Para 40 of the online help list says that BIAB is Jazz oriented, but I want to use the format of Intro-Chorus-Bridge-Ending for my songs.Do I have to do chord inputs from 1 to 120 for each song? There's got to be a better way?
I'm not sure that I'm understanding your post fully. For what it's worth, how I interpreted what you said is below.
Unless your songs all have the same chord progression, at some point you are going to have to enter chords.
The section you quote on page 40 of the manual, sounds like it's referring to BIAB's use of the word "Chorus". From a jazz perspective, a chorus means 'once through the entire song'.
When I write a song in BIAB, I always use a single chorus and enter the chords for bars 1 to whatever. This gives me total control over the blue and green part markers which help map sections. (Blue part markers are less energetic than green ones. For this reason, I usually use blue for intro, verses and bridge and green for choruses and ending.
With copy and paste for similar sections, it doesn't take that long to layout a song.
If you go to the link below, you'll see how I set out a song.
Yes, chorus in BIAB is as Noel said, with BIAB originating to play accompaniment from jazz fakebooks.
If you can convert your thinking to AABA type song construction, you can use a BIAB feature where you can define each section by letter and then ‘play it back’ in whatever order you choose. Let’s say your form is ABBACABA. This makes it easy to enter ABC once but play back without worrying about block copying, tags, 2nd endings etc. Write back if you want to know more.
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I enter a single verse, bridge and chorus and then use Song Form Dialogue instead of cut/paste. Intros and endings are often a shortened verse or chorus phrase that can be selected from the Song Form Dialogue as well. For a simple song, it's less than ten minutes, often way less. The first ones are the hardest, and it gets easier quickly. Good luck!
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Noel, so happy you replied. It appears you've come to the same conclusion as I. I can copy and paste chords, and use the blue/green partmarkers for a slight change. My problem is I don't know how to control the grayed out bars or get a proper ending. The grayed out bars are my problem now. Any comments you can provide are greatly appreciated. With regard to the above subject, this is my 1st time on the forum. Thanks again, and did play your song. I tried to program "I'll Fly away" - 3 simple chords right, but can't get the ending right. Ill keep playing with it. Best regards! P.S, I'm Cajun from Louisiana living in Knoxville, TN. , displaced by hurricane Katrina.
My problem is I don't know how to control the grayed out bars or get a proper ending. The grayed out bars are my problem now.
The grayed-out bars are not bars at all, they are simply unused regions of the chordsheet.
If you have a look at the link in my above post you can see (for example) that I have three grayed-out 'bars' after bar 13. You might not have noticed, though, that the very next non-grayed-out bar is 14.
Every time one uses a blue/green part marker, BIAB's default behavioiur is to start a new line for the first bar that follows the part marker. Thus, the grayed out regions are irrelevant -- the colouring simply means that they are not used by BIAB for this particular song.
Quote:
I tried to program "I'll Fly away" - 3 simple chords right, but can't get the ending right. Ill keep playing with it. Best regards! P.S, I'm Cajun from Louisiana living in Knoxville, TN. , displaced by hurricane Katrina.
As you will have already discovered, by default, BIAB automatically adds a two bar ending to a song. If you want to disable this so that you can construct your own ending...
1. right-click on the chord sheet
2. select 'Song Settings'
3. deactivate the 'Generate 2 bar ending for this song' checkbox
Also, in relation to the bars that follow 'end' on the chordsheet (bars 70 and 71 on my above song), these are BIAB's bars that are used to create ending (although 4 of them in BIAB 2018 are not grayed-out, it's actually a 2-bar ending and 2 bars of letting the sound die away). The ONLY chord that works in the ending region is the first chord of the first of these 4 bars. Chord added anywhere else in those 4 bars will not play (this might be what's causing your problem).
I'm really sorry to hear that you were in the thick of Katrina. I cannot begin to imagine how horrendous that must have been. We've had a few forum members caught up in cyclones... absolutely devastating stuff.
Hello Noel, thanks for the heads up' I have solved the grayed out bars (too an extent) in that you can delete or insert bars, but sometimes it doesn't work. I'll keep working on it. Solved the song repeat, removed the checked box in Loop. Next I'll try unchecking the 2-bar ending box. Thanks again, I've gotten more help from from you than Live Support. And Katrina was over 10 years ago, just another bump in the road. It's beautiful up here lower humidity and temps than Louisiana, but I sorely miss the food.
Yes, chorus in BIAB is as Noel said, with BIAB originating to play accompaniment from jazz fakebooks ....
And an annoying general bad habit; too many jazzers can play a song, but most never heard of a verse. I like Leon Redbone's arrangements a lot: he usually includes the verse in his recordings, thereby showing respect for the songwriters. I would like to see a proper selection-able section naming function as f.i. intro-verse-chorus-end in BIAB. Requested that before, maybe 20 years ago LoL ... Makes leadsheet production a lot easier. -F
. .. too many jazzers can play a song, but most never heard of a verse
...thereby showing respect for the songwriters. . -F
All I did was give you the history of how BIAB started. I have always supported this request to allow labels of verse, chorus, bridge etc., as long as the current system remains an option.
There is no need for the nonsense about what jazz players may not know or do.
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IMHO use the unfolded method. That is 1-n-1, where n is the number of measures. You don't have to know n as you can increase it as needed. This is how I do all of my songs, i.e. in the unfolded method.
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Mario is right; this is one good way to do it. Just be aware that the whole song must be no longer than 255 measures. It may even be less than that if you use RealTracks with a double-time time base. That’s one reason I mentioned defining sections. I also use Bar-based Section Letters to identify sections, like V for verse, T for tag etc.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
I don't think I have done a single song that was much over 120 measures long. So unfolding it just makes sense. I have used it from early on in my experience with BB some 15 odd years ago. In the repeat version, you have no idea where you are in the song and starting further on in the song is nearly impossible. With the unfolded version, it's linear and you always know where you are in the song. So much easier to work with.
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The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
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XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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