I have used BIAB on and off for a few years. In the past I confess that I haven't studied it hard enough to make good use of it -- And that is my downfall, really. Recently however I vowed to study the program better and, after several months I have to say that I'm as pleased with purchasing and using this software as I have never been with any computer program I've ever used -- ever!

I'm a returning musician. I've not played a single note for 30-plus years. I'm now returning to creating and playing music following a serious injury that almost cost me my life and today I am totally and permanently disabled. Since my disabilities, friends and family have been supportive of me, but quite frankly, none of them ever felt I would get back into playing again (me included). Until Band In A Box.

I play piano. I was classically trained but in my heart, it wasn't the direction I wanted and that broke Mom's heart (and Dad's wallet I'm afraid). One of my teachers told my Mom that, "There must be something seriously WRONG with someone who would go that far and then not do nothing with it!" Before I go on, I must mention that I love the new baby-grand's and I've spent considerable time at the music store in Port Huron, Michigan "demoing" them -- Actually, I probably owe them a new set of keys ... I've spent that much time there. I played my favorite honkey-tonk style piano at church when I was young. Yes, a classically-trained, pianist son, playing honkey-tonk at church -- I drove my parents insane! I also play 6 and 12 - string guitar (I prefer acoustic but I have been known to play your electric if you trust me with it). And finally, I play trumpet. Following college I played trumpet professionally for approximately six years. An injury while jumping in the U.S. Army Airborne sent me packing home, as my injury affected not only my lungs and heart, but also my spinal cord. Home to just what, I wasn't sure -- I was a 20-something, out-of-work, has-been-musician who's skill-set included parachuting and ... that's it! There wasn't much call for my skills when I got back "in the world" as they say.

Today I am 50 years old. I've worked most of my life, despite physical problems, but a recent accident changed my life for good. A person in my shoes has lots of empty time on their hands and so I was looking for something to fill it with. I tried everything and I knowingly took years off my wife's life. The only thing I ever really wanted to do was to play music again. And so the journey began -- just a few months ago. I don't want to go into that right now. I just want to take this time here to thank PG Music for their Band In A Box product. It has changed my life and they deserve to know about it. If my post is too long and it's not your bag, I understand -- quit reading now and go back to your music -- you'll almost certainly have a better time. I really only intended to wright this to thank PG anyhow.

Ultimately I think it's all about the music and what works for any of us. I mean, I know a guy who, right here in the U.S., managed to produce a record -- using just singers and drums from Africa (not a word of English), along with his guitar and voice! It's still some of my favorite music after 30 years or so.

I'm gonna' get a little philosophical here (and the post is lot's longer than I anticipated and I'm sorry for that), but I'd like to use this forum to mention that I'm especially appreciative that PG thinks about the little things. Little things mean lots to a person like me. Little things that most people walking down the street wouldn't know what I was talking about. PG has made a product that changes people's lives. I could mention tons but I won't. Just one though -- like providing one common product or platform for so many musicians from so many varied backgrounds, and at the same time it's given each one of us users so many different methods to skin the same cat! And then turn around and ask me (a lowly user), "What do you want in the next release?" And then actually give it to me!

For lots of years I worked in the computer industry. As a long-time software developer (yet another distraction from my music), I can attest that any other attempt, by any other developer or software company but PG, would certainly have resulted in multiple platforms, multiple versions and probably at least a handful of smaller programs, of which we the users, would be paying for -- one single piece at a time. And if I can also say with certainty, that if this were the case, none of us (except for a fortunate few -- yours truly excluded), would be able to afford it! So PG Music ... thank you for the late nights. Thank you for the small staff. And, thank you for doing things for people who could not, or would not, do it for themselves. Thanks for caring about the little things.

It's become especially interesting to me (over my very limited time here), that there are some BIAB users (perhaps many, who knows), who have no formal music training (perhaps aside from an occasional shower performance -- maybe even two). And that, without this BIAB product, most of us would have no other means of bringing out the music that might otherwise be lost inside any one of us. And so too, I can now at this stage of my life and at this stage in my musical "career" say that I can fully appreciate those persons here who've found a means to express themselves and get out that "stuff" inside that maybe they didn't even know existed before BIAB! As I said, I've used BIAB on and off for a few years, but it only recently occurred to me that this BIAB-thing has brought peoples of all backgrounds and all walks of life together (from napkin-note-writers, to shower-inspired-whistlers, and even disabled-vet music-wannabees alike). That's a wonderful thing, isn't it? It's been a great ride PG -- Thank you!

From all of that, I can guess there's only one thing that can be said about it ... That no one method will suite every person but that PG Music's Band In A Box program (not abbreviated on purpose as it could sure stand to be spelled out once in awhile), is a pretty nice attempt at trying to satisfy the potential that might be seen from a budding musician -- and bring out that inner-stuff in every one of us! Just keep doing what you're doing -- it's too important to some of us out here to do anything otherwise!

I'll bet that BIAB has done some things that even the developer didn't originally anticipate. All I know is that today, I'm a musician again. 30-plus years ago, I'd have been right up there with the best of them. Today, I'm mostly a shower-whistler. 30-plus years ago, I was a classically-trained, professional jazz musician traveling and playing one end of our country to the other. Today, I'm a BIAB'er. Doesn't matter to me though -- BIAB has brought me back. I don't remember how to play like I used to. I'm not even sure I'll ever play like that again; not really sure I'd want to try at this point. But, what I do know is that this BIAB thing has given me the desire; The want-to; And most especially the tool I didn't even know I needed -- a tool to get the music out of me and to somewhere that others could know what's been hiding in there.

Band In A Box has made us a world of music people! I can't imagine that I'll ever be capable of attesting that I know another people better than these musicians -- The Band In A Box musician. It's been nice jam'n with all of ya' ... It's been a heck of a ride ... thanks for it PG.

Thanks PG Music.

Ike