What songs do you make your own?

[Telecruiser]

I always do songs the way I like. Sometimes like the original recording and sometimes my own interpretation. Though I can play a few styles well (country, bluegrass, r&r, blues, bebop etc.) country is my favorite.

 

Here is a couple I do my own way.

 

"Heart of the Matter" (Don Henley) I do this at a medium tempo rolling country rhythm with a real country ballad feel to it.

 

"I am the Walrus" (Beatles) This gets the up tempo, driving country/bluegrass treatment.

 

What say you folks?

[pogo97]

I find that doing my own songs is very liberating--no-one gonna tell me how to perform those suckers.

 

Also old pop songs (i.e. "Tea for Two" "These Foolish Things") that have been already done at EVERY tempo and in every style. No pressure to conform there either.

 

It's interesting (to me) how very conformist country music performances can be, especially by the original star. If you browse youTube George Jones "White Lightnin'" for example, you'll find a bunch of live recordings, almost all identical. Nothing left to chance, I guess.

 

I make no attempt to duplicate the original recording when I perform. No memory but lots of imagination.

[glepko]

it's quite rewarding when you're two minutes into a tune and you see the astonished look of someone realizing you aren't playing your own material and they actually know the song >

[ptkbass]

Three days ago I put "Stray Cat Strut" into the book. I was just messing around with it thinking, "Oh, baby. This tune is too played out". But I'm doing it really really funky; I think it'll work. My wife likes this version; she'd be the first to tell me not to do a song.

 

Jazzed up the chords to:

 

||: Cm9 Ab | Bb13 C7+5 :|| and syncopate the {censored} out of it.

[Notes_Norton]

Depends on the song. Sometimes I try to do a close to the record cover version (or at least in the same mood) and some times I change them. More often than not I stay pretty close to the hit record, because I feel that is what my audience wants to hear.

 

Of course there is more than one right way to do this. In other words YMMV

[Chip Stewart]

I do "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger at a similar tempo but with different inflections, etc. I've had multiple people tell me after I performed the song that it was the best version of the song they've ever heard. That definitely puts a smile on my face. :-)

[leftyjay]

europa - santana

dueling banjos (guitars)

malaguena

cliffs of dover - eric johnson

summer song - satriani

and some original instrumental boogies i wrote that are requested a lot.

 

these are tunes that i play my version of, and are now my "signature" tunes that people request at every gig.

i was going to learn them note for note, but found it was better to do my own style. give them my own flare

[Terry Allan Hall]

Pretty much every song I perform I put my own "spin" to...just can't do it any other way.

 

Once heard that "style" is defined by one's limitations, and I think there's a lot of truth in that!

[Boomer25]

I do just about every song "my way". For the most part, I don't listen to the original when I am working on a song. As I practice, rehearse and tweak the song, I find a tempo, rhythm and key that fits me and sing it in a way that suits my voice. After a while, the song is significantly different from the original.

 

Sometimes I'll rewrite verse lines, add a new bridge or something big.

 

For the most part it's just a series of small changes that when added up can completely change the dynamic of the song.

[souldonor]

I kind of flavor every song with some of my mojo, or dumb it down to my ability depending on your perspective.

 

I do

 

Don't let Go, by EnVogue

Darling Nikki by Prince

Careless Whisper by Wham

Roxanne by the Police

Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts by The Arctic Monkeys

Mother by Danzig

Black Dog by Led Zeppelin

Ain't Seen Nothing Yet by BTO

many more just off the top these I do pretty different than normal

[BlueStrat]

I do a few I've completely rearranged. A few are Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", done as a slow ballad, Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs Robinson," played slower and with a lot of open chords, The Stones' "Under My Thumb" finger style acoustic, "Roxanne", and lots more.

[Chaff67]

We used to do an upbeat, jazzy version of Stairway to Heaven. It was always well received.

[Notes_Norton]

We do a 'cool school' swing version of Stevie Wonder's "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" and we like it, but we have to be careful where we play it.

[Joseph Hanna]

This is a tough subject for me personally. Understand this is not directed at anyone here as obviously I've never heard you guys play. My general perception of most duo's and or single acts I run across is that the "we do our own version" mantra (and I hear it a LOT) is nothing more than "an ez version".

 

I heard a duo recently attempt Stings "Shape of my Heart" which I give kudo's for such a cool pick of a song. Afterwards however they kinda boasted it was "our own version". My silent observation was 1) the guitarist played all first position-ish type chords and even then he didn't play it particularly well. For me that utterly and completely misses one of the key reasons the song is so cool in the first place. Dominic Miller's part in that song is difficult to pull off live (even he admits that) but it's far from impossible and half assing the part just doesn't cut it for me especially under a boastful "it's our version" safety blanket.

 

2) I'm not totally convinced that anyone on earth could make a better version of that tune let alone putting an "ez" spin on it and the ultimate presentation of that song came off far more "we're lazy" than it did " our creative spin".

 

I agree with others here in that I've really heard enough bad versions under the umbrella of "it's our own version" of Margaritaville, Brown Eyed Girl, Mustang Sally, Turn the Page, Blackbird and Sweet Caroline to last the rest of my life.

 

Making you own version out of hard work, talent and creativity and further performing it well in a live enviroment is absolutely cool with me.

Putting forth a half arsed ez version because learning it correctly is too much work (believe me) shows everytime.

[Notes_Norton]

I used to have an agent that would say in his gruff voice, "Those guys made a million dollars on that record. Do you think you can do it any better?"

 

While not always correct, he had a great point.

[Bob Dey]

I was thinking about this today as I was fooling around with my acoustic at home. The idea hit me that the more time spent trying different ways playing a song, the more it should become my own. Trying to emulate original recordings is OK for cover bands, but why not make the song fit one's style, vocal range, instrumentation etc.?

 

I did this years ago with "Stand By Me", and put it in the key of E with open chords throughout the entire song. The chords go up to the 12th fret at times, but the B and high E strings ring out with every chord. 15 years later, I still do it the same way and have been complimented on it a few times over the years. Now to try that approach with songs to learn next.

[Potts]

I'm with Joseph on this...I like to put my spin on some tunes. Usually it's something that is piano based or would be completely boring as a solo tune. I very seldom will ever screw with the vocal melody. I find it annoying as hell and most listeners do to when trying to sing their favorite tune. Have you ever listened to Adam Dirtz (sp) from The Counting Crows. He changes his vocal melody to their hit tunes all the time and he sounds like an ass doing it. Really dude? You had this song played on the radio 18 billion times and you want to sing it different because now it's about artistic expression?

[OldGuitarPlayer]

I do an acoustic folk version of Green Day's "Basket Case" that goes over well. Sometimes I'll take other rock tunes and make them jazzy for fun. I don't sing very well so every thing I do has my own "style" to it.... Since I have such a limited vocal range I have to do like Potts and only perform songs that I can sing well. There are so many tunes I'd love to do but I simply cannot do them justice vocally.

[Potts]

 

I do an acoustic folk version of Green Day's "Basket Case" that goes over well.

 

 

Now that's cool. Do you have a vid or audio by chance?