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Changing Keys for Covers? When is too much?

#61
In my band we do Queen's "Crazy little thing called love in" C, not D, I had to re-learn "O Pretty Woman" in C for another Band I was in and I sing "Get Back" in G - I don't recall any complaints that we were in the wrong key for any of those, but if I tried to sing Get Back in A (ouch), we might :-).

Did anyone complain when Barry White sang "Just the way you are" in Bb?, or that Tom Jones didn't sing "Kiss" in the same key as Prince did?.

WE can tell (or not as the case maybe), but I submit that the audience generally can't spot these things - or if they can they don't care.
 
#62
Well, I am not a fan of changing key but I at least want to play in a lower key if the original is recorded in say one step down. Had a Guitar player come out and play with some guys and we were doing Man in the Box. I mentioned time to tune down and guitar guy says He does not tune down cause he has a locked tuner installed on the neck. You know to keep the tremolo from going out of tune. So we played the song and the singer had to strain and it does not sound right in 440 anyway.

On the other hand check out this classic



Fast forward a few decades and they have dropped the key.



And the result it they sound like a cover band doing what is their own song.
 
#64
Metalbasspro said:
Had a Guitar player come out and play with some guys and we were doing Man in the Box. I mentioned time to tune down and guitar guy says He does not tune down cause he has a locked tuner installed on the neck. You know to keep the tremolo from going out of tune. So we played the song and the singer had to strain and it does not sound right in 440 anyway.
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That's honestly a song that the majority of cover bands playing it should cut from their set lists. It's probably one of the most hacked contemporary rock songs out there (not saying you guys hack it, but your story just made me think about it). Too many singers are fine in the verses and the scat parts with the wah guitar melody but then lose it when they come to the chorus, partly because they're trying to play it in standard 440 when the song's actually in Eb. Also, rarely does anybody nail Cantrell's eerie dissonant vocal harmonies in the pre-chorus section. Also, the groove is so important. A couple BPM too fast or too slow and the entire pocket is wrecked, which I've seen too many bands do.
 
#65
LiquidMidnight said:
That's honestly a song that the majority of cover bands playing it should cut from their set lists. It's probably one of the most hacked contemporary rock songs out there (not saying you guys hack it, but your story just made me think about it). Too many singers are fine in the verses and the scat parts with the wah guitar melody but then lose it when they come to the chorus, partly because they're trying to play it in standard 440 when the song's actually in Eb. Also, rarely does anybody nail Cantrell's eerie dissonant vocal harmonies in the pre-chorus section. Also, the groove is so important. A couple BPM too fast or too slow and the entire pocket is wrecked, which I've seen too many bands do.
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I am dealing with a drummer who is not very skilled. It's one of the few songs he can play well so we have to keep it. We are all learning "Would" now. We play the song well but we are gonna work on the vocals as something is off with the back ups. Probably on my part.
 
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#66
This isn't exactly a cover, as the original artist (Jackson Browne) is doing a duet of his own song with Joan Baez. There's a key change before she sings, then a change back. So who thinks they shouldn't have done this? Is the song spoiled, or did they make a good choice to highlight Joan's voice?
 

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