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I would like to find a website where I can purchase MIDI backing tracks for jazz standards.

I will eventually want only bass and drum tracks.

Any suggestions ?

Buy the iReal Pro app

https://www.irealpro.com

It allows you to make your own play alongs to any chord progression or style.

It is THE jazz practice tool. (I have no affiliation to the developers).

It comes with over 1300 standard tunes ready to go.

Hi Bill,

Yes .... I have irealpro and it works .... but I don't think it is suited for the backing of a full rendition of a jazz standard .... unless I become very good at developing my own, and even then might be a bit short of professional sounding.

It is ok for practicing with but I haven't found it good for finish products.

Maybe I am missing something but that is my sense of it.

Thanks, anyway ...

I confirm. Playback of this type force, on the one hand, to listen, on the other, to ignore some its elements during the playing , which is a very bad habit.

I’ve built a few songs in iReal Pro then exported the MIDI to tweak in GarageBand. It works okay; it’s easy to program the changes/repetitions in iReal Pro, then use better sounds in GarageBand; but the result can still be pretty dry so I reserve it for songs that are really “set” in the set list.

My go-to robotic partners are still Lumbeat’s Soft Drummer, Jazz Drummer and AfroLatin Drum Machine. They are live performance friendly, and have several features to breathe life into the drum tracks; like genre specific rhythms + drum sets, options to trigger intros, fills and endings; jam and swing settings to change up the rhythms during playback (and forces you to pay attention), live performance pads to trigger rhythms on-the-fly, a “roll-the-dice” randomizer for a quick start or improv, and optional “drummers” with individual styles (in-app purchases). Finally, there’s a set list /song mode where all that can be programmed.

The apps are odd, but they sound good and keep the backing tracks interesting.

Have you looked at karaoke-version.com? They have a ton of backing tracks for many different genres. The music is reasonably priced.

I do not see anything at that site other than MP3 files.

I am looking for MIDI files.

Is the finished product a MIDI file ?

The internet is full of jazz backing tracks but I have not been able to find MIDI file backing tracks.

They are always MP3 files.

http://midkar.com/jazz/jazz_02.html

Midi backing track= full MIDI track minus melody line.

Do you have a music editor (Sibelius, Finale)?

There is also Band in a Box at Pgmusic.

If it will help me do what I want to do, I could get one.

I may even have one .... I have so much stuff .... lol ...


What I wish to do is put the MIDI file on a USB thingy and plug it into my MP7se digital piano and play along with it during a performance at my home for friends and family.

Sort of like a pretend gig.

I want it to be MIDI so I can modify the tempo and volume.

The Lumbeat drum apps can export the drum tracks as WAV audio or MIDI. The apps can also act as a controller and send MIDI directly to your keyboard's drum set (MIDI channel 10); though keep mind - the built-in sounds are quite good.

note: Lumbeat drum machine apps are iOS only.

To second Serge88's suggestion, Band in a Box (BIAB) will probably give you what you need.

I have listened to tracks that I had forgotten I made with BIAB and for quite a while I thought it was live players.

Band in a Box with a good assortment of RealBands.

Ok .... I decided to go with BIAB and I have purchased it and am in the process of installing.



Thanks for all suggestions.

Hi Don,

How is BIAB working out for you?

Thanks.

I've found the only way to get just what I want is to notate bass, drums, and sometimes other instruments in Finale and create my own MIDI backing track.

It works well except for one thing, my drum tracks are pretty rudimentary. I'm not a drummer so the best I can come up with is some simple kick, snare, and high hat rhythms. But I get in some good bass lines, and tunes like Recorda Me that have a secondary melody in the horns during the piano solo, I can add that easily.

I can set the tempo, transpose the key, add other instruments, no problem.