Finale Forum

I imported a music xml file into Finale. The first quarter note is the pickup measure. Finale did not recognize it as such, and the score is barred on each third beat. How can I tell it to take the first note and make it a pickup measure, and correctly align the remainder of the score?

You can select all of the score, and drag it to the proper starting beat. Then, change the time signature in the first measure to 1/4, or whatever you need it to be. Finally, set the pickup measure time signature to display as the correct one.

Or, use the pickup measure item in the Document menu and Finale should automatically make the adjustment of the rest of the score. Some users don't use that feature, but I have been an avid user since day one. It works well for well over 90% of my projects.

Zuill

Final solution was a combination of both suggestions.

I had tried the pickup measure before, but it doesn't take in to account that you just want the first quarter note as the pickup measure, and deletes it. So I inserted a new measure stack at the beginning, cut and paste the quarter notes to the first measure at the last position, then turned that into the pickup measure.

Now all that was left was to get rid of the quarter rests at the beginning of the second measure. So I converted the rest of the song to 1/4 time, and deleted the measure with the quarter rests. Then I selected from that measure to the end, and converted to 4/4. It was barred correctly. FInally, I made the first measure 4/4, and it cooperated as well.

Seemed kind of awkward overall, but as with anything else, there is a way around it. It would be easier if you could highlight the notes you want in the pick-up, and select the option from the Document menu, then have it intelligently rebar the rest of the score. Too much to ask?

Since my approach worked for my test, seeing your file would probably give us a chance to test it for ourselves.

Zuill