playing ALONE

[stunningbabe]

 

Originally Posted by Bob Dey

Yes, it's one of the best investments I've ever made in equipment. It emulates different amps at varied levels of distortion very well.

 

I AB'd both...and the PSA-1 wins hands down. too bad I cant afford it....thats why I had to use the Gt2 instead..which is still a great pedal!

[Bob Dey]

 

Originally Posted by stunningbabe

I AB'd both...and the PSA-1 wins hands down. too bad I cant afford it....thats why I had to use the Gt2 instead..which is still a great pedal!

 

I bought the original sansamp when they first came out, and still have it. Built like a tank, nice amp simulations, and still works. It must be close to 20 years old! I must be a tech 21 fanboy! The koolaide tastes good.

[leftyjay]

love the new tech 21 stuff. have a blonde pedal and i can get just about any sound i want out of it. add some delay and i'm all set.

[Bajazz]

 

Originally Posted by sventvkg

It's funny..I get a round a lot..Seriously..and I've only ever seen MAYBE 4-5 people using tracks anywhere. No one I personally know and I must know 100 or more solo guys around the world, uses them. I'm starting to think I live in an alternate dimension that exists so close to this one as to seem I'm in it but I'm really not...

 

Me too have a similar experience. However I see a bit of duos and trios (not as in power-trio) use them, and it always used for dance-music and background in cases where there is a limited budget. However, around here it seems people almost rarely have a budged limit and I'm often paid over a grand as a solo w/o tracks. Track-solos are paid lower, at least here.

Also there is a unwritten rule here that bands don't use tracks, but dance-duos and trio's mostly do.

[doezer]

 

Originally Posted by Bajazz

Me too have a similar experience. However I see a bit of duos and trios (not as in power-trio) use them, and it always used for dance-music and background in cases where there is a limited budget. However, around here it seems people almost rarely have a budged limit and I'm often paid over a grand as a solo w/o tracks. Track-solos are paid lower, at least here.

Also there is a unwritten rule here that bands don't use tracks, but dance-duos and trio's mostly do.

 

hi there. u say youre paid over a grand as a solo w/o tracks)! wow u must be good!

can i go live there too !

i think people are forgetting the golden rule here

if you want people up and dancing, and i mean a proper dance set and theyre up all night, then you need tracks.

they wont dance for long to an acoustic guitar, or duo acoustic IMO... you might get them up fr a track or two but it just doesnt happen without the backbeat.

and for me that is the single sole reason i use backing tracks,. cos sometime thats what people want.

i have a few mellow backtracks too but thats only because i have the gear there so why not...

most of our mellow stuff is all backingtrack free

[Bajazz]

 

Originally Posted by doezer

hi there. u say youre paid over a grand as a solo w/o tracks)! wow u must be good!

can i go live there too ?

 

You're welcome, but a problem for us is foreigners playing for cheap and stealing our jobs....

Consider myself a good player, and I have worked hard for years developing vocals and guitar skills, not just learning songs. That said, I see other acts barely able to strum getting a grand too. And Good guys getting up to 2k for a single job. (And 3-4 in rare cases) So I'm working to get myself "up there".

[frankthomson]

 

Originally Posted by richardmac

I think you should bloviate some more, because I agree with everything you just said!

 

blo

[frankthomson]

 

Originally Posted by Bajazz

You're welcome, but a problem for us is foreigners playing for cheap and stealing our jobs....

Consider myself a good player, and I have worked hard for years developing vocals and guitar skills, not just learning songs. That said, I see other acts barely able to strum getting a grand too. And Good guys getting up to 2k for a single job. (And 3-4 in rare cases) So I'm working to get myself "up there".

 

where u from???????

[Bob Dey]

Must be a thousand francs or shekels.

[Potts]

 

Originally Posted by Bob Dey

Must be a thousand francs or shekels.

 

LMAO...

[kurdy]

I'd say there are certain types of gigs where backing tracks are appropriate. If you're a solo cover act performing at a party or club-type atmosphere where there will be dancing, it isn't your job to worry about being artistic or authentic, but to make sure the crowd is entertained. In this type of environment, people want to hear some sort of rhythm section they can dance to. Of course, if done badly, backing tracks can sound lame. But then, it's up to the performer to make sure it's done well.

Of course, if you can use your ingenuity to convey the energy of a rhythm section without backing tracks, more power to you. But I think it's safe to say most solo acts have no idea how to achieve that. It's a tough code to crack. In the past, solo performers probably simply wouldn't have been hired for those types of gigs. Technology has made it possible for solo performers to be considered a legitimate alternative to five-piece bands and DJs, which probably wasn't true in the past.

If you're playing in a more intimate setting with a sit-down crowd such as a coffee house or restaurant...I wouldn't go as far as to say BTs would be inappropriate, but definitely unnecessary.

The bottom line is, you do what the situation calls for. If you can't stand the thought of using backing tracks, then only play the types of gigs that don't call for them.

[dparr]

I play solo.

I don't like backing tracks at all.

I can't really see why anybody would want to use them.

[Bajazz]

 

Originally Posted by frankthomson

where u from???????

 

Norway

[doezer]

 

Originally Posted by dparr

I play solo.

I don't like backing tracks at all.

I can't really see why anybody would want to use them.

 

ummm. ok. so do you have people who want to dance at your solo gigs??

if so can u succeed in getting them dancing all nite without tracks?

if so i take my hat off to you....!

maybe your an excellent solo performer i dont know, but i can definitely confirm that i have seen some solo performers play who definitely should consider using tracks, because their set is too boring without them. and theyre not even bad players / singers as such.

i would admit though that a sensationally good guitarist/singer wouldnt need tracks.. but im talking to a level you really rarely see out there to be honest.. those who are are playing bigger circuits (heading toward sthe tommy emmanuel type of performances.. !)

cheers

d

[LiveMusic]

I don't care for backing tracks, I prefer totally live acoustic. And for years, I used tracks (actually I played them an arranger keyboard which generated the tracks as I played the chord sequences with my left hand, right hand is lead). I prefer to play solo acoustic guitar only and mix up the tempo and rhythm, strumming versus fingerstyle, palm mute versus ringing strings, different guitars, etc. Most acts around here who use tracks, I can't stomach him for more than about 20 minutes. There are no leftyjays around here. In fact, I can think of only one around here who is tolerable, the rest, I think of as cheesy-sounding lounge acts. If one wants to see how one man and one guitar can keep an audience enthralled, go see Jackson Browne. There's something to reach for.

Of course, I am talking about what I prefer to hear AND I am talking about "listening." As for dance music, it's difficult to pull off solo. Personally, in that situation, I'd like to see a band.

However, I have seen one guy elsewhere who sounded real good using tracks. He made his own tracks from scratch and they were sparse, adding bass and percussion, sparingly. If I had to use tracks again, I'd do that or I'd use tracks in a duo or trio makeup, which I have done many times in the past.

To each his/her own, this is just my take on it today, tomorrow I might feel differently. But I do love good acoustic music, for sure. And I love a good band, for sure. It's real hard to say I love hearing anyone using backing tracks. Except, I will admit if I saw that Scottish girl, K T Tunstall, who uses a looper, hmmm... I kinda dig that!

[dparr]

 

Originally Posted by doezer

ummm. ok. so do you have people who want to dance at your solo gigs??

if so can u succeed in getting them dancing all nite without tracks?

if so i take my hat off to you....!

maybe your an excellent solo performer i dont know, but i can definitely confirm that i have seen some solo performers play who definitely should consider using tracks, because their set is too boring without them. and theyre not even bad players / singers as such.

i would admit though that a sensationally good guitarist/singer wouldnt need tracks.. but im talking to a level you really rarely see out there to be honest.. those who are are playing bigger circuits (heading toward sthe tommy emmanuel type of performances.. !)

cheers

d

 

I remember back in the good ole' days when if you wanted to sound like a band you actually played with a group of people. The tracks thing is no different than karaoke to my ears. I just don't want to listen to it! I have never heard an act using tracks that I didn't think would sound better without them. Music to me should be spontaneous.

I do ok without tracks. I have four regular gigs a week and play well over 200 gigs a year. People do get up and dance to some of the tunes I play but I'm in no way a dance act.

I guess that I will never get why people use tracks.

[pogo97]

Here's one reason I avoid any form of backing thing.

Ben Dewberry

I wrote my masters thesis on this guy. He was a fine honest rhythm guitar player and a fine honest country singer. And he honestly believed that the phase shifter and beat box were helping his sound and his career, and for the same reasons often cited here: it gets the folks up and dancing.

[daddymack]

funny, in the eighties, I practiced with a cheesy beat box (from Radio Shack, my duo partner at the time called it Charlie Watts in a box). It kept me on the beat, in fact, it made me so conscious of staying on the beat that every drummer I've worked with since have commented on that. But perform live with it in front of a paying crowd? Good grief, no...

[Bob Dey]

Playing guitar without tracks is more of a challenge and isn't so confining. but like I said before I can do either and I like both. Some songs really need drums and bass at least i.e chatahootchie. I'm primarily a lead guitarist so custom backing tracks work great for me. OTOH, BT are pretty much worthless with many acoustic songs i.e. "time in a bottle".

I've seen a few solos and duos that sounded much better than most full bands because of their talent and quality backing tracks. Most of this was before karaoke was known in the US. I knew one guy that had a system where the tracks followed him instead of him playing along with the tracks. I've also seen talented singer/guitarists without tracks that were boring, even though they had talent. I just hate to see anyone using karaoke tracks because I've spent a lot of time making my own.

When it comes down to it, audiences don't seem to care one way or another as long as the act is somewhat entertaining.

[leftyjay]

i love sticking my nose into some of these dead horse threads. i see the dead horse is still kicking in this one.

Bob, no amount of posts are going to change these guys minds.

i say let them do their thing. its what they know how to do.

[stunningbabe]

It BT works for you...good. If it doesnt...good. As long as you keep getting the gigs...who cares?

[pogo97]

Sooooo.....

How about this : http://raleigh.craigslist.org/muc/3467643299.html

 

 

 

 

 

I am available to provide piano music for your event using my ipod and sound system. I have available most any piano selection you will need for your wedding, party, or small gathering at a price that is much lest than a real piano player. You will be dazzled by hearing only the best keyboard players. You will not have the burden of renting a piano. I will provide a hollow piano prop and wear a tux.

 

 

 

 

[leftyjay]

the sad truth is...the people at the wedding or reception wouldnt know the difference. i doubt he will get any calls with positive words, but there might be a few that wouldnt care and hire him sight unseen.

[steve mac]

When I was a wedding photographer I was at a wedding and really impressed with the piano player who played the couple down the isle. Afterwards I went to say hello and sure enough he was playing a laptop whilst sat at the piano, in a full tux and positioned so to all intent and purposes he was Liberflippinarchy. When played through speakers it really was a good sound but I still felt an idiot.
Cheers Steve

[daddymack]

well, at least he wore a tux...

sadly, this is a result of 'the age of lowered expectations', where kids do talent shows playing Guitar Hero/Rock Band, where American Idol is producing the stars of pop music, and where no one wants to pay actual musicians for their services.