All music and noises © Copyright Paul A. Williams aka Elwood Herring (except the classical reworkings)

All of the music on this site was created by me, and except where specifically stated was written and performed by me. I am quite happy for anyone to download any files that I have made available here, with no catch and no comeback, and at no cost. (And if you have just tried clicking on those underlined statements thinking they are links to some small print legal jargon, I understand your cynicism!). It is MY music, I own the copyrights, and I can do as I please with it - and I choose to give it away free. All I ask in return is that you acknowledge that the work is my creation and my property (don't try to pass it off as your own or anybody else's and don't remove the copyright tags!) and I would REALLY appreciate it if you could let me know what you think of any pieces you have listened to. I can't stress this enough - all artists like to get feedback on their work, and that applies tenfold to independant artists like myself. If you take the time and trouble to download and listen to my FREE music, then please appreciate the time and trouble I have put into making it and putting it here for you, so a little note of thanks is ALWAYS appreciated. I don't mind criticism, as long as it is CONSTRUCTIVE. (i.e. Don't do what some anonymous jerk did recently and stick a message in my guestbook saying one piece you heard was "crap" or "utter rubbish" - that doesn't help anyone, and holds back creativity. If you really want to have a go at me, send me an email with a valid return address so I can respond. I really don't mind criticism, in fact I expect a certain amount, but keep it CONSTRUCTIVE and CIVIL!)

I am a totally independant artist; I have not signed to any record company or label. I produce my own CDs at home, and create all the artwork myself. I am quite happy to mail CDs to anyone at a reasonable cost. Of course, if you prefer to download yourself, that's ok by me. All my artwork is available here too. If you do create your own "pirate" cds, all I ask is that you let me know. (Although of course, CDs made by me will be of higher quality all round.)

You can also find a great deal of my music on the p2p (peer-to-peer) system known as WinMX. Despite what you may have heard, sharing music is NOT illegal, only sharing COPYRIGHTED music. I own the copyrights to my music, so it is not illegal to download it from any source since I have allowed it. Of course, if you use p2p systems to download other people's music as well, that is your lookout. I also reserve the right to cease sharing my music at any time, and to hold back certain pieces and keep them out of the public domain if and when I choose.

I am constantly reworking and revising my back catalogue, so pieces will change occasionally, and I reserve the right to do so at any time without notice (although I will usually state when a piece has been reworked or re-edited.) To save the files using Internet Explorer, right-click on the link and select "Save Target as..." (Still using Internet Exploder? Do yourself a favour and get Opera instead!)

One more thing - if you're expecting lots of pretty tunes and/or flamboyant virtuoso performances, you are on the whole going to be disappointed. However, if you want to hear something different from the run-of-the-mill offerings by most other artists, you may be pleasantly surprised. My music is for the most part unconventional and challenging, and I stand by it, for better or worse. I am a musical experimentalist - I compose "on the edge" and I'm not afraid to take risks. Some of my pieces admittedly might sound quite bizarre to anyone reared on "normal" music, but I'm not one to follow the herd, and I am quite proud of some of my more outlandish attempts at "unnatural" composition. Some of my pieces are also very melodic and agreeable, just to prove that I can write tuneful music when I want to. Amongst my catalogue you will find everything from easy pop tunes to challenging dissonant works, experiments with polyrhythms, polytonality and even possibly microtonal compositions in the future. Everything is labelled and descriptions are provided so you will have a good idea what you are letting yourself in for with every piece.

Just remember - music is supposed to be FUN! Don't be afraid to try something new. You never know, you might find something that will open your mind permanently to new musical forms, and that is NEVER a bad thing in my opinion.

NOTE ON PLAYING MIDI FILES: All my MIDI works are meant to be played using the standard Microsoft GS Wavetable. Usage of any other wavetable will give unintended results. By all means experiment if you have the capability, but please be aware that what you end up with will not be what I intended!
Also, some MIDI files played on Winamp before version 5.3 (and it appears, after 5.541) will not play correctly. If you use Winamp, please up/downgrade to a version between 5.3 and 5.541 (incl), or alternatively, download this version or go here where you can download ANY version of Winamp.)

So - Click on the blue links here and help yourself!