One Cover A Week Every Week Until January.

[LayneGreene]

I started this project 3 weeks ago, a cover every week until January 1st. For those of you on soundcloud, I invite you to join me! These things are always more fun as a group. My writing has been stale for almost a year now, I'm hoping that through this project I'll explore new techniques and different styles of music.

We can all link our covers every week to this page, and get some feedback from each other and maybe even some suggestions on covers for future weeks?

Here's mine for this week.

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Looking forward to hearing yours!

[TapperMike]

You may find your writing more stale or even worse less existent as time goes on. Then again it's not my place to judge because I've seen the desire to write wiped out by playing nothing but covers and I've also seen it as an inspiration to write for others.

What can become noticeable is that you are drawn to material you are familiar with and it stacks up in your collective unconscious.then as you are writing you find yourself drawing from your muse too much. When you are aware of the source of your muse being another song it's easy to get tied to that cover at a point where you can't escape it. It may not happen to you. But this is what happened to me. For along time whenever I'd want to write a song I'd hear reflections of covers I'd already done. That's what got me out of rock and into jazz. Trad/Bebop/Modern/Progressive/Fusion (but not smooth) jazz is supposed to be improvised. If you are playing it like the record you are doing it wrong. This is not the same as pop/rock of today.

In pop/rock we are expected to play it like it is and not experiment. That's what the audience expects, While it's great for cultivating technique it's also a bit dangerous to the performer as you can lose yourself in it. I love playing covers in the play it like it is fashion. Audiences when I was in a cover band loved it as well. But it served as a distraction from writing for me rather then a source of inspiration when writing my own songs.

I don't know what circles you travel in. Finding a partner who is similar enough yet not identical in your musical frame work is a great way to bounce idea's off of each other. If that's not available to you. Then it's time to get comfortable in your own skin. Many a songwriter/composer will travel down the familiar road of their own style to produce hit after hit or at least song after song and are comfortable enough with their own performance/writing ability that they can embrace it rather then fight it.

Everyone needs inspiration. Some find it everywhere and some search everywhere to find it. As for me Songstuff is the diamond in the rough. I love coming across a good set of lyrics. If I like the lyrics I can write music to it. Usually it's a matter of finding a "style" that fits the lyrics and developing both the progression which sets the landscape for the melody. A good melodic line has both repetition and variation.

Anyway best of luck in your pursuits where ever they take you.

[LayneGreene]

For me, as someone who's never played covers before, I think this is just a way to keep active musically without needing to be writing. For a year I haven't been able to turn out anything at all, and I really hate how it's been affecting me musically. My practise has been very focused on writing and on working out parts for my own songs. So far this project has helped me improve my singing on recordings. I'm a live guy, recordings of my vocals always sound lifeless and dull, but these more recent ones are more interesting.

I'm trying to do things I'm familiar with while flavouring them with what I do musically, although I'm exploring a few options from groups I've never heard of before.

I've actually been trying to start a few collaborations too! So far they've been relatively successful and fulfilling, I'm hoping they continue to be so.

I'm guessing you're not going to post a cover?

[Guest]

I wish you the greatest luck with your project. Great voice and guitar. Really good

[LayneGreene]

thaaanks but it really would be more fun if some of you guys would submit some too

[TapperMike]

I had a bad round of that. Which is why I no longer release covers. It started off as a teaching lesson/ I wanted to demonstrate different approaches for the ztar in a soloist context. I didn't have the rights. EMI sent me a takedown order. I love playing covers. I used to be in a cover bands. I'd send money to ascap back then because I was making money doing live performances.

These days I'm not really into performing covers for the web. At least not "Big Artist" covers. If I were I'd be shopping at http://www.harryfox.com/public/ and make sure I had the proper licensing.

[LayneGreene]

Oh wow, that really stinks. :S Thanks for the link, I'm definitely bookmarking that one!

[TapperMike]

I listened to your track. Nice stuff. I know it's not easy when you are trying to do everything by yourself with little inspiration from others. Then you go out to the web and try to draw an audience. And to be frank Soundcloud is filled with musicians more interested in others listening to their own music rather then spectators

The state of listening has changed increasingly over the years. Usually we listen to music while doing other things and not soley for the enjoyment of listening. It's a mind occupier while we are driving our car or doing other things like work, study, cleaning. People arent going to surf soundcloud while involved in those activities. Youtube is a bigger pond. People with a short attention span or who have a little time will spend it on youtube surfing for videos/ With video's you get a more complete picture of the performer. I spend most of my focused listening on youtube for that very reason. I like listening to well done covers and occasional originals. Youtube allows you to build audiences better then soundcloud or bandcamp. They get to see you and identify with you better. Sure the audience as well as the content has changed a lot in the last few years. Those who have stuck to it and continue to add content have had their audiences grow. A well performed piece even with modest equipment can garner more attention on youtube then a well produced audio only track on other sites.

Just something to think about.

[LayneGreene]

Thanks! Youtube is my next step, trying to track down a decent camera. I have a few vids on youtube, but I don't want to put up anything else using my webcam. whenever I go to youtube as soon as I click a vid if it's webcam quality I almost always go to something else. Although when you put it that way, I'm tempted to just go ahead with the lower quality and sync it up the the audio... hmmm, something to think about for sure. I have all the gear I need though to get the audio recorded nicely, so we're off to a start. I agree about soundcloud though, I'm using it pretty much just so friends and family can access the tunes.

Also, I really appreciate the time you're taking to make these posts! Thanks muchly!

[LayneGreene]

Here's this week cover...

Someone else hop on board!! come on guys

[LayneGreene]

Added a video on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReraJpYOCrk&feature=g-upl

[TapperMike]

Hi,

Subscribed to your channel and really enjoying it.....

Edited October 18, 2012 by TapperMike

[LayneGreene]

Glad to hear it! I think I'll probably do these vids from now on... it was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.... and you're right, it is easier to get people to check it out on youtube.

[LayneGreene]

This week's instalment

[TapperMike]

I just went back to Listening to Grey Room. Wow that acoustic has a deep low end projection.

[LayneGreene]

I have an odd relationship with that guitar, I hate playing it, hate the sound of it, hate everything about it. Until I record it, it's by far my best sounding acoustic for recording, and I always seem to make the least mistakes on it. It really makes me rethink my electric tone every time, but I always decide that my electric tone if what I'm looking for in both applications in the end.

[TapperMike]

Layne you've got great tone both in your instrument. My only advice would be don't fight it.

I'm not one of those guitar worship guys. I've got this strat that I've had for 30 years. In that time oddly I've never had it stolen though I've had several others stolen. When I first got it I thought it was "OK" nothing more or less. Where ever I played I'd always get compliments on the tone. I've owned close to 100 guitars through the years because guitar collecting became a hobby. Never loved the strat but always used it. Still do. It's just my "just me guitar" You may not realize how well your guitar compliments your playing style but others will. The uniqueness of the instrument has a tendency to merge with your identity. And the nice thing about acoustic guitars is the more you play them the better they sound (it's true)

I know guys who obsess over having as much sound variation as possible. Ten different amps 50 different guitars both hardware and software multi effect processors. Even when they find a sound they like they rarely spend time to make it their own. So they spend more time tweaking and buying and tweaking and buying then they do playing. Please don't fall into that trap it's not worth it.

As far as electric guitars. I don't own a single acoustic. I do own a few electric acoustics. Because I started on an electric I always gravitate to them for clean sounds. I'm more interested in something "sounding like me" then trying to maintain an artificial tradition. I've got a jazz box but i prefer my strat for jazz. Granted if I were playing out in a jazz band as I've done in the past I would have to bring the box along because the audience has a certain perception of what jazz is and think you need a real jazz guitar to play real jazz.

[LayneGreene]

Oh thanks I appreciate that.

I'm a tinkerer, always messing with everything, I guess tone is just another thing to mess with.

I studied jazz my first year at university, so I think I learned a lot about tone then, oddly I'm in a similar situation, my hollowbody that I bought for jazz almost always gets pushed aside by my freeway. I got the freeway used ridiculously cheap, and it's easily my favourite electric, plays like butter! Still love the hollowbody, but it's just not the same!

My old guitar teacher almost exclusively plays a strat for jazz, and his tone is fantastic! I think I definitely think it's more in the hands than the guitar.

Also:

This weeks cover is up vid to follow soon...

[TapperMike]

You own a Godin Freeway too? I own a Godin Freeway, A mulitlac ACM (classical) and an LR baggs (hand made by R. Godin pre "acoustcaster" The only thing I don't like about my Freeway is the lack of harmonics.

I notice you are keeping the floor noise in but reducing it on the beginning as opposed to your prior tracks. I kind of like floor noise with acoustic folky type music it gives the sense of being there.

[TapperMike]

I also notice that your voice has more projection in this offering then the previous one. This is good. People can sense when your are simply going through the motions without emotional depth. It's important to remember that whether you are playing originals or covers that you are "acting" the part you are performing. It's hard to carry an emotive value of a song and carry the song after a few takes. Hard but not impossible. Sometimes you have to fake it till you make it. But remembering that the emotive qualities are what someone is going to key into when listening is key to being able to pull off a cover or an original. Not only singing but playing an instrument as well.