Finale Forum

Comparing my finished score output to 'published' ones, it seems they use slightly larger note sizes in the default music font...perhaps 26 instead of the default 24? Anyone do this, and if so do you also make the stave lines thicker? Seems this is the case with many scores too.
Trying to present the most readable score possible where I've had to make the thing smaller to fit on the page.

What is the page size of your score? How many staves?

N Grossingink wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 25, 2019 6:29 pm

What is the page size of your score? How many staves?

Page size is UK B4 (13.9 x 9.8 inches aprox)

18 staves

jmus wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 25, 2019 8:16 pm

Page size is UK B4 (13.9 x 9.8 inches aprox)
18 staves

It sounds like your score is in landscape format - 13.9" wide (?)

To increase the staff size, try making the system scaling larger - with the "%" Tool, click in the middle of a system and in the window that appears increase the system scaling percentage. Tighten up the stave spacing as much as needed to compensate.

You could experiment with larger noteheads and thicker staff lines. Since that might not look good on the parts, use two copies of the score - one for the score and the other for parts.

N Grossingink wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 26, 2019 12:03 pm

jmus wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 25, 2019 8:16 pm

Page size is UK B4 (13.9 x 9.8 inches aprox)
18 staves

It sounds like your score is in landscape format - 13.9" wide (?)

To increase the staff size, try making the system scaling larger - with the "%" Tool, click in the middle of a system and in the window that appears increase the system scaling percentage. Tighten up the stave spacing as much as needed to compensate.

You could experiment with larger noteheads and thicker staff lines. Since that might not look good on the parts, use two copies of the score - one for the score and the other for parts.

Thanks for your reply. Score in portrait...(I just replied with the measurements the wrong way round)!

Thanks for tip re clicking in middle of system.

As it stands my score has following scaling/size set up from page set up
staff height 0.49995 cm
scale systems 112%
Resulting system scales 66%

Looks pretty good - was trying to follow Gould's set up but Finale makes it difficult to be exact, and according to Powell's 'music engraving today' there is no way for Finale to 'Use staff sizes', 'completed scores are printed at a percentage of an arbitrary 100% size'.
So...a lot of jiggling to make it publishable. It is actually 17 staves (not 18 as I thought).
I tried slightly larger noteheads and it is certainly more legible for a conductor. Need to experiment some more.

EDIT probably didn't mention most important bit Its fine on B4, just when I'm printing out at A4 for performers study copy - actually looking pretty OK now, just doesn't quite have that 'published look'

FWIW I use Finale's Engraver font as my music font rather than Maestro. I think it has somewhat larger noteheads. I find that a 30 stave conductor's score seems legible when printed to B4 portrait, but a 38 stave one is better as A3. (Players parts, of course, need a much larger stave size.)

There is in any case a ‘catch 22.’ For many people the largest size of system that can be read all at once horizontally is one that would nearly fill a B4 portrait page. Once one increases this to A3 and beyond, it may not always be so easy to read the whole system horizontally. One can't win! I remember the conductor's score for Henze's We Come to the River, which used three orchestras and about 20 solo vocal roles. This score was several feet high and certainly could not all be taken in at once. The conductor managed (brilliantly) by studying the score thoroughly in advance.

It's not uncommon practice for notes and line thicknesses to be larger for large scores. You'll also notice this in clefs, expressive/technique text, accidentals, as well as most other musical elements.

This actually comes from one principle from typography. Smaller type requires thicker letters to be legible.

I prefer using a completely different set of staff styles for the score simply for this reason. The trick is just not overdoing it. Debating about writing a JW Lua script to transfer between the two.