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The Official Covers vs Originals Thread
- Thread starter bassbully
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Yes we can. Bottom line is we who prefer to play originals for the most part share the same good reasons for doing so. Money was hardly mentioned in the good reasons although I am sure we all want some compensation for our time...most of the time.I had a feeling that being creative,artistic, writing and playing bass lines you create would be some of the main reasons. Other reasons such as better opportunity to play more interesting venues and shows are a good reasons also. Just knowing most of us are driven by the love of music to create it solo or with others is really cool. It takes allot of guts to go out and stand behind and support the music we create.
I get bored easy. Variety is the spice of life. So right now I'm playing in both (orginals band, cover band, church band, and am looking at a wedding band). We have orginals band practice for 2 hours, a couple members leave, a couple more come in and we hit the cover band for 2 hours. To me, it seems there is a shortage of kick ass blues based rock. But its also been hard because how many people are interested when you say you love your day job more and this is just a hobby, that's all we want it to be. The hang is fun but its all about the music for me. I haven't said one thing to my bandmates since practice last Tues.
I do both, not in the same band, but in 3, maybe soon to be 4 bands. Therefore I'm better than all of you.
Seriously though, why is it vs? I have my reasons but I'm too concerned with my family and my job, well and my life in general, to get my panties all in a bunch because bluewine says playing on a stage for tons of people means more to him than his son and he therefore picks cover bands. Do what you want to do and don't worry about it. Its music, not murder.
Seriously though, why is it vs? I have my reasons but I'm too concerned with my family and my job, well and my life in general, to get my panties all in a bunch because bluewine says playing on a stage for tons of people means more to him than his son and he therefore picks cover bands. Do what you want to do and don't worry about it. Its music, not murder.
I play in one strictly original band and another 50/50 cover-originals. The 50/50 band I do for money, the strictly original band I do for love.
The main reason I play original music is the strength of my playing is creativity and writing bass lines. Original music suits my talents.
The main reason I play original music is the strength of my playing is creativity and writing bass lines. Original music suits my talents.
Every riff ever has already been written, mostly by Iommi, so even originals are just covers.
Rev DOOM
Rev DOOM
Bert Slide said:I think playing covers is really fun.
I think playing originals is really fun.
I hope y'all are having fun too, Whatever you are playing.
For me, the originals I played with my last band was a lot more fun than what I'm doing now.
Blue
I get it and so does everyone else but you put "good" in the same sentence with "originals band". The Grinch may live way up high on a mountain in a cave but if he hears a happy Who you know he's going to come barreling down the mountain to steal Christmas!
I like how you kept it in the holiday season.
Oh Blue you never cease to humor me. Yes gigging was not mentioned allot and like money it shows me one thing. Maybe folks who do originals focus on the love and creativity they get from it before gigs and money. For me this is true.
jive1
Commercial User
I've been a cover guy most of my life, but got involved in an original project last summer. I can certainly gig more and get paid better in other realms, but I got myself into this project because I really craved musical development.
After being at this for a few decades, I didn't want 3 chord Rock to be where I settled at in terms of playing. Not to be too cocky, or belittling to others, but after doing this for twenty something years at a semi-pro level, most of the typical Rock/Pop/Blues/Country/R&B covers really weren't a challenge to me. Sure, the songs were fun and I loved the crowd reaction, but from a musical standpoint, it was getting stale and so was my playing.
Fortunately for me, I got to be involved in a part-time project with a really talented guitar player. I'm talking Al DiMeola/Pat Metheny type of good. We both have our gigs that bring in the cash, so we could take this project with minimal pressure and optimum creativity. Even if the project didn't make a dime or play any gigs, the musicial experience is well worth it. I've learned alot, and it's cheaper than paying for lessons.
After being at this for a few decades, I didn't want 3 chord Rock to be where I settled at in terms of playing. Not to be too cocky, or belittling to others, but after doing this for twenty something years at a semi-pro level, most of the typical Rock/Pop/Blues/Country/R&B covers really weren't a challenge to me. Sure, the songs were fun and I loved the crowd reaction, but from a musical standpoint, it was getting stale and so was my playing.
Fortunately for me, I got to be involved in a part-time project with a really talented guitar player. I'm talking Al DiMeola/Pat Metheny type of good. We both have our gigs that bring in the cash, so we could take this project with minimal pressure and optimum creativity. Even if the project didn't make a dime or play any gigs, the musicial experience is well worth it. I've learned alot, and it's cheaper than paying for lessons.
jive1
Commercial User
This isn't directed solely at you, just a general FYI.
The debate is pretty openly framed. I expect it to morph from one subtopic of the discussion to another as the thread grows.
jive1
Commercial User
For me, business usually keeps me from being a full-time member of an original band.
If I am going to be a member of an original band, I want writing credits and/or ownership..Period. Original bands require more work than a cover band because you still need to develop the material, and the image. Because most venues see original acts as risky, they try to minimize their risk by doing multi-band shows, and/or not providing any minimum payout. Basically, if I'm going to take a bigger risk and put in more work for less pay, I have to own something out of it if it takes off. IME, most folks aren't willing to do that for me.
On the flip side, I have a hard time asking other musicians to make that kind of sacrifice for me. I would have to have some really awesome material which engages both musicians and audiences, which I don't have now. Even if they were fine with the situation, I would still have a hard time asking someone. IME, even if I were willing to give equity, it's not enough for most folks given my material.
If I am going to be a member of an original band, I want writing credits and/or ownership..Period. Original bands require more work than a cover band because you still need to develop the material, and the image. Because most venues see original acts as risky, they try to minimize their risk by doing multi-band shows, and/or not providing any minimum payout. Basically, if I'm going to take a bigger risk and put in more work for less pay, I have to own something out of it if it takes off. IME, most folks aren't willing to do that for me.
On the flip side, I have a hard time asking other musicians to make that kind of sacrifice for me. I would have to have some really awesome material which engages both musicians and audiences, which I don't have now. Even if they were fine with the situation, I would still have a hard time asking someone. IME, even if I were willing to give equity, it's not enough for most folks given my material.
It's the "and the image" part that has really annoyed and frustrated me in the past with the originals band, or even with the guy who wrote some songs which get really good crowd responses in one of my current 90% covers bands. It's almost as if a lot of the creative people feel that image and marketing are kinda dirty and they'd rather not deal with such things. I'm completely the other way around - self-promotion is fun, writing songs is beneath me.
I do get along well with one girl who wrote a few songs when she was 16, and even performed one with the band a few times, but she always seemed to find it more embarrassing than cool, especially when people told her they liked it. That might be as much creativity as I can stand.
Hey guys, this is my first post on TB!
I've been reading and learning a lot for a while now, and decided to register and start by posting an opinion about covers vs originals all the way from Eastern Europe
I have played in originals and covers bands, and I have decided that I like originals bands better, even if they don't make any money. So if fate will grant me the opportunity to make a living out of playing songs I wrote or took part in writing I will be a happy man, otherwise I will keep the day job and stick to playing in my living room until the bitter end ... And yes, in my view originals bands that make it are much more valuable than covers bands, they are up there for a reason, they deserve it, they set the standards and get remembered. I will take any punishment I deserve for saying this
I've been reading and learning a lot for a while now, and decided to register and start by posting an opinion about covers vs originals all the way from Eastern Europe
I have played in originals and covers bands, and I have decided that I like originals bands better, even if they don't make any money. So if fate will grant me the opportunity to make a living out of playing songs I wrote or took part in writing I will be a happy man, otherwise I will keep the day job and stick to playing in my living room until the bitter end ... And yes, in my view originals bands that make it are much more valuable than covers bands, they are up there for a reason, they deserve it, they set the standards and get remembered. I will take any punishment I deserve for saying this
Of course, what someone decides to do with their time is their own business, be it playing covers or writing originals. Both have their pros and cons which have been stated and will be restated over and over again. Still, it's hard for me to believe that people can sit there and say that one is objectively better than the other. Play whatever you like. For me, that means writing and playing originals.
I like playing originals because it gives me that creative outlet everyone likes to bring up. It's nice because appealing original music just kind of happens if I sit down with an instrument, which is probably one of the reasons I like originals, that is, because it comes naturally. I'm also a writer (of words, I mean) and I write a lot of poetry, so lyrics are never in short supply. Additionally, for me, there's no better feeling than standing on a stage and performing a song that you wrote for an audience of people that are just excited about hearing it, maybe even more than you are about playing it (this is ideal).
That being said, I have to give credit to people who perform covers as well. Although I've never performed with a cover band, it's not something I'm against, necessarily, it's just a matter of time constraints. Music isn't just about being a "creative outlet", certainly, it's also, and perhaps more importantly, about having fun! And covers are fun. You get to play songs with other musicians that people have been enjoying long before you came around and started rockin' them; these are songs that people are familiar with and already love, and they're going to be stoked to hear them performed live. And I could imagine it's pretty fun being a performer in a cover band as well. I mean, I play my favourite bassists' lines and such on my own time outside of my originals band, but cover musicians take this to the next level by finding other musicians who love the same music as they do and work together to recreate it live for the enjoyment of others; I can definitely see the appeal.
Essentially: I prefer originals but covers are nice too.
I like playing originals because it gives me that creative outlet everyone likes to bring up. It's nice because appealing original music just kind of happens if I sit down with an instrument, which is probably one of the reasons I like originals, that is, because it comes naturally. I'm also a writer (of words, I mean) and I write a lot of poetry, so lyrics are never in short supply. Additionally, for me, there's no better feeling than standing on a stage and performing a song that you wrote for an audience of people that are just excited about hearing it, maybe even more than you are about playing it (this is ideal).
That being said, I have to give credit to people who perform covers as well. Although I've never performed with a cover band, it's not something I'm against, necessarily, it's just a matter of time constraints. Music isn't just about being a "creative outlet", certainly, it's also, and perhaps more importantly, about having fun! And covers are fun. You get to play songs with other musicians that people have been enjoying long before you came around and started rockin' them; these are songs that people are familiar with and already love, and they're going to be stoked to hear them performed live. And I could imagine it's pretty fun being a performer in a cover band as well. I mean, I play my favourite bassists' lines and such on my own time outside of my originals band, but cover musicians take this to the next level by finding other musicians who love the same music as they do and work together to recreate it live for the enjoyment of others; I can definitely see the appeal.
Essentially: I prefer originals but covers are nice too.
There are. I lived in Milwaukee for 6 years and saw lots of bands, both original bands and cover bands, and both mixed it up. Heck, Dave Matthews plays at least one cover tune every night of his tour.
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