Your own style

So you're amazed as to how Dave's rhythm guitar slaps and strums so "perfectly"...but you can't. Ask all things about Dave and his guitars here.

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Your own style

Unread post by DreaminBassMunky » Thu Jun 05, 2003 8:23 am

Everyone is trying so hard these days to play just like Dave. Too hard people! As much as I love dave and love to play his music, you're getting obsessive. Buying his guitar his strings, his setup all to emulate his sound. It's time you broke lose and found something you can feel proud of cause you created it yourself. Something someone will hear and want to emulate. I am not saying to stop playing DMB I am just saying that their are other bands out there, and writing your own stuff is never out of the question. I've really seen to many DMB cover bands with guys trying to be just like Dave, and it's kinda getting boring. Be your own person, tread your own path. Still love Dave Matthews, but do something original.
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Unread post by Pickles » Thu Jun 05, 2003 8:25 am

i dont know enough about the guitar to write my own stuff, but im branching out from dave. working on the acoustic layla solo (as some have seen me asking for in the General Guitar Discussion) and some metallica stuff... theres so much more than playing rhythm.... lead is just as fun :D (not that i can do it incredibly well, but im getting there)
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Unread post by DMBFan63 » Thu Jun 05, 2003 2:12 pm

I plain out can't write my own stuff... suck at it :|

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Unread post by DreaminBassMunky » Thu Jun 05, 2003 6:20 pm

it takes some time, I'm not very good at it but I still try.
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Unread post by TOMAMI » Thu Jun 05, 2003 10:52 pm

DAVE DAVE DAVE why is everything on this site Dave this and Dave that?
oh yah! its a Dave Matthews guitar site. I agree on alot of what you said we can be artists or musicians. mice or men. march to the beat of our own drummer boy if you will

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Unread post by PureDaveAddict » Thu Jun 05, 2003 11:03 pm

I agree with Munky. This site, while being a source of EXACT DMB tabs, should really be used as inspiration for musicians out there. Learn how dave plays stuff, learn more chords, learn techniques, then use them to create your own masterpiece.
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Unread post by Dancing Ants » Thu Jun 05, 2003 11:13 pm

learning Dave's style is pretty beneficial. I have friends who can't play alot of his songs very easily because of the stretches and such...they usually just play the regualr A, D, C, G, E, etc.. chords, the easier stuff. Learning to stretch your fingers and learn a new way to play is never bad.

Who cares if a person wants to spend their money on Dave's set-up and what not. It's their money to do with as they please, so let them. Some people, myself included, can't write their own stuff yet. By no means do I have anything close to what Dave plays, or do I play his stuff the way he plays it, but it's a good learning tool.

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Unread post by cave_cricket » Thu Jun 05, 2003 11:29 pm

Why does anyone care what anyone else plays and how they play it? What difference does it make that they want to play and sound like Dave Matthews or if they want to find their "own sound"? If they want to find their own style they will..when they want..how they want.....

most people here are still learning the guitar...how do you expect them to have their own style if they don't know how to go from a D to a G chord YET....

And for all the people that are a little more experienced at guitar playing...maybe they are just having fun..and isn't that what it is supposed to be about? Maybe they don't want to move farther in the music career so they don't want to write their own music to impact society. Maybe they are content sitting aorund with a few buddies jamming on some Dave and Tim tunes. So what does that matter? Are they somehow inferior to someone that wants to write their own stuff? NO. Music is meant to be enjoyed. And when people get down on them because they want to play as somone they admire and respect then the music is longer enjoyable.

People do what they want when it comes to music. Many use cover songs to begin to discover their own sound. Some do not. And no one should criticize them for it.

Thats my 2 cents and it's Canadian so it may not be worth much.

EDIT: and to comment on the "gear"....many people own the same guitars that Dave Matthews ha sand they may not even listen to him. I wonder if it has to do with the fact that Dave plays quality gear and some people want to find quality gear to use as well.

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Unread post by DustyDave » Fri Jun 06, 2003 1:07 am

cave_cricket wrote:Thats my 2 cents and it's Canadian so it may not be worth much.
:lol:

Anyways i agree with everything you said there , it is supposed to be fun and enjoyable all the way

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Unread post by jsgksu » Fri Jun 06, 2003 4:45 am

DustyDave wrote:
cave_cricket wrote:Thats my 2 cents and it's Canadian so it may not be worth much.
:lol:

Anyways i agree with everything you said there , it is supposed to be fun and enjoyable all the way
That Canada comment was pretty funny, I agree with your post as a whole as well Cricket but I dont think Dreamin meant to insult people who do what he was taking about (at least I hope not) he was just trying to get off his chest that there is another world out there that can be explored (Im slowly learning that) So I guess I agree with both of your posts.
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Unread post by DreaminBassMunky » Fri Jun 06, 2003 6:30 am

well you know me, I never mean to affend anyway although i sometimes come off that way. I'm glad to know that people agree with me. and i see other opinions to. I am not saying stop playing DMB songs, not at all, I love playing DMB tunes, but there is a whole world of music out there. this post didn't really apply to everyone, especially people out there using equitment like Dave's without even realizing it. I am just saying that I have seen cases where people are trying to emulate dave right down to the way he acts. play what ever music you like. doesn't bother me, I was just making a rather forceful sounding suggestion. you can play averil lavigne for all I care :)

note: the spin doctors once wrote a song with only 2 chords and people still liked it :D
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Unread post by GSR » Fri Jun 06, 2003 8:12 am

i've been playing bass for less than a year.. and its really hard to come up with stuff that's relatively impressive. sometimes it seems so easy to just play songs that you like. haha. and doesn't it always seem like all the good songs have already been written? :roll:
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Unread post by The Man of The Hour » Fri Jun 06, 2003 9:43 am

cave_cricket wrote: And for all the people that are a little more experienced at guitar playing...maybe they are just having fun..and isn't that what it is supposed to be about? Maybe they don't want to move farther in the music career so they don't want to write their own music to impact society. Maybe they are content sitting aorund with a few buddies jamming on some Dave and Tim tunes. So what does that matter? Are they somehow inferior to someone that wants to write their own stuff? NO. Music is meant to be enjoyed. And when people get down on them because they want to play as somone they admire and respect then the music is longer enjoyable.
Those are the best words I've read today. Thank you

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Unread post by cave_cricket » Fri Jun 06, 2003 11:12 am

DreaminBassMunky wrote:well you know me, I never mean to affend anyway although i sometimes come off that way. I'm glad to know that people agree with me. and i see other opinions to. I am not saying stop playing DMB songs, not at all, I love playing DMB tunes, but there is a whole world of music out there. this post didn't really apply to everyone, especially people out there using equitment like Dave's without even realizing it. I am just saying that I have seen cases where people are trying to emulate dave right down to the way he acts. play what ever music you like. doesn't bother me, I was just making a rather forceful sounding suggestion. you can play averil lavigne for all I care :)

note: the spin doctors once wrote a song with only 2 chords and people still liked it :D
all i'm saying in response to your idea that people should try to find their own style is that not everyone wants to.

in your first post you actually said that people are getting obsessive and boring. that is only your opinion and that is why you have moved on to aking your own mark. and the people that you have labeled "obessive and boring" may not find emulating an artist (in this case dave matthews) "boring and obsessive". they might find it fun and exciting that's what i'm saying music is about. having fun. not necessarily making your own mark.

if you want to emulate someone - GREAT!
if you want to create your own music - GREAT!
If you want to cover Frank Zappa tunes on your xylophone - GREAT!
Just as long as you enjoy it.

I'm not being hostile either. Just discussing this topic. :lol:

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Unread post by God_Fearing_Man » Fri Jun 06, 2003 1:36 pm

cave_cricket wrote:most people here are still learning the guitar...how do you expect them to have their own style if they don't know how to go from a D to a G chord YET....
Well I think this kinda hits the nail... on the side.

EVERYBODY continues to learn the guitar. I mean, you don't hit a peak and stop.... Even the best continue to work to improve.. if you're not doing that, you're missing out on the greatest thing about the guitar!

Granted, it can get a little bit irritating when everybody strives to play exactly like Dave.. That's not the point. The point is, however, to learn what Dave Matthews does ,and how he does it, and try to do it like he does it as best you can, and then move from there.

That is the root for forming your own style. You look at some guitarists and you say, "I want to learn to do what they do, and play like they play." And then you take everyhting you have learned from those guitarists, and try to implement it to form the sound you wish to sound.

A good example is the guy you (cave cricket) have in your avtar - Jason Mraz. From a guitar-playing standpoint you can hear the Dave Matthews influence in his music. However, despite his guitar playing being similar in sound and style to Dave, his music is completely his own style...

In a nutshell.. if you want to play guitar and only sound like Dave Matthews, and nothing or nobody else, you are missing out on a lot.

But if you are trying to play like Dave can play, while also focusing on other players, and trying to learn what they do, you are on your way to forming your own style...

(I can usually make this sound a lot prettier but I'm tired).. you get the point, though.
"There must come a day... when the unfinished work of our heroes, must truly be our own."

-Ben Harper

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