Skrivarna Software

When not developing software I like to play the drums. Unfortunately I must admit that flailing away at the kit to some random Spotify playlist is a lot more fun than practicing hand technique. And that shows... However, the latest months my practice pad has seen the daylight again (figuratively speaking; a Swedish December doesn't offer much sun). The reasons for this are George Lawrence Stone, Sonny Igoe and Tommy Igoe - or more precisely the killers and great hands warm-up . Drummers discussing drummers and drumming (nowadays most often in Internet forums) keeps recommending the Stone Killers and Igoe's Great Hands or Lifetime Warm-up, and that ten minutes a day can make a huge difference. Well, I can afford ten minutes a day, I thought. And it made an immediate difference. Not that my hands are great (yet), but I actually started to enjoy practicing rudiments again! Now, as a developer I couldn't help but try to improve on these already great concepts. Fir...

Time for some frequent questions again. Some of them so frequent that they are already included in the FAQ (in one form or another): Where are the notes? I can only find charts with chords - in the description but notes were to be seen... It is quite clear from the app description that the app contains chord sequences only -- due to copyright the melodies cannot be included. However, for "original" Real Books, please visit www.skrivarna.com/p/fakebook.html and www.skrivarna.com/2014/02/automatic-indexing-of-pdf-real-books.html to automatically import and index these. Nice app Good app, but is it possible to transpose a score? How? You can find the transpose function in the menu, in the lower or upper right corner depending on device (the icon is three dots). The "transpose" menu will change key of the currently selected song, while the "settings" menu allows you to transpose all the songs (to get e.g. a Bb Real Book). Fakebook No lyrics! And...

Just a quick heads up for all guitarists and Django Reinhardt fans: there are now PDFB scripts available for indexing the Django Fakebook at www.skrivarna.com/p/fakebook.html . Big thanks to Fakebook user Arnim for the great idea. Other books that you would like to have indexed? Just let us know, send a mail to fakebook@skrivarna.com .

Can't help but publishing one of the best and nicest Rude Practice Pad reviews (so far): Excellence: you can get an App for that. I've been playing drums and percussion for 43 years and still enjoy practising and performing rudiments. I believe they are the road to brilliance (and a great way to gather a crowd in a music shop, incidentally) and that calls for regular practice/repetition to develop muscle memory and neural pathways. Practice is most effective when it is enjoyable, and it is most enjoyable when the musician themself calls the shots. Step forward this App; nothing further needs to be said. What can I say but Thanks!

Though simple, and created mostly for novelty and nostalgia, the VL-Tone app has for a long time been one of the most popular synth apps on Google Play. Some user comments say why: VL-Tone On My Phone! I still have my VL-Tone from when I was a kid and this app is a superbly crafted salute to it. In fact, with the touchscreen its effortless to jam out, compared to working those old clackity keys... well done! Most fun I've had since I found the vst plugin  One-liner history lesson: With Casiotone, they made wonders, Midge Ure, Frank Tovey, Martin L Gore, Billy Currie.  And the balanced review: Very solid Not stupid, not awesome.

Just a heads up for those of you playing bass or Bb instruments. There are now ready made PDFB scripts for importing and indexing The Real Bass Book (F Clef) and The Bb Real Book at www.skrivarna.com/p/fakebook.html . With these additions the library now contains all variants (C, Bb, Eb, Vocal and Bass Real Books) of the most common jazz standards collection. There's also the fun Slick Book, with some classic pop and soul songs. Any ideas of other books to add? Drop us a mail!