do you write or cover

i do both really depending on how i feel

Hi hoppyholly,

I think it's good to do both in order to become a better musician. Staying inspired and learning from other guitar players is essential, but you need to develop your own style as well by writing originals.

-GT Admin

I started out learning a lot of covers by jimi hendrix and other rock and metal heroes like tool and pantera and then proceeded to learning classical guitar as well. Now i am learning how to shred more than ever and I write a lot of my own stuff now.

When I have the time I will occasionally tab out a song that I would like to know how to play to strengthen my ear training skills, but aside from that now i rarely learn whole covers since I already have learned many. And instead I am writing material for my own album :)

I learn the parts of songs that I like the most so that I can see how they did that. Many of the intricacies of writing solid riffs comes from the rhythm of the riff, and listening to it one can easily learn to emulate the rhythm of what the other player is doing. Learning all seven modes has allowed me to stay in key all over the guitar neck and invent my own riffs on the spot. Just a few pointers ;)

The more you cover, the more you´ll be inspired, it´s easier to create when you are inspired. Covering also keeps your chops up. But there is nothing like creating your own tunes man!

Originally Posted by: Guitar Tricks AdminHi hoppyholly,

I think it's good to do both in order to become a better musician. Staying inspired and learning from other guitar players is essential, but you need to develop your own style as well by writing originals.

-GT Admin

Well said!!!

I'm extremely proud to be able to do both also, and I'm sure that my influences can be heard in my writing. It's great to play and sing something I wrote, and playing the originals with my band is even more rewarding. Of course it's also a great feeling to nail a classic signature from James Burton, or some of the new licks by Brad Paisley. I have too many influences to mention them all, and I've learned great riffs, and licks from every one of them. Learn 20 licks from covers, and using different techniques can totally change them. I do suggest learning it the original way first, before you start adding a twist to it.

The more covers you can do, the more licks you learn. I think my creativity comes from the knowledge of other styles of music, and of course the techniques, concepts, and ideas I get from performing cover tunes.