Was wanting to find out everyone’s fav source for backing tracks. It gets tired using a Metranome all day lol. I like shoblues.com. Shoji is a killer harp player too but his guitar work is unmatched. I hear the jam zone app by Hohner is cool. Anyone have any experience with it?
I couldn’t get it to work. I find YouTube fine. There are even some on Apple music by just searching backing tracks. Another option is to search for the Karaoke version of stuff. then just play the melody.
I actually just play along with the song I’m learning if I’m doing serious practice. There are no harmonica backing tracks for the songs that I want to play. For blues improv backing tracks, I go to Youtube for that. I use a different variety of sources to get my blues backing tracks that I use for my channel.
I have tried Jamzone before, but the harmonica section is generally filled with either chromatic stuff or songs that originally have terrible harmonica in them. The only song that I like playing that is featured on that site is “Ain’t Goin’ Down ('til the Sun Comes Up)” by Garth Brooks, and the cover that was for the song didn’t sound right with a different player.
The player they hired to do Terry McMillan’s part didn’t even do his signature growls. If you’re going to find somebody who can imitate Terry, at least have somebody that can do his growl. In my mind, he was the only harmonica player who can make those kinds of growls fit into a country song. If you’re missing that crucial part of his signature sound when playing like him, then it doesn’t sound right.
Sorry, but I’m very enthusiastic about Terry’s playing. I’ve been playing the harmonica and studying his style for over 5 years now, and I know how to emulate Terry’s signature growls and use them in my playing. I always had trouble finding 90s country harmonica backing tracks so I tried to play blues with a Terry McMillan influence, but I was told to have more traditional blues influences or imitate Charlie McCoy by many people on Facebook. I’m not a fan of the repetitive post war blues or Charlie McCoy styles and I wanted to have my sound be influenced by Terry McMillan.
He had a sound I always wanted to have: a powerful and sweet tone with a more modern, but still bluesy approach to country music with strong throat vibrato, lightning fast warbles, and expressive bends. Sadly, people on Facebook didn’t see me as somebody who is autistic and very passionate about the harmonica, but instead view me as a person who’s weird and that I need to be fixed of my hyperfixation for Terry’s playing, or being “obsessed” in their words. I’ve been called a lot of names from Karen to a Drama Queen, I got sent harassing emails from one of the most “respected” figures in the harmonica world who thinks he knows my autism more than I do just because he hangs out with doctors, and was told to give up the instrument many times, however I just keep on keepin’ on (as they would say in a country song). Now that I have a teacher who could help me with the songs I want to learn, I feel a lot more comfortable about talking about Terry more than ever.
Here’s a couple. You just search something like blues backing or jazz backing or rock backing track in the key you want. Getting the right key is obviously essential.
Obsession can be good. Keep your head up. Keep on harping. 
You found a metronome that works? Every metronome I’ve tried can’t maintain steady timing. And of course it’s nothing to do with the harmonica player!
@maka 
amazing how nobody can make a metronome that keeps a steady pulse. 
@davidkachalon Nice thread, thanks for starting this! Cool to be introduced to the man who plays when Joe Filisko says “Shoji guitar” on Jerry’s Cajun Blues (btw I’m looking forward to getting to hear Jerry Devillier at SPAH 2024 after home the study song was named!)
I know just from his playing on that track that he’s a helluva guitar player!
But I’m not seeing any backing tracks on the link you provided? Can you please provide links to his backing tracks? (Or are you referring to backing tracks on JF study songs?)
I haven’t tried Jamzone yet. It’s on my to-do list.
Here’s a list of some backing tracks I’ve compiled that you can play along with on a C harmonica.
(I’m sure this is more than anybody wanted. 
)
1st Position
Key of C Major
Country Ballad in C https://youtu.be/-s4JYajbhFk?t=52
Eric Clapton / Blind Faith Vibes https://youtu.be/O-jLOG6lnbk
2nd Postions
Key of G minor
1-Chord Gm Jam - it’s minor major 3rd sounds ok too https://youtu.be/WetclCF6cvA
Gm Soul Blues Jam - good to practice minor sound in cross-harp https://youtu.be/vblzQ5RnUJs
Albert King Gm Blues - good to practice minor sound https://youtu.be/jCkqKNEgWsA
Fleetwood Blues in Gm Dorian - https://youtu.be/NAdy2TfdgDM
Funk https://youtu.be/GlNyFlV1BFU
The Thrill is gone https://youtu.be/dYn3IXC7mU0
Green Onions Gm https://youtu.be/Y5HeZ8r5Ejk
G Major
Blazing Fast Bluegrass https://youtu.be/BmIYpb1uvZU
Fast I-IV Funk Groove https://youtu.be/ncuQ58p7rs4
I-IV-V Jam Band Groove https://youtu.be/2zWiYMgTYF8
New Orleans Boogie Woogie Blues https://youtu.be/M0MCYVJamrM?t=40
Country Rock I - bVII - IV https://youtu.be/TkgMN_r7enE?t=61
Slow Delta Blues https://youtu.be/Wg3my34_PFo?t=56
Slow Blues “BB King Style(?” https://youtu.be/zelne5LNFGg
ACDC Ride On / ZZ Top Jesus Left Blues Groove in g https://youtu.be/AGjh_OkMczU
Hi-Life African https://youtu.be/d0djMttOKL4
SUPER FAST bluegrass 160 BPM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caB4kK-cgEo
Melodic Country https://youtu.be/3kbkkRMlV8c
Country Blues Shuffle https://youtu.be/Cq1VUcUmiGY?t=48
Bluegrass 120 BPM https://youtu.be/sa5UiMqnCFA
Bluegrass 100 BPM https://youtu.be/1UnfGsvfppY
Slow Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKBKPviYlzs
Rock n Roll blues Guitar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5r_KSLxYkg
Slow blues Guitar https://youtu.be/F20fhnzlQ50
Country https://youtu.be/S-9Gg33awiM
G Mixolydian
Grateful Dead China Cat Sunflower https://youtu.be/L3bgwghr0pM
3rd Position
Dm Lounge Jazz https://youtu.be/t4GMX__g7D4?t=62
Blues Shuffle D Major https://youtu.be/osQuT4e2BM0?t=32
Psychedlic Blues D Minor (Aeolian, but works.) https://youtu.be/M-7dvsBoKoM
Black Magice Woman (Aeolian, but works.) https://youtu.be/365PVsnajoY?t=296
D Dorian super slow Blues https://youtu.be/qJPvDa0wPQg
James Brown Funk https://youtu.be/i78rHPmrigM
4th Position
Latim Am (going to Bm7b5) https://youtu.be/MC31UK30W90
Fast Am Soul Jazz https://youtu.be/IfBGYYwEBn4
Fast Am Funk https://youtu.be/qpB4xni_C6s
Funk Am Groove https://youtu.be/rqISF7N3So0?t=43 (Dorian, but great challenge playing just Pentatonic)
5th Position
E minor Funk https://youtu.be/fVKq9nP7fU0
Em - C7 Zappa Groove https://youtu.be/O1bFlL3nPo8
Roy Ayers Thang https://youtu.be/4yA7gy9T664
Oh snap. He took them off his site! Apologies.
Mr. Jerry will be at spah and we will be playing a Cajun song with him on the big stage for the Rubin Variety show! Excited!
Can you check with him and see if they’re available anywhere? (As I mentionedI play along with the cajun recording he did with Joe Filisko all the time.)
Looking forward to hearing Mr. Jerry for the first time! BTW - does he have any recordings I could check out? If so, maybe make a new thread with links? Thanks!
So I have been told the only place he had his backing tracks available is on YouTube but I. Not finding them there. I will do some more digging.
I used to have a mess of Cajun backing tracks. I need to locate them and will glad.y share them when found.
For now if you want to play some sweet Cajun music on the harp check out the Jerry’s Cajun Booggie study song on Filisko’s site. It was written by Joe in homage to Mr. Jerry. It comes with tab and backing tracks, and will get you on your way to understanding the Cajun back beat, as well as the dreaded but magical three hole splits!
Yep! That’s the one I’ve been working on for 6 months or so. SOOOO much fun. Opens up a whole nother world of how to think about 2nd position with splits. So pretty. Thanks for posting the link!
I’m actually borrowing Joe’s riff for an original song with my Huaka’i project which is gospel roots duo mostly in Hawaiian language.
We’re also doing a cover of If You Call Out:
Can’t wait to share the Huaka’i project with you, hopefully before the end of the year.
For backing tracks, Shoblues.com is great! I’ve heard good things about the Jam Zone app by Hohner too but haven’t tried it myself. Looking forward to hearing others’ recommendations and experiences!
Hey @abuislam welcome to the forum! Thanks for sharing. 