Slur shoulder offset

Slur shoulders affect the angles of the curves of slurs as they taper towards an endpoint, because the tapered ends often approach noteheads at a steeper angle than that of a slur’s arch.

Increasing the shoulder offset makes the onset of the curve shallower, whereas decreasing the shoulder offset makes the onset steeper. The shoulder offset must therefore be balanced with the height of the slur in order to achieve the ideal curved shape.

Figure 1. A long slur with default shoulder offset of 1/3
Figure 2. A long slur with increased shoulder offset of 1.5
Figure 3. A long slur with decreased shoulder offset of -1/2

You can find options controlling the default shoulder offset of all slurs project-wide by clicking Advanced Options in the Design section of the Slurs page in Engrave > Engraving Options. There are separate settings for short, long, and flat slurs.

You can adjust the shoulders of individual slurs in Engrave mode.