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Help & FAQs

If you have any queries about this site, we may have already answered them in our FAQs below.

If you encounter a problem or issue that you think we should be aware of, please let us know using this form - thank you.




FAQs

Q. What are backing tracks and how are they made?

A. Backing tracks are recorded musical tracks which leave space for instruments or vocalists to perform with. Backing tracks are also known as 'minus one' recordings or 'playback' and 'playalong' tracks. You could call our backing tracks 'jazz standards minus one' or 'jazz playback' or 'jazz play-along tracks'. Our backing tracks are recordings of real instruments played by real musicians. We record them in our state of the art studios.

Q. Are backing tracks like midi files?

A. No. Midi files rely on the sounds produced by your soundcard and are 100% programmed and lack a natural sound and feel. Because our backing tracks are made with real instruments and musicians they sound and feel much more natural than midi files. Since we specialise in jazz backing tracks and backing tracks of jazz standards, this is a priority for us.

Q. What is a jazz standard?

A. Jazz standards are the jazz tunes that are and have been commonly played and sung by jazz musicians and singers around the world for many decades. They have been gathered together and assembled into 'Real Books'.

Q. What is a 'Real Book'?

A. The first real books (a.k.a. 'fake books') were collections of tunes put together by working jazz musicians. Musicians wanted all the songs that they might play to be in one book. The different publishing houses couldn't agree to put all their songs together into one book. So, they were handwritten and illegally copied by the musicians. This enabled working musicians everywhere to work together from the same musical information.

Today, Real Books still enable musicians to play together from the same information and the books have grown and expanded. They are also studied in the highest levels of Jazz education around the world. They are published in B flat, E flat, and C books.

At Jazzbacks we ensure that all our jazz backing tracks are in line with the common culture of jazz Real Books.

Q. Are they Aebersold backing tracks or are they like Aebersold backing tracks?

A. Jazzbacks backing tracks are an alternative to Aebersold backing tracks. Although, our backing tracks are probably less difficult to play along with and have more achievable tempos. Jamie Aebersold made most of his backing tracks in the 1970's and had the Berkely Music School's jazz student in mind. Our backing tracks are made with modern studio equipment and techniques and we are thinking more of the musicians who are just learning jazz or are crossing over from another genre. Another major difference is that our backing tracks don't have the voice count-ins characteristic of the Aebersold backing tracks. Instead, we have musical count-ins. We would like our backing tracks to be fun as well as educational.

Q. What format do Jazzbacks backing tracks come in

A. MP3 files recorded at 128kps or higher. They download easily yet sound great.

Q. Are they high quality?

A. They are CD quality. The sound reproduction is crystal clear and nothing from the audio spectrum is compromised.

Q. I have never downloaded music before. Is it difficult or require any technical skills?

A. It is simple. When you purchase the tracks you will immediately receive an email with clear easy instructions and a username and password. You just click on the link provided on the email, you will be prompted for your username and password, and that's it!

Q. Can I only play the backing tracks on my computer?

A. You can play them on any CD player or media player like i-pod or other file players.

Q. How do I make a CD with your backing tracks on it to play on my CD player?

A. Use you CD burning software and choose to make an Audio CD. Select the Jazzbacks you want on the CD. Assemble them in the order you would like them to appear on the CD and burn the cd.

Q. Are they licensed? Are they legal?

A. Yes. All of our backing tracks are licensed under the MCPS SG6 Licence Scheme. We have been authorised to sell any sheet music that is offered on our website from the copyright holding publishers.

Q. Why don't you have sheet music for all of the backing tracks of jazz standards in your library?

A. Backing tracks and sheet music are separate licensing issues. We only offer for sale products that we have permission to sell.

Q. Can I perform publicly using your downloadable jazz backing tracks?

A. Yes. When you download one of our backing tracks of jazz standards you are entitled to perform publicly with them as you would perform normally. As with all publicly performed music the venue owner must meet the proper requirements with regards to licensing and entertainment laws.

Some of the songs in our library of jazz standards backing tracks:

We have jazz backing tracks of songs by these artists: