Originally Posted By: Tom Dentist


I don't understand what you mean by "linear".

In writing music, you write sections, and then you add repeats and navigational directions, and you're done. That's how I've always done it. That's how it is on every piece of sheet music I've ever seen. What's the "basic linear" part?



Linear simply means from measure 1 through the last measure in a complete and straightforward direction. No repeating of what has been played already.... in other words you don't ever jump back.... you always are going on to the next measure. Follow the yellow brick road.

That's what happens to the folded up song when you UNFOLD it. It becomes linear. NO navigational beacons or road signs are needed. You're always moving to the very next measure....always.

You can still write sections. You simply copy and paste them if you need to repeat that section. There's no need for navigational directions. You never reverse direction or go back. You simply and only move forward.

In this format, you know exactly where you are, you know what's coming, and there are no surprises. Adding new parts, bridges, tags, spacial events, choruses, more verses, are very, very easy to do. NO programming of the repeats and where to go, or "how do I do this or that?" .... you simply progress from one measure to the next in a forward direction adding the musical chords as you need them. And heaven forbid you want to change something in a folded song's verse without changing the other verses to match. In Linear, no problem. Just make that change and it only happens where you made the change.

Since BB can easily handle somewhere around 250 (or more) measures, and the average song is generally less than half that number, working in the linear is really the best way to work. Once you try working linear, there's a good chance you will not go back to folded song form. Unfolding is literally the FIRST thing I do when I start a new project.

EDIT: I write a verse and a chorus. I copy and paste the verse where I want it to repeat.... I do likewise with the chorus.... I insert 8 blank measures to add a bridge if I need it and type in the chords, I might copy half or a full verse for the solo depending.... and then I copy the last line of the chorus and paste it a few times for a tag. It is simple and takes less time to build a song in this manner than it does to figure out the placement of the nav beacons and make it all work like it's supposed to with the repeats and the "go to here's".... If you're doing much more than a simple repeat, using the signs can become confusing.

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 05/24/16 01:21 AM.
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