IWBNI there were an option to specify that smart shape slurs should affect playback.

Suppose there is a sequence of two notes n1 and n2, that are not of the same pitch and are connected by a slur. The following two methods may be used to simulate slurred playback:

Method 1 - Overlap Notes: Force the note-off message for n1 to occur slightly after the note-on message for n2. In Finale this can be done by using the MIDI tool to set the Stop Time on the Edit MIDI Note dialog box for note n1 to a small positive number such as 20 EDUs. With this method, the attack of note n2 is not altered in any way. However, one perceives that the attack of note n2 has been softened because the onset on note n2 is masked by the sound of the tail end of note n1.

Method 2 - Bend Pitches: Extend the playback duration of note n1 so that it rings throughout note n2 by shifting the note-off message for note n1 forward to occur at the same time as that for note n2. Eliminate the note-on and note-off messages for note n2. Just before the time at which note n1 ends (and just before the time at which note n2 is to begin), insert a pitch bend continuous data event to rapidly bend the pitch of n1 up (or down ) to that of n2. As it is now, in Finale one may not set the velocity of a note to zero (For a related suggestion, see Suggestion 312: Silent Notes). To suppress the playback of note n2, it must be deleted. Another staff may be created for playback purposes that contains only note n1. The playback duration of note n1 may be extended by using the MIDI tool to set the Stop Time on the Edit MIDI Note dialog box for note n1 to the number of EDUs for note n2. Then, the MIDI tool may be used to insert a pitch bend continuous data event just prior to the time at which note n2 is to sound. After note n1 stops sounding, a pitch bend continuous data event of value 0 may be inserted to restore the pitch bend controller to its normal position so that subsequent notes are played at the correct pitch. With this method, the attack of note n2 is eliminated and the ringing note n1 also sounds note n2.

As it is now, smart shape slurs do not affect playback. Both methods may be employed manually in Finale to simulate slurred playback. Method 1 is simpler than method 2. However, method 2 can yield better results in some cases. For example, method 2 can produce excellent results when simulating hammers and pulls for guitar music. The method used in a particular case would depend on the instrumentation and the amount of energy one wishes to expend to create a desired playback effect.

To implement this feature, a menu item called Default Slur Playback could be added to the SmartShape menu. This menu item would display a new dialog box called Default Slur Playback that could contain the following controls:

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Default Slur Playback Dialog Box

( ) No Playback Effect

( ) Overlap Notes by: _____ EDUs

( ) Bend Pitches
    Bend Time: _____ EDUs Before Start of Slurred Note
    Restore Time: _____ EDUs After Last Slurred Note
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If the radio button No Playback Effect is selected, slurs would not affect playback as in the current version of Finale.

If the radio button Overlap Notes is selected, the duration of all notes embraced by a slur, except the last note, would be extended by the specified number of EDUs. This would be accomplished in a way that is similar to the way by which effects are created with articulations. Specifically, the MIDI data for the document would not be automatically altered (as one would alter stop times with the MIDI tool) . Instead, the slur playback effect would be superimposed upon the existing MIDI data at playback time. Note: If a pair of adjacent notes in a slurred group of notes have the same pitch, the duration of the first note of the pair would be extended up to, but not beyond, the start time of the second note (to prevent the playback duration of the second note from being truncated).

If the radio button Bend Pitches is selected, slurred playback would be simulated by automatically extending the duration of the first note of a slurred sequence of notes and bending the pitch of the first note to produce all subsequent pitches. Also, all notes after the first would be silent. The Bend Time setting would be used to specify the time, relative to the start of a given slurred note, at which a pitch bend continuous data event would be inserted to bend the sound to the pitch of the slurred note. The Restore Time setting would be used to specify the time, relative to the end of the last slurred note, at which a pitch bend continuous data event would be inserted to restore the controller to its normal position.

The settings on the Default Slur Playback dialog box would be global and would, by default, apply to all smart shape slurs. A menu item called Slur Playback could be added to the context menu for smart shape slurs that is displayed when the bounding rectangle of a slur is right clicked. This menu item would display a new dialog box called Slur Playback that would contain the same controls as the Default Slur Playback dialog box. The Slur Playback dialog box could be used to override the default settings for a given slur.

Note: With the Overlap Notes radio button, one could also specify a negative number of EDUs. This would allow one to shorten the duration of slurred notes and would be useful in the case when a slur is used in conjunction with tenuto markings and one wishes to simulate louré bowing where notes are to be distinctly separated.

Created: June 14, 2000 (based on comments by David Young and Dennis Bathory-Kitsz)
Last Updated: June 14, 2000
Version: Finale 2000b