Tuplets

You can also change Tuplets over a region. Instead of selecting the Tuplet Tool, select the Selection Tool and choose Change Tuplets from the Change submenu of the Utilities Menu. The settings in the Change Tuplets dialog box are the same as in the Tuplet Definition dialog box.

You can also create tuplets during entry with the Simple and Speedy Entry Tools. See Tuplets (Simple Entry) and Speedy Entry.

To turn “normal” notes into a tuplet group

1. Click the Tuplet Tool  .
2. Click the first note to be included in the tuplet group. The Tuplet Definition dialog box appears.
3. Specify the rhythmic composition of the tuplet. On the top part of the screen Finale is asking, “How many notes of what rhythmic value are to fit in the space normally allotted to how many of what value?” Enter the number of each rhythmic value in the text boxes. Specify the rhythmic value itself by selecting the rhythmic-value from the drop-down list.

For example, to define a standard quarter note triplet, you could fill out the values either as “3 (quarters) in the space of 2 (quarters),” or “3 (quarters) in the space of 1 (half).”

4. Specify the visual appearance of the tuplet. Finale lets you specify various aspects governing the visual appearance of your tuplets. See Tuplet Definition dialog box. You can always change the angle or position of the bracket or slur once it’s in the score. If you want the “3” (or whatever number appears over the tuplet) to appear in the middle of the slur or bracket (if you’re using one) instead of being above or below it, be sure to choose Break Slur/Bracket. If you’re creating a complex tuplet, you can also choose Use Ratio for Number; instead of placing a simple digit above the tuplet (like 3, for example), Finale will express the tuplet as a ratio (such as 3:2, using the numbers you entered in the __ in the space of __ text boxes).
5. Click OK (or press enter).

To adjust, move, or delete a tuplet

1. Click the Tuplet Tool  ; then click the first note of the tuplet. Handles appear on the tuplet’s bracket (or slur, or number).
2. To reposition the entire tuplet, drag the main handle (which is unshaded).
3. To change the length of the hook, drag the left or right hook handle. If you selected Match Length of Hooks in the Tuplet Definition dialog box, Finale automatically adjusts the other hook to the same length as you drag.
4. To move the shape closer to or away from the notes, drag the shape handle up or down.
5. To change the angle of the shape, drag the slope handle.
6. To move the number closer to or away from the notes, drag the number handle.
7. To delete the tuplet definition (and restore the notes to “normal”), click any handle and press delete.

To enter tuplets with the Simple Entry Tool

1. Click the Simple Entry Tool  . The Simple Entry Palettes appear.
2. Click the icon representing the desired note’s duration. Click any accidental tools, if desired.
3. Click the Simple Tuplet Tool   on the Simple Entry Palette.
4. Click the staff. A note appears where you clicked with rests filling out the rest of the triplet. By default, the triplet will use the duration of the first note to define the triplet. If there isn’t enough room to create the full tuplet or you click within an already existing tuplet, Finale will enter a note of the duration you selected.
5. While entering with the Simple Entry Caret, press 9 (or numpad 9) to begin a tuplet.  

To enter tuplets with the Speedy Entry Tool

1. Click the Speedy Entry Tool  , and click the measure in question. The editing frame appears.
2. If MIDI is not being used, place the cursor on the correct pitch.  
3. Press ctrl-number in the number keypad. You can press any number between 2 and 8 to specify the tuplet value that you’re about to enter. When you do so, the number you pressed appears in the upper right corner of the editing frame, telling you that Finale is ready to group the next notes you enter as a tuplet defined by that number. If you need to enter a more complex tuplet (or want to specify a particular bracket or slur configuration), press ctrl–1, and the Tuplet Definition dialog box will appear (see Tuplet Definition dialog box).
4. Enter the notes of the tuplet. The value of the first note you enter tells Finale whether you’re entering an eighth-note tuplet, quarter-note tuplet, and so on. Finale automatically groups them and brackets them according to the default visual tuplet settings (see “To predefine the appearance of tuplets,” below). To enter many tuplets in a row, see To enter many notes of the same value (hands-free MIDI method).

To create a nested tuplet

To nest tuplets, simply create one, then the other, as described in “To turn ‘normal’ notes into a tuplet group,” above. It makes no difference whether you create the outer or inner tuplet first.

To transcribe tuplets from a real-time performance

For full instructions on the use of Finale’s real-time transcription tool, HyperScribe, see Recording with HyperScribe and Transcribing a sequence. However, you may find these supplementary instructions helpful.

1. Choose Quantization Settings from the MIDI Menu. If you’ve just recorded a performance in the Transcription Mode, choose Quant Settings from the Transcription window. These settings are used when importing a MIDI file, and transcribing with the HyperScribe Tool.
2. Select your smallest note duration. If you will be playing nothing smaller than eighth note triplets, choose the sixteenth note.

Tip: If your real-time transcriptions consistently transcribe durations that are too large, lower the smallest note duration, or choose More Settings from the Quantization Settings dialog box. Place a check beside Sensitivity and choose the next smallest duration to your smallest note duration. For example, if your smallest note duration is a sixteenth note, set Sensitivity to a thirty-second note.

4. Click either Mixed Rhythms or Space Notes Evenly. If your music will have a combination of dotted rhythms and tuplets, choose the former. If your music will have only tuplets and evenly spaced rhythms, choose the later.
5. Click OK (or press enter). Continue with the transcription in the usual way.

To predefine the appearance of tuplets

If you create tuplets with any of the methods described above, you don’t have to redefine the visual appearance of each tuplet each time you create one. Instead, you can set the visual appearance—including whether or not to include a slur, bracket, and so on—in advance. See Document Options-Tuplets.