Device to play backing tracks?

[Robert V]

Hi Everyone!

I was wondering if you all use some sort of device to play your backing tracks through your amp when you are practicing away from your computer (like the front porch on a nice day). If so, how do you do this?

THANKS!

Rob

Topic

[Martin W]

Hi , I use a iPad to play backing tracks plugged into aux port on my amp .

[JoeD1]

Hi Robert. My phone connects to my amp when I want to jam to a backing track.

Joe

The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge

[sunjamr]

Years ago I learned the advantage of going guitar to Focusrite 2i2 to laptop. The 2i2 feeds some studio monitors, so on my laptop I have hundreds of backing tracks (from AM, Youtube, etc) and I just play them through my studio monitors. Then I can plug into one of my amps and jam along. Or if I want to record myself, I just unplug from the amp and plug into the 2i2.

Sunjamr Steve

[Tremelow]

My amp (Blackstar HT 20) allows me to connect my iPhone to it with a cable. Thus, I can play backing tracks that I either saved on my iPhone or that I access through the internet on my amp and jam to it. I regulate the volume of the backing track with my iPhone.

[Mark T]

Hi Rob. Some Amps allow you to connect your phone via Bluetooth. This is how I would practice on the back porch away from the computer.

I use a Spark Amp. I connect my iPhone to this via Bluetooth, my Guitar via cable, and (sometimes) my headphones also via cable. I can balance the volume of each item, as well as adjust the Guitar settings, all independently – without annoying the family or the neighbourhood 😂😂😂

Hope that helps! Best wishes 👍🎶😎

[Robert V]

THANKS you all! I truly appreciate it. Tracks just make it a lot me fun for me.

[Alan L]

I use my phone, cause it’s always with me. If I wanted a standalone player, I’d just get a cheap mp3 player from Amazon.

Phone (or iPad) also lets me run tracks through amazing slow downer, which is an amazing app.

[Mark H]

Y’all have backing tracks? I don’t use them, perhaps probably I should. I could input the guitar to my Fender Mustang Micro, while the Mustang second input would be bluetoothed to my phone’s output. Then, connect powered monitors to the Mustang’s output if I needed to be heard out loud in the open air, otherwise, to headphones.

Wish I had time to sit out on my porch and play without feeling guilty about it (too much else to do around here), but I’m working on it.

Or, just play an acoustic guitar. Tap your foot and sing the back porch blues on your front porch, which is not, currently, a federal offense. That approach worked for Lightnin’ Hopkins and countless others 🙂

[Robert V]

Hi Marc!

Using the backing tracks makes practicing stuff more fun in general! I never had time to sit outside and just enjoy my guitar, I have had a few friends pass recently and I decided I did have time. It is a priority, in fact I want to obtain a much higher level of skill – that is a priority now as well.

[Mark H]

Thanks Robert. I’ll take your advice and include backing tracks in my routine. Musicians to jam with are in short supply in my rural neighborhood here in the southern Adirondcks.

I do get to go to an infrequent local house concert where there is jamming after the show, and I really enjoy trying out my newly acquired skills in a live context.

[Author]

Replies