Playing live... do you sometimes wing it?

[Faraldi]

In my last band, there were times when I wanted to take a song somewhere a little different during a show and the other members always fought it. We played all our own stuff and sometimes we would experiment in rehearsal and it sounded good. We had a small following so changing it up a little would keep things interesting for the audience but it was as if the band didn't have the confidence to do it.

For me, if the vibe takes the song somewhere it hasn't been before, so be it.

I'm interested to see if any of you veer off the gameplan sometimes or do you keep things by the book.

[Rockinrob86]

my old band always went off the cuff live.


It was a lot of fun and was really cool. No song was ever the same way twice.


We had simple 3 or 4 chord songs with a bridge and a chorus or so, and we would just jam away

[markw1980]

I am in a few bands that gig. One of the bands plays the songs by the book. But, in the other two, we are winging it a lot, and I enjoy that much more.

[rbnum1fan]

i play in two cover bands and in both we make our own arrangements. it makes it fun and keeps me from getting bored

[crzyfngers]

sometimes? always. we've had 1 rehearsal in 7 years. that's because we were opening for robert cray and my panties got all bunched up. that was also the first time i made a set list.(didn't stick to it) go for what you know, brother soul.

[SGNick]

We always wing it. That's how we roll.

[kimock]

Always the same, never the same way.

[boldaslove1977]

not only do we have a few songs we never do the same way twice... but i couldn't actually tell you what i'm doing when we do them! keeps it fun and interesting... i look forward to those songs on the set list...

[lhallam]

Way too many bands wing-it and they sound amateur as a result.

[phisher422]

i'm in a three piece that almost exclusively wings it. We know our songs but we get....out there....

[mj07]

Always the same, never the same way.

:aok

[RickC]

We do it every night. Pretty much the reason I still play

/rick

[tiktok]

I like playing in trios, because (among other things) it makes it easier to follow those left turns without sounding, uh, lost.

[DonaldDemon]

In my last band, there were times when I wanted to take a song somewhere a little different during a show and the other members always fought it. We played all our own stuff and sometimes we would experiment in rehearsal and it sounded good. We had a small following so changing it up a little would keep things interesting for the audience but it was as if the band didn't have the confidence to do it.

For me, if the vibe takes the song somewhere it hasn't been before, so be it.

I'm interested to see if any of you veer off the gameplan sometimes or do you keep things by the book.

Hey I'm from Toms River too...:beer

My band is a three piece and we have sections where we sort of wing it. Sometimes I go in a different direction and they can follow pretty nicely. This is mostly at cover gigs so we can keep it fresh. We will write parts to some songs we cover to make it different and see where it goes. Original music gigs we usually don't have enough time to wing it in a 30-40 minute set.

[shredtrash]

Winging it can get sloppy IMO. I'd rather nail a 3 minute song than wing it and sound mediocre and unrehearsed. That's just me though.

[Phoenix59]

Way too many bands wing-it and they sound amateur as a result.

Depends on the band... ever heard Phish?

[gixxerrock]

We do it constantly in rehearsal depending on the vibe of that night, but by gig time we try and keep similar arrangements. That said, we will always follow the singer. Sometimes songs get extra verses or guitar solos while she tries to remember words or drag songs out while dance floor is full.

[russell]

sometimes? always. we've had 1 rehearsal in 7 years.

Geez - you could be in our band - I've been in the same working band for over 20 years - and the only time we've ever practiced (twice) was for a St. Pat's party.
Had to learn some things we'd never heard let alone play.

[defcrew]

Most players...esp guitar players...enjoy winging it because it allows us to wank endlessly going diddly diddly wee wee but, as an audience member, I generally become bored by a band that does too much of this, however, having a song or two a set with somewhat extended improv is desirable to me. A set that goes corner to corner with three minute pop songs is sometimes boring to listen to and more often becomes boring to play. Most of the successful "improv" groups have little set cornerstones in the songs that they play off so it isn't just entirely winging it.

[hudpucker]

Always. This is why I'm not in cover bands that try to play it 'straight.'

[defcrew]

Ideally, I like to do songs that on any given night will be the one you expand but you don't do it that way every night....tight but relaxed. Pick a couple dif ones per set each night to stretch out but on other nights present them in the three minutes and a cloud of dust format.

[DøøG]

The few bands I play in are 50/50. Some tunes stay the same, some just solo sections change from night to night, some tunes take a LOT of left turns, haha........

For me, the 3 pc jams (gtr bass n drums) are the most fun, you can really take some chances and not have a trainwreck, if you're playing with the right guys....

[tiktok]

Most players...esp guitar players...enjoy winging it because it allows us to wank endlessly going diddly diddly wee wee but, as an audience member, I generally become bored by a band that does too much of this, however, having a song or two a set with somewhat extended improv is desirable to me. A set that goes corner to corner with three minute pop songs is sometimes boring to listen to and more often becomes boring to play. Most of the successful "improv" groups have little set cornerstones in the songs that they play off so it isn't just entirely winging it.

Three minutes of poorly played/written pop song is no better than three minutes of mediocre improv.

Crappy playing is crappy playing, regardless of the idiom.

[VaughnC]

The basic format of our songs usually stays the same...but if myself or the keys player get the opportunity to wing a solo, we go for it. However, I don't like to see a band get so far out that the cohesiveness is lost and the crowd looses its dance synchronization...but a little wing here & there can be fun if you can hold it together.

[lhallam]

Depends on the band... ever heard Phish?

If you don't think Phish rehearses then you're dreaming. Not only do they rehearse their tunes they rehearse jamming over them using various exercises.

I know that they occasionally do an un-rehearsed number but that's typically one song at the encore.

Besides Phish are extraordinary musicians.

I'm talking about 90% of the cover bar bands I see that leave out defining parts, make up their own bass lines, rhythms, vocals drum beats. Yeah, they may sound OK but they are nothing remarkable despite the fact that they think they are. I have no problem with a band re-arranging a cover but there is a big difference between working out new parts and just winging it.

[Johns7022]

Winging it can get sloppy IMO. I'd rather nail a 3 minute song than wing it and sound mediocre and unrehearsed. That's just me though.

I'm with you. Cut my teeth in the open blues jams..everything was half ass. The only reason that I joined a band was to get into rehearsed music that had half a chance of coming off right.

[Mule]

I think it depends on who's trying to "wing it". I don't think there's anything better than a group of great musicians that know how to improv taking a song to another place. But I've played with guys who are completely lost if you step outside the box. All of my favorite groups/artists improv to some degree.

[bigdaddy]

Not enough bands wing-it and those that don't sound boring as a result.

fixed.

[Ziggy AngelDust]

On a good night I wing it. On a bad night I just play the parts.

[defcrew]

Three minutes of poorly played/written pop song is no better than three minutes of mediocre improv.

Crappy playing is crappy playing, regardless of the idiom.
of course

[cram]

I see some replying with how winging it can be sloppy and I can concede that point, but when you're in a trio and the three instruments are paying mind to each other, it can sound great. In effect, it's not really winging it if you play this way in rehearsal to get comfortable with each other with respect to tendencies etc...

There are songs that don't feel right to have experimental spots within. We have about 2 songs a set where we have options for taking it various ways. Sometimes if people at the party (most of our gigs are parties) are having fun, we open up a section of the tune and play with them all. I think that could be considered winging it as we don't rehearse it.

On the whole, I do notice a pattern of winging it in rehearsal and an uncanny ability to have a more simple structure when we play live. My leads don't go off into space and I tend to be more guarded mostly...

Having the option is a treat though. Hearing the drums play something new can maybe trigger me to play differently... That's the stuff I love to have happen at times.

[Faraldi]

Good points of view all around. Most of my playing has been stuff I've written and I find that changing it up keeps it fresh. Overdoing it is another thing though. There have been many an occasion where changing it up in rehearsal has spawned a whole new song.

This thread came to mind because yesteray I watched Rattle and Hum and I saw how U2 went from the song "Bad" into "Ruby Tuesday". Not exactly improv I would assume but it got me thinking back to my former band just never wanted to try "stuff". (Really the reason its my FORMER band).

Again, great feedback everyone.

[Bobby D]

i LOVE doing this......but it really depends on the skill level and OPEN MINDS of the other players.

right now i am playing with some guys who are VERY rigid, play it like the record, and don't have the skills to improvise and JAM. it's frustrating to me, because i am used to playing with guys who can "stop on a dime" and change grooves/vibes quickly.

the most fun thing for me is taking music to NEW places and doing things you have never done before, all while keeping the music flowing and sounding good.

but you have to have players with BIG EARS, and the talent to be able to follow the guy with the ball...

[harry65]

We always wing it. That's how we roll.

this...........:cool:

[DrumBob]

It depends on who is on the gig. The Kootz has 13 members that rotate. Some of the guys are good on the fly and some prefer to stick to the arrangements. But when we have the jammers in place, and the vibe in the bar is right, we will jam and take the songs out there. And we can pull it off.

[norumba]

My main project is a primarily improvising duo, so by default we always improvise the show, but i dont consider what we do"winging" it -- we 've played together for about 10 years, so we follow each other pretty well, and have worked hard at developing that rapport.
Our improvisations are often tight enough that they come off as structured songs -- in fact a lot of the material for the forthcoming CD was chosen by reviewing some of the improvisation sessions we recorded and lifting various intact segments.They were not only strong improvisationally but also worked as "tunes" and are now becoming part of our "repertoire".

We do have some structured tunes, and even within those, there are pretty open sections. But our aesthetic at the moment for gigs is to not so much play our repertoire, as in a standard 'set list', but to spontaneously reference portions of those pieces -- or perhaps not -- within the context of a performance that's approached as an improvised set. So we might play a tune or not, develop it at length or just briefly quote it. Anything can happen.

[mesamark5]

phish.....i am not worthy!!!!!

[Ed DeGenaro]

Always the same, never the same way.
nice!

[FFTT]

It's great to wing it and let your freak flag fly as long as you're tight enough
to follow cues to come right back in on the spot when it counts.

The best and I mean the most terrifying and best show I ever played
was a total free form jam with some old pros who I had never met before.

The music got crazy and kept everyone on their toes
and everyone left the stage with a big satisfied smile on their face. :-)

[DGTCrazy]

It's called Blues!

[Deacon]

We're defintely a "wing it" kind of band. We rarely play anything the same way twice. Niether I or our other guitarist ever really learen or construct a stock solo. We both tend to start with what we hear as a hook in the solo, and then spread out from there.

Also, over time songs tend to mutate into some version that's different from the original. Changes in the rhythm style most often. It kind of gravitates into our own style of playing.

We play classic rock and jazzy type blues, so there's generally a simple structure to the songs we play, which makes it easier to just improvise around the song's basic arrangement.

[lhallam]

fixed.

Meh, just an excuse to be lazy.

Nothing is more boring than a bunch of guys who learn a chord progression and some lyrics and just start faking their way through the song rather than learn the parts and the arrangements that make a song interesting.

[jrjones]

Meh, just an excuse to be lazy.

Nothing is more boring than a bunch of guys who learn a chord progression and some lyrics and just start faking their way through the song rather than learn the parts and the arrangements that make a song interesting.

I agree with this.

[mannish]

I wing it quite often. I don't really care for predetermined solos because I am playing with the feeling on the moment, not how I felt last week