Monday, December 8, 2008

Finale!

Alright, I haven't really told any of you this, yet, but I'm pretty sure 99% of you already know that I won a mini grant to get Finale installed on about 12 or 13 of the computers in the lab at school. To contrast that, I'd like you guys to read an article by Eric Whitacre pretty much bashing Finale and a lot of the things we do in class. I think this should provide some interesting discussion. Actually, when I was a composition major in college, I refused to use Finale until my last year; then, naturally, I got addicted once I tried it.

2 comments:

Nicole D. said...

I actually agree with Eric Whitacre in this post. I would much rather compose somewhere where it is peaceful and quiet and where I can think than sitting in front of a computer screen for hours. I usually just play my composition in my head until I get towards the end. At the end, I will physically play it out in order to fix any mistakes I missed. This is just the way I have always (or at least for the past year) composed. I also have to take breaks, and it is much easier to subconciously work on a piece if you are not reliant on a computer. I suppose I can't really take a side until I try Finale, but I'm going to anyway. = )

Music Theory II said...

I don't believe there is a single right answer. I think different materials work for different composers who have various strengths. For example, some composers have atrocious handwriting... so having a printed computer version makes life easier for everyone. :)