The way you hide it with originals is you dumb it down. A cover forces you to maybe learn something you don't already know. With an original, who's gonna question it? They have to accept what you play at face value. You can easily hide a lack of skill in originals. I do it all the time, and I'm damn proud of it.
As for tired, generic old covers, I totally agree. I typically won't touch a cover anymore unless it's one that just about no one knows, no one expects, or it's something I can completely bastardize and make it my own.
Once again,non-musicians don't know and don't care as long as it's played well.Come on now...I know you're not going to say that most of the stuff you hear in bars is very difficult.
I think miroslav has totally missed the point.
I wouldn't really say we "dumb it down"...we play to our interest and our ability...JUST like the guys who did those Top 40 hits that so many bands like to cover. I would guess that you also try to play your best...original or cover.
Come on now...I know you're not going to say that most of the stuff you hear in bars is very difficult.
Sure, every once in awhile a band does some really difficult covers...and nail them! And that's impressive.
But most of that "party band" shit is nothing all that complicated, and I think any decent bunch of players could do it...just practice!
That's where I'm at...pulling out interesting covers that make people take notice.
The point is....we CHOOSE to do what we prefer.
I know your typical bar crowd wants to hear the same boring covers...
...but that doesn't mean you HAVE TO play them....does it?
Are blues bands that play all originals creative?
Now you're off on another tangent. Who cares how difficult something is? .
I don't play any covers live. I'm fine with making 100 bucks and not pleasing anyone in the crowd.
I guess the crowd being satisfied was good enough for me.I could've played originals at home and been "creative".
Well, I'm of the opinion that for playing live, it's better to nail something easy than flub your way through something unnecessarily difficult. Like I said, the audience doesn't know how hard something is, but they do know when you fuck up. Which brings us back to originals being easier to hide flaws.No I'm not...you raised the issue of "honing your skills" by doing covers.
I'm just pointing out that most of your typical bar covers don't really tax the playing skills of the average musicians...do they?
But yeah..the audience has no clue for the most part....
We play originals and sometimes do a few covers that no one knows. I don't oppose unique covers at all, but I'm not gonna drop an original in the set list for a dumb cover song. For an encore, if there is one, we sometimes do a heavily rocked up version of "Ring of Fire" and we're thinking about switching that to AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock".Sooooo then...are you playing originals live...or are you making that $100 some other way???
AGREED!!!
So why do originals need to be any different?
You write a nice 3-chord R&R tune that kicks ass...and then what, someone says you're dumbing it down because you have no skills....????
We play originals and sometimes do a few covers that no one knows. I don't oppose unique covers at all, but I'm not gonna drop an original in the set list for a dumb cover song.
All of my songs are dumb 3 chord rock and roll. I don't dumb them down because my skills are already as dumb as it gets.