I've been asked to add "range finders" to some vocal pieces, and have several questions:
- where exactly do they belong? and what should they look like?
- what's the easiest way of doing them in Finale?
- wouldn't this be a typical suggestion for a plug-in?
Dear Dennis,
You are talking about the little staves that show the ranges of the parts. They are usually found just ahead of the first measure of the piece, but in some editions where the text is printed in poetic layout or there is a page of notes, they can be found there. Some pieces begin with a system that contains only a staff for unison singing or an introduction for keyboard. In those cases, the ranges are given when a full (unoptimized) system first appears.
If you are using Finale 2003 or earlier, I would suggest that you make a file containing a short measure in 2/4 and enter the lowest to highest notes for each part using quarter notes. You might even wish to add a line that connects the note heads. Using the Grphics Tool, select the staves and notes avoiding the clefs,meter, and bar line. Make an EPS of this selection, then paste it in front of the first bar of your choral piece. You may need to indent the first system to make room.
If you are using Finale 2004, you can't export EPS graphics, so the next best thing is to use the Ossia Tool. Add a measure on a new page following the end of your choral piece and go through the Ossia dialogs, then paste it in front of the first measure of the choral piece. You can use this method with earlier Finale versions as well, but I've found the EPS route much simpler.
Yes, a plug-in would be very nice: It would find the ranges, notate them, and add them in the proper place. It would also be used for incipits in the case of Renaissance works.
Best wishes,
Hal -- Harold Owen 2830 Emerald St., Eugene, OR 97403 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit my web site at: http://uoregon.edu/~hjowen FAX: (509) 461-3608 _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
