Hi all, I'm on MacFin 2011.
I've been doing piano pedals the same way forever (at least since the invention of smart shapes and then decent playback), and it remains a PITA. I'm faster that I was at first, but always dread doing it. I have pedaling markings too thorough to use the very old-fashioned "Ped" and *, which especially doesn't work when you have continuous pedal with changes (or ½ changes). (I should say that I'm a pianist, so I know what I'm doing -- and I always end up getting what I want from the pianist without any questions). Here is what I do: In shape designer, I create a _^_ mark, and create a shape expression metatool (p) to put them in wherever I want pedal changes (slightly after the note). I duplicate that and create one with ½ below it for half-pedaling. I use the |___ smart shape to start a pedaled section, the same smart shape backwards (____|) to end a pedaled section, my created marks to indicated changes with continuity, and finally, smart shape lines to connect. I need to make sure the line thicknesses match. It is a pain to get everything exactly set up and aligned (somehow, TG tools align doesn't work, so they need to be done by hand). It is also system-by-system in score view to get it right, since alignment is based on getting pedals close to the lowest note in a system. Then, for playback, I use Ped and * as note-attached articulations. I know I could create cc64 on/off, but those would be note-attached expressions. So I put Ped/* in, with the * just before a pedal change and the Ped just after -- then select and hide them. Real pedaling doesn't work like that. It changes just after the place (performers hit the keys first, then a split second later, change the pedal), but there seems to be no way to get that sound in Finale -- that is, no way to get cc64 off and on a split second after a note. This more-or-less works. No way to do half pedal, but everything in Finale sounds sort of like half-pedal anyway (compared to a real piano), especially because the sustain isn't long enough, and the tone change of using the pedal (with all dampers up) hasn't been duplicated in any but the most expensive piano emulators (like the 20k Yamaha AvantGrand). And, of course, the computer playback is not the final product -- though the better it gets, the more I like using it. Does anyone have a better way? It would be terrific to have a plugin that somehow automates according to pre-marked pedal beginnings, endings, changes -- and gets playback correct as well. Or is that just a pipe dream? Thanks, David Froom _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
