Finale Forum

I'm working on a three-movement suite for concert band in Finale 25 (Windows). The second movement starts with a pickup. The third movement has a slightly different instrumentation from the first two: In the first two movements, the two oboe parts share a staff. In the third movement, the second oboe switches to English horn on a separate staff.

I have just completed the first movement. After searching various sites and forums, I am now thoroughly confused about how to proceed. I can find nothing relevant in Make Music's on-line help for Finale 25. There is a section on "multiple movements" in documentation for older versions, but it's not particularly helpful.

The Finale file currently contains the complete first movement. Should I now add measures for the second movement to the same file after the final measure of the first movement? I do have the "JW New Piece" plug-in, if that would help.

It almost seems simpler to create new files for the second and third movements, using the first movement as a template, and then combine them with Score Merger. But several forum users mention that the tool doesn't handle pickups properly.

I'd appreciate any advice on what to do. A link to a document or post that adequately explains it would be fine.

Thanks,

Ted

I would create the files separately. Use full duration for the first measures; just fill them with rests. After you have merged the scores, change the pickup measures.

When I do this I always create separate files for each movement. One big reason for me is the smaller file size of independent files.

You don't necessarily need to merge when all is said and done, if you're willing to have each movement start on a separate page.

You already have Jari's New Piece plugin, which is good. You might run it on a test file to see how it works and how to handle the pickup. I use it for an opera at the moment and it's great.

As for the changing number of staves, I would suggest to enter all different staves which occur into the document and then hide the empty ones. Make a group of the two oboe staves and extract the whole group as a part and hide the second system wherever it is emtpy.

Harald

motet wrote:You don't necessarily need to merge when all is said and done, if you're willing to have each movement start on a separate page.

I'm willing to have each movement start on a separate page in the score, but not the parts. Some of the parts probably won't need a full page for each movement, which means merging will reduce the number of pages I need to print and tape together.

miker wrote:I would create the files separately. Use full duration for the first measures; just fill them with rests. After you have merged the scores, change the pickup measures.

This is what I'm doing, as it seems to be the consensus.