How many of you write your own music, how many don't?

[phaeton]

I've met scores of musicians in my 28 years. I've met some that write thier own music, and play a lot of other people's stuff too. I've met some that don't write anything of thier own, but can play lots of music from other people, and they're happy like that. I've even met a few that focus on *thier* material only, and don't play other's music. Where do you fit in? Is there a relevance to be one or the other? Is there a balance to be held between original and covers? Is it a matter where different people's skills and abilities lend them to be either creative or emulative?

[Meriphew_dup1]

I'm a DIY person other than the random cover of an old Bowie/Velvet Underground/Roxy Music/Stones type song.

[Midimonk]

i tend to write more of my own stuff too. once in a blue moon the industrial band i'm working on will cover some 80's tune and i have to program it for them. midimonk

[Lee Flier]

I like to play good songs that I enjoy playing. If I wrote the song, great. If somebody else did, that's fine too. I'm an active songwriter but I'm pretty tired of the whole "original vs. cover" split. For a band to really sound good you have to play together a lot, and playing songs that you all love or have in common is a really great way to add to your repertoire and your experiences of playing together. My favorite bands all cut their teeth playing covers, developed their own sound as a BAND as a result, and then started writing their own stuff around that sound. I dig that approach. I hated it when I lived in L.A. and there were all these "original bands" that couldn't play anything but their own 12 songs or whatever. I don't particularly like top 40 cover bands either, but I like a recognizable "band sound" that has a musical identity, whether originals, covers or a mix.

[linwood]

I make 100% of my income from writing music. I write production library stuff and jingles. It ain't hit records, by any means, but it affords me to stay home in my studio and always have work to do. It's a love hate relationship, but I am grateful.

[KenElevenShadows]

I play mostly stuff that I write, although I like doing fun cover songs once in a while, "Space Age Love Song" and "Stranglehold" being two of them.

[Jedi]

For years I only played my own stuff, because I wasn't good enough to play anybody else's. I added covers where I could, but not many. After years of doing my own stuff, I definitely developed my own sound. In the last year or so, I learned new songs all the time. Largely because I was doing THREE-hour solo acoustic sets. I don't want to hear three hours of any one artist. So I had to do covers. Naturally, I chose songs that I really loved, because again I thought these might be the only ones I can pull off. What I discovered is that by learning the song's of the many writers I love and respect, I became a better writer. Learning old Motown tunes, Bob Dylan tunes, and yeah even some Beatles tunes, taught me a lot about songwriting. I definitely think my craft came up a notch since I started doing the solo acoustic thing and was forced to learn a lot of covers. In fact, anytime I'm stuck, I just learn a song I really dig. Always gets the juices flowing. Lincoln Ross Dead Black Jedis

[Henchman]

I just started playing in a band again. (after 15 years) The singer and me are writing the songs. And it's going quite well.

[patrick_dont_fret]

Hmmm, I write my own music, but I haven't gotten around to learning it all the way through yet. I think over Xmas break I'm gonna work on that, and writing a really long song that'll take forever to learn all the way through. I need a band :( . Anywho, I also know a few songs from other people, such as Money, Caress Me Down, Sober, etc., etc.

[D_dup3]

I'm a tinkering type. I'm all over the place with the types of music that I listen to & explore & I try my ability to compose in all sorts of forms, even when I know the result will have no validity (you should hear my "gamelan"). That said, I do have facility as a composer; I think this lies more in a certain mindset than music ability [i]per se[/i]. One needs an ability to recognize & organize patterns in a manner that is simulataneously familiar yet surprising.

[Tedster]

I write my own stuff. Don't play much of it live though...mostly covers. People expect to hear covers at a club...so you can sneak in an original or two once in awhile, but they want to hear familiar stuff. Now, if we were playing shows, then it would be the other way around.

[Bunny Knutson]

I write my own music. If I'm going to record or perform a cover song, it's most likely going to be something written by a friend of mine.

[Dak Lander]

I write my own and collaborate. I'm no great shucks as a lyricist but I can create a melody.

[Tusker]

I like the act of writing. So, that makes me a tinkerer like D. I appreciate witticisms, cunning tricks, richness even ornateness at times. So I am captivated when somebody has spent some serious time thinking about a tune on many levels. When I go to a club, I'd rather hear originals or original sounding covers. The same way, I'd prefer to play something I wrote, or modify it enough from the original to personalize it. Sadly the digital age has trashed [i]personal [/i] expression in favor of the [i]best[/i] expression. Witness the number of note perfect cover bands, the number of technically perfect renditions of Beethoven sonatas on CD with roughly the same interpretation. Auto tune, cut and paste, and soulless divas are all manifestations of the same value system that keeps the tummy-tuck doctors busy here in Dallas. I am not advocating that we value everyones unthought gibberish either. But my quiet and angry rebellion against the status quo is to write, to think, to customize, to make personal ... every chance I get. Swimming against the current, Jerry

[Tom Capasso]

After too many years and just a few attempts, I finished a song recently. I don't have time to wrestle with writing, and need more time before I will be comfortable with the idea. I played in one band that was 30% originals, and contributed bass parts, vocal harmony, and arrangements. I co-authored one song, but most of the work was done by the other guy. Tom

[Slowly]

I'm a do-it-yourselfer. I can't figure out the chords to others music. But once in a while, I get somebodies lead sheet so I can get some ideas. Kcbass

[Blues Disciple]

I write my own lyrics and music. In my younger days I played copy songs and over time we added our own stuff to the mix (that band had about five songwriters in it---the bad part was only two of us wrote in the same style). I then took a ten-year hiatus from playing in a band but continued to write songs, this time Christian blues songs, Contemporary Christian and whatever else style came my way. Now I play in a contemporary Praise and Worship band and play cover music of that material and am slowly again starting to present my original stuff to the band to play. I am also hoping to start an all-original Christian blues band over the next few months as blues is my true love. So I guess my answer is I do both---but I definitely prefer to play my own stuff as much as and whenever possible. BD

[Gulliver]

I write my own music (which is 90% instrumental, btw), though nobody pays me for that. Also I arrange for clients (quite a lot these days). Sometimes a client would order a cover or two, but generally I prefer to make orchestrations of original songs which have been never arranged before. Copying covers' parts bores me tremendously.

[tnb]

I am just a player. I have made contributions (basslines, turn arounds, etc), but I have never written a whole song.

[Jotown]

I write original music all the time, yet I rarely play it at most of my gigs. The cover thing is how I get paid, so that's what I do. At certain clubs, or acoustic venues I will play more of my stuff, which is cool, but I dig playing and singing, and getting paid to do it so.... I enjoy playing songs I like whomever they are written by.

[MattC]

For some reason, I have no skill at writing songs in whole, although I do love to write parts for songs, especially bass lines. Only occationially will I play a bass line as it was recorded, and then only if that is a bass line that makes the song. I can, but I find it's more beneficial to myself to experiment with different harmonies and more complex parts. I don't necessarially play these on stage (where I usually play more closely to the record (that is, during covers)). I try to reflect these more complex ideas in my own band's music. Long story short, I don't really do covers, because the parts that I play are usually my own, no matter who wrote the song. Does my band and/or session work involve other artists' material? sure.

[SoundMeister]

Strictly original material. The way I see it, if it's already been done before why would anyone feel a need to repeat it? Ok,it's paying gig and the bar crowd expect it. To me the act of creation is what's important. ~Peter Schouten Pyramid Sound Productions http://www.pyramid-sound.com "You think it's art, but it's only a performance."

[D_dup3]

With no dis intended, SoundMeister, is there any "strictly original" material ? I think everything's got some precedents.

[Salty Tonk]

I write quite a bit,and several friends that also write.Some nights my band plays nothing but originals,but on other nights we may only play a handful of our tunes and a buttload of covers.It depends on the venue,crowd and the folks hiring us.We perfer to play originals,but we have a blast with covers,we usually make medleys with them.One of our biggest crowd pleasers is Johnny B. Good/Blue Suede Shoes/Whole Lotta Shakin. :thu:

[Mark Zeger]

I write and produce jingles, and really don't spend time writing for pleasure. There is one jingle I did recently that has great chord changes and could be fleshed out into something longer than :30 or :60. When I play for pleasure, it's usually standards, jazz and pop songs.

[miroslav]

If I never started writing...(oh...many years ago)...I don't know if I would have ever gotten into recording...and also building my own studio...

[Kendrix]

Ive gota day job that limits the time I can devote to music. So Ive decided to focus on writing an producing my own demos. Its a total right brain- left brain workout. All my musical time & energy goes into this.

[Dan South]

Put me down in the "write your own music" category. :) That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy playing great covers, though. :thu:

[D. Gauss]

for the most part, i write 'em. i'm still getting gigs, so i guess that's ok...... i dunno anymore. -d. gauss http://www.betteroffdead.com

[phaeton]

d gauss... This has nothing to do with this thread, but the logo on the t-shirt of your avatar... What is that? I see it all over the damn place and i know i should know what it is, but i don't, so i'm unashamedly asking... :p