These days, most smart people are stuck inside our houses.  It’ll be great once they develop a vaccine for Covid-19, but until they do, my country (the United States of America) will continue to behave irresponsibly, going out to large gatherings without masks.  As I type this, it’s June 28, 2020.  My county (Pasco County, Florida) had an infection rate of 1 in 1,000 just a few weeks ago.  Right now it’s 1 in about 300.  We’ve mandated that everyone has to wear a mask when entering a business.  Plenty of people aren’t doing it.  This means that we will continue to have high rates for months to come.

Which means we’re stuck at home.  For those who enjoy jamming with other musicians but can’t, backing tracks are worthy of your exploration.  Go to YouTube an search for backing tracks, then go to town.

The number one problem with amateur guitar players is that they don’t practice correctly.  In the old days, you’d practice with a metronome.  These days, we have backing tracks in every style you can imagine.  I strongly recommend backing tracks for all levels of guitar players.

Benefits:

  • They force you to stay in time
  • They force you to choose the correct chords and notes
  • They are more interesting than a metronome
  • They are more beneficial than you simply sitting around playing your favorite licks over and over
  • They encourage you to try different styles of music and different tempos
  • They force you to commit to an entire song (and keep your enthusiasm)
  • They can be bookmarked and they’re always available 24/7/365
  • They allow you to take all kinds of chances musically without fear

That’s a pretty good list.  Here’s one more strategy for you – when you play to a backing track, choose a generic one (not Back in Black) and try to imagine that you’re playing on your own solo album.  Make up a melody for the verses and choruses that is interesting and cool.  Solo in the other spots, and make your solo an extension of the melody.  If you can do those things, you will feel a lot better about yourself and your playing than if you just play your fave Ace Frehley or Jimmy Page licks over the track.  The more you do this approach, the better you will get at it.