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.
Changing the default placement of articulations
You can change the default placement of all articulations according to their type, for example, if you want articulations of stress always to be placed above the staff but articulations of duration to be placed beside noteheads, both above and below the staff.

Changing the default placement of articulations

You can change the default placement of all articulations according to their type, for example, if you want articulations of stress always to be placed above the staff but articulations of duration to be placed beside noteheads, both above and below the staff.

Procedure

Press Ctrl/Cmd-Shift-E to open Engraving Options.
Click Articulations in the category list.
In the Placement section, choose one of the following options for each articulation type:
- Always above
- Natural placement
Click Apply, then Close.

Result

The default placement of the corresponding types of articulations is changed project-wide. Articulations with Natural placement are placed on the notehead side of notes.

Tip

You can also change the default gaps between noteheads/stems and articulations and between stacked articulations in the Vertical Position section of the Articulations page.