Busker is a tool to create midi arrangements from a songbook or fakebook. All the symbols that you will find in a songbook like notes, rests, keys, time-signatures, repeat-indicators and chords are visible on the screen and can be dragged to a set of staff lines. This way you can create the same picture on the screen as in the songbook. You don't really need to know the meaning of all the symbols. Choose a style and a multivoice for the melody and press play. The song can be recorded in a midi or karaoke file.

To improve the song and give it more variety other indicators, not specified in the songbook, can be dragged to the staff as well:

1. Different style parts (variations) of the Yamaha compatible styles
2. Pads: short melodies to fill in pauses in the main melody
3. Switch drums, bass and other instruments on and off separately
4. Tempo, volume, note duration (for staccato effect) and any midi message

Beside playing the 30 included styles or any other Yamaha style it can also play the internal styles of any type arranger keyboard. In this mode the keyboard will be controlled by chords, melody and clock messages received from Busker thru a midi connection. While playing you can adjust the tempo on the pc and switch styles, variations and melody voices with the buttons on your keyboard. Use the internal sequencer of your keyboard to record midifiles. The chord and melody fingering is shown on screen for keyboard teaching. While learning to play a song, you can take over (switch off sending) chords and melody separately.

Lyrics can be added, the song can be printed with multiple lyric lines (for each repeat). The lyrics will scroll along the screen in big font for karaoke. It can be recorded in a karaoke file that can be used in players like VanBasco.

Busker also reads and plays music in ABC notation. This is a method to describe staff notation in text. It is used mainly for traditional songs (jigs, reels, hornpipes). Files with hundreds of songs from the Nottingham Music Database, complete with melody and chords ready to play, are included in the shareware package.

You can download Busker at http://www.1manband.nl/busker where you also can listen to midi files produced with Busker.

Jos