To link to one of my songs, click
on the title below. If the song has lyrics, you will be linked
to a page that displays the lyrics, and you will be able to listen
to the music by clicking on the appropriate link on that page.
You can return to this page by clicking on a return link or using the
"back" button on your browser.
If you're not sure your browser can play MIDI files, check
out this link for further information. Also, remember that the quality
of the sound you hear will depend a great deal on the sound card in
your computer or any tone generator or MIDI keyboard through which you
play it. (It also may vary depending on the application you use to play
the song and the balance setting you're using.) The MIDI file includes
only the music, not singing, but where there are lyrics, I've written
them out for you.
Please note that I may post revisions or new arrangements
for some of these songs in the future. When that occurs,
I will try to include a note indicating the date of the revision.
If you would like to download one of my song files, hold
down the shift key while clicking the left mouse button on the
appropriate song link. Just remember, all of these songs are
copyrighted. You have my permission to play or use the songs for
noncommercial purposes (with appropriate attribution).
However, the songs may not be altered or used for commercial purposes
without my written permission, and you must include my copyright
notice.
Please note: There have been
some problems with playback of certain MIDI files, including mine, on certain
keyboards. If you try to play one of my MIDI song files and find that
it sounds more like a hodgepodge of unrelated sounds than like music, please
take a moment to let me know. Please include the name of the song file
and the equipment (computer, sound card, tone generator, keyboard, etc.)
on which you tried to play it. If possible, also include a brief description
of what you heard. This may help me figure out a way to resolve the
problem. Thank you for your assistance.
REAL AUDIO FORMAT:
Since the sound you hear when you play
my MIDI songs depends so much on your computer's sound card and
synthesis software, I have been looking for a way that will allow
you to hear the instrument voices that I used in composing these
pieces. Until recently, using the .MP3 file format was impractical
for me. So I decided to post Real Audio versions of at least
a few of my songs. Depending on your Internet connection speed,
these files will take longer to download to your computer than MIDI
files, and if there are network connection problems, the playback
may not be smooth or clear. You may want to download the file
to your own computer and then play it offline using Real Player.
If you don't have Real Player, you can download a free, basic version
from Real.com. Click on the following link to go directly
to the Real Player download site: Download
Real Player Basic.
(Note: Following this link will take you out of this web site.
You may be able to return by pressing the "back" button on your
browser. If you haven't already done so, you may want to
bookmark at least the home page for LRM's Place, http://webspace.webring.com/people/rl/lrmidi/.)
[Songs below that are marked with an asterisk (*) are available in
.mp3 format at the URL above. Additional songs not available in MIDI
or Real Audio format also may be available at that site. Check my MP3
site periodically for new music.]
NOTE: Going to the URL above will take you out out of LRM's Place.
You may be able to return using the "back" button on your browser.
You also can bookmark this site.
LATEST UPLOAD TO MY MP3 SITE:
"Justice for All" with Voice-Over spoken lyrics
For
a quick listen to my mp3 music, click here. A player will
open in a separate window. "Justice for All" with the spoken lyrics is
the default fist song, but you can scroll the list and play others as
well.
My song for the disability rights movement.
(NOTE: The original arrangement of Justice for All is the
first song I tried to record using my electronic keyboard and
MIDI software. At the time, I knew very little about how
MIDI worked and just wanted to get the basics down. I revised
the arrangement and balance a bit on July 14, 1998, to sound better
with the sound card in my new computer, which I understand is the
standard one sold with most computers these days.) I
later added a third arrangement of this
song that's in more of a folk-song style. (Uploaded
Feb. 18, 2001.) Also, a chord chart
in Microsoft Word format is now available for downloading.
(MP3 version available
at my MP3 site. The MP3 version of Justice for All uses the third
arrangement.)
This is my remembrance of and tribute to the
victims and heroes of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the
United States. Initially, I made it available in Real Audio and .mp3 formats only (not in MIDI format)
because some of the sounds I used from my keyboard aren't reproducible
on most computers' sound cards. However, since this is such
a long piece, several people have asked me to make it available
in the smaller MIDI fomat as well. For those who have access to
a good sound module or who can put the MIDI file on a floppy disk, CD
or other medium and play it back through a MIDI keyboard, this will
give a full sense of the music I intended as well. This is my first venture
into what some might call "serious" music. I've been told that
since it paints a musical picture of what happened, it can be considered
a "tone poem." So here it is — all 13 minutes of it.
As
Heaven Weeps, MIDI format. Smallest in file size. Plays
through your computer. Also can be played directly from floppy
disk drive of MIDI-compatible musical keyboards.
As Heaven
Weeps, RealAudio format . Mid-size file with better sound
quality than MIDI format played on computer with basic sound card
and FM synthesis. This Real Audio file will take a while to
download. At 56K per second, the download still may take five to
ten minutes. (Real Audio version
uploaded Nov. 15, 2001.)
As
Heaven Weps, MP3 format. Largest-size file but best
sound quality of the three formats. This link will take
you to my MP3 web site at <http://www.MP3.com.au/LauraRemsonMitchell>,
where you can listen to and/or download As Heaven Weeps or any
of my other MP3 songs. Download may take a long time for
those without high-speed connections, but music can be "streamed"
(listened to) online very quickly. The latest version of Windows
Media Player is necessary to stream the music, but the software can
be downloaded for free from a link in the left-hand column at my MP3.com.au
web site.
This song was inspired by a poem written by my friend Cara
Rosenberg Alson. I repeated the first two or three words of the
last line of Stanzas 2, 5 and 7, and I added a chorus, but the moving
words are Cara's. (To see the poem in its original form, go
to http://motherbird.com/cara.html.)
Composing this piece was an interesting challenge, since
the poem uses neither rhyme nor a consistent meter. I hope
you find the music as moving as I found the words. As with many
of my other songs, the MIDI version may not reflect what I intended,
especially if you aren't using a good tone generator. To hear the
song as it plays back on my PSR 740 keyboard, listen to the MP3 version.
(MP3 version
available at my MP3 site.)
Copyright 2000 by Laura Remson Mitchell (uploaded Dec. 5, 2000) (Real Audio
version uploaded Nov. 15, 2001.)
Based on a Hebrew prayer for diversity.
I couldn't get the idea of it out of my head after learning of this
prayer's existence. I suspect that the prayer really is referring
to the diversity of nature, but I think it applies equally well to diversity
within the human species, and that's how I choose to interpret it.
This piece is in three parts: A transliteration of the Hebrew prayer, additional
lyrics that offer my take on the meaning of the prayer, and an English
translation of the Hebrew. Like most of these songs, this will sound
best when played through a good tone generator, synthesizer or sound card.
(It was orchestrated using a Yamaha PSR 740 portable keyboard.)
If you don't have a good sound card or tone generator,
you can get a better idea of what this is supposed to sound like
by by listening to the Real
Audio version or going to my MP3 site to hear or download the .mp3
version. Both the Real Audio and MIDI versions of the music as
well as the lyrics can be accessed by clicking on the song title at the
beginning of this section.
This isn't exactly a song. It's really just me
improvising to the blues auto-accompaniment on my electronic keyboard.
But although it could benefit from some editing, I kind of liked
the sound, and I thought some other people might enjoy it, too.
This is a sequenced version of a song I wrote for acoustical
nylon guitar in the 1960s. It was inspired by the civil rights movement
and, in particular, by a human relations workshop for high school students
called Anytown USA. (MP3 version available at
my MP3 site.)
I started working on this song one day when I was feeling
burned out on policy and disability rights projects. I turned to music
to "get away" from the stress, and it helped. Hence the name of the
piece. (MP3 version
available at my MP3 site.)
The title of this piece is a spoonerism based on the old "Grade
B movies" I used to watch on television when I was a child. (MP3
version available at my MP3 site.)
I wrote this piece a few years ago, working with a
standard piano. As I played it in 3/4 (waltz) time, I kept
thinking of a carousel, while the minor chords created a kind of
eerie feeling. That's why I called the song "Haunted Carousel."
In the version posted here (I've fooled around with several other
arrangements, including a rock boogie version in 4/4 time), you may
not get quite as much of a carousel feeling, because I have added other
voices and effects, but I hope you will find it interesting — and haunting.
(Note: This was my first effort using my Yamaha PSR 740 keyboard
and Cakewalk Pro Audio software.) (MP3 version available
at my MP3 site.)
Kickin'
It Up*
Copyright 2002 by Laura Remson
Mitchell (uploaded May 7, 2003)
The best way I can categorize this one is "country rock," though
that's probably not really a very accurate description. Listen,
and decide for yourself. I used several types of guitars, pitch
bends, a rocker organ and plenty of percussion in this song. (MP3 version available at
my MP3 site.)
This song was inspired by one of the wonderful styles
created by Simon Williams for use with the Yamaha PSR 740 electronic
keyboard. After listening to my original version (which you
can hear by clicking on the "original version" link above), Simon
asked if he could make some modifications. And what wonderful
modifications they are! Simon re-recorded the strings part and
added some other very nice touches, while leaving the melody and chords
unchanged. Simon has very kindly given me permission to post
his version here. Note: Unfortunately, neither version
sounds very good using a standard computer sound card. Both versions
were orchestrated for the PSR 740 keyboard. For those who have good
sound cards or tone generators, I think you will be able to enjoy
the MIDI versions. (MP3 version of original
arrangement now available at my MP3 site.)
This is an experimental effort at playing around
with a theme. I composed the piece entirely at the computer
(i.e., using sequencer software but without any playable musical
instrument, even a MIDI keyboard). (MP3 version available at
my MP3 site.)
Copyright 2005 by Laura Remson Mitchell(uploaded
July 27, 2005)
This piece consists of piano variations on the children's
song "London Bridge Is Falling Down." I have been working on London
Bridge variations for several years as a way of learning how to make
melodies more interesting. This is my first piece using the techniques
I have learned into a single piece of music. I hope to create more selections
based on London Bridge variations in the future. (MP3 version available at
my MP3 site.)
This song evolved from my playing around with ninth
chords using a lovely piano ballad style on my PSR 740 arranger
keyboard. After recording the basic melody and chords, I
changed a couple of instrument voices and added a flute track for
harmony and flavor. You may or may not get the full sound of the
different voices by playing the MIDI file through your computer sound
card, but you can listen to it in the .mp3 version at my MP3 web
page. (MP3 version available
at my MP3 site.)
This piece was written and orchestrated using my PSR
740 arranger keyboard and may not sound as interesting when
played back through a standard computer sound card. However,
I tried to check for any major problems before uploading this file.
It is another attempt to use variations on a theme. I hope you find
it interesting. (MP3 version available
at my MP3 site.)
This song starts out with a jazzy chord that just appealed
to me and adds a melody using a blues scale. While I was working
on the song, I tried several different approaches, but the song kept
pulling me back to the structure you can hear in the final result.
This sounds best if played through a Yamaha PSR 740 or compatible MIDI
keyboard or tone module, but even if you have to listen via a standard
computer sound card, at least you can get an idea of what I had
in mind. To hear more closely how the song sounds on my 740, check out
the MP3 version
available at my MP3 site.
A kind of old-fashioned love song, in two arrangements,
including one in the romantic jazz ballad style of the 1940s.
For those who might be interested in trying to sing along with the
jazz version, I created a third arrangement (available only at my MP3
web site) which uses a choir voice to indicate where how I intend the lyrics
to fit in with the jazz arrangement. You still won't hear anybody
singing the words, but you should be able to follow along. (MP3 versions of both the
original jazz ballad and the jazz ballad with the melody overlay
are available at my MP3 site.)
This song uses several types of guitar, a rocker organ
and a little bit of sax along with a lot of percussion. It's one
of many songs that I don't know how to categorize. The MIDI version
should sound fine if played on a Yamaha keyboard, and maybe on other
arranger keyboards or tone modules as well. But for those who
are listening on a computer that has just a basic sound card, you
won't get the true flavor of the piece. Check my MP3 web site
to hear the music as I intended it.
Some of my long-time friends may remember this one,
a guitar instrumental I wrote sometime around 1964
or 1965. Until now, it hasn't been recorded either in sound
or in musical notation. At some point, I may try to add some
orchestration, but for now, this is just basic folk guitar plus
an added percussion track. (MP3 version available
at my MP3 site.)
(uploaded Oct. 23, 2001; revised version uploaded
Jan. 31, 2002 by Laura Remson Mitchell)
This piece makes use of the "Cool Night" style in my
PSR 740 keyboard, though it was at first inspired by an original style created
for the 740 by Simon Williams. Again, it was orchestrated originally
for the keyboard. Your computer sound card may not give you access to all
of the instrument voices used in the piece, but I hope you will enjoy it
anyway.
Copyright 1998 by Laura Remson Mitchell (uploaded May 5, 2004)
Another of my blues efforts. This replaces
"True Blue Shuffle," which I recorded using a shuffle style from my
MIDI keyboard. This version (which uses my own variation on a piano style) is really the way I wanted True Blue to sound in
the first place. True Blue also is available at my MP3 web site.
This page was last revised Oct. 2, 2009.
Number of visitors to this page since Oct. 2, 2009:
LRM's Place has
been honored with the "Top of the Hill"
Award by Geocities/Capitol Hill.
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for more information.]
Songs by Laura
Remson Mitchell 
