Hi,
I just completed a short project in which, for the first time, I
really tried to take the linked parts completely seriously.
This is FinMac2009.
I know about the measure number problem, so I chose a small and
straightforward piece (trumpet and string orchestra) where the measure
numbers could remain the same size across score and parts. Also this
is a piece without grace notes, as I know that those create serious
spacing issues in the parts (unless extracted).
I wanted to see if it is possible, in such a piece, with clever
workarounds, to have one file with all the details of score and parts.
I managed to work around the cue problems. I like my cues at 75% with
all stems in a single direction (layer 4), and a whole rest in layer 1
on either the bottom or top line (depending on which way the stems are
pointing). With staff styles, I could hide rests or be forced to have
them in the default position in the same place in score and parts. I
chose to hide the rests completely, and then put them in twice
graphically as expressions, once in default position for the score,
and once in the place I want them to appear in the part -- and then
hiding one of those in the score, the other in the parts. With cues
that needed changed clefs, I chose, after some frustrating struggles,
to hide those in the staff style as well, and put them in graphically
as needed in the score as expressions (removing the staff style in the
parts works great). It was all working fine, and I managed to get
this part to work.
However . . . I was defeated by smart shapes. Even when they are
unlinked, changing the length of hairpins or wavy trill lines in a
part changes them in the score! This is completely unacceptable, as,
of course, spacing in parts is quite different than it is in scores,
and readjusting hairpin lengths is always a proofreading part of
working with parts in Finale. Oddly, this doesn't happen with slurs.
I figured out a way around this -- but it entails hiding all wavy
trill lines and hairpins in the parts, re-entering them in the parts,
going back to the score and hiding the new ones there, going back to
the parts and un-hiding them there. Way too much work -- a good deal
more than _just_ entering all hairpins twice -- so I tossed in the
towel.
So I guess the recommendation many have made of having a parts file
and a score file is the only way to go. It really is too bad, because
this is pretty close to being really good. All MM needs to do to fix
this is (this is all I can think of):
Allow unlinking of measure number font sizes
Fix grace-note spacing in parts (that is, allow these to be spaced
properly)
Allow true unlinking of all smart-shape items
Allow the user to control whether enharmonic changes are linked or
unlinked by default (I know some want this unlinked, but EVERY
conductor I know, when working from a transposed score, wants to know
that what he/she sees in the score is exactly what the player is
seeing).
I did have some problems with spacing, where I couldn't bring up the
spacing handles in the parts -- but this was not a huge issue. It
would be nice is the parts had ALL the spacing flexibility of the
score, unlinked, of course.
I was waiting excitedly for 2010 to include an announcement that
Finale had completed the linked parts, addressing all the problems.
But there was no mention of this. I guess they figure that sort-of
OK, unfinished but close, is good enough.
So for those of you who have used linked parts a lot, can any of you
give me work-arounds for the problems I encountered, or tell me how I
have done this incorrectly?
And can anyone tell me about Sibelius's linked parts? Are there
similar issues? I downloaded the latest demo, and though it is quite
different from Finale, I can imagine getting used to the look and feel
of it -- though I know that my 21 years as a Finale user makes me much
faster with Finale than I will be with Sibelius for many years. I
keep asking myself if I really want to invest that much time, or just
stay with Finale, whatever the warts.
David Froom
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