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Learning to Play With Backing Track

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(@johntlewis)
Eminent Member
Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 12
Topic starter  

Hello!

I've reached a point in my electric guitar playing where I want to start playing with a backing track. I can stay with the beat fairly well as long as I have another guitar or the bass on the backing track, but if it's just the drum beat, I cannot seem to stay with it at all. I can play lots of 80's hard rock stuff by myself, but I guess I'm a long way from playing those same songs in a band like setting. Any suggestions on how to work through this?

John


   
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(@alangreen)
Member
Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 5342
 

This is one that's worth working on, because the drum is a far better instrument to follow than another guitar - it's the drum that keeps everybody in time.

It sounds to me like you need to do some work on counting. This isn't as crazy as you'd think; I've been playing since 1974 and fell over in a hand-clapped section accompanying brass players the other week - I can play the rhythm in two or three voices, but I couldn't clap it for love nor money and it's only a counting exercise.

Try this experiment:

Take two riffs - let's use the intro riff to La Bamba and Whole Lotta Love - where is Beat 1 in each bar? I'll give you a clue - La Bamba is a two-bar riff, Whole Lotta Love is one bar.

"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk


   
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