Originally Posted By: Tony Wright
It is way too complicated and requires too much appreciation of computer music terminology and techniques.


I found that comment confusing. "Complicated" and "Computer music terminology"?

Nothing in life is made for people who no native intelligence, and in 2016 everybody should know at least basic basics on a computer. "File", "import".... seriously? How much easier can it be? People with no musical knowledge and no skills whatsoever can have BIAB play music for them just by downloading a MIDI file and importing it. While I am acutely aware (after years at help desk jobs dealing with largely an uninitiated public) that many people sit at a computer and think it is as complicated as flying the space shuttle, but geeze, what a PERFECT opportunity for personal growth. If computers intimidate someone, step one should be taking a 101 level course at a local community college.

I remember how often people would come up to me at gigs and say "Man I wish I could play keyboards like you!" My reply was always the same. "Why can't you? I didn't come from the womb knowing how to do this. Take lessons and learn how to play." The same concept applies here. Rather than saying "It's too complicated", dig in your heels and put in the time and repetitions. You can learn how to do anything you want to learn. Welding, woodworking, plumbing, music, painting, sculpting... anything you want to do, you can do IF you are willing to pay the dues. And there is the problem. I see a good dozen or so people on here who want to buy BIAB and be playing gigs the next day for large dollars, with no music skills at all. You have to know music SOMEWHAT to play music. There is no fast forward button and music can't be microwaved. It takes time. Each individual has control over how long it takes. I was fortunate to know by age 5 that I wanted to play music, and I have now been at it for 60 years. When I was that young there were people who were old to me then taking piano lessons. (Now I realize those "old" people were only 40-ish.) I just finished charting out a song this morning that has a diminished chord, an augmented, and a minor 7 flat 5. That is a foreign language to someone who does not know music. To most of the long time users here, they know exactly what that means. And those long time users here were all, at one point, complete novices. We all were.

I make people mad all the time when I say what I am about to say here.

"Stop saying 'I wish I could do....' and start learning how to do." School ends at some point in life. Education never stops. MIDI was new to all of us at one point. We learned. Mozart at one time knew nothing. And they made a movie about him!!!

So, more on topic, and directed mainly to the beginners, BIAB is a tool, not an end result. Learn about music basics (time signatures, chord relationships, reading sheet music...) and it will all fall together. One quarter of fundamentals at a community college will start you in the right direction.

Last edited by eddie1261; 11/27/16 09:16 AM.