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There's plenty of software around to help aspiring Eric Claptons master their first E major, or wiggle their first wah wah pedal--the Finale Guitar platform is virtually unique in guiding would-be axe-heroes through the confusing world of guitar notation. The key to the Finale method is an interface that allows you to play directly from a MIDI instrument onto your computer, whereupon the software will automatically convert your notes into proper notation (or TAB). You can also scan sheet music, or click notes in with a mouse. Once you've accomplished that, you can master the more refined techniques. Move notes to neighbouring strings by using the cursor keys; edit TAB notes with a simple keypush; specify frets for those jazzier melodies; notate your own staccati, crescendi and glissandi; even watch with horror as the notator
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diligently takes down your bum notes. And should you get bored of that old axe, Guitar Finale is also configured for a multitude of other stringed instruments--banjo, dulcimer, lute, mandolin and so on--as well as a plethora of non-fretted instruments, from handbells to percussion, from woodwind to flugelhorn (well, maybe not the last). And when you've assembled your one-man-band, and notated your musical noodlings, you can then print out your achievements and publish them on the Net: maybe even, indeed, on Finale Showcase "the world's gathering place for sharing great sheet music". But is Finale Guitar the best in the market? That's tricky to say because the only direct competitor is Finale Allegro, the more expensive and slightly more sophisticated predecessor to this very software. --Sean Thomas
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