I decided to learn how to play bass (already play e guitar). I have BIAB UltraPak+ , so wondering what would be the best way to use this program to learn bass. Obviously I can pull up any chord progression and style and mute the bass part to play along...so there is that, but I am also wondering what are the best resources in this software package for learning bass lines and grooves (which I can then later mute the track and play myself)
I see there only a couple of instrument studies for bass. That's a start, but there are only a couple. Generated bass style bass parts tend to be kind of simplistic, but obviously I could just look at the notation for those and attempt to learn to play those...
Are there any other good sources of good bass playing in the band in the box universe and what would be the best way to go about learning bass (in addition to being able to mute the bass part and experiment play along).
I also am a guitarist whom also plays bass. A guitarist learning bass can be a very good thing or a very bad thing. While playing bass you MUST think like a bassist, ALWAYS in the pocket with the kick and snare, and not like a guitarist, who has liberties to do as he wishes when it come to timing and phrases.
I would start with MIDI styles as the bass lines will always have notation. A lot of RT styles also have notation, look for the line under bass. Start with simple songs even though you may not like the genre. Later you can get into more complicated styles. Of course this assumes that you can read music.
As a 4 string bass notes' names are identical to the bottom 4 strings of a guitar, only one octave lower, you probably already have some guitar lines you can convert to the bass.
Knowing how to read music and have at least some knowledge of music theory can help. Even if you don't know theory but you know that the notes C-E-G make a C major chord you already know what bass notes will always work for a C major chord. The same works for any other chord that you know the note names.
I hope this helps and good luck.
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64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
You may find the Bass Fretboard Window useful. You can access it by using the menu of Window > Guitar Window or the keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+Shift+G. Once the window is open select the Settings button and select the Bass fretboard.
If you play guitar I assume you know the relationships of root, 3rd, 5th and octave. If you know the box those live in then I'd suggest just using the chord chart for stuff you've done in BIAB and start with just playing the root until you get your timing & groove, then add the 5th and re-establish the timing then use the 3rd to sketch out SOME walks n runs. BIG clue, as mentioned, don't think like a guitarist - particularly a lead player. Keeping the bass "in service of the song" means using it to set a foundation with drums, to reinforce the rhythm, to help describe the chord and to poke out when it suits. OH, get some foam to stuff under and in front of the bridge to reduce strings ringing...muting strings with palm and fingers is a little harder but even more necessary than with guitar. ALL of that being said...do your own thing...AND get a Behringer BDI21...a superb Sansamp clone that'll give you tone, colour and DI VERY cheaply.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Consider 4-5 lessons with a local bass teacher first. Learn the significant difference between playing guitar and playing bass from someone who plays this new instrument
You'll start off on the right foot. It may also help convince you the bass is not for you
biab2026(Mac) Latest Build Mac OS (Latest) Apple Mac Mini M2 pro 32GB Ram Logic Pro (latest or pretty close) Blue and White Sea Star
What I would add is: 1. Build yourself a nice little BiaB song, maybe just a "2-chord wonder" to start. 2. Mute the bass in this song and Save Special as an MP3 file. 3. Import this file into your DAW. 4. Play along with the BiaB song while recording your bass. 5. Mix the BiaB song and your bass recording, save as MP3 if you need to. 6. Compare the groove from Step #1 and your groove from Step #5. (Most likely you will hear issues in your playing such as timing, length of notes, fret buzz, sour notes, too simple, too busy, etc. You may also find that you think you sound good while you are playing but conclude differently once you listen to your recording) 7. Repeat Steps 4 thru 6 until you are happy with your bass recording. 8. When happy, increase the complexity of the BiaB song and/or change the genre/style and repeat the entire process.
Note: This can be applicable to other instruments as well and always remember you have 2 "legs"
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
I KEEP forgetting about this. This is the way I learnt to navigate bass and chords when I 1st started playing in 1974 or so. The simplest walking bass of 12 bar blues n rock was something I was taught and learnt as rote applying it every & anywhere I could. Eventually I noticed the relationship of the notes to each other & the chord being played. Light bulb light up & blew a fuse at the same time. From the relationships lots of note options for a chord become easily available, almost under the fingers and easy to reach. It can be moved up n down the neck and be based on the E or A strings without any modification.
Last edited by rayc; 06/27/2212:11 AM.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
With these two scale positions alone, the "G scale" position and the "C scale position" moved up and down the fretboard you can play any song you want.
Get someone to show you how scales in each key relate to standard pop chords in each key.
It is worth a lesson or two. Trust me.
David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers
I also am a guitarist whom also plays bass. A guitarist learning bass can be a very good thing or a very bad thing. While playing bass you MUST think like a bassist, ALWAYS in the pocket with the kick and snare, and not like a guitarist, who has liberties to do as he wishes when it come to timing and phrases.
Unless you are in a Prog Rock band.
Seriously though..... if you play guitar even reasonably well, you should have a basic understanding of the bass. It's simply one octave lower and yes..... you do need to think differently and have the mindset that you are one half of the rhythm section of the band. Your job is to provide the foundation.
That said.... once you have the foundation aspect and keeping the pocket and groove is second nature, there are still a lot of things you can do to embellish the bass lines and provide interest to the song. Tasty fills and runs are all part of a good players repertory.
Listen to and watch the bass in this video. Notice the way he follows the kick drum. Notice the fills and runs.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 06/29/2204:28 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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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.
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.
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This Free Bonus PAK includes:
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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)
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