Members sventvkg Posted December 24, 2017 Members Share Posted December 24, 2017 I’m in the Orlando area and I know at least 100 solo gigging musicians around here who do pubs and corporate/Resort gigs. No one is using tracks. Anywhere. I gig regularly in S.FL as well and I heard of one guy using them. Can’t confirm. So my question is why? I’ll say that I want to use some as I’m so sick of acoustic and my tracks are ALL audio, not karaoke and custom made. Still seems cheesy. I want to incorporate a Beatbuddy and my GP10 triggering MIDI bass on my lower 2 or 3 strings like I’ve been experimenting with but again it seems like it might be construed as cheese. Maybe it’s just me..Maybe it will be viewed as cool and different as I have a high skill level and never phone anything in. Who knows. I’ll continue experimenting and maybe something will feel right to bring out Live other than acoustic and Vox... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted December 24, 2017 Moderators Share Posted December 24, 2017 I'll vote for using the beat buddy live, it has the ability to really keep you on your toes [although the fills tend to be fairly mundane]. Most people here know I have never been into using tracks, but a BB and a looper, and a vocal harmonizer, used sparingly all can help make your show 'shinier'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bob Dey Posted December 26, 2017 Members Share Posted December 26, 2017 What I like about using BT is it makes songs more upbeat and it allows me to play lots of leads between the vocals. I keep most of mine down to drums, bass and usually one keyboard part, i.e. piano, organ etc. I also do a few songs without backing tracks, partly to show that I can! I guess it's getting passe now days as loopers are more commonly used. A lot of acoustic strummers out there which in many cases is boring (to me). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted December 26, 2017 Members Share Posted December 26, 2017 A friend of mine, who is a good but very 'busy' player -- continuous nervous picking -- has taken to looping. What he actually needs is a pedal that *removes* redundant and unnecessary notes rather than recycles them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members skmarshall Posted December 26, 2017 Members Share Posted December 26, 2017 In my market (what is known as "Central Mass", that part of Massachusetts that is west of Boston and covers a north and south corridor that includes the city of Worcester) there is a pretty good live entertainment scene. I play in several "real" bands and in two duos and as a single. In the duos and single I use tracks that I create from scratch in my studio using Digital Performer: I use tracks because I like the variety of material I can do; I like to play electric guitar solos; and my audience seems to like it too. Most of my venues are restaurant/bar type of places so I start my night on an acoustic playing material like Tequila Sunrise, Brown Eyed Girl, etc... and as the evening progresses and the diners turn into drinkers (usually an hour in, 9 p.m. or so) I switch to electric and crank it up some. Two or three times a night I switch back to the acoustic to mix it up. I've been doing it a long time, and I have (i just checked!) 452 tracks (all "all me"!) When I'm by myself I play straight through with no breaks. I haven't found a duo partner or band willing to do that yet! sk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bob Dey Posted December 26, 2017 Members Share Posted December 26, 2017 I've been using DP for a long time too. sounds good, what synth or virtual instruments are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members skmarshall Posted December 26, 2017 Members Share Posted December 26, 2017 Hi Bob I have an ancient Roland xp10 that ends up being the workhorse. I bought Roland's flagship module, the Integra 7, and it's pretty amazing, but for the sake of consistency I always still start with the xp10 every time. The drumset is Standard 2, and the bass sound is fingered bs2. I know nobody in the audience gives a rat's a**, and in fact most of 'em probably think I'm just using karaoke tracks, but for my own pride I like to think that somehow the consistency of the rhythm section sounds and the style of my playing is subliminally suggesting "sounds-like-a-band" to the listeners. That, of course brings up an interesting question: If you are recording a drum part in real time by playing the C, E, F# and Bb keys on a keyboard, (kick, snare, hihat closed, and open) are you "playing the drums"? I dunno. What say YOU, fellow Forum Folk? sk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve mac Posted December 26, 2017 Members Share Posted December 26, 2017 It's a tricky question, I have been entertained by folk with BTs and equally drank up and left. Today I happily sat for an hour and listened to an acoustic guitar player/singer with no gimmicks but when the next artist came on with the same set up, he left me cold and I drank up. So it is definitely the performance regardless.i have tried the BT route and it's not for me, also tried the porch stomper also not for me (too exhausting) so to fill out my act, I use a looper for about six or so songs, make use percussive strumming a lot and also a harmoniser probably too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted December 27, 2017 Moderators Share Posted December 27, 2017 Sadly many I've seen use tracks to cover their weaknesses, and so it is like putting lipstick on a pig.SKM, I looked a several of your vids...some made perfect sense, some didn't....like the trio with the lady keyboardist vocalist and a the second lady vocalist...I would have just put a harmonizer on lady one, who is pulling her weight, and left lady 2 at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shaster Posted December 27, 2017 Members Share Posted December 27, 2017 As many of you know, I use tracks. Got around four hundred songs done. To my mind, it's impossible to loop songs like Rikki Don't Loose that Number, Wouldn't Want To Be Like You, Heart to Heart, Lowdown (okay that one almost), Hey Nineteen, Feels So Good, Do It Again (maybe), Do I Do, and so on. Some of my gigs, I get because I can do the smooth Pop/Jazz thing with solos. Other gigs I get because I can do classic rock with a beat. Fifty percent of the solo artists I see, use looper pedals, about 50 percent of the time. As I've stated in the past, the advent of looper pedals, and smart phone addiction, basically means that nobody cares about tracks anymore - at least not in my parts. Also as I've said before, I see no difference in me creating a 12 bar blues track the day before a gig, as opposed to creating it at the gig. Once you've created the loop, you are now playing to something that was previously recorded. It doesn't much matter how far in the past it was created. The quality is all that matters to me. Yep, people now love technology. I have a client that is super impressed with my "looper pedals" (their words) and my new digital bluetooth mixer. They can run up to the stage to make an announcement, I fade the current song out, turn their MC mic on, and even fade in some iPod background music, all from the tablet sitting on my mic stand. Last time I did that, they said "you're a real pro". Now, who am I to argue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members skmarshall Posted December 27, 2017 Members Share Posted December 27, 2017 Careful there daddymack, Lady One is my incredible wife, and Lady Two is my equally wonderful step-daughter, who is currently making her own way in Nashville, Tennessee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted December 30, 2017 Members Share Posted December 30, 2017 I use tracks that I make myself. Almost all the singles, duos and trios around here do, but most buy karaoke tracks. There are even non-musicians going out with karaoke tracks and vocals, some pretend to play an instrument, some don't. I prefer to make my own tracks because I can and (1) I can do it in my key if necessary without any artifacts (2) I can exaggerate the groove (3) I can mix it for live performance, which requires usually more bass, louder snare and less low midrange (4) I can synth the backing vocals so the audience doesn't hear voices where there are none (5) I can play all the solo parts instead of letting someone on the recording have all the fun (6) by doing the tracks myself, I know them in and out, the chords, the substitutions, and everything else - this helps my live performance on top. It helps that I play drums, bass, guitar, sax, flute, wind synthesizer, and keyboard synths. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted December 30, 2017 Moderators Share Posted December 30, 2017 no disrespect meant...it's your family thang... see, to me it is all about economics...why pay 3 if I can pay 2... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sventvkg Posted December 30, 2017 Author Members Share Posted December 30, 2017 I have to agree that if you’re good it doesn’t matter if there are tracks, loopers or just solo acoustic. I’m at the point where for the sake of my own boredom, I’m changing things up. I’ll still play some solo acoustic but I’m also integrating some of my great custom tracks, my Midi guitar, a looper AND beatbuddy mini to keep things fresh. Along with some tasteful vocal harmonizer. As far as the crowd goes they absolutely do not care as long as it sounds good:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted December 30, 2017 Members Share Posted December 30, 2017 At one time I think it mattered, but that was long ago. And I suppose if I were out by the pool doing Jimmy Buffett songs and the like, tracks would get in the way. But tonight we're doing a dancing crowd, and if we didn't have tracks, we wouldn't get the gig. New Years Eve it's a big dancing crowd, again, we wouldn't have gotten that gig and it pays quite well. Whatever works. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bob Dey Posted December 30, 2017 Members Share Posted December 30, 2017 Back in the mid '80s, a drummer I was working with told me about using backing tracks. So, when I started working on my solo act (a few years later) I figured it was the way to go. I also noticed there were a few solos at that time that used bass pedals and a drum machine. Too much work! After putting together tracks and getting a few gigs I found that most solos in my area just played acoustic guitar with vocals. It's funny, I was unloading my huge Peavey speakers as a girl singer was bring small speakers back to her car. I really didn't know what I was doing yet. Most of them were really good singers that played acoustic for accompaniment. However, most duos I saw were using backing tracks. There was one duo that didn't but the guy had a few really nice analog synthesizers and his wife sang. They had a great sound. There was one acoustic player that I respected more than the rest. He was a pretty good guitarist doing some fingerpicking as well as using a pick in way that wasn't just strumming! Then there was a Sax player that had BT recorded in a studio. He was on America's got Talent in 2016 or 17. As for now days, I know one guy that works a lot playing acoustic and using a looper on a few songs. But I haven't been out to see any other solo acts in quite a while. I have a friend that plays piano (and bass with his left hand) doing retirement facilities. He's working a lot! In fact, I'll be doing a New Years gig with him tomorrow night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members moogerfooger Posted January 4, 2018 Members Share Posted January 4, 2018 I used tracks that I sequenced for 15 years or so. Stopped about 10 years ago. Won’t go back. The people who saw me with them tell me they much prefer me without them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted January 4, 2018 Moderators Share Posted January 4, 2018 He was a pretty good guitarist doing some fingerpicking as well as using a pick in way that wasn't just strumming! Bob, this requires a bit more explanation.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bob Dey Posted January 7, 2018 Members Share Posted January 7, 2018 Bob, this requires a bit more explanation.... I've got some 'splainin' to do? Some guitarists simply strum back and forth (without any embellishment). That can create a lot of energy on faster songs but will bore the audience if that's the only strumming technique used all night. Just adding an alternating bass line will add some variation. Fingerstyle emulation can also be done with a pick to a point. How about something like Jimi playing "The wind cries Mary"? The double stop slides and pull offs make it much more interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted January 8, 2018 Members Share Posted January 8, 2018 We always have to keep in mind our audience. Skills, methods, techniques, and all of that mean nothing to the audience. They don't know how well you play. Some guys can make simple things look hard to win an audience (nothing wrong with that) and others with great chops can make it look easy (nothing wrong with that either). And always remember this, the audience does not listen to the music the way we musicians do. Whatever works for you to reach and entertain the audience is the right thing for you to do. Whether it's fingerpicking, tracks, loopers, strumming, or whatever. If the audience likes it, it's right. And there is more than one right way to do music. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve mac Posted January 8, 2018 Members Share Posted January 8, 2018 So true Notes, halfway through a set when the crowd have a settled expectancy of what I am all about ie acoustic strumming. I switch to magnetic pickups and play Whisky in the Jar - Thin Lizzy, which starts with a single note that has tons of delay/reverb, kitchen sink, followed by a simple run down the am pentatonic. This without fail gets the room quiet and people thinking I am a proper guitarist and not a busker which is more of the reality. Real musicians would see straight through this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted January 15, 2018 Members Share Posted January 15, 2018 I have large lung capacity. Sometimes I'l hold a not long or repeat three (over four) for a minute or so on the sax. It never fails to get gasps and applause. Yet I can play something technically difficult and it goes unnoticed by itself, but just part of the solo. Of course,that is what we strive do do, hide our technical chops and use them to serve the music. But we are both musicians and entertainers. It probably has always been that way. Mozart, Bach and Beethoven were all entertainers who served their audiences as well. And as you mentioned, the audience has preconceived notions. I've heard some fantastic acoustic buskers who played bass, rhythm, and fills while singing, and some electric ones that made me walk past them quicker. You gotta do what you gotta do to reach your audience. In the early Beatles era I was playing in a road group that wore brocade dinner jackets and had razor cut hair. Our agent said if we grew our hair long and wore those Beatles jackets he could get us $25 more per man per week (that bought what $194 does today). Of course we said, "The hair is growing". We were the same band, playing the same songs (and adding new ones as we had always done) but the look put money in our pockets. Part image, part show, part performance, part technique = entertainment INotes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pat'sStrat Posted January 16, 2018 Members Share Posted January 16, 2018 I hate tracks, but then again I play mostly restaurants and provide ambient music, and I'm not the center of attention. I just never liked the whole one man band thing. I use a looper on about 6 songs to play solos over, but I mostly fingerpick and I like the challenge of stripping a song down to its most basic essence of guitar and voice. If i played bars, clubs or taverns I might find a use for tracks, but not in a dinner house. Just more gear to lug around that isn't going to gain me anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Winry Ember Posted January 24, 2018 Members Share Posted January 24, 2018 We always have to keep in mind our audience. Skills, methods, techniques, and all of that mean nothing to the audience. They don't know how well you play. Some guys can make simple things look hard to win an audience (nothing wrong with that) and others with great chops can make it look easy (nothing wrong with that either). And always remember this, the audience does not listen to the music the way we musicians do. Whatever works for you to reach and entertain the audience is the right thing for you to do. Whether it's fingerpicking, tracks, loopers, strumming, or whatever. If the audience likes it, it's right. And there is more than one right way to do music. Insights and incites by Notes Couldn't have said it better myself!! I've used tracks in multiple bands. It's all about what is going to make the show the most entertaining. I'm in a 3-piece now and we use backing tracks for synth and bass to make the music more dynamic. I am, however, also in a progressive metal band and tracks sound pretty tacky in that genre imo. We tried them out for 2, maybe 3 shows. Most of our fans are musicians so they actually notice that kind of stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve mac Posted January 24, 2018 Members Share Posted January 24, 2018 Welcome to the board Winry, insightful blog. And got to love Austin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.