In a previous blog post I described the most common use of Finale’s ScoreMerger feature: combining separate Finale files as movements where each file adds more measures to the whole.

At this year’s Percussive Arts Society International Conference I was asked several times about combining multiple Finale files in a different way. Because it is common for percussion writers to be hired to write the percussion section for someone else’s band score, these PASIC attendees wanted to add multiple staves of percussion music they’ve created to a different score – without adding additional measures.

This is also the same kind of a merge that you’d desire if you’d scanned individual parts in order to recreate a missing score.

The good news is that ScoreMerger can do this kind of merge too, again automating an otherwise tedious process. Here’s how:

1. From Finale’s File menu choose ScoreMerger (note you don’t have to have a file open to do this):

   

2. Click the “Add Files” button to select the pieces you wish to merge together. Note that by using the “Move Up” and “Move Down” buttons, you determine where the contents of each piece appear in the staff order of the resulting score.
3. Next, select the second option, to “Merge These Parts Into One Score,” then click “Merge.”

Now the fun begins: Finale quickly creates your score, one staff at a time, before your very eyes. It always gets me a few “oohs” and “aahs” when I demonstrate it.

Here’s a final tip: I might paste the contents of the resulting document into a personal template that uses the same orchestration. This allows me to save time by leveraging the layout work I’ve previously done on my template.

Have any questions or tips regarding ScoreMerger? Please share them with us by clicking on “Comments” below. In the meantime, in the spirit of the season, let us give thanks for…ScoreMerger.