Just wasted three hours trying to compose a tune with occasional 6/4 bars in an otherwise 4/4 time sig. Utter fail.
BIB leaves blank beats after doing the 'beats in a bar' change as shown in the manual. Wont work by changing two bars to 3/4 either. Still drops the sound from the first beat of subsequent bars..

I could easily solve my problem by being allowed to create a tune in 2/4 and stick in an extra measure here and there..

why can't a 2/4 song be composed? Do y'all hate polkas that much?

Is there a solution?

Thanks,

Dave

+1 for all time signatures like 6/8, 5/4, etc.

Dave, more info about what steps you tried could be helpful. Without knowing the song or the groove you’re trying to get, I think, based on your clues, I would try alternating measures of four beats and two beats. Use F5 and change the number of beats in certain measures to 2. You also have to change the next measures back to four beats.

Could you post an audio sample or the name of the song and tell us exactly what you’ve tried?

What version of BIAB do you have? Version 2021 for Windows added simulation of 2/2 and 2/4.

I don’t know anything about polkas, but I’m pretty sure BIAB has some. Are they like
Samba and bluegrass, sometimes written in cut time? If so, I think we can help you do what you want.

I'm on Mac platform running Mac 2020 version so "F5" is a mystery to me..

There doesn't seem to be a way to attach the SGU file of my test 'song'.

Dave

The crux of the problem: I want to write a 4/4 song with occasional 6/4 bars. I understand that BIB doesn't like adding beats to a bar... Fair enough. The 6/4 could be easily done by changing a bar to 2/4.

But what happens and what I wasted a morning on, is that when I change a 4/4 bar to 2/4 BIB just keeps it in 4/4 and puts in two rests in the last half of each bar...for all subsequent bars. So I get two beats of music and two beats of silence... If I try to change the next bar after the 2/4 back to 4/4 then the first two beats of that bar become rests and then it plays the rest in 4/4 but two beats out of synch with the barlines....

I use the manual's method. Highlight the measure to become 2/4 and use the dialog box to change it to 2/4. I even tried making a brand new song and before entering any chords I highlighted 32 bars and tried to make them all 2/4 via the dialog box. Result is 32 bars of 4/4 with the 3rd and 4th beats as rests...

Could this be peculiar to the Mac version?

BTW the song isn't actually a polka... It's a 2-beat 'feel' country song.....

Dave

I doubt Dave Brubeck would approve of BIB...

Dave

There’s a lot here. Give it time and we’ll get there.

If by Dave Brubeck you mean his odd time signature songs, all of them that I know can be done in BIAB. It just takes some contriving. As Mario said, this is an area BIAB could improve.

The F5 key in Windows brings up Bar Settings. Find out in Help how to do that on a Mac.

I’m puzzled when you refer to silence for two beats. I think the first step here is for you to find Bar Settings.

Cotts,

There are several different ways you can access Edit Settings for the Current Bar, or F5 Bar Settings, in 2020 BiaB for Mac. First you must select the bar to be edited. Then you can use the F5 Bar Settings button on the toolbar, keystrokes of Option + B on your keyboard, navigate to Edit then select Bar Settings or use the F5 keyboard shortcut.

I found this tip in the 2020 BiaB for Mac user manual, page 151.

I can't upload an screen grab here?

Anyway, I can access a window from the 'tools' 'settings' in the upper right that offers the chance to alter the number of beats in any bar. this is also accessible with FN-F5 on my Mac.. Just did it. Same screen. And I have described the result. There are literally silent beats as a result. Making a 4/4 bar become a 2/4 bar simply makes the 3rd and 4th beats silent. The beats still exist if you count along 1,2,3,4.... so not even 2/4 in reality..

I can access a different window if I click the blue 4/4 beside the Key icon in the top centre. It offers many choices from 2/4 to 11/4 but it causes the same chord-dropout effect.

and there is still no way to set up a song in 2/4 even if the entire song is to be in 2/4....

Dave

Yes, you can upload a screen grab here. Look for File Manager below.

EDIT: I have been informed that this feature is only available after making 25 posts.
EDIT: and now I have been informed the required number is lower than that. I really don't know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

25 posts? Well I'd better get cracking then!!!

Dave