Tuesday, February 7, 2012

GM Drum Mapping

I was in the studio the other day showing a couple of guys how to build quick drum beats.  A little chart like the one below saves me the hunt and peck for the tone I am looking for.  A glance at this out of the corner of my eye and they are quickly fooled into a false sense that I know what I am talking about.

This bit of random info is  useful to anyone programing MIDI drums.  MIDI channel 10 is a dedicated channel for drums.  The following is the key# or note (like on a piano keyboard) and the sound that will be produced on channel 10.  This is useful when you are programming percussion using a step program or a notation program. 

Erich

 
Key#
Note
Drum Sound
35
B0
Acoustic Bass Drum
36
C1
Bass Drum 1
37
C#1
Side Stick
38
D1
Acoustic Snare
39
Eb1
Hand Clap
40
E1
Electric Snare
41
F1
Low Floor Tom
42
F#1
Closed Hi Hat
43
G1
High Floor Tom
44
Ab1
Pedal Hi-Hat
45
A1
Low Tom
46
Bb1
Open Hi-Hat
47
B1
Low-Mid Tom
48
C2
Hi Mid Tom
49
C#2
Crash Cymbal 1
50
D2
High Tom
51
Eb2
Ride Cymbal 1
52
E2
Chinese Cymbal
53
F2
Ride Bell
54
F#2
Tambourine
55
G2
Splash Cymbal
56
Ab2
Cowbell
57
A2
Crash Cymbal 2
58
Bb2
Vibraslap
59
B2
Ride Cymbal 2
60
C3
Hi Bongo
61
C#3
Low Bongo
62
D3
Mute Hi Conga
63
Eb3
Open Hi Conga
64
E3
Low Conga
65
F3
High Timbale
66
F#3
Low Timbale
67
G3
High Agogo
68
Ab3
Low Agogo
69
A3
Cabasa
70
Bb3
Maracas
71
B3
Short Whistle
72
C4
Long Whistle
73
C#4
Short Guiro
74
D4
Long Guiro
75
Eb4
Claves
76
E4
Hi Wood Block
77
F4
Low Wood Block
78
F#4
Mute Cuica
79
G4
Open Cuica
80
Ab4
Mute Triangle
81
A4
Open Triangle

Monday, February 6, 2012

Musician Light Bulb Jokes

Musician Lightbulb Jokes

Over the years you will hear these all again and again and again.  After a little brain storming session, here is what we came up with:

Q: How Many lead guitarist does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They just steal somebody else's light.

Q: How many lead singers does it take to screw in a bulb?
A: One, to hold the bulb over their head while the world revolves around them.

Q: How many engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: First they have to agree on which is better; the analog bulb or a digital bulb.

Q: How many record producers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: They are waiting for you to change the lightbulb so they can tell everyone that you couldn't have done it without them. 

Q: How many drummers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They have machines to do that now.

Q: How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. The Keyboard player does it with his left hand.

Q: How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One. But the guitarist has to show him first.

Q: How many will he say if you ask as bass player, "How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?"
A: One. Five. One. Five. One. Five.

Q: How many alto sax players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five: one to handle the bulb and four to contemplate how David Sanborn would've done it.

Q: How many singers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Two. One to hold the diet cola and the other to get her accompanist to do it.

Q: How many sopranos does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Three. One to climb the ladder while the second kicks the ladder out from under her. And the third to say, "I knew that was too high for you dear."

Q: How many altos does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They can't get up that high.

Q: How many tenors does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Four. One to change the bulb and three to whine "It's too high"

Q: How many jazz pianists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Screw the changes, we'll fake it.

Q: How many guitar players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five. One to change the bulb and eleven to say they could do it faster.

Q: How many keyboard players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Four. One to change it, and the other three to beat back all the guitarists who are trying to elbow him out of the spotlight.

Q: How many BMI employees does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: They screw millions of bulbs every day, but when it comes to your bulbs, there's no record.

Q: How many folk singers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Two. One to change the bulb, and one to write a song about how good the old light bulb was.

Q: How many French Horn players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Just one, but he/she will spend hours checking for technical problems.

Q: How many clarinetists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one, but they will go through a whole box of bulbs before the right one is found

Q: How many bass clarinetists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: All of them

Q: How many flute players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One. But she will break ten bulbs before she realises that they can't be pushed in

Q: How many sound engineers does it take to change a light bulb
A: None, sound engineers don't do lights

Q: How many oboists does it take it to change a light bulb?
A: One. But he'll have to make the lightbulb himself.

Q: How many Trumpet players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one.  But he'll leave a big puddle of spit on the floor underneath him.

Q: How many brass players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One to hold it in place and two to drink until the room spins.

Q: How many Bluegrass musicians does it take to screw in a light bulb??
A: What's a light bulb?

Q: How many violists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one, but he'll keep breaking the bulbs with the hammer.

Q: How many music teachers does it take to screw in a light bulb??
A: None. music teachers can't afford lightbulbs.

Q: How many bluegrass musicians it takes to change a light bulb?
A: Two. One to screw it in and one to complain that it is electrified.

Q: How many singers from Nashville does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Four. One to change it, one to sing about how heartbroken he is at the loss of the old one, one to sing about how madly in love he is with the new one, and one to go "Yee-Hah!" and throw his cowboy hat in the air.

Q: How many Pianist does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Four: One to light a candle and the other three to say it's better than electric light.