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Basic Chord Entry Lesson #1

Yo Props!

Welcome to the Forum and Band in a Box! You are about to embark upon a very fun journey.

Remember, that learning is the fun part, so never get frustrated. You will learn something new every day and after a while you will discover new confidence in your problem solving skills and cleverness as you try and figure things out, trust me!

Here is a little lesson with a link to a BIAB folder I have in drop box to add user tracks and files and other stuff people might find useful.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y4ujowwpqh5y42t/AABnCcRP8YYL6ydXzoebe2Nza?dl=0

In the dropbox you will connect to by the link there is a file with a style called a “multi-style”. Pop Multi-Style Plus. (You can find all multi-styles sorted in the style picker if you type in the + symbol) This style will remind you of "Hotel California" a bit.

Here are some thoughts and cool things to learn:

1. These + styles. These styles are “pre-arranged” if you will--so they are pretty cool.

2. Also notice (if you grab my drop box version) that I have chosen to show the chords in both the key “letter names” and also as roman numerals by toggling the chord display. (See screen shots.)

3. This is interesting because almost all Pop Songs are based on the use of I ii iii IV V vii and Dim7 chords in any key--but put in a different order. We will never run out of interesting combinations and new melodies over these combinations in this or any lifetime.

Fiddle and fool with these combinations and you will write 1000 songs easily by the end of next year.

4. This style shows some very cool chord progressions in the various parts. All of the bases are covered in terms of the numbers given above.

The numbers relate to the steps of the scale

C D E F G A B C
C Dm Em F G Am Bdim7
I ii ii IV V vi VIIdim I
1 2m 3m 4 5 6m 7dim 1

(Nashville Notation)

In country or pop it is somewhat rare to play a true 2nd chord (or D in the C scale) so that is why the major and minor chords above are referred to most often. Classic exception. Rolling Stones, You Can’t Always Get What You Want. “If you try some time…” goes to the second.

Bb But if you….

C…Try some time…


Rules are made to be broken right??

AND, once you see what’s going on number-wise, and see that you are mixing it up, all you have to do is hit transpose to try this out in other keys.

Also, in drop box I put a pdf manual to the Band in a Box key chord entry short cuts in case you are interested.

Finally, for further arrangement fun, get very used to the dots. Look up shots and holds in the manual and you will have a blast.

Here’s the tip of the day: One dot (period) placed after the chords will solo the instruments.

The “slots” go in this order

1. Bass (b) (could be another instrument here but still “b”)
2. Piano (p) (could be another instrument here but still “p”)
3. Drums (d)
4. Guitar (g)
5. Strings (s) (Could be another guitar or another instrument but still “s”)

In the file I put in drop box, the piano is built into the substyle. (You can see what is in the substyle by hovering over the gold bar and right clicking)

Type E.p and it shows up in pink. Rinse and repeat for other intro chords and you get a piano intro.

Or you can type E.pg and use piano and guitar. A world of wonders.

(If you use the dots I spoke of, and then save and open the BIAB file in Real Band, your “arrangement” is preserved and ready for use or export. Wicked cool.)

Remember to save the Real band file as an .seq (sequence) file.

Have fun!

P.S. This lesson also in drop box as a pdf.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y4ujowwpqh5y42t/AABnCcRP8YYL6ydXzoebe2Nza?dl=0

David, Thank you very much for this detailed and informative post. I will pick up your files from dropbox and give it a go. I will have to keep coming back to your post and reread or I will make a train wreck of the whole thing.I will experiment using the dot method for the solo portions. Honestly,I have not even opened Realband so this should be interesting. I am pretty well versed with scales and modes as the last 5 months before getting BIAB I work quite hard practicing and getting my head back into theory. I am sure I will be coming back with questions. Thank you again!

My pleasure. Just have fun with it.


You'll get it!!!

Ask any questions you like. That's what we are here for.

David, All went well. I really,really enjoyed your tune..great job!! Ha...I saved it, I will noodle on it later. It downloaded into BB and I played with the "dot" feature. I ah....took out your piano and dotted in the bass for the intro. Yeah...A little weird. I will change it back.
The dot option is a cool shortcut. Thanks for sharing that.

I saved it and brought it into RB. I just gotta figure out what I am looking at or better yet what I should be looking at. Is there a reason your tracks start on channel 9? And not channel 1? Like I say, I will continue to read the manual and play around. Again, loved the song.

Hey Props,

Thanks! Real quick.

In Beal Band, the first 8 tracks dedicate themselves as BIAB tracks if you open a BIAB file. That is in case the style has any midi tracks in it. Those 8 correspond to the 8 channels in the BIAB layout plus audio.

The Real Tracks in the style go under that.

Comes in REAL Handy as you will learn later.

Anything else is up to you. Generate new tracks. Mix and match. Change styles and regenerate. Play and sing!

Have fun. Write with any questions. You'll get it.

What's a Prop? Am I a Prop? Should I be worried?

Marty!!

Props is the name of the original poster!!!!



But you can be a prop if you want to be one!

In a song up just now 12/3, the duet "Win Your Heart" by Floyd Jane and Janice Merritt, in the chorus there is, I believe, the use of the dot at the end of the phrase "every single day..." is that right?

I also really like that the lyrics are posted on Soundcloud, so I don't have to go back and forth.

Thank you very much for the time you are spending on this.

Marty,

It sure sounds like it, unless they used another editing trick. Either way, that is what the dot will do.



But again, you can solo instruments, as I earlier instructed, or can do a a shot, rest or hold by using one, two or three periods on the chord itself.

• C.=Res, C..=Shot, C…=Hold

I would highly recommend doing a search function for those in the manual as they are indispensable tools.

Have a great one!

Just to let you know, there are others - well me anyway, trying to follow this.
Thanks

OK, I understand.

We are doing our best to address individual questions and also be inclusive.

Also, we are just getting started so please bear with us as we work out the kinks. This is a volunteer effort and we are putting a lot of thought into the best way to do this to create a library of resources that will be easy to retrieve.

Again, we are glad you are here and feel free to offer suggestions and helpful feedback with specific questions as we are trying to get our sea legs.

Thanks.