Trouble playing along with Gary's Blues jam track
Wed, 08/23/2023 - 07:59
Hello there David,
I have been stuck in Level 4 for quite awhile now. I have progressed with Gary's Blues to the point of trying to play along with the jam track, but I am having a lot of trouble knowing where I am in the progession, which, of course, makes it hard to play the choruses.
I am trying to just listen to the jam track without playing along and I even have trouble with that. I don't usually have any trouble knowing where I am in the progression but for some reason this is hard to follow on Gary's Blues .
I thought about trying to add a click track with an accented 1st beat which would help, tho I'm not sure how to do it.
Can you offer some help? Thanks.
Hank Hamilton
Hello Hank.
Gary's Blues uses what's known as a Flat Tire groove. It's a type of shuffle that's more syncopated (more happening on the upbeat... more swingy).
Both the guitar and snare drum are on the upbeat... don't focus on them. Focus on the bass, which is on the downbeat (where you tap your foot).
If you're playing to the backing track from your phone, computer speakers, or other device with small speakers that lack bass reproduction, instead, use headphones or earbuds that have good bass (or plug your device into your home stereo system if you have one). I personally use studio monitors in my practice room.
So, use good audio equipment to play to and focus on the bass and this will help quite a bit.
P.S., adding a click track wont work... a band is not a metronome, it won't match up.