If you learn to play guitar, drums or bass for example the next step that many of you will want to take is to start your own band. This has been the dream of teenagers for years but just how do you go about undertaking this? Well there are a number of avenues that you can explore; you could advertise for other members or you may know people who have friends or family who are also interested in starting up a band.

In my experience however one of the main ways that bands come together is friends. If you are learning guitar and your best friends are learning bass and drums it comes pretty naturally that you will form a band together but deciding to be in a band is one thing, making it work is another…

As your skills with a particular instrument, such as the guitar progress, it is a logical step to then go on to form or join a band, especially, as I have mentioned above, if you know people who have a musical flair. So what is one of the most important aspects of a successful band?

It has to be a solid foundation. This is key to preventing disagreements and ultimately the break up of the band. You need to get all of the components for the band correct at the start in order for you to have success.

Without this your band wont be held together, meaning failure is bound to strike. The key components to any band are the members within it, the style of music and the instruments involved, when this is sorted you are free to get creative and start writing your songs.

Song writing is a process that should involve all of the members, and everyone should agree with what is being produced because as well as achieving the right mixture you also need to ensure that the lines of communication are open.

When you are in the process of writing a song you need to allow for time to get the song exactly how you want it, this may take a few practice sessions to complete or it could be done in one day, the important thing is to not rush the creative process.

Your songs are the most defining aspect of your band, if your songs fail to make an impression then so will your band, which is why getting them right is of so much importance, just like practicing is. Its no good having a song list perfect if you haven’t learn the songs, so in order to do this you should set aside at least two or three nights a week where you can all meet up and practice.

There is a lot more to starting your own band than simply learning to play and forming the actual band and writing some songs. You need the right equipment and the right promotion. Where your equipment is concerned you should already be armed with guitars, bass, drums etc as well as amps.

So what else is important? A good PA system. All of your speakers, including large small and fold-back ones should be all plugged into a sound mixer. Equipment can however be expensive so it is a good idea to gradually build up the equipment that you have for your band.

So what comes next? Well as I have previously mentioned: promotion, use the Internet, friends, family etc to get your name around a bit and book live shows; get your music out there to people; support other local more established bands with a similar music sound to your own as this will grab the interest of people with a taste for that particular genre and it will also get you good contacts through the band you are supporting.

There is so much good, undiscovered talent around but the key to getting yourself noticed is to get yourself established in the local music scene. So get to know other bands, put on shows and get on shows and keep the live music scene alive.

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Article Source: Starting your Own Band

This can be difficult for several reasons:

• The sound on the stage is very different from the sound throughout the rest of the club.
• The person mixing generally has to stop playing momentarily to adjust the levels.
• Different band members may prefer different mixes; for example the keyboard player may feel that the keyboards need to be higher in the mix.
• The on-stage mixer may have little control over the level of individual instrument amplifiers or drummers.
• In very small venues, or restaurants, the on-stage level may need to be too high (for the band’s comfort and hearing) for the audience, particularly when they are close to the stage.

While these, and other, difficulties may pop up from time to time, many of the problems can be overcome by cooperation between the band members, and by trying these techniques.

When possible, recruit a friend or fan to listen to the house mix and let you know how it sounds. Have them check for you during the sound check, and again latter during the performance.

Let them know that once your mix and level are set to your satisfaction that you won’t need any more reports unless something is very wrong. Otherwise, they may continually interupt you just as you get into the music.

For this to work well, you should have a certain amount of confidence in their opinion. Generally, if the friend is a fellow musician, they will have a better idea of what to listen for and how to tell you what the problems are. For a non-musician fan or audience member, you may only be able to rely on them for a general volume level check.

If you have time before the gig, do a sound check and set your relative levels and tone settings. These will very likely change once there is a mass of bodies in the room, but you will now have a reference level that you can revert to if the mix starts getting out of hand. Make note of the various settings, particularly if you are going to play the same venue again.

If you are a guitarist with a long, long cord (or wireless), or have material where you don’t play much, go into the audience area during the sound check, listen, then go back to the mixer and make adjustments. Repeat this until you are confortable with the balance.

Once you are in the actual performance, you will find that certain instruments or vocals may be too loud or don’t stand out enough. Make minimal adjustments and listen again.

Be careful that you don’t keep raising everybody’s level when they can’t be heard. Sometimes when the lead singer is motioning for more volume, you’ll find that perhaps the overall level needs to drop, with the vocal mike staying the same. This will take some experimentation and experience. Like everything else, it will get easier and more intuitive with practice.

Another common problem, particularly in small clubs, is gradually increasing the volume level until you are too loud for the room. Sometimes you will actually need to reduce the level to sound louder and clearer.

Once you have a good performing mix, make note of your control settings, as well as the “no crowd” settings you already have. As conditions change, you will likely need to make adjustment again. If you are repeatedly playing the same club, these settings will save you time in finding the perfect mix for the situation.

If you think that you can just play in whatever manner you feel like playing, and the sound engineer’s job is to make everyone sound good in the mix, you’ll fall short of your optimal sound. The mix can’t fix busy keyboards or guitar fills that walk all over the vocals.

While thinking about these things may seem distracting at first, but it becomes second nature after a while. Once you can do this unconsciously, you’ll get into your own part naturally.

You’ll hear where your part fits in the overall sound, and will pick up on the other band member’s cues. Then you’ll be be really playing as a band.

Practice being aware of these things until they are part of you and your playing:

• Don’t overplay. More notes don’t equal more music.
• Be aware of your stage volume. Can the other players hear themselves clearly?
• Are you leaving space for the rest of the band to play?
• Is your playing appropriate for the meaning of the song?
• Do your solos and backup contribute to the overall feeling and mood of the song?
• How are your tones meshing with the rest of the band? Is the texture of the song improved? All highs or lows, or is there a good balance?