Dadocaster
Dr. Stratster
My band plays mostly stuff I write so I am with on that. At the same time I am interested in getting the covers together so I can go out and play more and get some cash.Sounds like to me that you want your own songs to get a far shake... Here are my observations...There are a lot of guitar players that play the same songs that they learned in high school... and that's pretty much it. They do it well and people tell them that they are GREAT. They may even still wear a NIKE hat backwards and cargo shorts to a gig. However, the rarest of all musicians is a true singer/songwriter... and I say this because genuine singer/songwriters are just that... truly rare. These are the guys that have a notebook full of lyrics and chords. Cover musicians often diss these guys (think Bob Dylan, Neil Young, etc.}. Here's where it gets interesting... when cover musicians play with a solid singer/songwriter now they want a co-write of a song they did not write. The irony is that they will happily play covers all night long, add their own chops and get no songwriting credit. Simply put, they do not get to add their name next to Lennon/McCartney. But if a member of their own band or circle of friends writes a good song... and they jam along with it... now these same cover guys want to add their name to the songwriting credits. Granted, sometimes they deserve a credit if it melodically changes the song... but most of the time cover guys add little to the original chord structure and unique melody... The cover guys are really good players though. Most cover guys usually have one or two good original riffs or even complete songs... but they do not embrace songwriting.... or bring in a notebook of their songs. Cover guys want to play Little Wing and hear a beer cheer. My advice... follow your heart and develop your songwriting talent rather than chasing an illusive guitar lick.