Beat buddy ?? live solo Acoustic

[@Paulalanartist]

Dude! Thank you! Awesome

[@alexandereaston2764]

Cool man. Love your chilled delivery man.

[@BadMofoMusicCritic]

sweet - found it!. beat buddy on the way... helpful tips, thanks bud!

[@rickflippin1]

Dude love your content you rock thank you for these

[@ronandhisguitarcovers]

Great stuff Jeffrey. Love my new Beat Buddy Mini 2.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Hell yeah !! congrats !!

[@WareBare]

Great stuff, just found you very interesting, about everything gigs, history, rig, brilliant. Keep em coming. Antony from England

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thank you brother !

[@aprildamski8365]

Thank you so much for this. The info you share with us is really helpful to me! Sincerely, April from NJ.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Your so welcome... Welcome aboard April🎼🎶✌

[@davidmager707]

I was watching reviews on the Beat Buddy and happened across your video. Great stuff. Gonna subscribe and I look forward to your videos.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thanks so much D.

[@Etienne1239]

I relate to your story. Thanks for sharing it.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thank you !

[@Etienne1239]

@@thesologigginglife6566 hey man. I am enjoying your series. Do you use a bass guitar sound with the beat buddy? Do you just use guitar and the beat buddy? Or do you need something else with the guitar?

[@thesologigginglife6566]

@@Etienne1239 Thanks for the shout ! I use just guitar, Beatbuddy, TC Play acoustic... that's it... Not sure if you've seen some of my live performances.. but I am tuned a half step down... which is a nice full body & bottom end sound.. which gives it that full band sound

[@Etienne1239]

@@thesologigginglife6566 thats great, your sound is perfect. Sounds full. I am going to do the same. I don't have a TC helicon yet but I'll get there. Thanks for the inspiration! Keep rocking man, it's sounds great!

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thank you so much !!! we need more music makers.. keep pushing forward brother !!

[@steveday7868]

Hi Jeffrey ive not long come across your video's,wow iam glad to hear your using the beat buddy live. I have tried many drum machines before and recently bought the beat buddy 2. Iam a big country fan and was inspired to hear you opened the show for dwight yoakham. Steve from London

[@thesologigginglife6566]

That is fantastic Steve !!! although the beatbuddy is not for every solo artist.. but for most, it does the job amazingly well, including me... Thank you for the shout...Peace brother.

[@waywardspirit7898]

I just grabbed a beat buddy on ebay for $250 (used, like new)....Can't wait for it to arrive. :) Loved your commentary and your "rock n roll" life story. I'm an 80s rocker too. Suibbed.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thank you brother.... you will love that BB... Game changer.. congrats !!

[@grouchy222]

I too have grown weary of trying to coordinate putting together a band for bar and restaurant gigs. Way too much work and stress for the return. Honestly there aren’t that many places hiring full bands in South Carolina and if they do, the pay is pretty minimal. I also use the beat buddy, tc helicon play acoustic and Aeros loop studio on my solo gigs. I also work with a 9 piece corporate/wedding band averaging around 4 or 5 gigs per month. That leaves me 25 open dates per month to book my solo gigs. After doing this for about 7 years now the gigs are practically coming to me. You have inspired me to start making some gig videos of my own. Keep up the great work. Looking forward to seeing more of your vids.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Awesome brother... Thank you.. That's what happens when you stick to entertaining the shit out of folks.. Just keep playing from the heart.. and it will always come back to you in a lot of different ways... besides staying busy. It's a beautiful thing.. Keep Rockin !

[@cdthompsonmusic]

Your videos are great! I'm an acoustic solo performer and appreciate your practical down to earth advice my friend ... thanks for sharing what you know.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thank you so much CD... so sorry... don't know how I missed you comment... but thank you again brother !!

[@Theweeze100]

Thank you so much for sharing your history. I can really relate, and very much appreciate your Contin. Will be waiting everything you’re able to share. I am in the process of going from having been a band member to a soloist so your advice is very timely. Thanks again, good luck with your act!

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thank you Frank !

[@cjazzon]

Great video, great stuff and very informative. Love your channel and what you do as a Solo gigging artist. Wish you all the best and success in your "new" career Jeffrey.

[@kittinsley3504]

Great video as always Jeffery. I used to have a beat buddy, Great pedal, but I just couldn’t get on with it. Have to admit I do use backing tracks now, but I pay for ones where I can change what I want and only include the parts I want.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

I get it, Kit.... backing track are absolutely fine.. whatever your comfortable with, that makes you shine.. Thank you brother for the shout !!!

[@kittinsley3504]

@@thesologigginglife6566 thank you brother. For me it’s that I’m a far better singer than I am guitarist, so although I do some of the solos on songs I do, I’m not good enough to do more than the rhythm part on others that I sing really well so I still want to do them, but without the solo or lead part they sound empty. Plus still easier to organise than a band! Completely agree with what you said about trying to get four guys together, it’s too much like hard work these days

[@marcgoyan8455]

Thank you, awesome vids, been in bands most of my life, but coming close to 60, and wanna do it again, but solo. Your explication on your career has a lot in common with mine. Simply, well put! That acoustic play has been occupying my thoughts since i watched the vid when you set up and did the Elks.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

You are welcome brother.... I'll be touching on that a little more .... about solo vs Band... also I'll be touching a little more on my career with Bands as well this week.. Cheers Marc

[@DavidPackouz]

The BeatBuddy is my baby. Love hearing how much you enjoy it. By the way, you can set up one of the footswitch buttons to act like the main pedal so you can do those hands free fills and transitions 🙌

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Hey David.... when I got it a few years ago... that was the first thing I wanted to figure out.. but got so busy with gigs.... I would like to transfer the main switch (fills)to the ext. footswitch and replace the cymbal splash if that's possible ? could you send me a link on that ? Thank you brother.

[@EddieLeeGrovesMusic]

I use the Beat Buddy Mini. Does a good job!

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thats perfect brother !!!

[@djcol7742]

Man you’re so right about the bands. Don’t get me wrong, I had some great gigs and great times on the road, but there was too many problems with guys not being able to make shows and finding good substitutes, or guys not pulling their weight with the rig before and after the gig. It’s so much more simple on your own.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Amen brother... That's probably a subject I'll get into down the road.. but I couldn't of said it better... Thx Dj

[@GrandpaJimSchaper]

My first problem was taking the time to change songs and tempo between songs. I now use midi commands to get instant changes. The next song is ready in half a second.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

are you using a midi switch to pull up particular song beats or just the looping beats ?

[@GrandpaJimSchaper]

I’m using BandHelper on an iPad. I line up my setlist in BandHelper. When a song is selected on the iPad (tapping the next song arrow) two midi commands are sent from the iPad to the BeatBuddy’s midi input. It’s ready to play instantly. I can also control a TC Helicon vocal processor the same way. I understand the app “Onsong” will do this as well.

[@GrandpaJimSchaper]

Looping synch is also midi controlled by the BeatBuddy following the iPad tempo. In this case tempo is midi defined and BeatBuddy acts as a slave to the iPad.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

@@GrandpaJimSchaper very good to know !!! thank you Jim... I popped over to your channel... Great promo video clips... Love it.. you sound fantastic and you seem to have it all dialed in .... Rock on my brother... don't stop !

[@GrandpaJimSchaper]

@@thesologigginglife6566 Thank you sir.

[@GeriWardMusic]

Fabulous, I have the beat buddy mini. I’ve yet to find the confidence to use it live! Thank you for enlightening us all. Would be great to see your full set up now. I’ve watched your earlier video of your set up. I guess what I’m looking for is a bit of a walkthrough of your equipment set up. Keep rocking, love your videos you’re a legend 😊🤓🤘🏻

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thanks so much Geri.... I will be doing a more detailed setup for ya this month... I will also show you how I run my beat buddy in detail... pretty lame..LOL but it works great for me.. will get you using that buddy before you know it... Peace.

[@johnmendenhall-music]

@@thesologigginglife6566 It would be great to get an in-depth video on how you use the beatbuddy, how you pick beats, kits, start and stop, etc

[@thesologigginglife6566]

@@johnmendenhall-music Thanks John for the shout... absolutely will do soon.

[@fxsteen]

I would love to be a part of your band!

[@AKWANMUSIC]

Thanks for all the nice stories. Just sub +. Cheerio.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Welcome aboard Akwan !

[@izzy4el]

New sub. Looking forward to catching up on your vids. All the best to ya!

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thanks so much Izzy.

[@mylerism]

Cheers from Sacto! Just subscribed. I bought the BeatBuddy recently and have my first gig with it in a few weeks. It helps me to not overplay. I can just relax, focus more on singing and having fun. I'm using the Boss VE-8 for vocals. Fun stuff! I may add a bass player to the mix. But first I think I want to see how it goes with the BeatBuddy, vocals and guitar.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

You won't be sorry.... That's exactly what I run.. Beatbuddy, guitar, and vocal.. that's it.. Although some folks think I'm running a bass.. but I don't. I'm tuned a half a step down which give me more bottom end in the mix... Thank you Mike for the shout ! and I'm sure you'll kill it once you get going.

[@MattBrodeurMusic]

Look into a Boss OC-3 (or the newer OC-5) octaver to replicate a bass. The awesome feature that I haven't seen on any other octave pedal until recently is that you can set a frequency to stop the octave - so the lower strings are doubled, but the upper ones aren't. It's really great for fingerstyle stuff. You can really have it sound like two separate instruments.

[@mikemalone9404]

Love your video! I'm late to the party doing a duo (68), and am trying to find what we need to fill the 'empty hole of timing', and that I can use!! You said the magic word that no one seems to use these for, COUNTRY! Our show is 80% country, meaning usually 'simple is better...less is more' (sorry drummers...just sayin'), but I can't find anything to tell me is there a list of preset country songs, or will I have to program the ones that may have different parts? Everyone talks about the Zepplin or Hendrix (which I love too!), but we stick mostly to country roots. I too Played in a few bands that was on the verge, and opened for several big names, but like you said, it's so hard to get the right combination, plus keep everyone from making 'bad choices'! Appreciate any light you can shed for me!

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Hi Mike and welcome aboard.... no programing needed on the beatbuddy... they have damn near every genre of drum style & beats... Country, pop, latin, blues, Rock, etc. This beatbuddy is a no brainer... I do a lot of country my self... a dozen or more of Country presets beats... most of the country I do, I get my beats in the blues file... so user friendly... now you can get the premium sd card has drum beats for actual songs... but I don't use them, only because I play on the fly so much and might want to stretch the song out or cut in short... I've got it in my little amazon store in the description below... shop around though.... but I believe amazon is the cheapest, but could be wrong... don't think you'll regret it, if you pull the trigger.... Thank you so much brother for the shout ! let me know if you have any questions and I'll will help the best I can. 🎼🎶🥁🎸🎤

[@mikemalone9404]

Thanks Jeff. So, you're not pulling up a 'pre-recorded (?)' song and using it, like maybe, Take it easy from the Eagles? You're just finding the drum set and tempo that suits you/song, and using it? I've not went to their site yet and looked thru their list yet. Also, can you program a song earlier, and just pull it up quickly when needed? Didn't know if that's one of the purposes of the SD card. I've got a lot to learn, but after hearing you, I believe BeatBuddy will be the one! They should sponsor you! Thanks again, and I'll check out your store!@@thesologigginglife6566

[@thesologigginglife6566]

​@@mikemalone9404Yes, they do have a "beatbuddy manager app" for windows & Mac and you can manipulate you own playlist anyway you want... I don't use it... but again... I just use it on the fly... although I have notes on each song page with (what drums to use & tempo, that's as deep as I use it... but the pedal has so much more.

[@TheJoeWentzProjectTV]

Jeffrey, I have to tell you man...I love your channel. I came across it a few weeks ago. The first video was the one where you and Kim, went to do the gig at the Elks Lodge. I actually have the Beatbuddy myself, although I don't use it much as a drum machine. I mainly use it for the stereo output signal, into my mixer. So when I stream live on my channel, I can get that stereo effect. But I really hope you consider putting up more content man. I thoroughly enjoy what you do. I'm hoping to get some solo gigs myself here in South Carolina. But with my job, it may prove to be a little difficult...as I work the nightshift. But anyway, please consider putting up content on a regular basis, if you can. Rock On brother and God bless you and your family. 🎸🤟🎶🎵

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thank you so much brother.... I'm back in the seat.. I'll be sharing every aspect of my gigging life, from all the gear I use... to dealing with bookings/owners and everything in between.. enjoy your Blessings Joe.. anything I can share to keep live music alive.

[@bruceciccarelli6118]

Thanks for your story ... I hear ya man

[@paulmission2632]

Hi, I'm using the Beat Buddy for some years now and I understand what you are saying i.e to operate the Beat Buddy at hand level while still getting access to the fill-ins by foot while playing. I couldn't get the fill-ins to the foot-switch so I shorted the Buddy step-switch to another switch on the floor. I think I will make a short video and put it on KZbin when I can.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

So are you saying, you have tried to assigned the drum fills to the floor switch and couldn't do it ???and that you found a hack to reassign to a floor switch ??? Keep me posted Paul.. that sounds awesome and would love to know how

[@frontcentermusician]

Nice vid. New sub! Just found you. Been playing since the 80's (Guitar,Vocals) right up till now with a 4 piece band but I play solo/duo also. Nice going at it on your own. been through it all MIDI,the beatBuddy and now I am using bass,drum backing tracks. Plenty of places to play around my area. Hickory Corners, Mi. Keep those videos coming. You have a great way of coming across.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thank you so much brother.... keep spreading the love of Music.

[@dhall59]

D How do you access your patterns quickly without having to get on your knees with your guitar in hand and make adjustments? I seldom follow a strict setlist. I want to be ready whenever anyone makes a request to start the song without fumbling around too much. Playing request is where you make your tips!

[@thesologigginglife6566]

I have it next to me on my little table that I have my mixer on... I don't use the main unit on the floor, only extension pedal.. so basically it's right next to me... I show on one of the videos, how quick I do it... real simple... as far as request go.. I do some but not to much because I don't do to many standards...

[@lowellirish]

I use a porchboard...I'd like to use a beat buddy instead/in addition to... Is it a steep learning curve?...all things relative...

[@denotsmai]

Kick ass! Do live!

[@johnparsons3454]

What you might want to think is recording the beatbuddy to create a back track. A $400 ipad and onsong software would take away having to reset your beatbuddy after every song and at the same time you can put your lyrics on there too.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thank John and welcome aboard... if you see some past video post I talk about using the bb in not the most conventional way... it's so easy for me to flip where I need to to be... and I like to have everything live... backing tracks are not my thing... but if it works for you ... run with it but I salute you brother... as long as your putting smiles on faces... amen !!!

[@scott24679554]

Great video mate I’m now thinking about getting one of these .. keep the videos coming .. do you have Facebook account for your solo stuff ..

[@thesologigginglife6566]

I don't ... just a personal... well it's not personal so much... LOL but I do post my gigs.. and share my original single release.. your more then welcome to come aboard : facebook.com/gretchjames

[@debbieedington2967]

Thanks for sharing your history with us and information on the B Buddy . I play in a duo but thinking of going solo . How many hours do you book yourself for ?

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Hi Debbie.... with the bit of gear I have... I try and shoot for a two hour minimum

[@leonardsibbald4544]

Dear Jeffrey, I have watched many of your videos and you have convinced me that solo gigging is the way to go. Like you, I have been let down time and time again by band members. I have started gathering the gear I will need. I have picked up a TC Helicon Vocal Harmoniser, and wonder if I should plug into the TC first then my effects or the other way round? I have had conflicting answers from others, so as you use this stuff I thought I would ask your advice. Cheers, Len (UK) - also a fanatical Beatles fan.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Hi Leonard.... wow.... don't know what happened that I missed your comment... so sorry... are you talking about guitar effects ?? and if it is guitar FX... are you using an acoustic or electric ???... won't hurt anything to try is both ways... what ever sounds pleasing to your ear.... but I'm thinking if it's guitar FX, I would probably put them after the TC... only because I would want a clean signal gong into the TC... I'm sure you already figured it out ...

[@leonardsibbald4544]

Hi Jeffrey, thanks for your messagee. As you guessed, I have already figured it out by trial and error. You are right about plugging into the TC Helicon first. The beat buddy has been absolutely brilliant. I did my second solo gig last Sunday and it went well. I noticed a few things I need to improve on, key changes, tempo etc. I can only get better I hope! I watch all of your videosand have learnt a great deal about solo gigging from you. Well done you are awesome. Have a good Xmas. Cheers Len Sibbald

[@thesologigginglife6566]

@@leonardsibbald4544 Hell ya !!.... that is awesome... It will only get better n better... enjoy your Blessings over the holidays brother.

[@AlexWalshMusic]

Hi, I really like your channel! I have a digitec trio pedal that I’ve never really bonded with and this video made me pull it out. Any experience with that one?

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thank you Alex !! I did a little home work on that Trio a few years ago... they are pretty amazing.. cuz of the fact that it has a bass.. (if this is the one I'm thinking of) A awesome tool for songwriting, practicing your chops, etc. I'm not sure about using it for a live performance as the quality of sound is or was a little weak... when I had checked it last. They could have updated and or newer version of that now. I've always wanted to get one, just for Idea's for songwriting.. I forgot about those Trios... LOL. Might have check into getting one again.

[@AlexWalshMusic]

I think I came to the ‘not good for live’ conclusion as well when I got it. I’ve always contemplated adding a drum machine to my solo gear but never took the plunge. Your experience is making me revisit that idea. I have my first solo set at a singersongwriter event in a couple weeks. Watching your videos gave me some inspiration to get back out there.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

@@AlexWalshMusic If it's originals.. even better... so good to hear brother... Spread that sunshine of live music Alex, our country needs it now more then ever... if you go that route to add drums live.. check out as much as you can for drum machines...who knows what they have out there now... But the Beatbuddy is amazingly over the top stomp box and works perfect for me live...

[@liapin]

What’s the black block you using to keep your BB from the bottom? Would be great to figure out the same. Thanks in advance for any info and of course thanks a lot for the video, brother! Signed.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

I have my main BB on the desktop of my speaker case next to me (not on the floor) To see the little screen, I put a cut wedged piece of wooden block.. and tape it with black grip tape so I can see the screen much better when I do the drum changes... normally, you have to be right on top of it BB to see the screen ... just a lot easier to see the screen. 🎼🎵

[@liapin]

@@thesologigginglife6566 thank you, Sir!

[@AKWANMUSIC]

Will need your advice to work around my beatbuddy and my TC Helicon Voicelive 3 Extreme. I have issues trying to sync my guitar playing to have the beatbuddy start at the right time.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

There should be nothing you have to sync.. just come in on the 1 when ur ready to start... the beatbuddy is a whole different entity.... at least the way I use it

[@Ray-Angel]

Hey Jeffery, will the beatbuddy play a 12/8 groove like for a slow blues like Texas Flood or The Sky is Crying? I've seached the web and asked in Facebook groups and can't find an answer.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

I'm going to rehearse in a couple of day and I will check for you brother.

[@Ray-Angel]

@@thesologigginglife6566 so cool of you. Thanks.

[@russellbreiter4142]

Thank You so much again for your videos. I used the beat buddy for a while but I actually found it distracting to the audience. For certain songs I think it could be used but it does become somewhat monotonous hearing a constant steady drumbeat over acoustic music. Of course that's just my opinion. I just sort of think the beauty of acoustic is the solo aspect of it.

[@thesologigginglife6566]

It so much depends on the songs your doing... but I totally understand what your saying, absolutely... all the video snips I've shared with you all, is only a fraction of my sets... that being said.. there are a lot of songs I do that I don't use the beat buddy.. If the song is enhanced by using the beat buddy.. I use it... if not, I leave it out.. I actually new from the beginning when I first got the Beat Buddy, that I wasn't going to use it in certain songs... use it for the right songs... I will probably do a video in detail on this subject... Thank you Russel for the shout !!

[@russellbreiter4142]

@@thesologigginglife6566 thank you so much for your reply. In addition to the song it also depends on whether the gig buddy is a good fit for the venue. Many places I play have acoustic music because they don't want a full band sound or the loudness of a drum. lol. The beat buddies volume can be adjusted but some venues still won't allow it they want to chill vibe but when the big buddy can be used it's awesome.

[@lowellirish]

Having played in a band for 9 yrs.. Heres MY take-away: Babysitter Family commitments Cant please EVERYONE, and sometimes NO ONE! Explaining WHY...Why the band isnt going to do ballad and dirges to high-energy crowds, why high-energy isnt for the retirement home...WHY the band isnt getting paid IMMEDIATELY, Coordination, meetups, practicing. Like a big babysitter!! I'm solo now. Much better. Not dragged down by lopps, divas, and losers!

[@thesologigginglife6566]

Thank you for the shout James !! I will elaborate on this subject... Thx for the reminder.. keep Rockin !!

[@number1Don]

I no longer think this is what I need after thinking it was perfect. I want to create a full song all the way through in the beatbuddy manager and press the button once and for it to play the whole song with the LED timing metronome. I have enough to do with guitar/pedals/singing, let alone activating the intro/chorus/outro and fills etc myself. If it was half the pric ei might have got one and for them to then sell the footswitch separately that you seemingly need seems a bit of a money spinner on their part.

[@number1Don]

Going to go with Alesis SR18 instead and pre program a whole setlist.

[@resslerartstudios]

So you dont miss playing with other musician's? Even one other?

[@thesologigginglife6566]

I'll be talking about that at some point... but in a nutshell... I do miss playing with other players.. but I'm not losing any sleep over it.. I've been in bands for decades.. but always open to playing or even just jamming with other folks... Thx for the question Rich

[@resslerartstudios]

@@thesologigginglife6566 well i understand ho you feel. the time have changed for sure i’m filling in that empty place with recording.

[@ohgahbriel]

Nice, same as a backing track but worst haha