Beginner (playing) Session Band App

[BigT]

I was advised to get the Session Band App by a tutor to help getting going with backing track playing/practicing. I now have the app but despite many searches on the inter web, YouTube etc I am no further forward with actually how to use it. I do not want to return to the tutor (as advised by experienced folks on here) as we didn’t agree on how I should progress. Basically he wanted me to unlearn my sheet music reading skill and convert all music into alphabetic code like C#7 etc. which at my age, 70, I just found too confusing. The result was frustration and I stopped playing for 2 years. Anyhow, would I be better of getting to play etc? Or does anyone actually use Session Band and if so how? https://www.sessionbandapp.com/sessionband-soul-jazz-funk-3-music-app-create-backing-tracks/

 

[mizmar]

Hi man,

I've just reread the thread about your teacher etc. I'm really sorry things whent so pear shaped for you.

Like you (late starter etc) I felt I was making progress but wasn't memorising much. And without, basically, knowing a tune, it's very hard to use backing tracks.

Since the start of this year, I resolved to really focus on memorising tunes and playing them with backings, much like your objective. For me, just plunging into backing tracks or apps (I use iReal) was no good. I do (as in "daily routine") a combination of learning something by ear, memorising something from the sheet (ie play something without looking), play with a demo, - eventually - play with a backing, play with iReal. "Something" can be as small as a bar or phrase, but gets longer with practice.

I'm not sure that'll work for you. Maybe? If so - forget the fancy app. Find some tunes prepared for teaching properly. I use the tunes from Online Sax Academy and just try to learn them one by one even if they aren't always to my taste; it's for the exercise. The tunes there are arranged beginner, intermediate, advance. I do both B and I. But there are other sources. That site also has the absolute most baby steps improvisation course I've seen, should you want to do the chord symbol thing.

My 2¢.

What ever you do, do check in for support!

 

[Pete Thomas]

I do not want to return to the tutor (as advised by experienced folks on here) as we didn’t agree on how I should progress.

Sounds like, although he is a tutor highly rated by experienced people here, you just aren't suited to learn with him so that seems fair enough. In which case though why follow his advice about that app

Basically he wanted me to unlearn my sheet music reading skill and convert all music into alphabetic code like C#7 etc.

It's crazy to "unlearn" an skill such as reading music, if not impossible. It's a bit like riding a bike, could you expect someone to "unlearn" how to do that?

When you say "alphabetical code like C#7" that sounds very much like you mean chord symbols. The app you refer to relies on you understanding chord symbols.

And chord symbols have more or less got nothing to do with actually reading music. They are necessary for understanding music theory and improvising within a harmonic structure which is what that app is all about.

So if you don't want to learn improvising over a harmonic structure then you wouldn't need that app.

Unless you just wanted it to play over sequences without knowing about the harmony, which is possible if you have really good ears - there are players who can do that but I think they are few and far between.

 

[mizmar]

When you say "alphabetical code like C#7" that sounds very much like you mean chord symbols

The original thread got it's knickers in a twist because, seems to me, although the OP said

He insisted that I started to learn a different way of reading notes by letters so instead of dots the sheet would be transcribed in to the letters of the notes like A#, C7, etc. You get the idea

C7 is more a chord than a note... Learning scales etc.

 

[Jimmymack]

This and the other post are a bit confusing. It seems that you can read and that’s good and you don’t want it to deteriorate but what I don’t know is what you want to do. It seems that your teacher is trying to get you away from the dots so that you can improvise, is this what you want? If it is do you know your scales and chords? If you want to improvise then you should learn them. Then the app will the be of some use.

On the other hand are you happy reading and playing from the dots and want to improve your tone and expression and are not bothered about the improv? Much depends upon what you are aiming for.

 

[lydian]

@BigT
Unfortunately you're going to have to learn that alphabetic code to reach your goals of making your own backing tracks and (presumably) improvising. There's really no way around that other than changing your goals to buying pre-made tracks and reading everything you play (no improv.). With your current skill set, the subject app is useless to you.

User @eb424 buys a lot of backing tracks and sheet music to go with them. Sounds like you may want to do the same. He could probably advise you about resources for that.

 

[nigeld]

There are two separate skills that seem to be getting mixed up here:
1. Playing a melody from musical notation
2. Improvising using the underlying harmony of a melody

Like others, I’m not clear which skill you have been trying to learn (maybe both).
But SessionBand is all about skill 2 - improvisation using chord symbols. The symbols C7, A#m, etc. represent chords in the harmony, not notes in the melody. If your initial goal is to play a melody along with a backing track then SessionBand is not going to help you much.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Music theory, specifically harmony theory, can be a great help in understanding how notes fit over a piece without referencing the melody and how to harmonise a melody.

It's a whole new field of study, which looks daunting at first, but is quite straight forward.

There are simple exercises to train your fingers and ear.

It's all covered in the very comprehensive Taming the Saxophone.

I found it easier to start out with pre recorded backing tracks. The Abersold books are quite good. However the BotM and SotM threads on here are also a great resource. Backing tracks and dots provided.

When you get your head around chord symbols, which are just shorthand for arpeggios, you can begin to learn how to programme the software to make your own tracks.

I like Band in a Box but it's the only one I've tried. Having ten years invested in it, I'm loathe to change.

 

[lydian]

At your age (no offense), you need to set realistic goals. It took me 5-6 years to learn to play and improvise well as a young person working at it several hours a day (sometimes 12 or more), every single day. At an advanced age, it would probably take me at least 10 years and a LOT of work. Personally, if I were you, I'd just keep reading and learning lots of tunes you enjoy rather than trying to learn improv, which can take years to get satisfying results (unless you're unusually talented), sometimes an entire lifetime, depending on your talent for it and your ear. I know teachers like to say anyone can do it, but speaking frankly amongst us adults, that's not really true. And like it or not, when you're older, it's a lot harder to learn new things.

 

[mizmar]

Yes, it's not totally clear what the objective(s) is/are... Possibly one of several miscommunications with the teacher!

I had read this in the previous thread

get some help with playing to backing tracks which I found really hard

(Playing the tune as written, right? Not improvise?)
And have some sympathy with (as another late starter). Seems to me: There's a cavern to be crossed between just playing from notes and playing with a backing track, for some of us - and this cavern may seem like a small ditch to many people. Listening has to be good, timing solid, you can't correct errors etc. Even if you can't play entirely from memory, the dots become an aide memoir....

Anyway. Speculation. I hope BigT engages with the question.

 

[BigT]

The original thread got it's knickers in a twist because, seems to me, although the OP said

C7 is more a chord than a note... Learning scales etc.

Hi Pete, what he was saying was that at my age my brain couldn’t keep up with reading the music and playing with a backing track. which to me made no sense as I used to play in a competition winning brass band where we read music and played together albeit with a conductor. What he promoted was to take each note from the score and write it as it’s name. So C, D, F, F# etc. When I asked him what the difference was his answer was to memorise the scales and use the app to play with. Hope that explains it a bit better. PS he did say I had great rhythm and tone on the Tenor of which I have no idea if it’s so as i made the big mistake of not recording myself at the beginning.

 

[BigT]

This and the other post are a bit confusing. It seems that you can read and that’s good and you don’t want it to deteriorate but what I don’t know is what you want to do. It seems that your teacher is trying to get you away from the dots so that you can improvise, is this what you want? If it is do you know your scales and chords? If you want to improvise then you should learn them. Then the app will the be of some use.

On the other hand are you happy reading and playing from the dots and want to improve your tone and expression and are not bothered about the improv? Much depends upon what you are aiming for.

Thanks for the input, I don’t want to improvise
I wanted to be able to play to backing tracks for my own pleasure.

 

[BigT]

There are two separate skills that seem to be getting mixed up here:
1. Playing a melody from musical notation
2. Improvising using the underlying harmony of a melody

Like others, I’m not clear which skill you have been trying to learn (maybe both).
But SessionBand is all about skill 2 - improvisation using chord symbols. The symbols C7, A#m, etc. represent chords in the harmony, not notes in the melody. If your initial goal is to play a melody along with a backing track then SessionBand is not going to help you much.

OK so that hits the nail on the head. Session Band is not for me. So how about TomPlay?

 

[BigT]

At your age (no offense), you need to set realistic goals. It took me 5-6 years to learn to play and improvise well as a young person working at it several hours a day (sometimes 12 or more), every single day. At an advanced age, it would probably take me at least 10 years and a LOT of work. Personally, if I were you, I'd just keep reading and learning lots of tunes you enjoy rather than trying to learn improv, which can take years to get satisfying results (unless you're unusually talented), sometimes an entire lifetime, depending on your talent for it and your ear. I know teachers like to say anyone can do it, but speaking frankly amongst us adults, that's not really true. And like it or not, when you're older, it's a lot harder to learn new things.

Excellent advice, thank you.

 

[Jimmymack]

Assuming you are looking for jazz try Index of Jazz Standards - Learn Jazz Standards which has a load of decent quality playalong backing tracks. Scroll down the page and see if anything takes your fancy.

 

[Colin the Bear]

I can't see how a proficient reader could benefit from writing out the notes of a melody. They're already written in an understood format.

Perhaps what was being asked was to write the notes of the chords/arpeggios to better understand the safe alternatives available.

So a C7 would be CEGBb.
After doing this for a while it will begin to become apparent.

The next thing to learn is why C7 is CEGBb.

It matters little to the finished track, which brand of software used to create the track. Unless the user feels one is easier to use or more logical or the sound samples are more realistic.

Band in a Box has thousands of ready made tracks available to download. You can customise them or make your own from scratch. The instruments are sampled real players and can often play better than me.
I did a Stanley Turrentine track a while back that is all BiaB. No live instruments were involved.
Listen to Sugar (Turrentine) by Colin the Bear on #SoundCloud

Sugar (Turrentine)

Just me playing with myself.

on.soundcloud.com

 

[mizmar]

Sounds like your in a great position.



Leaving the past aside,

I wanted to be able to play to backing tracks .

... and when you've tried that, what problems do you encounter?

 

[nigeld]

I recommend having a look at the Café Song and Ballad of the Month threads. There are lots of tunes with notes and backing tracks.

BOTM/SOTM/IOTM/Blues of the month

Join in our monthly recordings

cafesaxophone.com

 

[Ballymenaboy]

@BigT
Unfortunately you're going to have to learn that alphabetic code to reach your goals of making your own backing tracks and (presumably) improvising. There's really no way around that other than changing your goals to buying pre-made tracks and reading everything you play (no improv.). With your current skill set, the subject app is useless to you.

User @eb424 buys a lot of backing tracks and sheet music to go with them. Sounds like you may want to do the same. He could probably advise you about resources for that.

I buy backing tracks from Jazzbacks and get an mp3 file,lead sheet,and music sheets for tenor/alto and C concert.The tracks are quite long enough to get the melodies bedded in and space for improvision.Buy one with a melody you are familiar with and play around with it.I hope you get to where you want to be..perserve and do not get downhearted

 

[eb424]

Theres also Karaoke version which is good enough for me. I buy a score in the same key from music notes..and off you go. The good thing with karaoke version is that for £1.99 you can download the MP3 with and without lyrics..I start with the lyrics to try to keep time and move onto the unlyriced backing track..Theres room for improv over the instrumental assuming you want to play the whole song..