Ten Ways To Write A Cover Version
Inspired by The Metallica Blacklist and more, TG presents ten tips for successful cover versions
CHANGE THE KEY TO FIT THE VOCAL
Making the singer sound good is job #1. No one wants to hear the singer straining, or mumbling without reaching the powerful part of their range. It’s an art, though, because every key has its own flavour. Find a place where the song sounds right and the vocals are strong.
THE CHORDS ARE NOT SACRED, BUT THE MELODY IS
Jazzer Miles Davis pioneered reharmonisation, changing the chords under classic songs to cast new light on them. Ghost did it with Entersandman. As long as the strongest notes in the melody appear somewhere in your chord, it’ll work. Leave the vocal melody intact though, or it’ll just be a different song.
TRY DOUBLE-TIME OR HALF‑TIME FEEL
Make any song feel radically different by doubling or halving the speed of the drums while leaving everything else the same. Thrash classics become deep grooves, and doomy Sabbath riffs sound like uptempo romps. This is part of how Jason Isbell made Sadbut True into a country barnstormer.
MESS WITH THE TIME SIGNATURE
If the original has a weird time signature, you can make it accessible by putting it into 4/4, as U2 and Limp Bizkit did with their versions of the Mission Impossible theme (originally in 5/4). If you’re brave, you could put a 4/4 groove into odd time – see Al Di Meola’s warped take on Steely Dan’s Aja.
OLD RIFF ON A NEW INSTRUMENT = NEW SOUND
When Otis Redding gave the Rolling Stones’ Satisfaction riff to his horn section, he turned a rock classic into a soul tune. Funk basslines on guitar make great RHCP or Extreme riffs; piano arpeggios can become neo-classical workouts – see, er, Yngwie Malmsteen’s assault on Abba’s Gimme!gimme! Gimme!(amanaftermidnight).
SOMETIMES A NEW GUITAR TONE IS ENOUGH
Weezer’s Blacklist version of Enter Sandman largely plays things pretty close to the Metallica playbook, but with Rivers Cuomo’s distinctive fuzz tone. Guitar tone can be a genre marker all by itself. Try playing The Police’s Everybreathyoutake with a high gain sound if you doubt this.
RIFFS ARE OPTIONAL
It might be blasphemy, but Sheryl Crow left out Slash’s iconic intro when she covered Sweetchildo’mine, and Jason Isbell ditched the riff to Sadbuttrue.
If those versions can work, anything can. We await your versions of AC/DC hits with the riffs left out...
INVERT THE HEAVINESS
Whether it’s the Ramones turning Wonderfulworld into a punk belter or Apocalyptica’s cello interpretations of Metallica, taking songs to the opposite end of the heaviness spectrum makes you look like a genius. And if critics don’t love your sensitive ukulele approach to Rainingblood, at least you’ll probably end up soundtracking a supermarket commercial.
TUNE DOWN
Whether subtle or extreme, downtuning is a reliable way to add heaviness. Guns N’ Roses gave Liveandletdie an edge by tuning down a semitone, while Periphery gave Michael Jackson’s Blackorwhite the full djent treatment. Still looking for the right key? It might just be a twist of your guitar’s machineheads away.
THE GUITAR SOLO
With most of your arrangement in place, the big question: do you duplicate that classic solo, or (gulp!) attempt to play something better? We suggest carving your own path. You’ll never play Bohemianrhapsody’s break better than Brian May, but you can be the best version of you in the world.
YOU’LL NEVER PLAY BOHEMIANRHAPSODY BETTER THAN BRIAN MAY, BUT YOU CAN BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOU...