Sleestak
Power User
I play in a few bands in the Seattle area, one of which is a David Bowie tribute. In my opinion, the differentiator between "tribute bands" and "cover bands" is that a tribute should deliver a near-perfect replica of the music, complete with every nuance of the original artist's performance. We put a lot of work into recreating the recorded versions of Bowie's songs, from all points in his huge catalog. As the sole guitarist in the band, this requires a good bit of programming in the AxeFX in order to replicate the wide variety of tones that appear on those recordings. "Nailing the tone" is a challenge... the guitarists included highly idiosyncratic musicians such as Mick Ronson, Adrian Belew, Earl Slick, Robert Fripp, Carlos Alomar, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Reeves Gabrels, Peter Frampton, David Torn, Mark Plati, Pete Townsend, Ben Monder, Chuck Hammer, Jimmy Page, Ricky Gardiner, Jeff Beck, Gerry Leonard, and of course, Bowie himself. I probably forgot several names. Sorry.
At any rate, the AxeFX is the perfect tool for getting the sound of those guitarists. From my perspective, recreation of those guitar sounds is possible only because of the AxeFX. Otherwise I would need a trailer full of amps, vintage / modern effects, and a platoon of magic elves to twiddle knobs and reroute cables.
The other very important piece of a tribute band is nailing the part. In the context of a tribute band, the audience might be extremely familiar with the tiniest details of each song (to the point of fanaticism). If I gloss over something that an audience member feels is the quintessential "thing" in that song, I've broken the magic spell for them. Since I don't know what every person will obsess over, I need to get as much of the part correct as I can. Getting the phrasing and timing exactly right. Decoding the intrinsic character of each guitarist and their approach. For me, the only way to really understand a part is to painstakingly transcribe it. This helps me inhabit the space of those guitarists during each song. We recently added "I Can't Give Everything Away" from Bowie's final album "Blackstar". I've uploaded the transcription along with this post. For those of you who don't read music, I've included the tab as well. This song features Ben Monder on guitar, and it has a nice jazzy feel with his arpeggiated chord work behind the main part of the song. He also plays some tasty fills, starting in measure 51. Starting in measure 67, Ben spins a great melodic solo that is evocative of Fripp or Torn, with his own cool chromatic sensibility.
My point in including the chart isn't to convince anyone to learn this particular song. It's to illustrate that I really wouldn't have a good sense of that solo unless I had spent hours figuring out the notes and the timing. Another nice thing about transcribing is that you have an accurate reference in case you need to resurrect a song that you haven't played in a while. I know players who can just listen to really complex parts, figure them out, and remember them. I write them down because that seems to be how I learn most effectively. Your mileage may vary.
At any rate, the AxeFX is the perfect tool for getting the sound of those guitarists. From my perspective, recreation of those guitar sounds is possible only because of the AxeFX. Otherwise I would need a trailer full of amps, vintage / modern effects, and a platoon of magic elves to twiddle knobs and reroute cables.
The other very important piece of a tribute band is nailing the part. In the context of a tribute band, the audience might be extremely familiar with the tiniest details of each song (to the point of fanaticism). If I gloss over something that an audience member feels is the quintessential "thing" in that song, I've broken the magic spell for them. Since I don't know what every person will obsess over, I need to get as much of the part correct as I can. Getting the phrasing and timing exactly right. Decoding the intrinsic character of each guitarist and their approach. For me, the only way to really understand a part is to painstakingly transcribe it. This helps me inhabit the space of those guitarists during each song. We recently added "I Can't Give Everything Away" from Bowie's final album "Blackstar". I've uploaded the transcription along with this post. For those of you who don't read music, I've included the tab as well. This song features Ben Monder on guitar, and it has a nice jazzy feel with his arpeggiated chord work behind the main part of the song. He also plays some tasty fills, starting in measure 51. Starting in measure 67, Ben spins a great melodic solo that is evocative of Fripp or Torn, with his own cool chromatic sensibility.
My point in including the chart isn't to convince anyone to learn this particular song. It's to illustrate that I really wouldn't have a good sense of that solo unless I had spent hours figuring out the notes and the timing. Another nice thing about transcribing is that you have an accurate reference in case you need to resurrect a song that you haven't played in a while. I know players who can just listen to really complex parts, figure them out, and remember them. I write them down because that seems to be how I learn most effectively. Your mileage may vary.
