Speedy Entry with MIDI Keyboard - What if I can't play the chord with my left hand?

[dstraigh]

I've been using the Speedy Entry tool with an external MIDI keyboard. Mostly I've been entering single notes - maybe a few double stops here and there. My left hand plays the keyboard and my right hand presses the keys on my laptop (often the numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 - a few letters such as T, P and the period .). However, tonight there are too many notes for my left hand to play - it's a big chord.

Now, I know I can stop and add a note to the chord later - using the Simple Entry Tool. But, the piece has many of these chords - so it would become cumbersome fairly quick if that were to be my work flow.

So my basic question is:

Is there a more elegant way to enter big chords using Speedy Entry + MIDI keyboard?

[RimasG]

The most basic way would be: in Speedy Entry mode, you press Caps Lock on the computer keyboard, then select the desired value on the numeric keypad and press the desired chord on the MIDI keyboard with the fingers of both hands. If the next chord has a different rhythmic value, select it again on the numeric keypad; if the value is identical, it is sufficient to press the chord again on the MIDI keyboard in the above way.
I don't know if this is valid for MAC, but it should be something similar.

[engelbach]

RimasG,

Thanks for the tip. On the Mac, it doesn't seem to work with Speedy Entry, because as soon as you press a value, a rest appears on the staff.

However, it works in Simple Entry. Insert a note — any note — of the correct value, press caps lock, and play the chord with two hands. The original note is replaced by the chord.

Cheers,
Jer

[RimasG]

I have never used this method myself, but I tried it in practice before writing the tip. With my Win11 64-bit equipment it worked fine. Entering by editing, as engelbach suggests, is not the way dstraigh asked for, I think. For more specific subtleties of MAC usage, I think there is information in the user manual.

[Peter Thomsen]

… it doesn't seem to work with Speedy Entry, because as soon as you press a value, a rest appears on the staff …

It sounds like you forgot the Caps Lock.

What you describe, is how Speedy works without Caps Lock.
Without the Caps Lock the MIDI keyboard keys must be held down when you press a rhythmic value.
If no MIDI Keyboard keys are down, then you will get a rest instead.

[engelbach]

Peter,

Actually, no, I haven't forgot the caps lock. A rest still appears when I press a value key, either on my keyboard or number pad.

The trick only works for me with Simple Entry.

Cheers,
Jer

[motet]

What you describe in Simple entry doesn't require CapsLock.

[engelbach]

Motet,

Thanks. You're right, of course.

But I don't know why the trick doesn't work for me with Speedy entry.

Cheers,
Jer

[motet]

As Peter says, it sounds like Finale doesn't know you've pressed CapsLock. If you enter text into a text block with CapsLock on, do you get caps?

[engelbach]

Yes, my caps lock works.

But maybe, as you suggest, Finale just doesn't recognize it.

[Peter Thomsen]

Yes, my caps lock works.

But maybe, as you suggest, Finale just doesn't recognize it.

When such problems happen, the usual steps you should try, are:

- quit Finale, and launch it again,

- re-boot the computer,

- re-set Finale’s Preferences.
There is a {Reset All Preferences} button in the Preferences window, but you can also remove the Preferences file; it is called 'com.makemusic.finale.fprf'.

[engelbach]

Peter,

You nailed it! Trashing the Preferences file worked.

Thanks so much for your help.

Cheers,
Jer

[HaraldS]

I run all of my MIDI input data thru MIDIOX. There, I have written a script which holds back all Note On/Off data if the sustain pedal is pressed. It sends them when the pedal is released. Thus, I can stack a chord with the left hand while pressing the sustain pedal, very much like when playing piano. Only when I release the pedal, the chord gets sent to Speedy Entry and gets notated.

I suggested this functionality some 20 years ago to Coda/Makemusic as a Finale enhacement, but it was never considered. So I wrote my own solution. If anyone is interested, I can post the script.