AM + BIAB = BFF
Friday, March 7th, 2008So this is my new BFF: world, I’d like you to meet Band-In-A-Box. Band-In-A-Box, the world:
Band-In-A-Box, for the uninitiated, is a piece of music software. You simply enter the names of the chords as above, choose a tempo, a style and a key, click ‘Play’ et voila! Your computer plays a jazz trio version of ‘Old Devil Moon’. Or whatever.
I’ve used BIAB in the past, but generally for practice, and for finding the right key (you can transpose with a click of your mouse). ie. I’ve already had the song chart in front of me, in paper form, and then simply entered its chords and altered the style etc in the software.
But now, in pursuit of charts for jazz-ish favourites that are being requested here - like ‘That Old Devil Called Love’, ‘Moondance’ and ‘Perfidia’ - I’ve found that BIAB has come into its own.
Or rather: the BIAB community that exists online has come into its own.
Because on Yahoo! Groups, there are two groups whose sole purpose is to contain Zip files of songs - mostly jazz, but pop too - in BIAB format.
So you join the Group, click on ‘Files’, and therein lies a whole host of folders containing BIAB songs. You then download, say, the ‘M’ folder - open it, choose ‘Moondance’ (if you really must), and there it is, in the format pictured above. Ready to play and be tampered with for your singalong, transposing, and chord-taking delight.
And as you can see from my choice of song above (if you have eagle eyes, and/or play a musical instrument): I’m also using it for evil, as well as good.
**Update: I’ve just found a BIAB file for ‘Peg’ by Steely Dan! OMG. BIAB U R MY BFF.
