Anyone?

[kayla]

Play music anymore?

the politics on here suck anymore. jus sayin.

anyways, i got myself a band together. and its harder than hell tryin to keep it all together. tryin to organize practices and songs, keepin our stuff together. its worth the struggle though. i didnt think it would be this hard to get people interested in playing/practicing. its taken over a year to find the "right" group and so far, so good.

our set list is all over the map. i'm not sure if that could be a good/bad thing. i guess it depends on the crowd.

should we stick to just one genre or do whatever? opinions? what kind of music are you lookin to hear when you go out (if you do go out). any opinions will be appreciated. thanks!

- kayla.

[todd17063]

Kayla play the music for yourself... Don't play what you think people want to hear....... First and foremost you gotta like what you play so the passion comes out and with that it becomes easier to put on a good show, instead of playing crap you hate cause people can see that in your performance

[MeYatch]

Kayla play the music for yourself... Don't play what you think people want to hear....... First and foremost you gotta like what you play so the passion comes out and with that it becomes easier to put on a good show, instead of playing crap you hate cause people can see that in your performance

Some people like to play, some people like to perform. People that like to perform can get enjoyment from playing songs they don't particularly like, if its to a packed house of people enjoying it.

I like a little of both, but I can almost always find something to enjoy in any song. Its still music.


What do you mean by "all over the map?" Some variety is nice, but its going to be hard to authentically nail a Katy Perry song and a Garth Brooks song, into a Tupac song. For tons of reasons.

[KeithReynolds]

If you havent, figure out what the goals of the band are. If the goal is to play music for yourselves, then play whatever YOU want to.
If your goal is to make money and be a party band, then you gotta watch the top 100 closely. Most people wanna hear whats on the radio or what was on before. all the stuff is written and laid out for you. Pretty simple.

It really depends of the crowd though. You cant play hard rock at a senior center, or soft rock at a metal bar.

Or..... you could sacrifice the money and actually write your own music....but whats the fun in that??

Once your band establishes what you want to accomplish, all the questions you have should answer themselves.

Hope this helps! Good luck with the band Kayla.

[kayla]

What do you mean by "all over the map?" Some variety is nice, but its going to be hard to authentically nail a Katy Perry song and a Garth Brooks song, into a Tupac song. For tons of reasons.

nothing that extreme. i mean like from SRV to Metallica. like genre changes. doin a lot of 70's, some 90's tunes and some current stuff. just stuff we all like.

- kayla.

[kayla]

If you have figure out what the goals of the band are. Once your band establishes what you want to accomplish, all the questions you have should answer themselves.

Hope this helps! Good luck with the band Kayla.

thank you!! that definitely helps!

- kayla.

[lonewolf]

You may want to take note of what goes over best with other bands (especially the most well-known ones) when they are out playing. That may help with some of the song selection process....but

Its still important to mix in a lot of your favorite stuff if it fits into the above category. Underground stuff rarely goes over, but you can usually find something that is or could be popular.

[bassist_25]

You're fighting the good fight, Kayla. Getting a project together with dedicated cats who can play and don't have a ton of baggage is a challenge, especially in this area. A lot of people think they want to play in bands, but when they find out it's work and doesn't come with instant gratification, they lose interest pretty quickly.

As far as mixing genres, in my experience, some genres go well together. Oldies and country often go well together. Modern country and some classic rock (e.g., BTO, Eagles) go well together. Classic rock often goes together with blues, and modern rock can work with 90s alternative and some 80s rock. Not to sound all MBA here, but I like bands that have a "brand," something that's identifiable and gives them personality. The key is to be able to stretch within that brand without going so far into left-field as to alienate your audience.

...of course, I have played Miley Cyrus and segued straight into Seek and Destroy by Metallica all in the same set on stage before, so maybe I'm not the right guy to be answering this question.

[beatlemaniac]

hi kayla best to be ready to play a big variety that way where ever you go you can play what the crowd wants to hear. kayla i hope you're coming to the patton music fest at the park july 3rd sunday. alot of musicians will be there help pass the word for us go to www.ababyboomerslookback.com click music fest for all the info jerry

[slink]

[quote="bassist_25"]You're fighting the good fight, Kayla. Getting a project together with dedicated cats who can play and don't have a ton of baggage is a challenge, especially in this area. A lot of people think they want to play in bands, but when they find out it's work and doesn't come with instant gratification, they lose interest pretty quickly.

As far as mixing genres, in my experience, some genres go well together. Oldies and country often go well together. Modern country and some classic rock (e.g., BTO, Eagles) go well together. Classic rock often goes together with blues, and modern rock can work with 90s alternative and some 80s rock. Not to sound all MBA here, but I like bands that have a "brand," something that's identifiable and gives them personality. The key is to be able to stretch within that brand without going so far into left-field as to alienate your audience.


I think this answers your question Kayla. EXCELLENT ADVICE!!!!
WAY TO GO B-25

...

[lonewolf]

and to add to Paul's post...


Johnny Cash goes well with EVERYTHING!

[bassist_25]

EXCELLENT ADVICE!!!!
WAY TO GO B-25

[kayla]

thanks fellas for the replies. definitely some great advice.

lol at the johnny cash comment. so true.

- kayla.

[Hawk]

It's normal for people to come and go in any project. Occasionally you end up with like minded people who stay. It's all part of the growing process of most projects.

If you see any band last a long time, it's because of the steadfastness of members who never gave up.

If you see any musician play for years, it's perseverance.

As far as music, I agree with Paul, good advice. But to keep the band together, you always need like minded people in the band with everyone on the same page when choosing the music. You need to consider whether there is a market for the music you choose and if you'll be happy playing that music.

Good Luck Kayla !

[lynch1]

amen Kayla!!!! I'm been getting on here and only seeing political threads and was about to write something about it myself, but decided not to, because it is a general discussion section. But, the political stuff is annoying. this is a musicians website, if you want to talk politics, do it around the water cooler at work, or post your complaints on msn, cspan, cnn or somewhere else. just my thoughts on the whole thing.

As far as the music, I have been doing some jamming with some guys and we are kinda spread out too. We aren't looking to play out or anything so it really doesn't matter. We are playing everything from Pink Floyd and the Stones to Danzig and Rob Zombie. Still staying in the rock forum, but still pretty diverse. I think it is good to have a wide variety because you never know what the crowd is gonna be like, so I think you still need the ability and music knowledge to adapt. On the other hand, if people are coming to to see YOU, they know the style of music you play and are prepared to hear that.

[MeYatch]

To add to the diversity discussion.

The more you listen to a certain type of music, the more you pick up on the differences.

It sounds like you are basically a rock band, which covers a ton of tiny sub-genres. I don't think you are playing anything ridiculously eclectic.

[Jasaoke]

I agree with MeYatch. Most non-musician's don't see much of a difference between hard rock and classic rock...

Taking your time will certainly pay off in the long run. Especially in assembling the players. Having the right group in the right mindset makes all the difference.
And yeah, it's really hard, especially if you or your members have full-time jobs, spouses, kids. But still worth it.

My advice would be to find your own voice as a group of musicians. Develope "your sound" and how you fit together as a group. Then, you can play anything you feel like and still keep it your own and interesting. My group does a bit of genre-jumping and we've found it works a lot better to just play the song as us, rather than our interpretation of the original artist.

[Pizon]

ok, i've been reading replies and figured what the hell, i'll add my 2 cents worth. I've been playing for over 40 years in various bands, and
even tho i'm an "old" dude, i still love to rock and roll. Seriously, from
what i've learned, you may want to play what you want, but the majority of crowds that i've seen, want to dance to songs they are familiar with.
you can throw in a couple of originals, but if you want to play often and make some $$, you just have to go with the flow and play what's popular.
There are songs we do in my band that make me want to puke, but they are the ones people want to hear, so you have to decide what's important
to you and your group. I've been blessed with band mates who are basically on the same page musically, so that's not really been a problem.
A lot depends on the venues you play-- if it's all young people, go with what's popular now-- if it's an older crowd, go with that. Every gig is a
learning experience-- eat it up!! There are so many talented bands and
musicians in this area that will help if you let them. I know everyone
has an opinion, and as i said, i'm just speaking from my own experiences.
What we do in my band (night train) is play popular songs, but will add
one or 2 originals to see what sort of reaction we get. From our personal experience, people want to hear and dance to familiar tunes.
'nuff said. Good luck with your group. I sincerely hope you do well, and as i said before-- enjoy it while it lasts.