BottomE Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 How do you choose the songs that you are going to learn, rehearse and ultimately gig? Do you reach consensus or is there a dictator? What criteria do you factor in? Is it about the quality of the song or is it about the popularity and potential audience satisfaction? An example i can give you is that our girl singer asked if we could have a go at a Bruno Mars song. On listening i can see why she suggested it as the line up suits the band, he sings like a girl and it appears to be very popular. However another member of the band says its only popular with 13 year old girls and it sounds like The Poilce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 In my present band we all have a veto. Everyone must want (or at least agree) to play a song, whether it's a band original or a version of someone else's song, or we don't do it. Before the veto is operated a discussion about and rehearsals of the song must take place - these can sometimes be fairly brief. However, most decisions are straightforwardly unanimous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 [quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1358881446' post='1946546'] How do you choose the songs that you are going to learn, rehearse and ultimately gig? Do you reach consensus or is there a dictator? What criteria do you factor in? Is it about the quality of the song or is it about the popularity and potential audience satisfaction? An example i can give you is that our girl singer asked if we could have a go at a Bruno Mars song. On listening i can see why she suggested it as the line up suits the band, he sings like a girl and it appears to be very popular. However another member of the band says its only popular with 13 year old girls and it sounds like The Poilce [/quote] Popular with 13 year old girls and sounds like The Police is supposed to be a negative thing ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Generally a democracy, but we all have a veto. Saying that the drummer and I are generally willing to give anything a go,but, the singer and the guitarist both vetoed a suggestion each of mine without even a discussion. I vetoed out of hand their next 2 suggestions and really dug my heels in, the lesson wasn't lost and now, like Essential Tension's band, there is a discussion before it's vetoed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 In my previous bands, one of us comes along with an idea (usually at rehearsal) & the rest of the band help write it, taking it home & working on their part & even contributing to other parts. If it's a cover, someone would say something like "Have you heard XXX, think we could do a good cover of it?" Then we'd get the basics of the song & take it from there. So a joint effort regardless of original or cover. I'd take the Bruno Mars song & put your own take on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 13 year old girls? Sounds about the avarage age of the girls who drink in Paisley town centre on a saturday night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaypup Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 I suggest most of the songs and encourage the others to make suggestions too. No-one directly vetoes songs but if the singer doesn't like a track he'll 'forget' to learn it for a few weeks until we get the message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulconnolly Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Generally by concensus but the guitarist suggested most of our set list. I'm quite happy to try most things though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave D Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Choosing songs? Don't get me started on that one! Too late! I have two bands. The first is a pub covers band. When we need new material, we run through a few suggestions on the iPod, and majority vote on which ones to do. Mine generally don't get chosen for some reason! My other band is a 14 piece Blues Brothers act, so if we are staying true to the act, we only have a back catalogue of maybe 50 to choose from. However, adding a second set of similar genres is a little more tricky. If we allowed all 14 to vote we'd never get anywhere, so we've appointed a committee headed of 5 to choose. In fairness, the others seem more than happy to follow. I think song choices are possibly one of the biggest causes of bands splitting up. Apart from maybe sleeping with the guitarists wife that is?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave D Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 By the way, I'm happy for the bands to suggest the numbers on the whole as it means that I get to learn styles hat I wouldnt normally listen to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 We all do what He bids. Otherwise we spend eternity in hell. Not exactly an ideal way to run a popular beat combo but apparently this is the way that He wants it run and I've been messed about so much in the past I'm ready to put up with anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 In my punk covers band, the set-list has been going since way before I joined, but if any new songs are suggested, if someone really doesn`t like one, then we won`t do it, as ultimately it`s meant to be fun for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 In my main covers band, we fight like cat and dog over song choices we can never agree, being the most experienced musician in the band and the biggest prima donna if we can't do the song justice or the song doesn't do us justice I dig my heels in and refuse to learn it (we are a bunch of 45+ year olds playing rock, indie covers and I am afraid Moves Like Jagger just feels like peadophillia to me!) In my second covers band either the guitarist or singer come up with an obscure suggestion from a successful band, usually a song no ones ever heard of but they seem to work pretty well when we gig them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yepmop Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I'll try anything but the rest want to just play stuff from the 90s and are frightened to tread outside the Oasis type material. I try to explain you should play the stuff audiences generally want which is 60s,70s and 80s and yes some 90s and various genres within those eras, but generally get out voted :-( But hey it's music and fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrig Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Our five piece band use Dropbox to share files, and on it we have a [b][i]Song Suggestion[/i][/b] list in [i]Excel[/i], where we add songs with the YouTube link beside them, and we all have a column where we cast our votes. We have a choice of [b][i]Yes[/i][/b], [b][i]No[/i][/b] or [b][i]Maybe[/i][/b], if a song gets five [b][i]Yes's[/i][/b], then obviously it's in, if a song gets mainly [b][i]Yes's[/i][/b] and a couple of [b][i]M[/i][/b][b][i]aybe's[/i][/b] then it will be discussed, and any song with just ONE [b][i]No[/i][/b] will be binned, as we are playing for sheer enjoyment, and we don't want anyone in the band playing songs they don't like. With millions of songs to choose from, there should never be a need to upset anyone in the band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 My current band we all select tracks we like, we all get veto if we don't like them. Singer gets ultimate veto if he can't sing them. The other band I was in (past tense) we all picked tracks we liked and were thought suitable for the band and the singer would veto them because 'he knew what the audience wanted'. He now has his own choice of set list. And a new bass player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Seems that you all have different approaches. Some of the stuff my band mates suggest is bizarre. Being an unashamed whoring covers band i believe that we should play songs that are well known. Seems simple to me. We have had stuff suggested that you can't even find on YouTube! WTF. What is the point of playing things people won't recognise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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