How to Write Your Own Music Using Finale Notation Software

if you have ever wanted to write your own music, you've probably wondered how you can do so - and also hear it played back to you. 

There are several different music notation and production programs available.  Cakewalk Scorewriter and Digital Performer are among the top. 

On the notation side, Finale and Sibelius are the best music notation software programs available.  We will be focusing on Finale for this hub.  

For several years I used Finale 2005, but there have been numerous updates.  MakeMusic puts out new versions of Finale every year.  These include small updates, but many aren't necessary if you're just doing casual composing. 

For the purposes of this article, we'll be looking at Finale 2010, which is obviously the latest version.  

Important note: You cannot play files saved in a higher version of Finale in a previous version. So if you create a file in 2010, you can't open it in 2007, etc.  

However, newer versions WILL run older files. 

Finale is available for both Mac and PC and runs between $300-500.  This is pretty cheap; most composition and music production software gets expensive.  You can also get a used version for less at places like Musician's Friend or other guitar/music retail stores. 

After you first open finale, you'll be given several options.  The best way to get started is to avoid all the templates and just start a new file. 

Tip: Plan to spend some time learning Finale.  It is a complex piece of software and has a lot of options and keyboard shortcuts, so it can feel overwhelming at first.  The best way to navigate at first is to consult the user manual built into the software.  It is very comprehensive. 

Once you have your new file up, you have a few choices.  You can use the speedy entry tool which looks like a little eighth note with some "speed dashes" by it.  Or you can use the regular entry tool and simply click to select what notes and values you wish to assign to each staff. 

Depending on what kind of hardware you have (external keyboards and instruments), you will have different playback options available. Finale defaults to whatever midi playback your computer and OS has. 

When you have picked a template and instruments to use, start writing your composition! 

Even if you're just using the default playback, it helps to use a setting called 'Human Playback' to make playback sound more realistic.  The Garritan orchestra that comes with Finale as a built-in patch system delivers pretty decent quality for starting out. 

You can also investigate new patches and instruments to experiment with. 

Finale has a built in audio converting system that will make your MIDI files and files created in the program into mp3 files. You can put these on your iPod, upload them to the web, or import them into Digital Performer for more creation options.

To get to the audio converter in Finale 2010, open the File Menu. You will see several options. Scroll down to the one that says "Export to Audio File"

It will prompt you for a saved file name and where you want to save the mp3 file. Once you input your choices, click save and give it a few minutes to convert the file.

When it's done, open it in iTunes or Windows Media Player, or whatever program you use to play mp3 files.

Then, enjoy your new composition!