Speedy Entry (well, sort of) -- a perspective from someone without Finale experience

[Michel_Edward]

@Frigolito

Well, I hoped I was clear that these were only personal opinions and speculations. Maybe I’m wrong and I’ll never use it. But for entering simple melodic lines, depending on the mindset I’m in that particular day, I can definitely imagine that I sometimes might prefer it over using my MIDI keyboard. But, we’re all different and I can definitely also imagine that some people don’t want to use it at all.

and yet you STILL do not understand my reply to you.

Speedy entry is not a “use a MIDI keyboard or else use Speedy Entry” question.

Speedy IS used with a MIDI keyboard.
It can also be with computer keyboard entry.

Your error is in your unfamiliarity with Finale’s Speedy Entry function.

It’s not a question of whether to use Speedy Entry OR use a MIDI keyboard.
Since Speedy Entry works with a MIDI keyboard perfectly efficiently and - dare I say it - Speedily.

MIDI keyboard + Speedy Entry is basically one hand on MIDI keyboard and your other hand on the numpad of your computer to assign rhythmic values.

And this is exactly the same in Dorico: one hand on numpad to assign rhythmic value, and one hand on MIDI keyboard to enter notes.

Your lack of experience with Finale is really showing.
And your fundamental misunderstanding of how Speedy Entry works is causing you to ask all these pointless questions.

[Frigolito]

@Michel_Edward

Speedy entry is not a “use a MIDI keyboard or else use Speedy Entry” question.

Thanks for clarifying! After some browsing, I found Speedy Entry from the Finale user manual which confirms that Speedy Entry refers not only to the pitch selection with the arrow keys (which seems to be what many on here erroneously refer to, hence my mistake), but to a very broad mode of note entry encompassing MIDI input, pitch selection with arrow keys, pitch selection with the qwerty keyboard and how rhythmic input works.

Like @asherber pointed out, the term is indeed used inconsistently and ambiguously, which is why I updated my top post to reflect my (apparently erroneous) definition being used throughout it:

@Frigolito

An input method featuring the pitch-before-duration paradigm, where the pitches are selected using the up and down arrow keys to select a diatonic position on the staff in conjunction with a separate selection of an associated accidental.

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@Michel_Edward

Your lack of experience with Finale is really showing.

Well, in my defense, I never claimed to be an expert:

@Frigolito

My Finale experience level: I have tried Finale one day and that day occurred over twenty years ago, so basically I have none, and that time I only explored the noob-friendly but probably not the speediest “input by clicking” method.

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@Michel_Edward

Your lack of experience with Finale is really showing.
And your fundamental misunderstanding of how Speedy Entry works is causing you to ask all these pointless questions.

Ironically, when I read the last sentence, I asked myself: “What questions?” So I looked for questions I asked in this topic and (not including the previous sentence in this reply), ironically, I have so far only asked one single question, which is in the top post and of rhetoric nature.

So here comes my third and fourth question (hopefully not too pointless):
3. Should I take it that you are antagonizing me for something I don’t know and never claimed to have I ever known for certain, in the form of questions I never asked?
4. If yes, have you considered the possibility to instead of putting people down adopt a friendly, helpful and encouraging attitude, to avoid spreading a toxic mood in the community and running the risk of being banned?

If no on question 3, sorry for misreading your tone. Many can attest that reading another person’s tone of voice via text is often very difficult and can be a cause of nasty misunderstandings.

[Frigolito]

I must say, I think I disagree with almost everything you just wrote.

@Mark_Johnson

The title of this thread is accurate and informative.

After getting insights from experienced Finale users, it’s become clear to me that I did not in fact have a perspective on Speedy Entry, but rather on a very narrow aspect of Speedy Entry, namely the pitch adjustment by using nothing but the arrow keys, which actually makes the title misleading. (I have now updated the title, thanks to your reply bringing this to my attention.)

@Mark_Johnson

To me it seems like a ton of words getting us nowhere.

Considering the fact that you described yourself as a Finale veteran, I’m not surprised at all that you don’t think this thread is getting you anywhere. I, on the other hand, have gotten a great distance in my understanding of both Finale’s Speedy Entry and how it compares to Dorico’s current input possibilities, and hopefully this thread will also help others like me in the same way.

@Mark_Johnson

This analysis of note entry methods is less informed than they are on the subject.

Assuming you mean the Dorico team when you write “they”, is it really fair to expect the majority of the members of this forum to contribute to these types of topics with more insights than the actual development team, probably having invested thousands if not millions of hours researching this?

@Mark_Johnson

I can equally easily imagine another 10,000 threads on this subject making not a whit of difference.

My goal with starting this thread is twofold:

1. Offering my opinions and perspectives in order for the development team to gain more insights into what their users actually want and need, so they can make better decisions (very open to the idea that my opinions will not change their roadmap one bit).
2. Inviting a very knowledgeable community having similar goals and experiences to engage in the discussion, in order to gain insights into subjects I know I have limited knowledge of.

Since # 2 is already achieved, I’d say I’m halfway there. Who’s saying gaining knowledge does not count as making a difference?

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Edit: @Mark_Johnson Perhaps I’m flattering myself, but did you remove your reply because I disagreed with it? If so, you have nothing to be ashamed of! No offence was taken and judging by the likes, at least two people found something valuable in what you wrote. I believe I speak for a large chunk of the users on here when I say that – unless the content is unnecessarily offensive, violent, sexual, infringes intellectual property rights or is otherwise inappropriate – we generally prefer to see the replies for historic reasons in order to more easily follow the discussion. (Of course this is none of my business, and you may delete whichever content of yours you want without having to justify it. I’m just trying to make sure everything is ok.)