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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/16/2020 in all areas

  1. I don't think we have had a conversation here previously about Karaoke Version Backing Tracks. Possibly, but I don't remember it. And, no, this is not about gear. But it's a learning tool. This conversation doesn't belong in Technique, so it doesn't belong there. Possibly "Open Talk"? But I stuck it here. And this is about backing tracks not jam tracks. You don't fire it up and try your improvisational skills. One picks your particular song. Then you pick the backing band members you want (more about that), hit "play" and then you have your band accompanying you. If one goes to the link I provided above and then click on the "Guitar" tab, it will take you to the list of guitar backing track. It will present you with lists: "Top (I assume that means most popular) Guitar Backing Tracks", "Most Recent Backing Tracks" and "Free". There are a few good free ones: House of the Rising Son, La Bamba, Amazing Grace. Of course the fun is choosing from their huge list of available tracks for purchase at $1.99 each. They claim 30,460 songs to choose from. I think it would be difficult to not find a backing track to the song you are trying to learn.These are, IMHO, high quality tracks that sound real, not the MIDI sounding Guitar Pro files or Ultimate Guitar Tabs files. When you click at the bottom of "Top" backing tracks it will take you to a menu where you can choose Decades, genre, key, language, etc. I just find it easier to use the search function and type in the name of the song, such as "Black Magic Woman". It came up with both Santana and Fleetwood Mac versions. Or you can type in the artist, such as Santana. It came up with, I believe, every Santana song ever recorded, including his duet with Willie Nelson, "They all Went to Mexico"! 😲 (That's from Santana's Havana Moon album. His worst ever. But I digress😴.) When you pick a song it will take you to a page where you can listen to a sample of the track. As you can see, you can choose with or without vocals, if you want to sing along, with all the parts or just the guitar, if you want to practice just the guitar. If you purchase this backing track you get all four files with those parts. But here is where it gets fun! They also offer custom backing tracks for $2.99. This is what I invariably purchase. You, well, customize it! The customization is nearly limitless. Change instruments, key, tempo, vocals. You make changes, download it. Make more changes, download it. Ad infinitum. And once you have purchased it you can come back and change it months or years later and download it again! Perhaps an example. Here is my list of songs I have purchased. I was learning Wonderful Tonight for my weekly guitar Jam. There are three guitar parts and we took the different parts for the jam and then switched during the jam. I added and removed different guitar parts and added and removed vocals and then took it to my jam. We practiced with the different parts. (and provided the files for my buddies). It's just three guys with guitars but if we had a bass player or drummer, in a real band setting I could see how helpful adding removing those parts would be. Sorry about the long post. You can see I'm a fan boy of these tracks. I hope you find this helpful.
    2 points
  2. Tuesday January 28th, 2020 Topic: Guitar Care & Maintenance with Greg Voros 7pm Central Time US You can watch the lesson HERE. Greg Voros: https://guitars.com/users/greg Greg Voros, head of the world famous Gruhn Guitars repair department will stop by to answer your questions about guitar care and maintenance. Greg has worked on instruments by some of the most influential guitarists and artists on the planet. He's been on the road with ZZTop, Willy Nelson, the Rolling Stones and more. Ask your guitar care questions and we'll get Greg to answer them. It's sure to be a great live lesson! There will be music, laughs, giveaways and more. I look forward to seeing you there! Watch on our Guitar Gathering YouTube Channel HERE - Steve
    1 point
  3. Thanks for sharing these Neil! This reminded me that I have some wicked flute exercises by Slonimsky which I should pull out again.
    1 point
  4. you ever had one of those Opps.. I knew I was going to Las Vegas and I was to be going to the CES show, I knew there are guitar stores down there and I remembered that one of the biggest guitar stores (and biggest blow hards) was Ed Roman's Guitar store, I keep Googling it and I'd see reviews on "this has to be the biggest store I've ever seen".. so I planned a "me" day and summoned my Lyft ride and scooted over. we pulled up to an industrial unit.. and a sign just said Roman's Custom Guitars .. looked all 'boarded' up , I walked up to the door, and in blurry writing on the paper said.. if the door is locked call this number. Thinking the place is closed and how could this be "the biggest store I've seen" when there isn't a sole insight. someone answered and I said is the store or the just the custom shop... they said this is it, we'll let you in. I was stunned.. two room show room.. with quite a few guitars, and I was it.. the only customer in the shop. stunned I was. so Scott explained to me that this was it.. they're a custom shop with 5 guitar builders, the stuff that was on the walls are pre-built units just incase someone comes in and says .. I need a guitar now.. but all they're stuff is custom made to order for the player. and if I wanted to play something.. I'd have to ask ,, and Oh by the way.. Guitar Center is down the street.. I chatted with Scott and what I thought my skill level was, and what country I was from.. sort of hoping that would ease things. finally I asked him to take down a Strat styled guitar.. he told me a story that it was on consignment as the war vet ordered it but couldn't play when he returned. it has a piezo pickup under the bridge, Seymour Duncan single coil size humbuckers that can be split, oiled body and ebony fret board. when he was getting ready to turn the amp on. I said.. "I usually play unplugged to start".. He's like.. I like that attitude. I played for a bit and brought it to the counter where he cleaned it and we chatted a bit more before my Lyft ride came to whisk me away. wasn't a couple of days back home, I went back onto Roman's web site a read the 'rant' on there about how they hated "tire kickers" coming in and saying what a great store and banged on a few guitars and left without buying anything.. so they closed the store and stuck to a appointments only custom shop. Oppps.. I had no appointment.. showed up unannounced, they let me play one of their guitars (they were willing to hand me anything I wanted to try) which I wasn't going to buy (could have possibly, but wasn't ) so I was that "tire kicker" . Oh well .. if all I can say is Thanks Scott and Bob at Roman's Custom Guitars. and if any of you want a hand built guitar.. these guy's could probably build you an nice one. on a final note .,. found out that Ed Roman passed away a few years back so.. don't ask for Ed.
    1 point
  5. I guess I should have "re-visited" the site as I would have seen it's a closed appointment only custom shop now. http://romanguitars.com/
    1 point
  6. Here is Pete Huttlinger's rendition of Auld Lang Syne. If you wish, you can purchase the sheet music/tab at Pete's website. This was Pete's final video posted online. He passed away 17 days later.
    1 point
  7. @Dave White A great loss by any standards...
    1 point
  8. Good evening, I know we've discussed metronomes at length in the past, so I'm trying to keep things organized and avoid too much duplication. I saw a blog posting today from Griff Hamlin at BGU that really simplified this topic for beginners and others who think we have this under our fingers. Enjoy! https://is-tracking-link-api-prod.appspot.com/api/v1/click/6623723789746176/5430450314018816 I should also remind everyone David Hamburger has an interesting discussion of timing on the downbeats as well as Eric Skye (in his 30 Day Challenge). @matonanjin It's on my New Year's Resolution plans for 2020 to get this right, once and for all! 😁 The late/great Pete Huttlinger recalled a childhood story where after practicing with a metronome for a week, he told his instructor that something was wrong with it. His instructor smiled and said there wasn't anything wrong with the metronome...it was Pete who was wrong (If anyone has the exact quote/recitation, please correct my mutlilation).
    1 point

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