Like a band or something? I'm already in my schools' Wind Ensemble and I'm in the process of applying for the Jazz Band, so I think I have that one covered.
(Baritone Horn T.C., if you were wondering what I play.)
Try the trial out on this software. You'll have to play around with it for a couple minutes before you even get the basic operation of it down. I recommend that you open up, listen to, and then examine the structure of some of the pre-made songs they package with it so that you have examples of what can be done with it. Don't worry, most of it will be useless to you at that point but it will open your eyes to what is possible. The makers of it seem to enjoy what I know as Techno, but you can (and I have) use it to make any style of music, from classical to country guitar to the inevitably percussionist rap beat and any sort of hybrid that isn't named yet. Spacebar is the start/pause button once you open one of the premade song files. I taught myself how to use it from having literally no knowledge of the software. It's not very good with labels and descriptions so it will be very time consuming learning the knobs unless you have bought the bible book (which I haven't yet so I can't vouch for it and thus can't recommend it). On the plus side, this will grant you years of musical entertainment and you'll develop a fine ear for pitches and non-traditional sounds for music while you learn how to manipulate them.
Also, the software has a feature that I find especially cool since I have been practicing playing live rather than basically inputting music. The program is comparable to designing sheet music for the computer to play. However, it also allows you to turn your computer keyboard into a musical keyboard. This is incredibly awesome and I don't know why people haven't picked up on this yet. This means that there are two lines of keys, z through /, that are equivalent to the white keys on a piano. Q through \ are the continuation of the single line of the piano. A through ' and 1 through = are the black (minor) keys. Since you can play any instrument through this software that you have a note sample for, you can turn your (laptop) computer into a nearly infinite variety of easily portable instruments. The bonus is that being a fast typer will translate to having an easier time being a laptop musician. Those keyboarding classes you were forced to take in highschool finally paid off for something other than video games, eh?
Once you figure out how to start making patterns and how to stack them, you'll be surprised how you can do the work of a whole orchestra yourself.
http://flstudio.image-line.com/The software is sold as a lifetime liscence. If you enjoy it, I highly recommend it if you can afford it. I believe the trial version will not allow you to save your work.
If you enjoy using it and happen to find yourself in possession of a copy of the software somehow, feel free to PM me and I'll help you figure out the first steps. I made my first legitimate song in about a week
(EDIT: At the local trades school, 5 days a week for about three hours)
[I was supposed to be doing video work and was harshly encouraged to stop using the software I enjoyed to the point of nearly being booted over it and receiving bad grades and being forced to transfer from the video section to 3d modeling as the only way to stay in the class. Not only was I uninterested in this, I was also one and a half years through the two year program. {then two years later I talk to a student and he tells me he's using Fruit Loops in class every day and Fruit Loops use is encouraged now as part of one of the possible routes through the class. It sure made me feel awesome. At least I came out of it with roughly 30 complete songs.}]
Just remember that the more time you spend on a song, the better it will be. It's very time consuming when you have fifty instruments and are attempting to get perfection, but well worth the end result. On that note, be sure to keep your old save files and sort them by attaching a sorting mark to the filename. For example, I usually tag either the end or beginning with a number or letter that I know will keep the order alphabetically, such as bompbass2a.mp3 then bompbass2b.mp3 . Then, if I were to change a lead guitar synth sound for example, I would change it to bompbass3a due to the much more noticeable change in the sound in the new version.
This way, you can return if you don't like the way it goes, or you can do remixes of earlier versions. It's sort of like having a time machine and fooling with evolution in that you can go back to where you were before and start a new branch off twenty years later if you were to so desire.
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