Playing intros and turnarounds with band in a box instuments

[William Lawson]

How do use band in a box instruments to create the last line of song for the intro a turnaround

[Jim Fogle]

Band-in-a-Box (BiaB) typically uses two bars or measures to end a song. Normally BiaB automatically inserts the key signature chord into the first beat of the ending. A two bar riff or hold is created around the key signature chord. The ending riff or hold normally is part of the style.

If you use RealTracks in a song you can select a setting in song settings for a four bar or measure ending where two bars allow the ending to fade and ring naturally.

Press the "Song Settings" button in the song title bar right next to the mixer. The "Song Settings" window has ending options for tags, two bar endings, four bar endings and fades.

Finally, you can make a custom ending by ending the song with a shot or hold. A shot is a chord name followed by two periods, "C7..", while a hold is a chord name followed by three periods, "C7...".

BiaB plays songs based on the "Start", "End" and "Chorus" title bar settings and chord sheet part markers so it doesn't understand transitions.

"Start" is the first bar of the repeating bars. Any bars prior to the "Start" bar is played first and do not repeat. By default the "Start" bar is set to "1". When you want a unique intro, set the "Start" bar to "5" or "9" for four or eight non-repeating bars to play before the repeating bars.

"End" is the number of the last bar of the repeating bars, not the first bar of the ending. The first bar of the ending is the first bar after the last bar of the repeating pattern. This confuses a lot of people including me.

"Chorus" is how many times the repeating bars repeat. The repeating bars extend from "Start" to "End".

Part markers tell the band to switch or transition from one playing pattern to another. The switch begins one bar prior to the part marker. So if you place a part marker on bar 5, the transition happens in bar 4. By default the BiaB drummer plays a fill and a cymbal crash during the transition. There is a check box setting in the "Preferences" > "Arrangement" window to eliminate the cymbal crash but that's an all or nothing compromise throughout the song and for all songs. You can insert part markers at any bar or groups of bars.

[William Lawson]

I guess I was not clear with my question what I really wanted to know is how to create intros and turnarounds with biab instruments playing the last line of my song such as your cheating heart.
thank you

[Rick Campbell]

If you just making a basic practice track, doing the repeats is ok, but if you're doing a song with intros, endings, and solo breaks, it's better to include the whole thing in one long sheet that will include all the things you want. That way you have total control of the song.

RC

[William Lawson]

Rick my question to you is can you use biab instruments to actually develop those intros & turnarounds if so how.

[Rick Campbell]

You do them same way you do the rest of the song, just add them at the beginning or end. In most cases, it's no more difficult than programing the main part of the song.

RC

[Allan Haley]

Jim, thank you for the fullsome explanation of those aspects of BIAB.
I love the program but have trouble negotiating all but the simplest of its functions.
I will try to use your pointers when building songs in the program.
Regards
Al Haley

[Rich Gardner]

I am looking for a good 6/8 time program to play songs like "Ride Me Back Home", "Immigrant Eyes", and "Maybe I Should Have Been Listening". All of these songs appear on Willie's new album. I can't seem to find one that's even close.
This is my version of BIAB: Band-in-a-Box for Windows

Version 2015 (417)
Thanks for any help.

[Rick Campbell]

I am looking for a good 6/8 time program to play songs like "Ride Me Back Home", "Immigrant Eyes", and "Maybe I Should Have Been Listening". All of these songs appear on Willie's new album. I can't seem to find one that's even close.
This is my version of BIAB: Band-in-a-Box for Windows

Version 2015 (417)
Thanks for any help.

Rich,

It depends on what style sets you have more than the version of BIAB. You can probably go to pgmusic.com and look around at the different styles and find something that works for you.

RC

[Bill Mollenhauer]

Rich,
I upgraded to 2019 and a better package. I now have 21 6/8 styles. You could do it the way Rick says but at some point it costs you more to do it that way. Look on the PGMusic site and you can compare the number of styles you get with what you will pay at each version. You will also find that if you bought style packages and then upgraded sometime in the future the upgrade will have the style pack you previously bought.

Bill Mollenhauer

[David Weisenthal]

Thanks for this info Jim, I will sit with the software this weekend and go through it. Intros and endings have been a stumbling block for me too.

[Rich Gardner]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I realize now that I should have started a new thread. Sorry.