Noteman says: View the Simple Entry (Extended Keyboard) and Simple Entry (Laptop) QuickStart Videos for an overview of Simple Entry. For hands-on Simple Entry training, open the EntryExercise.MUSX 
tutorialFinale includes a number of tutorial files that complement the Finale Tutorials. To access a tutorial document, choose File > Open and double-click the "Tutorials" shortcut.
If you have navigated away from the default "Finale Files" folder, a different folder may appear when you choose File > Open. If this is the case, access the Tutorial documents by navigating to the /Library/Application Support/MakeMusic/Finale/Music Files/Tutorials folder.
When you click this tool, Finale displays the Simple Entry palette, containing an individual icon for each rhythmic value (quarter note, eighth note, etc.) and other tools for adding grace notes, sharps, tuplets and so on, and the Simple menu, containing various options for note input. (If the Simple Entry Palette doesn’t appear, choose Window > Simple Entry Palette). Using the tools in this palette, you can enter music into your score by clicking one note at a time, typing in notes with your computer keyboard, or with aid from a MIDI keyboard. Each tool in the Simple Entry palette corresponds to a keyboard shortcut, which allows you to change tools in preparation for entering easily, and then additional keyboard shortcuts can be used to edit the note you just entered. You can use these keystrokes in tandem with the Simple Entry caretThe Simple Entry caret is a vertical line in the score that indicates where the next note entered will appear. The next note entered could be the pitch displayed on the caret (which can be moved using the UP and DOWN ARROW) – initiated by pressing the RETURN key, a note letter typed on the computer keyboard, or a pitch or pitches played on a MIDI device (with Use MIDI Device for Input checked under the Simple menu). To activate the Simple Entry caret, from the Simple. menu, choose Simple Entry Options, check Use Simple Entry Caret, and click OK., which works much like the cursor in a word processing program, to enter all of your music with your computer keyboard. See Simple Entry.
Related articles:
- Accidentals
- Articulations
- Beaming
- Chords
- Dotted notes
- Enharmonics
- Erasing
- Figured bass
- Grace notes
- Hiding notes and rests
- Multiple voices
- Note cluster
- Percussion
- Rests
- Simple Entry
- Stems
- Tablature
- Tempo
- Ties
- Tuplets
