Great practice tool: Strum Machine (strummachine.com)

[danmills]

I've started using a newly released site/app called Strum Machine (strummachine.com), which I really like. It provides automatic backing guitar rhythm (boom chuck) using recorded samples, in any key with adjustable tempo. There are many pre-defined songs (and the list is growing quickly), plus you can enter the chords for any song you want.

It's subscription based (monthly or annual) but there are several sample songs you can try out for free. I have no financial interest--I'm a paying customer. However, I am friends with the site's creator (Luke Abbott, a very talented local musician & music teacher) so I suppose I'm not completely unbiased either. (Nobody asked me to post this either.)

The functionality is pretty simple for now (new features coming I know), but in an elegant "this is all you really need" sort of way. The user interface is clean and very easy to learn and use. It's way more fun than a metronome because it sounds very musical, and things like looping difficult passages is really quick and easy. I highly recommend making it a part of your practice routine, as I have.

Dan

[bigskygirl]

Interface looks pretty straightforward, says mobile devices are not currently supported. Sure sounds better than iRealPro (which is a great practice tool as well). I'll give it a try.

[danmills]

Mobile devices aren't yet "supported", but it seems to work fine on my iPad, and I believe he says somewhere that he's working on mobile apps.

[bigskygirl]

Yes, it's working on my iPad as well. Played with it a bit today it's a nice option to play along with.

[peterleyenaar]

Here is another good site for backup; http://flatpickapprentice.blogspot.ca/

[pit lenz]

Srummachine sounds pretty good, but I´d be reluctant to pay a monthly (or annual) fee instead of buying an app that I own and can freely use from then on.
I´m very happy with iRealPro.
(no horses in this race…)

[tangleweeds]

I like this a lot, and would have paid to try it out more, but I don't use my card for subscription I can't unsubscribe from on my own, as PayPal subscription let me do. The site creator seems like a great guy, but I've gotten burnt when bad things happen to well meaning website subscriptions. I personally have gotten into snafus when owners had health or family crises, when a good company gets sold to bad people, plus garden variety hackers skimming cc numbers... I need an exit switch under my own control.

[mobi]

Similar service offered by this website. Good free option as well.

http://themajor7.com

[Chris Daniels]

I've found Free Bluegrass Backing Tracks (http://www.fbbts.com) the best place for a practicing mandolinist to find some virtual partners to play along with. Nice list of tunes in various styles (BG, OT, Celtic, Jazz), easy to change tempo, playback with or without lead instruments, etc. Only real issue for me is inability to change keys but most songs are in their trad key anyway so not too big of a deal.

Plus as the name suggests it's free!

Chris
~/:/~

[Lorac]

I am using it on my iPad, with the free trial and love it. I like that you can add your own songs. Do you know if it will be made to use off line? When I downloaded it on my desk top it gave me the option to use it off line, but can not see a setting for that on the iPad.
Thanks

[ABrown]

Strum machine has been a great resource. I like the fact that the library is extensive and you also have the option of creating your own arrangements. I've added several songs in the last month such as Cazadero, Indiana Firefly, and Angeline the Baker w/ a B section variant. Lately I've been going through the songs on my list and playing them in different keys

[Mark Gunter]

I really detest subscription based apps on general principle, but I liked strummachine so much that I used it for two years buying annual subscriptions. Lately, I’ve been more interested in making my own guitar tracks for backing, along with using chord pulse app, or just playing along with records. I like saving the money even more than I liked using strummachine at this point, but it was such a big help for a couple years - being able to quickly add my own chord progressions was a big selling point for me. YMMV