Notes_Norton

For uncommon time signatures in BiaB, I don't consider each cell in the matrix as a bar of music. The cell can be part of a bar or even two bars of music. So if you want 5/4 time, make one cell have 3 beats (use F5) and the next one 2 beats. (or 2 followed by 3 depending on the feel of the song). BiaB has written some 5/4 styles, but since each cell of the matrix is divided in 1 through 4, putting chord changes in any beat, but the first will now work. 4 does not go into 5 evenly. BiaB is back-compatible to the infant program they wrote in the DOS 5 days. This is commendable, but the older systems can't do what new computers can do. Some creative thinking needs to be used to get around the limitations imposed by the compatibility effort. I've used a triplet based style for 6/8 songs, making each BiaB cell two bars of 6/8. Or one bar of 12/8. I've also used an appropriate 3/4 style to make each cell one half of a 6/8 measure. Sometimes you just need to think outside the box. Another example, if using MIDI styles, you can change the instrument voice. That jazz guitar in the style might sound better for a particular song as a Rhodes piano—change the patch number. Or a piano might sound better as a clav. Or you can change styles mid-song and change the instruments of the second style to match those in the first, so the style changes but the 'musicians' do not change instruments. There are plenty of other tricks I've learned and PG Music has a nice forum with friendly people who are eager to help. Insights and incites by Notes ♫

Most definitely do do that!

I've been in so many "human" bands like that, and been part of those struggles, so I didn't need to watch the growing pains. I got to be almost famous once. Our band was the opening act for quite a few stars in concert while they had number one records. Subsequently, we opened for many of the Motown acts and almost landed a record deal (it fell apart because Motown didn't want to pay). I got to jam with The Funk Brothers before they were given that name. I also spent some time backstage with the headliner acts. Nice, regular people, who were in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, and got to become part of our common history. As a kid at the time, I was thrilled to be treated as a peer by the people I looked up to. In a short amount of time, I found most of them to be just ordinary humans, with both flaws, and abilities. I wasn't enamored by their last released album. It was OK, but nothing I'd want to own. IMO it lacked the genius that I heard on everything from Rubber Soul on to Abbey Road. George Martin was definitely an integral part of the team and rightly deserves his title of The 5th Beatle. The five of them made some unforgettable music for me. I am glad I watched it, and although I missed some interesting tidbits, I'm also glad I skipped enough to watch all 3 disks in one evening, and the last disk in its entirety. Insights and incites by Notes ♫

The Groove Merchant – Thad Jones & Mel Lewis With words added later by Jon Hendricks

BiaB started out small, just an auto-accompaniment app with 3 instruments (Piano, Bass, and Drums). It has grown from year to year adding feature after feature, which results in a complicated interface. But for the basic type in the chords, pick a style, and click the Play icon, it's still pretty simple. Once you get that down, the rest can be learned function by function, and you can use the ones you like and ignore the ones you don't. I'm sure you will get it, and if you have any questions that I can help with, I'd be happy to assist. Notes ♫

I don't do TV, or streaming, or most anything that requires a monthly subscription. Why? Self-employed musician, there are times of feast and times of famine. I was out of work 2 years thanks to COVID, and never had to hit my savings to pay the bills. So I went to my public library, and checked out the 3 disc DVD set of the Beatles' documentary, “Get Back”. For me and Mrs. Notes, the first two disks were a waste. They guys are in the movie studio with no sense of direction. Not rehearsing, not even practicing, and when they are playing, sounding quite lame. I've been in bands where there was no direction and too much bickering. I didn't need to see that again. So, I hit the >> and >>| controls quite a bit. I'm sure I missed some gems of information, but the boredom was not worth it. I did notice a few things. * Ringo was the pro, always showed up on time, when the other musicians were working out chords or whatever, Ringo sat patiently at the drum set, waiting. Many drummers I know start tuning heads, practicing licks or fidgeting on the drums in other ways when the rest of the band works on notes. I have a newfound respect for Ringo. * I noticed Paul gets around on the piano pretty well, and has some very good musical ideas. * Billy Preston is a gem, but then I've always like his piano playing. * Children, wives, and significant others should not have been allowed in. * Somebody needed to take leadership and focus the group, as they were unable to focus on the task, and neither John nor Paul wanted to let the other one lead. * They expressed nervousness about playing in front of an audience. They could have fallen flat on their faces and the fans would have swooned. We watched the last disc in its entirety, and this is what hit me the most. When they were on the rooftop, playing live, they were not only a band again, but you could see the joy you can only get from live performance on their faces, especially Paul's. They were in their bliss. I know that much of what they recorded from Strawberry Fields on could not be reproduced live, but I think they should have continued to play live to keep the band spirit alive. That's my take, anyway. Insights and incites by Notes ♫

I've been using BiaB since it came out on 5.25" floppies and worked on DOS 5. I also used it on Atari and Mac computers. Full disclosure: I write aftermarket styles for BiaB at https://www.nortonmusic.com and have sold them to musicians in over 100 different countries https://www.nortonmusic.com/world.html OK. Now on with my response... For songwriting, you could get by with the basic version of BiaB, unless you want to record the songs using the Band-in-a-Box app. In its most basic and core function, BiaB generates 'backing tracks' to chords entered into a matrix. Each cell in the matrix can be a bar of music, or a fraction of a bar if you like. Most often a bar of music. You get something similar to a keyboard with an auto-play rhythm section, only better. Where the keyboards play 4 to 8 measures again and again, while writing styles for BiaB I can add up to 400 different patterns from 1 to 8 beats long, and assign when they will appear according to musical rules (for example if a V7 chord is resolving to a I chord at the end of an A or B section, the bass line will lead from the V7 to the I. BiaB was originally MIDI based, and has now added "Real Tracks" or "Real Styles" which are pre-recorded loops of musicians playing instruments. There are pluses and minuses to both. The MIDI styles offer ultimate editing. I prefer the MIDI styles, a list of why appears here https://www.nortonmusic.com/midi_vs_loops.html admittedly it is biased towards MIDI. On the other hand, the "Real" tracks and styles sound great. But it's mostly what you get is what you get. IMO if you have a great MIDI synth array you can sound almost as good as the Real but have the ability to edit the styles. If you have the money, and want to get the Audiophile edition, you will get both the MIDI and the Real styles, so you end up with both. And if you really, really want to get the best (self-serving plug coming here) I have aftermarket styles https://www.nortonmusic.com/contents.html#biab and "Fake Book" collections https://www.nortonmusic.com/contents.html#fake If you want to write a new melody to an existing chord progression, like DIzzy GIllespie and Charlie Parker did in the 40s, or like so many of us rockers have done since, you might consider a fake e-disk (they don't have melodies), chante the style (easy to do in BiaB) and see if it inspires you to write a new song. If you or anyone else here has any questions about BiaB, I'll be happy to answer them if I can. And I'll do so whether or not you are interested in my products. Insights and incites by Notes ♫

And I just gotta ... ... ? Free Ride – Edgar Winter Group

21st Century Schizoid Man – King Crimson

You don't need to like them, just post 'em. She does have some pipes, and I like a few of the things she has done, and been bored with others. I gues they were written/sung for somebody else.

Got home from work today to find my kids have been on ebay all day. If they are still there tomorrow, I will lower the price.

Vision Of Love – Mariah Carey

"I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food." – W.C. Fields

Song title: She Used To Kiss Me On The Lips, But It's All Over Now.

Farmer's Almanac – Johnny Cash

I was so surprised when the stationery store moved.

I thought of some of them on the gig. We aim to entertain. We play music seriously, and have serious fun doing just that. If the audience is right, between the songs silliness reigns supreme. And in our outdoor midday gig, the audience is almost always ready for some giggles or groans. Mrs. Notes and I have the best job in the world, play music and goof off between the songs. Notes ♫

Too Much Junkie Business – Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers

I'm waiting for "Combining BS with AI!" -- oops! That's already here.

A magician was going down the road and turned into a driveway...