People get into music for a lot of reasons. After all, there are several personal benefits to learning to play a musical instrument. For a lot of people, the desire to create music as a form of artistic expression or even as a career inspires them to start their musical journey. Many are inspired by their favorite bands or singers to learn a certain genre or instrument.

Once a person learns to play a musical instrument, they often want to start playing music with others. For a lot of musicians, the goal is to play well enough to join an orchestra. For others, the goal is to start a band. Starting a band is a great way to break out of your musical mold and learn to apply your musical skills to playing with others. It’s also a great opportunity to make a career out of being a musician. For anyone who is interested in starting a band, we thought we’d share some essential tips for new bands.

Before You Start a New Band

Some people want to start a band before they’ve even started to learn to play an instrument. If your dream is to start a band, but you don’t own an instrument yet or haven’t started to learn, then your first step is to figure out which instrument you think you’d like to play. There are a lot of great options for buying or renting an instrument. At Music & Arts, you’ll find a number of different starter instruments which come with all the accessories you need to get started. It’s also a good idea to take lessons. Although a lot of bands are filled with musicians who are self-taught, many of the most successful bands have members who learned music the traditional way from a music teacher. Understanding music can be very helpful down the line when you’re trying to structure a song and play with other musicians.

Essential Tips for Starting a New Band

Once you’ve figured out which instrument to play, gotten a hold of one, and have learned to play it, you’re ready to start a band. There are a lot of different options for starting a new band, and which you choose depends on your goals as well as your skills.

The first essential tip for starting a new band is figuring out what kind of music you want to make. Are you interested in playing a specific genre of music? If so, you should find shows in your area where bands that play that specific genre are performing. It can sometimes seem difficult to find like-minded musicians in your area, but live concerts are always a great place to start. You should also take advantage of the internet. There are many places online where like-minded musicians come together, and new bands get formed.

The next essential tip, once you’ve found a group of musicians who also want to be in a band, is to stay open minded. It’s great to share your vision with your fellow band members, but you should remember that some of them could have joined the band because of their own specific vision. Hear them out, see if there are ways you can integrate your ideas. It’s possible that you can come up with something totally unique and appealing. Holding onto this open-mindedness throughout the life of the band can help you to keep things fresh, to keep evolving musically. As time goes on and your skills increase, you want to make sure that the band you’re in grows with you.

Another essential tip for new bands is not to sweat the name too much. Of course, you’ll want to come up with something clever and unique, but you should also be somewhat practical. Although some bands and artists can get away with unpronounceable or inscrutable names, it’s highly unlikely. Pick a name that will make it easy for fans to find you online.

Once you’ve got your genre of music, your band members, and your name figured out, it’s time to actually start playing. Set a consistent schedule for practicing together. This is perhaps the most essential tip. Consistent practice is the only way you and your band mates will get a feel for each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Practice should be a commitment taken seriously by every member of the band. How you practice is up to you. Whether you and your band want to learn to play covers together or just jam depends on your preferences.

Once you’ve been practicing a while and have created some music, put yourself out there. Play shows, make connections, and keep practicing. Once you’ve hit this point, you’ve started a band. Congratulations!