Start a Rock Band in High School
The path of rock appeals to many people in High School. Starting a rock band is both fun and tricky...but mostly fun, and not to mention very rewarding. This article will guide you through the steps to achieve high school rock stardom.
Steps
- Be able to play an instrument or sing. If you can't do either, you can learn an instrument, or take singing lessons. Bass is a good one to learn, since it's not too hard for most songs. Singing lessons could be costly, but it's worth it if you really want to start a band, right?
- Name your band. Use a name that sounds cool, or means something to you. Once you actually have a band, discuss the name, because it's usually the whole band who chooses the name. You don't want to be accused of having all the fun, because if you argue with your band, you may as well just give up.
- Put up notices; this is a great way of getting the message around that you want to start a band. Make sure it's okay with the head teacher, or whoever it is in charge of that kind of thing. Putting the notices on a music department notice board is good, since people interested in music are going to be looking at it. Consider putting "band practice" or "band auditions" in large, bold font to attract the reader's attention. It's all advertising, right? Would you stop to read an advert if it hadn't caught your eye? Make the notice as big and bright as possible.
- Don't just have your friends or girlfriend/boyfriend in the band for the reason that you like them. If you have an argument with your friend or split up with your girlfriend/boyfriend, you'll be screwed, especially if they played a big part like vocals or lead guitar, because rock isn't rock without a guitarist, right?
- Going back to the friends thing- only have people in the band if they can do something. If they can hardly play drums and you need a drummer, don't just ask the first person available, you can live without a drummer for a while, so long as you have a good bassist and a (optional) metronome to practice with, you'll be fine. If the opportunity comes along, great, get in there and seize your chance, but if not, you'll probably just have to get on with the band.
- Once you have some replies to your notice (hopefully you'll have sorted out a place for the auditioners to meet you), go along and meet them! If no one is what you're looking for, make the deadline a little longer, but if you find all the right people, lucky you! Take down the notices or modify them to say that all the places are taken. Here is a common mistake that a lot of people make when forming a band:they only use the people who look the part. Obviously portraying the band's image in a good way is mandatory, but work on that later, why choose looks over talent? If that guy with heavy eyebrows is a drum prodigy, why choose the guy with lovely golden curls when he's an average, maybe even below average, drummer?
- Once you've all the people you want, usually a bassist, a drummer, at least one lead guitarist, and a vocalist, you'll need to have a good grasp on writing songs and a basic level of knowledge on how a song is structured. Yes, that means reading and researching. Sorry! But you didn't expect to just start writing songs and be amazing, did you? Most songs go like this:
- Verse 1
- Bridge (optional)
- Chorus
- Verse 2
- Chorus
- Bridge (optional)
- Chorus (repeated two to four times)
- Go to the writing desk! You can start off by covering songs of your favorite artists, or artists who are similar to you, or you can start writing right now. It's better to start writing straight away, because then you can only get better and better. It's good to cover some songs too though, especially is you've got writers block. It happens to all of us, even huge songwriters can get stuck. To write a song, think of a "story line". Maybe something that's happened to you that made you angry, upset, or happy. It's a good idea to not make the song scream this out, but making the song based around the event makes the listener intrigued (that's why they go on the Internet and find out what the meanings are of their favorite songs). It's also a lot easier if you and the band sit together and brainstorm ideas, then you can all share experiences and therefore making songwriting a little easier because you might have a great experience but it could be painfully difficult to write about.
- Realize that writing songs is hard at first so, don't worry about making things rhyme to start with. Write down, on separate pieces of paper so you don't get confused, all the emotions, thoughts, and bits of memory that come through when you think about your experience. This could be a bad example, but let's just pretend for a minute that a few years ago you went on, say, the world's highest, scariest roller coaster. Think about what you would remember the most. Was it when you were getting on and you were scared stupid, or when you got off. Yep, you guessed it- getting on, because you were so scared it sticks out in your mind and you'll probably never forget it.
- Once you've got your paper which is basically black from all your writing, pick out favorite bits, and maybe change parts so they rhyme. Now you've got some lines! It's much easier to start off with a chorus, so now all the main work is done. If you sing it and it sounds good and you can't get it out of your head, great! You've successfully created a catchy chorus. And what's the thing that most people remember about their favorite songs? That's right; the chorus.
- Take all the other bits, make them rhyme and sing it through. It might take a while to get it fit into a tune, but again, if it sounds good, you've hit the nail on the head. It doesn't matter if all the lines make sense, but they should be more or less related. Don't let yourself fall into the trap of making things rhyme for the heck of it. The basic "two lines rhyme, then the next two rhyme with a different ending" is good. Even words that rhyme only a little (Manage me I'm a mess/ Turn a page, I'm a book half unread- All Time Low - Weightless) work well.
- Now you've written a few songs, you'll need to put a tune to it. This probably the easiest part of composing a song, but putting actual layers in the song is sometimes devilishly hard. Where should we put a dramatic pause? Or guitar riff? Is the lead guitarist going to do a solo? Should there be a part where there is no background music and then there is a line sung A Capella? How is the drum beat going to go? More importantly- how is the bassline going to go? What guitar tune should we put in the back? All huge questions, all difficult to answer, but it only comes with time. Sit down with the band and discuss the songs on by one. Ask your fellow bandmates to write down anything that they come up with, whether it be in Chemistry class, while practicing completed songs, or while playing a video game. Never leave it- always write down your ideas, because there's nothing worse than having an amazing idea, only to lose it in your mind. Meanwhile, focus on writing more songs and get some venues.
- Look at venues. Obviously while you're just starting off don't expect people to let you just perform at the local gig. Start off with school assemblies. if people like you, awesome! You have fans! When you get pretty good, see if you can get a gig locally. Don't expect to be performing at Warped Tour! Hire a venue if you can. Maybe a city hall or anything available of a similar description. This might be a little costly, but make sure the people who come and watch you leave with some awesome music ringing in their ears. You want them to like you as soon as they look at you. So smile, have a stage presence and a sense of humor. Poke fun at yourself, saying things like you've never performed properly before and so excuse you if you're pretty bad. Put on a good show, and it will be worth the money you paid for the venue, because the people coming to watch you will have fun, but more importantly you'll have an insanely awesome time that you'll want to relive over and over again. If you're enjoying yourself, let the audience know it! Smile, dance crazily and look like you're having so much fun it's almost criminal.
- Advertise! Once you have your first gig, let people know about it. Put up posters on community notice board.
- Get people's opinions on the band, If some people have divided opinions, like "Did you like (insert name here)'s band in assembly yesterday?" "Yeah, I did. BUT..." But nothing. If there's a "but" after they say "yes", you need to work on things. Get their opinion and work around that. If they say that they don't like the music, that is their choice. Tell yourself that if one person doesn't like it, then they're missing out!
- Have fun. It's hard at first to have ideas, but just keep trying! If you're passionate about your rock band, then you'll stick it out until the end. Being in a band makes you develop a superglue bond with your bandmates. You'll go through hell and high water with them. Remember when Bob Bryar left My Chemical Romance? Everyone was very sad, but look how far My Chemical Romance has come since then. Remember when Brownsound left Sum 41? It was awful! But Sum 41 carried on and made great music. What I'm saying is that even if one of the band leaves, it's not the end of the world (however it is a very good idea to have two guitarists so if one leaves, you have a backup), just struggle through it until you can find a replacement. The best bands have had some sort of struggle. My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way's drug problem- he got over it and he now feels squeaky clean. Josh and Zac Farro leaving Paramore - they got over it. Just remember to love your music and have a good time.
Tips
- Don't overwork yourself or lose sleep over a guitar riff you can't get perfect, or a line that doesn't sound right. You'll find the answer to your problem. Just move onto something different that will distract you for a while, then maybe you'll be able to face the problem.
- If one of the band members happen to use drugs, they're not worth your time. People have very bad opinions on people who do drugs. Remember drug problems are insanely difficult to get over. They can affect everything, and your band members may hate you for it.
- Cover songs sparingly, otherwise you'll get lazy and think "if all else fails, we can always copy (insert name here)". It's a bad habit to get into, it's like drugs, which, by the way aren't cool and destroy your personality. See below.
- Do you know if you and your band members get along? For example, if you had a great bassist, but you always find yourself in an argument or fight, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to keep them in the band. A band that works together and doesn't argue often is most likely to succeed. .
- It's fine to have more than a guitarist, a bassist, a singer, and a drummer. Some bands have keyboardists, violinists, and even trumpet players. Some bands even have really obscure instruments, such as a keytar.
Things You'll Need
- Musical talent.
- Guitars, drum kit, bass, microphone.
- Musicians
- Fans and supporters
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