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HI,
A lot of bop tunes, the rhythm section will stop at the last 2 bars of the head, and the soloist begins. I've been searching the forums and the BIAB index to try to find out how to write this in. EG, now I'm working up There Is No Greater Love at bop tempos and want the chords and rhythm to stop on beat 1 of measure 31 thru all of measure 32, rest until beat 1 of measure 1--only on the first play. I can't figure out how to program this in. Any tips welcome--either where to look for more info or exactly how to do it. (I have been searching, but I just don't have the words BIAB uses to do this--either in the program or on this forum.)

Thanks!

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What exactly do you mean by chords and rhythm? Everything is chord based in BIAB except the drums and many things can be classified as a rhythm instrument with BIAB. So a little more detail would help. That said, if you have a version of BIAB that allows it, the Bar Settings (F5) will let you set rest (called mutes there) or lower volumes, etc. and has an option to apply it to specific choruses. Maybe that will give you a place to start.
Good luck.

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Well--I know what chords and rhythm are; not sure I understand your question. Maybe more explanation: I am developing this as a trio backing for practice. Trio being a rhythm section of bass, drums, and acoustic piano, over which i will play melody and improvise in a standard bop style. The tune is 32 bars. I will play through it 6 times. On the first time, I want bass, drums, and piano to play only on the the downbeat of bar 31. I want them to rest after that and to resume 7 beats later, on the downbeat of bar 1 (2nd time thru).

I've been to "edit settings for current bar" multiple times even before posting this question. At least in the view I have, there is nothing called "mutes" or lower volumes, and no place to specify chorus. I am on BIAB from mid 2007, if that matters. All I have are the following
-# beats in this bar
-temp change to
% change in temp
patch changes in this bar (separate menus for bass, pno, drms, guit, strng, melody, soloist, thru
Harmony changes at this barmelody harmony--at beat #
thru harmny--at beat #
reset bar
reseat all bars
ok
cancel
help

That's it. No mute, no volume settings, etc.

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You can invoke a bebop 'break' quite easily by RightClicking and use the MUTE functions at bar and chorus desired. I do that with bop tunes and live performance.

You can also get a nice 'stride' chorus that way, too, turning off all instruments but the bass and then play along with that.


--Mac

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Hi Mac,
Thanks. I just tried. I can't find a "mute" function nor a chorus marker. I searched on mute in the index and got instructions for muting all instruments but can't find where to specify which chorus or bar... It's clear you know what I'm talking about--is there a way to tell me how to do this? Or what vocabulary BIAB uses--I'm still fumbling around.

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What window should i be in to do this, Mac? You know the tune. Bar 31 is a Bb (that's the key I'm in). I'm in the standard window -- the one you get when you open up BIAB. I right click there, and my options are cut, copy, copy from-to, paste, chord builder, chord settings, bar settings, song settings, preferences.

If I "mute" the various instruments, they are off all the time. I can't see where I mute them in a specific chorus. clicking on "bar settings" gives me the same menu I described in an earlier post.

I assume I'm either not in the correct window, have a problem with my BIAB, or there is an instruction missing?

thanks.

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What version of BiaB are you running?

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If I understand you correctly, you want everything to stop so the soloist can start his solo into the next chorus? Just put two periods after the chord on beat one of bar 31. Later, Ray


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Well, if you use those two periods, to invoke a "Rest All Instruments" -- the problem there is that they would rest every time the song repeated a chorus and I don't think that's what is wanted here.

And, no, it would not be a good thing to a bebopper's way of thinking to Unfold to One Long Song, either.

If the person has the right newer version of BiaB, the problem is solved with the Bar Settings feature, I just don't know if they have the part that was added at some point on the LH side of the window where the Parts are listed with their dropdown selections. That would be the place to stop instruments for this kind of break. Works fine in my 2010 version.


--Mac

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Hi Mac, Ray,
Thanks for your help, both. I appreciate the time you took.
I was finally able to make it happen by
a) using the "two period" method after the chord on bar 31; and
b) going to song settings and unclicking the boxes that said "allow rests in middle choruses" and "allow rests in last chorus".

Certainly NOT intuitive, but it works.

Mac, my name is Vince. I'll try to change my profile sometime. The version of BIAB I'm on is Version 2007 for Windows.

Mac, I can't seem to find what you are describing when you write "I just don't know if they have the part that was added at some point on the LH side of the window where the Parts are listed with their dropdown selections. That would be the place to stop instruments for this kind of break. Works fine in my 2010 version."

Definitely not something obvious on the LH side of the window.

Maybe i should upgrade?

If there is another solution, I'm all ears! But I did get it working and am having a ball boppin away at 308 BPM.

Next step is to enter Be-Bop. That has lots of breaks, so it should be quite the exercise in figuring out how to run BIAB.

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I do this by makeing three passes through the tune. I'll use a typical 32 bar bebop form say Confirmation for example.

Head with ".." stop (A comping) bars 1-32
solo (B comping) bars 33-64
Head (A comping) bars 65 on

Set the repeating phrase to be the solo section 33-64. Set tag to come in at bar 65.

The advantage of doing this is I can have a number of different changes in the solo section, more sub chords, etc. I can also have an arranged ending if I want (think Miles' bands of the 50s, If IWere A Bell, etc).

If you need help, look up "tag" under help. I can email you a file if needed to show what I mean.


BiaB 2023

www.PeteMartin.info

Mandolin and improvisation lessons

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Be Bob is a great tune, what a burner! I play piano and had a devil of a time trying to work out the fingering for that 4 bar line at the end of the intro so I faxed the chart to a friend who's a graduate of the Warsaw Conservatory. While still on the phone she grabs the fax, walks over to her piano and simply reads it down the first time, very fast, perfect and then says "what's the problem with that, it's pretty simple". Yeah, right. She wrote out two fingerings for me and I managed to work it up but it's still difficult at the tempo everybody does it at. A lot of sax players I know do it, maybe the fingering is a bit easier for them. It sounds very cool if the whole band is playing that intro in unison Supersax style but I still have to ghost a few notes to not have any clinkers. Yeah I know, tempo de learno, slow it down, do it over and over and I've done that. It's just one of those things.
If you get that thing programmed properly I would love to have that file, keep us informed.
And yeah it would definitely be worth it to you to upgrade. The new jazz Real Tracks are killer.

Bob


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thanks again, all for the help. I will upgrade soon enough! And when I get BeBop worked out, I'll be in touch.
Vince

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