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#245008 03/22/14 11:47 AM
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I had a song with a 4 bar intro, 8 bars of the A section x2, 8 bars of B section and 8 bars of C section and a 2 bar fade out.
I selected the Form tool and entered the A section starting on bar 5. The B section starting on bar 21 and the C section starting on bar 29.
When generated, it removed my 4 bar intro and has the C section labeled as another B section. It also goofed up my fade out ending.
Anyone know what's going on with the Form tool? BIAB 2013 build 366

I can live with remembering to make my intro's and endings last but, I expected to see the C section labeled correctly.

Last edited by Joey the Flute Guy; 03/22/14 11:57 AM.
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Hi Joey,

I am not a Form Tool expert but after playing around with it a little, it seems to me that you will need to define the Into and the Fade Out as separate sections and then include those sections in the song format line.

If A is used to define the intro and E the outro, then your present song layout of AABC will become ABBCDE. Once that it done, you'll need to regenerate the song using the "OK - Generate Form" button found in the Song Maker dialogue window.

Also, if you change any chords on your chord sheet, it's necessary to revisit the Song Maker dialogue and regenerate the form using the above button.

One last thought that has just occurred to me ... Did you use the blue and green part markers define the start of each section?

Hope this helps,
Noel

Last edited by Noel96; 03/22/14 01:16 PM.

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Noel96 #245051 03/22/14 09:01 PM
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I did define the sections with the blue and green markers previous to trying the Song Form tool. I don't understand what the part markers are used for other than directing the eye.
I'm going to follow your suggestions. They make sense although, I think it would be better if the Song Form tool defined the parts a little more clearly. I can work around it. It's just not very intuitive for a novice.
Thanks
Joey

Last edited by Joey the Flute Guy; 03/23/14 05:25 AM.
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Originally Posted By: Joey the Flute Guy
... I don't understand what the part markers are used for other than directing the eye.


Part Markers change the substyle being played at the bar in which the Part Marker is invoked.

There can be two substyles or more in a Style file.

Let's keep it simple for now, and I will describe what happens in the typical two-substyle Style file.

A Blue Part Marker happens when you click on a bar number once.

That would force the "A" substyle, which is usually going to be a simpler style, as might be desirable for the first whole chorus, or more succinctly the part of the song where the Melody, the singing takes place.

Clicking on the number again will turn that Blue marker to Green, which indicates that the "B" substyle will be used. The B substyle will usually be a bit more busy, especially as regards the Bass and Drum tracks. Quite often the Bass will change to a "walking" bass in the B.

Part markers also force a Drum Fill to happen in the bar before the Part Marker, as this is what good drummers will typically do when the band changes from one substyle to another.


Experiment, try listening to a bar with no part marker, then change it to Blue and hit Regenerate and listen again, then change it to Green and listen again, etc.

You can also place Part Markers of the same color one right after the other, too. In this case, the band won't change the way it plays, but those extra Part Markers will force that drum Fill to happen right before every part marker, making for a bit busier drum part as the song progresses.


--Mac

Mac #245130 03/23/14 07:55 PM
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Thanks again Mac. I followed your suggestions and it's clear what markers do. My instrument before flute was drums so, this revelation makes complete sense from a drummers perspective and what I now want to hear in case I get a little lost while improvising.
Thanks for taking time to offer your knowledge.
Joel

Noel96 #245132 03/23/14 07:57 PM
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Noel....you nailed it. Thanks for helping me with this.

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