BigRedX Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 When I first started play in bands it never occurred to me to be playing covers. I used them to teach myself how to play the guitar, but once I formed a band with some friends from school we started writing our own stuff. All our favourite bands at the time performed songs that they had composed themselves and there was a big fuss made about some of the glam rock bands (notably The Sweet) for having other people write the A-sides of their singles. I don't really do "jamming" as a means of writing songs. Most of the songs for the Terrortones are written by Mr Venom (words) and myself (music). What normally happens is that I'll come up with ideas for a verse and chorus as either a bass line or a set of guitar chords, Mr Venom will sort through his big folder of lyrics until he finds something that fits and then we fine tune the structure to match how much (or little) he has written. It's fast - we can generally go from initial musical idea to first gigged rendition in 3 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1386256397' post='2297801'] I've always been from the former type of bands, but both the guitarists are strictly from the latter. I told them that I can get us gigs & they're both giving it "we should learn this & that to cover" etc, which me nor the drummer agrees with. [/quote] [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1386266228' post='2298032'] I was hoping to get the entire band to write as a collective, but I'm starting to wonder if that'll work? I've done a good bit of songwriting over the years, but as I'm not a singer, I don't do much in the way of lyrics. It's usually been me & the vocalist that have written all the songs. I think the drummer's the only other band member who's ever written a song. The singer is new to the band & bands in general, but he can sing & is willing to pull his weight. [/quote] It sounds to me like you're not all on the same page when it comes to how the band is going to work. Originals bands are hard enough without a definite direction for everyone to pull in. It doesn't really matter whether one person writes all the songs or whether its done collectively, but in order for it to work everyone has to buy into the process. My first band started as just some mates making a racket in a practice room, playing whatever covers we fancied. We had no intention of gigging, but eventually we did it. Then one of us started writing his own songs, the rest of us liked them, and we became an originals band with one guy writing all the songs and the rest of us having input into our own parts. My second band is again one songwriter, but the rest of us have a bit of input. Its all just a matter of what works with the guys you've got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 I think I need to have a talk with the guys & give them all clarification on what we're doing & make sure everyone's in agreement. We did have a meet up & a talk about what the band was to be, but that was before we got the 2nd guitarist & the singer we have now. It was me, the drummer, the 1st guitarist & a turntablist/keys player. We was all in agreement then, but the keys moved away & left the band & the guitarist seems to have forgotten what the plan was with only me & the drummer being the ones not wanting to play a covers set. I think it's gonna be a "let's get the originals back on track or we're gonna be a function band". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 we are an originals band,but we do a few covers our way,works for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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