What does jimlapbap mean?

“Jimlap” is a bird from an alien planet, and “bap" is another word for sandwich.

My real name is NOT James Lapriel Bapperson. 20 years ago I wrote a sci-fi musical comedy. I had to make up a bunch of alien names for things. Those made for good unique usernames. I used “jimlapbap” when I signed up for YouTube in 2005.

Do you take requests?

I do, but I get so many requests per day, I weigh them either on 1.) It’s a idea I want to try, or 2.)  it has a lot of likes. So, requests should go in the comment sections of videos in the style you’re looking for, or where I ask for requests.

Do [song] as a sea shanty!

Sea shanty arrangements are on hold indefinitely. I permanently damaged my voice in 2015, and so it hurts to sing, long/loud/high/gruff, so I had to pace myself. Sea shanty arrangements are about the worst thing for my voice and I’m tired of being in pain recording a 30 second shanty.

How did you damage your voice?

I taught. I had bronchitis. I couldn’t get a replacement. So I kept teaching for weeks. The bronchitis got worse, but I kept teaching. I ended up with a permanent tear in my vocal chords.

What have you taught?

I have 9 years experience teaching university level music composition, arranging, orchestration, intro to computer music software, and intro to music theory. I have some experience teaching music appreciation and the hilariously named “World Music.”

What software do you use?

Dorico for scorewriting, Logic for the Digital Audio Workstation, Final Cut for video editing. Most of my virtual instruments are from Native Instruments. I also use NotePerformer in Dorico which has an EastWest Hollywood Orchestra patch which I use for orchestral sounds.

What software do you recommend on little/no budget?

MuseScore is free, I’m not sure what DAWs allow for external virtual instruments (please recommend if you know). CapCut is free and cross platform, and DaVinci+Resolve has a free version. There are free virtual instruments, but I’d recommend a subscription service like EastWest composer cloud.

Hey, you remind me of

Hank Green. Andy Dufresne. Ralph Cifaretto. J-roc fro the Trailer Park Boys. Dexter Holland. Foggy Nelson. Tim from Tim and Eric. Colin Robinson.

Are you really a doctor?

Yes, I have a PhD in music composition from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

Where are you from?

I’m an American citizen, but I grew up in Japan. I went to international schools instead of Japanese schools, so my Japanese language level is good, but not native.

Why didn’t you do that song more like the style?

For my arrangements, many songs and styles are incompatible, and so as an arranger I have to make the choice whether to preserve the song to make it recognizable, or preserve the style to sound authentic. I usually end up somewhere in between.

How come you don’t write original stuff?

I do, but they get about 10% of the engagement that the arrangements get. Also, all my songs seem to be about about food, writing music, or people (these aren’t romantic at all).

You made a pop song sound like something old, why not make something old sound like a pop song?

Updating pop songs is what everyone else does. I generally don’t enjoy it as much, and I also don’t have the voice for pop. So, I leave that to the people who do.

What are your influences?

There are so many to name.

What’s the best way to support you?

Patreon. Becoming a patron is the equivalent of about 70,000 views. You get unedited versions of arrangements 24 hours in advance of the short versions I post everywhere else.

Are you going to release [song] on [online platform]?

Making a full version for streaming/download costs about $40-50, so my rule is generally if something gets 100,000 likes, I’ll do it. Also, it might already be there, my name is the same there as here, jimlapbap. My last album is Millennial Shanties and Madrigals in 2022.

What was the first “weird” arrangement you ever made?

I’m not sure, it’s either a bluegrass version of “Outside” by Staind, a New Orleans style brass quintet arrangement of “Lithium” by Nirvana, or a Fugue arrangement of “I’m a little teapot.” These were all around 2000-01.

Why don’t you get external performers?

Most of the time it’s out of my budget. I do this all on the side and it’s not even close enough to make a living. I occasionally collaborate with volunteers, but it’s a long process because they also do this on the side and for free (well, I try to compensate them some, but it’s a pittance).