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How does your band choose songs?

Rockin Mike

Rockin Mike

May 27, 2011
2,772
424
#1
How does your band choose songs to learn?

Does the leader just say what songs will be learned, or is there participation from the band?

Do you have a process for nominating and voting on songs, or do you just go with what's on the top of your head, or something you heard on the radio?
 
#4
Biggest guy in band (me) says "were playing this.." other guys agree..

Really, band leader (me in this case) suggests most of the songs, everyone gets suggestions but if you don't 'push' for your suggestions i.e teach us what you want, it usually gets put on the back burner.

Were a band in the sense it's not them playing 'FOR' me but us playing together, but if they don't suggest anything and teach/facilitate with any conviction, it doesn't get played.

It's not 'real' until it's played live. Somethings should workout great but sound like **** and some should not workout and tend to be our most played song.
 
#5
If it makes it through the entire writing process, it gets played. Then tweaked. Then sometimes (depending on audience reaction) re-evaluated and either tweaked some more or removed from the set list.

EDIT: I'm so used to playing strictly originals I missed the fact that you were talking about covers! Yeah, I'm tired, sick and a little off today. Sorry about that. :hiding:
 
#6
We each put up 2 or 3 songs we would like to do & the band puts them to a vote. If anyone objects they can veto it but it has to be for a good reason, to difficult and the member just can not pull the part off or the song is out of the singers range.

We all have similar tastes in music but it gets a nice mix.
 
#7
hdracer said:
We each put up 2 or 3 songs we would like to do & the band puts them to a vote. If anyone objects they can veto it but it has to be for a good reason, to difficult and the member just can not pull the part off or the song is out of the singers range.

We all have similar tastes in music but it gets a nice mix.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of doing something similar for my band. It's good when everybody has a stake in what we're doing other than just getting paid.
 
#8
we continually add to the long list of songs we've listend to and want to suggest...

Then we'll vote on the "Next 10" to add to the set list. Majority rules on the votes. Veto's don't usually happen but we will drop a song if it just doesn't come together well.

I don't veto anything... but I do usually pick a song and champion that thing and beg for us to at least TRY it first...

Next song to beg for ... Elvis Costello - Pump it Up ... that bassline rules
 
#9
hdracer said:
We each put up 2 or 3 songs we would like to do & the band puts them to a vote. If anyone objects they can veto it but it has to be for a good reason, to difficult and the member just can not pull the part off or the song is out of the singers range.

We all have similar tastes in music but it gets a nice mix.
Click to expand...

We're very similar to this. Each guy gets two suggestions, then we all rank them 1-10. A first place vote gets a song ten points, second is nine and so on. We start working on the top vote getter and work our way down. Anyone can speak up to veto a song if we just aren't getting it. As of October, that method will have worked pretty well for about 30 years.
 
#11
We're officially a democracy, but it doesn't work out that way usually. If the lead singer/guiarists wants to play it, I'll give it a try. Drummer is laid back, just says whatever you guys want alot. I suggest a song to the singer/guitairist and he usually whines about something stupid, I have to keep hammering away until I win or concede. Case in point: earlier this year I decided we should do Rocking in the Free World, I spend a week or two hearing about how Neil Young has a whiny voice, songs too simple, people won't like it,etc.. Eventually I had my way and the crowd loves it every time. I'm currently pushing for a Wilco song( I gave five or six suggestions), I'll have to wait to see if get my way. On originals, I'll usually "pitch" two or three at a time, let the singer pick which one to work on. I always try to predict which ones he'll like but it never works out. I'll play one song that I think is the greatest thing I've written so far and he'll pick one that I was thinking about scrapping, it happens about 75% of the time.:bassist:
 
#12
turbo chicken said:
we continually add to the long list of songs we've listend to and want to suggest...

Then we'll vote on the "Next 10" to add to the set list. Majority rules on the votes. Veto's don't usually happen but we will drop a song if it just doesn't come together well.

I don't veto anything... but I do usually pick a song and champion that thing and beg for us to at least TRY it first...

Next song to beg for ... Elvis Costello - Pump it Up ... that bassline rules
Click to expand...

True, that is so fun.
 
#16
Well, it's my band and I formed it with the best drummer around that I've always loved playing with. The whole concept of our band is about the groove. It's got to be upbeat, funky and/or rockin'.

And we are more like a progressive blues band (Bonomassa, John Mayer Trio, et al) so it has to have at least a very strong blues influence. And they cannot be a classic popular song or a standard I-IV-V (unless they have some kind of funky groove going).

I have over 1500 blues songs in my collection and I made a list of the best 40 from that. We are learning 30 of them and we'll pick out the rest together. They just have to meet my criteria. Lots to choose from.

Nice thing about starting your own band. As a bass player of over 30 years, I finally get to call the shots...although I'm pretty open to ideas and I'm fine with a more democratic approach. But even with that, someone has to be in charge. So basically song choices are more my call but I want input from everyone. The other guys are on the same page with me anyway, and their suggestions thus far are in line with the band's concept so I love the input. I'm not a dictator...for the most part. :D
 
#19
It all depends on the leadership structure and style.

I had a band where I wrote a bunch of songs, named the band, found musicians and told them up front what they were getting into. Song choice was basically what I wrote and the odd cover. The cover rule was 'you pick it, you sing it'. NB yes I was 'Hitler' but I paid for all rehearsals, tea/coffee and provided transport and backline for the bassist.

I joined a band years ago on bass and found that every song I wrote was not used and every idea I had including covers was not used either. After a year the singer confessed that I was a hired hand (with no money) and I was there to play bass and shut up. I told him where he could stick the band.

I've also done covers band gigs with a band leader and basically did what I was told, played and took the money. I didnt like most of the songs we did.

It's all about the leadership structure and knowing what it is.
 
#20
Everyone is invited to bring in a certain number of songs, and hopefully some vision behind how they'd like it to be produced/arranged. Then, we put them all on disc and listen to them on the road, and have several rounds of voting to whittle all the submissions down into a set list, keeping about 5 songs from previous shows.
 

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