I've been sort of successful in entering flatted chords using BIAB chord entry, but only if I am using Roman Numeral notation. But I'm not sure if there is an official way of entering such chords. There is also chords that are borrowed from the major or minor scale of the scaled being used in the song. It's not too much of a a problem to determine the actual chord and then entering it in the normal way. But if there was a way to incorporate this in the notation of BiaB then it would be a more friendly way to work.
If anybody could shed some light that would be great.
I'm not quite following what you are after. When you get a chance, could you please give two or three examples of what you'd like to be able to notate?
Hi Jonel, for flatted chords, do you mean the root is flattened or the third? For the root you can type a "b" next to the chord and for the third it works if you write it as a minor chord, like Am.
It's been a long time since I had to think about borrowed chords! I know in classical music they're typically written with a slash between two Roman Numerals, like V/V, or ii/V. Band-in-a-Box does not recognize this type of input. Using slashes instead specifies the root of the chord, such as C7/G. In this example, the G will be in root position of the C7 chord.
As you mentioned, the best way to enter these chords is to think of the actual chord that is being entered. For example, if you are in A Major, then the V/V chord is actually the B Maj chord. I can pass along the idea to our developers to add borrowed chords. However, this might be tricky to program in, since Band-in-a-Box already has a function that utilizes slashes and this could cause confusing in the programming. This is just speculation though as I am not a developer.
Hi Noel, With regard to borrowed chords, just say that my song is in C major. I would like to borrow a chord from the Cm scale. Let's say I have chord iii (Em) and I want to borrow III chord from the parallel C minor (Eb). Well I can simply enter this chord on the chord sheet and that's it. In Roman numeral notation this could just be distinguished as iii and III but I can't do that in BB because it is all upper case (at least I don't think so).
With flatted chords, just say I'm still in C major and want to use the Bdim chord although I want to lower the root by a semitone to use it as a Bb major chord. Again, in BB I could simply enter it as Bb, although I can make the Roman numeral notation accept and interpret correctly with the entry of bVII. I also tried this with bIII and bVI and this gives me, correctly, Eb and Ab respectively.
If I stick to Roman Numerals then some of what I wanted is already there.
I know this sounds a bit trivial because I can simply enter the equivalent chord directly. But what I'd like is a visual record of the choices I have made for the chords in song when I look at the chord sheet at a much later date and can instantly see what I meant at each chord.
Perhaps there is a way of manually entering chord types that BB will understand?
I know this sounds a bit trivial because I can simply enter the equivalent chord directly. But what I'd like is a visual record of the choices I have made for the chords in song when I look at the chord sheet at a much later date and can instantly see what I meant at each chord.
Perhaps there is a way of manually entering chord types that BB will understand?
You can make Band-in-a-Box display Roman Numerals instead of the letters after you enter the chords. This is in the Display Options > Chord Display dropdown. However, Band-in-a-Box is not case sensitive. So when you enter a i or ii for example, they will always be I or II unless if a flat is added.
It flattening the root. It was mainly for the Bdim chord to make it more useful. I can appreciate the difficulty because of the existing use of notation. But it does work to an extent in the Roman Numeral display. Using Roman Numerals I would enter as bVI and it interprets correctly. You say that I could use this with normal notation. I would expect the equivalent to be bAm to give me Ab.
Disclaimer: I'm sure you are aware of much of the following. I'm including detail, though, so that others who read this thread might find the information useful.
PG Music uses a system of scale reference that is based on comparing notes to the major scale. This is common throughout music instruction texts and teaching these days.
Based on this system, the notes of the major scale are given numbers 1 to 8 in Roman numerals. See the top row of the table in the image below.
When one looks at (say) the natural minor (see image), by comparison to the major scale, this has a flattened note III, flattened note VI and flattened note VII. The flat is written in front of the note number.
This then leads to the chords based on those notes being described in the same way.
Thus if I was entering chord III in C major, I enter III for the note it's based on. Since it's a minor chord, though, I need to add m as well. So chord III (in classical terms) is IIIm in BIAB nomenclature. This reads as, "the minor chord based on note III of the major scale."
If it's the chord based on note III in the minor scale, though, I'd enter it as bIII because the minor scale has a flattened note III when compared to the major scale. Since chord III in minor keys is a major chord, then in BIAB I would enter bIII because "major" is understood. In BIAB terminology, bIII reads as. "the major chord based on the flattened III note of the major scale." (See the footnote below about setting minor display.)
With this in mind, Bdim in C major would be...
VIIdim -- To get this to sound, though, it's necessary to set BIAB to play the diminished triad. By default, BIAB interprets Bdim as a standard 4 note diminished chord.
To make this setting, enter into Display Options and set "Treat dim as diminished triad".
Chantelle is correct in relation to classical harmony where borrowed chords are written using slashes. The most common is V/V (this particular chord is called the doppel dominant and in the key of C this is D7 - that is "the V chord of the major key that's based on note V of the C scale"). BIAB doesn't use this notation.
Some examples using BIAB's Roman numeral entry method...
Key G major: G-Em-Am-Am7-D7
I-VIm-IIm-IIm7-V7
Key D minor: Dm-C-Bb-A7
Im-bVII-bVI-V7
Explanation of D minor chords...
Im = minor chord based on note I of D major scale
bVII = major chord based on the flattened 7th note of the D major scale (keeping in mind the minor key is described in terms of the major scale and note VII is C# in D major but C natural in D minor).
bVI = major chord based on note bVI of the major scale.
V7 = seventh chord based on note V of the major scale.
NOTE: To get the above display in minor, it's necessary open Display Options and deactivate "for Roman Numerals for chords in minor keys, use relative major". If that is active, it's necessary to think of D minor in terms of F major.
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We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
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Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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