Cover tunes worth it?

Highcastle_of_Tone

Highcastle_of_Tone

Power User
Howdy Axers,

for those in regular cover band gigs, do you get a sense of fulfillment from the gigs (whether you make money or not) that justifies the trouble you went to learn the tunes and tones? Learning songs that I like never feels like work or wasted time to me. Unfortunately, most of the music I like won't fill the seats at a typical live music venue. I've gotten offers from multiple cover bands over the past few years and normally turn them down just based on the scope of the cover band set list and the amount of time I would have to prepare (not enough).

I've only been a bedroom musician to this point, but I would like to periodically play with others in front of an audience and it seems like cover bands are the primary offer I keep receiving. I know that playing with others in a band is a huge gap in my musicianship, so I'm willing to make the effort if it's the best way in (at least initially). I'm just not sure whether it will be worth learning "Sweet Home Alabama", "Hard to Handle", "Here I Go Again", etc. just to get a door opened. I should note that my goal is to play lead, although I'm not really where I want to be yet. Most of the songs on the typical cover band set list I think I'll be able to play once I learn the actual song.
 
Only you can answer that

Some will say they love it, some will say they don't want to waste their time... so it's all down to you, what you want from it and whether you can find a decent set of people to play with (the latter probably being the toughest part of all if you want it to last more than a few gigs and feel more more than just a disposable part)
 
Do it, playing with other people. That alone is a good thing.
As far as the covers that also is a good thing you my have to tap styles you would not touch under normal conditions.
It will improve you in some ways.

As for me have not done it in a while kind of got burnt out on it, but not so much the music the politics really.
In my case never did everything note for note (but I could) or tone for tone really, not that I went out of my way to do this either. Just the first group I was with we liked to go outside the box a bit and this stuff was usually well received by the audience

John
 
FWIW....3-4 gigs per week, 80% cover tunes. I totally enjoy it...AND I get paid. I don't see it as a job even though technically it is. I have a "real" job too. For me, it's just the opportunity to play for people, play with other musicians and network. The networking part is what really pays off. Meeting and playing with different musicians in different situations has led to more opportunities, some well above the average cover gig. It's led to options as far as personnel so I don't have to be tied to a band that doesn't have good chemistry, etc.
Another good part of the cover gig is you learn all types of different playing styles which only broadens your playing vocabulary. "Practice makes perfect" they say and I agree. Every cover gig is a practice in the sense of honing your skills as a guitarist and musician. While practicing alone in your room is necessary and good, IMHO the practice of playing with different musicians in a live performance setting is priceless. You can learn so much more. Factor in that you will learn so many songs over time that eventually you can pretty much jump into any cover band and be able to hit the ground running. Don't get me wrong, there are songs I despise and don't enjoy playing, but I always love performing and that makes it all good..

Of course, the $$ doesn't hurt either!

But....If learning songs seems like a chore, then maybe being in a cover band isn't for you. Some can see it as work, others do not. It's all how you want to look at it.
 
muudrock said:
FWIW....3-4 gigs per week, 80% cover tunes. I totally enjoy it...AND I get paid. I don't see it as a job even though technically it is. I have a "real" job too. For me, it's just the opportunity to play for people, play with other musicians and network. The networking part is what really pays off. Meeting and playing with different musicians in different situations has led to more opportunities, some well above the average cover gig. It's led to options as far as personnel so I don't have to be tied to a band that doesn't have good chemistry, etc.
Another good part of the cover gig is you learn all types of different playing styles which only broadens your playing vocabulary. "Practice makes perfect" they say and I agree. Every cover gig is a practice in the sense of honing your skills as a guitarist and musician. While practicing alone in your room is necessary and good, IMHO the practice of playing with different musicians in a live performance setting is priceless. You can learn so much more. Factor in that you will learn so many songs over time that eventually you can pretty much jump into any cover band and be able to hit the ground running. Don't get me wrong, there are songs I despise and don't enjoy playing, but I always love performing and that makes it all good..

Of course, the $$ doesn't hurt either!

But....If learning songs seems like a chore, then maybe being in a cover band isn't for you. Some can see it as work, others do not. It's all how you want to look at it.
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A lot of good points here. I agree with your comment about broadening your music ability by playing different styles, and while I don't normally gravitate towards some of these styles, it can't hurt my playing. And it's not so much that learning a particular song feels like a chore, it's just that if I'm taking time to learn a cover tune, there's probably some other song I like more that I could be working on, but your point is well taken.

The networking aspect is very valuable as well, I've heard that time and time again.
 
I play 100% cover tunes three nights a week. I do it primarily because I'm paid very well. Before the money was good, I did it basically for free, but only once every couple of months. Playing originals is much more satisfying, but nobody wants to hear them, or pay me to play them.

I've been forced to learn stuff I don't like. I can't say that it's helped my playing. But it's a job. If it pays well enough, then consider it a job; one that is preferable to almost any other job I can think of.
 
When I gig I mostly play Christian cover tunes. But.....my main band inserts as few audience appropriate secular tunes in when we can. Few things I've found are more fun than playing live lead on Reeling In The Years. Point is......DO IT and work some songs into the set list that you've always wanted to play. I use to be a bedroom player too. What you're missing can be great. Try it and see.....if you don't like it you can always head back to your bedroom.
 
I would say since you haven't done it before, it would be worth it.
You will develop as a musician without a doubt. You just can't get interplay with other musicians playing at home alone. Your sense of timing and dynamics will improve, a lot! Even playing songs you may not choose to listen to can still be fun in a live setting, especially when people are enjoying it and having a good time because of what YOU (and your band mates) are doing. There's a lot to be said for it really.
It's not the end all and some gigs are more work than you are bargaining for but you really can't say whether or not it's right for you unless you try it.
Go for it!:encouragement:
 
Yes.

Key for me is to play with folks that are into the same music I am into.

I am not a studio cat, and I am not going on tour any time soon :lol

I am 57 years old and still do about 40 or so dates a year.

I really enjoy the music I play in my cover band. We play lots of Motown (Marvin Gaye, smokey, James Brown, Edwin Starr, Temps etc) and do modern arrangements of some classics. I love this kind of music and listen to it all the time. So it is a lot of fun to go play it in public (the band does an excellent job on these tunes) and get paid at the same time.
 
Thanks for all the responses guys. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and commit to learning several of the suggested cover tunes and put together a demo reel of sorts for prospective bands. Regardless of whether I end up looking for a regular gig, just learning a few new styles will only help me as a player. For full disclosure, I'm starting with the stuff that I like and don't completely know yet, e.g. Sweet Child o' Mine, etc. I'm holding off on the Lady GaGa and Pink tunes for now. I'll crawl under that bridge in full camo when the time comes...
 
For me a major point in learning the "Schlock" (this is what we call the simple boring crap that fills the dance floor) is the fact that these songs are not challenging at all so it allows you to have a break and enjoy all the chicks dancing to your performance.

The thing to rem though is, if you want to make money at it and/or be a busy band, your job is to keep the bar making money. So with that in mind, you want to cater your sets to the venue and type of crowd you are playing to. Keep the chicks dancing and the guys drinking, no matter what the music it's a good time, and IMO this is the goal.
 
Strumzilla said:
Thanks for all the responses guys. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and commit to learning several of the suggested cover tunes and put together a demo reel of sorts for prospective bands. Regardless of whether I end up looking for a regular gig, just learning a few new styles will only help me as a player. For full disclosure, I'm starting with the stuff that I like and don't completely know yet, e.g. Sweet Child o' Mine, etc. I'm holding off on the Lady GaGa and Pink tunes for now. I'll crawl under that bridge in full camo when the time comes...
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Funny you mention Lady Gaga and Pink. I never heard any of their songs before joining my current cover band, and basically assumed the songs would suck and it would be boring to play. But it turned out that they write decent, catchy pop songs and I enjoy them. (And this is coming from a guy who also plays in a tribute band for the band on your shirt in your avatar.) Plus, the Lady Gaga songs we play don't have any guitar parts, so I made up my own based on some of the keyboard parts. There's an opportunity for you to make it interesting for yourself.

If you've never played in a cover band or played with others in front of a crowd, it won't matter what you play - you'll improve by leaps and bounds. Being in a band is as much about performing as it is playing the notes. You can't learn that stuff in your bedroom. Even if you're not too fond of the music, look at it as a great opportunity to get paid to learn and improve. You will have crappy gigs, but you learn from those as well. And as an Axe owner, covers provide the best opportunity possible to learn how to get different sounds out of the Axe.

Bottom line, I've found that the enjoyment/fulfillment is determined in large part by your own attitude as well as how much you like playing with the other people in your band. As long as you see the cover band as both an end in itself as well as a means to achieving your goals (improvement, networking, etc.), it can be very fulfilling. In many ways, though not all, the actual songs you play are the least important part of the experience. Being asked by several people to play in their cover bands is opportunity knocking.
 
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I never thought I would learn Lady Gaga or Pink tunes either. As TFC states, you can make up your stuff to play too. Pink plays cover tunes as well. Her guitar player, Justin Derrico, is damn good. Playing in a cover band can be loads of fun if you find the right group.
 
IMO, everybody should be in a working cover band at some point in their life. It teaches you performance, business, people skills, broadens your repertoire, and many other things.

When I first started gigging I swore that I wouldn't play songs like "highway to hell" and "Summer of '69", but as it turned out, I desperately needed to get some stage time before making decisions like that. I swallowed my pride, learned the crap, and got into a band. We sucked, but still gigged a couple times a month, but it really taught me where the gaps in my playing were. I am not a lead guitarist, so anything with even a simple solo was difficult for me (shook me all night long took forever to learn). At our first gig I was mistakenly tuned down 1/2 step and couldn't figure out wtf was going on during the first song. What a mess that was.

But after years of gigging in different bands, I put together a band where all the members love the songs we play. Everybody told me a 90's rock cover band would not fill a club, yet we have bars fighting over us after 1 year. We played around 60 shows in 2013 and expect that to go to 70-80 in 2014. I would not have been able to craft this song list and stage show without the prior experience of slogging through Summer of '69 for the umpteenth time.
 
Strumzilla said:
Thanks for all the responses guys. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and commit to learning several of the suggested cover tunes and put together a demo reel of sorts for prospective bands. Regardless of whether I end up looking for a regular gig, just learning a few new styles will only help me as a player. For full disclosure, I'm starting with the stuff that I like and don't completely know yet, e.g. Sweet Child o' Mine, etc. I'm holding off on the Lady GaGa and Pink tunes for now. I'll crawl under that bridge in full camo when the time comes...
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As you gain experience it becomes easier to learn new songs. I have gone from hours to just going over the changes a few times to learn a new tune. With my current band we might get together a couple of times a year to rehearse (even though we do about 40 shows a year). If we add a new song to the book -- everybody learns their part and we just do it at the gig.
 
I am think if you do it, it will help your guitar playing some of the classic rock songs have some great solos. Learning these guitar parts will not only help your ear for learning but will also help your guitar playing techniques. This can also help your ability to perform in front oif a audience and help you to jam with other musicians. Allot of good this could come out of ut . what ever you decide happy jamming man!
 
I've never played in an all "original" band and 2 years ago (being that I live in Texas and all) I went to the dark side and now play both kinds of cover music - Country AND Western.

Now..I never, EVER, EVER, EVER, thought I would grow up to play C&W, but fact is most of the Top-40 Nashville and Red Dirt hits today are Southern Rock with a "twang". Why Country?
I got so-o-o TIRED of busting butt trying to learn the latest rock stuff, plus classic rock, plus blah.. and BE GOOD AT IT.. while 95% of the folks in the venue have their backs to you, sitting at the bar watching baseball or football on the TV screens... then needing to get lit to go do that free-lance rock dance.. blah!
With country, there's basically a waltz or 2-step, and ALL AGES know those. There's ALWAYS someone up dancing.. much more satisfying.

My current band mostly plays double-headers now (Fri AND Sat night at SAME venue). That NEVER happened when playing rock covers!!. We play 2-4 weekends a month and make DOUBLE the $$ I did playing rock, plus it's ONE setup and tear-down with venues that don't have their own PA (many do). Most if the music is fairly easy stuff - a 1-4-5 in C, or F - and we get to throw in 4 or 5 (or more) originals during the 4-hr sets. For Halloween, we played at a LARGE venue north of Dallas, and were promoting to get 1,000 people out. Didn't quite hit that target, but some 750+ DID show and it was a heckuva costume party. Watching 200+ on a crowded dance floor 2-stepping to your own originals is something folks! Heck, we're booked out thru 2014 in 3 venues.. and will get to chose which other venues we want to fill in the gaps..

The benefits to playing "live" music with others cannot be under-estimated.. but yeah, I've said many times that "If I have to play guitar (or bass) on another...." Sweet Home, Funky Music, Brick House or other standard rock cover ... !! But, that comes with the territory as much as having to play classic country (yuk!) does... but hey... if the $$ is worth getting out of the house.. I say go for it! What do you have to lose???
 
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I am now realizing I should always work on popular as well as my favorite cover songs wether or not I am currently in a band or not. I always resisted learning songs front to back (unless I was in a band) but lately I got another call to join a cover band and I have spent the last two weeks woodshed-ing 24 songs front to back. It has helped my playing and has givin me specific tones to create in my Axe Fx and that has been good too. I think I have missed out on other opportunities by not having a large list of covers mostly learned and ready to play. I am discovering that many of these songs are really quite easy like Love Song (311 style), Jimmy Eat World, STP, Collective Soul etc. Because I have not been doing this for some time it has been a quite time consuming and a tad stressful but that is only my bad.

A few songs have been really fun and more challenging to get down correctly like I believe in a thing called love. Sweet riffs and 3 solos to learn that have definitely taught me a few things. Then I have been feeling good about getting a couple of my favorite songs down pretty solid like Panama and Limelight. Studying my favorite guitar players if very fulfilling for me even just sitting in my office with my Axe Fx and my computer. It does take all my spare time but at least I'm now armed to get this new band project off the ground and if this does not pan out I'm ready for the next opportunity. Now, playing in a band is the only way I will get to the next level as a guitar player. Playing with other musicians is vital for musical growth no matter what style the music. So learn covers and build your own master list, it will pay off!
 
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