Backing tracks in live performance

[dave robinson]

You need an ego to be able to get up in front of people and perform. The problem always is the mis-placed ego, you see it all the time on the TV auditions for the talent shows. I believe that your ego isn't mis-placed if you are going on stage and doing the business from gig to gig and entertaining by keeping people interested in what you are doing and most importantly keeping 'bums on seats' which in the case of a licensed venue should mean money behind the bar, or in the event of a theatre style gig, a full house, or somewhere near.

[Stratpicker]

I know of at least one Bass guitarist who when he visits the Club "books" a himself a Live Band slot. He gets a scratch band around him, including a coerced (lol!) Lead player and struts his stuff. And so he should.
Can't think of a Rythmn guitarist who does this though.
Ian

[Allclaphands]

I know and have seen a band who bring there own supporters with them to venues
and there not that good in terms of things but there supporters cheer and dance
around a lot when nearly everyone else just sits there it seems like its just a chance
for them to have there own little party every time they do a gig.Still to some venues
if you promise to bring nearly your own audience with you they will book them.

Pete

[noelford]

I played gig a few years back with my old, re-eunited, '60s band. There was another, young, band on the bill who were just starting out and they brought a load of their fans with them who all came and sat on the floor in front of the stage when they were playing. When we came on, after them, I felt obliged to apologise for the fact that our fans were unable to do the same as most of them wouldn't be able to get up again.

[Iain Purdon]

Perhaps Iain (or any bass player or drummer or rhythm guitarists here) could start a topic in the general section about how they deal with the problems of going out to play gigs - a problem that BTs have solved, to a degree, for lead players.

In my case, I do it the old-fashioned way and go out with other players as a group! I'm still gigging but there's no doubt that it's a dwindling market.

[cockroach]

The remark I made about lead guitarist egos was made in fun chaps!!!

Seriously, I think lead players can get a bit wrapped up in their tone perfection, effects etc whilst often forgetting that backing is essential (whether by a live band or more conveniently by using backing tracks) ..unless you are Tommy Emmanuel, Martin Taylor or other true solo players, who are very gifted and can play and entertain with just a guitar!

A couple of the players in my present band are not as experienced and musically knowledgeable as our bass player and myself (they've only been playing for a few years, the bass player and I have been playing and gigging since the early to mid '60's), but the sum is greater than the parts I suppose, as we manage reasonably well...the total group result is nowhere near musical perfection, but audiences enjoy the band. we all enjoy playing and...absolutely essentially, we all get on as mates with little friction and have done since I joined about 5 years ago..
OK, so our versions of Shads tunes etc aren't in the same class as ,say, The Rapiers, but we can rock and get 'em dancing to vocal numbers, and they applaud the instrumental numbers and seem to appreciate the musical ability I suppose...I've had numerous compliments about my playing, but nobody has ever said I was using the wrong echo repeats, or that I didn't get the right tone!

Regarding getting gigs...realising that our music doesn't have wide appeal for pub gigs etc these days, we did some lateral thinking and decided to try other ideas for venues and still making a little money....few players wouldn't want to play for nothing, unless they are truly desperate to have an audience and/or the kind of folk who would play at the opening of an envelope just to show off in front of three men and a dog!

We have been 'cultivating' some other less obvious venues with some success over the past year or so, including scoring a regular monthly gig..

[Allclaphands]

Reading the replies on this thread we tend to forget that we as players ( what ever instrument we play)
are and can be more critical of are playing than a lot of the audiences can be,to us who practice and play
we hear and know every mistake and bum note we make where as a lot of the audiences don't.A lot of them
if they know a certain tune follow it in there own way and having not heard it a 100 times or more like us who
play it regulary they think it's great the sounds,echo effects,amps ect all add to it.

Pete

[noelford]

John, it sounds like you have the perfect set up. You all enjoy playing, your audiences enjoy your playing, you all get on, you don't get hung up on sounding exactly like the record... Bliss!

[cockroach]

Noel

yes, it's pretty good really...I just don't worry about other similar local bands who may be competing us for gigs...good luck to them too if they're working.

I have the philosophy that 'we do what WE do' regardless of what songs or styles anyone else plays, and if punters like it and want to book us, that's what matters. we do all the songs our own way- I've been doing this in bands for years now- no point in endless exact copying- you develop your own style, for better or worse!

An advantage of a live band is that you can sometimes vary the song or tune without rehearsing the changes etc- one fun example that we tried some years ago was to play Man of Mystery as a tango, with acoustic electric guitar lead- it worked quite well- but I doubt if there's a backing track which would suit!

Also, in my experience, if you play a fast rockin' number, many people only actually get up to dance near the end of the song...they never seem to realise that if they wanted to dance that they should get up when it begins!

So, one of us will shout to the others...'keep it going!' and we go back to the start without stopping and repeat the song- So what? The people like it!!

Again, this might be difficult to do on the spur of the moment with a backing track!!

[noelford]

'one fun example that we tried some years ago was to play Man of Mystery as a tango'

And I've done The Savage as a samba, John, though I did have to create my own BT for that one!