LiveMusic Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 Sorry, on a Beatles kick today. Have you ever totally changed the tempo of a song with great results? I was messing around one day with playing The Beatles' "She Loves You." I slowed it way down and picked it fingerstyle. Over time, it has become a fave song to play. Man, it is beautiful. I just strike some infill notes... I guess you call that chord-melody style (remember, I'm an amateur). It is TOTALLY different from the fast tempo of the original. Virtually the same chords, though. Had any luck speeding one way up or slowing one way down? ------------------ Duke > > > [ Live! ] < < < Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 < sure thing. any good, well written song will usually hold to all sorts of abuse i.e. changing tempo, style, feel etc. check out the works of El Vez, Dash Rip Rock, Redd Kross, the Young Fresh Fellows, the dickies, and Dread Zeppelin for some good examples... -d. gauss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 I've done stuff like that on occasion, but usually only if I didn't think the original was all that great. And I don't entirely agree with d. gauss' statement that a great song will hold up to all kinds of abuse. Lots of great songs are built around a signature riff or an infectious groove, and if you change that, you really screw up the essence of the song. Depends on what kind of song it is, of course, but usually when somebody covers a song in a way that makes it that radically different from the original (assuming the original was great to begin with), it pisses me off. Just my own opinion. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Like I've always hated the unplugged "Layla" for example, even though lots of people seemed to love it. The anguished screaming vocals and electric guitar riff are what made that song, IMO. And by the way, let's not forget that the Beatles themselves did "Please Please Me" at a much faster tempo than they originally had conceived. It had started out as a ballad and it was the fact that they increased the tempo and "rocked it up" that made it a hit. They gave very careful consideration to the tempo and probably tried several different tempos on nearly every song they recorded. Not like the Beatles are infallible or that nobody ever goofs up an arrangement or that somebody else can't ever cover a song better than the original. Far from it. And far be it from me to tell anybody else how or how not to arrange a song. I'm just saying that if it's me, I give careful consideration to whether I'm really adding something to the song by changing some critical element like the tempo, or whether I'm just mangling it in the attempt to do something "different". --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted September 20, 2001 Share Posted September 20, 2001 Well, the Moaning Lisas does a ripping version of Margaritaville, it actually surprises people and gets the headnodding approval almost everytime we play it (we open with it). The only songs I get upset about are the ones done poorly, the ones that sound cool I'm just diggin it. Of course if a certain band is your fave, you may not like NSYNC's version of it. Me EITHER!!!!! I recently listened to a minidisc of a band I recorded (a recent post got me interested again) a while back doing Brown Sugar...the right way. I hate to hear butchery, but I love all kinds of cool covers done by The Beatfarmers, Dash (kick it Bill), The Scorchers, etc. Dim lights thick smoke, and loud, loud music!!!!!! Just the scene I like I guess. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
- Posted September 20, 2001 Share Posted September 20, 2001 Originally posted by Lee Flier: And I don't entirely agree with d. gauss' statement that a great song will hold up to all kinds of abuse. "Abuse" is different than reinterpretation... "Abuse" is... well, check out darn near any tribute album -- there's always at least a few bad tracks on every one. Actually, if you're into abuse... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Check out the Bee Gees/Peter Frampton/George Burns/Steve Martin/Alice Cooper/etc. sountrack album to the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie. I had the opportunity to listen to it this past weekend... Except for the Earth Wind and Fire remake of "Got To Get You Into My Life" and maybe Aerosmith's "Come Together"... Egads -- it's probably the most repellent set of covers I've ever heard, even though the music is near identical to the originals and it has Sir George Martin -- SIR GEORGE MARTIN! -- producing... If you want to hear how Beatles songs should *not* be covered... Yikes. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/eek.gif This message has been edited by popmusic on 09-19-2001 at 08:35 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted September 20, 2001 Share Posted September 20, 2001 watch the french jean luc goddard film "sympathy for the devil." great footage of the stones recording the title song in many different styles, from absolute suck to the gem that it finally became... -d. gauss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael saulnier Posted September 20, 2001 Share Posted September 20, 2001 Sometimes an artist does a "new" version of the song themselves... Eric Clapton's "unplugged" version of Layla for example... I'll leave it to others to decide whether it's "better" http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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