Software BiaB Help - How hard is it to...

[6441]

Found the 2019 MacOS docs:

PG Music - Online Manuals - Band-in-a-Box 2019 for Mac User's Guide

www.pgmusic.com

Yes, you can enter a chord via MIDI and I did that. Unfortunately, it then turns it into a chord it knows.
I'll keep looking; It's too bad it can handle a note for note chord. I haven'(t tried a midi file yet, that's next on the list.

 

[nigeld]

I don't know, but my guess is that the Styles logic won't be able to handle unknown chords.

 

[6441]

I fear that's true and jazz is often built around then.

 

[Colin the Bear]

The list in chord builder is quite extensive. Look at the notes in the chord and work out which of the list fits. A slash chord entry can give you the inversion or the extension you're looking for.

What are you trying to enter?

 

[6441]

 

[Pete Effamy]

Yep, that's quartal harmony. I've used it a bit in arrangements before but only note-specific written stuff. I never got around to knowing how to spell the chords for it - chords fall over at this point. It's a sort of m11 feel....

 

[6441]

As it happens, on guitar, fourths are obviously child's play. As I said, if only we could SPELL the chords instead of choosing from an admittedly decent palette, there'd be no problem.

Here's the section:

https://soundcloud.com/randulo%2Fape-walk-on-the-moon%23t%3D2%3A22

View: https://soundcloud.com/randulo/ape-walk-on-the-moon#t=2:22 <--- CLICK THIS ONE

Start at 0:22 or 2:22 for the quartal stuff. The rest is "whole tonal".

 

[Pete Effamy]

Most of what I know about playing the guitar could be written on the back of an ant's foot. In big letters.

 

[6441]

Well, then I doubled your knowledge! You know they're tuned in fourths, though, on the four lower (bass) strings, right? Like an upside down violin.

 

[Pete Effamy]

Well, then I doubled your knowledge! You know they're tuned in fourths, though, on the four lower (bass) strings, right? Like an upside down violin.

Oh yes of course. I don't even start to think when it comes to guitars as I presume that I don't know.

 

[6441]

Seriously though, and speaking to the little digression about entering chords, this is the crux of my problem with chord "symbols". They do not address harmony, they serve as a shorthand, and that's all.

I have a BiaB track that's not awful, for this tune, I'll try to work with it. @Pete Effamy maybe I can rope you into doing a quick take, too, if I can get a chart made.

 

[Pete Effamy]

Sure - but now I fully know your credentials I'll have to see if I can step up!!

 

[Pete Effamy]

this is the crux of my problem with chord "symbols". They do not address harmony, they serve as a shorthand, and that's all.

Yes. Good for functional harmony, but...

 

[6441]

In the end, I am really pleased with what BiaB can do with standards, and country western songs, rock, etc? But it can't help with anything complex. I'm just trying to stretch it, and sometimes it surprises me when it comes in and does interesting things. Going through the docs, I am making progress. The interface is "interesting", but when it finally does something I want, I'm cool with it.

 

[6441]

Let's face it: Everything musical is a slash chord.

An A11th chord might be a G/A for BiaB, but there's a lot more to it. A saxophonist friend always told me, "Listen to the bass note, start figuring out the harmony from there." Let's listen to Naima, then get BiaB to play it. I'll try that tomorrow.

 

[Colin the Bear]

In write mode you can enter individual notes on the stave.

 

[6441]

I'll have to try to find that.

 

[Colin the Bear]

There are several biab tutorials on you tube. I'm working my way through them when i get stuck. Biab is great at what it does. There's lots it won't do.

I think what you need for the composing you're doing is a digital sequencer. I had one back in the 80's on a casio keyboard. They should have moved on quite a bit. Might even be an app by now.

 

[6441]

Yeah, I have all that. I'm just too lazy to get that level of detail, I was attracted by the ease of BiaB, but it's best use for me so far is standard backing tracks in many feels. As a matter of fact, what I should do is make the BiaB part do what it does best and then record the other parts in Logic, which does both audio and midi.

 

[rhysonsax]

BiaB has a nice feature called the "Audio Chord Wizard" which can do analysis on a piece of music and (with a bit of user guidance) guess where bars and beats fall and make a stab at the chords in the music.

I have used it a few times and it is surprisingly good at what it does.

If @randulo uses his audio file with the unusual chords, BiaB may come up with some interesting chords that are similar-sounding and it does know how to deal with.

Rhys