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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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OP
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Hello,
Just a very simple question: I want to enter chords in BIAB but, it's played on guitar with capo.
Usually, I translate it myself before to type it. Is there a simple way to do it?
Thanks.
FB
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Quote:
Is there a simple way to do it?
Yep. ... You enter the correct key!
A capo has nothing to do with it. Just like in the "real" world.
A capo is for the convenience of the player using the capo. The rest of the musical world just thinks in terms of the actual key.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
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Yes, there is a simple way. For example, if the capo is on fret 1 and the song is played in Eb. So you are playing in D and the sound is capo'd up one semitone so that it sounds as Eb.
If you want to type D as your chord, then do so for the whole song, and enter D as the key signature. When you are done, transpose the whole song to Eb using the key box on the main screen. And you're done.
Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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OP
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Thanks, that's just I did. But I only have the guitar chords A E Bm Bm A E Bsus2... and it's said capo on fret 2. It's more easy when you have a piano score.
I suppose it was written in D. Am I correct?
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FB, get a chromatic scale picture of the fretboard like this one: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http...wAg&dur=141Your capo is on the second fret so just count up two from the chord. So A is B, E is F#, Bm is C#m and Bsus2 is C#sus2. If the capo is on the third fret add 3 and so on. So with the chords B, F#, C#m and C#sus2 my guess is that the song is in the key of F#. Are there any other chords in the song? What is the last chord of the song? Usually the last chord of the song is the key of the song.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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it would be great to have a capo feature in BIAB for guitarists. when writing a song I will capo up and down as I write to find the best place for my song. typically I have settled on my chord forms during this part of the process so I am just moving them around on the fretboard. it would make it much easier if BIAB would let me change a capo setting instead on having to transpose, edit and then transpose back every time I want to edit a song. and yes I understand that I could put in more effort and transpose in my head to enter the "right" chords but BIAB is giving me shortcuts to accompaniment so why not this shortcut too? :-)
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
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Hi John,
You can do this by entering a tranpose value. You can enter that via Notation-Options dialog, or Prefs-Display.
e.g. For a capo at 3rd fret, would enter tranpose of -3.
Then a concert Bb chord will display as a G for you.
And when you enter 'G', you will see 'G' but it will play as 'Bb'
I can add those #s to the new Non-Concert transpose button, so that its more convenient, and shows text (on a sub menu) like Capo Fret 1, Capo Fret 2
Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
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Quote:
Hi John,
You can do this by entering a tranpose value. You can enter that via Notation-Options dialog, or Prefs-Display.
e.g. For a capo at 3rd fret, would enter tranpose of -3.
Then a concert Bb chord will display as a G for you.
And when you enter 'G', you will see 'G' but it will play as 'Bb'
I can add those #s to the new Non-Concert transpose button, so that its more convenient, and shows text (on a sub menu) like Capo Fret 1, Capo Fret 2
that would be great Peter!!
... in fact, when I saw the non-concert transpose feature, the first thing that entered my mind was the potential for adding CAPO transpositions for people who want the chord sheet to follow their capo chords even though the song is actually playing in a different key.
THANK-YOU-O-METER
0__________/_a million
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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In case you hadn't thought about it, the transpose feature of BIAB is also tremendously helpful to horn players playing transposing instruments. I use not only the common Bb, Eb and F but also A (piccolo trumpet) and G (alto flute).
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Quote:
Hi John,
You can do this by entering a tranpose value. You can enter that via Notation-Options dialog, or Prefs-Display.
e.g. For a capo at 3rd fret, would enter tranpose of -3.
Then a concert Bb chord will display as a G for you.
And when you enter 'G', you will see 'G' but it will play as 'Bb'
I can add those #s to the new Non-Concert transpose button, so that its more convenient, and shows text (on a sub menu) like Capo Fret 1, Capo Fret 2
Peter,
Thank you very much for the response!
Unless I misunderstood, a major problem with this approach is this setting is not song-specific rather it changes BIAB for all songs unless and until you change it back. I would rather have something that is stored with the song. For example,
Song #1 is key of C so I'd just leave capo setting to nothing
Song #2 is in the key of E but I'm playing it with capo at 4 so I can use C/G/Am/F chord forms
So when I load these songs I'd have to remember to change the setting every time and I'd have to remember what the setting should be for each because it is not stored with the song. This seems a lot more complicated than just transposing, editing and transposing again.
My suggestion is to add a capo option right beside the key dropdown. I would select my concert key, then my capo position. For song #2 above I would select key of E and capo position of 4 then I would enter C/G/Am/F chord forms but when played it would transpose to E/B/C#m/A on the fly. If I changed my capo setting the key would change accordingly and the playback would be in the new key but my chords would still display as C/G/Am/F.
I dunno, the more I think about this the more complicated it seems it would be for you to add this feature and make it intuitively obvious as to how it works. Maybe the best thing is to hit the transpose button, edit and then hit it again. Easier to understand what it is I'm doing!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Effort better spend learning your instrument. BIAB Ultraplus pak - $399, mastering your instrument - priceless. 
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Band in a Box has many different users who have many differing skillsets and many different users who are at various stages of musicianship and accomplishment.
One of the many uses for this marvelous program is the use of it as a learning tool.
Another of the many use possibilities is simply the desire to streamline a certain operation for ease of use.
Then there all the music teachers out there, using BB as a teaching aid.
Asking for a bit better Capo routine is certainly a valid request in my opinion and does not deserve a snarky comment pertaining to someone's supposed music abilities.
--Mac
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Quote:
Effort better spend learning your instrument.
A musician more accomplished than you might suggest the same thing to you regarding your use of BIAB! 
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Quote:
...does not deserve a snarky comment pertaining to someone's supposed music abilities.
--Mac
Wow, ...never my intention, actually I felt it was an apropriate friendly encouragment from one guitarist to another to master a fundemental aspect of the fretboard. 
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Quote:
A musician more accomplished than you might suggest the same thing to you regarding your use of BIAB!
Jeeze, is it pick on Dan day here or just a misunderstood comment.
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By now you ought to know how a written comment on a forum can sound to others, Dan.
--Mac
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Quote:
No one was picking on you Dan...just reacting to you! 
Reacting, OK that sounds a little more polite. I can appreciate that. Thanks for clarifing. 
Actually, JJJ I was following your thoughts when you said, "... the more I think about this the more complicated it seems it would be for you to add this feature and make it intuitively obvious as to how it works."
I have worked with a capo charts within BAIB for a long time and found BIAB already handles the transpostion well. Unfortunately, my two-cents on the topic didn't come across as I intended. Nuff said by me.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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OP
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Hello,
Thanks. I've learned music theory with a piano when I was a kid and it's a little bit far!
The chords that I've mentioned are the intro.
For example, the first verse is: F#m A, E Bm, F#m A, E Bsus2 with capo on the second fret and the last chorus is chord is A C#m G D, A C#m G, D Bm E Bm E and a Bm at the end.
If I follow you, the song could be written in the key of Am? Or D? I'm lost!
That's possible, but I feel it strange.
In this case, I'll check the Am key before entering the transposed chords or check the Bm, enter the chords not transposed and then, change the key for Am in BIAB?
Lot of thanks for your help.
FB
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I for one agree with JohnJohnJohn. Not everyone who uses a capo on a daily basis plays a guitar. I for one play bluegrass banjo and while the band may sing the song in Bb instead of G, I cannot tune the banjo to Bb otherwise I would be changing strings every song due to breakage. Instead I capo 3 and play out of G, the natural tuning for a bluegrass banjo for the large percentage of bluegrass songs.
When I teach beginning bluegrass banjo, I do not expect my students to be able to transpose from a song traditionally played in Bb into G when they are still just learning the basic rolls.
The ability to 'capo' so the songs at the correct pitch while still displaying the chords as if there was no capo is a long overdue addition to BIAB, especially if it can be song specific after you save it so the parameter loads each time the saved song is loaded. If I can pull up say Salt Creek, a typical beginning bluegrass song, have it play in the traditional key of A while displaying the chords in G would be absolutely great.
The tabbing program TablEdit has had that ability since it was written years ago simply by checking a small box in the options that say Capo Doesn't Affect Notation and it works great.
Let's see this in BIAB in the near future as an upgrade.
BIAB2026
Windows 10 Pro (Never Windows 11!)
WA6NCB
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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