Secret to Playing Cover Tunes (Reharm)

[ProfD]

The kiddies may not remember this 1976 Yacht Rock ditty by Stephen Bishop:

 

 

This rendition by the amazing Ellis Hall is a fine example of playing a cover tune.

 

Again, I'll take this opportunity to reiterate that I soooo wish I could sing.

 

My vocal cords are so gotd8mn broke, I should be receiving a monthly economic stimulus check. It's a wonder I can talk.

[Threadslayer]

That's a nice sounding piano. And the operator's not bad either.

[Mike Warren]

 

Again, I'll take this opportunity to reiterate that I soooo wish I could sing.

 

 

That doesn't stop me.

 

But I soooo wish I could play as well as Ellis (or even any of the people here).

 

I've never been too good, but the arthritis has made things much worse.

[MikeT156]

Partial quote by ProfD

 

"This rendition by the amazing Ellis Hall is a fine example of playing a cover tune. grin

 

Again, I'll take this opportunity to reiterate that I soooo wish I could sing. cry

 

My vocal cords are so gotd8mn broke, I should be receiving a monthly economic stimulus check. It's a wonder I can talk"

 

 

Yeah, having a good singing voice allowed people like me that would never win any awards for my piano playing to do a solo act and entertain people that didn't realize my piano playing was "Not so great. If I had to depend on my piano playing, I would have starved.

 

 

Mike T..

[Baldwin Funster]

So what's the SECRET? And when I know it will I be like ellis?

[ProfD]

So what's the SECRET? And when I know it will I be like ellis?

The "secret" is to "own" it...whatever you sing/play/perform. You'll never be "like" Ellis but you will be your best self.

[KuruPrionz]

I play in a band that plays mostly covers with a few originals thrown in.

 

2 things are true.

 

1. With bass, drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, one very good singer and one pretty ok singer (me), you are not going to ever sound just like the record.

2. Nobody cares, they know Folsom Prison Blues goes "thunk thunk, thunk thunk" and the solo goes "dah deet dah deet da-deedle, dah deet dah deedle dee" but all they really want to hear is "I shot a man in Reno..."

 

Musicians worry about these things, they shouldn't. Catch a groove, have fun and sound like you. If they can sing along with the chorus out there on the dance floor, it's all good. Smile and play on.

If you get a request and you can kinda, sorta bumble-slam your way through it, do it. Catch the groove and fail gracefully, they will love you. Tell them you like that song but don't know it and they'll be thinking about what else might be fun out and about.

 

Trying to make everything all correct is the most incorrect thing you can possibly do.

[Baldwin Funster]

So what's the SECRET? And when I know it will I be like ellis?

The "secret" is to "own" it...whatever you sing/play/perform. You'll never be "like" Ellis but you will be your best self.

I'm not sure I can afford to own it. Maybe a 2 year lease.

[Noah DC]

Love this clip - thanks for posting

[KuruPrionz]

Great version! I wish they'd put a good mic near his voice!!

 

And the crowd on the floor would be all "On and On.... feels like crying.... On and on."

[Outkaster]

I play in a band that plays mostly covers with a few originals thrown in.

 

2 things are true.

 

1. With bass, drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, one very good singer and one pretty ok singer (me), you are not going to ever sound just like the record.

2. Nobody cares, they know Folsom Prison Blues goes "thunk thunk, thunk thunk" and the solo goes "dah deet dah deet da-deedle, dah deet dah deedle dee" but all they really want to hear is "I shot a man in Reno..."

 

Musicians worry about these things, they shouldn't. Catch a groove, have fun and sound like you. If they can sing along with the chorus out there on the dance floor, it's all good. Smile and play on.

If you get a request and you can kinda, sorta bumble-slam your way through it, do it. Catch the groove and fail gracefully, they will love you. Tell them you like that song but don't know it and they'll be thinking about what else might be fun out and about.

 

Trying to make everything all correct is the most incorrect thing you can possibly do.

 

 

I don't agree only because certain genres, especially cultural music, is where people like things performed as it was presented to them. Sometimes you absolutely have to worry about certain details. I understand your mean that a band should worry about certain details but it's important at times. It's also important depending on what you want to do.

[KuruPrionz]

I play in a band that plays mostly covers with a few originals thrown in.

 

2 things are true.

 

1. With bass, drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, one very good singer and one pretty ok singer (me), you are not going to ever sound just like the record.

2. Nobody cares, they know Folsom Prison Blues goes "thunk thunk, thunk thunk" and the solo goes "dah deet dah deet da-deedle, dah deet dah deedle dee" but all they really want to hear is "I shot a man in Reno..."

 

Musicians worry about these things, they shouldn't. Catch a groove, have fun and sound like you. If they can sing along with the chorus out there on the dance floor, it's all good. Smile and play on.

If you get a request and you can kinda, sorta bumble-slam your way through it, do it. Catch the groove and fail gracefully, they will love you. Tell them you like that song but don't know it and they'll be thinking about what else might be fun out and about.

 

Trying to make everything all correct is the most incorrect thing you can possibly do.

 

 

I don't agree only because certain genres, especially cultural music, is where people like things performed as it was presented to them. Sometimes you absolutely have to worry about certain details. I understand your mean that a band should worry about certain details but it's important at times. It's also important depending on what you want to do.

 

I am from an area where there was lots of Middle Eastern music played, primarily Armenian music. Then it is very important that you use an instrument that can play in Middle Eastern scales, which have more than 12 tempered notes to an octave. I think there is a Casio that is tuned that way, a standard tuned keyboard could be used if the player knows the scales by ear and can use the pitch shift wheel correctly. A tempered scale fretted string instrument with light strings could do it (Jeff Beck playing Nadia) or a traditional Middle Eastern instrument like a baglama saz. The same is true for Indian music, a sitar is a fretted stringed instrument but it is designed so the frets can be moved to the correct positions if needed. Usually the drone would be supplied by a tamboura but harmoniums are used sometimes.

 

There was a demand for Mariachi bands as well. I was on the sidelines one time when a Mariachi band was setting up for an outdoor show and the two trumpet players very carefully tuned their instruments so that one of them was "correct" and the other was just slightly sharp. I chatted with them a bit later and they explained that it makes 2 trumpets sound like more and is very traditional to that style of music. De-tuning an oscillator in your synth? Nothing new about that, been done for hundreds of years by now. It is part and parcel of that style of music.

 

I do understand what you are saying and I've experienced it to some extent.

The Motown cover band I was in got a gig in Canada to play a Bar Mitzvah. We knew they wanted to hear Hava Nagila and we also knew we could not pull it off as we were. Nobody knew the language or the lyrics or had the talent to sing it phonetically in any sort of viable fashion. But, the drummer's lady companion played clarinet in a Klezmer band and she knew the song well. Since we wanted to respect their event, we hired her to come along for that song.

 

So there we were, a Motown cover band at a Bar Mitzvah, backing up the clarinet player. All things considered, we did a pretty OK job of it, the clarinetist led the gradual tempo increase expertly and we had the dance floor completely packed for the entire rendition. I've never played it before or since. It was fun!

 

I play in a Rock, Pop, Country, Blues cover band. Those styles don't usually get considered to be Ethnic music but that is a matter of perspective. Deep Blues requires understanding the notes that are not in the tempered scale, Country has a fair amount of that too and it does bleed into Rock and Pop to a certain extent.

 

At the same time, I can't tell you how many times people have come up and requested something we would never have thought of playing and we went ahead and did it. Sometimes you get a little slack, we had a request for "Conway Twitty" and the singer knew Rainy Night in Georgia even though he hadn't played it for decades. It sounded good enough that we still do it now and then. I've never played it before that evening. If you understand the language of the music, the "style" and listen you can usually pull it off.

 

And that's what I'm talking about. If you want the crowd to stick around and you like to see a full tip jar, you do your best to give them what they want. I get that many other people do things differently but I felt like my post suited the spirit of the OP. It sounds for all the world to me like Ellis Hall's version of On and On is in constant evolution as he sees "what will happen if." He knows the language and has the chops to effortlessly throw down big time, beautiful music. But he doesn't seem to be constraining himself to playing it "just so and no other way", he's free and expressive. There is something profoundly genuine and moving about that way of performing. Note by rote may or may not ever capture that same free spirit.

 

Make sense? Cheers, Kuru

[ProfD]

...certain genres, especially cultural music, is where people like things performed as it was presented to them. Sometimes you absolutely have to worry about certain details.

In the same way that Ellis Hall made the song soulful, a Reggae band would put a mean bubble or one drop on that same aong. In other words, they wouldn't play it the way Stephen Bishop did either.

 

The audience may expect to hear a certain style of music but they aren't listening with their arms folded to insure that every note and sound is played correctly.

 

Ultimately, people dig music that sounds good to them.

[MikeT156]

People that are paying attention and know the songs you're playing, want to hear a rendition that sounds "like the record"", that is difficult to do. Musicians in the recording studio will spend as much time as they can afford to get their songs right. A 5 piece band gets one take. As a solo act, I was never able to duplicate anything but easy songs that didn't have a lot of instrumentation. But if you give it your best shot, most people will be grateful you did their request.

 

 

 

Mike T.

[Outkaster]

...certain genres, especially cultural music, is where people like things performed as it was presented to them. Sometimes you absolutely have to worry about certain details.

In the same way that Ellis Hall made the song soulful, a Reggae band would put a mean bubble or one drop on that same aong. In other words, they wouldn't play it the way Stephen Bishop did either.

 

The audience may expect to hear a certain style of music but they aren't listening with their arms folded to insure that every note and sound is played correctly.

 

Ultimately, people dig music that sounds good to them.

 

 

No but when you are playing certain things people will tell you. Trust me I have been through this. Speaking of Reggae you can't change bass lines as an example. People will know something is different right away. It's not an easy crowd especially at higher levels.

[Reezekeys]

I believe Frank Zappa said it best:

 

[Doerfler]

I believe Frank Zappa said it best:

 

no one ever said it better, IMO

[area51recording]

It's........the lyrics, in particular that "One phrase" that everyone wants to sing along with.....there are exceptions. I just found out about this (apologies if I'm late to the party) but evidently if you're Down Under and Nutbush City Limits by Ike and Tina comes blaring through the speakers, like, ANYWHERE, everyone within earshot does THIS:

 

[KuruPrionz]

People that are paying attention and know the songs you're playing, want to hear a rendition that sounds "like the record"",

Mike T.

 

You mean like that one guy, sitting alone at the end of the bar, nursing a cup of coffee? He doesn't tip much anyway...

[Docbop]

Here's another Ellis Hall from 2016 for the Keyscape launch party he's got the audience in the palm of his hand.

 

[video:youtube]

[Adan]

The Ray Charles influence is very apparent. Like Ray, Ellis Hall seems to make anything he sings 100 times more soulful.