How do I modify a single alt+key character or symbol?

This example I am using Pages: Select Edit, Special Characters, first you need to place your Music symbols in the Special Characters Left panel (This is a One-off) to do this select this iCon and check the ones you need from the list, once you have done that you only need to select Music from the left panal then Click Drag and Drop your symbol onto your document.

It actually is easy, almost too easy.

Have the Character Viewer open and your musical note figure selected.

Then go to System Preferences > Language & Text > Text.

Under the list on the left of that window, click the + button.

For the first box (in the Replace column) press the key combo Option-Shift-3 and it should show the ‹ character.

Click the box to the right of that one, the one in the "With" colimn. After a moment it should open as ready. Then go to Character Viewer screen (do not make it active) and double-click the musical note character. It should appear in the second box in the prefs window.

Make sure that entry line in the prefs window is checkmarked, then close it and test.

Note - when using Character Viewer, it is not necessary to drag-and-drop the wanted character into your document. A double-click is sufficient.

jamfromsanmateo I had a rethink on this and I believe it will do all you want: Open your Pages document, select Fonts, then select Arial Unicode MS as your font then when you want the Flat Symbol hold the Command [alt] key while you type D+266D the resulting unicode will give you what you want ♭

I forgot to add - the replacement of the ‹ character with the musical note character won't appear until you type the next character. This can be a space, etc.

Bodycalming wrote:

Open your Pages document, select Fonts, then select Arial Unicode MS as your font then when you want the Flat Symbol hold the Command [alt] key while you type D+266D the resulting unicode will give you what you want ♭

That's just all wrong. To do this you have to first go to system preferences to activate and switch to the Unicode Hex keyboard layout, then hold the Option/alt key down and type 266D. No need to choose any font.

Wow! What do you mean? That's just all wrong! With Arial Unicode MS as the default font the Music Teacher can type what they want, until they want to show the Flat Symbol. They simply hold the Command [alt] Key and type as you see it now D+266D and not as you put it 266D The Arial Unicode MS font is already in the Font Book

Below is what you get in any size you want.

♭

Please accept my apologies. I should have typed Option [alt] instead of Command [alt]

When I hold the option/alt key and type D+266D, I just get a sequence of special characters. I don't understand how you could get anything else.

So sorry guys, I have been going round in circles on this one, with the result I somehow lost my way, please forgive me.

In System Preferences select Language & Text you need to setup a new Input source like this..

So I have now added the Unicode Hex Input. When I open Pages my default input source is this..

Now select your input source so it looks like this....

The input device will still give you all your 'Normal' characters but with the addition of Unicode Characters..

Try these while holding the Option Key

♪ 266A eighth note

♫ 266B beamed eighth notes

♬ 266C beamed sixteenth notes

♭ 266D music flat sign

♮ 266E music natural sign

♯ 266F music sharp sign

My most sincere apologies once again for my confusion!!😕

Bodycalming wrote:

Now select your input source so it looks like this....

The input device will still give you all your 'Normal' characters but with the addition of Unicode Characters..

Unfortunately with the Unicode Hex layout you do not have access to any of the option/alt and option/alt + shift shortcuts for typing special characters which are available on the standard layout. Many people use these regularly for easily typing accented letters, currency and other symbols (e.g. é, £, €, ™, ¢, ®, ©, ‰, °)

The soul purpose of going the Unicode route was because my original suggestion of adding a Music folder in the left panel of the built-in Special Characters then simply picking-up the Flat symbol then Click It Drag It Drop It, onto the document, was politely rejected with the words " Your Workaround is creative, clever, and Almost Okay". Sadly this did not suit the Music Teacher, due to the lack of screen real estate on a 13" screen, becauce second window was just too much!

As I understood it, the user only wanted to add Music symbols to a document. I am fully aware that there are restrictions when using a Unicode Hex Input for general usage but it really is very easly to switch back and forth from one input device when required.

In the end I am sure you will agree that the solution suggested by Don Archibald is the easiest one.