Does your band play covers or original material?
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Does your band play covers or original material?
well, I'm all about the money and I need to work at least 5 or 6 gigs a week so ......... covers.
All originals, but we need to work a cover or two in there somewhere.
With very few exceptions I have never played cover songs. It was never about money. I play only to express, or to feed my creative need. I see some really great musicians in cover bands, and some that are way better than me. However, there is a difference between a musician, and an artist. Being one does not make you the other.
Musicians copy
Artist create.
Bullshit ...... I'm as much an artist as anyone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Toker41
It is not necessary to blindly replicate what others have played to do covers.
I virtually NEVER worry about playing a song like the record outside of using the words and most of the melody. I create every single time I play a song ..... that's why I don't get bored playing covers unlike many of my unimaginative brethren who think you have to play a cover note for note.
Although, to be fair, I do see what you're saying because I've made the point before that a musician that has to read to be able to play is like a typist that has to be dictated to. You certainly wouldn't call the typist an author.
So I suppose a concert violinist wouldn't be an artist since all they do is read and play covers. Put that way it sounds stupid huh?
But the general attitude that I run into around here is if you play covers you're crap. I play covers because I like to eat.
As for the artistic side of it ..... my main goal on my axes is virtuosity and you aquire that regardless of what you play as long as you play.
I have dozens and dozens of originals and I enjoy playing them but truthfully, not any more than I enjoy play any good cover.
for me ... playing is the point.
And if a person doesn't play well ....... maybe they're making art but it's bad art.
I do not believe that if you play covers you are crap. As I stated, I've seen many, many musicians in cover bands that are way better than I can ever hope to be. I never considered myself to be a great musician, and I can't even claim that I could do what some of those cover bands do.
But no, they are not artist. Nor is the concert violinist. Your "author" reference is a good one, and backs this up.
It strikes me funny that every time I make that statement all the guys in cover bands get offended. It simply is what it is. Doesn't make them any less than what they are, which can be some very outstanding musicians. It also, however, doesn't make them something they are not.
Playing a variation of someone else's creation does not make it your creation. It makes you not doing their creation correctly.;)
Bad art? Hmmm...lets look at the list:
Neil Young (great artist, but certainly NOT a great guitar player, or singer)
Jimmy Page (great stuff, but one of the sloppiest players out there)
Peter Frampton (self admittedly can't play half the stuff he writes very well)
Kurt Cobain (great artist, not so great musician)
Alice Cooper (one of my favorite artist, but simply not a very good singer)
Ozzy Osbourne (Grandfather of metal, and rock god to 4 generations, but come on....not a great singer)
This list could get kinda long....
I say again, you don't have to be a great musician to be a great artist.
No ..... not anymore than Clapton didn't play Layla correctly when he did the slow version. He simply did it with a new artistic vision. Further ..... remixers actually USE others recordings as samples and that is certainly art and they're not even playing anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by Toker41
One person can certainly do someone else's stuff in a different way and have it be art and it is most certainly creative. The fact that you can't see that simply infers a lack of such creativity in you because you are unable to get past your opinion, and it is only your opinion, that it's impossible to be creative while playing covers.
What people specifically hire me for is to improvise which is pure creativity ..... period. Regardless of the song .... an improvised solo isn't a single jot more creative if I wrote the song than if you wrote it. Many of the great jazz artists merely do covers ...... and if you say they're not creating something, then you basically aren't qualified to make that judgement because it is so completely and obviously wrong.
You've made a great sweeping statement that has some merit but not nearly as much as you think. As for getting offended, I couldn't care less what you think about what I do. But you make the big mistake of making far too general and sweeping a statement. I'd just about bet I've written and recorded many times the number of songs you have. You're just closed minded about the cover thing .... your loss and part of why you're not as good a player as you'd like to be.
hmmm ...... some valid examples .... and a valid point.Quote:
Originally Posted by Toker41
Bob, you should learn a bit more about me before you make statements that claim you have written and recorded more songs than I have.
....and I'm sorry, no matter what you do with someone else's song....
....it's still someone elses creation, and not your own.
Most people I know, including myself like to hear cover songs done pretty much like the original.
that's your opinion .... mine is just as valid as yours.Quote:
Originally Posted by Toker41
And you don't know squat about me ....... you simply have a closed mind. I've seen it in thread after thread.
No one is right but you and no one's opinion has any validity but yours. I've yet to ever see you acknowledge anything of validity to anyones' opinion unless it agrees with yours when you can point to nothing you've done that makes your opinion the arbiter of what's right and wrong.
We'll get together sometime and compare accomplishments.
In the meantime ... just because you say something doesn't make it so and, I'm starting to suspect, most likely means it's bullshit.
And most people in the audience will ooh and ahh over a cool rearrangement of a song. The fact that ya'll don't know that just speaks to your minimal live playing experience.