On Jun 13, 2007, at 12:07 PM, Leigh Daniels wrote:
Hello All,
I've received a Finale 2007 file of a score for string quintet written
by a composer who didn't understand the double-stop limitations of
string players. When he found out that what he wrote wouldn't work, he
asked me if I could "fix" it. (Don't ask! At least it's work)
Consequently I have five staves with five 5/4 measures of minor second
16th notes that are unplayable as written. I need to re-write them so
the players can play them and the composer can still have his
sound. I'm
thinking I need to reassign notes so that each instrument has
between a
minor third and a minor seventh for each 16th.
I don't want to sit down and do it manually if I can get Finale to
help
me so I'd appreciate any thoughts on how to handle something like this
using FinMac2007 tools. I'm afraid it's going to be a manual job,
though.
You don't mean DIFFERENT pitches on each sixteenth, do you? So a
density of ten pitches total, changing on each sixteenth? I'm afraid
he's in for a big disappointment. The only possible way that would be
playable with five instruments is if one of the pitches for each
instrument was on an adjacent, open string. There might be some extra
trickiness that a violinist would know about, involving alternating
fingers, that might help him out, but you have to REALLY know the
instrument for that.
Assuming I misunderstood, and the double stops are REPEATING pitches,
then this is doable on the instruments, and fairly easily
accomplished in Speedy Entry with a MIDI keyboard.
First, figure out what pitches each instrument is going to play, and
make a note of it somewhere (staff paper, I think it used to be
called. I seem to remember that from way back.)
Then hold down the pair of pitches while the cursor is on the first
note. Hit Enter (return on PC). The stem will assume the pitches that
you are holding down. Hit right arrow to move to the next stem, and
hit Enter again. Continue for the whole passage. You will have to hit
right arrow twice to get past a barline, but that's all there is to
it. If there are any ties, they will disappear and you will have to
enter them again, but everything else stays as it was. It might take
three minutes for 25 measures, as you have.
Christopher
BTW, you didn't ask, but even a unison double stop is reasonably
doable even in first position on violin and viola, so a minor second
would be OK, too and even easier up the neck a ways. On cello, too,
it isn't that bad. But in changing sixteenth notes, I wouldn't dare
without checking with my friendly neighbourhood violinist first.
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