Hello everyone!
I'm a new guy here. First, thanks a lot for the wealth of information I got from this forum!

Somewhere here I read about Band in a Box soft which can/should be used with CLP "in lieu of" CVP.

Next week I will be a proud owner of Clavinova CLP-340 and I'm just wondering what that soft does. A note - I'm a beginner piano player; I'm not looking to substitute real lessons with any soft, I'm just curious. :-)

Thank you for your opinions and happy holidays!
Yuri

The 340 will replay simple MIDI files. Its circuitry does not include drum and rythm kits needed to play back full orchestrations. Only the CLP380 or all the CVPs will do this.

The software works in two ways. One is in real-time as you play it will play an accompaniment. This is great for an intermediate player but as a raw beginner you will NOT be able to play in time with a synthetic drum and bass part. But when you develop enough skill to play in time with a metronome then it might be fun to play with a drum and bass loop.

The other thing the software does is play a backing track where you control the cord progression with your left hand. For example you play a Dm chord and then the "band" will improvidse over the note in the D minor chord until you play the next cord. But you must keep time with e "band".

The other way the software works requires zero skill. It will write backing parts for you based on some music you type in. Say you rite a melody line or a chord progression. then you pick a style like "Polka" or "Rock" and then the software will improvise prts for en entire band using your chords and style.

You can also design you own styles.

The best use of this off-line mode of the software is for background music for home videos or DVD slide shows. It allows a semi-skilled wanta-be film score writter (like me) to make music that fits the timing of the video. Of course the result sound like a "band in a box" that is OK if the music is just incidental to the show and not the main product.

OK one more use. I did the above, trying to write my own music to back a DVD slide show but I found I basically "suck" as a composer. So I ripped off a dead guy. I figure Mr. Beethoven would not care to much if I stuff some of his theams into band in a box and have the software improvise pop band parts over bits of his melodies. Just give credit. Classical musicians would need to be issued barf bags but the general public will never recognise the source. And again the pictures are the main show.

Band in a Box will not play accompaniment in real time.

You have to pick a style (accompaniment) and then record the chord progression a bar at time, and then it will play back as a song.

You can store the song (or background) and use it again.

The chords are generally typed in on your PC keyboard.

The program comes with a bunch of pre-recorded progressions, called a Fake Book.

But, it does not work like the real time accompaniment in a CVP, or Roland KR.

Snazzy

Sorry if this is true. I've been trying out two different programs. I think I might have blurred them together. The names are close.

Take a look at this
http://www.1manband.nl/omb/index.htm

Easy to get them mixed up Chris. I know Band in a Box, 'cause Zeke has it on his PC.

The One Man Band program, by Joe Maas, has been around for quite a while, and uses Yamaha PSR-type styles...it will play in real time.

It converts any PC- or MIDI-keyboard into an arranger keyboard. It also includes a most comprehensive style editor.

http://www.1manband.nl/omb.htm

Presently, I use a Yamaha PSR-S910 when I'm too lazy to multi-track a song in the studio. Works great.

Did you know that Nashville Music Row uses Yamaha PSR arranger workstations for their writers when they brainstorm?

Melissa Manchester, Martina McBride, David Paich (Toto) , David Bryant (Bon Jovi) and others, that I am sure that you know, use Yamaha arrangers as writing tools (these are a few that I know of).

Auto Accompaniment has come a long way since the boom ticky ticky boom ticky tick systems of many years years ago.

Snazzy

Wow, guys, thanks. I now have some idea what it is used for and I will sure check out One Man Band.

Yuri