Playing stuff wrong

[progben]

I play a complete dud note in the chorus of one of our songs but it's so dissonant that it worked. I disn't realise until we came to recoring, actually, when our producer was like "that's a bum note."

I played it cool. And made up some grandiose story about how the dissonance chimed with the lyrics.

I started playing the correct note for a few weeks, but it just sounds bad to me. Now I've happily returned back to (slightly less oblivious) bliss.

[kevvo66]

I heard someone do it with mustang and it sounded better👍

Edited February 25, 2016 by kevvo66

[Subbeh]

[quote name='Kevin Dean' timestamp='1456401718' post='2988567']
At a band rehearsal last night , our keen eared guitarist pointed out that on a couple of covers I was playing a few wrong notes on a couple of intros , & they were tunes I've played in loads of bands & no one else ever said anything , they harmonized , but I can't believe I I've just been playing them parrot fashion & no one has noticed , [b]Firstly my Guitarist is a git for noticing[/b] but correct after checking . Has anyone else done this ?
[/quote]

He wasn't being a git, in fact he was doing what more guitarists ought to and paying attention to something other than himself. Sounds like you've got a good 'un!

[mrtcat]

Playing exactly the same as the original song only really works if the rest of the band are doing the same. I play the same songs differently with different bandmates if it works better that way.

[tauzero]

When I had a listen to the isolated bass track for "The Seeker", I realised that not only had I been playing it wrong, but that every single tab and instructional video is also wrong. So now I feel smug because I'm playing it right...

[Prosebass]

Just play Weather Report stuff. I have never heard a track played the same either live or studio. Joe Zawinul purposefully just had structure to the tunes so every performance was a little bit different.

[leschirons]

[quote name='colgraff' timestamp='1456408230' post='2988681']
My problem is middle age and stamina. Do you offer a Captain America-style genetic engineering package?
[/quote]

You're only middle aged?
My area of expertise is playing stuff wrong, not providing genetic engineering and cosmetic molly-coddling to bits of kids on here.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='sunburstjazz1967' timestamp='1456407112' post='2988651']
What do we class as wrong? A fifth instead of a root or a minor 2nd instead of a minor 7, as long as its in key its all gravy.
[/quote]

Its a judgement call to some extent, but there are bits of songs that really require the right chord inversions to be used to sound right and if thats not happening I'd be happy to classify it as wrong. It comes down to case of - are you respecting the composers intent or not.

Edited February 26, 2016 by bassman7755

[BrunoBass]

We've been playing GnR's 'Mr Brownstone' in our set for six months and it was only the other night that I realised I've been playing the main riff wrong all this time. I'm the only one to notice so far, I'll keep quiet until anyone else notices!

[JapanAxe]

I usually start with a note-for-note transcription from the original, but inevitably I end up departing from this.

What really annoys me is when people clearly haven't paid any proper attention to the original and just play 'what they think'.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1456480133' post='2989389']
What really annoys me is when people clearly haven't paid any proper attention to the original and just play 'what they think'.
[/quote]

Ah yes the classic play-bass-during-the-verse ploy in All Right Now, possibly compounded by following the chords during the chorus rather than playing a pedal tone. But yeah there's a clear difference between someone who's obviously studied the original a chosen to mess with it a bit vs someone who clearly couldn't be arsed to even listen to it even once.

Edited February 26, 2016 by bassman7755

[ras52]

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1456408688' post='2988689']
Jimi Hendrix used to play it wrong all the time...
[/quote]

He couldn't even hold his guitar the right way around!

[operative451]

My 'band' stuff is often a parody that starts from a 'donor' song - 'Mistakes' are just a songwriting tool...

[uk_lefty]

I often play things wrong. My first ever gig with my first ever (and best ever) band I played the "All Along the Watchtower" section of our showpiece Hendrix medley on the wrong string. I was too busy trying to look like a moody Entwistle and temper my fills... I knew something was wrong but wasn't sure how to correct it. I was gutted and stormed off after we finished. Nobody else cared, not even the self-obsessed singer-lead-guitar-lyricist, they thought we nailed the whole thing and we all got loads of compliments on our individual and group performance...

However, playing in a "oh its just 12 bar blues in b-flat..." type group where the guitarist would go off and play random blues stuff and expect me to just follow from very vague instruction and never having heard the song before people have said to me "errr... the bass didn't quite fit the rest of the song"

So I guess some you can just "style-out" if they're minor slips but sometimes there's no hiding place!

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Kevin Dean' timestamp='1456401718' post='2988567']
At a band rehearsal last night , our keen eared guitarist pointed out that on a couple of covers I was playing a few wrong notes on a couple of intros , & they were tunes I've played in loads of bands & no one else ever said anything , they harmonized , but I can't believe I I've just been playing them parrot fashion & no one has noticed , Firstly my Guitarist is a git for noticing but correct after checking . Has anyone else done this ?
[/quote]

Must admit im the same. When i first got back in to playing i had to learn a lot of the standards very quickly. Since then ive never really gone back over learning them properly. Whenever i hear the original i get a few surprises.

Its not a big deal that they arent spot on, just surprising that i missed something. Other than intros (which normally have to be spot on) no one has every pointed out im playing anything wrong. in fact in my last and recentre band its me pointing things out to them.

[TimR]

Guy Pratt plays a 5-String on Pulse. In comfortably numb he has gratutitously overused the bottom string. Don't know what note it is but all the chords and the melody line ascends - giving the song a lift, while the bass note tries to drag the song down.

That's not an accidental wrong note, that's a bad choice.

IMO.

[ras52]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1456501890' post='2989734']
Guy Pratt plays a 5-String on Pulse. In comfortably numb he has gratutitously overused the bottom string. Don't know what note it is but all the chords and the melody line ascends - giving the song a lift, while the bass note tries to drag the song down.

That's not an accidental wrong note, that's a bad choice.

IMO.
[/quote]

Maybe... although Mr Gilmour seems like a no-nonsense guy and I don't imagine he'd hesitate in reining Guy in if he thought it necessary. The thought of using a newfangled five-string might not have occurred when recording the original!

Edited February 26, 2016 by ras52

[TimR]

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1456503843' post='2989787']


Maybe... although Mr Gilmour seems like a no-nonsense guy and I don't imagine he'd hesitate in reining Guy in if he thought it necessary. The thought of using a newfangled five-string might not have occurred when recording the original!
[/quote]

The original was written and performed by Waters.

There are plenty of songs I play E on the seventh fret as that's the direction that the melody is leading.

When you play legato notes under a melody, your note choice is very important.

[steve-bbb]

as much as it pains me to say this, your guitarer absolutely correct

its all about attention to detail and imho if you want to recreate a certain feel or groove of a particular tune you need to listen to your parts in detail to copy them precisely - many players often play what they think they remember is the correct part but their brain is filling in the small lapses of memory with what they think is the correct note or correct rhythm - only to go re-listen to the original to find they are partially adapting a rhythm or syncopation from another instrument part into their own line - from experience we have recently been rehearsing Paramore's Aint it Fun, and it took several rehearsal to get the feel just right and part of the reason for that was i was slightly over-cooking the bass line syncopation where it was not actually there in the original - it is quite surprising how sometimes very simple little changes make a big difference but once you nail it then suddenly the whole thing falls into place and you actually reach the correct feel and groove of the original

Edited February 27, 2016 by steve-bbb

[TimR]

Many players over-obsess about getting the parts exactly as per the original.

[Skybone]

Surely covers are open to interpretation, if it sounds good, what's the problem?

There are far too many people who get far too anal about getting the song "right" IMO, and loose something from the band dynamic.

[dave_bass5]

I think it goes both ways. There are a lot of players who dont think about what they are doing and ruin the over all feel.

[chris_b]

Playing bum notes is never fine and playing the wrong notes, which you thought were the right notes, isn't good either.

One thing I find guitarists do a lot is to play a song wrong because they were too lazy to listen to it and work out the parts. Interpreting a song is fine, if that's what you are doing, but I don't like lazy short cuts.

There are cover bands that just approximate a song, which is OK, and those who play them straight. We have a new drummer in our cover band who is very good, but annoys the hell out of me because he doesn't see why changing the rhythm of a song is a problem! I think he's just being lazy and doesn't want to learn the arrangements, or maybe it's ADD.

[Phil Starr]

It's good if you are playing covers to talk about these things so good on your guitarist.

My problem with band members is that so many, guitarists in particular, don't ever listen to the originals properly, they'll listen to a verse and chorus work out the chords and play that, ignoring any fills, pauses, extra bars etc removing a lot of what makes the song more interesting then they'll tell you the song is dull!

I've no objection to playing the song differently. In fact I think as a covers band you should either go for a note for note interpretation or deliberately move it away from the original. I just think it should be changed as part of a thought through process rather than a couldn't be bothered approach. If it's just a little off it sounds naff to me, as if you basically don't care.

As to All right Now my band told me to play the Christina Aguilera version which I duly learned, only to find i was the only one who had bothered to listen and break it down. So if you ever stumble across me playing right through the song.....

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1456573771' post='2990370']
Playing bum notes is never fine and playing the wrong notes, which you thought were the right notes, isn't good either.

One thing I find guitarists do a lot is to play a song wrong because they were too lazy to listen to it and work out the parts. Interpreting a song is fine, if that's what you are doing, but I don't like lazy short cuts.


[/quote]

I agree with this, although as i dont really play much guitar i can appreciate learning covers on guitar is a lot harder than on bass or drums (ducks for cover :-)

On another note, i also think someone does need to speak out if they think something is wrong, and others need ot at least listen first, evne if its not right. Almost all the bands ive been in have been too polite. No one pulls anyone up if things go wrong. I know we are all mates but someone does have to do this if its needed.
I blew a fuse last week at rehearsals because a very easy song (Do you love me) kept falling apart. I knew exactly what the issue was (bloody lazy band didnt listen all the way through the song) but when i pointed it out it made me look like the bad guy. Maybe its just me but i hate things going wrong on stage, and put a lot of time in making sure that if it does its not down to me. I might not play the songs spot on, but i do know where everything goes.

Sorry, had to get that off my chest. No more mister nice guy lol.