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chumbo Offline OP
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Hi,
I've already posted asking about how I could use BIAB as a sight-reading tool and despite the help I got from users, the conclusion was that unfortunately it can't really be done in BIAB alone (to my needs of course).

So I got a little help from outside and had a notation software auto-generate 3000 bars (the max allowed by the software! smile ) of random, simple 1 octave quarter notes in C to get me started on my long journey to finally learning to properly learn to read music.

It's working out great except that, I can't get past bar 255!? That's the max amount of bars that BIAB allows in a song!

Is there any way of getting around this? A workaround, trick, or just a feature I missed? (I hope so frown )
Thanks in advance!

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chumbo,

255 bars is the limit with BIAB. Multiple choruses will give you more but if you are reading in a midi file created by other software, multiple choruses have limited use (as far as I'm aware, at least). Realband would be worth investigating as it goes up to 1998 bars. (You can still generate all the backings in Realband that BIAB does.)

Also, I don't know if you've followed the calculations through, but if a song is 3,000 bars long, in 4/4 time and at a tempo of 100 beats per minute then the time it would take to play those 3,000 bars is...

time = (3,000 x 4)/100 = 120 minutes (that's a long time for non-stop playing)

Regards,
Noel


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Thanks! That does indeed seem to be the solution! smile
One more quick one...how can I have only the treble clef show and not the empty bass clef below it?


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Originally Posted By: chumbo
Thanks! That does indeed seem to be the solution! smile
One more quick one...how can I have only the treble clef show and not the empty bass clef below it?



(3000 bars? crazy Can't imagine how you could seriously need a song that long to practice sight-reading)

Here's how to stop the bass clef displaying:

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Thanks but as suggested by previous user Noel, I'm now using Realband to be able to go beyond the 255th bar, while your screenshot is from BIAB.

And yes, you're both right, 3000 bars is ridiculous! But I don't read it all in one go of course! wink
It's just convenient to have as much as possible in one unique MIDI file so I don't have to load lots of different ones.

This is how the Notation Option menu it looks in Realband vs BIAB. As you can see, I don't have a Bass clef setting to disable:


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chumbo,

Go to the Lead Sheet view rather than Notation view. That should do what you want. Simply follow the 1, 2, 3 on the below image.



Regards,
Noel


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Yup, that did it! Thanks a lot, I'm off practicing now wink

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Originally Posted By: chumbo
Thanks but as suggested by previous user Noel, I'm now using Realband to be able to go beyond the 255th bar, while your screenshot is from BIAB.

OK, great, question was in the BiaB forum and I didn't know you'd actually gone to RealBand. Anyway, no problems, Noel's got you sorted out OK.


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Chumbo: Just curious. What it that notation program you are using to generate the notation. Sounds like a good idea for working on sight reading.


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chumbo Offline OP
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Sibelius, as instructed here:


However, I still haven't figured out how to include random rhythmic values. As it is now, I use it exclusively to learn to read the notes, so using quarter notes is fine for that but later on down the line, I'd of course like to start tackling reading of rhythms as well.

I'm sure there is a 'trick'. Maybe not in Sibelius or even BIAB but there are more and more randomising softwares around which could potentially be twisted around to do the job.

Just in case you're as beginner as I am you might find my MIDI file useful as well, I've attached to this post. And when you've 'mastered' the 3000 bars, you can always use other tricks like 'invert' to recreate a new 3000 bars! ;-)


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My 3000 bar MIDI file for sight reading. C Maj, one octave, all 1/4 notes (rename to .mid).
Last edited by chumbo; 03/31/16 07:43 AM.
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