Heavens2kadonka

www.smartmusic.com

This is the absolute GREATEST music program I've ever used! Mr. Suska has become a demonstration artist for this new program, so I had the priviledge to test it out today with my Nov. 11 recital piece, "Premiere Etude De Concours" by A.S. Petit.

Its mind blowing. The program will basically play the piano accompaniment, but what really sets this apart from other programs is it will slow down or speed up, according to how you're taking it!! Amazing, especially how you can take cadenzas, ritards or rallendandos and REALLY lengthen them out, and it will keep up with you (The second you hit a certain note, it will start right back)!! Now, with key changes, you have to tap a foot pedal to get it started in the new key, but it will already know where that should be!

You guys HAVE to, NEED to check it out! The mic and pedal are $10, and I dunno how the yearly subscription fee is individually, though the price will be considerably smaller if a lot of people subscribe! For me, since I would be subscribing as a STUDENT of an artist or teacher, it will be about 20 a year, so I dunno all the minor details as of now...

Again, I cannot stress this enough, you guys have GOT to try it! Its that damned good, I promise!

Van

dizforprez

dang! it is worth checking out just to hear the parts with wynton playing

bigaggietrumpet

Yeah, I got to use that my senior year. It's pretty neat. I really didn't care for the whole "follows me" type thing. I just recorded the accompaniment onto CD, that way it went a solid tempo. I was having some trouble rushing in some spots on Hummel's first movement. But some really high quality stuff there.

MUSICandCHARACTER

If the piano accompanist can be replaced, so can the trumpeter!

Bear

I'd have to agree with Dr. Jim... too many electronics are takin' our jobs. I am still a youngun but I remember TAPS/SSB and other gigs were still played by live people. Not a recording....

MUSICandCHARACTER

http://www.buglesacrossamerica.org

Bugles Across America, NFP was founded in 2000 by Tom Day, when Congress passed legislation stating Veterans had a right to at least 2 uniformed military people to fold the flag and play taps on a CD player. Bugles Across America was begun to take this a step further, and in recognition of the service these Veterans provided their country, we felt that every Veteran deserved a live rendition of taps played by a live Bugler. To this end, we are actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families

Our Organization now has 1500 bugler volunteers located in all 50 states and growing number overseas. Since the Department of Veterans Affairs is expecting more than 1/2 million veterans to pass every year for the next 7 years, Bugles Across America is ALWAYS recruiting new volunteers.

Bugler Volunteers can be male or female. They can play a traditional bugle with no valves, or they can perform the ceremony on a Trumpet, Cornet, Flugelhorn, or a 1, 2 or 3 valved bugle. The bugler can be of any age as long as they can play the 24 notes of Taps with an ease and style that will do honor to both the Veterans, their families, and the burial detail performing the service.

You can still volunteer ... an IMO should. Trumpeters are needed for veterans' funerals in a big way.

Jim

W Scott

Hey Jim---do you have to have been in the service to volunteer?

W Scott

What is the cost for the individual titles that are not on the practice CD? I could find the subscription cost, but not a cost for anything else....

chetbaker

Half the fun of having a real "live" accompanist in college is that you get to pick out the prettiest female piano players! Who cares how well they play! All that time spent in those little practice rooms! Ah...I'll never forget it! 8) In fact, when doing a jury in front of the faculty it was a GREAT advantage having two beautiful ladies doing the accompanying...the faculty was mostly men and all eyes were definitely NOT focused on me for the 10-15 minutes we were in there!!! I didn't play all that well but I got an "A" and a promotion to solo chair in the top band! Hey...whatever works, right?!? :wink:

Butch

dizforprez

i dont think this is a replacment, simply a smart way to practice.