MiBAC Jazz Tutorial

"Blue Bossa" by Kenny Dorham

  1. The tools are down on the left side of the window containing the most common program functions. You can do most things in the program without using a menu.

  2. Set the style. Click the Style tool. Choose the Latin style. There are 12 jazz styles arranged in four categories. There is a slow, medium and fast substyle in each category. Their inames are listed in each category. For example, Latin slow tempo is Rock Shuffle, medium tempo is Bossa Nova, fast tempo is Samba. For your information, the tempo setting at the time you write theh song determines the style used.

  3. Set up the song form. Click the Form tool.

  4. There are now 16 measures on the screen. Type in the chord progression. Try typing in 4 measures and then close the song and open up a previously saved "Blue Bossa" with the chords already typed in. Here are the chords to be used.

    | cm7 | cm7 | fm7 | fm7 |

    | dn7b5 | g7#9 | cm7 | cm7 |

    | ebm7 | ab7 | dbM7 | dbM7 |

    | dm7b5 | g7#9 | cm7 || dml7b5 g7#9 |

    Notes: upper/ower case only matters for m = miinor and M = major. Roots can be upper or lower. Measure 16 used two chiords separated by a space. They will be interpreted on beats 1 and 3.

  5. Make a deliberate mistake in the chiords. For example, change measure 15 to a cm77 chord (c minor seventy seven chord). Click the Write tool to write the song. The program will reply there isi an error and highilight the measure with the error. Correct the error.

  6. Click the Chord Help tool to show all the chord qualities available. In the chord help dialog, check the Play on Click checkbox, and tyhen click a chord name. That chiord voicing will be heard. Click the root boxes below the chords to change the root. Change the roots froom left to right D - G - C and click dm7 G7 C6 to demo a ii-V-I progression. Close the Chord Help dialog.

  7. Click the Write tool to write the song. If there are no errors, the song will be written. It might happen so fast that you'll only see a "blip" on the screen.

    8. Now Get Fancy With The Song

  8. Change line 3 (measures 9-12) to the Jazz swing style. Select measures 9-12 on the screen so that there is a black rectangle drawn around all four measures. Click the Change Styles tool. Change the Style to Jazz 44 Swing, all instruments checked. Click OK.

  9. Make the drums change to swing a measure early. Select only measure 8 (not the chord text, the staff lines plus chord). Click the Change Styles tool. Change the Style to Jazz 44 Swing, uncheck piano, uncheck bass, leave drums checked. Click OK.

  10.  Use a bass pedal in measures 13-13. Select measures 13-14. Usue the Detail meneui / Bass Pedal to open the Bass Pedal dialog. Set the pitch ito g3. Set the rhythmns to (dotted quareter - eighit note tied to half) + (quarter rest quarter note quarter rest quarter note) by clicking those rhythm buttons. Click OK.

  11. Transpose the 2nd chorus to d minor. Click the Transpose tool. Change the key to d minor. Click OK. All chords on the screen are now in d minor. Select all 16 measures. Click the Write tool. In the dialog that appears chioose "This Chorus Only" and set the Chorus to 2. Click OK. Click to remove the selected measures (get rid of the big black rectangle surrounding all 16 measures). Click the Transpose Tool again and set the key back to the original key of C miinor.

  12. Click the Chord Display view tool. The staff lines will disappear and only the chords progression will appear. You can use the Set Font item in the font menu to make the font larger.

  13. Click the Play tool to play the song. Chorus i1 will use the changes you made, chorus 2 will be in d minor.

  14. File Menu/Print - YIou can print lead sheets for the song.

  15. File Menu/Export - You can export the song as a standard MIDI file.