Woodwind.OrgThe Clarinet BBoardThe C4 standard

 
  BBoard Equipment Study Resources Music General    
 
 New Topic  |  Go to Top  |  Go to Topic  |  Search  |  Help/Rules  |  Smileys/Notes  |  Log In   Newer Topic  |  Older Topic 
 A question with Finale
Author: Ryan K 
Date:   2008-10-22 02:34

This question is kind of a stretch to relevancy, but I'll go for it.

I'm looking to get a midi keyboard to write clarinet music with my existing edition of finale. I know some board members have quite a bit of experience with Finale, so what is the most basic keyboard I could get, preferably 61 keys, to be able to hyperscribe.

Also, what do all of you out there use for your compositional needs.

Thanks,

Ryan K

Ryan Karr
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA

Reply To Message
 
 Re: A question with Finale
Author: Katrina 
Date:   2008-10-22 03:03

I use Finale, but I've only ever done the point-and-click versions...never used hyperscribe or keyboard/midi/mic entry. I know there is a mic you can use to enter notes vocally/instrumentally, and I actually own one, but have never had the time to try it.

Reply To Message
 
 Re: A question with Finale
Author: clarinetist04 
Date:   2008-10-22 03:24

Using a keyboard I've found to be extremely difficult. There are tolerances that you can use but it was still difficult for me.

What I mean is that you don't play at exactly the right tempo, no matter how hard you try. So you'll get triple dotted eight notes and a stray 32nd note tied to a half note when you mean 1/4 - 1/2. Does that make sense?

A lot of people use it and I might be the only one that found this hard - most professional composers I know use the midi keyboard. I think anything that has the output capability will work - seen mostly Yamahas in my experience.

Good luck.

Reply To Message
 
 Re: A question with Finale
Author: pewd 
Date:   2008-10-22 05:21

my experience was similar to robert's - i threw the keyboard into the back of the closet several years ago

- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas

Reply To Message
 
 Re: A question with Finale
Author: BflatNH 
Date:   2008-10-22 11:17

When I looked a couple of weeks ago, Best Buy had a USB keyboard (49 keys) for about $100. Since I already have a MIDI-out keyboard, I bought a USB MIDI interface (a 10' cable with midi connectors on one end and a USB connector on the other and a little blob in the middle, by Turtle Beach) for $39 but have not yet set it up.

As far as using, I'm not great at keyboard and I expect to 'rough in' the music and go back and fix it. I've used the sheet music scan input with an old version of Finale and it gets confused, especially with n-tuplets, where the result has to be fixed too. However, I've seen someone use the keyboard input to put out parts to hymns in minutes with no correction, but the parts did not move very quickly. I think either of these is best used to get the rough ideas down quickly.

Let us know how it works for you.

Reply To Message
 
 Re: A question with Finale
Author: clarinetwoodcarver 
Date:   2008-10-22 13:00

I have been using a 49-key unit from M Audio with good success for the past couple of years, but more often than not I find myself entering the notes with the mouse. I bought the keyboard on sale for around $60 about three years ago at CompUSA. You can check out the M Audio website, they offer several models with more or less keys....depends on how much you want to spend. Note: mine is not a true stand-alone midi keyboard that has its own speakers, but is used to enter notes into a notation program such as Finale. My keyboard is powered through the USB port only.

To avoid getting the double dotted eighth notes, there is a setting where you can specify what the smallest note (such as eighth note or sixteenth note) will be in the piece that you are working on.

http://store.m-audio.com/us/index.cfm?page=templates/product_grp_index&categoryid=47

I hope this helps, and good luck.

Reply To Message
 
 Re: A question with Finale
Author: johng 2017
Date:   2008-10-22 13:03

Any basic keyboard that is MIDI capable will work.

Yes, using hyperscribe is difficult because you have to be very accurate.

I use the speedy entry tool and play the keyboard with one hand and use the computer number pad with the other to get the note durations. I can do this very quickly and sometimes almost to tempo. Since I have a business doing such things, I have lots of practice.

You can also use hyperscribe in such a way that you can control the tempo with one particular key or pedal. This way you can slow down in complicated sections and speed up when it is easier. Another person I know who publishes double reed music uses this technique.

John Gibson, Founder of JB Linear Music, www.music4woodwinds.com

Reply To Message
 
 Re: A question with Finale
Author: Ed 
Date:   2008-10-22 14:10

61 keys will work fine. As to hyperscribe, I have used it for simple things, as my keyboard skills are lousy. I usually make enough mistakes that I spend more time correcting them than it is worth. One option is to slow the tempo down enough that you can play it and set the quantization so it will fix most things. I like others here, tend to use speedy entry, which can go pretty fast when you used to it.

Reply To Message
 
 Re: A question with Finale
Author: EEBaum 
Date:   2008-10-22 17:40

I've actually had the best experience with Simple Entry. I'm handy with the numeric keypad, and have a quick time keying a duration with my right hand followed by a pitch with my left. I tend to work better on the computer with serial (push this key, then that key) operations than parallel (while holding this key, push that key), so that probably explains it. It also keeps me from having to look at the keyboard, which is a plus.

-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com

Reply To Message
 
 Re: A question with Finale
Author: Bob Phillips 
Date:   2008-10-23 01:33

My prolific colleague uses an 88-key midi keyboard to set the pitch, and the numeric keyboard to set duration. Not bad for a woodwind specialist who's keyboard training was probably just that required for his bachelor's degree in music.

Bob Phillips

Reply To Message
 
 Re: A question with Finale
Author: Ryan K 
Date:   2008-10-23 02:38

Any specific models?
I'll look into the recommendation to any compatible Yamaha.

I'm very hesitant about this because I have a Casico that has midi In, but no midi out, which has greatly frustrated me in this process. Bob Phillips wrote:

Ryan Karr
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA

Reply To Message
 
 Re: A question with Finale
Author: Geirskogul 
Date:   2008-10-24 04:37

I really like the Yamaha YPT-310. It's got midi in/out, has 61 keys, and (this is a MUST) is touch-sensitive. You can also store songs on it, to help you learn without using the built-in ones. I found it at a ShopKo (Bigger-than-Kmart/Fred Meyer, smaller-than-Sears) for around 150, you can find it for about that online with free shipping.

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YPT310-Sensitive-32-note-polyphony/dp/B000YC05AE

Disclaimer: I do not work for Yamaha, I just like to play tiny bits of piano on the side but don't have room for a full one. I bought this keyboard about 4 months ago.

I hear you can get the pedal for it and mod it into the speedtempo pedal, if you're at all electrically or software inclined.

Reply To Message
 Avail. Forums  |  Threaded View   Newer Topic  |  Older Topic 


 Avail. Forums  |  Need a Login? Register Here 
 User Login
 User Name:
 Password:
 Remember my login:
   
 Forgot Your Password?
Enter your email address or user name below and a new password will be sent to the email address associated with your profile.
Search Woodwind.Org

Sheet Music Plus Featured Sale

The Clarinet Pages
For Sale
Put your ads for items you'd like to sell here. Free! Please, no more than two at a time - ads removed after two weeks.

 
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org