Styles with Bends

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If you are really interested in my styles, email me after you read this and let me know you want the 12hank styles.

I will then gladly e-mail two files, readme.exe and 12hank.exe, for your inspection.
The readme.exe contains information on how to setup and use my styles.
The 12hank.exe contains the 12hank.styles & 4 song files for your experimentation.

Both file are self-extracting zipped files for Win 9x machines.
Put both files in a sub-folder of BB. I suggest you name that folder "jim" or "gem".
Scan both files with your anti-virus software.
Double-click the "readme.exe" (it should unzip).
Click on "readme.htm" and read the directions for setting up the 12hank styles.

Once 12hank.exe is open you'll get:

1. Fifteen 12Hank.styles

2. The "12hank1.mgu" is a song which uses the 12hank1.sty.
Now 12hank1.sty contains all of the riffs so you are at the mercy of Biab when it comes to choosing what riff will be playing at any given time. Play the song and look at the lyrics for info about using this style. (By the way, a good technique is to mute the string part when you don't want a riff to play.)

3. The "12hank.mgu" is a song with style changes to control what riff will play at any given bar.
Play it and look at the lyrics for info about which style is playing.

(Note: If you wish to experiment with changing styles you will need to copy the styles and the song to your BB folder. Once the song with style changes has been created, that song and its styles can be placed into any folder and it will play correctly. Usually I keep my BB folder empty of styles except for the ones I need to create a song. When I've finished a song, I'll drag that song and its styles neatly into another folder of finished songs. I keep all the songs and styles that came with Biab in a folder called "bbstuff". Let me point out that this might be the reason why my styles may be too complicated or cumbersome for your use. That is precisely the reason I let you play with this style before you decide to buy it.)

4. The "12hanka.sgu" is a song file for you to print out.
Print out the strings part so you can see what licks each sub-style (12hank.sty, 12hanka.sty,... through 12hankm.sty) will play. This will aid you in creating a song with the styles. (If you prefer, you can study at the readme.htm to see the notation at a glance.)

5. The longer "98adrink.mgu" is an original song I wrote using the 12hank.sty thru 12hankm.sty variations of this style.

Both the 12hank.mgu & 98adrink.mgu demonstrate a more difficult but satisfactory approach to using the 12hank styles, but this is one reason these styles may not be for you.

I've isolated each lead guitar riff (strings) in the 12hank1.sty and created the 12hank.sty, along with the 12hanka.sty through 12hankm.sty. The 12hank.sty contains just the backing parts of the style with no riffs or fills playing. You would use it when you do not want a lead instrument to play. Then, you would choose 12hanka.sty through 12hankm.sty when you want a particular lead riff to play, because each of these styles have the same backing parts as the 12hank.sty with one lead riff added.

Thus, by changing styles in Band in a Box, using the F5 key, you have more control over when a certain pattern or riff will play. You use the "print out" you made of the strings part from 12hanka.sgu to help you decide which riff you want to choose next using the F5 key. (Usually, its not good to have lead riff playing when you are trying to sing... that's when you choose the 12hank.sty because no riffs play at all in that style except for the ending)

By the way, 98adrink.mgu won first place in a contest at Wesley's Biab site (www.wesleydick.com). You can hear a Lo-Fi audio wav file of 98adrink.mgu by playing my song "Drinking and Thinking". Give it a listen.

Unlike others in the business of creating styles, the styles I create are usually just by-products of the songs I write, so listening to my audio files will give you an idea of what my styles sound like. You can find an assortment of these orignal songs by following the link at the bottom of this page.

However, I guess I became pretty good at taking midi file apart to create a style. At least, good enough that some of my friends talked me into putting them up for sale. Those that played lead instruments said they liked because "the rhythm parts sounded more like the rhythm parts they expected to hear in a country song and not like the the rhythm parts they heard in other Biab styles." Those, that did not play lead instruments very well, liked them because they had the option of inserting "guitar bending" lead riffs in a song when they were needed. They were all quite happy when I finally put a site together and began selling my styles, but my happiness did not last very long.

Soon, I was inundated with requests to create particular styles, far more than I could handle. When I couldn't fulfill all the new style requests, I received personal requests asking me to teach them how to create their own styles from midi files. To solve this problem, I wrote a booklet so that others, especially my friends, who wanted me to create styles for them, could see how to create their own styles.

Contact me and tell me you wish to try the 12hank styles. You will be under no obligation to buy them. I will then send you this style in good faith, not only, because I don't want you to buy something you can't use, but also, because it is the only way for you to find out if you can use my styles. The price for this style and its variations is $10 US dollars. Should you decide to buy this style, and perhaps other styles, email me and I will give you the address to send the amount specified. If you decide this style & its variations are insufficient for your needs, or too difficult to use, no problem, just delete the files... That is all I ask.

So take your time. After you get the style, play with it, and see if you can create some songs using it. If you find it useful, send $10.00 US dollars for this style, along with $10.00 for each additional style you wish to order.

PgMusic has created a wonderful product here for learning as well as for playing and I thank them for their product. Each time I create a style, I find myself learning more about music or Biab and I'll be honest with you. If you will learn to use the stylemaker and create your own styles you will be better off than if you buy someone else's styles.

Nevertheless, each song (midi file) at my website represents a style (made from a group of sub-styles). I have many more that I will include as I get them created or organized. Each style (group of styles) will be $10 US dollars. If you find you like this style and you decide the others may be useful, you can either buy them one at a time, or you can send me a list of the styles you want along with payment of $10 US dollars for each style you order.

If you desire shipping instead of e-mail, please include $5 US dollars (USA) or $10 US dollars (outside USA) for floppy disk or cd expenses and shipping.

Also, if you would like to have a custom style, I can try to build it for you. Several styles are custom styles I have created for various Biab users.

Finally, if you are interested in creating your own styles, I would suggest you consider my booklet, "How to Create a Style from a Midi File", in which I guide the reader through the process of creating such a style (12mid.sty). As you can see on my site, I've created numerous styles by using this technique.

E-mail me if you are still interested,and let me know you would like to play with the 12hank styles.

J.Hughes


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