74. What is the best way to enter a melody for the odd and compound time signature styles included in the "About Time" Styles Set?

The styles included in Styles Set 38 - "About Time" were created so that one bar of, say, 5/4 time, would fit into a single 4/4 bar in Band-in-a-Box® (To get 5/4 in other styles, it is necessary to spread it over two bars: one bar of 2/4 and one bar of 3/4).

Entering a melody for these styles is difficult using only your mouse in editable notation mode, since you need to divide the bar into the appropriate number of divisions and do calculations to determine where to put each note. The easiest way to do it is to record the melody using an external MIDI synthesizer. If you don't have an external MIDI synth, you can do the following:

  1. Make sure that the 'Wizard Playalong Feature' is enabled (check under the Play menu).
  2. Press Record (MIDI).
  3. While the song is playing, tap in the time of your melody on any key in the bottom two rows of your computer keyboard. Band-in-a-Box® will record what you are tapping. Don't worry about the pitch of each note right now. Just worry about getting the timing right.
  4. When you have finished recording, open the Notation Window in editable notation mode.
  5. With your mouse, drag each melody note vertically to the proper pitch.

Alyssa - PG Music