Reflections of an obtuse, guitar centered mind, namely me!

10 Responses to “Reflections of an obtuse, guitar centered mind, namely me!”

1. Pribek
   March 27th, 2008 at 9:24 pm

   

   “What we should do instead is to find a better way of expressing us over the same song, to represent us and respect the original song also.”
   I think you’re right Ovidiu.
   You know, these songs, usually they start out with just a guitar or piano (I’m talking about the beginning of the writing process). The artist or band “arranges” the song to best suit their interpretation.
   Sometimes, you can take a cover song and strip away all of the “arrangement” ideas, take it back to the essence and find something unique.
   You still have the advantage of playing a song that people are familiar with even though it is an original arrangement. Best of both worlds.

2. Ovidiu
   March 27th, 2008 at 9:34 pm

   

   Yes, plus the fact that if you try to play it like it is, you rick to sound like a copy, nothing more. However, in some cases, for ex, we use to play Knocking on heaven doors, GNR’s version and I really like playing it like it is there with as many things from the original song as possible, I like it that way, maybe because that song is very played, each and every guitar player must have played it at least once so instead, I rather play it like the original.

   But it is one of the hardest things to do, to play a song “like yourself”, first because you need a strong musical presence, to face and match the creativity of the original artist.

3. Pribek
   March 27th, 2008 at 10:02 pm

   

   OK, I suspect that you like playing the GNR version because it feels “natural” to you. And, that is truly the key. If you feel natural when you present a song then, you are bringing something to the table whether you are conscious of it or not. Some of your personality is coming across even though you are playing the same notes as the record.
   For that reason, I would avoid the notion of trying to match the creativity of the artist. Try and match the song with an approach that comes natural. If you succeed, you will be transmitting more than the notes.

4. Ovidiu
   March 27th, 2008 at 11:42 pm

   

   Well, Jack, you know, at one moment we were trying to “sound like” one band or an other and after about 2 years we realized that no matter what we would do, we settled on our own sound,or at least on our own way of playing a song, without too much effort. So I really believe that after a period of playing, your inner sense of music breaks through and even without making any effort you manage to sound like yourself. I don’t know if “our own way” really is original or not, but we play our music in a consistent way, as long as we keep the style because we played about 4 styles in 10 years, from hard rock to “I don’t know how to call it commercial TV Blink 182 more pop sound” to pop rock (like the ballad you listened) to alternative and as long as we maintained ourselves in the boundaries of the style, we managed to sound consistent…or at least I think so…

   An yes, GNR comes natural to me, more than Clapton or Dylan when it comes to Knocking even if I do love Clapton music very much.

   Man, I love talking to you this way

5. Pat
   March 29th, 2008 at 12:49 am

   

   Sometimes, you can take a cover song and strip away all of the “arrangement” ideas, take it back to the essence and find something unique. Pribek above

   The Hyperchild video is filmed with the style architecture known as Brutalism in the background. Faceless buildings, very efficient construction. Popular for multi-family dwelling in Europe. Poured in place concrete monolithic… sort of anti-beauty style

   The girls are restless, then happy as they go places they couldn’t go before. They need to be well-heeled to trip out… The young man is “going to sea again;” as well as he is standing alone again, in front of the highrise concrete structure.. dreaming as such of freedom

   …Sun’s in your eyes
   Heat is in your hair
   They seem to hate you because you’re there
   And I need a friend
   Oh I need a friend to make me happy
   I stand here on my own… [hyperchild’s]

   I don’t know who wrote this one, but the main character is the young man who is between what is, and his next evolution. Such as the next step of needing friendship [companionship] after eros love diminishes. And there is a sense that our young man sees maybe for the first time that “girls just want to have fun.”

   Gwen Stefani wrote the same title, and it too is about loss of innocence… memories of love.

   My ear hears the Hyperchild singer is using a style of singing that I think is similar to the writer/songster Christian [Ewan McGregor] in Moulin Rouge Movie 2007… “Come what May” who did interpretative singing Elton John stuff… “This is your song.”

   Interpretation from me is that Moulin Rouge [Red Windmill] is a hopeless love affair, lover [Nicole Kidman] dies [tuberculosis], loss of innocence too… Love Story “love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

   I am seeing a pattern here: Brutalism, Loss of innocence, want of something more, death of lover, promise that everything works out… because love and memory of love conquers all. Wazoo!

   Besides being a very popular song/movie title, “Wonderful Life” I think it best to start with removing all the style down to the innocent phrases of the piece, as SR Pribek said… I respect those who do their homework to bring their best with a an old song.

   Thanks for letting me butt in. pd

6. Pat
   March 29th, 2008 at 3:31 am

   

   —Removed on author request—

7. Pat
   March 29th, 2008 at 3:34 am

   

   okay disregard last entry, i see i am waiting moderation… thanks again.

8. Ovidiu
   March 29th, 2008 at 9:56 am

   

   Nobody wiped out your reply, Pat, I have been just busy and I couldn’t get to my computer yesterday enough to moderate these comments.

9. Pat
   March 29th, 2008 at 11:48 pm

   

   Ovidiu, I went crazy there,,, please remove the 3:31 am comments… You see recently I wrote to Doonesbury once for the first time and they rubbed me out, said I was too controversial…. Doonesbury Comic Strip? For criminy sake, when did their excrement quit stinking??

   I have a short fuse for censorship, maybe because I am a ’73’s brat, and Vietnam Era reject.

   I apologize a lot, and hope to be back with less steam in my craw… I am truly sorry, Okee Dokee? Thanks for hanging in there. Patrick

10. Ovidiu
    March 30th, 2008 at 10:28 am

    

    OK, Patrick, I removed that comment as you wanted.