My current main gig is at a large country dancehall in Dallas playing Thurs., Fri, Sat. We do all Top 40 Nashville country. This has probably been the only cover gig I've done where I was really mindful of the original bass parts but for the most part, I still do a lot of interpretation and try and just go for the "spirit" of what was on the album cut. Some songs are pretty exact and others are almost 100% playing over the changes and coming up with something on the spot. I've just never been the type to learn the complete bassline to tunes. I probably do overplay at times but the keys, drummer, and steel player have been there for 15-20 years and I've only had positive feedback from them so far.
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Do you "overplay" covers
- Thread starter PopaWoody
- Start date
This.
WHEN the drummer gets distracted by dance floor material, I get forced into being metronome. There are also certain songs where guitar work seems to be a "try to speed up" signal. I get forced to play time only on those parts to keep things right.
Overplay? Not really. I do play slightly different than the original though. If there are parts with eighth note chord changes, I actually find those are very important to the song, and try not to subtract to them. I will add fills here and there though. I also like to keep signature lines/ grooves well intact, as well as cues. For instance, we do Prayer of the Refugee by Rise against, which goes from Chorus to Verse a lot. I try to keep each of the cues intact. A slide up into this verse, a slide down into that one, everybody hits an Eb before the next one, etc.
So, if it doesn't violate any of that, I'll mess with it a little bit.
So, if it doesn't violate any of that, I'll mess with it a little bit.
Both playing and running sound, I like covers to stay fairly close to the original, UNLESS someone has an improvement that everyone in the band agrees upon.
My feeling is that the original band and producer and A&R rep spent a lot of time making a song "work" on every level, and that final package is what makes the audience want to hear the song and dance to it.
Messing with any parts too much can kill the vibe.
I will admit that a ton of songs never got the bass parts they deserved, and if a player is able to make the groove stronger I'm all for it. It takes good taste and restraint, though.
When it comes to overplaying, I never missed the bassists that did it when they were replaced.
One guy--who is a dear friend of mine and a very skilled player--always stuck 32 notes into basic rock songs where 8 would have done the job.
I swear, he made it a point to play every fret on all six strings at least twice per set.
The bass was never locked into the drums, and the low end of the mix was never solid and rumbling. He would skitter all over the place, and while you could tell he was a virtuoso, it was just as obvious that he didn't like the music and was simply entertaining himself.
You could never tell if he had good tone because none of his notes rang long enough.
When we got a basic "groove" guy to replace him, right away the number of people dancing doubled, then our pay went up, then we got into better clubs for even MORE pay.
Funny thing was, nobody but us figured out why we got so much more successful so quickly--our rock band's rhythm section changed from "jazz odyssey" to a sledgehammer, and the public voted with their dollars.
Think about John Bonham's drumming and tone.
If he played as many notes as Keith Moon, it wouldn't have had nearly the impact.
John's hits were so huge because they had time to "breathe" and fill big spaces.
Constant new attacks cover up the decay of the previous note, same as for any instrument.
Remember how huge Metallica got when they changed their approach for the black album? Same thing.
Simpler playing, but it sounded so much bigger and heavier and solid.
Mindless extra riffing is instrumental masturbation.
It's selfish, and doesn't please anyone else.
But if you play with taste and style, there's no reason to stick to the original too closely. Unless you're reading sheet music, the choices are yours.
A little inspiration can spice things up nicely, and there's a lot to be said for players interacting and reaching new heights.
And when you change genres, like doing a punk version of an ABBA song, I say go for it.
The main thing is to help make your band sound better.
My feeling is that the original band and producer and A&R rep spent a lot of time making a song "work" on every level, and that final package is what makes the audience want to hear the song and dance to it.
Messing with any parts too much can kill the vibe.
I will admit that a ton of songs never got the bass parts they deserved, and if a player is able to make the groove stronger I'm all for it. It takes good taste and restraint, though.
When it comes to overplaying, I never missed the bassists that did it when they were replaced.
One guy--who is a dear friend of mine and a very skilled player--always stuck 32 notes into basic rock songs where 8 would have done the job.
I swear, he made it a point to play every fret on all six strings at least twice per set.
The bass was never locked into the drums, and the low end of the mix was never solid and rumbling. He would skitter all over the place, and while you could tell he was a virtuoso, it was just as obvious that he didn't like the music and was simply entertaining himself.
You could never tell if he had good tone because none of his notes rang long enough.
When we got a basic "groove" guy to replace him, right away the number of people dancing doubled, then our pay went up, then we got into better clubs for even MORE pay.
Funny thing was, nobody but us figured out why we got so much more successful so quickly--our rock band's rhythm section changed from "jazz odyssey" to a sledgehammer, and the public voted with their dollars.
Think about John Bonham's drumming and tone.
If he played as many notes as Keith Moon, it wouldn't have had nearly the impact.
John's hits were so huge because they had time to "breathe" and fill big spaces.
Constant new attacks cover up the decay of the previous note, same as for any instrument.
Remember how huge Metallica got when they changed their approach for the black album? Same thing.
Simpler playing, but it sounded so much bigger and heavier and solid.
Mindless extra riffing is instrumental masturbation.
It's selfish, and doesn't please anyone else.
But if you play with taste and style, there's no reason to stick to the original too closely. Unless you're reading sheet music, the choices are yours.
A little inspiration can spice things up nicely, and there's a lot to be said for players interacting and reaching new heights.
And when you change genres, like doing a punk version of an ABBA song, I say go for it.
The main thing is to help make your band sound better.
Exploiter8
Demons run when a good man goes to war
I think if people want to hear covers that sound like the record, then they frequent clubs with DJs. Unless it's a tribute band, people go to bars to party/get drunk/lucky?...and possibly hear some music throughout the evening. Perhaps some "instrumental masturbation" is sometimes needed to get the crowds's attention?
Just some ramblings by me.
X8
Just some ramblings by me.
X8
- Feb 27, 2005
- 3,218
- 125
- Disclosures
- Full disclosure, I'm a certified Fender technician working in a music store that carries Fender, Yamaha, and Ibanez products among others.
Rarely. I play in two cover bands (well, one is a church worship team, but for all practical purposes it's a cover band with a few originals.) and try to stay true to the original versions for the most part.
My '80s group plays a lot of synth-driven new wave music, and that generally requires locking in, often with a sequence or backing track, with little or no deviation. My own contribution is to make the song as danceable as I can, through tone, dynamics, or simply recreating the original as thoroughly as possible with live energy.
Every once in a while, we find a tune that lends itself well to playing around, a good example being Power Station's Bang a Gong, which we usually finish out the night with. Lots of room to play around, solo, whatever. By contrast, Billy Idol's Dancing With Myself seems to lose a lot with even a little variation, as does Safety Dance, so we don't touch those, we just play them as written.
Church is a bit different, but the same principle applies. Some tunes suffer (to my ears, at least) when you play with them, others seem to flourish. In both groups, I determine which is which in rehearsal and do whatever keeps the groove going. Most of the time, that's playing what's on the original version, or the band's subsequent live versions, but not always.
IME and YMMV, of course.
My '80s group plays a lot of synth-driven new wave music, and that generally requires locking in, often with a sequence or backing track, with little or no deviation. My own contribution is to make the song as danceable as I can, through tone, dynamics, or simply recreating the original as thoroughly as possible with live energy.
Every once in a while, we find a tune that lends itself well to playing around, a good example being Power Station's Bang a Gong, which we usually finish out the night with. Lots of room to play around, solo, whatever. By contrast, Billy Idol's Dancing With Myself seems to lose a lot with even a little variation, as does Safety Dance, so we don't touch those, we just play them as written.
Church is a bit different, but the same principle applies. Some tunes suffer (to my ears, at least) when you play with them, others seem to flourish. In both groups, I determine which is which in rehearsal and do whatever keeps the groove going. Most of the time, that's playing what's on the original version, or the band's subsequent live versions, but not always.
IME and YMMV, of course.
Sometimes I will perform a song note for note if I like the bass line but, if I find the bass line lacks creativity, I do add some sweet fills of my own where I think they should have been placed. I have also taken liberties to re-write bass lines completely if they are not fun for me to play. I have been playing 40+years and if the bass line is lame I will make it better including as stated by duff beer above adding guitar licks. The most important thing I do is make sure the lines I create are in the groove and the fills are in time with our drummers fills so we stay tight! Crowd loves what we do and bassist who have heard my stuff only have good things to say. If they hate it bothers me not because as long as the crowd is digging it that is all that matters.
The covers band I am in are always at me to play more notes when I'm adamant it needs the pocket bass and no more. Most times when I'd actually like to give it a lash the gatman gets all busy with rhythm and somebody has to hold the fort. Ce la vie....1 guitar, bass and drums with singer not playing.
Depends on the song.
If the bassline is actually the lead (think Pusherman by Curtis Mayfield) then yes..stick to it.
If you think you could 'improve' the line then go for it.
The 'lick after every 4th measure' thing is kinda lame however. You can give the groove a totally different feel without just lickin' the 4th measure.
If the bassline is actually the lead (think Pusherman by Curtis Mayfield) then yes..stick to it.
If you think you could 'improve' the line then go for it.
The 'lick after every 4th measure' thing is kinda lame however. You can give the groove a totally different feel without just lickin' the 4th measure.
I am not going to lie people, when the group I am in puts on the cover band hat, I absolutely overplay. My true passion is our original material, and without it, I find myself being very much bored.
Now, I will never overplay to the point it sounds bad, but right before that point, YES.
Does the drunk crowd notice? No
Does the bar owner even care if he notices? No
NOTE: I am in a three piece band, so I can get away with it easily.
Now, I will never overplay to the point it sounds bad, but right before that point, YES.
Does the drunk crowd notice? No
Does the bar owner even care if he notices? No
NOTE: I am in a three piece band, so I can get away with it easily.
Overplay? No! Do I add tasteful runs and riffs throughout? Yes. That guy was obviously NOT a tasteful player but an over the top chops guys. No place for that in any band unless it's his band playing bass driven originals. I.E. Victa, Marcus, etc.
Nah, you'd be surprised what folks want to hear from a cover band! Especially in my area! There are 100's of cover bands all doing pretty much the same thing but they all work due to demand. Some go as far as incorporating midi tracks. Can't get much closer to the record than that.
Whether or not someone "overplays" seems like a different question than whether or not they interpret cover songs.
I try not to overplay, ever, right? Isn't the definition of overplaying "playing too much for the music"?
My primary musical project is an original one, although we slide in some covers. We heavily interpret most of them, but we also try to pick stuff that is recognizable but not too current. If a band does a cool thing with "Fly Like An Eagle", audiences seem to react more positively than if they redo a top 40 tune that someone might have heard on The Pulse on their way downtown that night.
([Invalid or Expired Link Removed] of our Fly Like An Eagle, for example)
I try not to overplay, ever, right? Isn't the definition of overplaying "playing too much for the music"?
My primary musical project is an original one, although we slide in some covers. We heavily interpret most of them, but we also try to pick stuff that is recognizable but not too current. If a band does a cool thing with "Fly Like An Eagle", audiences seem to react more positively than if they redo a top 40 tune that someone might have heard on The Pulse on their way downtown that night.
([Invalid or Expired Link Removed] of our Fly Like An Eagle, for example)
I choose rarely because the cover band I am in is trying to replicate the original. But I do throw my own flare into open spaces. And we do stretch a song here and there which may require a little open interpretation.
But if the band had no rules it would be a bass frenzy!!!
But if the band had no rules it would be a bass frenzy!!!
We keep some songs spot on note for note renditions and then add lead guitar jam sections into other songs (pre-planned but appears spontaneous). We also do mash-ups like All Summer Long into Sweet Home Alabama and back again. Also some songs run right into beginnings of other more popular songs. Always want to end with the more popular songs so that audience applause is louder.
I don't overplay usually. I used to a little more, but at some point I realized I enjoy trying to channel someone else's playing style, note choice and all that. It's very informative to attempt to put yourself in another player's shoes.
If the song has a very distinct bassline I'll play it note-for-note, except some fills- those will change if I want to.
To the OP, It sounds like the guy you saw was just kind of an immature player. It's one thing to add your own style to a piece and it's another to slam notes and fills all over the place inappropriately. Music is largely about contrast (dynamic, stylistic, tonal). If you constantly play with no contrast then it gets boring for the listener's FAST.
If the song has a very distinct bassline I'll play it note-for-note, except some fills- those will change if I want to.
To the OP, It sounds like the guy you saw was just kind of an immature player. It's one thing to add your own style to a piece and it's another to slam notes and fills all over the place inappropriately. Music is largely about contrast (dynamic, stylistic, tonal). If you constantly play with no contrast then it gets boring for the listener's FAST.
I'm in a Modern Metal band and we do a cover of Miss May I. For everyone else in the band, thier parts are rather challenging. But I find myself rather bored, so I spice it up a bit.
Not too much. I dont want to distort the original idea of the song with mindless riffing or anything like that. But I like to add something melodic to the original lines to spice up the song.
But I'm always a fan of serving the song.
Not too much. I dont want to distort the original idea of the song with mindless riffing or anything like that. But I like to add something melodic to the original lines to spice up the song.
But I'm always a fan of serving the song.
You should play what the song needs to keep the groove going and makes the band sound good. Just to riff out to show off how awesome a bass player you are just makes the arrangements sound busy. OK to rip in a few specific short song sections as long as you stay in the pocket. A side benefit of keeping it simple is it gives you more opportunities to check out all the dancing babes shaking it to your solid groove.
As you mentioned earlier, the crowd doesn't seem to mind, so really what it is, is self indulgence. The only person you're really impressing is yourself. Not that I don't do it every once in a while, where it won't take away from the song or loose the groove, but I don't go out there thinking "this is the way MacCartney should have done it!". I get much more satisfaction from laying down a solid groove and seeing heads bob, than I do from thinking to myself "did anyone notice how I just ripped through Lydian scale?"
