QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE FOR WINDOWS® Thank you for purchasing Finale 2012. We’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the world’s most widely used family of music notation software, and offer our assistance in getting started. This guide is intended to visually demonstrate how to accomplish common tasks quickly and easily, FGC307-1 and point you to additional helpful resources should you need them.
Quick Reference Guide for Windows BEFORE YOU GET STARTED: Registration Information 4 Contact Information 4 Multiple Voices: Layers 13 Playing-in Music: HyperScribe 14 Tutorial Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A. To record a performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Technical Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 B.
Working with Staves and Instruments Playback 24 A. To add instruments to the score. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 B. To delete instruments from the score. . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 32 A. Playback Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 B. To change the playback tempo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 C. Human Playback®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED: Registration Information EACH REGISTERED USER IS ALLOWED TO INSTALL FINALE® ON UP TO TWO OPERATING SYSTEMS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.* To use Finale after you install it on a computer, you’ll need to authorize each installation. To authorize, you’ll need to use your license’s unique serial number. You can find your serial number… • On a yellow sticker inside the Finale DVD or CD case of the earliest version purchased.
Getting Started A. Using the Document Setup Wizard Finale’s Document Setup Wizard is usually the fastest way to begin a new score. The pages in this wizard allow you to quickly specify all the basic score elements. 1 From the File menu, choose New > Document with Setup Wizard. 2 Choose the Ensemble and Document Style and click Next. 3 Select your instruments and click Next. 4 On pages 3 and 4, choose the desired score elements, and click Finish.
B. Opening Files Open a Finale file by choosing Open from the File menu. Finale 2012 can open all Finale Notation Files (*.MUS) saved in Finale 2012 or earlier, as well as those saved in other Finale-family notation products. C. Sharing Files Finale’s native file format is the Finale Notation File (*.MUS). These files are cross-platform, which means the same file can be opened on either a Macintosh® or a Windows® computer.
Finale Screen View When you open a new score, the following menus, palettes, and controls appear. These elements form a framework for all of Finale’s features and functions. Menu bar These menus include standard operations and editing commands. Main tool palette This palette contains all of Finale’s primary tools. Playback controls Use these to start and stop playback. Document window The active document appears in this window.
Navigating Your Music Getting the best view of your score in progress is crucial to working with Finale efficiently. A. Choosing a view The two main views in Finale are Page View and Scroll View. From the View menu, choose Scroll View or Page View. Page View Scroll View displays your music exactly as it will appear on the printed page. Use this view for system and page layout. displays your music in one continuous horizontal system, free from page constraints.
B. To Zoom In and Zoom Out You can find zoom commands under the View menu, but to save time, use keyboard shortcuts. Press + ctrl + = to zoom in Press ctrl + — – to zoom out C. To Drag the Visible Score Region Use Finale’s Hand Grabber tool to reposition your view of the score. Or, with any tool selected, right-click and drag to move the score. Search for “Hand Grabber” in the User Manual for more information. D.
Entering the Music: Simple Entry 1 Click the Simple Entry tool 2 Observe the Simple menu (a) at the top of your screen. You will use this menu to change settings and refer to keyboard shortcuts. 3 Observe the Simple Entry palette (b), which you will use to specify note durations and other note properties. . A. To enter notes with your mouse 1 Click the note duration in the Simple Entry palette, as well as the accidental, tie, tuplet, or grace note.
B. To enter notes with your mouse and computer keyboard Use your numeric keypad (c) to choose note durations before you click them in. Use the image to the right as a guide. To remove extra tools, double-press as shown below. c. Notebook users, use the “Laptop Shortcut Table” to improve the efficiency of your smaller keyboard. Choose Simple > Simple Entry Options and click Edit Keyboard Shortcuts. Under Keyboard Shortcut Set, click the Name drop-down menu and choose Laptop Shortcut Table.
C. To type notes into the score with your computer keyboard Using your computer keyboard to type notes into the score is faster than clicking. When you have typed the duration: 1 Press Enter to activate the Simple Entry Caret, which is Finale’s entry cursor. 2 Use the up and down arrows to choose the pitch. 3 Press Enter to enter the note. 4 Or, simply type the letter of the desired pitch, 0 (zero) for a rest. enter enter A 5 B C 0 D Press Shift-down arrow to move the caret down an octave.
D. To play notes into the score with a MIDI keyboard You can use your MIDI keyboard (or other MIDI device) to quickly enter notes. With the caret active, simply play the desired note or chord to add it to the score. Check Simple > Use MIDI Device for Input, to use a MIDI keyboard for note entry. See “Speedy Entry” and “HyperScribe” in the User Manual for other ways to enter music using a MIDI keyboard.
Playing-in Music: HyperScribe HyperScribe® allows you to record directly from your MIDI keyboard into the score. To configure your MIDI keyboard (or other external MIDI device) for use with Finale, see “Setting up your MIDI system” in the Tutorials section of the Finale User Manual. A. To record a performance 1 Click the HyperScribe tool . 2 Click a measure. 3 Wait for two countoff measures and begin playing. 4 When you’re done, click the score to stop recording. B.
C. To record into two staves 1 Click the HyperScribe tool . 2 From the HyperScribe menu, choose Record Mode > Split Into Two Staves. 3 Enter the split point (middle C = 60) and click OK. 4 Record your performance. D. To change the recording tempo and countoff If you are transcribing a busy passage, you may want to record at a slower tempo for greater accuracy.
Selecting Music The Selection tool is Finale’s universal editing tool. It can be used to select, move, delete, copy, paste, or otherwise edit any region of measures and virtually any individual item in the score. Tip: See “Selecting Music” in the User Manual for more details. A. To select Click on the staff lines (without clicking on a note) to select a full measure. (Click only once.
B. To expand selection Use keyboard shortcuts to expand or contract the selected region on a single staff... To next beat shift + + shift + To end of score shift + end To beginning of score shift + home To end of measure ctrl ...or on multiple staves.
Copying, Pasting, and Inserting Finale offers a great deal of control over copying, inserting, and pasting (replacing). A. To drag-copy If the source and target regions are both visible on your screen, quickly copy music by dragging the selected region. Click and hold 1 Click and hold 2 Drag 3 Release Drag Tip: See “Copying Music” in the User Manual for more details. Release B.
C. To insert music When you copy and paste, Finale overwrites the content in the target region. When you insert, all subsequent music is pushed toward the end of the score, usually increasing the total number of measures. alt + click and drag to insert instead of paste. A red insertion bar indicates the inserted music will nudge music toward the end of the score. Full measures will not be inserted. A green insertion bar appears when copying and inserting stacks.
D. Filtering You can copy specific score elements using the Edit Filter dialog box. 1 From the Edit menu, choose Edit Filter. 2 In the Edit Filter dialog box, check the items you want to copy. (Click None to uncheck all). 3 Click OK. To copy measure settings, a full measure stack must be selected. 4 Press Copy the music as you would normally. ctrl + alt + shift + F to open the Edit Filter dialog box. Finale uses the filter while copying whenever Use Filter is checked under the Edit menu.
Transposing To transpose: 1 Click the Selection tool . 2 Select a region of music. 3 From the Utilities menu, choose Transpose. 4 Select the interval from the Interval popup menu. 5 Click OK. To quickly transpose: 1 Click the Selection tool 2 Select a region of music. 3 Press... . 6 to transpose down a step. 7 to transpose up a step. 8 to transpose down an octave. 9 to transpose up an octave. This method transposes the music diatonically within the key signature.
Working with Measures A. To add measures To add measures at the end of the score: 1 From the Edit menu, choose Add Measures. 2 Type the number of measures you would like to add. 3 Click OK. B. To insert measures To insert new empty measures anywhere in the score: 1 Select a measure. (Inserted measures will appear before this one.) 2 From the Edit menu, choose Insert Measure Stack. 3 Type the number of measures you would like to Insert. 4 Click OK.
C. To fit a certain number of measures per system 1 Select the measures you would like to fit. 2 From the Utilities menu, choose Fit Measures. 3 Type the number of measures and click OK. Finale automatically adjusts the measure layout to fit the specified number of measures throughout the selected region. D. To adjust the measure layout manually You can move individual measures from one system to the next, or to the previous. 1 Select the measure(s).
Working with Staves and Instruments Use the Score Manager to insert, delete, or change instrument staves. A. To add instruments to the score 1 Choose Window > Score Manager. 2 Click and select the instrument you would like to insert. Finale adds the instrument in the selected score order, properly grouped according to instrument type. B. To delete instruments from the score Click the X in the Score Manager to delete an instrument from the score.
D. To hide an empty staff in a system 1 Select a region including the empty staves. 2 From the Staff menu, choose Hide Empty Staves. 3 To show hidden staves, right-click this handle and choose Show All. This dashed line indicates hidden empty staves E. To move staves Click a staff handle and drag to move it vertically for one system only. (Double-click the handle and drag to position the staff in all systems.) See “To move staves” in the User Manual for more details.
Markings and Text Most markings and text are added with one of three tools: the Expression tool, Articulation tool, or Smart Shape tool. In this section, you will learn how to easily add these figures, and which tool to use. Articulation Tool A. Adding expressions Smart Shape Tool Expression Tool Six different types of figures are added with expressions, each with its own category: F Adagio accel. con brio arco A To add an expression: =40 1 Click the Expression tool . 2 Double-click the score.
B. Adding articulations Ornaments Articulations are markings attached to a single note, including: Accents Staccato Tenuto If you don’t see the expression or articulation you need, click Create to define a new custom marking. To add an articulation to a single note: 1 Click the Articulation tool 2 3 To add an articulation to multiple notes: . 1 Click the Articulation tool Click the note. 2 Drag-select a region of notes. Double-click the articulation. 3 Click Select.
D. Adding text Titles, subtitles, composer, arranger, lyricist, and other text that does not need to adjust with the music is added with the Text tool. Titles Subtitles Composer To set or edit a document’s title page text: 1 From the Window menu, choose Score Manager and click the File Info tab. 2 Enter the page text information. 3 Click OK. To enter Lyrics, use the Lyrics tool . To add other text on a page: 1 Double-click to display the text frame.
Key Signatures, Time Signatures, and Clefs To change the key, time, or clef: 1 Choose the Selection tool 2 Right-click a measure. 3 Choose the Key Signature, Time Signature, or Clef command and choose the desired option. . Key Signatures A. To define a key signature 1 Click the Key Signature tool 2 Time Signatures . Clef Changes B. To define a time signature 1 Click the Time Signature tool . Double-click a measure. 2 Double-click a measure.
Lyrics, Chords, and Repeats A. To type-in lyrics Chords & Fretboards 1 After the notes are entered, click the Lyrics tool . 2 From the Lyrics menu, check Type Into Score. 3 Click a note to display a blinking cursor beneath the staff. 4 Type a syllable and then press the spacebar to advance. Use - (dash) to add hyphens between syllables. .. .
B. To type-in chord symbols 1 Click the Chord tool . 2 Click to display a cursor above the staff. 3 Type the chord root and suffix. For example,“Amin7”. 4 Press the spacebar. Finale converts your text to a chord symbol. Type: “Amin7 [spacebar]” To show guitar fretboards, from the Chord menu, choose Show Fretboards. When typing chord symbols, use “b” for flat and “#” for sharp. C. To create repeats with 1st and 2nd endings 1 Click the Repeat tool 2 Select the first ending measures.
Playback A. Playback Controls The Playback Controls give you standard buttons for controlling the playback of your score. Press Click Press Press ctrl + on the Playback Controls to start playback. on the Playback Controls and choose Leftmost Measure to begin playback at the leftmost visible measure. ctrl shift + spacebar + spacebar + click and drag to spot-check. + to spot-check a single staff.
C. Human Playback® The proper performance of any piece of music depends on the genre and style. For example, you wouldn’t expect a jazz piece to be performed the same way as a classical sonata. Tell Finale how you want your piece performed using Human Playback. Human Playback performs the music in the style specified, and even interprets the markings you’ve added. To choose a Human Playback style, from the MIDI/Audio menu, choose Human Playback, and then select the desired style.
Page Layout Adjusting the position of systems and page margins should be the final step before printing your score. Use the following techniques to finalize the page layout: Click and drag these handles to adjust the position of the page margins for this page. Click the Staff tool to show staff handles, which allow you to adjust the vertical position of staves within systems. See “To move staves” on page 20 of this guide for details. Click and drag these handles to adjust the system’s top margin.
Sharing Your Music A. To print your score To print, press ctrl + P and click OK. To create a PDF, choose File > Save as PDF. See “Printing” in the User Manual for details. B. To export an audio file 1 From the File menu, choose Export to Audio File. 2 Choose a location and file name. 3 Click the Save as Type drop-down menu and select the desired file format. 4 Click Save. C.
More Finale Help Resources To open the Finale User Manual: From the Help menu, choose User Manual, or click a help button Click here to learn essential tips and techniques with this suite of instructional videos. Click here to visit the online Knowledge Base to browse common troubleshooting solutions. 36 Click here to see Finale in action. These tutorials guide you through a project from start to finish, with accompanying video demonstrations.
EFFICIENCY TIPS Using Contextual Menus Right-click to open contextual menus, which allow you to quickly... Transpose, add repeats, insert measures, and make other changes to measure regions... Edit or delete text... Change the key... or, choose from one of the many other options.
EFFICIENCY TIPS Metatools Metatools are programmable keyboard shortcuts you can use to quickly add markings to your score. A. Using Articulation and Expression metatools To add an articulation or expression using a metatool: 1 Click the Articulation or Expression tool 2 Hold down the metatool key and click. S + click . Use the same method to quickly enter key signatures, time signatures, and clefs (with their respective tool chosen).
B. Using Smart Shape metatools Use metatools for slurs, hairpins, lines, and other shapes as a convenient substitute for clicking icons on the Smart Shape palette and using the Custom Smart Shape tool. S + double-click (hold on 2nd click) To add a slur using a metatool: 1 Click the Smart Shape tool . 2 Hold down 3 Double-click a note, holding on the second click, and drag to the destination note. 4 Release the mouse button. .
D. Using metatools with Simple Entry Articulations and Expressions, as well as key, clef, and time signature changes, can be added using metatool keys while entering notes in Simple Entry. 1 Choose the Simple Entry tool 2 Select a note and press * to add an articulation—laptop users press ~ . Or, X to add an expression .
