MusicWorks Interactive has released The Finale 2008-2009 Tutorial DVD-Level 1, a video tutorial for Finale 2008 and 2009 notation software. The title is the first release in its new Educational DVD Series developed for music professionals. This DVD includes more than 8 hours of video and was produced to help develop and refine Finale skills in teachers, students, composers, orchestrators and other musicians who use Finale software.

The presentation is by composer and Finale expert Paul Gilreath, who has hundreds of film, television and game composition credits and is the author of The Guide to MIDI Orchestration, 3rd edition. Gilreath applies the same informative, easy to follow style he used in his book to this tutorial. Users who are new to Finale will welcome his step by step approach, while more experienced users as well as those wanting to upgrade to Finale 2009 will appreciate the advanced topics.

"Finale is arguably the most popular notation software in the world, used by colleges, publishers, professional composers, orchestrators, copyists and even hobbyists" says Gilreath. "However, it's a powerful program that can be difficult for users to understand, let alone master. Our goal was to help people understand the overall scope of Finale and all of the various ways to approach notation entry and then present a start to finish guide for successful use."

The DVD tutorial features presentations that run in a custom flash player so no file installation is necessary other than Flash. The videos were captured in a large 960x600 format, without having to be resized for production, so they are crystal clear. They show live-action screen captures as well as superimposed live video that demonstrates the accompanying computer and MIDI keyboard keystrokes.

"The volume of material presented on this DVD is staggering", says Bill Myerson, VP of Marketing for MusicWorks Interactive. "Paul's ability to take a complex subject and make it perfectly understandable makes him the perfect person to present this material. He takes the user through virtually every facet of Finale and provides skills that you can implement immediately."

Building on their success with their book, The Guide to MIDI Orchestration, MusicWorks Interactive provides a powerful learning tool for Finale users. Ordering information, a full list of subjects and video examples will be available here at some point. Retail price is $49.95.