The Difference between Recording and Performing;

We all hear differences between live performances and recorded material whether it be in terms of playing (instrumental solos, variations to structure and individual instruments), the quality of what we hear (mixed and unmixed) or a thousand other personal reasons. 

Most would agree, live music in the right atmosphere/environment could be perfect for improvisation. Taking a song and ad-libbing (improvising) over a set melody or part (regardless of instrument). Again, most would agree that changes in dynamics (volume) play a major part in live performances as they are greatly increased compared to the recorded version.

Dynamics are not the only facets that add to a live performance. Experimentation in structure along with instrumental bridges (between individual tracks) and medleys (playing multiple songs in one complete piece) are a great addition to live performances. 

Recorded music by definition is compressed to reduce dynamic variation nowadays so there is little dynamic change throughout an entire song. Recorded material will be strict in terms of groove and each part (vocal or instrumental) compared to live performances. Experimentation is kept to a minimum, as the song is more important than the individual.

Not all recorded material is strict, just listen to Rod Stewart’s – Maggie May. The bass line throughout is mostly improvised, as it doesn’t follow a repetitive pattern against the repeating chords.

Recorded material has to be near perfect with lush sounds, tight structures and triple compression (compressed as it hits the DAW or desk, compressed with plug-ins and compressed at the master channel). Live performances on the other hand, have none of these things. When the mood takes a band, what you hear can be raw improvisation, altered parts or an approximation of the recorded part (approximated due to lack of equipment, effects, members or other factors, band could be using backing tracks etc…).

I know technology isn’t limited anymore (thanks to VST, backing tracks, and vast effects/programs/plug-ins), but in live situations they could be due to the front of house (FOH) desk size, lack of XLR connections, etc.…

Depending on the style of music, you will find that the common

preference will change. Most Rock and Metal bands will play the recorded material perfectly live and this is a great thing to watch due to it being a complete representation of the albums we buy.

Bands such as Periphery, A Day to Remember, All Time Low, You Me At Six and countless others always stick to their recorded material live. There might be the added chorus here and there or breakdown for the audience to clap/sing along but in the grand picture, these aren’t major changes to the songs they perform. And there’s nothing wrong with that.  

Venture into the world of Funk, Soul, Jazz and forms of Reggae, you will find it is common to alter structures, improvise and completely rework material designed precisely for live performances.

Check out The Dave Matthews Band and their live videos to see just how varied songs can become due to improvising and adding new elements to the structure.

Even Ashton Barrett (Bassist for Bob Marley and the Wailers) takes solos and ad-libs. For those that don’t know, Reggae is meant to be strict and unaltered. The only thing that matters is the groove between the Bass and Drums

Rap and Hip-Pop artists will play with a live band when the stage or set-up allows it, to create more energy and audience interaction instead of using the programmed material from their recordings.

The perfect example here is Eminem (Marshall Matters). He usually takes snippets of songs he has featured in and adds them between some of his own material to create extended structures with a live band improvising and soloing at various intervals during the performance.

In my own experience, I’ve recorded multiple bass lines where clients (band leaders) want something elaborate and complicated on the record, only to be told moments later to change the part. They have changed their mind, as they want a repetitive figure and simplified bass part.

I’m not saying simplified means easier to play or that the part is worse. Simplified just means less variation and sticking to a certain groove or part. Sticking to a pre-set groove (with minimal variation and fills) works better in recorded material (depending on the situation and what the rest of the band are doing. Remember Maggie May).

I’ve been told to ‘funk it up’ or forget the original bass line live (even on records where I’ve recorded the original bass part) as they wanted more energy and interaction between the Drums and Bass. This has been both minimal and extensive with the rhythm section (Bass and Drums) changing the groove entirely to add more movement to the track.

This is also true for other instruments too. I’ve seen (heard) guitarists record a melodic solo for a record but change it completely live. They add more rhythmic and technical (shred) elements to change the orientation of the solo (melodic to rhythmic). Again it is down to the environment and understanding what works for live performances and recordings.

Vocalists and keyboard players will always change their recorded parts when performing live but it is subtler. Vocalists will hold notes for longer and create new rhythms by delaying their entry to a vocal phrase, increasing the rhythm (doubling the speed of certain notes)to match the ending of the phrase.

Keyboard players will change inversions and if comping (improvising and ad-libbing to support a solo or melody) or improvising they will change their left and right hands (bass and chord parts) to match the soloist or environment (used in jazz more than any other style).   

The whole point of this article is to make you think about the purpose of your part. Recording a song and performing it live might seem like the same thing (if you don’t include the stage and audience) but they require completely different mind-sets and approaches.

I’m guilty of this myself and I’m sure famous and popular bands from all genres are too. Just try and take yourself (and your ego) out of the equation and you’ll be able to determine what is required in both recorded and performance situations.

"Recording a song and performing it live might seem like the same thing but they require completely different mind-sets and approaches." 

I hope you enjoyed reading my article and if you have any feedback please don’t hesitate to get in touch!! 

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Steven Swift,

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