Tempo alteration (note1 = note2) expression dysfunction

[montedoro44]

Basic question here -- I can't find help. See attached, simple(!) tempo alteration in m3. No change happens. I have been to Edit Text Expression Definition... > Playback, and tried everything I can think of.

I experimented with the canned tempo-alt (quarter = 120), and that worked. Then I duplicated that working expression and changed the 120 to a half note. Result = no change in tempo. Help, please!

[motet]

I have been to Edit Text Expression Definition... > Playback, and tried everything I can think of.

The expression has no playback effect.

I don't think Finale will automatically slow down when it sees your expression anyway. Add an expression at the beginning and set the tempo to what you want with the playback tab. When you want the note1=note2 change, you'll need to compute the new value there yourself.

Dotted quarter doesn't make sense in 4/4, but perhaps this is just a test file. If it started in 12/4 and you set dotted quarter = 120 with the playback tab, then when you get to the change, you can set quarter = 120 with the playback tab (even though the expression text says dotted quarter = quarter). Other times, arithmetic may be necessary.

[N Grossingink]

The expression has no playback effect.

Edit the expression's playback tab to set the tempo of the quarter to be the same as the previous dotted quarter. Doesn't that work?

This notation is used when going from a dotted quarter beat to a quarter beat, say from 6/8 to 2/4.

[montedoro44]

Yes, this is just a test file, and has had many surgeries; the dotted quarter was just a random one of them.

N G, I see that as long as the right side of the equation is a number (= BPM), the expression does its job. I was hoping (past tense now) that Finale can parse the relative relation, so I could change the Playback tab to n, and then say, (quarter = eighth) would run at tempo 2n. Apparently Finale knows arithmetic, but not algebra, at least in this operation.

I'm using lots of chamber pieces for mmo practice, and part of that involves repetition of an entire piece at different tempi per Playback tab, so it would be a useful feature.

Thanks, motet & N G!

[motet]

It would indeed be useful.

[N Grossingink]

Make a copy of the file and enter the slower tempos. Make as many copies and different tempos as you like.

[montedoro44]

Yes, there is that. Dismal defeat.

Here is an idea I will play with -- it hooks tempo 2 to tempo 1, though there aren't as many choices: change note durations at the tempo-change point. It will look unseemly, but I can read the original while I play the transformed part.