Finale Forum

How might it be best to do this in Finale? (It's from the 1983 piece, mentioned in a recent post, which I wrote for myself to play on Bass Trombone accompanied by brass band.)

I think I can possibly work out something using three layers, but all ideas are welcome.

I already have articulations for +o for the plunger mute, so no problem there. The stemless notes for the singing should probably be easy enough with JW Change. However, I'm a little less sure how to enter in Finale the indication (in the last two bars shown) for the rhythm of Wa (and I don't want spurious ledger lines).

I'd probably go with layers also. If you have any spurious ledger lines, JW Change can hide those - look under the "Note Entries" pane.

N.

N Grossingink wrote:… … If you have any spurious ledger lines, JW Change can hide those - look under the "Note Entries" pane.

Thanks for that advice, I'll act on it.

There's also a MM plugin, Note, Beam, and Rest Editing/Ledger Lines (Hide).

This is my interim result. It was quite fiddly, using three layers and JW Change.

One unexpected problem was that in the PDF (shown here) the +o etc articulations were noticeably too far to the right when the third layer (with noteheads & ledger lines hidden) was in use if they were in the right place in the Finale file. It didn't seem to matter which method was used for creating the PDF, they all had the identical error. These articulations are now rather far to the left in the Finale file, but that does produce the PDF shown. It was only when layer 3 was in use (ie in the last two bars shown) that the problem occurred, all the other +o articulations are in the identical position in both Finale file and PDF.

Looks good!

So far as the wandering articulations, I'd try entering them as Expressions to see it that stabilizes them.

N.

Hurray! I've found a solution to the wandering articulations. Not entering them as expressions (although that did seem to help a little) but by not only hiding the layer 3 noteheads, but also resizing them to 1%. That did the trick.

It's astonishing what one seems to be able to find out by trial and error in Finale!

Just a tiny up-date.

I've decided that it looks better with the ‘sing’ noteheads reduced to 80%. This wasn't relevant in my MS score (and I don't have the hand-copied part), but it definitely looks better in Finale.

I've also taken the opportunity to make the solo bass trombone part a little less demanding than in my original of 1983 (no wandering up to tenor high C &c), but that's BTW…

There's a Carl Maria von Weber horn piece where we sing into the horn to create three-part chords with the difference tone that's produced. It's rather difficult because acoustically strange things happen in the throat. I wonder if the trombone is any easier.

motet wrote:There's a Carl Maria von Weber horn piece where we sing into the horn to create three-part chords with the difference tone that's produced. It's rather difficult because acoustically strange things happen in the throat. I wonder if the trombone is any easier.

The particular combination of sung and played pitches I've chosen is about as easy as it gets (for a man, and at least possible for a woman). It's no doubt a bit perverse of me to add plunger effects as well, but rather fun. The largish mouthpiece on a bass trombone may make it easier than on a horn.

I have an LP from 1984 with Hermann Baumann playing that Weber piece, resultant tones and all. Mind you, the Strauss 2nd concerto on the same record is probably altogether more terrifying: it even terrifies me sitting in an audience!

Further comment: I've just tried it again, resultant tones, plunger and all. Given that I'm 77 and my bass trombone is now uncomfortably heavy for me, I feel that if I can still do it it can't be too difficult.

My son has a Master's in trombone and does that stuff easily. It is an advanced technique but can be done on tenor trombone. It will be a struggle for lesser experienced players.