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Oh how I wish I could play by ear but I would settle for being able to memorize songs.
I can sight read quite well, at least to play to my level and amuse myself and even entertain others. However my eyes stay glued to the music and I never need to glance at my hands. Some people envy the way I play because I can pick up a sheet of music and make it sound reasonable right away. On the other hand I am lost without the music in front of me which means I also have an issue with having to turn the page smartly to avoid losing the continuity. I have been playing piano for 60 years and have only managed to memorize three songs in that time and even then if I stop in the middle I have to go back to the beginning to restart! I used to play at parties as a teenager before record players were common so I always carried my music with me just in case there was a piano.
I have the opportunity to play using BIAB for gatherings at our retirement community this winter and have been busy copying all the pieces that I might play and putting them inside sheet protectors in three ring binders. The sheet protectors slide over each other so it makes turning the page much quicker. I have created BIAB files for all the songs in my binders and some of them are compilations of different songs that flow from one to the other with different styles and tempos.
Does anyone else with my "affliction" play in public and how do you handle the problem of only playing from the music?
Thanks
Tony
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Sorry, I didn't see the post "Learning Songs" before I posted.
The advice about practice, practice etc just won't work in my case, I have tried this for 60 years!
So does anyone out there just accept their disabilty and play in public with the sheet music?
Thanks
Tony
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I guess part of this depends on what kind of stuff you're doing. If you're playing 5 page piano concerto's that would be a bit more difficult than if you're playing 4 chord church hymns. With your years of experience all that music is in you you just don't know it. Set up Biab next to your piano and hit play. Without looking at the music or the screen just start playing along with the song. Who cares at this point if you mess it up, it's just you. Just start doing it and listen, it will come. The other method is how I memorized Fantasy Impromptu. I needed to work on various sections of that piece anyway so I would practice a passage and as I learned it I would stop looking at the music. Since I'm a long time stage performer I'm used to memorizing everything so for that you have start right at the beginning and force yourself to do it. As you know everything is in phrases, just do them one at a time and learn them, that's it.
Here's something else. It doesn't matter of you screw up a passage or not when you're performing alone unless it's a university performance in front of your professor. I completely understand that when you're used to sight reading everything you put tremendous pressure on yourself to do it precisely correct and if you suddenly forget something you can completely lose it and fall apart. Playing at your retirement home is no big deal so just relax, if you mess something up they usually can't tell unless you tell them and stop playing. Just keep playing some pretty chords and pick it up again.
Another thing to help you memorize a song is to start with the melody only. The backing chords flow from that so you can simply noodle the melody with your right hand and just "find" the right chords with your left. When you're playing from the music stop and look "inside" the song from a music theory perspective and see what kind of chord is being used for a particular melody line. I'm assuming you're reading actual piano music, not fake book charts. Music usually doesn't have the chord symbols written above the staff. If it does, that would be great because you can simply learn to play the chord and if you don't play the voicing exactly as written, it will still work. If you want to memorize a song exactly as written fine but for performing at a retirement home, that's really not necessary if you know the melody and the chords. As you get used to this your ears will tell you that yeah, you should play that Cm7 in a different inversion with the melody line but it still won't sound like you don't know the song if you don't do it exactly right. I'm starting to ramble now, but my point here is don't get too hung up on every single note on a piece of piano music. Know the melody and the chords and just put them together by using your ears.
Working with Biab is a tremendous help for this.
Bob
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Jazzmammal's advice is excellent. I need to follow his advice and it is on my list.
For what it's worth, I have the same problem you do. I use lead sheets printed from BIAB containing chords and the melody line. I perform mostly jazz and bossa standards. My background is classical (B.A. in Music) but made the switch to jazz a few years ago. No doubt I'm using the music as a crutch but I still do it.
My 'talent' has always been harmony and not melody. What I have found is that most songs I play have pretty much the same structure AABA. The songs typically have a temporary simple modulation returning 'home' in the last phrase. There are also common chord progressions (ii-V-I) that occur in many of those songs. After a while, I started hearing these common progressions allowing me to take my eyes off the music and look at the dancers on the floor. When I solo, I know the chord progressions and improvise based on what notes are available in that chord. I read a jazz book that said if you hit a wrong note, it is usually one note off from the right one. When that happens to me, I just use the wrong note as a passing note and resolve it.
I don't know your theory background but assume your ear must be good after playing for 60 years. Aside from Mammal's advice, I recommend a thorough knowledge of keys, Circle of 5ths. and of course scales.
Now don't do as I do, but do as I say.
R
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Quote:
I read a jazz book that said if you hit a wrong note, it is usually one note off from the right one. When that happens to me, I just use the wrong note as a passing note and resolve it.
There are no wrong notes in jazz  it's all in how you sell it to the crowd. "Wow, did you hear that?", "Yeah, cool man!"
There have been times where I'll try to incorporate something new into a solo and totally screw it up especially if it's up tempo. I remember thinking this isn't the best thing I've ever done yet on a break one of the other players will comment on how much they liked it. If it's not total and complete trash, you can make most anything work with some experience. I've heard this on records by the best in the world. There's some things I'm sure are big screwup's but they're so good they can simply pause for a few seconds or just do a quick rhythmic vamp or something like that.
Bob
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I've never really been able to memorize stuff. Multiplication tables, dates of historic events, my wife's birthday, phone numbers, my own kid's middle names... I failed Algebra II because I couldn't memorize the quadratic equation. That sort of stuff doesn't "stick". For example, the other day I playing a CD in my car. I'd been singing along with the song for the last month or so, but I pretty much failed on a lot of lyrics. My sister, who hadn't heard the song in years, didn't miss a word. They say that memory is a function of interest, but it's more than that. For me, memory is a function of understanding something. So I focus my learning style around that. I can learn things by rote repetition, but it takes a long time. If I have to memorize a song, I not only rely on repetition (which is key), but trying to understand it as much as possible. So I'll focus on the chord sequence, and the little phrases. I'll break it into chunks, and try to understand the "mechanics" of each part - the musical meaning, the fingering, and so on. Fortunately, I don't have to do that often, because I really suck at it. So I'm pretty much tied to sheet music. But that's OK. 
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Isn't it weird how some people hear songs they have not heard in 40 years and remember all of the lyrics. It must be from repetition - having 45's singles and playing them continually. Oh the good old days.
Speaking of sheet music, I'm taking a break from re-organizing my music. I have my lead sheets in plastic covers in 3 binders. I'm now printing songs on both sides of a sheet, thus reducing the overall clutter hoping to get it down to a slim 2 binders. Now if I would spend this time memorizing my music...
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Quote:
There are no wrong notes in jazz
I dunno, I've heard some pretty rough stuff! But if you know what you are doing you can make any note work.
Having the ear to resolve it is the first step. Adapting technique to resolve it is next. Then you can *intentionally* do it. (even when it's not on purpose) 
I've mentioned him before, but I'll do it again; Michael Brecker could make any note (or scale) work over any chord. He knew what had to come before it and after it to resolve it, but he did some really wild stuff.
If you appreciate old jazz (first part of song is pretty much acoustic bass and tenor sax)-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkaNyz6mbSM&feature=fvw
Hilights for me-
4:20 when the piano player is just watching him play
6:10 when he makes some sort of overtone sounds on the whole lick
7:11 when he knows he blew a "wrong" note; but only he knew it really (I think he wanted the next harmonic up)
So many things he did impressed me. You would think (being a trumpet player) that his brother would be the one I was impressed with, and I am, but Mike was special. To me anyway.
Another, just for fun
This is more my fave style-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf52XgPr0p8&feature=related
Straphangin. Letterman fans will notice Will Lee playing bass; he was an original Brecker Bros member.
I know Mike chose some notes in this I wouldn't even have considered! Randy too for that matter.
Anyone know of a better video that lines up with music better??
Last edited by rharv; 11/17/10 04:24 PM.
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Make your sound your own!
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My problem is the opposite. I go blind looking at sheet music!
When I had my first lessons, the teacher would play & I would play what he played.
I couldn't play it from the sheet.
I can pretty much play any song I've ever heard, in any key.
Some of the super fast things don't register right away & I have to see them in my mind.
My brother played trumpet but could only play with music in front of him.
He always said, " I wish I could play by ear."
I've always said, " I wish I could read."
But I've resolved myself to the fact that I have a talent many don't have.
I'm okay with that today.
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Tony,
I don’t know if this is pertinent to your situation or not, but your post made me think of it.
A few years ago my wife invited an old friend from college over for dinner. The friend mentioned that she was the music director for one of the largest high schools in the state. I asked what instruments she played and she named several and piano was at the top of the list. She also said she gave lessons on all of those instruments and had majored in music at college.
I told her I was a musician, and then my wife told her I was also a songwriter and asked me to play a specific song that I’d written about my wife and son for her friend. The friend agreed and asked me to get my “music” and guitar and play for her. I’m thinkin’ “I don’t need no steenkin’ music”, but I fetched my guitar and I played the song. She complimented me on it, but she then asked how long it took me to memorize it. I told her the only thing I had to memorize was the words. She looked confused, but then asked me to play another song. I did, (without sheet music), and had basically the same response from her.
She asks for another song, so I launch into “Minor Swing” for about a 4 minute instrumental. She asks how I can remember that entire instrumental and I told her I didn’t remember anything but the first verse, (or the basic melody), and that I’d never heard the other 3 verses until the time I had just played them, (i.e. improvised).
She then stated that she "couldn't grasp" improvisation and that she couldn’t play “one complete bar of anything” without the music in front of her. I put down my guitar and began to “gently” quiz her and found that she didn’t understand “basic” musical concepts when you actually tried to apply them to an instrument or song. She could recite the theory, but she had no idea how to use it on any instrument. Remember this lady is the Music Director and teacher at a High School in the largest city in my state, and has a degree to go with it!
So if you can relate to any of this, may I suggest the following:
Put up your sheet music, and think of the most basic melody you can think of. (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star). Play just the melody in the key of C by ear until you’re comfortable with it, and then add the chords. Think about how the melody “relates” to the chords.
After you have that down, pick another very simple song and do the same without referring back to the sheet music. If you do this by ear daily for 3 months and refuse to allow yourself to even glance at sheet music, then I would guarantee that you’ll find it much easier to memorize what’s on the sheet, and you’ll enjoy playing much more.
Last edited by bobcflatpicker; 11/17/10 04:47 PM.
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I'm in the camp where I think the two can go hand in hand.
Knowing the theory is good; it speeds up the 'learning the licks' part if you can understand what's happening.
I notice you alluded to this, Bob.
It also forces you to think in intervals and concepts more than literal notes. For me, that is the area I get the most 'thanks' from anyone I've ever taught. It's that they gained a grasp on the theory, because it makes everything else easier and quicker to learn. I'm no expert I can grasp it!
Sounds like that lady never did just sit down and play for fun, as you suggested. Shame. and surprising
How could you ever write a song if you couldn't play what you are hearing in your head? And how could you structure it and notate it if you didn't understand theory?
Both are needed IMO.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Tony, first off let me compliment you on being able to sight read quickly and accurately. It is definitely not a disability. What is important is a good sense of tempo to be able to set the groove and stay in the pocket. Playing by “ear” although is a slightly different kettle of fish. The approach to ear playing is the same as sight reading, learn it in small increments, and repetition. That is what you did many years ago learning to sight read, you may have forgotten. Problem is the older we get there is resistance to repetitive practice. . My sight reading is only average, playing my own arranged songs by ear is pretty good and playing the changes is pretty good. For example I have to learn 4 methods of playing the Tennessee Waltz. Version one is our swing band arrangement as a jazz waltz, and I have to read that one if it is put into a dance program. The second version is my own arrangement if I do it as a single performer. I play it as a slow waltz with my own chord embellishments. The third version is if I play it as a country tune in conjuction with other players. Then I usually just play basic chords. The fourth version is backing other singers at a jam. I have to play the song in their various keys, different tempos, and be ready to anticipate where their next chord is going to or if there is a change in phrasing. What I am trying to say here is that this is a lot of times to play the Tennessee Waltz. That is a lot of repetition, repetition.
As I stated in an earlier post, when I learn a song by ear, I usually focus on learning the melody, singing it acapella even if it is an instrumental. Play one chord, sing 1,2, 3 or more bars. Repeat. Seriously, start with “Mary Had A Little Lamb”, play first chord and sing until the next chord change. Play the next chord and so on. I am confident you can do that. Baby steps! Move on to more difficult songs. If not sure of the chord listen for the bass line, generally that will give you the root of the chord. You have an advantage over the people that can only play by ear, is that they need to hear the melody before they can learn the song. They can’t hear it off a piece of sheet music. Just remember baby steps. DennisD
PS just noticed rharv and bob covered some of this
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Rharv, Quote:
I'm in the camp where I think the two can go hand in hand.
Knowing the theory is good; it speeds up the 'learning the licks' part if you can understand what's happening.
Sounds like that lady never did just sit down and play for fun, as you suggested. Shame. and surprising
How could you ever write a song if you couldn't play what you are hearing in your head? And how could you structure it and notate it if you didn't understand theory?
Both are needed IMO.
I agree completely. My suggestion for Tony was to eliminate the “sheet music” for 3 mos. in order to develop or train his ears, then bring the sheet music back in as a learning tool only, with learning some music theory as something that will benefit both skills.
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Hi Tony,
Great topic by the way.
I'm the opposite to you, and a bit closer to Mick. Although I was taught to read music as a kid, through years of playing in a 'pop' band, I gave up reading music totally. I am blessed with quite a good ear for music and can generally hear a song a couple of times and play it from memory. Years later I tried to re-teach myself to read music by downloading songs from the net that I didn't know, opening them in BIAB & printing the music. I would then mute the melody/solo and play along. Problem was that I never knew if I was playing it correctly, so I'd un-mute the melody/solo, play and listen a couple of times, but by then I knew if fairly well without looking at the charts. A blessing in one way, but counter productive in another.
Alt
Sometimes the way that I memorise song is to sing the words to myself as I'm playing.
Have you tried this?
Take a simple old song that you know the words to, and try to play it without the music by singing the words and trying to "visualise" the notes coming up.
Also, try using BIAB's "Ear Training" - it will help you greatly if you can practise picking note intervals and chord changes.
I also think that having sheet music in front of you is a "crutch" in some cases. While ever it's there you'll look at it. Just because it's there.
Good luck with it Tony.
Cheers,
Keith
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I was taught from the very early beginning that the consummate musician develops BOTH aspects of playing mentioned in this thread. Sight Reading is always part of the audition, regardless of genre. Or it should be. But if the genre is anything modern, the ability to play by ear, also to improvise, is equally important.
As to the subject of *memory* -- the science behind how our memory works is simple enough -- we recall something because we associate it with something else.
Some folks manage to figure out a way to grasp and use the above memory association rather naturally, which usually gets translated by others to being "effortlessly" -- which is very likely to be a misnomer applied by those who don't understand that what someone else appears to do "effortlessly" very likely has quite a bit of ground work behind it.
So how to start memorizing songs?
One. At. A. Time.
Pick a song and begin trying to play it through from the beginning without the chart during our daily practice regimen.
If you make a mistake for any reason, don't keep on with the song, STOP. Start over *from the beginning* of the song and try to play it through again. This time, you may just be ready for that note, bar, phrase or whatever that escaped you the last time through. If not, and you find this area to be a repetitive mistake, stop and *analyze* what's happening that causes you to generate that same mistake at the same place every time. This could be anything from something physical, (fingering, hand placement, etc.) to something mental, (lack of knowledge as to the chord, melody or the like, or the biggie, confusing the passage with that from another song that you happen to know "at that same place").
Yes, like everything else we learn about music performance, this starts slow. One song. BUT -- and this is the good part about eerything we learn about music performace -- if we continue the drill over time, the ability to memorize the NEXT song should take a shorter time than the last. etc.
For the pianist who wishes to play modern songs in the jazz or pop setting, learning the Fake Chord syllabus is extremely important. This opens up the beginnings of how to think about your accompaniments in terms of "devices" instead of rote memorizations of someone else's written devices.
A good starting drill: Harmonize the Major Scale of your favorite key and play it through with both hands. There are two ways to do this, the Diatonic method, which sounds like "Gospel Piano" where the 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 of the Major Scale is chorded as, I,V,I,IV,V,IV,V,I - yielding the simplified "one four five" throughout all 8 steps of the scale, and then there is the more advanced harmonization, typically the division reserved for jazz, wherein the same 8 steps are harmonized as the note on the scale being the root of a chord, Maj, min, min, Maj, Maj, min, dim, Maj.
Lastly, you are never too old to teach the brain something new.
Have at it,
--Mac
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Wow, I am blown away by the response. Thanks for taking so much time on this discussion.
The advice being given about memorizing songs, albeit very sincere and detailed, sounds a bit like someone who has a talent for drawing telling the rest of us that drawing can be learned by anyone. Sure instruction and technique can improve anyone's skill but we all know that the people who can really draw are the ones who were born with the talent. To give you an idea of the uphill struggle I face I remember at junior high school when I was one of the few who could play an instrument attending a music class when the teacher was trying to teach us to recognise chord intervals. I was so frustrated because I was one of the worst in the class and even though I had been playing for years I just couldn't recognise intervals. That's when I realized I had no ear.
The only chance for me to improve my ability to memorize is to have a sympathetic mentor looking over my shoulder to inspire me while I put into practice some of the things that have been suggested here. I don't think I will ever do it on my own but what the heck. I get a great deal of pleasure out of playing from the sheet and BIAB has provided a spark that re-ingnited my interest in playing over 10 years ago.
We leave for Florida in 5 minutes and intend to see whether I can use my talents to entertain in our retirement village. I have to assume, because it wasn't mentioned, that no one performs in public with BIAB playing from sheet music but I will give it a go.
Many thanks again
Tony
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I'll be glad to look over your shoulder, just pick me up on your way to Florida. You'll have to cross over at Sarnia instead of the Falls, but I'll have my bags packed and waiting outside.. I'll have to dig out the T-shirts though, it hasn't been warm here in a while.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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I was going to say a Really Biiiiiig Pe..... Oh you said Pianist!!!??!?? Sorry! Moving along
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Quote:
... I don't think I will ever do it on my own but what the heck. ...
Tony, if you continue to give that negative a voice, that is what you will get.
--Mac
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Official lessons - sight reading for a few years. Then - the piano teacher started teaching chord theory and chord positions. That, I got hooked on. I realized the piano based Journey songs that were popular in high school were actually easier to play by learning the chords and figuring out the arpeggios that were being used. Favorite chords at that time were add2 chords. All the girls liked them! Now, 20+ years later of pretty much faking it, using knowledge of chord theory; playing off of chord charts and in the right style with the right chord inversions and now muscle memory, I can hardly sight read anything more than a simple melody line. Over the past 1/2 year or so, I'm slowly trying to get back into sight reading some of the classic piano tunes that I love. Pathetique by Beethoven has been my starting point. Still not very far through it. All of my fake-playing is pretty much self taught, at least from a fingering of chords standpoint. However, once I saw Scott Houston on PBS 'The Piano Guy', I realized that's pretty much how I self-taught. It works great for playing pop tunes and playing in rock and country bands and so forth. To complement your sight reading abilities, I would highly recommend checking out his stuff as a practical way to break away from the sheet music when called for. http://www.scotthouston.com/store/home.phpIt will help you immensely along this path to study chord theory and chord voicings on the keyboard. Very often, in fact much of the time, the root shouldn't be the lowest note played. You'll find yourself being able to pick out voicings just by listening for what seems right with a recorded version of the song. I have to say that this is my most natural way of playing right now, not unlike Bob's picking capability. It becomes hard-wired. And in a band, it's danged fun! Good luck. Just don't lose the sight-reading skills! -Scott
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
- Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
- Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
- Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
- Playable RealTracks Set 4
- RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
- SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
- 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
- Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
- Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
- RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
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.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
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.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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