Skip to content
Hardest thing about...
 
Notifications
Clear all

Hardest thing about starting a Band..

54 Posts
13 Users
0 Likes
4,149 Views
 cnev
(@cnev)
Famed Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 4459
 

Wes,

I know you are right but I've seen cover bands with what I would consider very good singers and then alot/most are mediocre at best. But I know what you are saying if you are playing songs from a wide variety of artists it's hard to nail all of them but I still think finding someone that sings well is the most difficult part.

"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!


   
ReplyQuote
(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

Chris

Well, I played with you, and on the right songs you are an excellent singer. If in your new band you carefully select songs that you sing well like this, then people will think you are a great cover band.

But think about what kind of set list you would come up with like this. :?

And even I, with my shot voice can sing some songs very well. If my band was to do covers of Bruce Springsteen, or Joe Cocker all night, we would sound pretty great.

But most cover bands try to play a variety of songs that the audience likes. This makes for a very tough job for any singer.

In a way, pro bands have it much easier than cover bands. They play their own original music, they always play songs that make the singer sound fantastic, and there is nothing to compare it with. Now, get a pro band to cover a famous song and you will always hear stuff like, "Axl sang Live & Let Die pretty good, but nothing like Paul MacCartney". I have heard many comments like that. So when you do covers you are almost always gonna come up short in most people's opinion, even the pros.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
ReplyQuote
(@gnease)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

What you have to realize is that in big time professional bands, the singer is the band.

That is SO true.
Chris

+1

And almost forgot this: Having enough food on hand to keep the drummer and bass player interested in sticking out practice.

-=tension & release=-


   
ReplyQuote
(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

I think this is another factor that has to be considered, what kind of band do you want to be?

If you want to make it big time, then you have to have something different, something original to offer. You don't want to sound like another band, or even remind people of another band if possible. I remember Billy Squier, he was very good and I really liked his music. He made it pretty big too. But man, it was super easy to tell he copied Led Zeppelin. He sings almost exactly like Robert Plant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atZ_0Akm8h4

But if you want to be a studio musician, or play in a local gigging band you have to be just the opposite. Here you want to be able to adapt to many different styles of music. It is almost impossible to be great at this. You need to be the Jack-of-all-trades, cause you aren't going to be the Master of any. But that's what the job calls for.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
ReplyQuote
(@markthechuck)
Reputable Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 169
Topic starter  

Well...A lots been going on, got a singer. lost a singer, got a bassist who can sing, got a drummer, got lead guitar and got me-rhythm Guitar, Got a name "The Techs"..got rehersal space, this is so cool, i wish i had started playing 15yrs ago. 8)

A knock back is the beginning of a comeback!!!


   
ReplyQuote
 cnev
(@cnev)
Famed Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 4459
 

Way to go, you'll be out there playing in no time!

"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!


   
ReplyQuote
(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

palying in now time

pa- lying in now time? :lol:

Sorry Chris, I just had to jump on that one!

Actually, the present does not exist, and I can prove it. Get ready to snap your fingers. You haven't yet, it is in the future (which also doesn't exist), Now, snap your finger. It is past. Where is the present? It doesn't exist! And the past doesn't exist either.

There is no time! :shock:

Just having some fun there. Way to go markthechuck, you are now the proud owner of a band, a group of people more disfunctional than any family shown on that TV show The Nanny. :D

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
ReplyQuote
 cnev
(@cnev)
Famed Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 4459
 

Wes,

First of all I take offense at you making fun of my dyslexic typing skills. The faster I try to type the worse it gets, but I post from work so I have to type fast and get out...just in case the boss comes by.

But Mark, Wes is absolutely right about the dysfunctional family thing, we've kinda had a Friday night group that's been playing for a few months now and we've already gone through three drummers, had the lead guitarist quit because he became born again had him return, had a couple singers come in, one who we had to tell to leave after about five songs when we realized...1- He couldn't sing to save his life and...2- He came to the "audition" drunk..

"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!


   
ReplyQuote
(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

First of all I take offense at you making fun of my dyslexic typing skills. The faster I try to type the worse it gets, but I post from work so I have to type fast and get out...just in case the boss comes by.

Sorry Chris, I can't tell you how many times my sense of humor (at the expense of others, of course) has gotten me in trouble. I actually asked my boss once if his parents named him Bob because they were afraid he might be dyslexic. :roll:

He glared at me for a moment and said, "You know, you're really funny, now get back to work." :D

Once I looked at a guy who must have been having a bad day and he said, "What are you looking at?"

I said, "I was just asking myself the same thing."

Can't help it, too many Bugs Bunny cartoons when I was a kid.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
ReplyQuote
 cnev
(@cnev)
Famed Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 4459
 

That's Ok my typing has been getting worse so no offense taken it's been pretty bad that's why I asked for a spell checker as part of this forum

"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!


   
ReplyQuote
(@markthechuck)
Reputable Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 169
Topic starter  

ok been praticing with my band "The Techs", everything has been fine up untill now....Musical differences are starting to be a problem, the bassist and drummer are into thrash metal and this is really not mine or the other Guitarist taste at all, myself i really do not like it at all, i don't mind rock but can not get into Thrash at all and i'm not having fun when we talk about it or play it, we've got a rehersal room that cost us £29 for 3 hours bu tthe drummer can not afford his share and i even had to buy his sticks the first time he came to us as he was skint, i wouldn't turn up with no strings on my guitar cus i couldn't afford them, Advice please, should we stick it out as it's good playing in a proper band or will the problem get that bad if we carry on, or look for new members?? Me and Jason are the band in our eyes it's our band we sorted everything out got everyone together, got the room, website all that stuff. should we stick it out and see what happens??? Help me my friends.. :?

A knock back is the beginning of a comeback!!!


   
ReplyQuote
 cnev
(@cnev)
Famed Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 4459
 

Aaaaah Mark you're well on your way to the beginning of the dyxlexic family known as a band. That's the second biggest prblem behind finding a good singer and that's the musical difference thing.

I kind of have the opposite problem with our group. They want to play only classic rock which is OK but I want to do other more modern music too, plus the bass player likes FUNK yuck..OK I'm only partly kidding I can listen to some funk but not really my cup of tea.

A band is like any other relationship except there are multiple people involved which makes it all the more difficult to manage. I guess the one thing I have to respect about bands like Aerosmith and Rolling Stones is it's almost inconcievable that they can still get along after all these years.

"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!


   
ReplyQuote
(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

Mark

If the bassist and guitarist are into a completely different style of music than you and Jason, then you should probably let them go. They won't be happy playing your music and you won't be happy playing their's. Besides, a drummer who cannot afford sticks does not sound like a very dedicated musician to me, they aren't that expensive.

You and Jason should just keep working together. Until you get a drummer and bassist, get a drum machine with programmable bass and write out the parts yourselves. I know a musician who recorded keyboards, bass, and drums, he would play electric guitar to it and sing, sounded great. Plus, he got all the gig money. :D

If you guys can really get your act together, you will not have any trouble finding a bassist and drummer, they will want to play with you.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
ReplyQuote
(@rparker)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
 

Hi Mark,

I've been kind of lurking about and following along. I gotta agree with Wes on this one. You can let little stuff slip on by, but if you are not close on the foundation, it's never going to work. Good luck with it. I'm sure you'll find some people.

Roy

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
ReplyQuote
(@blueline)
Noble Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 1704
 

Take hind sight for waht it is. A very valueable thing!!! "Asking what type of music are you into/would you like to play?", should be one of the first things you ask. IN the words of the great Forrest Gump..."That's all I have to say about ThAt".

Teamwork- A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.


   
ReplyQuote
Page 2 / 4