I want to input a song from a lead sheet that is in 6/8 time.
In BB I click on time sig, The dialog says for 12/8 or 6/8, use 4/4 with a triplet feel.
Can some one explain how to do that please.
I think largely that they are referring to use a style that has a swing / shuffle feel. I agree, it's not explained very well. IIRC, BIAB internally only fully supports 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures.
I experimented and only got reasonable results with 6/8 styles with a much lower tempo.
Search your Style Picker for 6/8 styles and demo ones with a slow tempo. Hope this helps.
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Hello Danna, Here is how I attempt this in BIAB 12/8 meaning there are four primary pulses (beats) per bar, and each pulse is naturally divided into three eighth notes. So enter 4 chords per bar and count: To count it : Count: "1 and a 2 and a 3 and a 4 and a". or Alternative: "1 2 3, 2 2 3, 3 2 3, 4 2 3," Or my favorit Count: 123, 456, 123, 456, .... (regardless, of count always emphasizing the first number of each group).
Now to get that " triplet pulse" you need a swing style. Trev is correct, it is not easy to find the groove but don't limit youself to searching for 6/8 or 12/8. You can find something in 4/4 which fits as long as it is designated "SWING" and you can count as I showed above.
Historically in BIAB there has been a lot of discussion on this. At the end of the day you just have to find the style that fits. Good Luck
I'm just adding to Audiotrack's and DrDan's excellent explanations.
While there are many different times signatures in everyday music, these can all be grouped into basically two main pulse beats. These are called "Simple" and "Compound" time signatures.
Simple time signatures are based on a pulse a note's beat (e.g. 2/4, 4/4, 3/2, etc). Compound time signatures are based on a pulse of a dotted-note's beat (6/8, 12/8, 6/4, etc). The dot after the note means that the note's total length is 1½ the time of note's value.
I tend to think of each numbered place in the matrix as a cell, not as a bar or measure. This gives you a lot of freedom you don't have if you think of them as bars.
For example, if your song is in 5/4 time, make the first cell 3 beats the second 2 beats, and the two cells combined make one 5/4 bar or measure.
6/8? Pick the right swing style, and the 4 beats of the first cell can be two 6/8 measures (or one 12/8 bar).
I tend to think of each numbered place in the matrix as a cell, not as a bar or measure. This gives you a lot of freedom you don't have if you think of them as bars.
For example, if your song is in 5/4 time, make the first cell 3 beats the second 2 beats, and the two cells combined make one 5/4 bar or measure.
6/8? Pick the right swing style, and the 4 beats of the first cell can be two 6/8 measures (or one 12/8 bar).
On some songs, I've found that using a waltz style (PGMusic calls all their 3/4 styles a waltz style, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a waltz) and using 2 bars to make the 6/8 works well. You generally have to use a faster tempo, since the waltz style is quarter note based, rather than an 8th note based 6/8 time. The first bar will give you the 1-2-3 and the second bar will give you the 4-5-6.
It won't look right on a printout, but it can sound right. I usually do my sheet music in a dedicated notation program anyway, so it's not a problem for me.
John
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If you open the Multipicker Library, select the "Titles" tab, and then enter O HOLY NIGHT, you find the song appears.
Select an option and then select "Apply - Find matching styles" and BIAB will filter styles in Stylepicker that will work with this song. (The image below is from BIAB 2026.)
This is what was filtered in Stylepicker for me...
I have the Audiophile version of BIAB. In relation to the number of styles, this is the same as UltraPak. I also have nearly all the XPro Styles (Sets 1–10) and Xtra Styles (Sets 1–21). These styles are add-ons and they are not included in regular BIAB purchases.
If you have a look at the "Set #" column in my previous image of Stylepicker, you'll see that many of the styles listed are from the add-on style paks.
I have the Audiophile version of BIAB. In relation to the number of styles, this is the same as UltraPak. I also have nearly all the XPro Styles (Sets 1–10) and Xtra Styles (Sets 1–21). These styles are add-ons and they are not included in regular BIAB purchases. --Noel
Thanks Noel ... I see.
I did purchase the Ultrapak, but did got get the extra styles.
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