Re: Mandolin solo gigs with backing tracks?
Originally Posted by
lowtone2
At least 10 years ago I was directed to the "best guitarist in Key West" to see some guy with a looper, backing tracks, and an acoustic guitar playing to an enthusiastic crowd. Personally, I would rather bang my toe with a hammer than listen to ten seconds of that.
Funny (mostly) you should mention Key West. When I mysteriously materialized here nearly twenty years ago, The main deal was solos or duos - typically rhythm guitarist and singer, and picker/accompanist. There were a couple-few people playing solos with backing tracks - ones they'd downloaded from the interweb, not created themselves. They were looked upon with mild derision by musicians, but the public didn't seem to mind, if they even noticed. (They tend to have lower standards, and pay more attention to drinking than listening, anyway.) But slowly, one by one, more of the solo acts began working backing tracks into their acts, and slowly duos began getting pushed out, as they tend to be more costly than duos (as was noted). One of the best of these was a monster multi-instrumentalist - guitar, fiddle, banjo, even mandolin. He kept inviting me to sit in, and I'd always politely pass. One day I said all right, and he got me all miked up, and off we went. It was sounding pretty good, dontcha know, even if he had to take a bit in between songs to dial up the next one's track. (He had a tower of racked equipment behind him.) Then about an hour in, we were doing "Folsom Prison Blues," a few rounds into the instrumental, and he said, "Hold the fort, I gotta go pee," put down his guitar, and left. Not into taking breaks for fear of losing the crowd, apparently. I was taken by surprise, but had no choice. So I kept riffing away, each round wondering whether I could keep coming up with new riffs, for what must have been 3-4 minutes but felt like forever. He came back, picked up his guitar, waited for his turn to come around, and launched in, finally finishing up with the last verse. Terrifying, yet oddly thrilling - a baptism of fire. Kids, don't try this at home.
Or actually, do just that, if you're going to do this. Find your backing tracks or work up your own, practice with them diligently till you can play with ease and confidence, and make it sound as natural as you can.
BTW, my dear friend Dagmar played a lunchtime gig at a tiki bar up in Sarasota. When I finally visited her after a forty-year interlude (looong story), she asked me to sit in. Turns out she played with an ancient drum machine. And I mean, it was pretty ticky-tacky. But OK, that's what you like, fine. She got a bit off-track for "Me And Bobby McGee," dialing up a rhumba beat instead of a straight 4/4, not noticing till we were already into it. I've got some experience in such syncopation, and had some fun playing with that, which ended up being a good bit of fun. Wish we had a tape of that!
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
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