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!

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.

In my previous blog we explored the ease of entering percussion parts in Finale 2010 using just the Simple Entry Tool. In this entry, we will take a look at how Finale can easily switch between different VST/AU or MIDI percussion instruments without having to re-enter the notes or convert anything in the staff. This can be particularly helpful if you collaborate with others on a score and they do not have the same instrument libraries that you may (such as the Garritan Jazz and Big Band library or the Tapspace Virtual Drumline 2.5 instruments).

In previous versions of Finale, percussion staff playback was linked to MIDI note numbers. If you entered a snare drum part and later decided that you wanted to use a different snare drum sound, it could be difficult to quickly switch sounds. Finale 2010 is now smart enough to recognize that you entered a snare drum, and can switch back and forth between different sound libraries with a few clicks.

In my previous blog, we created a new snare and bass drum percussion staff using the Basic Orchestral Percussion found in Garritan Instruments for Finale 2010. After following those steps, let's try switching to the General MIDI Percussion instrument in the SmartMusic Softsynth.

1. In the example score we created in the previous blog, navigate to Window Menu > Instrument List
2. Under Perc. MIDI Map, notice that Basic Orch. Percussion is selected. This map tells Finale what notes are included in that instrument, and which MIDI pitch to trigger when you enter that note into the score. Click the dropdown menu and change to SmartMusic SoftSynth > Orchestral Percussion
3. Close the Instrument List and navigate to MIDI/Audio Menu > Play Finale Through MIDI
4. Press play. Notice that Finale will still play a snare and bass drum sound, except though the SmartMusic SoftSynth

In addition, we can apply the same concept if we wish to use another VST/AU instrument.

1. Go to the Window Menu > Instrument List and change the Perc. MIDI Map to Tapspace Drumline for Finale > VDLite General MIDI Percussion Map
2. Go to MIDI/Audio Menu > Play Finale Through VST/AU
3. Navigate to the MIDI/Audio Menu > Instrument Setup > VST/AU Instruments
4. Click the Pencil next to Instrument for Finale for the bank that contains your percussion instrument
5. In the Aria player, locate the Basic Orch. Percussion instrument (should be channel 10, 26, etc) and change it to 013. Tapspace Percussion > VDL Combo Instruments > VDLite General MIDI Percussion Map
6. Close the Aria player and play your score

Using these steps, you can quickly sample different instrument libraries to find the perfect percussion sounds for your score. In addition, anyone else who has Finale 2010 that you collaborate with or send your score to can listen to your music without necessarily having to own the same VST/AU instruments that you do.

Finale has always offered great flexibility and control in its percussion notation. Finale 2010 made this power easy to use.

In previous versions, accessing the power of percussion notation could feel daunting to the user who was not familiar with maps, MIDI note numbers, playback notes, and so on. In addition, the use of a MIDI keyboard was basically required to be able to enter notes with Simple Entry in a timely fashion. This could create a problem for users who primarily use a laptop computer and don't wish to lug a MIDI keyboard around. I vividly remember the displeasure of my seat partner on a flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta when I tried to fit my 25-key MIDI keyboard and laptop on the tray in front of me...

With these new percussion enhancements in Finale 2010, any user from the most casual to advanced can add a percussion staff to their score in three steps – without the need of a MIDI keyboard:

1. Add a percussion staff
2. Select which notes you want to use
3. Enter the notes into your score

For this example, we will be adding a Basic Orchestral Percussion staff to a new score using the Garritan Instruments.

1. Open Finale, then navigate to the Setup Wizard
2. Select your preferred document style, then press Next
3. Select “Instruments for Finale 2010” under the Instrument Set dropdown menu
4. Switch to the Percussion category, and add a Basic Orch. Percussion staff
5. Add the rest of the instruments you desire for your score, then finish the Setup Wizard

Now enter some notes using the Simple or Speedy Entry Tool. Notice how Finale will display the name of the percussion instrument that you are about to enter. This makes it easy to tell which instrument type and sound you are about to enter.

You can continue composing at this point, however, I like to customize my own percussion layouts for each percussion staff I use. I can tell Finale to only use a few of the instruments in the layout, which can greatly speed up entry, especially when I am using a laptop track pad instead of a mouse.

Finale will automatically select a percussion layout that is appropriate for the staff created. However, since we only might be using one or two sounds from the layout, we can create our own tailored to the instruments we will be using. For this staff let’s add a snare and concert bass.

1. Select the Staff Tool and double-click in the percussion staff to open the Staff Attributes box
2. Next to Notation Style, click Select, then in the Percussion Layout Selection box, click Create
3. Enter a name for your new layout (such as, “Snare and Bass Drum” or something similar)
4. Click the + sign to add a note type.  Note that Finale will default to adding a Snare Drum
5. Under Staff Position, drag the note to where you would like it on the staff
6. Click the + sign again to add another note
7. Navigate to Note Type>Bass Drums>Bass Drum>Bass Drum
8. Under Staff Position, drag the note to where you would like it on the staff, then press OK, Select, and OK

Now we are ready to enter some notes on the staff.  For this example, let's use the Simple Entry Tool.

1. Select the Simple Entry Tool and choose a note duration to enter
2. Move your mouse cursor over the percussion staff. Notice that Finale will display the name of the note you are about to enter for that staff line. Since we only have a snare and bass drum added to the layout, these are the only two instruments Finale will let you enter on that staff
3. Enter a note on the snare or bass drum line

The above example can be created solely using the Simple Entry Tool and mouse. If Speedy Entry is your flavor of choice, the same concepts apply.

Now you might be thinking - do I have to do this every time? Certainly not! Especially if you write for the same instrumentation repeatedly you could do this once and save your work as a template. In addition, customized Layouts can be exported then imported into other documents by going to File Menu>Save Library>Percussion Layouts.

I hope this introduction to the new percussion enhancements in Finale 2010 will take some of the confusion (and maybe fear) away from working with percussion. Old Finale pros can appreciate the ease, and new users can be up and running with a full percussion ensemble in mere minutes.