Early Tuesday morning an e-mail appeared with the title of "Help!" It was from my friend, Sam Fritz, a great band director from Indiana. I opened it immediately and was relieved to learn that no lives were on the line. Sam's friend had sent him some Sibelius files and Sam wanted to know how to open them in Finale. Since others may run into this scenario I thought I'd share the answer here.

The answer is: MusicXML.

MusicXML is a file format created so that musicians using different software packages could communicate with each other. If you're familiar with saving and opening MIDI files, MusicXML files work much the same way, but with better results as MusicXML is also concerned with how things look, while MIDI is essentially limited to how things sound. MusicXML was created by Michael Good, founder of Recordare.

The cool thing is that Finale, Finale PrintMusic, Finale SongWriter, and even the $9.95 Finale NotePad can open and save MusicXML files. Sibelius can open MusicXML files, and, with the purchase of an additional Recordare plug-in, can save Music XML files as well. That plug-in is called Dolet for Sibelius. The only downside is that the plug-in costs $199.95.

Nevertheless, if Sam's friend owns Dolet, or knows someone who does, the answer is easy. They simply export their Sibelius files as MusicXML files. To open MusicXML files in Finale 2010, go to the File menu and choose MusicXML > Import:

Of course, another option is to have Sam's friend save his files as MIDI files. Finale can open those too, but as I said this will lose the look of the score and retain only the note data.

There you have it.

One last thing: Because Finale family notation products can open and save MusicXML files you can easily share files - back and forth - with folks using older versions of Finale software too.  Check out this previous blog post for more details.

Kenneth Amis playing the Harvard University Band's BBBb Besson tuba. Photo by Mark Olson

I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that anyone who plays classical music on a brass instrument is familiar with the Empire Brass. Furthermore, anyone who's heard this internationally acclaimed group's tuba player perform the piano solo from the third movement of Mozart's Sonata in A, on his tuba, will likely never forget the name Kenneth Amis.

Ken was born and raised in Bermuda. He enrolled in Boston University at age sixteen where he majored in composition and studied tuba with Chester Schmitz (of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) and Sam Pilafian (founding member of the Empire Brass). After graduating from Boston University and becoming a licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music, he attended the New England Conservatory where he earned a master's degree in composition.

Today, in addition to being tuba player for the Empire Brass, he's a lecturer/professor at Boston University, and in 2003 he became the youngest recipient of the New England Conservatory of Music's "Outstanding Alumni Award." While a list of Ken's many accomplishments is available on his website I list these few simply to illustrate the impression Ken's talent seems to have made with everyone he encounters. It's clear that, even among the world's best, he is an exceptional musician.

Great work requires great tools, so it should come as little surprise that Ken is a longtime Finale user:

"I first began using Finale in 1991 as a college student. I had been using a competing notation program for several years so it was not an easy decision to make the switch. However, once I started using Finale I knew that I had made the right decision.
 
I use Finale for copy work and engraving as well as composing and arranging. Since the program gives me multiple ways to enter the notation, I can choose the most expedient method based on the task at hand. Whether creating new arrangements for the Empire Brass, working on a new commission for large orchestra or band, or simply doing last-minute copy work, the user interface is versatile enough to accommodate my busy schedule. And through its multiple viewing options and advanced playback capabilities I can monitor and proof any of my projects every step of the way."

Ken is also keenly aware of the benefits Finale offers self-publishers, including the ability to create SmartMusic accompaniments:
 
"Advances in Internet technologies have really leveled the playing field among music publishers and resellers, and over the past decade Finale has helped my online store, Amis Musical Circle, to flourish. In everything from uploading score and sound previews to the web to offering SmartMusic files to customers, Finale has been an indispensable tool in the production, publication, and promotion of my music."

In fact, he's currently working on a fascinating project that involves both Finale and SmartMusic.

The Florida Bandmasters Association, Banddirector.com, and MakeMusic commissioned Ken to compose a band composition to be rehearsed and performed on webcasts from the J. P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs, Florida. The result is March of the Corn (participating students provided the title). The score and parts were created in Finale, and a SmartMusic accompaniment and individual assignments were also created to assist in the preparation of the performance.

On March 17, 2010, there will be a free webcast from the J. P. Taravella High School that will include a live, in-depth composer/band rehearsal, as well as a SmartMusic demonstration/clinic. The event will also be simulcast on the Woodwind & Brasswind site. You can view and hear the score as well as watch videos of the project in progress (including Ken's rehearsals with the J. P. Taravella High School band) from the Florida Commission Project webpage.

The concert premier of March of the Corn will occur on May 20, 2010. Additional details can be found at Banddirector.com.

Tom Johnson in Brisbane, Australia (note the warm-up band's gear behind him)

About a year and half ago, I embarked on a whirlwind tour of Australia with Nick Middleton, sales manager of Intelliware (Finale's Australian distributor), and Ray Partridge, product specialist for Roland Australia.

I started my adventure on a Friday, flying from Minneapolis to Los Angeles and then from LA to Sydney, arriving early Sunday. To anyone who has not made this flight, it's very long. Charles Lindbergh himself would have arrived feeling exhausted and grungy, and I'm no Lucky Lindy. So I was probably not at my very best at 8 AM Sunday morning as I walked out of customs and was met by fervent Finale user Julie Simonds, but you'd never know it from her reception.

Julie is a well-known music copyist in Australia. She's done music preparation of scores for movies including "Babe" and "Happy Feet." While she's worked with both Finale and other music notation software, she prefers Finale by far. Julie led me to coffee and we shared Finale talk until I felt nearly human. Then she dropped me off at Terminal 1 for my flight to Melbourne. Once back on the ground I crawled to my hotel, and left word for Nick and Ray that I had arrived and that I'd see them early Monday morning.

And so the whirlwind began. In just over a week we trained dealers in three cities, visited and trained the staff at four "Soundhouses," gave three Finale 2009 product launches (in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane), and conducted clinics for Griffith University and AMPD (All Music Publishing and Distribution). But wait, there's more! I also provided Finale training for the entire Roland/Intelliware technical and customer service staff.

While some of the details blur together as I look back today, I wanted to share one demonstration idea that Nick and Ray devised. Before each of our evening product launch demos, they engaged a jazz group to play. They would warm up the audience and, afterwards, I would begin my Finale demonstration. Having a warm-up act made me feel like a rock star, and I briefly thought of demanding a star on my dressing room door and insisting on a lavish backstage buffet. But I digress.

The ingenious part of Nick and Ray's idea was this: Near the end of the jazz set, Ray recorded the group as they played "Blue Bossa" (using a handy Roland digital recording device) and quickly loaded the resulting .MP3 file into Finale.

Moments later, I began my demo by showing Finale's Studio View playing an audio file of the "Blue Bossa" performance we'd just heard. At the same time, Finale was recording a piano part I was playing to accompany "Blue Bossa," and notating my performance as I played. I thought this was an impressive demonstration of Finale's audio and MIDI capabilities.

As the ten-day tour drew to a close, Nick asked me what I'd do on my one night off (I had Saturday free prior to departing for home on Sunday). As I was staying near the Sydney Opera House, I told him I had been considering going to the opera. He offered to ask his wife, Vicki (who is the general manager of one of Sydney's larger theaters), to see if she couldn't use her industry connections to find me a ticket. I wasn't sure what was playing but was thrilled at his offer.

Upon subsequently checking on-line I found that one of the hottest tickets in the world, Bruce Beresford's production of Andre Previn's "Streetcar Named Desire" was playing Saturday night at the Sydney Opera. OMG! I contacted Nick and told him I had no idea that this is what Vicki was looking into and made it clear that she should stop the search.

Finally, after ten straight days of planes, luggage, tear-downs, set-ups, dealers, publishing companies, and enthusiastic crowds of Finale users, I was done. As I checked in at the Hotel's concierge desk to prepare for a restful afternoon I discovered an opera ticket waiting for me. Vicki had done it anyway!

Having dressed very informally all week, I spruced up in my best suit and tie — the works — and left to have a glass of wine at the Sydney Opera Bar, which Vicki described as "the best bar in Sydney." From there I walked into the Sydney Opera House to a wonderful seat where I  watched the opera unfold. Imagine Stanley Kowalski singing "Stella! Stella!," not screaming it as he does in Tennessee Williams' play!

In recognition of Vicki's tenacity and generosity I wish I could say the performance changed my life, but frankly Stanley didn't quite do it for me as an opera character. Nevertheless, I really appreciated the wonderful opportunity at such an exotic and celebrated locale - so very far from home.

On the way back to my hotel I stopped to sit and overlook Sydney Harbor and be thankful for all the wonderful people I'd met that week and the amazing job I have that lets me have such remarkable experiences. 

Last week I described how easy it has become to change percussion sounds with Finale 2010b. In addition to switching sounds, the same process can also be used to correct percussion playback problems in older Finale documents. 

When I first began using Finale my focus was strictly on the printed page, not on playback. I would enter my non-pitched percussion in a variety of haphazard ways as long as the result looked good - I had no interest in pressing Play.

Today, with Finale's added support of VST/AU libraries (such as my favorite, Tapspace's Virtual Drumline), I've become very interested in playback. While this works seamlessly in my new files, I'd also like to hear what these new sounds could do to some of my older arrangements.

If you open something like one of my older, haphazard files in Finale 2010, you may get something like this:

The orange noteheads indicate that Finale is unsure what percussion note type you are trying to use, or that the note type has not been defined in the staff's percussion layout.  To remedy the situation quickly, follow these steps:

1. Go to View menu  > Show > Percussion MIDI Values.

2. With the Selection Tool, select a measure (or region of measures) then go to Utilities > Transpose Percussion Notes.

3. I know that number 56 should be a right-hand snare sound, and 54 should be a left-hand snare sound. Simply click on the note number then select the sounds needed. If you have any questions refer to the steps I detailed last week.

The notation will now display and play correctly:
 

Keep in mind that the sound you switch to must be included in the instrument you have selected for playback (in this case the instrument is the SmartMusic SoftSynth). If not, simply change the instrument in VST/AU Setup then change your output map in the Instrument list to the correct map.

Enjoy the new sounds!

Two weeks ago I was at the Texas Music Educators Association convention, where I met lots of passionate, dedicated music teachers. As is often the case, someone asked me, "What MIDI keyboard should I buy?"

Keyboardists rarely ask this question — most of them have already checked out the latest keyboard hardware just for fun — much like James Bond studies the latest gadgets that Q creates for him. But many others recognize that even with minimal keyboard skills a MIDI keyboard can often help us obtain our goal of "the fastest note entry with the least amount of editing."

If your sole interest is in entering music into your computer, you can cut costs by purchasing a keyboard that doesn't have built-in sounds; such keyboards are often referred to as MIDI controllers. If desk space is in short supply, or if you'd like to be able to travel with your new keyboard and a laptop, you'll want to check out the new breed of ultra-compact controllers.

The Akai LPK25 and the Korg nanoKEY are both about the width of your laptop keyboard and weigh next to nothing. Their velocity-sensitive keys are smaller, but still very playable, and both include octave controls that provide access to the full range of a piano from each two-octave keyboard. They connect to your computer via a USB cable, and they enable Finale users to enter notes in step-time and real-time via Simple Note Entry, Speedy Note Entry, and HyperScribe.

Imagine pulling both your laptop and MIDI keyboard from a shoulder bag, fitting both on one of those dinky coffee shop tables, and entering notes as you enjoy your morning cappuccino. Just a few years ago this technology would have seemed worthy of James Bond. Shaken, not stirred, indeed!

The best thing of all is how inexpensive they are. I've seen the Korg nanoKEY advertised for around $50, and the Akai LPK25 for around $70. What's more, each controller is easy enough to use that you don't need a pre-mission demonstration by Q. Want to see them in action? Here's a short video from Akai and a Korg video that covers all three nanoSERIES controllers (and the M1Le software that comes with the nanoKEY).

Sadly, personal jet packs are not yet a reality, so I rely on commercial air travel. They haven't figured out a way for me to use my cell phone throughout the flight, but today I can complete my notation tasks in comfort — and intrigue my fellow flyers — with plenty of time to scour the in-flight magazine for more secret agent gadgets.

In the first and second parts of this percussion blog I highlighted some of the features added in Finale 2010 that greatly simplify percussion notation. In the Finale 2010a update we added another new feature that makes switching non-pitched percussion instruments as easy as it is for pitched instruments.

For example, let's say you wrote a concert tom part in your score, but as the piece develops you decide that you'd like a conga sound instead.

In previous versions of Finale, getting this to display and play back correctly was difficult: In many cases, the best solution was to re-enter the part. Today it's easy to swap percussion sounds on a measure by measure basis or for your entire score if needed.

Here's how simply this is accomplished in Finale 2010a (or 2010b):

1. Create a score using a standard Percussion Staff (Setup Wizard > Choose SmartMusic SoftSynth as your Instrument Set, then specify Percussion > Percussion).
2. Enter a few notes into the first few measures, using the Low-Mid Tom.

With 2010a we can now switch to a conga sound in three steps:

1. Choose the Selection Tool, then indicate the measures you wish to adjust.
2. Go to Utilities > Transpose Percussion Notes.
3. Select the note you'd like to change (Low-Mid Tom) then indicate what sound you'd like to change it to (Conga):

Now the part will display as such:

Press play, and voilà! The selected region of this part automatically plays as a conga sound instead of a concert tom.

Keep in mind that the sound you switch to must be included in the instrument you have selected for playback (in this case the instrument is the SmartMusic SoftSynth).  If not, simply change the instrument in VST/AU Setup then change your output map in the Instrument list to the correct map.

Shortcuts increase your efficiency and speed, and make things easier on your hands, but only if you can remember them. I've blogged about Finale shortcuts before, both here and here, and a complete list of Finale shortcuts can be found in your Finale Help menu. Nevertheless, I meet many fine Finale users in my travels who would benefit from a short list of top shortcuts, and I'd like to have such a list handy to share with them. Therefore, here are my favorite Finale shortcuts:

Viewing Shortcuts

• Ctrl/Command-E — This changes your View from Page View to Scroll View and vice versa. (Remember that this means that Windows users hold down the Ctrl key while typing a lower-case "e" while Mac users hold down the Command key (the key with the Apple on it) while typing a lower-case "e."
• Ctrl/Command- + (plus) — This zooms in, making my music bigger. Use the minus key to make it smaller.

Simple Entry Shortcuts

• X — Indicates you want to enter an expression — then type a "4" to enter a forte. A full list of the keys (or metatools) which correspond with each marking is available in the Expression Selection Box.
• * (the asterisk key) — Indicates you want to enter an articulation — then press an S to enter a staccato, an A for an accent mark , etc.
• L — Flip stems in the opposite direction.
• / — Breaks a beam.
• Alt/Option-K — Lets you change key — just as T and C let you change Time Signature or Clef.
  
  Using Finale on a laptop? You'll want to specify the Laptop Shortcut Table. Select Simple Entry, go to the Simple menu, specify Simple Entry Options>Edit Keyboard Shortcuts and change "Default Shortcut Table" to "Laptop Shortcut Table."

Editing Shortcuts

• Ctrl/Command-Z — Undo. This is my favorite shortcut, period.
  Ctrl/Command-C — Copies whatever you've selected. Use Ctrl/Command-V to paste.
• 6, 7, 8, and 9 — Choose the Selection Tool, select some music, then type a number: "6" transposes your music diatonically down a step. "7" transposes your music diatonically up a step. "8" transposes your music diatonically down an octave. Guess what "9" does!
• S, G, <, etc. — In the SmartShape tool, type "S" to enter a slur, "G" to enter a glissando, "<" to enter a crescendo, and ">" to enter a decrescendo.

Layout Shortcuts

• Up Arrow — Choose the Selection tool and select a measure. If you hit the Up Arrow key on your computer keyboard, this measure will move the measure up to the previous staff system. The Down Arrow key moves the measure to the subsequent system.

I've mentioned this before, but I've read that my cockatiel can only remember forty things. Assuming I can recall at least as much as my cockatiel, I should be able to manage this list, my wife's birthday, AND the location of my car keys.

Right?

Steve Peha, creator of Petrucci, Finale's first music notation font — Photo by Margot Carmichael Lester

Recently I was asked on Facebook about the origin of Petrucci, the music font used by early versions of Finale. While I know a little bit about Phil Farrand and the origin of Finale (and plan to blog about this soon), I realized I knew nothing of the origin of Petrucci. Although I've been with MakeMusic since 1993, I had to ask a few of the folks who've been here even longer before I learned that the name of the font's creator; Steve Peha. Thanks to the miracle of the Internet I was able to find Steve and was delightfully surprised not only at Steve's generosity in sharing his recollections, but also by the detail of his memories of events that occurred over twenty years ago:

"The font was created much like any other, I suppose. At an early point in Finale's development, Coda realized that relying solely on the Adobe Sonata font was not a good long-term strategy. For one thing, it didn't have nearly enough symbols in it. For another, Phil Farrand, the original programmer, had to practically stand on his head to get things like flags to line up correctly. You should have seen all the 'secret' parameters and 'offsets' that were required to make Sonata work. It worked, but it was obvious that Adobe had no intention of improving it, and that Finale's future development might be slightly encumbered as a result.

I was working on the early documentation at the time with Jim Romeo of Romeo Music and his business partner, and fellow musician, George Litterst. The need for a font arose and as I was fairly competent in the graphic arts, I got the gig.

I had to create the font very quickly. I think I did it in about eight weeks. By contrast, I believe that Cleo Huggins, Adobe's designer on Sonata, had about six months to work with. Petrucci had more than twice the number of useable symbols. At the time, it represented the largest music symbol selection available for a desktop computer.

While the Sonata font was based on the traditional Letraset press-on music symbol set, Petrucci is not strictly-speaking based on anything. I had always appreciated the look of the famous Peters piano editions. I liked the old-style look for classical music. But Finale would, of course, be used for all kinds of music, so something that traditional wouldn't have been appropriate.

Ultimately, Petrucci struck me as something of a hybrid: not 'new' like Sonata, not 'old' like Peters. To be honest, my skills were not sharp enough to truly capture another type foundry's design. Petrucci bears little resemblance to Sonata. Among other things, Sonata is considerably smoother. My ability to place "control points" back then was not what it is today. There's still a little 'hump' on the treble clef that I use to detect Petrucci whenever I see printed music. I must have worked 20 hours to get that hump smoothed out, but I never quite got it right. Other symbols also have unintended irregularities. I guess you could say they add character, no pun intended. In truth, I was in over my head. Petrucci was the first font I ever worked on and I just hoped it would be good enough to get Finale off to a good start. I think it succeeded but I'm also glad that Finale's font selection has improved right along with improvements in the program itself.

I finished the font several months before Finale 1.0 was released. It had to be done this way because Phil needed to tune the placement of symbols under a variety of different circumstances. It took many, many printouts to get everything right, and at certain points, he asked me to make small adjustments to certain symbols, usually to move them up or down by a fraction of a point or so.

The font existed for several months without a name. We had just assumed that it would be called 'The Finale Font' or that Coda would choose a name. But as the program neared release, no name seemed forthcoming. So Jim and I were sitting around thinking about what to call it and we thought about how Aldus had gotten its name from Aldus Manutius, the great printer. So Jim and I tried to figure out who the first printer or publisher was to set music using moveable type. That turned out to be Ottaviano Petrucci. And that's how the font got its name.

Over the years, so many wonderful music fonts have been created that I really think Petrucci is a little 'long in the tooth.' As I said, I was not a great designer at the time, nor did I know much about the subtleties of symbol font design. Up to that point, I had only worked with text fonts and only as a self-schooled graphic artist and desktop publisher. Turns out there are just as many concepts to music font design -- they're just all different.

At the MacWorld Boston release of Finale, I was accosted by this Finnish gentleman who proceeded to give me several long lessons in music font design. This amounted to a litany of things I'd done wrong. However, as the fellow finally conceded, Petrucci was the best font available for a desktop computer program and in that sense he judged it to be at least moderately successful. But he hoped that I would 'fix' it as soon as possible and that I would continue to rev it at least once each year. Obviously, that didn't happen.

Personally, I love the way Finale ships now with so many font choices. As a former jazz arranger, I'm partial to handwritten fonts and I was really excited when those became available. 'Charts' done in Petrucci always drew snickers from the horn players.

The time I spent working on Finale was one of the most exciting periods of my life. And getting the opportunity to create the Petrucci font still stands out as one of the coolest projects I've ever participated in. It's impossible to convey now what Finale represented back then. For years, musicians the world over had struggled to publish music on their computers. But no single program existed that could handle the demands of professional music publishing. I first saw Finale two years before it shipped: I think only two or three tools were functional at the time. But I completely freaked out when, after a few 8th notes in a bar, it automatically respaced them to be more readable. A modest accomplishment to say the least, and yet it totally blew me away. That's how earth-shattering seemed to all of us at the time."

After creating Petrucci, Steve hung up his Bezier curves - he considers himself permanently retired from font design. Since then he has enjoyed a diverse career as a software developer, high-tech entrepreneur, and more. Today Steve is the president of Teaching That Makes Sense (TTMS), an education consultancy specializing in literacy, assessment, and educational leadership.

Finale has a great technical support team, staffed by knowledgeable folks who are all very passionate about Finale. Scanning the room at a recent company meeting, I realized just how many MakeMusic employees had, at one time or another, answered technical support calls here, myself included. In fact, I continue to provide casual support at conventions and clinics around the world. But for today's story I return to the distant past when answering support phones was part of my daily routine.

The year was 1989, MakeMusic was called Coda Music Software, and every member of our staff of sixteen performed technical support. When the phone rang and others were busy, even the general manager would pick up and help out. That said, I have to admit that our technical support training was a little more informal back in those frontier days!

I'd spoken a few times to one elderly gentleman - and I mean gentleman in every sense of the word. He'd politely call with questions that were easily answered, and he was effusive in his kind gratitude. He seemed to be quite prolific in his use of Finale, which I thought was pretty cool for a guy who sounded as if he were likely in his eighties. Sadly, I don't recall his name (this was more than twenty years ago).

One day, he called after upgrading to something like Finale 1.2.6. He explained that he wanted to trash his previous version of Finale instead of having both programs on his computer. I proceeded to explain how to move the application and associated files to the trash.

Once we emptied the trash he indicated he had a question about a specific file, so I suggested he open it up. There was an appropriate pause, and then a longer pause. The he said, "I think my files were in the folder I just put in the trash." My heart stopped. Had I really just told this nice man to throw away all his files? Indeed I had.

"Had you saved these files anywhere else?" I asked. Of course not; his music was gone. Today's file retrieval services were not an option for us during the Reagan administration, so I had to tell this kindly gentleman that his work was caput. I was mortified.

I asked, "Were ALL your Finale creations in that folder?" "Oh, yes," he answered cheerfully.

Then it happened: he soothed me! "My dear friend, Tom - may I call you Tom? You have been so helpful every time we've spoken. In my many years of living I have learned to let go of those things in life that are beyond my control - and even to let go of some things within my control. If those files are gone, then I guess something was telling me it was time to start over."

"Start over? How much time do you have?" I'm thinking. But he was just as calm and kind as ever, comforting me when I should have been consoling him.

Some days later I received a nice letter from my friend. The header on the stationery stated his name, which as I said I do not remember. But under his name appeared, "Professor Emeritus Harvard University." Wow.

This incident taught me a lot about humanity in the face of adversity. I understand that software woes and life's other little tragedies pale in comparison to life-and-limb tragedies, but this great man gave me a little help in recognizing which are which.

Thank you, kind sir.

PS: This incident also taught me the importance of redundant file storage!

Tim Davies photo by Paulina Friedel www.puniaf.com

By day Tim Davies works as an arranger, orchestrator, and conductor in the Hollywood film world. By night Davies leads the Tim Davies Big Band, which features his compositions and drumming alongside top L.A. session players.

Born and raised in Australia, Tim first dreamed of leading his own big band at the age of 12. He moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to study at USC where a lesson with bassist/composer John Clayton led to a three-year gig assisting Clayton in his role as the Director of Jazz at the Hollywood Bowl. Orchestrations and transcriptions for concerts followed, including work for the likes of Jimmy Smith, Dave Brubeck, Nancy Wilson, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, and Take 6 as well as albums for Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, and Michael Bublé. Tim continues to arrange and orchestrate for a broad spectrum of top performers today.

Tim has also channeled his orchestration and arranging skills to the world of film, television, and video games. His success here has resulted in conducting work has well, including current films like Couples Retreat and the upcoming Percy Jackson and the Olympians. A complete list of his extensive credits can be found here.

In December 2009 Tim was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Instrumental Composition for "Counting to Infinity," a track from the most recent Tim Davies Big Band recording, Dialmentia. His big band music is as diverse and varied as his list of credits, including elements of classic jazz as well as hip hop, heavy metal, and more.

Tim also enjoys lecturing and conducting master classes, and this side of his personality surfaced quickly in our conversation - he was eager to discuss his setup and share his tips with our readers.

"I have been a Finale user for 16 years: I think version 2 was my first. I am always amazed when I pull up an old score and see how similar it looks to my current work - the biggest difference is how much easier everything is to accomplish today. I have very particular ideas about how I want things to look and the greatest thing about Finale is that I can make anything look however I want. I have a highly tweaked template and this ensures that everything I do comes out looking the way I want, without any effort.

I like to think of Finale as my instrument: I have even been known to practice! Some of my friends think I am a little crazy, but when they realize I can work twice as fast, and more accurately, they quickly change their tune. The goal is to get all of the technical things out of my head and be automatic, so all I have to worry about is the music and being creative.

I use keyboard shortcuts for everything. If Finale doesn't include the shortcut I make one in QuicKeys: I never go to a menu with the mouse. I use QuicKeys a lot to automate tasks and make menu and tool selections with keystrokes as I do not have the main tool palette open when I work.

I also use Quickeys for things like making selections of items in the Edit Filter. I've assigned specific keystrokes for copying only expressions, slurs, lyrics, etc. No mouse-clicking means it's very quick. It took a while to work out how to do it all, but it is just part of what I just mentioned, getting all of the technical things out of the way.

When I am orchestrating, I start from an imported MIDI file. The more I can do by pasting and working with that source material, the fewer chances I have of putting in a careless wrong note. I do a lot of re-transcribing, imploding, exploding, and transposing. I have a set-up designed to make my job as easy and ergonomic as possible. I use three monitors: on the left I display the composer's original file in Digital Performer, Finale appears in the middle, and the right-hand monitor manages things like e-mail, iChat, and Internet tasks.

For entry I use a Kensington track ball. I find this much better than a mouse, I can fly from one monitor to another with the flick of a finger and it has extra buttons I use for things like double-clicking, keystrokes like Escape and Enter, and another button brings up the Speedy Tool.

For playback I use Garritan Personal Orchestra but host it outside in Finale in the Plogue Bidule. This means the sounds are always loaded in the background and I never wait for them to load in a file. I open too many files to have it load the sounds in Finale. I have an HP5100 printer for printing large scores and a spare one just in case it decides to stop working at the wrong time.

Here are two of my favorite Finale tips:

1. Create your own default file
   By creating a custom default file, all your customized settings will appear each time you create a new document. Once you've created the file, go to Finale's Program Options>New indicate to indicate which file you'd like to use as your default. [See some related blog posts here.]
2. Use hidden text in staff names
   Finale has very powerful tools for naming staves. One school of naming involves using a group name for instrument and then the staff name is just a number. If you do this though, you cannot see the name of the staff in any lists in the program, it will be just "1" or "1&2" etc. By calling it the "Oboe 1," for example, but hiding the "Oboe", you get the correct look on the score, and the full name in any lists.
   Creating hidden text is just like creating underline text - when you're editing the staff name, select the text you wish to hide, go to the text menu and choose Character Settings, then specify "hidden."

For more information on the Tim Davies Big Band and Tim's jazz writing visit www.TimDaviesBigBand.com - details on his film, TV, and game work can be found at www.timusic.net.