The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hi All,
    I posted this thread a few days ago but have had no replies yet.
    I just wanted to know about the BIAB & or Real Book Software
    & the ease of use/loading on to my Macbook? and whether the
    Real Book Software is a viable option or addition to it,
    Any advice would be appreciated please. I have loaded OSX 10.9
    on to the Mac in anticipation.


    Silverfoxx.

  2.  

    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    If you're looking for a practice tool to easily load standards, edit them, and have a passable accompaniment where you can mix / mute piano bass and drums, the iRealB software is hard to beat (if you're talking about the Real Book Software that shows up from time to time, it's a boated mess).

    If you want to produce fancier rhythm tracks, BIAB is more appropriate, although it's also quite bloated as the result of 20+ years of feature creep.

    BIAB has taken on a life of it's own, with people using it for all sorts of things that fall outside the scope of jazz or improvisation. However, I've had iRealB for a few years now, and since I've had it I haven't opened BIAB once. I suspect I'm not the only one who has had that experience.

  4. #3

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    Following up on unknownguitarplayer: I'm not a BIAB user, but I've been very happy with iRealB on an iPad. I use it for practicing, I print its chord charts, and I also use the midi tracks it produces as the starting point for recordings.

  5. #4

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    BIAB is the real deal, very worthwhile, TONS of tunes freely available all over the web, but it's arcane to use and has tons of confusing features. Apparently the new 2014 version has a cleaned-up interface. edit: I'm only familiar with Windows versions.

    If you got a iOS or android device iRealB is great, good price, but not nearly as feature rich as BIAB

    I wouldn't touch "The Real Book Software" (the one with the cheesy '90s website) with a ten-foot pole.
    Last edited by jckoto3; 01-15-2014 at 12:27 PM.

  6. #5

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    Hi unknownguitar player
    Thank you for your advice on the iRealB AND BIAB I shalltry to review
    before I finally decide, this forum is really quite useful to me as I have
    been unable to travel around very far to explore first hand some of
    the useful tools often mentioned. I obtained a Boss Looper some time
    ago but haven't yet had time to experiment with it.


    kindest regards
    silverfoxx

  7. #6

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    Thank you for replying with your advice I trust that iRealb is compatible
    with Apple Macbook also.


    regards

    Silverfoxx

  8. #7

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    Hi , thank you for your response,I am tempted to try BIAB if its feasible
    although I do not have a great deal of time in order to set up/ or
    organise it if seems a complicated tool, I might give the iRealB a try.

    Kind regards

    Silverfoxx

  9. #8

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    Glad to help, Silverfoxx. The thing to realize is that any of these things we're talking about (iRealB, BIAB, looper pedal) can be a useful practice tool, so the question boils down to how much money and time (away from practice) is involved in figuring out what works for you?

    If you've got an iOS or Android pad or phone, or an up to date Mac, it will cost you under $20 and a few minutes to get started with iRealB. That's hard to beat (although there's a free app that mimics it, which I believe is called Improvisor).

    The looper is a different story. People use them for all sorts of things, but for me, it's a great scratchpad that allows recording things on the spur of the moment without ever taking your hands off the instrument.

  10. #9

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    Hi again , unknown guitar player,

    I will not beat this thread to death,but just to say that I have followed your
    suggestion & downloaded the iReal b ,it is remarkably inexpensive and looks
    very useful thank you. I now need to find time to get familiar with the Boss
    Looper I acquired a while ago. As you astutely observed time is of the essence
    and it has been difficult to find the time to even play for the last several years.
    However, I am glad to have discovered this Forum which is so convenient to
    use at a late hour.


    best regards Silverfoxx (UK )

  11. #10

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    I think there is a free, Open Source tool similar to BIAB that runs on a Mac, called "Impro Visor". I think it even loads all the BIAB song files available on the Intarwebs.

    If you really want BIAB, purchase Parallels and a Windows 7 license and run BIAB in it.

  12. #11

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    Hi AH.Clem

    Thank you for the info I will look into that idea, which is most helpful
    I have already downloaded iRealb Pro version, which is inexpensive
    and very useful, as a back up and practice tool. I have linked my
    Macbook through the line out on the Henriksen Jazzamp 112ER and
    achieved a powerful sound.

    your advice is much appreciated

    kindest regards Silverfoxx (UK)

  13. #12

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    I would be interested to know how you get on with the I realB pro as I have considered getting it but am not willing to spend a lot of time learning how to use it, as I cannot even be bothered to get my head round garageband as I would rather spend my time on guitar

  14. #13

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    I understand your concern. I've wasted far too much money on music software because after receiving it, I chose not to invest the time required to learn it (if I'm awake and unencumbered enough to be thinking about music, I'd rather be playing it than fiddling with software or gizmos).

    The best endorsement of it I can give you is this: I've recommended it to many friends and watched them download it and install it on the spot. In every case, they were playing along with it within 2 minutes. There aren't many advanced lessons to give beyond the basics. Load a file, set tempo and number of choruses, use the mixer to mute instruments you don't want to hear. The most important thing to know is how to go to the iRealB forum and download the collection of 1300 tunes. It takes about 30 sec. I've set this up for 2 musician friends who are in their 80's. They both took to it immediately - one of them is Joe Messina (86 yrs old and still a hellacious guitar player) who uses it every day, to the point that it's hard to persuade him to play without it.

    The other side of the coin is BIAB. I know a few people who have purchased it, fooled around with it, but got discouraged and never came back. It was an expensive mistake.

    BTW - Since the earlier discussion, I've downloaded and installed Improvisor. The sounds and jazz feel aren't great, and it's not as sophisticated as either BIAB or iRealB. However, it's free, runs on several platforms, does what it promises, and has a library of tunes (it says it can import BIAB files, although I haven't tried that). If you just want to have a basic accompaniment to play along with, it's certainly worth a try.

  15. #14

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    Quick question about the iRealB - what are the tracks like?

    One of the big benefits of the whole Aebersold system is that, not only do you get to play along with backing, you get to play along with some real heavyweight musicians and hear what they are doing. I feel like it's a great way to develop a feel and appreciation for what jazz is supposed to sound like.

    Are the iRealB tracks pretty cheesy? I kind of wonder how useful that stuff is.

  16. #15

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    They're just backing tracks, roughly the same quality as BIAB.

  17. #16

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    Hi TrevorS,
    I took advice from "unknown guitar player" on this forum, and decided that
    the best option was to download iRealb, If you read further comment from
    him I completely endorse his views. It is simple to download ,inexpensive,
    approx $20, and easy to amend ( the 1300 Jazz tracks are a good start )
    and include tunes like "Good Bait" by Tadd Dameron, who younger players
    may be unfamiliar with. Although BIAB may be more comprehensive it seems
    to be very time consuming & complex. iRealb is simpler than Garageband and
    easy to use.

    best regards Silverfoxx ( in the UK )

  18. #17

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    Re. the Aebersold stuff - agreed that they are real players, but there is no variation in what they play (at least when I used them) - there is no variation in the accompaniment. With BIAB and whatever they call their "Real Musicians" plug in (I use the Garritan "Jazz and Big Band" samples - BIAB might have licensed those samples) you get some variation every time you re-compile a song. The Garritan and BIAB "RealBand" samples sound pretty good to my ear, and I like the variations when I play with BIAB. That said, I use iRealb a lot more these days as it's a "quick and dirty" way to get a basic bass and drum track to comp with. I'm sure you can find plenty of demos of BIAB with RealBand on youtube.

    Here's a demo of the realtracks stuff in BIAB:



    I guess they use real players for their Real Tracks - from their website:


    • 28 Jazz RealTracks: Introducing the “Jazz Pollwinners” series of Jazz Artist RealTracks. These new RealTracks are by the best-of-the-best jazz musicians. These artists have won Downbeat’s Critics “best player” poll many times. Our Pollwinners RealTracks series includes Ron Carter (“bass”), Kenny Barron (“piano”), Lewis Nash (“drums”), Gary Smulyan (“baritone sax”), Phil Woods (“alto sax”), and Pat Martino (“guitar”). Styles for jazz swing, ballad, waltz and bossa included. And there are new RealTracks for Jazz Electric Piano, and EZ-Listening Jazz Acoustic Piano.


    I may have to buy another upgrade... seems they have a mobile version, too. Been too long since I've looked at this tool, I guess. Now I gotta spend some money...
    Last edited by ah.clem; 01-27-2014 at 06:35 PM.

  19. #18

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    Wow, that sounds a lot better than I thought it would.

  20. #19

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    I should mention that my comment that the iRealb tracks are comparable to BIAB was based on using additional the jazz tracks (an in-app purchase that's around $5). The standard tracks aren't so great. Total expenditure is still < $20.

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by ecj
    Wow, that sounds a lot better than I thought it would.
    Yeah, I'd love to hear a demo of the Ron Carter, Kenny Barron, Lewis Nash, Gary Smulyan, Phil Woods, and Pat Martino samples. I couldn't find one on their site. They seem to have improved their improviser tool, also. I think they build it around a specific artist's style. They've come a long way, it seems.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by silverfoxx
    Hi TrevorS,
    I took advice from "unknown guitar player" on this forum, and decided that
    the best option was to download iRealb, If you read further comment from
    him I completely endorse his views. It is simple to download ,inexpensive,
    approx $20, and easy to amend ( the 1300 Jazz tracks are a good start )
    and include tunes like "Good Bait" by Tadd Dameron, who younger players
    may be unfamiliar with. Although BIAB may be more comprehensive it seems
    to be very time consuming & complex. iRealb is simpler than Garageband and
    easy to use.

    best regards Silverfoxx ( in the UK )
    Thanks for that Silverfoxx that is what I hoped you would say I will download it tomorrow.
    Regards Trevor UK also

  23. #22

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    I've set this up for 2 musician friends who are in their 80's
    That sounds fine not in my 80's yet but not far off!
    Thanks for your help!

  24. #23

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    Hi Trevor S
    you are very welcome for the info, I hope you are successful
    with the download.

    It seems that you and I may have similar taste in players etc.


    regards Silverfoxx