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Hi AMers,
I was hoping for some advice on how to start playing with a band.
There is a local organisation near where I live that hosts weekly 2 hour sessions for different bands. You book months in advance, and they group you with other musicians of a similar skill level.
In terms of ‘bedroom’ playing. I would say i’m an intermediate, however when it comes to playing with others I have no experience whatsoever. I can’t even play standing up (yet).
Other than learning to play standing up, what other things are essential that I learn? I want to respect peoples time and turn up with at least a basic level of competency, but currently I am a bit clueless.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
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Hi Ben,
Sounds similar to the School of Rock 4 mos session I did a few years ago.
It was a good experience but a little frustrating. We started with 3 guitar players of which I was probably the most advanced so all the lead fell to me which was a little challenging. The 2 others dropped out along the way, so the teacher ultimately became the rhythm player.
We also had 2 good vocalists and a pretty rough 3rd but ultimately ended up with only the best one. That was frustrating because our set list kept changing
Overall, it was a good experience, we did an open mic and a performance for friends and family. We had fun with the name, calling ourselves, “Talent Adjacent”.
You should be able to handle it. It depends on song selection and who you’re sharing guitar duties with. One skill I didn’t have beforehand was getting use to song structure and I was a stickler for trying to recreate all the subtle variations but you don’t have to make it that complicated, the audience doesn’t know. One other reassuring aspect is that a full band hides many flubs, just keep playing, which is probably the main skill.
One thing I did which really helped was a long session with just the drummer to tighten everything up.
JohnP.S.
Here’s a link to samples of the performance if you’re interested.
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I’m glad you’ve commented John! I was considering messaging you directly rather than making a specific forum post.
I previously watched your school of rock clip and it was the inspiration for me to give it a go myself so I searched Google and found something similar nearby. I’m still waiting on dates to be announced though.
You made it look completely effortless and comfortable. Thanks for the inspiration and for your feedback so far
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See, Ben, you can totally fake comfortable and effortless. I was far from either. Actually, I was much better here than on our previous open mic at a local pub. I don’t think I’d be so nervous if I do it again.
I attended the 4 mos graduation performance of the latest iteration of the SofR adult band yesterday. They had simplified some of their songs and the teacher/mentor was playing the lead parts. They had a rhythm player and another guitarist who did vocals and a few lead lines. Turns out their original lead guitarist had to drop out as his father passed away.
Seems hard to keep those bands together but when they got into “Hey Joe” I had the itch to be up there with them. Go for it, Ben, you can do this.
John -
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I have no experience whatsoever. I can’t even play standing up (yet).
Well of course you have experience, it just hasn’t been shared with other musicians live yet. Nothing wrong with just jumping into the group and taking on the role as a rhythm guitar player. If you say you cannot play standing up, I would say that is your immediate goal right there. You have to be very comfortable playing standing up when playing in a band. That’s just a fact.
That said, you also could start playing with others right away and just get used to it on the fly. But while your waiting for that moment, just start practicing everything standing up from now on. I’m not talking about learning how to play a new song, I mean once you have learned it, perform and practice it standing up. That’s going to make your transition to playing in a band go much smoother and probably have a lot of fun on day one.
When you play to a backing track, it is very similar to playing in a band but your band members are not making any mistakes, they make mistakes too in real life. But if you are just doing lead, then that is not preparing you to be a rhythm guitar player. I would start playing nothing but rhythm parts for a while. This site focuses in on improvising lead guitar and that is fun to do for sure, but playing rhythm is a very good way to move into a band situation. That means your backing track is drums and bass player or drums and keyboard only would work too. My favorite thing to do is simply play guitar grooves to a drum track alone, but that’s not practicing an actual song, it’s just practicing playing in a groove. Going to the next level would be playing all the measures of a song and nailing any stops and of course the ending. That takes practice to do well and it might even seem a bit boring, but true musicians love to lock into a groove and do it well.
Other than learning to play standing up, what other things are essential that I learn? I want to respect peoples time and turn up with at least a basic level of competency, but currently I am a bit clueless.
Your ability to learn your part in a new song quickly or in a reasonably short amount of time would be valuable to most any band.
Your ability to play rhythmic grooves dynamically that stay in the groove standing up is highly valuable to any band.
The bottom line is all of this will become apparent when you start playing with others. There is of course more to it, but you will get there by playing with others that intend on or are already performing.
Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.
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Thanks for such a detailed and thoughtful post Michael. Your input is always really appreciated.
I tried playing standing up shortly after making this post and it’s a bit easier than anticipated so that’s a start.
And yeah I think you have highlighted an ‘issue’ with learning solely from AM. As much as I love the lessons and community here, I feel like I’m only really equipped to be a lead player. I’ve definitely learnt small parts of rhythm but I don’t find it as natural to play as lead parts. That’s definitely not a complaint as it’s exactly what I signed up to AM for. My improvising has become quite good to, without me realising.
Do you know of any good resources for learning rhythm specifically?
Thanks once again for your comment Michael and for always giving me a boost
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Sounds similar to the School of Rock 4 mos session I did a few years ago.
It was a good experience but a little frustrating. We started with 3 guitar players of which I was probably the most advanced so all the lead fell to me which was a little challenging. The 2 others dropped out along the way, so the teacher ultimately became the rhythm player.I would have fell flat on my face if I had to perform all those classic solo’s as well as you did John, that was an incredible amount of work you must have put into that set list.
And Ben, notice how the other guitar player was sort of in the background playing his supporting role but totally not in the limelight. That’s a good way to transition into playing in a band and getting your feet wet before being the star of the show like John demonstrated. He has got some serious skills.
Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.
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That guitarist in the background was our teacher/leader who is the fantastic lead guitarist of a local group called Pyramidal Theorem as well as the lead in a Rush cover band called Crush.
John -
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Hi Ben,
There are a few things which you could concentrate on;-Decide what role you want in the group, Rhythm or Lead or both.
One of the best things a solo/bedroom player can improve on is their timing,
Practice regularly with a metronome, backing track or better still one or more of the others in your selected group before your first gig night.
Know the numbers/chord sequences of your playlist inside out.
If there is a keyboard player in your group, life as a guitarist is much easier.
Be very aware of your role in the band and respect others roles.
You will experience nerves on your first night, that’s normal and to be expected but the good news is, nobody else will notice.Finally, be prepared for a magnificent high when you’ve finished and step off the stage.
Richard
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Thanks for your reply Richard. Useful tips.
I think I’m mainly interested in lead although I think I should also learn rhythm. I’m also very keen to play bass (and have my first lesson next week!)
That’s even better, as there are a lot more guitar players than bass players. I’ve been learning bass on my own and it definitely has a totally different feel to it. You have to press down on the strings harder and try and be more precise with placement of your fingers right behind the fret. There are some interesting techniques that apply in bass that don’t show up in standard six string guitar like rest strokes. So there is definitely some different skills involved. I don’t think it’s that hard though. You will pick it up quickly for sure. Just practice getting the basics down so it’s all technically correct and the rest will come quickly.
Honestly, I thought it would be much easier playing bass, but as it turns out, it does take a shift in thinking with the G string being the highest string as apposed to the E string. Learn the notes on your G string really well to overcome that issue.
As far as playing lead, that is going to put a lot more pressure on you if you go that route, but it’s OK if that’s really what you want to do. You have to start somewhere.
Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.
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Ben, you should definitely join up with the band. As with many things in life, the only way to do it is to do it.
It can be intimidating for sure and it’s a totally different feel playing in a group than with a backing track at home. Once the drums kick in and the bass is going…something about the air movement in the room…but it’s a ton of fun.
Just do your homework, practice the songs, and once you’ve got them down, figure out a couple ways to play them on the neck to keep it interesting for yourself and add a little pizzazz to your playing.
And go for some leads too! Use your triads and see how they fit with a pentatonic box and get really comfortable with a shape or two and it will take you a long way to crafting a solo.Some other ideas for playing with others: depending where you live there are likely some open jams in different styles and/or open mics. Those can have some pressure, but go check them out (no need to play at first) and find the vibe that fits you. And if you can do that regularly you’ll watch your playing improve.
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Ben,
I was involved in a 3-4 bands in my younger years. I was lucky b/c some of my friends could play so it started out as buddies just jamming for fun and when we developed our repertoire we started hustling for jobs. Over a 15 year period played a lot of classic rock and blues in a lot of reputable and not so reputable places. My advice to anybody looking to play out is- “The juice gotta be worth the squeeze.” Additionally,1. Temper your expectations
2. Remember the guitar is an ensemble instrument
3. Mistakes will be made
4. Your band cohesiveness comes from playing out live
5. Make it fun or don’t do it
6. Breaking down your gear at 2:30 am and carrying it back to the van really sucksI could go on a on but I think you get my point
Good luck and keep us posted on your journey
John
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Ben, you should definitely join up with the band. As with many things in life, the only way to do it is to do it.
It can be intimidating for sure and it’s a totally different feel playing in a group than with a backing track at home. Once the drums kick in and the bass is going…something about the air movement in the room…but it’s a ton of fun.
Just do your homework, practice the songs, and once you’ve got them down, figure out a couple ways to play them on the neck to keep it interesting for yourself and add a little pizzazz to your playing.
And go for some leads too! Use your triads and see how they fit with a pentatonic box and get really comfortable with a shape or two and it will take you a long way to crafting a solo.Some other ideas for playing with others: depending where you live there are likely some open jams in different styles and/or open mics. Those can have some pressure, but go check them out (no need to play at first) and find the vibe that fits you. And if you can do that regularly you’ll watch your playing improve.
Thanks Bill. I’ve taken your advice and will be going to a a blues jam session next week (to observe to begin with)
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