Busking With Backing Tracks

Buco · May 21

Making money from busking if of course a real possibility but don't expect to step out on the street and start collecting big bucks. It's going to take a while to become a regular at your spot, build the audience who will become familiar with you and your music and who will need to not only be appreciative of your music but also aware that this is your source of income. It's not so much different than a concert promotion. Except you don't have to worry about selling tickets and finding a space to perform in.

Remember the story of Joshua Bell? A famous violinist who went busking and made like $30 or something in a few hours at a metro station and that's only because one person recognized him and put in $20 in his case. And there you had this world class player, who sells out concerts all over the world and people were just walking past and some would occasionally throw in dollar or two.

Jangle_Jamie · May 27

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/125390#Comment_125390

Don't come to Fort William then!

You say it cheapens the music, and maybe it does in a big cultural city with lots of buskers and lots of live music of all genres, but here in our little town of 10,000 where most people have never heard gypsy swing and where live music is almost exclusively traditional Scottish, and also where there are very few buskers, I think it's a complete breath of fresh air. The number of people that stop, chat, dance, ask questions about the music etc is so nice. My own backing tracks are essential to give the full acoustic sound. I play with my backing tracks, not to them. They sound just the same as me playing live - indistinguishable I reckon.

I understand you might not like them Wim, but don't tell me not to use them.

I'm about to record a basic backing track for Pat Metheny's James - amazing song that will add something different to the repertoire. I've made quite a few recordings of unusual songs that most people will have never heard. Like this one of a piano piece by Italian composer Antonio Zambrini, called Crevalcore. It has a beautiful chord sequence and a beautiful melody to match.

Crevalcore L.mp3

djangology · May 28

Jon "Thor" Austen here,

Yeah, I only solo-busk once in a while. The main reason I do it is for the challenge of playing like 20 songs in a row non-stop with NO breaks. Sortof an endurance test that I can never get myself to do when I am in my room practicing alone. This is something I think more people should strive for.

I much prefer having someone with me to jam with, which I usually always do. Mostly Jun Suzuki, Tyson B. & John Prettyman in Portland, OR, but also some others.

Here is my setup:

Fender battery amp (~5 hours of life)
Small square iPod loaded with jam tracks, wired to amp (not bluetooth)
Guitar case in front of me open to tips
I get jam tracks from various places. I tend to use Martin Gionanis, or Denis Changs. My favorite jam track is a 12-minute long dark eyes track.

wim · June 1

Jamie, your backing tracks sound great. I had a bit of a practice with them myself just earlier, and that was enjoyable! Have no doubts it can sound great on busking too. But unlike djazzy's comment, my objection isn't anything about the sound or the mix, it's more about the fact that any backing track is canned. That's trite. I have similar objections to venues booking a DJ instead of a band, or a pop star lip-synching the vocal part on a concert. When I hear a busker using a backing track, no matter how competently they do it, I can't help but feel the art form is reduced more to the level of karaoke or something.

Perhaps I'm being too snooty. Well, it's just my opinion, and like anyone on the internet I can be safely ignored 😀 But I'll try to defend my point of view at least. The thing I love the most about this music is the social aspect of it. The communication between players- the little smiles or looks of recognition that you might get when a well-placed quote or an interesting chord substitution gets chucked out spontaneously. You can see in Samois videos how the best players can recognize an idiomatic lick and could even put some harmony notes on it almost instantly. Or when there are 3+ rhythm guitars, and you're able to lock-in together and play like a "hive mind" each player setting aside the idiosyncrasies in their own rhythm style for the moment, it's an amazing feeling. This music is at its worst when the players aren't listening to eachother (missing cues, playing too loud or too quiet, neverending solos, etc). And a recorded track is perhaps the perfect example of an accompanist that doesn't listen.

So, what to do in a small town with a dearth of other players? I'd say your prerogative is to find someone with sufficient interest and invite them, even to teach them if necessary, cultivate your own rhythm section. That's how the community grows, and the music stays alive. Performing with back tracks is a cop-out.

Jangle_Jamie · June 1

You're absolutely spot on Wim - I agree with all that.

I was putting myself in the position of most of the public, including children who I'd like to inspire, who aren't as critical about the detail, the nuances and spontaneity that come from playing live music together. The results with my backing tracks miss a lot of that, but the end result is still a full sound, with energy and a bit of soul, and to most people will be a nice thing to listen to. Yes I agree there will be musicians that walk past... and keep on walking. But I'm ok with that.

I play with other folk around here in various sessions, and it's certainly more important that way, but the busking is just something fun to do on a sunny afternoon on the High Street. It's not a cop-out, it's just different. Would you rather have me playing to my backing tracks, or no music at all?

...actually, don't answer that! 😂

paulmcevoy75 · June 2

If I ever do end up playing on the street with a backing track, it would be for me, not the public. I mean I'd be happy if people would enjoy it but mostly it would be about me doing some heat treating of my brain and getting the feel of being relaxed playing in an unpredictable situation.

I mean I think everyone can agree that we would love to have a local group of sort of indigenous GJ players (meaning a community of people) who were playing 24 hours a day at some perfect bar where the drinks were cheap and the crowd enthusiastic, but for many people that's not really a reality.

Making opportunities to have the guitar in my hands seems like a thing I should do, even if parts of the situation are mediocre.

billyshakes · June 2

https://djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/125469#Comment_125469

If I still lived in Elgin, I'd say, "Jamie, let's meet in the Urquhart Castle parking lot and summon the great Lossie with our gypsy jazz while earning tips from all the tourists. Stop for a dram afterwards at Fiddler's with Jon Beach." Just hope Historic Scotland doesn't make us include a piper! 😂

Buco · June 3

I love Wim's writing but in the end it's about

the busking is just something fun to do on a sunny afternoon on the High Street.

And

Making opportunities to have the guitar in my hands seems like a thing I should do

Those hold true for me at least. Sometimes I find I have a few hours window in the day so I just grab my gear and the guitar and go to my spot. I can't expect that I can call Bill, or anyone else, and that he'll jump in the car and join me. All that said, I'd love to make it work with just a guitar. Maybe a metronome. Well, I did a few times but like I mentioned it was stressful. I've been doing some practice at home to move it to just a little more comfortable zone, so I'm not sweating bullets.