Finale Essential Training

Course details

If you produce music for large bands or are a student looking toward a career in music production, then Finale is an essential piece of software for your professional toolkit. In this course, USC professor and digital music expert Rick Schmunk guides you through everything you need to know to get started. Get familiar with hardware and software setup, then go over basics like opening and importing files, using the Finale window, and more. Learn how to create lead sheets and simple documents, as well as how to notate music on a grand staff using a computer keyboard or a MIDI keyboard. Explore the tools for notating choral and other polyphonic music and find out how to record real-time notation. Deep dive into features and functionality that enable you to work with scores, then step through exporting different types of files from Finale. Plus, Rick shares his thoughts on ways to build upon your knowledge in your own artistic and production pursuits.

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Using Finale for notation, scoring, and more
02 - About the exercise files

1. Hardware and Software Setup

03 - MIDI and audio setup

2. Getting Started

04 - Opening and importing files
05 - Finale window overview
06 - Navigating Finale scores
07 - The Finale setup wizard
08 - Using score templates

3. Creating Lead Sheets and Simple Documents

09 - Entering and editing notes using a mouse
10 - Entering and editing notes using a computer keyboard
11 - Entering ties and accidentals
12 - Selecting, copying, and pasting notes
13 - Transposing notes
14 - Measure attributes and music spacing
15 - Adding lyrics
16 - Adding chord symbols
17 - Formatting chord symbols
18 - Formatting and printing lead sheets

4. Notating Music on a Grand Staff

19 - Simple entry using a MIDI keyboard
20 - Entering triplets (tuplets)
21 - Entering advanced tuplets
22 - Mid-score time, key, and clef changes
23 - Working with measure attributes
24 - Ties, grace notes, and modifying note display
25 - Adding repeats
26 - Expressions
27 - Slurs, crescendos, and smart shapes

5. Notating Choral and Other Polyphonic Music

28 - Layer basics
29 - Click-assigning lyrics
30 - Format and align lyrics
31 - Text basics in Finale

6. Recording Real-Time Notation and Finale Playback

32 - Hyperscribe entry
33 - Using the Repitch tool
34 - Finale playback basics
35 - Selecting instrument sounds

7. Working with Scores - Part 1

36 - Adding and deleting staves
37 - Working with articulations
38 - Creating Metatools for articulations and expressions
39 - Adding expressions and articulations in simple entry
40 - Creating and modifying expressions
41 - Score formatting - Size and spacing
42 - Score formatting - Expressions and Smart Shapes
43 - Score formatting - Measure numbers
44 - Formatting parts
45 - Printing scores and parts

8. Working with Scores - Part 2

46 - Drumset parts I
47 - Drumset parts II
48 - Staff styles and rhythm section parts
49 - Adding expressions to multiple parts
50 - Copy and paste articulations and expressions
51 - Changing instruments

9. Exporting Files from Finale

52 - Exporting graphics
53 - Exporting MIDI, XML files, and audio files
54 - Export PDF and ePub files
55 - Finale Share

Conclusion

56 - Next steps