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In an ideal world, we would be surrounded by
musicians
just waiting to accompany our musical experiments. They would be
available day or night, know all our favorite songs, be able to
transpose keys, write out charts, and offer helpful advice for our
endless soloing pleasure. While technology will never be a substitute
for human interaction, a couple of software packages from PG Music
promise to be tireless practice partners at the very least. Bluegrass
Band and Band-in-a-Box 7.0 are two similar yet decidedly different
software packages that are designed to provide background accompaniment
to all musicians, regardless of their instrument. Both programs are
available in Windows and Macintosh versions, and, like other
sequencing-based programs, they require either a multitimbral MIDI
sound module and a sound card (PC), or Quicktime Musical Instruments
version 2.5 or above (Mac). I tested the Macintosh versions on a Quadra
840 with 24 MB RAM and System 7.1 in conjunction with a Roland MT-200
sound module, and on a Power Mac 7600 with 48 MB RAM, System 8, and
Quicktime Musical Instruments.
Bluegrass Band contains 50 sequenced tunes that
are
actual performances recorded with MIDI-equipped stringed instruments
(guitar, mandolin, bass, banjo, and fiddle). As with all sequenced
material, the sound quality depends on the hardware that is used during
playback. Using the Roland MT-200, I was stunned by how realistic the
band sounded. Stringed instruments are notoriously difficult to
reproduce in a sequenced setting, but Bluegrass Band was actually
enjoyable to listen to. Using Apple’s Quicktime Musical Instruments,
the sound was more reminiscent of consumer-type keyboards but still
adequate for practicing purposes.
The user chooses the tempo and the key of the
song, and
an on-screen fingerboard, which displays the song’s fingerings, can be
selected for each instrument. Other on-screen features include a piano
keyboard that displays each note being played, half- and quarter-speed
buttons, and the ability to loop any section of a tune. The latter
functions are especially helpful to the student, as the pitch remains
constant when you change the tempo, and looping is a quick and
user-friendly way of repeating a phrase. For those who wish to hear the
instruments independently, a built-in mixer allows soloing, muting, and
panning of individual tracks and provides the ability to vary the
amount of reverb and chorus (only with certain sound modules) or choose
which MIDI patch is used. In addition to its playback abilities,
Bluegrass Band gives historical information about the song being played
and includes bluegrass trivia and "guess this song" games.
While Bluegrass Band presents a stylistically
specific,
prerecorded set of tunes geared toward the stringed instrument player,
Band-in-a-Box lets you enter the music into the computer yourself or
choose from a library of readily assembled songs (many more of which
are available on add-on disks). Entering a new song is amazingly
simple. Using the computer keyboard, you enter chord names bar-by-bar
in the program’s main window, after which you select a style, tempo,
and key. The standard program includes 24 styles ranging from jazz to
Irish. More are available from PG Music as add-ons, and styles can also
be created by the user. Band-in-a-Box then creates an instant
arrangement of the chord progression in the selected style. Depending
on the hardware being used, the band consists of up to five instruments
(bass, drums, piano, guitar, and a horn section). Besides being able to
receive MIDI signals for melody entry, the program features a notation
window, similar to standard notation programs, that allows manual note
entry as well as the ability to print complete charts. While not as
sophisticated and editable as a dedicated notation program, charts
produced with Band-in-a-Box can help while playing along with the
program and are passable at-the-gig alternatives to messy handwritten
lead sheets.
Perhaps the most innovative new Band-in-a-Box
feature is
the ability to build "improvised" solos over any given progression, the
results of which can be studied at a slow tempo or shown in notation.
The number of available styles (including those of Mark O’Connor, Bill
Monroe, and Django Reinhardt) make this an impressive-sounding and
educational experience.
Both Bluegrass Band and Band-in-a-Box are valuable
learning tools for the modern guitarist. While Bluegrass Band offers a
great-sounding selection of presequenced songs as well as some
interesting information on the genre itself, Band-in-a-Box is a
powerful practicing and composing tool that musicians of all styles
will find indispensable. Rather than just playing backup, these
programs encourage creativity and may give less experienced players the
confidence to play with others. And isn’t that what it’s all about?
Excerpted from Acoustic
Guitar magazine, June 1998, No. 66.
SOFTWARE
REVIEWED
Band-in-a-Box. PG Music, 29
Cadillac Ave., Victoria, B.C.; CANADA (250) 475-2874 ; fax (250)
475-2937;
e-mail info@pgmusic.com;
www.pgmusic.com.
$88.
Bluegrass Band. PG Music. $49.
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