I have a jazz song with 4 bar intro, start on 5, end on 36, 2 choruses with a 5 bar tag ending. I have substyles for all parts set to "a" and RealDrums set to JazzBrushesSticks#1 which plays a nice brushes beat.
But for just the first 16 bars of the 2nd chorus, I'd like to have a bit more assertive drums (sticks). Since there's only 2 choruses, the drums never switch to "b" substyle (and I'd only want that for the first 16 bars anyway).
So how can I change the drums style or substyle for the first 16 bars of the 2nd chorus?

Just so you know, that's not very realistic. It will be quite a feat for a drummer to pull that off mid song.

You can add two additional sub-styles using the 'define c/d' command when right clicking on a part marker at the first bar of the 16 bars of the 2nd chorus and changing back to the original style at the 17th bar of the 2nd chorus.

If you mean that the drummer changes from brushes to sticks mid song, then any competent real drummer can do that without missing a beat. Drummers do that all the time. I've worked with many.

Hi Charlie,
How does the O/P select the changed style part marker for only the second chorus?

i think this is another example of when its best to 'unfold' a song

I understand unfolding, but that wasn't mentioned, so I'm really keen to learn if there is a way to achieve this with the standard chord layout.

Originally Posted By: AudioTrack

Hi Charlie,
How does the O/P select the changed style part marker for only the second chorus?

By using either an existing MultiStyle or creating a custom MultiStyle then using Bar Settings (F5) to select Chorus 2 in the 'All Choruses' button. In order to change the drum kits, the MultiStyle would have two drum kits so they can be muted/unmuted to each play specific bars in Chorus 2. All the other instruments would remain unchanged and the MultiStyle will consist of 4 substyles, a,b,c, and d and are saved in the StylePicker and accessible at a Chorus number level in Bar Settings. For instance, a MultiStyle naming configuration is Dusty+ = Dusty1, Dusty2, Dusty3, and Dusty4. Although there's 5 styles, only two are needed to do this drum change.


Here are the steps to apply the MultiStyle and drum changes in Chorus 2 using Bar Settings Menu.

Select a different sub-style of the MultiStyle using the 'Style Button' that is the same instrumentation of the original style except for the drums. The MultiStyle will be modified to have two drum sets; The original drums with brushes and a second drum kit with Sticks.

Chorus 1:

The sticks drum kit is muted and the brush kit playing.

Chorus 2

In Bar Settings, Mute the brush kit and unmute the sticks kit for bars 1-16. Reverse the muted tracks for bars 17-32.

Select Chorus 3 from the 'All Choruses' button and return to the original style and mute the sticks drums again. It seems to me that should play the song as the poster wants. I haven't field tested this with drums but have replaced other instruments without issue except I've also always played a MultiStyle throughout a complete chorus without the muting/unmuting of bars but that seems pretty straight forward to me.

EDIT: I tested the above steps with PG Music MultiStyle Dusty+. I used the main MultiStyle, Dusty+ and used substyle Dusty4 that replaced a main style muted guitar track in Chorus 1 and unmuted the track, changed to Dusty4 Style and played a soloist lead guitar on the track in Chorus 2.


I believe in the scenario outlined, the OP, it would have to be a custom MultiStyle specific to the instruments being used.

Thanks Charlie,

Please give me some time to absorb this. That workaround seems like a rather convoluted approach.

Wouldn't it be simpler if the Bar Settings option just allowed for Part Marker changes to occur based on the bar number and chorus number?

Charlie is the expert and can make BIAB do just about anything. I always go for a simple solution like unfolding!

I don't believe I have ever once heard a drummer do that without pausing.

<< Wouldn't it be simpler if the Bar Settings option just allowed for Part Marker changes to occur based on the bar number and chorus number? >>

That's what it does. The issue in this example making it more complex, is confining the change to 16 bars in the 2nd chorus and the remaining bars of chorus 2 remain unchanged without a Part Marker. In Bar Settings, a style change can apply to 'All Choruses' or to any one of 40 individual chorus.

BIAB has the feature to add a Part Marker that's chorus specific, but I could not get it to work. It always applied the Part Marker to 'All Choruses'.

Hmm, wonder why BIAB has styles that have brush & stick variations? I've been a pro drummer for 55 years. Did it frequently in bands from combos to big band. Sometimes even using a brush on snare with stick on cymbal. (Most drummers I talk with today don't even own a pair of brushes!)

Back to my original issue, I'd like to pursue Charlie's technique if only to expand my knowledge of BIAB. But it does seem like quite an effort! Also, I've tried the unfold method but it works only until I refold the song.

BIAB_Lil_Darlin.SGU Here's a link to the unfolded version of the song Li'l Darlin by Neal Hefti. It has a 4 bar intro, then two 16 bar phrases, which repeat, then a tag ending starting in bar 65.

In the song, on the repeat, there's a solo that is played in the first 16 bars of that repeat (starting with bar 36), and the drummer switches to sticks for that solo (then back to brushes for the 2nd half of the repeat at bar 53). In my unfolded version attached, all plays correctly. I then fold it (chorus begins at 5, ends at 36, 2 choruses, tag starts at 69, uncheck 2bar ending).

The result plays bar 36 with sticks, but then the repeat at bar 37 goes right back to brushes. And then at bar 69 it goes into sticks through the rest of the song! I'd like to play the song folded just for readability while I accompany it. Am I doing the fold wrong?

Why refold it?