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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.

...

Not sure where you got that from John... Ike knows a lot of details from the area here.

I'll tell mom and dad where to send the bill for the new keys on that kawai baby grand you wore out Ike! (I assume that was the one; it seems to be a favorite at the store)

My daughter did her recital on that piano and I've spent a little time on it myself.

That's quite the story, "ikeinblackriver" Russell.


And -- THANK YOU for your service to country.


May you attain the music you seek (and that's now in the prayer-basket here).


You need *any*thing that my meager resources can provide, don't you hesitate, now, y'hear? Just send a PM.


--Mac

ikeinblackriver

I recently bought the Miles Davis Note for Note transcriptions of Oscar Peterson's famous works. It's only this long after his death I blew permanently some of my recordings of his, and started playing them again. I can be very emotional, and as he lived close enough to me, and I followed his career both before and after his stroke very closely, and pilgrimaged to Toronto to hear him numerous times. After his death all it took was the opening bars of Hymn to Freedom to start me welling up and I just couldn't listen.

I can say that I'll never be anything like OP or Glen Gould (who I encountered during my University days in 69). However following the sheet music that I can do, often taking scores or using my wife's Norton scores etc. But this book has bought me great joy, and I've tried to take some musical ideas from Oscar's jazz tunes and stick them into my terrible improv skills. If this kind of thing tickles your fancy grab a copy from this website's store and enjoy.

I was certainly not on any boat up the Black River in a marina when 5 London firefighters got arrested for public drunkenness. I was in the bathroom being overcome like a landlubber only to emerge to see them being carted off in Police Cars. I waited at least 4 hours or 10 minutes, snuck back on the boat, and slept overnight until the return of the other 5 awoke me for the trip home.

I for one would never have had a beer on the Black.

LOL.

Oh and I played 6ths and jazz chords in church. Horror of horrors. My brothers and I were forced into a trio when I was 14. I sang bass and played the piano until on fateful Christmas we were to sing Silent Night at the Sunday evening service. My middle brother could look at anyone and make them laugh. He'd be 12, the youngest 9. I'm playing the grand, mic in front of me, my 2 brothers with a big headed mic that almost hid your head, and we had been warned NOT to slur Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Well since the Wed. night rehearsal with the choir director my middle brother kept up the slur practicing it everywhere, grinning from ear to ear. P.......e........e...a.....c .....h. slur up the crescendo, exaggerate it..well he took on look at my younger brother just before the phrase and the 3 of us disintegrated into laughter. The end of the Conley boys trio.

My parents have their 60th wedding anniversary this summer (I was born 9 months to the day of the wedding later!), and we plan on resurrecting the trio and doing that song for Mom. I don't know if she will see the humour.

Ditto Mac's post. And I agree with you regarding BIAB being great software and PG Music being a great software company. I spent a short time in the computer industry myself and remember well some less than stellar companies putting out crap programs with no support. Really learn to appreciate the good ones.
Keep playing and good luck.

John Conley,

Your responses are always filled with such wit and I really enjoy reading your posts, not just your answers to questions.

You're the type that seriously needs to think about writing a book.

Thanks so much John -- You're in inspiration to many here. I'm certain of that.

Russ,
In the earlier posts you only talked about the trumpet playing and how you played pro etc. In this thread you mostly talked about being a pro piano player. So in haste I thought you may be a troll so posted the standard warning. It was thus pointed out at the same time I looked closer that that was not the case.
The ... means I deleted the message.

Russell,
Play on, Friend,
Wayne

Having been very much impressed with the latest BIAB ugrade and new Real Tracks, I had been thinking about a thank-you note of my own to pgmusic. However, Russell expressed it much better than I ever could have. I've been gigging regularly for well over 40 years with no slow down, as yet. The BIAB purchases over the years are the best investment I've made. It's really changed my whole approach to music for the better. Yes, many thanks to Peter and his staff.

Thanks for the comments Russell!

We share a few things in common, Russell.

Piano first, Trumpet second, I was started on Piano at age 3 by my father, who was also a fine Classical and Jazz Pianist and also a Trumpet Player himself. At age of 8 he finally let me start on that shiny golden Trumpet (something about waiting on my "baby teeth" to leave the front of my face, see, Dad became a Dental Surgeon after he completed his Army duties in WWII). Somewhere along the way I also bought my first guitar and started foolin' with it.

I was Air Force. Much the same story, minus the injury.

And I, too, find BiaB to be simply a wonderful thing!

101?

You guys are sumthin'

I dig yer motto...



--Mac

Another trumpeter here, and cornet in a brass band best to bo6th of you and thanks to mac for all the support.

pg is great.

"What did you do in the war, Daddy?"

"See that shiny gold lamp over there on the end table?"

"Well, I pushed that damn thing all around the world with my FACE!"

"War is hell, kid."


--Mac