And the Garage Band Begins!!!

[The_Shredinator21]

hey guys, pes_laul and i have started a band with our drummer who just moved here. we both play guitar and our friend is getting a bass soon. if you have any tips on how to start out and what to do then any advice would be appreciated.





:rockon:

 

[warren0728]

hey guys, pes_laul and i have started a band with our drummer who just moved here. we both play guitar and our friend is getting a bass soon. if you have any tips on how to start out and what to do then any advice would be appreciated.

groupies....line up some hot groupies first....the rest will all fall in to place!ancake:

ww

 

[Rocket]

Start by renting a very old, very small trailer and locking yourselves inside...

anyone still alive after a month MAY be able to survive a band relationship together.

 

[wingsdad]

Make sure you get one of these for every window of each of your cars, for the windows on your garage ...

 

[Katastrophe]

Here's a few ideas:

1. Finish getting the band together and outline who, in general, does what, as far as singing / playing duties go.

2. Get a rehersal space together, where you won't have to deal with noise complaints. You might want to check with the city for any ordinances relating to noise and time (for example, in my area noise is limited after 10:30 pm).

3. Get together and write down a list of covers that you want to do. Recognize that someone will come up with a song you don't like that you'll probably have to play.

4. Determine a practice schedule and stick to it.

5. If you're doing originals, write good stuff that says something. Don't dash off the first thing that comes to mind, and stretch yourselves a bit musically.

6. Spudman wrote a thread about band finances, and it's great advice. Follow it.

7. Once you get the songs together, then find a place to play. Get creative about where to play. Make sure for your first show that everyone you know is coming, and that everyone they know is coming. Then tell more people.

Some of this stuff is incredibly obvious, but I hope it helps...:rockon:

 

[Kazz]

Great suggestions Kat.....also keep in mind....be humble....and gracious.

Here's a few ideas:

1. Finish getting the band together and outline who, in general, does what, as far as singing / playing duties go.

2. Get a rehersal space together, where you won't have to deal with noise complaints. You might want to check with the city for any ordinances relating to noise and time (for example, in my area noise is limited after 10:30 pm).

3. Get together and write down a list of covers that you want to do. Recognize that someone will come up with a song you don't like that you'll probably have to play.

4. Determine a practice schedule and stick to it.

5. If you're doing originals, write good stuff that says something. Don't dash off the first thing that comes to mind, and stretch yourselves a bit musically.

6. Spudman wrote a thread about band finances, and it's great advice. Follow it.

7. Once you get the songs together, then find a place to play. Get creative about where to play. Make sure for your first show that everyone you know is coming, and that everyone they know is coming. Then tell more people.

Some of this stuff is incredibly obvious, but I hope it helps...:rockon:

 

[t_ross33]

MYTH: Bands are "Discovered".

FACT: Work your collective arses off, but still have fun with it. Promote yourselves every way and anyway you can. MySpace and Facebook, love 'em or hate 'em, are your friends.

DON'T: start out playing originals. Cover the bands in your genre who really know how to write good songs. Learn your parts well. When you get good at this, cop the best stuff and write your own material Covering songs will develop your sense of timing, song structure etc.

DO: put together a good demo of your best stuff (3-4 songs) and hand deliver it to club owners, promoters etc. Check around, your town may have someone organizing all-ages gigs that will put you on the same bill as more established bands.

DO: be a sponge and learn all you can about the "biz", even if your goal is to just play backyard parties, be the best dang backyard party band in town.

DON'T: **** away and show off what an awesome guitar player/bassist/drummer you are.

DO: serve the song or the performance. That means everyone must play their part, even if it's hanging back a bit (see "wanking" above)

DON'T: start a practice with everyone in their own little world playing a different song with the amps dimed. It sounds like crap, everyone will think you suck, and the neighbors will complain.

DO: wear earplugs, especially at concerts/shows. I've helped run sound at a couple of local all-ages punk shows here and everyone wants to run their Marshall stack on 11 :thwap: (see "wanking" above)

HAVE FUN! :rockon: Learn your craft. Self promote. Enjoy the ride, wherever it may take you.

Trev

 

[Plank_Spanker]

Don't put undue pressure on yourselves. It takes time for a band to gel and get tight. Stay motivated, but be patient.

Rule One - Have fun! That is what it's all about.

 

[The_Shredinator21]

alright, so we have a space now, (piano players big garage) we got our first song that pes_laul and i made up a while back but never progressed it and now we did. our bassist needs a bass still, so thats a little strange lol. if you got any tips on some good songs or bands that we should practice that would be cool





:rockon:

 

[Rocket]

...our bassist needs a bass still...

Huh!... You have an air-bassist?
Does your drummer have drums?

 

[Plank_Spanker]

alright, so we have a space now, (piano players big garage) we got our first song that pes_laul and i made up a while back but never progressed it and now we did. our bassist needs a bass still, so thats a little strange lol. if you got any tips on some good songs or bands that we should practice that would be cool

Play tunes that you all like - just jam away on them. It's a great way to get to know each other as musicians and it's lots of fun. My band still does this every now and then and some great ideas have come from it.

Your first priority will be getting a rig for your bass player...........

 

[wingsdad]

Great advice from everybody, aside from my little half-joke about the kiss-butt cop stickers...

As for what songs or bands to work on, Plank's on the money. Just expect you guys will have to learn to agree to disagree...to compromise with each other on song selection...and when you do, each teammate has to pull their weight, suck it up and give it their best shot, not just go thru the motions cuz they 'gotta' play a song they really care for. You'll only be as strong as your weakest link.

As for the bassist's rig, there's some pretty decent Squier and Ibanez Bass 'jam-packs' with little 10 or 15 watt amps and a bass that go for under 200 bucks. Not much, but they can at least get the player started, and once he (or she?) can move up to a more robust amp, the little thing may come in handy. If there's a little more cash or plastic available, very decent USED basses go for $150 to $200, and look for the same in bass amp with at least a 15" speaker...also can be had used in the 200 beans range.

I'd only add (if I missed it in others' advice): get a cheap pocket cassette tape recorder...about 30 bucks...set it off to the side of your practice set up, about 10' out front of the whole band and any PA speaker or whatever your vocals are coming out of, Just one crummy built-in mic is all you need to record yourselves and listen back at how you're doing, what needs work, and the best part....how you're getting better!

Best of luck.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Someone posted a good SX deal on a cool looking bass too. Check their site also. Maybe you guys could start with a few minutes of warming up and getting some "****" out of your system, buckle down and work the material for a period of time, then go to free jam mode to finish. That seems like that program might work for me.

I might need to just hear a little noise for a minute before getting more serious, then finish with some unstructured fun too. That way, the more dedicated practice time should be fun as well.

 

[bigoldron]

Good luck to you Shred! I'm not the most experienced band member in the world, so I can't give any advice that the others haven't already given. But, I will repeat what they've said about HAVING FUN! If you put yourself under too much pressure, it won't be fun and you'll burn out and quit. So you and the guys hang loose and just rawk out! :rockon:

BTW, I bought a "used" Silvertone bass a year or so ago from this Ebay vendor:
http://stores.ebay.com/MhzStudio8_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm
Most of his stuff is "scratch and dent", so be careful when reading the description. Mine had a couple of chips of paint knocked off was all that was wrong with it. It was one that had sat in the store for over a year, so MhzStudio got it and sold it on Ebay. I paid $27 for it and it still had the protective plastic on the pickguard. Long story short, for what I wanted (a plain old bass to knock around with), the Silvertone has done just fine. In fact, one of the kids at church is playing it in our praise band and it's doing a pretty good job. So, you may want to check this vendor out.

Rawk on, young man! :dude:

 

[pes_laul]

yeah we had our first practice yesterday. after hooking everything setting up and getting the "****" as someone put it lol. we started learning a tune me and aaron wrote and we got it worked out nice.

and our drummer is just crazy back there I was impressed.

right now I only can sing due to the fact we dont have enough amps but that will change soon once I get my other one back. Due to me being in bands before I got some connections like a professional computer recording studio that my guitar player from my other band said he will let us use them.

and until I get those speakers I cant play piano. :thwap:

and Aaron Im thinking we should just search for a bass player because Im not holding my breath for blake.

 

[The_Shredinator21]

groupies....line up some hot groupies first....the rest will all fall in to place!ancake:

ww

haha exactly:AOK:

 

[The_Shredinator21]

yeah we had our first practice yesterday. after hooking everything setting up and getting the "****" as someone put it lol. we started learning a tune me and aaron wrote and we got it worked out nice.

and our drummer is just crazy back there I was impressed.

right now I only can sing due to the fact we dont have enough amps but that will change soon once I get my other one back. Due to me being in bands before I got some connections like a professional computer recording studio that my guitar player from my other band said he will let us use them.

and until I get those speakers I cant play piano. :thwap:

and Aaron Im thinking we should just search for a bass player because Im not holding my breath for blake.

yea, but werent you going to use your drum machine for the bass? see if your dad can spot you some amps for a while

 

[pes_laul]

yea, but werent you going to use your drum machine for the bass? see if your dad can spot you some amps for a while

yeah but the drum machine can run through line 6. Yeah but I dont want to do that too long because it aint the most convincing bass player.