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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
BackTracks (their beauty)the flip side of the coin
BackTracks (their beauty)the flip side of the coin
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Frank
5159 posts
Aug 27, 2014
2:41 PM
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Stop, don’t touch, leave the area, tell an adult!
There is the (BT hack) which I most certainly am :)
There is the infamous (Jam hack), which I would be if I went to them :)
But there is also another hack that tends to be overlooked…
And that is,
The… (Gigging hack…) which I’d also be if I was gigging :)
A “gigging hack” is your average musician, who often is not very good at what they do and they are determined to prove that fact while on a stage with a band...
First let me state that I hear what others are saying loud and clear and I fully understand the plight they share concerning the use of BT’s - that said, lets consider the other side of the coin, players who are gigging and seemingly treat the stage like they’re in their garage rehearsing.
But I digress…
BT’s are friendly, exciting and a truly great resource; not unlike guns, booze and metronomes etc. which are friendly too… it is the person with them who is responsible for using these things creatively, safely and with genuine purpose.
Your thumb is the enemy if you stick it in your eye, sugar is the enemy if you’re a diabetic, gravity is the enemy if your shoot won’t open and on and on…
It’s no secret that I absolutely love BT’s and view them as wonderful musical opportunities for not only getting better at musical skills… but also are an excellent way to get and enjoy some much earned rest and relaxation…So, while BT’s can be beneficial to work on and strengthen musical skills they also supply some great recreation!
The few ways that BT’s may be limiting in their ability to help a musician pale in comparison to the many positive attributes they inherently possess to help a musician get real insightful information into their actual skill level.
When you record yourself using a BT, then listen back while being honest with yourself – You are forced to confront the truth about any serious problems that may be haunting and staling progress!
In other words, just like recording yourself playing solo can be a rewardingly humble experience…so can recording yourself playing to backtracks – it can reveal things that will make you to take a real hard look at your musical skills level more accurately.
Think of them as a kind of “simulator” to help bring to the light certain musical deficiencies you should be paying more attention to and working to overcome!
If, BT’s were an actual enemy – they would be merely a harmless one… the only pain they inflict is to ones ego, since they can fairly accurately reveal many musical weaknesses a player was hoping they didn’t have!
BT’s can be used successfully to bring focus the musician’s problem areas, and then easily used as a preparation tool for strengthening musical competence.
Truth is there seems to be many harp players in bands who might as well be practicing to a BT…Since the stage really isn’t bringing out any better of a performance in them or their chops.
Often I see little difference in players who use BT’s and those players who are in bands… other than the “hey look ma – I’m on a stage” … they often sound like they are practicing to a BT and not working off of a live band.
In other words their contribution to the band is usually stiffly spouting off notes that basically go nowhere and more often than not don’t add anything of real value to the overall song the band is laying down!
Try this…play a YouTube clip of your average harp player gigging live…start the video, close your eyes and just listen to what they contribute to the song…Does it seem like they are grooving with a live band, or could easily as well been playing/noodling to a BT in their bedroom?
And these days it can seem like there is little difference anymore between someone who plays with BT’s and someone who plays with a live band. I’m talking about local yokel players here, not your schooled hardcore players.
My point is there are a lot of players who basically use a live band situation like they are practicing to a BT, there is no real genuine interaction going on between them, the band or audience. Basically the band ends up being a live BT… and undiscernible from them using a recorded BT.
The real enemy is the musician in the mirror… you need to look at yourself if your playing is full of holes…can’t blame ones multiple deficiencies on using BT’s or whatever other excuse one may be looking for.
Certainly playing in public is where it’s out for in your face live back and forth interaction – I mean who wants to see Buddy Guy play “Mary had a Little lamb” to a BT?
And on the flip side of the coin, who wants to see all these harmonica duffers who are at most posing while gigging/playing with a live band – when their playing is often shabby and their stage presence even weaker.
It is easily as painful to watch them add really nothing of significance to a live situation, as it is watching someone carelessly using a BT.
Bottom line – playing with a BT takes certain skills to make them work and playing with a band is a whole other animal…and a lot of gigging players perform as if they are practicing with a BT and not playing with live musicians.
I think BT’s are under used by the very players who would benefit from them the most… The full potential of BT exploration is left untapped by a whole bunch of players who though they may be gigging, are not getting any better as a musician.
Learning the harp isn’t easy and using BT’s can help keep tabs on the fact of if your bullshitting yourself about certain skills you think you have a handle on.
If you use them as a serious learning tool – you should improve by leaps and bounds…
Taking to the stage will not make you a great player or performer, you tube is full of mediocre gigging musicians who would be wise to spend some quality time with their BT’s to help them get their act together…
Ps…Thank you to all the well wishers who emailed and gave me kudos while on a hiatus :)
Last Edited by Frank on Aug 27, 2014 3:12 PM
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Ted Burke
135 posts
Aug 27, 2014
3:10 PM
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----------Great post, Frank. Thanks for the taking the time to write it. Nice harmonica work, very nice.
ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.com
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dougharps
725 posts
Aug 27, 2014
3:52 PM
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Great playing and singing on all the videos, Frank! I especially liked your chromatic work on "Love Me Like You Do." Nice stuff! Good interpretation of "Juke" in Sonny Boy I style, too!
I am not into rating musicians (already covered that before), but I will state clearly that you are a solid player and that in no way would anyone characterize you as a "hack," whether playing to a track, at a jam, or with a band.
You also make a great case for using backing tracks to improve skills.
If you were playing with a band anywhere near Central Illinois, I would certainly come to hear you play.
Glad you're back.
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JustFuya
402 posts
Aug 27, 2014
8:14 PM
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Frankly, I am not going to comment on playing or sense of humor other than to say I'm a fan of both.
BUT...I think it takes more musicianship to pleasantly solo thru a BT than it does to play live.
Edited to add lost marble.
Last Edited by JustFuya on Aug 28, 2014 11:38 AM
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mastercaster
69 posts
Aug 27, 2014
10:17 PM
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Maybe I've just been lucky .. back in the day .. there were no BT's , we could only try to learn from playing with records .. and/or join a band.
My experience is getting on stage with a group of talented players will do more for raising our skill level than any other avenue .. and give a feeling like no other .. even sex can't last 4 sets ...
The key words in the last paragraph is "group of talented players" ,
not a group of hack's on stage thinking they are styling and profiling ...
Those factors alone drive me to up my game ... Practice Practice Practice ....
Working together as a unit is where it's at for me .. with that comes group participation, exchanging idea's, constructive criticism , high's and low's ... learning the 'tools' of the trade like dynamics, stage communication , signals , stage presence, .. what about cutting heads with the guitar (trading solo's) or twin rides - guitar/harp playing the same notes in sync , stacking harmonies etc etc .. a long list we won't find in our woodshed , but will only find on the stage.
( no insult intended Frank, I do enjoy your playing ! )
Ego is the enemy .. not BT's ....
Last Edited by mastercaster on Aug 27, 2014 10:43 PM
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RyanMortos
1472 posts
Aug 28, 2014
8:22 AM
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I really enjoy throwing on backing tracks and jamming as well. Usually I do it on days I don't much feel like doing technical practice. I hardly ever record, though I probably should, haha.
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~Ryan
See My Profile for contact info, etc.
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Tuckster
1450 posts
Aug 28, 2014
11:13 AM
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I rarely play to backing tracks. Even the best of them-like Jimi Lee's- go on for too damn long. Frank-You amaze me when you play through the entire track. I just can't come up with that many different things to say and get bored. You would do fine in a live band situation because you have a large vocabulary.
I'm totally addicted to playing live. I like being a team player and am fascinated with the challenges of playing spontaneously to an ever changing situation. Trying to find something that will contribute to the song being played. It never fails to keep me challenged and interested. I've often failed miserably at achieving this but always learned something from it.It's sort of another part of playing harp that has nothing to do with the technical aspects. About using what you know in a musical context.BT's can give you a good vocabulary to deal with a live situation where the rhythm section isn't rock solid or the guitarist plays a solo that isn't in the song groove and you have to follow him with your own solo.Live is rarely perfect and you have to "think on your feet" to adjust to the situation.
I have no problem with BT's but it's not the same as playing live. They both teach you things,just different things.
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JInx
864 posts
Aug 28, 2014
11:19 AM
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Killer!
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