Re: Band in a Box Bass Lines

Michael Temple ( mdtemple@ix.netcom.com )
Thu, 17 Oct 1996 06:42:41 -0700

I agree that Band in the Box is a great tool if you don't have your own
quintet to jam with, but as a bassist I have grown a little tired of
thier bass algoryth. In my early days with the program it did teach me
a few "licks", but it is pretty predictable.

I do use it to run all these wonderful reharmonizations we discuss.
While the band in the box doesn't groove as much as I'd like, it sure
helps one as an improv tool, as well as giving one a band to play along
with as a rythmn section player.

I have always believed that when I play chromatic notes "passing tones"
in my walking lines that I am effectively employing chord
substitutions. I have played with this concept using some of the
reharmonizations we have discussed. I play a line (using chord tones
mostly) based on the reharmonized progression, but play it over the
original progression using Band-in-a-Box. It seems to confirm my
original belief (the chord tones of the reharmonized chords, against
the original chords, would be passing tones in the context of the
original chords). Does this seem to make sense?

Mike