#31
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One of the ways to own a song by others is to just announce the song title but not the artist that covered it. Some songs have been big hits by several artists. You don't want some music expert yelling hey that was recorded by James Taylor man! We sometimes tell a quick story about song like the theme from The Endless Summer.
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#32
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Interesting that some seem to think covering a song and making it your own, as opposed to copying note for note and timing etc. is something even remotely new ??? It has been going on since recording started.
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Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Ventura 12.2.1 |
#33
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i find the reason i cover a song is because
like the song the way it is. i have a few songs i have changed drastically and most folks seem to recognize them anyway. "Glendale Train" by NRPS is one that comes to mind. i find the general audience responds better to songs they know. Covers of songs like layla or margaritaville or sweet home alabama are best done like the original. after you learn a song and your at the point where it is just part of your setlist,that at this point is where you start to make it your own. subtle changes over time may not be noticeable to you. |
#34
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#35
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Great thread. I grew up a classically trained musician, and exact covers are kind of the standard M.O. for classical music. But now that I really don’t do the classical music, except for classical guitar, I’ve had to draw from both my training and my fellow improv musician. I think the best I can do is to listen to the original and learn it as exactly as possible, similar to what Glennwillow mentioned. I want to understand the original direction of the tune. But my partner and I take it out of the box at that point, usually into the swing category. We have our own style. In fact, we even do a swing version of Pachelbel’s Canon that is ever-evolving, depending on my mood.
If people want to hear the recorded version of something, they can get the CD. Live music isn’t and shouldn’t be subject to that sort of thing, unless you are a classical performer, and then good luck with living your life as a music clone. I don’t always agree with other people’s interpretations of songs, but it’s refreshing to hear their versions. That’s the beautiful thing about music.
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#36
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Me/We, usually just change the key, add some repeats to make it longer for dancing... Leads/instrumentals the best we can..which is pretty close.
Now that I'm a solo Rhythm Singer... I do the best I can with the intro's, adjust key, and adjust some phasing if it's giving me trouble, But overall my covers have the essence of the original... and nobody complained I really liked that Billie Jean link.... Great Duo! wish I had a female singer like that .... https://youtu.be/441mR2zsQbg |
#37
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I play strictly fingerstyle and rarely sing, so it's always been about learning the song & fingerstyle arrangement exactly as written to begin with for me.
Once I have it down, I can begin to make changes to suit my tastes regarding flow, tonal adjustments chord selection etc...
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#38
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I'll throw in my 2 cents, just because I'm still surprised there are people (evidently a great many people!) who expect covers to be faithful reproductions of an original recording and are annoyed--offended, even--when they're not.
I guess I get the sentiment--I imagine they feel the same way I do when some song I hate sells a billion copies worldwide. But the "carbon copy" mentality kinda throws out a few hundred years' (or more?) worth of musical tradition, doesn't it? Having a "definitive" version of a given song is a relatively new phenomenon, now that we have records, or cassettes, or CDs, or whatever. I'm not being disrespectful to Robert Burns--or whoever wrote it--if I alter a word or two in "Auld Lang Syne" because I don't feel like learning 18th-century Ayrshire Scots. Nobody cares, either, because Bob never paid for the studio time to lay it down on vinyl. Modern recording, copyrights, etc., are mostly great things for music. But they shouldn't make you feel like you can't go out and sing a great song without sitting down and learning a particular recorded version note-for-note. I'll bet John Denver didn't play "Rocky Mountain High" the same way twice, and I'd be a little disappointed if he did. (This, of course, will never ever convince the people I'm disagreeing with, so kindly carry on.) |
#39
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Once I get the basic phasing,... and basic style I quit listening to the original, it just gets in the way and I don't want to sound, word for word...line for line like the original, because at that point I would be just learning the artist's style/nuances of his or her voice..
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#40
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I feel very strongly about this subject, so thanks to the OP for starting it.
When I sing and perform, I feel that I am a story teller. Yes I play guitar too but that is only because I learnt to play guitar because it enabled me to sing songs .... or stories. I've written any songs in my time but nw I mostly do covers. I don't necessarily sing in the same key as the original nless it happens to suit me. I don't necessarily do it at the same tempo. I don't necessarily play it the same way Tablature is a waste of time to me, I can't read notation, let me get the progression and write the lyrics (which I may change to be more appropriate to my largely British audience) - then as Sarah Jarosz says - "build it up from the bones" I live in an English city which happens to have one of the finest theatres in the country and I've been privileged to be called upon to do some acting sometimes with some famous actors. A song with a real message (I don't do preachy or protest) is like telling it like it is about you. If there is an emotion in the story , it should be acted into the song. (NOTE: these "rules" are for me - I'm not dictating). There are some songs that are (to my mind) wasted if sung straight. An example is "don't think twice - it's alright" By some bloke called Dylan. To me this is a very bitter angry song about the end of a relationship. This is a song that should be sung through gritted teeth, with that frustration showing. It is often played too fast and too happy. This is the best version I ever heard : If it is a happy song - make it happy, if it ain't do t'other thing. The important thing is to "sell the song" make it get through to the audience. Oh, BTW - if interested - here's my sombre version :
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! Last edited by Silly Moustache; 01-05-2018 at 08:26 AM. |
#41
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Hey Silly M. could not agree more . Both Allen Taylor's and your versions are very interesting and believable . Whatever "drift" there is from Dylan is an asset.
Heck, Dylan himself was notorious for more often than not , producing very different performances of his songs. While precise replication can certainly represent a high degree of craftsmanship it does not necessarily represent a high level of artistry. To me precise replication is the job of recording devices not humans. Also for example : It is in fact the galactic difference from Dylan's version, yet recognizability, that makes Jimi Hendrix's "All Along The Watchtower " so iconic.
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Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Ventura 12.2.1 Last edited by KevWind; 01-05-2018 at 09:02 AM. |
#42
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#43
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And getting back to the artists in the OP's post: Side 1 of James Taylor's Sweet Baby James closes with a cover. On John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" album: he wrote (or co-wrote) the title track, but three of the six songs on side 1 are covers. A lot of things changed between 1974 and 2004, sure, but you can't blame cover bands on America's Youth. That's an olllllllllld tradition, and a good one at that. |
#44
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When I play someone else song I learn it just like it is played an then Taylor it to my style. I have a low voice but like to sing. SO I use a capo a lot. I also teach guitar and like to break songs down for beginners to feel successful at playing songs. So I will break it down for them. I also make a song my own and may fingerpick a "strum" song or vice versa.
Basically go with "if it sounds good, it is good"...... |