Busking With Backing Tracks

paulmcevoy75 · May 18

Just wondering, does anyone do this? I have a hankering to be outside playing guitar but GJ is hard without a band. I am morally opposed to performing with backing tracks but I also think I should be out playing a lot more.

djazzy · May 18

I do not. In fact I can't stand backing tracks. And I don't like hearing backing tracks when buskers use them. Almost always sounds bad even if musically correct given the mix just never seems right or convincing. (And does that even count as "playing out"?) Sorry for being so negative. There are way worse things in the world. But if its just me & the geetar out there I'd rather just noodle on a park bench & enjoy the experience -- and definitely keep my guitar case closed & return any $ that may be offered me.

flaco · May 18

I think we’ve discussed this before and people had some strong opinions. I’ve fantasized about trying to get a little coffee shop gig where I would do a combination of solo arrangements and using a looper to lay down a rhythm track.

Scoredog · May 18

Why should you care what other people think?

you want to try it try it, you might like it you might not, that’should be your only deciding factor.

Jangle_Jamie · May 19

I record my own backing tracks - one or two rhythm guitars and bass - and I love busking with them. I can make the backing tracks just as I want them, give them my own special intros and finishes, the right length for me (ie, not too long!), my ideal tempo and I know that I am playing solo over my own stuff, so I relax and enjoy it. I sometimes record very individual and original versions of songs. I never use a metronome either - it's important for me to introduce dynamics to get all the feeling of a spontaneous live jam.

Djazzy, that's a very extreme response! Try recording your own and it makes much more sense and you might even find it works for you.

Here's a couple -

Danse Norvegienne L.mp3

There Will Never Be Another You L.mp3

djazzy · May 19

@Jangle_Jamie , yeah I figured it could be taken that way but just not into it. I think I should probably spend that time practicing. @Scoredog , I guess I just don't want people's chump change when its just me playing on a bench. Not in performance mode. Busking as a group is a different story. But again all this, just me.

Buco · May 19

Busking is a great way to get better at performing live and become a better musician in the process. Whichever way you end up doing it.

I've done it with the backing tracks and also without. One time I planned on playing with the backing tracks but forgot to bring the 1/8" cable and ended plugging in my guitar and playing: chorus of melody and rhythm combined, to establish a groove and melodic sense, and then soloed over the progression once through, trying to keep the time locked, then just rhythm once through, maybe with stabs and breaks and such (stuff you're told not to do), and melody/rhythm out. There was a couple that was into it and when I was done they said they liked it.

When I played using backing tracks, occasionally I'd see people sorta smirk when I'd be plugging in (people who come to "work" on their laptops during the day in the beer garden) and also there was a guy who saw me several times and eventually told me he'd come to grab lunch hoping I'd be there playing.

I never took time to record my own backing tracks for 10-20 songs. Feels like a chore. I've also considered just using the metronome. Remi sounds cool as hell soloing along with only a metronome set on 2/4. Also I've considered taking just a bass line from either iReal (a little cheesy) or Band In a Box (pretty convincing upright tone).

Just grabbing your guitar, plugging into the amp and playing is the easiest technically but also the most nerve wracking for me. Just get yourself out there, however you end up doing it. The only question to ask is "will this make me a better musician and guitar player?".

Lango-Django · May 20

Buco, it’s the 21st century.

News flash…

The general public truly doesn’t give a shit whether you use backing tracks.

You know the old saying, “Never ask a barber whether you need a haircut.”..?

Well, likewise you should never ask the Jazz Police whether you should use backing tracks.

*****

So as your longtime buddy I hereby give you my blessing to go out there and busk with backing tracks whenever you feel like it.

I also encourage you to find another guitarist to busk with you.

Either way it’s going to make you a better player.

I’d come down to DC and busk with you myself, except right now us Canadians ain’t setting foot in the USA, for reasons you can probably guess… but we won’t get into that here…

Love,

Will

Buco · May 20

Of course, Will (@Lango-Django), you're more likely to get hit by a meteor than to run into somebody who has strong opinions on using the backing track while busking. When I said I'd notice some people smirk as I was plugging in, that was just because I was about to break the piece and quiet of their work environment. They could care less what I was using, they just saw a guy with the guitar and an amp. That was at the brewery/coffee shop outdoor patio mind you.

There are things to be mindful of when using backing tracks. There is no changing dynamics, it's all the same, all the time. And if you practice this way a lot, you might end up not practicing or using dynamics in your playing. That was the main reason when Sebastien G said in the class don't use the backing tracks: they can't react to you and you can't react to them. And that's a valid point too. But like everything else, in small doses and in absence of another player it's ok.