Originally Posted By: HunterGatherer
Just a quick comment around the discussion of "dull chord sounds", assuming some need for BiaB to adapt and provide them. From what I can tell as a relative newcomer to using this tool, is that BiaB covers almost all of the chord families, making their sounds available, as described by composers in standard notation form, with a couple of exception. I in Major, and Minor are full covered. II in Major and Minor are almost fully covered, including their IV substitutes. V is fully covered in Major, mostly in minor.

The areas of difference are the upper extension sounds in II minor, and the various forms of V in minor, as well as ways of stating chromatic sounds, mostly reflective of Minor uses of built up chord Shapes in upper extensions, augmented, and diminished sounds. These get fairly difficult to pin down with a chord name.

One area BiaB could adapt is to enable polychord notation, triad on top of a triad, and or triad over a four note chord. It gets close with the chord over base note. But as far as finding chords that aren't quote dull, unquote, what can you be looking for other than some triadic/quartal shape, or inversion of one, over a base note, or interval?

As an old foggie, I think they've got what I need covered, until I get a film score assignment. But I would like to know more about what people are hunting for asking for more "modern chord sounds".


Hello HunterGatherer,

I'm not sure where "dull chord sounds" comes from. I have no complaints about BIAB's range of chords - that's its greatest strength for me. I have commented on what I regard as the dull chord progressions of backing tracks sold for the purpose of toplining. These are fixed chord progressions with modern sounding arrangements (nothing to do with what PG offers). They are sold on websites with the intention of making themselves as widely usable as possible so the progressions are often bland. I've written songs to some of them and found it frustrating because of the inability to choose your own chords. One song I had to write to a backing track had only two chords in the whole song.

I started this thread because BIAB's EXCELLENT feature of being able to choose any chords you want could solve the problem of the chord straitjacket of these tracks sold for toplining... IF BIAB could add some styles that really do sound like mainstream contemporary pop songs.

So the discussion of styles/sounds is separate from chords. I hope that clarifies what I'm asking for.