First let me say that Danny Baranowsky has been a huge influence on me. I think he’s one of the most skilled musicians in the games industry today and his music is just excellent.

Also, if you haven’t heard the original Betus Blues by Danny B., you should listen to it first so you can compare and contrast. In fact, just buy the whole album. It’s insanely awesome.

I’ve found that a great way to learn and get better at music is to imitate another’s work. I don’t mean remix. I mean imitate, as in try to get it as close to the original sound as possible. Many times when I listen to a recording, I just don’t understand how composers get a certain sound and I’ve found that trying to fully recreate the tune really helps me figure out certain aspects.

In attempting to recreating a song exactly, you end up creating synths and designing sounds in ways that are completely new to you. It’s a totally different experience than writing you’re own song, and I highly recommend it.

My version of this obviously doesn’t sound as good as Danny’s. His has a fuller, richer, more professional sound. There are still some things that I couldn’t get to sound quite right, but I did learn a bunch of things in doing this. I also had a ton of fun remaking this epic piece.

Give it a listen!