Flip wrote:
"Try www.pgmusic.com. They put out Band in a Box and The Jazz Guitarist
programs. They have some free downloads, but you have to have the basic
program already
installed and the hardware to go with it (a midi and a sequensor). I've
been using the
program for two years now and have put over 400 tunes into it. There
are limitations, some of which I've learned to get around such as
voicings. The Jazz guitarist program
has about thirty tunes in it already played back by a fairly competent
guitarist. With the
program you can view a guitar fingerboard and see the notes and chords
as they are
formed or played on the guitar. A great teaching aid for advanced
students!"
A few things. From what I understand the Jazz Guitarist program is no
longer available from PG Music. I heard they had problems with copyright
restrictions, because the tunes used were all standards.
Your assessment of Oliver Gannon, the guitarist who recorded the Jazz
Guitarist tracks using a midi guitar, as "fairly competent" reminds me
of an old story by Robert Sheckley called "The Language of Love." The
story is a spoof on the use of language to convey emotions exactly. I
would say Gannon, who is apparently a top studio player in Canada,
warrants more glowing praise than "fairly competent." I'd say he was at
least "very competent" or even "impressive." I used to own a midi
guitar, and I shudder to think what a midi-only recording of me playing
that guitar would sound like. For those of you who have never had the,
er, pleasure of playing a midi guitar, I would estimate the rate of
success in getting notes to track correctly is about 50 to 70%. That's a
lotta clams.
Last, I recommend Band-in-a-Box to anyone who is studying to be a jazz
player. Having your own band available to play in any key, any tempo,
etc. 24 hours a day is a great asset.
--
Clay Moore --
jazz guitarist web developer
clay@... claymoore@...
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