RE: [Finale] Violin fingerings
In that case it will be confusing no matter where you put it. I would try to find a different way of indicating the triplet that didn't require a number, such as 3 horizontal dots above the note, or writing it out as a triplet without the stem slash (I assume this is what you mean by tremolo). -Lee Thanks for your response. Going further : - Quarter note up stem with tremolo and number 3 above (eight note tuplet): fingering above? - Never along side the noteheads (inside staff) even when double note or triple note? Pierre -Message d'origine- From: Lee Actor Sent: Friday, February 25, 2011 10:08 AM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: RE: [Finale] Violin fingerings Almost always above, regardless of stem direction, and above tuplet numbers and brackets. The only case I can think of where a fingering would go below is in a divisi orchestral part with 2 voices on one staff, stems up and stems down. But as both a violinist with a lot of experience, and as a composer who has written a lot of string music (including a violin concerto), I would urge you to resist adding fingerings under any but very exceptional circumstances, such as a technical etude, or a tricky special fingering as written by an expert string player. Otherwise a fingering is less likely to help than to be an annoyance. And guaranteed to be ignored even more than bowings. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com Hi all, Do you know the exact placement of single note fingerings: always placed above the notes or depending stems direction (like articulations)? In case of up stems tuplet, is it allowed to place fingerings : - below the notes; - above the notes with tuplet number and bracket below? Thanks! Pierre ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Staff size recommendations
At 6:04 PM + 2/19/11, Steve Parker wrote: Hence the paradoxical 'This page has been intentionally left blank' ;-) That's often found in really WELL laid out Broadway books. I don't recall seeing it anyplace else. But it's a very legitimate technique when page turns would otherwise be impossible. It would be a brave editor who used it, especially if it threw the music into an extra signature (4 pages). John I can recall the percussion part for Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story containing blank pages. I think it's not unusual for 20th century music, esp. when copied by hand and not typeset. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] New plug-in: JW Drop 2nds
I just copy all 4 voice to both horn staves, then use TGTools Modify-Special Modifications to remove 2nd and 4th, or 1st and 3rd notes. Very quick and easy. -Lee -Original Message- From: finale-boun...@shsu.edu [mailto:finale-boun...@shsu.edu]On Behalf Of Jari Williamsson Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 1:20 AM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: Re: [Finale] New plug-in: JW Drop 2nds On 2011-02-14 01:31, Raymond Horton wrote: Right now this takes several steps, dummy staves, etc. to do. (Even a plugin that put the 2nd and 4th notes [top to bottom] in another layer of the same staff would be very helpful.) What do you think? Yes, I already had this one on my list. Best regards, Jari Williamsson ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] New plug-in: JW Drop 2nds
A possible suggestion for a further extension or spin-off from what is being implied in this plugin: Oftentimes there might be a passage with, say, four-note and five-note chords, and one might want to remove the all the bottom notes, leaving the top two. Or, say, leave only the 2nd and 3rd lowest notes from a series of chords. I know that presently the best way to do this is to use the Explode feature of Finale but I've found it to be inconsistent and at times, it re-transcribes the music so is not always so useful. In order to get it accurate, the best way I've found is to go into Speedy and remove them manually. But this is time consuming. Would this be an easy enough thing to do with a plugin? Matthew Isn't this covered by TGTools Modify-Special Modifications? Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Playback in transposed scores while entering notes
I work in a similar setup to yours, and I've been living with entered notes sounding untransposed for years. Thankfully I don't have perfect pitch, or it might be crippling instead of an annoyance. No way to fix that I know of; switching to untransposed score to enter notes has its own set of problems. -Lee Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com Hello all, I have a question related to the discussion about transposed scores (scores with or without key signatures, but where instruments are notated as the players see them, so if Bb clarinet has a written C, it sounds as Bb). I routinely write and think in transposed scores, and write music without key signatures. So, I use the chromatic transposition setting in the staff setting, as many have been discussing. It looks right and it plays back right. No issues. If I'm copying something that has key signatures, I let the setup wizard take care of it, and once again, it looks and plays back fine. But ... here is what really bothers me. As I'm entering the notes in speedy, Finale plays them for me in C. For example, I'm writing a piece right now for alto saxophone. If I want to write a C, which sounds as an Eb, I play the C on my midi keyboard, and I hear a C as I'm entering the note. If I exit speedy and play back, I hear the Eb. This is annoying, especially while editing and changing things directly in Finale, to hear the untransposed note while entering it. It also slows me down, as I have to transpose twice (from what I hear and play to what I want to hear, and then from what I see to what I want to hear). Does anyone know if this is fixable? I want to hear what the player will produce, not only during playback, but as I'm entering the pitch. Is there a setting for that? Thanks, David ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
{Spam} RE: [Finale] re: large format scanners
I suggest you take a look at the Brother MFC-6490CW, which is identical to the MFC-6890CDW minus duplexing. I've had one for several years and am very pleased with it. I had only planned to use it for large format color printing, but dumped my old scanner (and fax) as I found the Brother to be superior. The wireless networking works great and the software is well designed, allowing you to set up different profiles to scan to jpg, pdf, etc. It is a bit on the large side, but at under $250 street a great value. -Lee Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com -Original Message- From: finale-boun...@shsu.edu [mailto:finale-boun...@shsu.edu]on Behalf Of Aryeh Har-Even Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2010 11:08 AM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: [Finale] re: large format scanners Greetings all - I've been following the thread about printers and was wondering what luck you guys have had with large format scanners, i.e. about 11 x 17 which won't break the bank. It's rather strange that going from legal to this size, most of the manafactuers increase the price exponentially. I recall that one of the under $400.00 multi printers I looked at (I believe it was the Brother MFC-6890CDW) did large scans. Any good? I'm looking to archive a couple of file boxes worth of music sketched or copied at around this size and only want to go through the exercise once. Thanks so much, Aryeh www.Har-Even.com Aryeh Har-Even on Facebook ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
{Spam} RE: [Finale] Large format printers?
I highly recommend you look into Fineprint software (www.fineprint.com) for doing booklets. Very flexible and easy to use. You can define as many virtual printers as you like for particular printing configurations you tend to repeat. I've been using it for 7 years and wouldn't think of printing booklets or any other scaled output without it. -Lee Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com -Original Message- From: finale-boun...@shsu.edu [mailto:finale-boun...@shsu.edu]on Behalf Of Cecil Rigby Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 4:14 PM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: Re: [Finale] Large format printers? no, I'm on PC- with that OS the only version of the HP software that will produce booklets correctly is 5e. choose, under finishing in the Properties dx, Print on both sides and then in the dropdown for booklet printing, 11x17, left binding. The software, however, IS quirky (with Finale at least on this machine), in that I have to print a single page and then cancel printing, then run the print job again to get the desired results. It's been this way ever since I've had this printer. I DID forget to mention this problem earlier -Cecil - Original Message - From: Christopher Smith christopher.sm...@videotron.ca To: finale@shsu.edu Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 9:27 AM Subject: Re: [Finale] Large format printers? On Thu Oct 21, at ThursdayOct 21 7:07 PM, jjtk...@gmail.com wrote: On Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 9:02 AM, Cecil Rigby rig...@att.net wrote: I, too, use the HP 5100 w/ duplexer, but I haven't had any of the problems Christopher's had. -Cecil Cecil, are you on Mac? Can you tell me what settings you use to create a booklet of four 8.5x11 pages on one sheet of 11x17 with the duplexer? I can't do this for love nor money without re-feeding the sheets. Respond privately if you think it will clutter up traffic (ha!) Christopher ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Layout Question
Earlier versions of Finale may not have this plugin (I'm on 2004, which doesn't), but I've been using Jari's JW Score System Divider plugin for years and I'm very happy with it. Is the one that ships with Finale the same? -Lee Blake Richardson wrote: I'm working with Finale 2009 on a Mac and I'd like to break a system with hash marks, like in the following example: http://gallery.me.com/btr1701/100039 (Click on the thumbnail and it will enlarge.) Probably a simple question and I've looked through the online manual. I'm sure the process is described there somewhere but I guess I'm not looking in the right place, because I don't see it. From the Plug-ins menu, choose Scoring and Arranging, and then System Divider. The size can be changed (I like it larger). Raymond Horton ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Finale Poll (X-posted)
If you're still using Finale 2005 or earlier, Jari Williamson's JW Tempo plugin is invaluable: http://tinyurl.com/289buv5. I'm still on Fin2004; has the Tempo tool disappeared? Is the TempoTap feature useful? I'll get on the current upgrade cycle one of these days, but I'd hate to lose the ease and flexibility of JW Tempo. -Lee Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com Ditto. I've tried rits and accels once or twice, each new version. I always end up putting in my own with hidden MM marks or whatever. The shapes are not intuitive. Raymond Horton James Cooper wrote: I use it occasionally, usually for a ritard. Then I usually get frustrated because I can't control the rate of the slowing down. It seems the way to adjust it is very clumsy, or is there some better way to control it other than messing with the diagonal lines in the shape designer or the numbers in the executable shape designer dialogue box? James Cooper Composer, classical guitarist, songwriter www.ModeZ.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Spacing of staves
Alternatively, you can select Staff Usage from the menu and enter the vertical positions directly. If you select the top handle, the dialog box will say global; if you select the bottom it will name which system you're adjusting. mdl I've been using Finale for more than a decade, and have always thought it odd that adjusting staff position seemed to be the only item I had to adjust by eye and not by numerical position. Thanks for pointing this out! (Adjusting by eye does work pretty well, though.) Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] [OT] hn trans up/down
in a new orch work (new music played by an orch experienced with new music), there is no need today to mention that regardless of clef the transposition is down a 5th, correct? i.e. the up/down in treble/bass clef is to be considered old school and the horn players will assume the modern standard because it is a new work? The old notation for horn of bass clef being written an octave lower than treble clef is archaic and completely disappeared almost 100 years ago. I don't recall seeing a score from any century that included additional information about whether the horn notation is new or old style; it is gleaned from the context. If the player sees notes with ledger lines below the staff in bass clef, or sudden large leaps down when treble changes to bass clef, the assumption will be old style notation. You probably have nothing to worry about, unless you're writing in such a low range that the player wonders if it's possible that it should be an octave higher. Best to stay in treble clef if at all possible; it's not unusual to see notes for horn in treble clef as low as an octave below middle C (concert F). Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Re: Spiral binding
Aligning the paper for punching the remainder of the length is easy. You flip the pages over and place them on an alignment pin, which assures that all holes are evenly spaced. Possible glitch: if you forget to pull the disengagement pin on the 2nd punch, or don't align the end of the paper with the disengaged punch you'll end up with a half-hole on the edge of the page. Not fatal, just ugly. I've also found that it's easier to make sure the paper is exactly flush to the back plate and not skewed at an angle on the 2nd punch if there are more than 1 or 2 pages. -Lee Let's say you want to punch holes for the long side of a tabloid (11 x 17) page. How hard is it to realign the page after the first punch (which appears to be 13 or 14 for the machines you own) so you can get enough holes to cover most of a 17 page? I can remember Kinko's screwing that up on occasion. Paul Hayden Lee Actor wrote: CoilMac-M, standard base unit. J D wrote: I have the CoilMac 41 ECI. ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Re: Spiral binding
J D and Lee, which models do you own? Paul Hayden CoilMac-M, standard base unit. -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Spiral binding
One thing you can't get at Kinko's is a coil longer than 12. I have a CoilMac and a supply of 36 coils in three different sizes (and cover stock). Longer coils may not be an issue for some, but it's a big plus for me. Even better, I don't have to go to Kinko's. -Lee Comb binders work, but I find coil binding to work better for my needs. The whole coil needs to be removed and replaced when one or more pages is changed/replaced, but the smoother page turns and relative freedom from tearing make it worth it for me. That said, I wonder if the investment in the binding machine (and the space it takes in my studio) was the wisest decision. It does save trips to Kinkos and the fees they charge, but then I have to keep cover stock and a supply of coils. Investment and clutter vs. individual binding expense and other inconveniences - judgment call. Chuck On Feb 19, 2010, at 8:01 AM, Aaron Sherber wrote: On 2/19/2010 9:43 AM, dc wrote: I know we've had threads on this subject before, but these things change, and I'd appreciate recommendations for a reasonably-priced spiral or coil binding machine (not for commercial use, only my private needs). I have been using an earlier model of this comb binder for several years: http://www.mybinding.com/.sc/ms/dd/ee/2239/GBC-CombBind-C110-Manu al-Comb-Binding-Machine-7704240 It works great for parts and scores on 8.5x11. Anything less expensive is usually more cheaply made; the more expensive ones are generally more machine than I need. I know there are people who have reasons for preferring a coil or some other type of binding to plastic combs, but I have found this to be a very workable and cost-effective solution. Aaron. ___ ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: Dynamics after a rest
I've had plenty of rehearsals slog down with questions about assumed dynamics that aren't written in, but never about dynamics that seem to be redundant. :-) When the identical dynamic reappears in succession within sections without rests, this causes lots of discussion here. Is there some dynamic missing inbetween? Or is it some special musical effect that's asked for? Or is it just for clarity? Best regards, Jari Williamsson True. I meant with intervening rests. -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: Dynamics after a rest
Hi all, Given an instrumental part that plays for 20 measures or so at mf with the occasional rest thrown in, is there a rule of thumb (or something more formal) about when the dynamic should be restated? It's in my head that if there are two or more full measures of rest, the dynamic should be repeated when the instrument comes in again, for clarity. If there's only a single measure rest (even if there's a beat or two of rest on either side of the empty measure), it's assumed that the last stated dynamic is still in force. I took a quick look through Ross and Read, but I didn't see anything pertinent. Thanks, Aaron. I don't know if there's a rule, but I always restate dynamics after only one full measure of rest. If the tempo was fast enough, I might relax that to two full measures of rest. I've had plenty of rehearsals slog down with questions about assumed dynamics that aren't written in, but never about dynamics that seem to be redundant. :-) -Lee Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Beat chart
The UI on beat chart editing is just awful. I don't mind moving the beat spacing around, and I accept that it's something I take upon myself as a fussy engraver -- but the crappy way that the handles are moved one at a time and you can't really see what you're doing is so unnecessary. If they would just clean up the UI for this editing task without actually changing anything internal, that would be much appreciated. My version of Finale isn't quite as ancient as David's, but I'm still many years behind. I don't suppose there's been anything for beat chart editing lately, has there? mdl I agree on the lameness of the beat chart UI. But to clarify, you can move more than one element at a time by holding the shift key (moves selected handle plus all handles to its right). Not much, but better than a sharp stick in the eye. -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Finale spacing issue: F2009, OS X
Matthew Hindson (gmail) écrit: Has anyone else run into this? Avoid collision of notes and accidentals is checked in the Music Spacing options. The spacing is being applied to this particular part only, i.e. there are no other staves affecting the spacing. The other bars in the part have no problems with spacing, even the same figure in later bars have no clashes, so it's not that the spacing is generally squishy. I've seen this problem several times: a bar where Finale doesn't seem to notice the presence of an accidental. I think it's Johannes (correct me if I'm wrong) who pointed out a fairly easy way to correct this: use TGTools, and add 0 extra space to the bar in question. Dennis Brilliant! Any idea why this works? -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Who prints on A3 in US?
Have you tried a paper supplier like Xpedx? Unfortunately, the closest one to Vermont appears to be in Wilmington, MA, but maybe there's a different supplier closer to you. You can order so-called parent sheets, which are 25x38, and have them cut to order. A printer that can handle 11x17 should also be able to handle A3, which is about 11.7x16.5, e.g., the HP Laserjet 5000/5100 series. As for spiral binding, A3 would be easily accommodated by two passes through an Akiles Coil-Mac, using 36 coils. Assuming you already have a Coil-Mac and 36 coils, which I highly recommend to anyone binding their own music (you can get a Coil-Mac online for around $300). As you undoubtedly already know, Kinko's is utterly useless for this kind of thing. Alternatively, you could find a commercial printer to do the binding, but it would probably be quite expensive. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com Hi all, Looks like my parts prep is requiring a bound book parts printed on A3 paper. Anybody in the U.S. have any clue how to accomplish this? I'm in Vermont, and nobody around here has paper wider than 11x17 (much less a printer capable of using it). Any New York folks ever work with A3 (and get it spiral-bound)? Thanks, Dennis ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TGTools Update is here!!
The Windows download is labeled version 2.60, but it's still version 2.51. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com I just got this from Tobias! Hello, TGTools 2.60 for Finale 2010 is now available for download from my web site. Some of its improvements are also useful for Finale 2009. In addition to the basic compatibility adaptations that were required, the following improvements have been made: On the Align/Move dialog, the tab sheet Horizontal has been implemented for Finale 2009/2010 (except for the checkbox adjust other nearby expressions). The Text Expression Sorter will now undo any manual reordering of the Expressions view (including Shape Expressions) on Finale 2009/2010. If you had manually reordered the expressions, previously the expressions would be shown out of order even though they had been sorted. If you find any incompatibility that I missed, please let me know. Best wishes and happy holidays! Tobias Giesen http://www.tgtools.com/downdocs.htm ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Music Notation: Fast bow
On 19.11.2009 Andrew Stiller wrote: On the rare occasions where I've seen this specified (in Mahler, for example), the German expression has been viel Bogen. Were I to want this effect, I would use the English equivalent much bow. For me as a violinist Fast Bow and Viel Bogen is not exactly the same. Although the effect would problably be similar it is a different feel of what one should be doing. Perhaps that's just me... Johannes Not just you. Viel bogen in Mahler usually means an increase in intensity (i.e., bow pressure), while fast bow seems to imply nearly the opposite. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] harp pedal diagram
String players can very quickly detect deficiencies in string writing by awkward bowings (or even no bowings at all, which I have seen on occasion). I don't think you necessarily need to be a string player to write competent bowings (though of course it helps), but you do need more than a surface understanding of the physical mechanism involved. A key element that is sometimes overlooked or not well understood is that a successful bowing depends very much on where in the bow it begins, which in turn depends on where the previous passage leaves the bow. It is true that a pro can make most bowings work (though not without considerable cursing), but an awkward bowing can cause an entire string section of amateurs to crash and burn immediately. If you write or arrange for strings, you simply must include phrasing that makes sense to a string player, or you're starting out with 3 strikes against you. I should add that string players will almost always change the printed bowings, but it's still important to make the intention of your phrasing clear. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com I used to put pedal diagrams in harp parts until a harpist told me that regardless of what is in the part, every harpist will write in their own pedaling. I see it as similar to printing fingering in string parts (i.e., presumptuous), unless your name is Carlos Salzedo. Well put, Lee! I never put in string fingerings, knowing that my own fingerings would be too advanced for some (community) players, but too limited for full-time professionals. Unless, of course, it's for a special effect, like sul G. I do, however, ALWAYS mark bowings, as any composer or arranger should do, and knowing how should be part of the detailed knowledge that composer or arranger should have mastered. Phrasing is bowing, and vice versa. John ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: use of subito
There are some that come from the school that any subito change is bad taste, and that new levels need to be gradually moved into. Subito says no diminuendo/crescendo/accellerando/ritard. Sometimes it's even observed as such. That's a strange concept. I would offer as counter-evidence several hundred years of Western music, going back at least as far as Gabrieli. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] harp pedal diagram
I disagree. IMO it is absolutely the composer's responsibility to indicate the pedalling in any harp part, whether by diagram or by the older method of writing in the pitch names. As for harpist's preferring to do it themselves, I can only cite the example of Lejaren Hiller, whose music I publish and who never bothered with pedalling diagrams. On one extracted harp part, the harpist pencilled in the note Jerry, harps have pedals! I add pedalling diagrams to the harp parts in all my editions of his work. Andrew Stiller I used to put pedal diagrams in harp parts until a harpist told me that regardless of what is in the part, every harpist will write in their own pedaling. I see it as similar to printing fingering in string parts (i.e., presumptuous), unless your name is Carlos Salzedo. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: use of subito
Working on a piece for large ensemble. The composer has a passage for woodwinds at forte. Immediately after the WW finish, the brass comes in at mezzo piano. The composer has marked mp subito in the brass parts, but I think the inclusion of subito is unnecessary since the brass haven't been playing before this.What's your opinion? ___ I think the principle of the clearer the better is appropriate here. The brass aren't playing, but they're sitting there listening to the WW playing forte, and it certainly can't hurt to emphasize that their mp does represent a sudden change. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: use of subito
Hey, I agree that it's not technically necessary. I wouldn't write it myself. But I don't consider it incorrect, or even unnecessarily cluttered (and I'm a big proponent of removing unnecessary clutter). I do sympathize with the (apparent) attempt to induce the players to play the piece, not just their parts. I agree that sub. mp after a rest is a bit strange; but keep in mind that the brass do not necessarily know the WW are playing forte (as opposed to, say, mf), and it should not be automatically assumed that they know how much contrast their mp represents (yes, that's the conductor's job). My approach would be to make sure the brass had a cue for the WW, including their dynamic marking. But I think it's likely the conductor will have to tweak the balance bet. WW and brass via verbal instructions, no matter how the parts are marked. -Lee Working on a piece for large ensemble. The composer has a passage for woodwinds at forte. Immediately after the WW finish, the brass comes in at mezzo piano. The composer has marked mp subito in the brass parts, but I think the inclusion of subito is unnecessary since the brass haven't been playing before this.What's your opinion? ___ I think the principle of the clearer the better is appropriate here. The brass aren't playing, but they're sitting there listening to the WW playing forte, and it certainly can't hurt to emphasize that their mp does represent a sudden change. Anybody sitting listening to woodwinds playing forte and seeing an MP in their parts who doesn't know it's a sudden change isn't a very good musician, and if I were in that group as a performer I wouldn't think much of a composer who thought so little of my musicianship that he felt he had to tell me that mezzo-piano is a sudden change from forte. I agree that the clearer the better in most situations, but I also adhere to the principle over explanation doesn't make things clearer. I can envision the rehearsal where the brass stops the music and asks the conductor What does subito mp mean when we haven't been playing? Too little clarification in the notation is a bad thing, but so is too much clarification. -- David H. Bailey ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Printing menu options for Choral - collate for 11x17double sided
For anyone who's on a PC, I highly recommend the utility FinePrint for handling booklet printing, n-up printing, etc. It's extremely flexible and I guarantee it will reduce brain cramping when you print booklets. It saves time and eliminates guesswork whether or not you have a duplexer, though it's even more useful if you don't. You can define multiple virtual printers with all the printer settings you need for different situations (i.e., paper size, orientation, scaling, resolution, physical printer, etc.). I use a number of these for Finale; for example, I have different virtual printers to print full scores, reduced scores (booklet or non-booklet), parts (booklet or non-booklet), etc. TGTools and Fineprint are the two most important adjuncts to Finale for me. More info: http://www.fineprint.com/products/fineprint/index.html. BTW, I also do all my browser printing to Fineprint; the preview lets you see exactly what will print, and you can remove pages or even graphics you don't want to print. You can also combine multiple print jobs into one, especially useful for n-up and/or duplex printing. Apologies for the extended ad, but this is one of the best utilities Ive ever used. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com -Original Message- From: finale-boun...@shsu.edu [mailto:finale-boun...@shsu.edu]on Behalf Of Noel Stoutenburg Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 6:00 AM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: Re: [Finale] Printing menu options for Choral - collate for 11x17double sided Ray Horton wrote: What I do in that case is turn it into 8 pages - add a title page before page 1 and a blank page after the last page. (Remove the page number from the back page if you want.) Then I print pages: 8,1 6,3 then flip them and print 2,7 4,5 and if I may supplement, you'll probably need to specify the paper size in the print dialog, need to change the orientation of the page from portrait to landscape, and specify two-up printing, and perhaps all pages. I would also say that while I print the pages the same way, I print them in a slightly different order than Ray writes. Liek he does, I start with 8,1, but then I print the back side of that, so I do 2, 7 next. Then I do 6,3, and like Ray does, I print 4,5 last. Depending upon the number of copies I'm making, I may collate on the fly, set out all the 8,1/2,7 pages individually, and when they are done, all the 6,3/4,5 pages. ns http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Somewhat OT: How marked-up can/should rental parts be?
i remember not seeing any example of parts costing more than 1000 (eur/usd) to rent. this price ceiling is what large-scale opera and some major orchestral works will cost. there can be 2nd performance (75%) and even 3rd performance (50%) discounts within a certain timeframe (a season?). FWIW, Kallisti Music Press offers all orchestral parts for sale only, not for rental. We (I) do this partly to make it easy on conductors (take as long as you want for rehearsal, and repeat the performance as many times as you like) and to encourage repeated programming of the work, since it will be in the orchestra's library indefinitely. I charge for these parts roughly the same sort of price one would expect for rental, usually between $80 and $400 depending on the length and instrumentation of the piece. I have found that orchestras are so unused to this idea that they have sometimes returned the parts to me after the performance, on the assumption that they were rentals. I therefore now include a note with every parts set ordered, emphasizing that the parts are not rentals, and that if the orchestra does not wish to keep them, they should be donated to a school, library, or community orchestra. If any of you out there think this is a good deal, by all means get in touch! Andrew Stiller Kallisti Music Press http://www.kallistimusic.com/ I also offer my orchestral parts for sale only, mainly to encourage repeat performances. I also prefer the presentation value of freshly printed parts; after parts are used and shipped around a few times, they deteriorate quickly, as anyone who has rented orchestral music knows. Plus, I'm not eager to add the hassle of tracking rental parts to my to-do list. However, once volume passes a certain point, practical realities may make the rental model inevitable for us POD people. I'm not there yet, but it's a problem I wouldn't necessarily mind having. BTW, as an orchestral librarian I've rented a lot of music, and the publisher ALWAYS asks that the parts be erased before returning, but are virtually always completely marked up when initially delivered. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] hiding rests
Phil Daley wrote: I have a score that I hid rests in a long time ago and I have forgotten how to do it. Can someone help me? Oh, is it possible to move rests vertically? Thanks, Phil Yes, it's possible to move rests vertically -- click and drag them to where you want them to be. Hide notes/rests with the o (letter o, not zero) and if they're already hidden, hit the o key again to unhide them. -- David H. Bailey You can also hide/unhide notes and rests with the H key. Seems more intuitive to me than O. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: Tips for Printing and Finishing
I have just realized that plastic coils are completely unavailable in Germany, it seems. Even wire coils I couldn't find, let alone any machines for them. The only alternatives to plastic combs are wire combs (and I have had quite good experiences with them) and a system called clickbind. I have used clickbind once, and it is certainly a lot better than combs, but it also does take a lot of space as the special plastic thingies are large and cannot be bent (which is good). Johannes I get all my binding supplies online, which I would think you should be able to order from anywhere. Or do the ones you found only ship to the USA? -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: Tips for Printing and Finishing
While I can't argue with you about the stackability issue, I've had just as many coil spiral bindings break on me over the years as I've had comb bindings break. I bind many of the scores I print up for my own use in my community band director's job with comb bindings, and they have lasted just fine. And I've never had a problem with noisy page turns while using a score I've comb-bound myself. -- David H. Bailey Are you talking about plastic coils or metal coils? I've been using plastic coils for years and have a hard time even imagining one breaking, short of using wire cutters on it. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: Tips for Printing and Finishing
Are you talking about plastic coils or metal coils? I've been using plastic coils for years and have a hard time even imagining one breaking, short of using wire cutters on it. I'm the same as you. I'm starting to think there might be regional quality issues involved here. My coils are tough like nylon, and the local combs get stiff and crack quickly, but Andrew's big fat comb binding on his book is pretty good still, and David reports breakage with coils. Christopher I'll add that I've also had Andrew's book for a number of years, and while it has held up well (a couple of the paper holes are almost worn through), the binding exhibits the same excessive friction that every comb binding I've seen has. Just open the book to any page -- it usually takes more than one try to get all the pages to completely open flat. Admittedly that is a very thick book, but the simple fact is that plastic coils have almost no friction, and the pages turn more easily and are much less prone to tearing than those bound by combs. As an extra bonus, the pages open a full 360 degrees. I'm not trying to proselytize, but I've been extremely happy with plastic coils and recommend them highly. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: Tips for Printing and Finishing
My method is very similar (even to using the same printer), except that I staple first and then fold. I've got the paper guide on my long-arm stapler carefully set so that the staples enter precisely at the midpoint of the booklet (8.5 in my case, as I use 11x17 paper for booklets). Folding is much easier when the part is already stapled, and I'm very picky about the precision of the fold (BTW, at one time I used 3 staples per booklet, but have found that 2 staples, placed appr. 1.75 from the top and bottom edges, are far superior). I use this format for most parts, and reduced scores up to 36 pages (9 sheets of heavyweight 105 g/m2 paper, plus a heavy stock cover, which is about the limit my stapler can handle). As you mention, a heavy duty precision rotary trimmer is a must, though I find that trimming isn't really necessary until the part reaches maybe 16 pages, as page creep isn't particularly objectionable on smaller parts. Most of my full scores are 11x14, which I bind myself using an Akiles Coil-Mac and a supply of 36 plastic coils; so far, 3 different sizes of coils (8mm, 10mm, and 12mm) have been adequate to handle all my scores from smallest to largest (140+ pages -- no operas yet). There are several advantages to investing in the equipment to bind your scores yourself instead of taking them to a place like Kinko's, not the least of which is that they typically only carry 12 coils -- not ideal for larger conductor's scores. For other reasons not to go to Kinko's, fill in your favorite horror story here: _ (everyone who's been to a Kinko's has one). I am intrigued by your method of stapling, as my stapler (like many) turns back the legs of the staple so they're curved, and I'd really prefer them to be flat against the paper. Or I could look into a heavy duty saddle stapler, but they tend to be kind of expensive (starting at $150-$200). One other tip on folding: to ensure that a part lays flat on a music stand, it's critical to fold and crease the pages in the opposite direction to the original fold. I also go through the part page by page and crease each fold. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com I wonder whether there would be interest to start a discussion about printing, binding and finishing scores and parts. Just to start this let me describe what I typically do. I have a HP 5000 printer, so I can print large sheets pretty easily. So I prepare all my scores and parts as PDF booklets (I use CocoaBooklet, but I believe this would even work through Acrobat itself, it is just easier using this Mac Application). I fold the sheets over. I have started to do this in bunches of four. I'd love to hear how others do this. I use my paper cutter as an alignment tool. I then staple using a long arm stapler, and I have recently modified it, so that the staples are not bent but instead go through the paper and two holes in the stapler (which I drilled), then I bend them over myself. This works much better in my experience, especially with thicker booklets. Eventually I trim the front. I just bought a rather big and sturdy paper cutter for this purpose. If I don't do this, in addition to the unprofessional look, page turns can become difficult at times. I'd love to hear from others about some tips they have accumulated over the years. I am especially interested hearing about better methods to fold the sheets. Johannes ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Status Check
It would sure be nice if TGTools Smart Explosion still worked but that's been broken for a long time, too. Yup. That was a great tool in pre-linked parts days. That was the original reason I bought the pro version, and it paid for itself easily in very little time. Christopher That's one of the reasons I haven't upgraded since 2004 and still use TGTools Smart Explosion prior to extracting orchestral parts from a parts score. I do a great deal of tweaking on individual parts, and I've been reluctant to go to linked parts if it means giving up some of that flexibility. When I do have to go back and make changes to score and parts, it hasn't seemed particularly burdensome (usually fairly minor changes). But I am curious as to exactly how TGTools Smart Explosion is broken in more recent Finale versions. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Editing
Darcy, you are mistaken. You cannot edit an mp3 in native mode as it is an encoded format. It may look to you as if you are directly editing the mp3 when you open it, but any audio editor must of course convert the file to an audio waveform before it can be edited (whether WAV, AIFF, or a native internal format). I suppose you could edit the raw mp3 data, but that would be quite useless -- it's just bits and bytes, not audio. You are correct that every stage of conversion to and from mp3 (or any lossy format) can potentially degrade quality compared to the original; the degree of degradation will depend on the amount of compression. This will be equally true in QuickTime Player as any other editor. Lee Actor (former digital signal processing expert in another life) Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic Assistant Conductor, Nova Vista Symphony http://www.leeactor.com On 13 Feb 2009, at 4:02 PM, Aaron Sherber wrote: Hmm. I was unaware that there were mainstream apps that could edit MP3s natively. There certainly are. You can open an MP3 in QuickTime Player and edit it directly there without converting to some other format. And Fission (the app I use to split long single audio files recorded at my gigs into individual tracks and normalize them) also works on whatever audio format you begin with, without converting anything. I assumed that the process was like working with JPGs -- if you have a JPG as a source, you open it and save it as a TIF or something else non-lossy so it won't get any worse while you work on it. If you edit the JPG and save back as a JPG, it gets worse each time, because you're re-applying the lossy compression to something that was lossy to begin with. Am I incorrect? You are right that that up-sampling *shouldn't* introduce any new artifacts. But if you take an MP3, up-sample it and save as WAV, and then (without editing anything) down-sample it and save it as an MP3, the resultant MP3 will sound worse than the original MP3. I don't use Audacity so I'm not familiar with what goes on under the hood. But if Audacity works in its own native format, that strikes me as even more of a reason not to save the file out as a WAV file before editing, since (if I understand the situation correctly) any work you do in Audacity will always be done in its own native format. Cheers, - Darcy - djar...@earthlink.net Brooklyn, NY ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Editing
I'm not familiar with the internals of the mp3 format, so I can't say for sure. But considering that none of the edits mentioned operate in the frequency domain (such as filters and most other types of audio processing), I can see how it might be possible without conversion/reconversion. But don't quote me on that. -Lee On 2/13/2009 6:15 PM, Darcy James Argue wrote: These are, in fact, the only kinds of edits Fission allows (cut paste, normalization and fades), Ah, interesting. Lee, can you comment on this? Is it true that these kinds of edits can be made to an MP3 without needing to recode afterwards? (It makes a certain amount of sense. For example, with the right software you can rotate a JPG 90 deg. and save losslessly.) Aaron. ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Score Binding Question
I bind my 17 scores with a 14 binding, but I have it flush against the bottom of the score and leave the 3 without a binding free at the top. Any place will do it (but they don't have to in my case now that I have the Akiles coil binder! Thanks NPC Imaging!) and it is very convenient. Christopher Why not bind the entire 17 length, which the Akiles CoilMac can do easily? As for the coil itself, you must already be using 36 coils to make your 14 binding, so getting two 17 lengths from one 36 coil works out well. As far as I know, Kinko's only stocks 12 coils, which is one of the reasons (among several) that I bought an Akiles CoilMac several years ago and can do all my score production in-house. The only time I ever go to Kinko's any more (besides FedEx) is now and then to have a ream of 11x17 paper cut to 11x14. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Finale 2009
Looks like Engraver Slurs are finally fixed: http://www.finalemusic.com/finale/features/engravertools/engraverslurs.aspx . That alone might induce me to upgrade. It also looks like expression selection is much improved. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com I don't see anything compelling to make me want to upgrade -- this'll be the first upgrade since I started using Finale (version 3.5) that I won't be buying, unless someone can make strong arguments about what has really been improved over 2008 other than the Garritan playback. David H. Bailey Eric Dannewitz wrote: Damn, looks like I'm still going to be sticking with 2007 On Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 10:26 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: For all those who have been waiting and wondering, the details are posted for Finale 2009. Here's the link: http://www.finalemusic.com/Finale/New.aspx Vince ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Finale 2009
Looks like Engraver Slurs are finally fixed: Sure if that's what they mean by fine-tuned and improved :-) Well, it specifically says edits made at high view percentages always produce the same results when viewed at 100% and when printed, which sure sounds like that longstanding and very annoying bug has been fixed. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] OT - Recorder
On Mon, May 5, 2008 11:49 pm, Dean M. Estabrook wrote: Before I spend hours googling this topic, I thought I'd ask for your opinions on the matter. My wife, a music educator, has a need for a digital recorder (and maybe playback machine) for use in her job. I think she's thinking in the $1k range (since CA got some special one time funding for such things). Any favorites, pitfalls, etc.? Her main need is to record rehearsals onto a disc and either play it back then and there, or bring it home for study and prep. $1K? Buy two and a lot of flash cards. :) Ease of use and quality, Zoom H2 or Microtrack 2496. Both are flash card recorders. I have the latter; a friend has the former. The Zoom's microphones are built-in, the Microtrack comes with a little T mic. You can use external microphones (including phantom power) for concert recordings, or feed them with a mixer. Use the audio output or transfer files right to the computer for editing. They are small (size of a cigarette pack if anybody remembers what those are). Durable, too, at least the Microtrack, which fell (along with me) into a river. It worked fine when it dried out, whereas I didn't (broke some ribs). These are the days for high-quality recording at low prices! Street price on the Zoom H2 is $200, Microtrack $300. Dennis I'm also about to buy a portable digital recorder. I was leaning toward the MicroTrack II (updated version of the MicroTrack 2496) when I found that Yamaha is about to release a revolutionary new recorder, the Pocketrak 2G. It comes with a user-replaceable, rechargeable Ni-MH battery (the no memory kind) that can power the unit up to 19 hours of continuous recording. It can also run on a single AAA alkaline battery up to 25 hours. It has 2 GB of memory built-in, line/mic inputs, headphone out, a speaker, and USB 2.0 connectivity. Believe it or not, the unit weighs only 1.7 oz, including battery. Talk about portable. It's supposed to be shipping any day now. Street price is $350. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Music spacing problem
I have at least one measure in a score I'm working on where the music won't space correctly: the accidentals collide with the preceding notes. It looks like the music spacing is ignoring the accidentals. I seem to recall someone else had the same problem. What is the solution? Thanks, Dennis This has also happened to me several times, usually when there's something like 16ths in one staff and triplets in another. As I recall, the only way I have been able to correct this is to slightly increase the size of the measure. Sometimes adding just 1 EVPU will do the trick. I wonder if this bug has been corrected since Fin2004? Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Viola harmonics
How practical are touch-fifth artificial harmonics low on the viola? Is that a big stretch? Cheers, - Darcy - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brooklyn, NY Not a big deal stretch-wise, esp. for a single note. If you have a passage with a series of such artificial harmonics, there is a certain risk that all the notes may not speak, as there is little room for error and the left hand will be under tension from the wide stretch. Unless the touch-fifth harmonic(s) you want are low on the C-string, you might consider alternative natural harmonics (more resonant) or touch-fourth artificial harmonics (easier in a passage with moving notes). Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] text block = staff group name
Lee Actor wrote: Hmm, I've never paid attention to text blocks before, but I took a look at the string quartet I'm currently engraving, and there are some 1500 different text blocks! Needless to say, the vast majority of them don't actually appear anywhere in the piece. Now, my normal working procedure when starting a new piece is to take an old one that's close to what I need and clear everything out. Obviously, text blocks never get deleted, even by Options-Remove Deleted Items. Is there any way to get rid of these unused text blocks? You mean, a way other than not generating them in the first place? The only way I know is by deleting them individually or by small groups in the tool in which they were created. When you think you have cleared everything out, open the edit text item to get to the dialog box allowing you to edit all text blocks, and see what is there. Some of the items will be those created in the text tool in scroll view; these can be best be cleared in scroll view, by switching to that view, selecting the text tool, and drag-enclosing all of the handles you see in the document, and doing a mass delete. Next, switch to page view, and delete the handles you see on each page. The items in the text block part of the file created in the staff tool are no more difficult, but are more time consuming; they have to be removed one by one, and many staves (and groups) will have two: one for the full name, and one for the abbreviation. Once all of the items placed in the text block by each of the various tools which place items there have been cleared, you can delete what is left by deleting them in the edit text dialog box. I know that with diligence, all of the blocks can be cleared; I've done it. ns None of these unused text blocks appear anywhere in the document, not in scroll view, nor page view, nor attached to any long since deleted staves they might have originally been attached to in previous documents. I never realized they were even there until I opened the Edit All Text Blocks db (which I wasn't aware of before today; I had only used it to edit single text blocks) and scrolled through them. I suppose these are left over from deleted pages, deleted staves, deleted staff styles, etc. I was able to delete them in the edit text db by deleting all the characters in the text block (which took a while!). It had included every text block in every score I've worked on for the past 8 years. Thanks, I appreciate learning something about Finale I didn't know before. -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] text block = staff group name
very peculiar, anyone ever had a document where staff group names are directly linked to a text block? if i edit a particular text block on p1 the exact same text appears as the name of a staff group on p12, and vice versa. i have corrected this problem a few times already, it appears on different pages / systems each time. Yes. In all finale documents, while staff group names are not created from the text tool, they are still specialized text blocks which are stored in the same part of the file as text blocks. For this reason they can be edited from the drop down menu item which permits editing all text blocks. Editing in that dialog box can have results which specifically depend upon exactly which order the items were entered in. ns Hmm, I've never paid attention to text blocks before, but I took a look at the string quartet I'm currently engraving, and there are some 1500 different text blocks! Needless to say, the vast majority of them don't actually appear anywhere in the piece. Now, my normal working procedure when starting a new piece is to take an old one that's close to what I need and clear everything out. Obviously, text blocks never get deleted, even by Options-Remove Deleted Items. Is there any way to get rid of these unused text blocks? Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Distinguishing Engraver slurs from adjusted slurs?
At 05:38 PM 12/7/2007, Jari Williamsson wrote: Aaron Sherber wrote: I have experienced something which may or may not be tangentially related. In more than one file, I have had the page layout -- that is, the number of measures in a certain system, and hence the flow of measures across pages -- differ in the printed version from what appears on screen. Printing to PDF looks the same as printing to my physical printer, so it's not an issue with the print driver. The solution has been to lock all of my systems before printing, to make sure that there are no surprises. An update of the layout from page one wouldn't solve it? Nope! I can send you a file off-list, if you'd like to see. FWIW, Makemusic support was able to reproduce this with my files as well. Aaron. This has also happened to me, several times (FWin 2004a) Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Re: Finale '08
I've just reviewed most of the posts dealing with Finale '08, and -- following what appears to be a consensus around here -- have decided to stick with '07 until notice of further improvements in known bugs. I also took a look at some press statements on the MakeMusic site announcing quarterly results. Two aspects of those statements are striking: continued losses, and the importance of notation programs (relative to other products) in the income stream of the company. Clearly, this is a company that cannot take a publicity hit with its prestige notation product. From my own informal count on this list, at least twenty established, long-term, professional users have indicated that they are not switching to '08; most of them indicate that bug fixing is their main concern, several of indicated a move to a competing product. Perhaps it would be useful to document the number of such users more precisely and use it as a form of leverage to encourage MakeMusic to concentrate on improving the product's present functionality before adding other features. I believe that most of us here would really prefer to be loyal Finale users, but the benefits of Finale appear for many of us to have been outweighed by the disadvantages. Would it be possible now, from the list membership, to get a more accurate sense of the number of us who are (a) a long-term, professional users of Finale, (b) have serious concerns about bug fixes, and (c) iare either skipping an '08 upgrade or switching to a competing product during this cycle? Daniel Wolf I'm a long-term, professional Finale user who used to upgrade regularly, but I've been stuck on Finale 2004a for the past few years. The reason is that Finale 2004b introduced an accidental positioning bug (under certain conditions having to do with hidden layers) that was not serious and easy enough to work around, but would have caused me to scour all my previous scores to find the specific cases that needed adjustment. I stubbornly decided not to upgrade until they fixed this bug. I believe it was finally fixed in Finale 2007, but by then so many more new bugs had been introduced that I'll wait for a stable, relatively bug-free version to upgrade again. I would only consider moving to Sibelius if 1) Sibelius comes to equal or exceed Finale in flexibility, or 2) MM enters a death spiral as a company. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Binding options
Someone mentioned a rule of thumb for minimum coil size as total thickness of the paper plus 2mm. The Akiles CoilMac comes with a coil diameter gauge which gives a result very close to paper thickness plus 3mm. Obviously you can use a larger diameter coil than the minimum, though if the coil is significantly larger than it needs to be, it makes for a somewhat ungainly and unprofessional look. What I did was buy boxes of 100 (36 length) in 3 different sizes: 8mm, 10mm, and 12mm. That's probably more than I'll ever need, but those 3 sizes have turned out to be a good match for my needs. The largest score I've done to date has been 69 sheets of 28 lb. bond, plus two card stock covers, which comes to right around 9mm thick, and it is easily accommodated by a 12mm coil. If had to pick only two sizes, it would be 8mm and 12mm. The best prices I've seen on coils have been here: http://www.laminator.com/Plastic-Coil-Binding-Supplies.htm. Also, keep in mind that the price increases rapidly with the coil size (12mm is more than twice the price of 8mm). For a coil-binding machine, I strongly recommend the CoilMac. It's built like a tank and can punch up to 26 along a side (anything longer than 13 takes two passes, but alignment is easy and accurate). I've had mine for more than 2 years and am very pleased with it. My scores are generally 11x14, and it's nice to be able to have the coil run the entire length of the page, which is something Kinko's can't do (and even if they could, it's nice not to have to go there). Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com Can't do a proof -- I don't have the document yet. And since you have to order 100 coils at a time, I need a good all-purpose size. I just want to make sure 12 mm is enough. (It's rated capacity is 90 sheets, which I assume means 90 20 lb. sheets. I have 60 24 lb. sheets, plus front and back cover, and like I said, I want a little extra room for page turns. - Darcy - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brooklyn, NY On 25 Sep 2007, at 5:19 PM, Cecil Rigby wrote: sorry if this borders on nit-picky. I once made the mistake of measuring a stack of paper to determine what size coil I needed only to find out that ink has some thickness when so many pages are put back to back. and the paper's not truly flat anymore, which adds a little, too. Can you run a proof plus covers and measure that? -Cecil Rigby A related question -- anyone have any idea what size coil I'd want for 60 sheets of 24. lb bond plus cardstock front and back cover? Does 12 mm sound right to everyone? ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Slightly OT: Paper weight
I've seen discussions on this list about binding of score and parts, as well as printing of parts. I was just wondering what weight of paper people here think is the best for printing score and parts for a concert band work. Regular paper just feels too light for me. You are right to think that regular paper is too thin. It falls down too easily and doesn't last long in folders of music that are played often. I have settled on some paper that I ordered specially in conjunction with a local orchestra librarian. It is 70 lb./140M cream colour, smooth finish. I read off the label another number that I think is just another way of describing the thickness, that is 13.75M, or 104g per square metre. I saved the site below last time this question came up. Be aware that in the U.S. there are two different sets of weight names. 28-lb Bond, according to this chart, equals 70-lb Offset. http://www.paper-paper.com/weight.html John Actually, there are at least six different weight grades in the U.S.: Bond, Text/Book/Offset, Cover, Bristol, Index, and Tag. 28 lb. Bond = 70 lb. Offset = 39 lb. Cover = 49 lb. Bristol = 58 lb. Index = 65 lb. Tag = 105 g/m2. Simple, isn't it? Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Slightly OT: Paper weight
I've seen discussions on this list about binding of score and parts, as well as printing of parts. I was just wondering what weight of paper people here think is the best for printing score and parts for a concert band work. Regular paper just feels too light for me. Thanks, Adam I use a minimum of 28 lb. bond (105 g/m2). Regular paper is 20 lb. bond (75 g/m2) and is not only flimsy, it allows too much see-through from double-sided printing. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Piano notation question
In this situation I use slurs on all the rolled notes except the last, where you can use a tie. For correct playback use the sustain pedal (controller 64). A single slur would not indicate that the rolled notes are to be held down. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Chuck Israels Sent: Monday, September 03, 2007 5:15 PM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: [Finale] Piano notation question Showing a little ignorance here and looking for advice. I'd like to notate a rolled chord with the rhythms of the roll specified - happens to be a 16th note triplet before the barline landing on the 4th note of the chord on the db with all notes held. Ties to the held notes don't work (except for the last triplet note). I could use slurs as ties, but maybe a slur over the whole figure ending on the db is sufficient to indicate the sustained notes. But this looks a little funny, because the chord shows up with all the notes on the db, and that makes it look like they are re-struck there which, of course, they are not. It seems ridiculously picky to notate the value of each note using voices, or layers, and I may be being overly picky even with this notation. How is this done in piano music. Sorry for my ignorance of this notation convention. All grace notes and no rhythm? What to do to make it work without being overly picky. Thanks, Chuck Chuck Israels 230 North Garden Terrace Bellingham, WA 98225-5836 phone (360) 671-3402 fax (360) 676-6055 www.chuckisraels.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Staff order?
For a chamber piece for piano, cello, and percussion, what staff order would everyone recommend? I'm thinking (top to bottom): perc - vc - pno? Cheers, - Darcy I agree. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
[Finale] Checking
I haven't gotten any messages from the Finale list today. Is it down or just quiet? Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Percussion
Jim - Thanks for the perc. info. I'm getting into the Staff Styles section as soon as I'm done here. RE: the cadenza. I'm sorry to say that as I looked it over, I decided it needed a revision. It now has 64mm., too long for the one measure, giant meter signature solution, I'm afraid. I'm thinking of putting the cadenza after the last movement, as a reference for the soloist, on the last page. And a similar fix for the score. My Beethoven piano concerto scores are laid out this way. Any better ideas would be greatly appreciated. I appreciate your help and advice. BC I would strongly suggest that you not put the cadenza after the end of the piece, which is much less convenient for both conductor and soloist. That is an archaic practice which stems from the days when cadenzas were supplied by the soloist, not the composer, and were not published as part of the piece proper. That started to change with Beethoven (he did publish separate cadenzas for his piano concerti, but by the Emperor the cadenzas were integrated into the piece), and by the middle of the 19th century composers usually wrote their own cadenzas as part of the concerto (with the notable exception of the Brahms violin concerto, probably others that don't occur to me at the moment). As far as using Finale to create a cadenza that looks like one measure rest in the parts, that is very doable, and someone else has given you guidance on that. Another possibility is what I have done with cadenzas: write them out as real measures, which appear in the parts as a single multimeasure rest with Cadenza written over it (and the last bit of the cadenza written as a cue for those parts that enter right after it). Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] methods of entering and positioning expressions
On Apr 29, 2007, at 3:54 AM, Johannes Gebauer wrote: JFYI: I sometimes enter music with around 100 expressions per page. That explains a lot. Others do, too? mdl Ditto. Not hard to do when you're working with a large orchestral score. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Preferred Keys for Viola Trombone
I'm arranging some jazz pieces for a quintet which includes viola and tenor trombone. What are the keys that players of those instruments tend to enjoy playing in the most? Trombonists don't really care, as there are no real technical difficulties from one key to the next (unless you are low) though most of them like band keys like C to Ab, but this is just what shows up a lot. Violists, on the other hand, tend to play better in sharper keys, as lots of flats put them in half positions, say from C to E or so. On string instruments, it's not really a question of half position, but of how many open strings are in the key. The availability of open strings has two main advantages: 1) flexibility of fingering can make rapid passages easier to play; and 2) the sympathetic resonance of open strings makes it easier to play in tune. Even E major is not that friendly a key for viola and cello, as the lower 3 strings are all sharped (better on violin, which has 2 open strings in E). In this sense, the best keys for viola are C, G, F, D, Bb, Eb (for violin: C, G, F, D, Bb, A). But really, for a decent player all this doesn't matter much until you get to at least 5 sharps or flats. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] mass mover - partial measure
TGTools lets you assign a hot key to any Finale menu item (at least the Windows version does). I've been using hotkeys for partial measures and a couple of dozen other Finale commands for years, and it's a real productivity boost. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com Really? Well, if you use it correctly, it works great. I wish there was a way to have a keyboard toggle or hot key to tell Finale select partial or full..other than that, it is a great feature. Bob Florence wrote: Well I did it. I dragged a section of music with partial measure left on. Everything is off one beat. This is from 278 - 299. Is there a quick fix. I WILL NEVER USE PARTIAL MEASURE AGAIN Bob Florence MacFin 2007c ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] key signatures and time signatures at movement breaks
Aaron Rabushka wrote: The project that I am currently preparing has three movements, and for the first time I'm putting all the movements of a multi-movement work in a single Finale file. As things stand now my first movement ends with a final double bar, then shows the key and time signatures for the second movement at the end of the system. How can I get rid of them? You really need to do some serious manual reading and tutorial following. To get rid of the cautionary key and time signatures ... [snip] This question was also answered in a detailed response I gave last week to the original poster's earlier question about issues in multi-movement works. Makes me wonder why I bothered wasting my time trying to help. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Delayed playback
I am wondering if this very annoying thing happens to anyone else: namely that after pressing play, the playback bar starts moving as per expected but the MIDI doesn't actually come out until 5 seconds or so later. There will be a sudden rush of notes and then it's all OK. Every time I press play this happens. I am not using Garritan etc., and am using human playback. When human playback is turned off, everything's as it should be. (Finale 2007) Even better would be if someone has a solution (other than turning HP off)... it's extremely frustrating. Matthew A similar thing happens to me under certain circumstances. I'm on FinWin2k4 and don't use HP, but I do use an external MIDI device. The effect you describe happens when I start playback far enough into a large score. What's happening is that when you start playback in the middle of a piece, all the MIDI data for patch changes and controller changes from the beginning of the piece have to be sent to the output device before the notes and other MIDI data for the starting playback position. All this preliminary MIDI data is sent by Finale to the MIDI output device at maximum speed, and depending on how much data there is, the output device may not have enough time to process these MIDI messages before the note ons start coming. When the MIDI output device finally catches up with the current playback data, a number of note on messages may be stacked up waiting in its queue, which results in a sudden vomitous hail of simultaneous notes before normal playback resumes. As I said, for me this happens only when I start playback after some point in a large score, never near the beginning. I have several suggestions, which may or may not help. 1) Start playback a measure or two before the spot you're interested in hearing. 2) After initiating playback, click somewhere on the Finale window frame (i.e., outside the music area). This works on some of my files and not on others, and I have no idea why. But I can tell from the blinking light on my external MIDI device that the rate that Finale feeds it MIDI data slows down after I click on the frame (or also completely outside the window, but then Finale loses focus). 3) In Playback Options, change Dynamics and Markings from Chase from First Measure to Use Current Settings. This may have undesirable side effects, depending on how you use playback. It may cause patch changes, volume, and other MIDI controller settings to be missed, but I never get the stacked-up notes syndrome this way (and playback start instantly, which is nice in a long score). Another anomaly I'll mention, which may be particular to my setup, is that when I start playback in the middle of a piece using the playback controls, it ignores all program changes and sets each channel to the default patch, even if I have Chase from First Measure set in Playback Options. When I use the hold-space-bar-and-shift-click-measure method for playback, that never happens (i.e., the proper program changes is applied to every channel). This has been the case for me with every version of Finale I've used for the past 6 years. I don't know if this helps, or if your problem may have a different cause from mine. As with many features of Finale, I've learned to work around it. But at least now you know you're not alone. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] multi-movement works
For the first time since starting to use Finale I need to use it to create a score and parts for a multi-movement work. Are there any special ways to do this? Would it work to just put a final bar in the middle of a score and continue from there? Also, how can you re-number the measures at the beginning of each movement? Aaron J. Rabushka [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://users.waymark.net/arabushk Sure, just put a final barline on the last measure in each movement and continue from there. You can start the measure numbering from one for each movement by creating multiple measure number regions (in the Measure tool, see Measure Numbers-Edit Regions). You'll want to change the measure attributes for the first measure in a new movement so Begin a New Staff System is checked. In the last measure of the previous movement, you may have to check Hide Cautionary Clefs, Key and Time Signatures in its measure attributes. Finally, it is traditional to indent the first system in each movement, and also to use full staff names on the first system. The latter can be easily done by creating staff styles in which you've redefined the abbreviated staff name for each appropriate staff and applying to the first measure of each movement (group names can be changed on individual systems after optimization). It's a little bit of work, but not as bad as it sounds, especially once you've got the staff styles set up that you need. The result is usually far superior to placing movements in separate files, especially when it comes to extracting parts. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] MP3--listen only?
Is this a Windows thing? On Macs, if your web browser is set to use QuickTime, playback of an MP3 file automatically begins as soon as QuickTime thinks it can complete the file without interruption. In other words, *every* MP3 you click on in a web browser is streaming (by default). If you want to download the file, you have to use a contextual menu (i.e., Save to disk.) Cheers, - Darcy As I mentioned on an earlier post, this is not true streaming, but pseudo-streaming, and is not specific to Windows or Mac. This depends completely on the media player used, and QuickTime, Windows Media Player, and most others can pseudo-stream mp3s (as well as Real, QuickTime, Flash, etc.). However, this method does indeed download a file, which ultimately will exist intact somewhere on the user's hard drive. In true streaming, there is no file download, just the reassembly of data packets on the user's end; this is the only way that live broadcasts can be streamed, for example. Another distinguishing characteristic of true streaming is the ability to stream to many users simultaneously, and advanced systems such as RealAudio can dynamically adjust the bandwidth (bit rate) depending on the changing quality of the connection. True streaming methods also offer higher security, though not perfect, as others have pointed out. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] MP3--listen only?
But if it is set up for streaming, all you'll end up downloading is the file that points to the source file (this is another way to circumvent streaming, BTW). but the file is on your HD if you know how to find it. i recently found out because some people had sent me mp3 links to their website for a project instead of uploading files as i requested, and after playing them completely in the browser, a friend helped me find them in the cache. rename them with the proper extension and they will function as proper mp3 files. a couple of them were corrupted though i don't know what the cause was. i couldn't DL (save as) from the browser, but QT told me taht pro could do it. what about m3u files? i don't know about them, but i think they are true streaming, with no trace on your HD and no DL-able files... i think. i could be wrong. it seems that some link file is all that is DL'ed. many online radio stations use this. -- shirling neueweise ... new music publishers There is some misleading information about streaming being put forth on this thread. Allow me to clarify. Your point about finding the mp3 file in your cache is exactly correct; this is a pseudo-streamed file (starts playing before completely downloaded). An m3u file is just a playlist file format (plain text). It allows mp3 files to pseudo-stream in browsers which would otherwise insist on downloading the whole mp3 first (such as Firefox). The mp3 file will be on your HD somewhere. Playlist files such as m3u and others can also point to true streaming in Real, QuickTime, and even mp3 format, given that the server is properly set up to do true streaming. Just keep in mind that all formats which can do true streaming can also be pseudo-streamed, depending on the server. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] MP3--listen only?
BTW, I was surprised at how big the MP3 files were for the movements of a piano trio--6 MB each, on the average. I thought the big advantage of MP3 was its compactness. Andrew Stiller It depends on the data rate the files were encoded at. There's a tradeoff between sound quality and file size (i.e., data rate). The difference between a 64 Kbps mp3 and the original uncompressed file is usually easy to hear, while a 256 Kbps mp3 is likely to be indistinguishable from the original; but the latter file will be 4 times the size of the former. There is also variable bit rate mp3 encoding, which will usually produce a smaller file size for the same quality compared to a constant bit rate mp3. Which is to say, there are many flavors of mp3 and a range of possible file sizes. Maybe your 6 MB files were made with very little compression (if you're comparing them to the typical sizes of RealAudio files, note that Real uses a fairly efficient compression scheme). Personally, I find 128 Kbps mp3's to be quite adequate quality for web purposes, and have used as low as 40 Kbps mp3's to reduce download times for dial-up users (at a 16 KHz sample rate, these are pretty low quality, not much better than listening over a phone line). As with anything else, if you want to work even semi-seriously with audio, you need decent tools -- reading and writing different file formats, encoders with bit rate options, some kind of minimal editing, etc. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] MP3--listen only?
I'm sure there must be a way to post an MP3 file to the web such that those accessing it can only listen to it as streaming audio and not be able to download it. How do I do that? Andrew Stiller Kallisti Music Press http://home.netcom.com/~kallisti/ The only way is for your web host to use a streaming mp3 server, which would cost you significant extra $$. (The apparent streaming of mp3 files available from any old web server, know as pseudo-streaming or HTTP-streaming, allows the user to listen while the file continues to download, but in the end the entire mp3 file is present on the user's machine, unlike true streaming.) Other streaming formats like Real, QuickTime, etc. also rely on special software on the server end and generally cost a premium (note: these can pseudo-stream as well, with the same file download mechanism as mp3's). Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Wedges: what are they and why are they evil?
Kim Patrick Clow écrit: Please forgive me, I don't have the Ted Ross book to refer to, but what are wedges in a Finale file, and why are they evil? Thanks. Are there any graphic images of these online? Wedges are produced when beams intersect with staff lines. Dennis Particularly when the beam is angled slightly off the horizontal, such that the intersection of either end of the beam with a staff line produces a small wedge of white space. In the bad old days, this wedge would tend to get filled in with ink during the printing process, hence wedges needed to be avoided. This engraving practice has been carried over to modern times for reasons of clarity and attractiveness of notation. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] updating groups brackets
I erased the start of this thread, but I did want to point out that you can put new settings for your brackets and groups and then use TGTools to update the brackets to the new setting. (You don't have to change them one at a time after optimizing.) Look in TGTools (full version), Layout: Update Groups... -Randolph Peters Damn! I wish I was aware of this two weeks ago when I updated all brackets and groups one at a time in a large optimized score. That would have saved me about an hour. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] rest with dot
I write in a 12/8 time signature and i want to write this resthttp://www.svp-amd.cnet.ro/ResurseWeb/begin.jpg but after go to the next measure the rest is thishttp://www.svp-amd.cnet.ro/ResurseWeb/after.jpg Please give me a help. Fin2007, WinXP -- Dragos Try dotting the last quarter note rest before leaving the measure. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: Large-format laser
On Nov 28, 2006, at 9:33 AM, Fiskum, Steve wrote: I've had my 5000s since they first came out and have never had to make a call for service, very reliable. They are worth the money IMO. I have never purchased the duplex tray so I have no experience with dulpexing. The duplexer is no longer made or supported, so you'd have to buy a refurbished one from ebay or somewhere. The duplexer has always been the Achilles heel of this model, since in my (repeated) experience it only stays in full operating order for about a year--then it starts jamming on large, heavy paper, then on thinner large paper, then on legal size. You can coax it along for maybe 3-4 years on letter-size paper alone, which is the state my latest duplexer (the 3d) is in right now. Otherwise, absolutely: a great printer. Andrew Stiller The Laserjet 5200 came out a few months ago, which is apparently another notch faster than the 5100. I'm still on a 5000 (5+ years), only maintenance being a new set of rollers last year. I had a refurb duplexer for a short time but it was a real POS, so I went back to manual duplexing. With 3rd party software to handle the details of booklet making (Fineprint on the PC), it's not a big deal. The 5200 has a new duplexer available, no idea if it's any better than the ones for the 5000 and 5100. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: Large-format laser
If anyone has any info about whether there is in fact a new-and- improved, more robust duplexer for the LaserJet 5200, I'd be very much obliged. The ability to duplex 100# offset (i.e. 40 lb. bond) paper is a very big priority for me. It sounds like I may be better off simply buying a new duplex unit for my Ricoh 2610, since my current duplex unit used to be able to handle up to 67 lb. bond paper with no problem. It sounds like the 5100's duplex unit has a similarly life cycle. Cheers, - Darcy I'd be very surprised if the duplexer for the 5200 involved any substantial engineering changes from the 5100 duplexer. In any case, it's rated for a max paper weight of 120 g/sq.m., which is equivalent to 32 lb. bond or 80 lb. offset, so I suspect the 100 lb. offset paper (148 g/sq.m.) might be problematic. I assume when you wrote 67 lb. bond above, you meant 67 lb. index, which is equivalent to 32 lb. bond (120 g/sq.m). FWIW, I've been using 28 lb. bond (105 g/sq.m.) for a number of years and find it very satisfactory -- no show-through, suitable heft, readily available, and easy for printers to handle. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] TAN: Large-format laser
I'd be very surprised if the duplexer for the 5200 involved any substantial engineering changes from the 5100 duplexer. In any case, it's rated for a max paper weight of 120 g/sq.m., which is equivalent to 32 lb. bond or 80 lb. offset, so I suspect the 100 lb. offset paper (148 g/sq.m.) might be problematic. Thanks for the info. I forget what the Ricoh duplexer is rated for -- something similar, IIRC. I assume when you wrote 67 lb. bond above, you meant 67 lb. index, which is equivalent to 32 lb. bond (120 g/sq.m). No -- although you're right that I didn't mean 67 lb. bond. I'm talking about letter-size Hammermill Cover Stock, which is advertised as 67 lb., but checking the packaging, I see it's 148 g/m2. This is close to 40 lb. bond and just a bit thicker than the 9x12 100# offset paper I use for parts. Ah, that must be 67 lb. Bristol (67 lb. Cover would be much heavier). Ain't non-metric paper weights wonderful? FWIW, I've been using 28 lb. bond (105 g/sq.m.) for a number of years and find it very satisfactory -- no show-through, suitable heft, readily available, and easy for printers to handle. I used to use something close to that (80# offset) for parts, but my parts get used a lot and go through a *lot* of wear and tear, so I decided I wanted something more durable. Also, the 100# paper stands up better on a wire stand. A lot of NYC copyists use 100# paper -- but most still do single-side accordion-fold, so they have no need duplex that size. That is one heavy paper. -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] page turns - a puzzlement
I tend to start my music on page 1, and only use a cover page if I can't get a page turn in until page 2. But you can certainly do whatever is best for you and your music. Christopher I do it the same as you. I thought that as a booklet you would have 2 pages open would you need a cover page on the back of page 1? BF Page 1 is always a right-hand page. If you have a cover page, that is page 1, and the first page of music is page 2. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Transpositions
On a completely different note: does anyone of you know of a good source for writing quartets? I am writing a piece for cello solo right now (my first one ever) and I find that unbelievably difficult. I cannot imagine writing for quartet. The big problem is that I do know the instruments well enough - I am playing the piano and I used to play the trombone a bit but I have no relationship with strings and so what I am writing lack finesse. The only text on orchestration I have is Piston, which I think is a good work, but for me his explanation on the string section is much too short. Thank you and best, Will The best way to learn to write idiomatically for string quartet is to study to the point of intimate familiarity the string quartets of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel, Schoenberg, Bartok, Shostakovich, etc. Next to actually performing them yourself, of course. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Transpositions
Offhand, I'm pretty sure that Shostakovich and Bartok didn't play any string instruments. Or Schumann, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel, Prokofiev, or others who wrote very effective chamber music for strings (though Prokofiev is more effective than idiomatic, as his string writing at times contains awkward five-finger passages that work much better on piano than strings; but his music is worth the extra effort). Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] artificial or natural harmonic notation?
I was puzzling over a notational problem I had regarding artificial and natural harmonics notation on a stringed instrument. I have a section in a piece I'm writing where the violin soloist plays a series of artificial harmonics (P4 above). When the passage comes to an open string, I've usually thought of those notes as being natural harmonics. The thing is that the traditional notation for natural harmonics looks odd and jumps out at you. Should I carry on with the artificial harmonics notation (a note and a diamond a P4th above) or should I mix the two kinds of harmonics notation? [Let's assume the player is using an open string and not a fingered version of the same note.] I appeal to the wisdom of the list. -Randolph Peters I'm not sure what you mean by traditional notation for natural harmonics. Let's say we're talking about, for example, the natural harmonic at A a fourth above the open E, sounding two octaves above the open E. That could be notated three ways: 1) at the sounding pitch with a small circle above it (the traditional natural harmonic notation, though it is not unambiguous and might likely be played up high on the E string); 2) with an open diamond notehead at the A where the finger lightly touches the string; or 3) a diamond on the A plus a note of the proper rhythmic duration on the E (the standard for artificial harmonics). I would definitely use the last mentioned method, as it leaves the least room for doubt as to what you want. The second method cannot distinguish between, say, quarter and half notes, and the first method is too ambiguous and will look awkward among a series of artificial harmonics. Granted, using the recommended method could result in the note being played as an artificial harmonic on the A string (or even D), but if it's that important, you can always add a sul E or just I (Roman numeral one). Besides, in some contexts it may be advantageous to playing it as an artificial harmonic, as this would allow vibrato (impossible on a natural harmonic). Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] artificial or natural harmonic notation?
At 12:49 AM -0700 9/11/06, Lee Actor wrote: Besides, in some contexts it may be advantageous to playing it as an artificial harmonic, as this would allow vibrato (impossible on a natural harmonic). Not entirely true. It's a different kind of vibrato with limited amplitude, but quite easy to produce and sounds like ... well ... vibrato. John You're right for octave harmonics, which have some leeway. But at the 4th above the open string, you basically lose the harmonic with even a slight deviation from pitch, at least on violin. Maybe on cello? -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] WinFin 2007 PDF
Lee Actor écrit: http://www.leeactor.com/pdf/PrelTrag_2.pdf. Depending on the viewing magnification, some bar lines and ledger lines may be too thick, but it is legible, if not ideal. I agree that the staff lines don't look bad, but the slurs and ties, with all due respect, look like heck: they are entirely made up of straight lines, with no curves. This shouldn't happen at any resolution. Dennis I agree. In addition, close examination of the printed output of the pdf, while far better than the screen display, shows subtle aliasing distortion (stair-stepping) on curved objects such as braces, slurs, etc. When printing directly from Finale to a 1200 dpi Postscript printer, these curves are completely smooth. So the question remains: how to produce a high quality pdf from Finale in Windows? By high quality, I mean printed output that is indistinguishable from that printed directly from Finale to a PS printer. BTW, I also tried pdf995; compared to pdfFactory, the screen output was a little worse and the printed output a little better, but still not as good as direct printed output. -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] WinFin 2007 PDF
Kim Patrick Clow wrote: dhbailey [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Which PDF creator did you use? Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Here is a link to a PDF that I created from Fin2007, printing directly to 995PDF printer driver: http://www.davidbaileymusicstudio.com/pdf/march%20lucille%20score% 20sample.pdf It looks fine to me, but perhaps you are picking out flaws I don't see? -- David H. Bailey [EMAIL PROTECTED] I've found that I get much results for screen display if I produce pdfs at 300 dpi (for printing I create 1200 dpi pdfs). I don't know why this is so, but it makes me wonder at what resolution your sample pdf was created. I'm still on WinFin2004. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] WinFin 2007 PDF
Lee Actor écrit: I've found that I get much results for screen display if I produce pdfs at 300 dpi (for printing I create 1200 dpi pdfs). I don't know why this is so, but it makes me wonder at what resolution your sample pdf was created. I'm still on WinFin2004. I also use WinFin2004, and see no difference at all in screen display when I change the resolution. (As far as I know, this resolution only affects bitmaps, and not anything vectorial.) I'd be interested in seeing your results if you could post a sample somewhere. Thanks, Dennis I just did an experiment and found that there indeed doesn't appear to be any difference between 300 dpi pdfs and 1200 dpi pdfs when displayed on screen. I can assure you that when I did the same experiment a year and a half ago, the 1200 dpi pdfs were absolutely unviewable on screen, as staff lines were various different thicknesses. Going to 300 dpi still produced certain visual anomalies, but at least the staff lines were all one pixel thick. Here's an example of a 300 dpi pdf: http://www.leeactor.com/pdf/PrelTrag_2.pdf. Depending on the viewing magnification, some bar lines and ledger lines may be too thick, but it is legible, if not ideal. The only explanation I can offer is that perhaps this has something to do with a version update of my pdf software. I use pdfFactory Pro (Windows only), which installs as a printer driver. Or maybe it has something to do with the display side; I use the latest update of Acrobat Reader 7.0, which has been updated several times in the last 1-2 years. Hard to know. -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] WinFin 2007 PDF
On 27.08.2006 Lee Actor wrote: I've found that I get much results for screen display if I produce pdfs at 300 dpi (for printing I create 1200 dpi pdfs). I don't know why this is so, but it makes me wonder at what resolution your sample pdf was created. I'm still on WinFin2004. PDFs, if done correctly, should be vector graphics, and as such do not have any dpi setting. It is possible to create bitmap PDFs, however, this is definitely not a recommended way of doing them. Johannes True, but the standard Finale print DB has a Print Quality setting to select the dpi, which is what I was referring to. This would only pertain to pdf software that operates as a printer driver. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Meter Changes
Another novice question. I'm working with a score that changes meter every now and then. I need to notate "parens, quarter note=quarter note, or dotted half = whole note, parens." The manual, as usual, guards these secrets. Any help is greatly appreciated. I wouldcreate a text _expression_using Times New Roman 14 for the parens (and any preceding text) and EngraverTextT 12 for the notes, dots, equal sign, and any numerals. Note that EngraverTextT maps the notes to w, h, q, e, and x, and the numerals and other symbols as expected, so you can type what you want right into Finale's text _expression_ editor. Lee ActorComposer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonichttp://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Finale 2007 review
it sounds like the only advantage of linked parts is that they're all in one big file. This is a much bigger advantage than you credit it for. Working from one file allows you to a) switch instantly between part views (much faster than opening/saving/closing separate files). b) work in score view to update several parts at once. For example, if you are changing a 'B' to a 'C', if you have several parts playing the same thing, you can copy/paste much more quickly because it is all within one file. c) make global changes once. This is anything from changing the title of the piece to inserting or deleting measures. You may think of it as only a small advantage, but I see it as a huge advantage over what we have now. MM would like you to believe that you can keep you score and parts in one file, and they have made great strides in that direction. For many projects it probably is possible. All I'm saying is that even those projects for which it is not possible can still benefit from the linked parts features. Most of mine probably fall in the latter category. I certainly didn't intend to evaluate a feature about which, after all, I have no hands-on experience; I'm really just looking for information from those who do. Your comments are enlightening and helpful to those of us trying to decide whether to upgrade. As I currently add lots of cues to parts, and depend heavily on TGTools Smart Explosion, it seems I would definitely want to create a parts score in Fin2007. Is there any loss of functionality compared to the old way of extracting parts? -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] printers
The HP LJ 5si is a great printer if you're willing to live with 600 dpi resolution. Personally, I find that falls just short for printing music; e.g., angled beams and cresc./decres. signs show slight stairstepping at 600 dpi. I would consider 1200 dpi the minimum acceptable res for printing music; as others have suggested, check out the HP LJ 5000/5100 series. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com Bruce, My feeling is that laser print is vastly preferable over inkjets for scores and parts. That DesignJet looks like a real ink-sucker as well. ;-( I own a used HP LaserJet 5si that cost me $375 and the dealer threw in an extra toner cartridge because he wasn't sure how full the one in the printer was. 15,000 pages later, the original cartridge is still in the printer. My 5si has a duplexer and will handle tabloid paper (11x17) with ease, and is not bothered by thickness. This printer is a workhorse--parts are standardized readily available should anything go amiss. They are readily available on eBay or through used printer dealers at +/-$400. Just make sure it has a duplexer. Jim From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Bruce E. Clausen Sent: Tue 04-Jul-06 13:45 To: Finale List Subject: [Finale] printers Who out there has his/her own printer for scores and parts. We're looking at an HP Designjet 70, which will handle both size and weight. Any thoughts? Bruce ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Pizzicato (Finale 2002)
Define pizz. and arco expressions with playback parameters that execute a program change to the appropriate patch. For my MIDI setup I have one of each expression defined for each string section; if you're using the GM string patch you would only need two expressions total. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 8:03 AM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: [Finale] Pizzicato (Finale 2002) I wonder how others deal with pizzicato. I would have thought it would be a staff style, but cannot find suitable options to change the instrument. The only other method I can think of is to set up a separate stave for pizzicato and optimise systems. However, this is not a very good method if there are rapid changes between arco and pizzicato, and it would not be acceptable to have two staves within a single system. Does anyone have any other methods or do I have to use my imagination? Regards, Michael Lawlor ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Pizzicato (Finale 2002)
I use invisible expressions for tremolo and spiccato, but I don't know what your first sentence below means. Surely the player needs written indications for arco/pizz. Care to elaborate? -Lee The question of fast alternation requires a different solution, because pizz. arco. simile can't be done directly. For any situations where presenting lots of information is poor printed form, I use invisible expressions. Since later versions of Finale now include a descriptive text, I can define an invisible pizz. and arco patch change and apply them quickly as metatools. Dennis At 08:17 AM 6/23/06 -0700, Lee Actor wrote: Define pizz. and arco expressions with playback parameters that execute a program change to the appropriate patch. For my MIDI setup I have one of each expression defined for each string section; if you're using the GM string patch you would only need two expressions total. Lee Actor -Original Message- I wonder how others deal with pizzicato. I would have thought it would be a staff style, but cannot find suitable options to change the instrument. The only other method I can think of is to set up a separate stave for pizzicato and optimise systems. However, this is not a very good method if there are rapid changes between arco and pizzicato, and it would not be acceptable to have two staves within a single system. Does anyone have any other methods or do I have to use my imagination? Regards, Michael Lawlor -- Please participate in my latest project: http://maltedmedia.com/waam/ ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Pizzicato (Finale 2002)
But not with non-GM external MIDI devices, which is how I'm set up. -Lee AFAIK, it works with any GM-compatible soundfont. - Darcy - [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://secretsociety.typepad.com Brooklyn, NY On 23 Jun 2006, at 12:25 PM, Dennis Bathory-Kitsz wrote: At 09:13 AM 6/23/06 -0700, Lee Actor wrote: I assume this only works if you're using GPO for playback? I believe it also works with regular human playback if you use the Finale built-in soundfont. It doesn't work if you're exporting the Midi to a separate program that uses different sets of customized patches that you want the program change to address. Dennis ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Re: trombone clefs
Are you sure about Tchaik? All the scores I have at hand (Sym. 4,5,6, Romeo and Juliet, Capriccio Italien) have 1st and 2nd trombones in tenor clef, 3rd in bass clef. Of course, the parts could be different. Odd bit of info about Shostakovich, if true (I can verify his scores are as you say). They had access to most scores, even contemporary Western ones. Strange. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com I don't know of much RECENT music written for alto-tenor-bass orchestra sections, though that was overwhelmingly the case from Haydn up to Tchakovsky or so. Tchaik, for example, is almost always played on tenor trombone because of the range, though it is written mostly in alto clef. I think we agreed that what was in the score does not represent what the players see (one of the few exceptions to the score matches parts in all ways rule.) Through the 19th century, alto-tenor-bass instruments AND clefs on the parts were the norm, and should be reproduced that way in authentic editions. A curious effect happened for first part of the 20th century in Russian music. Shostakovich and his contemporaries were told by some teacher that tenor trombone parts were always written in alto clef and this misinformation was propagated from mentor to student, so for fifty years or so it was alto clef for first AND second trombone parts, and bass clef for third trombone. No tenor clef. Since this was obviously an error, I don't think it would be wrong to use tenor or bass clef for new editions of these composers' works. Christopher ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] orchestra parts
Orchestra parts, printed 2-up as booklets on folded double sheets. Q: should the booklet be center-stapled, or left as loose sheets? Andrew Stiller Kallisti Music Press http://home.netcom.com/~kallisti/ I much prefer center-stapled. The only upside for loose sheets is a little less work for you, at the cost of a less convenient and somewhat less stable part for the performer. BTW, I find that going through and creasing each individual page along the fold helps a lot to keep the part relatively flat. Now if I can just find a long-throw stapler that produces staples with flat legs instead of curved... Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] orchestra parts
Is this a straight long-throw, or a saddle stapler? -Lee Office depot carries the Swingline - long reach- stapler which is ideal for this, i used it and are very happy with it. hope this helps. gr Johannes Gebauer wrote: On 21.06.2006 Lee Actor wrote: Now if I can just find a long-throw stapler that produces staples with flat legs instead of curved... If you ever find one, let me know where, I need one desperately... Johannes ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Kiss Me, Kate books
Oboist Claire Tindall, in her kiss-and-tell memoir _Mozart in the Jungle_, describes how she memorized her part for _Les Misérables_, and thereafter read books hidden behind her part during performances. Andrew Stiller That's Blair Tindall. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] The Finale little improvements thread
On 05 May 2006, at 9:11 PM, Carl Dershem wrote: In playback, being able to select a subset of parts for playback (the sax section, the violins, the [fill-in-the-blank] section. Again, already possible (and very easy) with mute/solo, mute/unmute all, etc. While possible, it isn't always that easy, depending on the size of the score. I would think it would be easier to include staff lists in the playback dialogue, so it would be quick and easy, once the staff lists are defined, to simply select which staff lists to have play back. That way, in setting up the score we could define our staff groups (flutes, clarinets, saxes, trumpets, horns, trombones, violins, strings, whatever) and then simply be shown a check list. Currently, while it is certainly possible, we have to mute/solo upwards of 20, 30 tracks at times. And since they may well not be contiguous, scrolling around the list isn't all that quick or easy. I think easy in this case is more in the nature of the scores one works on most of the time. Quartets, quintets would be easy. Operatic scores with full romantic-orchestra instrumentation is a whole lot harder to do. -- David H. Bailey This feature has been available for quite some time with one of Jari's free plug-ins, JW Playback, still available at http://www.jwmusic.nu/freeplugins/index.html. I use it a great deal when I'm composing (mostly big orchestra stuff) and can't imagine doing without it. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] The Finale little improvements thread
This feature has been available for quite some time with one of Jari's free plug-ins, JW Playback, still available at http://www.jwmusic.nu/freeplugins/index.html. I use it a great deal when I'm composing (mostly big orchestra stuff) and can't imagine doing without it. I just downloaded that, copied it to my Finale2006 plug-ins folder, and every time I try to run it, when I click PLAY it forces Finale to shut-down with an error message. I have PDKTools 2.15 installed. Are you using it on Finale2006? What am I doing wrong? I'm using PDKTools 2.15, but on Finale 2004. I notice the download page claims compatibility with Finale 2000-2005; maybe Jari didn't update it for 2006? If that is the case, it would be a huge disincentive for me to do the next Finale upgrade, which I was planning to. Anyone using JW Playback with Finale 2006? -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Very OT: what is this
You beat me! But I believe the correct title is the Albinoni Adagio for Violin, Strings, and Organ in G minor (and not by Albinoni, but apparently by Giazotto). -Lee -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Ronald M. Krentzman Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 4:38 PM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: RE: [Finale] Very OT: what is this Albinoni Concerto for Strings and Organ (which of course is not by Albinoni!) Ronald M. Krentzman -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David Froom Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 7:22 PM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: [Finale] Very OT: what is this Hello, I feel like a dope for asking this, but someone asked me to identify a very familiar tune, and I can't bring it to mind. Here it is, in email notation, in a minor (but it might be in a different key): E D C B A | A G# |(up to)FE D C B 1/2 (eighths) 1/2 1/2 1/2(eighths) B A | A up an octave G A FGE | 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/8's (triplets) F |G F G EFD | E whole 1/2 1/8's (triplets) whole (etc.) Hope someone can help. It is similar but isn't the Marcello d minor oboe concerto slow movement. Could it be a movement from a different Baroque oboe concerto? Thanks, David Froom ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Booklet Printing
Isn't there a creep setting in Finale? I don't have it with me at the moment, but I know that other programs that can produce booklets or signatures have creep settings. Dennis I wish. At least as of Finale 2004a, there isn't. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Booklet Printing
How do you work around this problem, do you change the margins in the documents? Isn't there a creep setting in Finale? I don't have it with me at the moment, but I know that other programs that can produce booklets or signatures have creep settings. One of the Patterson Plug-ins has creep settings. ns Which one? -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Sola Tutte
I tried all-English a few years ago, but I've reverted to a hybrid that includes the common Italian terms. For example, I use mute on and mute off as advance warnings, but con sord. and senza sord. at the points where actual playing begins. Not standard, but makes sense to me. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Robert Patterson Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 11:18 AM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: Re: [Finale] Sola Tutte I was dinged with this when I was in graduate school by a prefessor who was a stickler for correct Italian. I resisted his advice. Personally, I think you should have recourse to an English language dictionary that you trust. If the word is in there, you certainly may use it without Italian inflections. Viola, solo, and tutti all appear in my English language dictionary. I haven't checked sordino. I've been told that in Italian, con sordini means with mute little old men. Apparently con sordine is the correct form of with mutes. There are two ways to avoid the problem. 1) Always use con sord. or 2) (my preference) use muted and without mutes. These days, I only use English descriptors, but I include in that any Italian-derived word that is commonly included in English language dictionaries. ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Sola Tutte?
Solo/soli/tutti is standard. Actually, I can't recall ever seeing sola or tutte on a viola part. But then, my memory ain't what it used to be. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Darcy James Argue Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 3:08 PM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: [Finale] Sola Tutte? Hello all, Is it still standard to write sola and tutte for feminine instruments, like the viola? Or has regularization taken over (as in cellos, concertos, etc). - Darcy - [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://secretsociety.typepad.com Brooklyn, NY ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Re: reduction size (was Pesky Page Turns)
In the past I used to use 100% page scale of Finale's default 85% system scaling for parts, but recently I've been using 90% page scale, which even to this aging string player's eyes is quite easy to read. I use a music spacing scaling factor of 1.4 for parts (1.6179 for scores). My parts are 8.5x11 (folded/stapled booklets on 11x17), but I cheat on the margins and push things to within 3/8 inch from the page edge (sorry, MOLA). I keep meaning to get a supply of 12x18 paper one of these days for parts, but inertia reigns. I think a lot of the readability factor has to do with making a clean layout, and keeping elements that don't belong together away from one another. I spend a great deal of time on parts, as much as 3-4 hours or more each for a lengthy piece of say, 10-15 pages. It is very time consuming to do a good job of adding useful cues, making decent page turns, carefully tweaking the layout for maximum readability, and doing multiple rounds of meticulous proofreading. But the musicians always love playing from my parts -- no errors, easy to read, good cues -- probably moreso compared to some of the garbage orchestral parts they are sometimes forced to play from (I'm also an orchestral librarian). The main goal, as always, is to remove from the parts every possible obstacle to a good reading, and avoid wasting precious rehearsal time. For large size conductor's orchestral scores, I've settled on 11x14 as a useful standard. I avoid 11x17 unless absolutely necessary (unusually large number of staves), because it doesn't fit in standard size briefcases, and tends to be a little too floppy. Smaller than 11x14 might be ok for scores with say, 12 or fewer staves, but otherwise would be too small to read comfortably at conducting distance. Note: I used to print scores on 11x17 and take them in to be trimmed to 11x14 as needed, until it struck me that it was a lot more convenient (and cheaper) to have an entire ream of 11x17 cut to 11x14 at once. Now I hardly ever have to go to Kinko's (that's a good thing). Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Chuck Israels I've been thinking about this lately. I've been using a 95% staff size reduction on large (9.5 x 12.5) parts paper, and it's more than readable at a considerable distance. Sometimes I think it's even slightly too large for nice proportions. Orchestral parts I've seen are often smaller - something around 88-90% (and often far more crowded), if I am estimating correctly. I can understand publishers of orchestral parts wanting to conserve paper, and familiarity with the music can make layout issues less critical. For new music, it seems to me that saving paper and paying for that in increased rehearsal time may be penny wise and pound foolish, so I strive for a balance in the look of my music - one that puts things close enough together that the eye can scan ahead efficiently but still clearly delineates formal landmarks. Every part layout requires a little time to be spent on this. (When I used to print everything on letter size paper, I had settled on an 82-85% page reduction as the smallest practical size.) There are times that I think reducing the staff size and increasing the amount of white space around staves and other objects actually might make the music more legible. I'd welcome hearing from others who have put thought into this. My big band and combo scores are all on letter size - landscape orientation and would not be useful to anyone who didn't know the music, unless their eyes were better than mine. If I ever need legible scores, I'll need to go to an 11 x 14 format, which seems nicely proportioned in either orientation and should be large enough for readability. Interesting footnote to this and other Finale subjects: I offered to teach a course in Finale music prep (with the help of Hal Owen's Tutorial and a syllabus that Darcy had sent in preparation for offering a similar class in NY) in our department, thinking that it was sorely needed by students who routinely turn in assignments that look ugly and amateurish - sometimes even unreadable. Not one student signed up! Not sure what the explanation for that is. Chuck ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Stem length and tremolo settings
Here's what I do: 1) For stem lengths, use Robert Patterson's "Patterson Beams" plug-in (it does stems too). There are several longstanding bugs in Finale with regard to incorrect stem lengths. 2) Change the Default Vertical Position for the tremolo articulations to -40. This is not a perfect solution, as it isn't possible to specify different vertical positions automatically for stems-up and stems-down notes, but I find that I do a lot less manual repositioning this way. For tremolo on flagged notes, I'm afraid that manually changing stem lengths is still required. Lee ActorComposer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonichttp://www.leeactor.com -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Mariposa Symphony OrchestraSent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 10:35 AMTo: finale@shsu.eduSubject: Re: [Finale] Stem length and tremelo settings And PLEASE pass the info on publicly onList; I've been dealing with the same issue over the past day or two -- after having just accepted manual adjustments for years Best, Les Les MarsdenFounding Music Director and Conductor, The Mariposa Symphony OrchestraMusic and Mariposa? Ah, Paradise!!!http://arts-mariposa.org/symphony.htmlhttp://www.sierratel.com/mcf/nprc/mso.htmhttp://www.geocities.com/~jbenz/lesbio.html - Original Message - From: Don Hart To: finale@lists.shsu.edu Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 9:48 AM Subject: [Finale] Stem length and tremelo settings Does anyone have, and would you be willing to share settings for 1) stemlength and 2) positioning of the 3 slash tremelo articulation that workharmoniously together?By "harmonious" I mean stems long enough so there's space between thetremelo and the notehead, and between the tremelo and the beam or the end ofthe stem, but not long enough to adversely affect the look of the musicotherwise. Is this a pipedream, and am I bound to need to adjust manuallyone way or the other? If so, has anyone filtered this down to the leastamount of tweaking?I know this is subjective to a great extent, but I'd appreciate knowing ifany of you feel able to handle this successfully and how so.Thanks much.Don Hart ___Finale mailing listFinale@shsu.eduhttp://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Stem length and tremolo settings
On Feb 18, 2006, at 3:15 PM, Lee Actor wrote: Here's what I do:1) For stem lengths, use Robert Patterson's "Patterson Beams" plug-in (it does stems too). There are several longstanding bugs in Finale with regard to incorrect stem lengths.2) Change the Default Vertical Position for the tremolo articulations to -40.This is not a perfect solution, as it isn't possible to specify different vertical positions automatically for stems-up and stems-down notes, No? What's wrong with changing the default handle position on the flipped symbol?Works for me, but I use Bill Duncan's articulation font now, not the default one. And I previously used the JazzFont, so any values I would give would probably be wildly different.Christopher You're right, I overlooked that. Time to play with somemore settings! -Lee ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] Pesky Page Turns
I am working on a short sinfonia (movements are about 90 measures long). The 2 Violin parts are the more sophisticated (versus the Viola and 'Cello parts). I absolutely can not the 2 Violin parts to fit on two pages (which would be the optimal way to do it). Is it *that* bad to have this one three pages? Obviously I'd try to get the last measure to be something with either rests or simple note values to help ease the pain of the page turn. But any thoughts or suggestions greatly appreciated. Kim Patrick Clow I'm sure you already know the answer to this -- of course it's ok to have page turns! Imagine how much repertoire would be unplayable if limited to 2 pages. Your desire to fit the part on two pages is understandable, but unnecessary. I recently did the parts for a violin concerto I'm having premiered in April, and most of them were around 13 pages long. Sometimes it's difficult to create a decent page turn, but it's essential. There was one place in the 17-page solo part where I absolutely could not find a reasonable spot for a page turn (essentially 3 pages without rests), so I made an extra page and attached it as a fold-out. In this particular case it's not a big deal, since the solo part will be performed from memory. BTW, the usual practice is to have at least 2 measures rest at the end of the page to be turned. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
RE: [Finale] 8th = Q
At 02:00 PM 2/16/06 -0500, Andrew Stiller wrote: it has been proven scientifically, decades ago, that no more than 8 or ten such discrete levels can be distinguished by the ear. The generally accepted empirical standared is that the average human ear can distinguish 3dB differences. The soft-loud range in live acoustic music is roughly 30-110 db, so that's more than 25 discrete levels, not even taking into account the educated hearing of musicians. The Nilsson markings make even more sense now. The typical musical markings would represent 7dB differences, and your statement makes that 9dB differences. Have you got a cite for the 8-10 levels that contradicts the 3dB discrimination? Dennis Actually, 3dB is usually considered the level difference that is readily apparent, but the human ear can easily detect differences as small as 1dB. However, this has little to do with (traditional) musical dynamic markings, which are relative and whose meaning to the performer is contextual. For a score of an electronic music composition (often produced after the performance), there are literally many dozens of useful, discrete volume levels. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com ___ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
