how we approach guitar and music in general

[scat7s]

ok, so heres a question for people. i know im in the minority here...

ive been playing for a long time, 30 yrs or so, i was an angus young fanboy for several years, from like 10 to 15yrs old or something. so im not completely unsympathetic to the slash and ZW or EVH or whomever freaks. especially the young guys...

i'll also state right off, that while i have a lot of experience, and im a competent player, i dont think that im better than anyone, i dont think it makes any sense to compare players, or say one is better than another. we all have our strengths and weaknesses. im not a "showy" player, but im ok at what i do.

here is the thing: i dont listen to other players and bands. i write original music, and ive always found in the past, that when trying to write your own music, and you find yourself "obsessed" or really influenced by another band, that you cant help but sort of copy them, whether intentional or not.

i would almost say, that im not a music lover in the sense of listening to other peoples stuff...is that weird? when i look around on this forum, i see so much fawning over other players and stuff...and i wonder to myself,

"why arent these guys trying to create their own thing, instead of trying to copy someone elses thing?"

why do we constantly compare ourselves or others to someone else?

why arent we more interested in finding some uniqueness in us, than nailing someone elses shit?

just wondering. ive always been a tough critic of music, my own as well as others. and i care a whole lot less about a particular player than i do how a band works together to sound unique and interesting, as a unit.

a band that has their own 'sound' will get alot more credit from me than a technically great player in a band that sounds generic...

what do you guys think?

addendum: where is the desire to be something different? is there anyone out there anymore?

 

[diesect20022000]

no i'm the same way. I do listen and love music but, when i write i go through a musical deprivation and since most of my current free time is spent practicing i don't listen to music much anymore.

Now i still love to listen but, i prefer to write and i try to be myself so yeah often i don't listen anymore as i'm too busy writing and practicing.

 

[Las Palmas Norte]

Oddly ... I admire bands with the same philosophy. Copying is a form of learning, continuing to do so, is largely a waste of time. I always enjoy learning stuff from other players.
Writing is best said by Ian Gillan. To paraphrase, he believes that writing to follow trends is shallow and any awards equally so. You may wait for success but gratification is much sweeter.

Cheers, Barrie.

 

[bulldozer1984]

I have to agree with u, but take a slightly diffferent viewpoint. I listen to a lot of music, but I don't play their stuff. I have always played my own stuff, I don't play covers. I don't enjoy playing covers.

I have my own style and I feel that if I played my heroes songs, id just be a less technical version of them.

 

[shredless]

Im the same way, like to listen to music though because it "takes me back" so to speak...but I am not a copier and hate covers, I mean I can throw out riffs all day that everyone knows, but I despise jamming out covers and havent learned them

but it seems every band I have tried to get in with just wants to get high and play old favorites and I just never fit in...if I bring up a original it would just get funny looks from everyone

 

[Marshallmaniac]

Do you like Richie Blackmoore? Just do what he says "Don't try to be orgininal, Just copy everybody else" Yngwie Malmsteen I know did just that, and he doesn't sound like anyone I know of?

In reality, I think that copying everyone else's licks will make you good, and the greatness and originality will come from within. That is: once you have an understanding and know what you're doing. Which IMO comes from playing things from other people who already know what they're doing.
There are only so many notes on the fretboard, but everyone plays them differently.

I never completely understood the original music people coming from loving cover band playing. I've done both and couldn't stomach original bands..
But also, I thought I could gather more playing the greats music, and then if I wanted to, I could go off and write my own stuff once I felt my apprenticeship was complete. But thats the great thing about playing an instrument. You get to play it however you want to.. Unless your Dad or something is real strict and makes you play it however he wants to OR, You go to a guitar tutor.. That rarely works out well. guess what? You'll end up playing however HE wants to.

I won't give guitar lessons for two reasons:
1/ I can't be bothered and value my time off.
2/ I don't believe in them. A few $20 DVD's will be MUCH better than a few lessons from some random guitar player IMO. And you get to pick what you want to learn. I know if I taught lessons, I'd be teaching them stuff I think they want, or should know. Whearas my Dad (being a musician also) handed me a guitar and said "happy birtday"
I then went into my room and listed to David Lee Roth tapes until I could play them. Seemed to work well for me.

 

[Ydna]

I don't see what is wrong with covers.

Hey Joe, All Along the Watchtower, Dazed and Confused, Zeppelin has copied or covered more then probably any band. Hell, one of my favorite live performances ever, The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper. Filmore West 1968. They played one original. That's it.

99% of the music I listen to is from the 60s and 70s. Blues and rock. But almost all my music is done on an acoustic, and doesn't sound bluesy or rocky. Nor does it sound like Zeps folk stuff.

 

[Mike_j]

a band that has their own 'sound' will get alot more credit from me than a technically great player in a band that sounds generic...

Just to pick up on this...
I think a "good" or "interesting band" will probably get more credit because by its nature, its the way the musicians get it together that creates the magic. That's the buzz I get off a good band.
I'm in a band playing originals and its taken me 2 years to find the right guys and it was worth the wait cause coz the vibe playing with these guys is awesome. I think an audience picks up on it.
I'm a shit player and although I practice a lot of stuff, I know its what I take to the band that counts the most.
Great thread.

 

[scat7s]

i realize it becomes harder and harder to do something thats unique.

and if i posted up my stuff, some of you guys may very well say "well, to me you dont exactly sound very original" or "it sounds like this or that" ....

its very subjective, and im not claiming to have found a way to be truely unique sounding. but...where is the desire or inspiration to want to be unique? whether or not we accomplish it, is not really the question, its too subjective.

been looking on CL for a bass for a while, and i see all these ads for original bands trying to get themselves together, and they type out this enormous paragraph listing all of the bands that "influence" them, in other words, all the bands they copy. wtf is that shit?

who cares who you like or listen to? what can you do, thats the question? do you have your own voice?

and yeah, shred, dont get me wrong, i love to bang on covers for fun, i really do. i dont think it could keep me entertained full time, but i do enjoy playing other peoples stuff from time to time, and i know lots of riffs and songs and parts of songs and stuff.

im not sure where im going with this...just something thats been picking at me sometimes when i see and read all of the stuff about all the big name players all the time, and how there is relatively little talk about doing your own thing, or striving to be yourself.

MM, you know, you have an interesting point w/the blackmoore thing, i used to use that very technique when writing sometimes. if there was a particular riff or song that i just loved, i would try to copy the "vibe" of it, or the feel, and many times i felt i had been successful and written a decent tune, and it never sounded anything like the original song. its a good trick once in a while...

 

[diesect20022000]

I don't see what is wrong with covers.

Hey Joe, All Along the Watchtower, Dazed and Confused, Zeppelin has copied or covered more then probably any band. Hell, one of my favorite live performances ever, The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper. Filmore West 1968. They played one original. That's it.

99% of the music I listen to is from the 60s and 70s. Blues and rock. But almost all my music is done on an acoustic, and doesn't sound bluesy or rocky. Nor does it sound like Zeps folk stuff.

I don't think the cover thing was the point but, i may have missinterpreted the post.

I don't normaly like doing covers etc but, i'm working on two cuz i thought it'd be fun. That said i don't try to copy anyone else unless it's to throw something out there for humor like a random scorpions riff or something. I do that shit a lot just to get a chuckle or i will play "in the style of" just because i can or feel it has it's place to be ABLE to.

I took that we were meaning actualy trying to say....get slash tone, dress like slash and play like slash and plagiarize the music. That kind of thing's not me.

 

[scat7s]

Just to pick up on this...
I think a "good" or "interesting band" will probably get more credit because by its nature, its the way the musicians get it together that creates the magic. That's the buzz I get off a good band.
I'm in a band playing originals and its taken me 2 years to find the right guys and it was worth the wait cause coz the vibe playing with these guys is awesome. I think an audience picks up on it.
I'm a shit player and although I practice a lot of stuff, I know its what I take to the band that counts the most.
Great thread.

nice...yeah it really can feel like magic with the right people around you...good luck to you guys.

 

[Jack92CH]

Music is art. It's fun. There's nothing wrong with imitating your influences. If nobody imitated Robert Johnson or Chuck Berry, rock and roll as we know it would be fucked.

 

[jvm210guy]

I get kind of pissed off at practice when my singer starts listening to music out loud. I'm like, "wtf I don't want to hear that shit, I don't want to get influenced by it." So yea, I feel like you do. After gigs, people sometimes come up to us and start saying, "hey you sound like this or that band", and 6 out of 10 times I won't know who the fuck they are talking about.

 

[Mike_j]

After gigs, people sometimes come up to us and start saying, "hey you sound like this or that band", and 6 out of 10 times I won't know who the fuck they are talking about.

My bass player and drummer are 20 years younger than me and I get the same reaction when I take new songs in. "Sounds like this or that.." I got no fucking idea who they are talking about.

 

[bloosman1]

When at a loss...Write! When bored...Write! When practicing, Write!...Hell, just Write!
---J---

 

[reno88]

interesting points here. for years i have felt like an island - a musician that doesn't listen to music. by that i mean i don't actively search for new music. that's probably a hinderance to staying fresh. the guys i play with are good players and we are constantly bouncing ideas and riffs off each other, and for the most part it's gratifying. we don't play too many covers, and thankfully we don't limit our music to any particular genre - nothing is taboo (within reason, i suppose). however, i do believe it's important to listen to others if even to nick an idea or two. listen when playing with others, write, record, and play out. progress (verb), grow, contribute, and lead. and edit. make it shorter.

spk

 

[Hollowbody]

Either covers or originals, play from the heart.

 

[stax]

In reality, I think that copying everyone else's licks will make you good, and the greatness and originality will come from within.

Now, this guy got it right. With all due respect, I think most of you guys are full of it!

I listen to what I like and what moves me, sometimes I wont admit that I listen to something or the other, but that's nothing but ego. Not listening to music because "It might influence me" is one of the corniest, egotistical piles of hogwash I have ever heard!

Everything we learn in life is thru imitation, everything we feel, see or hear becomes "part" of us. Every song ever written was influenced by someone else. Page was influenced by people like Elvis and Chuck Berry, EVH was influenced by people like Page, etc., etc. And they all openly gush how overwhelmingly their lives were influenced and changed by these people and their playing.

I will tell you from experience, songwriting (just like finding the right band) is all hit and miss, really more like winning the lotto. Write what comes to you and then play around with it. Shine on you crazy diamond was written when David was playing something else and hit the wrong chord and from that the song was born.

 

[Khaos]

Well I share scat7's opinion, but I'm not very extreme. I still like to hear music and I paly some of other people's stuff. But most of the time I don't learn a whole song. I play parts of them, just to learn theire technics and stuff and apply them to my playing style.
Music is art and art comes from experiences. If never hear music in your life, probably it would be hard to write something yourself.

 

[SmokeyDopey]

I was under the impression that the more you listen to, the more you "enrich" your musical knowledge.

Other types of genres or music styles helps as well. I can get inspired by a hip hop song, but it doesn't mean I'm compose a hip hop song. But maybe a specific sound or idea, and then express that with what you got in your head.


If you stop listening to music its because there is nothing left to listen to, and I don't think thats going to be very likely