Specifying on which string individual notes are played

You can specify on which string individually selected notes are played when notes are in the staves of string instruments, such as violins or cellos. Many notes can be played on multiple strings, depending on where along its length the string is stopped.

Specifying the string can be useful for notes that also have glissando lines or fingering shifts, as the string and finger position required to play the note affects the direction of these changes. However, the string number is not shown in the music. You can instead input fingerings, which can help string players understand the string on which they should play.

Note

You can only specify strings on notes belonging to string instruments.

Procedure

Select the notes whose assigned string you want to change. You can do this in Write mode and Engrave mode.

Note
If selecting multiple notes at once, select notes only in staves of the same instrument type. For example, select multiple Cs in Violin 1 and Violin 2 staves.
In the Properties panel, activate String in the Notes and Rests group.
Select your preferred string from the menu.

The string number for the instrument is shown, followed by the fundamental pitch and the octave number of that string in parentheses. For example, the lowest cello string is expressed as 4 (C2).

Note
The options available in the menu depend on the selected pitches and the instrument type.

Result

The string on which the selected notes are played is changed.

Note

If you subsequently change the pitches of notes, String is automatically deactivated for all notes that can no longer be played on their specified string.