This is generated by my wife. She had a blast with the 7 tunes we played last night. I did lead sheets and I comped and had drums and bass most of the time with Oliver going on most songs doing his thing in Realtracks.

Her comment at the end was, 'it was all the same volume you need dynamics.'

Wow. And you think you know someone!

So I of course start thinking.

I like the ability in Avid, to see the 'track'(s) and click to make a handle, do it 3 times and pull the middle one up and you end up with volume up, volume down. So that is an 'overall' volume, all instruments are doing p, pp, ff, sfz etc. Well maybe not for the latter.

Anyway, she's got 2 other things to worry about, we are playing a lot in Mexico, just keys and flute, and we both are playing horns for some ceremonial occasions. I am playing just piano bar stuff 3 nights too.

And our Brass Band started up tonight, 12 new pieces, all marches, Aida to Sousa. So with all that this will get a reprieve.

Now I am trying to help her find a flute teacher for trills and Celtic 'feel' on the open holes on the flute Matt gave all the advice to help me purchase.

I owe him, she loves the flute, but I said she could not let it sleep in the middle. Actually our grandson asked her if she took her new 'toy' to bed with her. LOL He won't be 3 until March, but he's not missing much.

I was trying to go back to thinking like a programmer and asking myself, well if the volume level on the bottom slider is there, and you defined p, m, and f as 1/3 1/2 and 2/3 with lesser for pp and more for ff, and then had the program read a marker at bar 10 so that say x beats before the mark start decreasing...etc.

I think it's reasonable to suggest, you know, throw the proverbial ca ca against the wall, or see if the spaghetti is done thing.

I must say I've been messing with band in a box since 5 inch floppies, and I never found that as an issue.

Now I do have a volume pedal with 2 ins and 2 outs, and I could send the box to the pedal. The keyboard is a new Korg and the touch is fine, I can do p or f, but the drummer and bass player don't get it. I can't fire them, they live too far away.

Thanks! I'm thinking, and maybe I move the end result to the wishlist. I can't say the latter too well, I have a lisp when my teeth are in the jar cleaning.

John Conley
Musica est vita