how do you decide the songs your band plays?

[Hamer Player]

My band (4 people) votes, and if any one member says "no" we don't do the song.

 

I usually offer up about 3 to 5 songs per week that I can play and think would go over well with our audience.

 

 

Probably I get 1 or 2 a month "approved."

 

I never vote "no" on any song, I give any thing a try. However, I have the job of creating the sets lists... so if I don't like a song it just kind of never gets on the list!

 

[hankypanky]

For covers:

 

We sit down and call out song names until we're at about 15 or so. Unless there is a pretty clear consensus of 'no' or somebody is dead set against a song, we'll get them burned to CD and give everybody a copy. Then we take them home and try learning them or at least give them a solid listen. We'll normally end up learning 6-8 out of 12-15. The reason we don't really take 'no' is that you never know - one could be surprised once we put our spin on a song.

 

For originals:

 

Same basic process. Get a sample burned to CD and pass the CD around. We try a little harder with the originals but sometimes they just don't work out.

[ratthedd]

In my 7-piece cover band we each have full veto power on any song that's suggested.

 

The other guitar player is quite vocal about not liking George Thorogood, so we don't play any of his stuff, and the keyboard player is quite conservative so any songs with 'questionable' lyrics or messages get vetoed by him.

 

When it's time to pick songs, we all submit 4 or 5 tunes, then we vote on the entire list, with each person getting 6 or 8 votes. The songs with the most votes get added.

[cherri]

Hanky that's similar to what we do ... burn 8 or 9 tunes onto a CD, then see which ones float to the top. Sometimes we bash away at a tune that doesn't work out, sometimes it falls together quickly.

 

I write the set lists. Once a drummer complained about the set list. We fired him.

 

Well, we fired him but not for that. He kept griping about the set lists, so I said, "Next gig, you write them." Once he sat down and tried to write out four 45 minute sets, he realized it's not an easy job.

[ned911]

Here is how we handle it - If you suggest a tune you also bring a copy to rehearsal mainly to make sure it's within our singers range. Then we vote and unless someone flat out refuses the song gets added to the list.

 

Singer get's ultimate veto power. We are a new band and still trying to get our set list large enough to gig so sometimes if a song is fairly complex or the guitar parts are hard we add it to the wish list. Some songs are great to play but when your trying to build the list you can learn 3 other tunes while trying to nail the one.

[Brian Krashpad]

It's always been done very informally. In my main band I bring the material and others sometimes will bring theirs or an occasional cover. We had a former other guitarist who absolutely hated one of my songs so we never played it, but he's gone now so it's going into the list as soon as the membership stabilizes.

 

In my side band the lead singer writes the stuff and we do what he writes, and the very rare cover he's chosen. He hasn't written or chosen anything I've had a problem with.

 

BK

[fuzzball]

I pick the song, we play it. I guess I am the boss.

[axe2 2001]

I guess we all decide. The tough part is when one guy knows and loves a song , and it might be a great song, but it is just un-doable. Then you have to point out why. It's usually vocal issues so whoever is slated to sing that song will have the most say. We've learned songs that one or two guys might not like but the bottom line is, is it done well and did the crowd like it.

[Hamer Player]

 

Originally posted by axe2 2001 It's usually vocal issues so whoever is slated to sing that song will have the most say.

 

 

Yes- 90% of our rejected songs are because it's out of our singer's range otr he's just not comfortable with it. or example, we don't do any AC/DC (one of my all time favorite bands) because he just can't sing it. I donm't blame him a bit- the vocals are the focus for most of the audience. That has to be good. But man I love playing You Shook Me All Night Long, and crowds always love that tune!

[-=Pennywise=-]

Four piece band...... if even ONE of us dislikes a song, it gets canned, plain and simple.

 

and I don't mind that at all because:

 

1. It guarantees the band itself being happy with the setlist as a whole, nuthing worse than playing tunes you dislike, we do this for fun and a hobby with the occasional gig here and there. We play for us first, and hopefully the crowd likes the setlist, if not, oh well, we're still having fun doing it.

 

2. It also guarantees me NOT having to play the cliche {censored}ing bar tunes that everyone hates doing, that's right, Sweet Home, Brown eyed girl, Free bird, Stairway, Nirvana, and a few others I won't dare mention will never get passed onto my fretboard.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Originally posted by fuzzball I pick the song, we play it. I guess I am the boss.

 

Same here...

 

"Democracy?...We don' need your steenking democracy!"

 

Actually, the other 2/3s get to offer suggestions and the ones that aren't too ridiculous we'll try...but I then decide.

[imissjoey]

We play whatever the hell I want to and in whatever order I want to.

[SpacedCowboy]

We usually each pick 4 songs that:

 

1. We have a personal preference for

 

2. We think that the audience might dig.

 

Not always necessarily in that order.

 

Then we argue, bitch, moan and whine until at least one from our respective lists is chosen.

 

Not that it always works out that way...

 

 

 

[lefchr]

originals - whoever has a song brigns it up, band works through it till we have the song how we want it.

 

covers - vote on songs, but everyone has to like them. I got board, have no desire to put effort into something i dont like. Its work then.

[fuzzball]

Originally posted by Terry Allan Hall Same here... "Democracy?...We don' need your steenking democracy!" Actually, the other 2/3s get to offer suggestions and the ones that aren't too ridiculous we'll try...but I then decide.

 

In all honesty, it is not intentional. I am the singer and I think I know my limits, on occasion when I am wrong they let me know and I can the song. I am not a ego maniac, I just tend to know our limits well. I also listen and consider opinions. We work great together.

[72 bonne]

5 man band here. Our bass player just started with us and he is a little limited in playing anyways so the other 4 of us the other day all picked out a song to do. We will spend the next few practices learning them whether one person doesn't like them or not.

We all have similar taste anyways and we try to make it about what the crowd will enjoy to hear and not so much us.

[whiteroom]

Cover band mayhem......

Drummer picks a funk song

Bass player picks a song nobody has ever heard of.

Guitar player picks a hard rock tune from the 70's

Singer picks the hardest song He can think of for the rest of us to play. (even though He dosen't know the lyrics)

I keep my mouth shut because I know what's next...

 

We learn all the songs, add them to the master list, play them to a "mixed reaction" then kill them three months later. Oh yeah, then we blame each other for choosing lousy songs. Repeat.

[whiteroom]

Originally posted by SpacedCowboy Then we argue, bitch, moan and whine until at least one from our respective lists is chosen.

 

 

 

+1 Ha!