Originally Posted By: mrgeeze


Pros
The Band is always ready to rehearse.
The Band always plays what they are supposed to.
Nobody drags or pushes the tempo.
I can add or subtract players quickly.
Small gig footprint opens up more venues for certain players
All the $$$ go to you.

Cons
Making quality backing tracks is HARD work.
You can't purchase many useful ones.
Rehearsing the band is hard work. Lots of heads and solos to learn
You need more tracks per unit time than a live jazz band at a gig.
You need quality gear to make it sound like a real unit.

Certainly others can add more in both columns.

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I'll add a couple:

Pros:
You don't have to put up with the musician who shows up late or takes long breaks

You don't have to put up with the one who is more interested in chasing the opposite sex than playing music

In most local areas, people in smaller groups take home more money per person than in larger groups.

Cons:

Since you make the tracks yourself, you deprive yourself from the surprise musical input of the other musicians who would be playing those parts

If the dance floor is full, and it would be a good idea to extend the song, you can't do that.

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I agree that making good tracks is hard, and it's time-consuming, sometimes difficult to get right, but I wouldn't call it work. Work is schlepping the gear.

I've purchased a few, but spent almost as much time "fixing" them as it would have taken to start from scratch. Plus when you make your own tracks, you know them inside-out, every chord, every substitution, every drum beat, every bass note, and that helps you when it's time to improvise your solo.

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