Using a grid in Finale/setting it up correctly...?

[Andrew Harrison]

Hi everyone,

I've got a question about using a grid in Finale, and configuring it, too.

I'm in the process creating a book of educational piano works, and I want to establish a solid Finale template that I can call on quickly, knowing that things will reliably look uniform and balanced. (For instance, distances for where titles and subtitles are, as well as expressions).

Despite using Finale for a long time, I recently realised I have never used grids to any extent. (I do use rulers regularly, though). So my questions are:

1. Are grids something that I should be employing for use with a music education book? Will a good grid setup/application make my Finale 'layout step' easier? Do publishers/self-publishing composers incorporate grids as a usual part of their 'layout' work flow?
2. If yes, (and given that I work in centimetres in terms of my rulers and use A4 paper as my default size), should I setup my grid in centimetres as well? Does anyone have any tips/advice about how to setup a grid, and how to use it effectively? (Or possibly steer me towards a useful video/online post/?)

As always, thanks in advance for all your expert advice and knowledge.

Regards,
Andrew Harrison

[motet]

I don't think the grid does anything except let you tediously align things manually. I don't really understand the need for aligning things to a grid. Finale has other ways of aligning text expressions, fingerings, etc., even measure widths. And unless you have a system of one-measure examples, for example, I think it's better to space measures according to content by Finale's default algorithm.

There's nothing to set up, anyway, I don't think. You can turn the grid display on and off, but nothing related to that is stored in a template, say.

[Andrew Harrison]

Thanks Motet.

I had an inkling that would be the case, in terms of its usefulness. (When I searched the Finale Forum, there weren't many questions about using a grid, for instance).

I've also not used the 'Snap to Grid' function at all, either, so I was curious to see if people used it. As you mentioned, I imagine that people align their music in other ways.

Cheers
Andrew