For the Individual:     With a good sound source ie. computer soundcard, midi keyboard, sound module etc., you can   download from the Internet or purchase classical, pop, rock, dance, folk, country etc. midi files just to listen to or edit for your pleasure. (A midi file is a set of messages which sends instructions to your sound card or other sound source to play particular instruments or sounds known as 'patches'. These messages end up as a musical or sound effects piece which could be a 10 minute long symphony, a country tune, a set of sound effects for a drama production, a short 20 second sound bite etc. The quality of the end product depends on the quality of your sound card.)

For the Teacher:    Using midi files and a music sequencer you can create exactly the type of music you want your pupils to listen to, to play or indeed to edit from an original creation to a downloaded or purchased midi file. They can listen to individual instruments or groups of instruments within an orchestral piece. They can learn to play an instrument or piece of music by soloing the part, slowing it down, looping it to play over and over again or by printing out the notation and reading the music.

For the Musician:   With your laptop or midi file player plugged into a PA system in any environment, you can sing along with or accompany on a musical instrument, midi files (backing tracks) that you purchased or created yourself on a music sequencer. If you're a teaching musician rather than a music teacher you can use these midi files as backing tracks while demonstrating the piano, guitar, saxophone etc. It's like playing with a band, group, quintet, orchestra etc.

For the Songwriter/Composer:   You can create the perfect backing track for that new song and then with other "live"  instruments plus vocals, record the whole lot to your computer's hard disk. Or you can create that elusive symphony and edit it to your heart's content. As well as all the above activities you can pan the instruments to anywhere, left, right or centre in the stereo spectrum. You can use the reverb on your sound source to bring individual  instruments to the foreground or push them into the background. The same reverb allows you to create an atmosphere from a large auditorium to a small room.

Record all your parts from a midi keyboard into a music sequencer ie. bass, flute, strings, guitar, drums indeed any of 128 different sounds: each note of each part can be lengthened, shortened, deleted, transposed etc: each sound or instrument can be changed to a different one anywhere in the music: the tempo can be speeded up or slowed down: you can copy and paste verses, choruses, bridge etc: you can alter volume, panning, reverb, chorus etc. levels: finally you can print-out individual  or all  parts: there are hundreds more actions you can take to create exactly the piece of music you want for exactly the environment you want. So go ahead.....................

To download a MIDI file, lyric sheet or image, right click on the object and then click on one of the options offered ( save picture as; save target as etc.) and download it to a place where you know you will find it. Also give it a name you'll remember. Prior to going on the Internet it is always advisable to open a new folder preferably on your desktop to download to and maybe give it a name associated with what you're downloading eg. "Midi Files".

Many, if not all, of the Irish Midi Files arranged by myself, can be downloaded with lyrics and notes relating to the particular midi file. See the pages "Irish MIDI Files " and "Lyrics"  for this option.

PG Music's "Band -in-a-Box" was frequently used for basic arrangements of the Irish Midi Files and these were then transferred to Voyetra's  "Digital Orchestrator Plus" for final polishing.