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FAQ/Help Files

Questions About Sound Files

How do I download sound files?
How do I play the sound files that I've downloaded?
Can I listen to part of a sound file without downloading the whole thing?
When I try to play the files that I've downloaded, there doesn't seem to be anything there. Why?

About the Web Site

How can I view the animation on the home page of this web site?

Questions About Dan

Can I contact Dan by email?
Can you get a message to Dan? ("you" being the webmaster)

General Questions About the Music

Do I have to use the instrumentation laid out in the pieces?
Where can I get advice on conducting Dan's pieces?

For Directors: Questions About Compositions

Buffalo Jump Ritual
Dinosaurs
Hymn of St. Francis
Symphony No. 1 (In Memoriam, Dresden, 1945)
Unusual Behavior in Ceremonies Involving Drums
Voodoo

Questions About Sound Files

1. How do I download sound files?

To save a recording (Real Audio or MP3 file) on your hard drive, Win95/98/2000/NT/XP users click or right-click (Mac users, click-and-hold) on the link (depending on your system settings and the players you have previously installed, if you click once only without holding, you may open the sound file as a streaming file and it may not be saved permanently to your computer's hard drive).
Choose 'Save File As', 'Save Target As', 'Download File to Disk', or something similar.
Choose a location on your hard drive to save the file; then click 'Save'.
NOTE: Some browsers will open a file within the browser. If this happens, go to the "File" menu, pick "Save As," and then choose a location to save the file.

2. How do I play the sound files that I've downloaded?

To play the MP3 sound files from this web site on your computer, you will need a player that plays MP3 files. To play the Real Audio files, you must have RealPlayer Basic. You may download one of the following players for free at their web sites:

RealPlayer Basic - from http://www.real.com - the link for RealPlayer Basic is towards the bottom left side of the page.
QuickTime Player - from http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
Windows Media Player - go to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/ - select "Windows Media Player" and your operating system.
WinAmp - http://www.winamp.com

3. Can I listen to part of a sound file without downloading the whole thing?

In order to listen to a Real Audio file without downloading the whole piece, you will need RealPlayer Basic. When 'listening' to a Real Audio sound file, the file is streamed to your computer, but is only saved in your cache. You may 'listen' without first downloading the entire piece to your hard drive. This allows you to hear a portion of the piece without having to download it in its entirety. Some other players may also do this with the MP3 files if you have them installed on your computer and then "single-click" on the links for MP3 files.

RealPlayer Basic - from http://www.real.com

4. When I try to play the files that I've downloaded, there doesn't seem to be anything there. Why?

If this happened to you, your system may have allowed you to listen to a sound file without saving the file to a specific location. Try "right-clicking" (PC) or using "click and hold" (Mac) on the link to the sound file that you want. A "dialog box" should come up that gives you options as to what to do with the file. Save the sound file to a location on your hard drive.

About the Web Site

1. How can I view the animation on the home page of this web site?

The animation on the home page of this site was created in Macromedia Flash 4. In order to view it, you must have the Flash 4 player or above. You may download the most recent Flash player for free from Macromedia.

Questions About Dan

1. Can I contact Dan by email?

No, sorry, but Dan does not have an email account. If he did, he would spend most of his time answering email and would not have time to compose or teach. You may contact him through the UI Lionel Hampton School of Music (see the Contact page).

2. Can you get a message to Dan? ("you" being the webmaster)

Possibly, but it would probably be faster to contact him by regular mail. When I need to contact him, I (the webmaster) have to go up to the U of I campus myself at a time when I know he has class in order to find him! :)

General Questions About the Music

1. Do I have to use the instrumentation laid out in the pieces?

One of the biggest problems that conductors have with Dan's music is that they limit their imaginations. The problem with performing Dan's music is that you have to be a playful person who doesn't want to take things as seriously as people in the band world tend to think they should be taken. Dan would encourage directors to use their imaginations and those of their students when coming up with odd instruments and sounds. If you or one of your students comes up with a great idea for an instrument or sound, send it to our webmaster and we'll post it!

2. Where can I get advice on conducting Dan's pieces?

Robert Spevacek is a great person to contact if you have questions about conducting any of Dan's pieces. He has conducted many of Dan's works in the past during his career at the Univerisity of Idaho's Lionel Hampton School of Music. "Spev", as many of his students call him, was a professor of music, the Director of Bands, and conductor of the Wind Ensemble at the University of Idaho for over 30 years. He continues to be in high demand across the country as a conductor, adjudicator and educator. His email address is rspevacek@msn.com.

For Directors: Questions About Compositions

Compositions are listed in alphabetical order.

Buffalo Jump Ritual

What kind of rattles should be used?
Latin Percussion, yellow, plastic maracas are what Dan had in mind. What makes them a rattle is you hold them over your head and shake them violently - they can be played in unison with a drum to give them a Native American sound. If you would rather use some other kind of "rattle", you are encouraged to "go for it."

Dinosaurs

What are giant maracas?
When Dan went and visited Moscow Jr. High, there were two Scotch bass drums with broken shells into which kids had dumped beans and all kinds of junk over the years. He picked them up and shook them and decided to add them into the instrumentation of the piece. He suggests that you, as a conductor, get creative with your students and come up with your own giant maracas.

Hymn of St. Francis

Can other sounds be used for the animal sounds?
Yes - in fact, Dan would encourage directors and students to come up with better ways of making the sound effects in "Hymn of St. Francis". The piece is supposed to be experimental and fun in that respect.

Symphony No. 1 (In Memoriam, Dresden, 1945)

Where can I get help with conducting this piece?
Contact Dr. Robert Spevacek - he is the master at conducting this piece - rspevacek@msn.com.

Unusual Behavior in Ceremonies Involving Drums

The recording I have seems longer than the written score for the piece. Why?
This piece exists in more than one version. Dan second-guessed himself on his first sketches of the piece and ended up making some sections of the piece much too long. Unfortunately, he did not have time to shorten the piece before it was premiered and recorded, so the recorded version that we have is of the longer version. The original version of the piece was written to be about 23 minutes long. Dan has since shortened the piece to fill about 16 minutes of playing time.

Voodoo

For lack of a good way to phrase the questions, here are the answers:
No, Dan is not a satanist. No, Dan does not practice black magic. This piece was not in any way intended to reflect specific religious convictions - please see the program notes on the Voodoo "details" page for more information about the ideas behind the piece.