What's New in Band Session Note 1.23: Score Captions, a Drum Pattern Board and Song Structure

Band Session Note 1.23: score captions, the Drum Pattern Board and Song Structure, with the smaller changes listed below

Band Session Note 1.23 is out on the App Store and Google Play with three new tools: score captions for performance videos, a 16-step Drum Pattern Board, and a Song Structure bar that shows the order of a tune as color blocks. Band Session Note is the iPad notation app I make, and the examples on this blog are drawn in it. This post is a short break from the usual lessons: here is what is new and how to use each part.

New in 1.23
Score captions (Pro Pack, 10 free uses): your score scrolls over your performance video, then saves as a video.
Drum Pattern Board (Drum Pack): tap dots on 16 steps to build a bar of drums and loop it.
Song Structure (free): the song order as color blocks; tap one to jump there.
Two pages side by side in performance mode (free).
Smaller changes (free): rehearsal marks as color boxes, erasing lesson numbers with the eraser, and two sound fixes.

Score captions

If you post performance videos, you have probably added the sheet music by hand in a video editor. Score captions do it for you: the score scrolls along the bottom (or the top, or the middle) of the video in time with the music, like captions, and you save the result as a new video.

Band Session Note 1.23 screen: the Score Caption window with note color, size, position, range, background and Save as video
Open it: Studio Pack → Pro Pack → “🎬 Score Caption”, or tap “🎬 Score Caption” in the play bar.
Set it up: pick the note color (black or white), the size and the position. Slide the band to a bar and tap “Start here” and “End here” to caption only part of the score, or leave it on the whole score.
More options: under “Advanced” you can change the background, choose how the score band looks, and turn the melody sound on or off. Then tap “Save as video”.

Score captions are part of the Pro Pack, and you can try them 10 times for free before buying.

Drum Pattern Board

Writing drum parts note by note is slow. The Pattern Board turns one bar of 4/4 into a grid of 16 steps, one for every sixteenth note (counted 1 e + a, 2 e + a and so on), with a row each for hi-hat, snare and kick. Tap the steps and the drum notes appear on the score.

Band Session Note 1.23 screen: the Drum Pattern Board with 16 steps for hi-hat, snare and kick over a drum score
Tap a step to play it there, tap it again to clear it, and hold it for a soft note.
Add rows for toms, crash, ride and open hi-hat when you need them.
Copy to the next bar to build a groove quickly, and press play to loop the bar and hear it right away.

Open it from the Drums tools, or say “pattern board” in voice search. If you are new to reading drum parts, start with the three main rows: hi-hat for the time, snare on the backbeat, kick for the low end.

Song Structure

Most band charts are a road map: intro, verse, chorus, bridge, with repeats and maybe a D.S. al Coda. Song Structure puts that map at the top of the first page as a row of color blocks, so you can see the whole tune at a glance.

Band Session Note 1.23 screen: Song Structure color blocks from Intro to Ending at the top of the first page
Turn it on: mark your sections with rehearsal marks, then switch on “Add song structure” in the section marks window.
Use it: the blocks follow D.S. and Coda in playing order. Tap a block to jump to that section. You can include it when you print or save a PDF.

Song Structure is free for everyone who has the app.

Two pages in performance mode

In performance mode, turn the iPad sideways and you see two pages at once, like an open book on a music stand. This one is free too.

Band Session Note 1.23 screen: performance mode on an iPad held sideways, showing two pages of a score side by side

If you have turned on Song Structure, its color blocks stay at the top of page one, so the road map and the music are in view together.

Smaller changes

Rehearsal marks as color boxes. Turn a rehearsal mark into a color box and pick a color for each one, so sections stand out on a busy page.

Erase lesson numbers with the eraser. Lesson numbers and sections now come off with the eraser, straight away.

Two fixes. The sound of chord progression playback is fixed, and turning the metronome sound back on works again.

FAQ

Is the update free?

Yes. Update the app from the App Store or Google Play. Song Structure, two pages in performance mode and the smaller changes are free. Score captions need the Pro Pack after 10 free uses, and the Drum Pattern Board is part of the Drum Pack.

Where do I find score captions?

Studio Pack → Pro Pack → “🎬 Score Caption”, or the “🎬 Score Caption” button in the play bar.

Will the lessons continue?

Yes. The voicing series goes on with the next post, and every example will keep coming straight from the app.

Band Session Note is the iPad notation app I make. You can find it on the App Store and Google Play, and more about it at bandsessionnote.com.

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