I have BIAB for Mac 2017 Ultra Pak

I'm trying to find ready made backing tracks for some jazz standards to practice over (Satin Doll, Ipanema, One Note Samba, etc). I know I could enter the chord sequences, but to save time I'd like to take what is already out there - I don't need the melodies, just the backing.

I think there are some songs already within BIAB? If so, where do I find them? What I can find so far is very limited, like a few sequences, not whole songs.

Also, I've tried downloading some, but the ones I've found were MIDI format. So although I could download, when I tried to load as a song in BIAB they were greyed out. No problem I thought, I see there is an option for 'Import MIDI'! But when I clicked on this there were lots of options - but nowhere to select the file!

Any suggestions please folks? I'd prefer to get these tracks as RealTracks - or import and convert.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Hi Rich, I have a bunch of standards in BiaB format and if you want them I could zip them and email them to you.

Another good source is Notes Norton's site. Note the none of the above are from Notes: I do not pirate. He has fake book discs that match the fake book perfectly. See here:

http://nortonmusic.com/

Thanks Mario,

The Real Book /disk is here:
http://www.nortonmusic.com/fake37.html

And a list of all my fake disk book is here:

http://www.nortonmusic.com/fake.html#links

Be aware, there are no melodies on the disks. It's a copyright thing (I don't pirate either). I've been audited twice by BMI so what I'm doing is legal.

Notes

Thanks. I do have one set of standards that I got from Norton already, with quite a few standards. One thing that really confuses me though is the MIDI format. I get the impression that these are in MIDI and I'm really now looking for tracks that are in, or can easily be converted to RealTracks, as this seems an easier way to go.

You do already have many whole standard songs in BIAB; you just don’t know it because PG Music changed the melody and the name and provides it as a demo. It’s an interesting challenge to identify them. But if you think you’ve heard a demo song before, that’s why.

This was common practice in the early days of BIAB and MIDI, but I’m not sure if it’s still done. Nevertheless you still have all those early songs.

And then there are many places to download them, some legally.

If a file uses a MIDI style, just change to a RealTrack style. Chord progression stays the same. BIAB will offer RealStyle suggestions for many of their MIDI styles (that won't help with Norton Styles, but a quick filter of the style picker should get you close).

Most of the MIDI files on my fake 'disks' come with a suggestion in a little yellow box telling you which Real Style might work.

Doing it that way allows both the MIDI and RT users to enjoy the software.

I do always advise users to try the MIDI style first, then the RT and see which one works better.

Often we can do things that make the song work better with MIDI that are impossible with the RTs.

It's about the right tool for the right job.

Insights and incites by Notes