Getting The Band Back Together? How To Take Your Hobby To The Next Level

Playing in a band can be good for your wellbeing, not to mention it’s just good fun if you’re got the right group.

In some cases, you might need a little more motivation to get together regularly and really make a success of your band. This might mean earning money from your group, or just recording songs that you can share with family and friends.

Whatever you want to do, here are some of the ways you can take your band’s musical aspirations to the next level.

Decide What Kind Of Band You Want To Be

Playing your favourite songs together is one thing, but being a band means moving together in the same direction musically, culturally, and literally. It’s important that you and your band understand what you’re each looking to achieve and what musical direction you want to take your songs in. You also need to discuss money, and whether you intend to try and make any together, or if you’re all happy just playing in the band as a side hustle. Knowing what everyone expects and is aiming towards is vital if you’re going to achieve your goals.

Research Other Bands In Your Genre

Once you and your bandmates have made important decisions, like the style of music you’re going to play and what role everyone will have, you should research other bands. Find some of the bands you like and read interviews to see how they deal with situations such as grievances and artistic differences. You can also attend gigs and listen to recordings by your favourite bands to see how they perform musically, and get an idea of the sound you and your bandmates want to create.

Find A Professional Space To Rehearse

Rehearsing in your garage or your friend’s bedroom isn’t going to give you the chance to really improve your musical prowess and collective sound. Try using a professional studio, like Pirate Studios. With studios across London filled with cutting-edge equipment and the very latest in acoustic technology, you’ll be able to experience a professional music space where you and your band can hone your skills and master your music style.

Write Your Own Music

If playing covers is your band’s style, then that’s great, but for most bands the best way to create a unique sound that really embodies their views and musical style is to create unique songs. It can be hard to write your own music at first, but if you all work together and pool your skills and knowledge, then you’ll soon find that it’s easier than you first thought.

Play Small Gigs

Even if your band is just for fun, and you have no intention of making money from it, you should still try to play some small gigs to improve your sound and performance style. Playing to an audience, even a small one that’s biased towards you and isn’t too critical, can help you to improve the way you and your bandmates work together. It can also be an exhilarating experience which you all enjoy and could later lead to a move towards more performances and bigger stages.

Ask For Constructive Criticism

It can sometimes be hard to be critical of your own work, and that of your bandmates and friends, which is why you should try asking for constructive criticism from friends, family and anyone you know who’s knowledgeable about music. They will be able to give you some guidance on how your songs come across and help you to improve your sound. Much like performing at gigs, playing music for others is also an enjoyable experience, so you and your band can have fun while you work towards improving.

Upgrade Your Instruments

As you invest more time in your band, it’s important that you also invest money and use it to purchase quality instruments. One poor quality sound can bring a whole band down, so you need to make sure that everyone commits to buying quality instruments that will sound great and fit in with your band’s image. Check out the best instrument makers in the world and explore their range, so that you and your bandmates can find the gear you need to create the sound you, and your fans, love.

Have Fun!

One of the main reasons most people join a band is to have fun and spend time with their friends. If you find that your band is becoming hard work for any reason, it’s important that you address the issue quickly so that you can all get back to doing what you love: playing great music.

Building a band that will achieve your goals and be fun for everyone can be a challenge, but these tips should help you to create something that you’re all proud of.

About the author

There’s a lot of music out there - good music. At Essentially Pop our remit is that we cover music that deserves to be heard, with a particular focus on independent artists. That doesn't mean we won't cover your old favourites - rather we hope to give you some new favourites as well.

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