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Good morning everyone!
I am curious how everyone discovered their passion for music. Was it the first time you ever picked up an instrument, or heard a particular song on the radio that resonated with you? Does it just run in your family? I'd love to hear all your stories about your first love with music and how it got you started down the road to becoming a musician!
Cheers,
Ember
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Part of my father's job in New York City in the 1940s was to coordinate tours to Cuba of the distributors of Philco products. He came back with many recordings. I grew up in the early 50s playing those recordings, thinking that Perez Prado was the same importance as Ten Little Indians. It gave me a life-long appreciation of Latin music and jazz, which was modified a few years later when Brazilian music hit the USA in the early 60s. By then I was playing professionally. In recent decades I write and perform Brazilian and Latin jazz, but I often cross-pollinate rhythmic genres, thanks to the ability of BIAB to do so.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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eddie1261
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I was 4 1/2, and had a "big cousin" that I just adored, 10 years older than me. He played piano, and even at 15 was a huge Scott Joplin and ragtime fan. He played amazing stride piano. So this was April of 1956. He was in his practice room playing their old upright piano. My goal at that time in life was to be wherever my big cousin John was. He was playing, I was watching. Then he finished and went upstairs to his room. I then moved over to the piano and did what I saw him do. Then, from the kitchen, I heard my mother say "Didn't John go upstairs? Who is playing?" And my aunt, who WAS Betty White with her sense of humor, said "Well, there's only 4 of us here. it has to be your son." Then I heard footsteps clomping down the steps and John came down and all 3 of them came to that little room in the front of the house and stuck their head around the corner. John came in and asked me "How did you learn to do that?" and I said, with the brutal honesty of someone not yet 5 years old, "Watching you." And he said to my mother "Get this kid into music lessons. Right now." That was 62 years ago, and I still remember that the song was "Hard-Hearted Hannah, The Vamp of Savannah". I started lessons the next week. The teacher sat me at a piano that was a mockup and did not play. It was just a keyboard with no harp in it. Above it was a blackboard with a scale on it. I sat at the mockup piano for 6 weeks while I learned enough theory to understand what key was the dot on the 2nd space, what it meant if it was solid, solid with a flag on it, hollow with a flag, hollow without a flag, what the dots behind the notes meant.... then he let me play. However, given my age, I couldn't reach a fifth on the keyboard with my little hands, so I started on this.  And yes, I obviously still have it, 62 years later. And I will never let it go. When I got a little bigger I moved to a piano, but by age 11 The Beatles were the rage and I had to play guitar. That cousin died 10 years ago from pancreatic cancer. And because I am such a hermit, nobody knew how to reach me to tell me. I didn't know until about 3 years ago when I stumbled onto the Facebook page of his youngest son and saw a post about a "memorial" golf tournament in his dad's honor. So here's to you, big cousin John. I owe you big time!! And now I am going to turn my chair around to the keyboard and play Hard-Hearted Hannah, through a few respectful tears.
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My mom played piano, as did her mom (my grandmother). As a toddler, I had a little one-octave toy piano that I plunked on (there are still old 8mm films of that, but without sound). My mom wanted me to learn piano, so I slogged through the John Thompson method books. I don't believe I had the natural talent like they had, but I worked at it. In sixth grade, I said I wanted to learn to play trumpet. My folks said, okay, as long as I kept playing piano (which I agreed to). The middle school teacher would come over to the elementary school once a week and give a half hour lesson to those that wanted to learn. I guess I did learn, because I played either 2nd or 1st chair all through middle school, high school, and in my college band (I went to a military college, so I became very close to Mr. Sousa there).  By the time I got to middle school, I didn't want to do the method books anymore, but wanted to play music I liked and heard on the radio. My mom said okay, but I had to buy my own music with my allowance, which I did. And whereas before she had to yell at me to practice for half an hour, once I started doing my own thing, I would sit down and play for hours at a time. I still had to work hard it. After college, I didn't play much trumpet, because the military took me many places. But even stationed in Germany, we bought a piano and played that. Back in the states, my mother-in-law gave us her piano, which we had restored and kept for many years. I never was much of a singer (I would be one of the pew potatoes in church that mumbled the words to the songs), but one day had an epiphany and sang out. I ended up joining the choir and helped start and lead the praise band for the new contemporary worship service we started. I consider myself an adequate singer and pianist, but I love doing it. I don't play by ear, but I can read music and most chord charts that aren't too difficult. I guess I must be doing something right, because after moving to Pensacola with no job (I had been laid off in Washington, DC, so we decided to move here to be closer to my aging parents), one of the local United Methodist Church's hired me as their paid pianist, and then another UMC subsequently hired me as their paid choir director (to replace the retiring director of 40 years). Congregational comments are that the choir sounds great and sings with more joy than ever under my leadership. So I'll take it. When I lived in Virginia, I collaborated with a good friend of mine (Chris Werle) and we co-wrote quite a number of mainly Christian oriented songs, but also others with a more pop or country flavor. That's when I got into BIAB and PowerTracks and ultimately RealBand and learned about the wonderful things you can do musically with a computer. (You can listen to some of our original music at my web site - see my sig below). Add to all that, that I've always had a large music collection (I currently have about 1500 vinyl record albums with a working turntable, about 800 audio cassettes, and about 2000 CDs), so I've listened to it all. I'm working on digitizing all of them to MP3, because vinyl doesn't play well in the car and it's a fun project. I like classical, country, rock, soul, pop, Broadway, alternative, anything interesting, novelty, you name it. I'll even listen to rap in small doses. Most of my musician friends can outplay and outsing me by a long shot, but that's no reason not to do it. At church, our extremely talented organist/pianist just loves my approach to music, because I give her so much freedom to be herself and we get to create some really neat sounds. I arrange a number of the choir pieces myself; I'll do interesting medleys; and always try to have fun. Music has also allowed me to meet some really cool people along the way. On the forum, my wife and I hosted Pat Marr in our home when he made his road tripo (so he knows the limitations of my playing abilities) and I got to meet and spend time with Matt Finley and his wonderful wife when we vacationed at Hyde Park, NY. Here in Pensacola, I have the honor of knowing Frank Emon, a former Navy Band member who is a Pearl Harbor survivor (they had to put down their instruments that day and pick up their rifles), who is now 99 years old, still sings in my former choir where I was pianist, tells his story on Veterans' Day, and occasionally directs the local civic band. So life is good, I have a great musical outlet at church and have so much fun creating on the computer and just playing and singing at the piano at home. I post stuff on the internet and folks can either like it or not. So far, the likes seem to win out. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Next!
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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I had a very miusical Family. My mother played guitar and sang, my dad played harmonica, my paternal grandfather played trombone, my maternal grandfather played accordian and banjo so I grew up with music all around me. I started sneaking my Mom’s guitar out of its case when I was 5 years old and began teaching myself to play from the instruction books I found while I was plundering in her cedar chest. She didn’t like me playing her good guitar so she bought me a little Roy Rogers guitar with nylon strings for Christmas.
Keith
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My father was a clever musician and played quite a number of instruments. He mainly played brass cornet and trumpet as did his father. At home we had all sorts of stuff from button accordions to zithers. We had cornets both Eb and Bb we had trumpets, euphoniums, trombones just to name some. As a kid I had to learn and played a number of instruments under my fathers guidance but no matter what I did it was never really good enough. Around 1962 or so my elder brother came home with a guitar (he never played it) which I made good use of. It was one instrument my father did not play so his constant criticism stopped. At about 15 years of age I was asked to join a band with my brother who arranged a gig in a pub. I continued to play until well in my 50s. I still supported people in country music clubs and the like. Four years ago I bought into a retirement resort and gave a lot of my gear away. First thing when I got here was great we have been waiting for you can you play next Friday. Hence the increased use of BIAB and generating my own backing tracks. I went out and purchased a small Samson PA and still do gigs for various people.
69 years of age and still behaving like a teenager (but I realise the next morning I am not)
It is hard to put a lifetime in a few paragraphs. Over the years I have played with many good and top line performers but more importantly with many people having a good time.
Tony
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My dad never played, but he loved music. He had a huge collection of classical and jazz music that he played all the time, there was always music in the house.
I first really wanted to play myself when I saw the Beatles on the Sullivan show back in '64, I was 10 at the time. Bugged my parents for a guitar, and they got me this $10 acoustic from the sears catalog for Christmas. It was unplayable but I didn't know that at the time, I spent many hours struggling with it before I came to the conclusion that I didn't have what it took to be a guitarist.
So, I got into piano instead, took classical lessons for a few years but also had no problem picking up the pop songs of the day by ear. Also played Tuba in the school band for a couple of years :P
Then when I was 15 a friend of mine got an electric guitar and showed me a few things, I was able to play the house of the rising sun arpeggios (very badly!) after a week or two.
So I got my own electric, a Silvertone, and by the time I was 16 I was in a band playing gigs. Back then (late 60s, early 70s) live music was king, quite easy to get gigs.
The rest is history I guess, been playing guitar ever since.
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I can play what I sing and sing what I can play which in no way necessarily relates to what I play and sing to be the right chords, correct pitch or the actual lyrics. Musically, I became a songwriter in order to mask these deficiencies and I'm more drawn toward the construction and repair of the electronic equipment of music than the making of music itself.
BIAB 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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PG Music Staff
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Part of my father's job in New York City in the 1940s was to coordinate tours to Cuba of the distributors of Philco products. He came back with many recordings. I grew up in the early 50s playing those recordings, thinking that Perez Prado was the same importance as Ten Little Indians. It gave me a life-long appreciation of Latin music and jazz, which was modified a few years later when Brazilian music hit the USA in the early 60s. By then I was playing professionally. In recent decades I write and perform Brazilian and Latin jazz, but I often cross-pollinate rhythmic genres, thanks to the ability of BIAB to do so. That's really cool that your dad used to set up tours to Cuba, and that he shared the music culture with you. It's funny how the small things parents do can really foster a passion or interest in their kids. Really cool! Thanks for sharing that with the forum!
Cheers,
Ember
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Growing up, my dad was a professional singer and my mom was a DJ, so as far back as my earliest memory I've been around music basically all the time. Both of my parents have the voices of angels and used them lots around the house, so growing up I was always singing as well. It drove babysitters and daycare workers nuts, apparently. But it worked out, because due to it I grew up with some strong natural vocal abilities.
That being said, with both my parents in the music industry - we all know it doesn't pay the best, so I never had the opportunity to learn an instrument in my youth. Music instruments and lessons for them isn't cheap. But, I did have access to computers.
I knew from around the age of 8 that making music was something I needed to do. I used to write tons of lyrics around this age, and come up with melodies and record them into a handheld tape recorder. Around this same age, my family got our first household computer. I didn't realize this could open the door to me making music until I was around 12 years old. I learned through online music forums about cheap DAWs and convinced my parents to buy a very basic one for $20 or so. And so began my journey.
Originally, it was me and my high school friend in a little music duo. It was horrendous stuff, but the start of my musical adventures. We were about 13/14 and hadn't a clue about how to produce or anything. I had my singing voice and that was about it. We'd make very simple beat loops using said DAW my parents bought me, and then record our vocals over top of them through the microphone in a webcam. It was all we had access to.
Ten plus years and several thousands of dollars later, I'm still doing it only with far, far, far superior equipment. My original partner in music has since moved to Australia and is a body builder, but we stay in touch and he is still a music enthusiast.
I have new partners in music now, and each day we continue to pretend we know what we're doing and pluck on with the dream. I love making music, I listening to music, and this will never change.
Cheers,
Deryk
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So here's to you, big cousin John. I owe you big time!! And now I am going to turn my chair around to the keyboard and play Hard-Hearted Hannah, through a few respectful tears.
That was a really touching story. It sounds like music had such a huge impact on your life in indescribable ways. Also, I am sorry to hear about your cousin. A similar thing happened with me and the person who got me in to drawing. She wasn't family -- just a girl who lived down the street who baby sat us a few times. If it weren't for her and her amazing drawings, and sitting down to let me watch her draw and then offering to teach me I am not quite sure I'd be as artsy as I am today. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Ember
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So far, the likes seem to win out.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
That's a really reassuring story. It makes me really happy to hear that you went after the instrument you really wanted to play. My immediate family was not in any way musically inclined at the time, but my mom always had a passion for singing. Her step-mom had given her the whole speech about how singing would never lead you anywhere or pay the bills, so my mother just sang in school musicals growing up for fun instead. Because of that, my parents always tried to encourage me to chase whatever I was interested in, no matter how fleeting it was. All throughout school I really wanted to learn how to play the saxophone. I was so excited to finally be allowed to take music classes through my school. It wasn't something we could afford, so while my parents would have loved to support me in that, financially they couldn't. But I remember specifically taking all the classes I needed in order to be able to choose music as one of my electives as soon as I got in to grade 9. On day one I was so jazzed to finally get to pick my instrument and chose a seat near the front of the class, because I heard that kids in the front got to pick their instruments first. Except they changed the structure that year. We weren't allowed to pick our instruments and they were now assigned to us to prevent kids from squabbling, and the only two saxophones that the school had were not allowed to be played until grade 12. I was totally crushed. And got the clarinet. And proceeded to sound like a dying goose for many of the proceeding classes that followed, as my heart just wasn't in it. I got it eventually, though (much to the heckling of my school mates as we often had to solo for our music exams). I never really lost that desire to learn how to play the saxophone. I learned how to play the ukulele when I was younger, and I've been wanting to pick it up again. I've also been gravitating towards folk music as I have been getting older. I found out just recently that my mom's biological mother and her grandmother (whom she lost contact with many years ago) were folk artists. My mom finally decided to take vocal lessons a few years back (before she found this out) and was told that she had a very "folky" sound to her voice. When she learned about her mother's musical roots it all kind of clicked for her. When I think about it, my singing voice also has a kind of indie-folk sound to it as well. Funny how these things all come together in the end. I'd still one day like to take up the saxophone, I think. And your story has definitely nudged me closer towards that eventuality. So thank you for that!
Last edited by Ember - PG Music; 04/11/18 06:34 AM.
Cheers,
Ember
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I had a very miusical Family. My mother played guitar and sang, my dad played harmonica, my paternal grandfather played trombone, my maternal grandfather played accordian and banjo so I grew up with music all around me. I started sneaking my Mom’s guitar out of its case when I was 5 years old and began teaching myself to play from the instruction books I found while I was plundering in her cedar chest. She didn’t like me playing her good guitar so she bought me a little Roy Rogers guitar with nylon strings for Christmas. That's an adorable story! I have to wonder if you guys ever played together as a family band or for special occasions. 
Cheers,
Ember
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My father was a clever musician and played quite a number of instruments. He mainly played brass cornet and trumpet as did his father. At home we had all sorts of stuff from button accordions to zithers. We had cornets both Eb and Bb we had trumpets, euphoniums, trombones just to name some. As a kid I had to learn and played a number of instruments under my fathers guidance but no matter what I did it was never really good enough. Around 1962 or so my elder brother came home with a guitar (he never played it) which I made good use of. It was one instrument my father did not play so his constant criticism stopped. At about 15 years of age I was asked to join a band with my brother who arranged a gig in a pub. I continued to play until well in my 50s. I still supported people in country music clubs and the like. Four years ago I bought into a retirement resort and gave a lot of my gear away. First thing when I got here was great we have been waiting for you can you play next Friday. Hence the increased use of BIAB and generating my own backing tracks. I went out and purchased a small Samson PA and still do gigs for various people.
69 years of age and still behaving like a teenager (but I realise the next morning I am not)
It is hard to put a lifetime in a few paragraphs. Over the years I have played with many good and top line performers but more importantly with many people having a good time.
Tony wow, I get what you mean by saying it's hard to put a lifetime in to a few paragraphs, especially if music is continuing to shape, change and evolve with you as a person -- and perhaps even impact yourself so much that it helps you grow and adapt too. Thank you for sharing your story with me!
Cheers,
Ember
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My dad never played, but he loved music. He had a huge collection of classical and jazz music that he played all the time, there was always music in the house.
I first really wanted to play myself when I saw the Beatles on the Sullivan show back in '64, I was 10 at the time. Bugged my parents for a guitar, and they got me this $10 acoustic from the sears catalog for Christmas. It was unplayable but I didn't know that at the time, I spent many hours struggling with it before I came to the conclusion that I didn't have what it took to be a guitarist.
So, I got into piano instead, took classical lessons for a few years but also had no problem picking up the pop songs of the day by ear. Also played Tuba in the school band for a couple of years :P
Then when I was 15 a friend of mine got an electric guitar and showed me a few things, I was able to play the house of the rising sun arpeggios (very badly!) after a week or two.
So I got my own electric, a Silvertone, and by the time I was 16 I was in a band playing gigs. Back then (late 60s, early 70s) live music was king, quite easy to get gigs.
The rest is history I guess, been playing guitar ever since. Your musical beginnings seem very colorful and varied! The piano, tuba, and guitar are all very different. Sounds like it was quite the adventure!
Cheers,
Ember
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I can play what I sing and sing what I can play which in no way necessarily relates to what I play and sing to be the right chords, correct pitch or the actual lyrics. Musically, I became a songwriter in order to mask these deficiencies and I'm more drawn toward the construction and repair of the electronic equipment of music than the making of music itself.
Sometimes music is less about the technical side and more about the heart. Of course, learning the theory and technical side of it can definitely strengthen the performance (if you like performing for people, that is)! And sometimes fiddling with the tools you use and learning their inner workings helps as well! Thanks for sharing your story with me.
Cheers,
Ember
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I have new partners in music now, and each day we continue to pretend we know what we're doing and pluck on with the dream. I love making music, I listening to music, and this will never change. I had no idea your mom was a DJ! The things you learn. Also, that's kind of a drastic change, huh? To go on from making at-home music to body building in Australia! Still super cool, though. I love seeing how everyone's passions develop and change as the years progress and where that leads them. I'm glad you're still making music. Even if you don't feel like you know what you're doing. 
Cheers,
Ember
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,508 |
For as long as I can remember, even as a tot my favorite toys were musical ones. Those little pianos, xylophones, plastic wind instruments or whatever. I could play many songs by ear on them. This is perhaps due to my father who played Violin, Trumpet, Organ and Ukulele. When we were children, the uke and the song books would come out and we'd all sing along. I know own his violin and uke. My father was a printer by trade, and we didn't have a lot of money so music lessons were not in the picture. But when we moved to Florida due to my little sister's health problems, I wanted to join the band. Since we were new, it was the 7th grade, most started in the 6th grade, and the town was small, there were no available instruments to rent. So the new guys all got a pair of drumsticks and a practice pad. Then perhaps the best thing in my life happened to me. The Tenor sax player and her family moved. The band director asked who wanted to play the sax, and although I was in love with the sound of the Euphonium (Baritone Horn) I wanted to play anything that could make melodies so I guess I was more enthusiastic than the other drummers. I took to it well, and became first sax in the all-state band every year that I was eligible to compete. I joined a rock road band that eventually became the opening act for headliners in concert. The other musicians in the band taught me how to play bass, guitar, and keyboards to the point where could double. I eventually taught myself flute, wind synthesizer and vocals (the most difficult instrument for me). For most of my life, playing music has been my sole occupation. I did take two 'day-jobs' when I felt pressured to be "normal" and found normal is soooooo over-rated. Neither lasted all that long and I always played music as a weekend warrior during those phases. In the 1990s I started making aftermarket styles for Band-in-a-Box which was fun for me because I play the instruments required, took music arranging and theory in school, and really enjoyed the creative process. I made a small collection of styles, gave them to my friends who told me they liked them better than the PG Music "built in" styles (aren't friends wonderful!) and a friend who taught jazz guitar at the University of Miami told me that I should take out an ad and sell them. So I did. It was on Atari computer, and one day Peter Gannon called, noticed I was selling for Atari, and helped me make my styles available for PC (it was DOS back then) and Mac. Since then, Peter has always been ready to help whenever I ask. Thank you Pater. So now I find myself at retirement age. That happened very quickly. I have no plans to retire though. This life is just too much fun. I'm in a duo with the person who is now my wife (world-class vocals plus guitar and synth), I still gig from one or two nights per week in the off season to 5 or 7 nights per week in the high season. Playing music is the most fun Leilani and I can have with our clothes on so why should we want to quit and become retired people? I find that even though I've been involved in music all my life, I've only scratched the surface of what I can learn and explore. If I live to be 140 I'm sure I'll never learn it all. And I guess that's what keeps it interesting. Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Off-Topic
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987 |
Ember,
My earliest memories are of making music as a family during the war years (the 40s ).
My eldest brother was away at war and music was a diversion from worry.
When my brother returned home, he taught me to chop rhythm on a mandolin because my hands were too small for the guitar.
I eventually moved up to guitar and, while still in HS, I was recruited into a locally popular standards band called The Arrowhead Trio as the "younger-folks" draw. My Everly, Buddy Holly and Elvis covers brought a younger following to our band ( which was actually 5 pieces ). Bookings were difficult for 5 pieces at the time but we were in great demand from Northern Minnesota to the Canadian border. We played several nights every week.
Perhaps my nearest brush with fame was my countless keggers and house parties with Bob Zimmerman ( Dylan ) in HS. I'm 2 months older than Bob.
Other than playing the logging camps and barn dances, our venues were generally first class.
Thanks for starting this topic. Some wonderful memories.
PS: I know that this will sound immodest so I seldom say anything.
During one of our house parties, and unbeknown to to Bob or myself, the personal secretary of a major talent scout, Jay Lourey ( sp? ) of Minneapolis, was in the audience.
About a week later, I received an invitation to go to Minneapolis for an interview. Bob didn't get invited.
I also remember teaching Bob that long, descending intro run by Luther Perkins in Cash' "Home Of The Blues".
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Off-Topic
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,634
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,634 |
My parents owned a music store, so I was tinkering with instruments since I was big enough to reach them. Sometimes to the dismay of my parents, when I'd get into stuff at the store.
"Put that guitar back where you got it! No wait, hand it to me .. gently" <grin>
I had to take piano first of course (at around 5 yrs old or so), along with theory soon after, then when I got old enough to go to school I started on trumpet.
The rest just got picked up along my journey .. anyway, you asked how we all got started; wasn't much of a choice for me.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
Holiday Weekend Hours
It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:
Saturday, May 16: Closed
Sunday, May 17: Closed
Monday, May 18: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Don't wait - order today!
Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
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!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- 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)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 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)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
Note: 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.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
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