| ok I think I get this.... |
Hey in my last post I came to the realization that cover bands are not cool.... so in my quest to be the best I have decieded to really try my hand at writting a well thought out song.... my problem is all i can think to write about is love songs ( I have had recent complications in a relationship).... anyone have something that they would like to have a song written about? Dont think im completely stupid ok! I just need alittle help I'm definitly a noob (not to guitar playing) and im really just now getting serious about my music. Any help is apreciated thnx!
| Originals VS Covers |
I am working on an article about this very subject. I don't have it finished yet but it goes kinda like this.
For most people in music they don't have a lot of money. So if you want to be able to upgrade gear and get good recording equipment or studio time you have to get money somehow. I say why not let your music do it for you.
Some people are always trying to draw a line in the sand saying it's either this or it's either that. That's B.S though you can put a band together that can successfully do both.
Most clubs that pay well like to hire cover bands. They usually have a little leeway in there, that will allow you to play a couple of originals in each set, or at least one original in each set. You can get a ton of experience this way plus make money for gear. If you want to cut a pro cd some day, you can get with your band mates decide not to split up the money individually(or save a % and split up a %) and put it into a band account ( I strongly suggest this....treat your band as a business cause it is). If you only play one time a month for $800.00 us dollars X 12 months this comes out to $9,600.00 in one year. and you can do the math if you play two times a month.or more.
If you are good at business you can take a portion of this, and buy some promotional items. Get things like Tshirts, bumper stickers, buttons, keychains, whatever,........ sell + give some away.
You can make money doing all originals, but usually it's harder to find clubs willing to pay you for your originals, until you get a big following. You can put on your own events, and sell tickets, but I look at it like this ,if you can't fill out a 100 seat bar with your own following, how many people are you going to actually get at your event ................
Now don't get me wrong ,I have done successful stuff with all original shows by bringing in other bands, and renting a medium sized hall. You can usually find originals bands willing to do this stuff for free, plus they will bring people ......you cans sell tickets, and charge at the door.......Remember , you need to think things out though ......1. Security....2 Sound system and lights.....3 gotta have the upfront money for the hall....4 some one has to control the event .....Stage management for the bands ect. (lots of bands are lazy and will take forever to set up there gear.....can't let em).
The problem with the all originals approach is if you don't sell enough tickets, or enough people show up, you will lose money.......Also if you tried to do one of these each month, your crowd would taper off.
I have found that the easiest solution is to do covers and originals...You will have steady income for the band,
plus there is nothing as tight as a gigging band. It's almost like you start becoming mind readers (those of you who are in one know what I'm talking about)
I hope I have given you somethings to think about. Playing in a band sounds easy, but to be successful it takes a lot of work and dedication..
For most people in music they don't have a lot of money. So if you want to be able to upgrade gear and get good recording equipment or studio time you have to get money somehow. I say why not let your music do it for you.
Some people are always trying to draw a line in the sand saying it's either this or it's either that. That's B.S though you can put a band together that can successfully do both.
Most clubs that pay well like to hire cover bands. They usually have a little leeway in there, that will allow you to play a couple of originals in each set, or at least one original in each set. You can get a ton of experience this way plus make money for gear. If you want to cut a pro cd some day, you can get with your band mates decide not to split up the money individually(or save a % and split up a %) and put it into a band account ( I strongly suggest this....treat your band as a business cause it is). If you only play one time a month for $800.00 us dollars X 12 months this comes out to $9,600.00 in one year. and you can do the math if you play two times a month.or more.
If you are good at business you can take a portion of this, and buy some promotional items. Get things like Tshirts, bumper stickers, buttons, keychains, whatever,........ sell + give some away.
You can make money doing all originals, but usually it's harder to find clubs willing to pay you for your originals, until you get a big following. You can put on your own events, and sell tickets, but I look at it like this ,if you can't fill out a 100 seat bar with your own following, how many people are you going to actually get at your event ................
Now don't get me wrong ,I have done successful stuff with all original shows by bringing in other bands, and renting a medium sized hall. You can usually find originals bands willing to do this stuff for free, plus they will bring people ......you cans sell tickets, and charge at the door.......Remember , you need to think things out though ......1. Security....2 Sound system and lights.....3 gotta have the upfront money for the hall....4 some one has to control the event .....Stage management for the bands ect. (lots of bands are lazy and will take forever to set up there gear.....can't let em).
The problem with the all originals approach is if you don't sell enough tickets, or enough people show up, you will lose money.......Also if you tried to do one of these each month, your crowd would taper off.
I have found that the easiest solution is to do covers and originals...You will have steady income for the band,
plus there is nothing as tight as a gigging band. It's almost like you start becoming mind readers (those of you who are in one know what I'm talking about)
I hope I have given you somethings to think about. Playing in a band sounds easy, but to be successful it takes a lot of work and dedication..
Well, I didn't quite go into the detail that Greg did! Anyway, I posted this on Silentslaughter's original post:
Which can be found at http://forum.bandamp.com/The_Pit/48720.html#id48854
Jiminuk wrote…
Silentslaughter,
I bet you ending reconsidering the "I don't need this any more! I'm not doing cover band stuff!" - I'll tell you why...
Be original for sure - but you can learn so much by dissecting the work that other bands have done and learning to play some of the music you like well. It's a challenge to cover stuff well, but it can teach the whole band methods of song construction, dynamics, chord progression, harmony, vocal delivery, and how to work together! You'll probably find that you'll want to add a couple of covers to any set you play in any case.
While you're learning other people's stuff, you can then start to jam around and write your own music.
Just a thought
ps - write all my own lyrics and music, and do all the arrangements etc etc. The band I play in does nearly all covers including songs from the Stones, Hendrix, Santana, Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Strokes, Muse etc. Perhaps that just makes me a sad git!!!
Which can be found at http://forum.bandamp.com/The_Pit/48720.html#id48854
| Jiminuk |
I believe that I came across in the "anti-coverband" group, and so, I think I should say, coverbands are fine, as long as you make the music your own, as in, interpreting something to your own style. The point I should have made is, you can be a cover band, aiming to sound like My Chemical Romance, or you can be a unique coverband that plays their songs but sound like their own band.
Ok, I think I should attempt to help with the topic at hand, help with writing your own music. Of course, if you still muck around with cover songs, it really helps understand the structures of songs, phrasing etc. As for inspiration, when I started writing songs, I wrote trash for a couple of years (getting it out of the system) and I took it as a learning curve, finding what I REALLY want to write about. Well, that's just me, but if you only have love songs in your head, write them, they may be good, and if they're not, then just keep going at it, songs come from the inside, the lyrics come naturally, and, as much as I'd like to suggest ideas, the best one's will be your own.A few of my songs seem to have a love/tragedy theme, some may seem a little cheesy, but, if you can write music for your instrument, it shouldn't be too hard to come up with something nice.
And we'll help you out with your lyrics if you want, suggestions, it just needs to start with you writing something and then a response saying "hmm, I like this bit, but maybe if this was a little more like this etc..."
You'll get there.
WB
Ok, I think I should attempt to help with the topic at hand, help with writing your own music. Of course, if you still muck around with cover songs, it really helps understand the structures of songs, phrasing etc. As for inspiration, when I started writing songs, I wrote trash for a couple of years (getting it out of the system) and I took it as a learning curve, finding what I REALLY want to write about. Well, that's just me, but if you only have love songs in your head, write them, they may be good, and if they're not, then just keep going at it, songs come from the inside, the lyrics come naturally, and, as much as I'd like to suggest ideas, the best one's will be your own.A few of my songs seem to have a love/tragedy theme, some may seem a little cheesy, but, if you can write music for your instrument, it shouldn't be too hard to come up with something nice.
And we'll help you out with your lyrics if you want, suggestions, it just needs to start with you writing something and then a response saying "hmm, I like this bit, but maybe if this was a little more like this etc..."
You'll get there.
WB
| ......what? |
ok im getting really mixed stuff here but thaanks really for all your help i finally get this....no really....i think... is what your saying you can be a cover band as long as you aim for your own sound kinda? we never were going to be a cloned band we are kinda young (14-15) so.... we just needed something to help us get going.... but i totally get this now thnx guys!!
Covering popular songs to learn and to 'get your set together' is a very good idea.
But your aim should be at your original work, this is where respect and popularity come from I think!
I don't take 'cover bands' of any type seriously (no disrespect to any present or not) It's just that I believe an artist is an individual/group that creates something from within themselves completely.
Making copy's of the Mona Lisa would make you officially an artist but not on the level of an original creator!
Rock on!
But your aim should be at your original work, this is where respect and popularity come from I think!
I don't take 'cover bands' of any type seriously (no disrespect to any present or not) It's just that I believe an artist is an individual/group that creates something from within themselves completely.
Making copy's of the Mona Lisa would make you officially an artist but not on the level of an original creator!
Rock on!
| DEEP |
ok thank you every one for clearing this up for me...im a noob .... but i still need to kno what to write about... any suggestions would b great
| you need to learn how to do "Art" |
I read that your just starting out. You need learn stuff ....you can't paint a mona lisa style painting without knowing how to paint. You wouldn't even know how to mix the right colors together. My earlier post was from an article
I'm working on so I think it's a little ahead of where your at (though you should still consider these things) As stated earlier your are not compromising your artistic development by learning other songs. If you take lessons to learn how to play what is in the books.......other people's songs.......if you go to college to study music what do you study.......other people's songs......
.Your just starting out so you need to get some common ground with other musicians.
You can still write originals. in fact I would suggest writing originals. cause just doing others music is not going to take you very far.
You would be surprised at how many top bands came from cover bands. VanHalen, Pantera,Beatles,Allman Bro's, the list is HUGE. Plus there are many recording artist that have originals bands and when those bands are not playing they are doing cover tune gigs in and around there home town.. Neal Schon , Alex Skolnick, among a big list of others. I know for a fact that the guitar player from Earth Wind and Fire used to play in a blues band doing covers when they were not touring .
You can do only originals and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. imho I would think that learning some music will give you some ideas to draw from and some musical knowledge.
I'm a decent guitar player I did not get that way on my own. I studied other great guitar players music. I still do that today.
This probably just confused you more. but I think your on the right track with your first post on this.
I'm working on so I think it's a little ahead of where your at (though you should still consider these things) As stated earlier your are not compromising your artistic development by learning other songs. If you take lessons to learn how to play what is in the books.......other people's songs.......if you go to college to study music what do you study.......other people's songs......
.Your just starting out so you need to get some common ground with other musicians.
You can still write originals. in fact I would suggest writing originals. cause just doing others music is not going to take you very far.
You would be surprised at how many top bands came from cover bands. VanHalen, Pantera,Beatles,Allman Bro's, the list is HUGE. Plus there are many recording artist that have originals bands and when those bands are not playing they are doing cover tune gigs in and around there home town.. Neal Schon , Alex Skolnick, among a big list of others. I know for a fact that the guitar player from Earth Wind and Fire used to play in a blues band doing covers when they were not touring .
You can do only originals and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. imho I would think that learning some music will give you some ideas to draw from and some musical knowledge.
I'm a decent guitar player I did not get that way on my own. I studied other great guitar players music. I still do that today.
This probably just confused you more. but I think your on the right track with your first post on this.
Sorry, you do not have access to post...
Wanna post? Join Today!