But when really making music, it is often written as
C , G/B , Am , Em/G , F , C/E , Dm , G
I have two questions.
1:These two ways of writing sound different in BIAB, don't they?
2: How to judge when to write G as G/B....
What you should hear is the G chord will be associated with a B being played as the Bass note. The Em chord will have a G played as the Bass note, etc.
It is also available from the Chord Builder (right-click on a cell)
For your second question, this is usually used when you want to add anticipation or tension to a chord, or are intending it to resolve differently. There are no hard rules when it can / cannot be used.
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What you should hear is the G chord will be associated with a B being played as the Bass note. The Em chord will have a G played as the Bass note, etc.
It is also available from the Chord Builder (right-click on a cell)
Does this change make sense? Just use G directly, or G/B Just rely on ears to decide? Are there any principles to follow here? For example, try to make the bass decrease or increase like a staircase?
Bass lines in an ascending or descending pattern are very powerful.
Thank you, teacher. That is to say, when writing chords into BIAB, let the bass line go up and down to avoid jumping. This will make the generated music sound better. is it?
Bass lines in an ascending or descending pattern are very powerful.
Thank you, teacher. That is to say, when writing chords into BIAB, let the bass line go up and down to avoid jumping. This will make the generated music sound better. is it?
It will not necessarily make it sound better, it will make it sound different. As the composer, you should experiment and listen to the result to determine if it gives you a desired effect.
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Bass lines in an ascending or descending pattern are very powerful.
Thank you, teacher. That is to say, when writing chords into BIAB, let the bass line go up and down to avoid jumping. This will make the generated music sound better. is it?
It will not necessarily make it sound better, it will make it sound different. As the composer, you should experiment and listen to the result to determine if it gives you a desired effect.
To make sure I got this right, this C/G is aka Inversion, right? (no second G added to the chord itself, but the G is played an octave lower). One may play the root as the bottom note or in the middle or on top. These inversions are used often by piano players to make a chord progression more "compact". The hand does not need to jump around that much and the sounding notes are closer together, so the harmonies feel more "harmonic". Doing this does not result in a walking bass line in any case. To achive such, a more complex way to build the "Voicing" than to focus on the compactness alone may be needed.
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From a 4-part, classical-harmony perspective, the inversion of a chord is determined by the lowest note. This is irrespective of how the notes are arranged above this lowest note.
For example a major chord has two inversions. The staves below show some of the many possible arrangements of these classical inversions.
I use a classical theory approach when I'm working with bass notes. This seems to give me good results.
For example...
If I have a progression that goes from chord I to chord IV (this is from C to F in the key of C major), chord 1 first inversion is often a pleasant transitional sound to get to chord IV.
For example...
|I |IV |
= |C |F |
I rearrange this to become....
|C C/E |F |
If I was in the key of A minor, chord I is Am and chord IV is Dm. The same principle still works, though.
So...
|I |IV |
= |Am |Dm |
Could be rearranged to give....
|Am Am/C |Dm |
Where Am/C is the classical first inversion of the Am chord.
You wrote a chord progression using slash roots. By adding the slash roots, you force a bass note to be played and can make that bass go up or down by whole or half steps. This can be very powerful in your composition. However, it’s just one way to do that. VideoTrack was right when he said it’s just different, not necessarily better. A ii V7 I is also powerful and is perhaps the most powerful chord progression in Western music.
Originally you suggested using your ears to determine what’s good. Yes, that’s exactly it. You can experiment with concepts like a descending bass line but ultimately it’s your decision as the composer to write what you think sounds best. Study the chord progressions of songs you think are great. Learn the conventions for what works well. Then when you get good, you can break those conventions and you will know why you did it.
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Just to make explicit what is implied, regarding the original question:
What distinguishes this particular chord progression
C, G/B , Am, Em/G, F, C/E, Dm, C
from its unslashed counterpart is, specifically, a clearly defined descending bass line C B A G F E D C (I changed the final chord to fit.)
Presumably BIAB will generate tracks from such a slashed progression in a way that makes that bass line apparent to the listener. It may sound great, or it may not.
The fact that those chords can be inverted in that way to call out that bass line doesn't mean they should be, as this may have nothing to do with their function in the song, and may in fact distract from it.
what instrument do you play? the idea of descending bass lines is something a guitarist recognizes automatically and i am sure keyboard players know it too. just transfer what you are used to into BIAB and you'll find it makes sense
I use a classical theory approach when I'm working with bass notes. This seems to give me good results.
For example...
If I have a progression that goes from chord I to chord IV (this is from C to F in the key of C major), chord 1 first inversion is often a pleasant transitional sound to get to chord IV.
For example...
|I |IV |
= |C |F |
I rearrange this to become....
|C C/E |F |
If I was in the key of A minor, chord I is Am and chord IV is Dm. The same principle still works, though.
So...
|I |IV |
= |Am |Dm |
Could be rearranged to give....
|Am Am/C |Dm |
Where Am/C is the classical first inversion of the Am chord.
thanks！ Can you make a sug file, which is more intuitive
what instrument do you play? the idea of descending bass lines is something a guitarist recognizes automatically and i am sure keyboard players know it too. just transfer what you are used to into BIAB and you'll find it makes sense
I don't know how to play musical instruments. I just typed it into BIAB. I want to know how to input, it can be more in line with the actual situation, and it sounds better
...I don't know how to play musical instruments. I just typed it into BIAB. I want to know how to input, it can be more in line with the actual situation, and it sounds better
Have you considered taking music lessons with an accredited teacher? You can learn much about music theory this way, as well as practical knowledge of music. I would highly recommend that you consider this.
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Have you considered taking music lessons with an accredited teacher? You can learn much about music theory this way, as well as practical knowledge of music. I would highly recommend that you consider this.
Never considered it. Because I am better at using computers. The music teacher around me may play the guitar or the piano. But they don't know how to make music. These are two things. The reality is that I can use the computer to complete a song. Although the music teacher around me knows musical instruments, they are limited to live performances. I can complete the accompaniment through the computer, with the lyrics, I can complete simple works.
I think Band in a box and Scaler are the best teachers. The most important thing is BIAB FORUM and you.
The music teacher around me may play the guitar or the piano. But they don't know how to make music. These are two things. The reality is that I can use the computer to complete a song. Although the music teacher around me knows musical instruments, they are limited to live performances. I can complete the accompaniment through the computer, with the lyrics, I can complete simple works.
Forget the idea of taking lessons on an instrument (and I'm not sure that's what VideoTrack intended anyway.) You clearly need a better grounding in basic music theory to be able to use BIAB effectively as a composer. You approach every question as if it were an issue of how to use a software product, and that will not serve you well.
Anyway, sorry to hear all the music teachers you know are incapable of creating music, like you already can. I can see why you wouldn't want to study with them.
My current guitar instructor graduated from a major music college. He had a LOT of music theory and composition within his studies.
Instructors are like bartenders, find the one with the skills to teach you what your goals are and you communicate well with.
...Deb
Actually I think the best teacher is the internet In addition, BIAB and SCALER are both good tools. Our environment is different from yours. Strictly speaking, I don't have a good teacher here, people who just want to make money, nothing more. This is determined by the social environment. Housing prices are too high, prices are too high, and medical treatments are too expensive.
Here is a song I wrote a few years ago. The link will take you to a video of BIAB playing its chordsheet. You'll be able to see some slash chords in action. After listening to it tonight, I can here that I need to revisit the production in the near future. Hopefully, though, it's good enough at present to give you some idea of how I use slash chords.
As mentioned, I approach using slash chords from a 4-part classical harmony perspective.
The song is written in the key of G major. This means my chords are...
I = G, ii = Am, iii = Bm, IV = C, V = D7, vi = Em
From classical harmony, a substitute for Chord IV is Chord ii in first inversion. In the key of G, this is Am/C. The first instance of this chord appears in bar 3.
To get to Am/C in bar 3, I've used a first inversion G (namely, G/B).
Bars 12, 13 and 14 keep the bass the same while the chord changes above it. This is called pedal point and it's a nice way to create some tension to add musical interest.
In bar 21, 22, 23 the chord progression changes from G to Em. Using G/F# means that I can step my bass down the G major scale an go from G to E... that is, G F# E in the bass.
In bar 20 there is a chord progression that goes G D7 G and it finishes a section. This is a I V7 I progression and is called a perfect cadence. In classical harmony, the first I chord is nearly always played in second inversion because it adds tension that ultimately helps create a satisfying feeling of completion.
In the key of G major, second inversion of chord I is G/D. This is why the chord progression is G/D D7 G.
Bar 69 is Chord IV in second inversion. By using this chord on a G bass, it means that bars 68, 69, 70 use pedal point again to help finalise the feeling of ending the song.
Well, I had a lot of books regarding music theory. I did not really understand any. That changed when I started playing the piano. Suddenly I could hear "Ah, this is that" or "oh, this is how that works". Now, still more beginner than intermediate, I think I would be able to use my DAW or Band in a Box to create little pieces of music on my own. Far from masterpieces, but still ... As far as teachers go (piano teachers), not all are good, not all are bad. Among the good ones, one needs to find the one that fits best for the individual targets. I found a bad one next door and a very good one on the internet.
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This statement from our friend needs to be fully appreciated. I am in the US. That reveals a lot about my background and perspective. I don't know where SBM is located. But this statement gives a pretty good hint to places around the world where the "...environment is different". And I don't mean you guys down-under or across the pond. Or in Michigan. The resources, liberties and opportunities we take for granted are not available everywhere.
So if this little forum can shead some light into darker places it should give us all a good feeling at this time of year. Makes me want to take the time and go back and clarify SBM's misconceptions with Ionian versus Aeolian modes from a prior posting.
swingbabymix's admission he doesn't play an instrument explains a lot - that's why i asked. seems like he's trying to learn BIAB and music basics at the same time. how is he trying to make music? entering chords off sheet music? or composing original stuff? that's difficult if you don't know the basics of scales and chords.
'Ionian versus Aeolian modes from a prior posting' as musicstudent quotes must be like trying to write a novel with a word processor and a dictionary in another language.
all i can say is that as guitarist i find i learned a lot more theory (scales, key signatures and changes and related chords) than some keyboard players who could read the dots. obviously as they got more advanced our knowledge coincided and they started flying away. so as a grounding i'd suggest guitar - basic three chords and the related minors take you quite a long way.
but not learning an instrument because the local 'teachers 'can't make music' is bizarre. what are they making?
This statement from our friend needs to be fully appreciated. I am in the US.
As am I, and Mr. Mix's complaints about "society" could be coming from anyone here. "People only want to make money, housing prices are too high, medical treatments are too expensive"? Imagine that, how could anyone learn music in such a place?
On the other hand, lots of people, from all cultures and walks of life, also think you can learn anything by surfing the Internet. Some of them wind up joining the Flat Earth Society and burning down 5G towers. I remember Jenny McCarthy getting a big round of applause when she told Oprah she got her medical expertise about vaccines and autism from the "University of Google".
Alternatively, as a piano player, I'm quite likely to go directly from C in root position to F as a chord inversion, particularly if I have a bass player handling the bass line, so: C-E-G moves to C-F-A, rather than the F-A-C one would expect for root position.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2024 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Do we know if the OP has ever created a complete song? The posts seem much more like someone playing with the software. Maybe if we knew what he was trying to create we could help more. In one post he mentioned some songs but I'm still none the wiser as to what sort of music he's trying to make.
If its pop or country I wonder where he came across the concept of modes as opposed to simple majors and minors.
BIAB is for making music and by simply answering technical questions I'm not sure we're helping much.
Can you let us know what kind of music you want to make swingbabymix?
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