This will be a sort of contrarian answer. As I don't know you, let me explain first that I think very highly of BIAB as a music creation tool and have used it with great satisfaction. That said, the fact is that if you have a firm idea in mind of what your song should sound like, BIAB can become a positive distraction. A sequencer such as Cubase, Sonar, Power Tracks Pro Audio, etc. can be a better place to start as they provide you with a blank slate. Of course, that leaves you with the work of creating everything from scratch, which is why you got BIAB in the first place, right? Neat!

I will let others relate how they deal with this issue and continue working on the project they had in mind when they started. In my case, I sort of gave up and let myself be inspired by the distractions. BIAB usually has a different, and sometimes better, approach to a chord progression. I have learned to cherish the 'mistakes' and run with 'em. But I am in the vast minority. (Think everybody else vs. me. )

There really is no substitute for intensive listening sessions and copious note taking. After you have spent time with BIAB and sifted through the various Styles and Real Tracks (which, after all, is the only way to answer your question fully) you will begin to have a sense for what will work. Since at least v. 2009.5 there is an option to "Show Styles by Feel and Tempo," which will help to narrow things down a bit.

Finally (he said, with an evil gleam), if you want to nail it, learn how to use the MIDI Style Maker, which, until Real Styles came along, was where the sorcery of BIAB lived. Here you can create your own grooves more or less exactly as you hear them. Mwa-hahahaha, etc.

Having muddied the waters completely, let us await someone who will give a practical answer to your question. Have fun!

Richard

"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."