Not all sampler owners have access to every instrument they might wish to sample, hence the appearance of Sample CDs containing all manner of digitally recorded sounds. But how useful are they? Are they value for money? Keyboardist Dave Stewart recently spent many hours sorting the wheat from the chaff. Here are his findings.

Introducing The Dots...

Is 4 getting you down? Dave Stewart puts rhythm in easy lingo.

Grey Skies

Famed keyboardist Dave Stewart begins this new series designed to give you a few more compositional ideas than you maybe had before!

Introducing The Dots...

Wanna know about music with no ties? Sorry - Dave Stewart talks of tied notes.

Man Versus Machine

Part 2: Famed keyboardist Dave Stewart continues his monthly column, designed to get you thinking about your music.

Introducing The Dots...

Would-be nuclear physicist Dave Stewart conjures up a few tunes for your wretched banjos and accordions. What a waste.

Simple But Not Obvious

Part 3: Famed keyboardist Dave Stewart continues his monthly column designed to get you thinking more about your music.

Introducing The Dots...

If you haven't got perfect pitch yet, tune in again to Radio Dave Stewart and try your hand at the quiz that will prove once and for all whether your tone is deaf.

New Jerusalem

Part 4: Dave Stewart continues his monthly series with a look at the ideas behind his song 'New Jerusalem'.

New Jerusalem (Continued)

Part 5: Another songwriting masterclass from Dave Stewart, continuing his examination of the ideas behind 'New Jerusalem'.

Sixty Something

Part 6: Sixty something. Dave reflects on originality and where to find it.

Tuned Percussion

Part 7: Tuned percussion. Dave investigates the enormous creative potential of sampled sounds within music, and offers his rendition of 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'.

Deep Underground

Part 8: Deep underground, this month Dave Stewart tells how you can work within the pop medium yet still manage to create interesting music!

Shadowland

Part 9: Shadowland. More inside info on the compositional structures Dave adopted on this track.

No Rhythm

Part 10: No rhythm. Dave Stewart explains ways of making music Without That Insistent Backbeat.

Waiting In The Wings

Part 11. Dave Stewart explains the recording of one of his songs and passes on a few tips into the bargain.

In Praise Of Learning

Part 12. Dave Stewart wraps up his music seminar with a look at chords and scales, and why you need to know them.

Miroslav Vitous Symphonic Orchestra sample CD-ROMs, Prima Publishing Quick Time: Making Movies With Your Macintosh by Robert Hone

Introducing "The Dots"

From the top is our man at the dots, Dave Stewart.

Introducing "The Dots"

Dave Stewart matches the dots to frets, keys and the like.