Bored

[jonshack]

I agree with Tom about midi tracks, they sound horrible. Incredibly useful for practice but I can't understand why so many players use them in performance, it just takes away from the overall sound. Playing a cappella (I had to look it up) might not suit those wanting to play melody lines and fills, or country songs. But if you need backing surely it sounds a hundred times better to play with any half decent acoustic guitarist. No shortage of those. The surface has barely been scratched as far as other potential duos (duets?) with pedal steel goes.
Jon

[Malcolm]

Most of the players around do not play gigs with backing tracks, can only think of two that I know of, those you see on forum only use tracks because it is difficult to get a six piece band in your front room/bedroom/ broom cupboard or where ever they record the song they are demonstrating or teaching.Tracks such as BIB are ideal to practice with.

[Davie Holland]

IMHO..I believe that the speed picking and the slow melodic tunes are both separate art-forms. I have great admiration for Mr Gamble who is a self confessed non-speed picker (although I`ve heard him play as fast as anyone). I myself like to play fast, but I also love playing slow.....slow....quick...quick...slow.....hmm sounds like a two step to me! lol

[SHAKEY]

I don't get this, People moaning about midi baking trax, they sound crap etc., I have had loads of people asking me for the backing trax of numbers I have done on Youtube. Ok it's not the dogs doo daas but some of us can't afford to hire a 36 piece orchestra. I wonder how many hit songs in the last 10 years have used midi in one form or another and I wonder how many people who have bought those recordings know that they were midi FX (ie., drums, keyboard, strings, etc.) C'mon guys what you are calling shit, to some of us is a musical life line. Any way if it's the instrument you are interested in why are you making such a big thing about the backing tracks. I am still using BIAB 2008 I cant afford the latest stuff but I haven't had any complaints about the stuff I've put on youtube. AMEN...

P.S. Johnshack, you obviously don't live anywhere near Leicester!

[jonshack]

Hi Shakey, I don't like the sound of midi tracks, it's a personal opinion not aimed at you personally. I'm glad they work for you and their practicality/cost benefit is self-evident. In my opinion they are not automatically the next best thing to a 36 piece orchestra or even a 6 piece band. One man with a guitar can sound so much better, and I would like to see and hear more of that. I think it would only be 'moaning' if I wasn't suggesting alternatives.

I haven't done any youtube videos (fair play to you for putting yourself out there for scrutiny), my basis for the opinion is how it sounds in our round robin jams in South London. We've had the benefit of high quality midi backing tracks and also a real human being playing a nice sounding guitar (yes we are spoilt). There's just no contest, to my ears steel players play so much more musically and soulfully with another musician backing them i.e. the entire result is better. Also we tend to tire of the track going round much more quickly than acoustic guitar, it's just grating after a short while. We won't be giving up using tracks entirely however because their usefulness is beyond question.

My one experience of Leicester, playing with a local band Mr Plow, is there are more musicians there than people willing to go out and hear them! I'm sure there are plenty of disenfranchised bedroom guitarists if you ask around. Most amateur musicians I've met would LOVE the chance to play with pedal steel. For free. I asked a friend and he said yes, it was that simple. I totally accept that you are happy with your sound and I'm not saying you have to do what I would prefer. I think the point is there is more than one way to cook an omelette.
All the best,
Jonathan

[Nick Bidmade]

Beautifully put, Jon. Live HAS to be better than processed, but processed does the job - but yes they do 'drone on' a bit - no texture or expression in them. And you can't catch their eye to speed it up, slow it down or take another solo!
BTW, a great piece in the recent Steelies newsletter on the South London group. Made me almost wistful!!
Tony Russell Davis has proposed a North of England group, which I'm very much up for, so might be dusting off some of Shaun's BIAB tracks!
All the best

Nick