I've been a little under the weather, so I haven't written anything new for a while now. But ... here's a video I've put together this afternoon of my song "A Sign of Peace". I hope you like it :-) - thanks for viewing and for any thoughts!
A SIGN OF PEACE
It's been such a long time since I walked in here, this holy church I'm lost, if just a little, as the altar I approach ... "Oh Lord, I've let you down; but, at least, now that I'm here, Oh Lord, my precious guide ... please kindly hear my prayer.
Don't turn me away, oh Lord; in front of you I kneel, And ready, from my heart, to tell you how I feel;" The priest looks at me, thinking: "not seen you in a while" ... I look down for a moment, then at him, trying to smile.
The service has now started; I look, before I pray; The church fills up with people that come here every day; The candles burn up brightly, the stunning statues shine; I look down at the ground below and pray for what is mine.
"I know you're far away, and you did your best to help This beautiful, round world we call our Mother Earth; I know it's not your fault that we would rather fight; But I still pray to you; please don't be back too late."
"Around here, things are tough; the kids have nought to eat; The wife is working nine to nine and barely gets some sleep; My pain, you can ignore, for that's not relevant; This world is torn to pieces, though, isn't that important?"
***
"I'm sorry it's been so long, my time's been kind of full; I'm sorry - I've been selfish, but this world's e'er so cruel; The service's almost ended; I will now fall silent Please, Lord, do not cast on me judgement ...
But save us from ourselves, this much I beg you, please, And, with your hands outstretched, give us a sign of peace ... ... a sign of peace."
****** Song Summary ************* Title: A Sign of Peace - 10 March 2020 File:A Sign of Peace (2) - 11 March 2020.SGU Key=G , Tempo 80, Length (m:s)=5:30 No intro. 106 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 106. Repeat x1 chorus No Melody No Soloist track. Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0, Style is _FALTER.STY (Falter Picking Celtic Reel)
RealTracks in style: ~2474:Bass, Acoustic, Held Ev 085 RealTracks in style: 1837:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopModernGrooveHeld Ev16 075 RealTracks in style: 3544:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm SlowReelPicking Ev16 080 RealDrums [in style:ShakerSlow16ths [Multi]
Yeah James, we've stayed at home, unlike the thousands of other morons who can't understand what that means. That's why the death toll here's going to increase again
Yep - staying at home seems to be the best course of action! I live in London, myself, and the situation is really scary, so I have to be as careful as possible. Fingers crossed we'll emerge out of it soon. Take care, in the meantime - and thanks for listening :-)
James, Your conversational style works well on this glimpse into a confessional church experience. I like the details of the service mixed in with your personal reflections. Good simple arrangement and some fitting images in the video. I wish you a change in the weather!
Robert: thank you for listening and for your ever so kind wishes! I'm glad you enjoyed the song, thanks for the detailed, thoughtful comments!
Mario: wow - thanks! It's my turn for my own head to swell now, haha. But, seriously, thank you ... I do feel, even if I say so myself, that this song was one of my better ones, yes - it somehow managed to communicate in a somewhat coherent manner whatever may have been in my soul at the time I wrote it ... so I'm glad that that came through for people other than myself, too, haha. Thank you so much, I really and genuinely appreciate it when someone like you likes what I produce! :-)
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
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Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
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You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
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Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
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FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
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New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
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XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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