We agree on the point that bluegrass melodies (and similar feels like reels) are typically written using 8th notes, not 16th notes (as BIAB does if you don’t choose edit-expand). This is because the tradition is to write the melodies in cut-time (2/2, also known as Alla breve). In Cut-time, each beat where you tap your foot is actually notated as a half note, to make it easier to read. It makes the notation easier to read, but it would be not advisable to implement that in an accompaniment program where you need to mix n match parts from different styles, because you'd be matching a quarter note with a half note. For example, chikin pickin guitar or other country styles are never notated like that in 8th notes, it's always 16ths, so you it would be awkward adding other parts to your 8th note based bluegrass style.


In my analysis, using 8th notes in bluegrass is called cut-time and 2/2 time signature, though they don’t write the 2/2. That has been done since the 1600s and the original name for it is alla breve. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alla_breve It doesn't affect how the music is played, it just affects the appearance of the notation.



What BIAB needs is a mode to display the notation in cut time 2/2, and then you’d see 8th notes. In cut time each beat represents a half note. We did add notation modes like that for 6/8 9/8 and 12/8 but haven’t done cut time mode yet. That mode would be useful for styles like bluegrass, reels or sambas where you want the notation in cut-time (as if the tempo was doubled). Hopefully we can add that before the end of the year.


>That book is the only one I've ever seen that notates bluegrass/fiddle tunes/traditional music in 16ths. All of the others notate the styles in 8ths.

Note that many bluegrass musicians do notate with 16th notes. For example here is a page with different users uploading bluegrass riffs. You’ll note that most use 16th notes and not 8th notes. https://www.soundslice.com/genres/bluegrass/
examples
https://www.soundslice.com/slices/CVkcc/
https://www.soundslice.com/slices/cKMcc/
https://www.soundslice.com/slices/DlCcc/
https://www.soundslice.com/slices/XM9cc/
https://www.soundslice.com/slices/yj8cc/
https://www.soundslice.com/slices/skbcc/
https://www.soundslice.com/slices/FftNc/
https://www.soundslice.com/slices/XjmVc/

In the meantime:
1. for the last eight years we have an 8th note based bluegrass RealStyle _BGBAND8.m4a (typical tempo 270) http://demos.pgmusic.com/audio/allstyledemos2/_BGBAND8.m4a
2. and for the last 18 years, we've had a 8th note based bluegrass MIDI style Ozark.sty (typical tempo 270) http://demos.pgmusic.com/audio/allstyledemos2/Ozark.m4a

Both of those provide the functionality you are asking for. So that, for example, this statement.... "You can't take a piece of bluegrass sheet music music and enter it into BIAB as it is written in most so called bluegrass styles without using a work around" can be appended with .... unless you use an 8th note bluegrass Real style like _BGBAND8.sty or MIDI style like Ozark.sty. The melodies are notated in 8th notes, the tempos are high like 270 etc.

And by the way, when you listen to one of these styles, are you really tapping your foot (or counting them in) at tempo 270? I don't, it's 135 for me.






Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.