| In this book, you’ll learn all about creating professional-quality sheet music with Finale, and if you already know how to do this, you’ll learn how to do it faster. You’ll begin by establishing a solid understanding of Finale’s framework and then mastering the everyday shortcuts and tricks that make Finale a breeze to use. I’ll then take you through every step of the score creation process, from starting a new document, to entering and spacing your music, to layout, extracting parts, and, finally, printing your score.
Finale once had a notorious reputation for being difficult—often described as having a “high learning curve.” Leave all of that behind. Today, Finale is as easy to learn and use as any professional publishing program. The complexity of music notation itself is the main demon here, and Finale is the ultimate tool for conquering it. That’s where this book comes in. You will be presented with a musical topic and then given a tutorial explaining the many ways to create and customize the musical elements using one or several of Finale’s tools or options. In other words, you don’t need to know anything about Finale to get the most out of this book; just a basic knowledge of music theory and terminology.
If you are a regular Finale user, you will learn how to quicken your pace using special tricks, new features in Finale 2005, little-known options, and supplemental third-party plug-ins. If you have used older versions of Finale, you may be astounded to discover the time-saving improvements built into Finale in the last few versions. Many tasks that involved complicated workarounds in the past can now be done with just a few simple commands.
This book is for anyone who wants to get the most out of Finale 2005. If you have never used Finale, this book is a great introduction to the program. The first part of this book will take you step-by-step through the very basics, establishing a solid foundation that will prepare you for the more advanced techniques you will learn in later chapters. If you have already been using Finale, prepare to revolutionize your Finale experience with innovative procedures, tips, and tricks, using everything Finale has to offer in addition to third-party plug-ins and even external programs. Whether you are just becoming familiar with this program or want to become a Finale power user, this book is for you. |
