PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production Just The Melody

Just curious: does anyone use BIAB backing for solo instrumental performance at assisted living type venues and how is it received? I would like to use tracks to play solo guitar instrumentals of jazz/pop standards - pretty much just play the melody with a little light improv here and there along with backing some chord melody arrangements. Is this something that is even feasible? I know the jazz folks are against backing tracks but I'm not playing for them - I'm playing for people who want a little music to brighten their day but not sure I can pull it off without singing.......which ain't gonna happen. I could probably do it without tracks (just solo guitar) but after 40+ years of working in dance bands, I find it hard to play without a rhythm section. Open for suggestions and would love seeing links to you doing this sort of thing.

People most certainly do, though I think even more use BIAB to make a backing track that suits them and the tune well, then render it to .wav or .mp3. Partly that's for no surprises in the backing, but perhaps more important is that a music player is more compact and it's cheaper/easier to have two in case of failures.

Yes - wasn't talking about using it live, although I've heard some folks say they do. I use Reaper or Audacity for tweaking and normalizing the Mp3 files, then play them from a Fire tablet with my phone as a backup. I run the tablet and my guitar through a Mackie 6ch mixer then into a homemade class "D' powered speaker cabinet with a 10" Faital speaker and a tweeter with crossover. Works pretty well but always experimenting for better sound. Used to have a pair of 1300 watt Mackie Thump 12s that sounded great but got rid of them when I thought I was getting out of the business.....who knew?

Skip.
I'm a guitar player. I've been performing instrumental solo guitar over tracks for about 6 years now. I play everything from Cannonball Adderly to Frank Zappa. Allman Brothers to ... Whatever. Great American Songbook, Coltrane, Beatles, Merle Haggard, Miles, Dire Straits, Santana, Carol King, Ukraine National Anthem, etc.
All instrumental. Me and my guitar... and my backing tracks.
I mostly play decent restaurants and private events.

My arrangements are simple as the guitar carries the day. Bass, Drums and usually 1 chording (comping) instrument to put a little bottom to my playing. Typically a short intro, play the head, solo over the changes, restate the head, outtro. 2-4 minute long songs. Nobody wants to hear you wigging out on Sleepwalk for 10 minutes. Unless you're Danny Gatton. I am not.

As Gordon Scott mentioned I do not use BIAB for performance. I use 320kbps Mp3 files I arrange in BIAB and finish in Logic Pro (my DAW of choice- any DAW will do) . I use AnyTunePro for setlist management and playback. Guitar to a Line6 Hx Stomp. Guitar and tracks to a QSC 10.2 powered speaker for any medium- large room or outside. In a small (pretty small) room I can get by with a Bose S1pro. I'm looking at the semi-new EV Everse 8 as an upgrade to the S1Pro. The Bose is Ok to a certain volume but then it gets pretty muddy pretty quickly. Either the Bose or EV would work in the setting you describe. Quality matters in playback. You've got a drumkit and a bass you need to sound crisp along with your guitar. I own a couple of line array PA's and subwoofers, but I really don't need them at the volume I play. The QSC is a pretty nice powered speaker. With the Bose its one trip from the car. With the QSC its 2 (it weighs 32lbs)

It was a process to learn arranging, mixing and mastering for 150+ tunes. Assuring consistent EQ and volume takes some time. At present I can create a performance ready arrangement in 2-4 hours. I'm currently working on Joe Sample/Larry Carlton's "Put It Where you want it ". Pretty straight forward funk tune. I am using the M_steppn style. I typically use all Real Tracks. Recently I started using midi and Midi Super Tracks. I also use other drummers/percussionist (Logic's Drummer and ToonTrack EzDrummer 3). Presently 95% of my arrangements are all BIAB Real Tracks.

If you want PM me and I'll send you the SGU, I create out of BIAB and the finished .mp3 I would use for performance.

During the pandemic I put together a CD. 15-20 tunes typical of the stuff I play out. These arrangements have a little more backing band than I use now in performance. I feel I'm a much better arranger AND guitar play now than I was when I made this stuff. But it gives you an idea of the sound you can get using your guitar and BIAB created tracks. It is 100% BIAB real tracks (and me). Check it out if you like.

https://soundcloud.com/bob-bauer-608449014

Enough.

Thanks, Bob! Just the info I was looking for. You're doing pretty much what I'm aiming for except I lean toward more country, smooth jazz, big band swing/standards, surf, and late 50s, early 60s instrumental stuff (I learned all those tunes when they came out and still enjoy playing them - I'm old!)). I've managed to find decent Mp3 tracks for a lot of those and the others I try to do with Real Tracks. Right now I'm working on By The Time I Get To Phoenix and Wes Montgomery's version of One For My Baby and Winds of Barcelona. I tried using the LALAL.Ai app to remove guitar from Mp3 files and it works well for some things and not so well for others. I've also got a file with close to 15K BIAB tunes already done so that gives me a place to start. If you'd like a copy, I'll try to figure a way to get it to you. I think the hardest part is finding gigs as an instrumentalist although I have a friend who has a regular gig playing in an airport concourse in Columbus, Ohio once a month.
Regards,
Skip

Finding gigs is always a challenge. At least ones that pay a decent wage.
I'm happy to have what I have.

As for repertoire, I play Road Song by Wes and a couple of Crusaders tunes. George Benson, Dolly, Don Gibson, Willie, etc. I currently do Wichita Lineman also by Jim Webb. I'm 65 years old.

I chart most of the changes from Real Books, IrealPro, artist Music books, or charts I find online. Some I do the hard way by Transcribing.
YouTube is a great way to figure out difficult heads. There's a lot of guitar players on YouTube much better than me. Some are amazing.

I've not found much long term success using other peoples work (mp3's) for performance. Often the levels or EQ is just unacceptable. Sometimes an instrument is too loud or two soft. The cymbals are often too loud. Its difficult to mix in other parts. Sometimes no amount of work in the DAW makes them good enough. You can hear the difference between tracks. For me It has to sound like one band, not a bunch of different bands. Consistent volume and EQ (bass and highs) in your tracks will separate your stuff from the others. It will get you gigs. People often comment on the quality of my stuff. It sounds good. It takes work.

You'll find your own road. Enjoy the journey.

I might add another couple of words of encouragement here.

What most people are literally dying for is beautiful instrumental playing, especially if it's at the virtuoso level.

So let's say you're a phenomenally good jazz guitarist.

If you go play in a restaurant or club with backing tracks but your solo playing is heavenly and divinely inspired no one's going to give a flip that you're using backing tracks, they're just going to be in a trance because of the level of your instrumental playing.

People are dying to listen to people who can actually play.

If you want to use some backing tracks to back yourself up they're not going to care trust me.

I use BIAB for performances as a jazz singer, but I would never rely on the using the program in a live performance for fear of a crash. I create a file that has lyrics above the chords and make a video to use, which allows me to use it on my phone or iPad. This is useful even though I know my lyrics to help me keep track of where to come back in after solos, etc. This all started during the pandemic when I was doing Facebook streams and had to make do with what I had because (while I play piano), I'm not as good as the Realtracks artists that are my favorites, Kenny Barron and Miles Black.

Diggin' the Equinox track.