Sometimes you also have to do this in your word processor. So handy and quick! For instructions see How to customize autocorrect for you Mac’s keyboard, and scroll down to How to create text shortcuts. For instance, I’ve customized my Mac to ‘auto-correct’ to a ♭ when I type ‘ffl’, a ♮ when I type ‘nnat’, and a ♯ when I type ‘ssh’.

To make it super easy, you can find out how to customize the auto-correct on your computer or word-processing software to ‘auto-correct’ to the symbol you want when you type a certain pattern of characters.You can find it in the submenu under Miscellaneous Symbols for some of the fonts. In a word processor, use the Insert Symbol or Insert Special Character option.Just copy it into the document once, and have them there to copy and paste it as you need them. Use the Character Viewer to search ‘flat’, ‘natural’ or ‘sharp’ and it will find it and show you different versions.

On a Mac, it’s a little cumbersome at first, but you have three options: Versions, like Times New Roman, either look less professional, or leave too much space between the symbol and the last character, like F ♯ instead of F♯. I like the Arial Unicode MS best so far because they look pretty good and they are spaced well. Some fonts have decent versions of these symbols, and others look terrible. It might be a little tricky to set up, but it is worth it! That’s how I typed this! This is great, because you don’t have to keep switching back and forth to a notation software font, and it doesn’t mess with your vertical spacing. I recently discovered that many fonts actually have ♯’s ♭’s and ♮’s already built in – no need to use a music font. Well, the solution is actually pretty simple. Then there is the natural, for which you can do nothing other than spell it out. I will show you two helpful tools that I use to create worksheets for my students.ĭo you regularly use the number sign ‘#’ for sharps like ‘F#’, and a lower case ‘b’ for flats like ‘Bb’? They can pass, but the lower case ‘b’ confuses students, and the number sign slants to the right, unlike a sharp which is upright. Fortunately, there are some fonts that are designed with teachers in mind. If you have notation software, you have probably found that the fonts designed for them are practically useless in a word processor. But I thought I’d take a break from schoolwork and do a ‘quick’ post on the music fonts I use for my classroom materials. I haven’t posted in a while… it’s spring – rehearsal, concert and exam season. Have you ever found yourself needing to use musical symbols or notation in your word processor? If you are a music teacher like me who likes to make up worksheets and tests on your computer, then you know how fussy and next to impossible that can be.

Turn words into musical note font