Here is a recent work of mine that has a score I initially generated for playback purposes.  I am now ready to engrave it for actual humans to be able to read.  Unlike my most recent posts that featured projects made in Dorico, this project was entirely made in Finale, with EastWest orchestral samples and Logic X equalization and reverb for MIDI playback purposes.

Download it here: a cold sorrow, a warm sorrow_2 – Full Score.

You can also listen to it here:

I wanted to provide this score so we can evaluate the areas that need engraving.  Here is a laundry list of things that need to be changed.  You can go through the score and see how chaotic things are pre-engraving, and how much work needs to be done to make the music playable.

Before page 1 and page 1

1. Needs cover
2. Needs inside cover page:
   1. Instrumentation
   2. Duration
   3. Program notes
   4. Any text notes
   5. Technical notes
   6. Signature
   7. Copyright notes
   8. Percussion map
3. Change “Full Score” to “Transposed Score”
4. Enlarge “Transposed Score”
5. Increase title size
6. Increase tempo font size
7. Increase rit. size
8. Increase composer size
9. Move last bar on page 1 to next page
10. Move cresc. into line with dynamics, and closer to dynamics
11. Remove pp in timpani part
12. Align tremolo markings (correct vertical and horizontal spacing)
13. Change horn parts 1 and 2 to be 1 and 2 on one staff, 3 and 4 on another
14. Indicate a 2 for horn parts 1 and 2
15. Use large time signatures, and only display on top staff of woodwinds, brass, and strings system groupings
16. Fix collisions with flute and tempo mark
17. Enlarge measure numbers
18. Add rehearsal marks
19. Watch out for enharmonic spellings
20. Watch out for page margins, to avoid printing cutoffs, and allow for spiral (coil) binding

Pages 2 and 3

1. Move systems down from top page; avoid collisions with title and notes in flute
2. Align trill markings and extensions; trim extensions.  Check to ensure correct notes trilled
3. Align tremolo markings (again)
4. Fix flute slurs to be more aligned with engraving rules
5. Indicate tam-tam on percussion part.  Have note start at beginning of bar.  Add tremolo pp crescendo to ff by m. 16
6. Split beaming in tuplets and runs in flute and oboe for easier reading
7. Add in horn part notations (so parts 1 and 2 are clearly marked)
8. Watch out for enharmonic spellings

Pages 4 and 5

1. Move m. 19 to page 5
2. Align trill markings and extensions; trim extensions.  Check to ensure correct notes trilled
3. Align dynamics
4. Align fermatas
5. Align tremolo markings (again)
6. Align hairpins
7. Fix dynamic collisions
8. Reduce slur height and arc; avoid collisions
9. Consider respacing entire work’s staves to help avoid these collisions
10. Move last measure to page 6
11. Watch out for enharmonic spellings

Pages 6 and 7

1. Align tremolos
2. Align dynamics
3. Show cello div.
4. Avoid collisions with violins, flutes, and other high-register instruments
5. Fix all dynamic, extension, slur, hairpin, cresc., etc. collisions!
6. Indicate cello unis.
7. Those slurs are insane!
8. Watch out for enharmonic spellings

Pages 8 and 9

1. Alright, enough with those darn collisions already
2. Trill indications
3. Div. in cello 1 bar before page 8
4. The curvy slurs have got to go.  Time for reshaping

Page 10

1. Has no need to exist separately.  Move to page 9

As you can see, with even this preliminary list of corrections and fixes there is a lot that needs to be changed.  Take a look through the score and feel free to point out other things that I did not notice.  When engraving your own work, do not forget to read, re-read, revise, re-revise, and read backwards too!  Use playback as an “aural/ear check” to test harmonic, melodic, and tempo markings.  If you have the means, print out the music and mark it up with colored pens/pencils/crayons/highlighters/post-its.

As you can see, Finale makes it easy to input this rather standard notation, but it will be a real pain to clean up.  Dorico’s default engraving settings would make this a lot easier to clean up.  Still, Finale is my powerhouse since I know it so well, even though there are other options that other composers find more useful and efficient.  For now, I’m glad to have it back on my computer after Finale 2014 stopped being supported and subsequently crashed on my machine.

Until next time, it’s time to engrave!

Best,

Dan