Getting out there…

[AllanAllen]

Stop trying to impress someone who doesn't like you. It's not going to matter to the sad sack strawman that you recorded the tracks yourself.

[StormyMonday]

What’s the consensus on using tracks if you record all the parts yourself?

My current fantasy to recreate my trio in the absence of interested parties in this small city on the northern Gulf of Mexico.

I think it's a big world and there is room for everyone. If the venue is cool with it and the audience enjoys it who's to say otherwise right? That said if you're playing at a place known for jazz they might be less receptive than background music at a bistro, trial and error will get you the answer.

[Spook410]

I think it's a big world and there is room for everyone. If the venue is cool with it and the audience enjoys it who's to say otherwise right? That said if you're playing at a place known for jazz they might be less receptive than background music at a bistro, trial and error will get you the answer.

There are several types of venues where backing tracks would be inappropriate. A professional jazz club, a jazz festival, jazz open mic or jam.. Likely many other situations. Of course, if you had those things close by, you are likely to also have other jazz musicians to play with. Playing with others is always preferable. Backing tracks are a fall back when it comes to performance.

As for backing track application per venue.. can't speak for everywhere, but around here backing tracks are going to be fine with audiences in almost all the places where amateur jazz musicians might play. Restaurants, small bars, open mics, coffee shops, et al. And my favorite, by far, assisted living facilities. They pay better (not important really.. but still) and the audience grew up with jazz. I usually have 20-40 peeps for a 1-2 hour afternoon midweek performance. Attentive, polite, and engaging. They also have wonderful stories like when they used to dance to swing playing on weekly radio shows. Or remembering a Brubeck or Miles tune in my set from when they were young and it was all new. They want to hear you play and are truly unconcerned about the bits filled in by backing tracks. Certainly helps me maintain my interest in playing and learning new tunes.

Side Note: Should do a thread on assisted living gigs one of these days. Some don't know the difference between Assisted Living and a Skilled Nursing Facility or Memory Unit and because of this they are missing out on a great performance outlet.

[John A.]

There are several types of venues where backing tracks would be inappropriate. A professional jazz club, a jazz festival, jazz open mic or jam.. Likely many other situations. Of course, if you had those things close by, you are likely to also have other jazz musicians to play with. Playing with others is always preferable. Backing tracks are a fall back when it comes to performance.

As for backing track application per venue.. can't speak for everywhere, but around here backing tracks are going to be fine with audiences in almost all the places where amateur jazz musicians might play. Restaurants, small bars, open mics, coffee shops, et al. And my favorite, by far, assisted living facilities. They pay better (not important really.. but still) and the audience grew up with jazz. I usually have 20-40 peeps for a 1-2 hour afternoon midweek performance. Attentive, polite, and engaging. They also have wonderful stories like when they used to dance to swing playing on weekly radio shows. Or remembering a Brubeck or Miles tune in my set from when they were young and it was all new. They want to hear you play and are truly unconcerned about the bits filled in by backing tracks. Certainly helps me maintain my interest in playing and learning new tunes.

Side Note: Should do a thread on assisted living gigs one of these days. Some don't know the difference between Assisted Living and a Skilled Nursing Facility or Memory Unit and because of this they are missing out on a great performance outlet.

I would think this is less and less how it is, given that the baby boom is now hitting their 80s.

[Cunamara]

Any open mics around?

Looking back in hindsight the biggest factor keeping me from playing gigs in the past (when I would have actually wanted to), was trying to make each tune into a complete finished arrangement. If I taught my old self now I would say to learn a bunch of material in much simpler ways. My arrangements were so complex I could barely play them. I also couldn't have been able to retain them in my memory enough to make a full set list. Anyway, my advice learned by error would be keep it simple even if you are capable of doing hipper stuff.

I think that this is the background for the famous Joe Pass quote "I don't play anything hard. If it's hard, don't play it." I remember him referring to certain kinds of chords as the "tendinitis b9" chord in one of his instructional videos.

Of course, what was hard for Joe Pass is a league apart of what's hard for me and stuff he considered simple and easy is probably still beyond the top end of my playing abilities. But if we make it too complicated, it ends up being impossible to perform cleanly. Even someone like Ben Monder drills on stuff for hours a day for months or years at a time and still says he can't perform most of those recordings in public because it's just too much to remember.

More than a quarter century ago I was an amateur bicycle racer for about a decade. I remember reading an interview with the famous Olympic team coach Eddy B who said the difference between professional professionals and amateurs is that when amateurs are supposed to be training easy they don't train easy enough, and when they're supposed to be training hard they don't train hard enough. I think the same tends to be true for amateur guitarists: we don't get solid enough on the basics (groove, harmony and melody) and thus we are not able to attain the advanced. If you don't know the original changes to a song, you don't have a context to understand the "jazz" changes (which is a failing of mine). If you don't know the melody, you don't have the context to understand how to play the solo (another failing of mine. Most days it doesn't feel like I have much by way of non-failings).

[Spook410]

I would think this is less and less how it is, given that the baby boom is now hitting their 80s.

I know you're right. But I'm still putting off learning that jazz arrangement of "In a Gadda Da Vida" a bit longer.

And in the not so distant future.. as the performer arrives thinking they have accurately targeted the demographic with 80's grunge and I'm the patron with the walker.. I'm thinking.. get off my lawn.

[StormyMonday]

I know you're right. But I'm still putting off learning that jazz arrangement of "In a Gadda Da Vida" a bit longer.

And in the not so distant future.. as the performer arrives thinking they have accurately targeted the demographic with 80's grunge and I'm the patron with the walker.. I'm thinking.. get off my lawn.

Whoa 2 of the venues I play at folks would go crazy over a good Ina Gadda Da Vida! Someone did a cool Louie Louie at one point, Tuck Andress maybe. There are probably more people in nursing homes that would respond to those than we may think (he said with one foot in the 'Independent living' community)

[Aiq]

There are several types of venues where backing tracks would be inappropriate. A professional jazz club, a jazz festival, jazz open mic or jam…

As for backing track application per venue.. can't speak for everywhere, but around here backing tracks are going to be fine with audiences in almost all the places where amateur jazz musicians might play. Restaurants, small bars, open mics, coffee shops, et al...

Definitely agree.

I don’t really see the difference between using a looper and creating your own tracks though. I have some ideas about building some tracks - I have a short scale bass, fretless, bass vi and a drum kit. Good recording gear and a decent small PA. It will be fun playing around with it.

In the unlikely event I ever stage it maybe it would lead to meeting some humans. I had an interested bassist but covid got him.

Anything to keep my hand in.