Tutorial VIII: Finale Primer

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This tutorial will guide you through the initial steps of creating your masterpiece in Finale, a notation program. Note: THIS TUTORIAL IS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE USE OF FINALE. THERE IS A SEPARATE FINALE PLAYBACK TUTORIAL THAT WILL GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE THREE POSSIBILITIES FOR FINALE PLAYBACK. Select 'Finale 2004' from the 'Audio & MIDI' folder on the dock. You can choose to use the Setup Wizard if you like (If you are new to the program we suggest you use the Wizard) Fill in the appropriate information for the wizard or simply hit cancel to close it. If you plan to open a pre-existing file, you're going to have to cancel the wizard. The wizard is very self-explanatory. Name your composition. It allows you set up what instrumentation you'd like to compose for. Select a category in the left most window, chose the instrument in the window to the right and click on 'Add.' You can add more than one instrument from different categories. The arrows at the far right enable you to customize the order that the instruments appear on your score. Choose the time signature and key your composition is to be in. Select major or minor and use the scroll bar to find the appropriate key. Select your tempo and whether a pick up measure is to be present. Finish the setup wizard; click "Finish." Views - press Apple-` (backtick at the far left of the keyboard) to switch between the following views: Scroll View: One staff per instrument per page. Page View: (Typical choice) Fits as many staffs on the page as possible Assign instruments / sounds. If you do not see your instrument list window when you open Finale, select 'instrument list' from the Window menu. Listed here are all the instruments that you have selected for your piece. The first column lists the staff titles according to your instrumentation selection from the setup wizard. Play/Solo The second column, labeled 'P,' stands for play. If you uncheck the green square, that instrument/stave will not play. The third column, labeled 'S', stands for solo. If you click in one of these boxes, a yellow circle will appear meaning only that instrument/stave will be played. Listed under the instrument column are the categories of the instruments you have selected (as well as the new instrument and No instrument options). Recall how to change channels and instrument sample using the K2500. MAKE SURE YOU ARE ON THE CORRECT CORRESPONDING CHANNEL. If you're listening to channel 1 and want to change it, make sure you are changing channel 1 and not another channel. Change the numbers under the channel column appropriately. Associate a different type of instrument with a different channel to give it a different sound. Choosing a sound Double click the empty square under the "B" column in the instrument list window. Unfortunately, the labels on the instruments in the 'GM' column are not correct and the corresponding numbers in the 'prog' column are incorrect as well. They are 1 off. However, the computer will fix this for you if you click on the blank box right above the OK button. Let's say you no longer want your piano to sound as a piano but a string section. Find a string option on the K2500: eg 114 Silk Strings. Click on the blank box. A new dialog box will pop up. Under "Bank Select 32" you would enter a "1" (or whatever number was the hundred's digit). Under "Program" enter "15" (remember they are 1 off) Click OK. The offset is automatically figured in. The number you now see under "Program Change" will be 1 higher than the instrument you want - don't be alarmed. You should be all set now. Click OK again. The new sound doesn't take effect until the next time you play your piece using the playback controls. You can change around the sounds using the K2500 but as soon as you hit the playback button, the sound will resort back to the original one you programmed in. Playback controls The diagram to the right explains the playback control window: Click in the triangle on the right side of the Playback Controls window to expose more options. Play only certain measures, change the tempo, put into swing mode, etc... Each time you select a different tool from the toolbar on the left of the screen you get a new menu on the menu bar. Be sure to explore this to see all possible options. Entering notes - 3 options Simple Entry - use your mouse Select the eighth-note from the toolbar. Simple entry palettes become active. Select the note value you wish to use and then click the pitch in which you'd like that note value to occupy on the stave. Notice above each note value there is a number (0-8). This will come in handy later on. This is the simplest process - for tips and tricks to make this process a little faster, see the Finale 2002 manual on the reference material shelf pp 7-18. Speedy Entry - use the keyboard Select the speedy eighth-note located right next to the simple Entry eighth-note. Click on the beginning measure. Play middle C on your keyboard. While holding down the key, press the 5 key on your computer keyboard. Why 5? Look above each note value on the simple entry toolbar. There is a number that corresponds with each note value. 5 = quarter note. A quarter note C should appear on the stave. Hold down the D key on your MIDI keyboard and press the 5 key again; then E (and press 5); then F (and press 5). You've built the first four notes of the C scale. You can make other note values by pressing numbers other than 5. Pressing just a number key without holding anything down on the keyboard will result in a rest. Exit the edit frame by pressing zero (0) or by clicking the mouse on a blank part of the screen. Editing Click on the middle C you entered. This should position the insertion bar on the first note that you played Press the number 4. Your quarter note C now turned to an eighth note C Press 4, three more times and the rest of the notes shall turn to eighth notes. Click directly on the note-head of the last note (F) and hold. You can now drag the note around if you entered the wrong note initially or choose to change the pitch. For more tips and direction see the manual pp. 19-38. Also, use the quick reference card located on the same shelf as the finale manuals. This card is quick and easy to use and will be very beneficial to you. Adding Details Ties Select the tie button from the simple entry tool bar. Click what the note value is that you wish to begin the tie. Then click on that note in the score. eg: You have two quarter notes and want them to be tied. Select the tie button and the quarter note button. Click on the first quarter note and it will automatically be tied to the second note. In speedy edit, put the cursor over the first note of the tie and press the "=" key on the keyboard. Change Key signature Click the Key Signature Tool Double click the starting measure and a dialog box will appear. Scroll up or down to change the key then press enter Change Time Signature Click the time signature tool Double click the starting measure. Using the two scroll bars, adjust the number of beats per measure and the beat duration. (You can change both the Key and Time signatures any where in the piece) Lyrics From the view menu, select 'scale view to' and a window will pop out. Select 75%. This allows you to view the entire page on the screen. Click the lyrics tool. From the lyrics menu, now at the top of your screen, select 'Type into score' Click on the staff above the first melody line. An insertion point appears beneath the first note Type in the lyrics. To separate syllables, place a hyphen between them. Some syllables are held over more than one not. Skip past a sustained note or rest by pressing the spacebar. For more info on lyrics, reference page 55 in the manual. For more details pertaining to the use of Finale 2002 please read the manual on the reference material shelf. The follow topics that were not covered in the above tutorial are covered in the manual: Articulations and Expressions pp 71 Layout and Printing pp 87 Working with Scores pp 109 More MIDI Topics pp 125 Other Notation Topics pp 155 Problems? Reference the MIDI Debugging tutorial. If there are still problems then ask a lab assistant.