Playing songs in a covers band you dont always like.?

[Boodang]

Brilliant! This thread is like having ring side seats at a boxing match!!

 

My twopennies worth; it's not how you get there or how quick you are at learning, but the end result that counts... how good does it sound, and not just the bass player. The audience doesn't care whether or not you learnt it quickly so long as it's good.

I also wouldn't be condescending to any other musician just because they aren't as good as I think I am.

[Rich]

Just to get back on topic... back in the late 19th century, bubinga asked:

On 15/10/2021 at 17:22, bubinga5 said:

Ive been asked to play for a local cover band. They gave me set list and it is really varied. Some songs are great and some im not a fan of. How many of you guys are in a cover band and are in this situation and what are your thoughts. Im thinking i may learn from the stuff i dont particularly like musically. It varies from AHA to Prince, to Bob Marley to Abba etc. Just wanted anyones thoughts really. 

I would say yes, it's worth doing because you might learn from it in one way or another. Certainly all the artists you mention there have got some great basslines going on, whether you like the actual songs or not. I'm not desperately in love with a few of the tunes that my bands do, but they are un-boring enough to play and get a good enough punter reaction that I am happy to stick with them.

Of course, it sometimes happens that there is something in the set, or proposed set, that you really don't like and that will teach you nothing except how much you don't like the song... I remember many moons ago, 2 members of a band I was in were mad keen on doing the Mavericks' "Dance The Night Away", the bassline of which is the same two sets of three notes repeated over and over and over and over and over and over again. Add this to the fact that I really hated the song anyway, and it was absolute veto time from me. 

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by Rich

[Stub Mandrel]

1 minute ago, TimR said:

I've been playing it for years. 

 

The bass part under the guitar solo is tricky but the chorus is 3 or 4 notes in E.

 

I've been playing it for  over thirty years.

 

The bit under the solo is easy enough if you practice it, just need to be quick if playing it in the same position as Andy Fraser and not doing it around the 12th fret.

 

The chorus is the tricky it, you can just bluff it with a few notes, but done properly there's a fair bit of variation as well as several improvised fills.

[Skinnyman]

6 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

...

 

As you clearly are unfamiliar with All Right Now, it might be a good one for you to try playing live without learning it first and reporting back on how it goes.

In fairness, even I managed to nail the verse on first listen.

 

Took a bit longer for the chorus, but the verse? Easy

[spooky__lad]

It can always help to play songs you don't enjoy, it can help you learn new techniques that are less commonly used in the music you enjoy listening to personally, and then you can introduce those back into the music you play! :^)

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, TimR said:

 

Just play TO the chords. If you know the chord the individual notes are usually pretty intuitive. You shouldn't have to be sitting there picking out individual notes of a run. 

I'm guessing you've studied music in some way and therefore chords etc are probably intuitive to you. I wish i had continued my lessons when i started but the guy i was using said there was nothing more he could teach me and i should just go and listen to songs and learn them. On hindsight i think he was a very limited teacher and 18mths of lessons wasn't enough for me to learn chord structures. I have picked up more of that as time went on but some of it is down to natural ability and playing lots of styles of music. If you asked me to play a chord structure i probably wouldn't know the correct notes these days.

That's where learning music is a big advantage that i've missed out on. Playing could have been a lot simpler if i learned it in more detail.

Dave

[dmccombe7]

46 minutes ago, bassman7755 said:

So let me throw this into the mix - when I have a learn a new song I listen to it repeatedly until I can hum/sing the bassline by heart before ever picking up the bass. Discuss 🧨

Exactly how i approach any new song i have to learn. I listen until i get a feel for it then i just play along with it again getting the feel and then i just write it out and i file it in the big black folder fro future referance. Writing it out helps me memorise the structure of the song.

Dave

[dmccombe7]

29 minutes ago, bassman7755 said:

Same here for really tricky bits but I'll will always learn the tune first before trying to play it.

I think that was @TimR's point that he has already listened to the songs on the radio or elsewhere that he knows them in his head. Once you know the songs like that its far easier to learn them. 

I found that when i was learning the 70's Glam songs because they were the songs i played all the time as a teenager that when it came round to learning them i was getting thru them far easier than i thought.

Dave

 

[Paul S]

54 minutes ago, bassman7755 said:

So let me throw this into the mix - when I have a learn a new song I listen to it repeatedly until I can hum/sing the bassline by heart before ever picking up the bass. Discuss 🧨

 

Pretty much what I do.  Once I've picked up the bass and worked out how best to play the bassline, I'll keep listening to the song and imagine playing it in my head.

[Rich]

5 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

I found that when i was learning the 70's Glam songs because they were the songs i played all the time as a teenager that when it came round to learning them i was getting thru them far easier than i thought.

Dave

 

Yes, I found the same thing when I was learning the ska band's set. I knew the actual songs forwards, backwards and sideways from having listened to them constantly as a spotty teen, so learning the actual bass parts was made a lot easier.

Edited October 20, 2021 by Rich

[dmccombe7]

I've ran out of likey emoj's today cause this thread has been one of the most interesting i've seen in a while. 

Dave

[Bridgehouse]

40 minutes ago, Boodang said:

Brilliant! This thread is like having ring side seats at a boxing match!!

 

My twopennies worth; it's not how you get there or how quick you are at learning, but the end result that counts... how good does it sound, and not just the bass player. The audience doesn't care whether or not you learnt it quickly so long as it's good.

I also wouldn't be condescending to any other musician just because they aren't as good as I think I am.

 

Completely on point and a great response.

 

The OP asked a perfectly valid question - a covers band with a mix of songs, some of which they like, others they don't. Is there value in learning the songs they don't like?

 

People join bands for all sorts of reasons: Money, experience, they like playing with other musicians, it's an opportunity to learn etc. etc. You pick the reasons that apply and make a decision on that basis. Learning any new song of any sort will add to your experience and will further you musically - even if just a very small amount. 

 

The discussion in this thread should have been about this. 

 

However, it's mostly consisted of a discussion about the fact that the "most" or "vast majority" of songs can be learned (whatever that means) with one listen through. The implication is that it doesn't matter too much because you should be able to pick up this "most" or "vast majority" of songs with little effort. 

 

Nobody on this forum knows the intricate history of any other members playing. We don't know how each of us think musically, where we are stronger or weaker. I've played with musicians of all sorts of different abilities, and some can nail a song on their chosen instrument after one play through, and others can't. I've played with musicians who can pick up songs quickly but are just not good at playing in a band setting. Others who have to work hard to learn songs but are rock solid and reliable in a band. 

 

The end result is indeed everything - it is different for each of us. There is no one easy answer.

 

Why are people upset on here? This is a forum for Bass Players to discuss Bass Playing. Simple as that. And by discussion, it involves actually being able to get your head around the fact that each member will be in a different place both technically, in terms of talent, in their experience, and in their approach. If every thread on ability, practise, or anything had experienced players simply saying "gït gud" then the discussion would be worthless. 

 

To the OP - weigh up the pros and cons and yes, practising songs you don't like will make you a better musician one way or another. How much time that takes and how many run throughs you have to do to get there is irrelevant at best, and condescending at worst. 

[dmccombe7]

I was never a big fan of slow songs in a set when doing covers but playing them allowed me to learn more feeling in a slow song. Playing a couple of notes per bar is easy but getting the right feel to a slow song can make a lot of difference in the bigger picture.

Currently doing Waterloo by ABBA and its been quite a nice eye opener. That guy was good.

No matter the song i like to learn a bit about the bass player to understand his style and thought process when playing. That's invaluable when doing tribute bands but its a bit geeky. 😄

I've played in bands that the music was nothing that i would ever listen to in every day life. Tried the function band once and it just wasn't for me. I prefer cover bands that want to play a style of music i enjoy. That can be anything from classic rock to punk to Prog. I've not had a lot of success with pub covers bands to be honest. I find too many debates and fall outs thru song choices altho i generally go along with majority when deciding. I will voice my opinion if a song just doesn't fit with what the band are trying to achieve.

Dave

[tauzero]

14 hours ago, skankdelvar said:

 

There's an answer to people like that.

 

String 'em up. It's the only language they understand.

 

I thought you generally went for the double tap.

[TimR]

There's also a danger of spending too much time getting a line exactly right as it is on the record.

 

'Learning' your part is just the initial step.

 

Once you get to rehearsal, you'll undoubtedly have to change what you are playing to fit whatever alterations to the arrangement your band have to make to suit the abilities and instrumentation of the rest of the band. 

 

Learn your part.

Practice your part to be competent 

Meet with the band and work out the arrangement. 

Practice your new bass part.

Rehearse the whole thing with the band. 

 

Some or all of those steps may or may not apply depending on different situations. 

Edited October 20, 2021 by TimR

[bassman7755]

2 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

In fairness, even I managed to nail the verse on first listen.

 

Took a bit longer for the chorus, but the verse? Easy

 

I didnt say it was not a potential one-listener for someone with decent ability. Rather I used as an example of a song that you could not play convincingly by busking it from just knowing the chords e.g. by just following the bands guitarist, having never sat down to listen to it (even if only once). Another example would be Run To You.

Edited October 20, 2021 by bassman7755

[ubit]

1 hour ago, Bridgehouse said:

Why are people upset on here?

 

 

Because of this statement....."Thing about covers is most songs can be learned in one listen through."

 

[ubit]

14 minutes ago, bassman7755 said:

 

I didnt say it was not a potential one-listener for someone with decent ability. Rather I used as an example of a song that you could not play convincingly by busking it from just knowing the chords e.g. by just following the bands guitarist, having never sat down to listen to it (even if only once). Another example would be Run To You.

 

 

I think he was being humorous as the chorus is easy but there's no bass in the verses. I did hear a band cover it once and the bass player was playing bass on the verses. It sounded shyte!

[peteb]

9 minutes ago, bassman7755 said:

 

I used as an example of a song that you could not play convincingly by busking it from just knowing the chords e.g. by just following the bands guitarist, having never sat down to listen to it (even if only once). Another example would be Run To You.

 

The thing is that there is no bass on the verse, you just come in on the chorus. 

 

Sorry for ruining the joke by explaining it... 

[ubit]

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

I was never a big fan of slow songs in a set when doing covers

 

 

We used to always have a couple of slow numbers. Into the Mystic by Van Morrison and the old classic Wonderful Tonight. We kept our hand in with them as they were handy for functions. Not so much for Saturday nights in the busy bar but worth keeping in the set.

[Ricky 4000]

7 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Talking of learning songs, my band once did Stanley Clarke's School Days, which was to segue into Bootsy's I'd Rather Be With You (North Sea Jazz Version).

It actually took us 2 goes to get note-for-note perfect, including both solos, using my ancient Kawai Sleekline and tape-wound strings. And funnily enough it was possible just by using the correct finger technique to reproduce all Bootsy's octave, distortion and qtron fx.

 

 

 

Ah-hah! So it IS all in the fingers!! 👌

[Boodang]

Also, one reason to join a band where you don't like the songs they play; the love you get from the audience when they're really into what you are playing.

[Boomhower]

Hi all, we are not a copy or tribute band, but there are a few copy tunes I have never liked, because I thought we couldn't make them sound even decent, but the crowds loved. Just one of the things that amaze me. Sometimes, you just gotta smile, and play thru the song like you meant it to sound that way, and hooe for the best response I guess.

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, ubit said:

 

 

I think he was being humorous as the chorus is easy but there's no bass in the verses. I did hear a band cover it once and the bass player was playing bass on the verses. It sounded shyte!

 

The chorus ISN'T EASY!!!!

 

Not if you try to sound like Andy Fraser.

[skankdelvar]

5 hours ago, TimR said:

Learning tunes when you don't have to, is never wasted time, you learn more about how songs are constructed and how they fit together.

 

I'm cursed with this thing where I'm watching the telly and a bit of music catches my ear and I think 'Ooh, that's nice' and I start trying to work out the chords and the melody.

 

Then I lose track of what's happening in the show and I have to wind it back a minute or two which annoys the missus something rotten.