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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, 266 Elmwood Ave., Suite 111, Buffalo, NY 14222; (800) 268-6272; fax (250) 658-8444; e-mail 75300.2750@compuserve.com; www.pgmusic.com. $88. Additional disks can be purchased from Norton Music’s Funware, PO Box 13149, Fort Pierce, FL 34979-3149; phone/fax (561) 467-2420; e-mail NotesNortn@aol.com; www.members.aol.com/NortonMIDI/biab.htm. Bluegrass Band. PG Music. $49.
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