from Worshiphymns arranger Don Chapman:

On August 26, 2024, MakeMusic dropped a bombshell: Finale was being discontinued, with no further development.

A month later (almost exactly two years ago!) I posted “R.I.P. Finale” on my Hymncharts website. A reader named James B. left a comment that ended up settling the MuseScore vs. Dorico question for me. He said MuseScore is easier for regular, non techie people to learn, and since it’s free, it’s a better fit for smaller churches running on tight budgets.

Terrific advice!

The 6,000-Page Problem

There was just one catch (and it was a big one). I had more than 6,000 pages of Finale files. How would I ever get all of that into MuseScore?

Importing Finale XML files brought over the notes and lyrics, but the formatting came out a mess. I paid someone to build a MuseScore style sheet, and that got me maybe 70% of the way there.

Custom software seemed like the only real answer. But who codes something THAT niche? Even if I found that person, I’d be looking at thousands of dollars for the programming, plus thousands more for the actual conversions.

So I decided to wait for AI to catch up.

It finally did.

Every time a new version of ChatGPT came out over the last two years, I’d give it a shot. Each one got a little closer, but none were accurate enough for me.

Then GPT-6 Astra launched on September 3. People on X started building wild things with it (one person even made a Photoshop clone that opens and saves real Photoshop files!).

That got me thinking. If it can do THAT, maybe it can handle my Finale files.

I gave the job to CODEX (ChatGPT’s vibe coding sibling). One hour, 3 minutes and 6 seconds later, I had software that opens my Finale .mus files and saves them as MuseScore .mscz files. With 99% accuracy.

I almost passed out!!!

It pulled out all the musical data AND kept nearly every bit of formatting and spacing intact.

A 20-Year Dream Comes True

For almost two decades, I’ve to offer sheet music you could transpose instantly. I researched every possible route. Nothing existed.

Now it does!

With working MuseScore files in hand, I put CODEX back to work, and it built a transposition tool.

Very soon you’ll see a TRANSPOSE button right alongside the usual fixed-key keyboard and lead sheet PDFs. Click it, and a browser window opens where you can pick from the keys worship teams use most. Here’s a preview:

Two long-held dreams, checked off in ONE day!

Try It Out

The first prototype is live on All Hail the Power. Log in to Worshiphymns, give it a spin, and let me know if you spot any glitches.

After a few days of playing with it, send me any ideas you think would make it better. Meanwhile, I’ll be getting the Christmas music ready with these new features!

Good News for Finale Loyalists

Finale files are staying put! If you’re a lifelong Finale user who’ll never switch (count me in that club!), you’ll still get Finale files for my new arrangements. I’ll keep writing everything in Finale 2000 (yep, my 26-year-old copy still runs just fine) and let my software handle the MuseScore conversion.

Bottom Line: AI finally cracked the Finale-to-MuseScore problem, and instant transposing is on its way. Log in, test it on All Hail the Power 2026, and tell me what you think!