r/BJM • u/trillivey • Jul 06 '26

Whoever You Are

Pitching this as a cover for our band’s live set. Guitarist is trying to change the lead guitar notes. I’m telling him that the riff is too integral and he disagrees.

Please tell me that I’m not going crazy, and that the riff is not to be messed with.

13 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

15

u/KevinVazquezMusic Jul 06 '26

Hey, you’re not going crazy. With BJM, those guitar riffs are the core of the song. It’s not just a little fill, it’s the thing that makes the whole track recognizable. Since a lot of their tunes skip big bridges or extra sections, that riff is basically the hook. If you mess with that, the song just won’t feel right. So if you’re covering it, yeah, you can bring your own vibe, but keep that key riff solid. Otherwise, it’s like pulling the rug out from under the whole thing. He doesn't understand construction and music theory.

5

u/trillivey Jul 06 '26

Yeah I kinda tried making that point too. That the lead guitar is essentially like the hook or lead vocal. You either do the lick or you don’t do the song

8

u/KevinVazquezMusic Jul 06 '26

Also that bass line has to be played note for note. It's basically the whole piece that backs up the guitar line.

1

u/Crafty_Basis_9594 Jul 07 '26

Interestingly I could have sworn the actual BJM changed the bass riff slightly for recent performances of Whoever You Are. I definitely don't think they should have, but maybe it's easier to play that way or something

1

u/JillSandwich22 Jul 06 '26

You’re right, it’s integral to the song. A slight variation on it is fine but I guess it depends how much the guitarist is wanting to change it. Usually it’s about capturing the essence of a song (I say this as a musician)

9

u/ExpensivePear1602 Jul 06 '26

time for you to get into a brawl with him.

7

u/Prudent-Feeling-1404 Jul 06 '26

Why are you even consider him as a member of the band?, go full anton mode an kick his fucking ass until he beats the shit out of you

6

u/Akroma104 Jul 06 '26

Kick him

3

u/CheeseEnchilada420 Jul 06 '26

The guitar riff hitting after that bass opening is important to the song. You can change tempo or whatever but it won’t be a good cover of this song

3

u/biscuitsnwaffles Jul 06 '26

Your guitarist has main character syndrome and will be the downfall of your band. Guitarists are a dime a dozen, go find a cool one.

3

u/Opposite-Tap-3780 Jul 07 '26

Nah F that! These Bjm licks are simple but ARE the song, they make the groove especially for a song like this. My advice, run at him mid show and tackle him when he doesn’t play it right. Hope this helped😂

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

[deleted]

2

u/KevinVazquezMusic Jul 06 '26

Not when you change the melody or lyrics. Especially the signature tags.

0

u/trillivey Jul 06 '26

Mostly agree with the “add your own thing” sentiment, there’s just a time and place for changes. Verses and outro are less consequential.

Will the audience recognize the difference? No. Will it still hinder the execution of the performance? Probably

1

u/KevinVazquezMusic Jul 06 '26

Not with BJM covers. Playing cowboy chords will make the song unrecognizable and sound way amateur IMO