I spoke to a beginning Finale user the other day who was frustrated that his lack of keyboard skills kept him from entering music as quickly as someone who could simply “play it in” with Finale’s HyperScribe tool. I shared a few tips to help him speed up the process. He was so delighted with the results I knew I had to share them with you.

Repitch
One solution is to enter JUST the rhythm first. Use the HyperScribe tool to simply play the rhythm of your piece, all on one note. Then use the Repitch feature in Simple Entry to quickly change those pitches to the correct pitches, using either letter keys on your computer keyboard to represent note names or by indicating specific notes with a MIDI keyboard. I covered the Repitch feature in a little more detail in this previous blog post.

Let’s say you used this technique to enter the following:

Now let’s see how quickly you can add some markings to this example so it looks like this:

While other blog posts (including this one) have covered how Simple Note Entry allows for really speedy entry of expressions and articulations as well as clef, time and key signature changes, here’s a quick recap of the highlights:

Selection
Select the Simple Entry tool and select the first note with a Ctrl-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac). The note turns color to indicate it is selected. To move to the next note use your computer’s right arrow key, or use the left arrow key to move in the other direction.

Expressions
Once a note is selected, to add an expression (like a dynamic marking) type X for eXpression, then hit the Select button to see a list of expressions. From here, just double-click on any expression to add it. Before you do, however, note that each expression shows a number or letter in the upper right corner. These are the shortcut keys associated with each expression. Note, for example, that the shortcut key for “forte” is a 4. Next time, instead of hitting the Select button you could simply type a 4 and the forte would be instantly entered. Learning even one or two of these shortcuts gets you moving very quickly.

Articulations
Articulations, like staccatos and accents, work the same way: simply use the asterisk key “*” (Windows) or the accent/tilde key Mac “`” (Mac) to specify an articulation. Even better, many of the articulation shortcuts are easily remembered: “s” for staccato and “a” for accent.

This is a short recap, but it serves as a reminder of how everyone can enter music (and markings) very quickly in Finale. Let me know how it’s working for you by clicking on “Comments” below!

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?

You may have noticed that my blog posts often focus on helping users streamline their workflow; I'm often highlighting shortcuts and tools that save time and simplify common tasks. We'll still occasionally hear from someone who believes that Finale is difficult to use due to the number of tools needed to complete common tasks. Typically these complaints come from folks who first used an early version of Finale, and who have never changed their workflow as Finale evolved and provided easier and faster solutions.

I recently spoke with a customer who was frustrated by the amount of moving around the Main Tool Palette he had to do. Intrigued, I watched him work. Here's an example of his workflow:

1. Select the Simple Entry tool and type in some notes.
2. Grab the mouse to click on the Articulation tool.
3. Click on a note, select the staccato articulation, then click Select.
4. Grab the mouse again and click the Simple Entry tool to resume entering notes.

To add an expression, he added the following steps:

1. Grab the mouse to click on the Expression tool.
2. Double-click on a note, choose a forte marking, then click Select.
3. Grab the mouse again and click the Simple Entry tool to resume entering notes.

Need to change a clef? More steps:

1. Grab the mouse to click on the Clef tool.
2. Double-click on a measure, select a bass clef sign, then press OK.
3. Grab the mouse again and click the Simple Entry tool to resume entering notes.

This IS tedious - and mouse-intensive. One solution would be to segment your work by tools, rather than measures - you could enter all the notes first, then add details like expressions, articulations, and clef changes. That works well, but not everyone's brain is comfortable working in this manner.

Fortunately the Simple Entry Tool now allows you to perform all of the steps listed above with one tool. Let's re-examine the above steps using some of the Add/Change Items options in Simple Entry:

1. Select the Simple Entry Tool and type in some notes.
2. Press the Numpad * key (to enter an articulation) and press S for the staccato marking. You can also press select and choose the marking from the list (Don't have a numeric keypad?  See my PS below!). 

Note that you don't need to return to the Simple Tool to resume entering notes: You never left. Need to enter an expression?

1. Press the X key (to enter an expression) and press 4 to enter a forte marking. Then resume entering notes.

Need a clef change?

1. Press Alt + C (Option + C for Mac) (to enter a clef) and press 4 to enter a bass clef marking. Then resume entering notes.

As you can see, with these new steps you can greatly reduce the number of mouse moves and keystrokes, and you never have to switch tools. After explaining this to the customer, he was floored.

Where did I get the metatool number/letter for each marking? They are found in the upper right corner of the specific marking's selection box:

I wanted to enter a forte marking, so I selected #4, which is the default metatool for that expression. As I mentioned in my October 29th blog, you can quickly customize the metatool keystrokes to your liking.

I think you'll find that using Simple Entry Tool in this way allows you to enter music much more efficiently without taking focus from the entry of notes.

To review, you can access the following tools via the Simple Entry tool by using these key commands:

• Expression Tool: X
• Articulation Tool: Numpad *
• Clef Tool: Alt + C (Win), Option + C (Mac)

In addition to the options covered above, the following tools are available as well:

• Time Signature Tool: Alt + T (Win), Option + T (Mac)
• Key Signature Tool: Alt + K (Win), Option + K (Mac)

For more on some quick shortcuts, check out the "Keyboard Shortcuts and Special Mouse Clicks" topic in the Finale User Manual!

Best to all and Happy New Year!

PS: Using a laptop? You can switch to the Laptop Shortcut Set for Simple Entry: To do so, from the Simple menu, choose Simple Entry Options  > Edit Keyboard Shortcuts, then, under Keyboard Shortcut Set, select Laptop Shortcut Table.