Picking a Band

One difficulty I find, is picking the right band to be in. Sometimes you can all be great buds, but the band flounders. Other times you can hate eachother's guts, and it works. How does one find the right combination to succeed? Well, so far I've found that you need to have the same goal. For example, if three out of four just wanna chill and play for fun, but the other dude wants to go big and try to be the next big thing, it makes uncomfortable tension.* Getting along is obviously a great start. If you hate the rest of your band, it will make any kind of forward movement very difficult. But if you guys don't have the same goal, it will be even harder.

Sometimes, you may have to settle on your desires for a specific band. If your a musician with a wide variety of tastes, you may need to find a couple bands. One for each style, because very rarely will you get a group of people who not only enjoy all of your tastes, but you'll rarely get a group of people who can play all of your tastes. An example of this is myself. I am a member of my highschool's marching band, concert band, and jazz band, I occasionally play with the community band, and my church music group, and hope to spread to another band with some of my other highschool friends. Alot of music yes, but it covers the majority of my musical tastes and passions, and for the time being, is more than enough for me. Thankfully, I am able to mesh well with a large variety of people. I'm just one of those likeable guys. But I also approach it professionally. I treat each band as its own band. I do not bring my other bands' business into this one, even if I play with some of the people in another band as well. This allows me to completely give myself over to the music, and overall I am able to be the best at each style I can possibly be.

What does this mean for you. Well, that last bit not much, but it is an example of how you can get your musical needs out. For example, part of you just loves playing Slipknot music, but another part enjoys jamming to Green Day, and yet another part loves the Santana vibe. If you find a group of people who not only want to, but are willing to play that music, then I am extremely jealous. Fact of the matter is, you probably won't. So, if your schedule allows, go out into the world, and try to find more people that play music, to your taste. Chances are, you'll find someone, unless you live in small town America. If you live in small town America, well, I feel your pain. Been there, done that lol. Basically what the point of this whole rambeling speal (I do apologize for the rambling, tis late), is that you should not have to settle, and if you do chances are your not going to be content. On top of that, settling for one style, when you crave diversity, lowers your over all playing ability.