Finale 98
Finale is a music notation program designed to produce excellent desktop publishing results. It uses simple point-and-click operations for easy note placement, and it provides powerful editing tools for the manipulation of notes, graphics, and text. Finale also communicates with standard MIDI devices for entry and playback and it will also import standard MIDI files from other music software.
This project focuses on using Finale as "electronic staff paper" onto which music, graphics, and text are placed by using the mouse. In addition, Finale's use of MIDI to enter notes in "real-time" or "step-entry" will be covered.
Project 10 focuses on initial data input and structural issues in designing the score. In Viewport V, Module 17, we noted the importance of proper order in terms of the way you use music notation software. This project stresses topics in the Note Entry Stage. Project 11 deals with Careful Editing and Printing stages, including issues of MIDI playback.
There are eight parts to this project:
The following setup issues are important for both Projects 10 and 11, although most apply to MIDI issues for Project 11. Regardless of which project you do and in which order, be sure to start with the following:
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For most studio situations, using Fixed Channel 1 for MIDI thru is
the most desirable solution.
Most keyboard manufacturers and software designers use MIDI channel 1 as the default Thru device. Consult your synth manual for a Spec. Sheet that contains more details about using MIDI Thru. |
For instance, you may want to note the:
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You can see in this window - you have many options for the click and countoff commands - including when it is used, how many measures to give, and what notes and device to choose. Remember, if you have an external MIDI device connected to the computer use MIDI channel 10. The rest of the defaults should be fine, but if you wish to change the sound of the Metronome you can use the Note fields to change them. The Measures box in the upper right corner configures the number of measures for countoff Finale will play before going into record mode.
Look through the other Option Menu items and configure as you see fit. For the most part you can leave everything to its default without any problems.
Finale98's MIDI setup is a relatively easy process. If you encounter problems with your MIDI In/Out devices, consult the Manual or Finale's on-line help. NOTE: Finale98 does not ship with the three large manuals as the previous versions did. Coda decided to make the manuals in Adobe Acrobat reader format and available on the CD that comes with Finale98. Furthermore, Finale98 also comes with a quick start movie that will introduce you to Finale and the latest changes in the new version. Be sure to view this for some quick tips and procedures to do once difficult tasks.
Let's take a quick look at Finale98's menu structure. Besides the Options menu
with which we have already worked, check out the others displayed below and
in the program itself.
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The File and Edit menus provide much of the same options as in most programs--i.e. open, close, new, save, etc. "Extract Parts" allows you to print and save the separate parts from a full score.
The View menu contains items that directly relate to you view the screen score.
The Score menu provides options for staves and for score setup, as well
as the way text is addressed. It is in this menu that global editing issues
are addressed and will come into play during the early stages of setup.
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The Plug-ins Menu is the newest feature of Finale97/98. These "Plug-ins" are designed to manipulate the Finale file and quickly do mundane tasks automatically when clicked. Take a quick look at each of the Plug-ins and make a mental note of what you might plan on using for your own projects at a later date. Again, each of these items are explained in the on-line help file that ships with Finale98. NOTE: The major difference between Finale97 and Finale98 (besides some minor improvements in usage) are the addition of more plug-ins. If you are using Finale97, your Plug-in menu will be substantially smaller. |
The Windows menu allows you to open several different palettes from which to choose other options.
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Window |
Description |
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Window A |
Smart Shape Palette |
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Window B |
Playback Controls |
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Window C |
Special Tools Palette |
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Window D |
Simple Note Entry Tools |
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Window E |
Instrument List |
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Window F |
Main Tools |
Compare the
menu/window setup of Finale to a least one other notation package (it
might be wise to at least check out the differences between the Win95 Finale
menus vs. the Mac version of Finale98) Finale98 works equally well on
both platforms, however, some of the menu items are moved around and given different
names. Note the differences and similarities for future reference.
When opening Finale, the program provides one treble clef staff by default. We will work with this staff arrangement here as basic editing features are explored. In practice, you may want to develop a series of template files for different instrumental and vocal setups depending on your music context.
In this section of the Project, we will explore basic score setup. Follow along with the program and try all these options.
There are two major ways to control the visual arrangement of the score on the screen. The first is the choice between Scroll and Page views that can be chosen in the View menu. Choosing "Scroll view" streams the staff systems out in a linear way. Selecting "Page view" shows the staff systems as they would appear in a printed score. Scroll view might be useful as you watch the music playing back or more convenient for editing. The Page view is best when you are approaching the time when you need to see the music as it will look before printing.
The second way to control the visual appearance of the score is to "Scale view" to different sizes. You can also use the magnifying class from the Main Tools Palette (Palette F above). Experiment with these options. The zoom options allow magnification for careful editing.
Adding. To add a staff, first choose the staff tool from the Main Tool palette. Then the "Staff" menu will appear. Choose "Add Staves..." to add staves.
Deleting. Deleting a staff is done simply by choose "Delete Staves" from the Staff menu (you must first select the staff you want to delete by clicking the "handle" box in the upper left part of the staff).
Naming. Naming a staff is important as a beginning step so that you can keep instrumental or vocal score staves clearly identified. Let's practice naming by creating a duet score for flute and trombone.
- Go to the File menu and select "New..." for a new score. Choose the Staff tool from the Main Palette Window and then select "Add Staves..." from the Staff menu. Add 1 staff. You can also add a staff by simply choosing the Staff tool from the Main Tool Palette - and double clicking above or below the staff on the page to add a staff. Try both methods.
- Now that you have two staves on the page, give them each a name. Go to Staff => Edit Staff Attributes. Use the pop up window to select the staff. (Next to the Staff Attributes for: ) Click the Edit buttons to type in a Full Name and Abbreviated Name. Clicking on the Position Button and selecting the field button next to it will allow you to place the name in the score by clicking and dragging. For now, type in for staff 1 "Flute," and Staff 2 "Trombone." On the trombone staff, choose the bass clef for trombone in the First Clef Select button. (In the meantime - explore the other options in this window.)
Connecting. To add still more elegance to the score, you can connect selected staves with a bracket, brace, or both. You can also create a broken bar line connection between selected staves.
- To do all this, simply choose "Add group or bracket" from the Staff menu (remember that the Staff tool must be highlighted in the Main Tool Palette).
from the Main Tool Palette and clicking in the measure where you want to change
clefs. Try it!
Once you have the proper clefs in place, you may wish to assign a time and key signature. The Finale default is 4/4 time with no sharps or flats.
Time: To change time signatures for all or a portion of a staff do the following:
from the Main Tool Palette
from
the Main Tool Palette.
(Main Tool Palette). The following dialogue box will appear. Indicate
the number of measures you want to add.
(Main Tool Palette). Select this tool, then click just to the left of your staff
to select all of your measures. You will notice two more Menu items: "Mass
Edit" and "Mass Mover." Choose "Fit Music" from the "Mass Edit" menu.
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Next, select the number of measures you wish placed on the page.
If you like, you can force Finale to squeeze or spread any number of measure
on one system by using the Fit Selected Measures into One System option
box.
For best results, use this feature when you are completely done with your music entry.
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TIP: When you click on many of the items in the Main Tool Palette
new menu items will appear in the main menu bar. Don't forget to
look at these menus. These new menus often feature functions that
can only be reached through the new menus.
By selecting the Text Tool (Capital "A" on the Main Tool Palette) you will see a Text menu appear. This is where you enter the score text for standard items like the title, arranger/composer, special instructions, copyright notice, and any headers or footers. Notice that you can specify font, font attributes, and specific instructions for header and footer placement, and treatment. Put a title on your score (you must be in "Page View" to do this - not in "Scroll View").
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With the Text Tool selected, double-click on the screen in the area you wish text to appear. A small box will appear with a flashing insert cursor inside. Type the text you wish inside this box and select the Text menu. You can use the options inside this menu to change the text as needed. Pay special notice of an option labeled "Inserts". Pull down this menu and view the list of automatic inserts that can be quickly and easily put into a field. Many of these items are taken from the File info option under the File menu. Go to File => File Info and fill in the blank for Title. |
Next, create a text box and from the Insert menu select Title. The title
you typed in earlier is placed in this box. Experiment with the other
options to see how they work.
As a closing
activity for this section and as a foundation for what is to follow, try the
following suggestion for creating a Finale score:
Set up the first page of your score using as many of the options
described above as possible. Work for proper viewing area, keys, clefs,
staves, measures, text elements and the like. Set up the score so that
you can enter at least 16 measures of music. Do not add actual
notation yet! That is next!
Now it's time to add notation to your score as our final activity in this project. As we explained in Module 17, there are three principle ways that notation is captured in such software: (a) point-and-click using graphic tools, (b) step-time entry using these same tools but with MIDI support for pitches, and (c) real-time entry using MIDI-assisted performance. Before you begin, make sure you've set up a 3-line document in Finale as outlined in the previous step.
Point & Click (Simple Note Entry)
Let's practice putting notes on the score. Display the Simple Entry palette. (See Window D under Step 2) Take a look at your three-line score and decide which staff to start with. Begin by clicking on the first note value or rest that is required. Now just position the cursor symbol over the correct location on the staff and click. If you miss the line or space, click on the note head again. The note now changes to a rest. Move the cursor up or down the staff (keeping a vertical line with the note) and click in the new pitch.
Point, click and place notes and rests (double-click to get a rest) for one
of the staves of parts for the first 16 measures of the music. Notice that
Finale automatically adjusts for the placement of notes and rests in terms
of vertical alignment.
If you made a mistake, you can fix it either by choosing Undo under the Edit
menu, or by clicking on the Eraser button and then clicking on the note head
of the incorrect note. If you want to delete entire sections of music, use
the "Mass Mover Tool" (from the Main Tool Palette):
Select the measure you want to move or delete by clicking on the measure.
Then select "Erase" from the "Mass Edit" menu. To choose an entire staff,
click just to the left of that staff.
Changing note values at a later date requires a bit more work. Let's say you entered in a series of quarter notes. You later realize that one measure should have been all eighth notes. Go to that measure and select the eighth note from the palette. Click on the first note that should have been and 8th and continue adding values as you need. Clicking on a note head with a smaller note value works quite well. However, trying to ADD values in simple note entry is a bit more tricky.
Using our scenario above, let's say instead of quarter notes, one note should
have been a half note. Click the note to change it to a rest.
Delete the note that follows the quarter and then click with the half note
icon selected on the rest to change from a quarter note to half note.
Finale will not allow you to add notes that exceed the value allotted in the
time signature. But as with any program, there are always ways around
any obstacle.
To create chords, simply click directly above or below an existing note in
the staff. Finale will automatically adjust the stems. (Don't forget
to select the note value from the Simple Note Palette that matches the note
you wish to place the extra notes to.)
How do you know in which staff your notes will appear? Look at the ledger
lines before you place the note. Are they above or below the mouse? If the
ledger lines are above the mouse, the placed note will be included in the
staff above. If the ledger lines are below the mouse, the placed note will
be included in the staff below. To write in higher registers, you may have
to move the staves around to make room for the notes (see below).
To add accidentals to your music, click on the up (sharp) or down (flat)
arrow then click on the note to which the accidental is to be assigned. Double
sharps and double flats are created using the arrow with the number 2 above
or below icons. To erase an accidental select the "X" tool and click
on the note to erase the accidental. Note: In Finale, the accidental
does not carry through the measure. You must click on each note in the measure
that requires an accidental.
Finale makes it easy to move notes, measures, and staves to improve the appearance
of your music. To move a note, click on the Speedy Entry tool 
(in the Main Tool Palette), click the measure, and then click and drag the
head of the note you want to move. Dragging the note vertically will move
the note up and down the staff. Dragging the note horizontally will move the
note left or right along the staff. Any accidentals will move with the note.
We'll discuss using Speedy Note Entry in Step 6 later.
To move a bar line left or right, click on the "Barline Tool" 
(Main
Tool Palette) and then click and drag at the point where the bar line meets
the top line of the staff (look for the handle "box"). To move an entire
staff up or down, click on the "Staff Tool" (Main Tool Palette) and then click
and drag at the point where the bar line meets the top line of the staff in
the first measure of the piece.
Moving the staves up and down will allow you to write music on higher (or
lower) ledger lines, and will allow you to insert text and symbols into your
music.
Now work with the remaining palettes to include other expression marks. Slurs first choosing the "Smart Shapes" Palette (from the Windows Menu). Choose the Slur tool from this Palette. Double-click on the first notehead and then drag to the end of your slur. You can easily edit the curve of this slur by "grabbing" it anywhere and moving it up or down, etc.
To Tie notes using "Simple Entry," select the "Tie tool" (2 quarter notes tied together) from the "Simple Entry" Palette and click on the first note you want to tie. Finale will automatically do the rest.
Other markings are more straightforward and are simply added to notes by choosing either the the tool from the Main Tool Palette and then clicking on or near the note or measure in which you want to add a marking. Selecting the Articulation Tool allows you to enter accents, staccato marks and the like by selecting the item and clicking on the note head. The Staff Expression tool allows you to enter dynamic markings in the same manner to just a single staff. The Score Expression tool allows the same, however, the markings are applied to the entire score rather than just one staff. The Finale on-line help manual contains specific information on changing the location and behavior of these markings, as well as instructions on how to have Finale MIDI playback changed by these markings.
Try to add all the markings that you can from your page of music.
,
Chord Symbol Tool 
, and
Text Tool 
(see
diagram above). You will find when you select a tool from the Main Tool Palette,
that a corresponding menu item will appear with options regarding this tool.
Experiment with these in your score.
As a closing
activity for this project, enter in all of your notes for one of the staves
using the Point and Click method.
Setup Tips. If you have set up your system so that you have
a multitimbral MIDI device connected to your computer, you are now ready
to hear the music played back to you. This process provides an opportunity
to "proof-hear" your music and to make aesthetic decisions about music
content. We assume here that you have followed the software setup instructions
noted above and that your computer is capable of receiving and sending
MIDI data. You might also want to do three other steps with your hardware
and with Finale:
Basic Playback. There are two ways to hear your score. The first, and easiest, is to simply hold down the space bar (your cursor will change to an ear) and then click in the measure you want to hear. To stop, click anywhere on the screen.
The second way is to use the Playback Controls which can be accessed from the Windows Menu.
When you do this without "setting up" your score for MIDI playback, it's likely that you will not hear the sounds that you want or Finale will alert you that it cannot use the playback device. This leads us to the Instrument List window where all the action is!
Instrument List Window. Now, choose the "Instrument List" under the Windows menu. This reveals something that looks like what is displayed below. Most of the information in this window directly controls MIDI playback. Let's move from left to right and experiment with each column. Be sure to try out each of these options with your own music.
To access the General MIDI library of patches, choose "Open Library..." from the File menu. Find the "Instrument Libraries" folder under the Libraries folder in the Finale98 directory, and choose General MIDI.
If you are not using a General MIDI device, you might want to Libraries folder to see if your specific device is listed. If so, choose it and the display will change to names of timbres for your situation. If you do not see your device on the list, you may want to create a custom grid that will support your instrument. If you want to create your own list from scratch, simply choose "new instrument" from the instrument pop-up menu and enter the names of the instruments from your device's listing and the corresponding patch (program) numbers. Save it by choosing "Save Library. . ." from the File menu.
Remember our description in the text of the role that MIDI channels play? Here is where you must set a discrete MIDI channel for each separate timbre/patch. Enter the Channel number by double-clicking under the chan column. Notice Finale also offers options for several layers within a staff. (To open the staff click on the arrow button next to the name.) If you notated a flute and piccolo on the same staff, for example, each instrument could have its own designated MIDI channel and resulting timbre.
Of course setting the Channel does nothing for designating the timbre. That's what the Prog. column does. Finale uses the word "Program" to mean the actual timbre. This is common in music software, based historically on the idea that an electronic instrument had to be "programmed" to create a special sound. Set the patch number by double-clicking on the program number. Of course, if you choose an instrument from the pop-up menu, the correct patch number will automatically be chosen for you.
Transposition on Playback. Suppose that you have written a piece for Bb trumpet
and piano in the key of "F." In notating the trumpet part, you have followed
the traditional procedure of writing the part in the key that the player will
read, that is the key "G." This is because the Bb trumpet is a transposing
instrument and reads a whole step above concert pitch. The piano part is,
of course, notated in "F." This tradition results in what is known as a transposed
score and is found in the majority of music. This presents an obvious problem
for music software in terms of playback via MIDI. Finale solves this with
the Staff Attributes dialogue box. To get here, you choose the Staff Tool
(form the Main Tool Palette) and double-click on the staff you want to transpose.
Here you select "transposition" and "Select." You will then get a dialog box/menu
to choose the transposition you want. This does not change the visual appearance;
only the sound during playback.
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Once you've established the transpositions for your instrumental staves, you can tell Finale whether or not it should display the full score in its transposed form. Choose "Document Options" from the "Document Settings" submenu of the Options menu. Select "Display score in concert pitch." If this option is selected, all music appears in its untransposed form (concert pitch). When this checkbox isn't selected, any staff you've defined as a transposing staff will appear in its transposed form, just as it will when the part is extracted.
Practice now
with each of these settings in the Instrument List Window. Use the music you
created in Project 10. Be sure to try the MIDI playback to see if any changes
you made in the Instrument List Window worked.
So far, we've experimented at length with the entry of notation
using just the mouse. Now we return to note entry, but this time using
the MIDI keyboard.
Step-Time Note Entry. This approach is very much like what we did earlier, but faster. Instead of using the mouse to click on the note and markings palettes, and then click on the staff to indicate pitch and location information, we can use the mouse or even just the typewriter keyboard to select the note or rest value and then use the keyboard (or other MIDI device such as a MIDI guitar or wind controller) to enter the value. For instance, if you had a long series of sixteenth notes to enter, step them in by selecting the sixteenth note in the notes palette and then playing each note value on the MIDI instrument. You don't need to play the values in tempo in real time, just step them in at your leisure--hence the term "step-time."
Finale provides options for not using the mouse at all. First choose
the "Speedy Entry" tool from the Main Tool Palette:
Then click
on the measure you want to enter notes. First play the note from your keyboard,
and then select the note value by choosing numbers from the number keypad on
the typewriter keyboard: 1=64th note, 2=32nd note, 3=16th note, 4=8th note,
5=quarter note, 6=half note, 7=whole note, 8=double whole note. The "backspace"
key selects rests. The "." chooses dotted note options, and the "-" flat, the
"+" sharp, and the "=" tie. Check the Finale Manual for other keyboard options.
Experiment with step-time note entry for a little while, especially on passages
of notes that have many repeated note values. It is amazing how fast you can
get at entering notation this way!
Special Note: If you don't have a MIDI device, you can also use the mouse to enter notes using the keyboard graphic. Under the "Speedy" menu, de-select the "Use MIDI Keyboard" item. Now you use the keypad to enter note names, and the number pad to choose the value. Experiment with this to see how the letters on the keypad correspond to the note names on the staff.
Real-Time Note Entry. This approach--called "HyperScribe" in Finale--is great if you are relatively comfortable with performing music in real time on a MIDI device. This technique is by far the fastest note entry approach and is highly recommended. It takes a little practice to get use to, especially considering the various response behaviors of the MIDI instrument and the tolerance the software provides for the nuances of live performance; however, the time it takes to do this can be well worth it.
Begin by practicing the part you wish to enter. When you are confident that
you are able to play the part without too many errors, continue with setting
up the options for successful HyperScribe note entry in Finale. Select the
HyperScribe Tool from the Main Tools Palette. 
The second option is the "Playback" (again, chosen from the "Beat Source" option on the HyperScribe menu). Choosing "Playback" as your beat source means that Finale will play a "click-track" for you while you record and allows you set the tempo for recording, and the source which indicates to Finale that you are ready to record. Choose "Any MIDI data." This means that once you hit any key on the keyboard, it will begin recording.
- Quantization and Record Mode. The quantization options (under the HyperScribe Options) allow you to set the quantization level for your recording. The Record Options allow you to select if you want to record into more than one staff or just one at a time. (See Modules 17 and 20 in the text for more information on quantization.) If you know that most of your music has note values no smaller than sixteenth notes, for example, choose the sixteenth note value as an option. Note: There are trade-offs here. Keep in mind that Finale will "make its best guess" as to what the rhythmic values are that you intend as you perform. If you are absolutely accurate in your performance, all is well. If you are little off in your rhythm, the notation will be created based on your smallest value chosen. If you have only a few thirty-second notes, for example, you might choose to quantize for sixteenth notes, realizing that you can go back and edit these values and have most of your performance accurate to the sixteenth-note level. We recommend that you practice a few times with short passages with these trade-offs in mind, before spending large amounts of time recording long portions of music.
You will need to play very unmusically, that is you must try to play rigidly--complying
with the metronome at all times. In terms of your release of notes, be sure
to hold them entirely before the next articulation so that the computer understands
the correct duration. Any special musical performance characteristics that
you want to sound during playback should be entered with post-processing markings
after the music is notated.
Continue adding
to your musical score and enter the notes experimenting with both steptime and
realtime recording using the information described above.
We have now covered many of the features of Finale. There are a
few special features that are worthy of note:
You can also alter your staff from other than the standard 5-line staff. You choose these options from the "Staff:" menu
Advanced/Custom Editing the Score. One excellent feature Finale has is the ability to create "non-standard" notation. You can change note heads to virtually any item in Finale's arsenal of fonts. To do this click on the Special Tools Icon (the one with the saw, hammer, etc...) in the Main Window.
Click on the icon with the "x" as the note head. Then, click on a measure. Notice that the note heads all have boxes next to them.
Select a note by double-clicking the box. A new window will appear prompting you to select the new note head. Hit OK.
That's all there is to it!
Experiment with the other tools in the Special Tools Palette. You can change almost every aspect of your music from within this box; from nudging that flat a little more to the right or changing the size and length of the beams. For more information, consult the Finale98 manual.
Add a simple
percussion part to your score. Map the sounds to the pitches, and create good
looking notation to go with it. This can be basic or as crazy as you like. Enter
this using your favorite manner: point and click; step-time, or; real-time.
Use the tools mentioned in the Advanced/Custom Editing section and apply them
in your work.
Printing a score and a set of parts is often the final step in using a notation package like Finale. We end this project with a few activities related to final printing.
First, be sure you are in "Page View" (View menu). Then experiment with options
in Finale double-clicking on the Page Layout Tool (in the Main Tool Palette).
You will then see a dialogue box which allows adjusting the systems and page margins. Experiment with these to get your score to look professional..
It also is possible to choose the "Page Setup..." item from the File
menu and reduce or enlarge the printing. Page orientation will also change
the manner of printing as well. Try out a few of these to see what happens.
Final
Sample Assignment Using your newly edited music, extract one of the
parts. Also print and turn in a paper copy of the score and a paper copy of
one of the parts which you extracted.
