Had someone on my last video say it was "elitist" to want the drummer and bassist to play the right patterns. Just trying to imagine being at band practice and suggesting that the drummer play the correct kick drum beat and having him say, "Well isn't that just some elitist shit right there!" haha. The BEST musicians I've ever played with all did their homework and honored the details. Yes they would bend parts to make it their own, but they based it off the OG's parts. This taught me so much.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 WTH is wrong with ppl?! Now it’s elitist to learn and honor the song as the artist intended?!?! 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ I think most of us want to do our best to play it as the band did - unless it’s a pure reimagining of an original, who wouldn’t want to sound like the artist did it in the same way we all loved it years back?!
I'll be a bit more brutal than you, because that is a huge pet-peeve of mine. A lot of times when people talk about "making the song their own", they actually mean simplifying it, because they can't play it properly. Often that is OK, obviously - I've seen bands simplifying their own songs to play them live, but I've also seen people making me wonder why they even try playing some song, if they know they don't have the necessary technical abilities to even come close to the original. If you can't hit high notes and can't play fast guitar solos, you have no business making a song like "Child in Time" your own. Also... 5:27 This just destroyed me. I play the bass and... When you played the recording, I didn't hear any bass at all. Then you started playing and I started doubting myself.
OCD drummer here. Pat's purposefully minimal bass drum use at the beginning stood out to me as soon as I first heard the song. He's slowly building it up, rather than just racing off as soon as the drums start. Likewise Dave holding back on the bass for a while, really helps add to that. Nice to see other people listening to and actually hearing the song
I can’t stand hearing drum hits that aren’t charted in rhythm games on expert/pro settings, also enjoy Rocksmith it helped me get bends perfect with its accuracy. Some things took time dedicated to develop an appreciation and ear for like a 1% difference affects tone & volume mixing
I'm like this too (on bass). I want to learn the song. I want everyone to understand the full impact of the arrangement. Then we can decide knowingly whether we want to modify it. But in songs where the bass sits out for a while, like this, or All Right Now by Free, it drives the other guys NUTZ! I don't get it. Dynamics, guys!
A band that plays local bars, weddings etc. often has musicians of different levels, sometimes has a changing line-up. It would be understandable under those circumstances, that a song isn't note for note, like the original. So long as a song is played with confidence, the band are entertaining & look like they are having fun, most people in the audience won't notice any minor mistakes and if they do, they are usually quite forgiving, they just want to be entertained.
Generally, the audience isn't going to say anything even if they do notice. They are there to have a good time, not critique the band. The ones that don't notice specifically what is being left out or done wrong, will notice that certain bands sound better than other bands, but they just don't know why, Usually, the conversation in which someone thows out the excuse of "doing your own version" is between band members at rehearsal. And that someone who throws out that excuse is the one(s) who is too lazy to do it right.
Make up your own lyrics. I use to have fun, getting the band to sing replacement lyrics. One time I got my band mates to sing the chorus to “Amie” by Pure Prairie League… “Amie, what you gonna do?” “I think I caught AIDS from you.” “And my lawyer said I should sue” I thought it would be funny….the crowd was offended! 😂
As a bass player that played this in a bar band for many years. I held off until the little fill at the second half of the verse. Not sure if it mattered to most of the people we played for!
@@sawboss216 In a bar one must find the ideal balance between - honoring the original - personal expression - drunk people usually neither notice nor would care if they _did_ notice This can vary by locale, season, time of night, patron, and even one night to the next. Ya gotta have fun with it, or it's not worth it for anyone. Cheers!
Yeah, there's a difference between "playing a song in your own style" and "half assing a song". An arrangement in your own style still cares about the details. It's not just "let's strum these chords and add a basic drum beat". Playing in your own style doesn't mean the details matter less - it means you intentinally change some details and add some of your own details. Even simple songs have details to them. Actually, these details become even more important in simple songs, because they are what make it sound dynamic. In this case, if the bass comes in immediately and the drummer starts playing really "full" with the kick drum, there are no dynamics to it - the verse and the chorus sound the same.
This, this and more this! The "simplest" songs need the most attention. Attention to the details, whether your own arrangement or from the recording are what spell the difference between meh and outstanding. I cringe when I hear most bands play Sweet Home Alabama because they think it's easy and just play the 3 chords over and over with no rhythmic variation or dynamics or any of the things that made Skynyrd a great band.
Agreed. There's "rearranging but still keeping it tight" and there's "we just don't care." If you alter a drum beat to open things up a little or drive things a little more because you're doing a lighter or harder version, cool! If you reduce everything to "kick on 1 & 3 and eighth note hi hats," it's going to sound boring as hell. I play guitar in an 80s cover band (mostly dance/pop/rock). I'll dig through isolated tracks to get the riffs and strumming/picking patterns down perfectly, but I'll put my own spin on improvised licks and solos (e.g., I try to nail the Crazy Train solo as best as I can, but the little fills in the choruses are my take on them).
Exactly! If you have the skill to play it like the record but don't, that's just being lazy. I had a band tell me "we do it like this to make it our own." I said "so just plowing through it minus details is how you make this your own? Interesting take." lol
Never noticed any of that before but a whole new appreciation for the restraint required to make those parts dynamic and make the song that much better.
I’m like you. As a guitar player, I obsess over the details. Not only will you capture the feel of the song, but you honor the song writer and musicians who recorded it. As a singer, I also obsess over pitch. Many many live music cover band singers do not. I’m a terrible audience member 😂
For covers I love how Randy Rhoads, Brad Gillis, etc. play Sabbath songs the way they like to play them....I think I heard "Speak Of The Devil" before I heard the Sabbath songs on records and I was like "damn...that's how you make Sabbath Bloody Sabbath come alive!" (Ozzy skips the bridge vocals or whatever it's called but probably makes sense cuz the song is pretty long).
I believe the lead guitarist is way underrated . In fact he's not rated at all . The guitar solo in this song is hauntingly beautiful . That's the biggest part of the song , and nobody plays it , like it doesn't exist . If ever a guitar is crying out loud .
I can’t sing that well, and I’m unable to play and sing at the same time, but this describes me to a T. I always try to play a song as close to the original as I possibly can, since all I can do is play.
My brother knew I'd be a musician growing up because I complained that when Song 2 played I would go "Woo hoo!" all by myself and then everyone else joined in on the 2nd woo hoo.
Drunks in a bar don ‘t know any better. My friend had a request played the song then soon realized he didn’t remrber all the lyrics! He sang the same verse every single time over and over and I’m the only one that noticed😊
@buzzedalldrink9131, I'd say you were correct. However, there was that one gig we played to celebrate the grand closing of a bar. We had tired ourselves previously on Freebird and vowed to put it to rest and never play again. Crowd demanded to hear it so we reluctantly started playing. A verse and a half in and I realized that due to my apathy, I had forgotten the words - and so I just winged it. UNTIL... a BIG dude got right in my face, pointed to the Eagle tat on his bicep (which was twice the size of my thigh - and I'm no scrawny dude) and said "You sing that song right, boy!" All of a sudden my lyrical amnesia was cured! 😂
I got into a heated discussion with my gfs brother concerning the 3rd opening chord of Crocodile Rock bc I just couldn't figure it out (he teaches college level jazz theory). "Why do you even care? Everyone is drunk and would never notice". I know it's wrong, and that's all I care about.
@@barrygarrod781 great story ! here’s a freebird story for you. I was on vacation in New England eating lunch and a bar guy was playing acoustic and was asking the 10 people in the place,Is there anything that they would like to hear ? He was playing stuff like James Taylor and Cat Stevens you know older acoustic stuff and these two guys kept yelling, freebird ! after a while to shut them up, he did play freebird , the best he could on the acoustic and stopped when the solo would’ve began, and you know these guys didn’t even thank him or tip him!! The guy playing guitar did tremendous job all by himself with an acoustic
@RanjitSouri The singer is the guy doing the video, He's a guitar player first, and this song is out of his range a bit. Go easy on him, he just threw it together as an example.
Love this song, such an iconic tune. Night scooting in a cemetery sounds like my jam. Now you bring it up, I've actually not ever seen a band perform this song, I'll have to keep an eye out for that in the future. I think if I heard either one performed I'd have a good time. Agree with your assessment of how each version feels. Love the Jane shirt and the necklace. Congrats on 886k Subscribers! 🤘🏻🔥
It just once again shows you how incredibly important arrangement and dynamics are. It absolutely makes or breaks a song. Unfortunately, in my experience most musicians aren't really aware of these things.
Same here, it took me a couple decades to figure out the drum pattern buildup at the beginning! The first kick pattern is really effective for changes in dynamics. I didn't think twice before stealing it and using it for my own drum programming. I guess most cover bands get so carried away that they just want to launch into the song at full swing. Or maybe they see Summer of '69 as one of those songs that are "so easy you only have to listen to once to figure them out". Or a combination of the two.
I'm sure the band I covered this with got a lot of stuff wrong, but it was 1985, we were all 14-15 years old, and we had a blast that summer forming our first band.
i agree with your final comments there : for a tribute band i agree with honoring the original material, and a cover band having some ( some ) room open for interpretation speaking of the latest, i'd be one of those people you mentioned not putting the time to learn the songs accurately, mostly because i'm a level-2 bass player with no intention to play professionally might sound like sour-grapes, but i honestly just blast a few backing tracks through my headphones at the end of the day doing my part at my bedroom gig, with no intention to ever become a professional or a remarkable bass player.. its just some escapism before yet another 10 hour day doing my desk job...
I honestly couldn't pay attention to the music during the pro/mid examples because of those vocals. They were so cringe I couldn't focus on anything else.
During my 57 years of playing both covers and original music, when someone says "That's not the way the original went!", I say, "If you want to hear the way the original went, go home and listen to it, if you want to hear a live band, just enjoy it".
Yes! Absolutely correct! One would be a pompous fool for that type of criticism. That last thing I’d want to do is try to sound like the original. Then you’d be nothing more than a sideshow act.
I understand your point. My issue was always people playing a song the wrong way because of a lack of homework and practice. It’s one thing if you learn the correct way to play a song, and then make the conscious decision to play it differently. It’s another thing if you are unable to play the correct way because of a lack of practice.
97% of bands just wing it because 97% of people in the audience don't notice if the kick drum is exactly like the recording. They are just there to hear some music and drink.
Exactly. This guys far to anal about a song that's way overplayed. I've played this wrong and correct. Nobody gave a crap but me.. 😆 I'm learning if people are dancing it doesn't matter..
@@TheArtofGuitari think the point is the average person isn't going to notice or doesn't have a good frame of reference to refer to. Of course you do, you are a musician... A good portion of the crowd might be ignorant. You are assuming people are familiar with every song on the playlist, some might not be. I heard summer 69' on the radio but never payed much attention to the details let alone can recall the exact details from memory (not really a fan of bryan adams 😂). If I compared them side by side the differences would be more apparent... With that being said, I lean towards perfection and playing true to the original.
Yeah he should actually. Those drunk bar dancers are the reason the band is playing at a bar in the first place, buying drinks and having fun. They're the audience members that are interacting with the band the most while playing, why wouldn't you want to cater to them?
New Orleans is sinking is another song where no bar band gets it, the drums in particular. There’s a slight shuffle feel the that most drummers don’t get.
Yeah, if you really want to hear what's going on in recorded music, ditch cell phones, earbuds, and streaming, and listen to a CD on a good stereo system or quality headphones. Night and day.
I had the same approach as you when I was in cover bands. I always listened for the details and what the song was trying to convey. My last band we sat down and nailed every bit down. The attention to detail does make you stand out. I always wanted to not only be respectful to the original but also learn from the musicians we looked up to enough to play their song. There was a reason they are among the greats and I was in a bar. Once I really embraced that approach I found a bunch of songs I had hated were actually fun to play and I'd be looking forward to them coming in the set. They usually were the ones that moved me out of my comfort zone to pull off.
Exactly. Songs I never liked or thought were boring, but had to learn for the band, turned out to be fun to play and more challenging than I'd expected. In studying the songs, the parts, the techniques, and the arrangements, I've gained a new appreciation for different styles of music that I'd never considered before. I've also become a better musician, and stepping outside the comfort zone is a big factor in that.
I was the drummer for a local rock cover band in Houston named Sideshow about 25 years ago. We spent hours, sometimes days in the rehearsal room learning the proper structure of a song before we ever played it live. Luckily, all five of us agreed to this concept and it really paid off in the end. Most of the compliments we got from the crowd were not just about how good we were but how close we sounded to the original.
Hell, yeah brother, and that’s why you were successful for 25 years and not an overnight sensation, cover band or not. Lot of lazy pieces of excrement around nowadays.
Even if you don't play anything, this sort of a breakdown really helps highlight the nuances of the original! I've never really dug it, as that sort of big mid-80s hit rock sound just doesn't speak to my soul, but watching stuff like this definitely makes me a better listener.
IMO the albums 'If You Want It You Got It' and 'Cuts Like a Knife absolutely destroy anything Bryan Adams did later tho Summer of 69 is a great song , gorgeous Tele btw
I think being obsessed with getting it perfect goes to show a players dedication to their instruments. If a band covering a song can put a good spin on while still respecting the original that's great too, most of the people who are listening don't really notice, except us a$$hole musicians. Also isn't the E dropped to D on the recording?
Great video man! I’m a details man myself and was always the guy in the band frustrated trying to get everyone to play their parts right. Sadly, it’s rare that anyone will ever notice or care if you’re still playing at a primarily covers band level. So for me, it’s all down to how passionate I am about the particular song whether I put in the effort to learn the details.
I haven’t played this particular piece since the 80s, but we probably did not hit all the details (but we were 17 years old and likely learning from a cassette dubbed from the radio for all I remember). But, these days I strive for more detail. I think it’s largely influenced by having better sound equipment and digital recordings where we can loop to pick out the nuances.
I agree with you. The details are very important. I hear all the parts. Sometimes the parts are essential to the feel of the song, and if a part is changed, it can sometimes ruin the entire song for me.
I’m a drummer and usually make a point to learn my parts as recorded whenever possible. I remember learning all those unique kick patterns and thinking they were really great choices by the drummer
As always, you've made an entertaining and informative video. Your original insights to how music is created is so helpful and refreshing. As for me, I played for many years just at family or friend gatherings and was almost always the only player. I "amalgamated" song parts to "get the SONG across" and make it fun. A lot of times I hadn't realized this until I'd get together with another guitarist or keyboard player. They would show me that what I was doing was not actually in the song at all. This was true ... because I made it up. I didn't do it to "make it my own" but as I said to just get the song across in general for everyone. Btw, unless you're a great artist "interpreting a song" or a very professional musician "covering the song" then those terms are just code for "I really just don't know to play the effin' song correctly" ... so just admit it because it's alright. Hey, who can say they baseball like Derek Jeter? So, just have fun at YOUR level and watch these AOG videos to get better!
When I play live, I like to do both. I do make the song my own, but I also try to include, note-for-note, the parts of the song that made people like it. I keep the core pieces, then go off on my own.
Part 2. LOL As far as playing the parts exactly as it is on the record. I think you nailed all of the possible reasons. I played in many tribute bands and learning the exact parts is a must. Especially since the rest of the band is doing the same. People pay a lot of money for tickets to these shows and I have to assume it is because they are fans of the original act. So give them what they should be expecting. Playing in cover bands can have different outcomes. There are some that will try to get all of the original parts and rehearse those parts. There are also cover bands where the one who got the gig and has hired me only just pulls up the chords on Ultimate Guitar (for right or wrong) and just plays to that. I am all for that style too because the crowd still loves it and I still get paid. I have fun either way. I have no problem with learning the parts, as you say, to learn the basics. Some songs require playing the original parts. Try playing Brickhouse or Come Together or Sweet Emotion without them and look at the audiences faces. Now try playing those parts where the drummer is playing some completely different song. My point is; know your gig, know your bandmates and know what is working at that specific gig. And if you never took the time to learn your part please don't tell the bass player that they are playing the bass line wrong.
Absolutely agree with your reflection towards the end of the video. If you don't know the original parts, then deviations are not musical choices, I think. Not a matter of right or wrong but of awareness.
Im so glad you posted this cause today I was teaching a kid Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day and while listening to the song up close, it made me fully appreciate what a great drummer Tre Cool is and how a simple change in kick pattern can change the entire emotion of a song and how the guitar plays off it. Drummers need more love.
The keyboard part is THE iconic lick of the song, after arguably the palm mute crunch of the intro. If your "pro" band doesn't have that part, then there's no point in obsessing over the accuracy of the other details; it's just your own arrangement. And don't say to just use a backing track; then you're just doing live band karaoke at that point.
Yes but a ton of bands I see don't have a keyboardist and the guitar can cover that part a little. I was once in a band where the keyboardist played that part along with me and it was like (pardon the pun) Heaven!
@@TheArtofGuitar There's plenty of keyboard players out there; hire one if you really want to cover the song the way it was originally done. Otherwise you're still half-assing it, even if you get the kick drums on the right beat. And maybe next time you have a keyboard player playing the part, just let the keys shine instead of trying to share the spotlight.
Super cool paying attention to those details, I always try my best to learn as much of a song as possible, but with that said it doesn't matter much for the overall song in the end. Studio versions are made to be played on a good sound system, playing live involves different dynamics (like the bassist not playing might make the beginning of the song sound thin) and etc...
This is wild. I love this song and jammed it for ages and NEVER noticed how much the specific bass drum patterns open it up like you said. When you compare it side by side - that 'Footloose' feel you talked about with the mid-tier version- really throws off the song. It starts to sound less 'arena rock'. Great video hope you'll do more.
There's a difference between a song and a take, I imagine even Brian Adams' band doesn't follow the studio take to a tee. but mad respect for focusing on how the drums set the scene
Musicians getting stuck playing a cover incorrectly is a very common thing esp if the cover was learnt pre internet. I learnt songs listening to cassettes back in the day and it was a pain with all the stopping and rewinding so we tended to "learn" songs as quickly as possible. In Ireland Fisherman's Blues by the Waterboys is a very popular song by pub bands but most of them play a part of it incorrectly: the normal chord sequence is G, F, Am, C, however that final C is omitted at the end of the chorus before the iconic fiddle riff comes in (it adds a great sense of dynamism to jump the riff forward). The vast majority of bands forget or ignore this. I had a guy stop playing onstage in protest once, shouting I was wrong. I told him to listen to it when he got home which he said he would and he'd prove he was right and I was wrong (he was completely disgusted at me). He never mentioned it again.... 😂
I completely respect everything you're saying. I arrange songs for my 2 person group (with no tracks) and often try to be as faithful as possible. That said, I do feel like some songs played live (even by thr original artists) take on a completely different life bc some studio versions lack the energy for a live show. Or, maybe they're just impossible to replicate outside of the produced product
I always thought a cover band should be given a pretty decent amount of slack. Like, a bar band? As long as theyre jamming and having fun, who cares. I didn't go to the pub for a perfect rendition of Little Wing
Great video. I'm more into making originals myself, but there is still something to be learned here, in building things more slowly and having people sit out at certain parts. Reatraint and strategy in song arrangement can.be hard to come by among musicians. Everyone wants to just jump in and start bashing away
I just now realized this wasn't Markilplier's vanity music channel. Also, is this a whole YT subgenré were people pretend that non-descript, painfully generic, yaht rack is actually "brilliant?"
Also,on the bridge where the lyric says "we needed to unwind". The bass walks UP three whole steps after the C in the bridge and doesn't go back down to the Bb with the guitar. The bass follows the vocal climb(needed to unwind), then the bass hits back to the F for the 2nd part
I confess that I played this one wrong on bass for years, playing whole open notes once the drums came in (your Option 1). Finally went back and listened to the original a few months ago and realized there was no bass there. One thing you didn’t mention with the bass part is it is in Drop D (or a 5 string). Once the second verse comes in, the bass goes to that lower D and you can hear it walk up to the A instead of down. Playing it in Drop D really fills in space that is missing if don’t have keys.
There was a very highly regarded 90s cover band that I saw a few years ago. They played Basketcase by Green Day but the drummer played quarter notes on the hihat and ride throughout the entire song instead of eighths. Completely killed the energy. My drum teacher growing up had an adage for covers, either play it exactly to respect the writers or completely reinterpret it to respect your own creativity. Otherwise don't play covers
While I can definitely appreciate the level of care and dedication it takes to play a song faithfully to the original/album version of the song, I gave up the dream of hearing the album version played live when NONE of the bands I’ve gone to hear live ever play any of their songs with as much effort to get it to sound like the album as cover bands do. I know what everyone will say “The OG band gets to play it however they want, it’s THEIR song!” But to me that’s always been a lame cop out for not either remembering how or putting in the effort to try and play their songs as good as they came out in the album. I know a studio sound will never fully be achievable in a live setting but many bands don’t even aim for that. They just play the song in the spirit it was meant to be played in and that’s usually good enough for the audience. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a live performance waiting for my favorite part to come in and then … disappointment. They didn’t play it like the album and it just loses that special something you remember listening to. For a lot of people a “live version” is good enough for them because to them it’s a new way of appreciating an old song but even for this channel, if you don’t play it exactly how it was played on the album, it loses something special
i can see what you are saying, as soon as i stated to listen to classical music i began to hear the full components in other styles and it makes a difference, i actually started to listen how similar some songs are, pretty incredible stuff.
I remembered watching Brian playing this song live and being shocked, seeing him play the intro at the 5th fret when every cover band guitarist plays open D and A shapes.
This made me think of the outro on One And Only by Queensryche. Not the same thing by any stretch, but it's basically a little riff repeated with little variations.
I really hate the phrase "you're playing it wrong". I have been playing for 40 years. If it sounds good and people like it. Who cares. I hate people that judge how you play a song. Just relax and play. Enjoy what you're playing and don't listen to those a**holes.
How a band plays it is bespoke to the venue and the feel. What's happening in the moment is all that matters. If the absence of bass causes the floor to empty then playing it "correctly" is the wrong option.
Cover bands are just that: cover bands, not tribute bands. If you are in a tribute band, yes play the song exactly how it's played originally but as a cover band, that's not the expectation. Simply play the song so that the crowd has fun. Take that "perfection" rehearsal time to learn another song.
And going off your advice… sound like idiots. “Just do it the easy way, bro… “They’ll” never know. But as a whole, that’s the difference between a good sounding cover band and an amateur one that rushes things.
Umm...... Nope. In fact, any half decent cover band should be able to play Summer of 69 without practicing it, it's that easy. We played it at every gig but never during rehearsals. It killed every night. We rehearsed but made sure we used our time wisely.
Appreciate your comment about cover bands and putting in the effort. People come to shows expecting to hear solid covers that honor the bands we choose to play. Grateful for your series of candid feedback without being a jerk - passionate, honest criticism! Stuff we all need to hear. Please consider doing a video on cover band back ups/harmonies.
I bet you $1000 he doesn't play it note for note live, but that's not the point of my video. If you watch his live performances though, he stays pretty true to the structure and anyhow it's his own song so he can do whatever he wants. ;)
Living and performing in a dense populated area with about 150 regional cover bands that fight over the same events to perform, it is crucial not to be 100th band to copy a song note for note. It's rather important to have an unique style and put your own interpretation on songs. To put this into context: I think it is important to be able to play a song note for note and then give it your own twist in an artistical way. By that, I don't mean to simply "punk it out" with distortion and higher pace - that is not artistical anymore.
I totally agree but you also have to remember that it's extremely rare for a band to actually do the deep dives so you end up with a bunch of mediocre versions of the song. A band that's as detailed and tight as say the pro band would surly get noticed since it's so rare.. Happened to my Heart tribute band, but it was a crap-ton of work. We rehearsed for a straight year before stepping foot on stage.
I live in a big metro area as well (D.C. metro), and a local venue here pretty much does all cover band stuff. The cover bands that draw the biggest crowds are the ones who actually play close to the originals, which usually happen to be the tribute bands (Ironically, one was a Heart Tribute band). At some of the other local venues, you can see the same songs played for the 100th time by cover bands, and they usually all sound poorly done. The only ones I tend to remember are the ones who do it closest to the originals. You're rarely ever hear someone say, "I love your interpretation of the song!" You're more likely to hear "You guys nailed it, you sounded just like the record."
Yes, this this is how good artists write songs. Changes in the drum and percussion patterns etc. definitely affect the feel and emotional impact of the tunes. Somebody took the time to work that out because it makes a difference.
A great breakdown of the song, as a drummer I'm pleased to say I played this correctly, although, during the break in the song, I added my own fills in, where their was none, it added a build up back into the chorus, and worked well, so we stuck with it. Great video 👍
As a student, it absolutely matters to learn how the originals were done. It's how you learn to understand and reproduce the sounds in your own head. As a professional, it depends on how much I'm being paid to learn/rehearse a song. For a $100 gig, I'm not spending multiple hours per song to learn a set. For a $1000+ gig with multiple rehearsals, I'm going to try to figure out which pick they used on what guitar as well as every note in the solos. As a musician, I came up around jazz players who very rarely, if ever, just played anything the way they heard it. Of course they COULD, but they could also take those musical ideas and expand on them. It's fun to hear things a different way, even if it's not as good. There's also a magic about the idea that what you're hearing/playing will never happen again. I'm very much in the mindset of, "If you want to hear the recording, just listen to the recording. If you want to hear music, go listen to musicians."
I'm teaching myself how to sing atm so I have a tip for you in exchange for learning the subtleties of this song. I can hear your throat is tightened up, possibly nerves. That's my main obstacle, anxiety can cause some adverse side effects when performing. Anyway, relax. Open your mouth and throat as much as you can within reason, this gives you more control and volume. This is hard to describe so it might sound crazy, but try speaking lower down in your mouth, away from the entrance to the nasal cavity at the back of your throat. Then apply that to singing. It's a bit like doing different accent impressions
It seems like the lesson here is dynamics, in this case starting sparse and gradually building. I would say that is more important than playing the exact part and is as much a "band" thing as what one is doing individually. For example if the drummer is leaving space and the bassist isn't (or vice versa) that would potentially be worse than both of them making the same "mistake". Creating that group dynamic where everyone is on the same page is what good bands are all about.
That last minute or so pointing out the main difference between The Right Way and "..our way...".......Thank You, I'm not alone! That was always my chief complaint with some old bandmates doing covers. I personally like to focus on picking out the little nuances in some songs, just because I think that's where a lot of the mojo is hiding: replicating the slightest barely noticable string bend in a certain part can really make a difference and take performing covers to another level...Oh Yeah, FANTASTIC cover of 'Crazy..' THAT is a level I wish to reach!
Usually what I like to do is learn it exactly as it was done originally, and then decide what I want to keep and what I want to tweak. Because there are three guitarists in my band, that often means adding extra harmonies, doing three guitar solos rather than one, maybe taking the verse riff and developing it into something more exciting the second time around, etc... In other bands I've been in, we've also done a thing where we essentially just start with a "good enough" version (aka we play the song the way we remember it) and then learn it the "right way" and decide what to keep from our version vs the original. Both ways have yielded fun results. But then there are times where we decide to just do a song note perfect, and that can be okay too. It really just depends on the song and how we are feeling.
I completely understand the winging of it from some musicians. And usually, i don't like it. I put in a bunch of time learning the proper drum parts. And it ticks me off when i know right out the gate if a guitarist or the bassist hasn't done their homework. There's tons of resources to help learn it correctly. And I'm not saying i expect it note for note, but try and learn the correct rhythms and lead patterns. A C chord is not a CMaj7. Someone once told me that no one in a club will know the difference. And i said I'm there in that club and i will.
Some songs need to be as close as note for note. But we used to do big changes on others. Medleys are what i like to do, and audiences do too from feedback ive had or going into a different song and back to the original.
I think the vocals are not really pro quality in either recording. Hence the the more rocking “mid level” version sounds better to me because the extra drive helps compensate for the limitations of the vocalist.
I think a pro band would also play the bass in drop-D tuning, or on a 5-string. I always tune down to drop-D for this song. The guys in the band complained about me waiting until the prechorus to come in so I played muted 8th notes way up in the guitar range (D4) to placate them, though I think it takes from the power of the song.
Yeah I'm with you for covers, get it as close as possible to the orginals. Usually bands who say they put their own twist/sound on it just play a dumbed down of it, basically the "it kinda goes like this" version.
A lot of drummers in my experience tend to overplay parts because they're either bored or too lazy to learn the correct parts. Btw Mickey Curry is a beast on the drums and criminally underrated!
Simplifying drum beats like this is a huge pet peeve of mine with cover bands! The details of rhythm are always so important in what gives a rock song its type of energy. Otherwise it's like a musical uncanny effect. It's very obvious when a band is actually changing it for their own style and intent, and when they're being lazy and settling for 70% of the way there.
Dude...same thing...and it just happened to be "Summer of 69".....I've been screaming about this forever. Another one is "Hold on Loosely"...NO ONE plays the beat right. It has a snare minus kick once the singing starts...kick comes in between the verses...then goes out again...and then full drums at the pre chorus. Also I've seen TONS of people who play ACDC songs never get the bass lines right. They usually follow the guitar chords, BUT the bass actually stays on the root note for many of those famous tunes.
Had someone on my last video say it was "elitist" to want the drummer and bassist to play the right patterns. Just trying to imagine being at band practice and suggesting that the drummer play the correct kick drum beat and having him say, "Well isn't that just some elitist shit right there!" haha. The BEST musicians I've ever played with all did their homework and honored the details. Yes they would bend parts to make it their own, but they based it off the OG's parts. This taught me so much.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 WTH is wrong with ppl?! Now it’s elitist to learn and honor the song as the artist intended?!?! 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
I think most of us want to do our best to play it as the band did - unless it’s a pure reimagining of an original, who wouldn’t want to sound like the artist did it in the same way we all loved it years back?!
Haters gonna hate no matter what. The details matter when it comes to music whether people want to accept it or not.
I don't think it is elitist for anyone to want to get better at what they enjoy doing & want their band mates to improve
I'll be a bit more brutal than you, because that is a huge pet-peeve of mine.
A lot of times when people talk about "making the song their own", they actually mean simplifying it, because they can't play it properly. Often that is OK, obviously - I've seen bands simplifying their own songs to play them live, but I've also seen people making me wonder why they even try playing some song, if they know they don't have the necessary technical abilities to even come close to the original. If you can't hit high notes and can't play fast guitar solos, you have no business making a song like "Child in Time" your own.
Also...
5:27
This just destroyed me. I play the bass and... When you played the recording, I didn't hear any bass at all. Then you started playing and I started doubting myself.
It just means they can't play it correctly and are jealous of those that can.
Ironically, this song always reminds me of the summer of 85.
LOL...exactly, Because I was playing this in a cover band in 85
Because in 85 he has the 69.
Summer of 96 i got my first real six string. Ironically my first band played this song too
😂
Adams was not talking about the year
OCD drummer here. Pat's purposefully minimal bass drum use at the beginning stood out to me as soon as I first heard the song. He's slowly building it up, rather than just racing off as soon as the drums start. Likewise Dave holding back on the bass for a while, really helps add to that. Nice to see other people listening to and actually hearing the song
I can’t stand hearing drum hits that aren’t charted in rhythm games on expert/pro settings, also enjoy Rocksmith it helped me get bends perfect with its accuracy. Some things took time dedicated to develop an appreciation and ear for like a 1% difference affects tone & volume mixing
I'm like this too (on bass). I want to learn the song. I want everyone to understand the full impact of the arrangement. Then we can decide knowingly whether we want to modify it. But in songs where the bass sits out for a while, like this, or All Right Now by Free, it drives the other guys NUTZ! I don't get it. Dynamics, guys!
A band that plays local bars, weddings etc. often has musicians of different levels, sometimes has a changing line-up. It would be understandable under those circumstances, that a song isn't note for note, like the original.
So long as a song is played with confidence, the band are entertaining & look like they are having fun, most people in the audience won't notice any minor mistakes and if they do, they are usually quite forgiving, they just want to be entertained.
Yeah that’s our bands excuse too! 😂
Generally, the audience isn't going to say anything even if they do notice. They are there to have a good time, not critique the band. The ones that don't notice specifically what is being left out or done wrong, will notice that certain bands sound better than other bands, but they just don't know why,
Usually, the conversation in which someone thows out the excuse of "doing your own version" is between band members at rehearsal. And that someone who throws out that excuse is the one(s) who is too lazy to do it right.
I'm just happy if I can play the right chords while singing the correct lyrics.
Make up your own lyrics. I use to have fun, getting the band to sing replacement lyrics.
One time I got my band mates to sing the chorus to “Amie” by Pure Prairie League…
“Amie, what you gonna do?”
“I think I caught AIDS from you.”
“And my lawyer said I should sue”
I thought it would be funny….the crowd was offended! 😂
As a bass player that played this in a bar band for many years. I held off until the little fill at the second half of the verse. Not sure if it mattered to most of the people we played for!
@@sawboss216 In a bar one must find the ideal balance between
- honoring the original
- personal expression
- drunk people usually neither notice nor would care if they _did_ notice
This can vary by locale, season, time of night, patron, and even one night to the next.
Ya gotta have fun with it, or it's not worth it for anyone.
Cheers!
Yeah, there's a difference between "playing a song in your own style" and "half assing a song". An arrangement in your own style still cares about the details. It's not just "let's strum these chords and add a basic drum beat". Playing in your own style doesn't mean the details matter less - it means you intentinally change some details and add some of your own details.
Even simple songs have details to them. Actually, these details become even more important in simple songs, because they are what make it sound dynamic. In this case, if the bass comes in immediately and the drummer starts playing really "full" with the kick drum, there are no dynamics to it - the verse and the chorus sound the same.
THANK YOU!
This, this and more this! The "simplest" songs need the most attention. Attention to the details, whether your own arrangement or from the recording are what spell the difference between meh and outstanding. I cringe when I hear most bands play Sweet Home Alabama because they think it's easy and just play the 3 chords over and over with no rhythmic variation or dynamics or any of the things that made Skynyrd a great band.
Agreed. There's "rearranging but still keeping it tight" and there's "we just don't care." If you alter a drum beat to open things up a little or drive things a little more because you're doing a lighter or harder version, cool! If you reduce everything to "kick on 1 & 3 and eighth note hi hats," it's going to sound boring as hell.
I play guitar in an 80s cover band (mostly dance/pop/rock). I'll dig through isolated tracks to get the riffs and strumming/picking patterns down perfectly, but I'll put my own spin on improvised licks and solos (e.g., I try to nail the Crazy Train solo as best as I can, but the little fills in the choruses are my take on them).
Stated perfectly.
Exactly! If you have the skill to play it like the record but don't, that's just being lazy. I had a band tell me "we do it like this to make it our own." I said "so just plowing through it minus details is how you make this your own? Interesting take." lol
I prefer it when musicians sound like they're having fun playing the song, and you sounded like you were having more fun on the mid-level recording!
Never noticed any of that before but a whole new appreciation for the restraint required to make those parts dynamic and make the song that much better.
Learn to LISTEN!
I’m like you. As a guitar player, I obsess over the details. Not only will you capture the feel of the song, but you honor the song writer and musicians who recorded it. As a singer, I also obsess over pitch. Many many live music cover band singers do not. I’m a terrible audience member 😂
For covers I love how Randy Rhoads, Brad Gillis, etc. play Sabbath songs the way they like to play them....I think I heard "Speak Of The Devil" before I heard the Sabbath songs on records and I was like "damn...that's how you make Sabbath Bloody Sabbath come alive!" (Ozzy skips the bridge vocals or whatever it's called but probably makes sense cuz the song is pretty long).
I believe the lead guitarist is way underrated . In fact he's not rated at all . The guitar solo in this song is hauntingly beautiful . That's the biggest part of the song , and nobody plays it , like it doesn't exist . If ever a guitar is crying out loud .
I can’t sing that well, and I’m unable to play and sing at the same time, but this describes me to a T. I always try to play a song as close to the original as I possibly can, since all I can do is play.
Most cover band 'singers' CAN'T!
My brother knew I'd be a musician growing up because I complained that when Song 2 played I would go "Woo hoo!" all by myself and then everyone else joined in on the 2nd woo hoo.
Drunks in a bar don ‘t know any better.
My friend had a request played the song then soon realized he didn’t remrber all the lyrics! He sang the same verse every single time over and over and I’m the only one that noticed😊
@buzzedalldrink9131, I'd say you were correct. However, there was that one gig we played to celebrate the grand closing of a bar. We had tired ourselves previously on Freebird and vowed to put it to rest and never play again. Crowd demanded to hear it so we reluctantly started playing. A verse and a half in and I realized that due to my apathy, I had forgotten the words - and so I just winged it. UNTIL... a BIG dude got right in my face, pointed to the Eagle tat on his bicep (which was twice the size of my thigh - and I'm no scrawny dude) and said "You sing that song right, boy!"
All of a sudden my lyrical amnesia was cured! 😂
Drunks at the bar know everything.
I got into a heated discussion with my gfs brother concerning the 3rd opening chord of Crocodile Rock bc I just couldn't figure it out (he teaches college level jazz theory). "Why do you even care? Everyone is drunk and would never notice". I know it's wrong, and that's all I care about.
@@barrygarrod781 great story ! here’s a freebird story for you. I was on vacation in New England eating lunch and a bar guy was playing acoustic and was asking the 10 people in the place,Is there anything that they would like to hear ? He was playing stuff like James Taylor and Cat Stevens you know older acoustic stuff and these two guys kept yelling, freebird ! after a while to shut them up, he did play freebird , the best he could on the acoustic and stopped when the solo would’ve began, and you know these guys didn’t even thank him or tip him!! The guy playing guitar did tremendous job all by himself with an acoustic
Bingo. This is a song to get drunk boomers grooving.
Man, that pro level band needs to fire the singer. The tuning hurts me physically. I expect it from the bar band.
Yes, that pro level singer was consistently flat. Is it an actual person or an AI?
@RanjitSouri The singer is the guy doing the video, He's a guitar player first, and this song is out of his range a bit. Go easy on him, he just threw it together as an example.
@@qurn I'm not singing on this. I literally put the singer's info on the screen when the first version starts up.
i'm a decent enough singer but I cannot do this song at all
Yeah I’m not a powerhouse singer by any means but I could’ve definitely sung that better.
Love this song, such an iconic tune. Night scooting in a cemetery sounds like my jam. Now you bring it up, I've actually not ever seen a band perform this song, I'll have to keep an eye out for that in the future. I think if I heard either one performed I'd have a good time. Agree with your assessment of how each version feels.
Love the Jane shirt and the necklace. Congrats on 886k Subscribers! 🤘🏻🔥
It just once again shows you how incredibly important arrangement and dynamics are. It absolutely makes or breaks a song. Unfortunately, in my experience most musicians aren't really aware of these things.
True, or dgaf!
Same here, it took me a couple decades to figure out the drum pattern buildup at the beginning! The first kick pattern is really effective for changes in dynamics. I didn't think twice before stealing it and using it for my own drum programming. I guess most cover bands get so carried away that they just want to launch into the song at full swing. Or maybe they see Summer of '69 as one of those songs that are "so easy you only have to listen to once to figure them out". Or a combination of the two.
MOST of the time, it's the latter!
as a drummer who's been playing this song wrong my whole life - this is an awesome video man
I feel like this song is rock drumming 101. Building up is the key!
I'm sure the band I covered this with got a lot of stuff wrong, but it was 1985, we were all 14-15 years old, and we had a blast that summer forming our first band.
Electric scooting around a cemetery listening to an 80's playlist
sounds like the summer of '69 to me
Back then it would have to be riding my bicycle. ;)
i agree with your final comments there : for a tribute band i agree with honoring the original material, and a cover band having some ( some ) room open for interpretation
speaking of the latest, i'd be one of those people you mentioned not putting the time to learn the songs accurately, mostly because i'm a level-2 bass player with no intention to play professionally
might sound like sour-grapes, but i honestly just blast a few backing tracks through my headphones at the end of the day doing my part at my bedroom gig, with no intention to ever become a professional or a remarkable bass player.. its just some escapism before yet another 10 hour day doing my desk job...
Hey Mike! Would you consider making a video about Chris Poland's solos in the Rust In Peace demos?
I honestly couldn't pay attention to the music during the pro/mid examples because of those vocals. They were so cringe I couldn't focus on anything else.
Right? Flat as a pancake.
I love that attention to detail. It’s the details that really define the uniqueness of a create song.
During my 57 years of playing both covers and original music, when someone says "That's not the way the original went!", I say, "If you want to hear the way the original went, go home and listen to it, if you want to hear a live band, just enjoy it".
Yes! Absolutely correct!
One would be a pompous fool for that type of criticism. That last thing I’d want to do is try to sound like the original. Then you’d be nothing more than a sideshow act.
Thank you. 100% with you there.
You mad bro?
I understand your point. My issue was always people playing a song the wrong way because of a lack of homework and practice.
It’s one thing if you learn the correct way to play a song, and then make the conscious decision to play it differently. It’s another thing if you are unable to play the correct way because of a lack of practice.
Then you should just stay in your basement and have some friends over.
97% of bands just wing it because 97% of people in the audience don't notice if the kick drum is exactly like the recording. They are just there to hear some music and drink.
Exactly. This guys far to anal about a song that's way overplayed. I've played this wrong and correct. Nobody gave a crap but me.. 😆 I'm learning if people are dancing it doesn't matter..
Don't base your personal music standards to what the dancers in the crowd like.
@@fibessnaredrum2775 It DOES matter. Are you gonna let the whims of drunk bar dancers set the bar for your musical standards.
@@TheArtofGuitari think the point is the average person isn't going to notice or doesn't have a good frame of reference to refer to.
Of course you do, you are a musician... A good portion of the crowd might be ignorant. You are assuming people are familiar with every song on the playlist, some might not be. I heard summer 69' on the radio but never payed much attention to the details let alone can recall the exact details from memory (not really a fan of bryan adams 😂). If I compared them side by side the differences would be more apparent...
With that being said, I lean towards perfection and playing true to the original.
Yeah he should actually. Those drunk bar dancers are the reason the band is playing at a bar in the first place, buying drinks and having fun. They're the audience members that are interacting with the band the most while playing, why wouldn't you want to cater to them?
The bass should be tuned Drop-D, btw
I did when I recorded the pro version (You can hear it on the rocking out part) but for the video I left it in standard.
Or play a 5 or 6 string with a low B on it.
New Orleans is sinking is another song where no bar band gets it, the drums in particular. There’s a slight shuffle feel the that most drummers don’t get.
played this for the first time when I was 14 in 1986. My teenage bandmates and I jammed this so many times. Thanks for bringing back the memories.
Headphones are magic for older stuff!
Yeah, if you really want to hear what's going on in recorded music, ditch cell phones, earbuds, and streaming, and listen to a CD on a good stereo system or quality headphones. Night and day.
For everything, not just older stuff.. I wanna hear every single nuance when I’m listening to anything
@@davidvied2507 headphones for me with older stuff, new stuff as well, but it really feels like hearing it for first time!
@@SO-ym3zsyou mean vinyl? CDs are more compressed than vinyl.
I had the same approach as you when I was in cover bands. I always listened for the details and what the song was trying to convey. My last band we sat down and nailed every bit down. The attention to detail does make you stand out. I always wanted to not only be respectful to the original but also learn from the musicians we looked up to enough to play their song. There was a reason they are among the greats and I was in a bar. Once I really embraced that approach I found a bunch of songs I had hated were actually fun to play and I'd be looking forward to them coming in the set. They usually were the ones that moved me out of my comfort zone to pull off.
Exactly. Songs I never liked or thought were boring, but had to learn for the band, turned out to be fun to play and more challenging than I'd expected. In studying the songs, the parts, the techniques, and the arrangements, I've gained a new appreciation for different styles of music that I'd never considered before. I've also become a better musician, and stepping outside the comfort zone is a big factor in that.
I was the drummer for a local rock cover band in Houston named Sideshow about 25 years ago. We spent hours, sometimes days in the rehearsal room learning the proper structure of a song before we ever played it live. Luckily, all five of us agreed to this concept and it really paid off in the end. Most of the compliments we got from the crowd were not just about how good we were but how close we sounded to the original.
Hell, yeah brother, and that’s why you were successful for 25 years and not an overnight sensation, cover band or not. Lot of lazy pieces of excrement around nowadays.
@@ronmexico1975 25 yrs AGO and WAS the drummer
Even if you don't play anything, this sort of a breakdown really helps highlight the nuances of the original! I've never really dug it, as that sort of big mid-80s hit rock sound just doesn't speak to my soul, but watching stuff like this definitely makes me a better listener.
IMO the albums 'If You Want It You Got It' and 'Cuts Like a Knife absolutely destroy anything Bryan Adams did later tho Summer of 69 is a great song , gorgeous Tele btw
Reckless:Am I a joke to you?
This is going to be such a useful resource for cover bands. Helpfully you’ll be doing it for the next 40 years and produce a massive archive!
I think being obsessed with getting it perfect goes to show a players dedication to their instruments. If a band covering a song can put a good spin on while still respecting the original that's great too, most of the people who are listening don't really notice, except us a$$hole musicians. Also isn't the E dropped to D on the recording?
I just gotta say... your drums sound INCREDIBLE! You've mastered the Art of tuning and properly mic-ing the kit.
Great video man! I’m a details man myself and was always the guy in the band frustrated trying to get everyone to play their parts right. Sadly, it’s rare that anyone will ever notice or care if you’re still playing at a primarily covers band level. So for me, it’s all down to how passionate I am about the particular song whether I put in the effort to learn the details.
Great break down, thanks!
I haven’t played this particular piece since the 80s, but we probably did not hit all the details (but we were 17 years old and likely learning from a cassette dubbed from the radio for all I remember). But, these days I strive for more detail. I think it’s largely influenced by having better sound equipment and digital recordings where we can loop to pick out the nuances.
You did our local boy right Mike cheers 🤘🤘
I'm not from Canada! hehe. Close though. :)
@@TheArtofGuitar I meant my home town hahaha!
Come come ..on the kick drum! Lol!
I agree with you. The details are very important. I hear all the parts. Sometimes the parts are essential to the feel of the song, and if a part is changed, it can sometimes ruin the entire song for me.
I’m a drummer and usually make a point to learn my parts as recorded whenever possible. I remember learning all those unique kick patterns and thinking they were really great choices by the drummer
As always, you've made an entertaining and informative video. Your original insights to how music is created is so helpful and refreshing. As for me, I played for many years just at family or friend gatherings and was almost always the only player. I "amalgamated" song parts to "get the SONG across" and make it fun. A lot of times I hadn't realized this until I'd get together with another guitarist or keyboard player. They would show me that what I was doing was not actually in the song at all. This was true ... because I made it up. I didn't do it to "make it my own" but as I said to just get the song across in general for everyone. Btw, unless you're a great artist "interpreting a song" or a very professional musician "covering the song" then those terms are just code for "I really just don't know to play the effin' song correctly" ... so just admit it because it's alright. Hey, who can say they baseball like Derek Jeter? So, just have fun at YOUR level and watch these AOG videos to get better!
When I play live, I like to do both. I do make the song my own, but I also try to include, note-for-note, the parts of the song that made people like it. I keep the core pieces, then go off on my own.
Part 2. LOL As far as playing the parts exactly as it is on the record. I think you nailed all of the possible reasons. I played in many tribute bands and learning the exact parts is a must. Especially since the rest of the band is doing the same. People pay a lot of money for tickets to these shows and I have to assume it is because they are fans of the original act. So give them what they should be expecting. Playing in cover bands can have different outcomes. There are some that will try to get all of the original parts and rehearse those parts. There are also cover bands where the one who got the gig and has hired me only just pulls up the chords on Ultimate Guitar (for right or wrong) and just plays to that. I am all for that style too because the crowd still loves it and I still get paid. I have fun either way. I have no problem with learning the parts, as you say, to learn the basics. Some songs require playing the original parts. Try playing Brickhouse or Come Together or Sweet Emotion without them and look at the audiences faces. Now try playing those parts where the drummer is playing some completely different song. My point is; know your gig, know your bandmates and know what is working at that specific gig. And if you never took the time to learn your part please don't tell the bass player that they are playing the bass line wrong.
Absolutely agree with your reflection towards the end of the video. If you don't know the original parts, then deviations are not musical choices, I think. Not a matter of right or wrong but of awareness.
the jane shirt 💀
I love you for knowing that!
Thanks. I came in the comments for confirmation. Is that Jessica Jones?
Im so glad you posted this cause today I was teaching a kid Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day and while listening to the song up close, it made me fully appreciate what a great drummer Tre Cool is and how a simple change in kick pattern can change the entire emotion of a song and how the guitar plays off it. Drummers need more love.
Love this song!
The keyboard part is THE iconic lick of the song, after arguably the palm mute crunch of the intro. If your "pro" band doesn't have that part, then there's no point in obsessing over the accuracy of the other details; it's just your own arrangement. And don't say to just use a backing track; then you're just doing live band karaoke at that point.
Yes but a ton of bands I see don't have a keyboardist and the guitar can cover that part a little. I was once in a band where the keyboardist played that part along with me and it was like (pardon the pun) Heaven!
@@TheArtofGuitar There's plenty of keyboard players out there; hire one if you really want to cover the song the way it was originally done. Otherwise you're still half-assing it, even if you get the kick drums on the right beat. And maybe next time you have a keyboard player playing the part, just let the keys shine instead of trying to share the spotlight.
Super cool paying attention to those details, I always try my best to learn as much of a song as possible, but with that said it doesn't matter much for the overall song in the end.
Studio versions are made to be played on a good sound system, playing live involves different dynamics (like the bassist not playing might make the beginning of the song sound thin) and etc...
This is wild. I love this song and jammed it for ages and NEVER noticed how much the specific bass drum patterns open it up like you said. When you compare it side by side - that 'Footloose' feel you talked about with the mid-tier version- really throws off the song. It starts to sound less 'arena rock'. Great video hope you'll do more.
There's a difference between a song and a take, I imagine even Brian Adams' band doesn't follow the studio take to a tee. but mad respect for focusing on how the drums set the scene
We are lazy. Drum does sound better with proper pattern.
Musicians getting stuck playing a cover incorrectly is a very common thing esp if the cover was learnt pre internet. I learnt songs listening to cassettes back in the day and it was a pain with all the stopping and rewinding so we tended to "learn" songs as quickly as possible. In Ireland Fisherman's Blues by the Waterboys is a very popular song by pub bands but most of them play a part of it incorrectly: the normal chord sequence is G, F, Am, C, however that final C is omitted at the end of the chorus before the iconic fiddle riff comes in (it adds a great sense of dynamism to jump the riff forward). The vast majority of bands forget or ignore this. I had a guy stop playing onstage in protest once, shouting I was wrong. I told him to listen to it when he got home which he said he would and he'd prove he was right and I was wrong (he was completely disgusted at me).
He never mentioned it again.... 😂
As long as the "vibe" is there, I don't take issue. It's not like Devo covering "Satisfaction". XD
Needs more cowbell!
I completely respect everything you're saying. I arrange songs for my 2 person group (with no tracks) and often try to be as faithful as possible. That said, I do feel like some songs played live (even by thr original artists) take on a completely different life bc some studio versions lack the energy for a live show. Or, maybe they're just impossible to replicate outside of the produced product
I always thought a cover band should be given a pretty decent amount of slack.
Like, a bar band? As long as theyre jamming and having fun, who cares. I didn't go to the pub for a perfect rendition of Little Wing
Great video. I'm more into making originals myself, but there is still something to be learned here, in building things more slowly and having people sit out at certain parts. Reatraint and strategy in song arrangement can.be hard to come by among musicians. Everyone wants to just jump in and start bashing away
I just now realized this wasn't Markilplier's vanity music channel.
Also, is this a whole YT subgenré were people pretend that non-descript, painfully generic, yaht rack is actually "brilliant?"
Is that a germs album in the back ground?🤟🎸🎸
Very interesting 🤘
Also,on the bridge where the lyric says "we needed to unwind". The bass walks UP three whole steps after the C in the bridge and doesn't go back down to the Bb with the guitar. The bass follows the vocal climb(needed to unwind), then the bass hits back to the F for the 2nd part
I confess that I played this one wrong on bass for years, playing whole open notes once the drums came in (your Option 1). Finally went back and listened to the original a few months ago and realized there was no bass there. One thing you didn’t mention with the bass part is it is in Drop D (or a 5 string). Once the second verse comes in, the bass goes to that lower D and you can hear it walk up to the A instead of down. Playing it in Drop D really fills in space that is missing if don’t have keys.
There was a very highly regarded 90s cover band that I saw a few years ago. They played Basketcase by Green Day but the drummer played quarter notes on the hihat and ride throughout the entire song instead of eighths. Completely killed the energy. My drum teacher growing up had an adage for covers, either play it exactly to respect the writers or completely reinterpret it to respect your own creativity. Otherwise don't play covers
While I can definitely appreciate the level of care and dedication it takes to play a song faithfully to the original/album version of the song, I gave up the dream of hearing the album version played live when NONE of the bands I’ve gone to hear live ever play any of their songs with as much effort to get it to sound like the album as cover bands do. I know what everyone will say “The OG band gets to play it however they want, it’s THEIR song!” But to me that’s always been a lame cop out for not either remembering how or putting in the effort to try and play their songs as good as they came out in the album. I know a studio sound will never fully be achievable in a live setting but many bands don’t even aim for that. They just play the song in the spirit it was meant to be played in and that’s usually good enough for the audience. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a live performance waiting for my favorite part to come in and then … disappointment. They didn’t play it like the album and it just loses that special something you remember listening to. For a lot of people a “live version” is good enough for them because to them it’s a new way of appreciating an old song but even for this channel, if you don’t play it exactly how it was played on the album, it loses something special
i can see what you are saying, as soon as i stated to listen to classical music i began to hear the full components in other styles and it makes a difference, i actually started to listen how similar some songs are, pretty incredible stuff.
I remembered watching Brian playing this song live and being shocked, seeing him play the intro at the 5th fret when every cover band guitarist plays open D and A shapes.
This made me think of the outro on One And Only by Queensryche. Not the same thing by any stretch, but it's basically a little riff repeated with little variations.
I really hate the phrase "you're playing it wrong". I have been playing for 40 years. If it sounds good and people like it. Who cares. I hate people that judge how you play a song. Just relax and play. Enjoy what you're playing and don't listen to those a**holes.
I appreciate when things are played right.
How a band plays it is bespoke to the venue and the feel. What's happening in the moment is all that matters. If the absence of bass causes the floor to empty then playing it "correctly" is the wrong option.
Cover bands are just that: cover bands, not tribute bands. If you are in a tribute band, yes play the song exactly how it's played originally but as a cover band, that's not the expectation. Simply play the song so that the crowd has fun. Take that "perfection" rehearsal time to learn another song.
And going off your advice… sound like idiots. “Just do it the easy way, bro… “They’ll” never know. But as a whole, that’s the difference between a good sounding cover band and an amateur one that rushes things.
Umm...... Nope. In fact, any half decent cover band should be able to play Summer of 69 without practicing it, it's that easy. We played it at every gig but never during rehearsals. It killed every night. We rehearsed but made sure we used our time wisely.
Appreciate your comment about cover bands and putting in the effort. People come to shows expecting to hear solid covers that honor the bands we choose to play. Grateful for your series of candid feedback without being a jerk - passionate, honest criticism! Stuff we all need to hear. Please consider doing a video on cover band back ups/harmonies.
i was born in the winter of 69, january, 10th , so i was around to experience all but 9 days of that year
$5 says Bryan Adams plays it "wrong" live as well. It's very common for live rock bands to NOT play it as recorded.
I bet you $1000 he doesn't play it note for note live, but that's not the point of my video. If you watch his live performances though, he stays pretty true to the structure and anyhow it's his own song so he can do whatever he wants. ;)
Back when arrangements we super well thought out. I'm surprised you didn't mention the drop D in the bass. (unless you did and I missed it)
Watching on my phone and the flashing red dot hits harder than the kick drum.
Living and performing in a dense populated area with about 150 regional cover bands that fight over the same events to perform, it is crucial not to be 100th band to copy a song note for note. It's rather important to have an unique style and put your own interpretation on songs.
To put this into context: I think it is important to be able to play a song note for note and then give it your own twist in an artistical way. By that, I don't mean to simply "punk it out" with distortion and higher pace - that is not artistical anymore.
I totally agree but you also have to remember that it's extremely rare for a band to actually do the deep dives so you end up with a bunch of mediocre versions of the song. A band that's as detailed and tight as say the pro band would surly get noticed since it's so rare.. Happened to my Heart tribute band, but it was a crap-ton of work. We rehearsed for a straight year before stepping foot on stage.
@TheArtofGuitar I totally agree. Finding bandmembers that are willing to put as hard the work in as one does can be pretty rare😅
I live in a big metro area as well (D.C. metro), and a local venue here pretty much does all cover band stuff. The cover bands that draw the biggest crowds are the ones who actually play close to the originals, which usually happen to be the tribute bands (Ironically, one was a Heart Tribute band). At some of the other local venues, you can see the same songs played for the 100th time by cover bands, and they usually all sound poorly done. The only ones I tend to remember are the ones who do it closest to the originals. You're rarely ever hear someone say, "I love your interpretation of the song!" You're more likely to hear "You guys nailed it, you sounded just like the record."
Do this with Eagle's Lyin' Eyes! So many people miss this by a mile. They miss Felder's brilliance. Would love to you see break this down.
I usually just fart the opening riff out
Yes, this this is how good artists write songs.
Changes in the drum and percussion patterns etc. definitely affect the feel and emotional impact of the tunes. Somebody took the time to work that out because it makes a difference.
A great breakdown of the song, as a drummer I'm pleased to say I played this correctly, although, during the break in the song, I added my own fills in, where their was none, it added a build up back into the chorus, and worked well, so we stuck with it. Great video 👍
As a student, it absolutely matters to learn how the originals were done. It's how you learn to understand and reproduce the sounds in your own head.
As a professional, it depends on how much I'm being paid to learn/rehearse a song. For a $100 gig, I'm not spending multiple hours per song to learn a set. For a $1000+ gig with multiple rehearsals, I'm going to try to figure out which pick they used on what guitar as well as every note in the solos.
As a musician, I came up around jazz players who very rarely, if ever, just played anything the way they heard it. Of course they COULD, but they could also take those musical ideas and expand on them. It's fun to hear things a different way, even if it's not as good. There's also a magic about the idea that what you're hearing/playing will never happen again. I'm very much in the mindset of, "If you want to hear the recording, just listen to the recording. If you want to hear music, go listen to musicians."
I'm teaching myself how to sing atm so I have a tip for you in exchange for learning the subtleties of this song. I can hear your throat is tightened up, possibly nerves. That's my main obstacle, anxiety can cause some adverse side effects when performing. Anyway, relax. Open your mouth and throat as much as you can within reason, this gives you more control and volume. This is hard to describe so it might sound crazy, but try speaking lower down in your mouth, away from the entrance to the nasal cavity at the back of your throat. Then apply that to singing. It's a bit like doing different accent impressions
It went without saying to me, but just in case... your pitch was perfect.
It seems like the lesson here is dynamics, in this case starting sparse and gradually building. I would say that is more important than playing the exact part and is as much a "band" thing as what one is doing individually. For example if the drummer is leaving space and the bassist isn't (or vice versa) that would potentially be worse than both of them making the same "mistake". Creating that group dynamic where everyone is on the same page is what good bands are all about.
That last minute or so pointing out the main difference between The Right Way and "..our way...".......Thank You, I'm not alone! That was always my chief complaint with some old bandmates doing covers. I personally like to focus on picking out the little nuances in some songs, just because I think that's where a lot of the mojo is hiding: replicating the slightest barely noticable string bend in a certain part can really make a difference and take performing covers to another level...Oh Yeah, FANTASTIC cover of 'Crazy..' THAT is a level I wish to reach!
I love this video. Paying attention to the details teaches us so much about composition, dynamics and artistic intent.
Usually what I like to do is learn it exactly as it was done originally, and then decide what I want to keep and what I want to tweak. Because there are three guitarists in my band, that often means adding extra harmonies, doing three guitar solos rather than one, maybe taking the verse riff and developing it into something more exciting the second time around, etc... In other bands I've been in, we've also done a thing where we essentially just start with a "good enough" version (aka we play the song the way we remember it) and then learn it the "right way" and decide what to keep from our version vs the original. Both ways have yielded fun results. But then there are times where we decide to just do a song note perfect, and that can be okay too. It really just depends on the song and how we are feeling.
I completely understand the winging of it from some musicians. And usually, i don't like it. I put in a bunch of time learning the proper drum parts. And it ticks me off when i know right out the gate if a guitarist or the bassist hasn't done their homework. There's tons of resources to help learn it correctly. And I'm not saying i expect it note for note, but try and learn the correct rhythms and lead patterns. A C chord is not a CMaj7. Someone once told me that no one in a club will know the difference. And i said I'm there in that club and i will.
Some songs need to be as close as note for note. But we used to do big changes on others. Medleys are what i like to do, and audiences do too from feedback ive had or going into a different song and back to the original.
I think the vocals are not really pro quality in either recording. Hence the the more rocking “mid level” version sounds better to me because the extra drive helps compensate for the limitations of the vocalist.
I think a pro band would also play the bass in drop-D tuning, or on a 5-string. I always tune down to drop-D for this song. The guys in the band complained about me waiting until the prechorus to come in so I played muted 8th notes way up in the guitar range (D4) to placate them, though I think it takes from the power of the song.
Yeah I'm with you for covers, get it as close as possible to the orginals. Usually bands who say they put their own twist/sound on it just play a dumbed down of it, basically the "it kinda goes like this" version.
When smoking pot and listening to music, one can hear every instrument, every note, and the barking dog a mile away.
Also important for the singer to sing correct lyrics and sing when they are supposed to sing and not sing when they shouldn’t sing.
A lot of drummers in my experience tend to overplay parts because they're either bored or too lazy to learn the correct parts.
Btw Mickey Curry is a beast on the drums and criminally underrated!
Simplifying drum beats like this is a huge pet peeve of mine with cover bands! The details of rhythm are always so important in what gives a rock song its type of energy. Otherwise it's like a musical uncanny effect. It's very obvious when a band is actually changing it for their own style and intent, and when they're being lazy and settling for 70% of the way there.
Dude...same thing...and it just happened to be "Summer of 69".....I've been screaming about this forever. Another one is "Hold on Loosely"...NO ONE plays the beat right. It has a snare minus kick once the singing starts...kick comes in between the verses...then goes out again...and then full drums at the pre chorus. Also I've seen TONS of people who play ACDC songs never get the bass lines right. They usually follow the guitar chords, BUT the bass actually stays on the root note for many of those famous tunes.