Finale Forum

I would use JW Staff Polyphony and a scratch staff, to move the lower notes in staff one to the scratch staff, and merge it back into the upper staff as layer two.

Then, delete the scratch staff.

Use Move/Copy Layers to move the notes in the bass staff to layer two.

Is it possible to cut and paste certain notes from one layer to another?

Yes it is.
You just need to make use of the layers control features under the Documents tab. You must use Show Active Layer Only in the Document's tab. This makes it possible to edit one layer without editing any other layer. Then while in Show Active Layer Only. Click or change to which layer you want to edit. Simply copy and paste. You may have to correct stems. If you try this a few times you will see how it works.

A worthwhile plug-in for this type work is JW Polyphony.

Use the JW Staff Polyphony plugin. Get it if you don't have it ( http://www.finaletips.nu/index.php/download )
Top staff : use JW Staff Polyphony -> Layers -> Split

Bottom staff : Edit menu -> Move/Copy Layers : move the contents of Layer 1 to Layer 2.

I installed the plug in, Great plugin! So easy, in a click of a button. unchecked duplicate unisons as well. Bass is sorted as well.
One note, F natural in the highlighted bar, it does not want to split, how to make it work?

That F♮ is tied to the next measure.
In the screen shot you have only highlighted one measure, namely the measure ending with the F♮.
You have not highlighted the next measure.
You should probably highlight both measures before running the plug-in.

^^ I tried, doesn't work.

JW Staff Polyphony works for me.

I can not explain why it does not work for you.

Could you attach here a (small) Finale document with the problem?

It’s because of the quarter rest in layer two. That should be corrected to an eighth rest, and then it should work. If not, just do it manually.

Divided to two eighth rests, same.
Sample:

We should see your file before the plug-in. Any unisons (you have unchecked "duplicate unisons") ?

The eighth-note F-natural is not in layer 2.

I tried both checked and unchecked duplicate unisons in the plugin options.
For this piece it is the only bar that keep a layer 2 note in layer 1 so not a problem to manually change one note but just curious to know how to make it work with the plugin.

How to stop playback after space+left clicking a bar?

Click anywhere.

I know.
I'm looking for a keyboard shortcut and if it does not exist then how to create one.

I don't know. There's a keyboard shortcuts section in the manual. I suspect if one exists, it would be documented there. FinaleScript has a Click command. You could see if that works to stop playback. You could then map the script to a hotkey.

1. How to correctly display the chords in this bar as all the chord notes are played with the left hand? 2. I know layers are not voices and for bars with 4 voices i use layer 1 for the top voice in a measure and layer 2 for the bottom voice in a measure. How do you approach more than 5 voices in a bar? Some bars in my piece have 5 voices, like in the following two bars. Which voices to put in which layer? I never used layer 3 and 4 yet.
This one only uses layer 1 and 2: This one uses also layer 3 for the B-A-B notes: Both examples look wrong...

As this seems to be piano music, it may be written more pianistically, without demonstrating the individual voices as in much choral music. Neater-looking and easier to read. Different layers are needed only when the 'voices' have different rhythms, as in ex. 3. (I just assumed the key signature was one sharp, but it doesn't matter here.) Ex. 2 could be written as you have done, only with the beam in layer two broken - or like this which is quite typical in piano writing (you write as you play):

Perhaps whole notes rather than tied half notes.

It's just the lowest voice that's tied. Simpler without layers was my point.

@Anders Hedelin
Yes, i write this piece for piano. I wrote it in a coral way because it is pretty cool to distinguish between the different voices but this needs to change... So for test, i tried to move all the voices from layer 2 to layer 1 in bar 1 using JW staff polyphony but it moves only the bass line, how to make it work with the top staff layer 2 as well?

Anders Hedelin wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:14 pm

It's just the lowest voice that's tied. Simpler without layers was my point.

In that case I would still write a whole note for the lower C, otherwise it's easily misunderstood. I guess you could use Voice1/Voice2, but I see nothing wrong with a layer in that situation.

Of course there's nothing wrong with two layers in the left hand of the example. I would say both notations are pretty standard for piano.

Progman wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:59 pm

So for test, i tried to move all the voices from layer 2 to layer 1 in bar 1 using JW staff polyphony but it moves only the bass line, how to make it work with the top staff layer 2 as well?

The second measure looks just fine, I think.
I don't think moving layers is the right thing to do in the first measure. There I would simply delete layer two - it doesn't contain any real information as I can see. (And if you don't move layers, the left hand will stay in layer one.)

^^ I know i can delete layer 2 in the top measure manually and write layer 1 from the beginning but i want to know how to make it work with that plugin or in other way to save time because the whole piece is divided to 4-5 voices... Bar 1 is just an example...