Practicing for originals gig is different for me

[pklima]

A lot of "it depends" depending on the writer, so here are a few scenarios from my past:

What I probably liked best from a writer was charts that had chords, the vocal, and indications of where he wanted specific notes or accents in specific places. The rest was for me to fill in with whatever I thought would be right for the style. Only one song I went "no I can't play that many notes that fast" so we agreed I can just do some basic Latin groove or something. But that guy is a genius jazz pianist.

A couple of singers just did the "I dunno, I put my fingers somewhere, I don't know the note names" thing, one on piano and one on guitar. The piano one was easy enough, everything was simple diatonic triads in spite of not knowing what a diatonic or a triad was, but the guitar one unintentionally did some jazzy extensions in the chords that took some looking at her fingers to figure out what was happening, analyzing what chords it adds up to, and then arranging a bassline for that.

And on the other end of the spectrum, one band I replaced a didgeridoo player, so the preexisting basslines were as easy as it gets - either a C or an F or nothing.

 

[Lo-E]

A couple of singers just did the "I dunno, I put my fingers somewhere, I don't know the note names" thing

Around 1989 or 1990 I played with a songwriter who billed himself as "Gary 7" and he once handed me a chart - just chord names, he didn't write notation - on which there was a measure that said Gw.

So, of course, I had to ask him…
Me: Gw?
Him: Yeah, I don't know, man…. it's like a G but it's weird.

 

[buldog5151bass]

1. Chord chart on the floor.
2. Position yourself so you can see the guitarist's left hand, and drummers right foot.
3. Listen to the songs and play al9ng for practice.

 

[wjcstp]

Are you in this band or just filling in?

I'd echo the advice given early on and annotate your set list to help you stay on track. I've only been in original bands (with the odd cover) and do this often, especially when we're bringing in a new song or when we have songs in the set with similar chords, just to keep them straight. If you have a good feel for the sound of the band, trust that you can fill in any gaps and forge ahead.

 

[mambo4]

Lots of esoteric changes

I've seen a lot of chord progressions in my day, I'm sure you have too
It's nearly impossible for an "original" writer to concoct chord changes that both sound good are are truly novel.
Often they just communicate it badly , mixing sharps and flats willy nilly, calling an inversion by the wrong root, or failing to recognize what key they are actually in. "esoteric changes" are frequently just more common I - IV -V forms in disguise, with occasional oddball flukes
experience with many covers , plus fluency in functional harmony , helps decipher these cases.

the structure of these tunes is idiosyncratic

Many "original" songwriters who avoid covers never develop a sense for common 16 or 32 bar forms,
and don't know where the repeats fall on a 4 or 8 bar chunk
Most often they insert extra bars with some musical cue to tell themselves where to restart
'Idiosyncratic structure' usually means a 16 or 32 bar structure with extra bars inserted after a verse/chorus
I'm always like "oh yeah , that's the section they added because they can't count to eight"

But that doesn't mean it's wrong, see Ring of Fire
---
When working with originals I always Chart the songs, know the chords and structure
And very often end up "translating" what they communicate into more familiar common forms
and noting where they deviate

 

[JRA]

I'm always like "oh yeah , that's the section they added because they can't count to eight"

funny! be like: "i'm a 'songwriter' because i can never be a musician who writes songs."

 

[Hypocrite]

No trick, no advice. Just learn the songs. Like, literally, that's all you gotta do. It's not rocket surgery.

 

[Geepers]

It's not rocket surgery.

Nor is it brain science.

 

[ryco]

No chord charts nor format charts for originals. It's an unneccessary extra step. Get that stuff and the arrangement format into your ear and memory. 2¢ and HO 𝄢

 

[dougjwray]

All cover songs were once originals.
I strongly disagree with the idea of ironing out the kinks in a songwriter's work. I think my job is to support their vision, and if it requires me to stretch, that's GOOD. A producer might tell them to make the verses all the same length, but I won't.
I agree with making charts. It clarifies things, even if you don't use them at the gig.
And all songwriters have their characteristic habits. After a while, you can kind of predict or feel where they're going to go.
Practice, practice, practice!
Also... practice!

 

[Norm Nelson]

Yes, chart'em out! Great start, and totally helps you remember the song. And start with the roots and chord changes, find the appropriate groove, and then add embellishments and fills as needed and when appropriate. I have the same issues playing in an originals band, but it's cool! I get to be creative in my own way.

 

[logdrum]

I am in one too. But it;s not that complicated, Many good pop songs in the 70's 80's are definitely harmonically clever like Dave Foster for example.

New Music Avant Garde ljazz or new classical, now that's complicated. You need to read and improvise in very unfamiliar ways

 

[srosenthal13]

You didn't say (or I didn't see) if this was purely instrumental music, or if it's songs with lyrics. If it's songs with lyrics, try to learn the lyrics -- at least the phrases leading to section changes -- and the chorus lyrics.

I played drums with a singer-songwriter who wrote good, quirky pop songs that often had non-traditional phrasing (3 bars, 6 bars, stuff like that) that served the lyrical flow. It really helped me to know the words. Also, since I knew the words, I could pick spots to punch key words or phrases. She really liked that.

 

[wboyd68]

Over the last 40 years I've been in three original bands. Fortunately I've always had the freedom to write my own basslines, but for memorizing progressions, I find charting them out to be an effective strategy. Also, if you screw up during a show, make a face at either the drummer or the guitar player and no one in the audience will know it was you that screwed up.

 

[vvvmmm]

Welcome to the dark side.

 

[_Obra_]

On those occasions I have a habit of listening the songs as much as possible. Non-stop during the day, in my car or AirPods and necessarily before bed time. The more they enter my head and memory, the better I will know the harmony and the groove. Nobody really cares about the details, they will come in time.

 

[micguy]

I've played in cover bands, in bands where we did original material, and now I do church gigs. You would think that church gigs are just like a cover band, but it doesn't work out that way. Church gigs are the hardest, because we're constantly playing different arrangements and in different keys. We also end up learning a lot more new material than in any cover band or original project that I've ever done. It has made me a much better musician, but it can be a lot of work.

OK, enough about me....

Cover bands and band with original material are simpler. With cover bands, you probably know some of the material (or at least have heard it) going in. So, they are easier to get going. But....in the long run a band with original material is the easiest gig. The material changes less frequently in a band that does original material, and there is less of it. You almost never change keys, and the arrangements are usually nailed down - rarely do they change. When a new tune comes in, you all learn it at once - as long as you're willing to put in some effort, there's no real issue with being behind everyone else, except when you jump in to an established band. So, what looks like a lot of work right now will get much easier over time.

I'd suggest you work on a few tunes at a time, getting things solidified, then working on another set of tunes. If you try to learn everything at once, that can be overwhelming, but a few at a time, you should get there pretty fast.

 

[micguy]

Just pretend to play. No one can hear the bass anyway.

What's the best bass for pretend metal?

 

[vvvmmm]

What's the best bass for pretend metal?

The same Sid pretended to play for punk?

 

[Aussie Player]

Don't be affraid to dumb things down a bit, as basslines can sound better and be more effective if the song becomes busy or has too many changes or sounds complex.