Greetings. I'm using the _BGMEDLY.STY style to create a bluegrass tune, and it's great. So I feel bad about asking this, but...the documentation claims that if you pick sub-styles g or h, you get a mandolin solo. I don't though: I get the same mandolin accompaniment regardless of the substyle I pick. Am I the only one? Has anyone else run into this?
Whoops. Update: I just switched everything to substyles e and f, expecting guitar solo, and found mandolin. Does anyone use this excellent style? And have you run into issues?
Thanks,
Sam B. from near Monterey, CA

Hey Sam - I quickly tried this using sub-styles G & H and it appeared they both worked normally, which is curious. Can you save an example of this happening in a song file and send it over to support@pgmusic.com so we can open it and test it? Make sure to include a description of the problem for context too. Or include a link to this forum post, either works.

For the record, we tested using a 2020 version on build 734 though - if you go to Help | About Band-in-a-Box, what does it say you are running here?

I tried it on a song I already had made, Beaumont Rag, and it worked perfectly. All the solo instruments were generated and played according to the sub style chosen. I could not find a problem using this particular style.

I do have 1 question and an observation though.

Question: What is the difference between say sub style A&B or C&D or E&F or G&H or I&J.

Using E&F for example, the guitar solo sounds the same to me. Also for the Banjo, Mandolin and Fiddle.

Observation:

As a bluegrass player for 40+ years now, and I may be missing this, but I can see that BIAB has never had a banjo backup other then a constant string of 8th or 16th notes on any banjo rhythm realtrack. Just about all banjo players do not constantly play that way when doing backup. They 'chunck' the banjo just like a mandolin player or fiddle player would. Just curious why PGMUSIC missed this very important way of playing backup banjo. All of he books I have studied over the years even start you out of this way of playing backup and just about all the professional and semi-professional players I have jammed with over the years backup that way.

If there is any realtrack missing in the BIAB bluegrass realtrack collection, it is this form of backup. Heck, Earl Scruggs, Bela Fleck, Tony Furtado, Tony Trischka, Bill Keith, Noam Pikelny, Janet Davis, Ron Block, Peter Wernick, John Hartford, and the list goes on and on, all do backup this way. They don't do a constant stream of notes through the entire song.

Just a long overdue observation.

Hi Deryk, thanks for your quick reply. Thanks, too, to jcland.

I started a new song and was unable to duplicate my previous issue. I am prepared to let this be a curiousity, since with a little trial and error I was able to get the solos I wanted. But still...weird.

To answer jcland's question, the difference between the two elements in the E-F, G-H, and I-J pairs is the behavior of the fiddle. I'm sorry to say I've lost the spot where BIAB told me this, but in one member of the pair the fiddle makes a "chunk" (if that's the word) and in the other, longer smooth passages. Your point on the banjo is well-taken: the mandolin does chunk in backup, but, just as you say, the banjo doesn't.

Thanks again to all,
Sam Buttrey

I could not think of the proper nomenclature yesterday but the other term that just about all bluegrass players use for backup is 'vamping' in addition to 'chunking'. Dobro, Fiddle, Banjo and Mandolin players use it for the vast majority of backup playing. Guitars players usually do not use that technique. BIAB only uses the 'rolling' backup technique where a steady stream of notes is played, no 'chunking' or 'vamping is used in any of the RT Banjo Rhythm tracks at all.

Good example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiMDxoBlOBY

I can duplicate this issue using 2020 version on build 734. I did it using this substyle and also with substyles _SNGWDUO, _CMPFBF2 and _CMPFBF3.

In order for BIAB to recognize and generate the part marker multiStyle changes I had to right click on each part marker and deselect (uncheck the box) of the first selection; Allow Drum fill for bar before this part marker (normal)

EDIT: I forwarded an email to support regarding my findings.