JSSS Frequently Asked Questions

Jazz Scale Suggester System Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What instruments is the software designed for?
A. The software was developed by a guitar player, but should work for virtually any melody instrument used for jazz improvisation.

Q. What are the limitations of the program?
A.The program has been designed to work only on typical, entire, commonly occurring jazz chord charts such as those found in fakebooks like the "Real Book".

JSSS supports most common chords, but not all possible chords are capable of being defined to JSSS. Currently there is no way to input chords which use the "/" symbol, such as D/Bb. (For a good discussion of polychords, see Sabatella's website, currently here.) For chords not supported by JSSS, the program substitutes its closest approximate match.

JSSS doesn't work on rock, pop, etc., chord changes. Chord progressions which are technically correct but not seen in practice may not produce satisfactory results.

The program interprets chords in the order entered. It is not set up to handle second endings, repeats, etc. This doesn't present much of a problem. Generally including an empty chord before entering a second ending works fine. For imported files this is not an issue since these files typically have chord symbols for the entire tune in sequence.

An infinite number of jazz chord charts are possible. Even though a great deal of effort has been expended so that the program is flexible and adaptable, it is virtually impossible to prepare a program of this type for every conceivable circumstance. However, the program produces acceptable results for the vast majority of tunes.

With version 3.0, the program considers chord length for imported files (this was a prior limitation).

The program is a "know-it-all". This means that it will always give you an "answer" even if it is not sure. As long as you stick to "typical, entire, commonly occurring jazz chord charts" you should be OK. Think of JSSS as a musician who has played only jazz and will always see a chord progression in terms of living -- not necessarily theoretical -- jazz.

Q. Are JSSS scale suggestions the "correct" suggestions?
A. While the scale suggestions in JSSS are based to a very large extent on prevailing accepted opinions and conventional theory, there is no single "correct" way of choosing scales for improvisation. The author has included certain personal preferences. Jazz improvisation is an art and not a fixed science. Ultimately every player develops his/her own preferences. Even though your personal preferences may later lead you to different scale choices, this program should help your development of lifelong habits of analysis which are useful regardless of your eventual scale preferences.

Q. Is it OK to redistribute reports and files created by the JSSS program?
A. Only with the consent of Michael P Archbold. JSSS files and reports are composed of intellectual property of the program author. A copyright notice appears within JSSS format files and is also printed on JSSS reports. Each file and report should be viewed in the same way as a page in a copyrighted book.

Q. What if the program won't install or run?
A. The first thing to do is make sure you have installed "VB6" (click on link above).

If the Microsoft Setup program, which is utilized for installation, was used by another program in a previous run and terminated abnormally, the next run of Setup will attempt to continue where the last one left off, which means that it might try to install some other program which you may have been installing. The way to solve this problem is to make sure you never terminate Setup abnormally, and if you do, to eradicate the files it creates (usually in one of your TEMP directories).

One approach to fix this problem is to delete all files called "Setup.lst." In order to determine where this file(s) is located, click START -> SEARCH, then follow the instructions (varies by Operating System) to find the file "Setup.lst." If you find a "Setup.lst," you should delete it. If you find more than one (scan all drives), you can delete all of them, since the "Setup.lst" files are supposed to be temporarily used for installation. The "Setup.lst" file is the script which specifies which program to install.

If you have fully installed version 2.0 or greater and JSSS won't start, please email.

Q. How long does it take to enter my chord chart?
A. Depending on the number of chords, it usually takes from five to ten minutes once you become accustomed to the JSSS screen. Since the chords on the JSSS screen are numbered, penciling chord numbers on your hardcopy chart before entering makes it easy to link the JSSS screen to your hardcopy chord chart. You can also use the Band-in-a-Box ® file import facility which also imports chord numbers. All it takes is a couple of clicks to import Band-in-a-Box ® files and suggests scales. There is a BIAB "Realbook" that can be downloaded from a linked site on the JSSS homepage.

Q. How long does it take for the program to suggest scales?
A. For modern processors above 300 MHz, it is extremely fast. For classic Pentiums and older processors it takes about 1 second for 8 chords. For a typical chord chart it should take no longer than about 10 seconds.

Q. How do I view the demonstration examples?
To look at the examples, click "File" in the upper left corner of the JSSS screen, select "Load Chord File", and then double click on one of the examples.

Q. I installed the program but how do I run it?
A. Click "Start", "Programs", then "Jazz Scale Suggester System". The installation program doesn't create an icon for your desktop.

Q. What are the next steps for me after using the program?
A. It would be a very good idea to learn how to incorporate arpeggios into your solos. There are many further topics associated with improvisation. This program is really intended for people who haven't worked much with jazz charts and/or are stuck in the blues scale.

Q. Is there such a thing as a "jazz scale" (vs. "rock scale")?
A. Depends who you ask. There are some newer scales that have been created years after jazz musicians used them but had no name for them at the time (eg., "bebop scale" is a mixolydian with an extra note added). In general the JSSS scales are the scales used by all music. The program should really be called "Jazz (pause) Scale Suggester System" but not "Jazz Scale (pause) Suggester System".

Band-in-a-Box is a registered trademark of PGMUSIC.