With the exception of a period in the '90s when nobody wanted to admit that any music ever existed before them (most of those bands are long gone now...), you'd be hard pressed to find a band that hasn't covered someone else's material.
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I have a problem with cover/tribute bands.
- Thread starter T-Forty
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I just wish the "artists" that do nothing but original material,would do their own thing,and not get so wound up at everybody that like to play covers. I'm sick of hear stuff like creativity,and artistic integrity.If you want to do nothing but your own material,then more power to you. You'll never hear folks that play cover bash you for doing your own thing. Just shut up and play your tunes for what few fans you might have,the rest of us will play lots of cover gigs every month,and make a hell of a lot more money.And have a great time doing it.
Are you actually saying doing a sub-gig or playing in a cover band is immoral?
Yes, I do call it misguided. Most, if not all of the bands we all love would not exist if everyone held the same, misguided concepts. By your description, The Stones, The Beatles, et al. behaved immorally.
This attitude is exactly what I am reacting to in this thread.
(Presuming you played double bass) Would you not play in an orchestra? Because it's a rare orchestra indeed where every musician composes their own parts. Are all those symphony musician breaking some moral code by playing parts they didn't compose themselves?
You'd turn down legitimate work - not play perfectly acceptable music in perfectly acceptable situations - legally, ethically, morally - all because you weren't the originator of your parts. That's not morals - that's narcissism run amok.
And by implication, anyone who does any of these perfectly ethical, legal (and yes, moral) things would be, by your definition, acting in an "immoral" fashion.
Amazing. I still think you're being deliberately oblique for the sake of effect. If not... amazing...
I think two things are being assumed here that are inaccurate:
Firstly, I do NOT have a problem with people doing cover songs, they can do whatever they'd like to and ifthey're successful all the more power to them. I just stated that I personally would never do it and proceeded to explain why. Secondly, I'm well aware that most bands play covers. That's totally cool. However, essentially all of the famous ones are famous for their original work, not their covers. They used their own creativity and intellect to reach their stature. I've said numerous times that it's perfectly fine to cover songs, but your musicianship should not be entirely someone elses.
Firstly, I do NOT have a problem with people doing cover songs, they can do whatever they'd like to and ifthey're successful all the more power to them. I just stated that I personally would never do it and proceeded to explain why. Secondly, I'm well aware that most bands play covers. That's totally cool. However, essentially all of the famous ones are famous for their original work, not their covers. They used their own creativity and intellect to reach their stature. I've said numerous times that it's perfectly fine to cover songs, but your musicianship should not be entirely someone elses.
I doubt your hypocritical and thinly veiled passive aggressive attacks are fooling anyone... well, they might fool Grayson.
Just sick of the elitist attitude of the that somehow if you're not playing music you wrote yourself,you're not a musician.Just wish they would shut up and do ther own thing.
I doubt your hypocritical and thinly veiled passive aggressive attacks are fooling anyone... well, they might fool Grayson.
Alright,
I'll take the bait
and participate
in the debate.
(Hey, I think there's an original song somewhere in there. . .
)But seriously. . .
--People who only play covers are not musicians
--They are like monkeys pretending to be musicians
--Not playing originals means their very lives lack ambition
--Music cannot progress by re-playing music that already exists
--Playing old music is a disservice to new music
I'm not putting words in your mouth - that is an accurate summary of what you just posted.
I think the absurdity of these ideas is self evident and I'm not going to waste my time refuting them. I'm also not going to take offense at them, though I suspect they are meant to be purposely offensive.
I would be similarly un-offended if someone had said to me "The sky is pink and anyone who says it is blue is a moron" or "Hockey is not a sport because it doesn't have a ball and those who play it are trying to compensate for defects in their character". It's hard to be offended by such obviously ridiculous statements when one is preoccupied with dismissive disgust. :scowl:
According to your posts, you have only been playing bass for a few months. And have no real experience playing in public in any situation other than your local Guitar Center with some guy "jamming on keyboard" I think I know where your words are coming from BUT they ARE misguided. You feel when you are playing something from your head and it sounds good that is is all we should do. The problem is that you want to find a group of instrument players who want to blindly stab at notes until they find something they like. That's called jamming. Do you believe every classical musician is not an artist. They are playing songs of great great great grandparents.
According to your posts, you have only been playing bass for a few months. And have no real experience playing in public in any situation other than your local Guitar Center with some guy "jamming on keyboard" I think I know where your words are coming from BUT they ARE misguided. You feel when you are playing something from your head and it sounds good that is is all we should do. The problem is that you want to find a group of instrument players who want to blindly stab at notes until they find something they like. That's called jamming. Do you believe every classical musician is not an artist. They are playing songs of great great great grandparents.
Otis I think that is called Jazz Fusion !
but are they writing it down, and can they play it the same way twice?
GC 
...
There was a young guy just the other day in the local GC playing some artsy kinda stuff on a 5 string not very rhythmic or making a lot of musical sense but he was ardent about it ... several bass players in the room talking amongst ourselves, and when he didn't get any atta boys he kinda shruged his sholders and left.
... makes ya wonder if maybe ... Nah couldn't be 
... There was a young guy just the other day in the local GC playing some artsy kinda stuff on a 5 string not very rhythmic or making a lot of musical sense but he was ardent about it ... several bass players in the room talking amongst ourselves, and when he didn't get any atta boys he kinda shruged his sholders and left.
... makes ya wonder if maybe ... Nah couldn't be
When I was first learning guitar and bass all by ear, it was frustrating to learn propper chord fingering. So I tuned in what was called master chord. An open chord where I only had to bar the neck and go to the next chord position. And it sounded good! Ok I will just do it MY way. Because it was easier. But I learned you have to know your past B4 you can go forward "cliche" yes but it is true. I started to play correctly but still by ear. Now after hundreds of shows and many years later, as I said in my earlier post when I play I want you to enjoy what "otis" plays. I want to be in that band that people GO to see as opposed to I was in the band that happened to be there when they went! If it has to be covers, I want to cook em up the way I like! I know my neck and can read a lettered chart but I still play by ear. Grayson keep looking for the new but don't be quick to dismiss the past, you have'nt been anywhere yet. And you should work on the "I am young so get out of my way!" tude!
This shows you don't understand music publishing. When you write one you will want it played for as long and by as many as possible. If I could only write a tune like the Stones that is still getting played and BOUGHT after 40 years. That means people still find what was said meaningful
This shows you don't understand music publishing. When you write one you will want it played for as long and by as many as possible. If I could only write a tune like the Stones that is still getting played and BOUGHT after 40 years. That means people still find what was said meaningful
WOW, 9 pages in one day...
good luck to the OP, better get a day job.
IMO there's nothing wrong with doing both,
cover tunes pay the bills (sad but true),
if you're a creative musician, then you'll put your own signature on the cover tunes you do.
when you write and play originals you're still influenced by everything and everyone you've grown up digging...
Originality is all about ones own character, feel, style, etc. no matter what you play
good luck to the OP, better get a day job.
IMO there's nothing wrong with doing both,
cover tunes pay the bills (sad but true),
if you're a creative musician, then you'll put your own signature on the cover tunes you do.
when you write and play originals you're still influenced by everything and everyone you've grown up digging...
Originality is all about ones own character, feel, style, etc. no matter what you play
My argument against original bands/for cover bands is that unless I personally wrote every song, I'm playing a cover, whether it's a cover of a song on the radio or a cover of a song written by the guy across the stage from me. By that same token, the majority of almost every band is a cover band at some point during a set, since it's very rare that every member of the band contributes writing on every song. Moreover, if they do contribute, then the rest of the band is covering the parts they didn't contribute. Lastly, I just made $100 for a 2.5 hour set that required no writing whatsoever on my part, and I do so every few weeks in addition to other gigs that come along. I've got no issue with covering songs. (By the way, we play originals as well, and sometimes will do shows that are entirely originals or maybe a few covers.)
Tell ya what rock star, you play your original stuff with "actual musicians" for the local coffee house staff and the rest of us will go ahead and book gigs that draw crowds and pay money.
I love condescending posts like this. Let me know when you headline a gig for 3,000 people like the rest of the fake musicians in my tribute band and I have. There's actually a pretty significant artistic effort to reproduce an iconic show as a tribute band and paying crowds seem to understand this.
Just so you understand, your subjective opinion on who brought something "good" to the music world is as worthless as everyone else's.
If it helps you to think of yourself as a more evolved artist than the rest of us monkeys, go right ahead. It's sad that you need that kind of motivation, honestly. And I have a hard time understanding how that contributes to the creativity required to make listenable new music, but hey I have bananas to eat and poo to fling, so I'm gonna go ahead and do that.
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