I know a lot of people use backing tracks to play along to to help out with timing and such. I've never really done that, I always just played along to the song. But lately I've been playing some Old Love by Clapton, and the only copy of the song I have is the live version. Kind of annoying to play with the audience screaming on the background. So, I went online and found a backing track to jam along with. WOW!! It was awesome, I really felt like I was part of a band as opposed to just playing along. I was playing on time, and really enjoying it. I've been playing along with a few others such as Layla, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room and Little Wing. Honestly, I don't think I've played better, or enjoyed playing more than I have these last two days. You know when you're playing and you just feel "in the zone", no bum notes and decent improv solos? That's been me these last couple days. It just seems to add more depth to what you're playing, with the drums and a bass-line it all just comes together real nice

Just thought I'd share my happiness with you all!

Guitar Center is a chain of stores here in the States. I'm sure you seen them discussed in the forums. They have a contest each year called "King of the Blues" and provide backing tracks here:

http://gc.guitarcenter.com/kingoftheblues/tracks/

These are just generic tracks. You have to come up with your own lead. I think backing tracks have helped my playing, too.

I agree. There are thirty of them. I use them regularly.

I LOVE backing tracks. If you are into Floyd, gilmourish.com has a whole bunch. I did this one to help dial in a Gilmour sounding fuzz and Roto model on my fx box. Turned out ok. I wish kids would do backing tracks as opposed to the Rockband games... its way more fun and beneficial.

i cut off the intro but here:

http://www.box.net/shared/8idfrka9pm6xbunvxbrx

Apologies to the Floyd fans.

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YMMV

Chont's Mustang Presets

Get a pedal with a looper and make your own.

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08 Fender Highway One Tele-Sunburst
09 Squier Custom Tele II-Blonde
04 Squier Standard Strat Antiqueburst
07 Washburn D10SCE natural with Rosewood backing
Fender Mustang II amp


Experience is the best teacher

I've actually been meaning to get a looper pedal, but I'm moving out from home in a few weeks and really trying to curtail the spending atm.

+1 I use them all the time.
----Danny,

I'm not too keen on backing tracks if one isn't an experienced player, the reason being that you learn to improvise by first learning your guitar heroes' solo from a song, until you can play along with them.

As a child, you learn to speak a native tongue from your parents, adding words to your vocabulary as you grow older, IMO, it's the same way about learning to improvise. To this day, I still play along, and learn riffs off CDs & live concert videos of my favorite artists.

But, I'll create songs, and I've posted original 'backing tracks' here. They're mostly tracks that I may not record, or never wrote lyrics for, like this one E Vamp, with just bass & drums http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=471052&songID=10906629 (which reminds me I need to record my tracks).

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Tony Houston

I recently purchased the RC-30 looper, very cool pedal, if you convert your backing tracks to wav files you can load them into it as well, holds 99 and comes with 10 preset, so handy if you can't be bothered turning the computer on to play along with a backing track, only thing is you can't fast forward the track if you want to get to the solo part etc, has hugely helped with my timing though creating and playing to loops.

On a side note anyone know where I can get SRV's little wing in E major ????
been looking for ages, can't be bothered tuning to e flat everytime since I play mostly in e.

Cool Post M2, thanks for sharing, good to know when a Forum member discovers something that makes guitar playing better, more fun, easier. lol

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.