Free stuff
The coolest thing to me since sliced bread. Free orchestration lessons online at www.northernsounds.com
I found this site when I was looking for more info on orchestration. I have been a "synth" composer since I was in 6th grade when I got my first music program, Cakewalk 3 probably (I'm not sure what number it was, but it was one of the earliest). My uncle gave it to us and I loved it. It is how I learned to read music. And how I learned about rhythm. I had already been teaching myself piano by ear, but the program really helped me understand so much more. Then I started writing for piano, then piano and flute, then more and more instruments.
Now I have Finale 2007 with Garritan Personal Orchestra. My computer is running great and everything is sounding so much better. I wasn't able to take orchestration at BJU, although I took other music classes as a music minor. I don't know why I didn't put in the effort to study orchestration on my own until now, but I really need it, I see. And I'm really enjoying it.
The only problem I have now, and I admit it isn't a huge one, is I have an old keyboard. It doesn't have 88 keys which is hardly the most frustrating thing. It can't record velocity! Velocity for those who don't know is basically how hard you strike the key. So I have to rely on filters and the human playback function to add realism to my music currently. Not the best solution. It would be nice to have a mod-wheel/pitch bend too. Garritan uses the piano pedal, a mod-wheel and velocity MIDI data in a "revolutionary" way to switch samples to make every instrument sound its best. I can add that data later, but once again, not as convenient. I'm saving up for a new keyboard.
what's up with jbo
We just had a nice visit with our aunt and uncle who came up from N.C. This aunt is my mother's sister. On Saturday my parents and our visitors took their tools with them and created two beautiful flowerbeds in front of the house. They really look good now, but in bloom and with growth I can only imagine how nice it will be.
Between the few jobs I've been doing I am hoping to have enough money to cover Finale 2007 upgrade and a newer 88 key MIDI capable (most are) keyboard that doesn't have cheap plastic keys. I will do what I can to find a good one and a good deal, but the keyboard I have now--though functional--is archaic to say the least. And it doesn't have enough keys to play live recordings or functionality to record velocity and other MIDI attributes. I'm really looking forward to these improvements so I can return to composing with a vigor. I have missed it so much and have longed for it quite enough. Now I am going to dig in.
On the RSD front, I'll be getting a lumbar sympathetic block on June 29. We will see how that helps and assess the situation from there.
And I'll try to be on my computer updating my blog and saying hi to people through email and chat more often. I have been feeling a bit better these past few weeks.
But now it is 2:30 am and way past my bed time.
To all the saints scattered throughout all the world,
grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Church bought first grand piano
We bought our grand piano for our church. W
e saved quite a bit of money. It is a 5' Cristofori grand piano (see the brochure here in adobe reader: Download Brochure) The piano is darker in our building than I thought it would be. At the show room the sun was shining right on us. But I think on sunny Sundays the color will be seen. It's a mahogany polish, so it has a nice reddish glow. It has really great sound and because the wide tail rim design the 5' sounds great!
jbo at Chrysler Hall
I have now performed at Chrysler Hall. Yes. I have played three piano pieces there for a 1,000 people. Okay...okay. I recorded three piano pieces and they were played over the sound system.
They were on a DVD that my dad put together for his work's Day of Caring. I think this is going on 5 years that I've written music for the Day of Caring, but this is the first time I have actually performed for it. Before this year, the music was always desktop recordings.
Form, Harmony, Orchestration
I've been away quite a while. I know. I have been trying to finish music for my friends' wedding. I have pulled out my harmony books and other musical guides and have been wracking my brain for musical ideas.
I am writing for voice, piano, flute and violin; 4 original, one hymn arrangement. I am happy with everything. But because of my perfectionist nature I cringe at certain things. Plus, overall, I am rather inexperienced at what I am doing. I have much practice writing computer music, but this is for real people.
I found this nifty website that I haven't been able to completely read (because I'm pressed for time); you can download the books there as pdf's too. I am so excited about getting into music writing again. I had been so ill from the RSD that I hadn't been up and around or at the piano. Now reading my Harmony book (and my sister bought me staff paper!) I am really enjoying thinking musically again.
Worthy The Lamb!
I absolutely love the song Worthy The Lamb on SoundForth's When Jesus Comes CD.
Here are the lyrics for you:
John Kent (1766-1843)
'TIS the church triumphant singing,
Worthy the Lamb!
Heaven throughout with praises ringing,
Worthy the Lamb!
Thrones and powers before Him bending;
Odours sweet, with voice, ascending;
Swells the chorus never-ending,
Worthy the Lamb!
2 Every kindred, tongue, and nation,
Worthy the Lamb!
Join to sing the great salvation,
Worthy the Lamb!
Loud as mighty thunders roaring,
Floods of mighty waters pouring,
Prostrate at His feet adoring,
Worthy the Lamb!
3Harps and songs forever sounding,
Worthy the Lamb.
Mighty grace o'er sin abounding,
Worthy the Lamb.
By His blood He dearly bought us,
Wandering from the fold He sought us,
And to glory faithful brought us,
Worthy the Lamb.
4 Sing with blest anticipation,
Worthy the Lamb!
Through the vale of tribulation,
Worthy the Lamb!
Sweetest notes, all notes excelling,
On His love for ever dwelling,
Still untold, though ever telling,
Worthy the Lamb!
The Symphony Strikes Back
My family went to hear the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (and the Virginia Children's Chorus for a few numbers) perform a tribute to John Williams last night. Yes we went to hear movie music. It was wonderful though.
Here's some of what they played:
- Olympic Fanfare from the 1984 Olympics
- ET
- Theme from "Schindler's List"
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
- Star Wars Suite
- Jaws
- Superman March
- Hymn to the Fallen from "Saving Private Ryan"
- Amistad
- Star Wars Episode 1: "Phantom Menace" Duel of the Fates
- Indiana Jones
It was a very nice concert. And a lot of fun. Even if we were a little warm in the balcony.
Unchangeable, Unshakable, Unstoppable
Phillips Craig & Dean - You are God Alone
From the album Let the Worshippers Arise
You are not a god Created by human hands You are not a god Dependant on any mortal man You are not a god In need of anything we can give By Your plan, that’s just the way it is
You are God alone From before time began You were on Your throne Your are God alone And right now In the good times and bad You are on Your throne You are God alone
You’re the only God Whose power none can contend You’re the only God Whose name and praise will never end You’re the only God Who’s worthy of everything we can give You are God And that’s just the way it is
Unchangeable Unshakable Unstoppable That’s what You are
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
5God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
6The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
The grandest instrument
I have just downloaded a new soundfont (used for composing desktop music). It is the best organ soundfont I've ever had.
Here is a file using the stops from this organ. Now, this is a hasty file, so don't judge it too harshly. I am hoping to use this sf2 extensively in the future, so I'm sure you will hear more of it soon.
Postlude 2.75 MB
Glorious Is Thy Name ~ B. B. McKinney
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling ~ John Zundel
All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name ~ Oliver Holden
Suite arranged by Don Wyrtzen
fine
Well, I finished the music for the DVD. All 8 minutes and 29 seconds. Or thereabout. It is not for my family reunion, but for my dad's boss's family reunion coming this weekend.
I scanned about 100 slides and my dad made a DVD of them. It will be played this Friday or Saturday. (It's a two day afair.)
I enjoyed writing the music. I was a bit stressed getting it done. I waited until the last minute of course. But, I think it turned out fairly well. It has three parts. ABCCAB, or at least that's how I figure it. Although, if anything B is the main theme, C is the secondary and A is a intro/bridge. I'd like to think I was professional about the music, but I was really just trying to make it sound pleasant. I haven't ruled out the possibility of reworking it completely, but for now I am going to leave it.
I will put it up as an mp3 probably, but it will be a large file, no doubt, because it is so long. Download at your own peril. I will try to shrink the mp3 a little, but computer music loses respectability if it loses sound quality. It also helps to have good speakers. Or if I just had my gigasamplers this wouldn't be a problem.
music making
I got my casio set up on my desk. We will see how well it works out. Maybe I'll take a picture. That's probably the best way to "describe" it. To be continued...
happy mail
I got my MIDI cable adapters today. I shall write a song in jubilation. And I shall call it In Jubliation
More Like You, Lord
Okay, I have to post a commercial for SoundForth. They aren't paying me. I have been listening to More Like You, Lord all day long, and it has been a blessing.
reporting
I suppose I should say that all went well on Thursday. I'm sorry for not saying so earlier.
My doctor and I did not discuss the spinal chord stimulator as I had believed we would. But I have scheduled an appointment that is necessary before the trial of the device. Taking the first step probably means I will have the trial in the near future. Probably after the wedding of some friends of mine.
Also, the trial is what determines whether I will need the IPG (internal battery) or RF (external battery) device. This is nice because it effectively takes the decision out of my hands. A good place to be. My hands are a little shaky.
I leave you with words from three men. The lyrics have been playing over and over on my speakers and in my head. (They are used in the song Made Me Free, music by David Danner.)
~ Isaac Watts
Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I?
Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
~ Ralph E. Hudson
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
~ Isaac Watts
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away
’Tis all that I can do.
~ Philip P. Bliss
Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,
With His [precious] blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.
[Paid the debt and made me free.
Made me free, Made me Free!]
come tune
I said that I would start looking at some hymn lyrics. I am going to paraphrase/reword the lyrics to help me better understand them. And I might only look at one line at a time. It depends on how well I feel or how late it is when I think about a certain song. Finally, I know that the Bible is our source of Truth, not the hymnal. But hopefully, our hymnals and certainly our lips should be filled with Truthful lyrics that praise the Lord (hallelujah Psalm 146). That's why I wanted to do this in the first place.
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
You fountain of every blessing, come tune my heart to sing your grace;
It makes me wonder if I want God really to work in my heart to be "on key" with Him. This line suggests to me that the starting process is a sole work of God. He must do the work in the heart. He is the One who gave us a song (Psalm 40:3); and the natural result of our being filled with the Spirit is singing (Ephesians 5:18). The part we must play is presenting our members as slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:19) and not resisting the Spirit's work (1 Thessalonians 5:19; Ephesians 4:30; Acts 5:3 ff).
You know, a dictionary definition of fount can include the idea of one that initiates. So we have God, the Great Initiator of every blessing, as our Father (Luke 11:9-13; James 1:17).
lyrics
I love posting things (poems, articles, songs), but I haven't been writing as much as I would like. Therefore, I have decided to change that.
I played Come, Thou Fount at church tonight on the organ in what is referred to in our church as fellowship time. It is that time when many Baptists (and perhaps other denominations) sing a verse or chorus then make the rounds and shake hands and say, "how do you do?" or some such variation.
My friend Deborah came up to the organ as I played, and as I started the verse over again, we said almost simultaneously, "I love this song."
It really made me think. I wondered why "I love this song"? I consider my experience unique (which in fact seems redundant in that each person's experience is ultimately unique, no matter how much in common the experience). What I mean, and I realize I am rambling, is that I have been a pianist or organist in church from the time I was in 8th grade. The only time I was part of congregational singing was at Bob Jones for a few years.
I realize that one is not limited to singing in church, but even at home, I play, not necessarily sing.
My point, yes, I'll get to it. I don't know the words to hymns.
There...I've said it. I know some of them. But only very generally. I can tell you that Crown Him with Many Crowns is on the left side of the page, or that Blessed Assurance is hymn 157 (in our hymnal) and that Great God of Wonders is in Eb, but I only have a cursory knowledge of many of the hymn lyrics that we sing.
So...I am going to start studying some of the hymns from my church hymnal. I haven't decided what form this study will take, but I'll think about it.
~ Robert Robinson, 1758
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
Rejoice, the Lord is King!
~ Charles Wesley, Moral and Sacred Poems, 1744
Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Mortals give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o�er earth and heaven,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus given;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
He sits at God�s right hand till all His foes submit,
And bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
He all His foes shall quell, shall all our sins destroy,
And every bosom swell with pure seraphic joy;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear th�archangel�s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Jesu, joy of man's desiring
Holy wisdom, love most bright
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned
With the fire of life impassioned
Striving still to truth unknown
Soaring, dying round Thy throne
* These are the words I found by a quick search. I'm guessing they haven't been tampered with.
expressing the inexpressible
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.
~Aldous Huxley (1894 - 1963), "Music at Night," 1931
thanksgiving music
I was thinking today of things for which I am thankful, and I thought of this song:
There's a wideness in God's mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There's a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.
There is no place where earth's sorrows
Are more felt than up in heaven;
There is no place where earth's failings
Have such kindly judgment given.
There is welcome for the sinner,
And more graces for the good;
There is mercy with the Savior;
There is healing in His blood.
There is grace enough for thousands
Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations
In that upper home of bliss.
For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of our mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.
There is plentiful redemption
In the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members
In the sorrows of the Head.
'Tis not all we owe to Jesus;
It is something more than all;
Greater good because of evil,
Larger mercy through the fall.
If our love were but more simple,
We should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be all sunshine
In the sweetness of our Lord.
Souls of men! why will ye scatter
Like a crowd of frightened sheep?
Foolish hearts! why will ye wander
From a love so true and deep?
It is God: His love looks mighty,
But is mightier than it seems;
'Tis our Father: and His fondness
Goes far out beyond our dreams.
But we make His love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify His strictness
With a zeal He will not own.
Was there ever kinder shepherd
Half so gentle, half so sweet,
As the Savior who would have us
Come and gather at His feet?
~ Fredrick W. Faber
Great God of Wonders
Great God of wonders! All Thy ways
Are matchless, Godlike and divine;
But the fair glories of Thy grace
More Godlike and unrivaled shine,
More Godlike and unrivaled shine.
Crimes of such horror to forgive,
Such guilty, daring worms to spare;
This is Thy grand prerogative,
And none shall in the honor share,
And none shall in the honor share
Angels and men, resign your claim
To pity, mercy, love and grace:
These glories crown Jehovah�s Name
With an incomparable glaze
With an incomparable glaze.
In wonder lost, with trembling joy,
We take the pardon of our God:
Pardon for crimes of deepest dye,
A pardon bought with Jesus� blood,
A pardon bought with Jesus� blood.
O may this strange, this matchless grace,
This Godlike miracle of love,
Fill the whole earth with grateful praise,
And all th�angelic choirs above,
And all th�angelic choirs above.
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
~ Samuel Davies
He's Always Been Faithful
I was listening to this song last night when I couldn't get to sleep, and I thought I want to post that it. It is by Sara Groves from her CD Conversations.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me
Morning by morning I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God�s hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him, amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He�s always been faithful to me
I can�t remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can�t remember one single regret
In serving God only, and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He�s always been faithful to me
This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I�ve heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He�s always been faithful, He�s always been faithful
He�s always been faithful to me
Thy Mercy
In a music discussion at Dave's Blog this song was noted. I was listening to it today and wanted to post it here. The words are by John Stocker written in 1776.
THY MERCY, MY GOD
Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
the joy of my heart and the boast of my tongue.
Thy free grace alone from the first to the last
hath won my affection and bound my soul fast.
Without thy sweet mercy I could not live here--
my sin would reduce me to utter despair;
but through thy free goodness, my spirit�s revived,
and he that first made me still keeps me alive.
Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
which wonders to feel its own hardness depart.
Dissolved by thy goodness, I fall to the ground,
and weep for the praise of the mercy I've found.
Hallelujah�
Hallelujah�
Great Father of mercies, thy goodness I own,
and the covenant love of thy crucified Son.
All praise to the Spirit whose whisper divine
seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine!
~ written by John Stocker in 1776
In Christ Alone
In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
Stuart Townend
Copyright � 2001 Kingsway's Thankyou Music
My Savior Leads Me
I know, I know, two songs so close together. I was just tweaking this arrangement of All the Way My Savior Leads Me and I thought I would post it. To save it to your hard drive for listening right click on this link and hit save as. This is a 6meg file, even as an MP3. So it might take a while to download depending on your internet connection. This is an arrangement of All the Way My Savior Leads Me a tune by Robert Lowry with words by Fanny Crosby.
Here's a smaller mp3 (2.53meg)
All the Way My Savior Leads Me
Fanny J. Crosby
All the way my Savior leads me--
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my guide?
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate'er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate'er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
All the way my Savior leads me--
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter
And my soul a-thirst my be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see.
All the way my Savior leads me--
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father's house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.
Praise Ye the Lord
If you would like to experience my latest musical creation, right click on this link and hit save as. This is a 9meg file, even as an MP3. So it might take a while to download depending on your internet connection. The song is called Praise Ye the Lord (my title). It is an original tune set to text from Foundling Hospital Collection (stanzas 1, 2) and Edward Osler (stanza 3). The text has its basis in Psalm 148.
to download smaller mp3s you have two choices:
small (4meg)
Praise the Lord, Ye Heavens Adore Him
Psalm 148
Foundling Hospital Collection (stanzas 1, 2)
Edward Osler (stanza 3)
Praise the Lord: ye heavens, adore Him;
Praise Him, angels in the height;
Sun and moon, rejoice before Him,
Praise Him all ye stars of light.
Praise the Lord, for He hath spoken;
Worlds His mighty voice obeyed:
Laws which never shall be broken
For their guidance He hath made.
Praise the Lord, for He is glorious;
Never shall His promise fail:
God hath made His saints victorious;
Sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation;
Hosts on high, His power proclaim;
Heaven and earth and all creation
Laud and magnify His name.
Worship, honor, glory, blessing,
Lord, we offer unto Thee;
Young and old, Thy praise expressing,
In glad homage bend the knee.
All the saints in heaven adore Thee;
We would bow before Thy throne:
As Thine angels serve before Thee,
So on earth Thy will be done.