What a Friend We Have in Jesus
keywords: gospel christian hymn country MIDI Band-in-a-Box live sequence

words by Joseph Scriven (1820-1886)
tune by Charles C Converse (1832-1918)
source: Treasury of Hymns, ed Maria Leiper 
& Henry W Simon, Simon & Schuster 1953

MIDI file type 1 
w/percussion for multitimbral synth
Band-in-a-Box format file also included

3-7-95 MIDI sequence by Dave Butler
(phila/germantown amateur mandolin & piano player)
using Band-in-Box Pro Win 6.03
ZZCONTRY.STY country style
key sig: C
play time: 4:13
long play-along version has 7 choruses,
omitting melody on every other chorus

live sequence on channel 4 was recorded
at tempo 105, in several takes,
 following my own arrangement & improvising,
 no quantizing, little overdubbing,
 few corrections:
 ch track        voice
  4  melody      02 bright piano

BIAB-generated accompaniment is in a standard
 BIAB style, not customized, has a 
 non-quantized "live" feel, including:
 ch  BB track    voice
 10  percussion  01 standard drums
  2  bass        40 syn bass 2
  3  piano       27 jazz electric guitar 
  7  guitar      28 clean electric guitar
  8  horns       (not used)
  6  strings     (not used)

"When asked about the composition of 'What a 
Friend,' Scriven -- who had been educated at 
Trinity College, Dublin -- replied:  'The Lord
and I did it between us.'  He was a man of 
high character who, after a great sorrow, spent 
the rest of his life in a small Canadian community, 
there giving his services free to the poor.

"Converse's tune helped Scriven's words, and vice 
versa.  They are known throughout the world."

-- from Treasury of Hymns, Leiper/Simon

I use BIAB to create a rough draft which might
be refined later w/ a sequencer like Cakewalk
which can handle editing like pause & slow down.
usually I add extra choruses, omitting melody 
on every other chorus, for a 5-10 minute jam
which i'll accompany on mandolin.

this is a rough sequence created in an hour or so. 
typically w/ BIAB i first spend about 10 minutes
selecting style & voices, typing the chord prog,
setting part markers, looping, & ending points.
in another 5 or 10 minutes I can add a simple melody
& be ready to jam.
sometimes I record a bass line in the 1st chorus of 
melody track, copy it to all choruses, then overdub.
but often i'll just play a simple melody & rely
completely on BIAB's accomp.

BIAB will also generate harmonies if you want.
i usually don't.

channel 4 is the only channel set up for recording.
so if you mute/solo channel 4 you can hear 
the generated & live parts separately.

unsolicited unpaid testimonial for BIAB from

dbut
 __________ 
|          |   dbut@omni.voicenet.com 
|  X    X  |   dbut@delphi.com 
|  ______  | 
|   U      | 
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