Auto-accompaniment software is designed to accept user-generated chord progressions and automatically create appropriate bass, drum, and other accompaniment parts (usually piano) in various musical genres, such as jazz, rock, country, and classical. Teachers can use auto-accompaniment software to create parts for group rehearsals, individual practice, and improvisation. The software can also be used to accompany movement, singing, and instrumental activities. The programs are generally easy to use and are very useful for teaching students to compose original music.

The three best-known accompaniment programs are Mibac Music Software's Mibac Jazz (Mac/Win), PG Music's Band-in-a-Box (Mac/Win), and SoundTrek's The Jammer Professional (Win). The software requires a computer, a MIDI interface, and a General MIDI instrument or sound module.

As with most products, to determine the best accompaniment program for your needs, you first need to define your specific goals, then review the various programs and their unique features. Each auto-accompaniment program meets a different need. The Jammer is best for Windows users who are looking for automatic accompaniment features and a multitrack MIDI sequencer. Mibac Jazz has a wide selection of jazz styles. Band-in-a-Box, offers the most options of any program in this category and can be used in many ways in the music curriculum.

To create a song using Band-in-a-Box, simply type in the chords using the computer keyboard (see Fig. 1). Once the chord symbols are entered, the next step is to select a style, such as jazz, rock, bossa nova, waltz, or classical. PG Music also offers many other styles.

After entering the chords and selecting the style, press the Play button, and Band-in-a-Box will instantly generate piano, bass, and drum accompaniment parts. You also then record a melody, or the program can generate one. Accompaniment software programs also let you transpose a song to any key and adjust the tempo (see Fig. 2). You can save the resulting files to disk and reuse them later.

Students can use accompaniment programs as a creative tool, especially for creating original compositions. I usually begin the composition process with my middle-school students using tonic, dominant, and subdominant harmony. After students have listened to various compositions using these harmonic elements, they can create their own pieces using auto-accompaniment software.

One of my favorite lessons is to introduce several songs that use a 12-bar blues progression. I usually begin with a familiar 12-bar blues progression such as “In The Mood.” I write the chord progression for the class and ask the class to analyze the blues progression while keeping the following questions in mind:

1. What are the first and last chords? Answer: the tonic.

2. What is the most frequently used chord? Answer: the tonic.

3. What three chords are used in the 12-bar blues progression? Answer: the tonic (I), dominant (V), and subdominant (IV).

I then ask the students to compose their own version of the 12-bar blues, following these three rules. After entering their original chord progression, students can select from one of the styles, adjust the tempo, and improvise a melody on the MIDI keyboard.

Band-in-a-Box and its competitors make terrific composition tools because they instantly play back chord progressions. Students can enter chords from an existing tune or create their own chord progressions. Other activities include harmonizing a melody and improvising over chord symbols.

For a detailed discussion of auto-accompaniment software, including many useful tips for using these versatile programs, see the article “Virtual Bandmates” in the February 2002 issue of Electronic Musician magazine. The text of the article is available online at http://emusician.com/ar/emusic_virtual_bandmates/index.htm.

Take the time to learn to use an auto-accompaniment program. It will surely become a valuable tool for you and your students.

Tom Rudolph (terudolph@aol.com) is the director of music and a middle-school classroom and instrumental-music instructor for the school district of Haverford Township in Havertown, Pennsylvania. He also is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of the Arts and is president of the Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME).

MiBac Music Software/Thinkware (distributor) tel. (800) 369-6191 or (360) 594-4275; e-mail info@mibac.com; Web www.mibac.com

PG Music tel. (250) 475-2874; e-mail info@pgmusic.com; Web www.pgmusic.com

SoundTrek tel. (800) 778-6859; e-mail sales@soundtrek.com; Web www.soundtrek.com