Pick-Up Measure And The Last Measure Of A Composition

Hello all,

I have a question regarding pick-up measures and how to go ahead with it in Finale 2009.

When I start a piece with a pick-up measure, I am supposed to end my composition with a measure equalling the number of beats minus those put in the pick-up measure, as you all well know. Hence, the last measure in 4/4 becomes 4/4 minus the pick-up (let us sau 1/4), hence in the example cited here it is 3/4 for the last bar.

Although I have the pick-measure at the beginning of my piece (e.g. one beat), I cannot figure out what to do to force finale into a last bar of e.g. 3/4. Finale will automatically put a rest on the fourth beat.

Hence my appeal to you all: how do I proceed technically in Finale to create a proper last measure.

Thanks all for your reaction,

WS

When I start a piece with a pick-up measure, I am supposed to end my composition with a measure equalling the number of beats minus those put in the pick-up measure[?]

No. That's not necessary.

This is how you do it. (finale expert in the house)

You go to simple entry (which is the picture of the note on the left keypad). Then from the top menu, you will click "Simple". Click "Simple Entry Options..."

UNCLICK "fill with rests at the end of measures".

And, now you can write incomplete measures. Be careful, though, that you do not forget to put rests in where you DO need them at the end of measures. haha.

Merry Christmas.

This is how you do it. (finale expert in the house)

You go to simple entry (which is the picture of the note on the left keypad). Then from the top menu, you will click "Simple". Click "Simple Entry Options..."

UNCLICK "fill with rests at the end of measures".

And, now you can write incomplete measures. Be careful, though, that you do not forget to put rests in where you DO need them at the end of measures. haha.

Merry Christmas.

I wont call myself an expert, but a long time user. :P

It is a good idea to unset that fill with rests thing. (I hate when I do mulitple measures at the same time and its on and I have to remove all those rests)

But the Dominus option is better, it prevents awkward shifts in the case of later copying. If you intent to only fill 3 of the 4 beats in a 4/4, then let finale know. If you dont want it to be visible (and you won't) then hide the sig. Simple :D

I'm pretty sure there's a 'Split Measures' plug-in; so maybe you could split a 4/4 measure, for example, in 3 quarter- and 1 quarter-beats, put the latter at the beginning as an anacrusis, and put the former at the end as a final bar with the anacrusis subtracted from it. That's the only way I can think of that actually seems like a legit parallel to the way you'd do it on paper, 'cause you won't be just hiding rests or time signatures that are actually there, you'd be getting rid of them in a way consistent with the way up-beats 'work'; also, Finale should just play right from the pick-up measure without going through three beats of silence, by that method.

Edit: Just tried it and it works really well, especially for playback of parts with repeat symbols. The only extra step I had to take was to click the three-beat bar with the measure tool and tell Finale to give it a barline ('cause it's only a partial measure, since you've split it) which was as easy as clicking the measure tool, double-clicking the bar at the end (either after I'd moved it there or because I chose the last bar to split) and clicking Final Barline (or something like that) in the huge box with the barlines in it.

Hi all,

Thanks all for your comments. What I did, as the project had to be handed in, although I was overdue, was to hide rest. I highlighten the rest and then through plug ins hide rests.... that did what it had to do.

Anyway, thanks all for your comments.

WS

On 3/12/2012 at 3:20 PM, jrcramer said:

I wont call myself an expert, but a long time user. 😛

It is a good idea to unset that fill with rests thing. (I hate when I do mulitple measures at the same time and its on and I have to remove all those rests)

But the Dominus option is better, it prevents awkward shifts in the case of later copying. If you intent to only fill 3 of the 4 beats in a 4/4, then let finale know. If you dont want it to be visible (and you won't) then hide the sig. Simple 😄

 

What is the Dominus option? I'v enever heard of that. It may be better, but it's not "simple" if not explained. Morivou's Simple Entry explanation works for me, but I am curious as to this other option.....