Remembering Music’s Fallen Heros

by | Jul 13, 2008 | Practical MIDI

Cybermidi’s latest sequence, “Sweet Life” reminded me of its composer and singer, Paul Davis, who died recently just one day after his 60th birthday, of a heart attack. There was never a lot written about the man during his lifetime. He was an unassuming, low-key kind...

These Songs Are A Lot Older Than You Might Think

by | Jul 1, 2008 | Practical MIDI

Last night I watched one of my favorite music-themed movies—“Mr. Holland’s Opus” with Richard Dreyfus. He’s a composer who supliments his income by teaching high school music classes in the mid-60s. In one scene he plays a piece on the school piano and asks if any...

How to Play Bass Pedals (One Octave)

by | Jul 1, 2008 | For Musicians, Music

If you play the organ then you are probably familiar with bass pedals. They are also available as separate units and are known as MIDI bass pedals and you can use them with any keyboard that has MIDI ports. Just connect a MIDI cable from the MIDI out on the keyboard...

The Origins Of Some Of Those Crazy Band Names

by | Jun 27, 2008 | Practical MIDI

You might wonder how some of those famous bands came to be known by the names they chose. Well, I’m here to enlighten you with just a few. For example, the Swedish band, ABBA is nothing more than an acronym using the first letters of the first names of its members....

Music Is All (About) Relative(s)

by | Jun 26, 2008 | Practical MIDI

I heard an oldie on the radio the other day and from the little bit I heard I assumed it was Santana because of the Latin-Rock flavor of the tune. Turns out it was actually a song by a group called Malo and the song was “Suavecito.” I was partially right about who I...