by Author Amba Tremain UVG

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THE BACKING TRACK SINGER VS THE INSTRUMENTALIST...

The backing track vocalist VS the instrumental vocalist. Who are they, where have they come from, what are the differences, why do they choose to use tracks, are they less of a musician? UVG’s Musical Director Amba Tremain discusses this touchy issue.

 

"Ok, fast forward to the end and the answer to that last question is no. They are NOT any less of a creative artist and people need to get this out of their heads pronto.

This weekend I experienced a real gut punch and to be honest, it has been building up for a while. I won’t lie, I have previously felt torn with this type of ‘musical direction’ (by the way, I am one of THOSE musicians who likes to use a track or two as well) but I think it’s about time we laid this discrepancy to rest for the narrow minded individuals out there judging every backing track singer.

I am a fully-fledged musician. I’ve gigged for the last 20 years, I play the piano/keys. I write original music, I play for original artists and my own band…. and I love it all. But I also head out some Friday nights armed with my PA equipment and just a laptop, ready to sing some self-indulgent tunes to a rowdy room full of punters…. and I love that too. I also teach up to 100 students throughout the week, skilling them up on their vocal harmonies, technique, gig etiquette etc…. and all of them perform (wait for the gasp of horror)…. COVERS! So in all fairness, I couldn’t be more ‘musical’ if I tried.

So why is it people STILL diss the ‘backing track singer’? If underneath it all is just another muso looking for a creative outlet? I’ll tell you why? Pig ignorance and sheep following. But I’ve never been one to follow the herd so I’m happy to stick my neck out on the line this time to defend all of us ‘track using traitors’.

Only this weekend did I happen to stumble into a conversation with a fella about this very subject. The conversation went as follows…

Fella: ‘So do you guys play everything?’…

Me: ‘yeah, we play everything live’ (I said proudly)….

Fella: ‘so no backing tracks’…

Me: ‘no backing tracks, just the instruments this time’…

Fella: ‘that’s well cool. I can’t stand it when you walk into a bar and someone’s just there with an iPod singing….’ blah blah blah. He’d lost me at this point.

Then (in jest… or whatever) someone in the group pointed out how much they’d ‘hate’ to see me on a Friday night then. Cue muffled laughing from within the rest of the group as…. yes, I too go out singing to backing tracks on some Friday nights. SHOCK HORROR.

Why do I do it? Because sometimes, just sometimes I don’t want to spend 12 hours lugging equipment around, doing my back in. Sat in back rooms eating a shop bought sandwich. Sometimes I don’t want to have to think about chords, time signatures, whether I’m playing it in the right key. Sometimes I’d just like to leave my 500 tonne (slight exaggeration) keyboard at home and give myself a break… and yes, sometimes… I JUST WANT TO SING MY HEART OUT TO THE MUSIC I REALLY LOVE…. AND BE APPRECIATED FOR IT.

I spend my whole life playing, teaching others how to sing, directing bands or music projects, accompanying someone else whilst they get to sing their hearts out for adoring fans (mates down the pub) But when I put together a killer playlist of my own and actually get to be just the singer myself, I really feel alive. I’m not thinking about credibility for a few hours. I’m just being myself and feeling great. I don’t get to be the lead singer of a band normally. I am the teacher, keyboard player and predominately, the backing singer for the majority of the gigs I play. But on a few Friday nights at a couple of places I have a residency, my laptop and I are the absolute Queens…. and actually, I think I love that more than anything.

So to hear people slating the backing track artist like they are somewhat beneath the instrumentalist… I ask you this; Have you ever asked the humble backing track singer what else they do musically? I can pick out at least 10 backing track singers in my area who all have side projects with bands, duos, or who play an instrument too but do this because they too are freelancers and this makes up part of their financial living. And more importantly, what about those great singers who DONT play an instrument? Are we meant to criticise them because they’re just not ‘musical enough’? The answer to that question, in my opinion is… NO.

Talent, creativity, work, entertainment, pleasure…. it all comes in different forms and being perfectly blunt, some establishments like live entertainment, but have their punters to think of. The backing track singer is the perfect mix between a DJ and live music and at the end of the day, most crowds just want to be entertained.

Friday nights I sing what I love, Saturday nights I play what others love, it’s simple really. It’s about finding a balance, getting paid for what you love and not sitting around judging others. It’s downright rude and extremely narrow minded.

So to all you backing track warriors, I hear ya. To all you acoustic guitarists singing and playing other people’s songs to make a living, I feel ya. To all you band members lugging tonnes of gear about at the weekends for very little reward, I feel your pain. And to the person criticising people for whatever musical path they chose… shame on you. Surely good singing is good value, no matter whether the instruments are live or not?

And just a side note, as I am completely down the middle between both types of performer, I can hand on heart say that working to backing tracks has improved my skill as a backing/session vocalist, helped me to adapt to several different styles, allowed me to try new things weekly increasing my confidence, helped me to form a loyal following and yes…. pays me well.

However you like to express yourself and earn your living… feel proud of what you do to make it work. NEVER let those who judge you destroy your dreams and ignore any one who tells you you’re a cop out for using backing tracks (playing covers etc.)…. After all, some of the greatest and most iconic artists spanning the last 6 decades all played to a track or two at some point.

Do what you love and feel proud for it!"

:-)

Me with backing track - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvqNmGfMH8Q&feature=youtu.be

Me Live - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhfwqA5Ry64&feature=youtu.be