How much of your performance/recording material is original?

[Media Lint]

Just curious, I almost exclusively write my own material. On a lot of other sites I visit this question would be nearly 100% original for other folks as well, but things are probably different here.

[saxmanglen]

Most of the stuff I play anymore are the stock older dance band stuff.


Can you say "stuck in a rut"?

[SaxxMan]

Ha, I do a lot of original material in my soloing...

Yep....sometimes it's so original it floats right out of key, or even seems to be completely lost in the changes. :D

I don't know enough jazz theory to play the really cool licks, and I don't know enough of the conventional star-players to imitate them.

Sometimes I get compliments for imitating somebody's style, and I say thank you, and hope they don't ask how I did it, because all I could say was that I tried to think of the "feel" and just went for it.

Luckily, I play mostly in blues bars, and they are usually a forgiving lot.

As for the songs - we mostly do covers with only few originals.
Since we have some college music professors in the band, we do have fun with creating unique arrangements of standards.

[Bootman]

I usually play what I am paid to play. This changes from gig to gig and from band to band or style to style. The soloing and approach are original but the melody will invariably be a jazz standard or pop tune.

If it is a legit or semi legit gig then your job is to play the part and be part of the ensemble. This is what they are paying you to do.

[HeavyWeather77]

I assume this thread is talking about groups we're personally and creatively invested in. With my groups I do only original material, but on "gigs" (church, weddings, private parties, background music), I'd be thrown out for playing any of my own music.

[58tenor]

Whaddaya mean? Make up my own tunes?!

The cool thing is, if you only play originals nobody can tell you you're doing it wrong..........

[ste1390]

I would like to say that I play original stuff, but I've tried and my writing isn't very good at all. Besides, why play my own stuff anyway? Gershwin and his friends seem to do just fine without me.