> > I'm not a keyboardist, so I've never attempted > > real-time keyboard note entry. > > Well, I *am* one, and after a couple of tries at it, concluded it was > waste of time as it could just never be accurate enough to not cause > more trouble than it was worth.
I say whatever is fastest and accurate is best and that's the method to use. But, as a keyboardist, I'd like to offer these comments for anyone, especially keyboardists, who have given up on or never tried real-time entry. Depending on what one is trying to enter I find real-time entry accurate enough to use in both Finale and Sibelius, at least when playing in music from an existing print copy. Lately I'm finding Sibelius a bit more accurate in this area, especially when multiple voices/layers and/or ties across measures are involved. Two tricks I've found is to play everything much slower than usual and be as absolutely precise as you can be with the placement of the rhythm. In other words, trying to improvise a piece of music at the keyboard I find rarely gives me an accurate result. Secondly, if possible, play just the right hand, then the left hand (or left then right). If you have situations with a lot of multiple voices/layers, also consider entering them on separate passes. If you are in layer 2, real-time entry will not wipe out what is in layer 1. I'll also add that if you have a large amount of triplets or dotted 16ths, real-time doesn't always do the trick. (If I only have a few triplets, dotted 16ths and the like, I'll just skip them when doing the real-time entry and add them later). One other thing that might help is experimenting with a legato or staccato touch depending on the various settings and don't forget those quantization settings. As to the technique side of playing, I find I don't always play the piece in real-time entry the way I'd play it in a performance situation - sometimes I'll play shorter than the given value, sometimes longer, depending on quantization settings, it just seems to matter most if you hit the key at the right rhythmic placement. You might try experimenting with that. You can also change the quantization settings and re-transcribe trouble sections. Although only slightly faster than speedy entry, it is nonetheless faster. If you are doing a lot of transcribing of music and have good originals, you might try the scanning feature of 2010 or Sibelius 6 - not 100% accurate, but at least in Sibelius, it is faster than step or real-time entry of the notes. Hope that helps anyone experimenting or trying to learn step-time entry. And, the piano teacher in me has to add "practice - correct practice - makes perfect" and is true with doing anything in Finale or Sibelius. James Gilbert JamesGilbertMusic.com _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
