Do you use backing tracks as a practice tool?

Daler · 2012-10-22T11:13:21+00:00

I recently downloaded a few backing tracks of some songs that I would like to learn to play. I am finding it much more difficult to stay in rhythm than I ini...

Do you use backing tracks as a practice tool?

Daler

Thanks all. A sequencer is also definitely on my wish list ?

exsanguinator

Its the only way foward
Not everybody is lucky enough to jam in an actual band
drum machines,sequencers,loopers,backing tracks... thats our tools tools..
Master those and you can jam with anyone anytime and be the man...

AlanRatcliffe

exsanguinator wrote: Master those and you can jam with anyone anytime and be the man...

Just don't mention it to woman (Keira)! ?

Willem186

All the time hey, I rarely play without a backing track. It's really good for keeping time, works really well if you want to play something you have just learned in the context of a "song". Usually I will play the backing track with a metronome in the background for extra pressure to keep things tight...

petermoffat

Am I the only one that uses Garageband? I quite enjoy doing a backtrack for a song (drums, bass, accoustic) with the smart instruments, and then plugging it into my amp and playing along. It's really part of the fun I have playing at the moment, seeing as I'm a relatively shit guitarist, and this makes me sound a lot better to myself, specially as mistakes tend to not be nearly as noticeable.

Daler

I started off trying to use Garageband, but found it cumbersome and time consuming to try and get the right drums etc to match the song I was trying to practice. Then I realised that there is a huge amount of free online backing material available for many popular songs and have started downloading the ones that I want to practice too. Can pretend I am in a band and I have a real guitar now and not a tennis racquet :-[

petermoffat

I suppose I'm not trying to replicate songs as per the original, but rather do a simple backtrack. Would be very nice to be able to share the project files, and effectively download backtracks for the app..

epictring

I use them for practicing improvising when there's no one to jam with.

RJN

I Recently started using Simple Jam Tracks on youtube to practise and experiment with some petatonic Licks if that counts.

PeteM

I like to make my own simple backtracks to practice solos and lead work. This way I get a better understanding of the big picture by having to work on the chord structures and the bass runs. I keep the percussion very simple.

Seventhson

I love using backtracks has helped me a lot with my timing. But like bob says it has to be a decent backtrack.