Standard Notation
Standard notation can be shown alongside tablature or on its own. On a standard staff, press 0 to enter a note at the cursor pitch, and use 1/2/3 for flat/natural/sharp.
Clef
Open the Clef dialog from the Score menu to change the clef. Available clefs:
- G (Treble) — violin, flute, guitar, soprano voice
- F (Bass) — cello, bassoon, bass guitar, bass voice
- C clefs — alto (viola), tenor (trombone, cello)
You can also change the octaviation for instruments that sound an octave higher or lower than written (piccolo, guitar, double bass).
Time Signature
Open the Time Signature dialog from the Score menu (Cmd+Shift+T on Mac). The top number defines beats per measure; the bottom number defines the beat unit (4 = quarter, 8 = eighth).
You can customize eighth-note grouping for compound meters — for example, grouping 6/8 as 3+3 or 5/8 as 3+2.
Key Signature
Open the Key Signature dialog from the Score menu. Choose the number of flats or sharps and the major/minor mode. Key signatures can change at any measure for modulations.
Beaming
Beaming is automatic by default, grouping notes according to the time signature. You can override it manually from the tools palette or Note menu:
- Create beam — connect selected notes
- Break beam — split a beam group
- Auto beam — reset to automatic beaming
Tuplets
Tuplets let you fit irregular note groupings into standard beats:
- Triplet (3:2) — three notes in the time of two
- Quintuplet (5:4) — five notes in the time of four
- Septuplet (7:4) — seven notes in the time of four
To create a tuplet: select a range of beats in Tab Mode, then use the Create Tuplet option in the Note menu or tools palette. To remove a tuplet, select all its beats and delete them.
Multiple Voices
Voices are independent rhythmic phrases sharing the same staff. In Tab Mode, switch to another voice using the voice selector in the toolbar and start entering notes — the new voice is created automatically.
Repeats
Reflow supports the full set of standard repeat structures. All of them live in the Measure Settings dialog (Score menu, or double-click a barline in Measure mode).
Repeat Barlines
Mark a section by setting a repeat-start barline at its beginning and a repeat-end at its end. On the repeat-end measure, set the repeat count (2×, 3×, up to 16×). Playback automatically loops the section the correct number of times.
Simile (%)
A simile mark (%) tells the performer to repeat the previous measure. Enable Simile on any empty measure to show the slash glyph in place of notation. Playback replays the previous measure’s contents.
Use double-simile (𝄎) for a two-measure repeat.
Jumps: D.S., D.C., D.S.S.
A jump sends playback back to an earlier point in the score. Set a jump on the measure where the jump occurs (usually the last measure of a section):
- D.C. (Da Capo) — jump back to the beginning
- D.S. (Dal Segno) — jump back to the Segno mark
- D.S.S. (Dal Doppio Segno) — jump back to the double Segno mark
Each jump can optionally continue To Coda or To Fine on the return trip.
Targets: Segno, Coda, Fine
Targets mark the destination of jumps. On any measure, toggle:
- Segno (𝄋) — target for D.S.
- Double Segno (𝄋𝄋) — target for D.S.S.
- Coda (𝄌) — the coda section, reached via “To Coda” after a jump
- Fine — where playback ends after a D.C. al Fine or D.S. al Fine
Reflow plays back the full jump structure automatically — no need to manually expand repeats before exporting.
Systems and Layout
A system is one horizontal line of music across the page. You can control layout from the Score Style dialog (Score menu):
- Set the default number of measures per system
- Break a system at any measure (press Return in Tab Mode)
- Staff and system spacing is automatic — Reflow adjusts it for readability
- Hide empty staves to save space in multi-track scores