Alice's Restaurant
by Arlo Guthrie © 1966 by Appleseed Music, NY
keywords: blues shuffle folk MIDI Band-in-a-Box live sequence
          Arlo Guthrie talking-blues

MIDI file type 1 
w/percussion for multitimbral synth

23-Feb-95 MIDI sequence by Dave Butler
(phila/germantown amateur mandolin & piano player)
using Band-in-Box Pro Win 6.03
Band-in-a-Box format file also included
ZZBLUSHF.STY blues shuffle style
key sig: C

I caught arlo's rendition of alice at a sat aft workshop 
at newport folk fest 1967
- a wide eyed 14yrold from the green hills of vt
& the streets of wichita where I learned to drawl -
he did it again sat eve & again for the fest's
grand finale sun nite
and apparently he went on to do it again and again and again
I think at one point he said one last time & that's it

live sequence on channel 4 was recorded
at tempo 100, starting w/ a bass line, then
 overdubbed once in 3 or 4 consecutive takes,
 w/ 2 more takes on last chorus,
 a few timing & pitch corrections,
 no quantizing:
 ch track      voice
 4  melody     brt piano

BIAB-generated accompaniment is in a standard
 BIAB style, not customized, has a 
 non-quantized "live" feel, including:
 ch  track       voice
 10  percussion  01 standard drums
  2  bass        33 acoustic bass
  3  piano       25 nylon string guitar
  7  guitar      26 acoustic guitar
  8  horns       (not used)
  6  strings     (not used)

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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