how to get a band started, help!

[g-player]

I am wanting to start a band i know a bass player but he needs to take lessons any suggestions? and can u still sound good without a drummer?

[Joseph]

Did you say drummer, well Ive had my share of experiences with drummers over the past five years, and its hard to find a drummer with enough confidence these days, one whos willing to work around changes. Yes, its very important to find a good drummer, that is you're serious, (but don't panic, he doesn't have to be perfect, just good enough to carry a steady beat. When you first get a band started believe me, you definitely need practice, not just with your overall technique, but working together as one. You have to be able to throw ideas back and forth, and always be willing try something new, you never know when you guys will come across the right song that could define your sound and your overall direction. Sometimes all you guys need is one song to get your enthusiasm going, but always stay on top of yourself, because (in band) just when you think everything is going sooo good, all it takes is one person to screw it all up. One person to tear away at your confidence.

Good luck...

-Joseph

[PonyOne]

you could spend $400 getting a Korg Electribe and solve the problem short term.

[g-player]

alright dude, thanx. hey do you know of any online places that sell acoustic guitars for cheap prices?

[zepo]

have you tried Musicians friend yet??

[Flpunk]

Starting a band is an awsome idea. Me + a couple of my friends are starting a punk/heavy metal band. I play acoustic or bass, and she plays electric. Actually, we started playing about a month ago, and we're really not that good. We're trying to find a drummer because, well, you really can't have a band withought the drum. If you listen to music alot, of course you do, you would notice that all rock songs have drums. (Unless it's a long guitar solo, considered a song. (Im pretty sure your not going to just have all guitar solos))
It would be a good idea to get a drummer for your band. And if your friend, (or you) isn't that good or an experienced player, you should check out this site. It has all you need to learn how to play. [http://www.supersonic.net/guitar/lessons]
I also have a bunch of programs on my computer that teach how to play. If you want to download these, feal free to email me. FLpunk@hotmail.com.
Oh, and, if I didn't say that clear enough;
FORGET THE LESSONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why spend money when you can teach yourself with your computer? Check out that site man.

[blackrose]

Originally posted by g-player
alright dude, thanx. hey do you know of any online places that sell acoustic guitars for cheap prices? Try guitartrader.com. They have just about everything you could ever need as a guitarist.

[Fender Man]

I've got a drummer, I need a singer. I really don 't know anyone around here. Any tips for meeting singers, got a bass player and drummer and me (guitarist), but I need a singer really bad, cuz it ain't no fun without a singer.

[PonyOne]

As far as lessons go, it really depends on who it is. I know plenty of players who would never have gotten off the ground if it weren't for lessons and others who would have gained nothing from lessons.

I do not like having people tell me what to think and how to think it, and that is why I ended up dropping out of school, and also why I gleaned absolutely nothing at all out of the four months of lessons I took. Part of it was probably that my parents had agreed to get me a guitar... a right-handed acoustic folk guitar for a left-handed kid who wanted nothing to do with folksey-type music (no intended offense to anyone here who plays folk, it's just not my thang). After i got a job and saved the money to buy an electric and an amp, I spent the first few months after that just messing around, getting a feel for what sounded right and wrong and what tunings i liked, etc. I looked at tabs every now and then but i didn't actually start putting anythnig together until about six months.

The best thing to do is just play around, find your way, etc. and that may mean doing it alone, in front of a computer, or with someone else, or both, but whatever, nobody learns the same.

I'm the singer and lead guitarist for my band, and all the members to my band were friends first, we all just happened to play different instruments. I met a lot of musicins when I worked for 6 months at a local art supply store (everyone played or did something), and have also met people just hauling my equipment around on the subway or at music stores, etc. Singers are fairly tough to find though, and it's also a matter of finding one that can actually sing your style.

Not to be long winded or anything... but as far as drummers go, when you start out, it's often good to get a drum machine (aka beat box, drum synth, useless piece of techno crap) rather than a drummer unless you know one who has a space to practice. For the punk scene, you may not ever want to admit you've used one since it means 3/4 of the punks out there will call you a poser, but in addition to letting you hear how your stuff sounds with drums, it also helps you establish how to maintain your time, and then when you go to find a drummer, you've got this magic little box that shows them how you want your drums to be.
The Korg Electribe has a miniscule learning curve and comes in three models: A (effects stuff), R (rythm/drums) and S (sampling). All three compose and can be cross linked to eachother, but the best single one is the S model. It has a removable SmartMedia card for storing your stuff rather than a hardwired internal memory chip, and you can edit all the sounds that are on it via pitch bending, effects, etc. or record in your own. The A and R models each average around $300 at Mars and other places like them, i've seen a few used online for about $200 as well. The S averages $450/$500 but is well worth it. The band Filter used Electribes on the Title of Record album.
Yamaha makes a lot of different drum machine/samplers that are very good. They range from $200 to $750 and have learning curves from obscenely easy to disgustingly hard.
Roland and Boss, who are affiliates, have a lot of drum synths, many of which are geared at guitarists, and some are pretty good. Sadly most of them are pretty poorly laid out for what they are and take a lot of time to figure out how to use.

Hope this helps.

[g-player]

yeah i know of someone that sings and we r pretty good friends but the reason i posted the first thread was to ask anybody if u just have a singer, guitarist, and bass player and still sound good to where people would want to hear u play.

[Led Zeppelin]

Originally posted by Fender Man
I've got a drummer, I need a singer. I really don 't know anyone around here. Any tips for meeting singers, got a bass player and drummer and me (guitarist), but I need a singer really bad, cuz it ain't no fun without a singer.

Watch other bands play and the poach what you need.

[nanode]

It's been forever since I jammed with people, let alone play in a band. I have some MIDI gear: drum machine sequencer and some sound mods. I use that stuff to get real basic rhythm parts down. It sounds pretty stiff and flat, but at least I can keep time and watch for changes without a rhythm section :(

My brother's an awesome drummer in a moderately successful band. Too bad he lives 2500 miles away.