could you guys listen to this and give me feedback?

ticohans · Unread post by **ticohans** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 10:48 am

Well, let's see. My musical background in terms of what I have listened to is more than a little strange, as I lived in Costa Rica from when I was 10 till 18. Those are the years that one REALLY gets into music and cd's and all that jazz, and in Costa Rica you are exposed to VERY different music. Anyway, I'll start at the beginning. I've played classical piano since I was four, and that has undoubtedly left an impression on me. When you've got Beethoveen and Bach pouring through your fingers, you can't help but be affected by their genius. My first serious foray into more popular contemporary music was a band called Jars of Clay. They are absolutely stunning. Their first ablum was totally acoustic, and it's what I first heard. They have definitely influenced my sound. I taught myself to play the guitar by playing along with James Taylor and Clapton's Unplugged, and love fingerstyle stuff. Because of living in Costa Rica, I got into a Mexican rock band called Mana. Great stuff. Awesome blending of Latin beats and influences with rock guitars. Great melodies and messages. Another band that I absolutely love is Caedmon's Call. They are sort of an agressive acoustic rock band, but with country and bluegrass influences, that gives them a very classy style. (Note: I hate country, but if done well, it can definitely provide wonderful flair for the music. Popular radio country sucks. These guys have nothing to do with that.) Another favorite band is a group called Third Day. Just good old rock n roll fun with these guys. And the vocals are stunning. Mac Powell (lead singer) has one of the greatest sets of pipes on the planet. By about 17 I was introduced to both Dave and Pearl Jam, and love both. Current musical favorites also include Radio Head, Ben Folds, U2, Sunny Day Real Estate, Jennifer Knapp, and Miranda Stone. I also love good Latin music. There is absolutelt NOTHING like it.

ticohans · Unread post by **ticohans** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 11:00 am

xoosh, yeah the voice definitely needs a little repair work there and there, and most of your comments on that are right on

. The part that you think is the beginning of the chorus is the bridge. The chorus begins with the chorusing effect. That chorusing is not my final vision for the project. I just didn't have time in the studio to get done what I wanted. What I'm planning for the choruses is an explosion of big, fat electric guitars, with a crunch effect. The chorus on the acoustic was meant to give it a little bit of the feel of depth and wideness that I want it to have. The chorusing at 2:22 wasn't planned on. It actually covers a mistake in the guitar track! LOL

. Unfortunately, didn't have too much time in the studio to get this done, and the way the guitar track works for that song is that it's go go go throughout. There was nowhere we could punch in cleanly, and we didn't have time to redo it, so we said, what the hell, we can mask it easily enough. But I'd say that I agree with most of your comments so far. I think that the percussive transistion you refer to will be tempered by the other instruments, once I get other instruments on it. Good, no great comments so far. Thanks.

ticohans · Unread post by **ticohans** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 11:35 am

oh, and during the chorus outro, it's in C#m. The bridge is a different key.

ticohans · Unread post by **ticohans** » Mon Dec 16, 2002 8:04 pm

hey dmbfanjason, i finally sat down this afternoon between reading through some stuff for finals and dropped a few dave covers. you can download them from

http://www.davidson.edu/personal/chwood/home.htm

they're more than a little rough as i did them in just one take, so there are lyric and rhythm mistakes i'm sure, but it's all i had time for. It's also on my crappy little mic that came with the computer, and there are times when it gets more than a little distorted.

and for everyone else, check out http://www.davidson.edu/personal/halarson/home.htm

the songs are all original and performed by me. let me know what you think!

(and elliot, if you don't have time to listen, that's cool, but i value your opinion and am curious to hear what you have to say.)

tyler · Unread post by **tyler** » Mon Dec 16, 2002 9:34 pm

ticohans for president anyone??

haha, amazing job, both with the originals and covers

DmbFanJason · Unread post by **DmbFanJason** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 1:36 am

Yo, I just listened to your covers...I liked them...i mean they were just fine...except that I am a picky picky person about the guitar part on Dave songs...I mean I figure if you're gonna do a Dave cover, you gotta do it exactly as the man Dave does it, otherwise you are taking away from the song IMO...but your voice is good, maybe better than daves(well i wouldnt go that far), but the little things you add with your voice like, "raah rahh" something like that?? work exceptionally well with your originals, but maybe not so well with the dave songs...I know you probably dont play dave a whole lot, or as much as me, so you wouldnt have the guitar parts down just yet...However, I think your originals are great man...like wow, and if I were you I would focus on those because that is what is going to get you somewhere...lata

ticohans · Unread post by **ticohans** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 9:51 am

thanks guys. personally, on the dave covers, i could care less about it being perfect. if you want to hear dave do it, just listen to him. i think that if someone does a cover, they should feel free to bring their own little touches to it. i don't want to be dave matthews, so i'm not going to try to do everything like him. i'll play and sing the way i do and let that stand on its own. i'm not out to be like one of those elvis impersonaters that they hire for cheap parties. if you look at how dave covers stuff, he changes it up, too. i personally don't think that it detracts from the song in any way as long whatever changes you make are done well.

and I don't know where you think I don't have the guitar parts "down." i add different fillers in a few places, but...

Xoosh · Unread post by **Xoosh** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 10:51 am

Jason.

while i respect your opinion, i do not agree with it. A cover is a song done by ANOHTER artist to represent a previous artist's work. This is why dave's covers never sound the same as the orriginals (i dont think i need to list the titles). It is this approach to music that makes doing covers so much fun. There is definitely a time and a place for 100% accuracy... however, i've never found that time except for this website. Whenever i perform live i like to add my own style to the songs, People obviously recognize the dave matthews song, ie: Too Much... so why not take some artistic freedom with it. It's not like you're paying dave to play his song

One of my proudest achievements is turning the Tool song "Parabola" into a duo for acoustic guitars while keeping the songs integrity but turning it into something that is almost jazzy and bluesy that can be performed by 2 acoustic guitar players.

Just some of my .02 -- not a flame.
/x

MattyTrane · Unread post by **MattyTrane** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 3:46 pm

ticohans wrote:. if you want to hear dave do it, just listen to him. i think that if someone does a cover, they should feel free to bring their own little touches to it. i don't want to be dave matthews, so i'm not going to try to do everything like him. i'll play and sing the way i do and let that stand on its own.

I agree, ur covers rocked.

DmbFanJason · Unread post by **DmbFanJason** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 4:23 pm

Yo, I agree that cover songs should have your own little touch to them most of the time...but the way I see it, Dave's work is immaculate and "his" guitar part should not be messed with because why would you want to fuck with perfection? If you're doing it any other way, you're bringing the song down man... but if you want to add your own lead or new instruments or whatever I think thats a great idea because those are subject to change anyway within the band...Dave's guitar part is the fundamental magic that can always be built on in different ways...and about dave's covers, he is one of very few musicians that i have heard that can cover a song and make it sound better than the original...And tico, while I think you are a great singer, the things you did with your voice on the covers I didnt think went well with the song, thats all...I wasn't saying "damnit! you didnt sing exactly like dave, therefore it's no good!"

DmbFanJason · Unread post by **DmbFanJason** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 5:48 pm

Oh, and as far as the guitar parts, Tico...just listen to my mp3s and you'll know what I'm talkin about...

14=#41

BT= Tripping Billies(for this one, it is quite obvious)...or maybe it was just the recording device?

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/alb ... 32&alid=-1 <-----------------I want to hear someone play trippin billies like that yo!

I know, I' m arrogant....

cave_cricket · Unread post by **cave_cricket** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 6:10 pm

I'm listening to your tunees now and I love them. I think it sounds amazing. Do you mind if burn these to listen to on my stereo and share with my friends?
If you put out a cd let me know. I will want one!

Keep up the good stuff.

Peace

DmbFanJason · Unread post by **DmbFanJason** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 6:16 pm

sure man...I mean if you just want those short clips of dave perfection...go ahead...lol

ticohans · Unread post by **ticohans** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 6:37 pm

umm, dmbfanjason, I don't mean to be arrogant or anything, but I'm pretty sure that cave cricket was referring to my originals

Yes, cricket, feel free to burn the music and distribute it to friends, if you're referring to me and not dmbfan! enjoy!

ticohans · Unread post by **ticohans** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 7:02 pm

about the cover issue, dmbfan, let me say that i do not agree with your criticisms, not because i take offense at them, but because i disagree with their character.

before evaluating all of these, i went and listened to your versions and mine, as well as dave's.

i definitely have slightly different arrangements, and am well aware of it. generally what i do is change the fills somewhat so as to provide variation, usually play slightly fuller chord voicings, and change the rhythm up every once in a while as well. the reasons for all these all these changes are two: for starters, i prefer a slightly fuller voice than dave. not overly full, but fuller nonetheless. this ties into my second reason for doing what i do: dave has a band behind him usually. i do not have the luxury of boyd, (who isn't really a luxury

) stefan, leroi, and carter, or even tim or butch. they fill out the places that dave does not. so yeah, generally my things are a little different, and always more complicated, either rhythmically, melodically or chordally. if i had a full band going, maybe i wouldn't change it up. actually, i probably would, as i find playing the same thing over and over again boring. in fact, dave does too, and he changes his own arrangements up from time to time. so that's why i change the guitar parts up.

about your comments on my vocal additions, again i disagree. my vocal scat parts, where they happened, served again to fill out parts. i don't have leroi soloing behind me or timmy tearing it up, therefore i do what i can. if you play and sing dave's songs exactly as tabbed out here, many times it will sound flat, or not full enough, because those arrangements are made for a full band. In most places where I did do something vocally different, it is because there should have been an instrumental solo there. I see no reason why the voice cannot be that solo instrument.

as i said before, if you want to hear dave, why would you listen to me or anyone else?? and dave matthews is not the standard by which all guitarists or songwriters are measured. to say that all of his songs are perfect is more than a little star struck, in my opinion.

finally, since you think you're so great at playing dave covers, let me offer this criticism of your stuff: watch the tempos. you have tempo changes that shouldn't be there. while dave will employ time signature changes from time to time, he rarely, if ever employs tempo changes, and definitely not where you do. the song this is especially apparent in is tripping billies.

all the changes i make are made conscientously and purposefully.

DMBTabs.com

could you guys listen to this and give me feedback?

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