[Robert Patterson:]
>On Sat, 22 June 2002, "Michael Edwards" wrote
>> I've heard comments from various people
>> which seem to indicate that Finale is not easy to use;
>
>We should draw a distinction here between easy to use and easy to learn.
I guess that is a point. I probably hadn't thought it through to that
point - but, doing so now, I realize that I primarily meant "easy to use once
you know it". If I become convinced it is the best program to use, I am
prepared to go through a period during which learning is difficult.
>The questions you should answer for yourself are:
>
>1. How exacting are your notational requirements?
I suppose I would say they are somewhere in the middle. I'm well beyond
totally standard, simple music, and I am fussy about what I do being just what I
want, and I have certain ways of organizing complex, multi-voiced textures,
which I am prone to creating in piano music, for example - but on the other hand
I very rarely use some of the exotic notation of the more radical kind of 20th
century music. I do occasionally need things like bitonal or custom key
signatures, or bar-lines occurring in different places in different staves, or
different time signatures in different staves; and I seem to recall a time when
I even combined two different key signatures on a single staff (probably
compound and simple versions of the same metre). But that's about as
non-standard as I'm likely to get. (Things like these are only very occasional,
too; but it would be nice to be able to do things like that if I wanted to.)
>2. How much time will you be spending with the program?
Difficult to say. Until a year or so ago I would have said a great deal of
time; but I feel as if my life is changing direction and I am getting interested
in one or two completely new things, and it's possible music is retreating a
bit. I don't know whether this is just a passing phase or not. But I think if
I am to do anything about this at all, I have to assume I'm serious and will
potentially spend a lot of time using Finale.
I guess that makes Finale worth spending some time learning properly.
>... just because a program is easier
>to learn on the front end does not mean it will be the easiest or most
>productive program in the longer term after you've learned it.
I am more interested in long-term productivity than in immediate ease of
learning.
Someone mentioned to me a program called Graphire Music Studio. I've also
heard of Graphire Music Press, which I suppose is very similar (if not the
same). How does that compare with Finale?
Regards,
Michael Edwards.
_______________________________________________
Finale mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
