How to set number of player-repeats for solo sections

[raymb1]

As said before, label the head as Intro, then label solo choruses A or B, use D.S. to go back to head. use fine or coda with the D.S.

[CyrilleB]

I've tried that. It doesn't work

[Keith88]

As said before, label the head as Intro, then label solo choruses A or B, use D.S. to go back to head. use fine or coda with the D.S.

The problem with this scheme is that at the end of the first solo section, the player goes back to the sign and doesn't repeat the solo section. Jerry's solution from June, 2016 is ingenious as it uses the normal counter to keep track of the number of times the chart has played. Below is a simple chart that illustrates how this works. I use the Swing Two/Four style to differentiate the sound of the head and solo sections.

Repeat Test - Keith

[CyrilleB]

Yes, this is a good idea. But we still need to write once again the head at the end. This can work well with short tunes such as "the maze", but can quickly run out of space for longer 32 bars tunes if we have to write the head twice. In your example, we could also get a similar result by simply adding repeat bars for the solo section and specifying a number of repeats (8x for example) for that section.
The best would be to have a new rehearsal mark called "out" (as "outro") in addition to the existing "in", "A", "B", "C" and "D" markers. That "out" marker would only be played once at the very end of the song. That would solve everything.

[pdxdjazz]

Thanks for your "out" idea.
(or perhaps reprogram the coda-mark to permit the player to understand what's desired if the IN is to be repeated at the end as a coda.)

Since the A-section is already written in (hopefully) readable fashion, the final-out-coda A is only needed to get the player to play the correct form. For longer songs, the final A can be condensed beyond what the musician can read, with overlapping chords and impossibly variable spacing, the player will still work just fine. The musician can easily read and follow the "in" A at the top on the way out. To further avoid confusion you could include instructions for the musician using text.
)BOB

[Keith88]

In your example, we could also get a similar result by simply adding repeat bars for the solo section and specifying a number of repeats (8x for example) for that section.

This is the way I have written chord charts in the past. The issue is keeping track of how many repeats have been played and how many are there to go before going on to the next section. Jerry's solution keeps track of this with the normal counter in the upper-right corner. I agree with the suggestion of a new outro rehearsal mark, which would be a useful addition to iReal Pro.

[pdxdjazz]

(repeat bars 8x etc.) The issue is keeping track of how many repeats have been played and how many are there to go before going on to the next section.

Keeping track of the player-repeat count-down indicator is better than getting surprised by the position indicator suddenly moving on. It's been previously suggested to add a copy of the repeating section after and outside of the repeat brackets so you'll know that when the curser moves-on, it's the final repeat. Controlling it with the player is much easier.
)BOB

[engelbach]

CyrilleB,

As Bob says, the problem with specifying the number of repeats with repeat bars and #X is that you have to keep track in your head. With say, 8 repeats, one could easily lose track.

The Coda is the "out" marker.

Tunes in which the Head and Solos are identical obviously are not a problem. The problem is when the Head and Solo sections differ, and there's not enough room to repeat the whole Head.

Here's a solution using Keith's example that requires just one extra bar instead of repeating the Head:

Put the D.S. command in a one-bar Coda, which takes you back to the Head in the Intro.

The FINE command is on G7, but it actually goes into the first beat of an imaginary next bar, which defaults to the (invisible) tonic chord, C.

Of course, if you want to add an extended ending this won't work. It would be good if there were additional "jump to" commands, like extra Codas.

Repeat Test 1-Rev JE - Keith

Cheers,
Jer

[pdxdjazz]

Nice one Jer!
Easier to understand by viewing the chart/seeing it in action.
It's a good trick to have in your bag.
)BOB

[engelbach]

Thanks, Bob.

I rarely do this in practice, though, because I do like to put an extension on the end of a tune rather than end it abruptly.

Cheers,
Jer