Guitar notation

1. Choose the Smart Shape tool .
2. Click the Slur tool .
3. Double click the first fret number. A slur will extend from the first fret number to the second.
4. Hold down the Control key and click the Custom Line Tool . You should now see the Smart Line Selection dialog box.
5. Double-click the “H” to select a Hammer-On, or the ”P” for a Pull-Off. You will see many other guitar markings here as well including a bend (B), release (R), palm mute (P.M.), a let ring marking and others. See To add guitar markings below for a complete list.
6. Click the Select button.
7. Double-click the first fret number and drag to the second. You will see the H or P appear above the fret number. You will see two handles below the hammer-on or pull-off indicating the endpoints of an invisible line. Click and drag either of these to position the H or P accordingly.

You can use predefined Metatools to quickly enter these items, and even program your own. See Metatools for details. You can also enter several guitar markings as articulations. See Articulations.

1. Choose the Smart Shape tool . The Smart Shape Palette appears.
2. To enter a Guitar Bend, TAB Slide, Trill (vibrato), or Bend Hat, click the corresponding tool in the Smart Shape Palette.
3. Click on a note and drag to enter the marking in the score.

The remaining markings are available in the Smart Line Selection dialog box. For information on how to enter these markings, see To enter hammer-ons, pull-offs and other guitar-specific markings. For information on how to program your own Metatools for all of these markings, see Smart Shape Tool.

Description	Marking	Predefined Metatool
Bend Arrows		B
TAB Slide		X
Vibrato		E
Bend Hat		6
Hammer-on		H
Hammer-on for use above a slur or tie		2
Pull-off		P
Pull-off for use above a slur or tie		3
Bend		U
Bend for use above a slur or tie		4
Release		R
Release for use above a slur or tie		5
Artificial Harmonic (A.H./A.H)		A
Artificial Harmonic/A.H.		--
Natural Harmonic (N.H/N.H.)		N
Natural Harmonic/N.H.		--
Pick Harmonic (P.H./P.H.)		--
Pick Harmonic/P.H.		--
Palm Mute (P.M./P.M.)		M
Palm Mute/P.M.		--
Let Ring		--
Hold Bend		--
Up Pick		--
Down pick		--

1. Choose the Smart Shape tool
2. Choose the Guitar Bend tool in the Smart Shape palette.
3. Double-click the first of two fret numbers. Finale extends the bend or release, with the appropriate bend text, over the next fret number.

   By default the second fret number will be hidden and the second fret number of a release will be parenthesized. To indicate a 1/4 bend, CTRL+double-click any note.

To change the font, size or style of the guitar bend text or to hide it entirely, see Guitar Bend Options dialog box.

1. Choose the Smart Shape tool . The Smart Shape Palette and Smart Shape menu appear.
2. Select Smart Shape > Attach to Notes.
3. Click on the Bend Hat Tool in the Smart Shape palette, then position the cursor on the bend's beginning note.
4. Choose a method for creating the bend hat:
   • To create a bend hat spanning two consecutive notes, double-click the mouse on the first note. Finale places the bend hat on the adjacent notes.
   • To create a bend hat spanning multiple notes, double-click the mouse, holding the mouse button down on the second click. The note will be highlighted and a small bend hat will appear. Continuing to hold down the button, drag the slur to the right until you reach the note marking the end of the attachment. When Finale highlights that note, let go of the mouse button. The new note-attached bend hat appears.

Note that bend hats will convert to Guitar Bend Smart Shapes when drag-copied into a TAB staff. See Guitar Markings.

1. Choose Layer 2 from the layer buttons in the lower-left corner of the screen, and choose the Speedy Entry tool . You’re going to notate the parts that are to display normal noteheads. See Speedy Entry for instructions in using the Speedy Entry tool.
2. Click a measure, and enter the notes. For each beat where you’ll want a slash, enter any pitch; we’ll convert them to slashes next so what counts are the rhythms.
3. Choose the Staff tool , and select the notes that will contain slashes. See Selecting music for more information.
4. Choose Staff > Define Staff Styles. The Staff Styles dialog box appears.
5. Choose Available Styles > Rhythmic Notation.
6. Click the Select button next to Alternate Notation. The Alternate Notation dialog box appears.
7. Make sure Rhythmic Notation is selected, choose Apply to > Layer 2, then check all the boxes in the Other Layers section.
8. Click OK twice to return to the score. See Staff styles for more information.
9. Now, choose Layer 1 and enter the regular notation as required.

1. Create the part on a single staff. For each note that’s going to be a slash, enter a normal note.
2. Choose the Special Tools tool , and click the first measure you want to contain slashes.
3. Click the Note Shape Tool . Double-click the handle of the first notehead you want to be a slash. Finale displays a palette containing every symbol in the Maestro music font.
4. Double-click the slash. You actually have a choice of two slashes; the smaller one (slot #33) usually looks best. (The larger one is slot #243.) You return to the document, where the note now has a slash instead of a notehead.
5. Repeat the process with the other slashed notes.

   If the stems don’t connect with the notehead correctly, this can be adjusted for each character you use as a notehead. See Stem Connection Editor dialog box for details.

To enter music with a MIDI guitar, you also need a guitar-to-MIDI interface, which translates pitches from the guitar into MIDI signals to be sent to the computer. Consult the instruction manual that came with your guitar-to-MIDI interface to ensure that it is connected properly to the computer. Then, in Finale, go to the MIDI Setup dialog box and choose the appropriate MIDI IN driver. Once you have hooked up the MIDI guitar, follow these instructions to record what you play using HyperScribe.

1. Coordinate MIDI channels for your guitar strings. Choose MIDI/Audio > Device Setup > Tablature MIDI Channels. The Tablature MIDI Channels dialog box appears as seen here.
   
   

   The MIDI data for each string on a MIDI guitar reaches Finale on its own MIDI channel. In order to properly organize this information, you need to tell Finale the MIDI channel assigned to each string. In this dialog box, enter the channel for each string as defined on your guitar-to-MIDI interface and click OK. Consult your interface’s instruction manual for information on assigning strings to MIDI channels, or viewing the currently selected MIDI channel for each string.

2. Choose MIDI/Audio > Device Setup > MIDI Setup. Click the Advanced button to extend the lower portion. In the bottom left of the dialog box, you will see a MIDI-In Latency setting. There tends to be a small, but consistent delay between the time a guitar string is plucked and when the MIDI information reaches Finale. Finale can compensate for this delay by anticipating the beat during a HyperScribe session.
3. After MIDI In Latency, enter 25. This is just a good first guess. You will probably need to make further adjustments depending on the guitar-to-MIDI interface you are using and your own performance habits. Try anywhere from 25 to 150 milliseconds or so.
4. Click OK.
5. Create a new document containing a standard and tab staff with the Setup Wizard. Follow the instructions in Tutorial #1 to do this. We’ll use this document to demonstrate entry with a MIDI guitar.
6. Choose MIDI/Audio > Click and Countoff. The Click and Countoff dialog box appears.
7. Choose Countoff and Click > While Recording.
8. Choose Source > MIDI Note.
9. For Measures, choose 2.
10. Click OK. You have just instructed Finale that a 2-measure countoff is to be used before recording, and that a click is to be used during recording. Now, we’ll instruct Finale that it will be providing the tempo information.
11. Choose the HyperScribe tool . A new menu appears on the menu bar called HyperScribe.
12. Choose HyperScribe > Beat Source > Playback and/or Click. Your default settings should be Beat equals a quarter, Tempo is 96.
13. Choose Start Signal for Recording > Any MIDI Data. This setting tells Finale to use any type of MIDI data as a cue to start the countoff. Note also that you can access the Click and Countoff dialog box from here. For more details, see the User Manual under Click and Countoff dialog box.
14. Click OK. Finale is now ready to provide you with a metronome click.
15. Choose HyperScribe > Record Mode. Make sure Record into One Staff is selected. For this example, we will record into the tab staff only.
16. Click the first measure of the tab staff. A frame surrounds the measure you clicked, indicating that Finale is ready for you to begin. Finale is waiting for you to send a signal that you’re ready because we set the Start Signal to Any MIDI data. It doesn’t matter which note you play.
17. Play a note on your MIDI guitar. Finale begins to click, and will give you two full measures to get a feel for the tempo before it begins recording. If you don’t get a click, you may wish to review the Setting up your MIDI system section of the Getting Started guide.
18. At the conclusion of the second countoff measure, play a two-octave C scale, in quarter notes, starting on middle C, as shown below.
    
    

    As you play each measure, the numbers appear compressed together; only when you’ve completely filled a measure (and moved on to the next) does the full-fledged notation appear.

19. When you’re finished, click the mouse button anywhere on the screen. The editing frame goes away. Take a look at what Finale did: there should be a C scale in the tab staff with the fret numbers the same as the ones you played. If not, try entering a slower tempo in the Playback and/or Click dialog box, or change the MIDI In Latency value in the MIDI Setup dialog box.
20. Now we can copy the tab you just entered into the standard notation staff. Choose the Selection tool .
21. Highlight the measures containing fret numbers, and then drag the region into the notation staff. Your document should now look like the figure above.