iminsellingfeeny Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Hey, im 14 and I've been playin wiht my "band" for the past year. I'd say were doing alright... weve got plenty of good music. and were about to realise a ten track cd were getting recorded profesionally. shows and such are still on the way for us. Anyone with any ideas or who hares my situation please reply... maybe there could be some useful advice to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Get your stage show together. A great recording is cool, but if you can't make it click professionally on stage its all for naught (or your personal jollies). Nothing is cooler than seeing a band start up and stop together, no noodling between songs, playing to the crowd, and just being overall professional. If you do this at this stage in your musical life, you'll have a rich and rewarding career. Regardless if you hit the big time or not. And....if it ain't fun....why do it? Good luck, I started when I was 12, gigging life that is. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Yeah, what Geenard said about the fun. And it doesn't hurt to have bandmates who ain't afraid to try steppin' out of the box, now and then. Plus, someone has to take some sort of charge of the whole thing, and not be a prick about it. THAT'S the trick part! Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Hey, welcome to the forum! I take it that the band your in is called "Selling Feeny"? Gaurd yourselves against BS "Rockstar" attitudes, and always think of yourselves as a team, as a band... the whole ego thing, and outside BS (cup of Yoko, anyone?), is a BIG band killer. Take your music and performances seriously, not yourselves. Get a full time sound-operator to mix live, someone who knows, understands, and likes your music, and treat them as a band member. You will never add a more valuable asset, ever. All of you should strive to be the best you can on your given instruments, and always play for the song, not the part. And listen to each other as you're playing, and interlock, rather than being several people all just playing simultaneously. Oh, yeah, and check out the "For The Band" forum here, as well! Best of luck! Hope eveything goes great for you! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revolead Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Don't let your personal lives interfere with band. Its not a pretty picture when half the band can't make practice due to time with their girlfriends or whatnot. Also, should any of you decide to try and become a better player, expand your repetoire, etc. Don't let that get in the way either. Its really hard to have a band when your bassist likes hard rock, you want to go more progressive, and your rhythm section is trying to hold their own with punk rock. They're all forms of rock, so it doesn't conflict too much, but you'll eventually notice a difference. Oh yeah, and when you find a good drummer, never let him get away. Good drummers have become quite scarce these days. Shut up and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iminsellingfeeny Posted August 26, 2003 Author Share Posted August 26, 2003 Hey guys, thanks for all the advice... to start off, Geenard, I think everyone knows that you need a strong stage performance but you put it in greate terms... that one will stick with me, i actually play gutiar and have for about 3 years. so you started at 12, tahts amazing what did you and do you play and how long has it been. Whitefang everything you said was understandable also. thanks. CaevanO'Shite, i know exactly what you mean. and it seems in my case i bring most of the attitude to the band. i play guitar along wtih my friends who play bass(also vocals) drums and another guitar. and our drummer... AMAZING hes 14 and has been playin for nearly 6 years. revolead, i know what oyu mean aboutn the styles of music.. but what people seem to like about us is that were diverse... one song will come out as a heavier (not quit metal) sound, the next a pop punk, and then the greate alternative balad you know. and people seem to love it.... well guys like i said thanks for all the advice hopefully my replys will continue to flow in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J J Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Maybe it's just me, but this pisses me off you're 14! gigging! Like on the road?! Or just playing at local places? Well anyway, do the best as you can, never stop learning anything, and hopefully you'll keep getting better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revorhythm Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Yeah, here comes the rythm section (i never spell rythm right)revolead was talkin about. he's right though I know i let my girlfriend take me away from the band a couple times. mainly it was our vocals though, and we never had a drummer. so our band was never really gonna go anywhere. and the difference in interest reallly bit us in the ass towards the end. your really lucky though only 14 and your recording, i wish i'm 16 so maybe if i get a band together i could do the same! good luck hot girls, fast cars, and even louder guitars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Originally posted by iminsellingfeeny: Hey guys, thanks for all the advice... to start off, Geenard, I think everyone knows that you need a strong stage performance but you put it in greate terms... that one will stick with me, i actually play gutiar and have for about 3 years. so you started at 12, tahts amazing what did you and do you play and how long has it been. Cool, you're on your way! I started in a Gospel group playing high strung guitar against an old Nashville cat playing a big Gretsch....The Easley Family from Louisiana. Still playing, and will continue to play as long as someone wants to listen. The fun quotient. Have fun...thats the key. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_dog Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Im 18 and my current band had our first gig recently. We have been together 3 years so we definatly waited to long. I have no idea what we were thinking. There is no greater (legal) rush than being onstage in front of a big crowd with people going wild. It was great! Oh and it would definatly help promote your Cd as well. BTW my drummer is a midget. How cool is that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Originally posted by mark_dog: Im 18 and my current band had our first gig recently. We have been together 3 years so we definatly waited to long. I have no idea what we were thinking. There is no greater (legal) rush than being onstage in front of a big crowd with people going wild. It was great! Oh and it would definatly help promote your Cd as well. BTW my drummer is a midget. How cool is that!Female midget? ok...ok....inappropriate!!!! Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J J Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 HAHA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Best advice I can give to any 14-year-old starting to gig with a band: Use condoms and earplugs. You'll thank me later. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Originally posted by CMDN: Best advice I can give to any 14-year-old starting to gig with a band: Use condoms and earplugs. You'll thank me later.OHH...I see. I thought you said "Use condoms as earplugs". And I thought how funny that would look... My advice...key on the basics. Namely, SONGS. Start slowly. Don't feel like you have to learn 40 songs right off the bat. Learn 3-5 songs that you can SING well. Simple songs. Don't go for hard stuff with complicated arrangements and difficult vocals. Keep 'em simple and short. There's a time for hour long jams, but mainly figure out 3 to 5 songs that are simple, can be sung effectively, and everyone likes. Learn 'em well, and then learn another 2 or 3. Then more... If you can, steer clear of the stuff everyone else is playing. Make sure your instruments are in tune. Rehearse regularly. Set up a day that everyone can make...and stick to it. Make an agenda for the rehearsal and stick to it. Do your homework. Rehearsal isn't the place to learn songs. It's the place to refine songs you've learned your parts for in your bedroom with a tape deck or CD player. Having the guitar player noodling the riff to "Come as you are" while the bass player is dabbling with "Enter Sandman"...the drummer noodling around aimlessly on his snare...while the singer is sitting in a corner looking bored is NOT the way to run a rehearsal. FOCUS!!! Don't know what your equipment is like, but if you can't hear the vocals, turn it down. I know it's not fun to not be wailing balls to the wall, but the vocals are the most important part, and if you can't hear 'em, you're not going to have people listening to you. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_dog Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Originally posted by Geenard Skeenard: Originally posted by mark_dog: Im 18 and my current band had our first gig recently. We have been together 3 years so we definatly waited to long. I have no idea what we were thinking. There is no greater (legal) rush than being onstage in front of a big crowd with people going wild. It was great! Oh and it would definatly help promote your Cd as well. BTW my drummer is a midget. How cool is that!Female midget? ok...ok....inappropriate!!!! ROTFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iminsellingfeeny Posted August 26, 2003 Author Share Posted August 26, 2003 hey guys. once again thanks for all the info, havent seen a single thing to bring me down yet. and in case your wandering we have quit the poopularity in our town... woodbridge virginia... weve managed to raise enough money through donations ,and christmas, mowing yards, and so on to buy our stuff... wich right now consists of guitarist 1 *choice guitar, epiphone les paul black beauty *amp, fender half stack stage 100 guitarist 2 *guitar, fender tom delonge strat *amp, fender stage 160 combo bassist * bass, the best bass on earth lol, a 1970 fender jazz bass body, top of the line warmouth neck, bad ass bass bridge, and emg active electronics. *amp, ampeg half stack something or other. drumer pearl double bass set with a few zabians and rack mounted toms. for vocals wich the bassist does. pa system= mackie 808s powered mixer and our pride and joy.. (2)jbl sf25 speakers. were still workin on good quality microphones. anyway that sums it up... any tackers for buying our album.... should be 8 to 10 tracks ready in about a month and a half and three to for dollars. anyone interested in anything email me at iminsellingfeeny@hotmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Nice gear, iminselling. Not a big fan of the Tom Delonge Strat, but that's a great guitar for a straight ahead, balls-to-the-wall sound. I don't think I could get along with the Seymour Duncan Invader. Personally, I'd gut that in favor of a Dimebucker, which is high output, but cleans up very well, and has an awesome clean, "hi-fi" tone, but whatever... Good luck! sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iminsellingfeeny Posted August 27, 2003 Author Share Posted August 27, 2003 i am the one who plays the epiphone les paul... i dont care for the tom strat either, just not my favorite gutiar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iminsellingfeeny Posted August 28, 2003 Author Share Posted August 28, 2003 come on i know theres someone out there who can give me some more pointers. were goin up for our first show soon. so we can take some tips on that, also recording soon anything helpful there would be nice. so far youve been alot of help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael saulnier Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 No matter how much you've been rehearsing and recording, playing live is a different experience. I'd suggest playing a few private parties or small clubs as soon as you're able... you need to get used to what it feels like to do it live... First... pay attention to "speed"... it's REAL common to speed WAY up in your first live shows... you'll find your 45 minute set is over in 30 minutes! Also, it's helpful to practice interfacing with the audience. In rehearsal and recording situations you're often focused only on the other players... but Live, you're going to want to make eye contact with the crowd, try to play for THEM... not only for each other. Transitions. Many "beginning" bands aren't smooth at moving through their set. Practice moving quickly through 3 or 4 songs without taking more than a moment or two break... this keeps the energy up and makes you seem far more "pro"... Good luck! guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMcGuitar Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Relax, enjoy it, and connect with your audience. The tips about being aware of tempos, and flowing from one song to the next are really biggies. Don't let the adrenaline (sp?) or nerves get you racing through stuff. Remember if you are having a good time, and let your audience in on it, then they will have a good time. End result = successful gig. And if all else fails, wear a funny hat. Good luck! May all your thoughts be random! - Neil www.McFaddenArts.com www.MikesGarageRocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iminsellingfeeny Posted August 29, 2003 Author Share Posted August 29, 2003 thank you, thank you, and rememeber to keep em comin. im sure theres more kids than me that would like to enjoy reading what your saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yosser Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 lots of interesting stuff here for everyone, never mind beginners. its true tho about playing live. the 1st times you'll be as nervous as hell, but after a few when you know you can remember everything properly then as long as you are cut out for it youll be fine. Mind you should always have some nerves - noemally this is a sign just that you want to get it right, otherwise you probably dont care and are only for the image etc that last point is easily countered over here in england where there are few places for young bands to play - most venues are pubs/clubs and glamour is hard to come by (especially as its normally raining). they are good to perfect things til you make it up the ladder a bit tho... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iminsellingfeeny Posted August 31, 2003 Author Share Posted August 31, 2003 thanks. I know that i do not consider myself a punk or rock type guitar player, i play more classical and jazz music. however the band i play in is more based around the punk rock/alternative sound. so the crowds we expect to get are alot of kids (ageing from 13 to 20 really) and they can get energetic which seems a big plus. I was at a show last night and the first of 10 bands to play had no energy, semmingly because there was no energy amongst the small crowd that arrived that early. HOWEVER... we have a few friends that come to our rpactices that are rediculously crazy and we know that they well start the energy at our shows to help us out. so long as energy is contageous which ive noticed it to be. anyway do you think having energetic crazy fans go and start up the energy at the show will work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 Sure, an enegetic crowd helps. I was once a thrasher type myself, and I'd be easily bummed out if the crowd decided to cool off early. Yeah, we had plenty of moshers, and even when I did the leads, people would mosh, which gave my stuff more fire, more so than in band practice. Even in practices, though, the five or six non band member folks that showed up would mosh! What a riot! Good thing that we had a separate room to pen 'em in. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.