2013: I Resolve to Share the Music

It is that time of year again . . . New Year's Resolutions. Rather than create a list of well-intended resolutions, I am simply resolving to share the music.

As a kid growing up, music was both "my refuge" and "my dream." It was a sanctuary; a place I could escape, find comfort, peace, vent my frustrations, and leave feeling like everything was going to be alright. I dreamed of music becoming "my life." My final thesis in my High School Senior English class outlined my lofty ambitions and plans for becoming a professional musician. 

In the summer of 1978, two years after graduating High School, I began the journey of becoming . . . Several years later, a “curve ball” took the wind out of my sails, and I eventually walked away from the music business. From that point on, music continued to be a part of my life; however, the sharing was limited to family, friends, my local church, and an occasional special event.

 Fueled by affordable breakthroughs in music technology and my passion for creating music, I began putting together a home recording studio in the fall of 2009.  The time spent in this creative environment has rekindled a desire to share the music with a broader audience.  So . . . for 2013, I resolve to share the music with the hope you'll love what I do as much as I love creating it.  :-)

Making Music "Fast" with Band-in-a-Box

Several years ago my longtime friend, Larry Smith, introduced me to an intelligent automatic accompaniment program called Band-in-a-Box (BIAB). He had been experimenting with this creative music composition tool for some time, and has since converted me to become a loyal user.

Band-in-a-Box is a fascinating, versatile music composition program that can be used in many ways. It is a great tool for quickly creating original music, and allows you to explore and develop music ideas with near-instantaneous results.

I simply type in the chords of a new song that I am working own, choose a style that I’d like to try out, and let Band-in-a-Box automatically generate a backing track. By using optional live audio tracks, I can create professional-quality accompaniment tracks. Click here to check out a backing track (in progress) of the old hymn, "All In Him", that I have been working on in my home recording studio.

Studio Buddy - The Home Recording Helper

I recently ran across some free software that addresses common questions about the recording process. After downloading it, I believe it is something that other home recording enthusiast might find useful, too. Check out Studio Buddy: The Home Recording Help.