General Music Chat

My band just got out of the studio and I have a concern. Our producer (doing his job) added some leads to the songs and they don't sound exactly the same. Don't get me wrong, they sound great and they're not VERY different, it's just I'm the only guitarist and can't exactly play two guitar parts.
So my question is this. If you saw a band that didn't sound exactly like they do in their recordings would you say that they "suck live?" Or does that reputation only come from bad playing?

Opinions? Anyone?

If you know you can't pull it off, but you still try to do it and end up sounding off, then shame on you.
If you play it a bit differently and make it sound decent live, then thumbs up.
Good question.

My band just got out of the studio and I have a concern. Our producer (doing his job) added some leads to the songs and they don't sound exactly the same. Don't get me wrong, they sound great and they're not VERY different, it's just I'm the only guitarist and can't exactly play two guitar parts.
So my question is this. If you saw a band that didn't sound exactly like they do in their recordings would you say that they "suck live?" Or does that reputation only come from bad playing?

Opinions? Anyone?

IMHO, a bad rep comes from bad playing. I don't expect a band to sound like the recording. I actually hope that they don't. Live music is better than the canned stuff. If I saw your band and saw only 1 guitarist, I would expect to hear only 1 guitarist. If I saw one guitarist and heard 2, I would think that there was some milli vanilli crap going on.

Now wait a minute Gang.Ill play devils adv. What if shes looping her rhythm parts?Its still her playing? When you hear a keyboard player layering strings and piano in different octaves or 5ths,is that not 2 instruments?Neal Peart uses sequenced trx in Rush's shows.Hell, every duo, trio I see workin the Coffee House/ Resturant /small bar venue is using the looper. Lord, as hard as it is to keep a band together now days or find that 4 piece, I say LOOP those rhythm parts .Make it part of the show like KT does. ALSO, another avenue would be to use split chords with alternate tunings to get rhythmic lead parts happenin making open strings available.Ive played in alotta 3 piece configs where that takes place.One cat had 4 gtrs to make this happen.Anyway, I like your sound Ladies, alittle diff from what I play but dig the tune "Good Girl"..

"Milli vanilli crap"- well said, Mary.

Pinkflame, I would be far more offended if you sounded exactly like your recording. That's why I would never bother to go see the Eagles. By the same token, I expect you to be able to perform the songs well, with signature licks intact. That's why I'd never waste money seeing Led Zep.

The Beatles performed well live (when they could be heard) even without those fabulous signature George Martin productions. The Stones don't replicate their studio sound, either.

Remember, it's only rock & roll. Keep your live performance tight, true to the song & not necessarilly the production, & if you play well, you'll get good responses. Then, when you sell your CD's, the additional stuff in the production is the icing on the cake that it's meant to be, & hopefully, the buyer will be pleasantly surprized.

I agree with The Kidd and Philby!

play it however you like it best. near the recording/far from it....the only thing that matters is that you feel comfortable in it and that helps you feel it. you feel it, maybe they feel it / you dont, they dont!

I will of course play the devil's advocate here-

I always thought that the live show should sound more "real" and electric than the canned recordings, but at the same time, I've always REFUSED to double track guitar lines that I can't feasibly produce live. If the audience knows the music, then much like playing a 2-guitar cover with one guitar, it ends up sounding empty compared to the recorded version, and people do notice.

I'm not saying it can't be done, but I am saying that it can't be done on every song. Some songs will sound fine with one guitar (playing a song that was recorded with two) and others will fail badly.

It's up to you to decide what will work and what wont. But I'd personally be pissed at the producer for doing that.

If you sounded exactly like the record you would be in effect a tribute band of yourself. And wouldn't you get sick of playing the songs exactly the same way over and over again? Shouldn't music be constantly evolving? Wouldn't your audience get SICK of hearing you play the same songs the same way? You WANT to sound different live. You WANT to progress musically. Isn't that the reason we practice to make us sound better if possible? If all homo sapiens could do was copy stuff note-for-note we'd still be sitting in some dirt pile playing with sticks and bones and screeching (that might actually sound better than some of the crap I've heard lately). Later...

I was speaking in generalities bob-

What I was trying to say was that the overall performance shouldn't be notably suckier than the studio version. I know a lot of musicians feel the opposite (don't think live sound matters as much ... see Van Halen )

And when someone can't reproduce 2 unique guitar tracks with just one live, well, it's noticable. Do you think Iron Maiden could have pulled off many of their tunes (live) with just one guitar? Maybe some songs, but certainly not all.

I've got to agree with Kramerguy here. When I record, I make an intentional effort to create songs that I can "re-create" with a live band. I have very few songs that have even three guitar parts for just that reason. My theory is this: If someone hears your music BEFORE they see you play, then aren't they going to be disappointed to receive a different "product"? Vise versa, If they hear you play live first, and then buy your CD, don't you think they are gonna notice the difference? You bet they will...and they will think one thing: "Wow. Those people spent a lot of time and money in the studio!"...If that sounds like some kind of compliment to you, think again. I spent enough time in the studio to tell you that ANYTHING can be made to sound like ANYTHING. While having no boundaries can be very liberating, the point is this: Listeners know this as well. They expect something amazing on a CD. You are going to make your fans with live performances. However, if you sell them an awesome CD, and then play live nothing like that, you're just gonna piss 'em off.
Just my two cents.

Now wait a minute Gang.Ill play devils adv. What if shes looping her rhythm parts?Its still her playing? When you hear a keyboard player layering strings and piano in different octaves or 5ths,is that not 2 instruments?Neal Peart uses sequenced trx in Rush's shows.Hell, every duo, trio I see workin the Coffee House/ Resturant /small bar venue is using the looper. Lord, as hard as it is to keep a band together now days or find that 4 piece, I say LOOP those rhythm parts .Make it part of the show like KT does. ALSO, another avenue would be to use split chords with alternate tunings to get rhythmic lead parts happenin making open strings available.Ive played in alotta 3 piece configs where that takes place.One cat had 4 gtrs to make this happen.Anyway, I like your sound Ladies, alittle diff from what I play but dig the tune "Good Girl"..

True dat, true dat. My point being that the recording should not be what determines a good band. If for some unknown reason there is a part missing or a part recorded for a missing part...that's okay. Just don't record the whole show and mouth the words or pretend to be playing a part that you are not.

Dah!

Modern times means nothing of what you hear live is what was recorded in any case. Only bands fortunate enough to hire people with the skills needed to play live and fill out what they did on a recorded track will be heard, or will they?

Aw, c'mon! Since recording was invented, ppl have been producing stuff in the studio that they can't perform live. From the fully orchestrated stuff to the 101 Guitars to what have you, it's been done & done again.

The true worth of the band is whether they can play their songs, & play them well - NOT whether or not they sound just like their recordings.

Peter Gabriel used ppl in the studio that he doesn't tour with live. So do a whole helluva lot of acts. Their live performance is in no way less impressive if they don't bring that whole orchestra or special guest or whatever, as long as they can perform the song with the spirit that it was intended. That's the key.

Is the song played with the right emotion, the right melody, & the right orchestration of the moment.

A good song can be played myriad ways & orchestrations & even different styles & still keep to its purpose & spirit & intent.

My band just got out of the studio and I have a concern. Our producer (doing his job) added some leads to the songs and they don't sound exactly the same. Don't get me wrong, they sound great and they're not VERY different, it's just I'm the only guitarist and can't exactly play two guitar parts.
So my question is this. If you saw a band that didn't sound exactly like they do in their recordings would you say that they "suck live?" Or does that reputation only come from bad playing?

Opinions? Anyone?

I've actually witnessed a situation where a 'producer' tracked some leads on a bands song.
It stuck out like a sore thumb to me, and I busted their managers balls for it. The manager got a strange kinda-scared look on his face and asked me "Is it that noticeable?".
Now I knew the band, and I knew the guitar player pretty well, so I was quite familiar with his style.
Didn't sound anything like him. To the point that any body loosely familiar with their work would notice something way different.

They thought they needed to spice the leads up for some reason and make them more flashy. A little bit beyond the technical reach of the guy in the band.
Anyways... in the end they scraped the takes.

In My Opinion:
If it doesn't sound like you, don't do it. Regardless of whether you can reproduced the guitar parts live or not.
Basic solos are fine. Just be melodic.
Or 'no' solo will work in a lot of cases too.

I say: if it doesnt sound exactly like the recording, 'so what'. If it doesnt sound like 'you' -- thats a problem.