Silly Old Bear

[PART 3 OF 3]

In my first Danny Boy post …

• I shared with you the fascinating history surrounding the tune to which the words of “Danny Boy” were set, back in the early 1900′s;
• I explored the possibility that this song may have played an important role in my own family’s history ;
• I shared my long-held desire to someday record a four-part harmony version of the song with my four brothers, in honor of my sweet Dad.

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From time to time I will post information about software that I use and find useful. Today’s post features a program that does one thing, and does it remarkably well. Piston Software’s “Direct MIDI to MP3 Converter” allows you to convert a MIDI file to an audio file in any of the following formats: MP3 , WAV , WMA , or OGG Vorbis .

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[PART 2 OF 3]

OK, this post is primarily for the benefit of my brothers, but someone else might find it useful as well. In response to my previous “Danny Boy” post, my brothers and I are making plans to record a 4-part harmony version of “Danny Boy” when we are all together at Thanksgiving. This post is designed to facilitate the preparations for the Thanksgiving recording session.

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[PART 1 OF 3]

Fascinating History

“Danny Boy” is a classic song, known and loved by many through the years. The melody is actually the old Irish tune “Londonderry Air”. There is a fascinating story of how that tune came into prominence back in the 19th century, and became “Danny Boy” in the early 20th century.

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