"Band in a Box" anybody using it?

[visionari1]

Met our local big band director last night, I use to play in the band, years ago, asked if I was still playing, yup I said, still practicing hard, get Band in a Box, he said, he told me that 5 years ago too! I've looked at it on the internet, & see Simon at Jazzwise has it. Anyone using it, there's also another one called Chord Song. I have transcribe and use it quite a bit, I'm looking to be able to play through the changes freely and start to improvise....gee it's been a long time coming...will band in a box help??????
What dya Reckon

Cheers & Ciao

Jimu

 

[Pee Dee]

Hi
Yeah, I use BIAB but only to transcribe. As I play from music only, I find it useful if, for instance, I have a book of music written for piano, or some other instrument, then I can copy the music and print it out in various keys.
Like learning the scales with tunes in a way. I usually end up just playing one
of the keys, the one that sounds best on the tenor, and another key for the soprano. I believe it is good for making backing tracks, if you have the more expensive version, with live instruments, but I not tried that. No doubt others will be more helpful than me. If you do decide to buy it, you can get it through Pete's shop, from Jazzwise, then Pete gets something for his charity;}

 

[old git]

Used to have a 'free try it' download.
Grab a copy, try it and make up the mind of the most important person in the world, YOU.

 

[rhysonsax]

I have BIAB and use it occasionally. It's fun, powerful and reasonably intuitive to use.

If you want a reasonable harmonised backing to a song that you have the chords for, then BIAB is very good. You can easily change tempo, key and the style of the backing.

If you just wanted to get one backing track at a fixed tempo, then it would be easier and cheaper to get someone who already has BIAB to knoock it out and send you the track as a midi file or an mp3. Maybe your band director could do it for you or I could put something together.

If you think you may want to get into software a bit more and will use it quite a bit, then get a demo version and see what you think.

Regards to NZ - best holiday destimation ever for me.

Rhys

 

[visionari1]

I have BIAB and use it occasionally. It's fun, powerful and reasonably intuitive to use.

If you want a reasonable harmonised backing to a song that you have the chords for, then BIAB is very good. You can easily change tempo, key and the style of the backing.

If you just wanted to get one backing track at a fixed tempo, then it would be easier and cheaper to get someone who already has BIAB to knoock it out and send you the track as a midi file or an mp3. Maybe your band director could do it for you or I could put something together.

If you think you may want to get into software a bit more and will use it quite a bit, then get a demo version and see what you think.

Regards to NZ - best holiday destimation ever for me.

Rhys

Thanks fella's for the replies, Rhys, don't know the band director that well, I have a trumpet player friend who has BIAB, I'll go and have a chat to him and look over his shoulder for a bit. Thansk for the offer of doing me a tune. I have plenty of backing tracks and also transcribe, it's the chord changes, that are the sticking point (at the moment) I'm a bit wary of new software programmes that look complicated as learning them all takes time away from the physical blowing of the horn. Good advice though, suck it and see on the demo version.

Yep NZ is great for tourists, might have a share in a house bus where we can go triping around the country this autumn/winter. Of course I takes the sax.

Old Git......making up one's mind, is sometimes the hardest thing, when you have total freedom as I'm sure you know, .....what,.... living in Crydon an all!

 

[old git]

Visionari1,
Now it is your chance to help the Croydon and Sarf Lundun Massive.
We are looking for a slow march for our Massed Bands. Which is your favourite, the Chopin or Handel Funeral March?

 

[losaavedra]

I use BIAB as part of my practice routine quite frequently, by freewheeling through a bunch of the library songs and styles, regardless of whether I know the tune or not, just trying to put together something melodious with a particular key, tempo etc. I.e. I'm just trying to follow whatever progressions are offered with the advantage that I can see on the screen how these progressions are made up and where the repeats are, and particularly where one chord is about to move to another, etc. The other way I use it is to just enter some chord names from scratch (easy to do), based around some key I think I should be paying more attention to, then keep looping them until something half-decent emerges. Since I'm mainly interested in using it as a practice tool I've never yet saved any of these efforts. I just want to be able (eventually) to play some sort of melody along with whatever chord names I see. That's my take ... as usual not very disciplined!!

 

[visionari1]

Visionari1,
Now it is your chance to help the Croydon and Sarf Lundun Massive.
We are looking for a slow march for our Massed Bands. Which is your favourite, the Chopin or Handel Funeral March?

Sorry Old Git,

Can't get a handel on any funeral marches, Think they better get the Chopin.....massed bands well I've attended two world pipe band Championships, that's the only type of massed bands I like... a bit of a sarf london eh (I've no idea what I'm or your talking about, what a great use of broadband and 21st Centuary technology)
Ciao, from the Coventry of the Southern hemisphere.

Jimu