A video tutorial series teaching a comprehensive understanding of Finale Music Notation Software
3. Managing the Score Manager
3-1 Managing the Score Manager Lesson 1 (Basic)
Setup Wizard and File Info
This video takes you through the Launch Window and the Setup Wizard. In addition there’s a basic overview of the File Info part of the Score Manager where you can manipulate titles and other text information in your score.
Finale V26.1
3-2 Managing the Score Manager Lesson 2 (Basic)
The basics of the Instrument List in the Score Manager. Learn how to add, delete and change instruments and their names as well as rearrange the score order in a variety of ways plus a few other helpful tips.
Finale V26.1
3-3 Managing the Score Manager Lesson 3 (Intermediate)
A look at staff attributes in the Instrument List.
Covered in this video - Color Noteheads, Custom Transpositions, Staff Lines and First Clefs.
Of note, I will look at the particular problem that arises when an instrument transposes into the key of F# when you want it to be in Gb.
Finale V26.1
Hot Tip: Transpose to F# or Gb
For transposing instruments you will occasionally run into the problem where the part ends up in F# where Gb might make more sense. This video will walk you through the steps in order to force Finale to make that instrument transpose into Gb instead!
Special thanks to my cousin Zach Heyde, www.zachheyde.com for the new, original underscoring for the Hot Tips! videos!
Finale v26.2
3-4 Managing the Score Manager Lesson 4 (Advanced)
Mute, solo, pan and mix as well as change sounds and even whole VSTs right from the Instrument List. There are also a few creative ideas for manipulating the sounds in different layers in a staff.
Finale V26.1
3-5 Managing the Score Manager Lesson 5 (Intermediate)
Change Instruments
Changing instruments in Finale is actually quite simple! This video will show you everything from start to finish about Finale’s Instrument Change function. There are just a couple of ways to actually make an instrument change, several things to understand about what’s happening under the hood (in the Score Manager and in the Aria player). There are also a couple of problems that occur in specific circumstance (automatic double barlines at instrument transposition changes and key cancellations for un-pitched percussion) and a few other limitations with the Instrument Change function to know about. All of this is covered in this one video.
Finale V26.2
Hot Tip: Multiple Transpositions
(For the Same Part!)
Learn how to create multiple parts with different transpositions linked to a common, generic line from the score. This tip will be especially useful to educational arrangers who often have ensembles with unique configurations of instruments. In this video I walk through how to manipulate the Manage Parts… window and the Score Manager to turn a single Bass line from the score into parts for String Bass, Tuba, Bassoon, Bass Clarinet and Bari Saxophone all linked together!
Finale v26.2
3-6A Managing the Score Manager Lesson 6A (Basic)
Percussion in the Score Manager
Adding non-pitched percussion instruments in the Score Manager, although easy to do, does have some pitfalls that you need to watch out for. I’ll take you on a tour of percussion in the Score Manager and give you background on everything that’s going on under the hood so that you can start managing your percussion with more confidence in Finale. Setting up percussion in Finale isn’t always 100% automatic, so knowing what instruments exist in what devices and knowing how to pick the right Percussion Layout for each instrument can make a big difference in getting a good setup.
Finale V26.3
Garritan Instruments Percussion MIDI Maps
3-6B Managing the Score Manager Lesson 6B (Intermediate)
Percussion Layout Editor
Manipulating Percussion Layouts is the key to getting your percussion parts to look the way you want them to in the score. Here we can decide what sounds go on what lines and spaces in the staff and whether we want to use normal noteheads, X noteheads, or any other notehead. Understanding the relationship between the Percussion Layout and the Percussion Patch and MIDI Map being used is also important if you care about playback, so I spend some time explaining that relationship. I’ll also show you a few things about the fonts being used for percussion noteheads.
Finale V26.3
​
Garritan Instruments Percussion MIDI Maps
3-6C Managing the Score Manager Lesson 6C (Advanced)
Percussion Layouts With Multiple MIDI Maps
Using Layers in the Score Manager, it’s possible to have a Percussion Layout that uses multiple Percussion Patches. In this video, I’ll demonstrate how to do this by combining a Drum Set and a Djembe into a single Percussion Layout so that you can not only notate both instruments on the staff but also hear them play back!
Finale V26.3
3-6D Managing the Score Manager Lesson 6D (Advanced)
Percussion MIDI Map Editor
The Percussion MIDI Map editor is rather simple to use. What’s not so simple is understanding why you would need to use it. If you stick with the built-in sounds in Finale then the simple answer is that you don’t; all of the percussion patches that come with Finale already have perfectly good MIDI Maps associated with them. But, if you use 3rd-party percussion VSTs, then creating custom MIDI Maps is absolutely essential! In this video, I’ll give you a quick tour of how to use the MIDI Map Editor, and then I’ll demonstrate its usefulness by creating a MIDI Map for an NI Battery instrument. In addition, I’ll go ahead and show you how to use that MIDI Map in the Percussion Layout Editor and ultimately how it will look and sound in the score. Ultimately, you’ll get to see a soup to nuts process for adding a 3rd-party percussion instrument in Finale that will not only display properly but will also play back correctly.
Finale V26.3
3-6E Managing the Score Manager Lesson 6E (Basic)
V27 Update: Improved Percussion Instruments and Layouts
In Finale 27, there are some modest improvements to the instrument List, and the Pitched Percussion, Drums, and Percussion categories seem to benefit most from those improvements. I’ll walk you through some of the highlights of those changes. The bigger improvements really come with the Percussion Layouts. Many more have been added, and Finale now correctly calls on the right Percussion Layout when you add a percussion instrument (3:32). Within the Percussion Layouts themselves, the new SMuFL fonts play a significant role as now there are a lot more noteheads to choose from (7:39).
Finale V27.0
3-7A Managing the Score Manager Lesson 7A (Advanced)
Tablature Staff Attributes
Setting up a TAB staff in Finale is not too tricky but there are a few options available which will give you some control over certain aspects of the Tablature Notation Style. This video will walk through adding TAB staves as well as all the options available for those staves and a few other tricks worth knowing when setting up a TAB staff.
Finale v26.3
3-7B Managing the Score Manager Lesson 7B (Advanced)
Fretboard Instrument Definition
Finale will allow you to set up any fretted instrument that you would like with any number of strings, frets and whatever tuning you want using the Fretboard Instrument Definition dialogue box. These custom fretted instruments will have implications for how the TAB staff works as well as how the Fretboard Diagrams are created. This video will walk you through this process by demonstrating how to set up a standard guitar tuned down a half step. Finale also supports diatonically fretted instruments like the Dulcimer so I’ll walk you through setting that as well.
Finale v26.3
3-8 Managing the Score Manager Lesson 8 (Basic)
v27 Update: Improved Instrument List
There were some minor changes made to the Instrument List in the Score Manager in version 27, so in this video, I’ll walk you through some of the highlights.
Finale V27.0