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I once knew a woman who played pedal harp in Eugene Ormandy's Philly Orch. She played beautifully. Take the sheet music away, and she couldn't improvise a note. Which skill is more useful? That, obviously, is a matter of opinion.  I am of the opinion that if someone can play well and improvise, I don't care if they can read English.  I'm with you Bob. A music teacher once told me she couldn't play 2 bars of anything without sheet music in front of her. I couldn't help but think she had no business teaching. As am I. My wife is an excellent pianist, providing she has sheet music in front of her. Take away the sheet music and she is lost. She is also lost with fake books. She needs everything notated. Your wife's situation is the same as many of the world's best players who are in the world's best symphonies.
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And here it is. A Hohner Mignon.  Eddie, when I look at that picture, the only thing I can hear is "Under Paris Skies"
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Can you play "Who Stole the Kishka?" Are you kidding? That's like the first song accordion players learn!! And then Blue Skirt Waltz! Interesting fact nobody will care about. The Polka Hall of Fame is just one suburb outside of Cleveland. With Clevelander Frankie Yankovic front and center.
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My wife ..... needs everything notated. How'd that work out for you on your wedding night? You brought a copy of the Kama Sutra on your honeymoon?
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I once knew a woman who played pedal harp in Eugene Ormandy's Philly Orch. She played beautifully. Take the sheet music away, and she couldn't improvise a note. Which skill is more useful? That, obviously, is a matter of opinion. I am of the opinion that if someone can play well and improvise, I don't care if they can read English. I'm with you Bob. A music teacher once told me she couldn't play 2 bars of anything without sheet music in front of her. I couldn't help but think she had no business teaching. As am I. My wife is an excellent pianist, providing she has sheet music in front of her. Take away the sheet music and she is lost. She is also lost with fake books. She needs everything notated. Your wife's situation is the same as many of the world's best players who are in the world's best symphonies. Yes I know. I was talking to a professional violinist who was trying to learn improvisation. She said that she attended an improvisation course and was floored when the instructor said "if you hit a wrong note heaven is a half step up or down"! PS - the last time that I talked to her she said she still doesn't get improvisation.
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My wife is a piano teacher and can sight read and play pretty wonderfully to written music (but maybe not as well as in her college days). She just doesn't have to gift/desire/drive to improvise -- but her ear is excellent. If her students want to learn a "pop" song, they go to youtube and listen to it and within about 10 seconds she is playing along like she knew the song all her life. Ask her to play a tune (the flintstones theme song) and she will have it going in a very short while. I am of the opinion that most trained musicians who have a good ear are mostly like her. Not everyone is that interested in improvisational stuff. However if they can't pick things out by ear (sort of like me) then they are not complete musicians. But if they still enjoy music, that is fine with me. 
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What an interesting mix of skills we all have. I'm a trombone player, but I learned in a British tradition brass band, so the 'bone was notated in transposed treble, all same as a trumpet or sax. I first saw bass clef, and then had to learn it, when I was around 40. That was a new experience  So these days I have what I call a "B flat head" - when I see a "C" on the second space, to me it is a "D" in 6th position instead of a "C" in 6th position, 'cos that's the way I fly. Still, it has it's advantages: I learned to sight transpose Concert treble fairly early on, and concert Tenor clef is just like reading Bb transposed treble, you just add 2 sharps, add the bass clef I now read and then to make life interesting, if you read an Eb transposed treble chart you can read it as bass clef, just add 3 flats. All good. ...but, my greatest satisfaction came about when I finally started learning how to improvise - this will be a journey that will take the rest of my life and I will enjoy every step. I am unable to do the listening I really should as a wannabe jazz musician, but I do what I can and accept that the journey will be slower. That's all good too, 'cos perhaps it will help me live longer
--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya  --=--You're only paranoid if you're wrong!
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I find this thread intereting.
I recently switced instruments, having been seduced by a Hammond.
I decided to ditch note reading altogether for this istrument.
Whast I am doing practice wise is taking simple folk tunes and running them through 12 keys. In the end I want to be able to pick any tune in my head and play it in any key, as I choose. I sense this is not as far as as it sounds, its just a question of developing direct wiring from the finger to the ear. We can all hear the rigt notes.
I am beginning to wonder if all ths notation and analysis stuff is necessary at all - in fact it isnt, with practice, you can just go to an instrument and play.
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I am beginning to wonder if all ths notation and analysis stuff is necessary at all - in fact it isnt, with practice, you can just go to an instrument and play. Well it all depends on the situation. If you play alone, I fully agree, well, maybe not quite, but to a very large percentage not reaching 100 percent. If you're part of an ensemble and the band leader says: "We have a new arrangement of tune X." that you have never heard before. How would you know what to play and when? Also if you're presented with a new tune for you to play you need some information. Even if the tune is well known there might be some information on the music sheet that is not in your head yet. As an example a Hammond organ is an almost perfect instrument to play the Flight of the Bumble Bee. Even if you've heard it a hundred times before you probably will miss some nuances...
Last edited by GHinCH; 10/09/15 02:21 AM. Reason: added "[" to /quote]
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[quote=ZeroZero]I am beginning to wonder if all ths notation and analysis stuff is necessary at all - in fact it isnt, with practice, you can just go to an instrument and play. /quote]
Well it all depends on the situation. If you play alone, I fully agree, well, maybe not quite, but to a very large percentage not reaching 100 percent.
If you're part of an ensemble and the band leader says: "We have a new arrangement of tune X." that you have never heard before. How would you know what to play and when?
Also if you're presented with a new tune for you to play you need some information. Even if the tune is well known there might be some information on the music sheet that is not in your head yet. As an example a Hammond organ is an almost perfect instrument to play the Flight of the Bumble Bee. Even if you've heard it a hundred times before you probably will miss some nuances...
You have some good points, but the vehicle "classical notation" is not realy fit for purpose. I once saw someone try to notate a sax solo exactly, they ended up with a mess of hemi-demi-semiquavers, Notation is VERY bad at many things. In particular iot's bad for learners creativity, because it gives them a two dimensional understanding. By giving them the notes, it takes away the task of UNDERSTANDING what they are playing - so they play liek a photocopier copies an image, without realyl knowing what the picture is. It would be much better IMO that learners were told the interval name only, and then asked to find that interval. There is so much else about notation that is needlesly intimidating, needlessly confusing and needlessly obscure. Yes we need it, but it would be better if we could redesign the whole thing, if we could achieve universal acceptance, which is sadly unlikely How many children have been turned off by classical notation |I sdont know, but I suspect its many. Z
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You have some good points, but the vehicle "classical notation" is not realy fit for purpose. I once saw someone try to notate a sax solo exactly, they ended up with a mess of hemi-demi-semiquavers, Notation is VERY bad at many things.
I understand what you're saying, BUT I would argue that what you're describing is a result of a lack of understanding of the additions of Jazz notation, which has its own dialect of marks (rises, falls etc.)
In particular iot's bad for learners creativity, because it gives them a two dimensional understanding. By giving them the notes, it takes away the task of UNDERSTANDING what they are playing - so they play liek a photocopier copies an image, without realyl knowing what the picture is. It would be much better IMO that learners were told the interval name only, and then asked to find that interval. There is so much else about notation that is needlesly intimidating, needlessly confusing and needlessly obscure. Yes we need it, but it would be better if we could redesign the whole thing, if we could achieve universal acceptance, which is sadly unlikely
How many children have been turned off by classical notation |I sdont know, but I suspect its many.
Z
I would argue that's more a shortcoming of the teacher, and perhaps the teachers understanding, rather than the system itself. I'm not trying to suggest the notation system we use is perfect, nothing is, but I think it's better than you're giving it credit for. In particular, jazz musicians understand that the dots are "just a guide", and that the time they spend learning conventions associated with reading the notation are just as important as learning the notation itself. The "dialect" differences mentioned above, which successfully simplify the notation without losing the nuances, yet still allowing for the individual musicians interpretation. One of the simplest examples of this is swing. The notation has quavers (eighths if you prefer) but we play in the general feel of crotchet/quaver (4th/8th) triplets. Not exactly of course but close enough for a short written approximation. If you were to write it as played, the notation would be much more complex, but still capable of representing tha actual desired result. It is the conventions, the dialect, that makes useful simplification possible... but you have to know the dialect.
--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya --=--You're only paranoid if you're wrong!
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This is a very interesting thread.
And probably leads onto the discussion of how much natural musical ability we each may have or not.
To be honest after going to a good few guitar classes when younger I am of the view that there are a lot less natural gifted musicians out there than we think, most people get there through a hard slog of countless hours of practice, the gifted one have to do that too of course to get to know their instruments too as regards fingering etc.
Maybe even is it a good test of a persons natural musical ability if they can pick out a song by ear within a very short time and know and able to get an interval test right.
Oh you get the people who say all you need to do in the above is practice practice and of course a person can get better at recognising intervals and other tests, but the ones with the natural musical ability will be that far ahead with a lot less effort.
I don't think a lot of hobbyist musicians would admit to NOT being able to do the above, human nature as it is, very few will admit it even on a forum.
Personally I don't think I have any great natural musical ability, just have put a little effort (not enough) into trying to get some enjoyment out of making music, and would fail the above tests.
I think as well its possible to have a musician who is lets say a very good sight reader and plays the piano or other instrument well, who has got there with lots of practice, but at the end of the day maybe doesn't have a great deal of natural musical ability.
And it probably doesn't really matter at the end of the day anyways (unless we want to make a living out of making music) whether we have a great deal of natural music ability or not, as long as we enjoy succeeding or trying to make and play music.
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Last edited by musiclover; 10/09/15 01:10 AM.
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I would argue that what we "all" want is DC neural current plugging into the brain, so that the fingers automatically deliver what the "singing mind" can imagine For this you don't even need your eyes - Stevie, Ray Charles.
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You have some good points, but the vehicle "classical notation" is not realy fit for purpose. I once saw someone try to notate a sax solo exactly, they ended up with a mess of hemi-demi-semiquavers, Notation is VERY bad at many things. So is almost any written language. Whatever expression in any language you chisel in stone shows almost no emotion and expression. Yes, there are tricks of the trade to give a hint. But for real expression and often for making sense you need to add another dimension. In German we have a phrase "Was willst Du schon wieder?" I translate that word by word into "What want you already again?" The sense is in the emphasis of a single word and the pauses between the words ranging from a disturbed "What is it that you do want?" over a forgotten request "What do you want again?" to a surprised "What was it that you wanted?" and a few others to the final "What? You want again? Now?" with wide open eyes after wildly dancing horizontally... (The order of the words doesn't change in the German example.) Musical notation is the same. There are a few dots and circles indicating (!) what to play. Other times, especially in classical music, they are more rigid. Sometimes there is a hint "lively" or "shuffle" or such things, sometimes there is a tempo given. We as musicians translate this into either a copy of something existing or we transfer it into our own piece of music. One example that I remember is the song Don't Be Cruel. Elvis made the song his with his rendition, and Billy Swan made it also his in a totally different way. The original sheet music was only the conveying agent of an idea that has been interpreted differently. Who/what drives kids away from music education? Probably teachers to a major part -- choosing the wrong music, choosing the wrong method. For a minor part, kids have stronger talents and interests in other fields. For a very small part there are the musically illiterate kids.
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You have some good points, but the vehicle "classical notation" is not realy fit for purpose. I once saw someone try to notate a sax solo exactly, they ended up with a mess of hemi-demi-semiquavers, Notation is VERY bad at many things. So is almost any written language. Whatever expression in any language you chisel in stone shows almost no emotion and expression. Yes, there are tricks of the trade to give a hint. But for real expression and often for making sense you need to add another dimension. In German we have a phrase "Was willst Du schon wieder?" I translate that word by word into "What want you already again?" The sense is in the emphasis of a single word and the pauses between the words ranging from a disturbed "What is it that you do want?" over a forgotten request "What do you want again?" to a surprised "What was it that you wanted?" and a few others to the final "What? You want again? Now?" with wide open eyes after wildly dancing horizontally... (The order of the words doesn't change in the German example.) Musical notation is the same. There are a few dots and circles indicating (!) what to play. Other times, especially in classical music, they are more rigid. Sometimes there is a hint "lively" or "shuffle" or such things, sometimes there is a tempo given. We as musicians translate this into either a copy of something existing or we transfer it into our own piece of music. One example that I remember is the song Don't Be Cruel. Elvis made the song his with his rendition, and Billy Swan made it also his in a totally different way. The original sheet music was only the conveying agent of an idea that has been interpreted differently. Who/what drives kids away from music education? Probably teachers to a major part -- choosing the wrong music, choosing the wrong method. For a minor part, kids have stronger talents and interests in other fields. For a very small part there are the musically illiterate kids. Yet it's still true that, imagining you are a five year old, and you see a note - say this one [img] http://www.oratoryprep.co.uk/uf/00056_c283f1b34d7c/images/imagemanager/3rd_line_b.png[/img] You don't even know what it is, unless you look elsewhere (clef) and then perhaps do some mental calculations. It can be any type of note depending on whether it's transposed, whether its treble clef, bass clef, or any other number of clefs. Even if you know the note is a B (as I was tught it was on trumpet) it might actually be a Db, which can also be called a C# or even B##. Confused? The line going up (stem) does not signify much either (it could also go down) and its ever so easy to have your eyes scan a wrong line, if you are watiching fast. When you look at them in clusters, with beams, accents and all, they get even more confusing to the eye. What the learner needs to really understand (as oppossed to know) is the role of that note (root, ...third), in the harmony of the piece. All of these perambulations above dont tell you this, and this is the MOST essential information along with length (in classical music the length of a note is often not notated correctly. Yes it is possible to play without knowing the function of a note, but it's like a person knows another, by only looking at photographs, never meeting them in the flesh, it's all too flat and two dimensional. It can even be misleading .. IMO
Last edited by ZeroZero; 10/09/15 03:27 AM.
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Everyone I knew in my teen and early twenty years that played an instrument and did not read music is not playing today. Everyone that did read music still is playing.
I know that my sample size is small but I think it shows a trend. I also know there are exceptions to every rule. You don't need to read music or to understand theory but you will be a more versatile musician if you do.
My philosophy is learn to read music and learn at least some theory but don't let it get in the way of your playing. Use it to expand your skills, to open new doors and to better understand what you are playing.
PS - if Dr. Gannon and company did not have any theory skills do you think we would have BiaB today?
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I am beginning to wonder if all ths notation and analysis stuff is necessary at all - in fact it isnt, with practice, you can just go to an instrument and play. I am beginning to wonder if all ths notation and analysis stuff is necessary at all - in fact it isnt, with practice, you can just go to an instrument and play. Until you get called in to do a session for $250 an hour.... and they sit sheet music in front of you for a song you have never heard and it's in Db and you have no more than 4 takes allowed before they fire you and bring in the next guy. This is all relative. Someone who wants to play 3 chord oldies as a hobby on weekends requires a different set of skills than someone who makes a living playing jingles for soda pop, shoelaces, an asbestos eradication company and a fish market all in the same day. Much the same as a home hobby woodworker is not likely to be as precise or creative as a carpenter who works 50 hours a week making custom kitchen cabinets. There is really not a "better than" piece to this puzzle. Just a "different from" piece. A professional musician, and again that opens a can depending on how literally you define "professional" (to me it means the guy who writes and records and tours in the big bus and sells t-shirts and baseball caps where to some it means nothing more than "I get paid to play"), really needs to know those fundamentals and theory. And please do not start telling me about how Sinatra didn't write. When you get to Sinatra's international level of fame I'll give you a hall pass on the writing side of things. Given the choice between being Sinatra or Diane Warren I'd take the writing side of things every time, mainly because I don't want to live on planes and in hotels and have to gear myself up mentally to perform every other day. I have an annual reunion show coming up next month. This year we are doing 2 nights. 2 consecutive nights of performing is going to drain me physically and emotionally that I won't recover until January, because I don't do this regularly like so many of you do. It's a big deal to me because of how long I know the rest of the guys and how close I am to them personally. For me, the people in the crowd aren't even there. I have too much to focus on as far as what I am playing on what song, which synth sounds I need, lyrics to remember, harmony parts.... the people are just there to pay me! LOL!!! Again, it's all relative.
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There are plenty of classical (and other) musicians that can sight-read the most difficult music but cannot improvise.
There are people who can't read music that can improvise well but put a moderate piece of music in front of them and they can't play.
I often read posts by players who dis the readers. This saddens me. It's as if the non-readers want to feel better about themselves by diminishing the talents of the readers.
I read well and I improvise well. Both are handy skills but not being able to improvise does not make you an inferior musician by any stretch of the imagination. Ask Itzak Perlman and so many of the most famous classical musicians.
Like improvisers, there is a skill to reading music and making it come alive. To the non-reader it seems like all you have to do is mechanically read the dots on the page and voila, you have music. This is far from the truth.
If you read the notes as if you entered them quantized into a sequencer, you are not necessarily a good musician. There are markings in the music that give you an idea of how the composer wants it to sound, and you use your skills and the lessons your teacher taught you to put the nuances into the music. When appropriate things like dragging the beginning of a phrase and rushing the end to end on time, pushing the second beat of a waltz a little bit ahead of the beat, dragging 2-beat triplets, putting more emphasis on syncopated notes, adding some 'swing feel' to eighth notes, deciding how much space to leave between the notes, using various articulation techniques, when and how much vibrato to use, dynamics, and thousands of other expressive devices that you have to instinctively know where and when to apply while sightreading. This skill is every bit as difficult and perhaps even more difficult than improvisation. And in reality, the good sightreader is playing by sight AND by ear. You need both to be a good sightreader.
So don't ever dis anyone who can't play when you take the music away. You are sending the wrong message about yourself when you do.
I learned to read music first. I was in the school band, and even made it to first sax in the all-state band every year I was in high school. I did this on tenor sax, and the chair usually goes to an alto sax player by default. By high school, I also got into a rock band and at first used my ears to duplicate solos I heard on records, picking out one note at a time. This is true learning by ear and it is a laborious process at first. Then I tried my hand at improvising. I was pretty lousy at it at first, but as I learned more I got better at it to the point where I enjoy improvising much more than reading music. Take the music away, tell me what key, and I can still improvise better than I can transpose the melody in my head.
But I'm still blown away by a person who can sit with a Rachmaninoff concerto in front of him/her and sightread it. That to me seems much more difficult than improvising a jazz solo over a set of chords.
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And probably leads onto the discussion of how much natural musical ability we each may have or not. That is an interesting topic as well. I am in the school that NOBODY has any talent in any field at birth. Music, sports, painting, writing.... I believe that everything we do is an acquired skill. Nobody came out of the womb knowing the C major scale. It was learned (or acquired, if you prefer). SO many people you see interviewed say something similar to "We had music playing in our house all the time." or "My mother sang in church so I started doing it." That leads to the argument that it was the exposure that led to the development of a skill. Back when I played 4-6 nights a week, at least 3 times a week someone would come up and say "I wish I could play keyboards like that". And my answer was the same every time. "Why can't you? I wasn't born knowing how to play. I started lessons like everybody else and I put in the hours. You can start learning tomorrow if you really want to do it. I don't know what you do for a living but I can pretty much assume that you learned how to do it at some point. Music is no different." And I had at least a dozen of them come to me 3 months later and say they had started piano lessons. I was fortunate to have a theory nazi for a teacher. I was not allowed to touch in instrument until I could tell him that when he pointed to the black dot on the second line that the dot represented "this key" on the little embossed plastic 3 octave keyboard in front of me and that the black dot with the stem on it meant one beat. And the hollowed out black dot with the stem meant 2 beats. And the dot added one half of the note it was behind. I did that for 6 weeks before I was allowed to sit at the piano and HEAR what that black dot on the second line sounded like. A side story. When I was 18, before going into the Army, I worked in a men's clothing store to fill the 3 months between my deferred enlistment date and my reporting date. In walked an old man looking for a navy blue blazer. I recognized him instantly. He walked over and said "You got a blue sport coat for an old man?" I replied "Sure. Is he coming in any time soon?" I showed him the jacket he wanted and we walked up to the cash register. He asked how much it would be and I told him "This is on me. You taught me so much about music that I could never repay you for it, and this is just my way of saying thank you." THEN he looked closer at me (This was 8 years after I stopped taking lessons from him) and said "My god. Edward!" And I put my hands on his upper arms and said "I was in bands and choirs in high school and I could never have done any of that without what you taught me. My teachers were so impressed with how well I knew theory and fundamentals, and I learned all of that from you." He told me "You were one of my best students ever." And we both had tears in our eyes as I gave him a hug before he left. Of course that guy has long since passed (I'm 64. He'd be like 135 now.) but I will never forget him. George F. Schulte, I'll see you in music heaven when I get there.
Last edited by eddie1261; 10/09/15 04:47 AM. Reason: corrected grammar
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Off-Topic
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,845
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,845 |
Ask Itzak Perlman and so many of the most famous classical musicians. Ask Al Hirt, who had to write out his "improvisations" and then memorize them to play them. Yet, somehow, he managed to get that honey in the horn.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Holiday Weekend Hours
It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:
Saturday, May 16: Closed
Sunday, May 17: Closed
Monday, May 18: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Don't wait - order today!
Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
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