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Get answers to most of your questions about PlayJazzNow.com right here. If you don't find the answer you need please contact us: techsupport@playjazznow.com
PURCHASING AND DOWNLOADING QUESTIONS MUSICAL QUESTIONS TECHNICAL QUESTIONS AND TROUBLESHOOTING
GENERAL QUESTIONS What are play along tracks? Play-along (or backing) tracks are pre-recorded accompaniments for jazz musicians. Each track leaves musical space for the user to "fill in" or play-along. For example, if you are a pianist, you can practice with bass and drums; if you play the saxophone, you can work with the whole trio (piano, bass and drums). How do you create the play-along tracks? We digitally record the tracks with top-notch live musicians in Chicago, IL USA. No midi files or synthetic sounds are used. What kind of files are your tracks? Our play-along tracks are high quality mp3 files which use minimum compression for maximum fidelity. You can import them into iTunes, Windows Media Player or any other mp3 player. You can burn them to a disk, take them with you on a flash drive, or play them on your iPod (or other mobile mp3 player). Do you sell CDs? No. In order to contribute to a healthier world and to keep our prices low we only sell digital products. Why are your tracks better then Jamey Aebersold play-alongs? Jamey's LP or CD and book play-alongs set the standard for helping jazz musicians learn how to play decades ago. PlayJazzNow.com was created with the goal of bringing play-along quality and technology into the 21st Century. We're setting contemporary standards for backing tracks by offering all of our sets of standards chord progressions in all 12 keys, by posting instrument-specific mixes of all of our tracks, by making our tracks available via instant download and by keeping our pricing within the reach of any musician with a computer. Musicians all over the world have been writing to tell us how much more they enjoy working with PJN tracks than the old Aebersold recordings. Is it OK to use PlayJazzNow.com tracks for public performance? Yes, you may use the tracks you purchase from us for live shows. We'd appreciate it if you'd mention that your "back-up band" was provided by PJN but you're not obligated to do so. Is it OK to use PlayJazzNow.com tracks for recording? Please contact us if you would like to license our tracks for use in commercial recordings. Can I make copies of your tracks for my friends? C'mon, you already know that's not cool. HERE'S WHY.
PURCHASING AND DOWNLOADING QUESTIONS How do I find a particular song? Peruse our new MASTER SONG LIST What happens when I make a purchase? After you purchase your tracks through PayPal we will immediately send you an email with a link to a secure download page. Just click the link in the email, which will open up a web page with a clickable download link. The download might take a few moments (longer if you have a dial-up connection). Un-zip (or decompress) the folder and you'll have a set of mp3 files that you can play on your computer, on a mobile device (such as an iPod) or that you can burn to a CD. You have up to 5 attempts over the period of 5 days to complete your download. If you have any problems just let us know and we'll send you a renewal link. Is PayPal your only payment option? Yes. You can use a credit card, debit card or an "e-check" and you don't need to have a PayPal account. Its fast, safe and efficient. Please note that if you use a PayPal "echeck" it is their policy to wait for the check to clear before releasing the funds to us. It will take a few days for this to happen. How do I play my tracks? You'll need an mp3 player like iTunes or Windows Media Player. Simply import (or drag) your PlayJazzNow.com tracks into iTunes or WMP and you'll be ready to go. How do I get my free chord chart? Links to the pdf files are called SEE THE CHANGES and are located right next to the ADD TO CART buttons for all of our products. The link opens up a new window, at the bottom of which is a download link for the charts.
MUSICAL QUESTIONS Why would I want to use play-along tracks? The best way to learn how to play jazz is to play with other like-minded musicians. Unfortunately, we don't always have access to a rhythm section so play-along tracks are the next best thing. You will need to practice the technical aspects of your chosen instrument by yourself, of course. But it is a great deal of fun to be able to work on your sound, time feel, licks, chord voicings etc. in the context of the other "parts". What are jazz standards? Compositions from a variety of sources that are widely known and played by a majority of jazz musicians around the world. Standards are analagous to "classics" in literature, theatre, film and other musical genres. While there is no "official" list of these compositions, most musicians share a basic repertoire, consisting of tunes drawn from the "Great American Songbook" and original pieces by well-known jazz composers. This repertoire is in constant flux, and certain tunes go in and out of fashion or were only popular during a certain era. The standard chord changes we've chosen to include at PlayJazzNow.com are based on tunes that have demonstrated their "staying power". They've been played for many generations of musicians and continue to be among the compositions mature players are expected to know. What is a turnaround and why are they so important? A turnaround is a kind of musical cadence, a progression of chords that provides harmonic "punctuation" in a composition. Turnarounds are used to establish a tonal center (or key), to mark the end of a section of a tune, to return to the beginning of the previous section or to prepare for the beginning of a new section. A turnaround can also serve as an independent repeating section of a tune, often occurring in the form of a coda. Why do we spend so much time studying and practicing turnarounds? The harmonic material of many standard tunes consists of nothing more than variations of turnarounds. They can be thought of as essential formulas for understanding how compositions from the mainstream jazz and popular repertoire "work" harmonically. Though there are many jazz composers who've extended the language far beyond these harmonic formulas, the ability to understand and make creative use of turnarounds is essential for the jazz improvisor. Can you recommend any books or other materials to help me learn how to improvise? Yes, please visit our JAZZ RESOURCES page.
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS AND TROUBLESHOOTING I'm having trouble accessing my shopping cart or checking out. What's going on? Our PayPal payment system only works if you have cookies enabled in your browser's preferences. I didn't receive my email link. Now what do I do? Please check your spam or junk mail folder using the same email address that you used to make your purchase. The emails are sent automatically as soon as your payment is verified through PayPal. If you can't find the email please let us know and we will re-send it. I'm having trouble downloading my tracks. What should I do? Due to the large file size of many of our sets of tracks, downloading can be a little slow or might not be successful on the first try. We suggest that you use the most recent version of your web browser (Firefox seems to work best) and de-compression software such as StuffIt Expander. Occasionally one of our servers will be especially busy at the time you're trying to download your tracks. Please try again a little later. My download link has expired. What should I do? You have up to 5 attempts over the period of 5 days to complete your download. If you have any problems just let us know and we'll send you a renewal link.
Still having troubles? Please contact us: techsupport@playjazznow.com |
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