What it means for me to play in a band

These days I'm more than ever engaged in music. Three nights per week I attend some kind of music class, to improve my technical skills as a guitarist and my knowledge of music theory. I write a lot of songs, some of them cowritten by a friend. We weekly rehearse them with our band. Currently we're preparing for a gig on November 22. That will be half a year since our last gig. Half a year is way too long. I've died a little from all the waiting.

I could write a blog instead. However, here the audience is fully music oriented. Perhaps someone will enjoy my experiences or learn something about being in a band. I have nothing to teach but quite a lot to share.

1. The balance of friendship and progress

Three of my band members were friends of mine before they were band members. The fourth is a friend of one of them. We understand each other very well, have all been boy scouts, all vote for the green party (which is NOT a condition to enter our band) and favour the kind of music we are making right now. That's the upside. The downside is that they have other priorities than the band,  which isn't the case for me. If you want to make progress, you have to be prepared to throw out the guy who didn't study his parts or doesn't show up because his girlfriend didn't let him. I am not prepared to do that. They're my friends and they are really trying their best to make time for the band.

2. The balance of full and dull

Song is one. Sound is two. Arrangement is three. Me and the guitarist write out the song structure and our own parts. I will occasionally write riffs for the synth and the bass. Mostly they will find their own parts. When everybody has found their parts, the song is overcrowded. Too full. Then we have to cut out pieces to bring peace to the song. So, some of the parts become dull. Often, the duller the individual parts, the better the arrangement. My own part is never dull because I sing. We will sometimes cut out a verse and replace it with an interesting instrumental part, but even then my part remains central to the song. I have to take care with cutting out parts or I will soon be cutting out musicians.

3. The balance between lyrics and melodies

Do you ever listen to the lyrics ? Most people don't. In my songs, lyrics are very important. I couldn't be satisfied with poetry, because I enjoy building melodies as much as writing lyrics. But I'm better at lyrics: I am not a musician, though I'm working hard to become one. I'm even worse at sound. Sound doesn't interest me. I like my songs almost as much in their naked form, just me with my guitar. Fact is: other people don't. They want a catchy rythm, a funny little bell, a wall of sound that resolves into two plucked strings. Listen, guys, keep the volume down because people won't hear my lyrics. OK, but if play even less loud than I do already, people won't hear my catchy bassline.

4. The balance of ownership and involvement

I'm a little dictator. I want the songs to be played my way. At the same time I want my musicians to be fully involved in the process of arranging the song. All of them have to give their opinion. Honesty implores me to admit I want their opinions to coincide with mine. You ! Be involved ! What ? You don't like it ?

(to be continued)

Dieter