Live performance of backing tracks... best way to get it done?

[PianoVST]

You can use a VST host and play MIDI or audio backing tracks (+ other features, such as ChordPro/Lyrics support, automation using timeline actions, add effects to vocals, or guitars, use VST instruments...).

 

[amwilburn]

OK, I've been poking around looking at arranger videos. The more I look the less I like them.

I'm a player. Seriously, I play the keyboard at a fairly high level, maybe not as grand or flashy as some but seriously, I play. When I watch the videos of people playing arrangers, it smacks of pushing buttons to play this riff or that riff or this run or that run, instead of playing a riff or a run. It also seems to put every song into a "box". Yeah, there are a lot of styles. But I have yet to hear a style on any video that says, "Yeah, that's how I want to sound". I get that customization is possible. Too far out of the box and it's very tedious and I'd be asking myself why I didn't just create something from scratch.

It's not that I "can't" drop some coin on a wonderful new toy, I supposed I could. But I don't want to buy a great and wonderful toy that just isn't a good fit for me.

The longer I think about it, the more inclined I am towards creating some really simple backing tracks, which would be 100% mine, and 100% me playing them, and use them. After all, if I create them myself, I'll pretty much know them inside and out. It does kinda lock me in but even with that, there's nothing I couldn't change if I didn't like it.

Anyway, that's where my mind is going. So with that said, my original thought on how to best play those backing tracks is still very much in my mind.

Again, thank you all for the thoughts and discussion. I do appreciate it!

Well certainly to each his own, but I have to ask what kind of videos you've been watching that are 'pushing buttons'

This is my take on Pirates of the Caribbean (played live on Genos 1 after work, hence most of the lights were dimmed), and as you can see, I even missed a couple of starts of bars (largest brain fart at 4:05) , and that's ok, just the drums played an extra bar. Which is the point Nakayer was making; if you play to an mp3 or even a midi, you're kind of 'locked' to it and can't improv.

And holy cow did I ever age in 4.5 years. (really in the last year and a bit)

I take pride in playing my videos live, with no additional tracks that would play without me playing; if I stop playing you'll either hear only drums, or the same chord I last used indefinitely.

I don't like watching someone press 'intro' and just sit there with their arms folded until the intro finishes playing, but guess what? you don't have to do that. Those intros are designed to hint at suggested songs for the style, especially when using regions that you're unfamiliar with (Middle Easter, Chinese, etc to give you an idea of suggested types of chord progressions and scales. Not to make you not play)

 

[BrianT]

You, sir, do an amazing job, and I suspect you would be excellent with just a simple keyboard. I meant no disrespect to you.

That said, what you do is not what I am aspiring to do. And I'm coming to the conclusion that perhaps most of the world has left me behind. So be it.

Unless the world changes in ways I don't see coming, the likes of and sounds of big bands, Dorsey, Ellington, James, Miller, Goodman, Basie... where my heart lives, will basically be gone soon.

Signing off.

 

[amwilburn]

Oh hardly, I have a coworker who's a ridiculously good jazz musician (and he plays piano *and* sax at a really high level)
I grew up listening to the Beatles, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, Chick Corea in the car. I'm not a jazz musician myself, no, but those who strive to be *great* musicians will all learn jazz. I just strive to have fun

And thank you kindly!

Mark

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www.youtube.com/MarkWilburnTLM/Videos
DX7, CLP300, PSR60, Roland E20 + MT32, CVP309, PSRS970, Fender Std Strat, Squier RB3 Midi Strat, Ibanez SA262, Yamaha CG131, Fujiyama FC390, TUC-Kitty

 

[Guzinya]

I use both MIDI and Audio in my live gigs. My source for audio files has been great sounding and at an affordable price ($2.99 ea). My reasons are primarily because when Yamaha came out with their newest “Flagship” at the time (2016), they failed to mention they left the fully functional sequencer that existed in the Motif, out of the Montage and MODX devices and depending on MIDI file sizes you might only be able to store 60+ songs in the device. Now, the benefits of the Audio files is that file sizes are only limited to the size of your flash drive, allowing one to have their entire repertoire online. Don’t get me wrong, both methods have their cons, but for me, until Yamaha comes out with an affordable new “FLAGSHIP”, I’ll continue to do what works for me. I have looked at other brands, but from what I learned none would allow me to do what I do on my Yamaha gear, plus at 76, I don’t have time to start over. One of those things I can do is make drum kits with my own sound bites allowing me to incorporate those effects into performances in various songs be it MIDI or Audio.

Sorry if I’ve repeated myself.

 

[leandrusi]

I'll start by saying, I have not done this nor attempted to do it. I play the keyboard in a 3 piece band (piano, bass, drums, swing jazz). I have been contemplating doing some solo work on the side (not a problem with the two other guys, a bit of a different feel, they're way more upbeat, I'm more quiet / sultry).

Although I've done some stuff with background tracks in the studio, I really do not know how to translate that to a live environment, as in on stage. It's pretty basic stuff as far as the actual music. I just don't have enough hands to do everything completely live if I want to add the instrumentation and most of the stuff (keyboards) out there that I've heard that will "play along" are not really up to what I'm wanting to do (complex chord progressions, stuff like that), and I wouldn't expect it to be.

In years gone by, I had my trusty Fantom X8 with me wherever I went and it could do some pretty decent stuff live, but I had also recorded everything in the studio previously that was being played back so it wasn't just generated live on stage. But that was 20 years ago and it has long since been retired.

While I can just stick with the keyboard, perhaps split it and put some bass on the left, piano and strings on the right, and use some really basic drum sounds that are built in (Roland RD-2000 is the keyboard I typically use), I get to feeling pretty boxed in after a song or two. (My gigs are typically a couple of hours at least, 2 hours minimum.)

I'm not a fan of complexity on stage. I haven't even crossed over into a VST on stage yet though I do use one in the studio all the time. I've been reluctant to become computer dependent based upon the idea that sometimes computers don't cooperate and on stage and you don't necessarily have time to bring another one onboard IF you even have another one. (Yeah, I often have a backup keyboard and some redundancy with the sound equipment such that the show could go one even with some pretty serious failures.)

So how are people performing background tracks? I know people are doing it, I just haven't seen how it's done. I doubt it takes a whole lot of electrons to make it happen, I just don't have any kind of handle on what hardware / software makes good sense for live performance. Heck, a $20 CD player could probably do a lot but I have a feeling there are better options.

Not an emergency, and I don't HAVE to do anything if I just keep going with solo piano. I just sometimes want a little more.

Risking to sound corny, I would say the "best" way to do it is the one you feel the most comfortable with on stage.
Find a device you feel confident manipulating and scrolling thru the songs (as well as plugin it, carrying it and everything), maybe like a small music player, a tablet or some app on you own phone. AND THEN I would suggest you plug that device into your main keyboard (Roland RD2000 I undestand has audio inputs) so that you can mix the backing tracks from there. That way you have everything in one unit, so your hands and eyes only have to focus on your keyboard knobs and ribbons.
As someone already suggested, in some stage pianos you can just load wav/mp3 from a flash drive and play them. I used to do that myself with my Kawai MP6.

 

[BrianT]

Risking to sound corny, I would say the "best" way to do it is the one you feel the most comfortable with on stage.
Find a device you feel confident manipulating and scrolling thru the songs (as well as plugin it, carrying it and everything), maybe like a small music player, a tablet or some app on you own phone. AND THEN I would suggest you plug that device into your main keyboard (Roland RD2000 I undestand has audio inputs) so that you can mix the backing tracks from there. That way you have everything in one unit, so your hands and eyes only have to focus on your keyboard knobs and ribbons.
As someone already suggested, in some stage pianos you can just load wav/mp3 from a flash drive and play them. I used to do that myself with my Kawai MP6.

Hmmm... that is an interesting idea, and one I hadn't thought of. I've not explored the idea of being able to control individual backing tracks on the sliders of the RD-2000. They are assignable. Hmmm. Thank you for the thoughts!

 

[mwtzzz]

I don't have any experience with backing tracks (I shun them, my band shuns them). You could write to this guy and ask him about his rig:

those who strive to be *great* musicians will all learn jazz.

I beg to differ. There's plenty of great musicians in all styles of music. Jazz is simply another style. Every genre has its own feel and licks, and every genre requires a specific ear to get it right. I've known jazz musicians who struggled to get the right feel of non-jazz genres. Most jazz musicians need specific types and pace of chord changes to sound good, but if you give them a different type or pace, they don't sound that good.