It's My Song!!!

[Ghosty22]

So let's say you write a song, and you intend for it to be performed a certain way. Some people in your band want to do it a completely different way. They (or one person) insist on doing it differently, and you no longer like the song as a result.

Is it wrong to say, "Listen, I wrote this song, and this is the way we're going to play it!"

Somehow it seems like, if you do that, you're that kid on the block who, in a sport, says, "I'm taking my ball, and I'm going home!" whenever people disagree with him. But at the same time, it's your song. It just seems as if you should have the final say if you wrote the thing.

[Dj-Wraith]

At 5/30/07 11:14 PM, Ghosty22 wrote: So let's say you write a song, and you intend for it to be performed a certain way. Some people in your band want to do it a completely different way. They (or one person) insist on doing it differently, and you no longer like the song as a result.

O_o

Is it wrong to say, "Listen, I wrote this song, and this is the way we're going to play it!"

You can definatly say that, it's your brainchild and thus should be performed the way you intended it...

if someone else doesn't like the way it turned out they can remix or cover it later

[Chris-V2]

Never alter the song to suit the bandmember unless you are sure you like its new form.

It's your little nugget of creativity, why should they be allowed to mess it up?

[Erkie]

The above people actually made me proud.

Replace the jackass, you wrote it for a reason, and you'll get it destroyed if you don't continue to execute it for that reason.

[On-yX]

it could be the greatest song to man, then a guy says "hey, lets add some orch hits"

Tragic...

[ZENON]

At 5/30/07 11:14 PM, Ghosty22 wrote: So let's say you write a song, and you intend for it to be performed a certain way. Some people in your band want to do it a completely different way. They (or one person) insist on doing it differently, and you no longer like the song as a result.

Is it wrong to say, "Listen, I wrote this song, and this is the way we're going to play it!"

Fucking hell NO. That guy sounds like he deserves to bleed from every hole that he was born with. Just tell him "I don't like that sound". If he decides to be an asshole about it and say something like "and why should I care what you think", respond with "I wrote that song. Dick." Or something.

If he fixes the part and plays what you want, then that's good. If he leaves, then he leaves. Find someone else.

Band members are there to all play a part of the song. If one of them doesn't do the part, then he's really just holding the people who ARE playing their part behind.

Unless the part is really shitty and it really could use room for improvement. Which I'm sure isn't the case.

[pitbulljones]

it's a bit of a hard one really. as it's a band, and a band usually arrives at a song through a collective process, usually by jamming, or trying out new songs that one has wrote. Now i understand exactly where you're coming from, this song is your baby, but sometimes there has to be a little give or take regarding these things. Now if you have refused to try it the other persons way then you're in thw rong, if you've tried it and don't like it tell hiom exactly why you don't like it. don't just say it's shit, explain how you want the song to sound. then maybe come up with a compromise, can both style be put together, say add it as a middle eight or whatever.

i tend to let band members find theior own way through songs inculding the vocalist, once we have a song up and running we start fine tuning, saying what we do and don't like collectively. it'll all work out if you work as a band rather than individuals.

[Syntrus]

electronically make it then its definantly your song then. You play your guitar, mix it with your drums your bass your vocals etc. mix it all together and bam your your own band.

[Ghosty22]

At 6/1/07 12:20 PM, Syntrus wrote: electronically make it then its definantly your song then. You play your guitar, mix it with your drums your bass your vocals etc. mix it all together and bam your your own band.

Yeah, I think I'll do this as well...

[Ghosty22]

At 6/1/07 09:44 AM, pitbulljones wrote:

Now i understand exactly where you're coming from, this song is your baby, but sometimes there has to be a little give or take regarding these things. Now if you have refused to try it the other persons way then you're in thw rong, if you've tried it and don't like it tell hiom exactly why you don't like it.

Well there were two songs, actually. The first one we played, he came up with some stuff that I didn't like, and then the next time we got together, I came up with some stuff that I wanted him to try instead. He tried it out, but he never was able to play it the way I wanted him to. He was playing it out of time... He had trouble with the rhythm. Then he asked the drummer which version he liked better. He played his version, which he'd made up, and had practiced at least one other time. Then he played mine all sloppy and half-assed, and obviously the drummer's going to pick a more polished version than one that was, in my opinion, deliberately done badly.

First he shot down my changes to the verse... Ok, cool, I can respect that... Then he shot down my changes to the chorus... Not happy, but yeah, I'll go along with that. Then he said, "I think we should double up the chorus, because it's too short." Now, I wasn't happy with this, because purposefully I made the chorus short, because I felt the shortness of it packed a punch. It was eight measures long... I felt that was good enough. To double it would've made it drawn out and I felt it would kill the freshness. Then he uses a song as an example of why repetitiveness is good. He mentions "I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night," by Kiss. Now, I think that song is ok, but I hate the chorus because they sing it way too many times... He used a part in a song that I don't like to try to persuade me to do it his way... That bugged me, but, again, I was willing to work with the guy...

The next song, again, I showed him a bass line for the first two measures of the song. He couldn't do it. He said "Chop that in half and loop it, so I could work on it." I did, and for like a half an hour, we're working on the first measure of the song. Finally we give that a rest, and we start working on the verse. Immediately, he wants to change it and add an extra measure. When I get home, I'm playing it his way over and over for like an hour, trying to hear what he hears, and I'm not liking it. His way just takes all the momentum out of the song. The next practice, I tell him that I don't really want to change the song, and he looks pissed off... "I need to go have a cigarette," he says and stalks outside...

So now, that's two songs that I've written that I no longer like at all because of his changes --the only two I've showed him by the way. Would he do this for all of them? I did ask the drummer to get rid of him, --it's his house-- and he said he would, but he also seemed disappointed... I guess I just want to make sure I'm not being a complete asshole...

[darkkloud]

i dont think its wrong, i mean i am a dictoral band leader, but that goes without saying as im always lead vocals and usually lead guitar as well, but still, if you made the song, then it is your choice and yours alone to decide if it should be changed, i mean, always give some lee way, dont be all ZOMG YOU PLAYED A B FLAT INSTEAD OF SHARP THERE!!!ZOMG!!!1111

make them learn the orrigonal version first, then allow them a little bit of artristic expression so they think that there important in some way, even though there not, just give them control over a solo SLIGHTLEY, or be like "ok, this main riff, it can be changed a little bit, i want the begining of it to stay the same, but if you have an idea of a better sound for the rest of it, then lets here it" and then shoot down there idea saying in a simple matter "it just isnt heavy enough man, sorry".

[Chris-V2]

At 6/1/07 05:36 PM, darkkloud wrote: ZOMG YOU PLAYED A B FLAT INSTEAD OF SHARP THERE!!!ZOMG!!!1111

No such thing as a B sharp...

Also, that does change a peice entirely. They may be implying a scale or chord that doesn't coincide with the pice. The last thing you want is the bassist holding a B flat over an E minor chord or something stupid like that.

I often find I write a "vauge idea" for the bassist to improve upon. Might just be an arrpegio based idea or something basic like that. With some songs though, you just don't want anyone spoiling the sound and mood you are attempting to create.

[LaurenAwesome]

At 5/30/07 11:14 PM, Ghosty22 wrote: So let's say you write a song, and you intend for it to be performed a certain way. Some people in your band want to do it a completely different way. They (or one person) insist on doing it differently, and you no longer like the song as a result.

Is it wrong to say, "Listen, I wrote this song, and this is the way we're going to play it!"

Somehow it seems like, if you do that, you're that kid on the block who, in a sport, says, "I'm taking my ball, and I'm going home!" whenever people disagree with him. But at the same time, it's your song. It just seems as if you should have the final say if you wrote the thing.

Maybe....you guys shouold...I don't know, come to some middle ground . Play it a way were everyone in your band would like it. O.o

[FlameMesial]

This is why I adore making music by myself. I can do whatever the hell I want :D

I have had exactly the same problem countless times before, and my band change the sound of my songs just by their playing techniques.

The good thing to do is just bite the bullet, sometimes you need to be grateful that they're actually accepting your ideas, and giving in their input so that the song sounds like the band in an entirety rather than just a single member.

But I agree, sometimes the changes can be annoying, and when you want to keep the song exactly as you want it, you produce it yourself.

[loogiesquared]

At 6/2/07 12:37 PM, FlameMesial wrote: This is why I adore making music by myself. I can do whatever the hell I want :D

indeed that young fellow has a point dear boy