Creating Swing Expressions ... or finding them

General notation questions, including advanced notation, formatting, etc., go here.

Moderators: Peter Thomsen, miker

Post Reply
User avatar
wonder
Posts: 169
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:42 pm
Finale Version: v26
Operating System: Mac

Post by wonder » Fri Mar 02, 2018 6:15 am

I'm writing a chart in Cut Time...trying to denote swing like in the picture attached.

I can't find this anywhere in the libraries nor can I create it.

Is this possible to do?
Attachments
Screen Shot 2018-03-01 at 10.13.51 PM.png
Screen Shot 2018-03-01 at 10.13.51 PM.png (15.65 KiB) Viewed 4397 times
Finale v26, Digital Performer 9, ProTools 12. Mac.


User avatar
miker
Posts: 5993
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:28 pm
Finale Version: Finale 27.4
Operating System: Mac

Post by miker » Fri Mar 02, 2018 6:42 am

It's easy enough to do, if you have the correct font. I looked through the few "handwritten" fonts I have, and couldn't find a match.

Here it is in Maestro Text:
Attachments
Screen Shot 2018-03-01 at 10.40.40 PM.png
Screen Shot 2018-03-01 at 10.40.40 PM.png (69.75 KiB) Viewed 4390 times
Finale 27 | SmartScorePro 64
Mac OS 13.2.1 Ventura
Copyist for Barbershop Harmony Society

User avatar
wonder
Posts: 169
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:42 pm
Finale Version: v26
Operating System: Mac

Post by wonder » Fri Mar 02, 2018 6:46 am

man, you're quick.

I tried to create it with Maestro and gave up after about 200 keystroke combinations looking for the correct shapes.
Finale v26, Digital Performer 9, ProTools 12. Mac.

User avatar
wonder
Posts: 169
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:42 pm
Finale Version: v26
Operating System: Mac

Post by wonder » Fri Mar 02, 2018 6:54 am

I see on the Maestro map https://usermanuals.finalemusic.com/Pri ... O_Font.htm the single notes, but how'd you get the notes to tie together?
Finale v26, Digital Performer 9, ProTools 12. Mac.

User avatar
wonder
Posts: 169
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:42 pm
Finale Version: v26
Operating System: Mac

Post by wonder » Fri Mar 02, 2018 7:03 am

I Found it how to make the 8th tied to the 16th ... but I can't figure out how to dot the first 8th note...any suggestions?


https://usermanuals.finalemusic.com/Fin ... o_Font.htm
Finale v26, Digital Performer 9, ProTools 12. Mac.

User avatar
Peter Thomsen
Posts: 6601
Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2003 6:47 pm
Finale Version: Finale v27.4
Operating System: Mac

Post by Peter Thomsen » Fri Mar 02, 2018 7:49 am

miker wrote:… Here it is in Maestro Text:
I do not know of a font named Maestro Text.

Perhaps it is the font Maestro Times ?
Mac OS X 12.6.9 (Monterey), Finale user since 1996

Vaughan
Posts: 267
Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 2:50 pm
Finale Version: Finale 25
Operating System: Mac

Post by Vaughan » Fri Mar 02, 2018 8:58 am

I'd strongly suggest getting a small utility called PopChar which, if desired, puts a little 'p' in the upper corner of your screen. Clicking it gives you a complete list of your installed fonts with every character available in each font, arranged any way you prefer to view them (unicode blocks, ASCII order, etc. You can then click on any of these glyphs and it will be inserted into the text field of whichever program you're using, including Finale's expression designer. The most often used characters can even be saved to a 'favourites' field. Much better than the arbitrary hunt-and-pick method! Here's a link:
http://www.ergonis.com/products/popchar/
Vaughan

Finale 3.2 - 26, Sibelius 4 - 7, Dorico 2.2
Tobias Giesen's plugins, full version, Robert Patterson plugins, Jari's plugins
MacOS 10.14.2
MacPro (2016) 16 GB, MacBookPro (2018) 16 GB

Amsterdam

User avatar
Peter Thomsen
Posts: 6601
Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2003 6:47 pm
Finale Version: Finale v27.4
Operating System: Mac

Post by Peter Thomsen » Fri Mar 02, 2018 1:11 pm

By The Way, Finale has the dialog box Symbol Selection where you can browse through all the characters in the current font.

In the dialog box Symbol Selection you can also see each character’s font slot number, and (only in Finale 2012 and later) the Unicode number/keystroke.
Mac OS X 12.6.9 (Monterey), Finale user since 1996

User avatar
zuill
Posts: 4418
Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2016 9:35 pm
Finale Version: Finale 2011-v26.3.1
Operating System: Windows

Post by zuill » Fri Mar 02, 2018 3:11 pm

This was created as a shape expression.

Zuill
Attachments
Swing Expression.jpg
Swing Expression.jpg (5.32 KiB) Viewed 4349 times
Windows 10, Finale 2011-v26.3.1
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."

User avatar
miker
Posts: 5993
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:28 pm
Finale Version: Finale 27.4
Operating System: Mac

Post by miker » Fri Mar 02, 2018 3:22 pm

Peter Thomsen wrote:
miker wrote:… Here it is in Maestro Text:
I do not know of a font named Maestro Text.

Perhaps it is the font Maestro Times ?

Yes. My bad. Sorry!
Finale 27 | SmartScorePro 64
Mac OS 13.2.1 Ventura
Copyist for Barbershop Harmony Society

User avatar
miker
Posts: 5993
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:28 pm
Finale Version: Finale 27.4
Operating System: Mac

Post by miker » Fri Mar 02, 2018 3:24 pm

zuill wrote:This was created as a shape expression.

Zuill
Which font did you use?
Finale 27 | SmartScorePro 64
Mac OS 13.2.1 Ventura
Copyist for Barbershop Harmony Society

User avatar
miker
Posts: 5993
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:28 pm
Finale Version: Finale 27.4
Operating System: Mac

Post by miker » Fri Mar 02, 2018 3:37 pm

wonder wrote:I Found it how to make the 8th tied to the 16th ... but I can't figure out how to dot the first 8th note...any suggestions?


https://usermanuals.finalemusic.com/Fin ... o_Font.htm

Send me your email via private message, and I'll send you a tutorial I put together, that might help.
Finale 27 | SmartScorePro 64
Mac OS 13.2.1 Ventura
Copyist for Barbershop Harmony Society

User avatar
zuill
Posts: 4418
Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2016 9:35 pm
Finale Version: Finale 2011-v26.3.1
Operating System: Windows

Post by zuill » Fri Mar 02, 2018 4:16 pm

miker wrote:
zuill wrote:This was created as a shape expression.

Zuill
Which font did you use?
A combination of Jazz and Jazz Text.

Zuill
Windows 10, Finale 2011-v26.3.1
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."

User avatar
wonder
Posts: 169
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:42 pm
Finale Version: v26
Operating System: Mac

Post by wonder » Fri Mar 02, 2018 4:28 pm

i think i did it ... after about 30mins of keystrokes.

I think (if memory serves), I added a quarter note, then a dot (.), then a bar at the top to reconnect the 8th note to the 16th note.
Attachments
Screen Shot 2018-03-02 at 8.27.10 AM.png
Screen Shot 2018-03-02 at 8.27.10 AM.png (12.76 KiB) Viewed 4334 times
Finale v26, Digital Performer 9, ProTools 12. Mac.

User avatar
Peter Thomsen
Posts: 6601
Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2003 6:47 pm
Finale Version: Finale v27.4
Operating System: Mac

Post by Peter Thomsen » Fri Mar 02, 2018 6:43 pm

wonder wrote:… then a bar at the top to reconnect the 8th note to the 16th note.
Adding “a bar at the top” is one way to reconnect the 8th to the 16th.

As another solution you can decrease the character distance via the dialog box Character Settings.
Select the three characters (= 8th, dot, 16th), and go to Character Settings.
If you use the MaestroTimes font, set the Tracking to something like -75 ems.
Mac OS X 12.6.9 (Monterey), Finale user since 1996

Post Reply