Which is harder, covers or originals?

[Newfoundfreedom]

8 hours ago, chris_b said:

So when you join an originals band, who have the set already written, you're actually joining a cover band?

 

Good point. I personally wouldn't get much enjoyment from that. It would be a hard work learning all the songs, just like being in a covers band, except at least maybe you get to put your own spin on the bass lines. But then again you would have no reference point. 

 

As far as being in an originals band, for me I have to be in on the ground floor and part of the creative process. 

 

The only caveat would be, if I was invited to join a band who's music I really, really liked. Then I'd maybe feel inspired enough to put the work in. 

[SumOne]

The more I've learned about music the more apparent it's become that most originals are basically cover versions with a few parts altered/songs mixed together. 

[ambient]

12 hours ago, chris_b said:

So when you join an originals band, who have the set already written, you're actually joining a cover band?

A cover band covering its own material.

[Woodinblack]

I have done both and enjoy both. Unfortunately the only gigging originals group I have done was not very original and also had written there stuff, so it was basically like being in a not very good covers group, in that you had to do all the already written music that someone else had written, rather than just the good stuff that other people had written. 

You also get a lot more flexibility with covers than with other peoples originals.

 

Actually, I also spent some time in a punk 'originals' group, but to call that original would be pushing the line of 'original' a bit far.

[Dan Dare]

8 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Actually, I also spent some time in a punk 'originals' group, but to call that original would be pushing the line of 'original' a bit far.

True dat and applies to pretty well any "originals" outfit, whatever the style.

[Rayman]

As a song writer, writing my own stuff is much easier to me than having to learn someone else’s songs, and much more fulfilling. 

[Bassassin]

17 hours ago, chris_b said:

So when you join an originals band, who have the set already written, you're actually joining a cover band?

If you're expected to just note-for-note a pre-existing bass part & not have any input of your own, I suppose it amounts to the same thing.

 

6 hours ago, SumOne said:

The more I've learned about music the more apparent it's become that most originals are basically cover versions with a few parts altered/songs mixed together. 

Is that all original music, or just that produced by sad little wannabe local artists? 🤔

[SumOne]

Just now, Bassassin said:

 

 

Is that all original music, or just that produced by sad little wannabe local artists? 🤔

 

Well, some original music is clearly more original than others....but even that is usually heavily 'influenced', particularly in bands with bass players. 

 

[mikel]

Played in both, and nothing beats the rush of an audience getting off on music you and your mates have written, rehearsed and arranged. Its special.

[Lozz196]

16 minutes ago, mikel said:

Played in both, and nothing beats the rush of an audience getting off on music you and your mates have written, rehearsed and arranged. Its special.

Definitely. When my last band played Munich there was something very special about hearing the audience singing along to all the songs, especially given that it was the only time we played there and English not being their first language. Quite humbling actually.

[neepheid]

8 hours ago, SumOne said:

The more I've learned about music the more apparent it's become that most originals are basically cover versions with a few parts altered/songs mixed together. 

 

Go and listen to my band's stuff and tell me who I've copied, I'd be really interested to know.

[Bassassin]

1 hour ago, neepheid said:

 

Go and listen to my band's stuff and tell me who I've copied, I'd be really interested to know.

 

Indeed - everyone has influences (it's hardly overstating to say we all learn by copying) but to suggest there's little left but plagiarism, or at best subconscious recycling seems like a massive expression of negative defeatism.

[SumOne]

14 hours ago, neepheid said:

 

Go and listen to my band's stuff and tell me who I've copied, I'd be really interested to know.

Well, I didn't say you've copied someone, I said "most originals are basically cover versions with a few parts altered/songs mixed together." which admittedly is a bit of an exaggerated generalisation, but generally speaking an original punk, or ska, or black metal, or rock n roll (etc etc) band will be following some fairly well established rules from previous songs in the genre. 

 

 

 

 

[Nicko]

I've never played in an originals band but write and record my own stuff at home which virtually no one listens to. I mostly find that I don't push my abilities that much when writing my own stuff.  Playing covers forced me to learn to play things that were difficult sometimes and made me a better player.

 

I didn't really enjoy gigging that much - it was a necessary evil of being in a covers band but I enjoyed being in a room with other people just to make music - whether it was someone else's or not was irrelevant, and the reaction of an audience to a song they know is satisfying.

 

The hardest thing about being in a covers band is getting everyone to agree what covers you're going to play, or having to play songs that you simply don't like while pretending that you do. 

 

I struggled with the idea of being a musician while not actually creating anything of my own but overcame that very quickly.  The vast majority of musicians though history have played other peoples compositions whether that be orchestral, jazz standards, traditional folk songs or whatever.

[neepheid]

1 hour ago, SumOne said:

Well, I didn't say you've copied someone, I said "most originals are basically cover versions with a few parts altered/songs mixed together." which admittedly is a bit of an exaggerated generalisation, but generally speaking an original punk, or ska, or black metal, or rock n roll (etc etc) band will be following some fairly well established rules from previous songs in the genre. 

 

Isn't that just how genres work?  I found your generalisation to be a bit too dismissive - seemed to me like you were dismissing songwriting as an exercise in putting musical lego bricks together which I'm sure you can appreciate is like a red rag to someone who puts a lot of time and effort into writing songs because they aren't a genius at it.  Having said that, sorry for the rather bombastic approach of addressing an exaggerated generalisation with an exaggerated response.