Computer Music Instruction

via Band-in-a-Box: Assignment #I

(Four days of assignments)


by Dr. Data


First Day: Learn how to operate Band-in-a-Box


You will need to plug in the soundcard into the middle socket on the rear left side of the computer. Note there are three sockets on the very left side. The green plug is the earphone plug

  1. Open up the file “African”. You will find it in the following folder


                      c:\bb\african.sgu

     

  2. Play the file “African” by clicking on the "Play" icon/button. It will play three times the tune. Hit the stop button to stop the performance.

     

  3. Change the style of song by going to Styles menu at the top left part of the monitor screen and select “Bossa Nova.”

  4. Click the “Play” button and listen to hit again but this time in a Latin style. When done, click the “Stop” button again.

     

  5. Change the style again to “Hard Rock."

     

  6. Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 with the following styles “Waltz”, “Ethnic”, “Jazz”, “Reggae”, “Irish”, and “Blues”. Go to the file menu and close the file“African”.

     

  7. Open the song “J_BASIE1.MGU”

     

  8. As the song is playing, pull down the “Notation” menu and release on “Moveable Notation Window”. Notice that you will be observing the melody be playing in music notation “live”.

     

    10. Close the “Moveable Notation Windows” by clicking the X box at the top right corner of Windows 95 or Windows 98.

     

  10. Change tempo of the recording by going to the box which has “135” posted. Click the up arrow and change the fast tempo at 180. Play the piece again.

     

  11. Change tempo at 80 (Slow tempo) by going through the same procedures.

     

  12. Go to the “Juke” button and click it. Select the following boxes that are not checked right now. “Only play songs with melodies” and “Audible Count in Click”.

     

  13. Click “Play Juke Box” button.

     

  14. Select the style of the soloist that you would like to hear. There are 255 different soloists to listen to.

     

  15. Right click the right button next to the “Juke” button and listen to another song!

     

  16. Repeat step 14 and play no less than seven other songs. You are hearing soloists and many different styles. You write the name of each of these tunes and describe what make the musical style neat. Can you identify what kind of music each song represents? Rock, jazz, Latin, blues, funk, etc;? Can you identify the instruments that you hear?

    Name:
    Musical Style:
    Instrument:
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         

Computer Music Instruction

via Band-In-A-Box: Assignment #2


by Dr. Data


Second Day: You Create Your Own Musical CompositionThe Blues!


You need to plug in the soundcard into the middle socket on the rear left side of the computer. Note: there are three sockets on the very left side! It is the green plug.

 

1.       Go to the file meny and click “New.”

 

2.       You have a blank screen at the bottom of the monitor screen.

 

3.       Put the following chord symbols with only one chord per measure going into the song.

 

4.       Hint: Chord symbol consists of a Letter name plus “M” for a minor chord and “7” or “9” for any upper extension. For a major chord, all you need is the letter. For a complete listing of how to enter chords, see


Help menu and go to select and type in “chords.”


You will find “Chord List.”


It will identify every kind of chord that you will ever need to enter.


Once you have played the song in a jazz style at a tempo of 135, change the song to the following styles

 

Style:
Tempo:
Instruments:
Medium Rock
 110  
Blues Shuffle
 130  
Lite Rock
 150  
Bouncy
 100  
Funk
 96  

 


Computer Music Instruction

via Band-In-a-Box: Assignment #III


by Dr. Data


Third Day: Modify A Musical Composition!


You will need to plug in to soundcard into the middle socket on the rear left side of the computer. Note: there are three soundcard on the every left side! The green plug is the headphone plug.

1.       Go to the file menu and click “Open”.

 

2.       Go to “Open With Melodies.” The folder should be "C:\BB"

 

3.       Select any piece from the library of songs that have a melody.

 

4.       Play the piece.

 

5.      Go to the Notation menu icon at the top right side of the monitor screen and watch the melody be played.

 

6.      Change the Harmony of the melody by going to the Harmony icon at the top of the monitor screen and select“Favorite Melody Harmonies.” Now you have hundreds of harmony to choose from. Select any one you desire.

 

7.      Play the song with the newly harmonized melody.

 

8.      Click on the “Solo” icon and select a solo of your choice. There are 255 different solos to try! Have the solo begin on the second chorus. At the “Go to #” box, put a 2 inside the box and the solo will begin at the end of the 1st chorus.

 

9.      Then click on okay and the song plays back for you.

 

10.    Go to the solo icon again and select at least four other solo styles and play them back.

 

11.    Go to the “styles” menu at the top pf the monitor screen and select at least four different styles and play them back.

 

12.    Important: select both your “favorite style” and “solo style” and your finished original composition to Dr. Data and the entire class. But before you do, select at least three different tempos and select the best tempo for the song that you have selected and modified!

 

13.    Be sure to save the final composition( tempo, favorite harmony and musical style) on your floppy again and bring it up to computer #18 and Dr, Data will load it and play it to the entire class!

 

 

Computer Music Instruction

via Band-In-A-Box: Assignment #IV


by Dr. Data


Fourth Day: You Create Your own Musical Composition from sheet music!


You will need to plug in the soundcard into the middle socket on the rear left side of the computer. Note: there are three sockets on the very left side! Left green plus is the headphone plug.

 

1.      Go to the file menu and click ”New”.

 

2.      You have a blank screen at the bottom of the monitor screen.

 

3.       From a piece of music from your own choice, put the chord symbols into

Band-In-A-Box for a 32 measure song

 

4.      Hints Chord symbol consists of a Letter name plus “M” for a minor chord and “7” or “9” any upper extension. For a major chord, all you need is the letter. For a complete listing of how to enter chords, see


Help menu and go to select and type in “chords.”


You will find“Chord List.”


It will identify every kind of chord that you will ever need to enter.


Once you have inputted the song, select a musical style under the “Styles” menu at the top of the monitor screen.

 

6.      Play the song!

 

7.      Click on the “Solo” icon and select a solo of your choice. There are 255 different solos to try! Have the solo begin on the second chorus. At the “Go To #” box, put a 2 inside the box and the solo will begin at the end of the 1st chorus. Then click on okay and the song plays back to you.

 

8.       Let’s put a melody with your song! Go to Solo button on the monitor screen. Have Dr. Data or your record the melody to your tune on his electric piano. Computer #18 will be used as the recording studio. Simply bring the disk with the file and Dr. Data will load it and record and play it for you!

 

9.       Change the Harmony of the melody of the melody by going to the Harmony icon at the top of the monitor screen and select“Melody harmony.” Now you have hundreds of harmony to choose from. Select “number 12 Big Band Brass 5 part (8va).”

 

10.    Play your finished original composition to Dr. Data and the entire class. Be sure to save it on your floppy again!