Are you learning any new songs lately

Latest in our Sting tribute project - combined bass and guitar playing (the tango guitar + the bassline) on Bass VI with overdrive. In that project, we need drums/percussion. As we haven't found a drummer yet, we are using Hydrogen on a Linux notebook as a drum computer. Up to now just single sequences that reflect the character of the drum playing of each song.

The idea: Sting's bassline is merged into the straight "Tango" chord progression of the guitar. Which means that stroke 2 of the guitar line needs to pause for the bass figure during the verses. In the refraine, the bass line is musically dominant - so i play this, and thanks the overdrive it sounds pretty fat, Almost as fat as Royal Blood.


Interestingly, Royal Blood have also covered Roxanne. Their version is transposed, and on first listening Mike Kerr otherwise seems to play more or less Sting's bass line - and that fills the room:

 
With my current salaried position in Outfall, we are spending a lot of time writing new material, so I'm blanancing that with working up covers for the new band and teaching at the music academy.

I think I'm learning at least one new random song per day just to stay fluid.

I was noodling around on 'Humanity' by Scorpions the other day (and singing it) in between takes and the producer punches in and said, "Whatever that song is, we are going to add it to the task list."

So, I really got to polish my licks now.
 
gball said:
For me its been even longer: The last band I was in that did any cover material at all was in 1996. I loathe learning and playing other people's songs and just won't waste my valuable playing time that way anymore. Really, I always hated it, except for when I was young and first learning to play, but it was a means to and end when playing in bands for money.
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I can relate.

I don't write much for myself, but I work as a writer and it's very satisfying creating new things. I have a very old BMI number (joined at 15) and I still receive royalties for things I did in the late 1970's early 1980's.

I still enjoy playing the songs I grew up listening to and seeing people having a good time with those classic songs.

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My wife is in the photo below in a blank tank top.

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Probably my greatest fascination/satisfaction is getting paid to do something that I truly love. I almost see it as this fantastic impossibility that came to fruition.

With the original band Outfall, everything is original material. I was hired on as a replacement guitarist and they already had 2.2 million views on their page and a strong online following, so that was intimidating for me coming into the band as a brand new member.

Regardless of the genre, those are big shoes to fill because everyone listening is evaluating you against the previous guitarist.

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Teaching is also a super satisfying experience. My job is teaching/mentoring 'live performance techniques,' so it's very cool to be a part of seeing students take the stage for the first time.

I'm still not really comfortable with my own music, but it is constantly evolving along the way...
 
bea said:
The idea: Sting's bassline is merged into the straight "Tango" chord progression of the guitar.
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Please let me continue: yesterday Verena and I started to rehearse this song. Me with just strong compression instead of the overdrive (which i still have to build as a pedal). EBS Multicomp in "Tube Mode". Reasonable compromise, but the grit of some slight distortion remains missing. All with Blacky VI, of course.

And playing with a copy of Steward Copeland's drum pattern (which can be found in the net) isn't that easy at all.

But something a bit demanding is the fun of it...

And deep in the night (1am-3am) i actually started to arrange the guitar line Shape of my Heart on the 4 string bass...
 
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