Tuplets

1. Choose the Tuplet tool .
2. Click the first note to be included in the tuplet group. The Tuplet Definition dialog box appears.
3. Specify the rhythmic composition of the tuplet. On the top part of the screen Finale is asking, “How many notes of what rhythmic value are to fit in the space normally allotted to how many of what value?” Enter the number of each rhythmic value in the text boxes. Specify the rhythmic value itself by selecting the rhythmic-value from the drop-down menus.

   For example, to define a standard quarter note triplet, you could fill out the values either as “3 (quarters) in the space of 2 (quarters),” or “3 (quarters) in the space of 1 (half).”

4. Under Appearance, specify how the tuplet will be displayed. You can specify various aspects governing the visual appearance of your tuplets.
   • If you’re creating a complex tuplet, you can choose a different option from the Number drop-down menu. For example, instead of placing a simple digit above the tuplet, Finale can express the tuplet as a ratio (such as 3:2), using the numbers you entered in the __ in the space of __ text boxes.
   • If you want the number that appears over the tuplet to be displayed in the middle of the slur or bracket (if you’re using one) instead of being above or below it, select Break Slur or Bracket.

   You can always change the angle or position of the bracket or slur once it’s in the score.

5. Click OK (or press ENTER).

1. Choose the Tuplet tool and click the first note of the tuplet. Handles appear on the tuplet bracket (or slur, or number).
   
   
2. Adjust the tuplet by dragging its handles:
   • To reposition the entire tuplet, drag the main handle (which is unshaded).
   • To change the length of the hook, drag the left or right hook handle. If you have selected Match Length of Hooks in the Tuplet Definition dialog box, Finale automatically adjusts the other hook to the same length as you drag.
   • To move the shape closer to or away from the notes, drag the shape handle up or down.
   • To change the angle of the shape, drag the slope handle.
   • To move the number closer to or away from the notes, drag the number handle.
3. To delete the tuplet and restore the notes to “normal”, click any handle and press DELETE.

1. Choose the Simple Entry tool . The Simple Entry Palette appears.
2. In the Simple Entry Palette, click the tool representing the desired note’s duration. Click any accidental tools, if desired.
3. Choose a method for entering a note:
   • Choose the Simple Tuplet tool on the Simple Entry Palette and click the staff. A note appears where you clicked, using the duration of the first note to define the triplet with rests filling out the rest of the triplet.

     If there isn’t enough room to create the full tuplet or you click within an already existing tuplet, Finale enters a note of the duration you selected.

   • After entering a note or rest with the caret, press 9 (or numpad 9) to begin a triplet on the note just entered. Finale adds rests to complete the triplet.
4. Enter the next two notes to replace the rests.

1. Double-click the Simple Tuplet tool on the Simple Entry Palette. Only the Simple Entry Tuplet tool is selected in the Simple Entry Palette.
2. Choose the note duration tool that you wish to use in this tuplet passage. Now, both the Simple Entry Tuplet tool and the desired note duration tool are selected in the Simple Entry Palette.
3. SHIFT+click on the first note in the tuplet (or where you would like to add one). The Simple Entry Tuplet Definition dialog box appears.
4. Specify the rhythmic composition of the tuplet. Finale is asking, “How many notes of what rhythmic value are to fit in the space normally allotted to how many of what value?” Enter the number of each rhythmic value in the text boxes. Specify the rhythmic values by selecting the corresponding options from the drop-down menus.

   For example, to define a standard eighth note duplet, you could fill out the values as “2 Eighth(s) in the space of 3 Eighth(s).”

5. Click OK. A note appears where you clicked, with rests filling out the rest of the tuplet.

You can also create the custom tuplet after entering a note:

1. After entering a note with the caret, press CTRL +9. The Simple Entry Tuplet Definition dialog box appears.
2. Define the tuplet as described above and click OK. A tuplet appears based on your settings.

1. Double-click the Simple Tuplet tool on the Simple Entry Palette.
2. Click on the first note in the tuplet. The tuplet is removed and the notes are restored to full value.

   If there is not enough room in the measure for the full value of the tuplet notes, nothing will happen. Remove the extra notes first, then remove the tuplet definition.

By default, the Simple Entry Tuplet tool will use the duration of the first note to define the triplet. If you want to create an eighth note triplet starting with a quarter note, you’ll need to use the following technique.

1. Choose the Simple Entry tool . The Simple Entry Palette appears.
2. Choose the Quarter Note tool on the Simple Entry Palette.
3. Click in the staff where you want your quarter-eighth triplet to appear.
4. Press ALT+9 to display the Simple Entry Tuplet Definition dialog box.
5. Type 3 in the first text box and 2 in the second text box. From both drop-down menus, select Eighth(s).
6. Click OK. The triplet appears with an eighth rest.
7. Replace the eighth rest with an eighth note in the usual manner.

You can use this same method to create other tuplets, for example, a sixteenth-note sextuplet that begins with an eighth note.

1. Choose the Speedy Entry tool , and click the measure in question. The editing frame appears.
2. If MIDI is not being used, place the cursor on the correct pitch.
3. Press CTRL+number in the number keypad. You can press any number between 2 and 8 to specify the tuplet value that you’re about to enter. When you do so, the number you pressed appears in the upper right corner of the editing frame, telling you that Finale is ready to group the next notes you enter as a tuplet defined by that number.

   If you need to enter a more complex tuplet (or if you want to specify a particular bracket or slur configuration), press CTRL+1 to display the Tuplet Definition dialog box.

4. Enter the notes of the tuplet. The value of the first note you enter tells Finale whether you’re entering an eighth-note tuplet, quarter-note tuplet, and so on. Finale automatically groups them and brackets them according to the default visual tuplet settings.

Tip: To enter many tuplets in a row, see To enter many notes of the same value (hands-free MIDI method).

1. Choose the Speedy Entry tool . Click in the staff to display the Speedy edit frame.
2. Press CTRL+1. The Tuplet Definition dialog box appears.
3. Type 3 in the first text box and 2 in the second text box. From both drop-down menus, select Eighth(s).
4. Click OK. A 3 appears in the Speedy edit frame, indicating that you will be entering a triplet.
5. Using normal Speedy Entry methods, enter the quarter note, then the eighth note.

It can be tricky to enter a tuplet on the last beat of a measure, especially when your tuplet includes more than one durational value (for example, an eighth note triplet that includes sixteenths). If you're having trouble, use this surefire method, but be sure not to skip steps 5 and 6.

1. Choose the Simple Entry tool . The Simple menu appears.
2. Choose Simple > Simple Entry Options.
3. Deselect Check for extra notes and click OK.
4. With the Simple Entry tool, finish entering the tuplet at the end of the measure.
5. Choose Simple > Simple Entry Options.
6. Re-select Check for extra notes and click OK.

Tip: As an alternative, you could create the tuplet on the first beat of an empty measure and cut-and-paste it to the correct location.

To nest tuplets, simply create one, then the other, as described in To turn 'normal' notes into a tuplet group above. It makes no difference whether you create the outer or inner tuplet first.

If you create tuplets with any of the methods described above, you don’t have to redefine the visual appearance of each tuplet each time you create one. Instead, you can set the visual appearance—including whether or not to include a slur, bracket, and so on—in advance in the Document Options - Tuplets dialog box.

For full instructions on the use of Finale’s real-time transcription tool, HyperScribe, see Recording with HyperScribe. However, you may find these supplementary instructions helpful.

1. Choose MIDI/Audio > Quantization Settings. The Quantization Settings dialog box appears.
2. Select your smallest note duration. For example, if you will be playing nothing smaller than eighth note triplets, choose the sixteenth note.

   If your real-time transcriptions consistently transcribe durations that are too large, lower the smallest note duration, or click More Settings to display the More Quantization Settings dialog box. Select Sensitivity Level and choose the next smallest duration to your smallest note duration. For example, if your smallest note duration is a sixteenth note, set Sensitivity to a thirty-second note.

3. Select an option under Play This To Get This:
   • Choose Mix Rhythms if your music will have a combination of dotted rhythms and tuplets.
   • Choose Space Notes Evenly In Beat if your music will have only tuplets and evenly spaced rhythms.
4. Click OK (or press ENTER). Continue with the transcription in the usual way.