By Kevin Minihan
(fron GetSigned.com)
So you’re in a cover band or your band happens to play a few cover tunes. First of all, congratulations! That is how everybody gets started. Some musicians enjoy the familiarity and choose to stay the path. In fact, cover bands often make more money per show than original bands. But playing the same songs every show (not to mention songs you’ve heard everyday for the last 20 years!) can cause major burnout within a band and, more dangerously, in an audience.
So how can a cover band raise the bar for themselves as well as the audience? The answer is improvisation and surprise.First let’s discuss what I mean by improvisation with cover songs. Now, I’m sure you’re thinking, “Wait! Aren’t cover songs supposed to be note perfect recreations of the original version?”
Well, yes and no. Yes, the audience wants to be able to recognize and sing along to their favorite songs, but you should take a little ‘poetic license’ and tweak the songs in your band’s favor. The fastest way to put someone to sleep is to play an average cover of a great song. A simple example of this technique would be changing the solos in a song. If your guitar player can really shred, have him come up with an original solo that highlights his abilities. You could also add an unexpected break in a cover song. Try playing very quietly during a section of the music, then rise to a rousing crescendo.
Play around with songs. Have fun. Not only will this make playing the same old sets more interesting for you, it will make the audience sit up and listen. Think about the average Joe in the audience. He’s heard the song you are playing a million times on the radio and subconsciously knows every note. All of a sudden his ears and brains notice something is different! Not wrong, just different and he really pays attention! Mission accomplished.
Now, let’s look at the more radical (and increasingly popular) ‘surprise’ version of a cover tune. What I mean by this is taking an old favorite and totally reworking it. Here, we are not only changing solos, but possibly choosing a totally different tempo (ex. slow down a usually fast song) or musical style (ex. play a Country song in a Metal style).
Change anything and everything musically but keep the words the same. There is, however, a fine line you need to be aware of. First of all, don’t do this to every song in your show. Remember you are being paid to play covers, so don’t play you way out of a gig. Just throw in a reworked song maybe once or twice in each set and you’ll get the desired affect. It’s always fun to watch the ‘light bulb come on’ in someone face when they finally realize what song you are actually playing!
So keep it loose and fun. Use the original versions of the songs as a guide, but make the songs your own. I have people come up to me after every show and comment on how they loved my version of their favorite song. These people start showing up at other gigs and, the next thing you know, you’ve got a following and can demand higher pay! Changing up your cover tunes is a great way to separate your band from the pack.
Kevin Minihan is a musician, writer, jack of all trades (master of none!) residing in the questionable outskirts of Dallas, TX. He plays in 3 bands and never gets enough sleep. When he is not playing music, he is writing about it. He enjoys sharing his experience and knowledge with other musicians. Along with writing articles for this and other websites, Kevin plans to write a series of books in order to help others achieve their dreams of success in the music business.
(Note from SA Rocker: These are articles I find in my many excursions on the Internet when I should really be working! I hope you find them of interst and I encourage you to check out the Web sites they come from!)
Covering San Antonio's music scene since 2005