Top 10 Time Saving Tips For Finale

[@michaelwcotten]

RIP

[@TomGlander]

Finally, someone who actually knows what they're doing. This is amazing.

[@anthonyphillips7374]

Man I’ve been using Finale for 4 years and after watching this video I was mind blown😅. Thank you and I look forward to viewing more of your video tutorials.

[@carlstenger5893]

I've been using Finale for 30+ years. It's nice to be reminded of shortcuts that I seldom use. Thanks!

[@chenwang953]

EXTREMELY helpful for finale beginner! Abusolutely brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@lmdkrjt8620]

Finale itself is a time wasting notation software. Putting the term "time saving tips" and "finale" in the same sentence is an oxymoron. Nice tip, it helped me a lot LOL

[@ricardoross2939]

You are an angel for posting this

[@ibeballintv8228]

good stuff! very helpful thxamundo

[@mikeluna2026]

Nice trip to the past, haha. Were there no Implode/Explode Music options in utilities back then?

[@michaelwcotten]

@@mikeluna2026 there was, but the implode/explode music option is like a garlic press: it’s really good at only doing one thing. This option provides more utility and has more applications beyond just voices being exploded out. For example, I use it whenever I have to convert scores from combined 1st/2nd parts into separate 1st and 2nd parts. I don’t have to worry about formatting and can copy them however I like to wherever I like. It’s also great when you are copying voices for orchestration when working from a reduction. You can copy whatever voice you want to as many parts in the orchestration as you want wherever in the score without having to add anything extra.

[@bobbycruzoc]

I've been using Finale for 20 years. Didn't know about the Retranscribe function. I like that. Also learned about selecting a small space and dragging the last note to end on beat 1. Very cool. Thanks for the tips.

[@grundvater]

Fantastisch. Echt starkes und gehaltvolles Video. Danke Dir.

[@JorgeSilvestrini]

AWESOME JOB Michael - thanks for the tips. It's always GREAT to get to know other people who also use Finale daily and write music. I've been using Finale for a while as well and some years back, I took the deep dive of making tutorials to help all of my friends who speak Spanish and didn't understand the program. I love learning new tricks and tips. Also, great layout on your video and good editing!

[@michaelwcotten]

Thank you so much! I appreciate all of the kind words!

[@jameslawrencewirth]

Very good tips! I've used Finale for 30+ years. Not used elapsed time hotkey, retranscribe, or articulations filter. That one will be very helpful! thanks again!

[@zacharyrich4069]

I've used finale for many years and never used the retranscribe tool or even knew what it did. Thanks for that!

[@LuisMarioOchoa-Artist]

Great tips, thank you! The only one that did not work for me was # 3 re-transcribe. I just messed a score when I changed time signature from 4/4 to cut time and all the syncopations (jazz band chart) were changed to ties, a total mess, but the tip did not revert to the original chart.

[@JIROYOSHIOKA]

Wow, thank you so much, those Informations will surely help me a lot in the future!! Such an underrated video!

[@robertdominicgilles]

I always use Tip#1, thank you for Tip#2 and #5 !

[@soundgarage1079]

Thank you so much, I'm from Malaysia and I learnt so much from this video. Basically all of these are useful for me. 🙂

[@hello.steve.newcomb]

Great tips and always good to be reminded of some of the copy/paste click options. I made a vid about also using Keyboard Maestro in tandem with Finale and the JW plugins. Massive time saver with filters :)

[@chrissscherer5901]

Excellent collection. Some I knew, many I did not.

[@sbwyo1966]

Wow, such a useful short video! I knew a few of those, but learned several easier ways to use almost all of them. Thank you Michael.

[@sejeongy]

Michael Cotten, I enjoyed the choices and your conciseness in your Top 10 Finale shortcuts. For #2, I think the “Explode Music” function is much more efficient for your three-horns-from-piano example than the method you described. (IMHO).

[@michaelwcotten]

For the specific example I used, I agree the Explode Music utility would work better. The Explode Music Utility though I think of as a more specialized tool whereas process extracted parts is more generalized. PEP can be used in more scenarios, but in the instances Explode Music applied, it is faster and better. I'm wanting to eventually do a part 2, so I'll make sure to keep that one on my radar. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@TeleStrat335]

Good video. I use explode music to process extracted parts.

[@michaelwcotten]

I commented on someone else's about why I used process extracted parts vs. explode music for this one.

[@zebelinha78]

Thanks... Regards from Portugal

[@ternitamas]

1,2,3 were unknown to me, really useful and time saving!! thanks!

[@marcb7647]

This is a very useful and practical tutorial. Thanks for sharing.

[@sahandrums]

Wow! Beautiful. Any tips on how to go from "Simple Entry Tool" to "Articulation Tool" with the keyboard? I'll be dealing with some "Articulation Heavy Line" 😄

[@remofalams1]

Use X for articulation

[@VoiceInTheDarkness]

WOuld love to see a video on the use of the piano reduction tool

[@juan.orduz.musico]

Thanks, man!!

[@Leon-rf4dp]

Thank you although I know half of these this help me with some I still did not know. Question: Do you know how to change the notes from like a tie note to like a dotted note that you dont have to manually enter it? especially if you are copying or transposing a passage a dotted note will become a tie note which can be annoying and cant figure out if there's a fix on it without manually editing each notes

[@ToXball]

Simply great!

[@tedung2072]

Excellent! Thanks!

[@VIHULAMihajlo]

The tip#2 is awesome👍 Thank you

[@DavidMorehead]

Nice tips. I have never used process extracted parts. I always used the explode command and then had it discard everything except the top note. Process extracted parts adds more functionality if you need it. I will check it out.

[@PeterHAdams]

The feature to re-transcribe I did not know. I compose almost exclusively for one set group of instruments. Does Finale have a macro where I can selected a set of instrument voices as a template or create a template for that ensemble?

[@darochanuno]

many thanks, specially for Tip 1.

[@michaelwcotten]

Thank you so much for watching! I had a good friend show me that tip a couple years ago and it has probably been my biggest time saver since.

[@KonStafylides]

Absolutely eye opening. Thank you so much!

[@JahonKarpsen]

Thank you very much. There's one trick yet to be disclosed/discovered: on my vocal staves, I want to turn the stems upwards for all the notes in the middle line (B for treble clef, D for baritone). Is there a way around this?

[@michaelwcotten]

Unfortunately, I don’t know of a way to permanently make that switch. The only way I can find is to manually switch on every measure using the stem direction tool, which is a pain.

[@AnonymousBN]

Gill Sans MT isn't an option for me in Finale 2014.5, did you have to add it?

[@astroytb4102]

How do you make that percussion subtitle like percussion 1 (snare drum bass drum)

[@andrebeller]

Cool! Add-on to Tip 9: I just found out the other day that there are hot keys for scrubbing playback. On Windows: hold Control and Space, then scroll across your score!

[@michaelwcotten]

I'll check it out tomorrow morning. I'm getting lots of suggestions from Facebook and other places. I want to compile and eventually make a "Ten More Tips" video.

[@guillemcamos]

Hey, great video! How I can drop the 2nd voice without deleting the others?? I don't find any video of how to do it... thanks

[@jeffcarroll6196]

i would add the 2nd note, an Octave lower, and then delete the 2nd note from its original position. Make sense?

[@EtienDanielFass]

Hello can you help what is the command in windows to make the reverse tie (the duration tie) please! finale 27

[@JoseGarcia-ox7nl]

8:34 i know this video is 4 years old but did you ever notice Tip #1 actually has the title for Tip #3 lol good video though!

[@calvinfranklin5052]

Thank-you!

[@SuperchargeDeals]

I am new to Finale, coming over from being a long-time user of Sibelius. My favorite tip in your video is how to separate the parts for the horns out of a multi-note piano score. Glad to know how to do that! Question: How would you do the opposite? ie. (Taking a bunch of individual horn lines and compiling them into a piano score.)

[@michaelwcotten]

A couple options. 1) If the rhythms are in exact unison go to Utilities > Implode Music. 2) If they aren't in unison and you just need two to three parts in the same line (i.e. Clarinet 1 and 2 into one staff) you can use layers. This example uses two staves. Highlight all of staff 2 > right click > move/copy layers > check "contents of layer 1 into layer > OK. All of the second staff is now in layer 2. Go to Documents > Show Active Layer Only. The whole line should have just disapeared because only layer 1 is showing. In the bottom left is 1, 2, 3, 4 in tiny boxes. Select 2. Everything should be fine but the clarinet part you just changed to layer 2. Copy and paste all of it into the staff with Clarinet 1. Documents > Show Active Layer. The second time will turn it off and you now have both parts in the same line. 3) The only other real option is the JW Staff Polyphony option and that's it.

[@SuperchargeDeals]

@@michaelwcotten Thanks for the personal reply! You rock! I want to use this function to create condensed scores for conductors that aren't so page-intensive.

[@jeffcarroll6196]

Another way, that I use, is to find "Piano Reduction" this will take each part that you nominate and produce a score on a Grand Stave. Of course, it may not fit under the fingers to play, and you may have to do much editing to make it readable. @@michaelwcotten

[@anteb.k.8396]

Can you somehow playback just woodwind section alone, or any section like that?

[@jeffcarroll6196]

YES! Go to the View and select Studio. On the Left hand side are a list of all the instruments you are using. You will note there are three little boxes for each instrument. Click the Red [S] button for each instrument you want to play [S] mean solo. When you play back only the iNstruments you checked will sound. I hope that this helps!

[@anteb.k.8396]

@@jeffcarroll6196 Wow I never knew this existed, thank you so much!

[@jeffcarroll6196]

I keep finding things on Finale that I never knew! Jeff@@anteb.k.8396

[@jaapcramer]

tip 2 is an odd one. There is the standard explode tool for that. Even shorter than the plug-in.

[@Texascarnivore]

Being able to copy and paste articulations, ties only is going to help me.

[@spencetpt]

On the extract part feature...I have found that exploding the parts works a whole lot faster than using the extracted part tool.

[@michaelwcotten]

Yes, but the exploding tool only works in specific scenarios. It’s rare I have a reduction with the parts perfectly underneath. It’s far more common I’m copying a split part into two separate parts on a different score. Or taking a a reduced 4 measures and putting it into full band orchestra with changes. Exploding is faster in very specific scenarios; extract parts does everything else which is why I use it pretty much exclusively. Plus, once you get used to using it, the time difference is fairly small.

[@spencetpt]

@@michaelwcotten That's fair.

[@nancyjohnson8363]

Is there a way to put multiple voicing on the same line using a quick or speedy entry method? I can enter the top line fast but end out taking a lot of time manually adding the next voice or two, even if they are the same rhythm. Is there a way to put different rhythms in the same measure without using different levels?

[@jeffcarroll6196]

I don't think that there is a way of adding multiple voices using Speedy entry. I find (as you describe) that I can put in a single line and then move to Simple entry to add extra notes to make chords. Sorry, I think that is the only way I know! Someone else may have a way to do this using Speedy entry!

[@michaelwcotten]

The fastest way I have found using speedy entry is one of two things: 1) I have one hand on the number pad pressing the rhythm and the other on my midi keyboard playing the chords. This is my fastest mode of writing. 2) I enter using the computer keyboard and then use the normal numbers to create the intervals above. So if I enter a “G” and hit 3, it will enter a B above the G. If I then hit 4, it will enter a E above the B and give me an E minor chord in first inversion.

[@mariolim]

Hi, I would like to ask how do you enable the measure number display at the top as shown in Tip 10?

[@jeffcarroll6196]

If you want REHEARSAL LETTER NUMBERS click on the mf sign on the main menu. Then press the letter "M" on you keyboards, and while holding "M" down click above the top stave. The Letter A will appear - do it again on another bar and the letter B will appear. Hope this helps.

[@jeffcarroll6196]

I have a problem with the names for 4 French Horns. I want to have 4 Horns. 1 and 2 on the first stave and 3 and 4 on the second stave. BUT when I set up the two staves they are named HORN F I and HORN F 2 - I cannot remove the numbers 1 and 2 and replace them with 1 and 2 on the First Stave and 3 and 4 on the Second stave. Anyone know how to remove the numbers? Jeff

[@michaelwcotten]

Click Window then Score Manager. Click on the instrument you want. In the bottom left will be a box checked for auto number. Uncheck that. Then, click the full name button. Change the name to what you want. Do the same for the abbreviated name. Do this for both. If you want the 1 and 2 to be on top of each other with the name centered behind, you are going to have to play around with the baseline shift. Do that in the text settings. Change by small increments (0.3) highlight just the 1 and 2 when you did this. It takes a little experimenting but you’ll get it.

[@jeffcarroll6196]

Dear Michael, Many thanks for your solution to my problem with names.Very good of you to answer so quickly!@@michaelwcotten

[@jeffcarroll6196]

I have just tested the method you suggested and - do you know? It works! Many Thanks!!!

[@mathieulaprise]

Tips #1 : I use SmartFind (CTRL+F) and Paint (CTRL+SHIFT+F) option to quickly copy/paste articulations from a pattern to the same others :)

[@JonBurr]

My favorite is Edit Filter plus paste vertical.. very fast

[@JohnJewel]

I learned the easy ones but I will cheat back to remember the harder ones.

[@leden123]

1:36 this is one of the most irritating things in finale!

[@santifoster1741]

Serious heavy-duty crap (i need a private tutor) but thank you

[@edoardomicheli]

Or: don't waste your life and do not use Finale at all