What a Friend We Have in Jesus 
keywords: gospel christian hymn country MIDI Band-in-a-Box live sequence 
 
words by Joseph Scriven (1820-1886) 
tune by Charles C Converse (1832-1918) 
source: Treasury of Hymns, ed Maria Leiper  
& Henry W Simon, Simon & Schuster 1953 
 
MIDI file type 1  
w/percussion for multitimbral synth 
Band-in-a-Box format file also included 
 
3-7-95 MIDI sequence by Dave Butler 
(phila/germantown amateur mandolin & piano player) 
using Band-in-Box Pro Win 6.03 
ZZCONTRY.STY country style 
key sig: C 
play time: 4:13 
long play-along version has 7 choruses, 
omitting melody on every other chorus 
 
live sequence on channel 4 was recorded 
at tempo 105, in several takes, 
 following my own arrangement & improvising, 
 no quantizing, little overdubbing, 
 few corrections: 
 ch track        voice 
  4  melody      02 bright piano 
 
BIAB-generated accompaniment is in a standard 
 BIAB style, not customized, has a  
 non-quantized "live" feel, including: 
 ch  BB track    voice 
 10  percussion  01 standard drums 
  2  bass        40 syn bass 2 
  3  piano       27 jazz electric guitar  
  7  guitar      28 clean electric guitar 
  8  horns       (not used) 
  6  strings     (not used) 
 
"When asked about the composition of 'What a  
Friend,' Scriven -- who had been educated at  
Trinity College, Dublin -- replied:  'The Lord 
and I did it between us.'  He was a man of  
high character who, after a great sorrow, spent  
the rest of his life in a small Canadian community,  
there giving his services free to the poor. 
 
"Converse's tune helped Scriven's words, and vice  
versa.  They are known throughout the world." 
 
-- from Treasury of Hymns, Leiper/Simon 
 
_________________________ 
[following is generic ending for 
dbut sequence descriptions] 
 
do you have any favorite sequences 
or sources to share? 
do you ever try to improve on stuff you download? 
my sequences are all rough drafts 
i'd love to hear improved versions. 
 
I use BIAB to create a rough draft which might 
be refined later w/ a sequencer like Cakewalk 
which can handle editing like pause & slow down. 
usually I add extra choruses, omitting melody  
on every other chorus, for a 5-10 minute jam 
which i'll accompany on mandolin. 
this is a rough sequence created in an hour or two.  
typically w/ BIAB i first spend about 10 minutes 
selecting style & voices, typing the chord prog, 
setting part markers, looping, & ending points. 
in another 5 or 10 minutes I can add a simple melody 
& be ready to jam. 
 
sometimes I record a bass line in the 1st chorus of  
melody track, copy it to all choruses, then overdub. 
but often i'll just play a simple melody & rely 
completely on BIAB's accomp. 
BIAB will also generate harmonies if you want. 
i usually don't. 
channel 4 is the only channel set up for recording. 
so if you mute/solo channel 4 you can hear  
the generated & live parts separately. 
unsolicited unpaid testimonial for BIAB from 
 
dbut 
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