musicians--what are your "cover songs"?

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Or if there are too many to list, what are your favorites or recent projects? Have you manipulated them in any way (i.e. style changes, restructuring, etc.)?

I play guitar (I have both an acoustic and an electric but 95% of everything I do is acoustic) and I'm stoked that the semester's ending so I can start playing more. I have major problems focusing my energy properly to write complete songs, even if it's just a guitar/vocal (I've probably laid the groundwork for over 50 songs that I actually thought were decent in my life but I've only ever completed two), so I learn cover songs from time to time to keep the frustration level down.

In the last couple days I slapped together an acoustic cover of Jawbreaker--Shield Your Eyes.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7MHumO_SgM[/youtube]

It's way slowed down and chilled out from the original tempo (more like the demo version from the "etc." album) and I sing it an octave lower; I can get my voice high enough for the original, but it sounds pretty bad. I'd wanted to cover this song for a long time but I couldn't figure out a couple of the chords for the interlude at the end, so I just said f**k it and wrote my own interlude that is loosely based on the original.

I recorded a quick run-through when I was drunk last night (the booze definitely fueled my writing of the interlude and I a. was fired up that I finally got it and b. didn't want to forget it ) and it turned out surprisingly well although the vocals were a little shaky. I'd outright post my version on here but I don't know how to do that, but if anyone else has covers they would like to post, that would be even more awesome! Hopefully I will learn how eventually...

I love to play Harlem Nocturne. You may know it as the theme from the old Mike Hammer shows. The instruments are only a bass guitar and a saxophone with the sax carrying the song. I used to play old Quarterflash songs too, but those are more vocally-driven. Now when I play in public it is with local Portland bands so I'm usually playing something original when on stage. I have found that the bright lights help a lot since it is difficult to see the audience. Sometimes I play with eyes closed for the same reason.

Once I know a song well, I will always experiment with the melody like you do, adding parts that (I feel) make it more interesting or entertaining. I have a very jazzed up version of Frosty the Snowman, for example.

Good topic

Whoa! Those are awesome covers, well done dude. What do you play then? Saxophone?

Sax since 6th grade. I took it up so I wouldn't have to go to recess and play basketball, wallball, or unsuccessfully socialize. Turned out I was okay at it

From there I learned clarinet (same embouchure, slightly different fingering), harmonica, mouth harp (of all things) and I just picked up bamboo flute last time I was in Okinawa. I've been practicing like crazy on that. The fingerings are the same as the sax, which is nice, but the embouchure is completely different. Took about a month to get a note out of it!

How long have you been playing acoustic?

i spent high school and some of college playing in mostly punk and hard rock bands as a guitarist and drummer. These days it's all acoustic guitar and piano so I render up a lot of acoustic and piano covers. These are my main songs. I usually choose them by one that I can sing because I'm not a great singer:

Smoking Popes - "Megan"
Coldplay - "Strawberry Swing"
Counting Crows - "Accidentally In Love"
Bad Religion - "Cease"
Gaslight Anthem - "Great Expectations"
Third Eye Blind - "How's It Gonna Be"
Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah"

I haven't played in a while, but whenever I picked up my guitar it was nearly impossible for me to go any length of time and not play "Riviera Paradise" by Stevie Ray Vaughan.

First and foremost I sing in my own voice, and not imitating the original delivery. There's nothing more important than that. I will usually rearrange, change or drop lyrics if they make no sense. I'm not a big fan of the nonsense choruses you find in some folk songs, so I will always drop them or change them. I'll usually change any singer-name reference to my own name.
I change the pitch wherever I need to. I change the melody of a few songs where the original doesn't suit my singing.