Musicians

dogooder

dogooder

Well-known member
A large percentage are some of the biggest flakes I have ever had the joy to work with. I mean that in a good way. Good thing all you guys are home recorders and not musicians.
 
I used to crumble them up when I was baking a sponge cake, add it to the mix and call it my Flake Bake cake.
Man, it was tasty !
 
I flaked out of a first time jam session recently, but I have a good reason. Guy called me and asked if we wanted to play together. Cool. He doesn’t need to call me again until the day before or day of, right?

Instead he calls me non stop every day. I’m just thinking, this guy is a little sketch. Not gonna play with him anymore.
 
Local band looking for lead player. Must play note for note. When they told me that I told them they need a parrot not a guitar player.
 
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I was in a tribute band for years. Everything HAD to be note for note because the audience new the songs so well. No scope for making new stuff up. every gig the band leader would say to one of us, don’t forget in XXX second verse you play the B, not the Bb. Or the drummer forgot the tum-tee-tum bit in the bridge. All usually true.
 
Could be its own thread, though probably short lived.

If you're in a cover band, you're in a cover band. Cover the song, accurately. Learn the material. If you lack the ability to play the material, practice. Even in playing "note-for-note", inevitably there will times during the show where improvisation will enter the picture. Then it is your opportunity to shine with your "style", your limited vocabulary which likely doesn't quite measure up to the variation of material you are covering throughout the hired gig. Nobody wants to hear that shit, you, all night long. It's not about you. If you want to play your own shit, write your own shit and develop a following to come see you play your own shit. No matter how high your esteem, honestly, nobody wants to hear your re-intepretations of familiar songs of which are embedded in people's hearts and souls.... otherwise known as butchering the material.

Personally I've been in bands with second guitar players who do that shit, all. night. long. I learn my parts, serve the song, the other player is improvisation throughout. Improvisation leads to more improvisation, a lack of discipline, and anything goes, which turns into noise. Things get pissy, either the other guitar player is fired or quits. And guess what? You're a better band for it, more disciplined, less noise, better and higher paying gigs.
 
When we did covers, I did all the Beatle's bass lines note-for-note - the rest of the guys winged it from memory. I did all the other material my own way, often improvising based on my state of mind at the moment. I always remained in bounds, keeping the feel of the original.
 
Of course, the modified version may be better than the original.
Someone who heard my Steve Hillage record playing, thought his version of the Beatles 'Its all too much', was better than the original.
 
dogooder said:
If you are in a cover band take the material and make it your own. .
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If you are mixing it up, writing and performing your own material as well as playing covers, have at it. Be you, make it your own, your style.

Let's face it, everyone has a style, sorta. Even if your style is suck, awesome, maybe. Depends on what you're playing/covering. Let's also face it, many musicians/guitar players don't realize their style sucks. As a general rule, if you're playing covers, don't suck. The listener will very much appreciate it, again and again. Cover bands are as good as the audience they draw, asses in the seats, and perhaps on the floor.

I've watched vids of Steely Dan after they came back to doing live performances. The guitar player they've hired doesn't suck. Sometimes he hits the highlight or opening phrase of a solo then goes off on his own. It bugs me, the recorded solos are an integral part of the song, at times even why I spin the recorded version in the first place. Larry Carlton, Jeff (Skunk) Baxter, Denny Dias, that's a lot of ground to cover, different styles in themselves. Iconic solos that at times several guitar players were given a crack at it before deciding, say, Larry Carlton ends up on the record. Then you get this guy, current guy, making it his own. I feel for the guy, but sorry, I don't wanna hear it. Actually Fagan would probably disagree. Fuck Fagan. Music is for listening. Me, the listener. The paying audience, or me taking time out of my day to give a rat's ass. I don't want to hear your version of iconic guitar solos, your style.

Of course if your band is covering, oh, The Offspring? Please, please make it your own and don't suck. Also, don't cover The Offspring.
 
ez_willis said:
Agreed. If you are in a TRIBUTE band, try to play it like they recorded it. Also, don't get in a tribute band. Those are dumb.
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I wouldn't mind trying a CCR one. It actually might make money where I am at now? You notice I picked the easier one. I am not good at copying. KISS. I used to be able to sing the Fogerty schtick, but not anymore.
 
I'm kind of on the fence about the note for note thing mostly because very few bands play their own songs note for note live. At the same time, there are iconic parts of many songs that I would say should be played "faithfully" as close to the recording as possible when you are billed as a tribute artist or cover band.

IME most non musicians are perfectly fine with very close rather than note for note. For example: one of my coworkers listens to Spotify or one of the other "streaming" services and I cringe every time I hear these simulated tunes that they play to avoid paying the original artist. My coworker is sure that they are the same as he hears on the original recording and looks at me like I am a loon when I say , "Uh, that's not (insert famous band/musician here)."

I was at a family reunion and one of my cousins and I were talking about what was going on in life, etc. I talked about my "musical hobby" and made the point that since I wasn't getting paid for it I did not consider myself a musician. After listening for bit about some of the stuff I had going on, she looked me dead in the eye and simply said "You are a musician." IDK maybe. Perhaps it's one of those eye of the beholder things.
 
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