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Am I missing out, by not knowing cover songs?
- Thread starter Neil Folkard
- Start date
I'll just add one more thought...
Learning repertoire is not really about learning repertoire to play it. It's about exposure to and absorption of musical devices and their myriad implementations. Whether it's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", "Bolero", "Crossroads", "It's Too Late" or "Autumn Leaves", the mechanics of the V-I perfect cadence and leading tone resolution are the same.
Learning repertoire is not really about learning repertoire to play it. It's about exposure to and absorption of musical devices and their myriad implementations. Whether it's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", "Bolero", "Crossroads", "It's Too Late" or "Autumn Leaves", the mechanics of the V-I perfect cadence and leading tone resolution are the same.
If you mean learning covers by just learning to copy, note for note what they play, and regurgitate it at will, then no, you're not missing anything. Other than possibly some ear training.
If you mean learn to play covers in order to analyse the parts, why they work, what makes them good, etc., then yes, you are missing out on something.
If you mean learn to play covers in order to analyse the parts, why they work, what makes them good, etc., then yes, you are missing out on something.
Are you missing out? Yes, you are. Is that a problem? No, not necessarily.
Time is limited, and you have to make the best choice for how to spend yours.
FOMO is everywhere -- If you are happy, and inspired, then don't worry about it.
But perhaps in asking the question you're wondering if working on material other
than your own could help you as a performer and composer, and the answer there is
almost certainly "yes." The real problem is deciding how much time to spend doing that,
and where to invest... Anyway, good luck!
Time is limited, and you have to make the best choice for how to spend yours.
FOMO is everywhere -- If you are happy, and inspired, then don't worry about it.
But perhaps in asking the question you're wondering if working on material other
than your own could help you as a performer and composer, and the answer there is
almost certainly "yes." The real problem is deciding how much time to spend doing that,
and where to invest... Anyway, good luck!
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
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Well you can absolutely learn a ton from studying the greats. That being said, everyone has a slightly different path.
If you get a call to play two or three sets of covers, you will then be tasked with learning other peoples' parts. This is fun too!
Not necessarily. Not unlike learning theory, which is a set of parameters you may feel obligated to follow, an artificial perimeter if you will, learning other songs can draw you into a rut. Of course having other peoples experience and chops to learn from can be beneficial and outright fun. It really depends on the individual.
I was in multiple original bands in a previous life as a guitar player. I am now a bass player in a cover band. I will say, that learning the cover tunes is really fun from a couple of different angles and will improve your playing. perhaps learning a particular song will force you to learn a new technique or a feel that is new to you. then you can take that and incorporate it into what you write. I try to absorb as much as i can from any source that is available, I watch local guys in other bands and if I find something interesting that they are doing, i might even work that into what I do as well.
You're doing fine. Learning songs you like the sound of can help your composition and bass line writing, but you may not need it at this point.
i have to go with gorn: "try it and see."
OTOH: if you categorized/described your original bands for us we could offer suggestions that might actually benefit your quest(s)!
Doing originals, you end up writing parts that use licks you know - swimming in your own little pool of confidence, where you know what you're doing. Learning parts that other people wrote will stretch you - force you out of your comfort zone. I have been in original bands, and you know your tunes, in the keys and arrangements that they were written in, and....that's it. It's fun, but if someone asks you to do something else, you can suddenly be a fish out of water.
I'm doing church gigs now, and although there is some repetition of songs from one church to the next, I am constantly learning new tunes, and the different arrangements and keys you end up playing stuff in really stretches you (we play in whatever key the singer feels most comfortable in). I'm now much more flexible in terms of that stuff - this weekend, we're doing 8 tunes, and 5 are in D Flat (aka C sharp). I've never been in a band where we wrote tunes in D flat.
I'm doing church gigs now, and although there is some repetition of songs from one church to the next, I am constantly learning new tunes, and the different arrangements and keys you end up playing stuff in really stretches you (we play in whatever key the singer feels most comfortable in). I'm now much more flexible in terms of that stuff - this weekend, we're doing 8 tunes, and 5 are in D Flat (aka C sharp). I've never been in a band where we wrote tunes in D flat.
Like you I never bothered to learn other people’s songs but after twenty five years or so I’m just starting to and it’s improved my playing even just by seeing how other players approach their parts.
Yeouch!! This one hurts, only because I love Chicken Cordon Bleu!!
Thanks for all the awesome replies everyone. To answer some of the questions that have been raised: The three bands are all different. One has been described as art rock/punk (!), another (more my project) is kind of heavy/alt/prog based, and the other is a full on prog rock/fusion outfit.
When I say compose, I mean that I write songs, both on bass and guitar. I seem to have something of a knack for it, but don't know nearly enough theory for full on arrangements and writing out all the parts. I would like to take some lessons and improve my theory for sure.
When I learned covers on guitar, they were mostly prog rock tunes, so....not so much use in learning blues/funk/etc. ELP-The Sage, Tool-Vicarious, Yes-the Ancient (the acoustic Steve Howe part), etc. All lots of fun to play, but if you don't keep up with them, they can be difficult to remember!
Also, always been an intense listener and love prog rock, and modern progressive music style-bands incorporate a dizzying array of influences...everything from metal to folk to fusion and all points in-between. Plus I dabble in other genres, so listen to a fairly wide variety of stuff. I just have so much fun playing originals, that it is hard for me to imagine, dipping my toes deep into the cover waters (although being paid sounds like a novel idea, lol). But, of course, I'm always looking to become a better player, so perhaps playing along to certain songs would be a good idea.
When I say compose, I mean that I write songs, both on bass and guitar. I seem to have something of a knack for it, but don't know nearly enough theory for full on arrangements and writing out all the parts. I would like to take some lessons and improve my theory for sure.
When I learned covers on guitar, they were mostly prog rock tunes, so....not so much use in learning blues/funk/etc. ELP-The Sage, Tool-Vicarious, Yes-the Ancient (the acoustic Steve Howe part), etc. All lots of fun to play, but if you don't keep up with them, they can be difficult to remember!
Also, always been an intense listener and love prog rock, and modern progressive music style-bands incorporate a dizzying array of influences...everything from metal to folk to fusion and all points in-between. Plus I dabble in other genres, so listen to a fairly wide variety of stuff. I just have so much fun playing originals, that it is hard for me to imagine, dipping my toes deep into the cover waters (although being paid sounds like a novel idea, lol). But, of course, I'm always looking to become a better player, so perhaps playing along to certain songs would be a good idea.
- Oct 18, 2012
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I agree with most of this. Learning covers can open you up to ideas, ways of playing, phrasing, etc that you might not otherwise considered. I have learned a lot by playing covers.
Learning other people’s songs, particularly from genres I didn’t listen to and for that matter, some I didn’t like (at first) made my original material immeasurably better. Night and day. Opened up keys, styles, rhythms, vocal delivery I wouldn’t have used otherwise.
That’s me. It might not be you.
That’s me. It might not be you.
I do agree with this. I feel that, although I have a voice on the instrument to contribute to various projects, I do feel some limitations with coming up with fills and lines and parts. Sometimes I hear awesome stuff by other players, and seriously wonder if I could ever come up with something that cool.
