This is a deviation from Bob's original question about favorite/least favorite cover songs... but since the thread has already become a discussion about whether or not playing cover songs is the devil's work, here are my personal thoughts. I present this not as universal truth, just as my opinion.


My personal preference is playing cover songs as closely as possible to the original. Yes, I know you can always listen to the original... but there's a reason why classic rock stations still have enough of an audience to make money: people's memories are tied to those songs.

It gets more complicated when you realize that their memory isn't just tied to the lyrics or the chords... some people actually get upset if you "mess up" the song by playing it differently than they remember it. This includes not just note for note reproduction of solos and harmonies... it extends to the signature sound of the amp, guitar, microphone and effects.

Which brings me to the reason WHY I like playing cover songs: I find it to be more challenging than writing my own songs or playing my own version of a cover. Here's an analogy:

If somebody commissioned me to give a speech, the easiest thing for me would be to give a speech on a topic I know, in my own language. But... if the requirement was that I had to give the speech on a topic with which I am not familiar, and in a language I don't know... that would ramp up the difficulty of the project considerably. The more requirements a project has, the harder it is to meet them, and the more likely it is that you will be judged. Its hard to make a scrap part when the blueprint has no tolerances. And the original recording is the standard by which the success of my re-creation will be judged

Jamming is the equivalent of playing in my own musical language. Playing something that Jimi Hendrix or Eric Johnson or Stevie Ray Vaughan would play requires me to learn something I didn't previously know. I have to play in THEIR musical language.

Playing one guitar through one amp with one pedal board allows me to reproduce a limited variety of sounds... but modelling gear is capable of sounding like any amp, cabinet, guitar or stomp box... and effort is required to match the signature sounds to the cover song. To that extent I have a Helix rack with Variax guitar. The Helix has all the amps, cabs and effects while the Variax has built-in models of many guitars used in classic rock songs. Researching what amp, guitar and pedal board was used in the original recording is another layer of challenge that provides fun for me to track down.

I already know all the arguments against what I do. I do it because it pleases me to do it. I don't even like playing in public, so it isn't for the sake of what the audience wants. To me, reproducing songs provides sufficient challenge to keep my old man retired brain engaged and interested... and that's enough reason for me.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0