Jocelyn Hagen

This week composer Jocelyn Hagen shares a tip with the Finale Blog. Here’s Jocelyn Hagen’s Finale tip for cross staff beaming:

“I’ve been using Finale for over 15 years and I still don’t think I have everything figured out with the program! But I have mastered many skills that help me engrave my music fast and beautifully.

Because I am a pianist, many of my piano parts are quite detailed and virtuosic. Pondering how to make the score look the simplest and easy to sightread takes up much of my time. I tend to compose lots of arpeggiated chords in which there is a seamless switch between the left and right hands. Using cross-staff beaming is the most effective method to notate this kind of technique. Here are a few examples of cross-staff beaming from my scores:

Too See the Sky excerpt (courtesy of Jocelyn Hagen)  Order the full score at jocelynhagen.com/order

Mood Goddess excerpt (courtesy of Jocelyn Hagen)      Order the full score at jocelynhagen.com/order

With this kind of notation, the pianist does not have to contemplate which hand to play which note, or have to negotiate unnecessary rests. It’s clean & simple ~ just what pianists like!

The first couple times I did this in Finale, I always had to refresh myself on the notation technique, because I could never remember. Years ago the steps to achieve cross-staff  beaming were lengthy, yet, I had it down to a science. You can probably relate if you’ve been using Finale for as long as I have.

Today’s Finale makes it easy. First introduced in Finale 2011… here is the keyboard shortcut for creating cross-staff beaming:

1. Choose the Selection Tool then click + drag to select the notes you wish to move.

2. Press Alt+up/down arrow on Windows or Option+up/down arrow on Mac.

Hope this helps! I use this trick all the time, and I encourage you to use this technique when composing piano parts. It’s a very natural way to play, and very effective.”

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Thanks again to Jocelyn Hagen for providing her Finale piano writing tip. To find out more information about Jocelyn’s recent projects and performances, visit http://www.jocelynhagen.com/. 

Listen to Jocelyn’s MASHUP of Ed Sheeran’s “The A Team” and Debussy’s “Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum” from Children’s Corner. Available now on iTunes.

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Have a Finale question for Jocelyn? Leave a comment below!