Written by Success is happiness, fun, fulfillment, engagement, finding meaning in life, connecting with others, having a purpose. I found my way in four steps.
First, I learned about sheet music. I collected it. I handled it in music stores and libraries. I studied all the little markings on the music like it was a blueprint. I imagined being an archeologist able to revive old, dusty songs. Eventually, around 2009, I began to find sources online in abundance.
Then I wanted to hear the notes. I started to play the piano. It was slow and frustrating. So, I learned about MIDI. I used an editor called piano roll and got pretty good at it with practice. This is quite a craft. I put my MIDIs on a mp3 player and listened to the sheet music arrangements constantly. You can also play the piano into MIDI or a microphone. Musescore is a miracle.
Third, I began to sing the songs directly from the music. That’s the fun part for me. Very gratifying. This is artistic. I even sang at assisted living places.
Finally, I recorded my vocals. This is simply adding vocals to the computer notes using a microphone. Audios at first, then videos.
Now we have a system with collaborators specializing in the various steps. But at the beginning I did the entire process for each song recorded. It took me about four hours per song but I loved doing it.
How about you? Perhaps your path is all four steps. It’s a clear path. There is help along the way. You can get feedback, too. That’s what I did. But you might like to specialize. Nick Leunissen mainly collects. James Pitt-Payne and Gerd Westendorp just make accompaniments. Vancha March can do the entire process but mainly sings. You might choose two of the areas like Laurence Rubenstein who collects and sings.
I don’t know exactly where we are going with this community. But these are some of the possibilities.
Fred, your idea was such a brilliant one. I’ve been a fan of your YouTube channel for a few years now and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for it. I’ve discovered some incredible songs that I may not have ever known otherwise. I appreciate that you do everything as written. Sure, some could say it’s corny or boring, but I think the written melodies stand out more when they’re performed as written and intended. I’d just like to thank you for a job so well done.
-Austin
Austin, now I know why others haven’t done this. Because it’s a huge endeavor. The idea is so simple. Just demonstrate what sheet music songs sound like. But, to make a song demo by oneself is a huge accomplishment tech-wise. And each one takes about 4 hours from scratch to YouTube. But now we have a system in place and a pipeline of songs in progress. An individual can contribute just a part they enjoy and are good at. Some like finding songs, others transcribe the notes, still others step up to a mic and sing. I usually type the lyrics, make a video and do whatever else is needed to make it all work.
So glad you are here. If you notice any spam (WordPress is a target) let me know. Understand that it’s just a nuisance that needs to be deleted. It’s not viral or dangeous. We had one called monicawilliams that messed through the direct messages. I hope that doesn’t chase people away.
Fred