The PG promotion for BIAB and most of the discussions on this forum leave out one very important reason for the amateur or home musician to use BIAB. It makes beginner attempts at singing or learning to play an instrument sound so much better! That's not the same as saying or showing how you can easily create an accompaniment which is the way BIAB is usually promoted. If you are a songwriter or performer and an accomplished musician or singer you can instincively see the potential of BIAB but if, like me, you have had no exposure nor have any aspirations to be a performer/songwriter and simply play at home for your own amusement, then most of the benefits of BIAB go straight over your head. Also the program is so compicated that you are not encouraged to give it a try.

I have been using BIAB for about 17 years and, apart from a few parties, play entirely at home for my own and my families benefit. I am a so so keyboard player who plays exclusively from sheet music - after 60 years of playing I
have been unable to memorize a single song. When I first tried BIAB about 18 years ago I was immediately thrilled how much better my playing sounded with an accompaniment. More importantly, and this is the key point, those songs which I hardly ever played because they were too difficult for me were now playable because I could simplify how I played and let BIAB do the talking. I had several songs that languished in the back of the cupboard for years because they were too difficult for me but I now play the melody with one finger at difficult parts of the song. There are so many wonderful RT and Midi styles that it still sounds great! I can even insert a BIAB acoustic piano RT track while playing the melody this way and I know from my "audience" reaction that they think it is me playing one piano. I now have a repertoire of over 700 songs of every genre all with their own BIAB accompanyment and for every one I have the sheet music in a plastic sleeve in a ring binder - there were twenty 2" binders at the last count. I think you can call me a dedicated amateur!!

Unfortunately, it's all very well to promote BIAB on the basis of how much better it makes your playing sound but many beginners or confirmed amateurs will take one look at BIAB and roll their eyes - it is way too complicated and requires too much appreciation of computer music terminology and techniques. Yes, I know you can ignore 95% of the program and just enter chords in the chord sheet but it's hard for a beginner to appreciate the potential with the rest of the program looming over you. BTW I am NOT talking about the design of the GUI, that is a different subject entirely. What is really needed is a simpler version of the program – BIAB Lite.

Even if this never happens, the promotion of BIAB must start emphasising the creation of accompanyment for COVER songs since this is the approach most beginners will take long before thinking about songwriting. Regardless of their chosen instrument and especially for singers, don't most people start by entering the chords for cover songs? Then why do PG seem almost coy about emphasing using their product for cover songs?

I just had a look at the first PG video for BIAB called "Making A Song In Band-In-A-Box" The video dives straight into entering chord sequences in the chord sheet but what is a chord sequence and which one would you choose? Remember the video is #1 in the "Beginner" list. Surely most beginners would want to be told where to get chord sequences for songs they like so that they can immediately create backing tracks for their favourite songs and produce a great cover to impress themselves and their friends? Maybe I am the exception and most users will not want to produce hundreds of BIAB files for cover songs but PG needs to keep in touch with the needs of beginners.

Tony