Thank you so much as well - what a treasure chest this thread turns out to be
Just to mention a few aspects coming to my mind right nowâŚ:
There is no way I can even try to summarize the good advice I have received from @Lisa_S alone. The âwillpowerâ- go for it from @brianlarsen@roger_holland pointing out the value of purpose and context of it all⌠etc. etc.
Of course itâs just me, a guitar and a small amp. I would love to play together with other people, but I doubt that this will ever happen⌠Similarly, it will take years until I will have any technical setup that I could use proficiently.
@sequences Michael, how great that you point out the value of ears, listening and trying to understand the original.
@CT Playing around with chord progressions (well the open chords I can play so far) was one of the major factors that got me back to guitar after my break last year. Now it begins all making sense, why I like it so much
@TheMadman_tobyjenner No plasticky stuff for me and from me ever. I have a vision e.g. of taking âLeaving on a jet planeâ dark, sad and electric away from that jingly-jangly original ⌠to match those lyrics which are in my mind so sad. Letâs see if I will ever get âmy versionâ to what I hear in my mind⌠If turns out to be a cloud of smelly gas, then it will
No no no, Rogier, thatâs even more cheerful than the original
Listen to the lyrics⌠Itâs so sad.
@sequences Donât know how good I am at channeling my inner cookie monsterâŚ
I was serious though⌠I âfeelâ that the song is sad⌠and I thought it could be an interesting challenge trying to express this sadness. How that could be done, I donât know yet ⌠Power chords, once I finally will have learned them? Some weird high gain setting? Different tuning? No idea yet⌠But it will be another interesting side project, hopefully, in addition to starting the regular Grade 2 stuff soonâŚ
I would say people âmake songs their ownâ from the moment they pick up a guitar. If youâre doing one strum per bar to a popular song, itâs playing it differently.
And a single guitar version of a multi track record is always going to be different.
Learning something the way it is supposed to be played is a great way to get better at guitar. So I reckon, make sure you do that.
But when youâre covering a song, do it how you want to. There are no rules. If it sounds good, it is good. Opposite also true, so use your ears.
One of the very first songs I ever learned years ago was Van Morrisonâs Brown Eyed Girl, but my playing ability wasnât up to being able to play it at speed. Also, I couldnât sing along with the original. I was into fingerstyle too.
So, I played a very slow fingerstyle version with the capo at the 2nd fret so I could sing it.
Now, I have the ability to strum it at the speed of the original but find that Iâm more into embellishments & a Travis picking version. I still love Vanâs version but itâs not âmineâ.
Occasionally, youâll hear a re-release of a song by the Original Artist but with a different arrangement from the popular version that is cooler than the song was when it was a chart-topper! I love that - my wife & I saw Don Henley in concert several years ago & he did a version of Hotel California that had 2 trombones & a saxophone playing the guitar solo instead of a guitar⌠it really ROCKED!!!
Point is, go for YOUR VIBE⌠tempo, instrumental, re-write lyrics⌠whatever you like! Itâs your hard work that counts so make the return YOURS too!
Ok, rant overâŚâŚâŚ
With some songs, more like pub songs and such, I do them as close to the original as I can so the pub patrons singing along can know what to expect.
With a lot of songs, I just donât worry about how close I am to the original. Iâve heard many arguments (tiring) about whether a particular cover was like the original or not. Who cares. Thereâs a separate thread on covers re-imagined.
More important is you play the songs the way you want them played, donât worry about the Justin approach or not, itâs all just suggestions and as Justin often says, there are no rules.
Which of these do you consider the âoriginalâ version? Man of Constant Sorrow is a traditional American folk song published in 1915 or something like that.
I heard the Foggy Bottom Boys version first in the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou so thatâs what I was thinking. I didnât realize it was actually much older
I consider to re-do that session some time as âmaking songs my ownâ is what brings me a lot of joy and enables me to express myself. I think the ideas are valuable enought to reschedule it some time.
Shines threw very easily that it brings you joy. I remember one of the Open Mics, where I was in the audience, I think it was the first one even, and you played âEnglish man in New Yorkâ. What a joy for me it was listening to you ( ⌠If you are going to say âno, that wasnât meâ⌠Iâll search a snow pile where I could go to hibernate for some time. I have been working way too much recently, might be that I remember incorrectly).
Looking forward to take a look at the materials in my lunch break today
I need a leg up to get on the first rung! 
on that. nice find!)
No no no, Rogier, thatâs even more cheerful than the original 
