The Fortunate

[rayzalaf]

Hi, all

I’ve been around this forum now for about five months.
I always thought of myself as being someone who could produce a pretty good cover version of someone else’s composition or arrangement, this skill being improved with the use of the Garritan Sample Libraries. But more than that, I wish to offer thanks and much appreciation to all participants in the forum for helping me achieve some compositions that I could and would not have imagined doing only a few short months ago. I’m not saying I’m now God’s gift to music but, I honestly cannot believe in relative terms what I now can do compared to the last 40 years.
This is a wonderful place full of knowing people.

Thank you All

Ray

[GrahamKeitch]

Spot on Ray. I was put off music from an academic perspective at a very early age. I was petrified by the piano - it just overwhelmed me at the time. But GPO and Finale are enabling me to do things with music I would never have dreamt possible.

Yep, my thanks too - to all that help to make this possible.

G

[etLux]

Ray, Graham, my complete agreement.

I owe this forum many thanks, myself -- for patient listening ears,
encouraging friends, and so much help along the way.

For myself, I really doubt many of the pieces I've written in the
last few years would ever have been born, were it not for the
unfailing support, reassurance, and aid of so many fine people,
here.

And Gary, particularly... for making it all happen -- giving us these
fantastic tools, and building a home for us here!

My best,



David
www.DavidSosnowski.com
.

[Samantha Penigar]

I can say that without this Forum and the kind of souls that share it I would feel completely alone on this planet as far as composing is concerned. The wealt of knowledge to be is far greater than any university could provide. This is the only Forum I visit several times a day and certainly the only one I post to.

[Styxx]

Yes, I agree. But furthermore, I would like to say that without the help of this forum I would be in Antarctica fishing for sea creatures never heard of before until the advent of digital deep submersibles with long winded weirdos chiseling waffles out of the ice by the wheels of me Hummer. Well, be what it may ... one question enters my mind ... wait, what mind? Oh, yeah ... great stuff etlux. I still listen to your music on Sunday mornings on my new surround system in me new family room. Ah yes ... and there we have a growing album of most of the Garritan family music posted on the listeners page. Why, this place has what I consider some of the best compositional talents of any music forum. I was only saying yesterday to my buddy as we woiked on our studio. I said, Friend I said! He answers, "Yes my friend?" And I continued, Do you realize the Garritan forum is filled with nothing but New Music from new unheard of musicians from all corners of this world of all walks of life? "No, I didn't realize that Mike. What does this have to do with hanging this drywall?" Oh, nothing ...

GPO )(~ )(~ )(~ )(~ Ya got me sold!

[etLux]

Mike, I don't know about that "unheard of musicians" crack.

I like to think of myself as "completely unknown, worldwide".

It's a minor point, I know... but getting that "worldwide" thing in
there gives it more dignity, makes it sound like some sort of an
achievement... rofl!

David
www.DavidSosnowski.com
.

[rayzalaf]

Spot on Ray. I was put off music from an academic perspective at a very early age. I was petrified by the piano - it just overwhelmed me at the time. But GPO and Finale are enabling me to do things with music I would never have dreamt possible.

Yep, my thanks too - to all that help to make this possible.

G
Graham,

Your reply here just confirms my thoughts perfectly. I would swear you had a strong formal link in music, studying it from an early age by the pieces you’ve produced and posted here.

Another thing I’ve noticed recently is, my guitar playing has improved. I’m not practising more playing guitar because I spend much more time using sampled technology here. I can only think that the efforts and thought I now put in to counterpoint, etc. has made me think more when playing guitar about with the other instruments. I am certainly concentrating more and therefore producing more expression with it. Imagine at 56 years old finally trying instead of simply going through the motions. Better late than never.

Ray

[trentpmcd]

I’m glad I “discovered” both GPO and this forum. Both have done so much for my music. I’ve played and wrote for many years (but also took many years off) and this brought back the passion for the music.

Also, because of the great example of so many of the members, in the 3 years or so I have been here I have been taking a huge amount of time to study music – history, harmony, counterpoint, form, ear training, trumpet lessons, piano lessons, general composition, etc. I used to think I knew something about music - now I realize the journey has just begun.

And for the most part, I owe this self-discovery to the original discovery - GPO and this forum.

[germancomponist]

Oh yes, I agree! :)

I am here since january and have found here some new friends, great people!

I like the way where all people here talk together and I have learnd very much here in this short time.

The Listening Room is the first website where I look and hear every day now. For me it is, as I am in a new family. ;)

All I have to say is: Thanks for that and thanks Gary, particularly for making it all happen, giving us these fantastic tools and building a great saved home for us here!

Gunther

[vivmarsh]

I'd just like to echo the sentiments of everyone who's already posted in this thread. You are a truly amazing bunch. Some people of my acquaintance - NOT on this forum - look down their noses at those who foolishly try to write music without a tame orchestra or jazz band to hand. Before I found you lot, I (like Samantha) felt completely alone as far as composing was concerned. Now, I feel supported, encouraged, and filled with great enthusiasm for previously unknown types of music thanks to what I've heard and read here. I haven't had any formal music training since I stopped learning the piano, which means I've been winging it for rather too long, but I've learned more from you in a few weeks than I have by myself in years.

My thanks to all of you, and to Gary for starting things off and providing me with my virtual musicians. Because of this forum I, too, can aspire to being completely unknown worldwide (© EtLux). In fact I may have achieved this already, but I suppose I'll never know.

[Pingu]

Spot on Ray. I was put off music from an academic perspective at a very early age. I was petrified by the piano - it just overwhelmed me at the time. But GPO and Finale are enabling me to do things with music I would never have dreamt possible.

Yep, my thanks too - to all that help to make this possible.

G

I'm in a similar position. I've always known in my heart that I was a composer. I could always feel the intent I wanted to achieve in passages - the fury, the surges, the comedy - but I never knew whether I'd found the notes (except when I wrote for piano). Sure I could have churned out endless manuscript, but none of it would ever have got played, and my ear would never have improved. And I never had the time to develop my ear through the traditional years of poring over other people's scores and reading orchestration books.

So until last year I'd written exactly five pieces in my life - all to get through exams, and none of which I'd ever heard. Now I have the tools to experiment, and my ear is developing by doing. So far I've only written a couple of things, but I find that I'm getting quicker at hearing stuff in my head and getting the notes first time - in fact I'm barely thinking about it any more. So I also have to give massive thanks to Gary (and several other developers of course, but GPO is really fantastic).

[rpearl]

I couldn't agree more. The ability to hear - and not just imagine - has been a real boon and a blessing. So, many thanks to Gary and the crew. Also, this forum is frequented by such kind, thoughtful, and helpful people. We can all tell horror stories of other boards where this is not the case. I have been given encouragement by sympathetic ears, and valuable criticism/thoughts, as well. And that has been wonderful.

Slightly OT, but the issue came up with David indignantly claiming to be "unknown worldwide". About 20 years ago I was giving some classical guitar concerts with another guitarist - we worked as a duo for many years - and we were travelling in northeastern Texas. We stopped at a little roadside diner to eat, and of course we didn't want to leave our instruments in the car. So we brought them in. After the usual, "Y'all goin' to play for us" remarks, a waitress came over and said, "The other girls are too nervous, but not me, so I'll just come right out and ask. We saw you carrying those guitars in here - are y'all famous?" My reply was, "If you have to ask, the answer is obviously no!" There are big ponds, there are little ponds...

[shaver]

Like everyone here, I feel the same sentiments. I am a relatively quiet person, I have always been. I keep to myself at a distance and observe. It gives me perspective and knowledge. Throughout my life, I have studied many things from afar and delved into them of my own accord, music included, with little or no assistance from anyone. Here, it is a little different story. The wealth of knowledge from such gifted members, can fill volumes. Like in every community, I have noticed many "regular" members who seem to be a guiding light so to speak. Their posts are many in varying subjects, and responses to those posts are many as well. This is where the wealth of information is essential. Those members seem to be somewhat iconic and bennifical to this community which is completly understandable and one would expect to find nothing less. It is amazing how vast the talent is in this community and like so many other members, I wait with anxious ears to hear a new piece submitted by such incredible talent. It is, however, unfortunate that some posts recieve only a few replies before they are pushed to page 2 or...7 and they get somehow overlooked. I agree completly that everyone should get a fair chance at feedback; after all, that is the motivation we all need to ignite our creativity. I have not been a member of this forum or community for long so, I do not know what it was like in the past but, judging from the ammount of posts, I can see that this community is humming and filled with excitment from all it's wonderful members who are so excited about their music. This is truely what it is all about. The love of music lives in us all, as humans. However, the ability to breathe life into an idea and hear it for the first time, and share that with others so they may experience your vision, is most humbling of all.

So, to all of you...thank you for your dedication, your motivation, and most of all, your love of music. I applaude you.



Jaker "Shaver"

[rbowser-]

And, Ray---I hope I'm incorrect that I'm detecting a "Thank you, it's been grand, and now I'm leaving" message between the lines? Because you are certainly a stellar example of the good company to be found on these forums--The lights would dim without you here.

Randy B.
(rbowser)