Covers Vs Originals: Whats your take?

[KhaiHan]

I kinda came up with the decision to avoid doing covers unless i feel its been destroyed badly by someone or i totally love the lyrics. I hate doing covers when i was in jc and sang most of the commercial pop songs in their own key and actually killed my voice.

So as soon as i learnt that it was extremely boring during COS duty, i got my guitar with me and started writing things that i was going through and made them into songs. And sometimes making use of lyrics that a friend passes to me.

Anyway, back to the point, what's your take on covers vs originals when it comes to getting attention from the community on your singing ability?

 

[Snikeron]

when it comes to getting attention from the community on your singing ability?

Definitely covers.

Unfortunately it's the way mainstream media works. When a new head pops out with his/her own catchy/beautiful tune, everyone goes "hooray!! Good for you!! Now let's hear what you sound like singing..<insert mainstream pop song>.."
Then months on (or years, depending how good said person is) when contracts have been signed, and songwriters and studios have been contacted, songs began to be written (perhaps not even 75% by you). It is really, the only benchmark to which people can "measure and gauge" your voice since the song is familiar to their ears.

On a whole, covers are great for building your own singing ability, building your own confidence on-stage, building your own inspiration in music, finding your own style, and so on so forth.

But building all your musical ability into working on covers is really a waste. Like you said, striving to cover songs with premature ability and knowledge can kill your voice (a friend suffered that once, he recovered after a few months)

Learning long killer-shredding tabs/music/lyrics are cool and great and people might began worshiping you, but you'd better hope that some time down the road you'll be able to show them what you alone are capable of or you'll end up being just another bedroom musician.

And that alone, is the main strength of "Originals". The lone measure of skill and ability that could make a nobody into somebody.



Cheers.

 

[Plastic]

Covers work much better with less famous bands, and its fun to play. Original material is as good too, but its what you like, and maybe not what the mainstream crowd likes.

 

[panz3rr]

want to cover? make it sound original! not a copy of what the original band plays.

But please write originals. then once uve found ur sound, u can cover any song your own style.

 

[sage]

DAH LAH don't want to write originals anymore... *walks away with kopi*

My take is simple...
Go to the "Open Mic" subforum.
Compare the views and comments number difference between an original song post, and a rihanna's umbrella cover.

If you want to be noticed, I guess it's simple to know which one to start from.


For the rest of us who don't give a crap whether our songs are well-liked or not, we take the originals approach. Sometimes I get frustrated cos my originals are just looked over and forgotten, I feel obliged to cover a popular band song just to get the attention and comments of you freaks.... Or should I add a song and put in the header that it has phenomenal one of a kind guitar skills? Confirm I'll get hits by the thousands.

Quite funny leh, cos if someone does a cover, it gets the hits but people complaining "it's a cover, not original enough".
If someone does something original via their own song compositions, noone says a damn thing.
Can you guys make up your mind anot?

 

[Dime]

improvise the cover.make it sound like yours.SRV did it.

 

[Gracia]

You'll know your originals are good when people start thinking that you were actually doing covers.

Example:
Fan A: Eh, which bands did you cover just now? I've never heard of them before
Me: No we weren't playing any covers. They were all originals
Fan A:........

 

[KhaiHan]

For the rest of us who don't give a crap whether our songs are well-liked or not, we take the originals approach. Sometimes I get frustrated cos my originals are just looked over and forgotten, I feel obliged to cover a popular band song just to get the attention and comments of you freaks.... Or should I add a song and put in the header that it has phenomenal one of a kind guitar skills? Confirm I'll get hits by the thousands.

Quite funny leh, cos if someone does a cover, it gets the hits but people complaining "it's a cover, not original enough".
If someone does something original via their own song compositions, noone says a damn thing.
Can you guys make up your mind anot?

I totally agree with sage. It pisses me off cos i really want people to check out my originals and tell me how should i improve it and the different comments that i get actually give me a look on new perspectives on how people view my songs. But like sage said, its mostly overlooked. <btw sage i love ur originals <3 =) >

Yeah i've been trying to do that. I do covers but i change the melody. Check out Open mic my Apologize cover by One Republic.

 

[Jugman]

Anyway, back to the point, what's your take on covers vs originals when it comes to getting attention from the community on your singing ability?

singing only?
i don't sing but i like doing originals. so when you make a mistake during a gig, it doesn't matter cos it's YOUR song. YOU wrote it. YOU know it better than the rest. haha
but of course, the song you compose gotta fit your skills or vocal abilities in order to minimise mistakes.

 

[theunknown]

Jugman: hahah yeah. people wont really know when u screw up. hahh shiok huh

 

[Jugman]

Jugman: hahah yeah. people wont really know when u screw up. hahh shiok huh

haha yea. but it works if the people you perform to havent heard that song before.
if they have, then they'd prbably think you changed some parts to make it sound 'nicer'.

 

[RazrAsh]

covers are great for building a reputation, but do too much of it and your originals start to sound exactly like the covers.

its all about striking a balance i guess.

 

[Hydrofly]

Original material is as good too, but its what you like, and maybe not what the mainstream crowd likes.

Well, most of the mainstream crowd is shit anyway, what you want with originals is for your intended audience to like it, if its for the mainstream audience... Too bad for you.

 

[Hydrofly]

singing only?
i don't sing but i like doing originals. so when you make a mistake during a gig, it doesn't matter cos it's YOUR song. YOU wrote it. YOU know it better than the rest. haha
but of course, the song you compose gotta fit your skills or vocal abilities in order to minimise mistakes.

Yea, sheesh i keep screwing the sweep picking bits, and both my originals now have sweep picking riffs. I guess practice will save the day.

 

[Jugman]

yup. practice always does

 

[ryuxdragonx]

Haha I think covers are a good way of building confidence and making sure that you're at least up to certain skill level

My band's doing covers of Green Day before writing originals. But my band leader wrote 1 song already anw.

I'm still waiting for his riff to do the beats though. Hmph. Yeah its about stirking a balance.

I mean like ppl will be,

hey they play pretty well like blah blah blah

I'll really be interested to listen to their own songs!

kinda thing you know

 

[RoRK]

It's a lot like this -

If you can play your own songs then why play other people's songs? If you were a designer, would you wear other people's designs - at your own show?

Having said that, there are occasions for covers. But the gist of being a musician is to do your own stuff.

My 2% GST

RoRK

 

[khutubkhana]

getting attention from the community...

if u're good..u got their attention regardless of what u're playing covers or originals. good here is singing w/o pitching probs, nice tone and control, creative, know how to improvise, can write catchy songs. definitely majority like mainstream stuffs so dont blame ppl. blame yourself.

but if that person got all those qualities, might as well do originals. covers anytime can do lah.
and dont forget promotion.. first impression counts..the wat u potray urself. promote yourself. sell yourself.
i hate arrogant ppl.

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

Like Paul Gilbert said, "If the audience doesn't dig your music, find a new audience!"