For me, the minimal backing tracks work best... (warning: opinion)

[telekaster1999]

Any "Art" is like a message in a bottle. We throw it out into the world and maybe someone will find it. - Otis Gibbs

 

[ASATKat]

'People are funny. It's not worth worrying about. Let it go"-Mjark.......unarguably, this is clearly a case of "'nuff said"...and yet, I ignore my instincts and plow right ahead.
@ASATKat: Ricky Nelson was nearly as eloquent as @Mjark decades ago when he intoned, "ya know ya can't please everyone, so, ya got ta please yourself"......Woody Allen was brilliant when he said "I'd never join a club that would allow a person like me to become a member"

This is not the first time you have attempted to resolve a very personal issue in a public forum, but perhaps ripping off the scab will bear fruit.Frequently I have taken personal issue with the ubiquitous "like" button. Its inherent connection to the adolescent mindset is insidious in that one's reaction to the presence or absence of this meaningless evaluation conjures up so many emotions tied to the need to be accepted.These feelings often persevere well into maturity. This recipe for the denigration of one's self esteem is especially prevalent amongst artists who often thrive on positive feedback from others, many of whom are remarkably uninterested in the artist's expressions. Post a musical performance on Social Media and prepare to be ignored for the most part. Post a picture of the pie you just baked, your grandchildren, "what you did last summer", your new car....well, you get it......and you go viral!​

Soooo.... you find a group of guitar players to interact with online expecting different, more satisfying results only to discover that now your Social Media community is comprised of a bunch of folks who are more or less as needy as yourself. Now......I'm not accusing you of being needy in a negative way......I personally don't think there's anything abnormal about an artist being "needy"...needing feedback...recognition....and wherever possible, admiration for one's work.....despite the fact that you have "pleased yourself" just like Ricky advised you to. So, if you discover a "kind" and "supportive" group like Twangville, good on you. I suppose, after a fashion, and in the final analysis, it's true that "mean people suck" like the bumperstickers proclaim. By and large, folks are going to scour your stuff to find something positive to say.....at least those who love to "write" and espouse their opinion...so, we have the guitarists and the writers and the evaluators and the gearheads , sometimes all rolled up into one and every last one is looking for love(probably in all the wrong places like that dude sang about).
Now, if you're still reading @ASATKat , please grab this one takeaway if nothing else:
When you complain about one member not "liking" your stuff, you not only denigrate yourself....sell yourself short.....you also unintentionally demean and devalue everyone who "liked" your stuff at the same time. It's much more than a glass half empty/half full issue, when you have 10-20 folks like your stuff by the time a backer fades into oblivion, and you're unfulfilled because of the absence of one persons approval......to paraphrase my late, dear Mother, "what are we, chopped liver?"
By the way......I don't like all your stuff...but I like some of it......but I'm pretty damned sure we all like *you*...there's a difference.
Personally, I like what Tom Petty said long ago, "It's alright if you love me...it's alright if you don't....I'm not afraid of you running away honey, I get the feeling you won't".....Ahhhh....devine!
As far as backer density goes, hell, I'm just happy to have a canvas to paint on.........I can use broad brush or a teeny one.....

Wise words.

I use the like button to say I was here and I listened. Nothing to do with giving points to who I think is better.

 

[ASATKat]

Any "Art" is like a message in a bottle. We throw it out into the world and maybe someone will find it. - Otis Gibbs

I did that once on a windy day and it blew back and hit me in the face.

 

[guitarsophist]

Wise words.

I use the like button to say I was here and I listened. Nothing to do with giving points to what I think is better.

We old fogey guitar players got to stick together. It's not like we have a big constituency of fans out there. Sometimes it is important just to keep trying.

 

[ASATKat]

We old fogey guitar players got to stick together. It's not like we have a big constituency of fans out there. Sometimes it is important just to keep trying.

I'll always keep trying, the day I quit will be due to a life changing event.

 

[redhouse_ca]

I really enjoy Twanger Central. It gives me the chance to 1) experiment with musical ideas 2) experiment with recording techniques, 3) show off a bit, and 4) hear some great players with original ideas.

All the backing tracks show a lot of of musicianship. So much so, that I enjoy some of them without adding a single note. This was how I reacted to the recent funk backing track in Eb. Great sound, great playing, a lotta musical action. An excellent listen in and of itself, to which it seemed unnecessary to add a solo. So I didn't.

For me, the sparse, minimal backers work better. More room for me to mess around.

But as the saying goes, "that's just me". Thanks for tolerating my opinion: y'all are a great bunch of players.

I kinda feel the same way. I use garage band to make quick backing tracks on my phone. I have it pretty dialed in by now. I rarely add guitar since I usually just want to crank something out fast, so usually just bass and a drummer (or a little keys/synth). It's interesting, I use those more than others. The sound quality is pretty darn good for the digital instruments. I probably have 30 of these on my phone, all of which I made. It's super convenient and if I wanna add swing or something, it's a 2 min job.

 

[mixmkr 2023]

I jumped in last new years with both feet...but dropped out for two reasons...... The bs in this thread and others and a popular contributor stated his tracks were found elsewhere on the internet and not original. I didn't like that.

 

[JCL50]

That's an interesting thread

My 2 cents:
I like playing on backing tracks here to 1) experiment, 2) hear other players ideas, 3) force me to play things in styles out of my comfort zone.

Things I would like: i would like honest feed-backs so I have ideas of improvement. I used to give my true feelings or pieces of advice I thought could be useful, and to click "like" button when I really liked a player's track. It was felt by some as attacks.

Now I click "like" when I listen to a track, some i listen partially, some I really like, and I click "love" when I'm jealous

I rarely comment, and when I do, I try to extract the positive in each take, a little like a kindergarten teacher would do, not to hurt sensibilities.

A little quote from Beaumarchais's play Le Mariage de Figaro: "Sans la liberté de blâmer, il n'est point d'éloge flatteur...."
in English "unless there is liberty to criticize, praise has no value..."
I don't know why I quote this here

 

[DrB]

For what's worth, I like this community. Make no mistake about it; it is rather rare...

When it comes to backers, well... I am a simple man; I hear a backer, and then I try to do the best I can. Therein lies the challenge. And my results often suck big time anyways. That said, sometimes busy backers are fun (mixing, using some vsts for mastering, etc., is also quite entertaining), and sometimes more open backers are cool. But I kinda find the open-field backers a bit scarier, the same way that playing in a power trio is kinda scarier, you know... I feel that I gotta play and play and play ...

Just my two cents.

B

 

[klasaine]

a popular contributor stated his tracks were found elsewhere on the internet and not original. I didn't like that.

Aren't most of the BTs put up here 'found elsewhere'?
Maybe tweaked for length, sped up/slowed down, and possibly amended with another rhythm part?
I have contributed maybe 6 or 7 total over the last three years. Half of those I snagged from Youtube (and amended). The other half I did myself.

*I have nothing but respect for the contributors here who do make their own all the time.
PatrickM01, Guitarsophist, Mjark, e-street, and BigBreak come to mind. If I left anybody out, I apologize. Kudos to you guys.

As for the bit of drama ...
Gents, this is the internet. At once both fantastic and nightmarish. This "Twanger Central" sub-forum is probably one of the most civilized locales in it. Let's be thankful for that and try to keep it that way.

 

[hopdybob]

you don't need a lot

 

[Alan L Cole]

Aren't most of the BTs put up here 'found elsewhere'?
Maybe tweaked for length, sped up/slowed down, and possibly amended with another rhythm part?
I have contributed maybe 6 or 7 total over the last three years. Half of those I snagged from Youtube (and amended). The other half I did myself.

*I have nothing but respect for the contributors here who do make their own all the time.
PatrickM01, Guitarsophist, Mjark, e-street, and BigBreak come to mind. If I left anybody out, I apologize. Kudos to you guys.

As for the bit of drama ...
Gents, this is the internet. At once both fantastic and nightmarish. This "Twanger Central" sub-forum is probably one of the most civilized locales in it. Let's be thankful for that and try to keep it that way.

It's a lot of work to create a BT, especially if you are providing 4 in one post. I'm grateful for anyone who posts a backing track for us to just download and play on. They are usually vairied in genre and nicely produced. I second what Ken said about homemade backers!

 

[ASATKat]

I almost bought a Yamaha QY100 sequencer yesterday. It would be my 2nd QY100, the first one lasted 10yrs of my abuse. It's awesome for making backing tracks. Nothing else quite like it.



I just bought it.

 

[mixmkr 2023]

Aren't most of the BTs put up here 'found elsewhere'?

I was under the impression they weren't. I mean you can go on YouTube and find a.lifetime full of backing tracks...and covers, isolated tracks and vocals...on and on.
Infact if that's the case, that's even more a let down. Aren't there enough players here to come up with something unique? I found out I think, because I had asked for stems...because I really liked the track....but it had a side stick or something that was just so poorly mixed.
IDK... I guess I missed the memo ...in that, that's as bad a copyright infringement as doing a cover....one of which I took down because the first poster didn't like playing over a cover...albeit a much harder rock version I had created.
That said, I posted the "Stairway" thread and I belive I gave credit to Beato....maybe not...but hope I did. But felt that was a little more unique.
All my backers...the few I did were definitely original. I won't post anymore over a track that is anonymously ripped from somewhere else....but that my issue I guess.

 

[GearGeek01]

Considering backing tracks... I've found 2 kinds...
1) recorded in a studio with human musicians
2) created on a keyboard synthesizer using "MIDI" instruments.

Without fail, the MIDI-created tracks always seem to be monotone for dynamics, and depending on the instrument, always have a "glorp" of some kind at the very end of a note, LOL...

I lucked out and found 68 live recorded blue backing tracks at a university music department's website years ago, they were free to download and had no copyrights of any kind (what gets copyrighted is the chord progression under a lead vocal)

For jazz standards, I have a 106 CD set from Jamey Aebersold that covers hundreds of jazz standards (All of Me, Satin Doll, Cherokee, Green Dolphin Street, Wave, Desafinado, etc, etc)... all recorded with bass, drums, sometimes a comping guitar in the background, maybe a piano or organ... plus if you are a drummer, you can pan everything to one side or the other, and the drums go away... or if a bass player, pan it to the other side, no bass... its meant for solo instruments, but I can also sing over them (I have the "Real Vocal Book with all the words for most of the usual standards)...

The one annoying thing I had to do was put each one into a WAV editor of some kind, and delete the "one, two, three, four" count and drum stick click in front of every song... that becomes annoying after a few songs... So I just start out with the backing track, and do the A-A-B-A things as I can catch it... sounds great...

I think there is a big difference between humans in the studio recorded backing tracks, and the soul-less monotone MIDI-made tracks... it's usually the bas... same monotone lifeless feel for the entire song... humans make mistakes, and sometimes that is what makes a good song... like a musician that knows how to play either behind or in front of the beat... I suppose you could program a computer to do it, but then you have more monotone lifeless beat either ahead or behind the beat, LOL

Plus, there are literally (probably) hundreds of free backing track places. Some are copyrighted somehow, but many are free. I haven't downloaded any in years... I stopped when I had over 2,000 tracks...

Here's my list of Jazz Standards. I can use these loops in different ways. If using a Digitech JamMan SoloXT, I can load all of them on one mini SD card and recall them with an FS3X 3-button footswitch... might be a song title you recognize if you're into jazz standards... Even though I load them into a looper pedal, they are each full 3-5 minute song recording using human musicians... this comes from a hand-typed (by me) spreadsheet in MS-Excel

LOOP #	JamMan LOOP names (Jazz)	KEY
LOOP01	0702 - Four	Eb
LOOP02	0703 - Tune Up	C
LOOP03	0803 - St Thomas	C
LOOP04	1202 - Satin Doll	C
LOOP05	1203 - Solitude	Eb
LOOP06	1205 - Mood Indigo	Ab
LOOP07	1208 - Sophisticated Lady	Ab
LOOP08	1209 - Take the A Train	C
LOOP09	1210 - Prelude to a Kiss	C
LOOP10	1402 - Killer Joe	C
LOOP11	2702 - Mr. PC	Bb
LOOP12	2803 - Giants Steps - Slow	C
LOOP13	3103 - Meditation	C
LOOP14	3202 - Lover Man	F
LOOP15	3205 - Lush Life	Db
LOOP16	4302 - Groovin' High	Eb
LOOP17	4303 - All The Things You Are	Ab
LOOP18	4304 - A Night In Tunisia	F
LOOP19	4309 - Bluesette	G
LOOP20	4402 - Autumn Leaves	Bb
LOOP21	4404 - Tenderly	Eb
LOOP22	4408 - There Will Never Be Another You	Eb
LOOP23	4805 - C Jam Blues	C
LOOP24	4907 - Georgia On My Mind	F
LOOP25	5002 - Freddie Freeloader	Bb
LOOP26	5003 - So What (Slow version)	C
LOOP27	5004 - All Blues	C
LOOP28	5006 - Blue In Green	C
LOOP29	5103 - Embraceable You	G
LOOP30	5104 - I Got Rhythm (Flintstone's Theme)	Bb
LOOP31	5205 - Stardust	C
LOOP32	5302 - Joy Spring	F
LOOP33	5406 - Watermelon Man	C
LOOP34	5508 - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes	Eb
LOOP35	5610 - 'Round Midnight	Gb
LOOP36	6203 - Four On Six	Bb
LOOP37	6204 - Road Song	Eb
LOOP38	7101 - Honeysuckle Rose	F
LOOP39	9501 - All of Me	C
LOOP40	9506 - 500 Miles High	C
LOOP41	9802 - Wave	D
LOOP42	9806 - One Note Samba	Bb
LOOP43	9811 - Desafinado	F
LOOP44	10501 - Take Five	Gb
LOOP45	22102 - Stella by Starlight	G
LOOP46	22103 - My Old Flame	G
LOOP47	22105 - Easy Living	Eb
LOOP48	22106 - The Nearness of You	F
LOOP49	22206 - Out of Nowhere	G
LOOP50	22207 - Tangerine	F
LOOP51	25107 - A Foggy Day	F
LOOP52	25109 - My Favorite Things	G
LOOP53	25202 - Have You Met Miss Jones	F
LOOP54	25202 - Summertime	C
LOOP55	25204 - Come rain or shine	F
LOOP56	25209 - Our Love Is Here To Stay	F
LOOP57	25210 - My Funny Valentine	Eb
LOOP58	34102 - On Green Dolphin Street	Eb
LOOP59	34103 - Just Friends	F
LOOP60	34104 - Don't Blame Me	C
LOOP61	34109 - Over the Rainbow	Eb
LOOP62	40102 - Lullabye of Birdland	Eb
LOOP63	40104 - The Days Of Wine And Roses	F
LOOP64	40106 - Autumn in New York	F
LOOP65	40107 - I Cover the Waterfront	F
LOOP66	40108 - Love For Sale	Bb
LOOP67	41103 - Body and Soul	Db
LOOP68	41203 - Misty	Eb

 

[GearGeek01]

So... you've got an MP3 of a backing track, but it's not in a key you like, or you'd like to change the key to something else. Use this little free website... upload your MP3, tell it how many half steps up or down you want it to transpose the file for you... it does all the work, no muss, no fuss... and gives you a downloadable MP3 in the key you asked.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE (from a TV add... LOL)... if you do your lyric sheets in a text file (like Microsoft Notepad) and type the corect letters for the chords over the exact spots where they go above the syllables of the lyrics... the same web page will transpose the entire text file correctly with the new key... it only changes the root note of the chord, so you can aldo do more complex chords (like... Am7b5, etc, it will change just the root note... to, like Bm7b5) and so on. It changes the key, but doesn't change the tempo... (there's other places where you can change the speed... "SlowGold" is an older one, great for slowing down those eruption speed solos to work them out note for note

Transposr.com brought to you by Planning Center

Very cool little page

Here's SlowGold (used to be free, I wasn't on there long enough to see if it's still free or you gotta pay, I think its pay by the honor system... and free to use) Looks like this is for PC users only, not MAC compatible...

World Wide Woodshed – Makers of SlowGold Music Software

worldwidewoodshed.com

 

[klasaine]

that's as bad a copyright infringement as doing a cover....

That said, I posted the "Stairway" thread and I belive I gave credit to Beato

No copyright infringement on just chords and groove. Even if it's the chords and groove (and arrangement) from an obvious "song" that already exists (as long as it's not the original recording). An artist can copyright a recorded performance i.e., the record - that's known as an 'original sound recording'. Using the actual solo section from the recorded version of Stairway to Heaven - now that gets into a grey area and is probably more likely to attract legal scrutiny than someone mocking up their own version of say "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" or whatever. Beato dodges all that by 1) not monetizing his channel (he does try to sell his courses through the vids) and 2) labeling his content as "educational" (which it is IMO).

Anyway, most of the backers here at the Twanger forum are from elsewhere. Also, it is assumed that a BT that's put on Youtube or made 'downloadable' on Soundcloud, will be used exactly for such purposes.

 

[mixmkr 2023]

No copyright infringement on just chords and groove. Even if it's the chords and groove (and arrangement) from an obvious "song" that already exists. An artist can copyright a recorded performance i.e., the record - that's known as an 'original sound recording'. Using the actual solo section from the recorded version of Stairway to Heaven - now that gets into a grey area and is probably more likely to attract legal scrutiny than someone mocking up their own version of say "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" or whatever. Beato dodges all that by 1) not monetizing his channel (he does try to sell his courses through the vids) and 2) labeling his content as "educational" (which it is IMO).

Anyway, most of the backers here at the Twanger forum are from elsewhere. Also, it is assumed that a BT that's put on Youtube or made 'downloadable' on Soundcloud, will be used exactly for such purposes.

This post is so full of misinformation..not sure where to start.
I think the best falsehood is saying Beato doesn't monetize his channel...and I think you go on to try and describe "fair use". So...if Beato uses a copyrighted song to attract viewers to his channel, even though he turns off monetization for that video, is that not still gain? Lastly, (to just pick one more out of your "many"), YouTube will flag it and allow the owner to decide what to do, from blocking the song completely and asking Youtube to issue a strike, to sharing copyright monies.

Oh...I can't leave out.. No copyright infringement on just chords and groove. Even if it's the chords and groove (and arrangement) from an obvious "song" that already exists.
Where do you get that from?

 

[klasaine]

This post is so full of misinformation..not sure where to start.
I think the best falsehood is saying Beato doesn't monetize his channel...and I think you go on to try and describe "fair use". So...if Beato uses a copyrighted song to attract viewers to his channel, even though he turns off monetization for that video, is that not still gain? Lastly, (to just pick one more out of your "many"), YouTube will flag it and allow the owner to decide what to do, from blocking the song completely and asking Youtube to issue a strike, to sharing copyright monies.

Oh...I can't leave out.. No copyright infringement on just chords and groove. Even if it's the chords and groove (and arrangement) from an obvious "song" that already exists.
Where do you get that from?

For example, a 'Blues Progression' is not copyrightable. How many Blues in A songs are out there? Thousands. Same for what's known as 'Rhythm Changes', and there are many other standard song forms.
Melodies and (as I mentioned) the actual 'sound recording' is copyrightable. Taylor Swift re-recorded her first couple of records because she gave up/sold all of her rights to the 'sound recording' of those songs but not her rights to the songs themselves. Sophie B. Hawkins did the same thing many years ago. Roger Waters just re-did Dark Side of the Moon.

The reason that Rick Beato occasionally gets a copyright 'strike' is because yes, he sells his theory courses via those YT vids. The record companies and the publishers maintain that that is 'monetizing', hence the copyright challenge on many of the songs he uses. Sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses. My personal opinion is that yes, he is monetizing his channel because he garners YT 'views' precisely due to his choice of material - which includes these copyrighted performances (the original recorded 'sound recordings').

*I kinda do know what I'm talking about with this stuff. I'm not a copyright lawyer but I am involved a bit with licensing music.

 

[mixmkr 2023]

*I kinda do know what I'm talking about with this stuff. I'm not a copyright lawyer but I am involved a bit with licensing mumusic.

I would disagree. Your 2nd post is full of misinformation, as much as the first....almost to the point of just categorizing it as nonsense.