For the longest time I always said I would only hire live musicians and never play to a backing track. I have a few jobs where it was a single - background piano while the good folks ate. The folks hiring only wanted a piano player.

I bought Band In a Box a short time ago and have 90 minutes or so of nice sounding swing music, just using BIAB for the bass and a drummer using brushes. It's really so nice having someone play the changes I have on the page, not over playing, not playing too loud, not drinking ...

Have I gone over to the dark side?

don't really know what to say, except that the topic is certainly more relevant than the ethical considerations of 'relationships between husbands and wives' of a recently deleted thread

I only use BIAB for practice and printing lead sheets but I do use auto accomp bass and drums.

I started playing with a 5 man jazz group. We had a hard time getting gigs, too much money for a 5 man group. Gradually the other guys started drifting away until there was just me on kb and a sax player.

I started using the auto accomp features of my kb and now we have much fewer problems getting gigs. For $100/hr the restaurant, dance, party or concert venue gets a real sax and semi real kb :-) with auto bass and drums. The clients and audience are very pleased and we are having fun.

Ed

Ha ha. I feel the same way.

"No backing tracks, that's lame right, for people that can't really play?"

We used to say "no background tracks" was one of our key rules, but I guess rules are meant to be broken.

Because lately I have been thinking a LOT about adding some background drums beats. You know 3 hours is just a very long time to play without some drums. Sometimes you just really need to feel a beat. Some of the character and excitement is definitely gone without it.

I think peoe are lumpping to many thing together. These is a big different between:

1) a pre-corderd backing track, basically just playing an MP3 file. You have no control other then pushing "Play".

2) electronic drums. The sound is not pre-recording and can be controlled in real time by the musician. For example you can change the tempo or add "fill". I think of this more like an "auto pilot" than a tape recorder. It's a "supervised robot". Some of these are controlled by drum pads

3) auto-accompaniment. This is actually played but it can just be one finger with the left hand where you hit the chord root each measure. If the musician does not play the key there is no sound so it really is "live".


Of the above #3 can be considered live music. Some think of #2 the same way and #1 is without doubt "fake" or "half live".

As for ethics. I think as long as you don't be un-truthful. If you tell people you are playing along with music that is on your iPod that's fine.

I play one set of gigs a year where I have to use backing tracks. I heartily dislike having to do so. A good pianist should be able to imply propulsion and movement by inventive arrangements.

Rightly or wrongly, in my experience you cross a boundary in many people's estimation of your talents the moment you turn on accompaniments etc.

Plus, there's no denying that such things put other musicians out of a job. And keyboard players are not exempt - I've seen several function bands over the past year which preferred to roll with two or three superficially attractive girls nominally playing saxes and trumpets with not a keys player in sight - it's all on .wav, including most of the "brass".

Here in San Francisco it's not unusual for touring bands to use a combination of live players and prerecorded tracks. Just a sign of the times - i.e., money.

IMO if you enjoy - even occasionally - expresing yourself by using simple backing tracks, there's no reason not to do so.
Commenting on that to your audience could provide an additional connecting aspect.

Is it me or does ChrisA love to invent arguments.