I am way out of my comfort zone while trying something new like this. This is my most ambitious song attempt to date so I hope you let me know what you think, good or bad.
BiaB style - Kladerman Piano Style Tempo - 65 BPM I only used the piano and utility tracks
Piano - Kontakt - Glissando Harp Utility track - Kontakt Amadeus - Full String Ensemble Utility track copied - Kontakt - Solid String Orchestra Utility track copied -EastWest - Symphonic Choir
Via my breath and keyboard controllers I am playing the following Swam instruments: double bass, oboe, bassoon, French horns 1+2, and the trumpets 1+2
Also I am playing a Kontakt bass track, the glissando harp (Kontakt-harp) and the Sforzando (Kontakt - Amadeus - full ensemble) strings.
All comments are welcomed.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Hi Mario - congratulations on this lovely piece, you are heading into a very interesting direction with the classical instruments and arrangement! Have you come across Christian Henson on YT who is a very able & experienced composer/teacher of orchestral scoring: - many free tutorials on YT by him, my guess is he'll really fire up your progress and hopefully inspire you? I liked your choice of chords, instruments and the arrangement - very nicely done! Two small gripes if you'll allow me - at 0.44, 4.24 and 5.40 the melody line notes don't quite fit the underlying harmony (to my ears anyway)? You play the melody lines quite 'staccato', wondering whether the feel of the whole piece might be improved by playing the melodies in a more 'flowing' fashion, softly from note to note with more 'feel'? Well done Mario - looking forward to more classical masterpieces from you!! Best, Carl
Hi Mario! Well, I was fully immersed in that one. It was like it became the soundtrack to my daydream, and in my book, that’s a compliment when a piece transports you somewhere else. And talking about transport, it gave me a sense of travel over vast distances. In a small way, it reminded me of a classical piece by Alexander Borodin called ‘In the Steppes of Central Asia’ - it’s worthy of a listen if you haven’t heard it before. For forum members from Australia, it was used as the theme tune of the TV series ‘RPA’. Your piece was really pleasing to listen to, Mario! Andrew
Geez, Mario, seems there's nothing you can't do with excellence. This sounds FABULOUS to my (non-classically trained) ears. Love the dreamy, expansive soundscape and your (always wonderful) playing. Well done again, Maestro!
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
Mario, I love that you're not afraid to venture out of your comfort zone. And I'm impressed that when you do, you create something as transporting as this. It's a little Sgt. Pepper, a lot graceful, and unique. Would suit a pas de deux..which is happening in my mind right now.
As ever I love the Swamming. Very Morricone-esqe in parts and definitely a soundtrack vibe to it. Very soothing to listen to and it's definitely one of your best.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
Comfort zone is for wimps, Mario. And it's good that you left it behind, because this is beautiful. Classic film music. LOVE the Oboe and the Bassoon. This is definitely my new favorite piece of yours
Hi Mario - congratulations on this lovely piece, you are heading into a very interesting direction with the classical instruments and arrangement! Have you come across Christian Henson on YT who is a very able & experienced composer/teacher of orchestral scoring: - many free tutorials on YT by him, my guess is he'll really fire up your progress and hopefully inspire you? I liked your choice of chords, instruments and the arrangement - very nicely done! Two small gripes if you'll allow me - at 0.44, 4.24 and 5.40 the melody line notes don't quite fit the underlying harmony (to my ears anyway)? You play the melody lines quite 'staccato', wondering whether the feel of the whole piece might be improved by playing the melodies in a more 'flowing' fashion, softly from note to note with more 'feel'? Well done Mario - looking forward to more classical masterpieces from you!! Best, Carl
Thanx Carl for listening and commenting. I bookmarked your video suggestion. I'll check those areas that concerned you. It maybe that I used some chord extensions in those areas. I have "weird" hearing at times as I do like using those extensions, but they probably don't really work in genres like this. That is unless you are like me and my hearing!
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Hi Mario! Well, I was fully immersed in that one. It was like it became the soundtrack to my daydream, and in my book, that’s a compliment when a piece transports you somewhere else. And talking about transport, it gave me a sense of travel over vast distances. In a small way, it reminded me of a classical piece by Alexander Borodin called ‘In the Steppes of Central Asia’ - it’s worthy of a listen if you haven’t heard it before. For forum members from Australia, it was used as the theme tune of the TV series ‘RPA’. Your piece was really pleasing to listen to, Mario! Andrew
Thanx so much Andrew. I was not familiar with ‘In the Steppes of Central Asia’ so I listened to some of it and I was impressed. I DLed the URL and I will listen to the entire 30 minutes of it soon. Thanx for suggesting that.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
This is absolutely beautiful. Full of texture and ambiance - mixed perfectly.
Loved this!
Bob
Thanx Bob. Musical master? Not really just an old guitarist having fun. I played first chair French horn in my high school's orchestra and I do miss playing classical music. But that playing took place a very very long time ago. I'm glad that you liked my first attempt.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Geez, Mario, seems there's nothing you can't do with excellence. This sounds FABULOUS to my (non-classically trained) ears. Love the dreamy, expansive soundscape and your (always wonderful) playing. Well done again, Maestro!
Thanx Ron. I'm glad that you liked it. Trust me there is a lot of things I can't do, including playing music. I just like to push BiaB and to explore genres that I would have never tried without BiaB. Although BiaB can be very frustrating at times it is worth every soon to be extinct penny I paid for it. It opens a lot of musical doors if one just looks and tries new things.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Mario, I love that you're not afraid to venture out of your comfort zone. And I'm impressed that when you do, you create something as transporting as this. It's a little Sgt. Pepper, a lot graceful, and unique. Would suit a pas de deux..which is happening in my mind right now.
Thanx Beth. I am a firm believer that with BiaB and a little imagination one can produce any musical genre. I'm glad you liked this little experiment of mine.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
As ever I love the Swamming. Very Morricone-esqe in parts and definitely a soundtrack vibe to it. Very soothing to listen to and it's definitely one of your best.
'
Thanx Chay. I really like those Swam instruments and I enjoy playing them, as well as my other instruments, both physical and VSTis. Thanx for those very kind comments.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Comfort zone is for wimps, Mario. And it's good that you left it behind, because this is beautiful. Classic film music. LOVE the Oboe and the Bassoon. This is definitely my new favorite piece of yours
Thanx Brian for this wonderful review of my song. I also like those Swam Oboes and Bassoons. All of the Swam instruments sound excellent IMHO.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Mario, congratulations on composing a most impressive and beautiful piece of music! I enjoyed the mellow voices of each new instrument, and how their melodies flowed tastefully over the shifting arpeggios in the background. The forward movement of the music gave me the sense of walking through a forest. Very nicely done!
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
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Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
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And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
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20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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