Adding a Lead Sheet to Piano Music

[konradh]

Situation:

• I have a lead sheet in Print Music (melody and lyrics on one staff).
• I have a MIDI file for the piano accompaniment.

Goal: Create a Print Music score with vocal and piano accompaniment.

What's the easiest way?
1. I could create a piano score in Print Music from the MIDI file, if there were a way to merge the vocal and piano music.
2. I could possibly add two staves to the lead sheet, but I don't know how to import the MIDI into those two specific staves.
3.Importing MIDI is weird because the music doesn't always start where I want. Is there a way to drag and drop a MIDI file on a particular staff at a particular place?

PS I understand music and am very experienced with DAW software, but I am still stumbling around with notation software. Since I am a songwriter, I want to get proficient with Print Music/Finale because I have a large catalog.

Thanks! --Konrad

[Peter Thomsen]

An idea:

1) Create a piano score in Print Music from the MIDI file.
Add a vocal staff above the piano’s Grand Staff.

2) Open the lead sheet, Select All, and Copy.

3) Go back to the piano score, select the added vocal staff, and Paste.

[konradh]

That sounds very straightforward. Thanks very much.

One follow-up, if that's allowed.

When I import a MIDI file and the music does not start on beat 1, all the music is shifted early (left). In other words, Finale assumes the music start on beat 1 bar 1. What I did last time was to add garbage notes to the front of the MIDI file, and then erase them after the import.

Is there a way to import the MIDI to start on a certain beat or in a certain bar, or is it easier just to import it all and then shift it all right a certain number of beats or bars? I don't know how to shift it (push it over), but there must be a way.

Thanks again for your help!

--Konrad