Tips for starting a band.

the most important thing is DONT EVER DATE ANY OF THE BAND MEMBERS!!!!

or in my case, 2 out of the other 3 (and the 3rd was a girl)

i was the lead singer in this band and i ended hating both the lead guitar player and the drummer (well not hating, but being awkward with) cause i dated them and it didnt work and that band has officially gone to shit.

could anybody give some advice for writing music (not lyrics, actual music) cause me and my OTHER band are LOST!

ok so I have enough people for a band now, but I have to get rid of some of the people I originally wanted in the band. how can I do this without causing a huge conflict between my friends?

That reminds me..choose people who are looking for what you are. If you wanna play for fun, get people who arn't serious. If you wanna MAKE IT, look for people that would rather choke and die then not follow their musical dreams.

i wanna be an awesome front(wo)man but im rlly shy and idk if i can sing rlly good...but like i just wanna have the freindshippp in a band...any tips on singing...geting a band together...any of that shit

Scarlet.:

could anybody give some advice for writing music (not lyrics, actual music) cause me and my OTHER band are LOST!

ok i just typed out this obnoxiously long answer and i went into waaaay too much detail on how our band forms songs, and i realized at the end that all bands are different and telling you how we do it prob wouldnt help much plus itd be really obnoxious of me to tell you how to make music, but i saved it and if u want me to post it I will take the risk of looking obnoxious! lol (how many times can you use the word "obnoxious" in one post?) but mainly i was just kind of saying that at a practice you just need to have at least one person come in with an idea that they have a direction for that everyone is feeling and, like say its the singer and they have a melody in their head for a song they wrote, maybe they can sort of hear how they want the guitars to go in their head and they can lead the guitarists a little bit, and hopefully itll spawn off from there and ppl will start developing ideas

CancerShampoo:

i wanna be an awesome front(wo)man but im rlly shy and idk if i can sing rlly good...but like i just wanna have the freindshippp in a band...any tips on singing...geting a band together...any of that shit

ok oh man let me just tell you from the point of view of someone that was in a band with a really unconfident singer, if your band has recruited you or wants to be in a band with you, that means they must see potential in you. just trust them and believe that! b/c if you waste their time on nervousness, it'll get tiring really quicky b/c its hard to get stuff done when one member won't do their job. I'm not saying you shouldn't be in a band, im saying that if you're gunna do it, then go for it!!! dont hold back b/c it won't sound real and ppl won't buy it. the ultimate test to see if your any good i think would probably be to record yourself and listen to it b/c you can really hear stuff in your voice that you didn't know was there. trust me, sometimes i think i can sing so i record it to see and im like, ooh, no, honey, just dont try....lol. i bet your good though, b/c if you even have it in your head that you might want to do this, it shows alot of courage and ppl with courage have great stage presence. as far as getting a band together i bet lots of ppl will have you covered on this thread for that, but what ill say is make sure everyone is compitant, dedicated, and isnt too busy. Also its good to have ppl that are sort of on your level musically, like ive been playing in a band with this one girl thats been playing just as long as me and it works out really well b/c we really understand each others opinions, its easy to work with her, and the stuff ends up consistant. Theres a phrase thats something like, 'i would much rather everyone in my band be better than me" or something, which does come into play b/c having ppl more experienced than you gives alot more direction and a better collective understanding of music, plus u learn alot and become better yourself. I'm glad for the really talented musicians in my band. but personally i wouldnt want to be the WORST member of the band....id be fearing for my life all the time and my standing in the band. you just need compitant ppl with common ideas and principles. and i think its best to start with friends. i bet u know some ppl that play. my 1st band was with a bunch of friends and it was their 1st band too, and it made it great b/c we werent judging each other and we were all in the same state of confusion about wat to do. Good luck!!!

TheDemolitionLover:

ok so I have enough people for a band now, but I have to get rid of some of the people I originally wanted in the band. how can I do this without causing a huge conflict between my friends?

I think it depends. are the other ppl kind of aware that they're on the chopping block? or did any of them do anything within the band that the other members didnt appreciate? cuz they may understand and kind of go willingly. or maybe some of the new members dont get along with old ones and they'll understand that its a one-or-the-other kind of thing? but i dn it sounds like its not really any of that. are there enough people collectively of old and new members to be 2 bands? lol cuz you could just be like, "alright you guys, i think we all realize this is way too many ppl....maybe we can divide this into 2 bands?" If not then i guess ull just have to do it. this is a little dishonest but i think its fair: tell the old members that you dont think the original band you were trying to form was really coming together the way you thought, and you want to go for a different sound. tell them this other group of kids trying to form a band sought you out and they seem kind of more geared toward the music you want to play. even if you were really the one that sought them out, if they wanna be in a band they're always seeking out members man....it goes both ways. lol. If I'm kind of getting ur situation wrong and you really are just gunna have to tell them, hey, i dont want you in my band, then just tell them you dont think its going to work out the way you envisioned it. It's not really anyones fault, it just started going and forming into something different and it ended up that the lineup got all f'd up, but u still would love to collaborate with them one day or help them get a band together, and maybe you guys can all play shows together one day and be like mcr and taking back sunday. lol

Disenchanted232:

mychemrox:

last night my sis and i came up with some lyrics that we liked. and the thought of starting a band excited both of us. the problem: i can't sing - she says i can, no music and no instruments. ugh. i like music and feel like expressing myself. what do i do?

Post bullitens in ur school (if u or ur sis go to school) and find a local resturant or something that will put up your flyers. My group and I did that and all we need is a guitarist. This way u'll know off the bat if a person is commited. (And u can always decide if they aren't for your type of group, befroe u say ok.

Ya, for sure ^
and also if you just feel like expressing yourself but dont really care as much about the whole band mentality and all that, you can get one of those computer programs where you can create songs on your computer and just get a mic to plug into the computer so you can record your voice over whatever instrumentals you come up with. that way you can mess around and have fun and make original music without relying on other ppl and you can also find out if your a good singer or if you would rather get a group together. my friend does that and i swear his stuff is so freakin good i listen to it like hes a professional. i dnt really know how it all works, i actually think he records himself playing guitar too and then mixes it all and puts electronic drum beats and stuff, but its not like you have to do it that way with every program. and plus if you get a demo together of songs u like that uve done, you can let future prospects for a band hear it so they know your a good singer, your dedicated, you know what ur talking about, and they can get a feel for your kind of music

I'd say in choosing your bandmates, gear your decisions more towards the people you can get along with best rather than how talented they are , otherwise it'll fall apart pretty quick.

If you are serious about it, pick people who are wanting to make the same type of music as you do. Like, you could love metal, but you don't want to make metal. So, you don't want to find people who are dead serious on making metal music, because down the road you will still be unhappy and you will want to get out.

Also, I have a question.
What do you do, if you are in a band, and don't really love to death what you do?
I play synth for a band, but I don't want to be doing that forever, and I'm serious about music. I want to be a musician, but I want to be a singer. Synth is just too easy/boring for me.

MarkTruth1991:

Use Myspace and stuff, advertising is great, try and get a global fan base instead of local. Will give you more passion

Also Myspace whore things are not neccisarily just for scene kids. Its a pretty cheap way to get thousands of people to get to see your band page. But remember this is only for people who are serious about there band. You dont want to spend money on a band that is unorganized and has no sample music. People wont find you interesting enough to note you.
Also try adding other new bands and form together. n.n This is always good.

I personally like these: Hollowskull and friendstorm

Chemical Predicament:

the most important thing is DONT EVER DATE ANY OF THE BAND MEMBERS!!!!

or in my case, 2 out of the other 3 (and the 3rd was a girl)

i was the lead singer in this band and i ended hating both the lead guitar player and the drummer (well not hating, but being awkward with) cause i dated them and it didnt work and that band has officially gone to shit.

could anybody give some advice for writing music (not lyrics, actual music) cause me and my OTHER band are LOST!

Yeah, big emphisis on this. Seriously, our bassist dated the drummer and it fucked the whole band up. Our drummer always said "Helen (the bassist) has the best riff" "Helen's the best player out you all" "Helen should sing, not you" blah blah. That's how it fell apart.

Don't date your band mates. Band MATES not your band girlfriend or boyfriend.

IM LOOKING FOR BANDMATES CAUSE THERESONLY 2 PPL (INCLUDING ME) IN MY BAND
WHAT SHOULD I DO?

GASP theres MUSIC:

IM LOOKING FOR BANDMATES CAUSE THERESONLY 2 PPL (INCLUDING ME) IN MY BAND
WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Messge Boards, fliers etc. Just be careful when you meet the people who aply for obvious reasons. I'm looking for a band but no one is really interested where I live.

Prepare for some hard work, being in a band isn't a dance on roses, if you want to make it to the top. I'm in a band, and we're going to recruit some more members soon. A tip is: Take lessons. It's valuable, and better than learning from a friend. I go to Voice lessons and electric guitar lessons (I sing and play rhytm guitar), and it's definatly a good thing, even if it cost you a bit of money, but hopefully you can get your parents to pay for it.

If you're not serious you should NEVER be in a band if the other member are serious about the band, you're just gonna get kicked out. If you ARE serious you shouldn't skip band practise or soundchecks - it's the kind of stuff you'll get kicked out for. Write your own music and have your own style, don't do only covers, and don't have the exact image of your favorite band, create your own style.

Practise much, even if you're alone you can always play a little guitar or sing a little, or something. If you're bored, go practise, even if you've already done it that day. It will pay off. Try to get in touch with more experienced bands and ask them for some tips or hints.