Dear Friends,

I’m happy to report that there are over seventy of you who have the Movie Magic files. I hope we can hear from every one of you. It would be great to know what type of music you like and how you approach playing a song. I know there are many years of experience out there that we all can benefit from. Please don’t hesitate to make suggestion about improving the songs I’ve sequenced. We will all gain from hearing your good ideas.

For those of you who are just getting to know your instruments, I suggest you load a file and then exit the sequencer page before you Press START. In that way you can watch what sounds are used and what changes are made. I’ve always noted the name of the song at the top of the page. In addition you can turn the Sequencer off to listen to variations in the Composer parts.
I’ll try to make just a few comments about each song with the hope that YOU will provide the talk about your ideas.

MOVIE MAGIC FILE 1

“Down Here On The Ground” is the haunting theme by Lalo Schifrin written for COOL HAND LUKE. I always think of Schifrin as a jazz oriented composer so I chose two Grove patterns from the KN5000 for the basis of the backing.

INTRO Since this is the first song on my CD I wanted a big Movie intro.

Panel Memory 1 The Pop Grove pattern starts with a few measures of the Samba Whistle to create a desolate feeling. This is one of hundreds of sounds you won’t find in the Music Stylist or even in Sound Explorer.
PRESS Program Menu - Sound Edit - Tone
As you can see the sounds are organized into Groups. Samba Whistle is in Group S. You can combine up to four sounds which can then be stored in Sound Memory. Always SAVE your edited sound to disk.

Panel Memory 5 The Harmonica is moved from the lead to one of the Composer parts.

This is a fairly simple arrangement giving the song some interest by changing the lead voices and bringing the song back to it’s start in the end.

MOVIE MAGIC FILE 2

I think medleys are fun, especially if you can get the titles to make a single statement. In this case, “Come Rain Or Come Shine I’m Always Chasing Rainbows”. This is also very much a statement about my philosophy. As a photographer a change in the weather always brings new opportunities. Rain Or Shine is from ST. LOUIS WOMAN.

INTRO Just the addition of the Pizzicato Strings to introduce the lead voice.

Panel Memory 1 Here is a little bit of silliness, with the Pizz lead voice playing ping pong with the Pizz in the backing. It’s important when doing this to have the two voices panned in different directions. A little of this goes a long way. The song continues with the Composer and Right Hand voices shown on the screen


Ending Finally just the addition of a Pizzicato hiccup to the stock ending.

MOVIE MAGIC FILE 3

“From Russia With Love” is the Lionel Bart song from the picture of the same name.

Panel Memory 1 I was unable to find any Style that was even close to the original sound of the song, so I simply made the Composer part. The half step progression made for some dissonant sounds in the opening of the song, but I couldn’t find a better solution without eliminating the use of the Composer for the first section of the song.

Panel Memory 2 I like the move to the Russian Dance backing because it brings a surprise to the song and makes it different than the usual interpretation of the song.

Panel Memory 3 The Bouzouki solo is borrowed from the stock Dance Performance Pad moved to the User position.

Panel Memory 4 Wrap up, with a change to a Funky Beat.

MOVIE MAGIC FILE 4

This arrangement was originally made for the F100 organ to demonstrate to those not familiar with the instrument it’s orchestral capabilities. The opening section is from the film EXPERIMENT IN TERROR. This is one of many short themes, without lyrics, that Henry Mancini wrote. I added the timpani part to Composer pattern. The main song is “Loss Of Love” from the film called SUNFLOWER which is a fairly popular Mancini song. The song starts with an 8 Beat orchestral pattern and then moves to a Bossa Nova beat which I think is taken from the KN5000. The lead guitar is added to the ending.

MOVIE MAGIC FILE 5

It’s really funny how arranging ideas come about. Some time ago I was having a spirited conversation with the outstanding organist, Dennis Awe, who is frequently called Mr. Showbusiness. In playing his big band arrangements Dennis frequently does a glissando with a trumpet voice by dragging his finger across an octave or two of keys. I tried without much success to convince him that a trumpet couldn’t do that and that triple tonguing was the technique that trumpet players used for rapid fire notes. In the search for some triple toots I came across this Bolero pattern.

Harold Arlen’s “Over The Rainbow” from THE WIZARD OF OZ was sitting on my music rack. I tried it and liked this different approach to the song. As you can see I move in and out of the horn part, using it somewhat like a long fill. Finally, perhaps to appease Dennis, the song is finished with a grand showbiz rhythm, but with no trumpet glissando.

MORE TO COME

hi Frank,

Where can I download those files?

Oh, sorry JvG,
I thought we had heard from everyone. Just drop me a note at frankbez@aol.com and I'll zip it to you.
Frank

Frank, you are very creative with your music. I'm wondering if you are an 'ear player'. Sometimes it seems like ear players are so much better at creative arranging. I am not an ear player. I have to have music to play and I find it harder to come up with the kinds of ideas you have. I guess I have some favorite sounds and tend to go with them more. You used some I would have never thought of. I always do like you say and get out of the sequencer so I can see what you're doing with sounds etc. I really loved the movie magic. I know I'm going to learn a lot from it.

Marilyn

Hi Marilyn,

I’m afraid I’m just like you. I can’t do a thing without music. I learned to read treble clef playing the trumpet as a kid. I started playing the keyboard five years ago, but since I’m trying to teach myself things are going slowly and I’m just now figuring out how to read bass clef. I’m thankful every day that these arranger keyboards allow us to have such a good time playing music.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Scott Yee and Bill (BEBOP) Forrest. I get a bit discouraged after hearing how beautifully they play. I hope I live long enough to develop just a few of their skills.

Please try and find the time to tell us more about what you are doing.

Frank

Hey Frank, I've gone full circle. Used to read all that stuff years ago. But I've been playing with fake sheets for so long I can't read anything but treble clef now. I've got the left hand pretty much committed to memory for all the chord names on my fake sheets. But, I'm lost without those fake sheets. So, I make my own to get them the way I want them.

Hi Bob,
I hope you don’t mean that you are in a rut, because what ever you do really works. I’ve had that CD of yours for over a year and I never get tired of listening to it.
Frank

Frank: Thanks for sending me the music file, the arrangements are quite original and I have found them to be fun arrangements that I can use to play my own music compositions or songs other than those you include in it. To all of you, you won't be sorry to ask Frank for his great file of songs! He is a true friend!

Ted Rose

Hi Frank,
just a "technical" question.
Why don't you upload your songs to your great
website?
It most be a lot more simple to add your url
in a post, and also to save a lot of phone-
connection time to send all those files every
time someone ask for it.
GJ

Hi Frank,
from your description of From Russia With Love, it sounds like you programmed the composer in C major. If you play the semitones in E minor (that's what my score says) the composer will come out perfect with no dissonace at all.
Alec