Ending cover songs that fade out

Neilage

Neilage

Well-known Member
My 80's cover band plays several songs that fade out at the end of the tune, which can be a challenge when performing live.

How do you end songs that fade out the end?

Mike Mills of REM said that they tried to avoid ending songs with a fade out as every song deserves a beginning, middle, and end.
 
We fade them out.



J/k
Sometimes on a vocal harmony.
 
My current band, we have come up with endings that I tell the band are coming up by a fills they know. Sometimes I end the song at the usual point, other times I carry on for a while just to see their panic laden expressions to amuse myself.

A previous band, we used to actually fade out one song by getting quieter and quieter - which used to get a lot of laughs from the audience so we kept it as the ending for a few years.
 
I take elements from the song or sometimes another related song to fabricate endings.
Back in the 80's I used Inna Gada Davida to end Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell.
Like "The Wolf" says....find a live version......I found some Steely Dan Live to end their songs..and that was easier...cause they already did the work..."oak is nice"
 
Mr. Neilage....what songs in particular need endings sir?
 
In most cases, a song does not end until the drums stop playing. Along with that; if you want to fade out a song the drums need to fade out and get so quiet that you can barely hear the drums. Usually the rest of the band will follow along and also fade out. It is essential that the drums lead the way when fadding out a song.

.
 
Im not keen on fadeouts live. It depends on genre but I think developing a few different endings then try them and see what works. Some suggestions would be:

1. Play the intro

2. Loop final bar/riff then finish prompted by guitarist dipping the guitar head ( pedal)

3. Repeat final vocal line twice (3X tag)

As for the final note, you have more options

A. Sustained note. Juicy cymbal crash for drums. A chord for tuned instruments

B. Hard stop. Choked crash/rimshot/open to closed hihat. Shortened chord for tuned instruments

C. Final bar/riff slows down shuddering to a climactic halt ( inverto crescendo )

* If you have an agreed system like above, you can call out 1A/2C/3B etc for under-rehearsed songs to finish tidily
 
Ha good question! In all my years I don't think I've ever played a fade out ending. Every band I can think of has always invented an ending. A fade out - has never come up. Or if it does it's a discussion about how we'll end it (without a fade).
Often you check Youtube to see how the original band plays it live.. extremely rare to find a live fade out ending..
 
I sub in an 80s band, lots of sequenced stuff. They usually repeat an opening riff or harmony and end hard on that. A handful are the slow-down-like-you're-approaching-a-traffic-light-then-crash ones. Not my favorite.

I can usually zoom in on something distinctive about the song and come up with an ending based on that. Comes from years of being a DJ and hearing alternate mixes of songs, I think.

Dan
 
Neilage said:
My 80's cover band plays several songs that fade out at the end of the tune, which can be a challenge when performing live.

How do you end songs that fade out the end?
Click to expand...
IMO you do what bands have done for decades and decades - make up an ending!.

Certainly don't fall into the trap of thinking that just because the record fades out, your audience expects it to fade out.

When a record starts to fade out - that's the cue for DJ's and radio stations to move on to just song.... not ride that fade to the end.

And when live bands try it - it has an even worse effect. Imagine the party's jumping - the dance floor is full of energy - then the band decides slowly turn down the energy gradually over 30 seconds... or more.... Why? Are they done? Are they leading to a ballad? A fade out just screams "Hey everybody - Calm down..."

My suggestion - keep that energy up - hit them with definite ending - so they can go "Wow, that was great" - and then go into the next song. No dips in energy/vibe - for no good reason.

What to do for endings? Up to your band.... make them as simple or unique as you desire. But millions of songs have ended by cover bands hitting and sustaining the last root chord. Or finding that obvious place to stop with a short hit.

Heck I've played hundreds of weddings where the leader just cued these with gestures on-the-fly. Try and escape the mentality that your number one job as a band is to faithfully recreate records. Even good DJ's that simply playing records knows that's not the main job. The main job is to serve your audience.... insure that they have a good time.

Be creative and make up endings. And if you are searching for ideas - don't go looking for the answers to your specific songs - just watch a bunch of concert videos and see what those bands do to their songs - then just apply those basic ideas to whatever songs you are doing. It's really not that complicated - there really is no getting this wrong - just give yourself the license to do it.... and then just well... do it.
 
Neil?.....knock knock knock....Neil?.......knock knock knock...Neil?
These guys are providing some good info. here.
Someone might even write them for you......neil?
 
KenDoken said:
A. Sustained note. Juicy cymbal crash for drums. A chord for tuned instruments
Click to expand...

my surf punk band will do this, and then I give 4 on the hi hat, and we do little well known parts of other songs. We have:
1. the "Run to the Hills" (Iron Maiden) ending where I play measure of the hihat/bass groove from that song and the nwe end on the final chord of the song we are doing
2. same thing but using the very end of "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (Iron Maiden)
3. same thing but use the opening rhythm from YYZ on my cymbal bell
4. the "Stray Cats" ending: chord sustain -> 3 hits on the snare, and then short chord stop ending
5. Wipe Out ending, where I do one run of the famous drum part into a chord hit
 
Neilage said:
My 80's cover band plays several songs that fade out at the end of the tune, which can be a challenge when performing live.

How do you end songs that fade out the end?

Mike Mills of REM said that they tried to avoid ending songs with a fade out as every song deserves a beginning, middle, and end.
Click to expand...

Sometimes there are live versions of those songs that have an actual ending. When i was in coverband i always checked live renditions to check how they handled fade outs.
And other times we just made our own outro with ending.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top