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An easy way to do what you want may be to change key signatures where you want. F Dorian would be the key of Eb, Eb Dorian would be Db and D Dorian would be C. Type your chords as Fm11, Ebm11 and Dm11. You can do the key changes at <edit-settings for current bar>. Not sure if this is what you want. I used the Evans Trio for backing tracks. The playback is kind of repetitive. Later, Ray
Well, the key changes didn't work as I thought they would. However, writing in Fm11///- Gm7 ///for 8 bars then Ebm11/// - Fm7/// for 8 bars did produce the correct backing tracks. Didn't have to change keys, just the chords. Haven't tried any of the soloists yet. Later, Ray
Last edited by raymb1; 08/30/12 06:22 AM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Journeyman
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There is a way to get any voicing you want in BIAB but its a complex one though not necessarily time consuming.
The first step involves reducing the chord patterns to single note lines using just C in various octaves but keeping the rhythmic element of the pattern intact. Using the velocity command under the stylemaker 'Pattern' menu targeting a single note helps get rid of unwanted notes in one move. Deal with macro patterns by unchecking the 'ok to use macros' in pattern options and shifting all the notes to C.
Once you save this style, you can now use the chord sheet to enter just single notes which will form the top line of your chord when played by the chordal instument. When you have that shift it to a spare melody or solo track.
Then use the harmony maker to make a harmony using the low voice plus melody. You can shift the octave range of the low voice to get it nearer your melody.
Using the chord sheet again you can input new single note values for your next line which will be picked up by the low voice. You then merge the two by using 'Convert harmony to melody' under Melody Edit.
Follow the same step again for other voices. Remember that a held bass note can potentially be the lowest note of your chord.
It may take some experimentation to find the right octave for the 'low root' harmony voice and it's easier to achieve with styles that have mainly block chord parts. Yet I've managed to get convincing 4 note chord spellings using interval combinations totally unsupported by BIAB using this method.
Best regards
Alan
Last edited by alan S.; 08/30/12 06:45 PM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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OP
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Dear Peter,
Just to clarify, my goal is to produce a "backing track" of bass/piano/drums that "sounds" like the Dorian Minor mode, in a jazz style, that I can improvise to. I am most interested in the baseline hitting the notes of the Dorian Minor scale. The 24-bar song that I am trying to duplicate plays three 8-bar phrases in F Dorian Minor, Eb Dorian Minor and D Dorian Minor. So, therefore I'd like the baseline for the F Dorian Minor 8-bar phrase, for example, to play scale tones in the key of Eb from F to F. Cheers,
David
-:-
Cheers,
dbailey7
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Arthur C. Clarke
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I entered your changes using the Evans trio style. The key is set at Eb. The results sound dorian to me. The only out of the scale notes for the bass are just passing tones. Sounds good enough to practice to. You do have to enter the chords as Fm11, Ebm11 and Dm11. Later, Ray
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 for Windows
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You could change those passing notes Ray spoke of in Real Band, might be a little time consuming though.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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You might also try forcing bassline with use of Slash Chords...
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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OP
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Gents,
Yes, I'm happy with the way the bass/piano/drums accompaniment is generated from the chords that I specify. Especially, now that I understand a bit better how the accompaniment is generated from the chords (and the styles) I can choose.
Also, I did initially ask for insights about generating melodies from Dorian Minor scale tones, but since I am primarily interested in "backing tracks" based on the chord progression, I now realize that I do not need the soloist-type melody, since I will supply that from my own improvisation. What I need is for the baseline to play notes that "sound" like the Dorian Minor mode.
The best suggestion I have heard so far is to use the minor 6th chord for that, because the, say, Dm6 chord, produces baseline notes in the D Dorian Minor scale.
By the way, I ran the Aebersold .MP3 sound file through the Audio Chord Wizard, loaded the analyzed chords back into Band-In-A-Box, and listened to how it sounded. It produced a bunch to complex chord progressions that didn't really match up to how the original piece sounded. So, I ended up just selected a single chord for each of the three eight-bar phrases of the 24-bat song, and that, along with the correct jazz style sounded the closest to the Aebersold backing track I was trying to duplicate.
As I mentioned in another post, I haven't played with the Soloist or the scales over chords features yet, as I just want to first get a good Dorian Minor-sounding baseline from the chords and styles. But, I'll likely fool around with these features going forward or as time permits. Cheers,
David
-:-
Cheers,
dbailey7
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Arthur C. Clarke
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Just tried the Xm6 chords. The sound of the Xm11 is closer to Dorian mode ala Miles and Trane. The 11th was a very important note in their playing. Later, Ray
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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Ray,
Ah, so! I'll check it out. Again, thanks,
David
-:-
Cheers,
dbailey7
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Arthur C. Clarke
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Expert
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Expert
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Yeah, listen to a jazz teacher;-))
There is a reason why I told you to use the m6 chords.
See, of course, we jazzers like to play m11 chords and m9 chord, and usually they sound better. The 6th is the avoid note in dorian, but it`s also the most important note (along with the third of course) in that scale, because it defines it.
So piano and guitar players would play a mixture of these chords (and btw plenty of quartal chords too in the modern playing), but and here`s the clou:
They know that they are in dorian mode. BIAB does NOT. So, a jazz bass player can throw in a major 6th once in a while and will make it sound dorian. But BIAB will not know if it`s dorian or aeolian or even phrygian if you type in a m11 chord. Coz all of these scales have a m11 chord in them! If you`re lucky it plays a dorian phrase, since it`s the most used minor scale in jazz. But how can BIAB know? Maybe if you type Dm9, or 11 and set the root scale box to "C". But the safest way to go is to type Dm6 and the whole BIAB Band will play Dorian for you.
HTH,
Sandra
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I guess it must be in the ears. I hear the Dm6 chord as being too restrictive and the Dm11 being more open for improvising. Back in the be-bop days a m6 chord usually meant that the 6th was the bass note, now-a-days it's Bhalfdim7. I would say use whatever sounds the best to your ears. Later, Ray
Last edited by raymb1; 09/03/12 03:45 PM.
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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Hmmm. Such rich commentary! I think my "ear" is really influenced by the Aebersold backing track that started me off in this direction to begin with. Therefore, I'm really interested in knowing what you guys think about this actual track. So, if you have a moment, send me an email at david.bailey@technologist.com and I'll reply to it with the track attached. Cheers, David
-:-
Cheers,
dbailey7
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Arthur C. Clarke
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OK, I started over again at the beginning to see if I could figure out what is going on in this tread. So I see reference to “Jamey Aebersold How to Play Jazz and Improvise, Volume 1, 8-bar Phrases CD Track #2”, well many of us know this very well (I have the track). JA has us playing Dorian scales over each of these three minor chords in the progression as he comps on piano with a bass player.  Much has already been said in this thread regarding the underlying chord tones to bring forward the Dorian mode with its emphasis on the raised 6th. So no need for me to muddy the water with my take. The question here is what is JA beating out on the piano and bass that causes him to focus this whole lesson on the Dorian scales for improvising. Not easily answered, since JA is a master accompanist and he freely sprinkles in tones beyond simple triads and tonal extensions (which he also used frequently on these tracks). Therefore, it will take better ears than mine to ID JA’s playing. But the bass player seems to really be hitting the dorian scale with quarter notes, so I suspect this has a lot to do with the modal vibe in the backing. Dorian - JA Short Demo Example So I assume you are trying to recreate JA backing in BIAB. In this case you want the bass and piano to play with the understanding that you will be playing only the Dorian Scale (just like JA and his bass player). Here is where JA backing has an advantage over BIAB. JA knows the scale the soloist is using, BIAB does not. BIAB figures you can play any minor scale. JA is an exercise specific for dorian, while BIAB is playing a tune with minor chords. Having said all that, I tried to set up BIAB with a Fm6, Ebm6 and Dm6 progression. Spend about an hour – tried many of the suggestions provided here. Bottom line. I could not force the bass player to stay on the dorian scale. This is the biggest difference between what I hear in JA and BIAB. If someone can accomplish this then how about uploading the BIAB file as a "dorian exercise - ala JA"
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Hi Dan, A couple of thoughts popped into my mind when I read your above post. Firstly: Did you set the key to Eb major? This would be necessary as it tells BIAB what diatonic notes to play and Eb major has all the notes needed for F Dorian. Secondly: I might have interpreted your post incorrectly but the chords Ebm6 and Dm6 are not harmonically related to F Dorian. (Ebm6 has a Gb in it and Dbm6 has an A natural in it, and both of these notes are foreign to F Dorian.) After reading your post, I thought I'd have a play around with the Dorian mode and see what happened if I used a Brent Mason soloist with a country backing. The link below is an audio file of what resulted. ... link to Dorian mode example (country) - right-click and choose "Save link"I only used triads based entirely on the notes of F Dorian. The chord progression is below.  Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Morning Noel, Quote:
Firstly: Did you set the key to Eb major? This would be necessary as it tells BIAB what diatonic notes to play and Eb major has all the notes needed for F Dorian.
Doh, my bad. I reworked all this morning.
Quote:
Secondly: I might have interpreted your post incorrectly but the chords Ebm6 and Dm6 are not harmonically related to F Dorian. (Ebm6 has a Gb in it and Dbm6 has an A natural in it, and both of these notes are foreign to F Dorian.)
This chord sequence is from JA and covers three dorian scales.
Quote:
After reading your post, I thought I'd have a play around with the Dorian mode and see what happened if I used a Brent Mason soloist with a country backing. The link below is an audio file of what resulted.
... link to Dorian mode example (country) - right-click and choose "Save link"
Let me give this a listen, in the mean time I did redo my work from last night. I did what had been recommended earlier by several folks (credits to the right people). I just needed to change keys at each chord change:
Here is the actual BIAB file (v2012) Right Click to Save to Disk: Dorian Mode Lesson ala JA style.SGU
I did a quick jam in dorian over the changes and this may be what David is looking for. Again, sorry if I misled, unfortuantley with the day job all this stuff is done very fast and it may have mistakes. 
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