Band-in-a Box, how can it help?

[John C.]

I cannot say yet that this program has helped me with acoustic guitar. Truthfully, there's much of it I do not understand, but there must be basics in the program that I can use. How does Band-in-a Box help you? It would be best if your tips should be understood by a person with one year's playing experience. I would like to help by indicating what in the program I am looking for but even that leaves me somewhat blank. Is this enough information to get my point across? Look forward . . . (I'm not sure if this program has versions but across the top appears: Bank in a Box for Windows (No Name.SG1) 3:18.

[Bizarro]

It helps you learn to play along with songs at an even tempo. Later it'll be great for learning to improvise solos over chord progressions.

Right now you should (probably) be concentrating on learning whole songs and working on chords and chord changes and making them smooth and pleasant sounding.

[satch_master]

how can you change keys in it? like its always in one key the whole song.

[Zatz]

I once tried Band-In-A-Box, liked it but later switched to Jammer Professional. You may give this software a try as well just for an option. IMO, the interface is arranged a bit better there. Though, BIAB is traditionally thought to be more flexible.

These autoarrangers do help. Excellent for exploring new progressions, writing sketchy backgrounds to improvise over etc.

[Dommy]

What are you trying to do? It can't help you if you don't know how to use it.

Trying to put together a song?

[John C.]

Dommy is correct . . . I don't know how to use the program. I play with it: I watch chords and notes lighting up on the guitar neck; I play various beats, there must be a hundred sample beats available, but like someone said above, always in the same key. I've practised a little creating sheet music but I find this time-consuming and one has to be so darn careful, it's touchy. If a distributor not too far away offered a familiariation course I'd go. So, I'm back to my original question, if someone knows of a way to use the program, even some small part of it, let us know . . . thanks.

[Poparad]

how can you change keys in it? like its always in one key the whole song.
Ignore that little drop down menu for the key part; it's more for the lead sheet function.

You can play in any key you want simply by typing the chords onto the main screen.

[John C.]

O.K. . . . I've got to eat a little crow over this one. Your responses were sufficient to force me back, I hadn't looked at the program for a while. I discovered a few things. I learned how to play along with the songs. I was a bit amazed at the set-up. The chords are displayed and as one plays through the song, the measures act like a metronome, and in any key. I'm converted. Thanks a lot for your interest . . . John C.