Swing 16ths not working

[CantoPed]

Running Finale 27 on a 2020 MacBook Air.

I'm attempting to write a piece with swung 16th notes, and am using this article as a guide:

https://www.finalemusic.com/blog/swing- ... in-finale/

I initially followed the instructions on changing the visuals, before looking at any of the playback instructions. So I did the playback steps after doing the visual steps. When I tried to play the piece, it swung the 8ths instead of the 16ths. What am I doing wrong here? Do I need to start over again and do the playback stuff first?

[motet]

It would be best if you could attach your file here, at least the first few measures with the tempo mark (which I'm guessing is the culprit).

[miker]

Is it a multistaff piece? I’ll never understand why a “swing” tempo has to be applied to each staff. If you don’t, only the top staff will swing.

(Please someone, tell me I’ve been doing it wrong all these years, and I don’t have to put the expression on every staff. Yes, I know I can hide them.)

[Peter Thomsen]

… (Please someone, tell me I’ve been doing it wrong all these years, and I don’t have to put the expression on every staff. Yes, I know I can hide them.)

There is a way to make the score play back Swing in all the staves, without displaying the Swing expression on each and every staff in the score:

In the Score List, select all the staves in the column for Parts.

Yes, I know.
It sounds crazy that a setting for the Parts would affect the playback of the Score.

Just One Of Those Things.

[oldmkvi]

I've had tunes that needed Swing on some staves but not on others.
I assume the Parts will say Swing Feel,
how else would the players know?

[CantoPed]

I don't even know how to get to the score list.

Here's my file.

[Peter Thomsen]

I don't even know how to get to the score list …

Generally, to find a particular dialog box in Finale (like e. g. the dialog box Score Lists), use the online manual, and type the dialog box name in the Search field.

To get to the dialog box Score Lists:

Document menu > Category Designer

Click on the Tempo Marks category, to select it.

When the Tempo Marks category is selected, you will at the bottom of the Category Designer see Score List
(if the Dynamics category is selected, then you will not see Score List)

Then, click on the button {Edit…}, to edit the Score List, or to create a new Score List.

[CantoPed]

Ok, I checked all the items in the score list, but it's still swinging 8ths instead of 16ths.

What exactly do I need to do here?

[motet]

It would be best if you could attach your file here, at least the first few measures with the tempo mark (which I'm guessing is the culprit).

[CantoPed]

It would be best if you could attach your file here, at least the first few measures with the tempo mark (which I'm guessing is the culprit).

I already did, see above

[motet]

Oh, sorry.

Set the time signature to 8/8, displayed as 4/4, not (2+2+2+2)/8 like you have. You'll need a second expression to set the tempo.

You may have to use Utilities/Rebeam/Rebeam to time signature (4/4) after you've entered the notes, to get the beaming you want.

[CantoPed]

Oh, sorry.

Set the time signature to 8/8, displayed as 4/4, not (2+2+2+2)/8 like you have. You'll need a second expression to set the tempo.

You may have to use Utilities/Rebeam/Rebeam to time signature (4/4) after you've entered the notes, to get the beaming you want.

Ok, that resolved most of my issues. The only thing left seems to be that the slash notation is showing 8 beats per bar instead of 4. Any way to fix that?

[CantoPed]

Actually, there's another issue too - the notes aren't beamed properly. This might be why the Finale guide I mentioned in the OP was telling me to do the 2+2+2+2/8.

Is there any way to have both the proper swing 16th playback and the correct beaming? I don't really mind switching between the two (realistically the only time I'll have to switch is once I'm done writing and need to print the score and parts) but it'd still be a pain.

EDIT: I can still use the / to join the beams, so I guess it's not so bad. Still it'd be good to know.

[motet]

You may have to use Utilities/Rebeam/Rebeam to time signature (4/4) after you've entered the notes, to get the beaming you want.

Easier than the / key, I think.

[motet]

The only solution I can think of for the slash notation is to use rhythmic notation--which means you need to enter quarter notes--and then hide the stems. I guess you'd want to suppress playback, too. JW Change can accomplish both. If you do one measure you can copy it elsewhere.

[motet]

I've reported the erroneous advice of (2+2+2+2)/8 to the author of that page.

Of course it's ridiculous that what values to swing depend on the time signature. It should be a separate setting.

[Peter Thomsen]

Quoting from an older forum post:

“You can create a workaround for this by changing the time signature to 8/8 to look as 4/4.
With the 8th note as the unit of beat, 16ths will swing.

The only drawback to this plan is if you have measures with slash notation.
They will now have 8 slashes instead of 4.

Creating a staff style for "Slash Notation with Independent Time Signature" allows you to change those measures or staves to 4/4 and get the standard 4 slashes needed.

If you have 16th note swing in the measure hidden by the slashes, then changing to 4/4 doesn't help.”

[CantoPed]

Quoting from an older forum post:

“You can create a workaround for this by changing the time signature to 8/8 to look as 4/4.
With the 8th note as the unit of beat, 16ths will swing.

The only drawback to this plan is if you have measures with slash notation.
They will now have 8 slashes instead of 4.

Creating a staff style for "Slash Notation with Independent Time Signature" allows you to change those measures or staves to 4/4 and get the standard 4 slashes needed.

If you have 16th note swing in the measure hidden by the slashes, then changing to 4/4 doesn't help.”

Good to know, but how does the new staff style work on a step by step basis? All I can find is the Independent Elements section - not sure how it all works from there.

[michelp]

Or... in the staff attributes of the staff that needs the 4 slashes, next to Independent Elements, select Time Signature.
When slashes are needed (4 of them), select the region in that staff and change its time signature to 4/4. Apply the slash notation.