Advice for Musicians & Bands Tips

Note book

Keep a notebook in which you can write down songs and thoughts .... it will come to some good use. A small one that fits in purse or pocket can help you save those "great ideas" that occur spontaneously.

Food and drink

Food and drink. Make sure the band and crew are catered for. They will love you more (read: work harder) especially if they are not getting paid much or working for free.

Start With a Good Tune

Start with a good tune in your head, then try and transpose it so you can get the notes. Next, decide where you want to change chords, pick that note, and use that note for the chord; play around with the chord to get it just right.

Expect Criticism

When starting a new band, don't focus so much on people liking you. Do what you like! Always expect to have crictics. The best of them always do.

Don't Fight the Muse

Don`t fight the muse! No matter what you think of the song's inspiration, just focus on capturing it as it happens. Later you can go back and refine the song to your liking.

Don't Stereotype.

Drummers are always the dumb ones, guitarists are always the bossy ones, and vocalists/singers are the conceited attention hogs.

Not True. Don't stereotype anyone under any circumstances.

Music Video Equipment

Get the best equipment possible. Try getting HDV cameras. Their operation is very much like regular miniDV cameras, as they don’t cost much more to rent/hire and give a superb picture quality.

Music talk.

It's always fun to talk about music, to say what you know, and learn what you don't know. But, I would like to add, from my personal experience, that if you act like you know what your talking about, and you don't ... you might end up looking like a fool.

Show Your Passion

Always seize the opportunity to show others your passion ... but don't let that be the only reason why you do what you do.

New Horizons

Never limit your self to one genre. Explore and open your horizons to different types of music. Then you will be a valid critic.

Sellout

One word of advice: Don't use the word sell-out too much when it comes to judging other musicians. Instead, put yourself in their shoes, and try to be empathetic. You may be in the same position someday ... what will you do?

Be a fan.

Don't just be a performer; always remain a fan.

Build a Band Website

Web page building is something that takes time and a lot of effort. When making a webpage, be creative, and fun, you could do all sorts of neat things with your page. Here are some ideas:

The Internet is full of shrines to artists, so it will take major creativity to make yours unique:

You can start by making a background from a collage of pictures instead of the same old solid color background, (this is a very nice touch) it will look great on your page, (black and white, or in color, it's up to you, both are great.)

It would also be fun to add a midi or other music file with a song from the band/artist. (I warn you though; sometimes music loops may get annoying)

Polls are always fun too... you can easily add these to your page by going to GlobalPollGuest.com

Of course adding facts and pictures is a must!
(Remember, don't get any images or facts from someone's else's page unless you have permission from them)

These are only a few things that can be added to your site. Brainstorm, and I'm sure you'll come up with some great material!

Your favorite artist.

It is wise and very valuable to follow the passion of your favorite artist. Following the lifestyle is not always as wise.

Learn, learn, learn

You can never have too much practice. Practice is the key to essential playing. Make time for it, and you will see results.

Want to promote yourself?

Visit Schroeder Music to get yourself on a list and play a bunch of shows on the singer/songwriter scene in Boston.

Smusic.org

Defining music

Your definition of music will not always be someone else's definition of music. Keep an open mind.

Gossip= good songs.

Are you a big gossiper? The best way to gossip subtly is through music. Write a song, use metaphors, be creative. You might GAIN more friends rather than lose them.

Your Band Page

When building a page about your musical abilities, or your band, it is always a good idea to add MP3's of yourself, or add a little loop of your music.
That way others can HEAR what you're all about, and not just read about it.

What should our name be?

It is VERY common for a new band to go through dozens of names. So don't stress too hard when thinking of a name for your band. Although the name is important, it is not the only factor to your band. Have fun with the names until you find something you really want to stick with. Be sure to remember that a name is NOT a reason to fight with other band members!

I've learned this through personal experience.

Cover songs.

People often go around critizing new bands that play only cover songs at the moment,if that's you, don't worry about it. Have fun, try some new stuff, mess around with the songs, why only listen to great songs when half of the fun is playing them!.

Music, then lyrics

When you are going to write a song, try creating the music for it first, then create the lyrics.

Learn this

Learn how to tune your guitar, or any other instrument, by ear. It's a very useful thing to know, and will help you to tell when your instrument is going out of tune.

Hate is not acceptable

Never, ever, use music to promote hate.