Band-in-a-Box

American Music Teacher, June-July, 2004 by Laura Beauchamp-Williamson

Band-in-a-Box. PG Music, Inc. (29 Cadillac Ave., Victoria, B. C. Canada V8Z 1T3), 2004. $88.

Band-in-a-Box is an "intelligent" accompaniment software program that generates musical arrangements based on parameters set by the user. It can be used by players of all instruments, as well as singers. To create an accompaniment, users enter the chords of a song, choose a musical style (jazz, pop, classical, rock and so on), and the software automatically creates a complete arrangement with piano, bass, drums, guitar and strings. The music can be played from a computer's soundcard, a software synthesizer or an external MIDI device such as a keyboard or sound module.

Students can perform solos with it, practice improvising, work out chord voicings, sight read from the on-screen notation or simply use it to generate ideas for compositions. A student can even record herself as she plays along with the accompaniment (The software allows for both MIDI and digital audio input.), save her performance as an additional melody track in the arrangement, then listen to the complete "ensemble."

Band-in-a-Box offers many advantages over traditional accompaniment CDs and MIDI files because the music can be manipulated so quickly and easily. Not only can the user edit tempo, key, instrumentation, rhythm, note velocities and more, but also choose from literally hundreds of styles, many based on famous musicians. I especially appreciated the onscreen memos that describe each style's features and the referencing of specific titles from that particular artist or genre.

Once Band-in-a-Box generates an arrangement, the student can edit it and save it as his own creation, view the notation of the various parts onscreen and even edit and print his own sheet music, complete with lyrics and title. There also is a Juke Box that will play through a list of songs using options specified by the user, which is especially helpful for musicians using the software during live performances.

While much can be created from scratch if desired, it's the "automatic" features--the Melodist, the Soloist, the Guitarist and the Embellisher--that make Band-in-a-Box so appealing. The Melodist, for example, will generate a brand new song complete with introduction, chords, melody and arrangement, in any specified style. The Soloist, as its name implies, will generate an elaborate melodic solo over a series of chords, and as with the styles themselves, many of the "Soloists" are famous artists. The Guitarist allows the user to generate a guitar chord solo for any melody. There are many "Guitarists" provided to select from, or the user can define her own by choosing guitar-specific parameters. Finally, the Embellisher will "jazz up" any melody as it is played, and it will be different every time. The Embellisher creates a more lively and realistic performance, automatically changing timing of notes, durations, velocities, articulation and adding grace notes, additional notes and turns. It only functions during playback and won't permanently affect the melody track unless the embellished version is saved.

Band-in-a-Box was easy to install, and there are two CD-ROM tutorials packaged with the software. I strongly recommend that anyone who is new to the program view these tutorials first. Technical support is excellent. When I had trouble with my MIDI settings, the people I talked to at PG Music were friendly and helpful. The service is free to registered users, and help is available in the evenings and on weekends--definitely an added bonus for busy musicians and teachers. Reviewed by Laura Beauchamp-Williamson, Freeland, Michigan.