This quick post serves as a reminder to composers who use the Finale music notation software that researching and editing instrumental parts is equally as important as writing a piece of music. Guitar parts usually feature a treble clef with a number 8 below it, meaning that the pitches sound an octave lower than written. For some odd reason, the version of Finale that I use (Finale 2011, which is outdated, but still usable) omits this type of treble clef when choosing a guitar part. Trying to correct this problem by using the correct guitar clef often results in all of the notated pitches shifting down an octave, which is visually unpleasant because it can produce strange ledger line notes.
It also deserves mention that a musical score and part must be presented as neatly as possible. Although I present the last photograph at the bottom primarily for laughs, I also do it to demonstrate why composers should write for human musicians and not for the notation software. Music notation software programs like Finale have a tendency to present visual oddities or perform high or low pitches that sound possible in playback. In actually, such notes would be unplayable because they would be out of range. Perhaps, in a future post, I will provide brief aural examples of what I mean concerning this last point.
It also deserves mention that a musical score and part must be presented as neatly as possible. Although I present the last photograph at the bottom primarily for laughs, I also do it to demonstrate why composers should write for human musicians and not for the notation software. Music notation software programs like Finale have a tendency to present visual oddities or perform high or low pitches that sound possible in playback. In actually, such notes would be unplayable because they would be out of range. Perhaps, in a future post, I will provide brief aural examples of what I mean concerning this last point.
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