Band-in-a-Box
Band-in-a-Box is an excellent resource for students and professionals alike. This program is used to accompany a soloist. All you need to do is download the software onto your computer, type in some chords (harmony), choose a style of music to play, and begin improvising. When indicating chords, you can write simple triads or complex chords with all kinds of harmonic extensions (e.g., Cmin9#11). Band-in-a-Box does the rest for you. Depending on the style of music you choose, Band-in-a-Box will interpret the music and voice the chords appropriately. From jazz to rock, blues to Latin, Band-in-a Box plays it all.
During playback, Band-in-a-Box can accompany you on an assortment of instruments. For example, you can play along with just a bass track or you can mix in a drum groove. If you want, you can also add guitar or piano chords, although this feature is designed more for horn players. You can even add a string arrangement to make your practice session really sound lush.
While Band-in-a-Box can help you streamline your ideas and gain confidence soloing in real time, nothing can match the experience of playing with actual human beings. Music is an interactive endeavor that involves sensitivity, compromise, unity, and cooperation. No music software can fully simulate the experience of performing with others.
Band-in-a-Box is especially helpful when learning how to improvise over the blues. Enter I, IV, and V chords (in the key of C major) into Band-in-a Box. Once you've done this, practice soloing over these chords at different speeds. If you're more advanced, try soloing over jazz-blues chord changes. These include ii-V and iii, vi, ii, V, I chordal movements. Once you play with Band-in-a-Box, you will quickly find out what you're able to play and what you're not able to play. Like metronomes, Band-in-a-Box will keep you honest. This software plays with complete accuracy so you will know if you're dragging or rushing or if you're attempting a speed, or a piece of music for that matter, that is beyond your abilities.
Once you cut your teeth in C major, practice the blues in other keys. Professional pianists are expected to be masters of transposition. This book focuses on C major since it's easier to learn new concepts when playing in a key that does not use sharps or flats. However, you should learn blues licks and clichés in every key.
Are there favored keys? Yes. The most common blues keys are E, A, B-flat, and F major. Guitarists favor E and A major; horn players tend to favor B-flat and F major. These keys are favored because of the way these instruments are made. In other words, instrumentalists tend to play in keys that suit their instrument's construction. Pianists favor C since there are fewer accidentals. However, it is expected that you can play in all fifteen keys. If anything, keys with five to seven sharps/flats are less common and therefore less important. However, you shouldn't ignore these keys altogether.
More than anything, Band-in-a-Box will help you discover your strengths and weaknesses. You will also get a taste of what it's like to play with musicians. However, bear in mind that real musicians are not machines that play as perfectly and smoothly as Band-in-a-Box. Consequently, it's important to get out there and play with real people, too.
