Here is the release of MyJazzBand 2 Lite (MJB2Lite), a MIDI application for generating jazz accompaniments.
Well I might as well release it :-).
MyJazzBand 2 Lite (MJB2Lite) is a complete rewrite of my shareware program MyJazzBand in Python, sans GUI. MyJazzBand, now discontinued, was a MIDI application for generating jazz accompaniments. It was meant as a tool for practicing improvisation. Since it performs chord and scale analysis and generates bass lines intelligently, its output is more realistic than competing applications.
MJB2Lite has been written as a prototype for testing composition algorithms that will be used in MyJazzBand 2, a shareware program that I hope to build and release in the future. Since I think even in its current form, MJB2Lite is useful to someone who needs to practice improvisation, I’m releasing it for everyone to use free of charge. There is no restriction on the use of the MIDI accompaniments generated by MJB2Lite. The source files of MJB2Lite, however, can only be used for educational and non-commercial purposes.
MJB2Lite is an on-going project and will be updated from time to time. I am also hoping that the release of MJB2Lite will serve as “advertisement” for this website and my future shareware. For these and other reasons, please do not redistribute MJB2Lite. The software license I have chosen for it prohibits you from doing so. I will greatly appreciate it if you provide a link to this post instead.
MJB2Lite embodies a number of improvements over its predecessor. Because it is written in Python, it runs on any system that supports that language. MJB2Lite is not free/open-source software. But it does allow users who can program in Python to make modifications to its implementation. The top-level source files of the composition algorithms have been included in the distributions. These can be modified and experimented with: from simple modifications such as changes to probability and other parameter values to more involved ones such as rewrites of the algorithms. Source files for chord and scale definition tables are also included so new chords and scales can be added.
I have much more to say about MJB2Lite but for now I should just give you access to the distributions so you can play with it. Here are the downloads for the different platforms:
If you have questions and comments about MJB2Lite, please use the MJB2Lite forum on my bulletin board or send them to me.
Enjoy the program!
Category: Jazz, Programming