I have used the "INTRO" generator (see the INTRO icon button) in BAIB to try to make an intro for my songs. Often they do not suite my needs. However, the chord progressions with modification can give me a chord progression that gives me a song or song idea (i.e. the start of a song--a point of departure.) Also the chord progression by themselves are quite jazzy and sometimes beautiful or nice in some way. (Please note the INTRO Generator in BAIB allows you to choose between maj 7th and maj 6th chord progressions. Best thing is to experiment with it in BAIB-- just click the INTRO button (incon))

This leads me to a question. Do any of you know of any good chord progression generators beyond the INTRO feature of BAIB?

A lot of chord progressions in jazz are based in the circle of 5ths.

The basic layout of a tune say for the Beatles "Let it Be" is

I - V - vi - IV

If you wanted to jazz it up then you have some options.

1. Enter the chords, and space them how you hear the changes. I often will pen a little phrase or catch phrase for fun, and put the changes to the line. Just one line to start.

Something like "Bill Clinton as first lady, will have an easy life, won't be any worries, won't be any strife."
LOL Its a joke folks.

Anyway if you can fit the above progression to that and run it as 12 bar blues and pick a blues style.

Next you can expand it, figure out the chord progression from Let it Be and go from there. Band in a box will make a melody. Then, depending on what instrument you play, you can go to the soloist and have it generate a solo.

To be honest a couple of times a day I load a popular song, kill the melody. Have Band in a Box make me a new melody. Then I mute it and improvise over it. Great practice. And if you get stuck for creative ideas just get the soloist to give you a hand. I have solo pages printed for some songs and my wife is always asking where I got that variation from. It was just that, my ears, the circle of 5ths and some variations.

It doesn't hurt to listen to 4 or 5 artists do the same jazz piece, and then figure out what's going on.

To some extent the Audio Chord Wizard can give you great results and ideas as to the chord changes. At times it's not spot on but you come to 'get it'.

Best to retire or win the lotto so you have time to use all the pieces and parts.

And find on-line libraries of Band in a Box files, almost everything except really new stuff is there.

Oh and don't forget the simple button, "Jazz up the chords!"

Peter, welcome to the forum.

I really like this BIAB menu command: Window, Chord Substitution Dialog. Play around with this. It can give you a variety of interesting ways to get from one place in the song to another, leading to ideas. Experiment.

Don't overlook the fact that we can use the BIAB Melodist to generate an entire song, then kill the Melody part, leaving the chord progression intact.


--Mac

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Don't overlook the fact that we can use the BIAB Melodist to generate an entire song, then kill the Melody part, leaving the chord progression intact.


--Mac

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This is one of the best songwriting features in BIAB. I often let melodist create a new song, kill the melody and then change the style. Sometimes you end up with a very cool arrangement. Hey, inspiration is anywhere you find it