you want to move items by larger increments, you can press Ctrl/Cmd as well as the standard key command, for example, Ctrl/Cmd-Alt/Opt-Left Arrow.
- Click and drag them upwards/downwards.

Result

The selected articulations are moved vertically.

Tip

When you move articulations vertically, Offset Y in the Articulations group of the Properties panel is activated for the corresponding type of articulation. For example, Offset Y under the Articulations of force heading is activated when you move accents.

You can also use these properties to move articulations vertically by changing the value in the value field.

Deactivating the properties resets the selected articulations to their default positions.
You can change the default gaps between all articulations and their noteheads and other articulations on the Articulations page in Engrave > Engraving Options.