Finale NotePad 2009 and Finale Reader

MakeMusic announced today the release of Finale NotePad 2009 and the introduction of the Finale Reader. At $9.95 Finale NotePad represents the industry’s most affordable introduction to music notation software, while the free Finale Reader lets anyone open, view, print and play any Finale file.

Finale NotePad users can enter notes with their mouse or via step-time entry using any MIDI keyboard. NotePad can also open MIDI files as well as any Finale file. Its Setup Wizard makes it easy to create orchestrations of up to 8 staves and create more specialized notation like guitar or bass tablature. Music plays back with the nuance of Human Playback® and can be heard via the +128 included sounds or through an external MIDI device. Features new to 2009 include an all-new Expression Tool and the ability to import/export MusicXML files.

The Finale Reader is a free download that lets anyone open, view, print and play any Finale file. In addition it will be able to open MusicXML files as well.


“When it was first released in 2000, the initial idea behind NotePad was that it would work like an “Adobe Reader” for music notation, letting anyone open, play and print any Finale file,” stated Ron Raup, MakeMusic’s co-CEO. “Since then more than 4 million educators, students and other musicians have downloaded and made excellent use of Finale NotePad. In the intervening years, and particularly in the 2009 version, NotePad’s feature set has been greatly expanded. With the 2009 release we will begin charging $9.95 for NotePad, while simultaneously releasing the free-of-charge Finale Reader. We believe this combination represents an excellent balance between free reader software and low-cost notation creation software.”

Both Finale NotePad 2009 and Finale Reader are available for download at www.finalemusic.com

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