Skip to content

backingtrack#

backingtrack

Write the chords, pick the groove, play along.
Backing tracks with rhythm guitar and drums sampled from real instruments, generated from a simple YAML file or from a graphical editor.

Python Platform License Styles Grooves Examples Languages

editor: Sections page

✨ Features#

  • 🎸 Real guitars (Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, acoustic) through real amps and cabinets, sampled drums, optional bass
  • 🎚️ 153 grooves in 9 styles: rock, blues, rockabilly, country, bluegrass, jazz, funk, reggae, soul
  • 🖥️ Graphical editor with bar grid, progression templates, player with loop and scales on the fretboard (CAGED)
  • 📤 WAV, MP3, MIDI and stems; 2 minutes of song in about 5 seconds
  • 📚 90 example songs, English and Italian interface

📦 Install#

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wdog/backingtrack/main/install.sh | bash      # Linux / macOS

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wdog/backingtrack/main/install.ps1 | iex             # Windows

It installs ffmpeg if missing, the program and the samples (~460 MB, only once). More: installation.

🚀 Quick start#

backingtrack examples/blues/sweet_home_chicago.yaml     # → out/sweet_home_chicago.wav
backingtrack gui                                        # graphical editor

A song is a few lines of YAML:

title: My blues
tempo: 90
groove: blues
sections:
  - name: Verse
    repeat: 2
    chords: |
      | A7 | D7 | A7 | A7 |
      | D7 | D7 | A7 | A7 |
      | E7 | D7 | A7 | E7 |

📖 Documentation#

wdog.github.io/backingtrack — tutorial · editor · song format · grooves · songs · commands · FAQ · development

🙏 Credits#

Code: MIT. The samples are downloaded by backingtrack setup straight from their authors:

Library Instrument Author License
Black & Green Guitars Gretsch guitar Karoryfer Samples CC0 1.0
Emilyguitar Epiphone guitar (optional) Karoryfer Samples / D. Smolken CC0 1.0
Electric Guitar FSBS Fender guitar (default) FreePats CC0 1.0
FSS Steel-String Guitar acoustic guitar (optional) FreePats / FlameStudios GPL 3+ with an exception for songs
Jester's Emerald and Brutal IR guitar cabinets (IR) Jester Dyne Productions free, commercial use allowed
Salamander Drumkit drums Alexander Holm CC-BY-SA 3.0
Double bass (Rubner 1958) double bass (optional) D. Smolken CC0 1.0
Sneakybass light double bass (optional) D. Smolken CC0 1.0
Black & Blue Basses electric bass (optional) Karoryfer Samples CC0 1.0

If you publish songs made with the Salamander drums, credit the author: "Drums: Salamander Drumkit by Alexander Holm (CC-BY-SA 3.0)". The songs in examples/ contain only chord progressions; the titles are there only to recognize them.