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"Gangnam Style" - Anyone Playing It?

jaywa

jaywa

May 5, 2008
7,702
283
Iowa City, IA
#1
First off... I totally don't get the "buzz" behind this song.

But anyway. My BL wants us to play this on a wedding gig tomorrow night. We don't have the instrumentation or effects to do it (we don't even have a keyboard) but he thinks we can still pull it off. I think I've copped the bass line (such as it is) but don't know what else a 2-guitar, bass and drums band can do to get anywhere close to the recorded version. Thoughts or suggestions?

BTW we are also going to play "Call Me Maybe" (first time) on the same gig. I tried to talk my BL into just playing these two songs as break music but he wants us to give them a go live. So I guess my degradation from semi-legit semi-pro musician to shameless pop whore is complete. :hmm:
 
#3
skidrawk said:
backtracks.
Click to expand...

We don't use 'em. That's the problem. I'm one of these guys that HATES to go out there and try to hack through these hyper-produced crap-pop tracks with traditional rock band instrumentation. My BL says as long as we get the beat, the bass line and the vocals right we'll be OK. He feels like if you give a new hot song a go the crowd will give you credit for it even if it varies quite a bit from the recorded version. His instincts are really good on stuff like this but still I'm skeptical.

We'll see I guess. Part of me hopes we can pull it off and the other part of me hopes it fails badly so we don't have to do it again.
 
#6
In one band, we play Umm-Bop, frequently voted as worst song of all time.
Guess what?
Goes right off!!

Those really annoying songs work for a reason - they are lowest-common denominator catchy.
Throw down The Vengabus while you're at it.
 
#7
jaywa said:
My BL says as long as we get the beat, the bass line and the vocals right that we'll be OK.
Click to expand...
IME he's mostly right. Yeah, you don't need to make them sound just like the originals, people will like them. You will be more than OK.

The vocals are important, kinda, though on some harder songs we've even gotten away with just doing the first verse twice and nobody ever said anything. The beat is important, kinda, as long as it's danceable, the tempo is close, and the stronger accents are in the right places (so don't play dancehall with a house beat) but it doesn't need to really sound like the original. The bassline usually isn't important as long as you get the harmony right. I often stop playing bass completely when rapping, or at least simplify what I'm playing vastly, and nobody seems to mind.

Very very memorable instrumental hooks are important on songs like "Mr. Saxobeat" or "No Limit", but only if they're really extremely catchy. I've played "Danza Kuduro" plenty of times without anyone ever really playing the accordion parts right - judging by crowd response that never really mattered. Of course it's better to play those parts right, but it doesn't seem to really be important in most cases.
 
#12
eriky4003 said:
Pretty cocky, BL.
Have you guys even rehearsed it to show what can and cannot be done? BL may not want to attempt without a preliminary run-through.
Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks. The good news is, the wedding couple are friends of his who are big fans of the band. It's about as friendly and low-risk of an environment as we could ask for to try out some new stuff. The only way it could backfire I suppose is if we fail badly and it puts off anyone at the party who might have been a potential future client. But IME potential clients make their hiring decision a lot more on what they see (lots of people on the dance floor having a good time and a band that's having fun onstage), than on what they hear coming out of the P.A.
 
#14
This guy!

EricFunkyGangam.jpg
 
#15
I actually really like that song...and I am not a bog fan of cheezy synthesized pop...but how can you not laugh at PSY? Its all in good humor. Why the heck not try it? It will get everybody rolling for sure! op op o o o gangnam style.
Also, my bro was just in Mexico and he said he saw not 1 but 2 mariachi bands covering it!!!!!!!!
 

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