Backing Tracks – Yea or Nay??? What sayest thou?

[GnLguy]

A recent email from a prominent guitar instructor concerning the use of backing tracks.
After reading this, offer up your thoughts on the subject

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** Many people comment on my free sample lessons on YouTube and say: “______, I wish you’d play through the whole song from beginning to end.”
** “Great lesson, the only thing I need now is a complete playthrough.”
** “Do you have a backing track?”

Here’s the thing… that’s not how this works.
In the lesson, I break down each part, and then from there, they must be assembled into the song. That means a player must be able to hear when the Chorus riff is happening, vs. say the Bridge riff, so they know when to play each part. (This is done by training your ear to hear the music, like what I teach in my program Play By Ear.)

But with regards to backing tracks…
This may seem shocking to you, but the majority of the time, backing tracks are dumb and will make you worse.

Sure, backing tracks seem amazing at first. I remember playing with them and feeling like the COOLEST ever.

But here’s where backing tracks are dead wrong.

Let’s say you are working on a legendary song. For example, “Oye Como Va” as recorded by Santana. The rhythm and feel of the original recording is one of a kind.

It’s untouchable.

100% of all backing tracks in existence for “Oye Como Va” will never come close to the mighty feel and groove Santana and the band laid down on that track.

Not a snowball’s chance in hell.

So, if a player is trying to get the “feel” and “groove” right from these iconic recordings. They are wasting their time mucking around with crappy backing tracks. Especially ones littered with programmed drums, fake instruments, and cheesy sounds — which is the majority of them.

You don’t want that influencing you.
Instead…
Go to the source, and play with the actual recordings.
Shocking, I know.
But you’d be surprised how many don’t follow this advice.

This is to their own detriment.

So turn on your speakers, pull up the song, and…

[sunjamr]

An overly verbose response, I would say. And why would any teacher poo poo their students by ridiculing them for asking questions? He assumes that his students only want to learn the guitar part for “iconic recordings”. That may be true for some students, but most of us just want to get better at placing our fingers on the fretboard. So as for me, if I want to practice my improv, I just put on a generIc backing track (there are thousands on Youtube) and focus on my own thing. I’m not trying to copy some famous song by Pink Floyd or The Allman Brothers, and that sort of copying doesn’t seem to happen very much here on “Showcase Your Playing.” Interestingly, it does seem to happen a lot among the Justinguitar crowd, probably because Justin has many lessons on how to play famous songs.

Sunjamr Steve

[John H]

I would not be the guitarist that I am today without backing tracks.
Backing tracks are good in some instances and maybe not others.
I enjoy learning a good stand alone that does not require a backing track.
If I wanna rip off the first solo to Freebird, Stairway to Heaven or Smoke on the Water, yes a backing track is both welcomed and necessary. Besides, it’s a great learning device.
Backing tracks are FUN!!
My 2 cents

John

[Andy N]

What sayest thou? Thy sayest “What utter BS!”

First there’s the somewhat demoralising sub text, “Nobody will ever be as good as the guys who recorded something, the best you can hope for is to noodle along with them”.
May be true for most of us but Hmmmmmmm…….
.
Second it throws into the trash the most important benefit of backing tracks namely as a canvas to explore the creative musical ideas in our heads and to practice and explore things we’ve learnt elsewhere in a fresh context.
Neither of those is going to be possible with Santana or whoever flooding your ears with their ideas. Backing tracks don’t need to be the last word in groove to do that.

Thirdly, by pushing people away from backing tracks they’re unlikely to try and lay down their own and so miss out on a rich and fertile ground for improving rhythm playing and creating complimentary song parts.

There’s probably more but as John said above, theyre also a load of fun and that’s probably the only reason necessary, as that’s why most us of play guitar.

So definitely in the Nay camp 😀

Andy

[Michael Krailo]

What he did get right is that you should always listen to music you want to play (inspiration), so going to the source for that is great advise. The problem is, you cannot hear yourself very well if playing along to an original recording and now your just trying to copy a unique individual. His example of Oye Como Va not being reproducible, has some merit to it. I just don’t think it really matters if one can or cannot reproduce it or not. That’s the wrong way to go about it. Every band has their own sound and magic that goes on or doesn’t go on between the players.

Think of Van Halen in the early years and after the breakup. Totally different vibe going on with Sammy Haggar. So what, it doesn’t affect what we are able to do with a high quality backing track. Let’s face it, there are different grades of backing tracks. Some are really good, some are average, and some are poor quality due to the robotic sound and feel that comes from them. That robotic feel is probably what he was really talking about. There is a subtle, but important difference between human generated rhythmic feel and what a drum machine or computer puts out. So most of the sins in the average backing track have to do with the drums mostly. Any backing track that uses a real drummer is going to be superior in that subtle way that only a human drummer can provide.

The average backing track uses a drum machine and real bass and guitars, so it’s the next best thing to ideal. The drum beats have got much better, but they still lack the human feel.

BTW, I understand that Getty Lee and Alex Lifson have a new drummer now and she is a virtuoso. Can’t wait to hear the new vibe they put out.

Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.

[Alan L]

When I played bass in cover bands, I never looked for tracks to practice. I just played with the recordings, never thought to try and find backing tracks…

But for the kind of music here on AM I find the tracks incredibly useful. I think it’s a great primer for playing with people, like if you make a boo boo can you get back on track with the band? Cause that backing track ain’t stopping!

Plus they’re just plain fun. If they inspire folks to pick up a guitar I’m all for it.

I do notice that I play a certain song a little differently with and without a track. So I find it it important to spend time without them too. Something special about keeping a groove going with your instrument alone.

[Bill]

Well, not all backing tracks are created equal. Some are AI- MIDI sounding crap. Some have been recorded with a live rhythm section in a studio and have high quality production. Most are somewhere in between. I think there is definite benefit for timing and learning to play along to the changes of a tune.
That said, most of our guitar heroes “dropped the needle” so to speak. They didn’t have the luxury of just pulling g up YouTube and a backing track. To learn a solo or play along they had to put the record on and really listen…over and over. I do believe we’ve lost some of that. It really helps to develop your ear, which is perhaps the lost important thing.

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