Does playing covers sap your imagination and playing

[Jase]

Cor, we're starting to split hairs here....cover bands, version bands????? same thing aren't they?

[ironside1966]

No neglect does, like bilbo say use it or lose it.

Learning something new only en answers your musical vocabulary.

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='Jase' post='220849' date='Jun 17 2008, 07:03 PM']Cor, we're starting to split hairs here....cover bands, version bands????? same thing aren't they? [/quote]

Well yes, in that they both do songs that have been written/made famous by other people, but no in that one tries to sound like the original and the other doesn't. Broadly speaking its all covers but, in the context of this thread, one means that you learn to copy a bass line exactly (possibly to the exclusion of creativity), and the other doesn't (possibly to of exclusion of accuracy, but with room for some creativity).

I'm not making any judgement as to their relative merits here. I'd quite happily play in either, or indeed in an originals band (if only I had the talent).

Clive

[Jase]

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='220929' date='Jun 17 2008, 09:02 PM']Well yes, in that they both do songs that have been written/made famous by other people, but no in that one tries to sound like the original and the other doesn't. Broadly speaking its all covers but, in the context of this thread, one means that you learn to copy a bass line exactly (possibly to the exclusion of creativity), and the other doesn't (possibly to of exclusion of accuracy, but with room for some creativity).

I'm not making any judgement as to their relative merits here. I'd quite happily play in either, or indeed in an originals band (if only I had the talent).

Clive[/quote]


Yeah, I get you mate Hmmm, perhaps I'm in the version type, none of the bass parts I play are THAT close to the originals, the suggestion of the bass part is there but none are identical, I wouldn't put that much time and effort into any covers, it's not that important...surely, unless it's tribute, I can understand the level of accuracy there.

[lukeward2004]

I would say that my funk/soul functions band is a "Versions" band from what you guys have said, and I can say that since playing a shedload of covers and doing our own versions of them, I have improved as a player.

I think you can still be creative with the songs, we tend to drop in breakdowns, the odd change and big ass endings/beginnings - not just the basslines but the whole song. Its amazing how one short break can make a song groove and make a band sound so tight!

In any context, a song should not be written to support a bassline - the bassline is written to fit the context of the overall composition, and whatever you do, it should fit into that context.

Ive seen many "covers" bands just replicating the song, and sounding like the record, which is boring IMHO - people appreciate a show more than a set of covers. By Show I mean medleys, breakdowns, big intro's and a band making the versions of other peoples songs into a seemless show.

[waynepunkdude]

I've never been in a covers band but my band do throw in a few covers from time to time, i think changing the style of the original song is very creative.

On that note check out [url="http://www.myspace.com/bendercrackcorn"]these[/url] guys saw them last week not the best quality ever but they put on a show.

[chardbass]

For me, on the whole, yes.
I can still be creative but I'd have to say I feel stagnation in certain areas of my playing.
In another life maybe I could spend downtime working on things like that but in this life I choose not to.

[NancyJohnson]

In answer to the header on your post, yes.
P

[crez5150]

My answer would be 'no'!

[waynepunkdude]

I'm gonna say maybe

[Bilbo]

VERSION's BANDS???

What a crock!

It might be that a 4-piece band trying to play a James Brown tune that orginally featured a 9-piece may have to rewrite odd sections for obvious reasons but to suggest that this merits a higher level of creativitiy is like saying Burger King is a classier repost than MacDonald's.

You are deluding yourself.

[Jase]

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='221110' date='Jun 18 2008, 09:02 AM']VERSION's BANDS???

What a crock!

It might be that a 4-piece band trying to play a James Brown tune that orginally featured a 9-piece may have to rewrite odd sections for obvious reasons but to suggest that this merits a higher level of creativitiy is like saying Burger King is a classier repost than MacDonald's.

You are deluding yourself.[/quote]


You crack me up bilbo although burger king do better fries.....

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='221110' date='Jun 18 2008, 09:02 AM']VERSION's BANDS???
to suggest that this merits a higher level of creativitiy is like saying Burger King is a classier repost than MacDonald's.[/quote]

But it is !!!

[Bilbo]

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='221148' date='Jun 18 2008, 09:46 AM']But it is !!![/quote]

I agree but it don't make it Michelin Star level.

[Count Bassy]

Agreed!

But to take the analogy further, if your used to eating in Michelin 5 start restaurants (i.e. high 'fallutin' creative jazz music) then Macdonalds and Burger King (i.e. cover bands) must be about the same, and both a bitter disspointment. If your used to eating in MacDonalds then discovering Burger King is a small step in the right direction!

[cheddatom]

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='221160' date='Jun 18 2008, 09:57 AM'].... if your used to eating in Michelin 5 start restaurants (i.e. high 'fallutin' creative jazz music) ....[/quote]

Arrrgh! My blood is boiling over! Must contain rant about arrogant jazz fans!

[chris_b]

And to take the analogy even further....... many original bands that I have heard would equate to Charlie's Kebab van, so excuse me if I don't rate these bass lines as highly as covering something like Chic etc! Burger King? Sheer luxury!!

[Adrenochrome]

Well I'd rather eat a large donner with all the trimmings than eat at a burger chain. In fact I often do after late gigs...

[Count Bassy]

Sorry I should have put several winking/grinning things with that 'high fallutin' comment. No offence meant in anyway Bilbo!

[Bilbo]

[quote name='chris_b' post='221169' date='Jun 18 2008, 10:10 AM']And to take the analogy even further....... many original bands that I have heard would equate to Charlie's Kebab van, so excuse me if I don't rate these bass lines as highly as covering something like Chic etc! Burger King? Sheer luxury!![/quote]

But there are a range of takeaway vans that provide tuck that is far superior to your average high street takeaway - I have eaten Carribean, Thai, Szechuan, Phillipino and a host of others cuisines from vans/tents and was massively impressed by the qulaity. I quickly learned that, like music, there are many people out there who will continue serving you swill if you are unwilling to educate youself enough to recognise the fact.

Edited June 18, 2008 by bilbo230763

[cheddatom]

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='221189' date='Jun 18 2008, 10:20 AM']I quickly learned that, like music, there are many people out there who will continue serving you swill if you are unwilling to educate youself enough to recognise the fact.[/quote]

Maybe there are just many people out there who educated themselves enough to choose the swill that they know and love.

[Bilbo]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='221198' date='Jun 18 2008, 10:28 AM']Maybe there are just many people out there who educated themselves enough to choose the swill that they know and love.[/quote]

They are welcome to it

[alexclaber]

I rarely play covers but in my absence my bandmates decided that we're going to add a couple to the set - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick and If You Want Me To Stay. No complaints from this bassist! Going to be fun having to play and sing them...

Alex

[ianrunci]

With regard to the original question. I think it improves both your playing and imagination. If you are learning new lines and riffs that you couldnt play before it gives you much more scope draw from when creating your own lines.

I think there are things people wouldn't even have attempted to incorporate into an original piece if they hadn't nailed it while learning a cover first. When playing covers and learning new material you often have to learn stuff that you think is beyond your capability, how can learning stuff like this possibly sap your creativity and playing ability. Learning new riffs is expanding your knowledge and that can only help when it comes to creating original material.

Its like an author doing an English degree, its hardly going to make his writing worse is it, quite the opposite I would presume

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='ianrunci' post='221645' date='Jun 18 2008, 07:01 PM']Learning new riffs is expanding your knowledge and that can only help when it comes to creating original material.[/quote]

I disagree. Learning other peoples' songs only teaches you other peoples' songs. If you sat down with them and studied them in depth then maybe you'd learn something more generally useful about music, but simply lifting the line off a record and memorising it in order to repeat it in a pub at the weekend will teach you nothing. More importantly, that's time you could've spent either studying something more challenging or experimenting on your own, either of which would've had greater returns.

[quote name='ianrunci' post='221645' date='Jun 18 2008, 07:01 PM']Its like an author doing an English degree, its hardly going to make his writing worse is it, quite the opposite I would presume[/quote]

I would argue that dissecting a work of literature and demonstrating an understanding of it is a markedly different pursuit to memorising a bass line.