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How To Pick New Material


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For us, we do bulk suggestions when we are bored wit the current list. Each member of the band suggests songs they feel fit the set. We list all the songs out and sit down to discuss whether the songs are
[list=1]
[*]technically possible
[*]well known enough
[*]will get the audience to react
[/list]

A surprising number get knocked off the list with question 1, eg a keyboard based song (we have no keys), a song that's too far from the singers range or slap bass (which I can't do proficiantly).

Then we argue endlessly about each others lack of musical taste and eventually end up putting stuff on the list that we don't want to do.
Last time around we had 47 suggestions. About 15 made it through to the list of potential songs.

We then ignore the list because someone occasionally comes up with a blinder of a suggestion.

Then we play a gig and realise that the punters taste isn't the same as ours anyway.

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[quote name='blue' timestamp='1508100263' post='3389785']However, my personal experience is not picking songs that I happen to like. IMO that would be a recipe for disaster.
[/quote]

Why is that? if you are in a band playing a certain style or genre of music, presumably it is (at least partly) because you like that style of music? Does it not then logically follow that you will like some (or even most) of the songs?

It seems very odd to be playing in a material that you don't like... :blink:

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[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1508103404' post='3389822']
In my soul/funk functions band we started out with the intention of playing songs we wanted to hear played that weren't necessarily regular fare. Fast forward four years & with the exception of maybe two songs we're playing pretty much what every soul/funk function plays & it's difficult to add new stuff outside of that, cos that's what people seem to want.

We even broke our no Mustang Sally & Superstition rule after a while...you can't ignore the classics when people are paying you a decent fee to hear em.
[/quote]

You still have some pretty unique covers though to be fair. (I wont name them incase you don't want me to :lol: )
And a lot of the covers you do, have a unique arrangement. So there are ways around making the standard affairs at least a bit more interesting to play

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[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1508126162' post='3389880']
easy peasy

one of us says he's written a new song

he plays it to us while we look at the charts he provided

then we all play along, and bada bing bada boom, we have another song.
songs went down well at our first gig at a music festival a fortnight ago,got another headlining multi band gig next week to test the waters again.

that's the joy of playing originals, not knowing if the crowd will like it or not.

the thrill you get when they like it is nothing like the feeling you get after playing a cover,regardless of the reaction to it, nothing like it :)
[/quote]

Isn't that more like being given a song and not picking or chising a song?

Do you ever look at all your originals and say let's play this one or I don't think we should play that one anymore?

Blue

Edited by blue
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[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1508156609' post='3390092']


Why is that? if you are in a band playing a certain style or genre of music, presumably it is (at least partly) because you like that style of music? Does it not then logically follow that you will like some (or even most) of the songs?

It seems very odd to be playing in a material that you don't like... :blink:
[/quote]

If I played what I like I'd be broke. I play whatever pays well. However it's still fun.

Blue

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This is a bit of a moot point at the moment as my band have just had to replace singers recently and have just had to change singers recently. This means that we have desperately re-jigging the set to get songs in to suit the new singer whose range does not go quite as high as the departing one.

I would say that first of all the proposed song has to suit the singer’s voice and range (I think that the band can manage most guitar based rock songs – we’re not talking Mahavishnu Orchestra covers here). Also, it has to be something that the audience want to hear us play but not the more obvious choices that they can hear any other band do every week. Unfortunately, we have had to delve into the standard rock cover songbook to put a set together with the new singer but we are trying to rectify that as soon as possible.

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[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1508191267' post='3390457']
This is a bit of a moot point at the moment as my band have just had to replace singers recently and have just had to change singers recently. This means that we have desperately re-jigging the set to get songs in to suit the new singer whose range does not go quite as high as the departing one.

I would say that first of all the proposed song has to suit the singer’s voice and range (I think that the band can manage most guitar based rock songs – we’re not talking Mahavishnu Orchestra covers here). Also, it has to be something that the audience want to hear us play but not the more obvious choices that they can hear any other band do every week. Unfortunately, we have had to delve into the standard rock cover songbook to put a set together with the new singer but we are trying to rectify that as soon as possible.
[/quote]

Good luck Pete,

You guys will be fine.

Blue

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[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1508104905' post='3389831']
There seems to be a different target audience, I'd say. Some have dancing in mind (a Saturday night out at the pub...), others more of a concert attitude, with a (preferably seated...) audience listening and watching. In my (distant..!) youth, I can't remember ever having assisted at the former, but spent (too..?) many late nights at clubs, concerts and festivals of all sorts, watching and listening to 'live' bands. I can't really imagine folks getting up to dance to Pentangle, for instance, or Johnny Winter. Originals bands are in the latter category for the most part, I'd suggest, so choice of repertoire and pick of songs to do (including some covers; it's often done, and allowed...) have very different criteria.
Maybe things have changed with the advent of discos and raves and such, though; I wouldn't know.
[/quote]

Great point,

When your on tour and headlining 250 seat venues playing your own stuff the target is probably not dance. Material choice in that arena is a different ball game.

Blue

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I have always played in covers bands where an MD of sorts has picked new material - sometimes there was a joint MD.

The band I play with currently is run as a complete democracy, meaning that everyone has an opinion about new songs. Inevitably, this results in numerous different suggestions for direction, which ends up with any decision taking weeks if not months and very often not being made at all.

In my opinion, placing the responsibility for adding new material, arranging, directing is much better handled solely by whoever is the most qualified and experienced in the genre in question.

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come on guys who ru kidding?

If you are in a covers band, you are really just a live DJ, you must play songs that make the girls dance and the guys come in to score

that is it

An original band is a real band, they write music without taking into account whether or not girly girls will dance to it.

we don't care if girly girls get up and dance to it,we want you to listen to it.

and don't tell me that cover bands make more money and play to bigger crowds, I can say the same about Beiber and Dylan, and I know who the real artist is here :)

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[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1508213790' post='3390503']
come on guys who ru kidding?


An original band is a real band, they write music without taking into account whether or not girly girls will dance to it.


[/quote]

Light the blue touchpaper and retire to a safe distance

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[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]come on fella, who ru kidding?[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]If you are in an originals band, you are really just making it all up, and you can't write songs that make the girls dance and the guys come in to score;[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]that is it[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]A covers band is a [i]real [/i]band, they learned [i]proper [/i]music, also taking into account whether or not girly girls will dance to it.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]They [i]care [/i]if girly girls get up and dance to it, they want you to [i]enjoy [/i]the evening.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]and don't tell me that original bands make no money and play to empty venues, I can say the same about Beiber and Dylan, and I know who the richest crowd-pleasing artist is here [/font][/color] :)[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] :P[/font][/color]

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[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1508213790' post='3390503']
come on guys who ru kidding?

If you are in a covers band, you are really just a live DJ, you must play songs that make the girls dance and the guys come in to score

that is it

An original band is a real band, they write music without taking into account whether or not girly girls will dance to it.

we don't care if girly girls get up and dance to it,we want you to listen to it.

and don't tell me that cover bands make more money and play to bigger crowds, I can say the same about Beiber and Dylan, and I know who the real artist is here :)
[/quote]

Nice try, but no cigar. ;)

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I know that your post was mostly tongue in cheek Dad, but covers bands would do well to remember that all their songs were once part of originals bands sets. With no more originals bands there will be no more new songs to cover.

And as a continuation, if as a covers band you can't keep your all of your audience up and dancing all night then you are not doing a particularly good job, as one of the hardest parts of being a band - writing a decent set's worth of songs - has already been done for you. ;-)

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Hmm - not sure that it's a covers bands duty to keep everyone dancing all night - depends on the crowd, genre and venues that you play.

I love to get the crowd moving and some dancing/rocking out going on - but there's also a lot of people who enjoy stuff and just want to watch the band, shout occasionally and have a beer.

I'd say it's a covers bands job to be engaging and entertaining. If you limit success to dancing only then you end up playing as set of the the same old 'Pavlov's Dogs' tracks all night. (Handy as one or two are :).)

Back on topic - with one of my bands we sit around the guitarists big telly, throw suggestions forward and Youtube them there and then. If it's a goer we know. No-one gets too hung up on their suggestions. As we tend to do regular silent practices round his house in front of said telly, it's a constant drip feed of ideas, usually stuff we've heard on the radio etc. (Radio X and Absolute are where I listen for new stuff.)

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[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1508236561' post='3390670']
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]come on fella, who ru kidding?[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]If you are in an originals band, you are really just making it all up, and you can't write songs that make the girls dance and the guys come in to score;[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]that is it[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]A covers band is a [i]real [/i]band, they learned [i]proper [/i]music, also taking into account whether or not girly girls will dance to it.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]They [i]care [/i]if girly girls get up and dance to it, they want you to [i]enjoy [/i]the evening.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]and don't tell me that original bands make no money and play to empty venues, I can say the same about Beiber and Dylan, and I know who the richest crowd-pleasing artist is here [/font][/color] :)[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] :P[/font][/color]
[/quote]

Guess it depends on your location. Unfortunately none of your points would apply to the original bands in neck of the woods. And I speak from personal original band experience.

Blue

Edited by blue
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it's piece of piss writing your own songs, now writing good songs is an entirely different kettle of fish, trouble is the person that writes them hasn't got a very good idea if they're any good or not, as one of my muso friends once put it, "most singer songwriters aren't"

Edited by PaulWarning
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[quote name='blue' timestamp='1508111060' post='3389873']
The Jefferson Airplane's *"White Rabbit" came into our set list and I thought it was dated and not a very good idea.

I couldn't have been more wrong, people love it, we usually close with it with everyone singing a real crowd pleaser.

It's why I stay out of the picking material arena.

Blue

* Another reason why I don't like to see Blues bands painted with a broad 12 bar shuffle label
[/quote]

Just had a listen to White Rabbit and find it hard to see that go down well especially as a closing song. Afraid its not my cup of tea Blue.

Dave

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Band members pick cover songs and if everyone agrees then its down to whether the singer has the vocals to cope with it. In some cases the singer says yes but struggles during the gig for whatever reason and we would drop that particular song.
We would tend to pick the standard classic rock tracks as a starting point.
Lot can depend on whether or not the musicians in the band can actually play the song :lol: :lol: :lol:

Don't specifically play to get people dancing but more generally standing in front of the band just watching and applauding at the end (hopefully) Classic Rock band at the moment. You do get the occasional headbangers tho. LOL


On the originals bands i've played with the singer / guitarist was the main ideas writer and the keys and him would put something together and bass and drums would then add their bit altho in some cases the person with the ideas doesn't like what you i do and i need to come up with a back up plan. :D

Dave

Edited by dmccombe7
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[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1508261827' post='3390979']
Its the duty of the young to come up with the originals, and to push music to new places. Its the duty of old guys like me to play covers in a pub band cos thats what I now enjoy. When I was young I was in originals bands, its the way of the world.
[/quote]

I used to think that but have found recently mainly in the Prog scene but also creeping into the heavier rock / southern rock scenes that there are many mature bands leading the way so.
Think with age comes a degree of organisation and structure in songs. When we were all younger many of the songs were jam sessions that developed into songs whereas nowadays eople are writing songs at home with their own make shift studios and producing some good quality music.
I never say no to an originals band even at my age. Its nice to keep your hand in. Keeps the brain active :lol:

Dave

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[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1508263278' post='3390992']
I used to think that but have found recently mainly in the Prog scene but also creeping into the heavier rock / southern rock scenes that there are many mature bands leading the way so.
[b]Think with age comes a degree of organisation and structure in songs.[/b] When we were all younger many of the songs were jam sessions that developed into songs whereas nowadays eople are writing songs at home with their own make shift studios and producing some good quality music.
I never say no to an originals band even at my age. Its nice to keep your hand in. Keeps the brain active :lol:

Dave
[/quote]

Well quite, but really you need to be angry and feel alienated in some way to write new and exciting stuff. ;) I have a lot more experiences to draw on now I am old, but the style of the song would not be cutting edge, sadly. :D

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[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1508250525' post='3390849']


Just had a listen to White Rabbit and find it hard to see that go down well especially as a closing song. Afraid its not my cup of tea Blue.

Dave
[/quote]

That was exactly what I thought and It's not my cup of tea either. However it always brings the house down. I will say our lead singer has a lot of fans and she does a great job with it.

Blue

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