Play Guitar in a Band
Play Guitar in a Band
If you are taking guitar lessons do you have a goal in mind? Do you want to play in a band for instance?
It’s always good to have some kind of goal to aim for. If it happens to be that you want to play in a band then you can focus on various aspects of your guitar playing and equipment and set targets.
Do you for instance want to start of playing rhythm guitar in a band to get experience before taking on lead guitar roles?
- What style of music do you like?
- What level of ability do you need to be?
- What equipment will you need?
- Do you have your own transport?
- How will you find other musicians to play with?
Obviously you will know which style of music you like and who inspired you to take up the guitar in the first place. Knowing the style of music will help with focusing your studies and choosing the correct equipment to achieve your goal.
Equipment needed to play guitar in a band
Electric guitar, doesn’t have to be the most expensive, there are many good copies that will play just about as good as the originals.
Amplifier – I would suggest at least 30w amp, there are many to choose from, please don’t go out and by a 100watt valve amp and 4 by 12 cab to play in your local pub. (Yes I have tried this, they only sound great at very loud volumes and can sound bloody awful set on volume number1, as well as being very heavy to lug around).
My personal favourite is a 30 watt valve amp which means I can turn the volume up to a level where the valves are working nicely without clearing the room.
Tip- we always mic the amps up through the PA (this allows the band to get a good mix and spreads the sound around the room better-it’s not just for volume but it can be when needed-see you don’t need that 100watt amp ).
So a decent microphone and lead may come in handy.
Guitar tuner or effects pedal with a tuner.
Guitar effects-possibly depending on the type and range of musical styles played
Guitar stands
Spare guitar- something to consider, I always use two not just for the different sounds but also in case of string breakages-I can change guitar and finish a spot without having to stop and restring.
Ability needed to play guitar in a band?
If you are going for rhythm playing to start with, then knowledge of the basic chords, preferably with bar chords and the ability to play in time.
It is very important to try and do your own practice as often as possible with a drum machine set at the tempo of the song you are learning; timing is what makes good bands stand out, more than flashy playing. A lot of band practice time will be spent on timing; stops, starts, breaks, fills etc.
Practice the song until you can play it all the way through i.e. don’t just learn the notes but, the complete structure start to finish off by heart, this is the work that is needed to play guitar in a band and make it successful.
Understand the makeup of the song
E.g. intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-verse-verse-finish or whatever it may be. During band practice it’s common to hear the phrase” ok try again from the second verse” etc
Get a grasp of key structure as soon as possible, this will help you to understand which chords go together in a key. Initially you will probably be given the chords to play by the lead guitarist or from tab or the internet. Your enjoyment and satisfaction will increase many times when you can sit down and work out the chords for yourself.
How to find a band to play with?
There are various ways to find bands:
1. Internet sites that specialise in musicians looking for bands and bands looking for musicians.
2. Put cards in your local guitar shop.
3. Go to see live bands and talk to people there, a lot of musicians tend to know other musicians and bands and may know if another band or friend is looking for someone to play guitar in a band.
You don’t need to be a brilliant guitarist to start playing in a band, but the sooner you make that leap the more focused you guitar study and goals will become. Indeed I think too long with solitary practice can be counterproductive and lead to bad habits poor timing etc and too much focus on solos etc rather than the necessary core skills .There’s nothing like the motivation of knowing you’ve got to stand in front of a crowd and play guitar in a band at the weekend to get you away from the TV/PUB and practice guitar instead!.
Filed under: electric guitar lessons
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
