A popular band is more than a set of accomplished musicians – There are many other factors as well as musicianship that affect the success of a band. Today I would like to outline a few of them so you may get around the pitfalls and problems all bands face when trying to achieve greatness. Firstly, I would like to talk about group direction. Before anyone even thinks about picking up their instrument, the direction of the group should be discussed and agreed upon. There are a few directions a band can go. A ‘60/40’ group is one that plays approximately 60% old pop standards and 40% ‘top 40’ tunes.
A band heading in this direction will play most of its gigs at dances, hotels, weddings etc. and can be guaranteed of a steady income. Recognition for a band like this will probably be restricted to a small local level. Another direction a band can head is to play original material and aim for a recording contract and tours. A band heading in this direction will not make a lot of money until they are well known. When starting a group, it may be better to go with a ‘60/40’ group to gain experience and money for better gear. Whichever group you decide on, make sure that you all agree on the number of musicians, the types of instruments and the style of music that you are going to play.
You must choose a style of music that everyone in the band enjoys. It is a good idea to listen to other established groups playing live to see the popularity of different styles and to get a feel for which genre you would like to play in. Once you have decided upon a style, stick to it. You will notice that your crowd will get smaller because you are playing to a niche market; but you need to remember that you can’t please everyone and it is far better to give really pleasing shows to a select group than average shows to many. It is extremely important to think about the structure of your group.
Basically, a group can be broken down into two parts – the ‘rhythm section’ and the ‘lead section’. The ‘rhythm section’ includes the bass guitarist, the drummer and the rhythm guitarist. It is the job of the rhythm section to lay down the beat of the piece of music. The drummer and bassist should work together to set the beat up; the rhythm guitarist should fill the beat to give the whole rhythm a full finish.
The ‘lead section’ includes the lead guitarist the vocalist and other things like the keyboardist. This section should work together to improve on the beat that the rhythm section sets up. It is important that each member does their part and does not over do it. You must remember that you are working as a team to achieve a combined sound. If your group is really serious about getting out and playing and making a real impact on the music scene, then you should spend a lot of time on rehearsal – probably more time than anything else (apart from maybe sleep).
It is important to be organized and to not let each other down as bands often breakup over commitment issues. When you start rehearsal, make sure that you have a goal for the session and that you keep record of what you achieve. Rehearsal is important but I really can’t stress enough the importance of playing to a crowd. You will gain 20 times the amount of experience on stage as you would in the rehearsal room. Work on a good stage appearance and think about the things that you are going to say to your audience.
It is most important to connect with your audience. You should practice these things in the rehearsal room. - It’s not all band work you need to practice by yourself as well. Think of it as your responsibility to the other members in the band to keep your skill level up/increasing and to know your parts as best you can before you get to rehearsal. You will save countless hours if you work on band music outside of band rehearsal. The most important thing when it comes to making a successful, tight band is unity. If the band works as one, it will achieve good things.
For more information on advancing the bands gigs and bookings once established visit Bands For Hire Agency to get in touch
Friday 28 February 2014
Thursday 27 February 2014
How To Become A Professional Singer and Perform At Weddings, Birthday, Corporates, Pubs and Clubs
If you are a capable singer and fancy moving into the profession of live entertainer for your full time job there is a list of things you should do first. This is a complete guide to becoming a paid singer for hire. The purpose of this discussion is to inform solo singers who intend to sing live vocals over a pre-recorded backing track. A performer of this style would tend to be suited to wedding receptions, pubs and working men clubs, birthday celebrations, christenings to name a few.
To go back to the beginning you need to have established you can actually sing and people tend be entertained by you when you do so. The reason for this is at a performance you will be the focal point of the room and for many of the audience your smiling face is a welcome break from the ups and downs of a working week and they are there to enjoy a drink or two whilst you entertain them. Evidence of this may come from when you get up do a number at the karaoke at your local pub and the crowd erupt like you’ve just won the X-Factor.
The first thing you need to do is work out a repertoire of around 25 songs which suit your voice and are popular enough to please a crowd. You should then buy the backing tracks. There are many established retailers online which specialise in professional backing music. Now you have the songs and the confidence in yourself, you now to rehearse. Now I mean weeks of practice, even months. You could stay in your old job whilst you get ready as this is not an overnight thing. You music master the songs but also work out your talking between the songs as it is the personal touches between the songs that will really connect you to the crowd and turn you into an entertainer. So you now have a show that would make Simon himself proud, you now need to make a little financial investment in yourself.
This will eventually pay for itself through gigs but in order to be taken seriously you must obtain a- PA System and Speakers, A good wireless microphone, a minidisc player or MP3 player, a decent lighting rig, an outfit worthy of an on stage performance. This will be full set up for live shows and when you have along with your own transport you are a one person show ready to perform anytime, anywhere. You can now use this for practice unpaid gigs such as a birthday party for a friend where you set up at their house and perform for experience. Sooner or later you’ll want to perform for money at professional gigs. You’ll need to join a music agency who will add you to their books and match you with clients looking for an act.
To join an agency you need a promotional pack. Again this may involve a little investment financially in yourself but it is well worth it. You need a recording of yourself singing to the backing track. Please don’t use a home computer with the built in microphone, if you’ve come this far, hire a day in a recording studio in order to capture the best sound possible. This will set you apart from the competition as there are more people out there searching for the same gigs as you want. So with your great song made now you need a photograph of you. If you hire a photographer for this also they may be able to offer advice on the right outfit to wear and certain pose to do etc.
Next you must sit down yourself and write a biography for yourself. This should be written in the third person. That means you write as if you’re writing about someone else so you could put something like, Elvis Smith is the leading entertainer in his field today. This is your moment to capture the imagination of the reader so make it catchy and use correct spelling and grammar.
Attached to the bottom of this should be a set list of your repertoire so the agency can match you up to the correct clients so everyone has a great time. See here (Artist Registration page) for a working registration page and apply via this and other agency sites in order to grow your list of contacts. It takes a while to gain full momentum in the music business so I would recommend keeping your day job but providing you have the right stuff you can certainly forge a career in live entertainment with work and persistence.
To go back to the beginning you need to have established you can actually sing and people tend be entertained by you when you do so. The reason for this is at a performance you will be the focal point of the room and for many of the audience your smiling face is a welcome break from the ups and downs of a working week and they are there to enjoy a drink or two whilst you entertain them. Evidence of this may come from when you get up do a number at the karaoke at your local pub and the crowd erupt like you’ve just won the X-Factor.
The first thing you need to do is work out a repertoire of around 25 songs which suit your voice and are popular enough to please a crowd. You should then buy the backing tracks. There are many established retailers online which specialise in professional backing music. Now you have the songs and the confidence in yourself, you now to rehearse. Now I mean weeks of practice, even months. You could stay in your old job whilst you get ready as this is not an overnight thing. You music master the songs but also work out your talking between the songs as it is the personal touches between the songs that will really connect you to the crowd and turn you into an entertainer. So you now have a show that would make Simon himself proud, you now need to make a little financial investment in yourself.
This will eventually pay for itself through gigs but in order to be taken seriously you must obtain a- PA System and Speakers, A good wireless microphone, a minidisc player or MP3 player, a decent lighting rig, an outfit worthy of an on stage performance. This will be full set up for live shows and when you have along with your own transport you are a one person show ready to perform anytime, anywhere. You can now use this for practice unpaid gigs such as a birthday party for a friend where you set up at their house and perform for experience. Sooner or later you’ll want to perform for money at professional gigs. You’ll need to join a music agency who will add you to their books and match you with clients looking for an act.
To join an agency you need a promotional pack. Again this may involve a little investment financially in yourself but it is well worth it. You need a recording of yourself singing to the backing track. Please don’t use a home computer with the built in microphone, if you’ve come this far, hire a day in a recording studio in order to capture the best sound possible. This will set you apart from the competition as there are more people out there searching for the same gigs as you want. So with your great song made now you need a photograph of you. If you hire a photographer for this also they may be able to offer advice on the right outfit to wear and certain pose to do etc.
Next you must sit down yourself and write a biography for yourself. This should be written in the third person. That means you write as if you’re writing about someone else so you could put something like, Elvis Smith is the leading entertainer in his field today. This is your moment to capture the imagination of the reader so make it catchy and use correct spelling and grammar.
Attached to the bottom of this should be a set list of your repertoire so the agency can match you up to the correct clients so everyone has a great time. See here (Artist Registration page) for a working registration page and apply via this and other agency sites in order to grow your list of contacts. It takes a while to gain full momentum in the music business so I would recommend keeping your day job but providing you have the right stuff you can certainly forge a career in live entertainment with work and persistence.
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