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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4 |
Hi,
I have recently bought Band-In-A-Box 2010.5 and have really enjoyed using it for my songs. My only criticism is the lack of guitar solos. I have browsed the Realpaks and listened to the demos and observed that there are relatively few guitar solos that can be used for pop music. I am talking about middle of the road music in the style of the Beatles, ELO, America (I haven't found a single acoustic guitar solo), James Taylor etc. I have managed to use the slide guitar, the hiphop sax and the harmonica for some of my solos, but there isn't much else. Please can you provide more pop guitar and other solos?
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,305
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,305 |
I'll add my two cents in for some solo guitar. Mostly, I'm thinking of acoustic guitar, but these riffs are general enough to be done on clean electric. Basically, in the same genre as Rhythm CountrySwingCleanPicked Sw 110, but a bit less "country" and perhaps a bit more "blues".
Listening through my favorite middle of the road albums for example, it's a bit surprising how "solos" were few and far between. Mostly, there are short riffs that fill in at the end of phrases and sections - most last ast the most only a measure or two.
Artists that I associate with acoustic guitar - America, Dan Fogelberg, Indigo Girls - often don't have "flashy" licks, but instead use simple stuff like pentatonic moves, scalewise motion, and suspensions. It's all very understated, mixed in with fingerpicking or strums.
The James Taylor style incorporates the licks into fingerpicking patterns. This makes it hard to isolate them, and they also have a very distinct style to them. I love the JT style (and would love to have that as a style!), but I've tried to keep the examples generic.
In listening for what I though would be "generic" riffs, I've tried to eliminate repeated riffs such as in "Ventura Highway", as well as melodic lines that are closely tied to the melody. Some specific examples:
America/Homecoming/Ventura Highway
0:44 - twinned descending line
1:52 - hammered on descending lick
America/Hearts/Sister Golden Hair
0:29 - arpeggios
1:02 - hammered on descending lick
Indigo Girls/Rites of Passage/Galileo
2:20 - hammer on suspensions,
2:39 - hammer on/pull off descending line
Indigo Girls/Swamp Ophelia/Power of Two
Intro - lots of riffs
1:34 - hammer on and slide
Carole King/Tapestry/So Far Away
0:04 - scales and suspensions
0:59 - hammer on/off riff
3:18 - extended lick
3:27 - ascending scale
Carole King/Music/Sweet Seasons
1:05 - hammer on riffs
1:58 - bluesy guitar hammer on riff
2:15 - bluesy riff repeats...
Carole King/Music/Some Kind of Wonderful
0:12 - James Taylor chordal suspension riff
0:27 - pentatonic ascending riff
0:38 - high guitar on thirds
0:45 - hammer on riffs
1:07 - thirds
1:10 - another hammer on riff
1:18 - descending riff
1:21 - hammer on riff
1:30 - hammer on riff
etc...
1:58 - thirds
etc...
Carole King/Music/Growing Away From Me
0:03 - descending hammer on/off riff
0:08 - sliding suspension riff
0:21 - bluesy thirds
etc...
0:54 - parallel thirds riff
Carole King/Music/Too Much Rain
0:46 - nice hammer on/off riff
1:02 - ascending pentatonic riff
1:19 - descending parallel thirds
2:02 - hammer on/off riff
2:07 - extended hammer on/off riff (very JT sounding)
2:14 - hammer on/off riff
Dan Fogelberg/Captured Angel/Comes And Goes
0:42 - riff in thirds
1:02 - ascending scale
1:11 - slide
1:32 - descending scale
1:42 - ascending scale
2:00 - riff in thirds
Dan Fogelberg/Captured Angel/Old Tennessee
0:30 - riff using suspensions
0:49 - another hammer on suspension riff
1:00 - ascending scale riff
1:10 - riff using suspension
1:16 - descending scale
1:41 - hammer on suspension
1:50 - parallel thirds
1:57 - slide
2:03 - riff built around a suspension
2:10 - another descending lick using hammer ons with suspensions
3:02 - ascending scale
Yes, I know that's JT playing on Carole King's songs. But I tried to identify riffs that were fairly generic. This isn't intended to be an exhaustive list, but get the general flavor. If people are looking for something else, please chime in and correct me!
I think that this sort of style - with simple arpeggios and runs under melody, and fills at the end - would be a great addition to the RealTracks style.
It would also be nice to have a more "bluesy" approach as well, perhaps done on clean electric guitar.
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,305
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,305 |
I'll go easy on the lists this time around!
While I want more MOR electric guitar solos, I'd also like to have the "meat and potatoes" guitar tracks as well - turnarounds and bits that sit behind the vocals. While not as flashy, I think a "comping solo" style would find use in more songs that a "lead solo" style would.
While everyone's probably got a different idea of what they'd like, I'd like to see something along the lines of David Lindley's guitar work during the mid 70's with Jackson Browne. Examples include "Doctor My Eyes", "Fountain of Sorrow" and "Late For The Sky".
Not only do these songs have some great solos, but they're good examples of comping that fits in behind the vocals, supporting without overpowering. The general style is "generic" enough to fit a broad class of songs.
Since I'm asking, I'd also love to have some Latin-influenced nylon string guitar soloing. Examples include "On The Border" (Al Stewart/Year of the Cat), "River of Souls" (Dan Fogelberg/River of Souls), "Private Investigations" (Dire Straits/Love Over Gold) and "Paseo De Gracia" (The Alan Parsons Project/Gaudi). Not only would these work as "rock" solos, but they'd probably work with "contemporary jazz" as well.
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
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