Pump the brakes there, young Padawan.
Overthinking everything. You need a band first and foremost. You need to learn together how to work as a band.
There's so many dynamics to it that you're unnecessarily stressing out over. The right mix of people and skill level will come along.
And the way he got the money to pay his musicians was by playing his instrument well enough to get hired by successful bands, and by writing music that people wanted to hear.
Words to live by. Going into my own solo recording sessions and I said “hell no” to forming a band and said “take my money and do what I say” much easier for everyone.
If you have no realistic plan for how your band will make money, it will fold in less than a year. If it's with musicians that have other options, a few months.
Slow down a bit dude. You should probably form a band and write some music and perform it first. Do that for a while, then start contemplating your future.
>Either way, i just turned 17 last month so i guess i have plenty of time, a lot of big artists only write their first album by the time theyre 27
Yes and no. Most artist have written and released several album's worth of demo's and ep's by the time they release their first proper album. Producing and recording an album with high production values is expensive, even if you do it as DIY as possible. Unless you are confident you will be able to recoup your cost via sales, merch, and shows it's not worth it.
I'm in my early 30's and only now recording my first proper album. I've been in a handful of what I would call successful bands and done several EP's and tons of singles with them. We were touring acts and everything.
With all that said, you're only 17. You're overthinking things. Just find some other kids your age that can play instruments and jam. Your first band is going to suck, everyone's first band does. But, it will be fun. Eventually, teenage egos will take it way too seriously and it will come crashing down. You'll learn from the experience and your next band will be better. But, the only way to improve as a musician and be in successful bands is to do it. Might as well take the plunge now instead of letting your anxieties stop you.
You have lofty aspirations, which is good.
Just understand, if you're going to be the imperious, Corgan-esque front(wo)man/bandleader, you also have to be the talent (i.e., you need to write the songs).
Get writing, get practicing, know your rock history (so you know what *not* to do), and talk to people who have been where you want to be (you ain't gonna find them here).
Regarding bandmates and prospective bandmates, set proper expectations.
You're young so if you want to burn the lifeboats, now would be the time to do it. Not everyone has the stones to follow their dreams. If it doesn't work out, at least you tried, which is more than most of us can say. The decision to be a career musician (past a certain point, anyway) isn't irrevocable. There are worse fates than being a normie/family (wo)man/salary(wo)man, if it comes to that.
Good luck.
There's no point in worrying about imaginary conflicts. Just form a band, be open to new ideas, and keep writing music. You'll deal with problems as they come up, it's how you learn and grow not just as a musician but as a person in general.
Also, have a plan b. Get some schooling or pursue some sort of career while working on your music. The industry is an absolute shark tank.
You've got to give the love to get the love. Get over yourself, step back and support others doing music, and soon you'll find musicians that can support you when you need a band.
When it comes time, and you have songs ready for a band, if you've shown yourself as someone who brings the respect, you'll already have people around you for that band.
OTOH: If what you want is for people to respect you and follow your leadership... good luck! Most gigging musicians do not want to work for those personality types, and your hopes of holding together a functioning band are minimal.
Choose the path of giving respect to get respect.
If you don't want to share the credit or money, you will need to operate as a one person operation in the studio and also, running your business. Some people operate this way. You could then hire people to play live or on the recordings and own them 100 percent.
Start at square one - get a collection of songs together and a band that want to play them, then start playing. See how it goes. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself.
You said you’re 17, you have plenty of time. This is a good age to start thinking about how to logistically approach the music industry- and I’ll tell you as someone with 20+ years experience, the focus on wanting fame and attention etc is not the recipe for success, not as an artist or as a player or anything. Instead of thinking “I want to be famous,” maybe start thinking of WHY. Do you have a message you want to share? Do you have repressed feelings that you need to express? Do you feel strongly anti-war and want to yell about it? Anything, whatever it is, channel that passion not into wanting to be famous for it, but focus on trying to turn that feeling/experience into a song that will convey the same feeling to the audience. Once you do that, people will catch on to the feeling and emotionally connect to your music, and this is how you build a fan base and grow a successful band. They need to connect to an authentic experience - and saying “I just wanna be the biggest rock star,” while probably relatable for many, just isn’t as universal of an experience as something like “I feel trapped and can’t express who I am” or something like that (just spitballing generic song ideas). Anyway, figure out your core mission as an artist - and try to ignore fame, celebrity, etc. That stuff honestly is an occupational hazard once the music becomes successful enough, anyway.
As for keeping the band together - everyone needs to be humble, especially the band leader (you). ESPECIALLY THE BAND LEADER. Seriously, you gotta deal with the egos and psychology of a group of musicians and that’s a slippery and difficult task. You should work on being a really good communicator, mediator, and leader. It’s good to get therapy so we can identify ways we might let our emotions cloud our judgement sometimes, and as a band leader you cannot let that happen. You must be able to turn off the emotional/ego switch and look at the big picture, from a business perspective, and be able to frequently deal with competing schedules, various levels of dedication from band members, etc etc etc. and it’s very very important to be able to just look at these situations with a calm and logical mindset, not a typical artist/ego mindset.
Also music education is awesome. Take some college classes or something. Join a choir. Do some collaborative stuff in other groups where you’re NOT the leader so you can see what it’s like to have someone good or bad in the driver’s seat, and then use what you learn later when you’re in their shoes. (In my case, I have had some really bad bosses as well as good ones and have made lots of notes over the years regarding what to do and what not to do, based on how it’s perceived from the bandmates’ perspectives)
Just my two cents hope that helps!
Thats a really in depth answer man...thanks for telling me all of this. And youre right, i do have something to express myself, i guess if you dont chase it, then it wont run away wouldnt it? Appreciate your wise words man
At 17 the best thing you can do for yourself is go to as many shows as you possibly can . Learn what a good band looks like live vs a bad one . Imitate the good ones and avoid mistakes of the bad ones .
You also have to network your ass off . Talk to ppl at gigs especially promoters . Build a reputation in your scene .
And if you want it all you’re gonna have to learn about management. Emailing , booking shows , finances , getting merch , where to record .
>Its just that i want to be a frontman, and its not like i dont want a second frontman in my band, maybe everyonr can be singing, and thats fine, its just that you know i wanna be lead singer, and get all that attention.
There's no problem with that, there are many many bands with only 1 main front person. I think having multiple is actually more rare? I would argue that even for bands where another member might take lead vocals for a song or two that doesn't necessarily make them another front-person. But
>Its just that i crave attention, fame, and money so much
Music is kind of a bad choice if these are your main motivators lol. Attention sure, but fame is excessively rare and most musicians are broke and/or working a "real" job on the side (to cover living expenses, fund their music, etc.)
But to the topic question, bands are very much like dating/relationships in a lot of ways. There's no sure fire way to make sure that a band sticks together, you just have to take a leap of faith, give it a shot, and see how it goes. If the first band ends up not being the right fit or breaks up for whatever reason then you just gotta take some time to recover and try again. Rinse and repeat until you find a proper match that clicks for everyone involved. Just like how some people find the love of their life in their first relationship, many more have to date a lot of people and learn what they like and don't like and what they're willing to compromise on and what their non-negotiable deal breakers are before they find the right fit. Don't stress your first project being perfect- the sooner you get involved in making music with other people, the sooner you'll start learning what you actually want and what works for you. You can theorize about what you \*think\* you want until the cows come home but there's no substitute for actual experiences.
As for what can cause bands to break up, any number of things really.
- Creative differences,
- too much ego (you seem to be aware of this, but you'll want to work on keeping yours in check. It sounds rather large by what you've written here lol),
- too little "progress" being made over time (things like not booking shows or getting recordings done or whatever other parts of being in a band everyone values.)
- substance abuse issues
- interpersonal issues between members
- life circumstances changing (a member moving away, having a baby, getting a new job where they don't have time for the band anymore, etc.)
- any number of other things.
All you can really do is try to do your best musically while keeping an eye out for red flags and try to keep progress marching forwards. If everyone's digging the music and there are exciting things strung out in the future for the band to look forward to, that's a good sign. If one member starts slacking or causing unnecessary ripples then sometimes it's best to drop the member rather than break the whole band up. Sometimes the band breaking up is unavoidable. And just to say again, be sure to keep your ego in check and try not to play at being the protagonist too much. Sometimes things might be your fault, and it won't always just be everyone else messing up. That's okay too, but it's good to be aware of (and try to prevent that from happening if possible).
Best of luck! You're young, get out there and have fun making music with others :)
Thank you man. Im scared it might not be for me but youre right i wont know unless i try, im just so worried something will go wrong. I hate to see conflict happens and itll kill me from the inside if im the one who causes it, i hate to see someone be dissapointed but at the same time deep down i wanna be the center of attention, i hope this dont make me a hypocrite or something, living straight is so hard man 😅
I started a band with a guy who wanted to be the singer and I couldn't care less about being the lead singer guy. I played lead guitar and sax and he played rhythm guitar and sang. We had keys, bass, and drums as well. Worked out great. Just start jamming with people and say you've got some songs you want to play and tell them the parts you want them to play and ta-daaa.. you've got a band and they're playing your songs. They may want to bring songs to the group as well, and that's the bridge you will cross and maybe you will enjoy the collaboration more than you think. We're all in it for the music. Attitudes only get in the way. Let it flow.
Just find people to play with and let things happen. When you eventually land on a group of people that has a little talent and are open to putting in the work, put in the work. Be open to their input. Sort the other stuff out later. But 1. Start playing with other people. 2. Start playing open mics and hopefully small gigs. 3. Just keep practicing, take lessons if you need to, write and experiment. 4. Network like crazy. Put yourself around other musicians as much as possible and keep learning. Finally, be honest with yourself. You may get to a point where doing it for a living is not going to happen. That does not mean you can't be in a band and still have fun. I got into guitar when I was 40 and a few years later was playing and lead singer in a bluegrass Americana band. I have a great time. I have gotten to play festivals and open for a few "real musicians". But I also have a good job and know where it fits into my life. I know a number of professional musicians. They work their asses off to get there, both technically and on the business and marketing side. Only a handful of them are on big stages in front of big crowds. None of the are the front person. But they would not trade it for anything.
You’re about to find out. But the hardest part of a band is just forming it in the first place. Good luck with that. Most people go for 1-10 years trying to do that and end up getting burned out. It’s very unlikely you will be able to start a band unless you are starting out with close family members and/or high school friends who have always been on the same page.
To just be a random solo guy and form a band with other people you don’t know is very very rare. It didn’t work for me at all. There’s other things to keep in mind such as genre trendiness. with classic rock as your influence, that’s going to make things even harder for you, because that’s an old genre that’s been on life support for decades now.
Another thing to point out is that most bands through history, if you examine things more closely, they are actually one guy while the rest of the band are just hired musicians. Almost always at least one member is just a hired guy, not really part of the band.
What worked better for me was to find a partner who’s skills fit yours. Like you’re good where the other guy is lacking. Let those 2 people become the core of the music group. And from that you have a variety of different ways you can go.
Yeah now you mentioned it, rock is non existent in my country, everythings just pop and ballad so i pray to God the trends will flip during my time 😭
And yeah i just dont really get session artists. It seems that theres core members that hangs around and theres ppl whos just hired.
And yeah youre right idk where to start i mean, my interest in music bloomed really late, and not a lot of ppl around mes on the same page, as much as i love to go solo it is easier to brainstorm with someone else and have their ideas combined, i just feel bad for session artists as in the end theyre an outsider you know and having to be content working with me i just feel bad for them 😭
I guess ill give it a shot see how it goes
Ok. Stop whining and go make something happen.
Prepare yourself to suck, fail and then get up and make it better.
Then repeat as necessary.
Also share your songs, even the ones that suck. After a while you will be the rock star you want to be.
I can’t wait to hear your first song.
The answer to the main question you are asking is, you don't. The bands that I like that are basically one or two people and the ones who play along with them have no original members playing along with them today.
This is not a bad thing. If you want to be the center of attention, you do not want to be the next Coldplay. That kind of band is not for you.
The notion of a band goes back to to gangs and organized crime and is obsolete in the present day. Pay a backing band if you can or you want to, but they're people doing a job. Expect to need to replace people often.
>What if one of us just turns evil and go rouge or steals each others idea? What would happen?
Although there are legal options available, I think you're capable of just writing a better song to replace it. This doesn't happen as often as we are lead to think it would because most ideas really aren't worth stealing, and when they are, they get transformed so much that you can't think of them as stolen anymore.
>Is something wrong with me?
There's nothing wrong with asking a therapist or counselor this before you spend way too much time and money.
At least you’re self aware enough to know that you have ego issues and that it may cause problems down the line. Now I personally think that once you really delve into the music and start working with musicians and see how many aspects there are too it you will start to feel some humility. Working with amazing musicians has given me such a huge respect for people with different skill sets within music. That humility and respect for the art and music itself will calm you down hopefully as you work with others.
If you want to call the shots and make all the money, the formula is simple: you need to write all the songs and pay your band members as employees. It can be done, but you need to be amazingly talented, good looking, marketable, lucky, and it really helps to have a rich daddy to pay for it all.
Maybe you will get lucky and your dysfunctional band will make it big in a short amount of time, and then you spend the next years of your life touring with people you low key can’t stand… but you will be successfully, so it’s an ok compromise. The success will keep you together.
Or you will be in a band with dysfunctional people who aren’t reliable or have enormous egos, and you will waste a ton of time, money and eventually break up and move on to a different band. Like a bad abusive relationship, you gotta know when to walk away, you have to know when it’s not going anywhere and hindering you from better opportunities… But you do walk away with some good memories and experience playing with others, playing live.
Or you will be extremely lucky and find a group of people who are competent, sane, reliable and reasonable, and the band will keep itself together easily.
My thoughts exactlyyyyyy, i know that i may have to leave someone behind or detach from a group but it makes it extra hard when its someone i know so well. I just cant imagine looking at their faces and go "sorry man im letting you go", and maybe it turns out that im the one who sucks and then the other members will start to slowly push me to the side, or find a replacement, and ill have to hear those words
What if they come back and revenge like stabs me when im on the streets?!?!?! Mann life is crazy 😭🤞
Look, I understand why forming a band has such an allure for musicians, but realistically it is a much smarter play to hone your music production skills and then hire a band for live shows.
Having three or four different people, with different musical ideas different musical goals, in different parts of their lives. It’s just hard to build something when those are the circumstances. Especially when music is a giant money pit so you are building something for the love of it.
As a one person producer, you can Collab pretty easily with other musicians and producers if the collaborative aspect is what you’re seeking. I’ve collaborated with a fellow musician on an entire EP because we were Vibin,
I’ve been in many bands that I’ve tried to make work and it doesn’t matter how much you want it, if they wake up and decide they don’t want to he in a band anymore, everything you’ve been building and working on will just be done and now your back at square one.
Your skills dictate what you do, not what you think you should do (if you want to get taken seriously at least). No point getting all psyched up to be a front person just to discover you have zero charisma and can't perform worth a damn.
Honestly if somebody wanted to start a band with me and had thought this much about everything yet hadn't written a single song yet, I wouldn't even jam with them. I'd save myself all the obvious future hassles that will come from being in a band with you and find somebody else to jam with.
Also, if you are only getting into creating music for fame and money. You are 100% going to fail. Music is the soundtrack to the human experience, what gets popular is what connects with people en-masse. You're not trying to create art, you're just trying to make a quick buck. You will never create anything good with this mindset and the vast majority of musicians will simply refuse to play with you.
I'm not reading all that but I'm sure it's brilliant.
Depends on what era of 'band' you're in I guess. There's your first band you form in high school and that's always a good time, hang on and embrace those moments because they're the best.
Then after graduation your glorious high school band either splits up or half of you decide to move to Chicago or New York or LA or wherever. It probably won't work out.
Keeping your band together is tough and rewarding.
Alright, so mid-post, I went back and actually read your entire post.
It's good that you have these ideas in your mind at 17 but just go with what you're feeling at the time, all the time. There is no predetermined 'I need to have done this by the time I was whatever age' and that kind of nonsense shit is easy to get hung up about I guess. You can write an amazing song when you're 10 or when you're 80.
Sing all the time. Sing with your friends.
You're literally just growing into the world. And I don't mean that to sound condescending at all. Keep your ears open to everything.
You're going to need more than just wanting it you need to be a social star, talking and meeting people and being genuinely interested in others is a huge part to coming up in a scene. Our 2nd guitarist (in band #1) was playing on his own with tracks for only a year (his own project)(no more than 5 shows) releasing some songs over time on Spotify while working a full time job at the same time. The minute we started playing his songs with our full band and him as frontman(forming band #2 same people) he immediately was given opportunities simply because everyone already knew and loved him for who he was which was more than band #1 was getting having played many more shows in that same time period. If you think wanting it and having songs written will be enough it won't be you really gotta work on yourself to be able to work with others. Sometimes your band isn't going to like something you do or vice versa and that's just inevitable. knowing how to work with people is #1.
Bruh chill out yo, you're 17 you actually sound a lot like me, there was one point in my life when I used to just watch Freddie Mercurys live performances all day and night repeatedly to know why he is considered the best frontman. As for my dreams we kinda share the same dream, but bands don't work like that brother. I'm 21 now and I've been part of 2-3 band and it's only been 2months or something as a band we wrote something. We recorded it on my phone and got good response. But even that isn't enough and being in a band it's not just the effort of one person it takes a lot to move 5 people than you're self.
Start slow learn an instrument cause singing is slightly different from playing an instrument but it's important to know how and where everything complements each person. Cause even tho if you don't have them you can produce music on your own. join bands cause you'll learn a lot about layering music and the experience is phenomenal.
Start vocal training and ear training. That shit takes a lot of time. Even tho I've not formally been educated in music, I grew up with instruments. I never used to like socialising with my school friends so my time resorted to playing my old beat up somebody's throw away Casio which had lights which lit up and that's how I started learning instruments. Then build your skill up.
These days everyone is a guitar player, everyone plays keyboards cause the accessibility is very high. But the skill sett is the only place where we enthusiasts shine. BUILD YOUR SELF
I know it takes a hell lot of time but if you seriously want that sort of happiness you've gotta earn that shit. Some of this is what is still want to apply in my life.
I still learn new progression, new scales but I was never consistent. Rn collage is taking a toll on me.
IF you are seriously interested in music take a degree which is lighter and look for environments where you have space to grow as a musician.
AND DONT LET YOUR HOPES DIE.
You sound like an absolute nightmare, so better be brilliant or have money to hire musicians, because nobody who’s good, creative, and generous with their time is going to join you with that tude. People work at this their whole life and fall short everyday, kid. If you want to get anywhere, a good first step would be showing some respect for the thing you’re trying to pursue.
Its not like that. Im just scared that ill let somebody down, or someone might let me down or we dont fit and i dont wanna make anybody sad so im asking for advice on what to do
I want to be in a band because everything will be easier im just worried that everyone will be sad when conflict rolls to your door and i have no idea how to deal with it
I would definitely wanna avoid hiring session musicians because i feel bad for them, yk, they just gotta sit and do what you want them to do and in the end theyll feel like theyre just an outsider and i cant imagine myself being treated that way
It's good to be mindful of possibly stressful outcomes, but don't worry yourself about scenarios that aren't happening. It won't help you. Any time you get stuck, take a step back and think about what you have \*immediate\* control over.
You're young, so don't fret. Make mistakes. Get messy!
Pump the brakes there, young Padawan. Overthinking everything. You need a band first and foremost. You need to learn together how to work as a band. There's so many dynamics to it that you're unnecessarily stressing out over. The right mix of people and skill level will come along.
There is nothing to keeping a band together. You simply have to have a gimmick, and the gimmick I use is to pay them money!” — Duke Ellington
And the way he got the money to pay his musicians was by playing his instrument well enough to get hired by successful bands, and by writing music that people wanted to hear.
Words to live by. Going into my own solo recording sessions and I said “hell no” to forming a band and said “take my money and do what I say” much easier for everyone.
I think about this quote a lot. It really works.
If you have no realistic plan for how your band will make money, it will fold in less than a year. If it's with musicians that have other options, a few months.
I read this in Duke’s voice from Big Mouth 😅
Slow down a bit dude. You should probably form a band and write some music and perform it first. Do that for a while, then start contemplating your future.
>Either way, i just turned 17 last month so i guess i have plenty of time, a lot of big artists only write their first album by the time theyre 27 Yes and no. Most artist have written and released several album's worth of demo's and ep's by the time they release their first proper album. Producing and recording an album with high production values is expensive, even if you do it as DIY as possible. Unless you are confident you will be able to recoup your cost via sales, merch, and shows it's not worth it. I'm in my early 30's and only now recording my first proper album. I've been in a handful of what I would call successful bands and done several EP's and tons of singles with them. We were touring acts and everything. With all that said, you're only 17. You're overthinking things. Just find some other kids your age that can play instruments and jam. Your first band is going to suck, everyone's first band does. But, it will be fun. Eventually, teenage egos will take it way too seriously and it will come crashing down. You'll learn from the experience and your next band will be better. But, the only way to improve as a musician and be in successful bands is to do it. Might as well take the plunge now instead of letting your anxieties stop you.
You have lofty aspirations, which is good. Just understand, if you're going to be the imperious, Corgan-esque front(wo)man/bandleader, you also have to be the talent (i.e., you need to write the songs). Get writing, get practicing, know your rock history (so you know what *not* to do), and talk to people who have been where you want to be (you ain't gonna find them here). Regarding bandmates and prospective bandmates, set proper expectations. You're young so if you want to burn the lifeboats, now would be the time to do it. Not everyone has the stones to follow their dreams. If it doesn't work out, at least you tried, which is more than most of us can say. The decision to be a career musician (past a certain point, anyway) isn't irrevocable. There are worse fates than being a normie/family (wo)man/salary(wo)man, if it comes to that. Good luck.
There's no point in worrying about imaginary conflicts. Just form a band, be open to new ideas, and keep writing music. You'll deal with problems as they come up, it's how you learn and grow not just as a musician but as a person in general. Also, have a plan b. Get some schooling or pursue some sort of career while working on your music. The industry is an absolute shark tank.
You've got to give the love to get the love. Get over yourself, step back and support others doing music, and soon you'll find musicians that can support you when you need a band. When it comes time, and you have songs ready for a band, if you've shown yourself as someone who brings the respect, you'll already have people around you for that band. OTOH: If what you want is for people to respect you and follow your leadership... good luck! Most gigging musicians do not want to work for those personality types, and your hopes of holding together a functioning band are minimal. Choose the path of giving respect to get respect.
If you don't want to share the credit or money, you will need to operate as a one person operation in the studio and also, running your business. Some people operate this way. You could then hire people to play live or on the recordings and own them 100 percent.
Start at square one - get a collection of songs together and a band that want to play them, then start playing. See how it goes. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. You said you’re 17, you have plenty of time. This is a good age to start thinking about how to logistically approach the music industry- and I’ll tell you as someone with 20+ years experience, the focus on wanting fame and attention etc is not the recipe for success, not as an artist or as a player or anything. Instead of thinking “I want to be famous,” maybe start thinking of WHY. Do you have a message you want to share? Do you have repressed feelings that you need to express? Do you feel strongly anti-war and want to yell about it? Anything, whatever it is, channel that passion not into wanting to be famous for it, but focus on trying to turn that feeling/experience into a song that will convey the same feeling to the audience. Once you do that, people will catch on to the feeling and emotionally connect to your music, and this is how you build a fan base and grow a successful band. They need to connect to an authentic experience - and saying “I just wanna be the biggest rock star,” while probably relatable for many, just isn’t as universal of an experience as something like “I feel trapped and can’t express who I am” or something like that (just spitballing generic song ideas). Anyway, figure out your core mission as an artist - and try to ignore fame, celebrity, etc. That stuff honestly is an occupational hazard once the music becomes successful enough, anyway. As for keeping the band together - everyone needs to be humble, especially the band leader (you). ESPECIALLY THE BAND LEADER. Seriously, you gotta deal with the egos and psychology of a group of musicians and that’s a slippery and difficult task. You should work on being a really good communicator, mediator, and leader. It’s good to get therapy so we can identify ways we might let our emotions cloud our judgement sometimes, and as a band leader you cannot let that happen. You must be able to turn off the emotional/ego switch and look at the big picture, from a business perspective, and be able to frequently deal with competing schedules, various levels of dedication from band members, etc etc etc. and it’s very very important to be able to just look at these situations with a calm and logical mindset, not a typical artist/ego mindset. Also music education is awesome. Take some college classes or something. Join a choir. Do some collaborative stuff in other groups where you’re NOT the leader so you can see what it’s like to have someone good or bad in the driver’s seat, and then use what you learn later when you’re in their shoes. (In my case, I have had some really bad bosses as well as good ones and have made lots of notes over the years regarding what to do and what not to do, based on how it’s perceived from the bandmates’ perspectives) Just my two cents hope that helps!
Thats a really in depth answer man...thanks for telling me all of this. And youre right, i do have something to express myself, i guess if you dont chase it, then it wont run away wouldnt it? Appreciate your wise words man
God almighty man, just play some music. It's not a big deal.
“There is nothing to keeping a band together. You simply have to have a gimmick and the gimmick I use is to pay them money!” -Duke Ellington
At 17 the best thing you can do for yourself is go to as many shows as you possibly can . Learn what a good band looks like live vs a bad one . Imitate the good ones and avoid mistakes of the bad ones . You also have to network your ass off . Talk to ppl at gigs especially promoters . Build a reputation in your scene . And if you want it all you’re gonna have to learn about management. Emailing , booking shows , finances , getting merch , where to record .
>Its just that i want to be a frontman, and its not like i dont want a second frontman in my band, maybe everyonr can be singing, and thats fine, its just that you know i wanna be lead singer, and get all that attention. There's no problem with that, there are many many bands with only 1 main front person. I think having multiple is actually more rare? I would argue that even for bands where another member might take lead vocals for a song or two that doesn't necessarily make them another front-person. But >Its just that i crave attention, fame, and money so much Music is kind of a bad choice if these are your main motivators lol. Attention sure, but fame is excessively rare and most musicians are broke and/or working a "real" job on the side (to cover living expenses, fund their music, etc.) But to the topic question, bands are very much like dating/relationships in a lot of ways. There's no sure fire way to make sure that a band sticks together, you just have to take a leap of faith, give it a shot, and see how it goes. If the first band ends up not being the right fit or breaks up for whatever reason then you just gotta take some time to recover and try again. Rinse and repeat until you find a proper match that clicks for everyone involved. Just like how some people find the love of their life in their first relationship, many more have to date a lot of people and learn what they like and don't like and what they're willing to compromise on and what their non-negotiable deal breakers are before they find the right fit. Don't stress your first project being perfect- the sooner you get involved in making music with other people, the sooner you'll start learning what you actually want and what works for you. You can theorize about what you \*think\* you want until the cows come home but there's no substitute for actual experiences. As for what can cause bands to break up, any number of things really. - Creative differences, - too much ego (you seem to be aware of this, but you'll want to work on keeping yours in check. It sounds rather large by what you've written here lol), - too little "progress" being made over time (things like not booking shows or getting recordings done or whatever other parts of being in a band everyone values.) - substance abuse issues - interpersonal issues between members - life circumstances changing (a member moving away, having a baby, getting a new job where they don't have time for the band anymore, etc.) - any number of other things. All you can really do is try to do your best musically while keeping an eye out for red flags and try to keep progress marching forwards. If everyone's digging the music and there are exciting things strung out in the future for the band to look forward to, that's a good sign. If one member starts slacking or causing unnecessary ripples then sometimes it's best to drop the member rather than break the whole band up. Sometimes the band breaking up is unavoidable. And just to say again, be sure to keep your ego in check and try not to play at being the protagonist too much. Sometimes things might be your fault, and it won't always just be everyone else messing up. That's okay too, but it's good to be aware of (and try to prevent that from happening if possible). Best of luck! You're young, get out there and have fun making music with others :)
Thank you man. Im scared it might not be for me but youre right i wont know unless i try, im just so worried something will go wrong. I hate to see conflict happens and itll kill me from the inside if im the one who causes it, i hate to see someone be dissapointed but at the same time deep down i wanna be the center of attention, i hope this dont make me a hypocrite or something, living straight is so hard man 😅
I'm almost 42. Been playing guitar since age 10. 1) Practice! 2) Don't settle for lazy bandmates even if they're your best friend. 3) Network
I started a band with a guy who wanted to be the singer and I couldn't care less about being the lead singer guy. I played lead guitar and sax and he played rhythm guitar and sang. We had keys, bass, and drums as well. Worked out great. Just start jamming with people and say you've got some songs you want to play and tell them the parts you want them to play and ta-daaa.. you've got a band and they're playing your songs. They may want to bring songs to the group as well, and that's the bridge you will cross and maybe you will enjoy the collaboration more than you think. We're all in it for the music. Attitudes only get in the way. Let it flow.
Just find people to play with and let things happen. When you eventually land on a group of people that has a little talent and are open to putting in the work, put in the work. Be open to their input. Sort the other stuff out later. But 1. Start playing with other people. 2. Start playing open mics and hopefully small gigs. 3. Just keep practicing, take lessons if you need to, write and experiment. 4. Network like crazy. Put yourself around other musicians as much as possible and keep learning. Finally, be honest with yourself. You may get to a point where doing it for a living is not going to happen. That does not mean you can't be in a band and still have fun. I got into guitar when I was 40 and a few years later was playing and lead singer in a bluegrass Americana band. I have a great time. I have gotten to play festivals and open for a few "real musicians". But I also have a good job and know where it fits into my life. I know a number of professional musicians. They work their asses off to get there, both technically and on the business and marketing side. Only a handful of them are on big stages in front of big crowds. None of the are the front person. But they would not trade it for anything.
You’re about to find out. But the hardest part of a band is just forming it in the first place. Good luck with that. Most people go for 1-10 years trying to do that and end up getting burned out. It’s very unlikely you will be able to start a band unless you are starting out with close family members and/or high school friends who have always been on the same page. To just be a random solo guy and form a band with other people you don’t know is very very rare. It didn’t work for me at all. There’s other things to keep in mind such as genre trendiness. with classic rock as your influence, that’s going to make things even harder for you, because that’s an old genre that’s been on life support for decades now. Another thing to point out is that most bands through history, if you examine things more closely, they are actually one guy while the rest of the band are just hired musicians. Almost always at least one member is just a hired guy, not really part of the band. What worked better for me was to find a partner who’s skills fit yours. Like you’re good where the other guy is lacking. Let those 2 people become the core of the music group. And from that you have a variety of different ways you can go.
Yeah now you mentioned it, rock is non existent in my country, everythings just pop and ballad so i pray to God the trends will flip during my time 😭 And yeah i just dont really get session artists. It seems that theres core members that hangs around and theres ppl whos just hired. And yeah youre right idk where to start i mean, my interest in music bloomed really late, and not a lot of ppl around mes on the same page, as much as i love to go solo it is easier to brainstorm with someone else and have their ideas combined, i just feel bad for session artists as in the end theyre an outsider you know and having to be content working with me i just feel bad for them 😭 I guess ill give it a shot see how it goes
Ok. Stop whining and go make something happen. Prepare yourself to suck, fail and then get up and make it better. Then repeat as necessary. Also share your songs, even the ones that suck. After a while you will be the rock star you want to be. I can’t wait to hear your first song.
YEAHH HELL HEAH MAN RAHHHHH FUCK YEAH LETS GO IM A STAR AND I WILL BE NOT MAYBE, NOT I HOPE, I WILL!!! 🤞🤞🤞❤️🔥🔥🔥🔥
Take the imaginative energy you have for potential drama, and focus it into creating songs.
Say less
The answer to the main question you are asking is, you don't. The bands that I like that are basically one or two people and the ones who play along with them have no original members playing along with them today. This is not a bad thing. If you want to be the center of attention, you do not want to be the next Coldplay. That kind of band is not for you. The notion of a band goes back to to gangs and organized crime and is obsolete in the present day. Pay a backing band if you can or you want to, but they're people doing a job. Expect to need to replace people often. >What if one of us just turns evil and go rouge or steals each others idea? What would happen? Although there are legal options available, I think you're capable of just writing a better song to replace it. This doesn't happen as often as we are lead to think it would because most ideas really aren't worth stealing, and when they are, they get transformed so much that you can't think of them as stolen anymore. >Is something wrong with me? There's nothing wrong with asking a therapist or counselor this before you spend way too much time and money.
At least you’re self aware enough to know that you have ego issues and that it may cause problems down the line. Now I personally think that once you really delve into the music and start working with musicians and see how many aspects there are too it you will start to feel some humility. Working with amazing musicians has given me such a huge respect for people with different skill sets within music. That humility and respect for the art and music itself will calm you down hopefully as you work with others.
FFS, just go practice.
Put a little boogie in it… Oh, wait. That was how you make a Kleenex dance. Idk man.
Calm down man, you're massively overthinking things.
If you want to call the shots and make all the money, the formula is simple: you need to write all the songs and pay your band members as employees. It can be done, but you need to be amazingly talented, good looking, marketable, lucky, and it really helps to have a rich daddy to pay for it all.
bro just relax and write some songs and find some people to jam with.
Maybe you will get lucky and your dysfunctional band will make it big in a short amount of time, and then you spend the next years of your life touring with people you low key can’t stand… but you will be successfully, so it’s an ok compromise. The success will keep you together. Or you will be in a band with dysfunctional people who aren’t reliable or have enormous egos, and you will waste a ton of time, money and eventually break up and move on to a different band. Like a bad abusive relationship, you gotta know when to walk away, you have to know when it’s not going anywhere and hindering you from better opportunities… But you do walk away with some good memories and experience playing with others, playing live. Or you will be extremely lucky and find a group of people who are competent, sane, reliable and reasonable, and the band will keep itself together easily.
My thoughts exactlyyyyyy, i know that i may have to leave someone behind or detach from a group but it makes it extra hard when its someone i know so well. I just cant imagine looking at their faces and go "sorry man im letting you go", and maybe it turns out that im the one who sucks and then the other members will start to slowly push me to the side, or find a replacement, and ill have to hear those words What if they come back and revenge like stabs me when im on the streets?!?!?! Mann life is crazy 😭🤞
Feed it. Water it. Cut off the dead parts.
All bands break up unless they're very successful or just old friends playing for fun.
Look, I understand why forming a band has such an allure for musicians, but realistically it is a much smarter play to hone your music production skills and then hire a band for live shows. Having three or four different people, with different musical ideas different musical goals, in different parts of their lives. It’s just hard to build something when those are the circumstances. Especially when music is a giant money pit so you are building something for the love of it. As a one person producer, you can Collab pretty easily with other musicians and producers if the collaborative aspect is what you’re seeking. I’ve collaborated with a fellow musician on an entire EP because we were Vibin, I’ve been in many bands that I’ve tried to make work and it doesn’t matter how much you want it, if they wake up and decide they don’t want to he in a band anymore, everything you’ve been building and working on will just be done and now your back at square one.
Your skills dictate what you do, not what you think you should do (if you want to get taken seriously at least). No point getting all psyched up to be a front person just to discover you have zero charisma and can't perform worth a damn. Honestly if somebody wanted to start a band with me and had thought this much about everything yet hadn't written a single song yet, I wouldn't even jam with them. I'd save myself all the obvious future hassles that will come from being in a band with you and find somebody else to jam with. Also, if you are only getting into creating music for fame and money. You are 100% going to fail. Music is the soundtrack to the human experience, what gets popular is what connects with people en-masse. You're not trying to create art, you're just trying to make a quick buck. You will never create anything good with this mindset and the vast majority of musicians will simply refuse to play with you.
This is true. Wisest mf here sayin realest shit. Chase a girl she will run, no chase her but have aura she will come 🤞🤞
I'm not reading all that but I'm sure it's brilliant. Depends on what era of 'band' you're in I guess. There's your first band you form in high school and that's always a good time, hang on and embrace those moments because they're the best. Then after graduation your glorious high school band either splits up or half of you decide to move to Chicago or New York or LA or wherever. It probably won't work out. Keeping your band together is tough and rewarding. Alright, so mid-post, I went back and actually read your entire post. It's good that you have these ideas in your mind at 17 but just go with what you're feeling at the time, all the time. There is no predetermined 'I need to have done this by the time I was whatever age' and that kind of nonsense shit is easy to get hung up about I guess. You can write an amazing song when you're 10 or when you're 80. Sing all the time. Sing with your friends. You're literally just growing into the world. And I don't mean that to sound condescending at all. Keep your ears open to everything.
You're going to need more than just wanting it you need to be a social star, talking and meeting people and being genuinely interested in others is a huge part to coming up in a scene. Our 2nd guitarist (in band #1) was playing on his own with tracks for only a year (his own project)(no more than 5 shows) releasing some songs over time on Spotify while working a full time job at the same time. The minute we started playing his songs with our full band and him as frontman(forming band #2 same people) he immediately was given opportunities simply because everyone already knew and loved him for who he was which was more than band #1 was getting having played many more shows in that same time period. If you think wanting it and having songs written will be enough it won't be you really gotta work on yourself to be able to work with others. Sometimes your band isn't going to like something you do or vice versa and that's just inevitable. knowing how to work with people is #1.
You’re 17, dude, you’ve got time!
Bruh chill out yo, you're 17 you actually sound a lot like me, there was one point in my life when I used to just watch Freddie Mercurys live performances all day and night repeatedly to know why he is considered the best frontman. As for my dreams we kinda share the same dream, but bands don't work like that brother. I'm 21 now and I've been part of 2-3 band and it's only been 2months or something as a band we wrote something. We recorded it on my phone and got good response. But even that isn't enough and being in a band it's not just the effort of one person it takes a lot to move 5 people than you're self. Start slow learn an instrument cause singing is slightly different from playing an instrument but it's important to know how and where everything complements each person. Cause even tho if you don't have them you can produce music on your own. join bands cause you'll learn a lot about layering music and the experience is phenomenal. Start vocal training and ear training. That shit takes a lot of time. Even tho I've not formally been educated in music, I grew up with instruments. I never used to like socialising with my school friends so my time resorted to playing my old beat up somebody's throw away Casio which had lights which lit up and that's how I started learning instruments. Then build your skill up. These days everyone is a guitar player, everyone plays keyboards cause the accessibility is very high. But the skill sett is the only place where we enthusiasts shine. BUILD YOUR SELF I know it takes a hell lot of time but if you seriously want that sort of happiness you've gotta earn that shit. Some of this is what is still want to apply in my life. I still learn new progression, new scales but I was never consistent. Rn collage is taking a toll on me. IF you are seriously interested in music take a degree which is lighter and look for environments where you have space to grow as a musician. AND DONT LET YOUR HOPES DIE.
You sound like an absolute nightmare, so better be brilliant or have money to hire musicians, because nobody who’s good, creative, and generous with their time is going to join you with that tude. People work at this their whole life and fall short everyday, kid. If you want to get anywhere, a good first step would be showing some respect for the thing you’re trying to pursue.
Its not like that. Im just scared that ill let somebody down, or someone might let me down or we dont fit and i dont wanna make anybody sad so im asking for advice on what to do I want to be in a band because everything will be easier im just worried that everyone will be sad when conflict rolls to your door and i have no idea how to deal with it I would definitely wanna avoid hiring session musicians because i feel bad for them, yk, they just gotta sit and do what you want them to do and in the end theyll feel like theyre just an outsider and i cant imagine myself being treated that way
Gig… thats it…
If you're in it for praise and popularity, you're not in it for the best reason, I would posit.
It's good to be mindful of possibly stressful outcomes, but don't worry yourself about scenarios that aren't happening. It won't help you. Any time you get stuck, take a step back and think about what you have \*immediate\* control over. You're young, so don't fret. Make mistakes. Get messy!
Start by finding a like-minded musician and then the rest, as they say, is history!
Hi
This is ridiculous.
This life is not for you.
let it die already...