Well I see the ability to have a discussion is limited by something I do not understand.

I asked for some clarification, and deemed it nebulous. That's is certainly not derisive. I can do that.

I am interested in lots of types of music. Primarily hebredian stuff, which is often in weird keys. For that, my wife and I spend time working it out, and I do not use band in a box. I also mess with the keys, trying to get gull sounds and things from a piano/flute.

This is tough, because my wife, despite where we are at, finds C or B natural the lowest playable note (with a foot on the flute), and I can no longer hear a lot of the higher notes she could play.

I understand that there is a major problem with making the software do 7/4 so I don't expect it to. But my wife has enough fancy music ed that we can figure that out. (Cronan Bleoghain).

For me, Band in a Box has provided hours of study and help with practice.

NOW to the crux.

If you cannot have a discussion about a topic and carry it to a conclusion personally attacking someone does nothing for your points, nor your ability to back them up. That is just a general comment.

Since the issue was raised, no one has actually given me an example of this deficiency. I'm willing to listen.

I do not claim to know the most music, but I do have a cursory knowledge of some stuff.

Now to throw a herring into the works, or a kipper as grandad would say, I would point out that in many instances, less is more. In making a bass run, an implied chord change or note even, can be more dramatic that actually playing it. This is a concept I work on all the time, drop out some notes or chords in my compositions.

In my brass arrangements I'm even dropping the tied notes in many cases, it just opens up the next notes and allows for a comma to get inserted. A purist would say, wait, you missed a note.

To the audience they just hear something that is more crisp.

I salute any improvements to the software that make it more marketable. Development needs to bear in mind that certain improvements have appeal. I don't know country really, except for what played on the counter in 1960 or so when Mom left the radio on. My daughter asked me if I liked some swift girl last week and I admit, I never heard of her, nor her music.

I read classical music and brass band music magazines, and keyboard stuff, and I study the years 1500 go 1900.

Every year, during testing, I listen to country tracks. Just not my thing.

Well back to Christmas dishes. Ye olde daughter, who's 20, is moving to England for 2 years on a visa, leaving in 2 days. So we did it all early.

Merry Mithros/Christmas or whatever you celebrate. I'm going to try Satin Doll at about 300 bpm tomorrow. Then Favorite Things, which is fun for improv, in that song you can hold for 2 bars and no need to even state a chord. Just come back in, that's fun. In my mind.

John Conley
Musica est vita