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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,381
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Joined: Aug 2018
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I'd like to see a button that leads to some music theory aids, such as:
Circle/Wheel of 5ths.
Notes in Scales.
Notes in Chords.
What the 1, 2, 3 (I, II, III) etc. chords are in various keys.
What extensions are and do--possibly even in a particular chord.
More advanced:
Some cheat sheets on modes.
Info on modes in the various keys.
Rhythm, poly-rhythms, etc.
These can be as interactive as possible (keyed to the Key or chord entered), but just the presence of simple "cheat sheets" would be a useful addition and keep everything handy, as well as be educational.
I wrote a lot of songs with extremely limited knowledge of theory. I think I could have written a lot more (and better) if I had at least known what rules I was breaking. Don't assume everybody who uses BIAB is versed in even the basics.
If I have overlooked resources of this sort which may already be in BIAB, please direct me to them.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: May 2005
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If BIAB doesn't do this, each one of your subjects is easily found by Googling it. A wealth of information out there.
Asus Q500A i7 Win 10 64 bit 8GB ram 750 HD 15.5" touch screen, BIAB 2017, Casio PX 5s, Xw P1, Center Point Stereo SS V3 and EWI 4000s.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Aug 2011
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+1.
Tagmo incorporating music theory into the tools is a good idea. This idea has been brought up before and it was a good idea then and it is a good idea now. There are some ways you can use BiaB to develop some of your thoughts.
1) Enter the chords of a song you like and know. Then hit the Chord Display button to open the Chord Display sub menu and change the default, standard chord display type to another chord display type such as Roman Numerial, Nashville, Solfeggo or Fixed Do. Print out the chord sheet, select another chord display, print and keep on until all chord types are printed. Then practice reading a chord sheet of a chord type your not use to.
2) The bottom half of the Chord Builder is based on music theory including the 1,2,3.
I don't have a music theory background so I understand what you're asking for.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Mar 2018
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+1 Tangmo, there is a neat (free) tool by pipeline (member of this forum group) called "chord picker" if you have not discovered it already try it. It shows "in key" chords of selected. Recently pipeline introduced another feature of the app, to "hear" the chord when you click on them. Unfortunately it is done through "hot key" and not integrated. I can not think of a good reason why it (or similar) was not implemented into BIAB years ago. Anyway, it is the best tool as of yet (or at least what I have seen) to hear and explore complex chords and input them into BIAB right from the app. P.S. I know close to nothing in music theory, so the only way for me to make backing tracks for my songs is "by ear". Again, fully support your thoughts! One more thing. One program helped me a lot with chords. It is by a talented German developer. It is called Sundog Song Studio. I believe there is a demo available. Here is a screen shot: 
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Aug 2018
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I'll look those up. Here's another similar I found with both a free and a subscription version. https://www.hooktheory.com/siteTo note: I've started typing in numbers rather than chord names in BIAB, and I have printed out the order of the 7 triads in every key MAJ-min to know how to enter them correctly. It's easier than remembering the names of the available root notes in the scale, and it transposes if need be. I learned chords by shape and sound/color. I was writing songs with "borrowed chords", modal interchange, and even brief key changes long before I knew I was doing that. And until recently, I never once set out to write a song in a particular key, and determining what key the song I had written was in was as much a matter of guess-work as working-knowledge. I could have wished for just that extra bit of help way back then, and I think a bit of help visible on the platform would be a good starting guide for those like me--musical, but ignorant. Cheat Sheets might not be the sexiest feature on BIAB 2019, but it might be easy to do and helpful.
Last edited by Tangmo; 09/14/18 04:53 PM.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Aug 2018
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I'm a bit embarrassed to say I found at least part of what I was looking for in the "chord builder" feature. I'll be exploring that more thoroughly.
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Also look at RapidComposer 30% Off Till Sept 24th it has all of the above and will run as a vsti in BB RB.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Dec 2017
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I wrote a lot of songs with extremely limited knowledge of theory. I think I could have written a lot more (and better) if I had at least known what rules I was breaking.
Some people say that rules are meant to be broken, and music is one thing you can apply that to. For the most part you have to rely on your ears, but there are guidelines to follow. Music theory can be as complex or simple as you make it to be. I was kind of surprised myself, and I thought that BIAB should have more tools supporting theory. I'm kind of on the fence with this one because there are so many resources already out there. The chord builder is kind of primitive and should be improved to include something like the circle of 5ths. Your best bet is to probably find a good VST for that. The plugin that I use when I want to go with something complex is Liquid Music, or I might fire up EzKeys. It sounds good, but I just don't think BIAB needs it. I don't want to sound pretentious, but do you really have a BIAB that doesn't know theory. I mean to say that if you can't join that band, and also bring some musical value to the table, then perhaps there is a reason they call the basic version "pro." I think PG has some other programs that help out with theory, perhaps you should look at those. There are also some Mac products. http://www.pgmusic.com/products.win.htm
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"I think PG has some other programs that help out with theory, perhaps you should look at those. There are also some Mac products.
http://www.pgmusic.com/products.win.htm"
Yes...
And the PGMusic Forum.
Not to derail the request but I see the implementation of this idea possibly being a barrier to those that use BIAB to teach music theory and want to point students to their own preference source of music theory and won't necessarily appreciate a 'cheat' button at the disposal of their students.
Last edited by Charlie Fogle; 09/21/18 01:20 AM.
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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