Finale Notepad 2006 Review and Tutorial Page 3

You're on Finale Notepad 2006 Review and Tutorial Page 3.

So far, we've looked at creating a document, inputting notes, stem direction, and using multiple layers. For more information on using multiple layers, check out: Using three layers in Finale. We've also defined and expressed our goal.

Using Finale Notepad, we will do the best we can to recreate the 3 pages of sheet music presented at the bottom of Page 2.

Sight-singing for the 21st Century...If you've been confused or disappointed by other methods, click here!

I just noticed that the measure tool does not allow for different kinds of barlines in Notepad. OK, so, if you want a double bar, and you have only Notepad at your disposal, then you'll need to draw your double lines in by hand (you can use a ruler and a nice ink pen!)
I input the notes in multiple layers (red is layer 2 and black is layer 1). All of the stems and rest positions are automatic. I just followed the procedure from the Help file to input the notes. Select the notevalue and click on the appropriate line or space. You might need to double click on the note value, rest value, tie...because the buttons are "sticky," meaning that if you are working with quarter notes, and then you select the dot, what you'll wind up with is dotted quarter notes.

With previous versions of Finale, when one selected the dot, only the dot was selected. Now, the dot is "added" to whatever note value you happen to be working on.

If you want to just select the dot, you just double-click on the dot itself. Then, you can move around in your document and add dots to whatever note values you like (whole, half, quarter notes, etc.).

So, here's my result so far, before adding lyrics:
Now, I'm adding lyrics, hmm, Notepad isn't doing so badly on lyrics.
To add lyrics, I click the Lyrics tool:

Once the lyrics tool is selected, I need to make sure that I'm working in the layer that has the notes to which I'd like to attach my lyrics (huh?). What I mean is that if you've input the sung notes using layer 1, in order to "attach" the lyrics to layer 1 notes, you'll need to make sure you're working in layer 1. Same applies to Layer 2-4. Boy I hope that makes sense, souns a lot more complicated than it is, I'll need to work on this wording. If I haven't been clear on the subject of layers yet, just keep going, it'll click in a minute! Anyway, you can select layers at the bottom left of the Finale Notepad program window, which looks like this:
To add the lyrics you see above, I selected the lyric tool and clicked on the first melody note (g#) while in Layer 1 (black). A little white box with a blinking vertical cursor appeared, and I could type in my lyrics. To move to the next note, I pressed Tab. Below, you can see the blinking cursor as I was finishing the word "go."

Not so bad, huh?

Learn what I wish I'd known earlier in my career, purchase my eBook: How to Write Your Songs Down.
Since the melody and piano accompaniment repeat (with different words), I decided to copy and paste.

Here are the steps I took:
1. I selected the Mass Edit tool, which looks like this:
  
  .
  
  You can also see the "selected" Mass Edit tool below. It gains a bit of a blue-green-ish tint, when it is selected. It is the rightmost button of the Main Tool Palette.
2. I clicked on the top staff of first measure I wanted to copy and Shift+clicked on bottom staff. I then Shift+clicked on the rightmost measure I wanted to include on that page.
  
  I had three measures selected, and it looks like Finale Notepad doesn't have "Scroll View," which is a feature allowing users to see their music from left to right, regardless of page breaks.
3. Hmm...I wonder if Finale Notepad allows selection of measure across pages...not something to be assumed...
4. Tadaa! Yes, one can just select the first measure and Shift+Click on the last measure to select a group of measures!
  
  Instead of pressing CTRL+C and CTRL+V, or even selecting Copy and Paste in the menues, I wanted to see if the click and drag feature from Finale works in Finale Notepad.
5. Voila! Looks like one can just Click+Drag the selected measures!
  
  Notepad asks us how many times we would like to paste the selection:
6. ...and then the notes are in the score.
Now all I need to do is select the lyrics tool and write over the copied lyrics. If I make a mistake, can use Shift+Tab to move backwards through the lyrics. Also, it looks like the space bar does the same thing the Tab key.

I've made some progress, how about you?

Sight-singing for the 21st Century...If you've been confused or disappointed by other methods, click here!

Awww, man! When I edit the copied lyrics on Page 2 (can't see themeasure numbers), Finale Notepad overwrites the lyrics on Page 1. Might do that in Finale's production version as well. Booo!

So, basically, that means I'll have to figure out some kind of workaround to editing the lyrics on copied music.

I'll expand my forum post to see what I can do.
Gotta love forums in general, I'm going to leave this review/tutorial in "stream of consciousness" mode, because I think the pitfalls I've "fallen" into can help everyone involved...especially when the solution is available!
1. Check this out: Jeannie and Carla over at the Finale forum came through for us.
  
  Here's a quote from Carla:
  If you drag-copy, you are creating a clone of the lyrics that are linked to each other. If you copy-paste via the clipboard (Ctl-C, Ctl-V), you are creating a copy of the lyrics and they are independent of each other.
  
  So, I tried it:
2. I highlighted the 4 measures as before and selected copy from the menu (I could have chosen CTRL+C)
3. I then highlighted all four of the target measures and chose Paste (CTRL+V).
  
  Note: Had I just selected the first measure and expected the measures to "copy into" the piece, well, that's understandable, but it doesn't work that way...at least not in Finale Notepad.
  
  That brings up a thought that I've often expressed when doing computer training: Logic and computer procedures are sometimes mutually exclusive...yet, when we "work it," and "work with" the dialog between programmer and user, the "dialog" between user and program, then we can often squeeze incredible results out of software...or at least get it to do what we want it to do.
  
  Remember, you are in charge! You are the computer user. This tool and any computer tool is there to be your servant, your assistant, your helper.
  
  In a way, you aren't "learning how to use Finale Notepad," instead, you are "seeing what Finale Notepad can do for you."
4. I then wrote over the lyrics and the previous lyrics did not change! Cool!
Here's a major time-saver, and boy, I like saving time!

Since the rhythm of the next group of lyrics repeats, and the accompaniment is very similar, I'm going to copy and paste and modify!

Have a closer look!

Click =
Moving right along, I've bumped into another problem.

See how my rightmost measure is all squished?

Since Finale Notepad doesn't have any "Mass Edit" tools, I tried two things
1. I tried to open and close the document
2. I tried to jam the measure with notes as below:
  
  Note: I also tried jamming the measure with whole notes and 16th notes. Doesn't seem to be working.
3. I tried to select the measures with the Mass Edit tool and press "3", which is the shortcut in Finale's production version.
  
  And none of those options work, so I'm off to the forum again to see what I can see!
Ahh, the tension, the drama! Although we've figured out a solution to the "cloned lyrics" issue, we have a "squished music" problem, and I'm hot on the trail to solving it for you on Page 4 of this free Finale Notepad 2006 Review and Tutorial!