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Forget The Beatles, We’re Going To Be Massive! – Forming Your First Band

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If you have been playing your instrument for a little while and have started to get a bit fed up of posing in the mirror, maybe it’s time to think about forming a band? Music is supposed to be shared and you will have 4 times as much fun if you ask your buddies to join in. You may be a little worried about where to begin, this article will give you a few tips and you will soon be on your way to rock and roll stardom, hopefully!

You Need Musicians!

 

Sorry for stating the obvious, but this is where it all begins. You will need a drummer, a bassist, at least one guitarist and a singer. This is easier said than done, most youngsters tend to start off playing guitar and there ends up being an excess of ‘axemen’ as a result. Drummers and bassists are particularly hard to come by, not many parents will relish the thought of their Sunday afternoon being ruined by a twenty minute drum solo. It is a good idea to choose mates, especially if you are still at school or college. If they are really bad, just tell them or you risk months or even years of musical torture.

Musical Style

 

You should all be on the same page regarding the genre you wish to represent, choose something that you all like, or otherwise there will be a split before too long. Think about your vocalist and his ability. It’s no good starting up a Led Zeppelin tribute band, if the singer can’t hold a tune. Your image also needs some consideration, in fact, these days the image is more important than the talent, sadly. As well as the style and the image, you have to find a name that is worthy of your time. Pick something unique with a little twist, alternatively just ask the next person on the street for a random name.

Rehearsal

This is where all of the hard work begins, and you can often end up hating the drummer or the vocalist after 30 minutes in a practice room. Bad habits will come to the fore and you need some real staying power to craft some tunes out of the mess you will start off creating. You should aim to rehearse for at least 2 or 3 hours once a week, after 3 months you should be able to hold a tune. If you can’t do any song justice, take a look at your group and think about the weak link.

The First Gig

Once you are confident that you don’t suck too badly, why not see if you can get a support gig somewhere locally? Pick a band that you know and see if they are happy to let you die on stage before they do. Choose a set list of about 10 songs and continue practicing as much as possible. When the big day, or night, arrives, just give it your best shot and have some fun. It will probably just be a blur and you will not remember too much about it.

No Looking Back

If your band has made it this far, you have outlasted about 80% of new bands already! Just keep on improving and honing your craft, one day you may just be quite good!

Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://pixabay.com/en/night-ranger-band-rock-music-83512/
  •  License: Creative Commons image source
  •  License: Creative Commons image source

Mike Miller is the author of today’s guest post. He is passionate about music and that’s what led him to work for Music Mart– a music school specializing in training amateur musicians. It is also a retailer of musical instruments.





Biggest Mistakes Made By Beginning Guitar Players

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When learning to play the guitar, even if you use the best guitar lessons online, you still want to use all the resources your online guitar lessons offer.

There is so much to learn when it comes to guitars that go beyond finger placement and strumming. Learning to play an instrument is similar to learning mechanics, you have to fully understand a car before you can fix it. Taking advantage of the resources including blogs can make learning to play the guitar a little bit easier for everyone.

This blog is going to highlight an example of the different resources that can assist you in learning to play the guitar through the best online resources.This blog is going to highlight the top biggest mistakes beginning guitarists make.

They Don’t Practice With A Beat

A metronome is a device used to help musicians to keep track of the beats without having to count to yourself. These machines can be helpful when it comes to first learning guitar. The ticking sound may be annoying to some people, but the ticks are what your music should be following.

If you don’t want to use a metronome, you may also want to consider a drumbeat that can be programmed and played through machines and keyboards.

Not Using Their Finger Properly

Finger placement is one of the biggest mistakes that beginners make when learning to play the guitar. Since guitar strings are so thin, it can be uncomfortable pushing the strings down to make chords. Since the strings are already making your fingers sore, it could be a player’s instinct to use the lower parts of their fingers rather than the tips.

It is important to use the tips of your fingers when playing the guitar to get the correct sound from the strings. Though it may be painful on the fingers, your fingers will eventually get used to the pain and stop hurting, however, only if you use the tips of your fingers correctly to get past the initial hurt.

Practicing What You Can Play

This one may raise some eyebrows, but practicing what you can play is one of the biggest mistakes that beginners can make. If you sit down and only play the stuff you know how to play, you are never going to get past what you already know. When you are learning to play the guitar, you need to challenge yourself to new things in order to get better.

Practice makes perfect. If you want to run through what you already know as a warm up, that is fine, but you need to try new stuff during your practice session to get any better.

When you are first learning to play the guitar, it can be difficult and challenging, but that is what makes the guitar so intriguing to play. Even if you are learning through the best online guitar lessons, you still want to take advantage of all the resources, especially those that offer advice.

This resource is attempting to help you avoid making the most common mistakes that beginning guitar players make, helping you on your journey to learn guitar.

Robert has been in the music industry for the past 10 years. His publications highlight the best online guitar lessons for prospective guitar players to learn the guitar at their own speed from the advice of professional guitar players.

4 Essential Guitar Maintenance Tips

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In order to keep any musical instrument playing at its best, it needs to be properly maintained. The same applies for guitars as well. If a guitar is not well maintained, it will not perform like it is supposed to, no matter how good of a guitarist plays it. A nice guitar does not come cheap and buying even an average quality guitar can be a sizable investment for some folk. In such cases, proper guitar maintenance is crucial to ensure that the guitar functions properly for a very long time. Here are some essential guitar maintenance tips shared by some of the greatest guitarists in the business:

Clean after you play

Most guitarists make the mistake of not cleaning up their instrument after playing it. We would like to think that it is only amateurs who make this mistake, but the truth is that even some of the most experienced guitarists overlook this simple, yet crucial, step. All you have to do is use a soft dry cloth to wipe down the guitar right after playing. Pay special attention to wiping the strings since they are the most likely part of the guitar to pick up oil and dirt.

Polishing is good, but don’t overdo it

Too much of anything is harmful for you, no matter how good it is in small doses. The same relationship exists between guitar and polish. Many a fine guitar has been ruined thanks to owners who were over-zealous with their use of polish. Polishing is good; it gives the guitar a nice shine and provides a protective layer. However, polish too often and you will end up doing more harm than good to the instrument. You don’t go around polishing your wooden furniture once a week, so why do it to your guitar. Polish sparingly and remember to use sensible amounts of polish; you want to polish the guitar, not bathe it.

Keep an eye on the condition of the fingerboard & bridge

Most people simply wipe down the fingerboard and bridge and then forget about them. While it is good to clean them after every use, the wood will start drying out over time. It won’t weaken the guitar structurally, but it will definitely affect the quality of sound produced. A little lemon oil goes a long way to restore the fingerboard and bridge to a condition where they seem to be as good as new. It is possible to buy conditioners in stores specifically designed for this purpose, but none of them can match natural lemon oil. Conditioning the parts requires removal of the strings and is hence, best done only twice a year.

Buy a good case and a humidifier

Everyone probably understands why a good guitar case is an obvious recommendation, but will be stumped about the humidifier. How can a humidifier possibly help with guitar maintenance? Humidity levels are very important for properly maintaining wood and guitars do not get to be the exception to the rule. For naturally humid areas, a humidifier is not required. However, in dry places and air-conditioned studios, the low humidity levels will have a direct affect on the quality of music the guitar produces.

The 4 tips mentioned here may seem very simple, but are in fact essential for proper guitar maintenance.

This guest post is written by Jim Thomas. He helps provide guitar lessons online through his website which helps you choose between beginner, intermediate, advanced and master level programs.

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