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

[tauzero]

It was tricky, but I got "Waterfront" after one listen. May have needed two for "Purple Rain".

[Bridgehouse]

15 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

You’ve obviously heard me play then bridgy 😁

Stick to reggae and lay off trying those Val Doonican numbers mate…

[ubit]

1 minute ago, dmccombe7 said:

Over the many years i've been playing i've come across some guitarists that can play a song after a once thru. It always amazed me but these were guys that were always playing regulary in pubs and clubs and maybe it was just a refresher for them. Maybe the solos were ad-libbed and i just couldn't tell LOL

Dave

Mrs Ubit's brother is one such guitarist. He really is a prodigy. Self taught, no lessons, no Youtube back then. Left handed but plays right handed. Can play any stringed instrument after a quick familiarity. He can pick up songs in no time. He is by far in a minority. Even other good guitarists are in awe of his talent.

 

I do take Tim R's point that it's possible but to come away with a statement that anyone can do it is a little bit condescending. Certainly to me. I am not saying it was meant that way but it has come across that way to a few of us. Maybe he is a prodigy like my Brother in law or maybe he is satisfied to play stuff not caring if it is perfect. Saying that if I can't do it I shouldn't be in a cover band is definitely condescending.

[ubit]

16 minutes ago, upside downer said:

It can be done. I've listened to 4' 33" by John Cage just the once.

 

Nailed it.

Thou art truly a prodigy! I wallow in thine shadow.

[lozkerr]

5 minutes ago, upside downer said:

It can be done. I've listened to 4' 33" by John Cage just the once.

Rispek. I've managed something similar with Heaven by the Psychedelic Furs. But that's a dead simple three-chord job with straight-eighth root notes all the way through. Two or three listens to get the shape of it, a few more to work out the passing notes and job done.

 

But - there's a big difference between cracking something simple on a few listens and nailing songs like Atomic, Paradise By The Dashboard Light, Roxanne or For Whom The Bell Tolls, which is why the assertion that one listen is enough strikes me as fatuous.

[Boodang]

You guys should start a new topic 'how good, or not, am I at learning covers' and slog it out over there! 

At this rate bubinga5 will be put off joining any covers band for life.

[ezbass]

My old keyboard player has perfect pitch and an amazing memory, he’s savant like. He can play anything after a listen. However, to get the feel and nuance correct and to play it with others, he’ll work it up until he’s personally happy and he has very high standards (not surprising really). 
 

However, to blow my own trumpet and laud it over mere proles, I’ve nailed Prince’s When Doves Cry, with just one listen and without even placing my hands on my bass.

 

What do you mean there’s no bass on that track?

 

Ah, this is embarrassing and I fear the jig is up.  Ooh, look over there, it’s an elephant!*

 

 

 

* Ezbass has it way on his heels while everyone is distracted by the large, grey pachyderm.

[ezbass]

1 minute ago, Boodang said:

You guys should start a new topic 'how good, or not, am I at learning covers' and slog it out over there! 

At this rate bubinga5 will be put off joining any covers band for life.

It was fine, but then it got all… well, we know what happened.

[sky]

for me to just be playing is worth it, and if some of the songs are great then i guess its a bit like working through the boring to get to the great

[fretmeister]

1 hour ago, Skinnyman said:

In fairness, if you have the chord sheet and you’re happy to stick to root notes, you can cobble something together pretty quickly.

 

If you want to emulate the original (and if the original is anything more than quarter-beat root notes) then it’s likely to take most of us mortals a little longer to nail.

 

All hail though to those who can learn anything half decent on one listen through.

 

He didn't mention a chord sheet at all. Just listen to it once and you've "learned" it.

[TimR]

I don't get it.

 

Most songs.

 

Not every song. MOST songs. Seriously, are you guys really bass players?

 

I could pick out tons of songs that need loads of work, but most don't and unfortunately/fortunately  the songs that don't require loads of work, and are easy and mostly boring to play, are the ones that get the crowd going. 

Edited October 19, 2021 by TimR

[upside downer]

2 minutes ago, TimR said:

Not every song. MOST songs. Seriously, are you guys really bass players?

 

Yeah! Why don't you all naff off to the Areyoureallyabassistchat forum?

 

Enjoy the replies coming your way, Tim.

 

 

[TimR]

Creep

What's Up

Zombie

 

Just 3 4 chord wonders ff the top of my head that you should be playing by the end of the second chorus. 

[lozkerr]

8 minutes ago, TimR said:

Seriously, are you guys really bass players? 

Well, I am. So are all the other Basschatters I've met.

 

Haven't met you, though.

[Ricky 4000]

2 minutes ago, TimR said:

Seriously, are you guys really bass players?

 

😄

 

 

[neepheid]

9 minutes ago, TimR said:

Creep

What's Up

Zombie

 

Just 3 4 chord wonders ff the top of my head that you should be playing by the end of the second chorus. 

 

Doubling down I see. Who appointed you the arbiter of my progress? You're telling me what level I should be playing at now?

 

Seriously, just stop.

[Bridgehouse]

16 minutes ago, TimR said:

I don't get it.

 

Most songs.

 

Not every song. MOST songs. Seriously, are you guys really bass players?

 

I could pick out tons of songs that need loads of work, but most don't and unfortunately/fortunately  the songs that don't require loads of work, and are easy and mostly boring to play, are the ones that get the crowd going. 

 

 

Singer: Right, we need to pick a setlist for Friday night. It's my sister's birthday and there's a few tunes she'd like us to do.

 

Guitarist: Cool!

 

Singer: She'd like to do Mr Blue Sky..

 

Drummer: Love that tune.

 

Bass: Yeah, er.. No. Too complex. Bass solo, loads of complexity. Can't learn that in just one listen through. Sorry.

 

Singer: Er.... okaaaay. How about All Right Now?

 

Guitarist: Need to work on the riffs, but cool

 

Bass: Er.. nope. Bass is a bit complex there as well, specially rhythmically. Nope. Again, more than one listen through there.

 

Singer: Hhhhh. Right. Okay, so what exactly do you think we should do?

 

Bass: Zombie?

 

Singer: I'm a 44 year old male who's smoked more than Hilda Ogden and you expect me to sing that??

 

Bass: Creep?

 

Singer: Oh come on!

 

Bass: Comfortably Numb. That's dead easy. One listen through and I'm sorted.

 

Singer: Fine. I'll take one listen through and any lyrics I don't remember I'll just "umm", "aaah" and "ooh"

 

Guitarist: Yeah, and those two solos will take more than one listen through so I'll just strum chords then

 

Bass: I'm not sure being in a covers band is really for you guys....

 

 

[Raymondo]

Well he does know how to push the right buttons in one go.

 

😉

[Bridgehouse]

1 minute ago, Raymondo said:

Well he does know how to push the right buttons in one go.

 

😉

I can do that on keys - but not after one listen through tho.

[fretmeister]

Tim’s band.

[lozkerr]

Prophetic thread this... just had a WhatsApp from our BL. They're firing me because I needed more than one listen to nail Jerry Was A Race Car Driver.

 

Gutted 😭😭😭😭😭

[Bridgehouse]

1 minute ago, lozkerr said:

Prophetic thread this... just had a WhatsApp from our BL. They're firing me because I needed more than one listen to nail Jerry Was A Race Car Driver.

 

Gutted 😭😭😭😭😭

That tune really gets them going down the Dog and Duck on a Friday night. Perhaps a covers band isn’t your thing. Have you thought about period-correct Icelandic Melancholy Originals?

[ubit]

1 hour ago, upside downer said:

It can be done. I've listened to 4' 33" by John Cage just the once.

 

Nailed it.

 

in all seriousness we used to finish with this and it went down better than all our other covers. We used to get the biggest cheer of the night when we started it. 

[lozkerr]

Just now, Bridgehouse said:

That tune really gets them going down the Dog and Duck on a Friday night. Perhaps a covers band isn’t your thing. Have you thought about period-correct Icelandic Melancholy Originals?

Aye, I'm going to have to do something. That or some folky stuff about the Clearances - they love that down Bannermanns on a Saturday night. I'm just sad I didn't have what it takes to be in a covers band.

[tauzero]

If you can't nail a song after zero listens by looking at the guitarist's fingers, then an open mic house band bassist's job isn't for you. Try something easy, like juggling chainsaws.