Midis get the small file size because they don't contain the actual sound wave recordings of the music (like *.wav files do), only the information for your sound card to synthesise both the instruments and the pitch and length of each note, in a sequence that you specify.

In between wave files and midi files, there's MOD or tracker files.

• Like midi files, mods contain information for the computer to vary pitch and length of the notes, in the sequence you specify, but they add "samples".

• Like wave files, samples are recordings, but usually of just single notes on different instruments. The computer can be made to play these samples, and to vary the pitch and length of the "sampled" notes as it plays.

More Info
I realise this explanation wont be technical enough to satisfy the rocket scientists. If you want to know more:

• you can find links to download midi files back on the Midi Info page;

• for the shareware to make them and technical help, look through the Crescendo, WinJammer, CakeWalk, WaveMaker and Tommy Andersberg links in my Help Pages.

• answers to most mod questions, downloads and links for Amiga, Atari, IBM, unix and Mac, in the Table of Contents on jester's (= Tobias Reckhard's) page.
  

• You can get a free weekly newsletter about mods, midis, samples and Demos, emailed to you, by subscribing to TraxWeekly. To subscribe, send email to listserver@unseen.aztec.co.az and put subscribe trax-weekly [Your Name] in the Subject and Message parts.

  You can FTP their back issues from ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/demos/info/traxw/.

Demos
A few years ago, software companies started putting out crippled programs (that wouldn't save, or were only the first level of some game), and trying to call them demos . But true "Demos" have a completely different meaning and a much longer history - they combine some of the most innovative programming in graphic effects, artwork, virtual reality fly-throughs and sound, usually beyond what you thought your machine was capeable of.

Demos to computer music, are sort of like ALT is to Newsgroups: the guys (that's generic, but they all seem to be male?!?!?!) who write them, tend to use demos to show off (well, if they're this good why shouldn't they), the language may not always be polite, and the nice thing about their opinions is that they're guaranteed to be completely subjective.

If I haven't put you off, see what sorts of things are POSSIBLE. You can find archives of downloads, links and explanations of how they do this stuff, at sites like the Hornet Page.

Be patient trying to logon, and prepare to visit some time that's off-peak - they've got a fast server now, but your visit might just be the one that pushes their hit counter over 350,000!

Streaming
No matter how much you reduce files sizes, and no matter how good your modem and computer, you're still limited by the speed of the slowest link anywhere between you and the server. So downloading any sort of music before you begin playing slows web pages down.

The best answer to this is to create a memory buffer where incoming data can be stored as they arrive, and begin playing from that buffer even before the whole file has downloaded. That's "Streaming".

Meta Tags
You can accomplish a number of things with Meta Tags - for the midi player, I used them in the example code (in white on the midi page) to open another page after a delay of a given number of seconds.

The other main use for meta tags is to highlight characteristics, descriptions, and specific KEYWORDS, describing your web page, which search engines can find. This can get your page noticed for something that others may be searching for.

There are definitions and descriptions of the use of meta tags at sites like the Stars Virtual Library. But the easiest way to figure how to use them is to view code in the source for other people's pages.

Meta Tags are always easy to find, because they have to be used between the and tags at the top of your HTML page.