Backing Tracks

If you play some instrument you will probably come to some point where you want to play your music in context with other instruments. That's were backing tracks or jamtracks come into play. You let them run in the background and play your part over it which is quite a good exercice. The only problem is: Where to get high quality backing tracks? You can search the web and download some backing tracks for free but the quality is almost everywhere very low. Most of the tracks come in midi-format wich produces not the best sound. On the other side you can purchase backing tracks on CD or online which are quite good but also quite expensive. A method I used before was simply creating my own backing beats by recording them. This is obviously the best way when it comes down to quality and price but it is time consuming and you need to play every instrument by yourself. For a beginner this can be a frustrating task.

What about a software that easily produces great drumtracks and simulates other instruments right of the box? If you want an easy and really cheap way to do it this way I can recommend a beatmaker called DUBturbo. It is available for 30 bucks which is incredible for the package you get. Please refer to the detailed review at the bottom for more information.

As I said making jamtracks with DUBturbo is really easy and intuitive. You only select a nice sounding drumkit and create a good beat, choose a nice bass and create a baseline for your track and if you like insert some melody instruments. If your done you can change the tempo, mix the track up and start jamming to your own personal jamtrack! For musicians this a great tool to practice their parts. With the jamtrack looping in the background you get a great "in the band" feeling.

While you work on your track you can even change the samples, drumkits and instruments on the fly see which ones fit your style. Speaking of styles you are not limited to some genres with DUBturbo. The software is able to produce nice sounding backing tracks for every genre like blues, rock, metal, country, jazz, folk and so on.

In this article I showed you a nice little program to make your own backing tracks fast and easy. I use to produce easy jamtracks in 20 minutes with this and the sound is great for this little price.

Please read this DUBturbo Review for more in depth information about my recommended software to produce backing tracks.

Are you in a band and wonder what it's going to take to get your performances to the next level? Well, backing tracks are the answer to that question. Backing tracks give you the ability to add extra instruments or voices to your show, giving you a much bigger sound, without the bother of hiring extra musicians on a full time basis. Suddenly you may find you have a want or need for a keyboard part or some horn shots in the songs you perform. Why not put them on backing tracks and have them at the push of a button?

You can approach it several different ways. If you have a song that requires a piano part for example you could rent yourself some studio time, hire a pianist, have him play the required parts along to a click track (ensuring that the click track is being recorded as well), and mix it down to a usable MP3 file with the click track on one side (usually the left) and the music on the other side. Simply load the MP3 file onto an MP3 player of some sort, separate the signals so that only the drummer (or other band members) hear the click track via a set of head phones and send the music to the mains. This is accomplished by separating the left and right channels from the MP3 player and running them into a small mixing board. It's sent to the headphones or the mains from there.

Option number two would be to purchase a music editing program that is MIDI compatible and purchase some VST (Virtual Studio Technology) instruments.Go on the internet, download the MIDI file, import it into your editing software, assign instruments to each channel and mix down to MP3. The problems with this method are the cost of the software, the time it takes to figure out how to run the software, and finding MIDI files that are programmed accurately. When they're not programmed properly and the song is missing parts then you need to be able to write a MIDI file to fix it. This all takes time to learn.

Option number three would be to download MP3 backing tracks from the internet. There are some real high quality ones available out there for not a lot of money. They come in different formats, MP3 being my personal favorite, and add that extra "something" to your show. Simply find them , download them and put them on your MP3 player. Easy...
When you use backing tracks on stage the possibilities are endless as to what type of songs you may perform. I've used tracks that have had vocals added to give a choir effect, keyboards, piano, violins etc. There's no end to what you can do with them. When you perform with them you give a more accurate representation of the song you're playing and they aid in making your band sound "bigger."

Ian Kurz is a singer/guitarist and is the owner of the website http://www.backing-tracks-for-bands.com where you can find everything from downloadable backing tracks to info on how to create your own.

Blues backing tracks are an essential tool when learning to play or practising your blues guitar skills. If you have a wide variety of tracks in various keys, tempos and styles you'll have the benefit of becoming proficient in many different musical situations. For example, up tempo rock n' roll style blues involves very different techniques and licks than playing a slow traditional blues.

The best way to practise with backing tracks is to queue up around 5 or more tracks and repeat them over and over. Before long you'll have had a 30 minute practice session without even realising it. Aside from playing with a real live band, there really is nothing more fun than jamming with backing tracks, especially if they were recorded using a live band.

So how do you get the most out them? Simply learn 4 or 5 blues licks and spend some time jamming. Explore each and every lick over every part of the track. Then try blending in a few of your own ideas. It's easy to take an existing phrase and turn it into your own creation. Simply try removing a note or two, maybe fuse 2 different licks together, add a note, even letting a note ring out for a little longer can drastically change the sound.

If you try experimenting with a few new licks every week before long you'll have a huge library of sounds you can turn to when jamming with your blues backing tracks. What's more it'll always keep your practice sessions fresh, you'll never get bored again! If you want to get started right away, make sure you click the links below for an awesome video lesson and a free backing track.

Click here for your free Blues Guitar Scale video lesson. This trick will literally double your blues guitar skills almost instantly! HURRY...limited numbers!

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Making your own backing tracks is one of the most important skills you can have as a musician. If you want to practice a specific technique or a scale, for example, you can make a backing track and instantly apply the things you practice to a musical context. I does require some skills that you need to learn but it is well worth it and you will become a better musician as a result. I have listed the most important things you need to have in order to make your own backing tracks.

You need a good handle on basic music theory
The most important thing you need to have is some basic understanding of music theory. You need to know how to harmonize a scale, how to construct chords and chord progressions etc. Once you understand how music works, you will be able to make a backing track for any situation.

You need to play or understand how people play different musical instruments
In order to make musical and good sounding backing tracks, you need to understand the role of each instrument that is used in them. You have to do your research and learn what is possible to do on each instrument. Listen to different musicians and try to learn how they do what they do. When you understand what is possible to do on each instrument, you will have no problems making backing tracks which sound like they were made by a real band.

You need an audio interface, a digital audio workstation and a bunch of virtual instruments
In order to record your backing tracks you need an audio interface and a digital audio workstation. An audio interface is a device that connects your instrument to the computer. It has different inputs and outputs for different recording situations. I advise you not to buy a very cheap interface because it is likely to be unreliable and the sound is usually not that great. Do your research and choose the right one for you.

After you have bought the interface, you then need a digital audio workstation or a DAW as many call it. It is basically a recording software. There are many DAWs available such as Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic, Sonar, Reaper etc. All of them have their pros and cons and are at different price ranges so once again you have to do some research to find the one that suits your needs the best.

If you are like me, you do not have every single instrument at home to record your parts. Fortunately there is an alternative available. Nowadays most home recordings have at least one virtual instrument in them. A virtual instrument is a software version of a musical instrument which is controlled by MIDI information. Because I do not have the room for a whole drum set in my apartment, I use a virtual drum set to do the job.
Once you have everything above you will have no trouble making backing tracks. Using your theory knowledge and understanding of each instrument, you will come up with cool sounding parts and then record them with the help of your audio interface, your DAW and the virtual instruments you have at your disposal. It does require a little investment of time and money but the end result will be worth it.

This article was written by Allan Haapalainen, a guitar teacher from Rovaniemi, Finland. He is also the founder of http://BackingTracksForScales.com, a company that makes backing tracks for musicians who want to practice different scales in a musical context. Get a free eBook "Insights From The Pros" and find out what 15 world class guitarists have to say about scales and improvisation.